Breaking her idle staring contest with the TV, Ashley returned Connor’s smile. Flattered by the praise of being Connor’s favorite club singer Ashley answered his question with a simple. “Not too shabby Conman. Did you hear the news this morning?” As Ashley waited for Connor, or Conman as she liked to call him from time to time, to answer Ashley began to munch on the chicken strips. Most of the time people found bar food unappealing. This was doubly so since it was usually heavily salted and fatty to keep the drinks, and thus the profit, flowing. Ashley, however, had been eating the stuff for years by now, and was rather accustomed to the taste.

Ashley had a gut feeling that Connor was feeling more than friendship with the way he greeted her, but she knew not to address it. Most guys didn’t like it when the object of their affection brought such affection to attention before they did. Leaving the feelings to season for now would give them a chance to be tested. Taking a bite out of one of the strips, Ashley chewed away as she gave a brief glance around at the other early bar patrons. Some people simply couldn’t wait to get their booze on, though the place was still relatively calm and quiet.

It was a totally different atmosphere when Ashley was usually on stage, though. More often than not by the time she took to the microphone the crowds were large and usually well drunk. This was part of the reason why Ashley usually ended up covered in various types of alcohol, sometimes accidental, sometimes not. In her early gigs Ashley had been quite repulsed by the act, although by now it was simply part of the show. Routine, even. That’s why Ashley owned several sets of the same clothes and had to wash them daily. This was also the reason why Ashley wore a one piece swimsuit underneath all of her clothes rather than traditional undergarments: They took being wet a lot better than most clothes did. A bikini was an option, though Ashley found the one piece suits more supportive and thus more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.

Popping the last of her first chicken strip into her mouth, Ashley chewed and swallowed it down, and would probably begin to answer Connor should he have spoken by this point. If Connor hadn’t, Ashley would simply go on munching on her food. It was funny, most people would revile eating bar food for breakfast, but for Ashley it was just another day. That basically summed up Ashley’s current life: Strange or disgusting things to other people were just another day to Ashley, and she wouldn’t have changed it for the world. The independance was extremely satisfying, and Ashley would likely never tire of singing.

Ashley fished around in her pockets for her phone, then scowled as she remembered it’s presence on the small side table near the couch. Ashley’s parents were accustomed to receiving a check-in text from her on a regular basis. They’d gone on a trip to Hawaii recently, and had left their house in her care. Ashley’s dad was especially paranoid about it, since his old army stuff was still there and he kept feeling like someone would want to steal it.

Resigning herself to go and check on the house later, Ashley turned her wandering thoughts back to the situation at hand: Chicken strips for breakfast and the conversation with Connor.