[IC] Growth ~ A Musician's Life

[Jeep Wrangler]

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Ted Moore

_{Tuesday, 11th March
The Road-Side Refuge - Club}

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"And we are Live, here on the Official United Kingdom Top Musical Charts Recap! This week we've seen new tracks that are making people enjoy life, and we are here to top it off with our Official Week Top Ten, if you missed the full length countdown earlier today! So, let's quickly go over who's placed where this week...

- At Number Ten, we have a Non-Mover from Heralds of the Future, playing down their new Track 'If I could Stay Awake...'
- Moving down two Places, fitting right into Number Nine, we have our very-own Radio DJ, Christopher Lucas, with his charity-song 'For the Weekend' featuring Little Noises. Come on Chris!
- Looking at Number Eight, we have a New Entry from Donna Parks, with 'Hope.'
- Moving in and swiping Number Seven, moving up an incredible five places, is U.E.S with his latest work 'Right Now.'
- Another New Entry, taking Number Six with force is the Rap Sensation L'Tag with his entry 'Moving Forward Again.' Love that Track!
- Once again, maintaining Fifth Place, is German Nights, featuring Stephan Luke, with 'Unborn.'
- We can guess who's staying in Forth place, for the third week in a row...'Painful Step' by Knights of Westro! Keep at it Lads!
- Now we are entering our Final, Top 3! All of these are new-entries, so congratulations to these talented individuals! With Number Three, we have Greg Haster's Debut Single 'Let it Freeze.'
- Driving in at Two, just missing out the Top Spot for this Week is VK's Cover of 'Mind me.'
- And Swooping in, claiming their fourth Number One spot this Season is Marcus Puffing's 'Stop, but do not Listen.'

That should round up our Recap for today! Stay tuned for more of the latest and current hits playing in your homes, with also our Double-Hour Electronic special, with non-stop mixes of Large and Small bass-droppers that run their show! Remember to slip in next week for the update on the Charts once again! Lateeeeeers!"

His eyes drew away from the Television screen located in the corner...Well, it wasn't really the corner of the room. It was on the corner of the perpendicular Wall-Papered pillar and back wall, that sort of corner. The corner where they met, obviously. Usually, it would've been a great interest to see who was actually lucky enough to have that honour, but his mind was elsewhere. The Social Club he sat in was being filled with new people, many of which he'd never even seen before. There was a celebration. Many of the Locals that were interested in the Music Industry, which was around 54 People, had gathered to come and praise Jonathan Steel. He managed to get into that Countdown. Maybe not the Top-Ten, but within the Top-Fourty nevertheless. It was life-changing. Not that long ago he was in a similar position to Ted, but that one Talent Show had brought a huge amount of recognition and fame. Winning it, besting some of the few lesser-successful bunch who had actually decided to come congratulate the man. Ted had already done his part, Lucinda going home with Jeremy and Norman going home to get some early shut-eye. This usually happened. Ted was usually the last to leave, by a long-shot. He didn't really do much with that time he spent staying in the Party, ever, and usually just watched other groups laugh and joke with one another. Occasionally, someone would speak with him for a few minutes, just seeing if they could get to know everyone just that little extra. This, however, was rather different. Usually, having the Music in his blood could mean he would catch the interest of a random guy or girl who'd happen to come across him. That'd generally just spark up a friendly conversation, both of them having big differences in terms of profession and careers, making him see it in a more enjoyable way. This was definitely different. Around him, there were musicians. Local one's too. Many were in bands, though quite a few had left or not turned up. There were about 32 of them who arrived, and a third had left at this point. Some were dressed differently. Some were styled differently. All of them were pretty much different. It made him feel quite bland, with the simple Chequered Over-shirt, with a dark forest-green Undershirt and the same-old lower clothing.

Ted looked at his table generally. He seemed as if he was the only individual who wasn't particularly enjoying themselves. He looked glumly at his table, elbows on the table and the upper-ends of his arms spanning across the radius of his desk. His hands were clenched together, not tightly though, and both thumbs would intertwine in and out of one another. Through this moment of solitariness, even at such a social event, he began to think about Progressive State. They'd been hitting a lot of bumps in their road, especially without Matthew. In respect, they finally released Distorted Symphony in Online Stores, which actually had made more than expected from their collection of dedicated fans, most of which were quite local. There were plans that flowed through his mind. They still needed to at least give a title of the Duet only Lucinda and himself played. They were going to perform it at whenever their next gig was, which happened to be the next night, for the first time at the Club's performance hall alongside Harriet Jones' solo performance, and Lucas Marresca singing a song with the band, instead of Jeremy. It already had a good set-list, with a few new songs planned to be played. The hall was actually quite well booked, having people actually pay specifically to go see them, as well as some of the funds drawn in by people going in for a usual visit. The best part was they were also being paid to play at this event. The worst part was that Ted had but a day to finally fix up the new Distortion Pedal, which they hoped to test out. The plan was to actually not use Jeremy as a Guitarist for one song, as well as Norman watching whilst most likely downing himself with some Luxurious Milkshake. They were going to distort the Bass Guitar, using a Double-Amp method to still use the Bass Guitar's standard sounds to fill the missing noises in the background. It was a complicated hassle of pressing the pedal from time to time, constantly cutting out either the Regular Bass Guitar, or Distorted, sounds and then adding them back in. That was what required the most practice. The song they planned to use that with was actually moving onto the Heavier-Stuff, which is one of the three paths they are taking with Problematic State.

He then thought about Money. The pedal costed quite a lot, as well as the Second Amplifier and Systems that were used in order to work the pedal. Ted smirked to himself, thinking about the issue's way of solving it on Stage.

"It's a fucking good thing I've got Norman as a Techy." He wasn't wrong. Without Norman, a lot of the amazing filtering sounds and effects used wouldn't be available, and the Band wouldn't even have released a Single yet, or record a single track. Also doubling as an excellent Pianist, Synthesiser Player and Percussionist, he made his uses in the Band extremely well presented. Now that he thought about it, Ted needed to find some small jobs to earn more money. His apartment section was quite large, and did have some empty spaces that needed filling. Originally, he was going to have it so another person could live with him...but no one ever visits him really. Why would they?

[timelord1101]

Alex isn't quite sure why she's here, she hates parties and large groups of people. The only reasons was here was because her manager thought this would be a good opportunity to meet some other musicians and try to set up some sort of gig together. She was only the pawn for him anyway. His ultimate goal was to extort her, but that was fine with her. She wasn't compiling for the fame or the money, but to find her brothers.

But this party... or celebration of... who was it? Johnathan something? Steel? Yeah thats it. But something about the gathering of dozens of sweaty bodies dancing to horrible electronic and pop music irks her. Usually she would stick to the walls, making sure she was unsolicited against by drunks, flirts and awkward offers. But this time, her feet hurt and it seemed like the only place to sit was by a man who looked like he was increasingly uncomfortable. Brown hair and quite casual for this occasion. Although she was wearing jeans, however, she was wearing a nice grey button up. Should I go lighten the mood? He looks lonely, she thought.

She though of all the things she could say. She decided on a simple approach. She walked across the floor, maneuvering through the throngs of drunkards and shaggers. Upon reaching the table she plopped down onto a chair and swung her feet up onto another. In a thick Irish accent she tries to spark a conversation "Hey there lad. You look a bit downtrodden."@LetMeDoStuff

[Aewin]

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Location: The party
Interacting with: Ted @LetMeDoStuff and Alex @timelord1101

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"Are we there yet?"

"No."

A beat.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

Another beat.

"Are we ther---"

"No! We aren't there yet. Stop being so bloody annoying." Jesse stared down at his sister -no, stepsister - with an exasperated glare. The girl beside him simply sighed loudly, deflating into the seat at the back of the car as she sighed again abnoxiously. They had been invited to some party by Jonathan Steel, a celebration for getting into the top-something of the UK charts. It was quite the accomplishment, Jesse had to admit, but it didn't mean you had to celebrate it with other competing artists.

Oh well, to each their own.

The car slowed down by the pavement, eventually stopping by the Social Club. Mia, of course, was the first one out of the car, stretching her short body and letting her joints pop back into place. "Why'd we have to pick up Dex anyway? Couldn't he have just come by train?"

"I could've," another male came up behind her, ruffling her hair - to which she scowled - "but what's the point of having friends that can drive if they don't pick you up from your home?" Dex laughed as Mia swatted his hand away, smoothing her hair out before turning towards Jesse, who had just shut the car door. Jesse gestured towards the door, and the three band-mates headed inside.

Inside, there weren't too many people, but it wasn't empty either. Mia looked down at her clothes and was glad she had chosen it. It wasn simple and cute, but enough to warrent a second look from those that were interested. With a large, bright smile, Mia dragged her two bandmates across the room, introducing the Violet Lanes to other aspiring musicians. In the world of entertainment, two things were important: talent, and connections. She may not have been the best PR, but even she knew that socialising could prove to be benefitial at this sort of party.

Spying two other people sitting by a table - both dressed up casually - Mia dragged her band mates one final time towards the smaller group. "Hi! Pleasure to meet the two of you." Mia began, before pointing at each member of the Violet Lanes individually. "This is Jesse and Dex, and I'm Mia. We're Violet Lanes."

[Jeep Wrangler]

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Ted Moore

Interacting with Mia [@Aewin] & Alex [@timelord1101]

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He was far too deep into his thoughts. He usually was. Ted never really paid much attention to the vast social world around him when there wasn't anyone he completely recognised beside him. What was on his thoughts though? Well, Ted had recently been going through some of his attitudes for tomorrow. Tomorrow was in fact Jeremy was going to sing live to an audience. Tomorrow was going to be the day that Ted actually keeps himself from standing completely still as well. He had always admired Jeremy's showmanship. As hard as it was to understand, he actually had seemed to be a more popular attraction for the band. There was a recorded video on the Internet, of course, with their first recorded song as Jeremy on Lead Vocals...It was a hit-wonder! Many of the comments were even complimenting his showmanship, just from a video. When he's not singing, and is indeed playing some heavy-or-not-so-heavy riff, he can be seen spinning amps, interacting with his comrades and generally prating around on stage. Ted wasn't completely like that, however. He was definitely getting to a performance stage. Norman was quite movey-when he had some catchy or memorable synthesiser rift. Lucinda...well she would go her own way, as all drummers usually did. Ted then was drawn back to the song that he actually helped write. This was going to be the first song on the setlist. In fact, Norman had even found a way to add himself, using Tunnel-Effects and even taking control of certain background effects. It was what he did best, next to the Standard Concert Piano. When he thought about the Piano, he then began to think about the Set-list and planned songs ahead. They already had a song with Lucinda singing coming up for their testing, which was more than exciting, as well as a song with the Lead Singer being-

"Hey there, lad. You look a bit downtrodden." It was sudden. Too sudden, it was. So sudden that Ted's head literally leapt from his hand, carefully balancing on his elbow, and back into a straight posture. His legs had also jolted slightly, nearly catching the table he was sat at. Within milliseconds of him hearing the voice ever-so close to his own, the eyes he carried began to scrutinise the surroundings in order to discover where it came from and if it was addressed to himself. Almost instantly, a Semi-Smartly dressed female sat in front of him. She'd had plonked herself right into the seat opposite his own, kicking her feet up another. White Hair, though not the type that signifies old age or artificial colourings, dark-blue eyes with a semi-regular build. That was all that could be made out. Time was slowed down, and Ted needed to somehow recover from his ever-lasting boredom he was just suffering from. `What the fuck? Who's this woman? Oh shit! Why the hell is she looking at me? Why did she just talk to me for no reason? Who's she calling downtrodden!? What the fuck am I doing?` The questions buzzed around in his thoughts quickly, trying to find a way to return the greeting, though in a way that possibly wouldn't start any conversations, which usually lead to someone trying to murder Ted. He awkwardly shrugged his shoulders, still sitting quite tall.

"Uhh...Uh...Yeah...Hello." Oh fuck...He'd spoken to someone he didn't know at all. Ted at least made some sort of attempt to hide that Mixture of Large Quantities of English within his accent and the small amounts of Scottish pronunciations. Yes, it did seem strange. He'd stayed in Scotland up until Eleven, and had already lost most of his accent within the 12 Years staying in this one. It had its advantages, however. His singing was slightly clearer, and that meant that less tension between his nerves and his performance.

And then, it was at this point that it became slightly more awkward. Before he could even say anything else, or resort to his awkward walking off, someone else walked up. When saying Someone, it would be more specific to say some-more people. There were three, two males and a female. She spoke, sort of like a showman.

"Hi! Pleasure to meet the two of you. This is Jesse and Dex, and I'm Mia. We're Violet Lanes." `Where do they keep coming fro-I mean the party would be an obvious answer. But...why are they approaching me? I'm not some live-showman? I don't have some interesting look about me that catches the eyes of anyone? I'm just Ted! Who the fuck gives two shits about Ted!? What pleasure is there of meeting me? Jesus Christ, Norman was right when he said I need to start talking to more people to make some sort of success in this Band...`

"Uhm...Ted...I'm just...here to-"

"Mr Moore! Jesus, mate, I thought you left with the rest of y'ah group." Finally, a godsend. None other than a semi-decent acquaintance of Problematic State, Jonathan Steel. He was smartly dressed of course. Already, Ted had felt kinda bad for him. He originally intended of holding this party to let everyone have a good time, not really wanting it to be focused on his recent success. There was an idea from him to even bring about a few A&R Scouts to come and gather some interest for other people, before he left the area for his new career. He was actually an extremely lovely person, regardless of what everyone had been going around with that night. He was looked upon rubbing it in to Competition. Kind of a shame, but this moment was indeed a miracle. Someone he knew meant more confidence in speaking...perfect. "You ready for tomorrow? Gotta say, I am getting Norms to text me how it goes." Jonathan looked at the group surrounding him, giving them a warming smile. He definitely knew that Ted wasn't the best speaker when alone, which was what partially made him come over. One person was enough, yet he knew that deep down Ted wanted to actually talk to these people, get to know them well enough to have coffees with or even just talk to on a regular basis. Jonathan was indeed right with that point. "I see you've met some of the other's, briefly. Sorry if he's a little quiet, it's nerves I guess..." Ted flashed his supporter with a small grin, having one returned to him. He felt slightly warmer inside, knowing that someone wasn't going to bombard him with sudden questions. "Anyway, I gotta go see Jessica about her little Porcelain Phone to God.* Good luck with the guys in Problematic State, Ted. Let me just tell you that you will love the High-End Club!"

Locally, among the Music Apartment most of these people lived in especially, there had always been news about who had managed to get somewhere nice to perform for once. Problematic State's appearance at the High-End Club was actually quite interesting, seeing as it'd be their first Semi-Major gig. The room was already going to be filled with 104 Clubbers and Small Fans, as well as the spaces that could be filled at the last minute. Jon walked off at this point, leaving him alone with them again. He felt slightly less awkward, but now he felt the pressure of having his Band revealed. I mean, they don't really know names. Hell, Ted even knew Violet Lanes, but not the performer's names. The other lass was still a mystery at this point, still sort of scaring him in the way she had came over. And at that point, it was time to play his end-game. Hopefully, no one was going to pay too much attention to the Concert's location. As cool as it would be to actually share their newly developed music with those also facing the same journey as themselves, Ted still felt like they'd hate him, put him on a pitchfork and burn him like some sort of witch. And so, he slowly picked his phone from his pocket, looking at the time and quickly setting it down on the table.

"I really don't want to be rude...or awkward, which I really am being...I kinda need to leave...The rest of my band...Uhh...group...they've already left and I need to go back and practice for my...thing tomorrow. Nice meeting you too, Mia, Jesse and Dex...Like...it's nice because I do know of you and your Music and...uhm...Thanks for...talking to me?" At that point, he had left. He didn't really know the other girl's name, and so he hadn't mentioned it. Ted was already embarrassed and ashamed of his attempt at socialising at this point, so he simply headed for the exit. And now, it was over...he was out of the building and slowly going across the Street for the bus back to the apartment. It was only 10 minutes away by bus, but it was going to be worth it, seeing as walking could be tedious. And as he stepped onto the bus, it getting ready to depart, he had the thought of something he should've thought of before departing...He left his bloody phone on the table.

* - On the Porcelain Phone to God: An Uncommon English phrase I use to describe someone throwing up, the porcelain phone being the toilet and the god part being the general "Oh god!"'s that are said during the process of vomiting. Now you know...

[Aewin]

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Location: The party
Interacting with: Ted @LetMeDoStuff & Alex @timelord1101

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With the arrival of the new guy - the host of the party himself - Mia's attention was drawn away from Ted and the lady beside him. Mia chuckled good-heartedly as Jonathan apologised, waving it off as if it were nothing. So the guy is shy, no big deal right? Mia was still trying to place which act Ted was from - unless she was wrong, it wasn't likely that Ted was a soloist, especially with his shyness.

Sure, Mia didn't know every musical act out there, especially those from her little town, but she would at least know the act names in passing. "I really don't want to be rude...or awkward, which I really am being...I kinda need to leave...The rest of my band...Uhh...group...they've already left and I need to go back and practice for my...thing tomorrow. Nice meeting you too, Mia, Jesse and Dex...Like...it's nice because I do know of you and your Music and...uhm...Thanks for...talking to me?" Oh, so he knew of them then. Mia smiled, her chest swelling with pride. Hey, at least someone at this damn party had at least heard of them before. Well, I didn't mean no one knew of them in this party, it was that not all had known them, and that did not sit very well with Mia.

"Oh well b...ye..." Her bye was drawn out as he left suddenly, as if burnt. Well, that conversation was short. Mia turned to the lady who was sitting there, until she realised the phone that Ted had taken out to check something was still sitting on the table. "Well that sucks." She commented, picking up the device in her hand.

Looking back at the lady, "Did you know him by any chance?" She asked.

"Didn't Steel mention something about the guys from Problematic State? Ted does sound a bit familiar now that I think about it." Dex piped up from behind Mia, prompting her to turn back around.

"Wait, isn't that the band you love so much?" She asked Jesse, who had been on his phone the entire time. 'Probably texting his girlfriend.' Mia clicked her fingers in front of Jesse's face impatiently to regain his attention. "Helloooo? Earth to lover boy!"

"Jesus, Tessie, can't it wai--"

"No, now listen. Does Ted from Problematic State ring any bell?" Jesse was silent for a moment, thinking about it until he nodded, still scowling. "Alright alright, that's enough. No need to burst an artery."

[Wonderland]

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@Wonderland as Harper Cole and @SouffleGirl123 as Jackson Carter

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Harper slowly did a twirl in front of the mirror, checking out her dress. She'd bought the actual dress from a second hand shop and spent a very long time making a see-through layer covered in sequins to go on top. This was how she made most of her clothes, because waitressing didn't give her a lot of spare cash. All her tips from the pub went on clothes or studio time, and to be honest, she spent a lot more time in the studio than on clothes. Harper scraped her pink hair up into a high ponytail and applied a minimal amount of mascara and eyeliner. She picked up her phone and text Jackson to tell him she was on her way, before putting her phone and her favourite lipgloss into a clutch. She slipped on some comfortable shoes, left her small studio apartment, locking the door behind her, car keys in hand. Then she walked to her car and started making her way to Jackson's place.

When she got there, Harper checked her phone and beeped the horn of her car once more. She was waiting, eternally waiting for Jackson. She didn't know whether it just took him a long time to get ready, or he deliberately went slow because he just wasn't interested. He wasn't the partying type, but that was fine, Harper more than made up for it. The dynamics of the two of them worked quite well, Harper did all the talking for them. It had taken Harper a while to get ready for this party, more than she normally cared about her appearance. Apparently it was a big deal, and by going, they were going to meet some important people. It could really be the start of something and Harper was excited to finally be taking steps into her music career.

Harper beeped the horn again, looking out the window. If he made her wait any longer, she was going to have to go and get him. Harper looked at her makeup in the mirror, applied some more lip gloss and waited.

By most standards, Harper most definitely included, Jackson was not ready for this party, mentally or physically. He hadn't changed from his casual clothes, nor did he plan to. His denim jeans and black top, which sported the logo of the rock band Final Hope, and his old red pair of converse where suitable to him. Parties weren't Jackson's thing, he would have found a way to avoid this one, however, this party would be beneficial to the duo in finding connections and Harper was so keen on it so a couple of hours wouldn't hurt, right?

Jackson gave a sigh, pushing his fringe from his face as he clicks the play button on his computer the duo's last recorded track blasting into his ears from his white headphones. He bopped his head side to side listening to the pair's latest creation, listening intently. A smile plays on his lips at the masterpiece that came of it, he'll have to see what Harper thought of it, if she had bothered to open the email yet.

That was when a honk came from the garden, most possibly not the first one, it was barely audible under Jackson's headphones which rested on his ears no longer expelling music. Jackson sighs yet again grabbing his black wallet, that sat next to him on the desk, his phone and keys and left his house, making sure all his lights were off, and closed his door, locking it in the process, and slipping his items in his pocket before approaching his bandmate's car.

"Evenin' Harper. How are you?" He greets her, slipping into the passenger set. Harper had actually dressed up for the occasion though Jackson wasn't completely sure on how comfortable her dress was, not that he'd ever worn a dress or an object of sparkly clothing before, nor did he plan to. "You're looking lovely tonight."

"Look who finally decided to show up," Harper said, grinning at Jackson as he got in the car. "And I'm so glad you dressed up." Harper gave him the once over, laughing, but not in a mean way. Jackson never dressed up, like ever. She'd only known him for two months, but she knew something would wrong if he wasn't wearing jeans. In fact, she didn't even know if he owned anything other than jeans. Harper wasn't exactly the most fashion forward, but boy, she needed to work on Jackson's dress style. As she started the car and pulled out, driving, she flicked her head back over to Jackson. She was pretty sure he was wearing that exact outfit the first day she'd met him.

...2 months earlier...

"What can I get you today?" Harper asked, standing behind the bar, looking at the guy who had just walked in. He was wearing a faded band t-shirt and a pair of jeans, matched with some red converse that definitely looked like they'd been well worn in. He was a bit taller than Harper, not hard, considering she was only 5'3 without heels, and brown hair. He had come into the pub on his own, which was not unusual, most people came in for a drink or two on their way into town for the night. It was a Saturday night and the pub was pretty busy, slowly filling up with more and more people. Harper was due to go home in an hour, but she had a feeling she would get asked to stay late. She didn't mind, it meant more tips for her.

Jackson had barely made it to the counter before he was greeted by a perky pink-haired young woman. He offered her a small smile, "I'm not here for a drink, but thanks," he started walking toward the counter to find the pink-haired woman to be rather short. "I'm looking for the manager actually. I'm Jackson Carter, the new employee," He had no idea what to expect, he'd never worked in a pub before now but it was the only place willing enough to hire an inexperienced adult so, despite the bad pay, it set to become what he was to live off.

Harper blushed when the guy said he was the new employee, mistaking him for a customer. Frank, the owner of the pub, had mentioned something about someone else starting today. But it was getting late on a Saturday night, talk about a trial by fire. Harper hoped that this guy Jackson had some kind of experience.

"Oh well, Frank isn't here tonight, he was in here earlier. He said something about a newbie, but I didn't realise you would be starting tonight." Harper said, trying to appear like she was up to speed with things. "I guess you should speak to Marcie?" Harper said, pointing down the bar to an older lady, who didn't entirely look real anymore. Fake hair, nails, even boobs. Marcie was Frank's younger sister, who had worked at the pub for literally her whole life.

Like she had heard her name, Marcie came striding across the pub from the other side. Marcie didn't pay any attention to Jackson, instead looking at Harper before declaring she was done for the night.

"Um, Marcie, this is Jackson. The new employee." Harper said, pointing at Jackson across the bar. Marcie looked at him blankly. "Frank said he would be coming in?" Harper continued.

"Oh well, I'm going home. You can train him, Frank won't mind." Marcie said, more distracted by her nails than anything else.

"But Marcie, I only have an hour left...Aren't you supposed to close up?" Harper said, looking at her watch. There was only an hour left of her shift, but the pub didn't close for another six hours.

"Oh, Harper, I meant to ask if you could do it? You'll have Jackson here to help, of course. Just think of the tips." And with that, Marcie walked out, without giving Harper a moment to protest. Harper sighed, she would like to think this was a one-off but with Marcie, this happened quite a lot. Harper turned back to Jackson.

"Sorry about that," She said, blushing again. "Have you ever worked behind a bar?"

Jackson laughed as the pink-haired girl blushed. "Nah, you're fine," he assured her slipping his hands in to the pockets of his jeans. She continued to inform him the manager was out and, instead, pointed at a very fake lady, he doubted anything was real on that body anymore. He shook his head.

Marcie paid no attention to Jackson as she barked orders amd the young lady, not letting her get a word in sidewards, and writing Jackson off, before dumping her remaining hours on to the young woman, who was named Harper it seemed, before walking off paying more attention to her fake nails than she had to Jackson before walking off.

"No need to apologise for such a woman," Jackson dismissed her apology with ease that was when he asked about his experience. Jackson briefly looked over the bar. It was getting later by the minute and patrons were starting to surpass tipsiness and here he was, no idea what to do or how to do it. "Sorry Harper, never been behind a bar before, I'm not an experienced bartender, or bar customer for that matter," he said before his mind wandered back to the fake woman.

"Gee, is she always like that?" He asked, "Isn't she meant to be a manager or something?" He shook his head hoping to draw away from the lack of his experience.

Harper laughed as Jackson's assessment of Marcie. "Yes she's always like that, you'll get used to it."

...Current Day...

Harper pulled up outside a building that looked to only just be containing a raging party. It looked exciting and Harper couldn't wait to get inside and see who was in there. The party could contain all the biggest celebrities or all the influential people in the music industry. Harper wondered if she was getting ahead of herself and whether this party was going to be great or a total bust.

She turned to Jackson, looking at him, her eyes glittering at the possibilities this party could hold.

"You ready for this?"

"Not really but I don't really have a choice do I?"

[Jeep Wrangler]

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Ted Moore

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It was late, oh yes it was. The time had sunk down, and yet Ted had only left the party when it was getting started. He was mainly there to go with his group, congratulate good old Jonathan a few times and be on his merry way, yet when everyone else left, he felt compelled to stay and Socialise. He did attempt to in fairness, until doing a runner and basically destroying his self-confidence again for one night. It was embarrassing. Two individuals, four if you count the guys who didn't say anything during the moment, dressing to impress coming over to introduce themselves to him, only to find a roughly minute-long conversation of complete awkwardness, thus being saved by Jonathan. Hopefully it was in the past, and he would not embarrass himself in front of anyone else from there again. He didn't realise how wrong he was when he thought about that.

Taking a stroll up the flights of stairs, he'd see the doors leading to corridors. And through the door's windows, on each floor, was a corridor of doors. The apartment complex. It was very well-designed, especially for the town they lived in, and the prices weren't even that steep or unfair. It was more than amazing to snag one of these rooms, especially with the edition of the Top Floor's Studio for Problematic State. Now mentioning that, he continued to go up the flight of stairs, reaching floor 8...The Top Floor. Opening the door and trekking down the long hallway, he came to Door 4, with a brass embedded notice of the Band's insignia. Every time he looked at it, he would smile. The symbol wasn't just for looks and show, it actually bared a slightly deeper meaning, going well with the Band's title. What's more it was also a direct hint towards a song that had been planned for quite some time. In fact, it was two. However, the first one was near-enough complete, ready for the performance tomorrow, at around Midday. The club they were going to wasn't open that night, so many of those who usually go there were to to the Just-After Midday performance. Most of them were going to be fans of the band, actually managing to somehow hear about their performance and find the will to follow. The band were also going to stream that event through the help of one of Norman's colleagues, so those who weren't able to see them, say if they supported their online music from another Country, slowly spreading it around to their friends, they could witness it at the very same time. It would've been costly to get that sort of idea set up, but it was more than enough grateful to have an acquaintance do it for free. As he thought about that, he would open the door with his key, stepping inside the Studio. It was grand, grander than what any of them could've imagined. Two years, they spent setting it up. Earning money from just selling simple tracks online, making money from work and errands, they managed to kit out the room with the equipment. It seemed like a terrible idea, knowing that their band would crumble and this would all be a waste of investment. However, they were more than wrong, having the courtesy to continue doing what they loved, as well as build what they need. The room already had the glass, double rooms and sound-proof walls. It previously was a Studio, see, and provided a good area for creativity for the likes of Old-Time Solo Artist Chris Calastro, an early edition to the Pop Genre. It was quite an honour sitting in the same room as he had, but then, nothing here was the same and would've been replaced. It was the same coordinates, just a different platform.

Ted began to start hooking up some equipment. Yes it was late, very late...But no one would hear him much. Taking himself into the recording space, he began to set up the amplifier to suit the song he wished to practice. The song they were going to play was a daring song, of course. It was completely different to their original genre, giving the Alternative to the Rock. It was simply titled Passing By, being a song about seeing someone of a completely different lifestyle, be it slightly darker, bringing out the inner darkness of the singer. Obviously, he was quite chuffed with the song, but there was a huge series of Neck-Slides that had to be done. It was the chorus especially, proving to be quite a pain to get right. So, he loaded up the speakers for the Studio Edit they had, darting from room to room, and began to end his day with the practice session, knowing that tomorrow was going to be one difficult day.

Passing By, Practice Run