Siren's Song (Juli-sama)

   

OOC:

    The teen had situated himself against a tree, busying himself with taking sips from a water bottle and trying to cool off in the shade the trees provided. God, compared to the other islands, Lunapa was humid as hell. It was starting to make his tank top stick to his overheated skin and the loose cargo pants feel significantly less comfy than they had not an hour ago. A hike in the forest had sounded kind of nice, but in retrospect, he probably should have undergone such a trip in the fall, when the bugs and sun weren't such an issue. Well, at least he was getting a workout, which was his main reason for coming. That's what counted, right?

    // Hm...? // The bottle lingered on his lips for a moment as he stilled, listening intently to the voice and chords drifting through the air.

    Was someone playing music or something? No, it didn't sound as refined as a studio recording would be. There wasn't any screaming or crackling like a live recording would have, either. So, that was a real person. Question was, who were they?

    For a moment, Julian sat there, considering his options. He could go about his business and start his hike back up again, but he wasn't quite in the mood to do so. His limbs still felt a little sore, after all, and there was no sense in overexerting himself. So he could either sit where he was and ignore the song, or...hm, he could go investigate. What would the harm be? Sure, they could possibly be a little standoffish or maybe even upset at being discovered, but in Julia's opinion, why would you sing and play so loudly in a place like this unless you hoped to be heard? Toursts came by all the time. For them to think they'd be undiscovered...well, not the smartest move, in his opinion.

    His curiosity peaked, Julian stood straight rather than leaning against the tree and followed the sound. It didn't take long until he came across the source: a rather interesting looking girl. Huh. Well, he figured it was a woman from the voice, but it was good to know his guess was confirmed. Leaning against a tree nearby, the teen kept his gaze on the girl, head tilted as he listened quietly. No sense in calling out to her and possibly scaring her off her perch. The last thing he wanted was to get the girl hurt, or, even worse, be the one to foot the medical bill. Might as well let her notice him on her own, should she decide to look up anytime soon.

     Sooner or later he was bound to be seen; after all, it wasn't like he blended into the scenery. Shoving his hands into his pockets, the teen gave the girl a smile and a slight nod. "Yeah. It's impressive that you can sing and play at the same time and do both well." A while back, Julian had actually tried learning various instruments. The guitar had been one of the first he'd chosen, of course, but it didn't take long to find out two very important things. Thing one: playing guitar was harder than it looked. Thing two: he really sucked at it. Since then, he'd come to respect anyone who could bang out even the simplest of tunes. A performance like that definitely earned his respect.

    For a second, he considered walking towards her. Then again, he didn't exactly want to get too close and freak her out. Besides, both parties seemed confortable where they were. Might as well keep it that way. "You come out here and play often?"

    The boy's face brightened in a confused grin. "Sorry, but I'd beg to differ. You play like a pro." And he actually knew some people who were practically professional musicians, so he could actually say that with a clear conscience. The way she said it though...was she one of those perfectionists annoyed at her own playing, or was she actually upset...? It was so hard to tell with strangers.

    "You've got that right." he nodded, chuckling lightly. This particular set of ruins was rather far into the forest. He suspected hardly any tourists came out here, if any. After all, he'd been hiking for a good couple of hours wheras most people stopped and turned around after just one. "You...did know that, right?" he asked a minute later, the smile on his face one of bewilderment and worry.  Oh boy...if she was lost, then that wasn't good at all. Did she need help getting out of here, then? "Do you need some help finding the main trail or...?"

    "Only the pretty, talented ones." He chuckled, giving her a bright, playful grin in response. Of course, that was kind of a lie. It wasn't like he ever met another girl in the jungle before, after all (unless you counted jungle-themed play-sets when he was young). And compliments only came where credit was due, like in this case. If someone was doing well, why not give them encouragement to continue doing so?

    Julian wasn't quite sure whether or not to believe the girl on that one. One too many times had he seen some really talented people try and play off their skills by directing focus or comparing themselves to another person, which normally wasn't fair. This "manager" of hers was probably much older than her and played for a longer time. Of course he'd be more experienced than her, if not play better. That was no reason to discount herself though. After a moment, the teen tilted his head, blinking slightly. "You have a manager?" Was she a professional already, or trying to break into the business? Either one would explain her talent.

    When the girl admitted she didn't know where she'd found herself, the teen chuckled lightly. Ah, so she was lost. Good thing he knew where to go or they'd both be in trouble. "If you want I can take you back to the station."

    If she said yes, he'd offer to help her down from her perch. Not that she didn't look capable of coming down herself, but it didn't hurt to extent the offer. If she accepted, he'd offer her a hand to steady herself as she hopped down. If she said she was fine, he'd stand out of her way as she descended. Afterwards, he'd ask if she was ready before beginning to backtrack, motioning with his hand for her to follow.

    If she said no, she wanted to linger, he'd allow her to do so, offering to stick around until she wished to leave. After all, if she was lost, there was no telling when or if she'd ever come out if he left her. Besides, what were the odds of another person coming out soon?

    ...

    ...

    ...

    // ...Right, "no talent" my ass... // He thought wryly to himself, mildly thrown off by this new information. How could someone who went on a world tour think they weren't good at what they did? It was refreshing, sure, but still, she should give herself a little credit. Otherwise she might just discourage herself and quit doing what she did despite her success at it.

    Oh. Well then. Not exactly convenient for him, but if it helped her, that worked too. He'd prefer to make sure she got home safely, but the station had maps of the trails and such. Hopefully securing her with one of those would ensure she made it back alright. "Well, if you say so, I'll be more than happy to take you there." After a moment, he'd look back at her curiously. "Would you like me to walk you back to your house? It's not late or anything, but I'd hate to leave you on your own only for you to get lost again." No harm in offering, right? If she said no, he could always just go with his first plan with the map. Whichever worked best for her.

    Julian couldn't help but chuckle lightly. Kid? Him? Sure, he looked a little young, but his height usually made people believe he was older. Maybe this girl wasn't quite as young as he thought she was? Hm...possibly. He believed her to be fifteen or so; she could be college age, maybe, and just be short. Or it could be her features. "As you wish." still smiling slightly, he started to walk back to the trail, choosing to go the least foliage-dense path so there was less chance of getting caught on anything and getting hurt. No sense in taking added risk here; he'd hate to see her fall with that guitar on her back. No telling how much that'd hurt.

    "So, I take it you aren't familiar with this part of Azores?" Sure, she might've had a house here, but someone who frequented an area most likely wouldn't get lost so easily. Maybe it was her first time visiting?

    With a chuckle. Julian gave the girl one nod and continued on his way. "The station it is first, then." If she wanted him to follow her to her house for one reason or another, he wouldn't mind, but he'd let her make that decision on her own. She might not want a complete stranger (no matter how helpful) to know where she lived, after all.

    He was liking this girl more and more. She reminded him of a spunkier Casper, actually. Both loved music, had immense talent, and the same attitude about Azores. Although he had a sneaking suspicion they both liked Penecia for different reasons... Shrugging off the amusing thought, he looked back at the DJ with a grin. "You have good taste! I hang around Penecia a lot too. The Wave's Peak, specifically. You go there too?" Maybe he'd have another clubbing buddy after this? Ahaha, first Jandice, then Shunnosuke, and now possibly this girl...maybe he should go back to the club soon and personally thank Jandice for creating such a place where he met such a wide array of people.

    "Oh?" He questioned with a smile. Dissatisfaction with the music played...now that sounded like Jandice. He remembered that she said she usually played what was generally requested or what the patrons wanted, not always her own style. Although the edgier, almost Gothic electronic...yeah, that was her speed. "You scheduled to play there again anytime soon? I'm kind of curious to see what you'd play." Maybe it was music he hadn't heard before? That would be nice. He was always looking for good music to add to the already expansive collection on his iPod.

    He stepped carefully over a jumble of rocks, warning the girl about it before he returned to her question with a light hum. "I'm pretty all over the place when it comes to music, really. Motown, jazz, electronic, metal, rap, pop..." he paused for a moment, mouth scrunching to the side in thought before he looked back at the girl with a laugh. "Okay, not all pop, I'll have to admit, but I like a good chunk of it at least." He gave her a smile. "And you? What's your genre? Or do you bounce around like I do too?"