Techno x Punk (SL) [Dandanni]

Well, right back to prickly, it seems, but I'm not being dismissed quite yet. At least I don't see any hints... or if they're there then I'm blind as a jelly fish. Seems she's letting me try to chat with her, if nothing else. Boss and Supervisor seem busy... I think I can affooooord maybe five minutes...

"I'd figure you'd appreciate a little more privacy," she replied, "Everyone deserves to have their space, right? You have nothing to worry about!" With that, she gave Ritz a friendly pat on the shoulder, half testing the boundaries. This was usually a good and fast way to tell how someones personal bubble would be like. It's likely to get her in trouble, she she knows enough to back off if it would be taken as an offense.

"So, Ritz, what takes you to our little corner of the world? A name like that coupled with that attire makes me think you're some kind of rock star. Forgive me for jumping to conclusions."

As Libby would reach her hand out to her mysterious patron she would find that she felt rather warm, a vibrating shudder resounding back to her touch. It was a sort of radiating heat, as if the dark-haired rocker had been standing in the summer sun for far too long. Ritsuko recoiled as if struck by a cattle prod, shrinking low enough into her seat to nearly align it with her collar bone, her face a deep crimson with a pained expression. Hands clasped in a cross over her chest, she thrust her gaze toward the empty pinewood table as she again began to lose control of her breathing.

Her thoughts spasmed and recoiled once more, this time in more abstract and terrifying ways. A volatile mix of emotions bubbled to the surface of her mind, fighting each other for dominance. Part of her wanted to be irrationally angry and punch the waitress in the mouth for invading her personal space. Another part of her wanted to pack up all her things, dash out of the café and back to her hotel room and drown herself in vodka. Still another part desired to have taken her silky, caressing hand and pulled her into an embrace... which lead to thoughts of their own. She could feel the blood pounding in her ears as her small frame shook with anxiety, a quickened heart rate, and hyperventilation. It terrified her. People terrified her, and she loathed them for it, but this situation was especially new and frightening. In this small moment, someone else's opinion of her mattered to Ritz and it scared her half to death. And she was ruining everything in a flustered panic attack all because an innocent pat on the back made her flustered.

"*hiii!* I-I...! *hii-hii-haaaaa!* U-u-umm...!" she sputtered in a fit of nervous gasping. She clenched her fists tightly enough to turn her knuckles white, holding onto herself as if she'd suddenly disappear if she dated to let go. Her mouth felt dryer than the surface of the sun, and the back of her throat burned in the anxious bile brought about by her quivering stomach. Ritsuko wanted nothing more than to crawl underneath the table and cry until everything went away, to curl into a ball and will herself into nothingness. As if that was likely to happen. She knew better than that. Instead, in her fully-fledged freakout, Ritsuko would rely on her stubbornness to get her through this conversation. The cute girl had asked her a question and she wasn't about to act like anything was wrong with how she was behaving. Perfectly normal situation right here. Maybe if she thought that enough she'd actually believe it.

And then another thought hit her. A good one this time. She began to calm down and rein herself under control after Ritz had a moment to think. It was so incredibly simple! How had she not seen it before?

Ritsuko would hide behind a wall of lies.

There wasn't any point to getting nervous about being judged if she's not being judged, per se. She didn't need to be Zayasu Ritsuko, antisocial alcoholic with trust issues when she could be Ritz, Japanese rock princess. She'd have the perfect explanation for her anxiety spasm, too...

"S-Sorry- *hii-hii* ...y-you touched my n-new tattoo..." she lied. It might bite her in the ass later, but it sounded reasonable enough. God forbid she had to go out and get a real tattoo to cover up her fib. Ritz began to regain her composure a bit, comfortably nestled behind a falsehood. With her confidence beginning to surge, she started to show more interest in the conversation at hand.
"I-I'm actually here for the Concert Hall, I do backup guitar, bass, and vokes freelance. My producer said he's got something in the works but I don't know what it is yet, I'm kinda just screwing around small-time while I wait for that to pick up. Little Tokyo's not too bad either, it's kinda cool to see a Western twist on home." Ritz would give a slight smirk as lies fell from her mouth like rainfall.

...holyshitIhopeshedoesn'tfollowuponanyofthis...!

"Oh, ooooh! I'm so sorry," she replied, buying into the whole tattoo story. If it was freshly made, then it was likely that it could potentially be very sore.

Plus, she knows next to nothing about the art of tattoo making, and the effects on the human body it would have.

"Sometimes I get a liiiiiiittle too friendly. In fact, don't feel bad if you need to tell me off, sometimes I have a thick skull about my social-ness." I have now given you permission to shoo me away if it gets too much. I wouldn't be surprised if I get punched for it, even, though I'm seriously hoping I don't get punched.

Still, that was some neat info she's given me there!

"So, Little Tokyo, huh? I've only been a few times, but I like what it's like. It makes me want to visit the real deal. And, I'll be honest, I'm super super SUPER curious about your work, but I'm afraid I might start getting a little nosey!" Well, I'm not lying. You can't just rush into learning about someone like that. You have to first earn the right to learn that kind of info!

It seems, for now, she believed in her lies.

Under normal circumstances Ritsuko would have read deeper into her waitresses remark about being overly friendly, analyzed it to death, and have become upset when she realized she was becoming too invested in what was simply a helpful attendant. Presently, however, Ritsuko was more focused with keeping her lies straight, trying not to let her anxiety bleed over into the real world, and how rugged the brunette looked with that cheek scar. The panicky musician held an utterly false sincere smirk to her, seemingly happy to have polite conversation. A simple look into her eyes would betray how nervous she felt at the current moment though, as well as her stilted movements.

"Y-Yeah, it's totally worth the trip! It's kinda expensive though. Like, you'll have to save up a bit. Tokyo's the best place to be if you're not fluent in the language since you're best to run into someone who speaks English there and it's kinda a tourist trap. You should go sometime! The food's totally better than Lil' Tokyo, I swear."

Shitshishitshit! She's gonna see straight through me! A-Alright, don't freak out! I can fix this! I'll just... I'll just make some more stuff up! Yeah! Okay okay, s-sooooo... I need past shit of stuff I've done, a fake record label... uuuh... fake Japanese stuff, maybe...? I've never been to Japan, I just know the language and what I've been taught! U-umm...! Okay, I'll have to play her something at some point. I'll get some brownie points and throw her back to music! That'll totally work! ...I-I hope...

Ritsuko took an extra long sip of her bubble tea to collect her thoughts. She'd have chugged the whole damn thing if she could've gotten away with it if only to buy herself more time to think things through... but she settled for close to half of it. There was still a little left and the tapioca beads she could eat out of the bottom. That was enough reason to stay and keep talking to her waitress, right? She didn't think she could afford another coffee...

"N-No, you're fine!" Ritz lied yet again.
Please please please stop asking me questions!
"U-uh, whaddya wanna know?" The delinquent wasn't very confident in her question, her charade faltering a bit. But at least she had a good enough answer toward anything she'd probably want to find out. If that failed, well... playing her guitar would probably keep her quiet. Ritz might not be a rockstar, but that didn't mean she couldn't show them up with her skill.

Was she really being given permission to ask questions about her work? Fortuetous! But Libby was not quite yet ready to ask some of the more obvious questions.

Sure, she could ask about how the work is and what type of music she generally plays, but as far as she was aware, most of that was answered already.

There was one question she could think of that might give insight into the mystery of Ritz.

"In that case, what's you're favorite type of music to play?" she asked. She paused briefly to give some thought. "Or for that matter, your favorite type of music? As redundant as that question may sound."

Oh gawd, it's an easy one!

The punk rocker let go of the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. She was beginning to grow a lot more comfortable in her own skin, all signs of earlier panic miraculously erased from her countenance. True, normally Ritsuko wouldn't have cared for this type of attention, but she felt it genuine. She felt as if her waitress was interested in her as a person, not just for her music like everyone else wanted her for. For once that day, she was beaming a toothy smile. The rare moment of bliss made her forget her terrible morning, her cruddy afternoon, the money she owed... She placed a hand in front of her mouth to hide her smile, as she was brought up to do so but rarely ever practiced, though the her positivity shown in her dark-circled eyes. She sat a little taller in her seat, bolstered by newfound confidence.

"No, it's not a dumb question at all!" Ritsuko answered with enthusiasm, completely oblivious that calling her question "dumb" wasn't the smartest choice of phrase. "Some things are a lot more fun to play than they are to listen to. Like, I really like playing grunge and classic rock. The growling bass really gets me pumped! But it's not very creative, so I like listening to indie and alternative. Metal's cool sometimes, but it doesn't have a lot of soul to it... and fuck electronic, of course."

This is SO exciting! I mean, I didn't think that I'd enjoy myself here, but... I'm actually having fun! Pfft, I shoulda started lying about myself sooner if it woulda been so much easier...

Oh...

SHIT. WhatamIgonnaplay?! I-I...! ...Tch, I just need play something. I'm talented, the music just comes to me. ...but should I wow her with pure skill or get all sensitive on her...? Ah ha ha! Fuck it! I'll take a risk! It's been going well so far!

Ritsuko had to stifle a giggle as she began to unzip the case to her guitar. The strings called out for her expert touch, Aoide humming softly as she reached out to her. The antisocial delinquent wore a childish grin of glee as she looked into her waitress's analytical mocha eyes.
"This... is the kind of stuff I like to play."

Showing off for company:

"Sooooooo what's your name?" she asked coyly before the beat picked up and she had to sing in Japanese. She was still testing the waters a bit, apparently the "Don't fucking talk to me" attitude didn't draw her over. Maybe she was into Asian chicks? Ritsuko didn't really play up her heritage unless someone was super into it or pretending not to speak English got her out of trouble, but it had its uses. Her fingers danced across the strings in a perfectly coordinated ballet nimble plucking broadcasting her soulful sound to anyone willing to open their ears for a moment. Of course, she didn't mind how obnoxious her music was to anyone seeking solitude off the street. Some of these nerds were playing videogames at full blast. They could stand actual live talent for a handful of minutes. Her song was nearly as obnoxious itself. It was cocky, self-assured, as confident as she felt in the current moment. It didn't care if you enjoyed it, it would ram itself down your eardrums regardless.

Holy shit, you were right about this! This was a not-terrible idea!

As I am aware, my child! ...As I am aware. Thou shouldst listen to my suggestions more frequently.[/i]

She took everything this one had to say and locked every last piece of information under lock and key in her mental archives. This canary was singing, and she was making sure to record every note sang by this little song bird.

She just didn't expect to get something of a literal example.

Okay, I like her! All of a sudden starts playing loud and obnoxious in a place like this? That takes courage!

To be fair, a little bit biased here. That was pretty fun to listen to. And seeing her come alive just to play? Worth the effort!

"Names Liberty," she replied in response to the question, "Friends call me Libby for some reason or another. And that, was a performance! You, Ritz, are loads of fun!"

And starting my timer to see how long my manager catches wind that I'm not working! I am too involved to pull away right now!

Fun...? That was a word she'd never been called before. Bitchy, callous, delinquent, irresponsible, childish, heartless, punk, bitter... but fun? That was a new one. Ritsuko didn't think she was that fun. Entertaining maybe, but not fun. Then again, she didn't spend a lot of time with people. People kinda decided if you were fun or not. Ritz was more like a fun vampire, sucking the well-being straight out of people for a sick sense of vindication. That being said, she agreed that... maybe she could be fun if she were fun with someone else?

Ritz didn't think she could stop smiling if she wanted to. It was such an honest compliment, one not about her music at that. Nobody ever called her things like "fun" or "nice" or "creative" or anything like that, everyone stuck to commenting on her playing ability. Frankly, it pissed her off. Which made Libby's sweetness matter all the more. Although she enjoyed the attention for once, Ritsuko would take to shielding half her face with her hand to hide her flushed expression and smile. Her chest began to become shaky again, this time in a way that was enjoyed.

"Th-thank you...!" came her earnest stammering reply. And then... silence. And then the panic began to set in.

Shitshitshit I knew this would happen! I don't have anything to talk about now! Waaa-a-a-a FUCK me! O-okay, I'm doing good! I can get through this! It's just a conversation, I don't have to fuck everything up! S-so... what to talk about...?

The delinquent awkwardly picked at her tapioca bubbles to fill the oppressing void of silence while she tried to come up with a topic to discuss. Fuck, dating was haaaaaaard. She licked her lips and took a shaky breath as she prepared to speak again, trying her best to hide her frayed nerves.
"S-so you like chess...? I saw you play. You were... you were pretty good." It wasn't a lie, of course. Ritsuko didn't know how to play chest. She couldn't tell who won or who lost, and assumed that Libby had confidently strode up to the group and schooled them in a handful of moves.

Sounds to me like you've never played chess before if that's how you view it. she thought with a smirk.

"That's actually quite the compliment, especially considering I've lost on purpose." She paused to let that sink in.

"Let me explain, in case that's got you wondering. Chess is about being able to read your opponent. What moves they make, the likely moves they are to make, the likely moves they plan to make, so and and so forth. You have to be able to think three moves ahead, which is not always easy, I'll give you that. A pro-chess player makes it a point to memorize as many strategies as they can so they can figure out what kind of moves their opponent is likely to make! But me? I'd like to take it a little further. I like to try and see if I can figure out which players are the most likely to go for the win the moment they see it. And on that regard, I have been immensely lucky! So many chess players that I've gone up against are so focused on winning that they seem to conveniently forget that earlier I said 'If I lose in two turns, you have to do this for me.' You'd think someone would call me out on that eventually, or that someone would wise up! And to be frank, I'm still waiting for someone to call me out on it. They're out there somewhere, of that I'm sure."

Ritsuko's face would change from cheerful and positive to fearful and shocked in a heartbeat. The color began to drain from her skin and the delinquent found herself very, very grateful she had been covering her mouth from view. Her quickened heartbeat stopped at once and her blood began to run cold.

Wh... what...?

She had assumed she was winning, shows how little she paid attention, but that's not what made her skin crawl. Maybe it was her own flustered mind, but Libby's words seemed... probing. Pointed. Dangerous.

"Let me explain, in case that's got you wondering. Chess is about being able to read your opponent. What moves they make, the likely moves they are to make, the likely moves they plan to make, so and and so forth. You have to be able to think three moves ahead, which is not always easy, I'll give you that..."

The frightened musician squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, flexing her knuckles and sinking lower than she had before.

D-Does she... does she know...?! Oh man, I didn't think I was that transparent! Durr hurr, I'm a famous rock star but you've never heard of me and I'm out of work right now! Stupid! Stupid stupid STUPID!!! I-I thought my playing could back th... could back that up b-but I g-guess I'm not as sneaky as I thought... mmmm... No! No way she doesn't buy it, she was eating it up earlier!

"A pro-chess player makes it a point to memorize as many strategies as they can so they can figure out what kind of moves their opponent is likely to make! But me? I'd like to take it a little further. I like to try and see if I can figure out which players are the most likely to go for the win the moment they see it..."

Ritz whimpered slightly, her trembling hands taking to spooning some of the tapioca beads into her mouth to occupy herself  and make herself appear less worried than she was. It had mixed results. She was no longer doing a stellar job of looking confident. More like a scolded puppy. Her stomach tied itself in knots and a thick lump formed in her throat at the idea of someone she had gone out on a limb to impress finding her out so quickly. It'd be the last time she tried to open up to anyone ever again. She was right to be wary in the first place, trying to approach people always got her hurt. The delinquent actually thought that she could cry any moment.

Sh-sh-she... Sh-sh-she knows, doesn't she!? Stupid! Stupid stupid I'm so fucking STUPID!!! Why did I think I could lie like that!? I-It's not like she wouldn't have found out sooner or later! What the fuck was I... was I hoping to accomplish!?

"...And on that regard, I have been immensely lucky! So many chess players that I've gone up against are so focused on winning that they seem to conveniently forget that earlier I said 'If I lose in two turns, you have to do this for me.' You'd think someone would call me out on that eventually, or that someone would wise up!"

D-did I trip up on a lie somewhere, did sh-she n-not believe me?! What d... d-didn't she believe...!? I played well enough, th-that should count for something! Oh gawd I fucked it up I fucked it up I FUCKED EVERYTHING UP!

"And to be frank, I'm still waiting for someone to call me out on it. They're out there somewhere, of that I'm sure."

The uncomfortable silence after she spoke those words could've been cut with a spoon it was so thick. The musician sat cowering in her seat, trying to hold back the wetness in her eyes. That was it. It was over. This was it. She made the mistake of being too desperate and it bit her in the ass. Ritsuko awkwardly brought out her clamshell phone and gave it a once-over, pretending to check the time. She gave a quivering sigh, quickly packing up her guitar in her case, throwing her notepad in one of the pockets. She would stand and heft the strap over her shoulder, trying to put on a brave smile.
"W-Well it's been nice meeting you Libby, but I gotta go. I-I've got some dives to play at tonight!" Lying again. She didn't believe she could stop now even if she wanted to. Her smile was a little off, the wetness apparent in her eyes. She was sick, sick of failing at everything she tried... In her haste to leave, Ritsuko placed the entire wad in her skirt pocket on the table. Her full fifteen dollars, and a folded paper note. The one with her nickname and phone number she wrote up while Libby was... losing at chess. The one with her nickname and phone number.

She strode out of the cafe as quickly as she could have without drawing any outward attention with her head down, the bustling atmosphere echoing back to her as the automatic door shut behind her mocking her in cruel laughter. Ritz pulled her knit cap lower over her eyes to hide them from everyone else, her lengthy black hair obscuring her face from onlookers. It was two shops down that her false smile would waver, and falter as tear drops began to fall to the dry pavement below. Ritsuko set out for a long evening jaunt to clear her head, in hopes of drowning herself in liquor again at the end of her journey. Any feeling was better than the heartache she was experiencing at the moment. Ritsuko didn't want to feel things anymore anyway.[/color]

"Uh... s-sure," she replied, watching the rock player get up as she left, "Come back any time you want!"  There were some details of note, however.

The behavior she displayed, the wetness in her eyes, the crooked smile...

Just what in the world was going on?

And it seems she left something for her.  Money and a piece of paper.

Was that... was that contact information?!  Libby couldn't believe her amazing good fortune!  She had somehow managed to earn her contact information!

"Oh my gosh, I did not think I would get this far!" she said as she watched the guitar player rush out the door.  "Isn't this something that happens after you've gotten to know them for a while?  Hey, don't bite the gift horse in the mouth!  I should be savoring this!  But... why did she look so flustered?"

"You know... for a supposed genius, you're really dumb."

"WAH!  B-b-boss!"

"Get back to work, Miss Kemp.  And try not to terrorize any more customers while you're at it, you nosey imp."  With that, her supervisor left her to get back to her work.

"Nosey... did I push her too hard trying to get to know her better?!  I... I'm keeping this number.  I'm keeping it and I'm going to apologize to her."  With that said, it was back to waiting the tables.