Friday, December 7, 2012

[Prologue] Chapter 4 - Claude

Ari heads to the park to meet Quincy.  He's there for all of three seconds before he tells her that it will probably be better if they split up, to reach more prospective musicians. Quincy will take the theater district while Ari remains at the park - and at around eight, they'll meet up at the Bistro to go over what to do next.

Ari doesn't argue.  The park isn't usually that busy compared to the theater during the week, and Quincy being the much more charismatic of the two is going to be better at baiting than she will be.

She does manage to hand out some flyers to interested hopefuls, however.  JC Rushing was one of the few that actually tipped her when she busked and is also apparently someone with connections.  He offers to put a few banners on his website advertising their auditions in return for a small favor - that she perform at his birthday party next week.  

A fair trade.  

Ari quickly loses interest in standing around idly.  The park is basically empty save a few children that came here after school, and seeing as there's no Quincy nearby to remind her what she's there for in the first place, she shrugs off "work" to pretend like she knows how to play chess.

Hilary Hatton is not amused by Ari's ignorance of chess rules.  She leaves when the game basically devolves into a game of checkers. How plebian.

After Ari discovers a sudden distaste for chess - and for little girls named Hilary - she attempts to catch one of the many butterflies near the fountain instead.  She names this one Claude.

As providence would have it, just before she sets off toward the Bistro Ari runs into someone else who has taken to busking in Twinbrook.  She places a small tip and a flyer in the cup by the woman's feet. It is the tip the woman notices, not the slip of paper, and she is grateful enough to stop her bass playing altogether to give Ari her thanks.

"You have no idea how much this money will help." She says, wringing her hands.

Ari smiles sympathetically. "Trust me. I do."

Quincy waves down Ari once she arrives.  He's already seated at a table with his dessert in front of him and an order of sushi for Ari.  

"How did you know I like sushi?" Flecks of food are likely flying everywhere when she asks just after stuffing an entire roll in her mouth.  She's famished enough to not care how much of an impression she's making right now - not that it is high on her priority list to begin with.

Quincy laughs as he watches her leer hungrily at her plate in preparation for the next bit of sushi. "To be honest, that was my dinner."

Ari looks horrified, wiping her mouth with the napkin and pushing the plate away reluctantly. "You're eating dessert, I just thought..."

"Who says you can't eat dessert first?" He pushes the almost empty sushi plate back toward Ari with a sly grin. "May as well finish it."

Ari rubs the back of her neck in embarrassment. "I'm sorry.  I'll order another plate and pay for it."

"Nah. Don't worry about it.  When we're rolling in the big bucks, you can buy me dinner then."

"Either you're extremely confident in this venture, or you're being sarcastic.  I can't really tell."

Quincy shrugs with a slight smile. "Depends on how many people show up for auditions."

"You mean how many experienced musicians show up for auditions.  Quality over quantity?"

"I'm hoping for both."

Niles and Cosette return from their dinner date to watch the stars.  It's one of the few nights that the Twinbrook skies are actually clear enough to view them.

Cosette suggests they take advantage of having the house to themselves.

They relax afterward, Niles resting his head contently against their headboard as Cosette falls asleep in his lap. 

"Cosette..." he says quietly, "...are you still awake?"

She stirs at the mention of her name.  "Are your legs falling asleep?" She begins to move herself toward the empty portion of the bed, but Niles places his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"No." He laughs. "I just want to say I love you."

She smiles blearily as she snuggles in closer.  "I love you too."

When Quincy's original location for their band tryouts turns out to be a bust, Ari asks Niles and Cosette if they can host it at their place.  They both willingly oblige.

Quincy is disappointed only five people show up, but it's honestly five more than Ari expected.  They all sit in the chairs that Quincy brought over, looking hopefully toward Quincy and Ari as they explain their musical style and what it is they're looking for.

First up is the woman Ari handed a flyer to at the park.  She nervously introduces herself as Noemi Davenport, an experience classical bassist.  She's never played jazz-rock before, but she manages to expertly play a rendition of a newly popular modern song, Subway Glances.

She's the only one here auditioning for the bass spot, and luckily for Ari and Quincy, she is obviously skilled.

One spot down, one to go...

The next three aren't exactly show-stoppers.  All three are clearly either new or just learning how to play the guitar.  The last guy, in particular, hasn't even mastered basic guitar scales yet.

Just when Ari and Quincy begin to lose hope, Jarrod starts his performance.  He's cocky, overly confident, and arrogant; but damn, can that man play the guitar.

The hopefuls are released once the auditions are over; Quincy informs them that they'll get a call by tomorrow letting them know they're final decision.  Ari can understand Quincy's hesitation to give Jarrod the spot, he might cause more problems than he's worth with his attitude, but she also doesn't want to drag this whole business out longer than needed.

Quincy sighs.  "You really want Jarrod in the band? He's an asshole."

"But he's a talented asshole."

"He's probably going to leave us high and dry.  I know his type."

Ari frowns. "So do I, but I say we give him a shot."

"Or you could ask your brother to join?" Quincy almost pleads.

"I tried.  He has a good thing going at the theater; stable, you know? He doesn't want to risk it and I can't blame him."

Quincy shrugs his shoulders in defeat.  "Then I guess we're out of options.  I'll call and let Jarrod know he's in, but I say we keep our eyes open for someone else.  I have a feeling he won't be with us long."

"Quite the pessimist." Ari smirks. "But I agree."

Quincy's hug catches Ari by surprise, but it's not necessarily unwelcome.  It's more a congratulatory embrace than anything else - they did just get through the hellish process of auditions unscathed, after all.

"Now we need a band name, and gigs." Quincy mutters.

Ari laughs.  If she's learned anything about Quincy since their short acquaintance, it's that he's an over-planner.  She, however, would rather fly by the seat of her pants. "One thing at a time. Let's just focus on the success of tonight before tackling the rest."

After helping Quincy get all the furniture back into his truck and seeing him off, she heads to the bathroom for a much deserved bath and that's when she hears it - the distinct sound of someone upchucking the contents of their stomach into the toilet.

Cosette walks out a few moments later with a tired frown.  "Your auditions are done already?"

"Not many showed up." Ari places the back of her hand on Cosette's forehead, feeling for a fever that isn't there. "You sounded like you were puking up your insides."

Cosette clutches her stomach with a groan.  "I feel like I'm going to do it again."

Ari helps Cosette brush her teeth and get into bed.  She tried changing her into her pajamas, but Cosette was too exhausted to stand any longer.

As soon as Cosette falls asleep, Ari whips out her phone to call Niles at work.  She's sure it's nothing serious, but he should know nonetheless.

"Is everything okay?" He answers worriedly.

"Cosette is... sick." For lack of a better word. "She doesn't have a temperature, but she's been throwing up Exorcist-style for the last hour or so."

Ari hears the muffled sound of her brother saying something to one of his co-workers. "The rest of my shift is covered.  I'm on my way home."

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Ari always looks like she's perma-smirking when she smiles - like she's mocking other sims rather than actually smiling.  Also, Quincy's hair-clipp'age is driving me insane.  He's getting a makeover soon.

Ari really likes butterflies.

Nothing new to report beyond my minor annoyances.  ONWARD!

15 comments:

  1. I hope Cosette is preggers and not actually sick....
    So, yay for the band! My husband would say that all guitarists are arrogant, over-confident assholes, so you might as well go with a talented one. (My husband is terribly jaded by having been in bands since he was 16, lol. He's a bassist.)

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    1. I've never been in a band, but I did play the drums for a while and deal with people who were; they always had something to say about the lead guitarists, the singer, or whoever was taking care of both. It was funny to hear about, but also made me NEVER want to join a band. Haha.

      Thanks!

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  2. People like Jarrod are probably WHY Cosette has never had a good experience with a band. Even his name sounds annoying. ><

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    1. You hit the nail on the head. Ari has had an unsavory experience multiple times with guys like Jarrod, yet she's the one advocating his spot in the band. /she never learns.

      Thanks for reading/commenting skylarkza!

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  3. Jarrod sounds like he will definitely provide good fodder for band drama. Should be fun! xD

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    1. Haha. Jarrod will be providing drama, indeed.

      Thank youuu!

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  4. There always has to be a Jarrod type character in bands, how else would there be band dramas?! =P

    I think Cosette is really cute, I like that hairstyle if you can remember where you got it. Never enough cute up-do simple styles out there. I am going to bet she's preggers - yay!

    And you're right, Ari does look like she's constantly smirking or snarky attitude. I think that's part of what makes me like her so much.

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    1. Thanks!

      You can find Cosette's hair here: http://www.modthesims.info/d/482656

      (It's an "unadorned" version of the store hair - which you can find at *cough*MATY*cough* the sims 3 store, of course - and you need the original for it to work).

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    2. Oops - forgot to say it is the one in picture number 3 and should be the third download as well. ;)

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  5. I hope Jarrod doesn't cause too much trouble for Ari with his arrogant attitude etc

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  6. Oh Jarrod. I sense dramaz! And I hope Cosette is already. Pregnancy = good! Sick and death = bad. :( Don't break my heart already!!

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    1. The next chapter reveals all. Haha.

      Jarrod is certainly causing drama... I'm not sure how I'm going to write some of it in yet, but let's just say I'm letting have free reign to cause as much trouble as he wants. Yay?

      I'll say yay for now. :P

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  7. I agree with the others about Jarrod. I sense drama is to come. I REALLY hope Cosette is pregnant, and doesn't have some kind of life threatening illness, because I really like her. I wonder what's in store for Ari and Quincy. Are there some vibes? I'm getting some vibes from them. *wiggles eyebrows*

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    1. Haha. You shall see! (Or probably already have seeing as you've read through the whole legacy). *huggles* for that btw. You made my day!

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