Sidewalk Songs (open)

She stood in the market place staring at all the buildings. She wasn't familiar with this place but Master Leo had asked her and Mikhail to stay in town and wait for him. She was pretty sure Mikhail was nearby, she hadn't gone far and he could find her rather easily from the sky. She made sure to stay out in the open just in case she strayed too far but her curiosity about this place was quickly tearing down her inhibitions. This city looked a lot nicer than most of the ones she'd wandered through but this one too had it's bad areas.

She wanted something to eat but you couldn't buy food without money. She was pretty sure Mikhail would gladly see to this need but she felt terrible asking him for anything. Master Leo had already taken her out of the cold and given her a home and a purpose. She just couldn't stand the thought of having Mikhail babysit her. She was a big girl, she couldn't fight but she was pretty good at running away, especially in cities. Cities were always full of hiding places and she was very very good at hiding. When the sun was your worst enemy hiding well was imperative, especially when you were homeless.

Maybe she could ply one of her skills? No magic would be acceptable for doing anything. This was Death City, one slip of her soul protect and Master Leo would be quite thoroughly upset with her if every meister in town didn't slice her to bits first. So what skills did she have that she could ply? She could dance but she didn't have any of her costumes and even if she did, leaving a clear view of the sky would mean Mikhail might not find her again as easily. Why had she wandered off again? Oh yeah, she'd been caught up in a string of random exploration and following random pretty things because she'd never been in this city before and gotten startled by a stranger. She'd already scouted several escape routes from this area and even more hidey holes to crawl into should she need to get out of sight from anyone wanting to hurt her. I wonder why witches are hunted anyways. Is magic really so bad?

She sighed softly and leaned against a building, her hat shading her eyes as she set her parasol down. Maybe she could sell some potions and salves? No, absolutely not! If anybody figured out they were actually witch made she'd be in very deep trouble and more so could risk revealing what she was. Dainty lips twisted into a frown as she thought about how she could earn a quick bit of coin to get herself a snack. She closed her eyes and let her head roll back to rest on the wall, her straw hat giving a slight crunch in protest. The only thing left she could think of was singing but she wasn't terribly good, even under Jezza's tutelage she never felt as though she'd made any progress. Was her throat even recovered enough? Well, it was worth a shot and better than going hungry.

She looked around the marketplace for an empty space she could use for her little song and dance. Maybe if she caught enough eyes with the performance she could get a drink too. First things first, she pulled a small vial out of her backpack and shook its contents. The potion was nothing more than a sip of water, lemon juice, cinnamon, and honey. Not even a potion at all really, just a mixture to soothe the throat and help the immune system. It had been a good few days since she'd strained her voice and she could speak now but she still wasn't too sure if she could sing. She found a quieter area and did a warm up or two before claiming an empty spot and setting her hat on the ground next to her parasol.

She held a soft note at first, closed her eyes, took a breath to steady herself and filled her lungs fully. The song left her lips far different than when she spoke. Her soft, meek voice was higher in timbre than her singing voice which was a sweet sounding Alto though she could go two octaves higher and one lower. She lifted her voice gently as the words formed on her lips, a swishing of skirts as she danced to her own music. Her voice rose in volume as she put her soul into the song, hips swaying to an unheard rhythm of her A Capella.

"Here you sit on your high-backed chair
Wonder how the view is from there
I wouldn't know 'cause I like to sit
Upon the floor, yeah upon the floor
If you like we could play a game
Let's pretend that we are the same
But you will have to look much closer
Than you do, closer than you do

And I'm far too tired to stay here anymore
And I don't care what you think anyway
'Cause I think you were wrong about me
Yeah what if you were, what if you were

And what if I'm a snowstorm burning
What if I'm a world unturning
What if I'm an ocean, far too shallow, much too deep
What if I'm the kindest demon
Something you may not believe in
What if I'm a siren singing gentlemen to sleep"

She moved with the flow of the music, turning, gesturing, the song and dance pulling into one display like living art. The lilt of her voice rising in pitch as she worked to keep her voice from cracking. The sway of her dress as she brought the song from her heart in a graceful beauty. It seemed right, the slow, gentle rhythm of the song and the gallant gait of her dance. She seemed at peace with herself in this moment as the song continued on.

"I know you've got it figured out
Tell me what I am all about
And I just might learn a thing or two
Hundred about you, maybe about you
I'm the end of your telescope
I don't change just to suit your vision
'Cause I am bound by a fraying rope
Around my hands, tied around my hands

And you close your eyes when I say I'm breaking free
And put your hands over both your ears
Because you cannot stand to believe I'm not
The perfect girl you thought
Well what have I got to lose

And what if I'm a weeping willow
Laughing tears upon my pillow
What if I'm a socialite who wants to be alone
What if I'm a toothless leopard
What if I'm a sheepless shepherd
What if I'm an angel without wings to take me home

You don't know me
Never will, never will
I'm outside your picture frame
And the glass is breaking now
You can't see me
Never will, never will
If you're never gonna see

What if I'm a crowded desert
Too much pain with little pleasure
What if I'm the nicest place you never want to go
What if I don't know who I am
Will that keep us both from trying
To find out and when you have
Be sure to let me know

What if I'm a snowstorm burning
What if I'm a world unturning
What if I'm an ocean, far too shallow, much too deep
What if I'm the kindest demon
Something you may not believe in
What if I'm a siren singing gentlemen to sleep
Sleep...
Sleep..."

The song died away softly and Lily opened her eyes. She wasn't sure when she'd closed them, she'd absorbed herself so much in the song and dance she wasn't quite sure if anyone had even put a coin or two in her hat. She had the look of someone waking up right out of a dream. She sighed and took a few steps to retrieve her hat and parasol. Maybe she wasn't cracked up to be a performer at all. A stray tear welled up in her eye and went unshed. Had anyone even listened?

Charli

the genderbend

baby you're a firework. come on, let your colors burst

"Here you sit on your high-backed chair
Wonder how the view is from there
I wouldn't know 'cause I like to sit
Upon the floor, yeah upon the floor
If you like we could play a game
Let's pretend that we are the same
But you will have to look much closer
Than you do, closer than you do"

Charli had been about to enter the record store when she caught an earful of the girl's voice. It was a nice song, soft and mesmerizing. Following the noise, she dropped her hands off of the glass door and turned around. The store clerk had seen her about to enter and looked disappointed that she decided otherwise. Her pace was fast, she wanted to find the singer before she was done. She might leave and the Charli would never know who she was and, in all honesty, nothing had caught Charli's interest since she'd arrived in Death City. Which was only a few weeks ago. There was the party but after that things drug by. A song like that.. maybe she was a weapon and could maybe.. just maybe...

Charli would be completely happy with someone she could call a friend. She shook her head from the thoughts running in her mind, why was she planning all of this? She didn't even know the girl. She was being weird again. This is why you don't have friends, Charli. Her green head bounced through the crowds before, finally, she could hear the voice in full force. It rung through the square and people were noticing, despite their usual rush. No one approached her though, a few people dropped money in the hat located near her umbrella. The girl was in a shaded spot but every now and then her hand would move into the light and you could see why she hid in the shadows. She was freakishly pale and Charli was quite sure she would come ablaze if she stepped into the sunlight. Especially the Nevada sun.

Her eyes floated upwards to the sun, it mocked them. All of them with it's laughter. What an asshole. Charli flung her arm up with her hand in a fist, "Up yours!" Once that spur of the moment insanity was taken care of Charli remembered what she had previously been doing. Oh. Yeah. The girl was still singing her heart out, hopefully she hadn't interrupted her.

You don't know me
Never will, never will
I'm outside your picture frame
And the glass is breaking now
You can't see me
Never will, never will
If you're never gonna see

Charli stepped closer, previously she was still quite a ways away, as she approached she listened. The song was so sad. It spoke to Charli, almost like.. the girl was singing to her and her alone. But that was just silly. Right? Charli rose her left hand to her chin, like the girl before her were a piece of art that needed thorough studying. She swayed gracefully in her dress, it flowed around her. The song seemed to be coming to an end.

"What if I'm a snowstorm burning
What if I'm a world unturning
What if I'm an ocean, far too shallow, much too deep
What if I'm the kindest demon
Something you may not believe in
What if I'm a siren singing gentlemen to sleep
Sleep...
Sleep..."

The blonde before her opened her eyes as she seemed to drift back into conscience. As she stepped forward, Charli clapped her hands softly. Once she had finished she leaned forward, stepping closer to the girl and then, with her top half bent over, she waved and stated, "Hi there! Girl, you can sing." She said with a wink.

Lily's cheeks lit up like a forest fire with a hot blush at the applause and praise but Lily managed to keep herself from running to hide when the person applauding spoke to her. Instead Lily politely curtseyed to the other girl and picked up her hat and parasol which she opened and slung over her shoulder to protect her face from the sun. She graced the girl with a smile and tried to find the courage to speak, she opened her mouth and nothing came out. Her voice had fled so she put a gloved fist to her mouth and coughed into it gently.

She should try that again. Definitely. This girl was so nice. She had listened and enjoyed it. She applauded the young albino so sincerely Lily couldn't help but feel a little water build up in her eyes. She could always attribute it to the sun's light and having weak eyes. She held up a single finger to signal the girl she'd be just a moment and dug in her backpack for the voice tincture and her glasses. She set the glasses on her nose and pushed them up until they settled correctly without the ear pieces to balance them. A simple pair of black rimmed, circle framed spectacles that made her eyes seem a lot wider than they actually were.

She popped the cork off the vial and drank it down to soothe her throat of the strain she'd caused it before she tried speaking again. Unfortunately her soft spoken voice didn't want to cooperate still. "H-h-hello, m-m-my name is L-l-lily. Th-th-thank you v-v-very m-m-much." She seemed to deflate a little bit, her confidence fleeting enough to stop talking. She took a peek in her hat and counted the money she'd gotten. Roughly five dollars in change, she should have enough for a couple yogurt cups and a few cans of soda. "W-w-would you like t-t-to get a sn-snack with m-m-me? I-I-I'm new in t-t-town so I-I-I d-d-don't know wh-wh-where things a-a-are."

Her voice was soft and shy as she fidgeted, idle fingers clutching at her parasol handle and twisting it about idly while the other hand fiddled with the brim of her hat. She didn't seem terribly used to talking to people but at least she hadn't burst into tears and run away. That wouldn't have been good at all. This girl seemed really nice, she had certainly enjoyed the performance but was the first to say so. It was only fair to share a treat with someone who treated you well. Maybe she knew of a good place to get some snacks and drinks? There might be vending machines somewhere that she could get some things from.