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"Happy"; [Open--people who know Akari encouraged]
Topic Started: Jun 27 2016, 10:09 AM (580 Views)
Miharu Yoshikuni
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February's snow had given way to March's cloud and rains. This particular evening, a light drizzle rapped on the glass windows of the Aoi Hana. It was fairly early in the evening and so the acoustic cafe and bar was still somewhat empty. Dark figures of men and women sat at tables, usually unaccompanied, as they waited for the singer to start her piece.

Euterpe, as she went by, was somewhat now a favorite with the regulars. Her low, moody voice was perfect for the place's ambience, and she wasn't all too shabby to look at either. Cream-colored skin, light pink hair that hung in two low ponytails, wide and thick-lashed eyes that seemed to stare nowhere in particular, she looked like a life-sized doll put in a little black dress.

While the cafe manager and Mitsuo were happy to hear this, Akari wasn't so sure. It was true it meant she had a few stable gigs to get her by, but if more people came and someone just happened to recognize her, then what? Police were looking for her, her friends and family were, too. It would only be a matter of time before someone found her and--

Akari closed her eyes.

Don't be silly, she told herself quietly. No one's going to find you here. For one, they'll never figure you'd be in a place like this. Another, you look different now. So different, it's hard to tell unless you're really looking--and we all know most people will only give a person a small glance.

And yet this didn't comfort Akari. No, it wasn't that she wouldn't be found was relieving, but rather, what if no one did find her? What would her parents say? What were they thinking right now? What about Chisato? Poor Luciano whom she agreed to marry only to leave the night before they were set to go to Italy? Her classmates and friends.

The mic came on. Akari could hear Mitsuo speaking. He was introducing the band again and the song they were doing. It was an English song, but it was a pretty special one. The artist Mitski, a Brooklyn-based Asian-American singer and writer, was slowly gaining acclaim for her works, which had a slight 50's feel to it with her own unique spin.

Today, Akari was going to be doing a cover for Mitski's song, "Happy", which wasn't actually happy at all. She had a little research done on it and learned that the artist was talking rather about how it was once happiness left. Akari took a liking to it and agreed to do the song. Aside from it being beautiful, it was also something she could relate to.

Akari could hear Mitsuo starting the bass, not exactly real notes, but a repeated scratchy sound with a consistent tempo. Akari, or rather, Euterpe, breathed out and sang.

"Happy came to visit me...he bought cookies on the way
I poured him tea and he told me it'll all be okay
Well I told him I'd do anything to have him stay with me
So he laid me down, and I felt happy come inside of me..."


Happiness inside you. Akari couldn't recall the last time she had felt that. It had been perhaps a couple of weeks, but it had felt like an eternity.

"He laid me down and I felt...happy..."
Edited by Miharu Yoshikuni, Jun 27 2016, 10:11 AM.
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Yes… I’d sell the souls of all humanity to the devil if I thought it’d get us a happy ending.
Know what made a day great? Exploring new places! And who in Nagashima just so happened to love exploring new places?

The answer was Bartholomew J. Mason.

This explained why on this particular day why he had set out from his apartment in search of the corners of the wonderful city that he hadn’t fully looked at yet. To say that it was a bigger place to live in than his village back in Germany was understatement for sure, but that suited the young Brit just fine. That always meant that there was a chance for something new to explore around every corner, or perhaps something new could pop up in somewhere that he’d already explored! The city was always a bustling and energetic place to live, after all, and Bart had the energy to match it just fine.

A few hours of walking around did him some good at finding a few new fancy restaurants and shopping centers, and his tote bag bounced merrily against his side with each step on the city streets. He cheerfully greeted everyone he saw (as per tradition), and just generally he had a great day. Not even the evening rain was enough to dampen his spirits.

What else was new?

“Phew, who would have known that there was a whole brand new part of the city I hadn’t had the chance to check out before? I suppose having all these free time now that school’s out really is doing me a lot of good, huh?” he thought aloud happily. Every store window he passed gave him the opportunity to look inside and marvel at the things to buy, or eat, or whatever. Of course, all of his walking by now had also given him a bit of an urge to find a nice relaxing place to sit and have a drink too. “Hmm, now let’s see… something a bit different than the Panda Café would be sort of nice, a change of scenery always is! How about…” Bart turned around a few times as he held his tattered, patched-up umbrella above his head before his eyes caught sight of something intriguing.

Aoi Hana? Now that sounds familiar! Let’s see… I believe it’s the place that Akari said that she was working at now, right? Well what better way to cap off an evening of exploring than to pop in and say hello, right?” His smile widened as Bart nodded to himself and made way towards the café, stopping to close and shake off his umbrella at the front door before going in any further. “Haha, wow! This place really is something! I’ll have to be sure to get myself a good seat; I can’t wait to see what their menu must be like too!” As he stepped further inside though, he kept himself a bit quieter, since it looked like there was someone on the stage singing. He wouldn’t want to interrupt that at all! Especially since it really did sound nice!
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Miharu Yoshikuni
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"Euterpe" was the chorus when Bart entered. If Akari hadn't been blind, she probably would have choked upon seeing him. Funny how her blindness saved her one problem after it had caused pretty much everything else.

"Oh, if you're going, take the train,
So I can hear it rumble, one last rumble,
And if you're going, take this heart
I'll make no more use for it when there's no more you..."


The song consisted of another verse and a repeat of the chorus with an extension. Once she finished with it, there was a light, sophisticated applause. Mitsuo would start the second song, another English one by the same artist and introduce it as First Love/Late Spring.

"The black hole of the window
Where you sleep
The night breeze carries
Something sweet
A peach tree .."


Meanwhile, a waitress would walk up to Bart smiling.

"Good evening, sir," she said. "Welcome to the Aoi Hana. Can I get you anything?"

She handed him a menu which mostly consisted of coffees and alcoholic drinks. There were a few appetizers as well, but no real full meals.
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Yes… I’d sell the souls of all humanity to the devil if I thought it’d get us a happy ending.
Having settled into his seat right as the song neared its end, Bart finally took the time to look up on the stage, only to see a sight that delighted him greatly! Well I’ll be, Akari really is a singer here! Of course not that I doubted that she would be, but it’s fantastic to see her right off the bat when I got here! He didn’t call out to her, because it would of course been quite rude to interrupt the singer in the middle of her song. He did however make up for it by clapping a bit louder and more enthusiastically than most others when Akari finished her song though. He figured that was only fair, after all.

Seeing his friend again was already a good signifier for a good day (or perhaps more accurately a ‘better’ day, since it was already good to begin with) and as she began singing her next song, Bart properly relaxed in his seat for a few seconds before the waitress approached him. “Oh, hello there! Thank you, I’m glad to be here, it really is quite the wonderful little place you’ve got!” he whispered happily, still not wanting to interrupt Akari’s performance. He’d have to wait until she had finished before he went and said hello, she’d probably be ecstatic to hear from him again! Just because she was hiding her identity for reasons that he didn’t know yet doesn’t mean that he couldn’t see her again, after all. She even invited him here during the party a few days ago herself!

Bart was soon given a menu by the waitress and he eagerly looked it over, finding that this was definitely more of a relaxing, hanging out sort of club rather than a restaurant with great music. “Oh, a coffee would do great right about now! Cream and two sugars would really hit the spot. And maybe… hmm… a croissant sounds delicious as well, if you please!” A nice sweet treat with some fantastic music sounded like a magnificent way to wind down a day that had already been full of some fun discoveries. And then catching up with Akari after it all was said and done? Fantastic!
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Miharu Yoshikuni
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"Wild women don't get the blues
But lately I've been crying like a
tall child..."


"Right away, sir!" the girl said perkily at Bart and quickly left.

Almost right after, the music grew louder. Akari and Mitsuo together sang the chorus and Mitsuo did an acoustic take on the guitar solo. The song had to do with first love. Or rather, the desire not to feel first love because of how it made you act.

Eventually Akari would finish and there'd be another round of applause. This time, Akari left the stage so another singer could take the stage. Mitski seemed to be the theme for tonight, because this girl, a tall, pale girl with black curly hair and a bass, started singing "Francis Forever".

Akari disappeared backstage. The waitress came back a few minutes later with Bart's order. Along with her came "Euterpe" being escorted to an empty table that was fortunately near Bart. Unlike her sad expression when she had met Bart, "Euterpe" seemed super cheerful and bubbly. She talked playfully with a few of the cafe people who stopped by to either render her praise, ask an autograph, or ask her a few questions. Once they emptied out, she was smiling happily and sipping on a fruity concoction with a long swirly straw, a fruit slice on the rim and a paper umbrella.
Edited by Miharu Yoshikuni, Jul 1 2016, 06:24 PM.
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Yes… I’d sell the souls of all humanity to the devil if I thought it’d get us a happy ending.
Bart let himself be surrounded by the atmosphere of Aoi Hana, from the crowd to the music to just... everything. When entering a new place, it was often good to just lose yourself in it, to take it all in with the freshest eyes as your got your first impression. And Bart was definitely impressed! He had no idea that a neat little place like that existed this far into Nagashima, and it only bolstered his urge to his continue his exploration of the fantastic city until he discovered every last little place just like this one! And then he'd start searching again for anything that would have been added after the fact!

'Euterpe' finished her singing and soon made her way off of the stage as Bart's waitress left to give his order to the kitchen, and he just smiled brightly and thankfully at her as the patrons of the cafe applauded their wonderful speaker as she came to sit down. It was wonderful to see people giving someone like her the much-needed praise she deserved after a wonderful performance, and to Bart's luck, he also noticed that she was also having herself a seat right next to his table as well! He was getting all sorts of luck today, and Bart absolutely loved it!

"You did a fantastic job!" He said jubilantly to 'Euterpe' once she had settled down in her seat. "Of course, not that I doubted you for a moment, but I'm glad to see that everyone else here really appreciated it as well! I can't say that I've ever heard of that song before though, it really was something!" Does she sing things like this all the time? That must be amazing if this is what she does throughout the week! But I bet this place could really get rocking if we got ourselves a real great jazz orchestra too. Oh man, it'd be just like being back in Germany all over again!
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Miharu Yoshikuni
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Akari gasped upon hearing the familiar voice. Her ear slowly turned to Bart's direction.

"Bart?" she called out. "Is that you?"

Akari was so surprised, worry didn't instantly register in her mind. She knew she had told him about the Aoi Hana, but she hadn't expected him to be able to visit, let alone at these hours. A small smile formed on her glossy pink lips.

That's so like Bart, keeping his promises...

She giggled a bit and blindly gestured at the seat across her.

"I can't believe you're here," she said. "Please, sit. Do you have a drink a yet? If not, I can treat you to one."
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Yes… I’d sell the souls of all humanity to the devil if I thought it’d get us a happy ending.
"The one and only!" Bart replied happily. It was good to see that she recognized him from his voice even in this crowded cafe, which was fantastic! Just went to show that just because someone couldn't see, it didn't mean that they still weren't able to know when other people were around!

Oh of course not, Barty. There's so many more senses after all the Cheshire Cat purred, which caused Bart to chuckle softly at his table. Very true, Chesh. Very true indeed! Talking to himself could wait a while though, he had an old friend to catch up with! "After you told me where you were working at back at the party, I had always wondered what sort of place it would be. As luck would have it though, I happened to be strolling nearby and decided to pop in for a spell!" The fact that he managed to do so while on Akari's hours was doubly lucky, and something he was quite grateful for as well!

"With your singing talents though, you would have done a smash-up job at karaoke though. Our audience was a bit smaller, but they would have appreciate it all the same!" He grinned brighter as Akari offered the seat across from her to him, and he gladly got up to take it. "Oh no need to worry about my drink though! I've already ordered a coffee. I'll just be sure to wave her over here once she comes back by!" It wouldn't be too much out of her way, right? Besides, this was his snack, there wasn't any need to both Akari with paying for it or anything either!

"Ohoho, am I that surprising to want to show up and see my friend do her best at what she does? Looks like I'll have to make the rest of your shows this week to make up for it all, huh?" Bart said playfully as he sat down. "But really, all joking aside, it's fantastic to see you again, Akari. How have you been doing lately?"
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Miharu Yoshikuni
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As of on cue, the waitress arrived in time. She noticed Bart's switch of tables easily and placed it down. An oven-fresh croissant sat next to his brewed coffee. The waitress asked if Akari needed anything, but she said she was fine.

Akari (or at the very least Euterpe) was all smiles as Bart talked. She was genuinely happy, though. She missed Bart's company a lot, plus Bart's enthusiasm was rather contagious. When he asked how she was, Akari offered a sheepish grin and shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm doing alright, I suppose," she said. Her voice a little more bubbly than her usual mellow, quiet one. She had gotten used to this ever since she took up Euterpe's identity, and she had to stick by it. "You say I'm a good singer, but I think all the credit goes to Mitsuo-san. He was one of the musicans earlier and he directs how I should sing and everything. I've had almost nightly gigs now, so I'm able to afford being on my own. Of course, I still miss you...and everyone else, too."

Akari allowed herself a small frown.

"I'm sure everyone's quite worried about me," she said. "However, I think I have to stay away a little longer in order to prove something to myself. I'm not sure what that is, but I know it's something I've yet to do."

She went quiet for a moment and sipped her drink thoughtfully. She then let the moment pass and beamed at Bart.

"But enough about me," she said. "I do the same thing more or less every day. I practice, I sing, rinse and repeat. How are you, Bart? I'm sure you've had some adventures while I"ve been gone. And how is Akemi-chan?"

While she nev
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Yes… I’d sell the souls of all humanity to the devil if I thought it’d get us a happy ending.
"Ah, thank you!" The waitress was really on top of her game, it seemed! She took Bart's seat-change in stride and still managed to deliver his order with fantastic time, and he was incredibly grateful for that! Now all I have to do is make sure that she gets a fantastic tip at the end of all this, and everything'll be set! He thought happily as sipped at his coffee while he listened to Akari talk. And on top of all of that, the coffee is great too! "Well hey, I'm still glad to hear that you've been doing well, Akari! You seemed a little down last we met, so it's fantastic to see my old friend smiling a lot more."

He of course was nothing but smiles himself, partly because Akari really seemed to be enjoying herself at the moment! That's all he could really ask for in a friend, at the least. "Hehe, then I'll be sure to give some credit to this Mitsuo-san as well, but it's still your voice, Akari. No need to put yourself down when you've got a fantastic talent like yours!" And she was getting a lot more work too! It was always good to be able to fend for yourself, and Bart was happy that Akari was able to handle it. Of course, there was nothing wrong with accepting help from your friends either!

Although she did ending up frowning a little as she mentioned that she missed all her friends, and Bart reached over and patted her hand reassuringly. "And I'm sure that we all miss you too, but there's nothing wrong with trying to prove something to yourself either, Akari. You do what's comfortable to you, and we'll all be here eagerly anticipating your return!" He smiled warmly at her, because he knew if someone was going to get anything done like that, it'd be Akari! She definitely wasn't one to give up.

Her mood brightened shortly after that though, which was great!And then she started to be curious about Bart's own adventures, which was also great! The smile on the Brit's face grew even wider as he nodded excitedly. "Oh yes, I've been having myself a blast! There's still just so much more to do in this city every day I'm in it, so I can always find something more to do by myself or with friends!" But when Akari brought up Akemi, Bart's smile could only grow wider, even if Akari couldn't see it. Considering how bright it was along with the slight brush on his cheeks when bringing her up, she could have probably felt it.

"Akemi-chan has been amazing! She was wonderful help in setting up the party, a fantastic host through it, and still just an amazing friend everyday we're together. Y'know, I should ask if she'd like to visit here too the next time I swing by during one of your shows, I bet she'd love to meet you again too!"
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