Prelude || Mikhail & ???
It was only when he heard the remnants of the resonating note fade away did the violinist lower his instrument. The sound of clapping began to resonate through his ears as he finally focused on the small crowd sitting around the small stage with drinks in hand. Mikhail smiled, though it felt dissonant to what he thought of his performance. He had hit one note just a few clicks flat and had flubbed one of the notes on his sixteenth note run, and all he could think about is how he needed to practice that as soon as he got back to the hotel.
Still, he smiled shyly at the crowd and meekly bowed alongside the meek piano player who had finally decided to stand. She was one of the pianists who worked at this piano bar full-time, and by the tremble of her voice as she again announced his name on a microphone he knew that she was not used to playing with others. The violinist smiled gently at the young woman and walked right off the stage.
After the brief courtesies with the owner and a few nods towards some drunken patrons whose slurred compliments sounded akin to a cacophony, Mikhail wasted no time to exit the bar and into the midnight scene of the city. He breathed a sigh of relief as he looked up to the night sky, a little relief washing over him. Though playing through the more high-society bars were a good source of income, it was always the same as a regular bar as soon as he walked off the stage. With his violin strapped safely to his back, he began to walk away, hoping that one of the patrons hadn’t been drunk enough to follow him out.
Kathy sat through the performance, absolutely enthralled. She'd traveled a lot, and she'd more than certainly been to a lot of bars in her time, but she had to admit that this was probably one of the best. Sure, the Brass Bar had Selena's first-class dancing, but they didn't really have much variance in the accompaniment.
The man on the stage was good, and he certainly wasn't bad-looking either. Kathy decided she wanted to meet him. Depending on how it went, she could pass it off as asking him to play at the bar back home. Her finger circled the rim of her cocktail. In the brief moment she focused on her drink, the man was already making his way to the exit. Kathy took a quick sip of her cocktail and nudged some money over to the bartender before following. It was a shame to leave a good drink, but this man seemed like he'd be interesting.
Pulling her coat around her tightly, Kathy stepped out into the chilly night air. It didn't take very long to locate the violinist in the crowd; he was tall and his hair color wasn't exactly common. Besides, the violin case was a dead giveaway. She quickened her pace until she neared him. Reaching out, she touched his shoulder.
"Excuse me, sir? I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed your performance! I was in the right place at the right time!"