Aurelia had never seen anyone as nervous as the man in front of her, but maybe she was reading the situation wrong and this was simply how Fox Bennett tended to be. It was easy to see that maybe he had no idea how attractive he was, or how the way he tripped over his words made him a little more adorable. Truthfully, she didn’t know much about the man at all. Not anything more than what his father had talked to her about or the things she had seen him do all summer long just to earn a space in town again. And then there was “Fox. Relax, you’re not being called to the principal’s office.” She shook her head, but let a soft smile stretch on her lips. “It’s good news, actually.” Aurelia let him wait it out as she took a sip from her tea cup before holding it against her lap once more. “The elementary school has an open spot and I talked to the hiring supervisor there,” Meaning that she put in a good word for him, but really she did it for his father. “They saw how much you did for the community these past two months and would love for you to fill their music teacher position. You start at the end of this month. All the teachers are prepping their classes and there are a couple of meetings the week before that you should go to. That is, if you still want the position.” She looked down at the little bags of tea, wondering if he was going to have one since it might help calm him down a bit.
-
He winced and then said through one squinted eye, “Kinda feels like it.” His nose crinkled and he blew out a sigh, willing himself to calm down. He tried to remember if he was ever good at this sort of thing? Usually the band was there, Dallas was there to handle the business end of contracts and everything else. He had less nerves when he was in the production business - people knew who he was, his reputation in that very niche market, this was something else entirely. He felt like an animal that escaped the zoo, then was dressed in fancy clothes and stuffed into a dinner party. Surely everyone here knows I am an antelope? Can’t they see how my hooves don’t hold the silverware? At her news, Fox was stunned. Sure, he had hoped for this - but he never realized... he wondered... did she know. “I’d... I’d love it. I love teaching kids about music. They remind me of me when I was that young and they light up...” He was rambling again. He cleared his throat. “My, uh, my dad isn’t well. I don’t want you... well, I don’t know what you know about me. I’ve been clean for six years now. But, I have that past. A lot of my record was expunged because I did the community service and the rehab. I just... I don’t want you offer me this and then it come back to bite you later.” He was now absentmindedly closing and opening the lid of the tea box with his thumb, only realized the nervous tick he stopped talking and then moved to actually select one and carefully put the box back. Do not knock over the kettle, do not knock over the kettle.
The memorial at the garden’s was beautiful, but the truth was, no amount of fancy flowers or I’m sorry for you loss would bring him back. Malcolm was gone. She nodded as people came up to speak to her, but her mind was elsewhere. She was simply existing these days, not living. She didn’t eat or sleep much. When she did, she dreamt awful things. She didn’t even remember getting dressed that morning. One of the girls must have picked out her suit. She knew she needed to be stronger for her kids, but Leanne wasn’t sure how be without Malcolm. More than half of her life was intertwined with his and now he was gone.. His things surrounded the house, a constant reminder that he was never coming back. He was the level headed one, the better parent. God, she longed to hear his voice, for him to tell how to make it through this. It felt like someone had reached in and ripped out part of her soul. The nightmares, the panic attacks, the inconsolable sobs, anger, numbness. She couldn’t breathe. The pain was suffocating. She was ready to just lay down and die with him, but the thought of her kids pulled her back each time. They were suffering and she was powerless to stop it. Olivia blamed herself, Ashton was traumatized from seeing Malcolm’s body on the beach and Maggie hadn’t gotten to say goodbye.. That was the hardest part of all this, seeing them hurt and not eign able to take it away. The second hardest part was finding the strength to go on when she didn’t want to. She couldn’t understand why Malcolm was taken from them. Had their family not been through enough?
Following the service at the gardens, Cars lined the streets bear the Rhodes house. Some were walking two or three blocks up to stop in and pay their respects. The kitchen was overflowing with casserole dishes and deserts. Katie and Maggie had done a wonderful job with it all but Leanne was too numb to convey that. Her head ached from all the crying. “I want to thank you all again the love and support you’ve shown me and my family through all of this. Losing Malcom..” She couldn’t even finish without breaking down. Thankfully, someone passed her a tissue. “I know that we’re all suffering. I do believe In the words of our mayor, we’ll get through this together. Just like we have in the past. Asteria is more than just a small town, we’re a family. And family holds each other up when we’re down. Thank you for holding me up. I’m sorry.. I need a minute.. Please, help yourselves..” She darted out into the hall, holding onto the wall for support.
-
The Bennett’s had been staples to Asteria for a long time. Hank, Fox’s father, was well known for a number of charity work organizations and his mother had been a lifelong staple at the middle school for art. She had been one hell of a baker - her cobbler was famous. Hank had been more of a staple than Caroline, but needless to say, even with their failing memories, they remembered Leanna and her family. They knew Malcom. So it fell onto Fox to get them there. He was lucky, they were both doing well today. Fox, however, had not been in town since is was eighteen and left it for LA. He stepped away into the hallway, trying to find some peace in the awkward grief that was happening inside. He also managed to nab a plate of the cake and was sitting on the stairs when he was confronted with Leanne herself.
Swallowing, he shook his head. He was caught red handed. “I’m the wake... ditcher. I’m really just the irresponsible kid who left two parents to maybe wreck the wake so I don’t have to explain I’m the chaperone. I, uh, made off with some cake to avoid...” Fox jerked his head to wake that was happening. He offered her a grimace. “Kinda a lot in there. But the cake is good, here you should have a bite,” Fox moved over on the stairs and gestured to her to sit next to him and take the plate. “I don’t really know how to do this, so I have two options - weird oversharing or bad jokes. My therapist thinks I’m normal though,” Fox laughed weakly at his own bad joke.
Fox was back for his third plate of brisket. He wasn’t even pretending like he wasn’t going to be judged. He knew he would be. He held up a finger. “This one is actually for my parents, don’t look at me like that Mara.” He cracked a smile at her. He’d been in town for the summer helping his parents as he transitioned to being here more full time, and seeing Mara was like a semi familiar face. They gone to school together, and while Fox had been rather unremarkable outside of music, he remembered Mara. Okay, well, the yearbook helped but he did recognize her face well enough after seeing her a few times at the restaurant. “Or do. I mean, I’ve been a little trampy - hitting up all the food vendors here.”
Fox was... full. After about five years of sobriety, he was the king of good food. One of the joys left in life. What he found about the world post-recovery was that it tended to really suck compared to the high that he used to chase. Comparison was a thief of joy, truly. So instead of comparing idealized, chemically altered memories, he compared foods. He compared this moment to the last, and he kept to his own business. He was walking around with some sort of brisket on a plate, nodding as he was looked at a little weird. “It really helps. I’ve eaten just about everything at this shindig, and woof, let me tell you. Tasty. But what I’ve been missing in LA is definitely smoked meats. I have the meat sweats.”
location: Queen’s Park
who: @foxbennett — closed.
“Mr. Bennett.” Aurelia greeted the man as she opened the door. “Please, come on in.” She stepped to the side and let him pass through the threshold of her house before shutting the door behind them. She motioned to the side where he could place his shoes, always having been a bit of a clean freak. “Now, I don’t usually do this but you know I adore your father and I wanted to have a little talk with you.” Aurelia liked to keep business to work hours, but this was a special circumstance. Not everyone got to see the inside of the Mayor’s home, but they had some pressing things to attend to and she didn’t want to make the trek back to City Hall for personal matters. Aurelia led Fox into the formal living room where she prepped some hot tea for the two. “I’m sure you know why we’re here. Go ahead and settle in, you can choose which kind of tea you want in that box there.” She sat down, smoothing her shirt out. It was rare for anyone to see her out of her usual business attire.
-
Mr. Bennett always made him feel like he was his father - or in trouble. Unless it was said by a clearly child voice. Fox had found that teaching actually fulfilled him more than producing. Granted, the last year had been a lot when it came to producing. Rap stars where becoming more and more entitled - which believe it or not usually they were rather, weirdly, humble. Most had come from nothing. He felt like a child being invited into the Mayor’s house. It was awkward. Despite it being summer, Fox had a button up on, the sleeves rolled up post camp councilor. His tattoos on one arm made an appearance. He settled uncomfortably into the chair she motioned to. The mayor in this town... well, LA’s mayor looked like a botox plastic version desperately trying to fend off age and failing. The woman before him was uncomfortably attractive given the level of respect she commanded. The two didn’t usually merge. Politics tended to make people ugly, and it oozed to their outsides. At her voice, he fumbled with the box of tea. Do not drop it. Do not drop it. He gave her a smile. “Well, I hope I know why I am here. But I don’t like to assume.” He actually looked at her, and could feel a blush creeping up his neck. He could hear the jokes he’d have with the band - MILF - but mayor I would like to... “I don’t know what my dad might have said, but he’s not doing well. He might not... uh, told you all of the truth. He doesn’t remember well these days...”
Location: Asteria Elementary School
Time: Afternoon
Open To: [ @foxbennett ]
Helping out at the summer music and arts camp at the school was something Summer jumped at. She was beyond bored, with her only relief coming out of teaching. It was a far cry from her life in New York, so she desperately wanted to be part of something that involved people telling her how talented she was and how wasted her potential was in Asteria. Just like old times.
One of the biggest surprises of the camp, however, was the new music teacher. Summer caught herself looking over at Mr. Bennett - okay, no, ew, weird - Fox, taking in his geeky charm.
“I don’t think I recognise you,” she said, deciding to use the obvious statement as an official icebreaker between the two. “I mean, I think I would remember seeing you when I picked up the kids. I mean, not my kids. My friend’s kids. I don’t have kids. Not to say I don’t like them, I’m just not in that stage of my life-” she took a breath, feeling her cheeks turning a shade of red. “Summer,” she sighed and held out her hand. “Summer Austin.”
-
There was a unique type of pain and fulfillment that Fox felt from this. It reminded him that if his daughter was still alive she’d be much older than these kids. She’d be a freshman in high school, and it felt weird for him to admit that to himself. Fourteen years, and he romanticizing this age - something that he never got with her. But it was nice, he liked to work with the kids. It almost reminded him of the band on a weird way. They were about as childish but with more alcohol involved. Given his past, there was a lot that could be said about Fox. Fame, fortune... and crippling medical debt. Hence why he was teaching - he needed money and his crappy online degree paired with his extensive musical background was what got him this job. He’d kept the details of being an addict on the low. Part of that facade was his work style. Long sleeve button ups were his friend, and hid 99% of his tattoos. With the swallow on his neck peaking above his collar.
Fox was in the middle of gently snickering to himself about the lunch his mom packed him. The cool part of his mom’s disease was that she didn’t know he was grown and made him a sack lunch everyday for “school”. It wasn’t cool, really, but it was a nice way to look at it. “You’re working at a music summer camp for kids, would be kinda weird if you didn’t like kids.” Fox said with a laugh. Fox nodded, “Yeah, I was subbing for the last semester. I have a permanent position now, which is pretty cool. I’m Fox, Fox Bennett. How long you been working with the kids?”
location; somewhere in town, you pick
with; @asteriastarters - open
Nine times out of ten Leyla would have chosen to keep walking or to turn her eyes back to her phone, mind her business completely, but it was really hard to do that right now and she sighed to herself. She turned on her heel to look back at the person who was very obviously about to do something incredibly poorly thought out. “Okay I know you didn’t ask but I cannot in good conscience walk away without telling you that I feel like I already know how this ends and you’re not gonna like it.” Leyla laced her fingers under her chin and grimaced slightly. “I don’t even know what you’re about to do but I can just see on your face that it’s a bad idea.”
-
Fox had one AirPod in and was listening to a very rough edit of a track he was slowly working on producing. Time and focus to produce was almost nonexistent. There were moments where he had both and they were few and far between. It had been hard to take a step away from that life but he was settling in just fine. The truth was that while he chased that success it was beginning to make him feel more and more like a fraud. The voice of the woman made him take the AirPod out and he gave her a smile. “You’re intuitive, but I was just thinking about this track I’ve been working on. It’s not the best and then I went down a rabbit trail of maybe everything I did the last decade was really just squandered time.”
There was something about ivory that always really got him. It was like a magnet and he ended up sitting down, his fingers ghosting on the keys. He had an upright piano at his parents house, the music was something that they both enjoyed... but this was a grand piano. He gently laid a few chords down and then moved into a classical song. Chopin was something of a favorite. He liked Beethoven as well, but the strings were more his style. His fingers moved into Nocturne No. 1. It sounded better and he glanced at the acoustics of the place. Wasn’t bad, wasn’t bad. It was then that he realized that he was being talked to, “Oh, shit. Sorry. You know, something about a good grand piano.”
