After one of your live performances, in your room you will find a small box wrapped in festive green paper. (Inside you will find a pokeball that contains a small Shinx and a note.)
It reads: “Dear Noah, as always your music is lovely. I know it isn’t a lot, but I had an idea. We seem to have the same problem with becoming nervous. This little Shinx here is to help you with that. His name is Casey. He is very cute and lovable, and absolutely adores to be held. Someday perhaps he will grow into a proud and powerful Luxray. I hope you enjoy him. – Sincerely, Veronica.”
Noah sighed and loosened his tie as he walked into his dressing room. The crowd was a lot more hyped up tonight than it usually was. Christmas just did that to people he guessed. It was a bit difficult to deal with but he always liked it when his fans were having a good time.
As he started to pack, he noticed a small green box and his eyebrow rose in curiosity. Wow, he really did have the best fans in the world, he thought as he made his way over to the box. It didn’t take him long to tear off the wrapping paper and read the note.
Veronica, of course. He’d have to find something nice for her too. He sucked with gift ideas though. Maybe this little Shinx would help him out. He picked up the Pokeball and tossed into the air. In flash of blinding light, he was sitting face to face with the tiny electric Pokemon, who wasted no time in jumping into his lap.
With a little laugh, he pet his head. “Welcome to the band little guy.”
The girl waited, looking up into the sky. There was something peaceful about a place like this, away from the crowded street and flashing cameras. All in all, she was glad she ran into Noah. After all, it could prove to be a learning experience. Meeting someone with such a strong passion for music, it wasn’t something she came across, at least not to his caliber.
He was a skilled, master musician. And as he started talking, she couldn’t help but agree. When the script was in her hand, persona about, she was carefree. Granted the act wore on her, but there would come a time where she didn’t need it, that she could just be herself. For now, it was something she would depend on, religiously. Acting did the same for her, as music did for him. It was the pause button on life. All that mattered was the stage, or in his case the music.
“Oh, no, that’s okay. It’s not boring at all because I feel the same w-way about acting.” She heaved a content sign, still remembering the last performance. Her nerves were melting away, and she was more relaxed. It looked as though he was more relaxed as well, which made her happy. “It’s almost like there’s a pause button. That when you walk across the stage, everything else doesn’t matter. It’s refreshing, to know that there’s something out there that makes the anxiety and nerves stop, if only for a while.”
Turning back to face him, she blushed. She didn’t think she was actually right. He was there. Her memory wasn’t usually that good at picking out individual faces unless she knew them prior. However he had a rather memorable face, one that stuck out. Smiling, she nodded. “Thank you so much! It was stressful, but it always is worth it in the end. I wasn’t too fond of the outfit personally, but I didn’t really have much choice. I’m glad someone else thinks it was just a bit weird. May I ask where you’re from? I can’t help but think I’ve seen you around Nimbasa as well.”
Noah shot a glance the girl’s way when she looked into the sky. She looked pretty peaceful now. She certainly looked a lot less nervous than she did when they first began talking. Maybe she was warming up to him. That would be nice. Noah didn’t know many people that suffered the same sort of awkwardness as he did so it would be nice to make friends with someone who knew the struggle.
Plus. she was in a similar field. She was an actress and a damn good one from what he’d seen. Admittedly, he only saw one show but still, he had to admit that she was amazing in it. She looked to be in her element and it seemed to be effortless for her. Noah didn’t like to brag but he thought he was a pretty good musician so that was just another thing they had in common.
When she said she felt the same way about acting as he felt about music, a smile easily made its way onto his face. “I hear you. I guess that’s just the passion at work. When you really care about something. Nothing else really matters. Now I just gotta figure out how to recreate that same feeling while not playing music,” he stated with a little chuckle.
“As long as you’re having fun, who cares right?” He asked, his face still light and relaxed. “Don’t you get any say in what you wear though? I feel like it would cause problems if they just put into whatever...” But then again, he’d seen other musicians being forced to wear things they probably weren’t very comfortable in. “Oh I’m from Saffron City originally but I’ve had a few shows in Nimbassa recently so I’ve been exploring.”
Nothing quite soothed her soul like some acoustic tunes.
Unova had been an exhilarating trip so far, and topping it off with seeing her favorite musician just made it even better. Not many knew about her odd music taste. The one time someone in the gang found out, she threatened to cut his tongue out if a word was said. Of course, nothing leaked, but instead a burnt copy of his music was a Christmas gift. Noah Adams was gifted with a phenomenal set of vocal chords, and she could always find a way to relate to his music. It was enough to make the toughest woman want to fall in love.
But unfortunately for her, she didn’t have the time.
She stood at the back of the crowd, trying to keep a low profile. She was safely away from Virbank, away from her cousins shit of a group. Never in her life had she met a group of people who were as backstabbing as that group of hooligans. Subconsciously, she rubbed her jaw. She had had her fair share of disloyal gang members, and let’s just say, it didn’t end well for them. That bounty hunter had a nice punch on her, which costed her a pretty penny. But lucky for her, insurance covered everything. Turning her attention back to the stage, he busted out the last chords, and then exited the stage.
Noah wasn’t the manliest man out there. In fact, his brothers constantly made fun of him for it but honestly, it was pretty pathetic that even as a grown man, he couldn’t handle a couple of fans. They weren’t dangerous in any way, at least he hoped they weren’t but right then, while they stood in front of him, he was about to fly into a panic.
Luckily for him, before he could squeal and hide, a girl came to his rescue. A very...scary looking girl. In fact, she was more terrifying looking than any of the fans who’d swarmed him. If this were any other situation, he might have fainted or cried but his surprise outweighed anything else and before he could even get a word in, he was being dragged off back into the building.
He was certainly thankful for the rescue but what was he supposed to say? She had a look about her that made him think that if he said anything stupid, she’d gut him. And as luck would have it, the only things that came out of Noah’s mouth were stupid things. Factoring all that, he decided to keep quiet until she said something.
While he waited for her to say something, he took a closer look at her. She was certainly good looking. Terrifying but in a good way. What did that say about him? He didn’t want to think about it. He shook his head when he found himself staring. Bad Noah, don’t stare at the scary saviour.
“Je suppose que je oublie de me presenter. I’m Achlys.”
Great, words he didn’t understand. But at least he got a name. “Hi, Achlys... I’m Noah. And uh, thanks for y’know, saving my life.” Did that sound as awkward to her as it did to him? Why was he so bad at talking? He took her hand gently and shook. Even his handshakes made him a pansy.
Now was his que to say something. Anything. Come on brain! Why was this so hard? He just shot her a small smile before looking down. He was so much more pathetic than he thought he was.
She didn’t look like she would be interested in his upcoming show but he’d have to thank her somehow. “Uh, I know you might not want this but uh, here.” He shoved the tickets into her hand anyway. “Think of it as a token of my thanks...”
As his classmates busied themselves in finishing the makeshift cafe, Morty head to the section where the food will be prepared in. To be honest, he felt quite lost at the moment. Miki had told him that he didn’t need to help them set up and instead, focused on how he would be acting today. With this whole maid and butler cafe theme going, the servers are required to act in a certain way. Mainly, the customers today will be treated as if they were royalty, which means a lot of face to face interaction.
With all the commotion going on, Noah had to repeat his request for a table a few times before he was heard. He swallowed back a sigh as he was shown to his table. Maybe coming to a crowded restaurant was a bad idea. He was already incredibly soft spoken but now he’d have to talk over such a ruckus. Honestly, it seemed impossible.
After being seated, Noah sent the girl who lead him there a soft smile before taking a look at the menu. One thing was for sure, the restaurant really seemed to be going all out. The menu was packed with all sorts of different food. He could honestly order anything he wanted. Maybe he should’ve skipped lunch earlier while he was hiding.
While he debated over what to order, the young man noticed a handsome blonde boy who was about his age make his way over to him. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the blonde was dressed as a butler. Well this would certainly be interesting to say the least.
“W-Welcome to our cafe. My name is M-Morty and I’ll be your… butler for today. I will be at your beck and call till the end of your meal. Now, may I please take your order?”
The brunette blinked in surprise when he heard his words. This Morty guy really seemed to be trying to fit into his role and although it was incredibly embarrassing to be waited on, Noah had to admire him for putting his all into it. From the stutter, it was also obvious that Morty was probably uncomfortable in the role. More points to him for actually dealing with it then.
“Um, hi Morty. I’m uh, I’m Noah. I think I’ll just have a coffee for now...” He stated quietly, looking down at the menu. Dammit! This guy was obviously just as quiet as he was so why was he so nervous?
Sifting through her memories of the previous night, she did attend a musical performance. It was the same person! The young musician had completely captured her attention the previous night, since the actress loved to see concerts and shows she wasn’t involved with. It was a nice change of pace, and she really wanted to get to know someone else who had what seemed to be plagued with the same social awkward anxiety she was cursed with.
She nodded, placing her hands in her lap. “I knew that I r-recognized you! You played in the concert hall last night, right? I just love going to sh-shows and concerts. It was s-such a beautiful performance. You did wonderfully! How long h-have you been performing music like that? You’re s-such a master, I c-can only imagine the dedication.”
Now that she thought about it, not only did she see him at the concert, she couldn’t help but wonder if he had seen some of her acting. There were too many shows to count and by this time, she had all but given up on remembering exactly which one he could have been to. But the more she thought about it, she could have sworn she’d seen him at her most recent show. Most of the time talking to strangers was rather difficult, she found Noah’s company to be refreshing. Relaxing just a bit, she began to lace and unlace her fingers as she spoke.
“Oh, I’m an actress in Nimbasa City. M-maybe you’ve seen me act somewhere. I just finished a live show not too long ago. I was in a bright p-purple dress with red h-hair, if that rings any bells. S-sometimes, I think they pick the silliest outfits t-to try to make it ‘original’, if that m-makes any sense.”
Noah laughed awkwardly when the girl began to praise him. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate it, he was actually incredibly flattered. The young man just didn’t know how to deal with praise. Even when he had to deal with fans, he didn’t know how to act around the compliments which made the professional career a bit difficult.
“Yeah, that was me... Oh uh, thanks. I don’t know if I was all that great but its nice to hear,” he attempted a small smile at that. He really did want to genuinely convey his happiness from being praised because come on, who didn’t like being told they were great?
“I honestly haven’t been playing in front of people for very long but I’ve loved playing music for myself since I was really little.” Now that he was talking about his passion, he was more relaxed. Music just did that for him. It was quite honestly one of the only things he was good at. “It’s just one of those things y’know? When I start playing, it’s like the world turns off and it’s just me up there...” He trailed off before shaking himself out of his thoughts and blushing slightly. “Sorry, that’s probably boring for you to hear.”
An actress! That actually made perfect sense. Noah had recently gotten into the habit of going to see live shows. It was a nice way to unwind as well as see some talented people in a field similar to his own. As she continued to speak about what she was wearing in a recent show, the memories came flooding back to him.
“Oh! I think I did see you. You were quite amazing yourself. The outfit might have been a bit...odd but it’s always wonderful to see someone who is passionate about what they’re doing.”
Noah smiled into the mirror as he fixed his tie and straightened out his shirt. Another successful concert. This whole professional thing was going pretty well. Sure he was still terrified whenever he would get on stage and see dozens of eyes on him but as soon as he began to play, it all faded out. Hopefully, he wouldn’t stutter next time he was introduced. But then again, maybe he was setting his sights a little too high.
As he ran his hand through his hair, Noah looked outside the window to see the city still covered in lights despite it being so late. It was actually kind of nice to see a city so illuminated even in darkness. Even though he was used to city life as he had grown up in Saffron City, Nimbasa looked so much more alive at night.
Even the crowd seemed alive. Noah did enjoy the harder and louder music but he knew he wasn’t suited for it. It didn’t fit his voice or his style so he stuck to slower, more acoustic sounding songs. That didn’t stop the crowd though, they seemed to love it either way. The thought brought a little blush to the young musician’s face. It was nice to know that people enjoyed his music.
Giving himself one last look-over to make sure he looked presentable, Noah wrapped his coat around his body and made sure his guitar hung firmly behind his back before exiting the venue.
As he stepped into the cool air, an excited voice immediately caught his attention. He looked over to see a gaggle of fans surrounding him, throwing him compliments on his performance. Being the awkward young man that he was, Noah had no clue how to handle this so he just stood there praying for a someone to save him.
White had been spending the past few weeks in Nimbasa City, as she needed some excitement in her life. Every evening she would go to one of the many bars, concert halls, or other entertainment venues the city was home to. Some evenings she was pleasantly surprised, others she wasn’t sure whether she had made the right call, but almost every day she made new friends and enjoyed herself discovering something new. This was the life, wasn’t it?
Tonight she had chosen to visit a more intimate musical performance by an upcoming musician from Kanto. What a ways away from home he must be, she thought, and she wondered what he thought of the different vibe Unova must undoubtedly give off. As the boy took the stage she was immediately captivated by the notes he produced. There was such a softness in his expression yet the underlying intensity of his music didn’t escape her. For the entire duration of the concert, she felt as if she were wrapped up in a dream.
After it ended, she knew she had to get ahold of the boy, who couldn’t have been much older than her. She wasn’t the type of person who really put much thought into music usually, and just danced and enjoyed the sound on a superficial level, but this was different. So she waited until everyone had left, outside in the cold. Until finally the boy too, exited the venue.
“That was amazing!” she cooed excitedly. “I’m not much of a music person usually but you’re something else, really! How long are you staying here in Unova? Is there any other show of yours I can visit?”
Noah smiled into the mirror as he fixed his tie and straightened out his shirt. Another successful concert. This whole professional thing was going pretty well. Sure he was still terrified whenever he would get on stage and see dozens of eyes on him but as soon as he began to play, it all faded out. Hopefully, he wouldn’t stutter next time he was introduced. But then again, maybe he was setting his sights a little too high.
As he ran his hand through his hair, Noah looked outside the window to see the city still covered in lights despite it being so late. It was actually kind of nice to see a city so illuminated even in darkness. Even though he was used to city life as he had grown up in Saffron City, Nimbasa looked so much more alive at night.
Even the crowd seemed alive. Noah did enjoy the harder and louder music but he knew he wasn’t suited for it. It didn’t fit his voice or his style so he stuck to slower, more acoustic sounding songs. That didn’t stop the crowd though, they seemed to love it either way. The thought brought a little blush to the young musician’s face. It was nice to know that people enjoyed his music.
Giving himself one last look-over to make sure he looked presentable, Noah wrapped his coat around his body and made sure his guitar hung firmly behind his back before exiting the venue.
As he stepped into the cool air, an excited voice immediately caught his attention. He looked over to see a brunette with huge smile make her way up to him. Noah’s eyes widened when he caught all her words. He wasn’t used to this level of excitement.
“Uh thanks... I’m uh, I’m glad you liked it...” He began awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. “Honestly, I have no clue how long I’m staying in Unova but it’ll probably be a while, I just got here after all. As for other shows...I think I have one coming up in Castelia soon...” He trailed off before shooting her a shy smile. “Uh, do you know where I could get something to eat? I’m starving.”
The girl stood there for a little while, trying to figure out if this was a terrible idea or not. She must have startled him, because he looked afraid. There was a twinge in her stomach, twisting her anxiety up when she heard him yelp. She was terrible at approaching people, and even worse when it came to actual conversation.
Eventually, the young man moved over, thanking her for her compliment. She nodded, smiling slightly. The actress set herself down next to him, looking over his guitar. Her attention diverted back to his face when she heard his voice again. She took the extended hand offered to her, the smile brightening. At least she hadn’t scared him too bad. “It’s very n-nice to meet you t-too, Noah. My name is Veronica LaSheau.”
The actress nodded. Something about this situation seemed familiar, how she would freak out when she first started acting. He seemed charming, though, and honest. “It’s okay, I understand. I d-do that too. I’m so s-sorry I startled you. I just love music. Um, if you don’t mind m-me asking, are you a professional musician? I can’t help b-but think I’ve s-seen you before in a performance, and your name sounds v-very familiar.”
By the look on her face, it was obvious that Noah’s reaction to the simple tap on the shoulder might not have been the best course of action. He was never good at interacting with people. He just needed to try to make that less obvious.
The smile on the young musician’s face grew when the girl shot him a smile of her own. At least that meant that she didn’t think of him as a complete nutjob. It might not have been a huge victory but he’d take it.
Now that she had gotten closer, Noah had to admit that she looked somewhat familiar. Had he met her before? He’d feel awful if he had and then he somehow forgot about her. He was just about to question her on his thoughts when she revealed her full name. “Veronica LaSheau...” He repeated. The name sounded familiar.
The sound of her voice broke him from his thoughts once again. He really needed to stop spacing out. He was doing it too often. “Don’t worry about it,” he began, waving it off. “I get startled too easily but uh, yeah I’m kind of a professional. I’m still sort of new with the whole professional thing but I did have a performance last night. Maybe you caught it?” He wondered aloud.
“But now that we’re talking about it, your name also sounds familiar and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you before too. I’m guessing there’s a reason for it.”
Veronica was always a fan of the changing scenery that came with the fall months. Taking a small break from acting in the studio came with many benefits, one was letting herself relax for a change. While she loved the career, it was becoming stressful as preparations for the next big winter extravaganza to grace the stages and televisions everywhere were already under way. She would need this small time to herself to prepare for such a large production.
The young actress decided to stroll through the park to clear her head and get some fresh air. After all, Alex really wanted to get out and play in the leaves. It was one of his favorite things and she couldn’t say no. The raven haired girl even thought about playing in the leaves herself.
Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard music coming from just down the path. Her curiosity led her forward, careful and cautious steps to find a brunette strumming on a guitar. He seemed occupied in his thoughts, but still she pressed forward slowly.
The melody was beautiful to listen to, and she found herself reaching out to touch his shoulder. “Um, excuse m-me sir, this m-may seem s-strange, but I j-just wanted you to know…you have l-lovely music.” Her Luxray had already taken off to pounce in a leaf pile, still keeping an eye on her. “C-could I j-join you?”
As soon as he felt the tap on his shoulder, Noah’s brain immediately hit panic mode. Unfortunately, instead of doing something to protect himself, panic mode consisted of a high pitched yelp and a swivel around so fast, it made him dizzy. He was still reeling from his abrupt turn but he could make out the dark haired girl in front of him.
It took a second but his brain ended up realizing that the girl wasn’t a threat of any kind. Still, for a moment he just stared at the girl before realizing how incredibly stupid he must have looked. He immediately looked down and coughed into his hand before shifting on the bench to make room for her.
“Uh...thank you...” He trailed off. He wasn’t good at this. What was he supposed to say? He could try to be witty and throw a joke her way. That probably wouldn’t be good though. Knowing himself, he’d get all tongue tied and probably mess it up. He let out a sigh and decided to go with the flow. “I’m Noah by the way, Noah Adams. Nice to meet you,” he stated, holding out his hand with a small smile.
“Let’s uh, let’s forget that part when I let out a squeal and pretend I acted like a normal person when you came up to me yeah?” He asked, reddening slightly but grinning wider.
“I-I don’t think this is a good idea…” A voice sighed, the tone a mix of embarrassment and exasperation. The flocks of students buzzing about to get the place up and running abruptly stopped, their interests peaked at the conversation coming from the temporary changing room at the corner. Those who wanted to peek though the small gaps of the curtain dividing the two areas were physically dragged away while others shushed each other so they could eavesdrop on the following argument.
Honestly, Noah had no clue how this had happened. He had just transferred to Johto High over the past month and he already had people following him around. That had to be some kind of record. Noah had never done well with attention so wherever he went, he attempted to keep a low profile. He was more of an observer than anything else anyway. Unfortunately for him, once people heard him play music, they wouldn’t leave him alone.
Some might say it was a blessing. Some might even say it was a gift from the gods but to Noah, the only purpose that natural musical talent served was getting him into awkward situations with people who he couldn’t communicate with properly. It really wasn’t their fault though. At least, not really. They didn’t know that Noah was astronomically shy or that he was unable to form complete sentences when put on the spot.
“Where’d he go?” Came a sudden voice from outside the classroom, breaking the brunette out of his thought-induced haze. He had to work on not spacing out.
Noah crouched low behind the teacher’s desk as he heard more shuffling and voices. His new classmates had the bright idea of having him do the music for a play they were producing for the school festival and Noah, being who he is, couldn’t come up with any objections. He really did want to help but he just couldn’t play in front of a live audience, it was terrifying! So here he sat, balled up behind the teacher’s desk.
When the voices finally started to fade away, Noah peeked over the counter of the desk to find himself in an empty room. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he got out from behind the desk to find a new hiding spot. No doubt they’d find him there eventually.
As he thought about potential hiding places, he noticed a commotion going on inside one of the classrooms. Perfect! No one would think to look for him over there.
Being as stealthy as he could, the young man snuck his way into the classroom to find everyone dressed up as maids and butlers. Well that was...interesting. Shrugging, he made his way to the counter. “Um hi, can I get a table please...” He asked, voice as soft as it always was.
So this is kinda super late but HI! I’m Az and it’s super awesome to be here!
You may remember me from when I used to be here a million years ago and if you don’t then it’s nice to meet you! I haven’t really been in the RP world in a while but it feels great to be back! Unfortunately, this also means that I’m quite a bit rusty so hopefully with time I’ll get better.
Anyway, I would love to plot with anyone so if anyone is interested then just let me know!
Quiet hums accompanied by the soft notes of an acoustic guitar filled the air while the autumn breeze passed by. It was nice to just sit around in an empty park playing whatever came to mind. Recently Noah had become quite busy which meant that moments of quiet like this were rare and never lasted very long. Still, he relished in these moments when he could spare the time.
He was definitely glad that his musical career was taking off. He enjoyed being able to do something he loved for a living but a career came with stress which was something that he wasn’t the greatest at handling. Still, over the last few concerts, he’d gotten a lot better at handling the crowds. In the last one, he’d barely even stuttered. To a regular person, it might not have been a huge accomplishment but for the awkward young man, it made him feel like king of the world.
A lazy grin made its appearance on the brunette’s face as he thought about it. What would the world actually be like if I was king? He wondered as his hands moved effortlessly over the neck of the string instrument. One thing was for sure, if he was king, not much would get done. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help the world live up to its fullest potential, he just wasn’t the type of person to inspire that in anyone, let alone intimate anyone into doing anything.
The young man’s thoughts got the better of him and he failed to notice a figure making its way up to him until he felt a tap on his shoulder.
vaporwave
blakekathryn
stormborns
