Duet [Kiara]

[Gabriel James]

Gabriel had been keeping up with his performances at the Churchkey - playing at the bar at least one Saturday a month, sometimes more often if Cecil needed somebody to fill in. Gabe had even gathered a small following of 30somethings who appreciated his soft, mellow bar music. And while Gabriel James was a very modest musician, he felt like he was creating a quality atmosphere when he played at the bar - even if he provided a quirky mix of generes and styles - ranging from Disney covers to smooth jazz to pop. All with some special Gabriel flair that managed to tie everything together smoothly.

And having played at the Churchkey so much, it was astounding that Gabriel hadn't run into a certain kitchenhand who was working behind the scenes at the bar for as long, and probably longer than Gabe had been playing there.

Gabe had been playing for nealy two hours now, and figured his "shift" (if you could call it that) was nearly over, and he decided just a few more songs could round out the evening nicely. Sitting on an old bar stool, his acoustic/electric guitar sitting in his lap, wearing an old pair of black jeans and a white teeshirt, sweating under the heat of the stage lights, Gabe started to play one of his favorite songs over the chatter of the crowded bar.

And about halfway through his rendition of Your Song he noticed a familiar face standing toward the corner of the room, near the kitchen entrance, smiling lightly in his direction. Gabe's own smile brightened a bit, if that was even possible - since the man's smiled brightest when he was preforming (or talking to his niece). But his eyes definitely sparkled a bit more as he sang, looking Kiara's way a bit more than he looked anywhere else - his mind brewing a plan - something that would keep the blonde from leaving before he could get a word in with her (what word, he wasn't sure. But he liked talking to Kiara. He just wanted to. But he would have to finish this song first...)

[Deleted]

Kiara liked working at the Churchkey. Ever since The House had been closed, she could use this income. On the other hand, it also gave her the opportunity to mingle with the local inhabitants – at least whenever Cecil could use some extra help in the bar itself. Usually the blonde resided in the kitchen though, taking care of a couple of things behind the scenes. At the moment her main task was to get the dishes done. While the kitchen was closed when it came to dishes on the menu card, customers could still order snacks during the next hour or so. The girl could handle that by herself. The waiters and waitresses took care of bringing it to those who had ordered it.

At a certain moment it felt like a lifetime before one of them showed up in the kitchen again. Or perhaps it simply felt like that because Kiara did not want the fried snacks that were ready to be served cold. It’s why the blonde took the plate and peeked out from the kitchen and eventually emerged further enough to place it down on the bar. The waiter who just approached thanked her and said he would bring some more dishes in a bit. Ki, in turn, gave a friendly nod and thanked him. She was about to turn around at that point as well… if it were not for a familiar voice and her urge to look over to confirm her suspicions.

It brought a smile to her lips and almost subconsciously, the college student leaned in the doorway while eyes resting upon Gabe. The smile widened lightly when he detected her, and she just in time kept herself from giving him a sheepish wave. Blue optics lingered, at least until the girl caught herself. She pretty much literally snapped out of it, straightening herself and kind of looking around in shame, as if someone might have caught her staring. That, and she didn’t want Gabe to teasingly accuse her of that again.

So, with that, even though she hadn’t even been standing there for a full minute, Kiara turned around and stepped back into the kitchen. Heck, her outfit was ungraceful and her hair was in a messy bun. She shouldn’t be appearing in public like that…

[Gabriel James]

Gabe wasn't one to overthink appearances. Whether it be his own (as apparent by his overly simple wardrobe tonight) or others. So he did not even consider the notion that Kiara may not want to be seen in her self-defined "disarray".

Gabriel frowned slightly when Kiara disappeared back into the kitchen. Did Ki work here? How long had he been a patron or an entertainer at the bar, and not even noticed that the younger of the Lilien's had been behind the scenes? And why didn't he think she must work here before, when she was underage and chilling in a bar? Yes, she must work here. Not that the fact was changing his mind or his plan, just making things a little easier.

As he finished his song, and received a small bit of applause from a nearby table, Gabe put his guitar on its stand and took the mic in his hands. "Thank you. Thank you," he started, as if to get used to the volume of the mic while speaking. "I uh... I play here often, as some of you know. And I rarely get an opportunity like I do tonight," he stated, scanning the bar for Cecil, finding the owner quickly. "So if you all would just give me a moment...I think you're in for a treat," Gabe said with a smile, hopping down from the small stage and bounding over to Cecil, whispering in his ear, making sure he was willing to get Kiara up on stage. Happy that the owner was on board and already headed back to the kitchen, Gabe bounded back to the stage and stood in front of the mic once more.

"Alright everyone, I'm going to invite a friend to the stage now. It's been a while since I've done a duet so you'll have to excuse me if it's cheesy and awful. Totally my fault, not hers. So help me get Kiara Lilien up here, would you?" He ask of the crowd - a few of the drinker patrons chanting her name like she were some sort of superstar about to emerge from the wings. Gabe looked toward the kitchen with a smile, waiting for the blonde to show her face once more.

[Deleted]

Back in the kitchen, Kiara was mostly unaware about what was going down in the front. Her own radio tended to be switched on most of the time, but at that point she had turned if off to faintly hear Gabriel continue the rest of his sing. When it ended, the blonde was too occupied doing the dishes to hear what was being said through the microphone, and it also took her a second or two to realize Cecil was calling out for her in the doorway. At that, she took a towel to dry off her hands and stepped out of the kitchen while still being in the process of doing so. Only then did it dawn upon the girl that some customers were chanting her name. It took her enough off guard to not realize it when her boss informed her about the request. Once she finally caught on, Ki was quick to shake her head.

Gabriel might see it from a distance, unable to hear what she was saying, but the motioning at her clothes and messy hair might give away why protest was taking place. Sure, Kiara had been on the stage before at the House, but always in fancy clothes and with her makeup and hair done. Cecil clearly wouldn’t force it, and the blonde was the one to look over at Gabe, giving him an apologetic contraction of her lips before uncomfortably shuffling back into the kitchen.

While she had been pretty oblivious to the chanting before, it appeared to have grown louder now. Kiara did make an attempt to ignore it, and actually did succeed. Only when the crowd seemed to be giving up, did guilt get the best of her and did the blonde shuffle back into sight. First thing she did was look for Gabriel’s eyes for those soothed her and put her more at ease. Either way, a blush was already very obvious on the girl’s cheeks as she climbed onto the stage and eventually ended up next to Gabe. “You owe me,” Ki grumbled inwardly, not wanting to make it obvious to the customers that she were speaking to him about the matter. Gabe totlly had to make this up to her though! Singing for his cousin was one thing, but this... This took it a million steps further.

[Gabriel James]

Gabriel thought the way the crowd was reacting to his request for Kiara to join him was quite hilarious, and even gestured and riled up the crowd - getting them to chant the blonde's name even louder. His smile faded a bit when Ki showed her face, only to shake her head and rush back into the kitchen. "Come on Ki!" he called after her, begging her to come back with the sound of his voice. He didn't seem to hear her though, and he was disheartened bu the way she so quickly rejected his offer to come up on stage.

"Alright, alright..." Gabe said, in an attempt to quiet the crowd, which worked a bit, though some patrons were still calling out for the kitchen hand. He sighed and laughed, rubbing the back of his neck a bit, "I can't sing again until you quiet down now. Believe me, nobody is more disappointing about this than I am," Gabe offered the crowd, who then started to quiet down, some disappointed rumblings escaping their lips. He took a moment to retune his guitar, only for the crowd to become rowdy again.

Gabe's eyes flashed up and he smiled at the reappearance of Kiara who was making a beeline for the stage, like if she got there faster less people would be able to see her. He locked eyes with the blonde, but continued strumming, smile widening as Kiara found her way next to him, making him laugh with the proposition of him 'owing her'. He wouldn't worry about that, though. He wasn't even going to fight it. He wasn't here to try and convince Kiara he owed her nothing and she had gotten up on stange on her own accord. He was here to sing. So he did, staring right at Kiara, making sure she didn't bail in the middle of the song, because that would make for a lame duet...

I can show you the world....
Shining shimmering splendid,
Tell me princess, now when did you last let your heart decide.

He stepped around the blonde, to her other side, singing more to her than to the crowd who was hooting and hollering. It didn't phase Gabriel at all though. He loved when the crowd got into it. Something about diseny songs put everyone in a good, fun-loving mood.

I can open your eyes,
Take you wonder by wonder
Over sideways and under on a magic carpet ride!

Gabe paused for just a second, giving Kiara a look that said, "You better be ready. Your parts coming up." He smiled as he continued though, eyes still lingering on the blonde, nudging her with his hip over to the other microphone he had been using moments before.

A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us no, or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming...

[Deleted]

Perhaps Gabe did not remember that Kiara had stated that she didn’t sing for just everyone. It had been stated in a joking manner, sure, but it also held some truth. Performing at The House had been different given it provided her an extra income. Going up on stage here… She wasn’t prepared, mentally nor appearance-wise. And for a moment the blonde might even have been annoyed about Gabe’s decision to reel up the audience before she got a chance to give some input on the idea, but then she reminded herself that he meant no harm. While out of sight, Ki had not moved too far away from the kitchen entrance. She could hear his words, and she could nearly feel the disappointment.

It saddened her, and it clearly contributed to her decision to reappear. Gabriel’s smile kind of made it worth it though and she managed to return it to a much more timid and sheepish extent. Kiara might have gotten on stage on her own accord, in his opinion, but in reality he was the cause. No more grumbling followed though, but instead blue eyes drifted over to the audience. Her heartbeat sped up and she grew tense, kind of uncomfortably shuffling on the same spot. Eyes seemed glued to the people sitting there while clamp hands absentmindedly smoothed over the fabric of her jeans on her hips. Only when Gabe began to sing did she look over… and of course lost herself then.

If it were not for his gentle nudge, the blonde might not have snapped out of it any time soon. Snapping out of it, however, also meant growing aware of the customers again. In turn it made her awkwardly shuffle over to the other microphone, bringing both her hands up to practically cling to it. Somewhere in the back of her mind she focused on the lyrics, inwardly singing along until they reached the point where it was her turn to join in.

A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I'm way up here, it's crystal clear
That now I'm in a whole new world with you

When Gabe repeated that last sentence, Ki dipped and turned her head enough to offer him a weak smile. It might not have been her brightest, but nerves still got the best of her. At least those were starting to diminish in her voice as she sang.

Unbelievable sights
Indescribable feelings
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky
A whole new world

Kiara seemed to grow a tad bit more confident and comfortable when the man got to contribute more again given the rest of the song mostly involved both of them having to sing a line before the other had to do the same. Her gaze mostly lingered on him now and subconsciously her features lit up as well, along with her body facing him more. If it were not for the hollering of the people at the bar… there was a chance she could have completely forgotten about them.

[Gabriel James]

The crowd seemed to be eating them up. Then again, it wasn't too hard to appease a crowd that had been drinking since before Gabe stepped on the stage. And Gabe had the habit of playing to a crowd - doing whatever he could to entertain them further - reading them for any indication of what they wanted more of. This was slightly different, though, because he was playing more to Kiara than anyone else - mostly to try and push her fears and nerves away. He smiled at her as she sung her part joining in on cue

Now I'm in a whole new world with you...

He continued to strum his guitar, eyes locking with Kiara's blue ones as she continued with her part. The curly-haired man's smile stayed bright, and widened as his blonde counterpart seemed to loosen up - nerves slipping out of her voice as the song continued. She seemed a bit less... annoyed or angry that Gabe had gotten her up there. She looked like she may be having fun, even. Which was comforting to Gabe who figured he was still getting a stern talking to for the incident.

Don't you dare close your eyes
Hold your breath, it gets better

Gabe continued on cue, taking a step toward Kiara as he sang, in an encouraging matter, as if she were actually princess Jasmine, afraid of what was to come. Which was a pretty good metaphor for the situation - Kiara less than thrilled about the prospect of preforming on stage, but Gabe trying to show her that it was fun, thrilling even. Showing her his world. Inviting her to be a part of it.

[Deleted]

Kiara was not necessarily thrilled about being on stage at that moment. She just happened to be successful when it came to mostly ignore the audience. Perhaps the girl was also allowing herself to accept that a couple of the customers had already consumed enough alcohol, making them unaware to her appearance that did not belong on a stage. Add to that, Gabe’s obvious attempts to make her feel more at ease and comfortable. While she still seemed to be glued to the one spot behind the microphone, the tension softened and a close eye was kept on the dark-haired man.

I'm like a shooting star
I've come so far
I can't go back
To where I used to be

Every turn a surprise
Every moment gets better

The only reason why Kiara’s confidence grew was Gabriel’s presence. The way he sang to her like there was no one else around, the way his eyes focused on her in such way that she didn’t consider anything else than singing her lines… For a moment Ki forgot about her worries – about all of them. This was different than back at the House. This was singing with someone familiar, with someone who made it easy for her to get into the role.

I'll chase them anywhere
There's time to spare
Let me share this whole new world with you

Lips perfectly mirrored his during those lyrics given both had to sing them. And then a couple more followed. Her smile seemed to be more genuine by the time For you and me flowed from their mouths. It was a soft one though, only aimed at him, at least until the applause from the audience once more brought her back to reality which in turn made the blonde look over at them with a new blush settling on her cheeks. It made her lean over to the mic for a second, mumbling a quick ‘thank you’.

[Gabriel James]

For you and me

Gabe smiled as the song ended, body finally turning away from Kiara's, though just slightly, as he strummed a few more chords to end the song. The audience applauded them ,and Gabe stepped aside to gesture to Kiara - like all the applause should be directed to her. "Isn't she lovely?" he asked the audience. "Such a good sport," he said turning his head to her, a mischievous twinkle in his eye - knowing that she hadn't been excited at first, but still managed to put on a good show. He smiled at her giving her a little thumbs up and a wink.

"Kiara Lilien everyone. Remember that name. Going to be more famous than all of us I swear." Ok so maybe Gabe had a couple of drinks during his set. He was well in control, but had no filter when it came to saying things that only seemed to make the blonde blush harder.

He put his hand over his mic as he leaned over to Kiara. "My sets almost done. I'll make it up to you after," he promised, finally acknowledging the statement Kiara had made before he had started singing. He held her hand to help her off the stage, before turning back to the mic, right into his rendition of Kelly Clarkson's since U been gone. Deciding it would be the last song he played that night. After all, he now had a promise to make good on. He wasn't sure exactly how he was supposed to 'make it up' to Kiara, but whatever she had in mind, Gabe was sure he could pull through.

[Deleted]

Kiara did appreciate the compliments, but she had never been one to deal well with them. Standing in front of an audience darkened her cheeks even more and if she could have done so without too many witnesses, she definitely would have smacked a fist against Gabriel’s arm as a ‘punishment’. Instead the customers received a sheepish smile while the blonde tried to descend the stage as gracefully as possibly, of course with help from Gabe that she took granted since he was the cause for her being up there in the first place.

His hand received a little squeeze before the blonde let go and quickly retreated into the kitchen after having plucked the towel from where she had left it on the bar. While eyes might rest on the dishes, hands working quickly, her thoughts somewhere else. Ki still housed this nervous feeling – one that she could not explain. Or perhaps she didn’t really want to because it contributed to her confusion. Either way, she did manage to refocus on the rest of her own shift. Gabe had to wait, sure, but she was convinced he had that figured out by now.

Only when the girl seemed to be caught up on the dishes and had cleaned the kitchen, knowing there wouldn’t be much else to do soon, did she step out of the kitchen. Quite honestly, the last the blonde had expected was to lay eyes on Gabe. He had waited like what? Two hours? At first there was a surprised look her face, but soon it got replaced by a flattered smile as she moved to stand in front of him. “You waited for me?” The disbelief evident in her voice.

[Gabriel James]

When Gabriel finished his set, he took his time cleaning up his equipment and moving it to the back of his car - with some help from another Churchkey employee. And while he would usually just pack up and go home, tonight he decided he'd stay a while. Or longer than a while. However long it took for Kiara to come out of that kitchen so he could properly half-apologize. So while he waited he had a couple of drinks, chatted with the regulars. Was complimented for his performance - praise which he humbly accepted.

The two hours really didn't feel all that long, really. After the first hour he switched to water, figuring he'd need to sober up before driving. And the second hour he had nice conversations with Cecil as well as the bartenders working that night. It wasn't as if it were all that late, really. And it was worth it when Kiara stepped out of the kitchen, surprised to see the musician still sitting at the bar. "Me? Wait? For you?" Gabe jokingly asked, as if the prospect were impossible. His smile widened a bit, his eyes sparkling in a joking manner.

"Yeah I figured the least I could do is wait around and see how you wanted me to "make it up to you"" Gabe said, throwing air quotes around the phrase Kiara had used on stage, a bit of mockery in his voice. He finished off the last of the water that was in front of him, and slid the glass skillfully down the bar where that night's bartender waited for the cup - like the stunt was planned. Though really it was just how Gabe always disposed of his empties and most of the bartenders knew that. "I honestly had no clue you worked here," Gabe said with a chuckle. "Caught me by surprise."

[Deleted]

Genuine laughter was earned, followed by a swift smirk. In any other cases, she wouldn’t have been so confident about her conclusion. Right now, however, Ki didn’t want to tell herself otherwise. Him waiting for her made the smile widened and she couldn’t care less that he brought her words from earlier up as an explanation for it. Gabe might have said that he would make it up to her, but that hadn’t included waiting two hours for her shift the end. The fact that he was there, seated at the bar, simply reinforced her positive opinion of him.

“It kind of sounds more fun if you would figure that out yourself,” Kiara mused while turning around for a second to pick up the purse she had placed down next to the kitchen entrance earlier that evening. The curl on her lips had softened some and shoulders rose in a light shrug. “I’m more at ease in the kitchen. Especially when dressed all sloppy like this.” A quick hand motioned at her outfit and then a sheepish smile reached Gabe when she looked over again. “I didn’t know you performed here either… It kind of explains why I hear all those women shout during performance nights though.”

With a tiny grin, the girl slipped on her coat and used both hands to tug blond locks from underneath the fabric on her back. For a second Kiara gazed at the clock, which in turn developed her expression into a more apologetic one when blue optics landed on the man once more. “I am really flattered that you waited for me, but I kind of can’t stick around long. It’s dark out.” Perhaps Gabe was aware that the college student mostly used the public transportation. Given busses did not drive at this hour of the day, she would walk home. It was still relatively safe out (in her opinion), so she rather left now instead of ten minutes later.

[Gabriel James]

"Well I guess I'll just have to wait a bit longer to pay my dues," Gabe said with a chuckle, when Kiara suggested he'd have to figure it out on his own. He didn't mind though. He was sure his time would come to pay his dues, and make up for the fact that he guilt tripped the blonde onto stage with him for a bit of Disney sing along.

Gabe frowned slightly when Kiara put her coat on and stated that she had to leave - worried about the dark. Which to Gabe told him that she was walking home - there was no way the buses ran this late. "You're not walking home," Gabe stated simply, not even giving Kiara a choice as he hopped down from his barstool, and pulled his keys from his pockets. "Ev would kill me if anything happened to you when I was here to offer a ride," he continued, jingling his keys in the air briefly. It wasn't like Pilot Ridge was a particularly bad area, but everywhere had some crazy people. And it was dark, and the club district where the Chruchkey was located was known to house some of the crazier individuals.

His car wasn't anything fancy. Old, beat up, chipped paint, and faded leather. Nothing to show off. But hey, he had a car. And he was more than willing to take Kiara home. "I mean... you were planning on walking right?" Gabe asked then, eyes narrowed a bit, just to make sure his assumption was correct.

[Deleted]

Perhaps at one point Kiara could figure something out to make him repay her. For now, however, she did approve of letting time decide when that would be. Other concerns were on her mind at that point, even though Gabe randomly interrupted those. She gave him a look that said as much as ‘what?’ before optics drifted over to the keys being held up. For a moment the blonde wanted to remark that Everett would also kill him if he found out Gabe had driven her home, but that was mostly due to her assumption that her brother would connect the wrong dots. Couldn’t exactly blame him either.

“I… kind of planned on walking, yes.” Looking away from the keys, she focused on the man. “But it wouldn’t be fair to deny you those extra minutes of my awesome company, huh?” Draping the purse over her shoulder, Kiara wasn’t going to point down his offer. Or, well, he probably wouldn’t give her any choice in the first place. She liked to think she was doing him a pleasure though, as playful as usual when around Gabriel.

With that, the college student bid her boss good night and arched an eyebrow at Gabe to wordlessly request him to lead the way. She made sure to remain caught up with him, soon walking by his side as he led her to the vehicle. “It will be a detour for you, just so you know.” The young woman mused while gazing up at him, only to focus ahead again once they reached the parking lot. The first thing there that caught her attention received a comment.

“It better not be that old red car. Kind of looks like it can fall apart any minute now.” Ki joked with lightly laughing at herself. Surely Gabe drove in a much more fancy car than that, right? Right?

[Gabriel James]

Gabe stuffed his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket as they left the bar, happy that Kiara accepted his offer(if you could call it an offer...). "I don't mind a little detour," Gabe said honestly, having known he'd probably be going out of his way to get the blonde home. A little extra driving time wasn't really a concern to Gabe. What was a concern to Gabe was Kiara's reaction to his vehicle.

Gabe threw a hand up over his heart, as if he'd been shot. "Surely you didn't just offend Tina," he said, a bit of offense lining his otherwise joking tone. "She's gotten me from here to Deleware and back on a monthly basis all year - not to mention the trips back and forth from LA!" Gabe argued, knowing that his car looked beat to hell, but knowing that it was much more reliable than its appearance suggested. He had only broken down twice, and both occasions were easily fixed problems. He didn't really worry about how old the car was, as long as he continued to change the oil and get new tires every few years.

He walked up and stuck his key in the passenger side door, opening it up for Kiara to climb in. "I promise. She doesn't bite," he said with a chuckle, noting that Kiara seemed legitimately worried that the car was going to burst into flames or fall apart in the middle of the high way. He closed the door behind the blonde, and walked around the drivers side, sliding into his seat, and pulling his seat belt across his body. "I know it's nothing fancy, but it's pretty much all I can afford. Even now that I actually have a real salary... it's still a teacher's salary," Gabe explained as he put the key in the ignition and the car sputtered to life.