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 Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2026 4:03 pm
It was good to be back in Destiny City. Oslo was fine, but the nighttime scene wasn't the same. Everyone always complained it was too ******** expensive, and to be honest there had been some nights where even Freya had agreed on some level that it was a bit ridiculous that the best partying was done before even showing up. Destiny City was good though, home was good. Tonight was about catching up with friends she hadn't seen in person since leaving, and they had taken Freya to a club with an open mic night tonight, one they encouraged would-be performers to come and entertain the crowd. Given she wasn't a writer, doing a cover would be good enough for her first celebratory night back in good ol' DC. It was for this reason she stood on stage, a deep glittering crimson red guitar in hand and singing Paramore's All I Wanted like she was in fact the creator of the song. She stood tall in black red-bottomed ankle boots with lacey black thigh high stockings, a pair of tight black shorts, and and a short red leather jacket over a black lacey bodysuit. She had a presence. It was clear she wasn't someone up here without practice, not with the way she moved with the guitar or got some folks riled up enough to do the belted climax of the song with her. She was thriving, she was energized, she was in her ******** element. So much so that no one seemed all that pressed when she continued into performing another two songs with that same rousing energy before finally forcing herself to quit it and get down from the stage so someone else could have a turn on the mic. She was laughing as she swung the guitar around to rest at her back, skipping and practically dancing to her group of friends to throw herself into a group hug with them--careful not to damage her instrument in the process. " I'm gonna go get some air. Protect this. And get me another drink for when I get back." There were some acknowledgements from the group as she shrugged her jacket off her shoulders, keeping it around her elbows that she tucked in against her sides as she strode out of the club on dance-like steps, both walking on Cloud 9 from the high of her own performance as well as the music being played by the next performer. Freya stepped outside and walked around the corner to tuck herself into the alley, leaning back against the building with a heavy sigh of relief before reaching into her pocket. She procured a lighter and a cigarette case, pulling one out with her teeth and lighting it. She just needed a minute, as she took a long drag from the cigarette and then slowly exhaled it out, eyes closing and body slouching relaxed against the wall of the building. She'd missed this.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2026 4:18 pm
While Aloysius preferred the behind-the-scenes part of the family business, making string instruments and keeping the music store stocked, he knew that the olive branch he'd offered to help Melody with her own newer venture under the family name needed him to get out and look for upcoming talent. The Encore had been doing well, but not everyone went for such a grand stage, even on the more casual open mic nights. The song that had been sung wasn't of his usual preference for music, but he could tell that the woman had something his sister could appreciate. It was easy to get lost in one's performance; that much he knew and could relate to as he watched and then casually strode outside. For once he was a bit glad that the night air had cooperated with his usual long-sleeved shirts and slacks. He'd forgone the jacket over his vest this evening but still had what he needed in his pockets. The stress of things at home, with Olivia appearing and also awakening as a senshi, left him itching for a cigarette, even if he'd done well enough to avoid the habit. This time, though, as he noticed the woman leaning against the building and indulging in one, he couldn't help but think about how one wouldn't hurt. "Wonderful show; you seem to have that energy that few have these days in the city." Pulling out his own lighter, he rummaged through his pockets before shrugging. "Mind if I borrow one of your cigarettes?" Liam would forgive him; his husband always did, and he could reason away this one cigarette as a cost of doing business for his sister. Just one; it wouldn't hurt, and he could honestly wash his mouth out a bit in his office before heading home if he wanted to hide it anyway.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2026 4:36 pm
Red eyes snapped open as a voice reached her ear, startling her a moment. She looked over to find who was addressing her, and tilted her head. "Thanks," she chuckled, "Been a little pent up, so I figured I'd go for the cathartic belting songs." At his question she nodded and pulled a gold metal cigarette case from her pocket, fishing out a cigarette and offering it over. "Sadly I don't have anything original, I'm not a songwriter, just a performer."
She took another drag from her own cigarette while looking the man up and down. Freya pushed off the wall enough to no longer be slouching against it, now just leaning comfortably while taking her break. "Making me feel underdressed," She said with a playful grin. "You work here?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2026 4:58 pm
Taking the cigarette, he hesitated, fishing something else from his pocket first. Offering the sleek black business card, embossed with the Sharp family insignia, he smiled. "No, I work for myself, mainly in the production of violins and violas, but... there have been some things in the works related to music production and talent management as well. The Gilded Encore is one such location that received patronage from my family." With the card handed over, he lit his cigarette and inhaled. It burned, a bit more than he'd remembered, but he kept himself from coughing without any trouble. "I think underdressed or overdressed just depends on the image you want to have, or if you worry your talent might not outshine what you choose to wear. But it is good to feel through music as well; I know that enough from when I used to perform more often on stage." Savoring the nicotine for a moment, he felt a bit more at ease than he had been in a while. Maybe it was in his head, something he knew his husband would say before shoving him right to the doctor's office to check on his lungs again. "How long have you been at this? Have you thought of doing this more as a profession or just as a hobby?" Looking back towards the club, he idly watched people coming and going. None of them seemed to come this way to disrupt their conversation at least.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2026 5:18 pm
The card was accepted with her free hand, the cigarette lingering at her lips while she read it over. Sharp... Sharp. She'd heard that name before. But where. She seemed to be contemplating something while listening to him speak, before she finally released a breath and snapped her fingers. " Mm! Right! My parents got me a guitar as a gift before they shipped me off." She laughed and pocketed the business card for now. How interesting to meet him back here when she was just trying to decompress a bit. Her head tilted to one side as she watched him, listening to his opinion on attire. Her gaze flickered down to herself a moment, then off to the side, and then finally back upon the man. What had the card said his name was again? At the question she whistled quietly, a stream of smoke accompanying the breath. " Since I was nine, though not quite exactly the way you saw just now. Mamma put me through beauty pageants, and I learned to sing and play piano for them. Then I picked up guitar when I was fifteen. Up until I quit pageants." A brow arched up. " But yes, pursuing it professionally has always been an interest of mine. The challenge has been to do it by my own merit and not simply using Pappa's money. It opens a lot of doors, but I want to open those doors myself, you know?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2026 6:12 pm
Hearing that it had been a guitar, he was a bit surprised, considering how rarely he'd gotten orders for one, but that narrowed down what he might remember about the order if he looked through things later on. But that was more an idle curiosity than anything. It also meant that she knew the quality of things, if nothing else. "You have a talent for it, even if you may have taken a break. Aloysius Sharp, though I know the script on the card can be a bit hard to read sometimes. I may have missed your name with the noise from the crowd in there, unfortunately. Hearing that you want to do things by your own merit is something I like to hear, so often people want things the easy way or burn out just as quickly as they get started on something." Shrugging slightly, he took another drag and exhaled it slowly, reminding himself that it was just the one, and he wasn't going to get another pack on the way home, so he needed to savor it while he could. "I wonder if you might like to be on stage at the Gilded Encore, in addition to wherever else you might want to perform? I used to go on stage years back, before I took a more vested interest in the back end of the business, as well as teaching music theory." Being busy was the main thing he knew, as much as his husband disliked his constant working.
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2026 6:36 pm
"Freya," she said as she offered a hand out to him, "Freya Jørgensen. A pleasure to meet you, Sharp." If he took her hand she would give him a firm and professional handshake, a grasp that wasn't too tight but wasn't weak. Very practiced. Regardless she'd take her hand back and slip it into the pocket of her little jacket, leaning back against the wall again. The cigarette lingered between her lips while he spoke, and she nearly dropped it when he made his offer.
Okay. Even Freya recognized this was too ******** easy. This was the kind of s**t you saw in movies where the protagonist just had her biggest dream handed to her, or more realistically something much more sinister was behind the curtain. She was quick to catch her nearly finished cigarette and hold it away a bit, looking almost skeptical as she regarded Aloysius. "You don't think my preferred style doesn't clash a little with the aesthetic of this place?" She asked carefully, watching the man intently for both his verbal response and how he carried himself while giving it. He'd only seen her do up to three songs, all of them covers, and he just wanted to offer her a job? Just like that?
Well... it wasn't as if it wasn't tempting, but even Freya wasn't one to just trust the first random offer she was given by a conveniently placed stranger.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2026 5:36 pm
Filing away how the handshake had gone, the introduction was noted as well, especially considering it had been a while since he'd heard a last name like that. Keeping his pace on his own cigarette, he did chuckle at the near loss of her cigarette at his offer. He could almost imagine how others might look in the future if this panned out between him and his sister on this new business venture. His expression remained calm and professional, even as she questioned his offer. It was understandable, and he did admire them for not just jumping into it either. "While it is newer age than what I know, my sister has enlightened me to the new possible avenues for music. The talent you have is there whether or not the style is something I have experience in personally. Though the open mic hours have always been open genre for that reason as well, sometimes there are some people who," pausing as he took another drag and grimaced at the memory, "probably should leave their musical ventures at home or at least away from a live mic and higher-end musical equipment." It had been hit or miss with the initial batch of newcomers, something he heard about from all the agents he had manning the bar on those busier nights, but things had evened out over time, as he'd expected. "I will say it is a new project, though; the recognition and level of exposure you might receive would be less than if a major label picked you up, but it also has the benefit of being local and not a large corporation that might otherwise grind your musical inspiration into paste over the years."
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2026 5:48 pm
It was all too good to be true. Freya watched and listened with careful skepticism, a look of a woman who was open to the idea but wasn't about to just jump on an offer that seemed too perfect. She knew the Sharp name though, if distantly. They were legitimate as far as she knew, she'd never heard anything poor of them. Freya turned away a moment to take one long, final drag from her cigarette before finally lifting her foot to politely put it out with the sole of her shoe rather than the side of Aloysius' building. " Major labels are major for a reason, but I've never found myself gunning for them. Sometimes you get a more genuine audience and experience staying away from them, from what I've learned..." She seemed to be thinking out loud while also assuring him that she was in fact considering his offer. Red eyes darted a moment to the building they leaned against, his building. The one he was offering her a job at. " I say this out of respect, but your offer so far is very 'too good to be true' vibes. Maybe we chat about it... not in the alleyway, if you're serious?" Freya watched him curiously now.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2026 6:22 pm
Looking down at the glowing tip of his cigarette, he took one more drag and put it out as well, even if he wanted to save just a bit of it for later, if he could manage. Instead, he tossed the rest in the little cigarette disposal container that was nearby as he walked slightly ahead. "Melody and I wanted to do something to avoid all the soul-crushing bits of that whole mess, of course." Smiling just slightly over the continued skepticism, it wasn't something he would have trouble working with, especially considering he knew what else was on offer outside of his family's investments. "I can understand that, though my family has always prided ourselves on the community and helping people get their foot in the door, provided they want to work hard to pursue their dreams. But aside from that, given my time working as a professor, I do honestly enjoy seeing the next wave of musicians get their start, and if I can help, then I will." It wasn't a hard thing for him to say, even if it still might sound a bit too good, but he had always preferred not to let that inheritance sit and fester, especially considering that money had caused the major divide with his sister that was only now repaired enough to have semi-amicable conversations with her. Heading back towards the door, he looked back at Freya for a moment. "Of course, there is a back office for patrons like my sister and me. The staff knows us as well, so we can step behind the bar to get there if you would like. Though if you would like to perform a bit more, I have no problem waiting and can let one of the bartenders know."
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2026 6:46 pm
At least he was understanding about what to her seemed to be a reasonable amount of hesitation. Freya stuck her hands in the pockets of her short jacket as they walked, following just a step behind the man so as not to crowd him too much as they made their way back to the front of the building. There weren't really many red flags at the moment, she'd consider it. While she may not want to just jump into the first offer she was given upon returning to America, she also wasn't going to just brush aside a very tempting offer. She glanced away a moment to clock her group of friends that were still waiting at their table and singing along with whoever was up on stage now; good, her guitar looked safe. As he spoke up again she returned her attention to Aloysius, eyes wide a moment before relaxing once more. She smiled. " I've got friends waiting on me. I catch up with you after? Gives you time to do any of the tedious stuff without me sitting there waiting, y'know? I'll go perform a bit more and then come back when my girls are ready to head out." It seemed reasonable to her. How would Mister Very-Perfect-Offer receive the delay?
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