Excerpt Journal Entry - A Rolling Stone
....and just four days in New York, again.
It isn't like I miss the thrill of the lights or the toll of the clinking glasses through the murmur of a crowd. Every night is the same, and I hear them as they comingle with the heavy atmosphere and smoke until you forget what tour bus you took to get here.
Even if the scenic byways on the roads to get here were bucolic enough to make me homesick for the Midwest, the brick and mortar inside these basement dives all start to look the same is what I'm trying to say.
Christ, what am I thinking? I am just sapping myself into the mold of a true believer. You know that guy from the commercials: He's the one who hangs a coat by the front door and kisses a pretty dame on the cheek as she takes his hat. That very same fella who finds himself in black and white, sitting down to a pot roast and asking some half-pint how his day was at school. All the while holding up a bottle of ketchup for the camera with a saccharine smile.
The stereotypical, white-picket-fence type song and dance just feels so god damned dirty. I'll be sure to shower after I buy this vanilla cream-puff behind the courtesy counter a drink and call her sugar until the dawns early light streams through the curtains of this cheap motel on 42nd street.
Now that's a new approach. Either I was going to be sorry for all the sordid things I've ever done or, I was about end up having the night of my life. I tucked the matchbook inside my jacket and picked up the glass of gin on the rocks, leaving that bartender with a good tip and a toast to his stamina.
The closest payphone sits next to the coat-check. I remember the girl inside like it was yesterday; her quirky mouth innocently tipped in a smile framed by the silkiest dark hair I'd ever seen. I picked up the handset and dialed the number making the split decision to give her something to smile about as soon as I was done making this call.
The phone rang several times before a dusky contralto came on the line. "Soretto's, this is Diana." She had a furry, velvety voice.
Excerpt Journal Entry - A Rolling Stone
"Evenin' Mistah," the cigarette girl who'd been so helpful earlier said from the venue of the hostess stand where she draped leisurely, gossiping with a girlfriend. She waggled her fingers from their perfect poise against a pink blushing cheek right at me.
Whew. "Darlin, if you only knew what you do ..." Whistling sharply twice before letting it dwindle to a low note the tune from a sad-sack, of a sorry excuse, for an old man. I leaned close in passing, inhaling deeply the sweet rose perfume she'd dotted under her earlobe. This'll sound strange, but in a way, I am sure that subtle scent was put there just for me to stop and smell. "Evenin' Rosey."
Slowly I lifted an umbrella into the downpour down through the 8th ward. Torrents run off the awning of the down-cellar bar hammering at the taut stretch of black nylon. Smiling and looking up into the sky, I felt the rain pelt me right in the kisser, lifting the grain against my five-o-clock shadow with the chill.
The river, I've heard tell, waits for no man to rock and roll. So, down the shoreline of a sidewalk, I tumbled on a lightness of being. Like a stone in the current. Unhurried and unhindered.
Comments
It had been a few years and although the wicked woman standing before him had not aged in centuries she understood that most individuals considered a few years to be a decent amount of time. The musician had dropped off the face of the Earth it seemed..then again Maleficent had never been good at finding people especially when magic was involved. She folded her arms as he approached eyeing the trumpet case that he carried.
"I see you are still playing. Pity I missed the show."
She remembered his talent with a trumpet. He could play for hours and she would enjoy every second of it. It was quite a compliment given the minuscule amount of music she liked. As she looked at the familiar face an important thought crossed her mind. She had never truly believed in coincidences especially like this. Was she supposed to believe that they had simply bumped into each other by chance? No that was not possible, not in her eyes. The musician was there for a reason. Perhaps he was there to see her? If so the guardian angel would not be welcomed with open arms. She did not need him keeping tabs on her. Instead of letting this thought fester she decided to toss it in the back of her mind for now. The two walked and chatted a bit about the weather among other mindless matters as if to pass the time. It was only when they had gone two blocks that Henry said something unusual.
"Pie? Do I strike you as a picky eater?"
She was not saying that to be funny despite the fact that it probably sounded that way. Maleficent was just generally curious what he thought. When it came to dessert Ms. Bosse was actually not a finicky woman. She enjoyed an assortment of pies including the ones he had suggested. One he had forgotten though was chocolate cream pie. That happened to be a favorite of hers. A piece of chocolate cream pie, dark or milk, with a dollop of whipped cream on top sounded lovely right about now.
"I prefer chocolate cream pie actually, with whipped cream. Do you know a good place?" The sorceress could not even remember the last time she ate pie.
(And thank you for accepting. As is customary, we must now engage in a roleplay. Sooooo, I start, seeing as I added you. However you need to provide to me a time and a place for our RP to take place.)
Time truly does fly, especially for someone who never ages. The weeks begin to blend together and years feel like only days. Little to no value is placed on time making it no longer precious.
The world went and got itself in a big hurry and while everything changed there was always one oddly colored sorceress who stayed the same. Though years had passed she still wore the same dresses, the same shoes, and the same hats that looked like they had just flown out of a classic film on the silver screen. The early 1950's seemed to be as modern as Ms. Cara Bosse was willing to go. She spent little to no effort on trying to blend in with those around her apart from her enchanted hat.
Those citrine eyes of hers glowed like lit candles as she made her way out of the local theater. She had just finished seeing Hamlet, one of Shakespeare's more popular plays. She had always enjoyed a good tragedy; happy endings were for children after all. She was no more than a few feet outside the doors when she realized it was raining. The people around her rushed around all attempting to get cabs as if the rain was toxic to their skin. They could be so irksome at times. She did not hesitate to wave her hand in the air sending a young man flying into the middle of the street when he pushed her out of the way to get a head start. The front left wheel of the taxi just narrowly missed running over his arm.
The villainess groaned in disappointment and muttered a quick spell causing the umbrella she had forgotten to bring with her to the performance to appear in her free hand. Her other hand held her cane that she would not hesitate to strike someone with if they dared to cut her off on her way "home." Her magic allowed the villainess to travel to any familiar location by portal or teleportation, but there was something about the rain she enjoyed. Maybe it was the simple fact that it made most people miserable?
As the people around her hollered for taxis Maleficent swiftly made her way down the street, her heels clicking against the soaked pavement of the sidewalk. The umbrella she carried made a successful trampoline for the rain droplets but the curve of the accessory along with the brim of her hat made it slightly difficult for her to see where she was going. She was only a block or so down the street when she accidentally bumped into the blue eyed fellow with the genuine smile waiting for a taxi.
"Excuse me.." She hissed raising her cane slightly as if she had intended to strike him out of her way. The cane lowered though when the Fae got a good look at his face. She was old as dirt and had met her fair share of people but this was one she remembered. "Henry?"
"Well well if it isn't my guardian angel...."