••Any Given Day

[Thea Jayne Ramone]

When Thea had been in New York, visiting Tristan and his family, looking for new acts for the festival back home, she hadn’t thought she’d return so soon afterwards. But she had fallen head over heels for the big apple, like any wide eyed, music lover would have. She wasn’t in need of some fresh start or anything quite so dramatic. Thea wanted to make the move to prove that she could; and to finish school. It was important to her parents and godparents and all the people she called aunts and uncles so she would do it all for them. Though it definitely helped that her classes were intriguing and she was actually enjoying them and the work she had to do for them. She wasn’t surprised by that, Psychology was an interesting topic but it would never be her first love. That would always be music, in the house she grew up in, how could it not? It was a pity she knew more about the finer details of music than was taught in classrooms, she would have loved to fully immerse herself in music more than she did now.

But her family was expecting a little more from her and switching back to music major would probably have her family both close and extended converging on New York with a vengeance. She could have been finishing school back in New Zealand if she’d stuck to music but instead, she moved and had to start fresh in September. Her parents wouldn’t complain as long as she finished this time around; and she was determined to. She even brought her textbooks to work with her to read when she was finished prepping her bar and waiting for the place to open. Tonight, she was waiting for the band that had been booked to arrive. Her boss found out her background and she quickly became the one to go to when they were booking those rare acts. She was good but she was picky. Open mic nights, which were most, she didn’t have much of a say, if they signed up and there was a slot open, they were allowed up; even when they should just continue singing only to the shower head. Those rare booked gigs on the other hand had to go through an audition first, too often two of them so her boss could sign off but then if they made it that far, they were good and often enough, they had Thea making a call and getting an old friend in to check out the act.

Finished with the prep work, Thea sat at the bar with a textbook open while she waited for the usual noises of a booked gig coming in to set up. She had a couple assignments due but she wasn’t worried about it. The good thing about knowing so much about music, she had a way of incorporating it into everything she did. She heard the door open just as she was taking her highlighter to a passage. “The stage is just right there.” She said, pointing in the general direction of the stage behind her even though with the lights on as they were, it was completely obvious where the stage was. It was all she was expecting and assumed that’s who was at the door, coming in to set up for the night ahead.

Tag || Open!
Words || 565
Clothes || Pretty Barkeep!
Music || Original ---Smash Cast
Notes || <3

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

Life had definitely changed for the now Mrs Wilcox. Never in a million years would she have thought her drunk self capable of such a crazy stunt, but now it had happened and she was adjusting to life as a married woman. Obviously things were a lot more complicated than that given that she had married her best friend, a man she had never considered herself in love with, and they had been pushed into a corner by families to go through the whole thing again; sober, this time. Calling it weird didn't even come close to explaining it and Allela was convinced that her and Ryder had been up plenty of nights trying to find a more suitable word and had come up blank. They were doing their best at making it work though and so far their only fight was over who got to the shower first when they both had early classes to get to, or whose turn it was to pick a movie. Nothing about that was out of the ordinary for the pair of them.

Today was one of those days where Allela needed to get out of the apartment. She had no classes and work wasn't expecting her until tomorrow afternoon, so she had taken to the streets and the shops. The pressure to get some wedding plans set in stone was frustrating her and she had been doing her best to hold her temper in around the topic, since it wasn't exactly anyone's fault that they were excited to see the young pair married “officially” in front of friends and family. However, Allela just needed a break from all of that, and it would take a day away from everyone to reset her temper. She indulged in some retail therapy of the Allela kind, which meant she bought an armful of new records, some new chunky boots and about six pairs of shorts that were not at all appropriate for November in New York, but the weather was not going to stop Allela from wearing them. She frequently joked that she was born in ice and snow, despite her birthday being in the middle of June.

Her phone, which she had left on silent for a reason, had buzzed through the afternoon with three calls and five messages. Two of the calls were from her wedding obsessed sister back home who kept phoning Allela at every chance to see if anything had been decided on and to offer her opinion on things she had seen on TV or in magazines. The messages were mostly from friends about plans for the weekend, and one from Ryder asking her to bring some more milk in on her way home. Allela stayed out for most of the day, snooping in and out of shops and finding trinkets that she just liked or silly toys she could annoy Ryder with. Only after another call, this time from Nikki to plan a lunch date to discuss some finer details about the wedding, which wasn't even happening for a good few months, Allela reached her limit. She knew that parents and relatives looked forward to this day and she didn't blame any of them for getting excited, but Allela wasn't into all the fuss and bother. She'd rather get it all planned and out of the way over a weekend and then sit back and just wait it out. She needed a drink now and she knew Thea was working tonight. It was still early, Font was probably still mostly shut up, but that didn't stop the Scottish girl from trying. She made her way across and then slipped into silent bar. “Thanks, I never would have known.” She answered sarcastically to Thea before dropping herself down on a barstool, bags by her feet. “How about you put that book down and get a girl a drink?” She said, resting her arm on the bar and her head on her arm.

• • •

TAGGED! Thea Jayne Ramone
WORDS! 666!
OUTFIT! Rocking Rebel!
LYRICS! Heroes - - - David Bowie
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Thea Jayne Ramone]

It hadn’t occurred to Thea that anyone else would just walk in off the street. Font bar was a well-known establishment, especially in a musically inclined community. The regulars knew the hours and those who didn’t tended to drift in well after they opened for the night. She’d only been in the city a few short months but already she felt like she’d been a part of it for years. She’d visited the country plenty of times, and this city itself quite a bit, searching for new acts for the festival but she’d never stayed for more than a couple weeks and then it was back on a plane for the longer than the life span of some insects flight. Thea was a bit of an impatient person when it came to certain things. She wanted them done then and there and there was telling her no different. She had never been able to sit still for very long and even in business class or the occasional first class seating, the other patrons didn’t appreciate her bouncy behaviour. When she was younger, she had colouring books and music to listen to keep her occupied. And when she got older, she had song she could mix and turn into her very own DJ mixes. Not to mention since her mother decided to go the production route, she habitually helped out with that as well. So she had plenty to keep her busy but none of it was sitting behind a massive set of drums.

Drums were her go-to when she had something to work through. They were loud and easy to get aggressions out on. The whole point of a drum kit was to beat them with sticks as hard or as fast as you could. It was a workout in itself and always left Thea feeling pretty good. She could play just about anything handed to her but her drum kit was where she always found herself after a rough day. Not that it mattered, music was her life, just like it was for most of her friends, Ryder was probably the exception. But she got why he hadn’t chosen music in school. If her parents weren’t who they were, she would have probably had to do the same. But they were them and she was their daughter completely. Music was her heart and soul, her everything and the only reason she wasn’t majoring in it was simply because they couldn’t teach her anything she didn’t already know.

The downside about her choice was the textbooks she had to cart around almost daily. If she could get away with going to class without them, they would still be on the desk in her apartment, more than likely unopened and completely forgotten. She hadn’t textbooks with a passion, thought they were too heavy, the writing too small and full of information that at the end of the day was completely useless to her. But she sat and worked through the passages she was supposed to read and make notes on because she was stubborn to the point of stupidity and needed a top grade just to prove to herself she could do it. Like she said too many times before, if it weren’t for the fact that she could add music to just about anything, she would be screwed. “Sarcasm doesn’t get served.” She said, even as she set the highlighter on the page to mark her spot and slide from the stool. She made her way to the opposite side of the bar and automatically started serving up Allela’s go-to mix. Bartending was a hobby of Thea’s more than it was anything else. She liked the idea of mixology but knew better than to think she could make something of it. Sciences were not her thing and the only reason she could get the mixing of drinks down was because most of the ones ordered were so easy a monkey could probably mix them. “Shopping without me again? How many times have I told you?” She asked, setting the drink and a napkin square on the bar in front of Allela.

Tag || Allela Katherine Wilcox!
Words || 691
Clothes || Pretty Barkeep!
Music || Original ---Smash Cast
Notes || <3

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

New York was her home for the future, Allela had been sure of that much long before a ring was placed on her finger, sort of giving her a reason to stick there. When she had taken that year to travel the globe and live out of hostels and on couches, Allela had been searching for a place to really belong. It was something she had never experienced in her childhood or teenage years. Sure, her family were loving and would support her through anything, but that wasn't enough. Making friends was hard for the pink haired girl who seemed to be the outcast at both of the high schools she had attended. In turn that had led to her rebelling more. It wasn't something she regretted since Allela honestly believed that it had made her stronger and had played a huge role in turning her into the girl she was today. However, none of that had helped her to find her tribe back in Glasgow. Since then she had been on every continent, met great people and had a collection of wonderful quirky things that she had picked up along the way. When the day came that her plane landed in JFK though, Allela knew her life was about to change. The minute she had stepped outside the airport she had known that this was where she belonged; this was home. Since then things had only happened to prove her right. She had met Ryder in a few short weeks of landing in the city, and then the band happened and then the job came quickly enough. Over time she had even decided to give school another shot even though she had dropped out in Glasgow and vowed never again. New York had changed Allela for the better, whilst embracing who she was anyway.

Thanks to her job at Broadway and her passion for musical instruments from a young age, Allela was breezing through her university course without a hitch. Sometimes the professors annoyed her, other times she wanted to strangle the people she was in class with, but she was passing with flying colours. When it came to music there was nothing less to be expected from Allela. She lived and breathed for it. Music had been her saving grace for so long that it was what kept her going when things were looking gloomy. And she could never get bored of one instrument when she could switch between her guitar or her drums. If the day ever came that she wanted more then she would go out and come home with another instrument to add to her collection. It didn't matter what life threw at her, Allela would always cite music as her everything. It was all she wanted for her future and all she needed. She didn't mind telling people that either since those who knew her knew it to be the truth.

“If that were true then you wouldn't even work here.” Allela said drolly, not even looking at Thea as she spoke. They spent enough time here as a band as as friends to know Font inside and out. Allela's only reason for choosing this bar right now was that it was the closest to where she was and it guaranteed her a quiet drink. The last thing she wanted today was loud crowds and guys who thought buying drinks for women was some sort of exclusive ticket into their pants. Allela knocked the drink back swiftly and then smacked her lips together. It was just what she had needed, although she had no intention right then to stagger home drunk to poor Ryder. “Aye, but Allela needed a day to her wee self.” Five-seven might not technically be 'wee', especially not when Allela added to her natural height with chunky heels on an almost daily basis. “Hit me again, hen.” She said, sliding the glass back across to Thea.

• • •

TAGGED! Thea Jayne Ramone
WORDS! 662!
OUTFIT! Rocking Rebel!
LYRICS! Heroes - - - David Bowie
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Thea Jayne Ramone]

New York was exactly where Thea wanted to be. It was a city of music, of flavour, of originality. She couldn't walk down to the deli around the corner from her apartment without seeing something she never would have seen outside of the festival days back home. Well, a normal person wouldn't have seen anything like that, but with the childhood Thea had had, it was a daily occurance to see something on the stranger side. But New York was an adventure for Thea who was there all on her own; even if her "uncles" did show up unannounced more often than they should. She knew so many people, had grown up with them around, getting her mom to help them produce an album or her dad, her brother or her to play on their album for them. At twelve, she had more credits under her belt than most musicians three times her age.

It used to be a thing to laugh at. Her friends back home would want to go get some CDs at the local shop and drag her along to play a little game of "Is Thea's name in this?". She had to admit, there were a few, more than a few but Thea had never seen it as some big deal. It was more like her "uncles" trying to get her involved or something. When she got older, it was more about her stopping in and giving them her input about this or that and just ending up behind her kit or grabbing some other instrument to strum a few chords, hit a few keys to show them what they were missing. It was how she'd decided she wanted to be a part of a band of her own. But she hadn't wanted one back home. She knew she could have had her pick of a litter of musicians who would have loved to link their name to hers, to anyone in her families but they were already in bands and already well known in the music world. She wanted to start from the bottom, not have everything handed to her. So when she'd met Allela and then Ryder, she knew exactly that they were who she was meant to have a band with. They'd already started it, and she was more than happy to audition, knowing she had it in the bag. They both adored her, she could pick up any instrument they needed her to and she could sing, though she preferred being behind her drum kit.

"I serve the drinks, they're not served to me." She pointed out, because she knew it was the truth. It was one of the many reasons why they got on so well. Thea could give as good as she got and she didn't take any bullshit from anyone. She might have been small but she sure as hell was mighty. Her brother's nickname for her was Tink for a reason. "Wee, my ass." Thea said with an unladylike snort, even as she started making Allela another drink. She understood though that there were just days when people needed their own company over being with others. When Thea got in those moods, she threw herself into the soundproof booth in the studio of her apartment and beat away at the drums until she could stand to be around people once again. It was rare for her to get in those moods, but they did happen. "Wanna tell me about it?" She asked, pouring another drink for herself, minus the alcohol she'd added to Allela's

Tag || Allela Katherine Wilcox!
Words || 596
Clothes || Pretty Barkeep!
Music || Original ---Smash Cast
Notes || <3

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

More things were happening in her life right now than she had ever expected. Of course, one of the reasons why she had fallen in love with New York was because of it's non-stop atmosphere. It was exactly the thing Allela craved and the unpredictability of it all was perfect for the pink haired musician. It was everything Allela had wanted for her life and at twenty years of age there was still plenty more to come for her. Hopefully those things to come would involve a future of music, and maybe a few of those heavy set trust issues being demolished, but Allela wasn't about to share those hopes out loud with anyone. She'd work hard to make the first happen and as for the second, well, that was a more complicated matter and it wasn't one she could easily think about, let alone talk about. She'd rather put her nose to the grindstone and focus on making the first one a reality. Thankfully, her friends in the band were serious about their gigs and she knew Ryder wanted to take a shot at it while they could, so she would have him even if the rest fell apart for some other reason, though she knew Thea was with them, too. With life there were never any guarantees about what could happen in the long run, but it would all come down to hard work.

“Ah, but hypocrisy ruins a bartender's charm.” Allela quipped with a smirk, running her finger around the rim of the glass. It was very rare for Allela to find herself backed into a corner, and even when she did there was usually a trick up her sleeve to wriggle her way out of it. If all else failed and she was really in trouble then she had physical violence in her deck of cards. She might have been stick thin and looked like she would snap like a twig, but she was fast and she was a nasty fighter. She had been ever since she was a kid. Luckily, she had calmed down now; if by calmed down she meant that Ryder or someone was around to pull her away before she could smash her head into someone's nose and call it a Glasgow kiss. “Aye, wee. I'm not as tall as some asses in this here city.” Allela pointed out. True, she liked her chunky heels and she came in at five seven without them, but she was by no means a supermodel height. Ryder had a good seven inches on her; something that meant she had to keep adjusting the shower in their apartment now or else she found herself showering on her tip toes in a rather dangerous fashion. Allela didn't fancy that accident happening.

What was there to tell? Too much. There was so much happening in Allela's life at the moment that it all seemed like some crazy dream. She had married her best friend in a drunken Halloween celebration that was still full of missing pieces. She was in the middle of planning a wedding that had technically already happened, but that had to happen again for the sake of pictures and proud parents. Ryder was her husband and she his wife and yet the only kiss they had shared was one neither could remember and when they had exchanged wedding rings. It was so messed up it was beyond crazy. And yet, despite all of the madness, they were making it work and the craziness was slowly turning into normality. It was probably the thing that frightened Allela the most; though she'd never admit to that. So instead she propped her head on her hand and smirked. “Since when have I been the kind to spill my secrets to a bartender?”

• • •

TAGGED! Thea Jayne Ramone
WORDS! 640!
OUTFIT! Rocking Rebel!
LYRICS! Heroes - - - David Bowie
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Thea Jayne Ramone]

Music was Thea’s life. She grew up surrounded by it constantly; there was never a silent moment in the house. If her parents didn’t have music going, it was her brother or one of the many uncles and aunties that stayed through the year when they were touring the area. Thea’s house was always full of people, full of musicians. And she was the lucky one to have been able to grow up in it, total immersion. A girl couldn’t have had a better upbringing; especially not a girl like Thea who was just as obsessed with music as the rest of her family. Her move to New York was for so many different reasons but her parents, thankfully, understood. And they laughed when they heard her place always had music playing. She had the big iPod practically glued to the docking station with her entire playlist running on repeat. The only times she didn’t have music playing was during her lectures and classes when she had to listen to what her professors were saying.

And even then her brain was on new rifts she could tell the rest of the band. Thea was definitely meant for music; no matter which way it was looked at. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Music was in her blood, coursing through her veins. If she wasn’t meant for greatness on the stage then she would happy find her place behind the scenes. But not only did she have the look for it; she had the skills to be up there on that stage. And she wanted to be there with The Forged. She got close to Allela while she’d been searching out new talent with Tristan and family’s help. They had started out as friendly enough rivals and turned that relationship into something a hell of a lot better than that. Now, they were business partners, hooking up each other’s bands with fan-bases in their countries, getting hype going so they were known by the time they hit the stages of Thea’s family’s music festival or the smaller stages of America. There was only so much that could be done after all. A relative unknown isn’t about to sell out a massive theatre the likes of Madison Square Gardens, but a smaller venue definitely.

Thea might not have been the brains behind The Forged, but she certainly had the connections they needed to book frequent gigs. They had a good following, nothing the likes of the Rolling Stones, the Beatles or hell, Maroon 5 but it was good for them; for the moment. Thea wanted more and she knew the rest of them felt the same way. All they really needed now was a contract to sign, giving them a record deal. Thea’s grin was quick and wicked. “Hypocrisy is what gets me the tips to pay for these stupid things.” She said, pointing her finger at the useless textbooks on the bar top. She smiled pretty for the drunk boys, gossiped with the girls and was handed a little more than the usual tip when they closed their tab. “Now, now. Ryder’s not that bad.” Thea teased. She was forever in on the teasing when it came to the Italian man. He let them do it though and Thea would keep it up until he finally said something though she had a feeling that would be on his death bed. Really, she thought he liked the teasing and the tormenting. It was like, at least for her, like having her brother around, so she thought perhaps it was like Nik was around even though she was home or wherever.

In all honesty, Thea understood why people tended not to say things around her of a personal nature. She was studying to be a behavioural psychologist; she analysed everything. It was a bothersome habit but one that the petite blonde had all the same. But at the same time, she was an excellent listener. She might not have all the sage advice that came with age but she had some knowledge she could pass along; just like she saw everything, including a ring on a surprising finger. “Since you got married.” Thea said pointedly, looking at Allela directly. She saw the ring the second her Scottish friend lifted her second drink. She would have noticed it sooner but she’d had her head down, digging for a glass for her own drink. “So spill. Now.” Thea demanded. She was a stubborn soul and wouldn’t give up until she had an acceptable answer.

Tag || Allela Katherine Wilcox!
Words || 761
Clothes || Pretty Barkeep!
Music || Original ---Smash Cast
Notes || <3

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

If Allela didn't have music then she wouldn't have anything. Of that much she could be certain. It was music that got her through everything, especially the times when people just weren't enough or couldn't understand. Even now when she had fantastic friends and the best in Ryder, Allela still needed the music sometimes more than anything else. There was still so much in her life that she couldn't express with a conversation, but that she could feel and put out there with a melody or with the right lyrics. Sometimes it was too personal to give to The Forged to let them make it one of their own regular pieces, but those she kept for when she was alone and having some time to herself with one of her guitars. Other times the band practiced and adapted what she wrote and made it something of their own, performing it to their modest crowds on a gig night. It was what Allela lived for and no matter what life handed her, it was that rush that she lived for and that she craved almost more than anything else on the planet.

Grinning, Allela shook her head. “That is why I could never work in a bar. I might be able to pull it off as a bouncer, but never behind the bar.” She was too hostile and lacked the people skills required to really work with members of the public at all. She much preferred to be tucked away in the sound booth with Ryder or whichever other member of the small team was unfortunate enough to be paired with her for a shift. Allela had always been that way; dry witted and harsh. There was no changing her, not really. Those rare moments when a nicer side shone through were so few and far between that it wasn't worth keeping fingers crossed for them. Hell might freeze over before the day Allela turned into the nice girl next door. “You haven't had the pleasure of Monday morning Ryder.” She scoffed, shaking her head. Allela knew she was twice as worse at he was on most mornings since she was more reluctant to get out of bed and more likely to just skip class because she was just that horrific of a morning person. However, they were teasing Ryder who wasn't here to defend himself, and she knew her own flaws well enough without them needing to look at them in more detail.

Allela hadn't thought about the ring on her finger. She was so used to it now that it didn't feel unnatural against her skin, or catch her eye quite so much when the light caught the stone. She also hadn't thought twice about the fact that they hadn't told the rest of the band yet about their nuptials. After the drama and stress of telling their families, Allela and Ryder had agreed to postpone telling anyone else until they were a little more comfortable in their new situation. After that it just seemed like life had kept them from thinking too much about breaking the news to everyone else, even though they were planning a wedding they would probably be attending. “I put it on the wrong finger.” She mumbled weakly, switching the glass to her right hand and dropping her left below the bar. This was not how Thea was supposed to find out and she wished Ryder was there all of a sudden. She also wished she was wearing a different shirt, given the change in circumstances and the words splashed across the front of it. Allela hadn't thought twice about them until now, but suddenly they seemed a little too close to home and brazen for her liking. She knew Thea wouldn't buy the story about the ring. Allela wore her rings daily and none of them switched fingers. Almost all of her jewellery was permanent in position and she never accidentally forgot a piece of it. “He's not that bad.” She said quietly, paraphrasing Thea's own choice words about her new husband. The news was bound to come out sooner or later, she supposed, but Allela had hoped that maybe it would be when the band was together and she would have Ryder there to help tell the story and deal with the questions. “Instead of getting drunk and sleeping with people, I would seem to get drunk and marry them.” She finished her drink and then slid the glass back across the bar. “If we're going to talk about this I'm needing something stronger.”

• • •

TAGGED! Thea Jayne Ramone
WORDS! 774!
OUTFIT! Rocking Rebel!
LYRICS! Heroes - - - David Bowie
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Thea Jayne Ramone]

Font Bar was where Thea spent the time she wasn't filling with school and band business. She did all her business from the bar, because it was the best place she could be found. She worked there a lot because she could just about do as she pleased. Usually she hated being treated differently because she was petite or because she smiled too brightly when she said something that shouldn't have come from her mouth. But in the bar, she liked it. She was like a little pet for the rest of the group, smaller than the rest of them, younger than the rest of them, even if it was only by a couple months for a couple of them. Geoff let her get away with a lot which was something Thea loved. She had so much freedom to bring in acts and things and she routinely booked The Forged in when she had a night off. They didn't so much need the practice as they needed the exposure.

Thea laughed, shaking her head. "You'd certainly be the scariest bouncer here." She said, laughing. Of course, she worked with the lot so she hardly found any of them scary. She supposed if she didn't see them as often as she did, she might find a couple of them pretty terrifying. But then again, she didn't put up with bullshit or back talk and at least one of her co-workers had it in spades. Habitually, she ignored Valor when he went off like that and set her bitch face in place when he wouldn't relent but they got on well enough. "And you're the picture of Morning Person, aren't you." Thea said blandly. She'd seen Allela in the mornings. She was most definitely not a morning person, unless morning started well after the noon hour!

It was obvious that either the ring was so new, it was forgotten quite often or that it had been taking up space on that finger long enough now that Allela didn't notice the extra bit of weight.Either way, it had happened and the news hadn't yet been broken. "Bullshit." Thea said, calling Allela out on it. Her jewelry was like an extension of the Scot, each piece had its place and in the time Thea had known the pink haired girl, her jewelry had not changed much, if at all. The addition of this ring wasn't something as simple as it was put on early in the morning and she'd misjudged the finger; it was a perfect fit. Silently, Thea turned around and climbed the little step ladder left for her benefit when Geoff, Simon, Bailey or even Valor wasn't around to tackle the tall job. She couldn't reach the top shelf where all the good liquor was stored without help. And she was already told more than once that she wasn't allowed to play monkey with the shelves. She poured a line of shots before setting the bottle just off to the side, under the counter. "So." Thea started, as Allela took the first shot. "Ryder?" She asked softly, taking a guess. Her friends back in Greymouth didn't teasingly call her Sherlock for nothing.

Tag || Allela Katherine Wilcox!
Words || 531
Clothes || Pretty Barkeep!
Music || Original ---Smash Cast
Notes || <3

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

Allela had never been one for working banter or antics. It was one of the reasons why she never considered working in somewhere like a bar. At the theatre she usually headed straight to the sound booth and stayed there if it was at all possible. If anything needed doing, anyone needed speaking to, she either did it abruptly as possible or she sent Ryder when her temper was already bordering on explosive. The last thing Broadway needed was a diva losing her head to an angry Scot who had enough of people whining and driving her up the wall for one day. She wouldn't be at all surprised if the people she worked around thought of her as bitter and anti-social most of the time. They didn't get to see the Allela who partied hard and who rocked a stage with her bandmates.

“Yeah, well, I'm happy with the sound booth, unfortunately.” Allela said with a smirk. There were very few things in the world that could pull her away from the job she already had. The only thing that could do it instantly was probably if someone came along and offered the band a contract and a record deal tomorrow. Other than that Allela would need to consider everything else for a little while. Working in Broadway was a perfect foot hole into her backup idea for a career. Plus, she got to work with her best friend most of the time which was a luxury most people didn't have. “I already come with a warning label for mornings.” She shrugged softly. She knew she was the worst in the morning, and Allela could easily admit to it. However, doing that also meant that she had no problem calling other people out on their bad morning habits, too. Ryder especially these days.

Allela had quite a few friends here in New York City, but anyone could see that Ryder was the closest to her. He always had been. He was the one who could calm her down and talk sense into her when she needed it the most. Still, she didn't expect Thea to take the news like she had just walked in and mentioned buying a new pair of boots. “One and the same. Why aren't you shocked by this?” She reached for another of the shot glasses and knocked the drink back with ease. There was the strongest of chances that her husband would have to help her find the bed tonight, if he didn't have to come and collect her from the bar first. Allela had done a pretty good job at not drinking her stress away since drink had been what had landed her with the fancy ring on her finger in the first place. Now though, she was a little concerned that her friends were seeming less and less stunned by the news that something now existed between her and Ryder, be it completely accidental. Even Rhi and Grayson didn't see it as such a massive deal once they were both over the initial shock the morning they broke the news to them. It bothered Allela, but she couldn't figure out exactly why. Maybe it was because she was still slightly unsettled by the thought of being married to her best friend when she was still only harbouring platonic feelings for Ryder.

• • •

TAGGED! Thea Jayne Ramone
WORDS! 565!
OUTFIT! Rocking Rebel!
LYRICS! Heroes - - - David Bowie
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Thea Jayne Ramone]

Thea surprisingly loved working at Font Bar. She got crazy tips, she could joke and banter with her coworkers and she actually liked being treated like some little pixie they needed to protect. She was quite able to take care of herself, her brother and father yelled and complained until she took self defense classes but she still enjoyed being treated the way she was. It was a pain in the ass but she loved them all that much more because they cared that much. She knew there were people out there that really didn't care and Thea was grateful she had the family that she did. "And I'm more than happy here. So it's agreed, we'll keep our own jobs. No trading." Thea teased, laughing. Thea could live off her tips if she really needed to but it was mostly that money that she put aside for new equipment and instruments.

"I know. I've seen those warning labels." Thea shuddered, thinking about the handful of times she’d been witness to those mornings. After that first morning, Thea thought it best to have coffee and treats on hand when the Scottish girl woke up. It wouldn’t turn it all around and brighten up her mood but it made it a little better. It had also amused Thea the first time she’d seen Allela first thing in the morning. It reminded her of her brother, though she would hardly admit that. Thea had never had a friend like Allela had Ryder. She went to her brother when she had problems back home but there had never been anyone outside her massive, extended, and not all related to her family. She could run to all of them but she didn't because she was so stubborn. She wanted to be able to fix her problems herself and only when she couldn't do that, did she go to anyone. Seeing the way they got on though sometimes had Thea feeling pangs of jealousy. She didn’t have that close of a relationship with anyone and she wanted it. But again, she wasn’t about to admit that to anyone, she prided herself too much on being independent; needing someone would just go so completely against that. The worst part was she knew exactly what that said about her but she just downright ignored it. There was just too much to think about when she let herself wander there, so she tried not to.

"I'm getting to it. There's a shock factor." Thea said blinking. She knew they were best friends; that they ran to each other when they had problems but she hadn't honestly thought they’d get so drunk that getting hitched would be a good idea. With the way they got on though, Thea should have seen it coming. “What the hell were you thinking? Obviously you weren’t think, there was drinking involved. How in the hell did you manage to get so completely plastered that you thought getting married was a good idea? Were you stealing bottles from the bar when the bartender wasn’t looking?!” Thea asked, adding just a tiny bit of the dramatics because it amused her. Sighing, Thea scrubbed her hands over her face. “At least it wasn’t some stranger. Explain what you remember because I’m assuming it’s mostly blank.” She said, looking at Allela straight.

Tag || Allela Katherine Wilcox!
Words || 555
Clothes || Pretty Barkeep!
Music || Original ---Smash Cast
Notes || <3

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

“I wouldn't trade even if you paid me.” Allela scoffed. For the party girl that she was, Allela actually hated being around drunk people, especially if she was sober. It was usually one of the many things that managed to make her explosive in record time and could easily have her throwing punches if the customers weren't careful. She was much safer to others locked in a sound booth with minimum interaction. She could be friendly enough with people, but she was a volatile type of girl with so many trust issues that it was too easy to push the wrong buttons by accident and piss Allela right off, even if it was the last thing people intended to do. Since she never accepted apologies either, it was hardly a simple thing to take back, and Allela never apologised, which made that an impossibility also.

Allela valued her independence above most things, but after what had happened back in Glasgow and what had made her leave in the first place, she was very much aware that sometimes she wasn't the greatest on her own. Bottling everything up and trying to handle everything by herself only led to more trouble and the kind of nightmares that the pink haired girl never wanted to have in her life again. It was for those reasons she was thankful she had Ryder in her life. However, she wasn't about to vocalise them and make some grand gesture about it. That sort of thing wasn't Allela's way. She was still fiercely independent and a fighter to the core. She would tackle everything by herself, but she knew that Ryder would step in without her needing to ask most of the time, which was a huge relief for her pride, which didn't handle asking for help too well. “Well, you know better now. And that's all I have to say about it. Mornings suck.” Allela would never change her opinions on mornings no matter what life threw at her, that much she could be certain of.

Swallowing the alcohol, Allela chuckled to herself and shrugged. “You're asking me to make sense of it all?” She asked with an arched eyebrow. “Halloween, a bar, lots of drinking, Ryder...and then it's morning, there's a ring on my finger, one on his, a hangover to make the top five and a marriage certificate in his back pocket.” She summed up briefly, counting each point off on her fingers. Even after the time that had passed and with the amount of recounting and talking about it, Allela still hadn't remembered a damn thing from the night of her marriage to Ryder. From what she could tell he hadn't either. They were still convinced that memories would change nothing, but it was a little bothersome to have such a big thing gone from their memories, with nothing whatsoever working as a trigger to bring any of it back to either of them. Not that it would change anything; of that they were both certain. She was Mrs Wilcox for as long as Ryder could tolerate it. She still had no idea how it happened or even why she ever thought it was a brilliant idea. Never before had she thought about marrying Ryder or even dating him and now it was exactly what she was doing. “So now he's stuck with me, when not all that long ago he was ready to spend the rest of his life with someone the complete opposite of me. I know this whole thing is a total mess.” She rolled her eyes and downed her drink. “Just leave the bottle here.” She told Thea, pushing her hair back and adjusting one of the bars in her ear. Maybe a new piercing would help distract her from the wedding planning that was slowng driving her insane.

• • •

TAGGED! Thea Jayne Ramone
WORDS! 641!
OUTFIT! Rocking Rebel!
LYRICS! Heroes - - - David Bowie
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Thea Jayne Ramone]

If Thea’s parents had been worried about their only daughter, out on her own in a different country, working in a bar, they didn’t exactly show it. Her brother tossed a fit about her workplace but as she told him too many times to count, she needed the ammo for her classes. Henry had always been the over protective kind anyway. Her mother didn’t like it, she would have preferred she find another job, something that didn’t involve drunks but she also understood why she did it. She was constantly surrounded by music, working in a bar, adapting music for her class assignments. She knew Thea had an iPod set in a dock to fill her apartment with music and another attached to ridiculously expensive but worth it DJ headphones in her bag so she had it when she was away from work and her home. She didn’t have to like it but she understood. And her father just wished she wouldn’t work at all. He wished she’d spend all her time on her studies, despite the fact that he knew without a doubt that she was taking the classes simply to have a university degree and that there was no way in hell or on Earth that she would ever put it to use professionally. His little girl was meant for musical greatness. She was going to make it big. And Kitty, well, she was the odd duck out in the musically inclined household. She loved the attention and the piano but she wanted more from life; which basically came down to her being loved but also a bit of a black sheep and not caring what Thea did. The fact of the matter was, Kitty was jealous Thea as off on an adventure in New York and she hadn’t been allowed further than Sydney, Australia and even that had been pushing it; of course that happened when your parents found you to be a bit friendlier with the opposite sex than your siblings. So in the end, it was really only her father who didn’t have an opinion on the matter. He just reminded her to keep her eyes open and to act first, ask questions later should she find herself in a situation with someone’s hands on her.

“That makes two of us.” Thea agreed, wholeheartedly. She might have loved music and that it encompassed but she wouldn’t have been able to deal with the divas of those particular stages. Thea liked musicians, she could work with them, she understood them and at the point of it all, what they were about. Stage actors as far as the Kiwi was concerned, just didn’t exist. They had different attitudes when it came to the same things and Thea just couldn’t concern herself with the large egos of the theatre group. It wasn’t something she dwelled on because she just didn’t care. It was as plain and simple as that. But it also meant that there was no way in hell she would ever be able to be a sound tech where theatre performances were put on. So she would stick to her bar where the craziest thing that happened on any given week was a performing attempting a comedy routine in front of a room full of people who had been drinking since the doors opened. “Understood, subject change granted. Carry on.” Thea said, holding her hands up in surrender.

It was probably a wonder how Allela and Thea got on so well. Allela was all fire, right from the get go while Thea was a little slower to warm. She was feisty and fierce but those traits weren’t the first things people noticed about her. But they were what they noticed Allela for. Thea was more the one they looked at and saw a pretty girl with a pretty face and assumed not much went on between the ears because she constantly had her headphones on. But she saw everything and stored it in the back of her mind for a paper that was due later. She had an exceptional IQ but her intelligence level seemed to turn people away more than it helped her. Plus, she was more interested in her own musical prodigy status than she was her IQ scores. Being called Sherlock was enough of admittance for the petite blonde. “Blame the shrink brain I’m wearing.” She said with a shrug, pointing out the textbooks scattered over the bar. Still, Thea listened to all that Allela had to say, which wasn’t much as it turned out and when she was done, she stayed quiet a moment longer, nodding her head. “Neither of you remember any of the night?” She asked, more curious about the blanks in their memories than the fact that they were sticking with the marriage. It hadn’t been a topic discussed often but Thea understood that marriage was a one-time deal for both of them. And though Ryder had been engaged before, it wouldn’t have lasted. Thea may not have ever met this mystery woman but from the stories she’d heard there was more drama wrapped up in that girl than there was in a soap opera. Ryder would have only put up with it for so long before he made a mad dash in the opposite direction. “I’ll tell G I dropped it.” She said automatically pushing the bottle across the bar.

Tag || Allela Katherine Wilcox!
Words || 902
Clothes || Pretty Barkeep!
Music || Original ---Smash Cast
Notes || <3

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

Allela’s family might have worried about the twenty year old, but they had long since discovered that their concerns would have no effect whatsoever on what Allela chose to do. She was still in her teens, just, when she had left home to travel the world by herself, and no amount of begging or pleading from her maw was able to stop her from collecting the stamps on her passport. Even before then they hadn’t really had any control over their youngest child; Allela was the type to bend and break the rules no matter how harshly they were enforced. She had calmed down a trifle since her high school days, and didn’t consider herself as troublesome as she had been back then, but she knew her parents were still a little unconvinced. She supposed it was hard to prove them wrong when she lived a couple of thousand miles away now. However, they had always liked Ryder and thought him a calming influence on the pink haired firecracker. Some times Allela regretted mentioning that he was her best friend, and the only person able to calm her down when her temper flared. Maybe that had all been a sign of something, since the ring on her left hand was more than just another pretty bauble from her jewellery box. She wasn’t going to think about that though; it was the whole reason why she had gone out on her own today, trying to find peace in shopping and now alcohol. Besides, she knew it was going to be the biggest question between then and at least the big family wedding. The whole thing was starting to make Allela’s head spin when she was sober.

Despite her surly attitude towards most of the people she had to deal with at work, Allela loved her job. It was the experience she craved for a behind the scenes look at the industry. She knew she might have been better off working at a recording studio, or someplace similar, but she had wanted a difference of approach to it. Broadway had been her answer. She got to practice not only with the soundboards and the volumes, but also got to help dabble with a grander production process than she would get just sitting in a studio. Mind, she hadn’t been wholly prepared for some of the divas of the stage, but then they also hadn’t been prepared for her. Allela didn’t care how many years they had been in the business, how many shiny awards they had, if they gave her an attitude she threw one right back at them. It was something that she had told her boss many a time, even though he now just sighed and shook his head. She had noticed he addressed Ryder more frequently than her when they were working together, and she suspected it was to save himself an earful of Scottish lip. “Besides, any bar I’m in always ends up with trouble happenin’ around it.” She said, pulling a face despite the fact that most of the trouble in those incidents usually involved Allela playing a role of her own. It was often one that involved a forte of beautiful colourful language and Scottish colloquialisms, or she was the one throwing the first punch.

“Aye, well you can just strip out of that shrink brain.” Allela said with a flick of her hand, as though that was enough to get rid of it. She didn’t want her thoughts and actions picked apart when she and Ryder were trying to just get on with life, as difficult as it was to adjust to their new roles in it. She swirled her empty glass in her hand, staring at the bottom of it. “Nope. Not one thing.” There were probably ways to fill in the blanks, like if they had raced across Atlantic City following every little clue they found on their person about the night, but they had both decided that none of it mattered. They were married and it appeared to be staying that way. Allela still found herself freaking out from time to time, but she would go for a shower, or do something alone so that she didn’t have to sit through another conversation with Ryder while he tried to reassure her. She didn’t want to be seen as some fragile mess he needed to guide through this. “All we know is that we’re both in this, and neither o’ us plans on jumpin’ ship. Which makes Ryder crazier than I ever thought, and me just bloody mental.” Allela pushed her messy pink hair back from her face and then reached for the bottle. “Ta, lass.”

• • •

TAGGED! Thea Jayne Ramone
WORDS! 793!
OUTFIT! Rocking Rebel!
LYRICS! Heroes - - - David Bowie
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Thea Jayne Ramone]

Thea parents didn’t worry nearly as much as her brother did about her being so far away from home. He was constantly calling her and texting her and if they all hadn’t changed their phone plans to include an incredible international plan, their bills would have all been through the roof! All because he was scared of becoming an uncle or some such nonsense. It didn’t connect in his head that Thea was a hell of a lot smarter than to do anything without taking proper precautions. She was certainly not stupid. She was in America for two things, get the band rolling and finish university. That was it for Thea and that was all her mind was on. Well, that and figuring out how two of her best friends could find themselves hungover and married. Thea had never known either of them to drink so much that they would do something that stupid. Sure, they did stupid things constantly, it was practically expected of them when alcohol was involved; she’d been there for plenty of those nights.

Especially the ones where she was tending bar and therefore happened to be the only one of their usual group sober. Those nights usually made Thea want to fall into a chair from laughing so hard and wish she hadn’t been working so she could join in. But she was so instead, she reminded them all in the morning or at their next band practice about everything they got on with during their night at Font. “And how many of those troubles have an Allela sized fighter in them?” Thea asked rhetorically. She knew that whenever a fight broke out with Allela around, she was in the fray along with every other person who thought they were tough. Only in Allela’s case, she actually was tough; Thea had seen it first hand. Lucky for them, Allela usually played nice inside the walls of Font.

“Careful how you say things, the guy’s around here might actually take notice of me.” She warned. So far she hadn’t seen any lingering looks but then, she also never paid that much attention. It would take a hell of a lot to get Thea’s attention and the idiots around Font just didn’t do it for her. Plus, the only one with ink, and she loved ink, was the boss. And she wasn’t about to go fooling around with her boss. She preferred to keep her personal life away from her work life. Not a single person who worked at Font knew what Thea got up to in her off time. They just knew she loved music and was petite and blonde. They knew she had an attitude because she had thrown more than a few men from Font during her shifts but that was all they knew of the kiwi. "I'll be right back." Thea let Allela rant out her emotions, the best way to deal with them in her eyes and just nodded her head when Allela thanked her before going into the back to tell her boss of the fake accident.

Tag || Allela Katherine Wilcox!
Words || 542
Clothes || Pretty Barkeep!
Music || Original ---Smash Cast
Notes || <3