Music Brings Us Together (For Yori)

After a few matches under his belt, Quintyn has been quite used to AFW. Already putting his mark within the Tension ranks, people started to wonder how far he would go in his career. Though he feels that there are still things he needs to work on in order to be number one. That of course will take time.

Speaking of which, he's been given quite a lot of time nowadays. Management probably doesn't want to overbook him to the point where he would tire himself, the higher ups gave him some time to rest. While he would love to get inside the ring again, a few dream opponents comes to mind, the Puerto Rican needed something to do that isn't fighting or training. Which at that point he turned to the guitar next to the couch, something his father gave to him on his birthday.

That gave him an idea.

Apart from fighting, he loved music. Mostly playing with his guitar, la familia always loved it when he comes along. Perhaps if he didn't get into Jiu-jitsu, or studying, he could just be part in the band. While it may be cool, it probably wouldn't earn much money, which is why his family pushed him to a better career. Time and time again, when he isn't rolling with someone, he'd still think about it. So a few Google searches lead him to an open jam session that was happening soon. That's good. He could meet new people that way. Music is the universal language after all.

That day came and, Quintyn entered the building, a casual, almost skin tight short sleeved shirt, blue jeans and some shoes, he took in the atmosphere of it all. A lot of character seemingly jammed into such a small place, smoky but not unbearable. The performances in this place are more like jam sessions. Known for a lot of jazz music, musicians from anywhere and everywhere around the world come around to perform - some starting out, some very, very good. Chatted with the bartenders and they were very friendly, and know some English. Drinks are nice too. All around a great place.

A band had just finished playing, bringing a very big round of applause. Quintyn realized it's his time next. Stepping into the stage, he greeted fellow musicians (they talked better English) and settled down, getting his father's guitar out. Jazz, eh? Well he knows his way around that genre.

The band started to play, Quintyn waiting a little to get an idea of the beat and tune they were going for. And like a chameleon, he started to blend in more and more, finding his flow. The crowd liking the Puerto Rican newcomer, and he liked them, starting to see why this place has gotten a lot of praise!

Mackenzie liked music. It was fine. She listened to it during workouts, or in the background while on the computer. That's all it really was though. Background noise. She would readily admit that music easy influenced her mood, helped to set the stage in movies, and had her singing in the shower to catch pop tunes, but it wasn't a part of her life she ever cared to explore. It just existed. That was fine.

This was why she hadn't been enthused when Lexi showed her some.random meetup posting for some kind of jazz event. She didn't even know jazz was popular in Japan… or maybe it wasn't and this was a rarity? It took a bit of convincing, but given enough time, energy, and some questionably fair techniques on the part of her friend, she had agreed to come along as Lexi's plus one. If nothing else maybe she could get a few interesting pictures out of it.

Today, Vanguard was just Mackenzie and Lexi, plain clothed buddies in crime. They certainly looked out of place, the pigtailed blond garbed in her usual walk around attire while Lexi sported overalls that made her look like a child in a full grown woman's body. They stuck out like a sore thumb… it wasn't helped by Mackenzie snapping photographs like a tourist and Lexi cradling a pink ukulele sporting several faded pictures of flowers and mythical beasts on it.

Both women were set to make the most of this though. They didn't get out as often as Mackenzie liked, mostly because Lexi's constant wandering and trouble making made their time at social gatherings a bit like babysitting.

They had eventually settled at a table close to the stage where the smoke seemed less obtrusive. Lexi with her ukulele in lap watched every participant who came on stage with childlike wonder, being among the first to add her ecstatic applause to the end of every set. Mackenzie by comparison has wound down a bit from taking pictures and instead focused on nursing her drink, she was on number two… or was it three? It didn't matter.

Elbow propped on the table, the blond rested her cheek on an open palm while she quietly sipped from her glass. One slender brow arched as something different caught her eye. The guitarist on stage, another obvious foreign like herself and Lexi. Most of the crowd here tonight was locals so his appearance had stood out to her like a sore thumb. She sat up a bit straighter, admiring the performer while her partner did the same for the performance as a whole.