Hear Me as I Am, [Open]

[Ruth Levin]

Last set of the night, last song. If the club were closing right after the set she'd have played something soft to end her night, but Match was open for hours yet and so Ruth gave her little outro and then started pounding on the keyboard, slamming directly into a song about anger and love.

I'm unusually hard to hold on to
Blank stares at blank pages
No easy way to say this
You mean well, but you make this hard on me

Ruth had always been difficult, from the time she was a toddler onward. By now she took pride in it and that came through in every note of the song. The world could take her or leave her, and fuck 'em if they couldn't take a joke.

I learned the hard way
That they all say things you want to hear
And my heavy heart sinks deep down under you and
Your twisted words,
Your help just hurts
You are not what I thought you were

She'd given up long ago trying to be what other people wanted of her. She'd sucked at it, for one. And the older she got, the less Ruth saw that there was anything about other people's expectations worth living up to. Or down to.

I'm not gonna write you a love song
'cause you tell me it's make or break in this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If your heart is nowhere in it
I don't want it for a minute
Babe, I'll walk the seven seas when I believe that
There's a reason to
Write you a love song today

Crashing through the final chords, Ruth shoved back the bench before the last notes had faded, swinging around to face the audience and giving a short bow. There was applause, shouting, it didn't last long but she didn't need it to. It had been a good gig, four long sets and she'd nailed them all.

She headed straight up to the bar, retrieving her jeans jacket from the bartender to ward off the inevitable point where even as warm it was in the club the difference between that and the heat under the lights would give her chills. She draped the coat over her arm and accepted a glass of scotch (three fingers, neat) from the bartender before turning around and leaning back against the bar to survey the room. The belly band she wore under her taupe cotton dress dug unto the small of her back but Ruth was used to it, just like she was used to cutting and stitching concealed access slits in every dress she ever bought, just like she was used to the weight of the extra clips buttoned into the inside pocket of her jacket. These things were just a part of her life, always.

Taking a long swallow of the scotch, Ruth informed the person standing next to her, "Good night. I approve of it."

[Aislinn Caedmon]

Aislinn smoothed a hand over the skirt of her dress and straightened the gold jewelry she wore with her outfit as she listened to Ruth sing. The woman was talented, that was for sure. The wolf Lupa had been out several times to head the woman sing and had throughly enjoyed every moment of it.

When Ruth walked down off the stage, Aislinn picked up her drink and made her way over to the woman. Such a shame she wasn't full pack, but she was close enough. Her brother being pack made Ruth pack. But, still, that she wasn't a wolf was a damned shame.

The wolf Lupa moved easily over beside the woman as she stood at the bar, leaning against it as she ordered another drink. When Ruth spoke, Aislinn smiled and turned to the woman, offering a slight nod in greeting to her. "It is a good night. I am glad you approve and are enjoying it. You sounded simply divine up there."