Sing Me a Song ((Eden))

[Autumn Leeves S5]

((This is set during the break.))

"Autumn!" As if the sun wasn't annoying enough… Amanda Leeves was annoying enough to make the sun hide behind clouds for hours upon hours. Unfortunately for Autumn, she got the glorious help of both of the annoyances to be woken up and she was rather agitated with it. She let a groan escape her as she pulled her blankets up over her red haired head. The sunlight streamed through the open window and Amanda stood looking out the glass at the bright day. The contrast in the weather in San Francisco and in Oxford was proving something difficult to become accustomed to, but Autumn never had a hard time adjusting to things for too long. Amanda let out a happy sigh and turned around and yanked the blankets off from over Autumn's head and off the bed completely. Autumn whined and reached around blindly for the blankets, giving up only when she realised she wouldn't be able to yank the blankets back out of Amanda's grasps. "Get up! You got to help me at the club today," Amanda smiled brightly and tugged on Autumn's big toe of her right foot as she passed by the end of her bed and left the guest room that would serve as Autumn's room for the winter holidays and summer holidays. Autumn groaned again and then reluctantly sat up and looked around the guest room. The walls were a ghastly shade of yellow with a white border around the foot of the wall and the floors were a dark hardwood. There were two windows, one above the head of her bed, and the other against the wall to the left of the bed, and they were both adorned with white lace curtains that looked like they were as old, if not older than, her Great Aunt Geralda…who had died when she was 2. On the opposite wall from the window was a bright blue wardrobe that had nothing in it because all of Autumn's belongings remained in her trunk. The light source for her room at night was a single bare bulb hanging from the ceiling that was turned on by a tug string that also hangs down from the ceiling. The bed was probably the most hideous thing of all, however. It was one of those metal brass beds that looked gold only you could most definitely tell it was not gold from the paint chipping off it and that was always so flimsy that if you sat on it the wrong way it felt like it was going to give beneath you.

"Autumn!"

"I'm awake!" Autumn hollered back and swung her legs off her bed onto the wood flooring, stretching her arms above her head and walking over to the trunk at the foot of her bed. She knelt down in front of it, pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt, and then left her room to hop into the shower. When she emerged from the shower 10 minutes later with a towel wrapped around her and her hair up in another towel, Amanda let out a cackle that caused Autumn to jump and hurry into her room. "My cousin is crazy," she muttered to herself as started to dry off and get dressed. Within another 10 minutes, she was ready to go. Her hair was blown dry, with the help of Amanda and her handy dandy wand, and she had applied the makeup she normally wore. Then she was being rushed out of the flat into the bright daylight of San Francisco at noon. There were people going to and fro, to and fro, back and forth, back and forth – shouting each other's names over the din, laughing, hopping onto the trolley cars, rushing off to work. It was a city that Autumn could definitely grow to love, if she allowed herself. Amanda looped her arm through Autumn's and then nearly yanked her onto a passing car. Autumn grasped the nearest bar and followed Amanda toward a couple of seats, collapsing into it beside her. Amanda smiled brightly and hummed as she watched the passing city. About five minutes later, Amanda stood and jumped off the trolley car, Autumn following her lead, and then together they walked toward the front entrance of the club.

Autumn breathed in deeply as the sense of atmospheres changed, she closed her eyes and reopened them to let them become adjusted to the lighting. Amanda smiled happily and looked around proudly, as if it were her baby. Autumn looked around too, taking in the complete decorum of the club. To their left was a bar with stools and behind it was an open window that led into what looked like a kitchen, there were voices coming from the kitchen but Autumn paid them no attention as she scanned the rest of the room. There was a door sort of out of the way that had a restroom sign on it and Autumn shook her head slightly at that before looking at the lounge area – where there was a couch and an arm chair with some lamps hanging over head. Further right there was a dance floor that was sort of bordered by a half wall that blocked off a dining area, but back to the dance floor. It curved out of the wall and then sort of squared off into the half wall. There was a proscenium stage (which if you know anything about theatre as Autumn does, you'd know it was like you were in a sort of… box when you were standing on the stage) with a thrust that jutted out, but not a lot, into the dance floor. There was an old-fashioned microphone at the front of the thrust and some chairs and music stands in the back on the actual stage. The lighting was rather dim, but not unhealthily dim, and it felt like you had just taken a step back into the 20s or around there. Autumn immediately loved it. Amanda tugged on her arm, pulling her from the trance, and led her around to the bar, explaining, "We don't serve alcohol here, which is fine – because if I remember correctly you don't drink it. So, how about a nice cherry cola?" Autumn nodded and shrugged as she sat on a stool and Amanda made her way behind the bar, pouring her a glass of ice-cold cola, and putting some cherry syrup and a cherry in it before handing it to her with a black straw. Autumn took a sip and looked around some more as people started to file in for lunch. There were many different people, old people and young people, but they all seemed to have one thing in common – they knew each other.

"So, Amanda, what exactly am I supposed to be doing here today?" Autumn asked as she took another sip of the soda, her eyes boring into her cousin. Amanda let a sly grin cross her face and she leaned across the bar, her hands clasped together in excitement, "You see that stage, Aut? It's practically an open mic- the manager sings every now and then, you'll meet him later; but… today… you're going to be singing there today." Autumn let her jaw drop and she shook her head vehemently, moving off the stool with every intention of turning around fleeing from this place, fleeing from this stage fright. "You have to," Amanda said as she took the soda and sipped from it before starting to get ready for the lunch orders. "Why?" Autumn asked with a raised brow. Amanda smirked, "Remember the first year you lived with me? I wouldn't give up my bed, so while I was asleep you put toothpaste, peanut butter, and bubble gum in my hair… this is pay back, cousin." Autumn glowered at Amanda, but knew, deep down, that there was no way of getting out of it. She had to sing and she would have to sing until Amanda told her to stop. Autumn breathed out slowly, asked for a water to clear the sugar from her throat, took a sip, and set the glass down on the bar; "I hate you." She said to her cousin as Amanda came around the bar, grabbed her hand, and led her onto the stage. People looked up from their tables, from where they were sitting and Amanda merely smiled brightly at them and spoke into the microphone, "Ladies and Gents! Lords and Lasses! We have a special treat today. This is my cousin, Autumn Leeves –" there was rush of chuckles and Autumn merely smiled and waved, quite awkwardly- "and she's your source of entertainment tonight. Now I know you all are good at making people feel welcome, why George – you asked me out three times the first time I worked here…" she winked at an elderly man with a fedora on his head, "so… please…give Autumn a big round of applause.

"Good luck…" she whispered to Autumn before bouncing off the stage back over to the bar. Autumn looked out at the people and felt like she was a statue for a moment before there came a 'pssst!' from behind her. She turned around and looked confused at the black man who was holding a cello, "What song?" "Oh! Um… Fever?" The man smiled, showing all of his pearly white teeth and nodded, "Can do." She turned back around and licked her lips in nervousness as the music started up. As she began to sing, she heard the chatter stop, and she felt eyes on her – she could nearly hear the jaws drop. Autumn had always loved singing, it was just something she was great at – it was probably one of the reasons she loved musicals more than plays, because she got to sing in them. As she sung, though, she got lost in her own world; the vibrations of her voice coming from her tiny body, the timbre at which protruded – was just… amazing. Autumn got lost, and Amanda would have, too, if she didn't see the door open right then to see Eden Gothar enter the club and his eyes lock on Autumn immediately. Amanda slid the cola to a customer before wiping her hands on a dishtowel and heading over toward Eden. She crossed her arms over her chest and watched Autumn as she spoke to him; "Pretty good, huh?"

[Eden Gothar R6]

Eden turned off the shower water and rubbed his eyes dry before turning around and stepping a few feet to his right where his towel rack hung on the wall. He didn’t exactly need to step out of his shower to dry off, seeing as his shower never exactly ended. Upon immediately entering the bathroom there was a great open shower on the right that was bordered by a complete wall, as to separate the bathtub and the shower, with a slight dip in the centre for the water to drain out instead of flooding the entire bathroom. The showerhead was perched on the wall that was adjacent to the other side that blocked off the great bathtub. The bathtub itself was a rather unique masterpiece. It sat in a rectangular frame, so as to fit nicely between the corner and the wall, with an oval inset where you actually would climb into it to bathe. The water itself was turned on by a simple button in which you pushed to start and pushed to stop; over all it was quite an amazing bathtub. On the ledges surrounding the bathtub were the usual bathroom necessities – shampoo, conditioner, soap, those sorts of things – but there were also a few simple decorative things like a few blue candles, one large, one medium, and one small. Against the right wall, next to the bathtub, was a small window. Directly across the way from the bathtub and shower sat the other necessary areas of the bathroom. The counter stretched the length of nearly the whole wall if it wasn't for the toilet taking out a portion. On the counter there were two identical sinks, in the form of two glass bowls that sat atop the counter. The water faucets both stemmed off the wall behind the counter, and were turned on by a simple handle – right for hot, left for cold. Above those was a lengthy mirror that stretched the exact length of the counter - without a frame around; just mirror. And at last there was the toilet...which wasn’t really all that special; it was just a simple white toilet. Actually the entire bathroom was either white, gray, clear glass, or stainless steel, with the exception of the blue candles. The tile was white, and the walls were white. The bathtub was white, and the ledges were gray. The window was glass, the mirror was glass, and the sink bowels were glass, and at last the faucets and the shower head were both stainless steel. It was quite the sterile bathroom, but then again, the entire Gothar apartment was rather sterile; sterile and modern. Matt had always been on the front edge of new trends, and he made sure that the place stayed clean. Anyone who walked in there would have no idea that the apartment was occupied by two men. But anyway, back to Eden, who had dried off by this time and was already out of the bathroom and in his room.

Well technically he was just about to lean over the railing around his room, down from the loft, and onto the first floor where Matt mostly occupied, seeing as his room was there. The first floor also contained the living room, kitchen, and dining room. The nice extra space the loft provided had proved to be a wonderful place for Eden; it was like having his own place. He had his own bathroom, and that alone was worth having to climb up the stairs to get to his living area. Eden leaned over the railing and looked around the downstairs. “Matt? You here?” Of course there was no reply; Matt was rarely at home at this hour, he was already off to work, but Eden felt he’d check just in case. With a smile on his face, Eden turned around back towards his room. See, his room wasn’t exactly separate from the rest of the house. Downstairs, when you walked through the front door of the apartment on your left you would see a sitting room, which is only the sitting room, the living room was down the hall, and that was where the television and such was located. But anyway, you would see the sitting room to your left, and also a staircase up to a loft. Going up the stairs one would find that straight ahead of them was the door to Eden’s bathroom, and to their right was what Eden called his room. The far left wall (facing of course from first entry up the stairs) was not exactly a wall, but instead a window. The window stretched down onto the first floor, becoming a window for the sitting room as well. There were large windows throughout the Gothar apartment, lending a great deal of light to the place, which made it seem even more vast then it already was. Every wall in the Gothar house was white, though most of them were covered in new age art, and the ceilings were all high, with the exception of the rooms on the left hand side of the house – seeing as the loft and Eden’s bedroom were both above the left side of the house. But back to Eden’s room. His bed was the only item of furniture in front of the window, seeing as Eden liked his view and he did not want it impeded on, and it was directly in the center of the window so that there was a great deal of window space on either side. One wall, the one that was actually a wall and not just a fogged glass railing, was lined with bookshelves. The wall that was just a fogged glass railing was lined by one drafting desk, one working desk, and nearest his bed – a wardrobe. All of the furniture in Eden’s room was of a modern style. His bed was made of a sleek and stylish stainless steel, with simple black sheets and two white pillows, and both of his desks were a mixture of glass and black wood. His wardrobe was a black wood as well, with stainless steel handles, and his book shelves were held up by stainless steel, though the actual shelves were...black wood...of course.

But alright, by now Eden was dressed. See, I’ve taken so long to explain what his room and his apartment looked like that now he’s already dried off, picked out his clothes, and gotten dressed. Currently he’s doing his hair, so as he stares at himself in the mirror let me describe him for you. Eden has always been the kind of guy to give some thought to his appearance, and since his start living with Matt, that behavior has only grown. Matt, in the earlier days had often criticized Eden about the way he looked, telling him that he was still dressing like a twelve year old boy and that it was about time he had gotten some sense of style and fashion. Of course, Eden hadn’t really bothered to fight Matt on it, and so he had gone along with it, besides, what could be the harm? Matt was always surrounded by women, obviously he did something right. But regardless, today Eden was not wearing the clothes his brother exactly approved of. Today was Saturday, and that meant that most of San Francisco, except for the portion that worked irregular jobs, had today off. What that meant in relation to Eden, was that the club was open all day. On weekends it was open starting at ten in the morning, and they didn’t close until three in the morning. On weekdays the club opened at six in the evening, though it still closed at three, because almost everyone had to work or do something other than listen to music, eat, and dance. Today, however, was Saturday. And Saturday meant that Eden could get all dressed up and go out to his most favorite place within his most favorite place. And Eden did dress up no doubt. Today he had donned one of his favorite zoot suits, a dark blue one that might as well have been black. However in the right lighting it was navy blue, and the dance floor at the club provided just the right lighting. Sitting on the bathroom counter next to Eden’s comb was Eden’s hat; a matching blue Fedora. As Eden finished his hair he donned his hat and exited the bathroom, making his way to his desk. From on top of it he grabbed his wallet, shoving it into his back pocket and pulling the chain attached to it around to hook it onto one of his front belt loops. He then grabbed his pocket watch, which he put in his front pocket, taking the string attached and hooking it onto one of his back belt loops – this chain was smaller than his wallet chain. Eden then grabbed his keys and put them in his pocket, and finally he grabbed his cell phone from the desk, turned it to silence, and shoved it to the very bottom of his pocket as far down as it could go, not wanting to be disturbed by it. And last grabbed his leather gloves off the desk. He then moved to the foot of his bed and took a seat on his trunk – the trunk that contained all of his school things – and pulled his shoes to him. Today he had grabbed his black dance shoes, which matched his black gloves, and the black belt he was wearing. Eden was a fan of matching. When his shoes were sufficiently laced he pulled his gloves on, stood from the bed, and headed off down the steps to the first floor, and then out the front door of the apartment, locking it behind him.

Soon enough Eden was out of the apartment complex and down the street, waiting for the next trolley to appear. Soon enough it had and Eden waited till the entire crowd boarded the car, before hopping on the side and gripping one of the side bars. He smiled brightly as the car moved off down the street towards his destination. As they did every day, people stared. They always stared at Eden, though he couldn’t blame him, he looked like he’d just walked out of a black and white TV and into a color world. But that was just the way Eden loved it. At last the trolley car stopped and Eden was the first to hop off and head down the street. He only had to go a block or so before reaching the alley way he knew would lead him to the club; Eden knew the way to that club by heart. As soon as he turned down the alley he saw the doors. Anyone could see those doors, they were a bright blue with the words, “Dazzle” written in big white letters across them. The entrance to the club was a double door one, and Eden had always loved how much class that seemed to give the place. Before opening the door Eden pulled out his pocket watch, clicked it open and checked the time: 10:48. Eden was quite late today and he was disappointed. But perhaps if his alarm – dumb Matt – would just wake him up in the mornings he wouldn’t have that problem. Eden pocketed his watch and took a deep breath, a smile on his face, before pushing open the right door – the one used most often – and entering the club. He had barely let the door shut behind him before his eyes immediately darted to the stage. Normally on a Saturday you wouldn’t hear a voice until later in the evening. If Eden wasn’t singing on a Saturday morning then you would hear the band playing some soft music to accompany lunch, but today there was a voice on the stage; a female voice. And not even a female voice Eden had heard before. He cocked his head to the side, though not in a negative manner, and listened for a few moments before he heard Amanda’s voice beside him. Eden didn’t reply however, he was of the belief that you shouldn’t speak until a performer was finished. Instead he examined the girl. She wasn’t dressed like normal performers at Dazzle were, instead she was in a simple t-shirt and jeans. That made Eden smile. But what made him smile more was just how pretty good the girl was. Her voice was the first thing Eden connected with pleasure. But once he’d gotten over his initial shock of hearing a brand new wonderful voice in his club, he was able to find that the girl’s appearance was pleasing too. Now, Eden wasn’t the type to examine girls on a strictly physical level like most guys would, but it didn’t take him long to notice how pretty the singing girl was. When at last the girl’s first song was over, Eden looked over at Amanda with a bright smile on his face. “She is, she’s quite good, Amanda. Where did you find her?”

[Autumn Leeves S5]

Amanda stood beside Eden, her eyes still on Autumn, after she had asked her question; but as usual, Eden didn't respond until after Autumn had finished. Finally, he did – asking her where she had found her, and Amanda turned to respond with an even brighter smile, "She's my cou-" "Amanda Leeves! You are the foulest, cruellest, meanest, most betraying cousin I know!" Autumn had descended the stage and she was livid. Her cheeks were a bright red, that nearly matched her hair, and her eyes were piercing. She reached the two, hardly noticing Eden, and continued her little rant; "How would you like it if I just perched you on the stage and commanded, 'sing little bird! Sing!'?!" Amanda looked at her cousin blankly as Autumn seemed to deflate, all the fire leaving her, and her arms dropping to her sides. Amanda knew Autumn couldn't remain that angry for too long, "You can't tell me you didn't enjoy it…" she told her with a smirk before turning to Eden, "The usual, Eden?" Before he could answer, Amanda walked back to the bar, speaking still; "Oh, by the way, before you interrupted with your little tirade Aut, this is Eden Gothar – the manager. Eden, this is my darling fiery cousin Autumn Leeves." Autumn, as if for the first time, turned and noticed Eden. She became an even deeper shade of red than she had before and sank into a stool, putting her head in her hands, "Nice to meet you," she grumbled behind her hands as Amanda handed Eden his drink. The band had started to play soft music in the background and Amanda had turned to another customer now, offering another drink to one or some food to the other; engaging in casual chit chat. You would have never guessed that her passion was for interior design and not for bartending. Autumn looked up and over at Eden, her blush fading from her cheeks. She had no problems singing, she really didn't, it was singing without notice that she hated. It was quite odd to think about considering that was how she started acting – she was pulled on stage without notice… just a 'hey you! You're perfect! Read this, memorise it, learn the songs, you go on in 2 hours!' and she had fallen in love with it… and had been doing it ever since. But singing was something different, or at least, it felt different because Autumn took it to be much more personal than acting. Singing came from her soul, from her very bones, while acting just… was something she enjoyed. So while she loved acting and found it something thrilling, singing had to be her passion. She didn't see herself going anywhere with it – but she could go forever singing and just be happy. Of course, she couldn't live off singing unless she went somewhere with it, but she knew of too many people who went someplace with it and completely lost desire for it. She didn't want to be one of those people.

Autumn shook her head, pulling herself from her trance, noticing she had been practically staring at Eden this entire time and offered him a small, subdued, smile. She held out her hand for him to shake, remembering how to do things in a civilised society now, "Sorry about that, my cousin just thought it would be amusing to spring something like this on me. I'm Autumn, as she told you. I don’t do well under…surprise." She struggled to find a word that fit the feeling quite as well, but she settled on 'surprise' and she hoped Eden understood what she was trying to say. If he didn't, it was okay because no one hardly ever understood what she was trying to say. If he did, then kudos to him, or at least… he would be able to respond. She let her eyes linger on him a moment before averting her gaze back to her cousin who was tossing her hair over her shoulder and laughing melodically, leaning over the bar to talk in a quiet voice to the customer. Autumn tucked a loose strand of her red hair behind her ear as she looked down at the wooden top of the bar, trying to regain her composure completely enough for everything to be okay. She was still somewhat shaken up by having to sing so abruptly, she had done well – or at least she felt she had done well. Then again, what Autumn felt and what was real were two completely different things. She could never really distinguish the two. Amanda had slid a bottle of root beer to her and Autumn took a sip of it gratefully, not bothering to look up as she did so. Autumn was still rather ticked at Amanda and she probably would be until the end of the night, but after that, she'd have to forgive her because she lived with her. Eden had taken a seat right next to her and was sipping from his drink, rather quiet, and Autumn had avoided any conversation. Amanda was sending her looks that said she probably should start a conversation, though, and it was for that reason that Autumn smirked into her bottle of root beer, "Nice suit." She heard a loud snap before she felt the pain on her hand and yelped, jumping back slightly. Amanda mumbled an apology as she began to wipe down the counter top even though Autumn knew she had done it on purpose. Autumn scowled at her cousin and then sighed, "No really, I like zoot suits, though you don't really see them anywhere… you pull off the fedora well." Amanda nodded and smiled with approval before meandering back to the old man she had been charming, leaving Autumn to contemplate how she could get back at her cousin tonight. Perhaps some peanut butter, bubble gum, and toothpaste would do the trick.

Autumn took another sip of her root beer before turning to look at Eden again. She hadn't been lying, he really did pull off the fedora well, and she really did like zoot suits. She hadn't commented on how he looked in it, though, because she hadn't taken the time to examine him in it. But now she did, and she noted how the suit look black but if he moved in some way or another so the light shined on it in a certain way it turned to a navy blue, as did his hat. "I could never pull off a fedora," she said suddenly with a smile and a shrug, "but then again, hats aren't really me. My hair's too frizzy for it." She reached over and flicked the brim of it with her forefinger, causing it to pop up off his head a bit, "It looks good on you, though." Autumn turned away again, deciding to let the silence dance around them once more. Only the silence really wasn't there, because the music was playing still. It was a song Autumn knew and she found herself singing to it quietly, tapping her foot gently to the beat. Behind her, people had gotten up to dance. Autumn looked over her shoulder briefly and watched a moment before smiling to herself and looking back at the counter top – she didn't dance. That or she couldn't. She wasn't quite sure which. She felt like a fool when she danced, but then again; did that make her one? Autumn never wanted to find out. Instead, she turned back to Eden; deciding a conversation with him was the safer choice, and smiled uneasily, "Amanda tells me you sing? Does that mean you sing well or just out of a hobby?" She knew she might have been coming off as some sort of brat, but could she help it? Not really. After all there was a reason Autumn was in Slytherin, and she was this way because of how she was raised – or rather the lack of how she was raised. She couldn't exactly give him the Slytherin excuse for her attitude, and she knew that it didn't matter because after this holiday she probably wouldn't see him again anyway. She didn't have to deal with his negative impression of her for too long, or at least she hoped. Of course, that would mean he would have to have a negative impression of her… and whether or not that was true… was something Autumn wasn't quite sure of. After all, she felt like he did, but she didn't know if that was real.

[Eden Gothar R6]

Eden was smiling, waiting patiently for Amanda to answer his question as he watched the singing girl exit the stage out of the corner of his eye. She had finished her song, gave a small smile that looked more like a grimace, and then moved quickly down the stairs on the edge of the stage, heading right in their direction. For a second Eden thought maybe she was looking at him, but then he realized her eyes were just boring into Amanda, and the singing girl’s fury became apparent when she reached her destination and cut Amanda off in the middle of a sentence. Eden would admit that he was quite taken aback by the girl’s sudden angry behaviour, but he couldn’t deny that she was cute all frustrated and such. He held back a smirk and crossed his arms, stepping back a bit as the two girls went at it for a moment. He didn’t move until Amanda regained control of the situation and introduced him. “How d’ya do?” He smiled a small smile at the girl he’d just learned to be Autumn…Autumn Leeves. Boy was that a great name. Autumn Leeves; real clever and it sure did have spunk. Though, not exactly as much spunk as the girl appeared to have. Eden had heard Amanda ask him if he wanted the usual, but he knew there was no reason to reply, he would be handed his usual, just like he was every day. Instead he watched as Autumn sunk onto a stool. He chuckled quietly before hopping up onto the seat next to her as Amanda slid his lemon-lime soda to him. There was no need for a thank you, with Amanda a wink was sufficient; and that’s just what she got, a small wink. Eden wasn’t one of those people that gave huge obvious winks, his were small and reserved for only the right occasion, and were normally accompanied by a small smile at the corner of his lips. Eden wasn’t a grinner, he preferred to save grinning for the moments it mattered most. Instead he kept his lips curved in a small smile, though most saw it as a smirk; but a smirk worked for him. He could pull it off no problem, especially with the suit. Eden took a sip of his soda before glancing over at Autumn to find her looking right at him. He smiled at her and nodded his head slightly before turning back to his soda again. Autumn however, didn’t look away. Instead she continued to look at him for at least five minutes before she seemed to snap out of it. When she did move again Eden turned in his stool to face her and he shook her hand happily when she offered it to him. Eden didn’t often shake people’s hands, so it was different for him.

Eden let another chuckle escape him as Autumn spoke. “I don’t quite know how you have it in you to say that. You did great up there you know? Haven’t heard a lady voice that lovely in quite some time.” Eden’s smile turned from its usual half smirk into a softer, kinder smile before continuing. “But I do understand how you could feel that way. Me personally I like the spontaneity of it all.” He let out a good natured laugh and shrugged before turning back to the counter and his soda again. There was silence between them for a while, it would appear Autumn wasn’t much for conversation. The band had begun to play its usual filler music up on the stage and Eden hummed along and let his head bob to the music, occasionally letting out a scat or two in between sips on his soda. After quite some time of just listening and enjoying the music Autumn spoke again and Eden looked over at her, a true smirk on his lips, when he heard the crack that sounded quite like a towel would when it was snapped to hit someone. Eden looked over just in time to see Autumn jump. He shook his head and laughed as Autumn made a quick recovery from her remark about his suit. She continued on abut his fedora, and as he turned once again in his seat to look at her she reached over and flicked the brim of it, causing it to hop a bit and wobble on his head insecurely. His usual smirk had come back as he let her speak, telling him that it did look good on him. He couldn’t exactly think of anything to say at the moment so he just let it go as he followed her gaze over to the dance floor. “You dance?” He said, mostly out of the corner of his mouth and in a soft voice, just being curious seeing as he hadn’t gotten any partner dancing in, in quite some time. Autumn returned his favour of asking a question and asked him if he sung. Eden didn’t have much time however, because the band had just finished one song, and was beginning the next, a song that he knew quite well. As Eden heard the trumpet pull the song into a quick, up-tempo beginning, Eden recognized Blue Skies, his song, and hopped off of his stool. “Well, I suppose my singing is for you to examine. I’ll tell ya’ though; it’s no hobby.” With that, and a small smile and a wink, Eden turned and hopped through the dance floor and up onto his stage, making a beeline straight for the microphone, reaching it just as the vocalist part began.

Eden secured his hat on his head as he pulled the mic close and let his voice file into it smoothly. As he sang he watched the people in the place, his eyes scanning over the crowed from one to another calmly. Eden had never had stage fright before, nor an issue with getting up in front of people to do something, especially not these people; these people were family. When Eden had first moved back to San Francisco all he had was Matt for a family, but nowadays he had the entire club as a family. Anyone who walked through those doors was family in Eden’s eyes. That was because he had felt like family from the first moment he had walked through them, and it had become his philosophy that everyone should feel that way when they entered Dazzle. Eden’s eyes trailed back over to Autumn eventually, whom was still sitting at the counter. They stayed on her for a couple minutes, before he smiled and let himself fall back into the music, and his eyes move whichever way they wished. Before long the song was over and Eden was bouncing back off the stage and heading back to the counter again, where he hopped right back onto a stool. He grabbed his soda, took a sip, and then looked over at Autumn with a real smirk again. “You know, you really don’t have to be so mean. I’m just an innocent guy.” He chuckled and leaned on the counter on his elbow.

[Autumn Leeves S5]

Autumn ran her fingers through her hair as she finished off her root beer and Eden spoke about how great she had been up there singing. She managed a small smile, but it was toward her bottle of root beer and she didn't say anything in response. Autumn wasn't one to brag, nor was she one to accept compliments about anything. That was probably one thing that was so unlike a Slytherin that she often questioned her house placement, but that question would immediately leave her mind and she would just go back to how she was. Not accepting praise or compliments of any sort. Autumn just didn't do it, she didn't do it because she honestly didn’t like it. Her parents never gave her compliments so she didn't expect other people to give her compliments and so when they did give her compliments she never responded – instead she might smile a small smile and then turn away because she honestly didn't know how to handle them. Some people found it rude or odd, but it was what it was and Autumn really had no intention of changing it. She had asked Eden by now if he sang, and nearly at the same time he asked if she danced. Fear flew across her face and before she could answer, Eden stood up, mentioned she'd have to be the judge of that and walked over to the stage. Amanda came over then and leaned against the bar, her hands holding that dish towel. Autumn kept waiting for her cousin to throw it over her shoulder like a stereotypical bartender, but it never happened. Instead, Amanda smiled and whispered as Eden took his place on the stage; "What do you think?" Autumn didn't take her eyes off him as he started to sing, but she whispered back; "I think you're way out of your league." Amanda smirked, "Perhaps, but we'll see about that." Autumn rolled her eyes and continued to listen to him, getting absorbed in his voice. It was rather easy to get lost in it, but at the same time, it kept pulling you back to the surface. When he looked over at her, Autumn didn't look away from him – she merely swallowed hard and then reached for her drink only to remember it was all gone, and when he looked away – she turned away from him so she could prop her elbows back on the bar. He continued to sing and Autumn found herself singing along, quietly of course so as not to disrupt his singing because she felt like it was far better than hers. Amanda hadn't moved from her spot and she could hear Autumn singing along with Eden, and in that instant a spark of knowing just went off in her head and she smiled to herself, quite knowingly. She took the empty root beer and set it aside, getting Autumn another one as Eden finished singing and returned to the bar, taking his seat again. After he had set down his drink and was talking to Autumn, Amanda reached over with the nozzle and refilled his soda.

A snort of disbelief sounded from Autumn and Amanda and Eden both looked at her. She shrugged and then smirked over at Eden before rolling her eyes and taking a sip of her new root beer, "Innocent, right." Amanda looked at Eden as she put the nozzle away and wiped up any drop of soda from the bar. Autumn continued talking, though, as if she didn't notice Amanda's sudden disinterest, "No guy is innocent in any sense of the word. They've all either done something wrong, or done someone wrong." Autumn had this really bad habit of talking about anything at the wrong time. She didn't really think about what she was going to say and she sometimes knew it would get her into trouble. But with someone she would never see again, what was the point in holding back anything? Autumn liked meeting people she knew she'd never see again in her life because then she could be completely, 100%, honest and she would be, too; no inhibitions. "I mean, seriously; what guy is your age and is completely innocent?" she had turned to Eden now, her eyebrow raised in an accusatory way. Amanda finally perked up some interest, "Actually, then, Eden here is still a virgin." Autumn looked at her cousin sharply, even though Autumn wasn't raised by her parents she knew good manners and talking about someone else's virginity was not good manners in the least. She felt Eden's embarrassment for him, but before she could apologise on her cousin's behalf – she saw something spark in Amanda's eyes. "Actually…if I recall correctly, poor Eden hasn't even had a first kiss yet, have you?" Eden barely had time to respond because Amanda had, at that moment, leaned across the bar and pulled Eden into a kiss – a rather short kiss, but a kiss nonetheless. Autumn's eyes narrowed and she felt herself sulk. She knew Amanda was doing this for the pure reason of getting on Autumn's nerves. Why it would get on her nerves, Autumn wasn't sure but…it did and Amanda had succeeded. When she pulled back, she licked her lips and smiled over at her cousin, "Yummy."

And then as if some invisible force or maybe even God himself was telling her or commanding her to, Autumn turned and stood beside Eden. In one swift motion, she had leaned and kissed him. This kiss wasn't like Amanda's kiss, short and lifeless, this kiss was slower and it had a bit of meaning behind it. It didn't last too long, and it was only one kiss without more connected, it was enough to get her point across, though. Amanda watched this with pure satisfaction written across her face and she crossed her arms across her chest as Autumn pulled back and stared at Eden a moment. Realisation of what she had just done hit her and she mumbled a quick apology before hurrying away into the restroom, locking the door behind her. Back at the bar Amanda had raised her eyebrows at Eden who seemed to be in quite the daze, "Well, then, I guess it's a first kiss for two lucky virgins tonight."