Day #1 - Reese Lovera - Approachable

[Reese Lovera]

"Finally! I thought I was gonna starve to death!"

The dramatic sigh of relief came from Josh Bartel, lead guitarist of Icarus, and Reese Loveras's number one partner in crime. The mischief those two had gotten up to together over the years - such as clearing a hotel room of pretty much all furniture and moving it into one of the elevators, or the time when they'd gotten their hands on their manager's cell phone and changed all the numbers in his directory - had made them a notorious duo among the band and crew while on tour. Especially when bored, as had been the case for the past hour or so on the tour bus this morning, en route to the Syrinx Festival. Thus, needless to say, Josh wasn't the only one to breathe a sigh of relief as they rolled into the dusty parking lot of the festival; the others did too, but for a very different reason. Having seen the restlessness creep into both Josh's and Reese's behaviour as they'd tossed aside the controls of the PlayStation which usually helped pass the time, they'd anxiously awaited the moment when boredom would finally end up sending the two young men into prankster mode. Because even though their mischief was usually greatly appreciated by the crew, since it tended to be aimed at outsiders and had been known to draw quite a few hearty laughs, the possible targets on the tour bus were limited to only crew. So, when finally the bus came to a halt, without any incidents or practical jokes, and Josh indirectly announced his intention to immediately find a place to eat, they all felt they could breathe easy, until next time.

"You guys comin'?", Josh said as he got up from his seat, and started moving towards the exit, but stopped to look back at the others.

"Yeah, one sec", replied Reese with a pen clenched between his teeth, where he sat slumped way down in one of the leather chairs, with his acoustic guitar in his arms, and a notepad on the wide armrest.

Removing the pen from his lips, he quickly scribbled down the last couple of chords he'd played at random, and then pushed himself up out of the chair, to replace his body with that of the guitar.

"I'm gonna hang back a while", Brody said. "I need to call Tori."

"Alright", Reese gave a nod, and then looked over at Sebastian, knowing from experience that the rest of the crew were going to check the gear and make a few preparations for the gig later that night, before grabbing a bite. "Seb?"

"Yeah, I'm coming", the drummer replied, as he too stood, and followed Reese and Josh out of the tour bus.

Once outside, the trio took a few moments to look around and try to get the lay of the land. The parking lot was already filling up with various tour buses, and musicians and crew members were milling about in all directions. The air had yet to fill with the thunderous roar from the stages, but music was still everywhere to be heard, playing from nearby stereos, or musicians who had sat down to practice or simply jam, although there was still a sense of quietude due to the fairly early hour - by rock star standards, anyway - since there were those who were still asleep inside the buses.

"Alright, so where to?", Sebastian asked.

"I don't care, I just want food", declared Josh, and then pointed to the left, to indicate the gate he'd just spotted, leading to the general backstage area, and towards which he now started heading.

"Let's check out the lounge", came Reese's contribution to the discussion. "They usually serve better stuff than that greasy crap the vendors call food."

Greasy food might be good and all after a hard night of partying, but when on the road, you had to get by mostly on junk food, and so when came chance for something else, Reese welcomed it with open arms.

Thankfully, the other two guys agreed, and so without any further ado, they headed towards the gate to the general backstage area, behind which they almost immediately spotted a building with a sign announcing "V.I.P.". However, although hungry, or starving in Josh's case, all three of them couldn't help but to slow ever so slightly, when just as they headed towards the doors of the lounge, a young woman* came hurrying past them, in an all black, curve hugging outfit that had them all following her with their appreciative eyes, and then exchange a silent look of a rather primal "Woah, hot!". If Reese wasn't mistaken, it was the chick from that goth band whose name he could never remember. He knew they were playing at the festival too, though he hadn't been planning to watch their performance. But, after what he'd just seen, he just might reconsider.

"Nice...", he smirked, and glanced over at Sebastian, whose thoughts it would seem he had just put into words.

Josh, however, really had to be starving, because he cut them off right there with an impatient;

"Yeah yeah. Food."

"Geez, calm down", Sebastian said. "You're like a fricken two-year old."

Reese on the hand merely laughed, and gave Josh a shove through the doors, after which he himself followed into the welcome dusk of the lounge; such a rich contrast from the brightness of the outside. It wasn't long after that, that the trio had claimed a generously sized corner booth for themselves, and were awaiting their orders.


(((ooc: * = Lavinia)))

[Toni Hart]

"Where is the lounge?"

A girl was walking through the grounds, looking quite annoyed. Her black hair was pulled up into a messy bun. It was cute and it kept her hair out of her hazel eyes. She wore a black tank top that hugged her upper body nicely, showing her curves. Her legs were being hugged by a cute pair of jeans that were slightly faded. One her feet were a pair of black converse. She was dressed comfortably, as she had to wear the uncomfortable corsets and heels when she played on stage. Her make-up was put on carefully so that it helped her beautiful hazel eyes pop out.

The reason why she was annoyed was because she's been walking around for the past hour and a half looking for the lounge. She had been everywhere around this dang thing and she still couldn't find it! A sigh escaped her as she stopped. She looked around and noticed three boys enter a building. Curious, she follows. She got there just as the door closes. A sign clear as day was hanging on the heavy door. 'VIP Lounge' Her eyes widened as if she couldn't believe it. She could have sworn she had come by here not moments before! Looking around, she noted some things that she could recognize since this wasn't going to be her last time to this nice building.

Opening the door, she noticed that the three boys were the only people in here, besides the people working the place. Continuing forward, her heart almost skipped a beat as she smelt waffles being cooked. She sat down at the bar, her back to the boys. She noticed the guy behind the counter smile and wink at her, but she ignored him. "Get me a Pepsi and some waffles," she stated to the guy. She heard him mutter an 'okay' and began to cook, while a petite waitress gave her the Pepsi. She could hear the boys behind her and couldn't help but wonder what band they were from, although she didn't bother to go up to them and ask. If they were as curious about her as she was about them, they could come up to her and ask.

[Reese Lovera]

If before, the VIP lounge had been quiet and still with the breath of morning, basking in the calm before the storm that was bound to blow in a few hours later, the arrival of the three young men that had just burst through the doors had remedied that. Although far from being just plain loud and obnoxious, the trio did bring an undeniable new energy to the place as they sat waiting for their orders to be done, their jokes and their laughter ringing out from the corner booth and mingling with the rock ballad playing at a low volume in the background. With all of them in a good mood and mentally preparing for the gig later that night, spirits were already high and the party ready to be started, despite the fairly early hour. Heck, there had been a time when all three of them had never stopped, where the next party started before the last one had even ended, and when a vodka charged pick-me-up or a beer and cigarette was considered a good breakfast. And while these days, that kind of living was in the past for all of them, most of the time, that didn't stop them from thriving on the idea that the next gig and after-party were just around the corner. The very vibe of the festival itself stirred the music in their blood, and made it sing in their veins.

Their genial and frolicsome gathering, however, had not stopped either of them from noticing the lone young lady that had also entered the lounge just as they had been giving the waitress their orders, but as she took a seat at the bar, far away from the corner booth and without paying any attention to the guys, they assumed she simply wanted to be alone.

"Ah, food", Josh declared his delight when a few minutes later, the waitress returned with their food, and he rubbed his hands together in eagerness to dig in on his big Texan burger.

Reese, who had ordered the same and was now looking down at the plate placed in front of him, agreed;

"That's one hell of a breakfast", he said as he took in the sight of the massive breakfast, and even went on to lift the top part of the burger ever so slightly with his index finger, to peek at the condiments.

Or, as it would turn out, the lack of them. One in particular;

"Damn. No ketchup."

Looking up again, he was just about to open his mouth and call for the waitress, but stopped himself when he caught sight of her just as the kitchen door swung shut behind her. It would seem that if he wanted kethcup, he'd have to go get it himself.

"Be right back", he thus told his two band mates, and scooted out of the booth to stand and walk over to the bar.

Once he got there, he gave a loud whistle to get the attention of the guy who had been manning the bar, but who had now also retreated back into the kitchen. He peeked out at Reese through the large gap in the wall separating the bar and the kitchen area.

"Can I help you, Sir?"

"Hey, yeah, do you have any ketchup?"

"Of course. One second."

As Reese then waited while the young man disappeared from view, he glanced over at the girl now sitting only two seats away, and, open and amiable guy that he was, decided that he could at least be friendly and offer her some company, in the case that she wasn't looking to be left alone. And even if she was, there was no harm in asking.

"That looks kinda lonely", he thus said as he turned somewhat more towards her and leaned casually on the bar. "There's plenty of room at our table, if you wanna join us?"

Having gotten her attention, he then extended a tattooed arm, offering up his hand for the customary handshake.

"I'm Reese."

[Toni Hart]

The girl watched as the waitress left the kitchen, hoping that her food was done. It wasn't. She noticed three plates and guessed that they were going to the three guys at the booth. A sigh escaped her lips as the guy behind the counter went back into the kitchen, hopefully to make her food. She took a sip from her Pepsi when suddenly she heard a loud whistle. Looking next to her, she noticed one of the guys, asking for some ketchup. She turned back to her Pepsi only to hear him talk again. She moved her Hazel eyes to look at him more closely. Tattoos, piercings, long dark hair. He looked like he listened to heavy rock, screamo, metal, and every other music along those lines. He extended his hand and she put hers out as well, shaking it. Her arm was not covered int tattoos, though. In fact, it was smooth and a little tanned.

She listened as he invited her to the table of guys, making her look at the other two. They all looked like pranksters to her, but that made them seem like they would be fun to hang around. She turned back to the guy as he introduced himself. Reese.... Interesting name. she thought. "I'm Toni," she stated. She wasn't the shy type, that was clear as how she had stated her name. "What band are you guys in?" she asked, looking at all three of them. They looked a little familiar, but she had never met them before, she was sure of it.

She then remembered his invitation to join the three boys at their table. She smiled a bit. "And sure, I'll come sit with you guys," she added, getting down from the bar. She was a few inches shorter than him. Grabbing her drink, she motioned for him to lead the way.

[Reese Lovera]

Finding himself being studied by the young lady he had just approached, Reese quite naturally returned the attention, giving her the initial and quick once over as she turned towards him. Then, like the guy that he was, he of course couldn't help but to give her a second one, his gaze moving from top to bottom of her appearance more slowly this time in order to truly take it in, before returning to lock on the pretty face framed by stray strands of dark hair fastened in a casual bun at the back of her head.

A natural beauty she was, this one. No minimal attire to cry out her need for attention, desperately showing off any and all of her assets, no five cans of hair spray to keep her dark tresses perfectly in place, and no layers-upon-layers of make up to have her look like a completely different person. Just a casual tank top, jeans and a simple layer of make up to enhance her features, that was all. And it was all she needed. It was all any girl needed, really. It was just that most of them didn't seem to realize it, that it was that way most guys preferred to see them; looking natural. Even a guy like Reese, whose predilection for tattoos and piercings had most people thinking that his taste in women had to be equally extreme. It really wasn't. He didn't mind women like that, he could find them just as beautiful as the rest, but if one was to take a look at his romantic history, one would find a long line of rather normal-looking women. Sure, some had a couple of tattoos, others had piercings here and there, some had both, and others had neither, but what they all had in common, was that they had confidence to be themselves. At least the ladies he had dated since getting clean. Prior to that, he hadn't much cared either way, as long as they had been available for him to use. But, that was then, this was now, and right now, the young lady before him had decided to be equally friendly in return.

"I'm Toni", she introduced herself while shaking his hand. "What band are you guys in? And sure, I'll come sit with you guys."

With that, she grabbed the glass that had been previously placed before her and slid off the bar chair, after which she motioned for Reese to go first.
Reese objected;

"Ladies first", he insisted with a grin, and then gave a silent 'thank you' in the form of a nod as he was handed a bottle of ketchup by the guy behind the bar. "We're in Icarus", he added as he and Toni started moving towards the corner table, and upon arrival indicated the other two guys respectively; "That's Josh, and that's Sebastian. Guys, this is Toni."

A unison "Hi" from the two young men greeted the newcomer, along with friendly smiles, and Sebastian scooted further into the booth to make room for both Reese and Toni.

"So", Reese said as he slid back into his seat next to the drummer, but with his attention aimed at Toni, "you in a band too?"

After all, with all the bands and their entourages consisting of roadies, instrument technicians, managers, girlfriends and lord knows what, one could never know for sure.

[Toni Hart]

Toni smiled as he stated that ladies should go first. She did, deciding not to be disrespectful. She headed towards the both and stopped. She heard Reese introduce the other two who gave her a hi and friendly smiles. She smiled back and watched as one of the guys scooted over to let the two sit down. She waited as Reese sat down first, then she sat down next to him. He stated their band name and then asked her if she was a band. She gave a small nod. "I'm in Eternity of Sorrow. I'm the singer," she stated, looking at them.

She had heard of their band, but from where? She thought for a moment and then remembered. "Your bus is parked next to mine, actually," she stated, looking at them. Her hazel eyes were filled with interest and friendliness. She heard footsteps and turned to see the waitress coming over with her waffles. She didn't know how hungry she was until she noticed the golden brown circles that were covered in syrup. They smelt great! This was definitely better than the greasy food that the fans had to eat. She took a bite. They were good. Very good. They had a great cook in the kitchen today. She looked at Reese again. She noticed that he had some muscle on his tattooed arms. She looked away so nobody would notice that she had been examining him again.

There was something about him, she didn't know what, that made her feel comfortable around him. Maybe it was because he was comfortable around her. She wanted to hear his music and hang out for a while. Even become friends. He was nice, that was for sure. And he didn't look bad. In fact, he was rather hot. She liked guys with dark hair and dark eyes. Piercing and Tattoos weren't bad, if you had the body and face for them. Reese certainly did. He pulled them off quite well, actually. In fact, every time she looked at him she had butterflies in her stomach. The main reason for that is because he reminded her of her old guitarist. The thought of him made her eyes cloud over in sadness a bit. She blinked, clearing her mind so she could concentrate on the guys.

((Short post alert! *siren goes off*))

[Reese Lovera]

Part of the great, great charm of playing at festivals, was the opportunity to meet and mingle with so many others within the same business, and getting to watch some of them perform. Playing regular venues, such as clubs and arenas and whatnot, that was an amazing experience in it's own right, sure, but it rarely offered the chance to see a band other than the one you were touring with at the time, whether they were the opening band or the main act. You just didn't get the veritable smorgasbord of other performances to watch, that a festival offered. And it was something Reese tended to miss when playing regular venues, and so usually tried to savour what he could when the opportunity presented itself.

Thankfully, this time around, Icarus' next gig after the one tonight was half a week away, and so Reese and the other guys sharing the main bus had agreed to stick around the Syrinx Festival for it's whole duration, and sample it's fruits; the atmosphere, the crowd, the partying, and the live music. Personally, Reese was looking forward to the last part the most, and intended to see as many other bands as he possibly could. And seeing Toni nod in confirmation of his question, he briefly hoped that hers would end up being one of them.
But alas, his hope was to be short-lived:

"I'm in Eternity of Sorrow", she told them. "I'm the singer."

Oh yeah, now that he heard the band name, Reese remembered seeing her on the festival's site. He had kept an eye on it for the past couple of months to check out what other bands were scheduled to play, and so had seen the presentations of them on there, each featured with a picture, a description of their music, and a music sample. Eternity of Sorrow included, though the picture had been too small for him to immediately connect the dots when seeing Toni in person.

At the same time, it seemed as though she recalled having seen the guys somewhere before as well, or at the very least the band named rang a bell, and after a moment of contemplation she remembered;

"Your bus is parked next to mine, actually", she said, just as her order arrived from the kitchen and was placed before her.

With that, she too could dig into her food, and join the guys in the munching.

"Really?", Josh said in between two big bites of his burger, and with his mouth almost full. "I didn't notice."

'Yeah, no kidding', Reese thought to himself with a smirk. Considering how much of a hurry Josh had been in to find a place to eat, it would have been a minor miracle if he'd registered anything other than the route to the nearest food place. Though those were thoughts that he kept to himself, lest he'd risk starting a joking bickering session that might make their company feel left out.

"Me neither", he thus agreed instead, and then went on to voice the mild disappointment he'd felt when hearing what band Toni was in; "But yeah, now I recognized you. Saw one of your videos a while back. Nice work. But damn, I was hoping to get to check you guys out, but it seems we're playing at the same time tonight."

[Toni Hart]

Toni looked at the other guy. The one that was known as Josh. She smirked a bit at his comment. Probably not. He was eating like a half starved wolf. She looked back at Reese as he agreed. She wasn't surprised, though. When a guy's stomach was empty, they mainly followed their noses to the smell of food. She took another bite of her waffle as she heard Reese speak again, commenting on her video. She swallowed and took a sip of her drink. "Maybe one day. We still have two more nights. I'm sure we could fit an acoustic song sometime with in the next three days," she stated, giving a small shrug.

She looked at all the guys again. "Of course, my manager would have to approve," she added, rolling her eyes. "He's my dad. And way too overprotective," she added, giving another shrug. She didn't listen to him half the time anyways. She was a grown woman now, as she was over the age of eighteen. She could do just about anything she wanted to. She didn't need him around to approve of her choices. And boy, Reese and these guys would not be approved, even as friends. Heck, she had to beg her father to let her even sign up for this festival. Well, beg and sign up for it behind his back. He didn't cancel a gig unless it was an emergency. She blinked, noticing that she was getting distracted.

Her hazel eyes moved back to look at the guys. "So, what are you guys doing until you play?" she asked, deciding to be a little bit nosy. Well, that's how she was, a nosy person. She always wanted to know what someone was doing. She can control it, though. Eventually, she would get distracted and totally forget about whatever she was being nosy about. She gave herself a mental slap and tried to pay more attention to the people around her.

((I didn't know what to put XD))

[Reese Lovera]

Was there anything better than a bit of free time? A couple of days or even hours that you were free to spend however you wished, without obligations or must-do's? No rehearsals, no interviews, no band meetings to discuss the million of things concerning the band and their career, no waiting stuck on a bus or a plane on your way to a destination you had forgotten or gotten mixed up with all the other places you were supposed to be going. No sponsorship meetings, or other meetings, or even something as simple as having to do the laundry, or clean the apartment. Just plain free time, where you could kick back and relax with your mates, and just enjoy life. Was there anything better? Reese very much doubted it. Or if there was, he sure couldn't think of it anyway. And with a couple of such hours ahead of him, before he and the rest of the guys had to start preparing for tonight's gig, he was hellbent on making the most of it, and had already gotten off to a really good start: Good food, and good company. All that was missing now was a cold beer in his hand, and a good spot from where he could watch the bands that had piqued his curiosity. Both were things that would be made reality within the forseeable future.
Yep, indeed, life was good.
And it would seem Reese and the guys weren't the only ones getting a bit of a breather in their busy touring schedule;

"Maybe one day", Toni said with a light shrug of her slender shoulders. "We still have two more nights. I'm sure we could fit an acoustic song sometime with in the next three days."

So, she and her band were sticking around after their gig as well? Cool.

"Of course", Toni then added, "my manager would have to approve. He's my dad. And way too overprotective."

Those were words that had the three guys exchange a quick look, in what could best be described as a case of three minds with one thought: They'd all assumed Toni was of age, but with an apparent overprotective father as a manager, they were no longer certain, and neither of them could help but to remember a certain incident a few years back, involving Reese and a minor, whose age he had learned of only when it was already too late. Legal troubles had been avoided back then, simply because no one who might have been likely to press charges learned of the incident, but that didn't mean either of the guys were looking to repeat that mistake. Especially not these days, when they were all clean, and did care about the consequences of their actions, unlike how things had been back then.

The thought lasted only for a split second, however. It was just the very initial reaction before logical reasoning intervened and had them acknowledging the fact that even if she was a minor - which, frankly, she didn't look to be; she looked young, but not that young - no one could get into serious trouble by just hanging out, like they were doing right now.

"So", Toni said after what seemed like a brief moment of contemplation of her own, and in a tone of voice that paved way for a change of topic, "what are you guys doing until you play?"

The three boys looked at one another once more, though this time it was simply as a silent way of establishing that they were all on the same page about how to best spend their hours off. No more was needed, for them to know that they were indeed in full agreement with one another.

"We figured we'd check out some of the competition", Reese said as he turned his attention back to Toni, and flashed her a smile. "Why don't you come with us? It's a great way of getting into the festival spirit."

[Toni Hart]

Toni had saw the guys look at each other. Of course, it was a look that said 'What have we gotten ourselves into?', but then it disappeared. They must have been thinking about how old she was. Heck, she was 22 years old. She didn't have to listen to her dad, but she did anyways. If not, then bad things would happen. She shuddered at the thought, but it quickly went away after Reese invited her to hang out with them today. She smiled and gave a slight nod. "Sounds fun," she stated, looking down at her plate that still had traces of syrup. She took a sip of her Pepsi. Her hazel eyes moved to look at Reese again.

"The competition should be pretty good," she added, wondering where they would be heading. She forgot who was playing, anyways. After a moment, she decided to let the guys go wherever and she would follow. She moved a strand of her dark brown hair out of her face. "So, how long have you guys been in your band?" she asked, looking at the guys.

((Sorry for the very short post. I don't know what to put.))