Rendevous at the Kitten Club

Shoshannah stood outside of the Kitten Club, marveling at the building. It was nice, like the Drake, but not as nice as the Drake, not that it really mattered. Even from the outside of the club, Shoshannah could hear a faint sound of the band playing. A sound that made her heart skip a little quicker.

Inside this club, there would be people dressed to the nines, people all standing around, listening to the music. Of course, she didn't really think there was much else to do in the Kitten Club instead of listen to the music. She'd never been there so all she knew was that she needed to dress up. Not that there would be people dancing, people chatting, and people all-together contributing to an overwhelming sense of opulence that the Kitten Club aspired to.

She stepped to the door in the one fancy gown she owned. Her parents didn't tend to take their daughters with them to the parties the had to go to, mainly the galas of medical professionals, so Shoshannah really had had no use for this dress before even though her mother insisted that every young lady have at least one formal gown. She spent the better part of the afternoon wearing the gown around her hotel room at the Drake, trying to convince herself she didn't look like she was trying too hard. It was black and pooled slightly on the floor even when she wore her heels. It was strapless, so Shoshannah had done her hair up in her best attempt at a french twist, and had draped a black shawl around her shoulders. She gave a smile to the doorman who, after assessing her, stepped aside to let her enter.

Had she been able to really take her time and take in all that the Kitten Club had to offer, she might feel a little out of place. The women inside were gorgeous and dressed in the finest clothes, with the finest jewelry, of which Shoshannah wasn't wearing. But there was just something about the combination of the amount of people inside the club, the volume of the music inside the club mixed with the chatter from all the people, that caught Shoshannah off guard.

She'd been walking, trying to find a somewhat private spot from which she could just stand and watch the band, try to catch a glimpse of Angelo in his performance, when her condition flared and she was drifting, unable to pay attention to where or what she was doing. The next thing she knew, she'd come in contact with something. Bumped into someone was more precise. Snapped out of her drifting, Shoshannah searched the area for whomever she'd run into. "I'm so sorry!" She apologized, already annoyed with herself. As if falling asleep on Ian wasn't enough, her condition was acting up here of all places?

Maddy had been doing just fine so far, even if she wasn't used to walking around in heels. She was going around, handing out drinks that were ordered and collecting glasses that people were done with. It really wasn't too hard, and she was quite good at dodging around people who didn't notice her and avoiding people who did. It was lucky that she blended in well with the other waitresses.

They had fun, pulling her aside when she got there and Maddy wouldn't admit, but she liked their attention, the make up they put on her and the way they pulled her hair back and curled it. It was just enough. She wasn't slathered with goop like she had initially feared so her age didn't stand out as much.

She had been told it wouldn't be too crowded, considering it was a Monday night, and she wouldn't be working the weekend. Still, it was crowded with people here to see Angelo's band and there had been a couple near misses. Such as now, when someone rude and stupid and way too overdressed knocked into her. Maddy grabbed the empty wine glasses before they could fall, but went stumbling back into an empty chair. She grunted as she knocked her knee into the wood. "Ow," she mumbled, grimacing a little bit and looked back at the woman, glaring. Okay, so she was going to have to get used to the customer service thing, but it was her first day and she was allowed to glare. The lady looked ready for some kind of ball, not a night at the Kitten Club, with her black strapless dress that was way too long. Who the hell went dancing in a dress that dragged on the floor?

"I'm really sorry. Are you ok? Can I help with anything?" Shoshannah felt awful. It was her first time here and she was already knocking over people and zoning out. This was not a good sign, not at all. So she gave Maddy an apologetic smile and extended a hand to help her up. "I'm sorry. I've never been here before, I must have been caught up. I'm so clumsy sometimes." Overwhelmed was a better word, but it would require more explanation than 'caught up' would. "I'm Shoshannah, by the way."

Maddy waved her hand off, righting herself properly on her own. She set the tray on the table, straightening her short skirt and the blouse, adjusting her vest to make sure everything was okay. She couldn't afford it if anything was torn. Her stockings looked alright too. No harm done. "You might want to pay attention to where you're going, lady. The next person you run into might not be very happy." It was clear she was ticked off. Her feet hurt already from walking in these damn shoes.

If only she could pay attention when those flare ups happened. But she was right, Shoshannah really should pay more attention. She knew that and she had faith that someday, she'd have the option of paying more attention, but now she just had to apologize and hope she didn't upset someone too much. And hope that they didn't think she was odd because of her condition. "Are you sure you're all right? I really am sorry I bumped into you. You're right, I should have been paying more attention."

Whatever. Maddy was quite proud of herself for not rolling her eyes, even though she really wanted to. But with the way she was dressed and everything, she didn't look to be in the right place so how the hell had she gotten through the door. "Um, are you lost?" Maddy ventured, trying to be helpful.

"Lost? No, I'm where I'm supposed to be." Shoshannah glanced once around the club again then back at her. She didn't look like the other people here. Everyone was dressed in clothes that suggested they were ready to dance and enjoy themselves. But it wasn't like Shoshannah had any 'dance' appropriate clothing and, besides, she wasn't here to dance. She was here to enjoy the music. "I guess I do look a little out of place, huh?" Smiling at Maddy, Shoshannah pulled her shawl off her shoulders and held it in her hand. "I'm really just here to see someone. He's playing in the band." Her smile widened a bit. She was with someone in the band, it was something she'd never thought she'd say before.

"Not really," she said slowly. Did this lady expect her to go hang up her shawl or something? Fancy restaurant this was not. "Well, uh, one of the bands is in the back getting themselves together, if that's who you're waiting for." That sort of thing was for the back room. "They should be out in about half an hour." With the band. Christ, how old was this lady? And judging by the quality of the dress, this lady was more than likely slumming for some 'variety' in her life, but her peachy keen attitude made her think maybe she was just simple, what with the walking around in a dazy. Yeah, if it's what she was thinking of, this was a situation she didn't want to touch. She was already on rocky ground with Roy regarding this and Dodge, well, she was already going to have a hard enough time convincing him that she was going to be fine there.

That is if he would ever speak to her again.

But Shoshannah kept her shawl with her, wrapped up in her arms. She hadn't had time to find a coat room so the half hour between now and when the band that she assumed Angelo was in would be perfect to find said coat room, get herself something to drink, and find a quiet corner, if she could, from where she could watch Angelo's performance. "Oh, good, I didn't miss him. Thank you!" On second thought, maybe it was better if she asked where the coat room was. She wasn't sure she trusted herself to not get lost in the crowd and lose herself there again. "I don't meant to keep you or anything, but this is my first time here. Is there a coat room where I could put my shawl?"

"You might just want to hold onto it," Maddy advised with a tight but beautiful Doll Smile. "Don't want to lose it. Looks expensive." She reached down and grabbed her tray, tossing her glossy blond waves over her shoulder as she straightened. She could flip her hair with the very best of them. "Is there anything else you need?"

Hold onto it. That sounded like a good idea. "It's not really expensive or anything, but it is the only one I have." But there was just something about this girl that had Shoshannah smiling more. She couldn't put her finger on it, but her smile was pretty and welcoming and that flip of her hair had Shoshannah wondering what she would look like if she blond hair as pretty as this girl's. "Oh, no, I don't want to keep you. But I never got your name." She couldn't thank her for her help if she didn't know the girl's name.

It felt like a slight, a flaunt of the money that this lady already had and her bright smile became even more strained, but she kept it. Her name. Yeah, she was hoping the lady forgot she didn't answer. It was something Maddy had struggled with when getting the job. Go by her regular name, DG, or something else entirely. "Clara," she said finally. Her mother's name. She always thought it was nice.

It was a nice name. At least, Shoshannah thought so. "Clara, what a beautiful name. Thank you again for helping me. Maybe I'll see you around sometime? I think I'll be spending a lot of time here." She already spent her time at the One More Round whenever Angelo played there so why not here, at the Kitten Club too? She wanted to support his art no matter what form it took, especially here in a place that he didn't seem to like quite as much as the Round.

Seriously? Maddy had a really hard time believing that this lady would be hanging out a lot at the Kitten. This really wasn't the best place for someone like her. Although she should be talking. Still. "Maybe," Maddy said a little evasively. "Have a good night, ma'am." She nodded to her tray, indicating her reason for leaving and turned away, skirting around customers to the bar.

After her run in with the waitress named Clara, Shoshannah had headed for a spot in the club where she would be out of everyone's way for two reasons. One, she didn't want her condition to flare up and if she was farther away from people, the less likely she'd be overwhelmed and the less likely she'd be to actually run into people if she still lost herself. And two, she wanted to wait, to scope out the stage until Angelo was present on it and then make her way as close to the stage as she could. It was all a matter of timing, really.

But that didn't stop the fluttering in her chest from happening. She'd been excited to see him play at the Kitten Club for days now, so of course she was pretty eager to see him take the stage. She got to see his paintings, got to hear his stories and yes, while those did tend to have the trumpet involved, she was very excited to see the culmination of his artistic trifecta come together here at the Kitten Club.

So she waited, shawl held carefully in her hands, her floorlength black strapless dress apparently fairly out of place in the Kitten Club (not that she knew, she'd never been there before, and not that it really mattered), hair done up in an amateur attempt at a french twist, and eyes focused on the stage for the one person she'd been waiting to see.

The bandstand was a shifting roster, a fluctuation that ebbed throughout the night based on whether they had a singer at center stage, and who it might be. Different songs, different accompaniments, which meant that sometimes? Angelo spent his whole evening tucked in a back corner with the other brass as an indistinct face in a white hat.

Other times, like the one happening in this moment? The band was coming back from breaks in shifts, settling into band boxes and flipping music with low murmurs among themselves that were lost in the din of the Kitten Club itself. They weren't due a singer for some small hunk of time, and as Angelo settled into his chair he whispered with a bandmate about what instrumentals they might fill up the time with.

He glanced up as both of them chuckled quietly, sharing a joke of dread about whatever their singer might have for them, and then froze with his trumpet half-raised. Sure, there was a crowd, more of one than he ever saw at One More Round. And sure, it was hazy with smoke and, from a distance, most of these women looked the same. Still, he couldn't miss the dark eyes he'd been entranced by for a blissful week now, not if he'd tried. She looked... "Damn," Angelo murmured in astonishment, just staring for a long moment until his bandmate nudged him.

"You know we only get to look, Lacoste," the guy murmured with a smirk, getting Angelo to turn his way. "Yeah?" Angelo answered, "Well... lookit this. Get Hank ready on them keys, too." He slid from the wall of bandboxes, squinting as Angelo moved onto the center stage and acutely felt the stares of far too many people. "We gon' give y'all a touch of somethin' soft, some time to warm y'feet up 'fore your lovely songbird comes out," he said into the mic with a rush of nerves, "This is for a friend of mine? S'called 'I can't get started', we hope you enjoy it."

Stepping back nervously, Angelo gave an unfettered smile in Shoshannah's direction even if he couldn't see her as the dance floor lights softened. Raising his trumpet as the first soft piano notes issued forth, he pressed his lips to it and did the most natural thing there was to Angelo: he played.

From the moment Angelo took the stage, there was no one else Shoshannah could have paid attention to, not that she wanted to anyway. He looked so handsome in his white suit and that grin he always had. That grin that sent a blush to her cheeks. Her eyes were glued to him, bright and playful like always, with that same smile on her lips as she watched him approach the microphone. A sense of pride once again washing through her at the dedication of the song. Never could she have imagined being fortunate enough to have a song be played in a club like this for her. Yes, she was glad that the others got to hear it as well, but there was just something so special about knowing that he was playing it for her.

But then all her musings were halted as he started to play and that was all she could think about. There was barely a band on stage, no one else around her on the floor, and only Angelo with his trumpet and those beautiful, magical notes. She was lost, caught up in a moment that she could happily have stayed lost in forever. It wasn't so much that she was ignoring the band or ignoring the people around her. Instead, they merely just didn't exist, couldn't compare to Angelo center stage with his trumpet.

Never had she heard something so beautiful. Of course, everything Angelo did had a sense of beauty, an artistic ability to it, but this song...it purely marveled her. How could he say he didn't like this as much as the Round again? She'd have to remember to ask him about it, because whether or not this music fed Angelo's soul, Shannah knew her own was fully sated by the song, by the whole performance.

Pieces of music like this were the sorts that made Angelo wish the Seraphim were bigger, so sublime was the mixing of his trumpet with the saxophone. They were also the sorts of music that he wished were longer. This one barely had time to live, drawing a few couples onto the dance floor and letting them sway together before it had to end.

Of course, such regrets never lasted too long in Angelo's world. Life was what it was; brief and hopefully beautiful. As he coaxed the last trail of notes free and the lights came up, Angelo stepped back from the microphone, grinning warmly at the scattered applause the band got and tipping his hat. He slipped back towards the band seats, ignoring the look of annoyance the singer gave him as she came on stage and aiming a wink out where Shoshannah had been as if to say "wait for me".

Shoshannah wasn't going anywhere. Instead, she kept up her applause with the audience, but her eyes were locked on Angelo as she did. Her smile couldn't be wider. She wanted to hear more of this, more of his beautiful songs and more of the talented ease with which he played the trumpet.

The singer was already lackluster compared to Angelo (not to mention shooting him an angry look which didn't sit well with Shoshannah), so Shannah stayed focused on him instead. In response to his wink, she nodded and moved to a chair just a few steps to the side. Nothing was going to top Angelo's performance and she had no intention of dancing (or even standing for the woman who had chosen to look at Angelo that way), so she might as well get comfortable until he could come down from the stage.

He was due up there for a while, as it happened; their singers came in short sets and the band rarely got any break between them. And whether it was passionless or not (aside from his impromptu song) there was one thing Angelo was grateful for: the practice. Having to jump tempos between songs, to commit some bits to memory? It was a far cry from the largely-improvised songs he and the other Seraphim performed, and it kept his fingers and wits sharp.

Thankfully, that one song had been enough to mostly excise his distraction over Shoshannah being here. He was as on as he'd ever been for the forty minutes that followed, playing with a verve and level of energy that didn't quite come through in his other shows. At the Round he was slow and appreciative, creative with each note, but here he focused on the technical skill to draw every note off the sheet music.

Eventually, or finally in Angelo's world, a break in the set hit and with a few words to the crowd, the whole band had a handful of minutes to grab a drink or smoke or breath of fresh air. Plenty of them moved backstage, and Angelo could've tagged along to puff a joint or a free shot of liquor, but he hopped offstage instead. Plucking his hat from his head, he kept it clasped over his heart to set up the dozen polite bows he had to give to ladies in the crowd as he moved for Shoshannah.

She was out of her chair the instant she saw Angelo move for the crowd rather than head backstage. Now she didn't so much mind the people on the dance floor around her. They were congratulating Angelo and she wanted nothing more than for him to know how beautifully he'd played.

Closing the gap between the two of them, Shoshannah stood at what she thought was a normal distance from him, but what might be considered a bit too close for propriety's sake. "You were amazing, Angelo. I can't even begin to explain. That was incredible!" She was at a loss for words and rightfully so. "Are you finished already?" She asked, nodding slightly toward the stage.

It was good that Shannah was minding the distance between them, having it there would make it easier to keep it there, even if Angelo didn't want it there. But fraternizing with a guest? A white guest? It'd likely get him fired, if not worse (if he believed the rumors about the owners). "It'd be incredible if I wrote it," he countered with a grin, bowing to her like he had everyone else, if not a little deeper. "An' naw, i still got a few hours yet, we get a break every handful a'singers. You wanna drink or anything?"

"It was incredible, give yourself some credit. Even if you didn't write it, you played it beautifully." A few more hours? Perfect. She'd thought it was too soon for them to stop and she was glad to be right this time. "Sure, I wouldn't mind a drink. But just water so you can get one too?" She offered, figuring that if he was going to use his break to come visit her, then she should at least try to make sure he was hydrated. "And I must say, you look very sharp tonight, Angelo. You should keep an eye on your hat or I might snatch it from you and wear it myself, though."

He laughed, stretching arms out to either side for a moment, then reaching right out to drop the white fedora into Shannah's hands. "Call it a loaner," he teased, nodding for her to follow as Angelo started towards the bar, "Ain't nothin' else that pops on a fella like me like white, you know?" For once, Angelo and Shannah were disagreeing, though it couldn't have been more trivial. She thought it was too soon to stop, but now that he had her here? All Angelo wanted was for the club to be closing.

Still, he led her through the loose traffic of people towards the bar, fighting the urge to take one of her hands with every step. "Water sounds a treat right now," he agreed as they neared the bar, reaching to his throat to loosen his tie. "Hey Horace!" Angelo called past a few seated people, "Grab me two sparklings down here?" He'd finally gotten clear of the stage, clear of most of the crowd even, and now? Now he could finally take in all the effort Shoshannah had gone to for the evening. The way he was staring alone would probably get him in trouble, but that dress? The hairline that was elegant on it's own, not to mention showcasing the slope of Shannah's neck and her eyes? Being told that he was fired might not have been enough to make Angelo look away.

With his fedora in her hands now, Shoshannah contemplated putting it on right then and there, but it would involve taking her hair down and they were already on the move toward the bar so she'd have to wait at least a few minutes. "You sure you aren't going to need this for the rest of the night? You won't get in trouble if I have it, will you?" Because there was a very large part of her that wanted nothing more than to let her hair down and wear his hat with pride, further cementing the fact that he was the reason she was here.

But then Angelo was staring and it brought that blush back to her cheeks again. She glanced down a little at the dress then back up at him. "It's not too much, is it? I wasn't really sure what to wear and this is the only real dress I have." Even if it was a little too much for the Kitten Club, the look in Angelo's eyes made it all worth while. She'd wear this dress out grocery shopping if it meant she could get a look like that from him.

Was it too much? She certainly looked more elegant than every other woman Angelo had seen tonight, but he knew he was biased there. Objectively, only the singers had dressed so finely, but if it were Angelo it wouldn't have been too much. Still, she'd captivated him in his own clothes when she'd spent the night, so he knew better than to trust himself there. "'Scuse me, folks," Angelo said as he leaned past a couple of people at the bar, snagging both glasses of water and winking to the bartender.

Turning to hand one off to Shoshannah, Angelo's nose wrinkled with a grin as he considered her multiple questions. "I don' think management does a hat count or nothin'," he assured her first, sipping his water, "S'your call, Miss Hagel." he winked teasingly, sighing in consideration there. "'Sides which, I was sorta plannin' on abscondin' with you after this, 'less you had big plans... an' naw, it ain't too much. Long as you don' mind every fella droolin' an every lady bein' the jealous sort, that is." He leaned in a little, eyes dancing with mirth as his voice lowered for Shannah alone. "An if them fellas stop droolin' enough to say hello? I wouldn' mind 'em bein' jealous of me. Lord knows I'd be green if the tables turned."

Shoshannah took the glass from him, had a sip of it, and then put it back on the counter for a moment, beside which she placed his hat. Her hands moved up to her hair and expertly removed a few large pins that kept the updo in place, letting the waves fall to her shoulders again before placing Angelo's hat ontop of her head. She couldn't help but laugh a little, since the hat was just slightly too big, since it hung down and shaded her eyes a bit. "You are my big plans," She promised, still smiling as she pushed it back a little to look at him. "So we can abscond away when you're finished."

The look in her eyes showed that while she was grateful for the compliment, she wasn't sure she quite believed him. All the men couldn't be looking at her and definitely not all the women were jealous, but the sentiment was what mattered, the fact that Angelo liked the way she looked was what really mattered. "I won't even notice anyone who says hello, and not just because of my condition." None of the men here held a candle to Angelo, it was plain to see.

She needed to stop, he was going to get in trouble if she kept this up. Dark hair spilling down to her shoulders? It was hypnotic, though at least her laughter kept Angelo from tuning out entirely. "We's gon' be the two most overdressed customers at the Hawk, I guarantee," he promised with a rich laugh, "If you're hungry, that is."

How familiar was he supposed to be? Not just in the Kitten, but overall with Shoshannah? Angelo had never sustained anything more than lover's dalliances, so a regular involvement with someone was baffling in some senses. He wasn't assertive enough by nature to just feel like he could decide things for her, but so far Shannah hadn't seemed to complain. And right now, with her looking so amazing and seeming so happy to be here? Angelo wasn't going to heed the whisper in his head that told him she'd eventually grow tired of slumming with him.

After another sip of her water, Shoshannah nodded to Angelo, which meant the hat fell back over her eyes again. So once more, she tipped it back with a laugh. "I'm always hungry. Might need something a little more substantial than pie this time, at least a first, but if there's blueberry there maybe I'll get a slice. Or maybe I'll just steal some of yours." It wasn't just Angelo fighting an urge to hold her hand or get closer, but it was her doing the same. She didn't see a reason for them to have to not hold hands in public, but this was his job and one that was a little different than the Round, so she attributed not being able to hold his hand to the atmosphere.

"An' since it ain't new... I'll buy yours if you buy mine?" he suggested playfully, daring to reach out and tip the brim of the hat down over Shannah's eyes. He wished he could work a camera like hers, this was a view that needed to be captured instantly, not painted slowly as he was wont to do. "An' we can split a slice of pie, yeah?" Angelo added, his smile faltering a touch as a floor manager walked past with a glower. He knew his time was ticking down, but couldn't they at least give him some liberties while it lasted?

His actions brought forth another laugh from her as she tried to pull the hat back up again so she could see him. "Sounds like a deal to me." She glanced at the manager as he passed and fought the urge to give him an unsavory look. She knew this was his job and that she was monopolizing him from it, so even if she didn't want to, she also knew she'd have to wait for his full attention until he was done with his job for the night. "Don't get in trouble because of me," She said with a nudge of her elbow against his. "I'm not going anywhere anyway, I'll be right where I was until you're finished."

Angelo had to sigh profoundly as she hit him with good reasoning and a clear reminder that, like it or not, he had to work. And that after work, she'd be waiting for him. Where he was, she was... and that made him grin warmly. "My boss watchin' right now?" Angelo asked, nodding back at where the floor manager had been walking.

Shannah stood on her tiptoes to glance over Angelo's shoulder, caught sight of his boss across the room, talking to a waitress, and returned to Angelo with a grin. "He's got his back to us," She said, eyes definitely playful now, sparkling with a sense of anticipation.

"Best way to spend a few seconds I've ever found? Generally goes somethin' like..." Angelo trailed, drawing Shannah into him for a slow kiss. He plucked the hat from her head as he kissed her, tilting it to one side to mock-shield them from onlookers as he lingered there, swimming in the scent of whatever perfume Shannah was wearing. Maybe it was just her; her hair and skin and lips flooding his senses. He wouldn't be surprised.

Again, his words said it all. This was definitely the best way to spend a few seconds, and there was something a little different in it, a new sort of thrill. A stolen kiss in a place where they shouldn't be kissing. Shannah stood on her tip toes once more, unable to stop herself from grinning into the kiss, and found herself back in a world where it was just the two of them, which was quickly becoming her favorite place to be.