Some of the Places I know [Open]

[harlow rochelle smith]

Yeah, so Harlow was a little pleased by her triumph. She had effectively rendered him speechless... well, almost. She didn't mean to come off as forceful with her remarks, but sometimes they just did. The Brit wasn't the easiest person to get along with at times, especially when her cravings started to set in. She shrugged at his half-question, before she went off to pick the lock. What can I say, she was a girl of many talents.

When he took the guitar into his hands, the druggie watched him expectantly. At his words, she nodded. At least she could rule out compulsive liar; he was pretty consistent with his stories.

"Right, I forgot this one was right-handed," the brunette relented, before tilting her head at an angle. "What if you turn it? Flip it upside down?" It was probably a stupid suggestion, but she didn't really get the difference. It wasn't like Harlow played guitar, so she didn't know any better. A guitar was a guitar, right?

[clyde]

Clyde just laughed because leaned back against the table. "If I did that, all the chords would be backwards and believe me, I've tried it," he told her, though still moving the guitar around to see if there was any chance he could at least play a chord or something.

"Couldn't really live without my music so I tried just about everything," he explained, placing his fingers on a chord, his head tilted so far over to try and imagine the fret board the right way around. "Left hand just can't pressed down hard enough on the keys anymore," he explained, strumming a note backwards but grimacing at the sound. "Nah, doesn't sound right," he told her.

"Nah, I've tried it, it doesn't quite work, s'why they invented left-handed guitars in the first place," he told her with a smile. He had a problem and eh couldn't do the thing he loved as well as he used to but Clyde could still smile and laugh and joke about it. It was rare but he had that.

[harlow rochelle smith]

Harlow watched him intently as he tried to work with the guitar, but apparently it was have nothing of it. "Oh," came her simple response, her lips nearly falling into a little frown, but she wasn't disappointed. He'd tried it, so it wasn't like he gave up right away. "Well, it's the thought that counts?" Who knows how she had managed to remember that old guitar's hiding place out of all things. With the drugs usually in her system, her memory was one of the first things to go.

"Yeah, I bet," Harlow said with a nod, before remembering a time when she was pretty much in the same spot, if only temporarily. "It's alright. I get the shakes sometimes... with my hands." She held them out infront of her for emphasis, staring at her fingers, but they were steady for now. It usually got pretty bad later in the day. "Makes it hard to write, or draw."

With a shrug, she met his eyes again and noticed the smile on his lips. The brunette wondered how he could still be happy, when he couldn't really do the thing he loved. "You're something else, Clyde," she said after a moment, offering him a half-smile. It was more than her usual lopsided grin or a smirk, it was a pretty downright, genuine smile... well, part of it anyway. "Thanks."

[clyde]

[]

"I can still play some really heavy music," he said, strumming a few loud chords a little faster, though they weren't really even chords at all. "Sounded alright that time," he said with a grin. It didn't really but it was the best he could do on that guitar;.

"Nah, I'll play ya something one day on my guitar," he told her with a grin. It would work better that way. Clyde knew to expect him anyhow. "Oh nah, it's not like that. This is a permanent injury," he told her, not giving too much detail. He wasn't hiding it but she hadn't specifically asked so there was no need to make it weird.

"Yeah that would suck," he told her. Not a lot of people understood until he happened to them. "Yeah it's been said before," he said with a grin, referring to the whole 'something else' comment.

Turning to the door as his friend entered, Clyde grinned. "Mate! Perfect timing, we need you to play a song for us," he said handing out the guitar. "Cause Harlow wanted me to play something and I can't play this but you can.. Have you met Harlow? Nice girl, we like her," he told him before sitting back down on the guess.

"Play one of yours," Clyde suggested with a grin before turning back to Harlow. "You gotta hear this, he's great," he told her with a grin, knowing what the boy was capable of.

[nathaniel shane thomas]

Nathaniel walked down the hallway, he had planned to find his friend Clyde. He was suppose to meet him a little later in one of these classrooms but he had texted him and told him he'd be a little late.

Nate didn't understand why it had to be in a regular classroom if they were going to be working on some of his songs. Nate liked writing his own songs, a lot of things inspired him, mostly television and movies since he lacked actual life experiences but it didn't matter. Today wasn't about him, it was about helping Clyde with his stuff.

Hearing the thrashing sounds of an acoustic guitar, Nate laughed a little, assuming that Clyde just just brought a guitar in to help him with writing the songs. Nate had always been better at it so he figured he could help.

Walking into the room, he stopped dead. "Hey," he said, more to the girl than Clyde. Nate walked into the room but stopped when Clyde started talking. The guy could go on forever.

"Um.. O-Okay.." he said, taking the guitar and moving back to lean on a desk in front of them. He didn't want to get too close to them, he couldn't, with his phobia.

He knew all about Clyde's injury. They had been friends a while. At first Nate was sort of afraid of him, the guy had a huge personality and made big hand gestures and things but he was incredibly understanding and was always careful not to get too close.

"One.. One of mine?" he asked, a little unsure. He was a quiet one but things were different when he sang. He looked over at Harlow a little uncertain but he didn't want to disappoint his friend either, pretty much the only one he had at this place, so he nodded.

Nate was very shy and quiet and introverted. All of this was obvious in the way he held himself, avoided eye contact and seemed to shrink back when people got too close but playing his music, it all changed. Slipping the strap over his shoulder. he played the introduction getting right into it before singing one of the more finished songs he had written. [[which is here yay for PBs with pretty voices lmao]] By the end he had gotten more into it and smiled a little when he finished the song, looking back up at the two for an indication as to what was going to happen next.

[harlow rochelle smith]

Harlow watched as Clyde strummed a few uncoordinated somethings or other on the guitar, smirking a little at his playfulness. To be honest, some music actually sounded like that... pretty much all the time. Then again, not everything was classified as 'music' to some, so it was all in the ear of the beholder.

"I'll hold you to it," she nodded, sealing the little promise of a future performance.

She knew that it wasn't realistic to think so far ahead, since so many things could happen. Either of them could die, or actually get the hell out of dodge, and the brunette doubted that the fates would keep crossing their paths like twenty years from now. But who knows, right?

Harlow didn't ask him to elaborate, she merely mirrored his grin and followed his gaze to the door when a young blonde walked in. He was a looker, but he kept his distance and she made no move to cross the threshold. Everyone had their reasons. She couldn't help but chuckle at Clyde though, since he basically spoke for the stranger and introduced her in one go. How he had that much energy in him, she'd never know.

"Can't wait," the brunette said to Clyde with genuine interest, before looking to Nate, returning his greeting with a simple "Hey."

What happened next was pretty much like witnessing a live concert. The new kid in the classroom seemed distant, but his performance was heartfelt and superbly played, especially for something of his own. It took guts to do that, play in front of a complete stranger, and that earned her respect right away.

Looking to Clyde, Harlow smiled before looking back at Nate. "Twelve out of ten," she said, hoping to keep him in his comfort zone. "Clyde was right about you. Do you write all of your stuff, or do you do any covers?"

Music was one of the things that calmed Harlow, so meeting two musicians in a day was like finding a box of skittles on her doorstep.


ooc: not at all, thumbs up to Nate and his ever so handy pb!

[clyde]

"Ahh you're lucky I don't break my promises then," Clyde said with a grin. He fully intended to play something for her if she really wanted to hear it. He wasn't the greatest but he was definitely good enough.

Clyde grinned a huge grin at his friend's playing. The guy was good, better than he was and Clyde would gladly admit it. Clyde loved his electric guitar, he liked rocking out and making a whole big production out of it but Nate was way more subtle about his talent. He would just sit back, strum a tune on an acoustic and get the attention of the room without even trying.

In some ways, Clyde envied that but it was nice just watching instead of playing himself. "Yeah, well done mate," he said after Harlow gave him a 12 out of 10. It was really a good effort and Clyde knew Nate was quite but this sort of thing seemed to bring him out of his shell a little and Clyde being a good friend liked doing that and helping out.

Clyde grinned as he watched Harlow and Nate talk for a while. It felt like watching a movie and the two main characters were meeting for first time. It was fun to watch but then Clyde was the type to make pretty much anything fun and interesting.

[nathaniel shane thomas]

Clyde could get pretty crazy which was why it was so odd that Nate managed to be friends with the guy. They weren't incredible close. Mostly it was just the music that they bonded over but it was something at least. No one else really knew Nate here and he didn't exactly put in the effort to change that but with Clyde it was easy. they guy did most of the talking with saved Nate from having to say anything and that was exactly what he needed. He could just stand around, throw in a few words and a friendship would be formed all on its own.

The girl seemed nice though, only because she kept her distance, making it easier for Nate. He didn't need to worry much about her getting too close him and that make the situation that much easier. Playing his music only double that easiness and he really needed it. With all the crazy that went down in this place it was nice just to be in a quiet room with a person or two just hanging out and talking or playing music.

Nate smiled and looked away for a moment saying a quiet 'thank you' to the both of them. "Um.. I.. I can play a few covers but I usually just work on my own songs," he told her. He could do a song or two right now by someone else but Nate didn't like to show off or over-do it. He played when he was asked to or when he was on his own but usually he kept his music to himself.

"Do you.. Do you play music?" he asked, looking back up at the girl. She seemed awfully interested in it and although having an interest in music wasn't all that uncommon, Nate had to ask the question anyway.

[harlow rochelle smith]

Harlow was a bit of a skeptic, or maybe just a pessimist sometimes, but she wanted to believe Clyde. She wasn't sure why, and it wasn't really a matter of time or trust, it was just something about him. It was rare for her to place faith on anyone for anything, but he seemed real enough in the short amount of time that she had been around him.

Although she did have her moments where she seemed to wield her father's charm, the brunette wasn't one to hand out compliments for kicks. She was pretty blunt, however, so if she liked something, it would be known.

And right now, she liked Nate's playing, so giving him a 12/10 seemed appropriate.

Harlow didn't really make an effort to make tons of friendships. But maybe that was more out of her own issues in the past with people than anything else. She didn't like when things were running too smoothly, because then you were just left waiting for the moment when it all fell apart. Because it always fell apart. People came and went. Like Franklin, like her father, like her mother's affections. Nothing was permanent.

But music, well... music transcended all of that. The same song was there when she was happy, as when she was sad, or even angry. And because she wasn't the best at portraying how she felt, sometimes lyrics did that for her. It tried to put feelings into words.

All of that was running through her head when Nate spoke, turning the question over in her mind. "Ahh, you're original. Kudos," she said with a smile, before furrowing her brow in thought at his question. Sometimes she did overthink things, especially when she was clean. "I wish, but no. Most of my friends were musicians back home, so I picked up on a thing or two... couldn't really help it, music is timeless, something you can leave behind. I hope to do the same as a writer, if I'm lucky."

[clyde]

Clyde didn't have much luck wiping the silly grin off his face as he sat back in his chair watching the two talk. Nate was always so darn quiet but Clyde was used to that, doing most of the talking tended to help anyhow. Plus the boy could sing and he was a damn good lyricist too so Clyde took every opportunity to get some help on his own stuff which actually sucked anyway.

His favorite so far was a song about cake, in the style of that Oliver twist song. It wasn't all that original or interesting. His stuff was usually more comic relief unless something specific inspired him and not much usually did. Clyde was often too busy just living life.

"You write?" he asked, interrupting their little conversation. "What like stories or something?" he asked, truly curious. It was something they might all three have in common which was nice but Clyde wasn't one to sit around and talk about craft and his motivations and inspirations and what not. He was just as happy to sit around and talk about something silly.

[nathaniel shane thomas]

Nathaniel just smiled, he didn't usually say very much. He tended to keep more to himself most of the time and if he ever felt he had something he really needed to put out there, whether it was a thought, an opinion or simple a few words that he needed to get out then songs were a good way of doing that. Putting it all into words and putting the words into music and playing it always made him feel better.

That was part of what made him enjoy it so much. He could really express himself then, in a way he couldn't any other time. This was how he was able to really feel the music and sing like he meant every single word. It was his way or really expressing any kind of feeling because if he wasn't doing that then he was keeping to himself, hiding away.

So she didn't play any instruments but that way fine, not many people did and not many were really good at it. Nate only clung to it because it was his way of expressing himself and doing it often enough meant that he inevitably got good at it.

He glanced over at Clyde when he asked the question then back at Harlow. He was curious to know the answer too. What sort of things did she write? Poems, prose, novels?

[harlow rochelle smith]

Harlow turned her head in Clyde's direction, when he asked her in more detail about her writings. What did she write? Hmm, good question. "Yeah," she nodded, before chuckling a bit at his curiosity. She didn't mind it, but it was rare that someone was actually asking her all the questions (other than the therapists, of course). "Or something." If you looked in her journal, they were filled with her musings. It didn't resemble a diary of any sort, and if it was something personal, then it would be indirect.

But writing allowed her thoughts to spill on paper. She normally wasn't one to chat up others about her problems, but they needed to be expressed anyhow. So there was her outlet.

"Usually something short. I don't like spending too much time on one thing, there's only so many ways you can spin it, you know?" she shrugged, which was probably one of the reasons why she was able to write a few articles for the post back home. "But I like to dabble in everything. Doesn't mean any of it is any good though."

Harlow winked playfully at Clyde, before looking back at Nate. They seemed pretty chummy, despite seeming like complete opposites. "So how did you two meet?" she asked, smirking a little before adding, "Maybe it'll make for a good basis for a story." Of course, she was half-joking, but it was true that most writers drew from their experiences.

[clyde]

"Wow, that's specific," Clyde said with a grin. He didn't really need to pry or get all in her business. This was her thing and she didn't needed to give him any proper sort of answer but she did and still it didn't say very much but Clyde wasn't going to push for more information.

"Yeah, fair enough," he told her but still felt he needed to add more to it. "Yeah you should see my stuff, it's reeally bad," Clyde told her. If she thought her stuff might be mediocre then she should see his.

"Well you know, we sort of just ran into each other and Nate here's just easy to talk to," Clyde said. Mostly it was because he listened more and talked less which worked just fine for the both of them.

Things weren't so easy at first though, Nate would barely even look at him and he was so quiet but then they talked about music and that made it a little easier.

When Nate spoke, Clyde grinned, the boy didn't say much but he needed to so when he did say that, he chose to stay quiet and just hope that he might say more.

[nathaniel shane thomas]

Nate just watched. She wrote.. something? Okay, that was specific but then Clyde brought it up anyway so Nate took the opportunity to just stay quiet. She explained it further though and still, Nate didn't really get much from what she was saying.

Then Clyde spoke and Nate couldn't help the hint of a smirk. It was funny. Clyde's stuff wasn't bad so much as just plain hilarious. It was comedic but in a good way. Nate actually liked it but he didn't think that he could ever write anything like that but he was happy to help when Clyde needed it.

"Wouldn't be a very interesting story," Nate said, finally contributing to the conversation before looking at Clyde who only grinned, as though he were expecting the boy to explain further.

"We just talked about music and... and.. Yeah, I guess, that's how it started," he said, looking at the ground. He didn't do eye contact much these days, it was easier to avoid it then to accidentally risk giving the wrong impression.

[harlow rochelle smith]

"Specific is my middle name," Harlow quipped with a mirrored grin, even though she was actually quite the opposite. Sometimes she didn't say much at all, but it spoke volumes. And other times, she spoke more but said less. It depended on the subject. Now, she wasn't trying to impress anyone here. She also didn't like labels. So why tell them one thing, when really, she wrote about whatever was on her mind?

"I find it hard to believe that something coming from a Bonnie and Clyde duo can be bad," she raised a brow skeptically at him, before nodding at his answer. It wasn't a horror story, or an epic tale, but most stuff in life weren't either.

"Cool," Harlow said simply when Nate added to their intro story. "It's realistic, at least. I mean... that's sort of what we're doing now." It's funny how it was like a cycle. She wasn't even a musician, yet she tended to meet people that way. You'd think she would attract other writers, or even artists, but nope.

She noted how Nate didn't look her in the eye, but decided not to mention it. She wasn't a fan of first impressions either. "It's nice to meet you nonetheless," the brunette coaxed with a half-smile.