ath-ryu
AND YOU PLAY.
ATHENA RYU - 46.
pianist. longtime brooklyn resident. future crazy cat lady.
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drdiana:
Diana closed her eyes, rolling the words “Moon River” in her head over and over again trying to commit then to memory. The woman possessed a melodic voice; raspy and gently all at once. “Like the Breakfast at Tiffany’s song?” She asked looking up at the sky. “Two drifters, off to see the world. There’s such a lot of world to see…” Diana sang, mostly to herself, opening her eyes to face the night sky, muddied by nearby lights and blank as the asphalt below. The only lights she could see was the flashing of planes above, masquerading as stars. Diana looked at the pianist. She seemed concerned, but truly, Diana was concerned for her. The music felt like such a lonely piece; that’d been why she related to it at all in the first place. “I don’t want to sit,” she commanded, “I don’t want to go back in there. With the piss scent, burning lights and the people. I want whatever Moon River is. I want…” She blinked.
“I don’t know…” Diana continued. She looked at her hands finally, watching blood dribble down her fingertips. She couldn’t feel it. “Thank you,” she smiled at the napkins offered to her. She was too inebriated to be thinking like a doctor and so she dabbed them lamely on her fingers, watching blood soak through their cheap paper. “Are you lonely?” She asked suddenly, looking up at her mystery woman. “That music…it sounded like you were. It sounded so sad I…I couldn’t help but to cry for you. But is it true? Whatever you were saying with the piano there? Do you feel like that?”
ATHENA’S FACE COULDN’T HELP BUT turn up in a small smile as the woman began to speak the lyrics aloud to her. it was comforting, to know that she had played something of familiarity with the other. even when she was young, she had wanted to play music that touched others, touched their hearts. it seemed that she had been successful. moon river had been a favorite of eloise’s, so she played it to keep her spirit in the room. it wasn’t information that she divulged to others. maybe she’d tell rico a bit later down the line, but it was their song. that was something she knew would never change, but it felt even more special: keeping it a secret.
as the woman continued to speak, athena’s face seemed to soften even further. i want whatever moon river is. the statement certainly made her ponder. what was moon river? certainly a place far better than the streets of new york, far better than the bar that they were standing in with their cheap liquor and the combining smells of cigarettes and desperation. “hey.. you’re okay.” she flashed the other a gentle smile. not that whatever the woman was going through was okay, but the statement came more so out of a place of reminder that she was safe with her.
“i..” she paused for a moment, certainly initially taken aback by the question. yeah. i am. she wanted to say immediately. “it doesn’t come from a place of happiness, lets put it that way.” she sighed, running her fingers along the hem of the jacket she had so lazily thrown over her shoulders thinking she would be leaving and heading back to her home. where she would be alone. she couldn’t believe what she found herself saying next.
“i was married.” she blurted out, immediately flushing a shade of crimson. “i was married to a woman who i loved more than anything. we were in a car accident. she died.. but i survived. moon river..” how was she talking about this so easily now? a couple years ago, she might have crumbled in front of the stranger. “moon river.. it was her favorite song. i play it in her memory.”
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Who do you look up to the most?
“my father. he went through a lot just to keep me safe.”
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What are the songs that make you sing along whenever you hear it?
“i listen to a lot of classical music, piano sonatas.. but probably different colors by walk the moon. or rocketman.”
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What’s something stupid you’ve done that you’re most proud of?
“probably mess up during a gig and improv enough to cover it up. usually from there i can get back on track.”
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Have you ever used an inappropriate word in front of your parents?
“oh yeah, definitely. they’ve just had two different reactions to it. my dad freaked out, but my stepmom is a bit less... wound up about the concept.”
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@nx-bad-days
EASY A (2010), dir. Will Gluck
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clairexmacken:
unlike most people that retire from broadway, claire likes to keep in contact with most of her colleagues because she knows that they’ll be useful whenever she needs them for a show. ever since she was young, she has been told it’s always good to keep in contact with people as you may never know when you’ll need them for something.
she’d be lying if she had said she hadn’t missed the woman though, she’s always thought of her as a really cool older sister, so you can imagine her excitement when she agreed to meet up for coffee. although her dad wasn’t all to ecstatic about his second oldest taking her lunch break early..
“athena, hi!” claire beamed, a small grin appearing on the younger woman’s features. “i’ve been good, working hard and a little exhausted, but still good.” she admitted with a chuckle. “what about you? how have you been?”
ATHENA CERTAINLY HAD A LOT on her plate. not only did she balance her stuff on broadway, her own gigs and playing for the ballet, but she had also begun giving lessons. regardless, she always had time for claire. she respected her decision to join her father’s buisness. there had been a twinge there, thinking that she would lose her amazing working relationship with her, she was glad that the two of them had worked to spend time together.
she was always more than happy to be a listening ear for most, but she didn’t always put herself out there as a consistant resource for most people. here, again, was where claire differed. she actually wanted to continue working with her despite having an endless amount of obligations.
“exhausted. man, do i get that.” athena laughed, looking up at the menu for a moment to decide what she wanted. definately something with an extra shot of espresso. maybe even two. “i’ve been gigging a lot. even started giving lessons. but i’ve mostly been at the ballet and in the theater. so in a way.. i guess i’ve never really left. a lot of the same.”
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ATHENA LOVED HER JOB, TRULY. the piano had been the first thing to truly feel like it made sense in her young mind, her nimble fingers floating over the keys and creating something beautiful. however, there were times when her exhaustion took over, her desire to just crawl beneath her covers and never speak with a single client ever again. she had noticed the redhead across the bar radiating a sense of confidence that she wished she possessed at times. it wasn’t that athena was a meek individual, far from it actually, but she couldn’t help but notice how regal she looked — poised on the stool. even if the other woman’s face was creased with stress.
she also couldn’t lie that she was a bit taken aback by the statement. the first ex she thought of was eloise, her former collaborator, but she was long gone — no matter how much the thought still occasionally felt like someone twisting a butcher knife in the crevices of her chest. “i mean… is money truly everything? over your own happiness?” athena asked, running her fingers through her mass of hair. “you don’t seem to want to work with him.. let me know if i’m making assumptions.”
location: a bar in brooklyn
status: open
Dealing with politicians for a living got tiring. Sometimes she wondered why she continued this job, she’d had enough of their egos, the lying and their games. It wasn’t a simple job, but it could be hugely rewarding – she’d had the opportunity to work closely with some of the most influential and known political figures in the world, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden being two of them, but lately it felt like the negatives outweighed the positives. The possibility of working with her ex-husband was looming, and she couldn’t quite get it out of her head. She wasn’t at the point that she could be picky about the campaigns she ran anymore, but bills have to be paid, right? Plus, he was a high profile politician – while it wasn’t a Presidential campaign, mayoral elections were good work.
“If the paycheck was great, would you ever work with your ex?” She inquired to the person next to her at the bar as brought a lit cigarette to her lips. She wasn’t much of a smoker, unless she was stressed. It’d become a vice she she only indulged in when she really needed it. Tonight was one of those nights.
#knife tw#violence tw#// just in case !!#( chats. )#( athena ryu. )#( chats: athena ryu. )#( chats: cynthia and athena. )
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I think I’ve met her.
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text → maggie &&. athena.
maggie: wonderful, i'll put you down for friday then.
maggie: ah, we all know those pesky little realizations.
maggie: then this is a great first step! and let me be the first one to say i'm proud of you for taking that step. it's not easy.
athena: thank you.
athena: i'm proud of myself too
athena: i've got a long way to go but.. rip the bandaid off as they say.
athena: i'll see you on friday.
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bcllet:
greer really wasn’t feeling well enough to practice today. and yet, here she was ― never giving up on it. everyone knew she was a perfectionist that didn’t stop working until every move was perfect and that she sometimes would stay at the studio till the late evening. but today, she didn’t even have the strength to go through the basics even. and especially not after having a dispute with kal before practice, which only had drained even more energy. all she wanted to do was to simply lay in bed.
greer, hey. the familiar voice managed to snap greer out of her thoughts, and she turned around to athena, trying her hardest to flash the older woman a little smile. greer felt bad for keeping her hanging today, for not performing at her best and taking up her time. ❝ sorry. " she mumbled weakly, stepping closer towards the piano again, just wanting to continuing practicing.
but athena seemed to have other plans, and a sigh rolled from her tongue once she mentioned what she had tried so desperately to avoid. she didn’t want anyone else to see how tense it currently was between kal and her, but fooling athena was nearly impossible. she knew greer and kal just simply too well. she awkwardly looked down at the ground, scratching the back of her neck. ❝ i mean, you have seen him… ❞ kal had private practice before her, so she was sure that athena would have noticed the cuts and bruises on his face. ❝ i guess i’m kind of responsible for that and i just… ❞ another sigh. ❝ did he say anything to you ? ❞ greer felt immensely worse with every second that passed, knowing damn well if she talked to athena, she wouldn’t be able to dance at all today anymore
IN ALL HONESTY, ATHENA HAD been worried about greer long before the events of the party. their work ethic tended to mirror each other: constantly just moving onto the next thing and putting everything they had into their obligations. today, especially, there was no denying the fact that the ballerina was clearly drained. she should be resting athena couldn’t help but think to herself as close as the deadline was. you performed how you practiced and greer clearly wasn’t entirely there.
“you don’t need to apologize.. i’m just worried.” she chewed on her bottom lip as she finished, clearly nervous to bring up the incident. she wanted the studio to be a safe space for the dancers that she worked with and the younger woman was clearly uncomfortable. if she was going to continue to be productive, they needed to put her feelings out in the open. keep her focused on the performance. “you’re usually a bit more.. here. not that having something on your mind is something bad.” she paused. “remember, sweetheart.. your feelings matter too.”
i mean, you have seen him. the statement caused a reactionary noise to come from her. it was true, the bruises and the other visible injuries were quite hard for her to miss. yes, he did say something to her. “he.. may have brought it up.” she let out a sigh, running her fingers along the keys but not allowing the sound to play out in the room. “i care about you both. i just don’t want either of you to feel.. ganged up on.” the last part of the statement came out as a strangled sigh. it hurt, seeing two people that she cared about at odds with each other. usually, watching them together made one thing pretty obvious: they made each other better. athena felt the same way about having both of them in her life: she learned something new through a lot of her clients, but the two of them were different. “i just don’t want to see the two of you in pain.”
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nx-bad-days:
“yeah. i know all about that.” max confirmed, a small smirk on his face as he tilted his head. and while he knew they were talking about entirely different situations – it didn’t mean any less. “bars are overrated, honestly. i mean – unless someone really talented is playing music there, you know. for the most part – they’re overrated.” he offered a smile before holding out his hand for her to take. “come on, i’ll get you outta here without too much fuss. i know this nice italian place down the road if you’re up for that. it’s usually not busy.” italian. ‘of course, max’ he thought to himself. if there was one thing he had stored in the deep depths of his brain, it was every italian place on the east coast.
“OH YEAH?” ATHENA MUSED WITH a sense of playfulness in her smirk, something that had not been seen in a very long time. not only that, but she radiated a certain confidence, no matter how small the amount was. the flush did return, however, at the inference that she was talented. while she was confident in her playing ability, hearing it from max felt.. better for some reason. “aw shucks. maybe if i get a regular spot.. i’ll be seeing you a lot more often?” once again, some sort of attempt at flirting. she’d get there eventually. then, there was his hand that felt strangely right to take. there wasn’t any hesitation as she did so. “italian sounds.. perfect. let me just throw on my coat and then i’ll be ready.” the hand that wasn’t interlocked with his held a long leather jacket. she broke the hold for a moment to drape it over her shoulders, holding her own hand out again.
god, he’s really cute. athena couldn’t help but get lost in thought once again as her gaze returned to his. higher power, don’t fail me now.
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murdrhewrote:
“Thena, I said it’s fine. Don’t worry about it." He insists perhaps a little too much, as if being hurt by one’s absence would somehow hurt his ego. It could, really. It was an ever fragile thing with him. "Someone died anyway, so it’s not like I wanted you there to live through it. How was the show? Good crowd?” Easy was as any to change the subject. Surprisingly enough, there were times even he didn’t like being in the spotlight.
Rico’s mind was elsewhere, wandering off and fluctuating between that place and the present. The subject of the ridiculous, petty fight that had taken place at his party was not one he was awfully interested in, despite knowing part of the responsible parties. “I’ll be honest with you, I don’t know the first thing about those people’s lives." It was a lie, he did know more than he cared to, but it was more that he didn’t care. "You can ask your friend about it later, I’m sure he will be able to give you a more detailed account. I wasn’t even around.”
His breathing grows slightly heavier at her retelling of the situation. Any lightheartedness temporarily gone from his disposition, brown eyes taking on a darker shade as he stares at her intently. Something stirred in him, but he could not name it. It had been stirring for a few days. Could be guilt, could be mere anger, could be both and then something else altogether. What he knew is, it threw him off balance slightly, and he did not like it. “Pretty much. Yeah." He pours the wine in silence, being far too generous with the doses he distributes.
"Busy.” He replies simply, bringing the glass to his lips and taking a large sip from it. “Have been doing interviews for this left and right, then have to get back on the script for the movie, and then I’m –" Also investigating this on my own and have barely slept a wink because of it. "Just busy. What about you? How are things?”
ATHENA HAD WANTED TO BE there, not only to give herself a break but because she knew so many people who she cared would be there. kal, rico, greer, claire.. the list certainly extended. perhaps this was another reason why she felt the strain in her chest, aching knowing that they had to experience the fear that such an event wound cause. as much as she wanted to continue pushing the subject, to try and figure out what happened, she could tell that he wanted to change the subject. “the show was good.. a lot of material in a short amount of time and we played well. audience was pretty lethargic though.”
she was going to say dead, until she realized the fucked-up irony of such a statement.
“yeah.. of course. i’ll see him tomorrow anyway for rehearsal. i’m playing for the ballet rehearsals again.” she nodded, her face contorting into a subtle look of concern. rico didn’t need her pity; the last thing she wanted was to make him feel small. after everything, however, if he needed the sounding board: she would be more than willing to be just that.
he couldn’t hide the guilt in his eyes, no matter how hard he tried. of course she understood why he felt that way; someone died at a party he hosted. any normal person might feel responsible, but that didn’t mean they had to. if there was anything athena had learned about her years in the city: this city is too damn large for anyone to completely know the real you. “rico.” she continued, raising an eyebrow as she noticed the amount of wine falling into his glass. “you’re not telling me something. what’s going on?”
then came the questions about her current life outside of all this. things were certainly happening, life was continuing on. lately, the pianist had come to several necessary revelations that were certainly already beginning to do her some amount of good. her eyes lit up at the mention of the film. “ah yes, the movie! that’s all moving forward okay?”
she let out a sigh as she began to acknowledge her own experiences. “i’m hanging in there.” athena let out a sheepish laugh before she finished her thought. “gigs keep happening, i’m adding clients.. and i think i’m going to start talking to someone again. i’m.. making progress.”
#( chats. )#( athena ryu. )#( chats: athena ryu. )#( chats: rico and athena. )#// look at my bby#// being proud of herself n shit !!
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@murdrhewrote
NEW GIRL
02.01 “Re-launch”
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nx-bad-days:
“adaptability isn’t the worst skill one could have, that’s for sure.” max smiled, a small chuckle soon leaving him. “yeah, i guess. he can hold his own though, i wouldn’t be too worried about him.” he smiled with once last look around to bar to see if he could spot his friend. there weren’t many people in his life max was really close to anymore, but some of his army buddies were still around and if there was anyone he had faith could take care of themselves, it was them. as he let his gaze rest on the woman again, he couldn’t help the small smile spreading on his face at her ramblings. it was cute, and it didn’t seem like she had changed much since last time he saw her – it was comforting in a way. it felt – familiar. “i could eat.” he simply said.
“CERTAINLY HAS GOTTEN ME OUT of some awkward situations, thats for sure.” athena grinned. this was a different type of awkward. the good kind. that’s what she was telling herself. running her fingers along the counter, she leaned against it before facing him again. “good.. good. so then we can leave.. it’s getting a little crowded for my liking anyway. ironic, isn’t it?” athena paused, desperately trying to find the best way to word what she planned on saying. “i play gigs in bars all the time.. but i don’t usually stay.”
wait, he actually said yes. okay athena, think this one through. “okay... cool. there’s a couple places around here if i remember. it’s been a while since i’ve been out here.. especially at night.” at night, athena was a bit more of a recluse. not one to deviate outside of her norm. feeling.. whatever she was feeling for max was about the furthest she could get from her norm.
regardless, it was exciting.
#( chats. )#( athena ryu. )#( chats: athena ryu. )#( chats: max and athena. )#// brb while i go scream into a pillow#// so fucking cute i had to
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