composer / playmaker

Music spanned decades and in a way, so did many of the people in Winnie's life. Her taste in music was heavily inspired by her family and it was her father that inspired this more southern style to slip in. "Okay but like, right? Anyone who actually listens to the lyrics would know," Winnie chimed in, adding a smile to her words. It was short-lived because the next tidbit of information that Kelsi dropped sent her jaw to the floor. That hadn't been her intention when asking but ended up getting a lot more than she bargained for. "Whoa, what? I am so sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up, I had no idea." The brunette adjusted to sit straight up and focus on the conversation now at hand. "Are you okay? What happened?" Winnie reached out and batted her hand around in the air to signal Kelsi to take hold. "Do I need to go super saiyan on her ass? Because I so will." Her friend didn't know how true of a statement that was or the real power she possessed beneath a full moon. "Unless you don't want to talk about it then that's totally okay too!" The brunette tried to make sure the girl felt safe to say whatever she needed to or keep silent if that's what Kelsi needed.

While now that he was in getting his PhD he no longer had to worry about final exams the way he had in undergrad and graduate school, this was still his first semester in the program and therefore before break could begin he was required to turn in the first rough draft of his dissertation proposal. Which honestly, Jackson thought might be even more nerve wracking than any exam could possibly be. While normally he’d be tucked away in the library or his own apartment as he worked on reading and editing the draft for what felt like the hundredth time, he had needed a bit of a pick me up to make up for the fact that Holt had been out all night without getting any amount of sleep. The Jekyll-Hyde curse thankfully somehow gifted them the ability to run on far less sleep than the average human required, but they still needed to get at least an hour or two somewhere in the days to be functioning at full ability. Normally they tried to make sure they each got at least one hour in during their time controlling the body, but Jackson simply didn’t have the time to make up for his other half’s nightmare when he had his own deadlines to worry about. So caffeine it was.

He was currently waiting for his order to be brought over to the decent sized table he hand managed to snag for himself by the window, the only one that had been open after he put in his order, and was working on pulling all of his materials out of his backpack when suddenly someone was standing over him, hovering by the chair across the other side of the table. He’s just about to ask what she’s doing until a glance around the room makes it obvious that she was likely hoping to join him at the too big table he’d claimed. “Oh, uh… you can join me, if you want?” The offer comes out more like a question despite the fact that he means it, he just doesn’t know if that’s actually what she really wants. “I’m just going to be reading over a paper, if that doesn’t bother you too much.”

"Oh, thanks," she managed to squeak out before settling down with her to-go cup. That was about as much interacting as she thought she would go through, she wasn't one to talk much at all if she could help it but it was out of politeness that she thought she'd reply back. "I have headphones ready for what I'm about to do, you reading your paper will be the least distracting thing for me, don't worry." She gave out her reassurance as she reached for the laptop in her backpack. The internal question on saying more once again popped up, Kelsi now wondering what it was that the average person would do in this case. She had to manually remember what it was that kept conversations going with strangers before figuring that asking the other person about what they were doing was the way to go. "What's your paper on? If you don't mind me asking."

The girl flipped over on her bed so that her head hung off the edge, looking at her friend who sat at the record player surrounded by Winnie's vinyl collection. "Do not make fun of all the Johnny Cash, okay? He's a legend and I won't be hearing anything suggesting otherwise," she teased as if the other was going to do just that. It was nice to have someone who only knew her as Winnie, not all the other things that went into being a Lopez. A full moon was coming and it made her urges harder to ignore, finding safety in listening to music with her friend. The moments that felt the most normal were her only way to fight the feeling that the moon brought upon her. "When are you going to release an album so I can add Kelsi Nielsen to my collection? Isn't that like what having a girlfriend is for? Hot gay sex and a ton of musical inspiration?"

The brunette was greeted with a glare from Sharpay the moment she entered the party, feeling her eyes tracing her figure to dissect everything about her. It had been strange enough seeing her draped over Gabriella's high school sweetheart after making it very clear how much she detested his ex. That was her queue to go to the kitchen and get a drink immediately, realizing it was going to be more than one solo cup night which was a rare occurrence for her. Many of the faces that she passed on her way there weren't those she recognized but hoped someone would appear that she could cling to as she sipped. Whatever punch they'd concocted was now in the plastic cup that she tapped nervously in an attempt to find anything familiar besides her ex. It was Kelsi who came to her rescue, a sigh of relief welling in her lungs when she spotted the brunette moving through the chaos. "I am so happy to see you," she smiled. "And you look amazing, oh my gosh. Let me guess... Pirates of the Caribbean?" Gabriella guessed after giving the outfit a once over, pursing her lips in thought.

It was a sweet gesture that Lil appreciated, the request to come with her to more of these industry parties if Kelsi were to be invited in the future. Now that Dash was out of the picture, there wasn't really anyone else she'd met who she'd want to go out with besides the girl with whom she was here. "No, yeah, that would be amazing. I love free drinks and being a successful person's arm candy, so, I'm in," she joked. On a more serious note, she would currently probably go anywhere if it was with Kelsi. "Phil and I were actually thinking of, like, having people over soon--just everyone who we were with when we went to see you perform, so, his girlfriend, and Troy and Sharpay. You should come," she offered sincerely. "I mean, so you can, like, actually meet him, and, also, to save me from being the only one without a date."

A rare sight to be seen was Kelsi as a soccer match of all places during her spare time. Sure she was kind of busy with her work and musical and even recruiting friends to join in on a fundraising event for the end of the month, but this was fine. She was willing to endure the freezing bleachers so that she could watch her girlfriend kick ass at her game. It was a riveting match after all, watching Lil in her element was fun, even cute at times to see her be so relieved when her team scored a goal. Kelsi would admit to liking being on the sidelines of a soccer game more than a basketball game —of course— there was a bias there. Still, she'd thought the best part of the games were once they ended. Not that she didn't have a great time silently cheering on her girlfriend, she just liked to be around Lil again instead of the rest of the people on the bleachers who sounded like they knew a lot more about the game than she did. "Did you have fun out there?" Her question lingered as she handed over the other girl's water bottle. "If you're hungry, we could go get something to eat. Or I could even try making something for you. But that's if you're hungry, if not we could go to yours or mine or wherever, honestly. Whatever you wanna do is fine with me."

Angelica had already started trying to figure out what this stranger's business was with Lil before ever walking over. She knew how to play the game but it seemed like she was the only one, the other's demeanor making it clear that they weren't as comfortable striking up this conversation. Meanwhile, it was the moment the blonde had been waiting for since she saw that her friend had come on the arm of someone unfamiliar. "Kelsi, hi, nice to meet you," the girl said through her perfectly aligned smile. It was one she could turn on at any moment, her profession often blurring the lines between what was real and fake. "Always take advantage of the free alcohol. If it's on someone else's dime then it's worth your time," she chimed. It was a silly phrase that the other models used whenever they were offered something for no charge, most of them needing all of the help they could get. One thing about modeling was it didn't pay the bills until you actually made it which Angelica had been lucky enough to finally achieve. "No way, how cute. I'm glad to hear it, the last guy she dated was a real tool." Maybe it was bold to assume the girl knew about Dash but the blonde figured that was necessary information before getting involved with her friend. "Then you'll have to catch me up. What do you do? How did you meet? You know, the basics."

"So I'm a composer, I arrange songs and write up lyrics with Sharpay. And I also have some skill in music production, but yeah." She'd hoped that was the best answer she could give, she wasn't quite else how to describe what she did without going into incredible detail over every aspect. It was probably wise to have some sort of spiel rehearsed for networking purposes but she failed to think of many scenarios where she was asked about her job. "I was playing a set of some demos I'd made for Sharpay's first album at this open mic night thing. And after that Lil came over to talk to me, and we just starting chatting from there. I think things are going well, or I sure hope so." Her shoulders shrugged along with her final words, with her lips curved into a light smile that naturally turned up whenever she thought about the night she met Lil.

Kelsi's request was one easy enough to fill, especially since she grew fonder of spending time around her the more Lil was getting to know her. She was possibly the closest thing to the anti-Dash: quiet, humble, and clear with her feelings for Lil. "No, I'm sure everyone who worked on the album got an invite, probably, right? I don't know how these things work. The closest I've come to something like this was Phil's premiere. I didn't exactly make the cut for the guest list for the party after Sharpay released her album, but it wasn't even her party, so I guess I can't blame her. I probably wouldn't have even made the cut for this one, if it weren't with you, so, thank you, for asking me," she said sincerely, giving Kelsi a light nudge of her shoulder.

Regardless of what it was, she was just happy to be here now with her date, even if it did come with the mentions of a night she'd rather forget. "Right, the Northwest party." Her sudden recollection of that night brought back memories filled with guilt and anxiety. "That was a weird one, I didn't stay for long. I don't think we missed out on much, though. Maybe a couple of peacock sightings and some fireworks but other than that, I doubt there was a lot else." She held back on exactly what went down, thinking that it probably wasn't her place to share her friends' miseries at the hands of her boss. "If I get invited to another one of these, I would want to bring you along. Y'know, like, if you really wanted to, not that I'm, like, forcing you or anything."

At the jab Kelsi made at herself, he couldn’t help the automatic chuckle that left him before he shook his head to reject the idea. “Nah, you’d never do that,” he reassures, feeling absolutely confident in those words. If there was one person Troy trusted with a secret, it was the girl sitting across from him. She was too loyal to go around telling anyone else’s business like a piece of easy gossip and too smart to accidentally blurt something out she knew wasn’t supposed to be told. “But enough about me. How have you been? How’s the show you and Ry are working on going?”

Her eyebrows raised the change of the conversation turning into one of her, "Oh, that! It's coming along nicely, uh, Ryan event thinks we could look into bringing it over to New York. Y'know, for like an off-broadway type deal, and that'd be really cool, like, if that happened." The plan was ambitious, a bit too much for Kelsi's taste, but she wasn't going to outwardly rag on Ryan's idea. It was something that needed some hearing out, and she was even hoping Troy could be one to see the same problems that she did but she didn't want to insinuate anything just yet. Just that news alone should've been enough to chew on so she let that sit in the air, not letting out what else she thought on the matter.

She immediately clocked the new person on Lil's arm, giving them a once over with her eyes before approaching for her necessary introduction the second her friend left. Angelica found her classic smile as she walked up and grabbed a flute of champagne from a tray to offer to the stranger. In her profession she was constantly talking to people that she'd never met but needed to impress, when it involved those in her personal life she didn't need to worry as much about the second. If anything the blonde wanted them to fear her in case they ever did the unmentionable by betraying those she held dear. She didn't always tell them how much they meant to her but Angelica wasn't afraid to show it in her fierce protection of her friends. Lil over the years had come to be the closest of the Rugrats to her which in her mind meant she had to introduce herself to this mystery girl. "Hi there, I'm Angelica, Lil's friend," the blonde began while offering out the drink to help continue to get the person to open up. "Who are you? I don't think we've met or that I've seen you around with her before."

It was refreshing, actually, to be seeing someone who was completely clear with Lil what she wanted out of her. There wasn't a question whether Kelsi liked her or not, or where things might be going, a near complete switch from what she'd experienced with Dash. It was hard not to compare the two, as she still worked through the remaining traces of her last relationship, but Lil was trying, at least, to be present for Kelsi. And, with no Parr names on the guest list for this particular party, it would be much easier tonight to do just that.

"I don't know if you actually like these, but they were handing them out by the tray, and the line for the bar is long." Lil offered a glass with the signature drink of the evening, an espresso martini, as she reunited with her date. As far as she was concerned, she was perfectly capable of simply being Kelsi's arm candy and waitress for the night--this was far more about her than Lil, though her brother, who was all too eager to remind everyone of his hyphenated last name, might've said otherwise. "I can get you something else, though. Whatever you need. I'm at your service tonight, miss producer," she added, nodding her head in a small salute.

With the few times they had met, Kelsi had been stuck afterwards immediately thinking about her and when they would meet again. Lil was funny, and cool, and if she was fairly honest, someone Kelsi considered out of her league. But with luck on her side, Lil had agreed to see her again and that brought on both excitement and sweatier palms than when she goes out on stage. It was fine though, she could cope with it if it meant that she could hang out with Lil again. "You don't have to get me anything else, really. I just want you here with me." A shy smile crept on her lips, with her face warming up at her forward request. She shook her head at the praise, "It was just for one song. I'm surprised Marie invited me when she has her own team for the rest of her album. Sharpay probably had something to do with me being here."

"Please, actually. I could use a break from the socialization over there." It was an unlikely alliance, but one Lil could live with if it meant not having to return to the table so soon. "She wasn't really giving notes while you were performing, actually. She was just kind of pointing out all the changes she made to the versions you sang to make them more her brand," Lil told her, the stress on the phrase the blonde used so many times that Lil struggled not to roll her eyes every time they came out of her mouth. "I mean, I was kind of going through a breakup when the album came out, so I listened to it maybe more times at this point than I'd like to admit to you, or her, but it was nice, seeing a new take on them. I don't know how she is as a boss, but you two are, like, really talented together."

"I'm glad you enjoyed my hearing my versions. I kind of just did this for myself, I wasn't really expecting anyone to think much of it," there wasn't much she could do about the rosing tint coming to her cheeks so Kelsi just directed her smile to the floor for a bit. She redirected her view to Lil when she a detail caught her attention. "Sorry to hear about your breakup. It's clearly their loss," the obvious had spilled from Kelsi's lips, notably without regret because it's truly what she believed, not something said just to comfort the other. For someone she'd just met, Kelsi was already harboring a grudge against anyone that could make any heartbreaking lyrics relatable to Lil. "Not that I would have any frame of reference but it seems like you're doing better, or at least I hope you are."

Going from hooking up with a literal pop star to listening to a lowkey, open mic night wasn’t exactly the trajectory Lil had in mind for herself when she’d began things with Liv Rooney, but she would take what she could get, at this point. Having a social life beyond the likes of both Dash and Phil was fairly unheard of for her, which was exactly how she wound up sitting beside her twin, his girlfriend, and his ex-wife while they watched someone perform Sharpay’s songs. With the three deep in conversation about how Wendy and Phil had gotten to know each other, the same story she’d heard countless times, Lil wandered her way to the bar, alone.

She recognized the singer, who had apparently been to high school with Sharpay, and was now somehow involved in producing her music, per the blonde’s description. Lil had seen her a handful of times before, at the Heathers premiere and on set once or twice. They weren’t friends, not even acquaintances, but Lil was desperate, looking for someone who wasn’t sickly in love to talk to. “Kelsi, right?” she asked, praying she wasn’t coming off creepy. “You were, like, really good. I’m, um—I’m Lil, uh, sister of … Sharpay’s weirdly short marriage thing. They’re sitting over there, if you wanted to join us, but only if you’re ready to hear my brother gush about his girlfriend the rest of the night.”

Kelsi hadn't been ready for someone to approach her after her small recital, and certainly not by someone as attractive as this. "I'm glad you liked it," she could still feel the performance high and thank god for it because it gave her a bit of a confidence boost to be able to talk to someone this pretty. Looking over at the small group Lil came from, she could already feel intimidated so a quick excuse was made on the spot. "I'm pretty sure Sharpay's just gonna hound me the second I go over there to give me notes on my performance so I think I'm gonna hide over here for a bit. Thanks though," she shot the other an apologetic smile, a bit sad in the thought of that being as far as their interaction was going to go. Maybe it was the buzz from performing that got her to draft an invitation to keep talking, regardless she wanted to be clear that Lil's presence was wanted, "If you wanna, like, join me, you totally can. I-I could use the company. Plus the personal shield from my boss would be really helpful."