#gabbrialla

How he had missed all of this. The bright lights, The adrenaline, The roar of the crowd, And performing with… her.

It had been years since Red and Gabbrialla had performed on a stage together, and honestly over those years he had forgotten why they ever stopped. They were the perfect deadly duo up there; she the femme fatale with the killer vocals and legs that went on for days, and he the tattooed ‘bad boy’ guitarist that could outshred the best of the best.

It was all Gabby’s idea, she was the one that had secured the contract with Vixannya to perform at her 7 Deadly Sins afterparty, then reached out to Red when her usual guitarist had to back out due to ‘family issues’. Of course he would step in and help, he could never say no to her, and he rarely did. Once upon a time, these two could be found all over Azeroth gracing smaller stages with their talent to earn some coin before traveling onto the next location. While she had continued on with her career in singing, Red’s life had taken him far away from the stage for a variety of reasons - but damn it felt good to be back.

‘Nervous’ wasn’t really in his vocabulary, but there was a certain feeling of trepidation hanging above him prior to walking out onto that stage. There were a lot of nobles and upper class in this crowd, likely a few that could very well recognize him from his previous life. But it had happened so long ago, would anyone even care anymore? Would they even remember? Did he even care if they recognized him? Probably not. It was all just an excuse at this point.

It didn’t matter anyways, the feeling melted away the moment he stepped in front of the screaming crowd. As always, Gabbrialla immediately charmed them, making half of the audience fall in love with her. She had that effect on many, and Red certainly wasn’t immune. All of this felt good and natural, and having his entire crew and all his friends there to watch reignited something within that he thought was lost. 

It wasn’t until they had walked off stage and Gabby draped an arm around his waist that he snapped out of this euphoric trance. “There’s the old Red I remember. I think you made some fans out there.”

Red smirked down at the black-haired siren, resting his own arm around her shoulders, “Pretty sure you’re the one about to have dozens of marriage proposals.”

She grinned, not arguing that. “So, you wanna do it again?”

“Hmm?”

“Perform. Do you want to keep performing with me? You don’t have to quit your day job, I’ve just missed this.” Stepping in front of him, she batted those long lashes and wet those ruby red lips. “Plus, you’re the best at what you do, and I want the best.”

Damn her.

“I’ll think about it.”

Of course he would say yes, he could never say no to her and rarely did.

Gabbrialla, for @gabbrialla (could friends please tag them? )

Not only is Gabby is wonderful, lovely character, the person behind the muse is equally as wonderful! As the GM of the Succulent Tart, that has been around for over 9 years now, he gives so much of himself to help and expand the community. He pours his heart and soul into that guild, as do all the other members, and it shows through their amazing events. So I'd this as a big thank you not only to the character, but to the man behind the character. Thank you for your patience and your kindness, you are an amazing asset to our little community! <3

Gabbrialla’s Succulent Tart Speakeasy outfit!

From his past, this shortly follows the events of THIS STORY!

He sat in a darkened corner of the tavern, eyes focused mostly on his drink while the dark-haired siren on stage captivated everyone else’s attention. Completely bandaged hands palmed his drink, lifting it awkwardly to his lips to take a sip. What a burden those bandages had been over the past week that he had worn them, but it was a necessity in the healing process. The burns sustained from the fire that he set were severe, but it had all been worth it. He hadn’t felt this free since, well, ever.

For the past week, he had been keeping a low profile and traveling as far as he could away from the scene of his crime. He kept his hair pulled back and covered, and never gave his real name. Tristenne Darkmorn didn’t exist anymore as far as he was concerned. Now he was just some homeless commoner with wanderlust, bouncing between back alley taverns.

He had no plans where to go from here, burning his family’s estate to the ground was mostly a spontaneous decision. He needed out of that life, and destroying everything was the most convenient way. It did the job and then some. He doubted that anyone would ever find out that it was he who had started the fire, and most likely would assume that he perished in the flames along with the others. It was still best to keep a low profile while in the near vicinity, but once he started traveling further away from Quel’thalas the more and more comfortable he would become. He could now be whoever and whatever he wanted to be. It was exhilarating in some ways, overwhelming in others.

“Hey red.”

The nearby feminine voice stirred him from his thoughts, and he glanced up with a raised brow to see that dark-haired siren standing before him. 

“Yes, I’m talking to you, red.” She gestured vaguely towards the red shirt and red hat he wore. “This seat taken?”

Red. Hmmm, that actually had a nice ring to it. He motioned with a bandaged hand towards the open chair, “All yours.”

“Tucked away in a dark corner, not even bothering to watch the pretty girl on stage, hiding your face, bandaged up hands. Very mysterious, just my type really.” Those ruby lips pulled into a mischievous grin. “So what should I actually call you, mmm?”

“Well, I aim to please. And you know what? Red is just fine, you can keep calling me that, Miss…?”

“Gabbrialla, or just Gabby. Buy me a drink, Red?” No questions asked, no assumptions made. He was going to like her.

@daily-writing-challenge

Red ashed his cigarette over the side of the Lady Lillium, lazily leaning an elbow against the wooden railing as he stared out towards the open sea. She had been docked for a while now in their private, hidden port, but that didn’t mean she should ever be left alone. At any given time there would be at least a few crewmembers keeping watch, and more often than not they were the ones that didn’t have anywhere else to go. 

Red fell into that category. He was, technically, homeless - by choice, of course. Money wasn’t an issue, he had plenty of that from the job, gambling, and brawling. Most of it was spent on clothing, body modification supplies, drugs, and the storage unit where he kept his belongings. The rest was given away to various charities or to those around him that could put it to better use. He had no need for most of it, nor did he have a need for a place to call home: The ship was home enough. Inn rooms were easy to come by, or if in a pinch, he could always drop by Gabbrialla’s apartment to grab a rest and a shower. 

After having spent the first part of his life having to play by the rules of the noble class, this vagabond lifestyle suited him well. No home, no romantic relationships, only a small handful of close, trusted friends: It was a huge change from the young man that he used to be. He was so naïve to the ways of the world back then, and the ones he trusted and loved the most completely fucked him over. Never again. Growing up among the nobles, a part of him had expected it from his so-called friends and even his brother, but he had been completely blind-sided by his fiancée's deception.

Bianca. 

The name was poison on his lips. There was a good reason he didn’t speak of her to hardly anyone, it made him physically ill. The things she had done to him, the things she made him do; had any of it been real? Once upon a time he thought that he was in love with her, but looking back on it now he couldn’t help but question what was real and what was all in his mind. Even from a young age she had been very powerful in that aspect, and took every opportunity to abuse it.

He shook the thought from his mind, chasing it away with a quick snuff of dusts from the bullet-shaped charm hanging around his neck just as the next distraction pinged his communication device. He kept the thing on silent for the most part, allowing the chime to only ring through if it was coming from the crew’s emergency channel. Apparently it was time to start preparing to head back into the Shadowlands. The military were already en route, and knowing how these things went, mercenary crews wouldn’t be that far behind. There was always more than enough that needed to be done.

He sent off a message to Gabby and then hesitated as he stared at the next name. Sana would want to say goodbye, even if things had grown incredibly awkward between the two. Well, incredibly awkward for her maybe. The mushy confessions of love and longing through text, and occasionally in person, had made him extremely uncomfortable and she knew it. She knew it. That was always the part that bothered him the most. He wasn’t sure when or why she took this sudden leap of trying to be his friend to trying to be something more, but it was difficult to be more when there was hardly anything to build upon in the first place.

After that difficult conversation, he felt a relief not to be receiving those messages anymore. She had been doing herself an incredible disservice by her actions and words these past months; maybe now, things actually had a chance to improve. He typed out a quick message to her and stuffed the comm back into his pocket, returning his focus to his cigarette.

‘Probably leaving soon’

October Writing Challenge Day 24 Word:  Voice  

“Do you ever miss it?”  The feminine voice called out over the running water of the shower.

Red paused mid-song, pushing up onto his toes to glance over the top of the shower curtain towards the dark-haired beauty nearby.  “Miss what?”  Her shower really did have the best acoustics.

“Performing in front of adoring crowds?  Making all the ladies swoon and throw undergarments at you?  That lovely voice deserves more than your typical shower audiences, you know.”  Gabby rolled onto her back, letting her curls spill over the side of her bed as her gaze slid into the open bathroom.

Red softly hummed to himself as she spoke, pausing to answer, “Sometimes.  Don’t really miss some of the others that traveled with us.  Do miss how easy it was to get laid.”  He turned off the water and grabbed a nearby towel to wrap around his waist before stepping out into the now steamy room.  “Most of my shower audiences don’t complain you know.”  He shoots her an impish smirk.

Gabby barked out a laugh, “Please.  It’s still easy for you to get laid.  You don’t even need to sing to have women throw their panties at you.  All those tattoos and piercings, lots of gals do love themselves a bad boy. ...And I’m certainly not complaining, just suggesting.”  She rolled onto her stomach and propped her head up with her hands, batting her eyelashes.  “Anyways, if you wanna get laid all you have to do is comm me.”

He yanked the towel off his waist and tossed it onto her head before looking into the mirror, “One of these years you’ll figure out that you’re too good for me.”

After ditching the towel onto the floor, she rolled up to her feet and slid behind him.  Wrapping tanned arms around his waist, she popped up onto her tippy toes to see over his shoulder into the mirror to shamelessly look him over.  “Nonsense.  With a voice like that?  I’ll always be throwing my panties at you, Tris.”  

He rolled his eyes at her use of his real name, she was one of the few left that actually knew anything about that part of his past.  Spinning around, he picked her up and heaved her over his shoulder then gave her ass a firm SMACK.  Dropping her onto the bed, he eyed her over, “That line only works when you are actually wearing panties.” 

@gabbrialla