Manchester with ds_rockgod

[have_no_mercy]

Over the years, Tess has travelled quite a bit. Most of it was for research in the warm climates of the Caribbean or South America, and the rest was pure pleasure - scuba diving. England never made it to her list. Or Europe in general, to tell the truth

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[ds_rockgod]

Charlie has never set foot inside the Lowry before, even though he's seen it from the outside on several occasions. With the pay of a musician of limited and decreasing popularity, he's rarely been able to afford anything this fancy.

So it's with a sort of awe that he sets foot in it now. Of course, he also feels a bit out of place among the posh Englishmen in ties and all that rubbish.

But once he's gathered his wits about him again, he makes his way over to the front desk and inquires if a Tess Mercer has checked in. He's told that she'll be notified of his presence shortly, and he goes to wait rather awkwardly in a seat that is unnecessarily comfortable.

[have_no_mercy]

It doesn't take Tess long to make it down to the lobby, dressed down in casual black slacks and a dark blue blouse. As mentioned, she's on the tall side and her red hair makes her quite noticeable.

Which Charlie also is, if only because he looks so out of place. Tess wanders over to him and offers a small smile.

"Mr. Pace, I presume?"

[ds_rockgod]

Charlie looks up and gives her a smile of his own, quickly rising to his feet. "Charlie," he corrects with amusement. No one has called him "Mr. Pace" in a while. "And I take it you're Tess?"

[have_no_mercy]

"Indeed I am." She holds her hand out. "Nice to finally meet you face to face."

[ds_rockgod]

He raises his eyebrows at her, another amused smile touching his lips. "So you're wealthy, you own your own companies, and you run a national newspaper? And yet you still give me the time of day. You have to be the nicest posh person in existence, mate." He reaches into his glove compartment to retrieve a large selection of CD's as he speaks, sifting through them in search of the right one to play.

[have_no_mercy]

She shrugs slightly and makes sure to move out of his way. "Well, I've been told I work too much. Besides, my life wasn't always this."

[ds_rockgod]

He nods thoughtfully as he leans back and places the pile of CD's on his lap, continuing to examine it carefully. "Right. I know what you mean. My life used to be very different, too."

[have_no_mercy]

"I'd imagine being a rockstar would be different, yes." She might be teasing, just a little.

[ds_rockgod]

He nods slowly and glances at her. "Same here, actually," he tells her, smiling a little at the memory. "Tried to be 'normal' once. Get an ordinary job. I wore a suit and everything." He pauses to give her another glance and smile a bit more widely. "Made a bloody fool of myself, I did."

[have_no_mercy]

"I never thought this is how I'd end up, either. A desk job wasn't ever something I wanted and yet, here I am." She sighs softly, tapping her knees in time with the music being played.

[ds_rockgod]

"Things don't always work out how you planned," Charlie agrees quietly, giving her a sympathetic look. "I imagine you must feel like going bloody insane sometimes, yeah? Having to deal with all that desk job stuff every day."

[have_no_mercy]

"It can get quite taxing, yes. I'm under doctor's orders to reduce my stress level, get more help and stop, in short, stressing myself to death." Tess takes a look at the other CDs. "I suppose this is an attempt to do that. De-stress."

[ds_rockgod]

That gives him slight pause. "Guess I haven't made much of an effort," he confesses softly. "It's hard to come back, yeah? Especially considering where I was. I had people I cared about there, and then I was sorta forced away. Maybe I just don't want to have that happen again."

[have_no_mercy]

"You don't know where you belong," Tess concludes, voice also soft. "I know the feeling."

[ds_rockgod]

Charlie nods thoughtfully, briefly giving the road his full attention to search for a place to park on the side of the street, as they're getting close now.

"On one hand, it's probably time to just move on with my life and stop letting this hold me back, yeah? But on the other, it feels like I should go back and help my friends."

[have_no_mercy]

Tess doesn't have all the details, obviously, and it's certainly a story she's getting all the more curious about.

"What's stopping you from helping them?" There must be a reason. Charlie isn't the type who'd just sit idly by if there wasn't an obstacle.

[ds_rockgod]

Charlie nods, opening the door and gesturing for her to enter first. "After you, milady," he says lightly, his smile remaining in place.

Upon entering, Tess will see a great deal of wood--wooden tables, wooden floors, etc. The pub is also small, dimly lit, and relatively empty, with a welcoming fire burning on the far side, just as Charlie promised.

[have_no_mercy]

It's what Tess suspects people would call 'homey'; warm and comfortable. Which isn't something she's exactly used to, but she isn't going to complain at the moment. It's pleasant enough.

"Where should we sit? Grab a booth so we can talk?"

[ds_rockgod]

"Sounds good to me," Charlie agrees, joining Tess inside and closing the door behind them. After a brief glance around, he spots a booth near the fire and leads the way over to it.

[have_no_mercy]

Tess follows gamely, not opposed to his choice at all. When they arrive, she slides in one side and leans an elbow on the table, chin in hand.

"This is nice."