RP: Late Night Jam Session
Date: March 5th, 2011
Characters: Ezra Loy, Shelby Stadheim (NPC)
Location: Stadheim Family Room
Status: Private
Summary: Ezra can't sleep, and with a little help he finally picks up his guitar.
Completion: Complete
He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting in the back family room, guitar resting in his lap. Ezra hadn't been sleeping well lately, he was catching a few hours of sleep a night at best, if he was lucky. Memories of not only his accident, but other things he'd seen or done while deployed would seep into his sleeping mind, waking him in a cold sweat with his heart racing and every muscle and fiber of his being on high alert for any possible dangers.
This had become his routine over the last week and some odd days, Ezra would carry his guitar to the most seclude part of the house, he hadn't worked up the nerve to actually play, not yet anyway. He wondered if tonight would be the night he actually manned up, actually attempted to play, instead of sitting like an idiot for hours staring into the darkness.
"Uncle Ra?"
Ezra practically jumped out of his skin at the sound of Shelby's voice breaking into his thoughts. He smiled at her nickname for him, nobody else on the entire planet was allowed to call him 'Ra' but Shelby. Not even her baby sisters called him that, although they each had their own nickname for him that was equally unique and only allowed to be spoken by them.
"Shelbs, what're you doing up?" Ezra set the guitar aside quickly, hoping to avoid any questions as to what he'd been doing.
She stood bleary eyed in the doorway of the family room, a look of confusion gracing her twelve year old features. "I could ask you the same thing." She remarked, before sighing. "Couldn't sleep." Shelby confessed, crossing the room to drop onto the couch next to him.
"Same." Ezra replied, praying that Shelby didn't ask why he couldn't sleep. He wasn't sure he wanted to try and explain his nightmares to a twelve year old.
Shelby didn't press why he was awake, instead she leveled a serious look at him, before looking down at the floor where his Gibson L-1 now lay. "Uncle Ra, where you playing?" She had a hint of hope in her sleepy voice, and Ezra cringed.
"No." He sighed, god no, he still couldn't work up the nerve. Hours of sitting on this damn couch in the middle of the night, and he still couldn't work up the nerve, this had to be a new low even for him.
"Oh." Shelby's spoke softly,"Would you play something for me?"
Fuck, Ezra froze, horror and shock coursing through his body. Neve had asked him a million times to play something, and he'd been able to say no to her each time. But Ezra was a push over when it came to his nieces, and a part of him couldn't say no to Shelby.
"Really Shelbs?" He was hoping she would change her mind, lose interest or simply move onto another topic.
Shelby bit her bottom lip, "Please, Uncle Ra." She paused, before forging on. "I miss listening to you play..."
Oh god, now he really was going to have to play. "Have any requests, Shelby bug?" He fought down the kamikaze butterflies in his stomach, reaching down to bring his guitar back up into his lap.
"When I Come Around." Shelby beamed up at him, and Ezra realized there wasn't a chance in hell you could refuse that face.
"Really Shelbs, there isn't anything else you'd rather hear?" He questioned, curious about her song choice, but he also realized she was in this Green Day phase recently. And she was damn lucky he was familiar with the song, he'd gone through his own Green Day phase in high school.
"Stop stalling and play already." Shelby sighed, smacking his arm and glaring at him.
Ezra took a deep breathe, positioning the guitar in his lap and his fingers in the correct spots. He bit down on the inside of his bottom lip, fighting down the small wave of panic that wanted to overtake him. He just kept telling himself this was for Shelby, he was doing it for Shelby.
After what felt like hours, he strummed the opening chords to the song hesitantly, testing out how rusty he really was. When Shelby didn't cringe, and his shoulder didn't scream in pain, he began the song again, this time playing with more confidence.
He was half way through the song before he glanced over to find Shelby curled up next to him, fast asleep. "Well, hell I guess I put my audience to sleep." He muttered, finishing out the song. "Thanks, Shelby bug." Ezra whispered, starting into another song from memory.
Characters: Ezra Loy, Shelby Stadheim (NPC)
Location: Stadheim Family Room
Status: Private
Summary: Ezra can't sleep, and with a little help he finally picks up his guitar.
Completion: Complete
He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting in the back family room, guitar resting in his lap. Ezra hadn't been sleeping well lately, he was catching a few hours of sleep a night at best, if he was lucky. Memories of not only his accident, but other things he'd seen or done while deployed would seep into his sleeping mind, waking him in a cold sweat with his heart racing and every muscle and fiber of his being on high alert for any possible dangers.
This had become his routine over the last week and some odd days, Ezra would carry his guitar to the most seclude part of the house, he hadn't worked up the nerve to actually play, not yet anyway. He wondered if tonight would be the night he actually manned up, actually attempted to play, instead of sitting like an idiot for hours staring into the darkness.
"Uncle Ra?"
Ezra practically jumped out of his skin at the sound of Shelby's voice breaking into his thoughts. He smiled at her nickname for him, nobody else on the entire planet was allowed to call him 'Ra' but Shelby. Not even her baby sisters called him that, although they each had their own nickname for him that was equally unique and only allowed to be spoken by them.
"Shelbs, what're you doing up?" Ezra set the guitar aside quickly, hoping to avoid any questions as to what he'd been doing.
She stood bleary eyed in the doorway of the family room, a look of confusion gracing her twelve year old features. "I could ask you the same thing." She remarked, before sighing. "Couldn't sleep." Shelby confessed, crossing the room to drop onto the couch next to him.
"Same." Ezra replied, praying that Shelby didn't ask why he couldn't sleep. He wasn't sure he wanted to try and explain his nightmares to a twelve year old.
Shelby didn't press why he was awake, instead she leveled a serious look at him, before looking down at the floor where his Gibson L-1 now lay. "Uncle Ra, where you playing?" She had a hint of hope in her sleepy voice, and Ezra cringed.
"No." He sighed, god no, he still couldn't work up the nerve. Hours of sitting on this damn couch in the middle of the night, and he still couldn't work up the nerve, this had to be a new low even for him.
"Oh." Shelby's spoke softly,"Would you play something for me?"
Fuck, Ezra froze, horror and shock coursing through his body. Neve had asked him a million times to play something, and he'd been able to say no to her each time. But Ezra was a push over when it came to his nieces, and a part of him couldn't say no to Shelby.
"Really Shelbs?" He was hoping she would change her mind, lose interest or simply move onto another topic.
Shelby bit her bottom lip, "Please, Uncle Ra." She paused, before forging on. "I miss listening to you play..."
Oh god, now he really was going to have to play. "Have any requests, Shelby bug?" He fought down the kamikaze butterflies in his stomach, reaching down to bring his guitar back up into his lap.
"When I Come Around." Shelby beamed up at him, and Ezra realized there wasn't a chance in hell you could refuse that face.
"Really Shelbs, there isn't anything else you'd rather hear?" He questioned, curious about her song choice, but he also realized she was in this Green Day phase recently. And she was damn lucky he was familiar with the song, he'd gone through his own Green Day phase in high school.
"Stop stalling and play already." Shelby sighed, smacking his arm and glaring at him.
Ezra took a deep breathe, positioning the guitar in his lap and his fingers in the correct spots. He bit down on the inside of his bottom lip, fighting down the small wave of panic that wanted to overtake him. He just kept telling himself this was for Shelby, he was doing it for Shelby.
After what felt like hours, he strummed the opening chords to the song hesitantly, testing out how rusty he really was. When Shelby didn't cringe, and his shoulder didn't scream in pain, he began the song again, this time playing with more confidence.
He was half way through the song before he glanced over to find Shelby curled up next to him, fast asleep. "Well, hell I guess I put my audience to sleep." He muttered, finishing out the song. "Thanks, Shelby bug." Ezra whispered, starting into another song from memory.