RP: Macro-whatever

[harley_jordan]

Date: Oct 2, 2011
Characters: Harley Jordan, Anyone Else
Location: Park bench
Status: Public
Summary: Harley studies in the park.
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[taehyun_yi]

He'd randomly decided to work in the park today. Songwriting was just not going to happen in his apartment. Might as well enjoy the weather before it got cold. Though it was damn sure taking its time. Seriously, where the fuck was fall?

Looking around for a free bench, he spotted someone familiar looking. "Oh," he said out loud, realizing that it was the woman from the auto shop. "It was Harley, right?"

[harley_jordan]

Harley had her head propped against one hand, trying not to doze off. Textbooks were pretty good bedtime stories, but she wasn't enough of an idiot to fall asleep in a public park and open herself up to whatever and whomever. This part of Ft Worth might be a long way from her old neighborhood in DC, but she wasn't ever going to not watch her back.

She glanced over when someone addressed her by name, dropping her hand from her now-tousled hair. That kind of thing usually put her on edge, but once she saw the guy her face lit with recognition and she sent him a nod. Wasn't too rare for her to run into customers. "Yeah, hey. It's uh, Tay-something, right? Taehyun. With the funky door. How's that treating you?"

[taehyun_yi]

Taehyun chuckled. He kind of got a kick out of it when people had a hard time remembering his name. Flying under the radar was so nice for a change. "Her fiance just bought her a new car, actually," he said, perfectly masking how fucking much that irritated him. "Kind of a shame. It could have lasted her a lot longer. How're things at work?"

[harley_jordan]

"Good deal," she said with a nod, half glad that they hadn't had to deal with that problem after all. Reen's wasn't exactly a body shop, even if the challenge would've been pretty cool. "Feel free to bring it to me in case you get whipped into bringing the new one in for an oil change." She lifted a brow and swung her legs down from across the bench, closing her book gratefully. The guy'd seemed like kind of an uptight type that day, but she was especially game for some company right now.

"Need a seat? I know I was kinda hogging it." She shrugged. "Work's work. There's always stuff to do. What do you do, anyway?" It occurred to her she'd never found out. Didn't always come up with customers unless they were talkative enough to volunteer the info.

[taehyun_yi]

Taehyun schooled his features into a smile. He wasn't putting up with Celia's shit anymore so it didn't matter if he'd been kinda whipped at the time. "That's her fiance's problem now," he said nonchalantly.

"That'd be nice," he said, glancing at all of the other taken benches. "I didn't expect the part to be so crowded." At least this wouldn't be as awkward. Maybe. "I wait tables at Angel Abbey."

[harley_jordan]

"Always good when you can hand problems off to other people," she said easily.

"Yeah well, good thing about parks is if you're really desperate you could always pull up some grass instead," she said, but scooted so he'd have some room. "Yeah? Think I might've been there. Once. You any good at it?"

[taehyun_yi]

"Eh," he said as he took a seat on the bench. Normally he'd hate to call Celia a problem, but on some level that was what she was. Definitely a pain in the ass nowadays with her Bridezilla bullshit. Taehyun actually felt bad for her bridesmaids.

"True," he agreed, though he always grabbed a bench when he could. "I'm pretty good, but most people are when they try." He never got it when people said they couldn't wait tables well. It's not like it was the most challenging of jobs.

[harley_jordan]

"Not always," Harley said with a snort, then looked at him for a moment as she set the book down beside her. "I don't know, I just figured to do that well you'd need to be one of those, like, personable types. You don't seem like one of those." She shrugged. "Then again, steady money can make you want to be whatever you need to be. Know that better than anyone."

[taehyun_yi]

Taehyun grinned. "Well you're blunt," he said with a laugh. "And correct, as it were." Most people just bugged the shit out of him. He usually did a better job of hiding it, though he supposed he really shouldn't do that. Hiding who he really was just made things more difficult as he was beginning to find out.

Not that he was going to be all, 'hey world, I'm a retired Korean pop star,' any time soon. A little more honesty probably wouldn't kill him though. "Money certainly helps. For me its more the normalcy of the job. Is that what got you working in the repair shop?"

[harley_jordan]

"I don't like talking around shit," she said simply, crossing her arms and legs as she relaxed against the bench. "You're all too cool for school. Which usually makes people decide you're too cool for a tip. Unless you're better at charming customers, which I get. I'm better at charming customers too."

"Normalcy?" Harley considered it and shrugged. He was kinda right, in a way--auto repair was like the less bizarre version of her previous life of larceny. But she definitely wasn't about to get into it with him. "I do it because I'm good at it. Making money at what you're good at is like...the dream. I guess." Which sounded kinda corny out loud. Well, what the hell.

She snorted. "Anyway, doesn't get any more normal than a waiter, if that's what you're going for."

[taehyun_yi]

Taehyun raised his eyebrow at the 'too cool for school' comment. People actually said that? "Too cool for school? What does that even mean?" He'd never actually heard someone use that phrase before.

"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "I think it'd kind of depend on what field you were in. Someone could be making great money with some job they're really good at, but absolutely hate it at the same time." He'd definitely hated his singing career. To the company, his manager, and the fans he'd just been a product. It pissed him off to think that they had never seen him as a person. "That could be a bit of a nightmare." Shit, he didn't want to think about this. "And, yeah, I was just going for normal."

[harley_jordan]

Harley glanced sidelong at him. "I don't know, like, nonchalant or something," she said, remembering how coolly polite he'd been at the shop. "You don't get too excited about anything, too friendly. Not saying that's a bad thing, just not a typical waiter thing."

"It's a plus if it's something you love, yeah," she allowed, "like me, I kinda live and breathe cars. I'd almost do it for free--almost. But at the same time, I know that's a luxury. If you're struggling to make ends meet and keep food in your belly, then job satisfaction takes a backseat, you know?" She shrugged. Maybe he didn't know. Not everyone had been that hungry.

[taehyun_yi]

"Ahhh." That made more sense now. After having to keep his emotions locked down in public for so long it had just become habit. "I guess that's true," he said, trying to remember the last time he'd actually been excited. He couldn't... He quickly brushed that thought aside. "It is a bit odd for a waiter I guess. I'm much better at charming the customers."

"Definitely a plus. It's great that you've found that though," he said sincerely. "When I was living in Korea, my cousin really wanted to break into the music scene. She didn't make it into any of the companies the first year she auditioned though. But for that next year, I swear that dream kept her going more than food did." And fuck he had not meant to say that. "But, her parents were the ones having to work," he added hastily, "so I suppose she didn't have to worry about the paychecks."

[harley_jordan]

"Like I said, not saying it's a bad thing. Shouldn't have to fake feeling something you don't feel. Better to keep it real." She shrugged. "Besides, I'm guessing the waiter thing isn't permanent. Probably want to do something else eventually, right?"

His story about his cousin made her raise a brow and look over at him. "'kay, so maybe you have a sentimental streak after all. You should meet my brother." She laughed a little. "But yeah, I figure it's easier to chase big dreams if you've got parents backing you." She just didn't have her head in the clouds about that type of shit. She'd gotten lucky with her current gig, but she knew she'd do almost anything to keep herself from being hungry and helpless. "Hope things worked out for your cousin, though."

[taehyun_yi]

"Definitely better," he agreed with a smile. It seemed like she had a good head on her shoulders. Harley probably was better at the keeping it real thing than he was, but maybe... he could try. "I just like having something to do. I write music on the side sometimes." He gestured his notebook.

"Don't going around telling anyone," Taehyun joked. "It's not really a common occurrence or anything. And, yeah, it's much easier when you don't have to foot the bill." He paused and shrugged. "She got what she wanted." Yu-mi had a fairly successful acting and singing career, though she had yet to reach the level of fame that Taehyun had. She'd started taking classes at Yonsei University. He wouldn't admit it, but Taehyun was proud of her. "So what's it like having a sibling?" As an only child, he was genuinely curious.

[harley_jordan]

"Sounds like a leisurely kind of life," she said, not quite able to process someone waiting tables just for something to do. "Dude if you have tons of disposable income and time to burn I could probably suggest more creative ways to spend your time." She laughed genuinely, then glanced at the notebook. "You any good at it? I've got a friend who writes like poems and shit, to clear his head. It's supposed to be good for you."

She nodded. "Well good to hear she made out okay," she said, then smiled a little when he asked about Thad. "Like any family, I guess." He was the only family she'd ever known, so maybe she didn't have a ton to refer him against. "Kinda nice to have someone you know you can count on. Not always easy to find that."