[You're so smooth and the world's so rough] You might have something to lose...

[crusades_r_us]

When she wrote, Rian was a firm believe in the use of the Writing Totem...the object that not only facilitated inspiration, but warded off those who would dare to impede upon the influence of the muse. There were her stylishly geeky black-framed reading glasses which hadn't held actual lenses since the tenth grade to make her feel scholarly and

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[wolfwithaguitar]

Randy was, in fact, inside...tuning his guitar and completely spaced on the idea of anything else at the moment.

It was probably better that way. There was too much noise in his head otherwise. He was always concerned with so many things before the band went on: the set list, getting his guitar ready, getting his mind right, checking in with his cousin and his friend to make sure they had everything they needed. On top of that, then there was everything about the fact that this was a date. His wardrobe. How he was supposed to behave. What exactly they were supposed to do, because he did not think it was fair for a woman to spend the whole date sitting there while he was the center of attention. Even if he wasn't really the center, since there were, in fact, two other members of the band

[wolfwithaguitar]

Randy just shook his head slightly. There were tears in his eyes, just a little, but no one would ever know it because after that moment, they were gone. He made a gesture as if he might cuff Brendan upside the head, but Brendan was way too smart and got out of the way first.

"And for the record?" Randy quipped to everyone. "That's why I don't listen to a lot of Elton John anymore."

They'd have no idea.

He worked his way through "Don't Let It End" and Skid Row's "18 and Life" before they capped the set with "Rockin' The Paradise." And Randy, who dealt politely with the applause and the attention when it was done, was clearly spent. He'd poured himself into the entire set and there was no doubt about that.

When they'd finally gotten everything back in its proper place and he let somebody else have the attention for a while, he seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"So."

[crusades_r_us]

When Randy launched into "18 and Life," for Rian it was another singalong. It was one of her favorites...hell, just about anything Sebastian Bach had ever done...and by the time it was all said and done, Rian couldn't have been any more satisfied.

"Like I always say," she mused to herself after the final song as she reached for her drink and eased back in her seat, taking a leisurely sip and grinning like an idiot, "good music, good sex...might as well be--"

"So."

Swallowing a mouthful of her drink quickly to keep from doing a spit take or choking, she tipped her head back further to gaze up at Randy upside down, then let out a squeal and straightend, setting down her glass and rising to fling herself at him in a boisterous hug.

"Randy!! You were...that was...the songs and you and was that guy Brendan? And...eeeeeeee!!!" she blurted in one long stream, releasing him just enough to draw back and beam at him excitedly.

"You're my new favorite...thing. Ever. EVER." she declared emphatically. "I am just...glee. I am glee. Oh my GOD."

[wolfwithaguitar]

He was almost knocked off his heels when she tackled him, and kind of flustered, settled into the chair next to her and laughed.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," he said, wiping the faintest hint of sweat off his forehead and moving all of his fingers to unstick them from 'guitar hand' setting. "We always try to put on a good show. I mean, who doesn't? That would be kind of lame."

A dry laugh. "And yeah. That was Brendan. Like I said, we go way back. He's nuts, but he means well. Enough about me, though, I refuse to hog the attention."

[crusades_r_us]

Finally taking her seat, Rian folded her arms along the edge of the table and leaned forward a little, still grinning like an idiot. "Lame that was not...and nuts he be, I like him already." she declared cheerfully. "But you! You, Mr. Blushy Pants, were totally...Hendrix. Paul Stanley. Charo...whoever is big as life and spotlight stealer, that's you. I swear, I never thought licks like those could come out of you!"

She paused, taking a sip of her drink to wet her throat, which was drying out from the babbling. "And oh my God, I so need to shut up now...no, I don't. I want to talk about you all night long. I am fangirl...okay, shutting up long enough to find you a drink. You earned it. Let's flag someone down or amble over to the bar and be extra badass...name it, Rockmeister Bosch."

[wolfwithaguitar]

"Charo?"

Randy couldn't stop giggling for a few moments at that comparison. That was the first time anyone had ever compared him to Charo. But then he shrugged, humility taking over.

"And yeah, well...I had good teachers. I went to a magnet high school and everything. And I had a lot of good people to bounce ideas off of. But this is like, a date. It shouldn't be totally about me. What did you want to do?"

[crusades_r_us]

She joined him in his fit of giggles for a moment, reaching out to swat his arm. "C'mon, gimme just one 'coochie coochie!' I know you got it in ya!"

That, however, just led to more laughing. When they both calmed a bit, she smiled as he shrugged off the praise, again deferring to her.

"Well, kick ass rock show? Done that already." she quipped with a grin, absently tucking her hair back behind her ears. "Beyond that? I...hmph. I hadn't much thought about it." She paused, her smile growing as that tiny touch of shyness illuminated her demeanor again.

"I guess...I was mostly looking forward to seeing you here." she admitted, scrunching her nose sheepishly.

[wolfwithaguitar]

That made Randy smile. "Well then," he said softly. "I hope I don't disappoint you."

He'd introduce her to his friends; he wouldn't mind. He's sure they wouldn't mind either. But he wanted this to go perfectly, not like Danielle, whom it almost seemed he hardly knew between her schedule and his. He wanted to focus on her and her alone, and give her the attention he thought she didn''t really get.

He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

[crusades_r_us]

Her smile grew even further, making her feel a little self-conscious...she had big gums, huge toothy teeth, and her nose did the grossest little wrinkle thing at the bridge when she smiled too big...

She couldn't help it, though, and when his hand wrapped around hers, she squeezed it back, biting her lower lip for a moment as her gaze flicked down to glance at their hands, then back up at him and that smile of his...yeah, he was working it.

"I am so completely not disappointed that I'm starting to wonder if you're actually real, and thinking that maybe I've just been smoking way too much of the good crack, and not known it." she replied with a laugh, smirking playfully as she let her thumb run absently over his knuckles, squeezing his hand again.

[wolfwithaguitar]

"We could start talking about my bad qualities, if you like," he quipped. "I mean, not my favorite topic of conversation but I might be able to come up with something. I'm not the most athletic person in the world, for example. I'll fall flat on my face during any sporting event."

[crusades_r_us]

"Heyyyyy...there will be no bashing of my new favorite rock star." Rian warned teasingly, shaking a finger at him before laughing. "Although I do have one word for you about the next show I come see: "Lady." I have spoken."

She paused, tilting her head to the side and listing towards him a little as she rolled her eyes upward in an exaggeration of thoughtfulness. "Sooooo...is the Lego King still around? Or is the first date too soon to meet the best bud?" she joked.

[wolfwithaguitar]

"I usually do that one, but I figured I'd give it a rest for a week," Randy replied. Then he glanced toward the back of the room. "He should still be here. He'd tell me if he wasn't. I just made him promise to be invisible."

He reached into his pocket for his cell phone and dialed, sharing a couple of quick words before hanging up. A moment or two later, Brendan Thompson came into view, pulling Randy's best friend Tara Meredith with him.

"Ask and you shall receive," Randy quipped. "Rian, I want you to meet my two best friends: Brendan Thompson and Tara Meredith. Guys, I want you to meet Rian Baxter."

Obviously his friends were well and thrilled Randy had actually gone out on a date.

[crusades_r_us]

"Why...you want me all to yourself?" she quipped with a grin, watching as he dialed. A few moments later, she caught the movement of two people out of the corner of her eye and turned in her chair, grinning as she stood politely, offering her hand to each of them in turn.

"That be me...Queen Babblebox, if you ask my granddad." she joked. "Brendan, it's great to meet you...Randy's told me things, all of them good. And Tara...an equal pleasure, and equally talked up by the Bosch-man here. He tells me that Legos and American Gladiators should stand in fear of your collective win."

[wolfwithaguitar]

"Randy, you are so sweet," Tara replied, giving the other woman a handshake and a beaming smile. "And I, yeah, well, it was kind of a childhood thing."

Brendan just laughed and nodded, offering a handshake of his own. "I'm an architect. Building goes with the territory. I'm glad that he's finally found a nice girl to settle down with. Took him long enough."

[crusades_r_us]

"Well, it's only the first date, but...the night is young!" Rian chirped gamely, grinning and elbowing Randy playfully to make sure he knew she was absolutely positively kidding...she didn't dare glance over at him yet to see if he was blushing. She just might die of the giggles at the color of his face.

"So...architect?" Rian went on, glancing at Brendan with a raised eyebrow. "Done anything I've seen?"

[wolfwithaguitar]

"More in England than here, but probably." Brendan nodded. "Are you familiar with the Millenium Building at Wimbledon?"