A/N: Kind of a challenge I'm making for myself. I picked five random songs off my iPod and I'm writing one-shots for each. This one is inspired by the lovely Ella Fitzgerald. Please at least listen to the opening of McPherson is Rehearsin' (to swing). It sets the perfect mood for this.
Also, If you like this please check out Intolerance, my multi chapter story. Anyway, read, review, and enjoy! Weird 1920's slang* vocab at the bottom. A lot of it you can get from context clues, but just in case...
McPherson is Rehearsin' (to swing)
The girls walked into the speakeasy, huddled together.
"Man, I can't believe you dragged us here, Kairi," Aqua said. "Isn't this illegal?"
Kairi turned to her, her eyes big with surprise. "Of course it's illegal. But it's also copacetic*; phenomenal, I mean. Just look at this place!"
Xion had to agree with her. It looked like something out of a picture show, all lit up and vibrant and booming with music and life. Although, she did wonder why the redhead chose here of all places, seeing as the bulk of them didn't drink.
Namine cleared her throat quietly, then voiced Xion's concern. "I'm sorry, but why are we here if none of us consume alcohol?"
Kairi scratched her pincurls, annoyed at their resistance. "Come on. Don't any of you have a sense of adventure? Now let's stop standing here like a bunch of palookas* and get a wiggle on*!"
xxx
"Al-riiiiight." A devilish grin spread on Vanitas' lips as he took in his surroundings.
"What the hell?" Sora gaped at the scene in front of him. He turned to Vanitas. "You said we were going to see a picture, you bastard!"
"Yes, yes he did." Sora and Vanitas' cousin, Roxas, chimed in. "If we get caught in a place like this..."
"Oh, please!" Vanitas slapped his relative's backs and dragged them further into the speakeasy. "Now look at this place-" Sora opened his mouth, but Vanitas closed it with his finger "-just - look at this place and tell me it isn't the swankiest* thing you've ever seen."
The boys stared at it for a while. It did make for pretty fantastic atmosphere, what with all the lights and liquor and live jazz, although-
"Sora?" Sora glanced over and saw his friend Riku heading towards their group. He carried drinks in either of his hands. "Hey! Never expected to see you here!"
"You kidding? I love places like this." Sora called as he and Riku disappeared into the crowd.
Vanitas grinned again. "Do you think-"
"Don't even start." Roxas cut him off. "I'm going to try and find a seat in this ridiculous place."
xxx
Kairi tried pulling at each of her friends' arms, but none of them budged.
After a few more of Kairi's pleas, Namine's eyes widened with understanding. "You brought us here to see that boy you're stuck on*, didn't you?"
"Kairi, are you for real right now?" Aqua mumbled, furrowing her brow.
"Hey!" Kairi shot her hands up defensively. "Don't act like you guys wouldn't have done the same thing! Besides, you're here now, and you're all dolled up. May as well not let it go to waste." She smiled at the end of her speech, convinced no one could raise any argument against her.
The other three girls groaned in annoyance. "I'm going to go sit down." muttered Namine.
"And I'm going with her." Aqua said as she followed.
Kairi made puppy eyes at Xion. "Well? Do you still love me?"
She shrugged. "It looks like it. Let's go find Vanitas for you."
xxx
"May as well," Roxas thought as he ordered a rum and coke. The drinks here were damn expensive, but he didn't mind. He hadn't had good liquor in almost a year, and considering his current situation, he could really use some. He hated places packed with people; he never knew what to say to strangers an- he paused mid thought. The most beautiful raven-haired thing he'd ever seen had just zipped in and out of his vision. "Oh, man," he mumbled.
"Rum and Coke!" the bartender called. Roxas jumped at the sound, catching his glass just before it slid past him. He downed the drink, sprung up from his seat, turned, and collided with someone.
xxx
"Ouch." Aqua rubbed her forehead. "Watch where you're go-ing..." Her voice trailed off when she realized how handsome the man who stood before her was. "Uh..." she blushed, "I mean, sorry."
"Yeah, don't worry about it," he muttered. The blonde seemed distant, and kept looking behind her for something. She opened her mouth to talk again, but before she could, he sidestepped around her and scurried off.
She sighed. "Smooth, Aqua..."
"And how." She looked up to see Namine beside her.
"Oh, can it, Nams."
Namine grinned. "I don't think I can blame you. I would've been flustered, too. He was a man and a half*."
"More like half a man," Aqua frowned. "I think he was shorter than me." She turned to the bartender. "Bloody Mary, please." Namine gave her a look, but Aqua grinned daringly. "I'll be fine; don't worry."
xxx
"So when did you come to town?"
"Huh?" Sora spoke loudly. Each crescendo in the music drowned a little more of the conversation out.
"When did you get here?" Riku asked.
"Oh, I came in a few days ago. I have to head back out Saturday."
"You should come over to my place while you're here then."
"Yeah, sure thing," Sora grinned. He couldn't wait to catch up with his childhood friend. It had been a long time sin-someone grabbed his shoulder and pulled him out of his thoughts.
xxx
Xion followed Kairi. "I'm still unsure of what to look for," she said.
Kairi didn't seem to hear. Instead, she kept tugging at Xion's arm and leading her every which way. "I'll know him when I see him," the redhead finally mumbled.
Trusting Kairi to find what she needed on her own, Xion closed her eyes let the music sweep her away. A soulful, skinny woman belted out a tune she vaguely remembered, and all the while trumpets and saxophones howled their melody. The establishment vibrated with the sound. It all felt otherworldly, like they'd found their own microcosm, left their home planet for a while in favor of a more vibrant, infinitely spiffier one.
Kairi's voice snapped her back into attention. "I see him!" she shrieked. But the boy she pointed to had brown hair, not the jet-black she'd described.
"Kairi-" Before Xion could raise any protest, Kairi grabbed the boy's shoulder and turned him around to face them.
"I've been looking for you all night!" She yelled, and within a second she'd pulled the stranger to her and smashed her lips to his.
xxx
Vanitas spanked the girl he'd just finished dancing with. Exhausted, he stalked off to the gin mill*. That was, after all, the whole reason he came here.
He leaned over the counter and called to the bartender, "Rum and coke."
A muffled wail broke out from someone nearby, and he heard someone say "Thas' what he ordered." He turned to see a very drunk, very hot blue-haired girl talking to a blond woman sitting next to her.
"Quiet down," the blonde said. She massaged her temple. "I shouldnt've let you drink at all."
"Weeellll," Vanitas slid over to the two girls. "Is there a problem here, ladies?"
"No." the blonde mumbled.
"Yes!" the blue-haired girl shouted. "E'ery time I'find a nice-lookin guy, they're either taken or stupid!" She banged her fist on the table. The blonde rolled her eyes.
Vanitas cooed, "Oh, you poooorrr thing. Maybe I can help you with that." The blonde glared at him, but the blue-haired woman's eyes lit up.
"You can?"
"Why, yes. But tell me your name first, lovely?"
"Iss Aqua. Whas yours?"
"Vanitas."
xxx
Wait. Was this Vanitas? The Vanitas? The one Kairi had been goofy over for the past two months? The one she'd been obsessing over? Was that Vanitas the same one that was hitting on Aqua right now? Namine massaged her brow. This night just kept getting worse.
"C'mon, Aqua. Let's get Kairi and Xion and get outta here." She mumbled. But by that time Aqua and the devilish looking boy she was talking to had huddled in close. They were whispering to each other. "Aqua," she groaned.
"Jus' leave us alone fer a sec." Aqua called, waving Namine away. Namine sighed, looking from Aqua to Vanitas. Grumbling, she walked away. She reminded herself to come get her friend in a few minutes, after she told Kairi that the man of her dreams was currently trying to make a move on her drunk best friend.
xxx
Sora pulled away from the crazy-scratch that-hot girl, that had just kissed him for whatever reason. Maybe he was just irresistible. Although, when the girl pulled away she blushed, apologized, and ran in a different direction, leaving her black-haired friend behind.
The girl with dark hair shifted around in her spot. "I should go-" she mumbled, scratching at her raven bob.
"Wait," Riku said. He set his drinks down and stretched his hand to her. "Before you do, how 'bout a dance, dollface?"
She blushed and after a moment's hesitation, nodded. He started pulling her towards the dance area in front of the band. "Sora," he called. "You should find your not-so-secret admirer. I'll bet she'd like to get some swinging in, too."
Sora had to agree. He disappeared into the crowd, searching for his new crush.
xxx
Roxas had gotten within a few feet of the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, only to watch Sora's friend wisk her away. He cursed under his breath and turned to head back to the gin mill*, when he collided with someone. Doubling back, he rubbed his head. "Watch where you're go-" His words caught in his mouth when he saw the blue eyes staring back at him. An absolute doll stood before him. She had blond hair, long blond hair—a decided statement against the fads of the time. Her cheeks had warmed to an agreeable shade of pink. She had almost no makeup on. She looked so...fresh. So real. It wasn't that she was prettier than the dark-haired girl, but there was certainly something about her. This girl, she had substance.
"Right, sorry." She muttered, rubbing her forehead.
Roxas cleared his throat. "I should be the one apologizing. I didn't look where I was going."
"It's really no big deal," she mumbled.
"No, no. Let me make it up to you," Roxas said. He thought hard. What did people who liked other people do in places like this? "...How 'bout a dance?"
"Uh, I'm sorry, but I really don't like dancing."
"Me either," he admitted. "A drink, then?"
She shook her head. "I don't drink."
"What's a girl who doesn't drink or dance doing at a speakeasy?"
She sighed and looked at her feet. "My friends dragged me here."
"...Looks like we have a lot in common, then," Roxas smiled.
She smiled, too, and Roxas' stomach did a somersault. "My name's Namine," she said.
xxx
Kairi pushed through drunkard after drunkard. With each step, her face reddened more. Luckily, the makeup probably hid that. She'd made such a fool of herself; how could she confuse that stranger with the love of her life?
To make matters worse, she'd caught a glimpse of Vanitas chatting it up with some blue-haired beercat*. She couldn't make out the girl's face, but she hoped the jane* was ugly. Really ugly. A hand touched her shoulder. She turned to see the stranger she'd just necked*.
Now, looking closer at him, she could see why she'd been confused. His face looked like a copy of Vanitas'. The only differences were the colors of his eyes and hair. "Um...hi." He said.
She blushed. "Look, I know you don't know me. I'm sorry. I thought you were-"
"Please, don't apologize," he cut her off. Scratching his head, he chuckled. "And here I was thinking this night would be a bust. Then you show up." He stared a her, grinning goofily. There was something honest about his smile. Something sweet. Kairi's heart skipped a few beats, and she blushed and looked away. "So," the boy continued, "would you honor me with a dance?"
She smiled, nodding. "You got a name?"
"Sora. It's nice to meet you..."
"Kairi," she said.
xxx
Then the music picks up into an instrumental flurry. A familiar instrumental flurry. The skinny sheba* before the microphone begins to sing, "Oh, McPherson is rehearsin', and the bagpipes are a-burstin', cause McPherson is rehearsin' to swing..."
From her spot with Roxas at the gin mill*, Namine can hear it clearly. Her ears perk up.
"I love this song." Roxas says.
Namine grins. "You're an Ella Fitzgerald fan, too?"
A couple seats near them have just become available, as Aqua stumbles to the dance floor with Vanitas in toe. She giggles as he follows, pleased at the turn of events.
A few feet away, Riku and Xion move to the music, more slowly now, as they've been dancing for a good part of the night. They smile at each other as the song floods their senses.
And close by Kairi teaches Sora how to charleston. He's a slow learner, but the two of them enjoy themselves so much they hardly care.
The trumpet whines and the saxophone brays it baritone sound. The skinny woman belts out the last few words as a perfect song, and a perfect night, come to a close.
A/N: Hope you liked it. If you did, please check out my multi chapter romance, Intolerance. I'm trying to get to the 100 review mark on that and I would really appreciate your support.
Here's the vocab from the story:
Beercat: A play on the term, "bearcat," which refers to a hot-blooded or fiery girl.
Copacetic: wonderful, phenomenal
Get a Wiggle On: dance
Gin mill: bar
Jane: girl
Man and a Half: an impressive/attractive man
Neck: kiss
Palooka: loser, outsider
Sheba: sexy woman
Spiffy: elegant in appearance
Stuck on: crushing on (which, apparently, is also 1920's slang)
Swanky: cool