Songs: Arctic Monkeys: Do I Wanna Know? & The Neighbourhood: Baby Came Home.

~FORBEARANCE~

Pulsing beats leaked out the door as it was opened for a few obvious lightweights to tumble from. They were held up purely by lust and the arm candy, laced with the scent of cigarette, beneath their shoulders. Hotel Vladimir was not Dimitri Belikov's cup of tea, or in this case… shot of Russian vodka.

"Belikov! Over here!" The shout of Ivan Zeklos pulled his attention away from the drunken people stumbling away from the clubs opening. Stepping towards his long-time friend he couldn't help but shake his head, this was not how he had envisioned spending his Friday night and he couldn't help but feel uneasy. As though something in his life was going to shift, writing it off as lack-of-seep induced paranoia he stepped towards the shorter, extroverted Russian man.

"Ivan, you're late as usual." The hint of humour behind the comment sparked a self-aware chuckle from the Zeklos family member.

"Look here Belikov, late or not you'll be thanking me after this!" he boldly announced, the taller Russian just shook his head, this wasn't the first time and likely wouldn't be the last time he heard that statement. However, he accepted defeat and slowly stepped towards the doors wondering what exactly he was about to experience.

Flashing his ID to the armed guards at the entry he stepped inside of the hotel filled with sweaty bodies and sinful mistakes only to be pulled by his arm towards a door that blended almost completely into the wall, in fact without being shoved directly through the passage Dimitri was certain he wouldn't have known it was there.

Taking another step to make room for his pushy friend, he waited for the door to close and as it did all sounds from the dancefloor were immediately cut off completely. Ivan smiled crookedly at him, "I'm telling you, this 'club' is worth your time." Dimitri turned away from the door and saw the steep stairs covered in a dark hued carpet before stating, "I think you may be right."

Leaving his friend to ponder the fact he had been agreed with, Dimitri because his ascent up the stairway. It curved around a few sharp corners before opening into a room that easily could have been a club from the 50's. Plush chairs and booths surrounded deep mahogany tables, drapes hung from the wall and ceilings in shades that begged for attention. The lights were dim, and the small chandeliers only purpose was to ensure light flickered all over the room as though thousands of candles were dancing across the walls. Replacing the overzealous beats he had been subjected to moments before, was an electric tune with a distinct riff, the song alone created a sensual atmosphere.

The ambience of room was furthered by the clouds of smoke clinging to the oxygen around them, it was thick enough that he had to blink a few times to get a clear look at the stage that everyone in the room was angled towards.

Being pushed again by the Zeklos family member, the Russian was forced into a booth with a perfect view of the stage. The heavy red curtains were closed but he could see the stage was a similar finish to the tables. The gold accents around the room, the edges of the stage, the decorative buttons upon the booths, the lighting fixtures, all gave the area a rich 50s aesthetic. Intrigued, his eyes circled the room constantly, waiting for the curtains to open, waiting for the talent he had been promised every day for the past 9 days.

~FORBEARANCE~

Blinking at her reflection in the rear view mirror Rose Hathaway sucked in a breath and held it for a few seconds before exhaling for much longer than necessary. She had been in the parking lot outside of St Vlad's for at least 10 minutes already but had yet to exit her hand-me-down vehicle in that time. She leant forward, crossing her arms on top of her steering wheel and laying her head upon them she continued her breathing.

A knock on her passenger window caused the young woman to jolt towards the disturbance, head butting the steering wheel on her way.

"Damn it Lissa! You're interrupting my zen time." She exclaimed whilst unlocking the door for her long-time friend.

"Ha! Rose you wouldn't know zen if it punched you in the face." The blonde retorted with amusement in her voice.

"I'd punch it right back.." She mumbled whilst rubbing the pain away from her forehead.

Lissa rolled her eyes, pulling out a small makeup bag at the same time. Rose eyed the bag wearily, "You trying to tell me something Liss?" whom scoffed at the remark, "As if Rose. I'm just enhancing what you've already put on, it's not heavy enough for the stage light. It's been a while since you've been up there…" She trailed off as Rose's eyes glazed with thought.

She was painfully aware of her absence from the stage, it had been months. Since the age of 11 she hadn't ever gone longer than 2 weeks without performing, but she was going through what she had classily dubbed her, 'dry spell' at the tender age of 22. She didn't have any particular reason for it, it just happened.

One night she jumped off the stage and saw she had an inquiry for a gig in her inbox for a few night later that she never bothered confirming, that was 5 months ago and the only reason she was getting back on stage was because the owners of the venues son, Mason, called in a favour and here she was.

There was nothing traumatic last time she performed, no one threw food scraps, and she couldn't recall anyone tormenting her, it was kind of like she lost all her passion. That went for song writing as well, she had tried to get back on the horse but every time she picked up a pen she felt drained and anything she did write felt forced. Tonight's arsenal consisted of old music she had written whilst fuelled by something. She wasn't sure what it was, when she lost it, or how to get it back.

"Done!" Lissa threw her products back in the little bag that no doubt cost more than the car they were currently sitting in.

The brunette swivelled back to look in her rear view mirror again admiring the high pigment highlight shimmering against her cheeks even in the dark car, not to mention the newly applied red lipstick that somehow managed to be the exact shade as the tiny number she had hidden under her black trench coat.

How Lissa managed to stock the same shade she was clad in without so much as seeing the fabric was beyond her, but to be fair it was nothing new, sometimes she could have sworn they were mentally linked.

The dress was probably purchased by the blonde anyway. It had been sitting in the back of the singers closet for so long with the tags still on she couldn't remember where it originated from. Her motivation for finally pulling it out and putting it on were unknown even to her, but after practically living at the gym for the past months where music was no use to her she could rest assured that the tight material would be hugging her curves, giving her the boost of confidence needed to get out of her car.

"Alright Liss, let's do this." Lissa beamed at Rose as they climbed out of the pile of junk metal. As they walked towards the back entry where Christian was surely waiting, Lissa reassured her brunette friend. "I honestly don't know why you were so nervous, you were confident when you were 6 and screeching out My Heart Will Go On in the playground at recess, but now that you've mastered your talent you are shying away.. I just don't get it. I believe in you none-the-less, you're going to smash it!" Rose could only reply with statements of not knowing, because she truly didn't.

The door opened as they were only a few steps away and as she suspected Christian was there to hold it open. He let go and pulled Lissa to his side as the door quite literally smacked Rose on the ass as she tried to shuffle into the room.

"Wow! Thanks Pyro, I appreciate the chivalry." Her tone was deadpan and you would have to be dead to miss the sarcasm lacing her words. She was become more accustomed to being a shadow since the two had gotten married, newlyweds... What else could she expect?

"Maybe I'd have more time to hold doors open if you weren't so late." He replied with snark, this was standard practise between the two and Lissa simply ignored the barely civil banter.

Having no desire to explain herself to anyone she quickly entered the dressing room around the corner which was just another dimly lit room with two cream couches cracked with age, a corner cut off with a room divider for 'privacy' (she found this redundant considering the divider was sheer and barely blurred the person behind it let alone hid anything) and a vanity with paint peeling and cracks decorating all the outer edges of the mirror.

She started doing vocal runs almost immediately before anyone could shove her onto the stage unprepared. She grabbed her phone to of her handbag checking for a reply to the text she had sent hours ago, knowing better than to get her hopes up she locked her phone and threw it back inside the bag not letting her voice waver as she went up another octave.

She was pacing the cold room still testing her vocal limits when Lissa and Christian entered, hand in hand. They beckoned to their bare wrists and gestured for her to come with them. She held up a finger and hitting the highest note in her vocal range before taking another calming breath and stripping the trench from her body, chucking it on top of her bag before leaving with the happy couple.

They turned back around the corner they had originally come from, passing the heavy metal door, they turned yet another corner to find the empty stage. The curtain was closed but the smoke had managed to penetrate the material giving the stage a mysterious atmosphere.

From the corner of her eye the young woman spotted red hair at the production box to her left, "Hey Mase! Get your ass down here!" He existed the box quickly trying not to run full speed to his old friend, instead coming out with an awkward gallop. "Hiya Rose, you're looking good! You ready for this?" She smiled at him with amusement tinkering with her eyes.

Confirming she was as ready as she'd ever be they exchanged pleasantries, Rose realised her excitement was already dwindling as she started going through the motions, "Yeah we should definitely get together to catch up," "It has been too long," they exchanged all the clichéd lines before she pointed to the gold microphone stand in the centre of the stage.

"Guess I better go over there," she said giving the old school friend a quick hug. "Good luck." He stated before galloping back u to the sound box.

She slithered over to the stand holding her mic and grabbed it. Her hand slipping easily over the cool metal. As she shifted from one leg to the other she realised that 6 inch heels for her first time back on stage was probably not the greatest idea she'd ever had. Never-the-less she took one more deep breath in and nodded at the Mason and his team as she exhaled. Looking back at the closed curtain as the first bars of her song hummed from the expensive speakers and the heavy red material exposed her to the crowd concealed heavily by the smog hazing over the room.

Dimitri's eyes had focused solely on the stage the second he heard the lyrics to the song fade out, the nights were mainly made for saying things…., as a new riff took its place, it felt like a sweet form of torture as the curtains slide open and he heard a voice pierce through the cloud of smoke billowing out from the still heavily concealed stage.

~FORBEARANCE~

Baby came home today, told me to stay away…

The voice caressed his ears in a way he had never experienced, the sound was astounding, clear and captivating but far from clean. Instead it was entwined with intimacy and provocation. Enchanted, his eyes fought through the heavy air and shadows to try and distinguish the woman behind the vocals. Despite his 20/20 vision, the complete lack of night vision goggles made the task difficult.

He tried to catch his breath as he realised he was practically laying on the table in front of him. Gaining some form of composure back he sunk into his seat in a sudden trance. He could see only from her lips down. The dress she had clinging to her body was a deep red that added to the allure of the song she was projecting. Her hair was dark brown or black, he couldn't tell but it fell around her waist adding to her silhouette. He could also make out her lips, they were the same shade as the dress she had pinned to her body but he found them even more captivating. Those lips were the kind that brought men to their knees before a single syllable could be uttered. They stopped time. They provided the first voice that had ever rendered him speechless.

So baby packed up all she had, promised to never come back.

She left me alone and without, skin I could study about.

Accepting the fact that he would not know the contours of this woman's face he closed his eyes absorbing the music, the lyrics, and of course her voice. Ivan drove an elbow lightly into his arm bringing Dimitris his eyes open as the girl grabbed the stand and stepped into it with the beat of the song. Her slow and deliberate movement added to the performance in a way he had never seen. He was enthralled. The passion being portrayed upon the stage was one he hadn't seen in a very long time.

The woman continued to sing and sway through an 8 song set. Unlike most artists she opted out of short monologues and intervals to address those around her. Instead she hammered through the songs, leaving everyone wanting more. There was no announcement that her final song would be just that, instead the audience watched, practically hypnotised, as she placed the mic back on the stand and turned to strut off the side of the stage.

He muttered a phrase in Russian that would roughly translate to, "No fucking way." His friend smacked against the side of him whilst laughing. "I told you this would be good." He stated matter-of-factly as he slid from the booth.

"Who is she? How did you know about her?" The still shocked man said as he shook his head in attempt to clear it. Successfully wiping the dazed look from his face he pointedly stared, waiting for an answer, but Ivan was distracted by a couple existing from the door to the right of the stage.

"I'll fill you in later man, I'm glad you enjoyed." He said with a smirk. "I have to go talk to some people so I'll text you later." He stated quickly before weaving into the crowd towards the tall black and blonde haired pair whom looked as though they could have been out of a magazine.

Shrugging his shoulders at the man's actions Dimitri tried to shake out the tension from his body before heading out the way he had come. Leaving was a different experience from entering, despite that though he was left equally as confused.

As he opened the door downstairs the bass heavy beats protruded his ears again, the sounds were reminiscent of a bitter taste left in your mouth. As he pushed his way past sweaty bodies and shaking speakers pouring the haphazard bass, thoughts of the music upstairs still stained his brain. The voice upstairs…. That was the flavour of top shelf scotch, but at the same time, water after a drought. It wasn't an acquired taste but instead one any one would turn to in a time of need.

The outdoors brought him a gust of cold wind, shocking him out of his state of admiration. His eyes scoured the entrance of the club, his eyes not settling once on the crowed lined up by the door. Taking a grounding breath, he mindlessly ran his right hand over the top of his left as he began his walk home. He knew without a doubt that his dreams were going to be littered with red lips and aged alcohol.

~FORBEARANCE~

Letting out a breathy note to finish her song, Rose ran her eyes over the blurred crowd one last time searching for familiar face she had been waiting, not so patiently, to see. Giving up all hope that he was there she accepted defeat.

Slowly running her hands up and back down the golden stand for what had to be the thousandth time that night, she turned gracefully and walked slowly, with purpose to the edge of it. Exiting without a single word, she made her way back into the dressing room.

She felt almost as though she had come out of a spell as she re-entered the dingy premises. Although she was disappointed, that feeling had only come to her twice during the performance; once at the beginning and once at the end. The rest of the time she was too busy being swept away by the music she hadn't let in for so long. The feeling wasn't what it used to be and it hadn't even brushed on the passion had felt in the past but it was nice to let the music seep into her skin. She felt as though for a few songs she had been possessed by lyrics and it was a nice feeling.

Still swaying slightly she picked up her trench coat and slipped it back over her body, successfully fighting the cold before it could hit her. As she bent to pick up her bag, distant voices from behind her pulled her back to standing.

"She was stunning. I'm glad he told me about her." The first voice was congratulatory and unknown to her.

"I knew she could still do it." Rose recognised the voice and the proud tone as belonging to Lissa. She would bet that the grunt of agreeance belonged to Christian as well.

The curiosity of who the voice belonged to and who had informed him of her presence was not enough to fight her desire to go home. Instead of waiting to see the guests she quickly snuck out of the room and took of quietly down the only hallway she hadn't been in all night. She knew exactly where it led after visiting it hundreds of times before.

Exiting the only door at the end of the passage she stepped into the room she had just performed for. Keeping her head down she made her way to the stairway leading to the main dance floor and descended quickly. Entering the room, she considered joining the party goers grinding and drinking on the liquor soaked floor. Realising she just didn't have the energy she shook her head at herself and headed towards the back exit.

The trench coat she draped over her body didn't block the cold air as well as she had hoped but the heels strapped to her feet disabled her ability to run on damp concrete. Settling for a steady power walk to her old car, she shoved the keys into the lock and started the engine immediately, craving the warmth the heater could provide.

Waiting for her car to heat up she slipped her phone out of her bag and answered the sixth call from Lissa in the ten minutes she had been out of the dressing room.

"Hey, sorry I left so quickly but I really just want to go home." She stated quickly, rushing to hang up before Lissa could convince her otherwise.

"Wait!" The voice was urgent so hesitantly she returned the cold phone to her ear, "I need to talk to you before you go, I'll come to you."

Sighing, the brunette shoved her head back into the seat and waited. She didn't have to inform her friend of her whereabouts, somehow she always just… knew. Less than five minutes later she heard a knock on the passenger window for the second time that night. She reopened the eyes she had never intended to close. Reaching over to unlock the door Rose Hathaway stared expectantly at her closest friend.

"Don't look at me like that Rose." She stated before being welcomed with another sigh, this time paired with an eye roll. "Christian and I were just with a distant friend of the Ozera's and he mentioned a song writing seminar that's going to be on Monday and long story short he made some calls a got you a spot!" She all but squealed the last part of her sentence before gaining some of her composure back.

A deep groan left Rose's mouth as she smacked her head on her seat in frustration, "damn it Liss, no one actually enjoys those things, they are awkward and most people are forced into them by a record label. Which is something I don't even have." She tilted her head to look at the blonde who look quite discouraged. Ah fuck. Rose's inner dialogue muttered, she knew Lissa had meant well but she couldn't help but feel annoyed at the obligation to attend now.

"I was just trying to help.." the petite girl said quietly before being met with yet another sigh from the driver's side of the car. This time however it was in defeat.

"I'll do it." Was the only response Rose could muster.

Lissa clapped excitedly, "Rose it's going to be such a good opportunity! You could be writing with some of the greats!" She babbled on as Rose considered the 'opportunity' for what it was. There would be no greats at this event, she had seen these things happen before and had even attend a few junior versions in her time. It was a room filled with thirty or so strangers who took turns being paired of and were given a short about of time to write something that would ultimately be forced and mediocre.

"I'll send you the details! I'm so excited for you Rose!" Were the words to shatter her thought process, and they were followed by the gentle closing of her car door. Unsure of exactly what had just happened the brunette cranked the heater in her car even higher before plugging in her seat belt and tearing out of the car park towards her no doubt empty house.