//lost in chinatown !! (ryan|open)

[jonjack]

"I'll try the... Tortellini alla Panna, I guess." The man said, setting down his glass. "I've never heard of it before, so it must be good." He quickly added, a diffident grin quickly taking over his facial features. "Will you be wanting anything else?" He shook his head, and the man headed off towards the kitchen. You know, for a man who worked in an American-Italian restaurant and had that stereotypical Italian skin and mustache, he sure didn't have the accent. Whatever. He was here to eat lunch and that was it, he concluded, his grin dissipating and transcending into a thin line. He wondered what the band he teched for was doing right now. (Which was "Sobriety of Keep" by the way.) Were they eating lunch? Were they doing whatever they felt like? Who knows... He trailed off there, as the man came back and told him that the food would be ready momentarily, before going to tend to another table.

He heaved a sigh; it wasn't just any sigh though, it was a tired, weary sigh. After this, he had to head back to the hotel he was staying at, get in a quick nap, then go and do something that had to do with technical equipment; he had to check if it was all working properly. That was his job. He was Jon Layes, techie to the band 'Sobriety of Keep'. He didn't exactly go to tech school to be a band techie, but it was a good thing that he knew what he was doing. He had originally gone so he could learn how to work with computers, but working with Sobriety of Keep was his first opportunity. Jon raised his glass to his lips, and took in a long sip. He wasn't thirsty, but it was the closest thing to satiating hunger at the moment. What could he do? Run into the kitchen and demand that the cooks cooked faster? He'd surely be kicked out, then he'd have no food. He'd have to settle for wandering Chinatown for another restaurant - either that, or eating instant soup from a random convenience store.

As soon as his glass was half-way to the table, his pocket seemed to vibrate. He, though, wasn't shocked. It was just his cellphone. No big deal. Rang almost every day. Setting the glass down, he dug through his pocked until he pulled out a cheap-looking cellphone. A pink envelope sign was flashing, meaning that he had a new message. Flipping the cellular phone open, he saw that it was from an anonymous number. He just shut his phone and shoved it back into his pocket. No need to check. About a moment or so later, the man returned (yet again) with a plate of what looked to be shell-like noodles with meat and an assortment of vegetables and cheese stuffed inside. Looked... edible. Jon wasn't one for Italian food, but today he decided to eat some.

Wrong choice. A few bites into it, and he just wasn't hungry anymore. He surprised the same waiter with the lack of food eaten off the plate when he asked for the bill. "Are you sure you are finished, sir?" The older man asked, but Jon was sure of himself. "Yeah..." He trailed off, reaching for his wallet as the bill was set on the table-top. $37.88!? Just for a plate of noodles and a glass of water? Sheesh. Places around here were just so expensive. Standing up, he set down thirty-eight dollars, and strode out of the building structure without giving anyone a tip. Now if he had an accent to match his job... No, he really didn't care. It wasn't that important, but he couldn't help laughing internally at this.

As soon as he took step on the pavement outside, and the door closed behind him, he realized that he had no idea where he was. Jon had walked to Little Joe's from some store where he had gotten directions, but now... Well, maybe he could get directions again. But first, he decided, that he would get out of Chinatown. So which way to the next district?

word count ! (six hundred and eighty-nine)
listening to ! (diary of jane by breaking benjamin)
some notes ! (it was a weak post, lulz.)
who's in ! (ryan, and anyone else who wants to join.)

[ALEX RYAN MCQUEEN]

Axel wasn't such a fan of going out in public ever since the band had made it big. He'd used to been able to go around anywhere without anyone saying anything. Now though he was recognized and hounded constantly by fans whenever he was in public alone. Which was why he was wearing the sunglasses and hoodie that he'd been using to conceal his identity. As much as he loved the band and their success, it was a pain in the ass to have to lay low whenever he was in public. He loved their fans and everything, but sometimes they were a bit overwhelming. So far nobody had recognized him and Axel appreciated the anonymity. It was rare he got to enjoy going out. It was around lunch time though, and Axel needed something to eat according to his stomach, which wouldn't stop growling.

His search for food had brought him to Chinatown and Axel walked down the street, looking around for a good place to eat. He was heading through the crowd of people on the sidewalk when a man came out of a doorway just as he was passing by and Axel bumped into him, causing his sunglasses to fall off. He hastily grabbed them and put them back on, but he knew the man had seen his face already. Great. Now he'd probably have to deal with the gawking of another fan. Unless he was incredibly lucky and the man hadn't listened to any popular music in the past three years or so. Still he had bumped into the guy and he wasn't going to be rude. Axel just wasn't that type of person. He turned to the man and said, "Sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Are you okay?"

Axel just didn't have the heart to leave the guy after he'd just bumped into him. He stood their, praying that nobody else had seen the incident and stopped to get a closer look. If someone recognized him and started a commotion, it would ruin his whole afternoon out. He'd be spending it signing autographs, taking pictures, and talking to people instead of enjoying his lunch and the beautiful day. It was all a part of being a rock star and as much as he liked keeping to himself, he was too nice to turn down fans who wanted a little of his time. Some people, like his band mates, said he was too nice, but it was just who he was. Axel just hoped the guy was okay so he could make his way to his lunch without any problems.

[ELISABEL MARGUERITE DONETSK]

[[I'm so sorry! XD But I totally couldn't resist making her a tad stalkerish after reading your post! So, don't blame me!]]

Elisabel hadn't meant to end up in the same restaurant as Jon. It was a purely weird, unplanned coincidence. Or, that's what she was trying to tell herself. Anyway, she was here first. He had walked in while she was waiting for her pizza. She had followed him a block - which really wasn't even enough to tell she was following him, really. She'd walked six blocks behind the same person before, and she hadn't been stalking them. When she got to Hollywood Boulevard, the call of the stores and the shiny, new things in them beckoned her off the streets, and after that she had no idea where he went, and tried not to care. She'd been trying to work up the nerve to talk to him all day, but now that she had the chance she chickened out - again. Besides, she didn't even know he liked Italian food, or that out of all the Italian restaurants in the city, that he would pick this one. But Elisabel liked Italian food - especially the pizza they made here. Elisabel had been coming to this restaurant almost once a week since she tasted the first slice of greasy, cheesy goodness. Elisabel was waiting for her order patiently. The pizzas always seemed to take the longest.

Elisabel couldn't really stop staring at Jon, just long enough not to get caught. She knew he probably had no idea who she was or that she even existed, which she really didn't think was that fair. How could she be so aware of him, and have him so oblivious to her? She shook her head and dung into her pizza. It was delicious. It was even better considering she hadn't had breakfast this morning. She ate three pieces of pizza in no time flat. It wasn't her fault she loved food, especially greasy food. Elisabel went to wipe her hands on her jeans - a habit she had since she was three - but at the last second remembered that wasn't very lady like, and wiped them on some of those paper napkins that felt rough against her skin. She got her purse out onto the table and got out her pill case. She checked the time, and she needed to take her pills soon. She sighed and threw her pills for today into her mouth and chugged down half her coke with them.

When she was putting her pill case back in her purse, her phone caught her eye. Maybe she could talk to Jon without getting all tongue-tied and red-faced. She decided to text him hello, and that was it. She wasn't sure if he remembered giving her number or not. It was the day when the managers of this big shin-dig had introduced the bands to each other, kind of like a meet and greet day. Elisabel had found it mildly hilarious, but she got a few other peoples numbers - which happened to include Jon's - but she rarely texted anyone, let alone hung out with them. At the last second, when Elisabel's phone screen had this little arrow coming out of a envelope, meaning the message was sending, she canceled it. She relaxed and put her phone back in her purse, but when she saw Jon pull out his phone, she became paranoid and got her phone back out. She checked her outbox - twice - but it said she hadn't sent him a message. She relaxed again, and put her phone back in her purse. When she saw him leaving, she thought she might leave, too, and waited for her bill. She payed her bill of twenty-one dollars - barely. She had spent most of her money shopping earlier.

Elisabel walked out onto the street and turned a random direction, shuffling around in her purse for her iPod. She was in the mood for some Linkin Park, or maybe some Papa Roach. She liked both of the bands old music better, like Faint or Lifeline. Their new CD's was good, but she would always love their old stuff better. She ran into someone, and she noticed that it was Axel. She rolled her eyes at his sunglasses but said nothing. He really didn't need to wear those stupid things, he was only the guitarist. She was kind of happy that barely anyone knew who she was. The keyboard wasn't used in many songs, and her back-up vocals usually weren't needed, either. She'd probably signed all of two autographs, and that's when she was with the band at there CD signing. "Would you watch where you're going, Lightning?" she was a little crankier than normal because she was out of money, and for a couple other reasons, too. "Sorry, I'm just...out of it today." She rubbed her cheek with the sleeve of her jacket and put in her earphones and turned up the tune-age.

[jonjack]

Jon stood there, pondering his own situation. He could take the bus, and see where that got him. Err... well, if he did, he could end up on the other side of the country for all he knew. That wouldn't be good. How would he get back here? Take another bus and hope that it got him back? Frosty the Snowman had a better chance in the searing, hot flames of hell. Then there was the option of wandering around Chinatown until he either found a place where he could eat something that he could afford - now that he had spent most of his money on that disgusting noodle garbage - or he eventually wound up in front of the hotel he was staying at. Whichever would work out eventually.

But before he did anything, he'd probably have to move away from standing in front of the Italian restaurant, lest he'd be seen as some weirdo who randomly blocks entrances and exits into expensive restaurants. No, he wasn't a weirdo. Okay, maybe he was a little bit weird, seeing as how he only watched cartoons and the such, but that wasn't the issue here. The issue here was that he would probably look like some creeper if he just stood there, looking around. To some people, he might look as if he was waiting around for younger girls that liked Italian food. That wasn't the story at all. He was just lost; nothing else. And on that note, he stepped to the side by a bench, where he pulled out his cellphone.

It was lucky that he had access to Google Map™ on it. Upon flipping it open for the second time, he remembered the message he had received earlier. At this point, it intrigued him. Since he didn't know the number, he'd just read it, but he won't respond. Even if it was a death threat. He laughed humorlessly at that. Why would he get a death threat? He didn't make any enemies - that he knew of - and he never did anything particularly horrible to anyone. So for death threats and such, he wasn't getting any. Going through the main menu and ending in the message menu, he selected the unread text. Hel. Hel? What was that supposed to be? Perhaps it meant to be 'hello', but the entire text didn't get through. Or maybe right in the middle of sending it, the sender had pressed the 'hang-up' button to immediately get rid of it. That might have been it.

Exiting out of the message by the use of that oh-so-useful red button, he quickly opened up the internet browser to get to Google Map™. About a minute or so later, Jon decided to give up on the slow-loading of his crappy phone, and shut it. He shoved it in his pocket, and as he went to head off in a random direction, he felt something run into his side. It wasn't hard, but it wasn't exactly soft either. Turning his head to the right, he saw some man wearing a hoodie with the hood up, and said man quickly bent to the ground to pick up a pair of sunglasses. Hmm... Looked like a sort of disguise... and the guy behind the disguise looked sort of familiar. "Sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm okay." Jon responding, flashing another timorous grin as he had in the restaurant. Just as he was about to inquire the dude as to why he looked familiar, a girl bumped into him. It was a chain of bumps, apparently. "Would you watch where you're going, Lightning?" The woman who had run into the other man had said. She had a sort of edge to her voice, as if she was mad about something or she just didn't get enough sleep or food or something. And then as she rubbed her cheek with her sleeve, she seemed to apologize for it. "Sorry, I'm just...out of it today."

She looked familiar to Jon as well. That's when it hit them. He had met these people before. A while back, when a few bands had met each other, he was tagging along as the techie with Sobriety of Keep. It was there that he met those two. To be honest, he couldn't remember what band they were from, exactly, but he knew they were in a band. The same band. He would probably knew this if he listened to more music, instead of just Beck and Tesla, and a bunch of other bands from the nineties and before. He blamed Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny for taking up his time. "Hey, aren't you guys from that one band?" It probably helped that he didn't know which band, because most likely if he had said it out loud, a lot of people would be running to them for autographs.

For once, he was sort of happy that he wasn't famous and had people asking him for pictures and autographs. Good thing he was just a techie.

word count ! (eight hundred and forty-seven)
listening to ! (love song by tesla)
some notes ! (lmao, it's okay.)
who's in ! (ryan, silk)

[ELISABEL MARGUERITE DONETSK]

[[Lmao! Thanks. You don't have to make him like her back, if you don't want. I hear V's character's got a crush on Jon, too. Lol, that would be so sad for Elisabel. XD Anyway, I had to post because Ryan was being a butt and wouldn't. :D And the earphone thing? That really happen with my friend Derek. XD]]

Lightning still hadn't said anything, and Elisabel guessed she probably knew why. It was because Jon was standing there, and he knew all about her situation with him. Which was kind of funny because she kept running into him. Jon had no idea who she was, of course, but she knew who he was. Lightning was an ass, no doubt about that, but he was a good friend. And currently she was trying to calm herself down behind Lightning's back. Once she'd heard Jon's voice - and her heart had started stuttering when he said he kinda sorta knew who she was - she had bolted behind Lightning's back so fast she looked like a jumpy jack rabbit on Crystal Meth. Lightning was probably laughing at her where no one could see, and Jon probably thought she was crazy which wouldn't be much of an understatement. Elisabel pulled her hood over her hair. She was trying to hide her face - which happened to be red and aflame - from Jon. She really didn't care about any kind of media personnel lurking about, but the fact that Jon might be able to see her face and tell she was kinda sorta in love with him scared her out of her skin. She found some big bulky sunglasses in the bottom of her face, and when she put them on, they look a little big for her small face. She slid out from behind Lightning, trying to retain her dignity.

Elisabel blared her music louder, facing Lightning with her back to Jon, still trying to calm down. She wasn't completely oblivious to a few people staring at her from the sidewalk over, or the gleam in Lightning's eye as he tried not to laugh. She narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to laugh. He wasn't really scared of her - which was really stupid because he should be - and that made him more of an ass. She turned her earphones up to the maximum volume her earphone would allow before the exploded, and thought Lightning and Jon could hear the music. She was listening to Little Red Riding Hood by Bowling for Soup. Once, her brother had been listening to his iPod while he was doing his homework, and he had turned the volume all the way, and two minutes into the song Crush by Paramore - which she found very ironic in this situation - they exploded in his ears. His ear drums were fine, and his ears never bled - and he did run over the ruined earphones with his car, which was hilarious - but he never turned up the volume all the way again, and neither did she.

Elisabel wondered a lot what Jon thought about her. Like, if she was cute to him. "So, Lightning, how was your date with Daph?" Elisabel asked Lightning, trying to ask as if Jon weren't there, but she was also so aware of him that it was almost painful. She pulled her pig tails down around her cheeks. She didn't do her hair today because she was having a bad hair day, so she put it up in two low pig tails like he always did whenever she was having a bad hair day. She hadn't dressed very nice, which she regretted now. She had on a black hoodie, and under that a simple black cotton dress and some black flats. She didn't do her make-up today - the only thing she had on remotely close to make up was lip balm - and she didn't think she looked all that good today. She really didn't plan for Jon to see her today. Maybe when they were going on stage, and she wore one of her feel-good outfits, and had her make-up on. She shivered as a gust of wind barreled down the street. She had watched the new earlier, and it said that there was going to be rain. She hated rain.

[ALEX RYAN MCQUEEN]

[SUCK IT SILK!]

Of course Eli would choose that moment to show up and bump into him and then act like it was his fault. For a best friend, she really was bitchy sometimes. AT least she apologized afterwards. Then Alex had to smile when she noticed who was right there. Alex hadn't recognized him at first, but he knew that Jon was the guy that Eli had a huge crush on and he had to hold back his laughter as she turned bright red and hid behind him. She was so in love with the guy it was painful to watch. Alex chuckled a few times where she couldn't see him doing it. He'd ignored Jon's question at first on purpose, but now that Eli had decided to come out of hiding with shades on. She was so nervous around the guy and Alex considered using the opportunity to embarrass her.

Fortunately for Eli, Alex was actually a good friend and wouldn't do that to her. He said to Jon, "Yeah we're from that band. I'm Axel and this little bundle of joy is Eli, and you're Jon if I remember correctly." Then he said to Eli, "My date was really good. Daphne is amazing." He knew Eli probably couldn't hear him with her headphones turned up that loud, so Alex continued with a grin, "Anyway, now that we're all here, do you wanna walk around with us for a bit, Jon? I was gonna grab something to eat anyway and I could use the company." This was perfect. Now he could watch Eli squirm while Jon was oblivious to her mega crush on him.

Alex loved Eli like a sister, but she really didn't know how to handle guys. Even though it was just him messing with her, part of him actually wanted things to work out with her and Jon. He liked seeing Eli happy and it was rare that she was. Alex and Eli gave each other shit constantly, but they were still best friends. If she really did like Jon and he was what she wanted, then he was going to do his best to help out, even if it was simply asking him to tag along with them. It was kind of up to Eli to get over her fears and actually talk to the guy, otherwise he would never know how she felt about him. Besides, Jon seemed like a nice enough guy and he would probably be good for Eli. Alex tugged off Eli's hood and then pulled an earbud out of her ear before grinning and saying, "Jon is gonna join us for lunch. Isn't that great, Eli?"