real_gun_hand | Kersen

Hotch had been trying to get out. He'd never been the sort to just go out for the sake of going out, but in London he knew so few people and the town itself was a mystery. He'd taken it to heart that he should find at least one new place every week and this week he'd found a lovely restaurant that served Asian food. Of course he had had Chinese in mind when he heard 'Asian' and was surprise dwhen he arrived that it was Indian cuisine. He'd enjoyed a delicious meal and then had started off to the tube when he spotted a bar. He could have one drink, he thought, and had made his way inside.

A piano bar, neatly appointed and apparently popular. Hotch took a seat at the bar and ordered a scotch, then turned to watch the pianist. He didn't recognize the song, but that was no shock. It sounded jazzy and that really wasn't his specialty.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

real_gun_hand

"I'm sure it will. I did move from the west coast to the east. The difference between Seattle and DC took some getting used to. This is just a bigger move," Hotch said, adding a shrug.

From:

kersen

"And what brought you to our fair continent?" Kersen asked.

Though before Aaron could answer, Tabitha walked over and handed Kersen a glass of red wine. He laughed and gave her a little nod of thanks before turning his attention back to Aaron. "She kept telling me I should just take the night off."

From:

real_gun_hand

"If you own the bar you could probably get away with taking the night off now and again," he said. He paused to take a sip of his drink, then tilted his head. "Work. I was a supervisory special agent with the behavioral analysis unit of the FBI. But some changes happened and I got transferred to the legat's office here in London. Doing much the same job, but without a team and focusing on foreign threats instead of domestic psychotics."

From:

kersen

"Ah, you're a law man," Kersen said with a smile, and took a sip of the wine, leaving behind a lipstick smudge. "That must be both dangerous and rewarding."

From:

real_gun_hand

"I can't imagine doing anything else. I began as an attorney, but I decided to try to stop criminals rather than prosecute them after the fact," he explained.

From:

kersen

Kersen thought about how much time he'd spent lately acting like he was in some kind of law enforcement himself. He actually felt like he was even finally starting to gain some sort of respect in the vampire community, because he'd put his foot down about behavior in his bar.

"I'm sure you're very good at what you do," he said with a little smile.

From:

real_gun_hand

"I try," Hotch replied, returning the smile. He tried to think of something that would be polite to talk about with a stranger, a new friend. He wasn't awkward, but he was accustomed to being with other agents where conversation often turned to the more grave parts of the job. He doubted Kersen would like to hear any of that.

"So what else do you play?" he asked. "I know 80's music, but I doubt you go in for Flock of Seagulls in here."

From:

kersen

"Try me," Kersen said with a sly little smile. "Any requests?"

From:

real_gun_hand

"Do you know New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle?" he asked, thinking it might be a bit of an odd request...though he did think it would fit the theme of the bar. It was a nice love song.

From:

kersen

Kersen's smile widened. "I do, actually," he said. "It might not be fancy, but familiar enough I can probably muddle my way through it... you wait just here."

He reached out and patted Aaron's cheek gently and then got to his feet and went back over to the piano. He waited until the song ended and then tapped the pianist on the shoulder, letting him off for a minute. Kersen slid onto the bench so that he could play.

He'd been playing long enough and had enough practice at this sort of thing that he could pick out the melody without having practiced. The improvisation wasn't fancy, but it was enough that he could sing the song acoustic, with his own accompaniment. He sang it slow, like an old love song rather than the new wave eighties character of the original. "Every time I think of you I feel shot right through with a bolt of blue... It's no problem of mine, but it's a problem I find..."

From:

real_gun_hand

It wasn't the most popular song and Hotch was duly impressed that Kersen seemed to know it right off. He moved to the piano with his drink and listened, smiling softly as Kersen sang.

It was only then that he decided he was definitely a man. Not that it mattered in the scheme of things, but Hotch liked to deal with certainties. He didn't like unknowns.

When the song ended he put his glass down so he could clap.

"Nicely done."

From:

kersen

"Well thank you, honey," Kersen said pleasantly, and plucked up his glass of wine again. "It's a beautiful song... sometimes your own worst enemy in love is yourself."

From:

real_gun_hand

"I think that having it done on the piano made it significantly more melancholy than the original. Though, to be fair, most Eighties music doesn't sound melancholy," he chuckled. "Too many synthesizers."

From:

kersen

Kersen thought of how he'd played 'So In Love' for Hani, and how it had sounded more melancholy than usual as well... maybe it was just something about the way he saw love songs recently.

"If you liked it then my work here is done," he said, smiling.

From:

real_gun_hand

"How many years have you owned the bar?" he asked, curious to know more about Kersen. He seemed quite the interesting character. Certainly not like anyone else Hotch knew.

From:

kersen

"A few," said Kersen pleasantly. "I wouldn't want to date myself. Makeup is magic."

From:

real_gun_hand

Hotch chuckled lightly at that.

"I wouldn't know. But it looks good on you," he replied.

From:

kersen

"Does it?" There was a twinkled in Kersen's eye, a touch flirtatious. "Because it's a lot of work to look this good."

From:

real_gun_hand

"How long have you been a drag queen?" Hotch asked, taking a calculated risk. If Kersen actually was a woman...well, part of him braced to wear that wine...

From:

kersen

The fact that Aaron might have been taking a risk didn't even occur to Kersen, though it would have amused him greatly. "Since I was... oh, nineteen, I suppose, was when I began to dabble," he said. "I was doing some acting and then just sort of fell into it."

From:

real_gun_hand

"I was in college at nineteen," Hotch said, thinking back to those days so long ago. "Pre-law. I'm not sure I can even call it pre-law, I was just starting out."

From:

kersen

"And what were you like as a strapping young co-ed?" Kersen asked him.

From:

real_gun_hand

Hotch thought back to those days and a far-off look took him over.

"My wife and I hadn't married yet, but we were living together. I went to school full time and had a full time job, too. It was a busy time. Looking back, I can hardly understand how I did it. But I did. We made it work."

From:

kersen

Kersen's eyes flicked down to the wedding ring. Perhaps he shouldn't flirt quite so much, though he appreciated that Aaron was a good sport.

"It sounds as if you didn't have much opportunity to be young," Kersen said.