Something you never even knew you missed

Christmas was always a stressful time of year. Or always was a big word, it wasn't till the last two years that life really had just happened to her. Veronica had not rested for many years, not even after she actually found her brother. All this pressure on her shoulders and never having an outlet - it was hard. There was two days till she would have to swim for New Zealand, so when Nelinha had texted her to at least have one last night out. She had hurried out of the door with more speed than she would admit. Maybe it was the whole responsibility thing that seemed to hit her hard, she missed just having one goal. It wasn't because she didn't appreciate how lucky she was to have a family. However, she had never really wanted that life she had never thought this would be her life. Veronica entered the bar area and took a deep breath in, just letting her entire home situation go. The sound of the music, just the entire atmosphere made her smile. "One pint of beer," she ordered and placed her hands on the table, but added a little smile on her lips. Then she caught the scent of Nelinha and turned around. "I most admit, this is the best idea you've had this week," she chuckled lightly and moved her eyes back to the bartender as he placed her order on the table. "I will pay for whatever she is having," she added and grabbed her beer.

She let Nelinha order and returned the brief hug. Veronica was rather small of frame compared to, yeah, almost everyone she knew. But she had learned to deal with that, and in heels she appeared just a little bit taller than she was. However, that was nothing compared to the height of the banshee. Veronica closed her eyes by the nickname and shook her head to the side. "Right now? Right now I'm doing... fan-tastic," she spoke as she took a deep breath in and over smiled. Veronica was burned out and even through it was something she was hiding well, it was clear. Veronica was however, not in the mood to pretend everything was fine, but she also didn't want to ruin the fun. She lifted her glass up and took a large mouthful of her beer. "We are going to Auckland in a few days, I'm excited to see my parents again," it wasn't a secret to at least Nelinha that Veronica had had a tough time with her adoptive family after the situation with Roy. Just because she had believed he wasn't dead and followed her believes - they had almost left her in the dust, thinking she had lost her mind and was unable to save. But after her sister had discovered the truth, they had talked to their parents together, and now she was welcomed back with open arms. Even Roy himself had showed up. "It's nice having them believing in me again, so I have the twins with me back home. I don't know if Jess and Jayden follows or what they do. Jess depends on her brothers.. Jayden, is the father so I told him he could join if he wanted," she sighed a bit. Veronica slightly shook her head again and took a deep breath in. "I'm just happy to be a little out of the house. I needed that," she confessed with a smirk on her lips. "How about you?"

"Oh I will, don't ya worry love," she replied with a more cheeky tone and chuckled lighthearted. Veronica wasn't used to being bound to one person, and despite that, she had married Jess. Jess had never been hers to take, and somehow, like always, Veronica had found a way to get what she wanted. Talking with Nelinha did not only take her thoughts out for a long ride, but it also made her question some things - because she knew something wasn't right.
"That, that is really good," she replied with a happy smile. She was happy that Nelinha had found Gaia as a home. Veronica had lived here for years, and still at times felt like a stranger was walking down the streets and not her. "Otherwises, you know all you have to do is ask," she lifted a brow a little to make sure Nelinha still knew that. "We can blow money on stupid shit, hit me the fuck up," she raised her glass. "Cheers," she took a few mouthfuls before putting the beer down again. "So what are we gonna fuck up tonight? I'm up for anything. Like .. no regrets," she added honestly. Veronica needed a little freedom, just not being trapped down to the floor. In this madness she still struggled to findout who she was.

Veronica frowned a bit, mostly she was just curious about who this Charlie was. She knew that Nelinha had a rather big social circle, a smaller one with close ones as well. "Well, in that case I'm thrilled to have a chance to meet her," she admitted with a little grin on her lips. Veronica took another few mouthfuls of her beer and felt it calm down her nerves, just a bit. She liked the ideas that the banshee shared, "see that is an idea I can follow up on," her smile lighted just a bit more up. Veronica loved karaoke, she loved having an excuse to preform. Last time she had challenged Alison, and that had been one big ass challenge - but fun. Veronica drank the rest of her beer and breathed out as she placed it on the table. "Then we better have some shots for the road," she gave the bartender a nod and he poured up one for both of them. "I did hear The sirens club has a karaoke spot, other wise we will have to drag our asses to Gaia," she looked at Nelinha with a thoughtful expression for a few seconds. "But then again, I as long as you are by my side.. this night can only be epic." Then she took the shotglass and lifted it up. "Cheers gir.l"

Shot down, and she loved the feeling of the alcohol that started effecting her entire system. The taste of regret kicked in just a bit, as Nelinha to tenderly said. The question about Jess made Veronica speechless for a second, but not in the usual way. Veronica folded her lips a little, but the alcohol had put away her boundaries and filters for the night. "She is dealing with it like she is dealing with everything. Everything is planned out and the expectations are high," Veronica took a deep breath in. "I think she is already planning out how the kid is gonna dress, school programs - honestly. I stopped paying attention a few months ago," she admitted shaking her head, being disgust by her own choice of words. "Do you know the feeling, where you don't know what to do.. so you just go on with whatever feels safe.. and one day you realize how fucked up everything is?"  She narrowed her eyes by that thought. Veronica had never really thought out anything, she was went with what made her feel like was the right choice. It wasn't like she didn't love her twins, but Veronica had never wanted kids in the first place. And now they were expecting another one. Everything seemed so planned out and perfect. But there was a lot of things that haven't felt safe in plenty of years, maybe she just had lost her way. Veronica was beginning to think she should just have stayed at Eichen when her sister had locked her up, maybe she was losing her shit. Veronica shook her head. "You know what. Never mind. Let's get going," she smiled and ran a hand through the pink dyed hair.

Veronica liked the idea, of just having a carefree night. Where she was herself, whoever that might be in the end. Veronica laughed a little by Nelinha's words and nodded. "I can agree to that idea," she walked with the banshee out of the bar. It was always easy finding your way around in Southside, everything was so close and once you had found all the shortcuts you were good to go. Veronica spend most of the little walk to the next bar remembering the songs from the mamma mia soundtrack. It had always been her go to - she wasn't sure why, but it just was. "I'm sure she will catch up," Veronica chuckled tenderly as she looked at the screen. Veronica bursted into laughter as she saw how many emoji's it Nelinha had sent. "Gurl, you are abusing those emoji's," as they walked inside she looked around. This place was more classy than the other bar.
"So how does this Charlie look like? I mean, you gotta show me some pictures - or at least point me in the direction as soon as you see her."

Veronica looked at the photo that Nelinha showed her, and lifted her eyebrows a little while she added a brighter smile. "How many hot friends do you have that I don't know about?" Veronica asked in a honest yet teasing matter.Not that Veronica didn't have her fair share of good looking friends, because she did. As Nelinha seemed to notice this Charlie, Veronica looked over at her direction still with a smile upon her lips.
"This place has the best karaoke choices.. and it's been a while since I have had a propper challenge," she teased looked over at Nelinha before turning her eyes over to the blonde beauty. She took Charlie's hand and smiled warmly. "Veronica," she added before letting to of the hand gently again.
"What is your go to karaoke jam? Please tell me you have one," Veronica tilted her head a little to the side. Charlie wasn't as tall as Nelinha, still a bit taller than Veronica - not that it mattered.  "Personally, my guilty pleasure is all the songs from Mamma Mia - I love that movie so much," she expressed with a dreamy look in her eyes before she laughed a little to herself. The only thing that could beat that, was all the years practice her and Roy had in disney songs - because the was a true champion in that area. "You want a drink or anything? I could drink a beer," she asked Charlie, " how about you love? You want anything?" she looked over at Nelinha. "Drinks on me."

"A glass of white wine and one long island ice tea, got it," she smiled and made her way over to the bar area. Veronica was well known on this area of Gaia - it happened when you were a leader of a gang, and even through the Serpent jacket wasn't on her back, her pink hair was one of few distinctive features. Veronica went up to the bar and ordered the drinks for the girls and a beer for herself. The siren lightly tapped her fingers on the table as she turned her head back to the girls. Veronica was used to act so stable that she had believed her own lies for so long. Maybe she should seek out Roy and get a long chat with her brother one of the next couple of days. The bartender started getting the order ready and placed it on the table. "Just open a tab," she gave the bartender a smile and then looked over at the girls again.
"Cheers ladies," she took their glasses and handed it to them. Then she took her own glass and lifted it in a toast to the girls. Then she took a few large mouthfuls of her beer. Then she leaned against the bartable and placed her elbow down there.
"So, Charlie, where are you from?" Veronica ask curiously and looked at the blonde once again.

Veronica knew what it was like to travel around. It was weird at first, but you got used to it. Not that Veronica had been that young when she began to travel. She listened to what Charlie told her, and actually found it interesting.
"Awesome. I have been here almost two years I reckon," time went so fast, now when she took time to think about it. "Oh me? I'm from New Zeland, raised in the capital Auckland," Veronica told and took a sharper breath in. "I began travelling late December back in 2015, went to Europe to find some answers, got me around from the states and back to France - then I ended up in Gaia," she left out the whole, becoming queen thing, since she never really had asked for that herself.
"Now I stay here in Southside. It's my home-base, if you go up a bit further, to the Serpents - you will find my main spot," she smiled a bit brighter. The gang area wasn't even Jess' place, even if she pretended it was. Veronica took a deeper breath in. It had been quite some time since she had met knew people while not being with Jess. It was nice, and she felt herself relax more than she had done in a while.

"In two days," she replied and turned her eyes to her friend. "I reckon I'll be back around just before new years," Veronica added, but wasn't quite sure where she was spending new years yet. It depended on so much. Veronica wasn't the type to just want to sit at home and do nothing, she would at least want to be with some friends. However, she also wanted to try being this mother figure she clearly wasn't.
"I will see if I can squeeze it in," she noted with a little smirk on her lips to Charlies suggestion.  "And If I can you will see me," Veronica smiled at the girls. "I can't believe this year is almost over already, I feel like it just started few months ago," she chuckled to herself and took another mouthful of her beer. This year had been insane, one big race and it wasn't even over yet.

The announcement made Veronica's slightly golden eyes look over to the side, then quickly back at Charlie as she stood up. "See, that's ma kind of gurl," she clapped her hands a little in excitement. She looked over at Charlie as she walked off, and ran a hand through her hair and twirled one of the pink locks around her finger. Veronica shook her head and had to snap herself back to reality, just a bit. But she was a siren, that part of her nature was hard to press down. The blonde returned with the shots and a question.
"Damn right I am," she smiled and got up. "We will just have to either fill enough shots on you till you do.. or sing a few extra songs for ya," Veronica grabbed a shot as well and downed it in a quick movement. "I will go sign myself up," she walked up to the area and signed herself up. Then she went back to the girls with a bright smile on her lips.

"Yeah she is," Veronica replied almost breathless. It was dangerous, she should think about where her mind was going. Things were difficult at the moment, but she had to not doing anything she would end up not being able to fix. Veronica loved preforming, dancing was her passion but she loved singing as well. Karaoke was just another opportunity.
"I would never... maybe just a little bit," she admitted with a little laugh. Veronica looked at Charlie with a warmer set of eyes and a tender smile on her lips. However, she turned her eyes away and looked up at the stage. Then she looked over at Nelinha with a smile.
"Looks like time is up, are you ready?" Veronica looked back at Charlie and tilted her head a little to the side. She was excited to see Charlie preform, to hear her voice. Veronica looked up to the stage when Charlie's name was called over the mic. "You are up. Break a leg."

[justify]Charlie chuckled at Veronica's playfulness. It was nice to just click with someone, even though she was sure it was partially contributed to the fact they had been drinking a bit. The witch at least felt a little buzz, but it wasn't too bad yet. She wanted to drink a little more, but soon she heard her name being called, downing her wine in a quick motion and sending a few finger guns to Nelinha and Veronica. Stepping up on the stage it was clear she just took charge, grabbing the mic, nodding towards the man managing the sound and lyrics on the screen. The music started out slow and Charlie chuckled a bit in to the microphone. "Every single day, I walk down the street. I hear people say, "Baby's so sweet"," she sang, her voice clear and it had a certain rebellious edge to it that seemed to go against her rather clean look. "Ever since puberty; Everybody stares at me. Boys, girls - I can't can't help it baby," Charlie sang, ruffling her skirt a bit as she took center stage pointing over to the girls she was here with. "So be kind; Don't lose your mind - Just remember that I'm your baby!" she sang making a few guys whistle in the process. "Take me for what I am! Who I was meant to be! And if you give a damn; Take me baby or leave me; Take me baby or leave me!" she sang, her voice strong despite having drunken a bit. It was clear she liked the attention, dancing a little sensually just to go along with the song. She went down on all fours for her next part. "A tiger in a cage, Can never see the sun," she sang, jumping to her feet, looking at the audience with a rather sultry gaze. "This diva needs her stage; Baby - let's have fun!" she sang, making a few of the girls woo at her. "You are the one I choose - Folks would kill to fill your shoes; You love the limelight too, now baby!" she sang, pointing at Veronica this time, making her giggle a bit along to the melody. "So be mine and don't waste my time; Cryin' - "Oh Honeybear - are you still my baby?"," she sang pointing at Nelinha this time, singing the last part as an upset teenager, but still with a clear voice. "Take me for what I am! Who I was meant to be! And if you give a damn; Take me baby or leave me!" she sang as she moved closer to the edge of the stage. "No way - can I be what I'm not; But hey - don't you want your girl hot!" Charlie sang, running her free hand down her curves, moving her hips slightly to the beat. Don't fight - don't lose your head; Cause every night - who's in your bed?" she sang, even going so far as to actually hitting the high note. As the song was coming to an end she sounded more charming than ever. "Who's in your bed, baby? Kiss Pookie," she said in a seductive voice, ending the song and having the club go wild. Charlie chuckled, placing the microphone back before stepping down from the stage. It was clear some guys wanted to muster up the courage to ask for her number, but she walked by them in a confident strut until she reached their booth, sitting down. Nelinha was breaking down laughing, because she loved that Charlie was so strange and just jumped in to it.

Veronica looked over at Nelinha again as Charlie walked up on stage. "More of your hot friends coming tonight that I should be aware of?" She asked and lifted a teasing eyebrow. Then the music started playing and Veronica moved her attention to the stage where Charlie started preforming. Her eyes widened as she heard Charlie's voice and a smile blossomed upon her lips. She liked the way that the witch moved, her whole attitude. It just seemed like she felt alive on the stage, or maybe it was just the wine kicking in. Anyways it didn't matter, Veronica liked what she saw. "Woo," she wooed at Charlie as she pointed at Charlie. The crow was wild, and Veronica clapped and wooed to not only show her support but also to let Charle know she did an amazing job - even if Veronica just was one face in the crowd. As the song ended and Charlie walked down the stage, Veronica went up from her seat and clapped. She watched Charlie walk back to Nelinha and her. "I must say, that was impressive," she confessed and twirled one of the pink locks around her finger. "Way to put of the standard. I don't think anyone can beat that," she added and let go of her hair. Then she took a deep breath in and heard her name being called. "I guess, I will see you in a few minutes," she blew a kiss to the girls before walking up to the stage.

The siren stepped up on the stage and walked over to the karaoke guy to pick her song. Then she walked over and grabbed the mic.  "I can remember a time when I was so afraid; When even my shadow wouldn't follow me," she began and closed her eyes to just feel the music "So I, I, I'm picking up my sword;To shatter all the pieces that I was before;'Cause I, I, I'm worth fighting for; For, for, for," her voice was soft, and she opened her eyes again and looked over the crowd. "So put me in a cage; Lock me in a room; Throw away the key; I dare you" she ran the free hand over her pink curls, "I'll break down the walls; A higher wrecking ball; And I won't let you tear me down, no, oh, oh; Throw away the key; I dare you, oh, oh; And I won't let you tear me down, no" she felt the lyrics more than she had realized or thought that she would - and it was clear in her voice. "I had an opinion, but I never spoke my mind; And I wouldn't argue, even when I knew I was right" she got eye contact with Nelinah shortly, mostly because in this crowd the banshee was the only one she trusted completely. It wasn't like she was scared of preforming, but she also felt very deeply - the alcohol just added to her emotional needs. Veronica then moved her eyes over the ring of people. " But I'm not that girl anymore; Yeah, I lost the battle but I won the war; 'Cause I, I, I'm worth fighting for; For, for, for," "So put me in a cage; Lock me in a room; Throw away the key; I dare you" . Veronica felt the music close to heart, and moved her hips and upper body to the beat of the music with ease. "I'll break down the walls; A higher wrecking ball; And I won't let you tear me down, no, oh, oh; Throw away the key; I dare you, oh, oh; And I won't let you tear me down, no" Veronica licked her lips shortly and then letting her gaze fall upon Charlie and gave her a hint of a smile, before returning to her song; "I just kept on running, running, running; Trying to find out who I was; I would go the distance but it wasn't far enough; But now I'm standing straight and know exactly who I am
Yeah, yeah" she stopped for a second and just looked softly out in the crowd. "I can remember a time when I was so afraid," she took a few steps back before she jumped to the beat at the chorus one last time. The people clapped and Veronica walked back down to Nelinha and Charlie. Veronica sat down on one of the chairs with a bright smile on her lips.
"That was fun."

"Thank ya doll," she smiled and took the shot. Veronica listened to Charlie's toast as if it was a speech to be told just before going into battle. A woo came from the siren just before downing the shot. Veronica smiled at Charlie trying to convince their stubborn friend to take the stage. The siren folded her lips a little as Charlie looked at her with those adorable eyes, how could she say no to that? The next question was, how? How could she make the banshee sing? "I have an idea," she got a cheeky smile on her lips and looked at Charlie. "If she isn't going to the stage.. we bring the stage to her," Veronica ran into the crowd of people and got the microphone. Then walked up on a few chairs to stand on one of the bar table, making the people around her go wild. "Right here, right now; I put the offer out; I don't want to chase you down; I know you see it," her dark brown eyes looked at the banshee and pointed at her. "You run with me; And I can cut you free; Out of the drudgery and walls you keep in," she took a minor jump to the floor, "So trade that typical for something colorful; And if it's crazy, live a little crazy; You can play it sensible, a king of conventional; Or you can risk it all and see," she walked back to her girls and looked playful at Charlie. The crowds attention were fully on them. "Don't you wanna get away from the same old part you gotta play; 'Cause I got what you need, so come with me and take the ride; It'll take you to the other side," the man controlling the music finally added the music to the song Veronica had started, which only allowed her to move her body to the rhyme as she walked over to them. "'Cause you can do like you do; Or you can do like me; Stay in the cage, or you'll finally take the key; Oh, damn! Suddenly you're free to fly; It'll take you to the other side," she handed the banshee the microphone.