In need of a good laugh (Mal tag Any)

[Mal Harper]

[Character Name: Mal Harper]
[Location: peirside]

Most people came to Peirside with a fake ID for a beer. Mal came for the wings and soda. Of course she needed soda, she was addicted to caffeine. Mal just needed out of the house. Well first she had gone to see JJ and stayed with him for a bit, before going to the hospital to see Zak and then coming here for much needed food. Her mother was on some stupid health food kick, which sucked. So Mal came here for her junk food kick so to speak. Not to mention her parents were still ranting and raving about last week. No one seemed to be letting it go in her house, and it was bad. Mal had let it go. it was a tragedy, but people needed to move on. Her website was pretty much done. The tribute to the school was on the net. She did pretty girl for a girl who made music videos.


Mal was busy checking her IPOD with new music she was going to show Patch, then she could say she knew better music. Patch was a trip. Although Mal could honestly not think of a better person to share music with besides JJ. Patch would always insist his music was better, and Mal would do the same, but they could appreciate each others taste and it would not stop Mal from sharing.

When the wings came she put her IPOD away and started to eat. She was like the queen of napkins right now. She had so many because face it, wings could get very, very messy. Which is what some,one saw as the walked over to Mal's table. Her fingers were a mess of BBQ sauce from her wings and all Mal did was just smile. "Hey care to join me. The wings are so good."

[Cole Hobbes]

The day had been gorgeous, and Cole was relieved to escape from school and head out to the beach. His first stop was home, since he had only worn flip-flops that day and there was no way he'd be walking so far in those. He grabbed a pair of Pumas and his hemp hoodie (his favorite, not because it was hemp but because it was ridiculously comfortable) and headed out.

Cole was starting to become quite familiar with much of the city, though he tended to stay on the north side. This particular night he headed west and after a while found himself near Pierside. He decided to stop and have a beer if he could. He hadn't shaved for a few weeks, and though it only looked like a few days of growth, he hoped it was enough to convince a bartender he was old enough.

After two unsuccessful attempts, Cole decided such a fate was not in the cards for him that evening and decided to settle on a soda. He was starting to get hungry, as well, so he thought he might get some wings. He headed for a decent restaurant, and thus he finally saw what the evening had in store for him.

A classmate he recognized was sitting alone at a table scarfing down wings, a particular classmate that he had been wanting to talk to for a while. Cole was aware that Mal Hooper (or something) did a lot of the music videos for her friends' band. Also, she was quite pretty, and Cole always enjoyed talking to pretty girls. He headed over to her, glad to see she was very welcoming.

“Hey, Mal, I'd totally love to join you. I've actually been wanting to chill with you for a while.” Cole grinned. He couldn't help it, as the girl seemed like such a mess it was quite endearing. Handing her a napkin, he tried his best to look serious. “I have a proposition for you,” he started, but the seriousness of his question was overshadowed by Mal's childlike exuberance for wings. He couldn't help but comment. “But first you have to promise me you'll clean yourself up!”

[Mal Harper]

Mal smiled, she knew the guy, his named was the same as a muscian of some sort, but Mal was bad with names. To remember a name was to ask her what the capital of Budapest is. She had no clue. Mal did pay attention in school, but then she would also tune out and think of something else to do. She had her moments, but knowing names was not one of them. It would come to her...soon...hopefully...maybe...if he was lucky. However, what was bad was that the guy knew her name. Oh no.

Mal nodded and motioned for him to sit. She took the napkin and wiped her hands and mouth and took a sip of her soda. She finally cleaned up. She took one of the wet naps they gave you with the wings and finished wiping her hands. COLTRANE. That was the guys name. God how could Mal forget the name of one of the best Jazz musicans around. Cole thats who the guy was. Finally. Now Mal would not have to keep guessing. "Thanks for joinging me Cole." Mal said as she left out a quick sigh of relief.

She eyed him when he spoke of a proposition. She was very curious. "Sure....I tell me about your proposition..." Mal wondered. "What can I do for you?" She said in a sing song voice with a huge smile on her face. She was always willing to listen.

[Cole Hobbes]

Cole could think of a number of things that Mallory Hooper could do for him. I grin came to his face. She wasn't afraid of being herself, and to Cole that was one of the most attractive traits a girl could have. But before any of those ideas were to happen, he needed to get down to the matter at hand.

Gazing over the mound of napkins that had accumulated, Cole started with a bit of flattery. “I know you make those incredible videos for that bowling alley band. I love them. The style you use totally rockin'.” He was sincere, as he had seen the videos and really liked them. The band itself wasn't necessarily his taste, but he could see why people like them.

“Anyway, I've been approached by some labels, but I haven't liked any of them so far. They all just want some face to play their crap, you know?” He hoped Mal agreed with him. She might be offended if she's some pop princess or has no taste in music, but if that was the case then Cole wouldn't want her services. “So I was thinking maybe if I got a video out on youtube or something, I could get the attention of people who really want to make music, and not bullshit.”

Cole smiled and reached across the table for Mal's hands.”And that is where your lovely self comes in...”

[Mal Harper]

Mal sat back and listened. The guy already had a plus, he called her Mal and not Mallory. Anyone who dared call her Mallory had better keep walking. The named sounds like a Barbie doll. Her mother would love that. Yuck. She smiled as he complimented her video making skills. She use to be much worse. It took lots of trial and error to get the quality and ability she had. Once he was done, Mal smiled as Cole took her hand, "Thank you for the compliments. " Mal started off by saying, "Flattery is defiantly a way to start." She laughed.

"I agree, no one wants to sell out and play commercial pop crap. If thats what you are into then I must give you a rude awakening, but you seem like a smart guy already. I can defiantly help. What kind of genre of music do you do? Is it classic rock, Indie, punk, emo, jazz....is it a combination...Maybe you should play for me sometime, before I start the music video. That way I can get an idea, so I can figure out what kind of style video to make and which camera angles....and never mind....but yes I can do that for you."

Mal was really impressed by a guy who wanted to not sell out. Selling out was so easy. If you wanted to be famous and make money then there were pop labels everywhere, but if you wanted to make music, then you would struggle, but you would not have to sell your soul. "Now usually it takes me a day to actually make the video and depending on what kind of video you want, it should take a total of three maybe four days tops." She was calculating in her head.

[Cole Hobbes]

How would Cole describe his music? He wasn't really sure. It definitely wasn't emo, classic rock, jazz, or anything like that. Not really country-ish at all, thankfully. Maybe indie, but even indie bands didn't really sound much like him. “I dunno what you'd call what I play. Maybe sad-sack acoustic rock?” He joked, but that wasn't too far off. Most of his songs dealt with either love or the loss of it, they weren't hardcore at all. They were softer, easy to just put on in the background and chill to.

“How about this,” he said, coming up with an idea. “Hang out with me a bit for a few days, get to know what I'm like. I really want this to be, you know, me. I'm in no hurry to have this done, it can take a while. Few weeks, a month, it's cool. I'll play some of my tunes for you, we'll pick one that you dig and stuff, and we'll see what happens.”

He realized this might sound like he was hitting on her, but he was cool with it. It she dug him and was all about it, who was he to say no? But his main priority was to make this video happen. He may be a relaxed guy, but he was serious when it came to his music. Even if his parents weren't big fans of it, he knew his songs were great and he just wanted people to hear them. Money wasn't a major concern for him. Though, he realized, it might be for Mallory.

“And, you know, I can totally make it worth your while.”

[Mal Harper]

If the guy was hitting on her Mal did not notice. She was oblivious to those things. She just liked the compliments when it came to her abilities. "And just how do you plan to make it worth my time?" Mal asked. She was curious to see his answer. Like any normal human being she would think of ways that involved the bedroom, but Mal would have to decline that. She did not care for that kind of payment. Cash, food, or him helping her in the future if she needed it was payment enough. "If you don't have money thats fine...i don't exactly need money but I am just curious as to what you are thinking..." Mal said giving him a smile. Her dad was a lawyer so he always gave her money, even if she did not want it.

"I like your ideas. Yeah...I mean the more I do hang out with you and hear music the more of an idea I will get. You will need a theme for the music video. But the right theme is always the question. Like for JJ's band, one music video's theme was the living dead, very hard, but that video rocked." Mal said with a big smile.

"I just warn you. I get a tad hyper with too much caffeine so if I stay up one might messing with ideas just ignore me because odds are I will not use them at all. I just get very into my music." She told him as she laughed, "You should see me at dinner with my family. It's bad." Mal told Cole. "I need to learn to lay off the caffeine."

[Cole Hobbes]

Cole realized his offer had probably sounded a bit sleazy, which he had not intended. Yes, he liked girls and he loved flirting, but he felt he was much better than a lot of the cheesy sleazeballs out there. “I can take care of food and costs and stuff. And, if anything comes of it, you'll totally get credit and a cut, but we can figure all that stuff out later.” Cole smiled, as he understood that of care for money. His parents did well enough, but really Cole didn't need much. He liked to live a shackle free life, and money just drug people down. But it was necessary sometimes, and it would be nice to get paid the big bucks for doing what he loved so that all he had to worry about was music and the waves.

A chuckle escaped Cole's lips as Mal talked about her caffeine craze. “It's cool,” he spoke through the laugh, “it's just brainstorming, right? Unless you get outta hand and you have like a brain hurricane, I think we'll be chill.” He knew Mal was a good choice, as the more he talked to her the more he dug her ideas. Though nothing specific related to his music, just they way she attacked a project interested Cole. Someone so passionate about her work should be able to make a great video, and even if record companies can't get into it, he'll be happy to just have a video.

Happy with the direction they were headed, Cole decided to focus on things other than the project. “Dinner with your parents? I feel special, I don't even know you that well and you already want me to meet the folks!” He smiled his goofy grin, then stretched his arms out to the sides. His shirt pulled tight across his chest and lifted slightly, revealing part of his well-defined stomach. Cole stayed in great shape, though he wasn't very conscious of it. He just had good genes, and combined with his active lifestyle made for a silhouette that most girls appreciated.

“So, how about we meet up tomorrow after school, I'll bring my guitar, and we'll get started?”