(2016-08-13) Busking Near Central Park Zoo
Busking Near Central Park Zoo
Summary: Serenity plays near the Central Park Zoo for an audience that includes Pete Wisdom.
Date: 2016-08-14
Related: None
NPCs: None
Scene Runner: NA
Social/Plot: Social
Players:
pete-wisdom..serenity..

Serenity has stationed herself near the Central Park Zoo today so she can catch some possible change from people spending their Saturday there. She is unsurprisingly situated so that the nearby camera from the CCTV security in NYC cannot see her because there's a tree between her and it.


And look who's exiting the zoo proper, as things start to get busy? Always good to see the sea lions relaxing and playing before the zoo fills up with tourists. Striding by, relaxed and at ease was Pete. He stopped nearby, but not in front of, Serenity's playing. And he noticed her very careful position. Curious. Very curious.

Yes, it's Pete Wisdom, oh so curious and zoo-hoppy.


As usual, Serenity is not looking up from her guitar as she plays. She is not even singing on this occasion but is instead playing a combination of children's songs and classical music instead.


Only some tourists are making requests. Wisdom stood by, looking here and there carefully. Suspecting something? Likely. A moment or so passes, as when she finishes with a song, his voice comes clear:

"Lemon Tree, by Peter, Paul and Mary, if you would, please.'


Serenity's gaze flickers up at the sound of Pete's voice. As she looks back down she acknowledged him softly, "Always take requests from such a generous repeat customer." She takes a silent breath then begins to play the indicated song.


Pete Wisdom sat down at a bench nearby, and he put his hands in his lap. Though it wasn't obvious, the song itself has a reaction in Pete. It makes his heart ache. But he was good at the stiff upper lip. He listened in silence, looking at the woman past his sunglasses.


Serenity's performance of this particular song shows off something that previous songs have not. When she gets to the chorus where the trio normally sings harmonies against each other, her voice becomes faintly polyphonic as she creates hints of the harmonies behind the melody she is actually singing.


Pete Wisdom went a little thin lipped. It was difficult to maintain one's composure against such a performance. Even for Pete. When she finished, however, two Jacksons were placed in her guitar case. "Thank you," Wisdom said, voice wavering for half a second.


Serenity glances at his donation briefly. "Any time, Pete. Anything else you'd like to hear?" She asked as she idly strums Puff the Magic Dragon in honor of the theme he started by asking for Peter, Paul and Mary without actually singing it.


"Oh, just whatever. This is fine." He really didn't mind. But songs that pulled to one's childhood could hurt a little bit.


For whatever reason, Serenity does not add the lyrics as she plays through the song. When she finishes it she clears her throat very slightly. A hand briefly lifts to wipe at her left eye and brush away moisture before it can fall. She switches from children's music back to classical guitar pieces. In this case, the works of Mauro Giuliani.


That's a little better for Pete. He can at least spare a few more minutes to listen. He paid her, after all, may as well indulge in her services.


Serenity whispers behind the music so she doesn't drown it out, "Are you sure you don't have a preference? Something happier maybe?"


"Something happier would be grand, but I'm not sure. Hard to play the B-52s on an acoustic!" Pete laughed a little.


Serenity smirks just a little at that and briefly whistles the opening of Don't Worry, Be Happy as she considers what to play for him.


Oh, god. Bobby McFerrin. "Do you know any Heart?" Also not easy to play on an acoustic. "Fleetwood Mac is too depressing."


Serenity considers for a moment, "Okay. Tricky. I like tricky. It gives me a challenge." She is quiet for a moment then begins tapping out a drum beat with her feet and a against the neck of her guitar. She picks out the melody of 'These Dreams' lightly before she begins to sing. The improvised drums, guitar and singing all come off in perfect rhythm.


Pete Wisdom smiled and shut up as soon as she started to play. He even shut his eyes.


The performance takes her entire body and begins to draw a bit of a crowd behind Pete to watch the performance. Serenity actually begins to smile during the song as she enjoys the challenge. The smile only fades once she has finished and notices just how many people have stopped to watch. She pops up and gives a little bow since it seems appropriate when people start clapping.

As the clapping dies down she sits and moves to something easier in Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'"


Now there's a song that always sounds good on the acoustic. Pete kept a wary eye now, watching if people left tips. For Serenity's benefit, he added a lower harmony with the lyrics, "And I'm a bad boy, cos I don't even miss her. I'm a bad boy for breakin' her heart."


Serenity quickly suppresses her urge to grimace a little with Pete joins her because she always worries about the quality of anyone else's singing. Still she is not disappointed with the overall effect. When she finishes the song, she gives a little wave to the audience and turns to collect her earnings with a quiet, "That's all for now. I have to go find some lunch. Enjoy your day folks."

Her guitar is tucked back into its case before she murmurs to Pete, "That wasn't bad for a paper pusher. You want lessons?"


"No, thank you on the lessons. I already pay you plenty, and you don't have a space to teach " Pete pointed out with a smile.


Serenity chuckles as she picks up her guitar. She glances briefly around the tree she's sitting beside, coincidentally straight at the CCTV Camera without ever exposing herself to it then turns to walk the other way, "You do pay pretty well. You should keep coming around." Which since she doesn't play in the same place two days in a row would be tricky.


"Maybe," Pete started, "I could hire you to follow me around and provide my own cinematic soundtrack." He laughed again. "So, how you been?" Now that she was done they could actually talk!


Serenity shrugs her shoulder slightly, "Managed to find a gym that would give me a membership without ID so I have regular access to a shower so long as I can earn enough for the membership every month. This is a good thing. I like being clean."


"Cleanliness is next to godliness, as they say," Wisdom agreed. "Showers are the best."


Serenity nods, "Now as long as I can avoid getting my skull cracked by a vomiting bum, I should be good." Boy does that have the sound of something that almost happened.


"Sounds like you've had some interesting times. Any war stories?" Wisdom asked curiously, as he got to his feet to accompany her wherever she'd like to go for lunch.


Serenity admits honestly, "Someone saved me from getting my head broken last night in Hell's Kitchen. Spider-man saved me a little while back in the park. Somebody might think that the city isn't safe or something."


"Well, it isn't. Do you know who saved you last night? Spider… Girl? Saved me. Too many Spiders," Wisdom half joked.


Serenity shrugs a shoulder, "Maybe. I'd definitely know him if I saw him again out of that costume."


"What did he look like? The one who saved you in Hell's Kitchen?" Pete's curiosity was only natural, of course.


Serenity frowns, "It was hard to see him. He stayed in the shadows, but I think his outfit was black and red. Over the eyes even."


"Mmmh. Black and red. Even over the eyes. Hell's Kitchen. Sounds like Daredevil. Careful with that one. He'll have his eye on you in that neighborhood," Wisdom mused. "Sorry. Sort of an aficionado of super heroes. Would you believe me if I told you I managed to get Captain Britain's number?"


Serenity pauses to give him a flat look, "Why would I believe you about anything else and not believe you about that?" Wait. Is Serenity saying she believed him about something? That can't be right. She definitely doesn't trust him. "I mean… Captain Britain sounds like a British superhero and you work for the government right? You probably have access to a whole huge file on him. Him and his whole family and extended family."


Pete Wisdom started laughing. Like, seriously laughing. "I just work for the government. I don't even have many members of Parliament on my mobile, let alone extensive fingers on the Captains, or their families."


Serenity shrugs again, "If you say so. What do I know. I'm just a homeless girl living in New York."


Pete Wisdom says, "Succeeding at being homeless in New York tells me that you know much more than you let on. Cor, you've been careful not to even show your face." He wasn't going to tell her that she behaved though she was hiding something. But he did let her know that he wasn't a fool. "So, what're you hungry for?"


Serenity flashes him a wary glance, "And how would you know anything about whether or not I've shown my face? You've seen my face."


Pete Wisdom says, "Never fully. Heck, that glance you gave me just now so doesn't even let me really see your eyes. Isn't the heat oppressive?" Asked the man who was in a full business suit. "And that reaction there. Immediately defensive. Not to mention your little… freak out? Back at the theater district."


Serenity actually stops and shakes her head, "That I definitely do not want to talk about. You wouldn't either. And I'm used to the heat. I'm homeless." She punches the button to cross the street so she can get to some place with food.


"I don't like talking about the skeletons in my closet. Always have that door open just for me, though." Now who's the crazy one? "I'm just saying you're smarter than you let on.

Pete continued, "Sorry if that doesn't jive with you. I tend to be too observant for my own good."


Serenity frowns, "When did I pretend not to be smart, Pete? I'm very smart."


"Did I say your weren't smart? No. SmartER than you let on. Don't twist my words, if you'd be so kind." Wisdom looked at his watch, thoughtful. "You come off as quiet and very drawn inward. But you're careful enough to keep your face mostly obscured even in this heat, and I notice that even while we're walking and moving you're keeping your back to that camera over there." He gestured to the very obvious street cam.


Serenity does not glance in the direction of the camera. She spends a lot of time in this area. She knows where the camera is. "So what if I don't want my face on camera. Something wrong with being a private person, Pete?" She look up at him, for just a moment her dark brown eyes make perfect contact with his own blue ones.


"A homeless person with an expectation of privacy in the city of New York isn't a realistic state of mind," Wisdom explained. "You've got lovely eyes. Invest in, or steal, glasses or sunglasses. Hipsters love them, and it adds to your attempts at anonymity." He wished he had a cigarette. "I like you. You've got talent for certain things. But I need to get going. Don't spend all you've earned in one place." The homeless did have a tendency to blow their earnings on creature comforts. Drugs, alcohol, or very rich foods.


Serenity mutters, "Showers." She shakes her head, looking insulted and walks away without another word.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License