The bright lights of the stage dimmed slowly, reducing the platform to semi-darkness as the applause died down to a scattered smattering, then fell silent completely, once again yielding to the atmospheric buzz of sound which normally permeated the air. The setting was a comfortably large café, which, after hours, also served as one of Medicai’s more upscale and well-known bars, catering to a wide range of different clientele. It was a Friday evening, and the night was still young, so the usual crowd was still in the process of slowly making their way in, whether it was in singles, pairs, or groups. It was right during that transitional period of time when the day scene was shifting to give way to the hustle and bustle of nightlife, a spectacle which only occurred in this particular quarter of the otherwise strictly professional city and was privy only to the residents who were familiar with the whereabouts and workings of Medicai. After all, even doctors needed someplace to relax, unwind, and perhaps grab a drink or two occasionally, right?
There was a soft clatter, the easily distinguishable sound of a microphone being returned to its stand, as the last performer left the stage under muted lights, her elevated shoes clicking softly against the polished hardwood floor as she walked off, descending the stairs that led back down from the raised dais to the open floor of the pub. Despite having returned to the level of the average bar-goers around her, the young woman’s flamboyant yet elegant clothing and proud deportment still set her apart from the rest of the crowd, and she eased her way through the mass of people with an effortlessness born of years of experience. Bella, along with her bandmates, had been performing at this joint for the past few months now, and it was all but home to them, by this point. They usually played two gigs a night on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and the weekends with a break to take a breather between performances each evening; customarily, the trio spent the hour’s lull together, but tonight, their lead singer/guitar player had decided that she needed some alone time, leaving her companions to their own devices.
Finding a quieter, somewhat secluded corner at the back of the bar, Bella sat down at an unclaimed table a little ways away from the crowd to brood, her eyes pensive as she watched the seconds tick by on the clock on the wall nearby, chin propped on her hands. Had the crowd been quieter tonight, less enthusiastic than usual? Or was it a figment of her own imagination? And she could have sworn that some of the looks she’d gotten as she’d passed through the crowd had been less than approving, even from those who usually supported her. Seeing that the patrons in the bar were content to ignore her for the time being, she procured a small, folded piece of newspaper, which unfurled to reveal an article, or rather, a column, which had been cut out of the paper. Judging by its rather worn appearance, it had been read more than a few times since it had been printed, featured in yesterday’s paper. Gold eyes trailed along the sentences which had long since all but been committed to memory, but each time she read them again, they cut just as deeply as the first.
The sole focus of the piece was, apparently, to turn a malicious eye upon her, and it went into extensive detail on her faults and shortcomings, a good number of which weren’t even true. Bella knew that as an artist, it was not uncommon to occasionally get scathing criticisms like this one, but still, the stark, cold reality of the situation was almost enough to floor her. She’d never even heard of this writer, who penned his piece as ‘Kobra’, until yesterday. Nonetheless, she was determined to turn the other cheek, pick herself up, and simply move on with her life and forget this ever happened, and so tonight, she’d turned out to perform her gig as usual. Despite her resolve though, doubt still mercilessly heckled her mind throughout the duration of her act, threatening to eat away at her outward composure. Now, she just desperately needed a break, a little time to pull herself back together before putting herself back in the limelight once again, under the merciless scrutiny of hundreds of condemning eyes.