Girls will be girls.

Essie had been at the club for hours already. Most of it was working of course. A girl had to make a living somehow and getting up on stage to sing was the best way to go. She got the gig on her own just weeks before. Being a wood nymph made things a little harder sometimes. She had to make sure that she could get to her gigs and still be able to reach trees in situations where it was required. That was one reason she loved her designation. Should she have been tied to a specific tree, doing what she loved would have been a lot less possible. Travelling was a little easier because most places had some form of woodland and she had access to it all instead of just the one. Of course, the forest of Harper Valley was her home and as such it was where she would always end up back to but that wasn't the point. At least, it wasn't the point tonight.

She had no idea how long she had been up there singing. Most of them were originals that she herself wrote. Toward the end of her second half, she even took a few requests to cover. She loved to sing and it showed in all of her performances. However when she was finally sung out she was glad to relinquish the stage to the club's next band and head over to the bar.

"Red Sangria," she told the bartender with a warm smile.

"Those songs were delightful makes me wish I hadn't come in on the tail end of your performance." Essie looked up at the woman as she was addressed and smiled at the compliment. Though, she couldn't help but raise a curious eyebrow as she got the woman's full name. Immediately, she caught something familiar about it but she couldn't decide what. She let it go and simply shook Aurora's hand.

"Sophia Contis," she said. "Though I mostly just go by Essie."

If Aurora wanted to be on full name basis, Essie would answer in kind. To her, it was just common courtesy. Then again, to others, Essie could be considered weird for seeing things in such a way. In her difference, she was pretty much old school. "So how long have you been enjoying stage life?" She took a sip of her drink as Aurora asked that and thought back to the first time she sang versus the first time she sang on stage in front of a crowd. When Aurora mentioned her own experience in the world of stage performance, she realized that she had likely seen the name around or heard it spoken a time or two. It was certainly interesting to say the least.

"Only about a year or two," she said. "I certainly enjoy it though."

Out of everything Essie expected, it wasn't being asked for a duet. Not many people ever really bothered to ask her for one. In fact, she didn't think anyone ever had. She was stunned but also intrigued. Honestly, she was interested by the offer. Personally she thought it would be fun, and the nymph was all about having fun, especially after her messy marriage and divorce.

“No,” she said quickly, her bright smile growing. “It's fine. It sounds fun actually. I've never really done a duet with anyone before. I did only have the stage for a limited time, but I can talk to the manager and the band to see if they're up for one more song.”

Essie eyed the other woman with amusement for a moment before grinning. She was happy. It had been a while since she met anyone who could answer her high level of enthusiasm where music was involved. Aurora could probably surpass hers. Essie really didn't mind that though. It was actually really refreshing. Besides, the idea of actually singing with someone else for once.

“Really, don't worry about,” she assured her. “I'm the same way.”

The name Xanatos held little meaning to Essie. She didn't come to New York often enough for the name to be significant. Aurora's introduction was the first time she ever heard. Then again, that couldn't really be a surprise. She called home a small isolated town in North Carolina. The only significance the woman's name and attitude suggest to Essie was that she simply knew her way around the club scene. That was admirable in and of itself.

“I'll be right back,” she said before hurrying off to speak to who she had to so they could get on the stage. A few minutes later, she headed back over to Aurora. “He said we could. They're going to finish the song they're on and call us up for one.”

Even if the name Xanatos meant something to her, the little nymph wouldn't have cared. Being the daughter of a nymph known through myths that survived to this day, she was used to a number of Ancient Greek buffs finding that just fascinating and the human ones had only been fascinated because of the name not knowing Erato really was the Erato. They had just thought her mother shared the name because of parents who had been buffs themselves. It was quite amuses and she was fussed over after finding out she knew so much about Ancient Greece herself. Still it was more of a small town thing and nothing like Aurora's family probably had. Either way, Essie didn't care about fame or money. She was all about life and fun.

“How about Break the Rules by Charli XCX?” she suggested. “I haven't done new and fresh in a while. It'll be a nice change for me.”

Essie had a blast when she sang. She was most alive up on the stage than she was in most other places. Sometimes it even surpassed her birthright. While she loved being around a patch of trees and breathing in the fresh air, she wasn't always completely at peace. There was a time when she used to be, but pollution and paper mills ruined the purity of it. Now there was always a bit of sadness that came with the peace because she knew not many cared about the beauty they were destroying to make their lives easier. When she was on stage and singing her heart out, she could forget the tragedy of it even for just as long as the song lasted. She was vibrant and thrilled at the end of the song and was surprised at Aurora's bold announcement.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

She wasn't rejecting the idea. Honestly she was honored, but Aurora barely knew her and to Essie it felt a little more like a spur of the moment. She would certainly agree to joining the festivities of the other woman's wedding. She really did like the atmosphere weddings generally carried. She would love to go. She just wanted to make sure Aurora had thought this through. She didn't want the bride-to-be to put in an awkward situation once she realized she had missed something critical, like a sister or friend that deserved the honors she was bestowing on a girl she really didn't know.

“I mean, I don't mind,” she added hastily. “I would love to come and would be honored to be maid of honor. I just would hate to stop on toes due to hastiness. I hope I'm not offending you right now. I'm really not trying to.”

Essie smiled at her new friend. She was actually really happy about the invitation. She was also very honored about it. She let out a delighted laugh and nodded. She didn't even blink at the mention of her being a siren. Personally, she was kind of curious about it. She was a nymph, though, so she didn't really think much of it.

“All right,” she said. “Okay. I would love to be your maid of honor, Aurora. Thank you and I don't know much about this city so I have know clue what there is to really do around here aside from drinking and dancing in clubs like this. I really do only come out here for gigs.”