(Bartender/Tutor) Xiaobai Lai

central. twenty-three. usually online in the evening during the week. feel free to contact me for anything, be it plots, ships, or anything else!

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As a child, you are a prodigy. As an adult, you are simply normal.

XiaoBai's family was never the most well off. His father worked long hours to support the family while his mother wanted the idealistic stay at home wife lifestyle. His grandmother also lived with them, having moved in once his grandfather passed only a few years after XiaoBai was born. Despite what little money they had, his mother wanted to push her son into becoming something she could brag about when she met up with the other mothers from the neighborhood. So-and-so was so smart and at the top of their class. So-and-so won a tournament in martial arts.

One his fifth birthday, his mother presented him a violin. She had been saving up for the past three years, and there was no room for objections. She was able to find a local tutor who could teach him how to play on the cheap, though he was otherwise meant to teach himself through the books she was able to either buy or check out from the library.

He took to the violin like a fish to water. His school's music teacher signed him up for a local competition and began working with him after school to prepare. His mother and grandmother were the only ones to show up for the competition; his father had to pull a late shift to finish up reports. No one expected for his name to be called when they were announcing the results. He had won, much to even his own surprise.

He moved onto a regional competition, and, from there, he obtained the interest of a more affluential violinist who wanted to take him under his wing. His mother accepted without a second thought, and XiaoBai was forced to juggle school work while also traveling across the city for practice.

Eventually the piano was added to his plate. Then came the flute. His new teacher wanted to see just how far his natural skill went. How many instruments could he pick up almost as easily as he had the violin? His skill stopped at western brass instruments, but that was fine. They focused on woodwinds, strings, and the piano. He was allowed to borrow the smaller instruments and take them home with him to practice, but, otherwise, he preferred waiting until he was at school or his extra lessons to handle instruments he did not own.

They called him a prodigy, and that alone was enough to earn him spots in national competitions, on talk shows, etc. by the time he was barely ten. Honestly, he hated it. He hated the limelight. He hated being surrounded by people who only saw him for his talent.

He wished he could just end it all.

As fate would have it, his wish was granted after his high school graduation. He was hurried away from the ceremony to prepare for a concert. The last thing he recalled was stepping onto the stage.

And then he woke up in the hospital a week later.

The story he had been told was that the stage lighting fell. Almost everyone got away in time, but XiaoBai and a handful of other musicians were directly beneath it. The trauma and stress from it all had knocked him out, and his arm had been crushed while everyone else got away with some scrapes and bruises.

With his arm in a cast for a few months and the necessary physical therapy that followed, XiaoBai was no longer capable of playing anything for a long time. In that time, he lost contact with his teacher. The media went silent after the accident. He was finally given a moment of peace, despite his mother's wailing about his career and what she would tell the other mothers.

She tried to get him to perform again as soon as he was given a sign off by his doctor and physical therapist. He was allowed to play again, and it did not take him too long to get back into the groove of his music. Yet... He was unable to stand on the stage again. Tried as his mother might, something seized him every time she tried to drag him near. She eventually gave up, and XiaoBai decided it was time for him to move out and move on.

He tried a handful of part-time jobs before eventually training to become a bartender. He was good with his hands, after all. It seemed fitting. Plus, he was able to stay behind a 'barrier' of sorts and only interact with customers to provide drinks. To him, it was perfect, unless someone paid him a little too much attention for comfort.

Only a year ago did XiaoBai decide to tutor children in music. A woman recognized him at work and immediately hit him up to see if he could tutor her child. While he persistently declined at first, the rate she offered was too good to pass up. A month later, he posted online that he was tutoring children in the area, and he was able to schedule group lessons during the day when he was not normally working.


While XiaoBai hides his feelings behind a smile, there are a select few who not only see past his mask but are the only ones he allows himself to relax around. And they're all animals. Yes, XiaoBai presently only allows himself to unveil his pent up emotions around his pets. They witness everything from the moment he gets home, closes the door, and slides down to curl up on the floor.

Yes, they are all named after Studio Ghibli characters. He has the whole collection.

TOTORO - Goldendoodle - Male - Emotional Support Dog
HOWL - Corgi - Male - Designated Cuddler
MUTA - Munchkin Cat - Female - Recent Rescue & Total Cutie

BASICS

( OCCUPATION )
Bartender & Music Tutor
( AGE )
Twenty-six
( GENDER )
Male
( BIRTHDAY )
January 1st
( PRONOUNS )
He/Him
( SEXUALITY )
Demisexual
( FACE CLAIM )
Wei WuXian - Mo Dao Zu Shi

CODE CREATED BY MARI @ ADOXOGRAPHY