2019-10-24 - Karaoke At The Pourhouse

Mariah isn't behind the bar this evening. The platinum haired woman is settled just back in the darkest corner of the bar and watching things for the evening. She's dressed in an off the shoulder cream colored sweater, old ripped up jeans and brown riding boots. It appears that the owner is not working and content to watch Hank do his thing as she works on the numbers for the week. Paper work did need to get done at some point.

At Bar:
It's karaoke night, and most of his bandmates are here to sing. Thus it is not a surprise to find Ico here. Putting his name in the hat of singers before moving to the bar to order something to drink. Looking around to try and find familiar faces. Mariah does get a smile and wave. "Can I have a beer, please?" Asked to whoever is the nearest bartender.

At Booth 1:
Eleanor is here with August and Itzhak, finally over that stupid flu that wrecked her for a few weeks. This is likely her first excursion out of the house outside of checking in at work and doing paperwork in the coffee shop's office. She still looks a little worn down and thinner but much, much better than she had been when in the grip of it.

The redhead is in jeans and a cute pale green cable knit sweater, with ankle boots and her hair styled prettily in tousled waves. She relaxes in a booth with a bottled beer and looks around with interest at seeing who all has come out to either dazzle them or make them chuckle.

At Booth 1:
Itzhak has been getting drunk, like, really drunk. That's how he has to get if he's going to go to karaoke night! He's cementing his role as 'August's weird loud friend' to Eleanor. What is with this tall jerk with the nose, anyway? He's wearing tight, battered jeans, sleek steel-toe boots, and a t-shirt that reads "All I Care About Is Violin. And Like Three People." Anyway the point is he tucks two fingers in his mouth to wolf-whistle piercingly at Hank. Hey, Chubby Thor was hot!

At Bar:
Lyric, who was up by the bar dancing along to Hank's song once things had gotten started, takes another drink from her glass of coconut rum and juice as her name gets called and she fistbumps a couple of her bandmates before she heads up there to give Hank a fistbump too, and a one armed hug as she names the song she's singing. As the music begins, she sways her hips side to side, dancing to the light beat, while holding the microphone in hand for when the lyrics begin, and when they start, she just mimics movements to them whenever it is fitting. It's definitely not a dazzle me song. More to make someone laugh. Especially the movements she puts to it. (Use your imagination folks!)

"Coin operated boy, sitting on the shelf,
He is just a toy but I turn him on and he comes to life.
Automatic joy that is why I want
A coin operated boy."

"Made of plastic and elastic
He is rugged and long lasting
Who could ever ever ask for more?
Love without complications galore."

"Many shapes and weights to chose from
I will never leave my bedroom
I will never cry at night again
Wrap my arms around him and pretend."

"And if I had a star to wish on
For my life I can't imagine.
Any flesh and blood could be his match
I can even take him in the bath!"

"Coin operated boy, he may not be real experienced with girls
But I know, he feels like a boy should feel, isn't that the point?
That is why I want a coin operated boy
With a pretty coin operated voice
Saying that he loves me, that he's thinking of me
Straight and to the point that is why I want a coin operated boy."

At Booth 1:
Seated between Itzhak and Eleanor, August is in a slim fit, black sweater, pale denim jeans, and brown suede boots. As far as he's concerned, he has the best seat in the house. He's driving, so there's just a mocktail in front of him (grenadine, blood orange bitters, ginger ale), and a basket of tater tots for all three of them to share.

Unlike Itzhak, he doesn't plan to sing drunk, so he might not make a total fool of himself. Just like, fifty percent of one.

At Outside:
Just outside the door, and contributing to that chronic stale aroma of cigarettes mixing with the booze, is Cassidy. She's just a few paces from the door so she can see inside and hear the music. One arm is crossed over her body and her elbow of her other arm rests on it. A menthol is held and hovers right in front of her lips. She lets out a single "woo!" when the singer wraps up and then takes a drag.

Mariah gives a bit of a nod and a smile to Ico as she looks up from pile of papers. The bartenders make sure he gets a beer, as well as anyone else needing their drinks taken care of.

At Booth 1:
Ellie plucks up a tater tot to gnosh on as she watches the singers and cheers them on. "This is fun. I am never going up there though. You guys are way braver than I am," she notes to August and Itzhak with a bright smile. She takes a sip of her beer and squints a bit at Lyric's song. Not something she's familiar with. Kids these days, right? Or hermits these days. She sticks two fingers in her mouth and whistles for Itzhak being up next.

At Booth 1:
"Braver? Or," August looks askance at Itzhak, who's loaded up on liquid courage and then some, "drunker? Or," now he looks at Eleanor, "more confident in our ability to handle doing badly in front of God and everyone." He smiles. "I did plenty of drunk singing on stages and bars and tables in college. I',m used to it."

Fashionably late as usual, H. Everly Sutton wanders into the Pourhouse when the door's held for her. She says something to the gentleman behind her, and wanders into the bar wearing a dress that stays on by the magic of tailoring and buttons. She almost went fancy for a night at the bar, but in the end chose flip flops over heels.

Javier de la Vega, who wanders in behind her, looks like he's dressed for another funeral, sans jacket. Sutton's saying, "... I'll go find a seat if you go find the alcohol." She says that, but she's heading to the ladies room line. Last time she came here for an event (Shots night), she ended up in that damn thing half the night.

At Bar:
Scott is present at the bar as well, sipping a beer. He listens to the singing, grinning as he hears Lyric sing, offering her a salute with his beer. Glancing around to the others present, then to see who is the next one on stage. Waiting for Itzhak to get up there now that he hears his name offered.

At Stage:
Lyric giggles once her song is complete and hands the mic over to Hank with a kiss to the big guys cheek. She takes a playful bow and dances her way back to the bar and her drink. She doesn't sit down though, she remains standing so she can dance along to the music. Itzhak gets a quick thumbs up for encouragement and waves at Eleanor, remembering her from the day of the drinking contest mostly, but other places here and there.

At Bar:
Arriving late, the festivities already under way, Nicole enters the Pourhouse and makes her way directly to the bar. She's wearing calf-high brown leather boots, a dark washed skinny jean, and a maroon off the shoulder sweater with the pink strap of a camisole showing. Her hair is down tonight, cascading about her shoulders in soft waves. Finding an unoccupied stool, she looks towards the stage to see who might be up there now, and when the bartender asks for her order... "Long Island sounds good tonight. Thanks."

At Booth 1:
"I been terrible on stage!" Itzhak announces, to both August and the room at large. "You ain't done bad until it's two minutes before the concert starts and you're still on the subway. You ever seen a conductor look like he was about to invent nuclear fusion?" He cracks up at his own stupid joke. He's called up and waves to signal he's on his way, and hastily drains his beer.

At Booth 1:
Ellie grins at August and chuckles as Itzhak heads up. "Well he's definitely the drunk one, so I'm guessing you're the one not afraid of a little judgement over your karaoke skills. Is that even a thing? Karaoke skills? I feel like that should be a thing." She shoulder bumps him lightly. "Thank you for driving tonight, by the way. I haven't had a beer in weeks." Stupid flu.

At Bar:
Ico cheers for Ico. A thanks for the beer before turning to spot Scott. Raising his glass in toast before sipping. When Lyric comes over her will applaud her more. "Nicely done." He offers. Looking to see Itzhak head up on stage. Cheering for him.

At Booth 1:
"It's just singing skills. No one's going to ever pay me to sing, but I can sing okay if I know the song." August leans over, gives Eleanor a kiss on the temple. "You're welcome. Just remember, my fee is I will be memorizing all of the embarassing things revealed to me for future use." He bobs his eyebrows at her, has a couple of tater tots. He claps and whistles for Lyric, continues to do so as Itzhak heads up. "This should be good," he asides to Eleanor. His eyes stray to Sutton and Ruiz as they come in, back to Itzhak.

Mariah gives a smile as she sees familiar faces and there's waves given. She flings one of the pennies back at Hank and hits him in the butt with it. Causing the man to jump. She crosses one knee over the other and watches those that go up to sing as she taps the beats out with her finger tips.

Gentleman's a bit of a stretch, for the guy who follows Sutton in after holding the door for her. Sure, he's dressed nice, in a crisp shirt and waistcoat and pants that look tailored, instead of his usual grungy tee shirt, jeans and ball cap getup. But that's probably only because Sutton bitched at him until he agreed to wear this. And even then, he's turned the shirt's sleeves up to expose all those tattoos that make him look a few shades a criminal rather than an LEO.

He watches Sutton head for the bathroom instead of finding them a seat, and rolls his eyes before deciding to take matters into his own hands. Hey, there's August. And Itzhak. And some redhead he doesn't recognise. He stops by their table and raps on it with his knuckles. "Good luck," he tells the mechanic, amused. "Mind if we join you?" That's to Roen.

At Bar:
Tilting her head as Itzhak's name is called, Nicole looks to the man and gives him a finger wiggled wave. That is followed by a cheerful call, "Slay it, Z!" Her drink is delivered and her slender fingers curl around the cool glass, lifting it (and the straw) to her lips for a sip.

At Booth 1:
Eleanor blushes as August brow waggles at her, and has to cover it up with another sip of beer. "Future use? Are you going tell my employees terrible things about me, August Roen?" she asks with a finger waggled. "Don't you dare!" When Ruiz arrives at their table, she gives him a smile. She owns the coffee shop, he may not know her but she knows most everyone. "Captain de la Vega! Of course you can join us, that's ok right?" she asks August.

At Booth 1:
Itzhak's getting up when Ruiz asks to join their table. God knows why, but suddenly he blushes all the way down into the neck of his t-shirt. He looks like he was dunked in Kool-Aid. "Yeah, sure, I'm gonna," he waves at the stage and oonches by.

He veers by Lyric's table to offer her a high-five on the way up to the stage, and fingerguns ridiculously at Nicole, grinning. He's not drunk enough to stagger, but quite drunk enough to turn his gait into a full rolling strut. Alcohol, the solution to bashfulness for all of human history. 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' is queued up and Itzhak hops on the stage. He's the first to inform anybody that he's not a performer, so his turn isn't really about the vamping or the theatrics. It's about belting the fuck out of this song.

And it turns out, he's actually a pretty good singer, with a rough rock-n-roll voice well suited to Def Leppard. He sings bang-on key, snapping to the beat. Entire body rocking to the beat.

//"You gotta squeeze a little, squeeze a little
Tease a little more
Easy operator come a knockin' on my door
Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet
Little miss innocent sugar me, yeah, yeah
Give a little more
Take a bottle, shake it up
Break the bubble, break it up
Pour some sugar on me
Ooh, in the name of love
Pour some sugar on me
C'mon, fire me up
Pour your sugar on me
I can't get enough!

I'm hot, sticky sweet
From my head to my feet, yeah!"//

When he wraps up, he hangs the mic , performs a stage bow with a showy flourish and hops down.

At Booth 1:
"I'd never do that," August assures Eleanor with complete sincerity. "No promises when it comes to tormenting you, though." He gives her a sly grin, which turns into an expression of curiosity and raised eyebrows for Ruiz. He looks askance at Eleanor and, her approval given, nods at gestures at the rest of the booth. "Sure thing. We'll order some additional tots."

He laughs at Itzhak's song choice, claps and wolf whistles for him appreciatively.

At Outside:
Cassidy ditches the end of her cigarette and exhales a stream of smoke straight into the air before she finally walks in.

Cassidy is casually dressed in snug fitting black jeans, black ankle boots with a thick heel, and she stretches out a black tanktop covered by a faded black denim jacket. She has her blonde hair in 'messy' waves framing a modest amount of applied make-up.

The ADA weaves her way through to the bar and squeezes in. She's about to order when --- OH SHIT I LOVE THIS SONG!

Cassidy turns around at the chorus and screams back to Itzhak while he sings 'pour some sugar on meeee! - IN THE NAME OF LOVE!'

At Bar:
Settling her cold Long Island Iced Tea glass back on the bar, Nicole rises to her feet when Itzhak is on stage, singing his blessed heart out. Her hands clap together loudly in applause and when he finishes, she lifts one to her lips, thumb and fingers splitting her smile to allow a wolf whistle sure to be heard. "Great job, Z!"

At Bar:
Cassidy ... does okay at that I guess.

At Bar:
Lyric returns the high five to Itzhak when he goes by and leans in to tell Scott and Ico something when he does. She nudges them both as he gets to the stage to get them to listen to his voice, drunk or not. She hooks an arm around each of the two and murmurs, "Pretty good stuff yeah?" Letting them go just after. When he finishes, she whistles loudly then applauds with her hands over her head, enjoying the show.

At Booth 1:
Eleanor sings along to the Def Leppard classic. Ok she mouths the words. When it's over, she cheers and claps for Itzhak loudly. She knew that song! Hooray! "I didn't know he could sing! That was really good." She notes to August. Then she offers a hand to Ruiz, all bubbly greeting. "I'm Eleanor. I own Espresso Yourself. I don't think we've officially met."

There's a shrill, high-pitched, utterly unnecessarily sharp whistle from Sutton, as she just makes it to the front of the ladies room line, when Itz finishes up his rendition of Pour Some Sugar On Me. Guess she's a fan of that one. She danced in place the whole time he was singing. Luckily, she disappears into the ladies' before she can yell something wholly inappropriate.

At Bar:
There's a man at the bar. No telling when he got here really, he's just trying to blend into the crowd and enjoy the drunken warbling of the townsfolk. Maybe it's a certain twist on schadenfreude. Cristobal is slouched to the side, resting his elbow near his drink. He's doing his best impersonation of a shadow until a certain Police Captain and an EMT stroll in. He straightens suddenly, a poorly timed move as he accidentally shoulder checks a waitress, causing her to spill an entire tray of drinks with much crashing glass and cussing.

At Bar:
Scott grins as he offers a salute to both Lyric and Ico. Nodding a bit as he hears Lyric's words, he turns to watch Itzhak on the stage. "Wow..." he offers as he hears the singing. "Quite good."

At Booth 1:
Itzhak gets cheers and whistles and whoo he's beet-frikkin' red as he winds his way back to his table, grinning like a fool.

A cheer for Itzhak before moving to the scene as it would be his turn. Telling Hank what to put on. Moving to take stage. The slight funky style coming along before he will start to sing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZjAantupsA

He go through the verses easily enough, doing his best to channel a Prince-esque performance.

"Word up everybody says
When you hear the call you've got to get it underway
Word up it's the code word
No matter where you say it you know that you'll be heard.

Once he finishes he will easily and swiftly move back to where he was standing before grinning a bit as he drink from his beer again.

Ruiz might or might not notice the guy at the bar who's busy accidentally assaulting the staff. His dark eyes flick in that direction briefly, then slide away as he settles into the booth that August and Eleanor are currently occupying. "Sutton's.. actually, I don't know what the fuck she's doing. Hello." That's to Eleanor, in practically the same breath. He even smiles. A little. It kind of looks like he wants to eat her for dinner, though. As Itzhak finishes his number, the captain applauds heartily, expression amused as he watches the mechanic circle back to the booth.

Though she has no idea who knocked over a bunch of drinks, when Sutton emerges from the ladies, freshly lipsticked and much relieved, someone's still cleaning up the after-mess of Cristobal's fumble. She sidesteps and leans in nearby, because even if Ruiz picked up some drinks, there's no way he got enough. "Who deserves a drink for that fumble?" She waves down a bartender. "Patrón and a Bees Knees. Just double up on everything, I can hack it."

At Booth 1:
August has ordered Itzhak a beer, which he shoves towards him as he comes back to the booth. "Well done," he says, then tips his head at Ruiz. "We've got company," he says, bobbing his eyebrows.

Though he doesn't recognize the song or the singer in the least, August applauds for Ico. Then he slides out of the booth before Itzhak can box him in. "My turn," he says, and has a sip of his drink. "I'll grab us more tots on my way back."

At Booth 1:
Eleanor applauds for Ico because Prince was a treasure to them all. But she practically has heart eyes when August gets up to perform. Clasping her hands together before propping her chin on them, elbows on the table, to watch him. "I hate to see him leave but I love to see him walk away," she murmurs. Then she seems to realize that was her outloud voice, and she blushes and takes another deep draught from her beer bottle. "Well done, Itzhak! You have a great voice!"

At Bar:
Cristobal is crouched down, tossing some broken glass and ice cubes onto the waitresses tray when Sutton comes up to order a round of drinks. Hands pressing into his thighs, he rises at her words, splitting a grin in greeting. "Ten points to House Slytherin." He rumbles the response, eyes going past the EMT to the stage. "So what are you going to sing, Little Pepper?"

Nicole doesn't know Ico, but she cheers for his performance in between sips of her drink with applause and a "woo!" People watching seems to be her forte tonight, and she scans the crowd in between acts, waving or smiling to those she knows on occasion.

Mariah moves over to where Cristobal is with a dust pan and one of those brushes, "We got it." she tells the man. She's got no problem helping clean stuff. "Just don't want you to cut your fingers or anything." she states as she crouches down to sweep some glass into the pan. The waitress looks distraught, but Mariah shoos her to the back to destress herself.

At Booth 1:
"I, uh, hi! I noticed," Itzhak says, sliding in after August gets up, that rare brilliant grin on his narrow face. "How's by ya, Cap." Ico sings 'Word Up' and Itzhak is super into that, singing along and boogeyin in place. And snapping. Always with the snapping. The guy lives for a good beat. Then he laughs as Ellie uses her out-loud voice and offers her a dap. "Thanks," he says to her compliment, "not my main thing but you pick it up you do enough gigs, yannow?"

At Bar:
Lyric doesn't let the explosion of drinks bother her but she does recognize Cris and gives him a sympathetic look. Itzhak is cheered for, then as soon as Ico goes up, she cheers him on and when he finishes, she applauds and whistles. When Ico returns, she offers a fistbump, then asks, "Did you hear what I asked before you went up?"

At Booth 1:
August's chosen song is a bit of a change from the previous ones, but thanks to a certain 90s film it's easily recognizable once the piano strains begin.

I heard there was a secret chord,
that David played, and it pleased the Lord
but you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this: the fourth, the fifth,
the minor fall, the major lift,
the baffled King, composing Hallelujah...

He's looks at Eleanor and Itzhak as he sings, maybe to keep himself focused on that and not the part where he's very not drunk. This is the shorter, film soundtrack version, but it has the verses he likes the most, so that's fine by him. He's no trained singer, but he knows how to adjust his voice, a smooth baritone, if a note's out of reach.

Well there was a time when you let me know,
what's really going on below
but now you never show that to me do ya?
Remember when I moved in you,
the holy dove was moving too,
and every breath we drew was Hallelujah...

He finishes with a wink for the booth, sets the mic down without a flourish, and heads to the bar to get some tots. Also give Cristobal the side eye for this disaster.

At Bar:
Cassidy rolls her eyes and turns to the bar when she hears the opening notes to Hallelujah. "I'm going to fall asleep if I listen to that." She shakes her hair away from her face and finally places that drink order for a lemon drop. She swishes some air around in her mouth causing her cheeks to alternately inflate and deflate as she takes slow passing interest in the people around her - but mainly just waiting on her drink.

From yon outside enters a black leather jacket clad wall. Everett ducks under the doorframe while he enters the bar and pauses to take a glance around at how much more packed it is this time than the last. Thin lips purse with nervousness. With an uneven exhale, the gorilla wanders towards the closest free space at the bar, ordering a beer and fetching his wallet from the chain at his hip.

At Bar:
"Woo hoo!" Lyric cheers for August when he slows it down, and though she doesn't smoke, she has a lighter in her back pocket which of course she withdraws and flares up, swaying side to side. It's a song she knows but she doesn't sing along. Just taking the moment to enjoy it. As it ends and August heads to the bar where she is, she offers a fist bump to him along with a warm smile. "You've definitely got the pipes for it. Great job."

Sutton hooks an elbow on the bar for stability, not that she needs it so early in the night, but you never know who might sneak up on you and grab something requiring a solid elbow. She scans the crowd to see where Ruiz ended up, because he's not at this bar. She isn't carrying a purse, so it should be no surprise when she fishes a credit card out of her dress top and hands it across to start a tab.

"You're a fellow dungeon dweller, hm?" Slytherins, always getting chucked in the dungeon when someone dies. Goodness. "Radiohead. Unless it's too somber in here, then Blondie. How about you, Cristo? Smoke, rock, or power ballad?" Sutton nods to the bartender, then turns her gaze back to the blue-eyed bouncer. "One of whatever he's drinking. Maybe it'll keep him from toppling the ladies." She watches the Patrón pour come up first, two glasses, but the vintage cocktails are another minute. "Better give me two more Patrón." She waves to the tray forming. That's a ridiculous amount of alcohol. "... Love that song."

At Booth 1:
Ruiz slouches into his seat at the booth, and glances at his watch like he's wondering what's taking his drink so long. "You weren't too bad," he offers to Itzhak with a twitch at the corners of his mouth that might be a smile. Then his gaze roves back to the stage in time to catch most of August's rendition of Hallelujah. Curious choice. But he seems to approve, by his clapping.

Nicole gives a finger wave 'hello' to Everett as he takes a seat at the bar not far from her. Once she gets his attention, she lifts her mostly-gone drink in a cheers before watching August's performance. This time, her applause is one hand clapping to her denim-covered thigh.

At Booth 1:
Eleanor uh-huhs at Itzhak and the dap nearly hits him in the nose as she's not looking anywhere near him. She's all swoony like the utter dorkapotamus she is. She sways to the song, and blushes a bit at a few of the lyrics. She whistles for him and applauds when he's done, managing to catch her beer bottle before it topples when she nearly knocks it over in her enthusiasm.

At Bar:
Cristobal fishes into his wallet, absently thumbing off several bills that adds up roughly to a cool Benjamin that he offers to Mariah, "For the drinks, y'all keep change as a tip for the trouble." A bit of Texan flavors south of the border accent. "This'll do, thanks." Cristobal says of the first poured Patron as she offers to buy him a drink, curling into his paw of a hand. "Despacito usually makes the panties drop." Is that what he's going to sing? Hard to say as his eyes go wandering. "Or the boxers. There's a guy over there by your boy. Looks familiar."

With a double take Everett notices Nicole and smiles softly from the right corner of his mouth to her. He doesn't wave back, but when the busy bartender comes to collect payment for his beer, he'll point at Nicole, lean over the bar and doubtlessly order another for her as well. Picking himself from the long wood counter, Everett makes his way down to loom over the hairdresser and murmur something down to her.

At Booth 1:
"Don't neg me," Itzhak says to Ruiz, wrinkling his nose at him comically. August gets up and sings the Cohen classic to Itzhak and Ellie, and Itzhak doesn't know quite what to make of that. Ellie, sure, him, ???. His blush doesn't cool, and he watches him raptly. ...He also neatly dodges Ellie's off-target dap, swerving that big damn nose out of the way.

Mariah shakes her head at the offer of money, "That's perfectly alright, accidents happen." she tells him as she helps mop up the area and then lays a dry towel down just in case to soak up anything. Thankfully it's not a really high trafficked spot. Then she's straightening and gives Sutton a smile, "I'm glad I haven't had to call you guys in awhile. It's nice to see you." she tells her.

At Booth 1:
August grins at the applause, blows a kiss to the various people seated at the booth. We'll see who wants to catch it.

He returns Lyric's fistbump, orders some tots, cheese sauce, and another shirley temple for himself. "Thanks. Can't say I recognized yours, but I liked the sound of it. Interesting." His attention drifts to Cristobal, back to Lyric. He raises his drink to her, has a sip of it, and heads back to the booth. He sets the tots down among the group, nudges against Eleanor. "Thanks for the applause, it's nice to have a cheering squad."

At Bar:
Ico has been quiet. Listening and cheering for all that go on. Hearing a whisper from Lyric, nodding. "Sure. Why not." He offer with a smile. Seeming to agree with something. Leaning in to whisper to Lyric in turn.

"Despacito only works on me when it's a Drag King singing it... so far. You could try it, for science, and I'll let you know." With Cristobal's attention going right to Ruiz, it's not hard to spot the cop and the group he's with. Sutton eyes them briefly. "Look at that little cluster of dark-haired delights." She tips her head, shamelessly eyeballing the men at Booth 1. Don't think she doesn't check out the redhead too, though. "... Which one?" She stares at Ruiz for a long moment, then flicks a look to Cristobal. "The lanky New Yorker whom I'm going to think of next time I put sugar in my tea or the salt&pepper lumberjack type with the baritone?"

At Bar:
"I always liked Cohen's songs," Scott remarks as he listens to August's singing, applauding as the man finishes. As it's his time to go up, he drains the last of his beer. "Here's hoping I get through this," he remarks, lightly. Getting to his feet and moving for the stage, he grins as he quietly tells Hank which song he'll be going for. "As they say, and now for something completely different," he offers to the crowd, before the music starts it off with a long guitar solo. And then he starts on the singing...

"I never wanted to settle down
Just a kid on a highway to nowhere
Wishin' for my girl to be real
She would satisfy my sou-ou-oul

Ten thousand lovers, in one
Ten thousand lovers
Ten thousand lovers, in one

Seems like I've known her a thousand
Years
We've been together all through our
Lives she knows the way love should be
A fire burning endlessly

Ten thousand lovers, in one
Ten thousand lovers
Ten thousand lovers, in one

She's like
Ten thousand lovers, in one"

Another bit of instrumental, and then he finishes up with the last few times of the chorus. Letting that last repeat hang in the air for a little while, he pauses to catch his breath. A few brief moments of pause longer, before he smiles. "Thank you." And down from the stage he goes again.

At Booth 1:
Eleanor beams at the blown kiss and she and Izhak will probably be in one of those cartoony dust balls when people fight to catch it. "You have a voice afterall, August," she quips to him, kissing his cheek. "That was nice. Great song."

At Booth 1:
Ruiz is 99% certain that none of the kisses blown from August were intended for him. That niggling 1% is not enough to make him linger on it, though. Particularly as his phone goes off midway through, and he grumbles as he tugs it out of his pants pocket. "Don't neg you?" he repeats to Itzhak. "The fuck does that mean?" Must be some newfangled young person speak, says the look on his face, right before his eyes duck toward his phone screen. Followed by a furrowing of his brows at the name that pops up. He clears his throat, settles in more comfortably with a shuffling of his shoulders, and replies.

At Booth 1:
Ruiz also puts his phone down briefly in order to applaud for Scott.

At Bar:
Cristobal's head tilts slightly as he watches the latter referenced man, that being August, walk back to the table. Still he doesn't clarify. "You should let me help you carry these." He says of all the drinks Sutton ordered. "Maybe you can introduce me." There is a little up-nod to Lyric as he reaches to help ferry over drinks to the booth, absently whistling as a song ends even though he doesn't know the person who just sang.

At Booth 1:
"I have a voice, I just wouldn't call it one that'll pay the bills." August smiles at the kiss, leans back in the booth. He gives Ruiz a look. "de la Vega even I have heard of negging, and I lived in the damned rain forest for a decade." Of course, he has nieces whose mothers worry about them being treated like garbage, so that's maybe a factor. He claps and whistles for Scott, has a sip of his drink.

At Booth 1:
Itzhak lets Ellie catch August's kiss, because he might combust from embarrassment. "Roen why are you doing this to me," he groans, covering his eyes a moment. But then he immediately gets into 'Ten Thousand Lovers' and whistles high, sharp and loud for Scott. Whoever Scott is! He now has Itzhak's cranky approval.

"Sure, just..." Sutton glances up when her name's called. She holds up a hand with a finger raised like hold up, Hank-baby, I'll be there in a hot minute. "Don't drop this one." Sutton nudges Cristobal and takes one of her cocktails off of the tray, along with one Patrón, carrying those over to the Booth where Itz, Aug, El, and Ruiz are chatting. She raises her glass to Scott as she passes. "You're such a shit-stirrer, Cristo." And off the blonde goes, to drop off the drinks first and foremost.

At Bar:
"You got it." Lyric relays to Ico. While Scott gets ready, she smiles at August, "Dresden Dolls. Pretty old, really. The song, I mean." Before her time at least. Or so. She lifts her own drink in a silent salute back to him before taking a sip. Then her attention is up on the stage and she tilts her head as she listens to the song Scott had chosen. She cheers him on when he finishes and is there waiting with a fist bump when he returns."Most excellent, Scotty too Hottie." So yeah, a former wrestlers name, but there ya go!

Shaking her head towards Everett when he murmurs to her, Nicole states, "nah, just relaxing on my own a little before I go home. Feeling better?" Whenever someone new goes to stage, she cheers them on. It takes some guts to get up there! When they finish, she applauds, shouts, and otherwise awards them for a great performance.

At Booth 1:
Ruiz snorts softly at August's judgy tone, and retrieves his phone as it buzzes again. This one makes his eyes roll, and he tucks his tonguetip against the inside of his cheek as he composes a reply with his thumb. When he's done, he shoves a hand somewhat abruptly in Eleanor's direction. "Javier. I don't think we've met. Officially." Ink aaallll the way down his arm and up the back of his hand to his first knuckle on each finger. A sugar skull blooming with roses; a fishing trawler tossed in churning waves. A fish or two, and a few other odd symbols on his knuckles. He catches Sutton's approach out of the corner of his eye, and smiles slow.

Sutton slides up to Ruiz and raises her brows, "I found this." She probably means the Patrón in hand, though she seems to be trailing a latino in possession of more tequila and at least one vintage cocktail that matches the one in her hand currently. "There's a tab running, bebe." Her hand slides along Ruiz's arm and she leans in to kiss him right on the mouth. She tastes like a sweet, honeyed cocktail. "Drink this. You'll need it." Uh oh. She hands him a double-pour of tequila.

With a couple of bounces of his head, Everett's long, straight black hair sways, while he nods to the affirmative to Nicole's question. "All I needed was a little time. Death never came, but a girl did. Left me some medicine, made soup." Everett wiggles large, sausage fingers at Nicole, "then talked in my head so I kicked her out." A swift change of topics, the thug nods his head towards the stage, half-smiling again, "You going to do a duet with me? Islands in the stream or somethin'?"

At Bar:
Scott lets out a bit of a breath as he gets back to the bar. "Glad you liked it," he offers to Lyric, voice a little rougher than when he went up there. "I need to get myself something more to drink..." he mutters, with a grin offered to the others.

At Booth 1:
Eleanor shakes Ruiz's hand with the vigorous pump of an overzealous, socially awkward, business woman. She doesn't seem bothered by the tattoos. Considering the people she's sitting with, that's not all that surprising. "Nice to meet you officially. You know first responders get free coffee before noon at Espresso Yourself." She waves to Sutton, another familiar customer face, and leans a little against August.

A low laugh is emitted by Cristobal as he trails after Sutton, carrying another one of her honey drink concoctions and two Patrons cradled in a web of fingers. "Folks." He greets from just behind the woman's shoulder, leaning past her as she lip locks with Ruiz to set her other drink down. It's followed by the tequila being clunked down, "I believe these are for you, Jefe." Boss, to Ruiz.

A look is given to Everett when he mentions some girl playing nurse then talking in his head. it is perhaps a curious look, or perhaps one that reads 'wtf?' but, it is a look. Nicole shakes her head to him though. "No.. no.. no singing for me today. This time I am just appreciating the local talent. Glad you are feeling better." She smiles and asks, "so what are you going to sing?"

Mariah gives a look about and when she realizes she's cut her own finger she chuckles, "I need to follow the advice I give." she mutters to herself as she returns to her seat in the dark back corner and digs into one of the pockets of her backpack for a bandaid. She'd slap it on before going back to paper work.

At Bar:
Cassidy shoots off a text then pulls out lipstick from a tiny purse. She uses her phone camera to touch up a couple spots, presses her lips together and then puckers for a selfie in preparation for her turn.

At Bar:
"I got it, order what you want," Lyric offers to her bandmate. She's standing at the bar, not bothering to take one of the seats. Her attention goes to the stage whenever someone takes it, but at this moment, she's just people watching and talking to two of those in the band she's in too. "I have fun at the Karaoke nights. I wish Park had come though."

At Booth 1:
Ruiz shoves his phone away again as Sutton rolls up and runs her fingers along his arm. Touching him is a pretty foolproof way to get his attention, and his hand retracts from Eleanor's and touches the blonde's jaw when she kisses him. Right before she gives him that little cryptic remark about needing it. "I'm not singing," he informs her, tapping the tip of her nose with his finger. "Anyway, aren't you up?" His eyes slide over to fix on the other Latino man for a moment, and he gives him a grudging little nod.

Gabriel makes his way on into the Pourhouse, looking for all the world that he didn't realize it was karaoke night tonight. One can tell that from the way he looks around and then at the stage, and mutters to himself, "I didn't remember it was karaoke night tonight." He wipes at his nose with a tissue from the pocket of his jeans, but then goes and looks to lean up against the bar to try to get himself a beer.

At Bar:
Ico seems a bit lost in the shuffle. Hearing Lyric's words though, "I think she wish she could as well." He offers about Park. Just enjoying the time with the other two though, as much as they can. "Going to sing more?" He asks Lyric and Scott with a teasing grin.

"God, I'm going." So bossy. Sutton grins. "Sure you are." What? "I'm coming back for introductions, because my descriptions of all of you are starting to sound vaguely predatory." Sutton says, before she flashes a grin and heads for the stage, finger-waving and blowing some light kisses to the table. Is leaving Ruiz & Cristobal alone together a good idea? Perhaps no. Perhaps yes. She shuffles up into the stage and leans in to say something to Hank.

At Booth 1:
August leans back to clear the way for the handshake, rubs Eleanor's shoulder as she leans against him. He raises his mocktail to Sutton and Cristobal, though Sutton departs before he can intreoduce himself. So it's Cristobal alone who hears, "August, Roen." He gestures at the baskets of tots. "If you're inclined."

At Booth 1:
Itzhak upnods at Sutton as she comes over bearing liquor. "How's by ya. Sutton, right? Don't yell at me, I got trouble with facial recognition." He looks past her at Cristobal, giving him the old once-over and not even bothering to hide it. Drunk Itzy knows no shame. Except sometimes. Cristobal gets an upnod too, this one significantly more aggressive.

At Booth 1:
Ellie mouths 'vaguely predatory?' at August while Sutton heads off to sing. She looks back to the new arrival and smiles. "Eleanor Lake," she says.

At Bar:
"Her parents keeping her home or something?" Probably not work, as far as Lyric knows. "I'm not singing anymore. I just do my one song a week or however often Mariah hosts it." Since no one is still on stage yet, she takes a look around and gapes as she notices a familiar face. Of course it's followed by a giggle and she places her drink down on the bar. "Be right back," she tells Ico and Scott. "Maybe." Oh she will. She does meander and weave her way around some people to tap Gabriel on the shoulder from behind only to be standing at the opposite side of the side she tapped.

At Bar:
Cassidy 's next selfie has her phone slightly elevated and to the right. She manipulates some strands of wavey brown to blonde ombre to fall down the midline of her face and cover one eye as she duck-faces.

@emit Kass shuffles into the Pourhouse, perhaps having been looking for a quiet drink. Her eyes widen almost comically as she sees all the people packed into the bar. Her hands grip the strap of her messenger bag tightly as she shuffles further into the room. Trying to find a spot to sit that isn't already occupied while darting glances around here and there to see if she can recognize any of the faces. Lyric seems to be the only semi-familiar face, getting a small wave from the young woman as she finds a small table off to the side to sit at. Glancing around once more, she offers another small wave at the sight of Gabriel.

"A couple of songs," Everett murmurs, "speaking of which," he gestures with his beer towards Hank. Leaving them be a mystery, at least for now, the Candy Hulk peels himself from Nicole, and heads the way of Hank to put in his first song selection, the smile Everett wore for Nicole fading quickly after he parts from her company.

At Booth 1:
After his brief, cautious study of Cristobal, Ruiz shifts his attention to whatever passes for a stage here, and the blonde headed up to perform next. His fingers close around his glass of tequila, and he lifts it for a slow inhale. Then tips it toward his mouth for a sip. Heavenly. He catches sight of Cassidy over at the bar, duck-facing into her cell phone camera, then switches his focus back to Sutton as he drinks and lets the conversation at his table filter around him. "Siéntate, si quieres," he offers eventually to his fellow Latino. In case he's still standing there.

At Bar:
Having gotten himself something more to drink now, Scott shrugs a bit as he hears Ico's question. "Maybe. It's always fun to sing, right?" He keeps quiet for now, though.

Sutton finally shuffles up onto the stage almost three minutes after her name was called. Fashionably late, ok. She says something quietly to Hank and brushes her hands down her dress, adjusting it a little as if she needs to be sure it's not gonna unbutton and budge. Which begs the question what the hell is she gonna sing, because it looks like it might have dance moves — nope. Just kidding. When the music starts, it's a slow roll of something, she takes the mic, and realizes, belatedly, she still has a drink in her hand. Ah, well.

When you were here before
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry
You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so very special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here

It's a slow version, more reliant on a little growl in her voice, a bit of range, and it proves one thing. Sutton has a pair of lungs and she knows how to use them for things other than talking constantly. She stands nearly still, swaying a little, saluting lightly with her drink, making eye contact with various members of the audience. Giving a smoke-filled rendition of a Radiohead song before any shenanigans start seems like a great way to go.

She's running
She's running out the door
I said she's running out
She runs runs runs runs...
Run...

The chorus finishes out the end. Were she a few more drinks down, it might have been something inappropriate. Luckily, she got called 1 drink in.

At Bar:
Gabriel falls for it. He probably shouldn't, given, you know, his cop training. But he is also a bit sick. He turns his head to the side that Lyric tapped, and then he turns back to the other side, and then he is quite startled. "Oh! Hey! I." His eyes go wide when he realize who it is on the other side of him. "Lyric?" He says the name as a question, as if he is not entirely sure that it is here.

It might be an invitation for tots, but Cristobal takes it as one to sit. Instead of making people shift and scoot and squeeze, he's spinning over an empty chair from a nearby table to sit in it backwards. Tilting it forwards onto two legs, he does take August up on that bar food too, plucking up one and tossing it into his mouth. "Mighty kind." Is said by way of thanks, "Cristobal." The latino pronouncing it Cris-tah-bull. His light eyes dance over all the faces of those in the booth that he's not familiar with, a spark of something in them like smug amusement as Sutton sings.

Nicole definitely looks curious now, watching Everett walk away. Sutton's performance grabs her attention though. "Ooh... I love this arrangement of the song..." She smiles, fingers clapping against each other happily as she listens, and when she finishes? She gets a standing ovation. Then, scanning the crowd again, she sees him. "Oh hey! Gabriel! How are ya?" she calls out loudly towards him from her stool at the bar, waving cheerily.

At Booth 1:
Ruiz started out amused, but his expression shifts to something a little more sombre as Sutton gets into it with the Radiohead. Maybe it's that little growl in her voice, or maybe it's her low-cut dress that shows off just the right amount of skin, but he's transfixed. And a little slow to add his applause to the mix, once she's done. He runs his tongue along his lower lip, and stares vacantly at the tater tots for a full minute before reaching for one of those greasy little marvels between thumb and forefinger. "Going to sing something for us?" he asks Cris without looking at him.

At Stage:
She clears her throat and tosses her phone into her purse along with the make-up, grabs her cocktail glass (with lemon drop inside) and walks to the stage with a big smile for Hank.

Cassidy takes the microphone and waves with it to everyone, "Hi. I'm Cassidy. I'm fairly new in town." She smiles with her teeth together and lowers her head as her shoulders shrug and omg if she isn't just the most adorable charismatic little thing EVER!

"My friend Javier said he'd do a song with me but now he's a little stage fright-y..." to invent a word. "But I think everyone here can help me give him some confidence, yeah?"

Cassidy motions her cocktail glass to Ruiz, "Come on up, Javier!" And then, she begins to lead a chant by saying low, into the mic, "Roo-eez, Roo-eez, Roo-eez..." getting progressively louder with little fist pumps with her glass.

At Booth 1:
August gives Itzhak a sidelong glance for that aggressive vibe, more fondly amused than anything else. A nod for Cristobal's introduction. "Good to meet you." His once over is far more subtle, based in curiosity rather than making any impression of his own.

He shrugs at Eleanor, uncertain how that works, offers her a tater tot in compensation, complete with a dab of cheese sauce. Sutton gets a cheer and applause, even if Radihead's not really his jam; the jazz club sound makes it sound a lot more acceptable to him. ...and then Cassidy is up there, taunting Ruiz. August clears his throat, covers his mouth with a hand so he doesn't accidentally smile or laugh.

At Bar:
Lyric gives Gabriel a playfully duh look at the question regarding his name. "Can't even remember your wife's name. Geez, honey." It's a playful reprimand that may get her or him or them odd looks. Not that Lyric cares about that. "Can I buy you a beer or anything to drink? You're not on duty tonight are you?" Hearing someone call Gabe's name, she grins and steps back for him a little. It's then she notices the wave from Kass and she gives one back to her, but she doesn't more further away, she does motion towards the stage got Gabe. "Looks like your Captain may be singing."

Hera decides to explore more new things in a new town, and such she had found herself on the streets and into what appears to be a popular hangout. With so many she can't help but blink, pause and do a bit of a doubletake as she wanders on in. "Quite a place." she says as she smells the odor of beer and other bar type aromas. It doesn't deter her though, even if she is tempted to comment about her dress smelling of smoke to herself. She surveys the crowd as if slightly curious who may be doing what. There's a fellow redhead, tall people, short people, then really tall people, and she mutters a brief observation under her breath. Wandering in further, she decides to pause to listen to people sing, not making much of a move to do anything at the moment.

At Booth 1:
Itzhak's eyebrows go wayyy up as Sutton sultries her way through 'Creep'. "Damn, girl," he mutters, impressed. He whistles for her when she wraps up, a long sharp wolf-whistle. Because, wolf whistling at Ruiz's girlfriend is a thing he will do when smashed, okay? When Cassidy invites Ruiz up to the stage, Itzhak snorts in amusement and nudges Ruiz with a shoulder. "Well? Get up there!"

At Booth 1:
Ellie applauds and cheers for Sutton, because even she knows the Radiohead song. Cassidy's intro has her blinking and looking over at Ruiz. "You don't have to go if you don't want to," she whispers to him. Because no way in hell is anyone guilting her into it. She accepts the offered tater tot happily.

At Bar:
"Hey! Nicole!" Gabe waves to his barber first, because remaining on good terms with your barber is a very important thing to do, obviously. He then looks back at Lyric, his cheeks immediately flushing red. "Look. I mean. I'm sorry. I just thought it was. I mean. That it." He can't quite get the words out. "I thought it was just my dream. I didn't mean to ..."

"We spent more than a couple minutes together," Sutton says to Itz, "You'd remember." She grins at that, shuffling to squeeze into the booth to squish in next to Ruiz. Still with most of her drink in hand. "Anybody wants a Bees Knees, try it. I still got this one to finish." The blonde is all smiles, apparently cheerful about making people shift and squeeze in like overly familiar co-eds in a drunken revelry situation. She bumps into Ruiz. "Are you eating tater tots?" Wait, is someone calling for Javier to sing. She glances over. The ADA. Lord in heaven.

Sutton takes a sip of her drink trying to keep it together. Javier is not drunk enough yet, Cassidy is what she's thinking. "That was fun sober."

Hera looks over at the bar curiously, then to the booth. Seems like that is where the people are. With someone on stage though, her eyes go there and she pauses, just seeming to observe things for now.

There is a little shake of his head and some noise in the back of Cristobal's throat as he watches Sutton step down off the stage. Only then does he remember there's other people at the table he just invaded. "Looks like it's age before beauty." He responds to Javier, before joining in the chant. "Roo-eez, Roo-eez!"

At Booth 1:
Ruiz is in the midst of shoving a tater tot into his mouth when Cassidy gets up and makes that little proclamation. And the look on his face says that he is a) not her friend and b) never promised to do anything of the sort. He wolfs the thing down, miraculously without choking, and wipes his hands off on a napkin as Cassidy tries to get a chant going. Is it possible for the big bad police captain to blush? Well, maybe a little. "You.." he starts to say to Sutton when she squishes in beside him, then turns and leans in close, his hand slid around the back of her head as he whispers something low to her. It's sealed with a kiss, followed by the remainder of his tequila downed in a single swallow, and he nudges her to climb back out.

"Fuck's sake. I'll go. Or she'll never let me live this down." She probably won't, regardless.

At Bar:
"Oh yeah he's singing!" Lyric just looks amused, watching as he makes his advances to get out of the booth. Another look to Gabriel though, and his stammering, "So what you're saying is you wanna divorce right? What am I going to tell Sparrow and Grant? And the Electrolux man? And our neighbor and the Good Humor man? How can I ever live this down?" Her lower lip wobbles something terrible. Amusement sparkles in her eyes though and she lifts a hand to touch his cheek. "It's okay Gabriel. I understand."

Ignacio comes in looking tired but like he'son his second win. Lyric gets a wave, and then his face lights up seeing his table and- "OH SHIIIIIT, you got my drink waiting for me? Itz tu es de leche, 'Mano!" He gets greeted with a handshake that is all enthuasim and unnecessary complexity. The smile goes to Eleanor and offers her, "Aww hey, hears you were all rundown with...everything. Really good to see you feelin better. Boss, Missed you from... like 2pm. Nice to see you ain't stuck in a tree like a cat."

As Ruiz gets up to give into peer pressure and seating arrangements shuffle around a bit, Cristobal manages to finagle a seat next to Itzhak. "You know I didn't catch your name."

At Booth 1:
Eleanor watches Ruiz head up with sympathy. She knows a thing or two about bullies. Even if the guy is a grown ass adult police captain with a hot young girlfriend. She feeds August a tatertot with cheese in return, because she's schmoopy like that. She gives Iggy a wave. "I was, but August took good care of me. Good to see you, Ignacio!"

Hera continues to look around for a bit, the area apparently being lively. With more people going to the bar, and some people coming here and there she looks around for any potential familiar faces. There wouldn't be much of a chance of that and giving the area another look, her curiousity begins to fade. Moving slowly, she being to head to the exit.

Sutton laughs at whatever Ruiz says, makes a soft comment back, and then moves to shove out of the booth again so he can head on up to deal with the ADA's request. This should be entertaining even if it doesn't end in singing. If it's 'I Got You Babe,' she's gonna need medical assistance. Does Sutton smack Ruiz's butt on the way by? Well. Things happen, ok. She settles into the booth, grins to the table, and then nudges Cris' ankle with her foot. "You survived." She wasn't sure how it'd go when she wandered off. To the others, she says, "Harry Sutton." She doesn't know if Ruiz got around to that. "Sutton is what most people call me."

At Stage:
Cassidy squees and claps the mic and cocktail glass together lightly with a little bounce as Ruiz heads up to the stage because she is just the most DELIGHTFUL and INNOCENT little thing anyone ever did see!

She stuffs the microphone in his hand and goes to retrieve another from Hank. When she re-takes center stage she says, "This is, like, a really popular song where I'm from. I hope everyone knows it."

She draws a deeep breath and then gives Hank a slow solemn nod.

What follows is one of the most iconic piano intros to one of the most recognizable songs of all time. A song babies exit the womb knowing all the lyrics to, because humanity has evolved to have them hard-wird into the brain.

She belts "Just a small time girl, living IN A LONELY WORRRRLDSS" ... and you can all sing along with her because her aura invites that.

At Bar:
Gabriel is now wildly confused when Lyric lays the water works on him. "Wait, what? I mean, I'm not married. It was just a. It was." He doesn't know much about Dreams, and so this is just confusing him even more. "We're not married. We were. We just. It was a thing, but."

He pauses for just a moment to shout out "SHE TOOK THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN GOIN' ANYWHERE!" Because that's the law.

He then turns back to Lyric. "I'm sorry if I led you on? I thought it was just fun."

At Booth 1:
Itzhak laughs in delight as Ruiz gives in. Ignacio comes in and he yells at him, "FUCK YEAH I did! Getcha gimpy ass over here! ...Ya name's Harry? That's bitchin." That's to Sutton. Then Cristobal is shoving in next to him and he gives him a narrow sideways look, humor flipping to aggression in .001 seconds. "Rosencrantz. Itzhak."

At Bar:
Scott has been sipping his second drink now, looking a bit more relaxed now. There's a brief pause as he hears the start of the song, and he grins, starting to sing along, although a bit more quietly now. Otherwise not paying too much attention to the people.

Mariah moves to the bar to start helping the girls with the back log and the cleaning up. She is a weird boss, but she's also down a girl that's in the back crying over spilled drinks still. Life as a bartender. Woe.

At Booth 1:
Ruiz's eyes are rolling so hard they're probably about to fall out of his head, as he ambles on up to the stage and catches a whiff of what Cassidy's going to make him sing. One of his shirtsleeves is tidied slightly, cuff tucked in against his elbow, and then he sighs and shoves his hands into his pants pockets as he waits for his turn to 'sing'.

Aura notwithstanding, the song invites that, which is why Rhys's entrance comes along with an automatic, "Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit..." at a level that counts mostly as 'to himself' as he pauses briefly inside the door to look around. Cassidy gets a grin for her current performance as he heads toward the bar.

At Booth 1:
"Night ain't over yet, Pimienta." Cristobal comments aside to Sutton, calling her Pepper again. It seems to be a thing. His predatorial grin turns back to Itzhak. "I'd ask you where your Guildenstern is, but I'm sure that horse has been beaten to death since at least high school." His tongue poises on the tip of a canine for a moment as he contemplates something, then leans in mutter to Itzhak.

At Stage:
Cassidy is having way too much fun bouncing from side to side as she sings, lemon drop sloshing over the edge of the glass every now and then. She gives Ruiz a little nudge with the foot and misses a few lines as she whispers to him (but in the microphone), "Now you goober..."

DON'T STOP BELIEVIN!!!!

At Bar:
Realizing he was genuinely confused, Lyric laughs, nudging him a little. "It was just a dream. Just a little fun. I'm sorry for confusing you." While she still may look a little amused, she's clearer about it at least. "I mean, it really happened and all, but it was like in a dream. You've got nothing to worry about, really. I just noticed you come in so thought I'd say hello." She waits a beat then has mercy on him, "So, hello!" A wave offered shortly after before she turns like she's heading back to where she was standing at the bar before, not far away. This sone just so needed to be heard, and Lyric loves the music.

At Booth 1:
Eleanor sings along with the Journey song because, as August is aware, she's a secret 80s music fangirl. He may have caught her dancing around the house to this or that or the other thing now and then.

Ignacio looks up to Cristobal with an amused grin, "Muerto y revivido, amigo>" He takes a drink snad eyes the pair joining them. Not recognizing them but unshy to every opportunity to talk to people the Spainard asks, "Ignacio. Didn't catch your names. Heeeey welcome to the booth."

At Stage:
Ruiz still doesn't look too pleased at being dragged up on stage, but he does lean in to the microphone - and the blonde - and sing along as Cassidy belts out the refrain. His voice probably gets lost in there a little, and it's off key here and there, but the warm, smoke-roughened timbre isn't unpleasant to listen to at least. Even if he does sound like.. a Mexican singing Journey.

At Bar:
Gabriel reaches out and touches Lyric's arm before she goes, leaning in to whisper something into her ear before she wanders off, at least. And then he looks back as his boss and the assistant district attorney belt out Journey. "I am going to hear this in my nightmares," he sighs. But at least he's resigned to it.

At Booth 1:
August grins at Eleanor, sings along with Journey as well. He doesn't only like jazz and blues, it's just all he keeps in his house after all. His Spotify list is probably a mess.

He waves at Ignacio, gestures at the tots. "Get some weight back on you," he says. He watches the Itzhak and Cristobal interaction out of the corner of his eye, tells Sutton, "August Roen," by way of introduction.

At Stage:
"Woo! Muy bien!" Cassidy laughs as the song fades out, throwing her head back and clapping with her hands full.

She forces a hug on Ruiz with a little kick back of her foot. The audience gets a big bright smile and a wave and she girl-trots the microphone back to Hank, then returns to the bar.

At Booth 1:
"Thanks, love. Yeah, mum let pop do the paperwork, and he didn't want a Harriet." The blonde's accent is a little strange, but you get used to it. "Itzhak Rosencrantz." Sutton repeats. "I'm not likely to forget that now, am I?" She might, but then she'll just start calling him by a nickname. "Muerto y revivido. I like that. Sutton." What she expects to hear from the stage is the report of a shot. What she hears is de la Vega joining in and singing a duet. What. Is. Happening. "... Pleasure to meet you August." She's still looking at the stage. Hm. "I've heard worse."

At Booth 1:
Eleanor whispers to August, "Is it me or did he look really uncomfortable?" This! This is why she doesn't get up there! She would freeze and make squeaking sounds and shuffle her feet without a gallon of booze in her! "Harry is a great name!" she enthuses to Sutton.

Walking in the door Easton stops not two feet into the bar. There are people singing Karaoke. A mix of horror and relief washes over him. Horror that he's being subject to it, relief that he can point Bennie and Justin at Mariah's bar and get them to leave his alone. But then he sees who's singing and a fresh fear washes over him. Is this a Dream? Or is Gunny actually up there singing Journey? Either way he needs a drink. He heads to the bar and calls out "Mariah! Can I get jack and coke? Please? Because you love me."

With a nod to Hank, he climbs the stage, Everett first adjusts the microphone stand for a man of his stature, and then nods towards Hank. He picks his songs for a number of factors. Not the last of which is that they are, for the most part, spoken word. Because Everett is no singer. The other is that is has to be depressing. Adjusting his long hair, he grips the microphone like it's the only thing holding him up, closing his eyes during the chorus, because it's the only part he knows enough not to have to read the words to. There isn't swaying, or movement to distract.

//Only know you've been high when you're feeling low
Only hate the road when you're missin' home
Only know you love her when you let her go

And you let her go.//
[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBumgq5yVrA]]

At Stage:
It's adorable, right? The ADA and cranky ass police captain joining forces to fight crime. Or sing stadium anthems, anyway. Ruiz tolerates the hug from Cassidy, and mumbles something in her ear before they part ways. No, he is not making eye contact with a single, solitary soul on his way back to his table. Did Cris steal his spot? "Move," he grunts at him, reaching across the man for his glass of tequila.

At Booth 1:
Itzhak is missing Ruiz singing Journey because Cristobal is whispering to him. His eyebrows are down, then snap up and he gives Cris a look which is eighty percent aggro and thirty percent confusion and also Itz can't add while he's this drunk. "Seriously?" he says to him, scowling.

At Bar:
As soon as she sit back at the bar, Cassidy has her phone out and is spot-checking her make-up. She blows a kiss to her own image and puts it away. Finishes her drink. "I...don't...think so." she says for some reason.

Mariah looks up when she hears Easton, "I mean....do I? Really?" she asks him with a laugh. "You got a girlfriend. So you're safe." the platinum haired woman muses as she gets his drink together and places it in front of the man. "I'm not on the clock. But here you are." she smiles. One less thing the girls had to do for the moment with a packed house.

At Booth 1:
August winces in sympathy for Ruiz, nods at Eleanor. He bobs his eyebrows and sighs. Catching what Itzhak's just said, he glances at him and Cristobal, tense and wary.

At Booth 1:
Cristobal hitches his elbow up on the back of the booth like he's trying to make more room in the crowded seating arrangement, even if it's just so he can position himself to wait for Itzhak's response. There is a grin and an up-nod to Ignacio, "Hermano." A finger flicks up to tell Ruiz 'just a sec' before he responds to Itzhak. "Sorry, sorry. I know you Cam Boys don't like to be approached in person. Just. Big fan, man. Really."

At Bar:
Lyric hesitates at the touch to her arm and looks over in time for him to lean in and whisper something. "You too." Again she's about to turn then thinks better of it. "You are welcome to come over and meet some of my friends, if you're interested. We're just right over there, if you have time before you either sing or leave or anything." Leaving it on his terms now she heads back over to where she was standing before. And she cheers on the pair as they sing and then finish. Then there's Everett. She knows him a little too and claps along.

Rhys is all over the Journey selection. Clearly a good sign for a karaoke night, heading in to that one. And then-- hey, that huge dude looks familiar. But more importantly, that is an empty spot opening up at the bar, and he makes use of dexterity and fitting in small spaces to slip past someone he Clearly Doesn't Notice and snag that stool, settling in and glancing for the nearest bartender. Being slightly distracted by the performance doesn't help, but it does help him spot the most recent singer taking her seat. "Good song taste," he remarks brightly across to her.

At Booth 1:
Eleanor catches the gist of what Cristobal is saying and the tallish, possibly tipsy, redhead, gives the man a LOOK. "Hey! That's my friend. You be nice or you'll never get another cup of coffee from my shop!" She's feistier with booze in her. Normally she'd be hiding under the table at the thought of a conflict.

"Yes. Obviously." Easton answers with a big grin when Mariah tries to pretend like they aren't BFF, which they are of course not. But it doesn't stop him from being loud and obnoxious in her bar, often. He takes the drink and says, "Thank you. Not just for the drink, but for debasing your establishment with this Star Search gig." Yes, that should be American Idol, or the Voice or some recent reference but Easton thinks it's funnier to go retro. He raises his glass and says, "Now I can just point Bennie your way when she's gets the itch to belt out The Bangles somewhere."

At Booth 1:
Itzhak snarls and then he's going at Cristobal, launching at him in the midst of the crowded booth. Drinks go flying as Itzhak lunges for his shirt to hold him down and start applying that left fist that reads 'DOWN' to Cristobal's stupid FACE.

At Booth 1:
August is prepared to stop Itzhak--but Eleanor's sudden remarks make him blink in surprise. He's so distracted by that he almost misses his chance, just barely manages to loop a long arm around Itzhak's chest and haul him back. "Easy, easy. No schoolyard brat is worth a night in the tank."

At Booth 1:
"Pimienta?" Sutton laughs at Crisotbal, seeming pretty amused by his general puckishness. There are worse nicknames. She doesn't hear what he says to Itz, but she does hear the tone with the New Yorker replies. Cam boys? Her brows go up. She glances along over to August, Eleanor, and then Itz again, briefly to Ignacio, moving to slide out of the booth Just as all hell breaks loose. "Goddamn it." New dress. New. Dress. No spill — there's a cocktail in her lap. If Ruiz doesn't grab her fast, Sutton's going into that pile of bodies.

"Ooh fight." Easton doesn't move to do anything about it yet. Not his bar.

At Bar:
Gabriel considers Lyric's offer for a moment. He has his beer. He doesn't really have anyone else he is chatting with here. So. Sure. He makes his way after her, tossing his head. "Always good to meet some new people," he decides.

When Everett took the stage, Nicole was cheering for him, though it isn't rambunctious applause. Something about his performance seemed almost haunting. Perhaps it was just the way he didn't move... But she does applaud and let him know she appreciated his singing before she returns to her glass of Long Island Iced tea.

At Bar:
"Thanks," Cassidy floats in Rhys' direction while she studies her nails. She turns to the bartender and waggles her glass, "Can I get another one of these, please?"

Ignacio looks to Ruiz and squints, "You're the guy who had the quad car that time that helped us with that thing. tuve un sueno sobre ti." Oh this kid sounds straight out of Toledo, and we don't mean Ohio. But then he hears his name and gets up and limps up to the stage in that patient way he drags his left leg a bit. Hey he's standing and he's got his beer in hand which seem to b a Sam Adams today. He asks up to the bar in the mic, "You can we hook Hank up with another? I'll cover it."

What follows is atypical and thereby exactly what residents and his readers can expect of the author turned columnist. He kicks off a laid back soulful near all a Capella of Lourde's "Royals" with his hands tapping his chest in syncope with the song.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mpv3WvrFOw]

//I've never seen a diamond in the flesh
I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies
And I'm not proud of my address, in the torn up town
No drunk guuuuuy eeeenvyyyy

But every song's like gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin' in the bar room
Bloodstains, ball gowns, trashin' that booth there
We don't caaaaare, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams...//

Apparely this translates to a tenor who is not too tired to not do it justice. Many of the words are LIKEWISE changed to reflect the barfight breaking out eeeeeh right the fuck now.

Mariah WAS NOT HAVING A FIGHT. "Hank, finish up. I got this." she states as people suddenly dive and others grab people. She stalks over to the booth that Ruiz and them are in, "Is there a fucking problem?" she asks as she slams her fist down on the table and glares at Cristobal and Itzhak. "Fight outside. Not in my bar." she growls out. Then she straightens, "Thanks." she beams a smile at them after that.

At Booth 1:
Ruiz doesn't actually haul Sutton out of the mix, but does point a finger at her as if to stave off the inevitable fist swinging that's likely to occur. "No." Will it work? Debateable. It's Cristobal, though, that he lunges for and attempts to haul out of the booth. "Que mierda estas haciendo?" he hisses.

Rhys applauds Everett, though it gets cut off when a) he gets served and has a beer to drink and b) a fight breaks out in that booth over there. He twists to watch that, sipping the drink, and it takes a moment for Ignacio's lyric changes (okay, and the song also) to sink in. They merit a look away from the fisticuffs and a very approving grin for the singer, before he looks back. There's two shows in one tonight!

ismounting the stage, Everett waves to Lyric with a stoic expression, his usual, then retraces his steps back to the bar, back to Nicole. He casts a sideways glance towards the PROBLEM PEOPLE, noticing why we can't have nice things while he settles in beside Nicole, his back to the back, turning his attention towards her, "You sure, not just one song?"

At Booth 1:
"No, I meant it as a compliment, re-" Well, Cristobal really doesn't have a chance to get out any explanation to Eleanor one way or the other before he's finding himself with his shirt balled up in one of Itzhak's hands and being introduced to the other by way of a split lip before August can band him away. "Las tetas de la dulce Maria, tienes el fuego del diablo en ti." He's holding up his hands, palm first towards Itzhak then the same image of capitulation is offered to Mariah and Ruiz. "It's cool, it's cool. He didn't break anything." Tongue touches the gash in his bottom lip, playing along the metallic tasting gash.

Eyes are on the booth and the fight that erupts there. Nicole looks a little concerned, biting her lip before Everett returns. Shaking her hand in a back and forth motion at the neck she says, "no way. Not tonight. You did great though!"

At Bar:
"I have lived in town all my life. If there's someone you don't know and want to know them, maybe I can help. I'm also not so shy that I won't introduce myself to someone either." Lyric offers to Gabriel. She keeps a wary eye on the table where the Captain is, not bothering to hide an eyeroll, but she's got a lot of her attention on Everett while he sings. When he finishes though, she whistles and applauds, despite his stoic look, and she smiles while giving a dual thumbs up. "Great as always!" Another wary look to the craziness.

At Booth 1:
"On what planet is being called a Cam Guy or Cam Girl to someone you just met, not fighting words, buddy!?" Eleanor asks, with a spunky frown and comically putting up her dukes to emphasize. Yeah, she may have had more than enough to drink tonight. She leans in to whisper, "Good job," to August for grabbing Itzhak.

At Bar:
Cassidy pulls out her phone and starts texting. These sorts of brawls aren't her thing. That's City's Attorney work. This bitch works for the STATE...

Selfie! 😃

At Booth 1:
Itzhak is hungry for more, but August grabbing him puts enough of a barrier in his way to stop him. "MotherFUCKER!" Then he's shoving his way out of the booth and stalking outside, furious in every line of his long frame.

At Booth 1:
For probably the first time in the history of being told no in public, Sutton halts mid-move, and gets out of the booth instead of tackling someone in it, dripping the remains of a honeyed, expensive cocktail onto the floor rather than drinking it and making bad life choices. She backs up two steps from the booth while Cristobal and Itz work it out. She drops her hands to her hips and blows out a breath. Be cool, sodapop.

But yeah, she has a date with a search engine later.

At Bar:
"Yeah. I mean. I've been here for seven years or so, but I can't say I know the karaoke crowd usually," says Gabriel, to Lyric, as he takes a slug of his beer. "You think that I should know anyone around here or anything? I heard you work at the Platinum Cabaret." He seems -- neutral -- about that.

Ignacio pauses without approaching the table. He stands there in the middle of the walkway and sips his Sam Adams like he's Kermit-th-fucking-Frog drinking his tea. He looks to Sutton and sigh with a put-on forlorn expression, "We can't take our kids out anywhere."

"Punch him!" Easton helpfully calls over Mariah's shoulder from the bar. He's disappointed to see that people have apparently broken up said fight before it could even begin. Granted he might be more grateful if it were in his bar, but it's not, so fight!!! He then realizes it's Itzhak involved in the fight as the lanky Jewish man stalks away from the booth. Easton grabs his drink and heads after him.

At Bar:
Cassidy sighs and gets up from the bar all frustrated. Because FIGHTS have a way of DELAYING orders.

She stomps toward Hank with all the force of a kitten on the mewl and asks, "Can't you just, like, play 'Everybody Hurts' really loud over the PA and stop all this?"

At Booth 1:
August gives Ignacio a look for those lyrics, then Easton for his cheering. "Thanks, babe. Stay here," he says to Eleanor, and gets up to follow Itzhak outside. If nothing else, to make sure anyone who runs afoul of him deserves it.

"Alright everyone, nothing to see here, time to call it a night!" Mariah states as she watches Itzhak go stalking out the door. "That guy needs to demolish a punching bag." she states. "Either way, I'm not booting anyone permanently. Thank you guys for being quick with the grabbing." she states. "And get your lip checked out." she points to Cristobal.

At Booth 1:
Ruiz looks for a hot minute like he might just slug Cristobal one, himself. But his gaze tracks after Itzhak for a step or two, then across to Sutton for a longer moment when she backs off without any sass. And he gives Cris a shove, releasing him with a low mutter aimed near his ear.

At Booth 1:
Eleanor is told to stay there, and she watches August go, turning suddenly a bit awkward. She's now in a booth with the guy she just yelled at. She grabs her beer and drains it quickly to avoid further talky talky.

At Booth 1:
Sutton's gaze flicks to Ignacio and she mms. Her shoulders relax when she meets the gaze of yet another dark-haired cutie pie at their volatile little booth. "Verdad."

She hears Easton, finally, mostly because he yells in a slight pause in yelling/talking. "Christ, Easy. Shut your pie hole." It's said with affection. She really wanted to punch someone, but she didn't even finish a whole drink. A couple more down, they would have had to peel her off the table and probably drag her out of a choke hold on someone. She looks at Ruiz and then Cristobal, watching blood drip from his mouth.

At Bar:
"I'ma DJ there, yeah. I play music for the dancers. Everyone who works there is pretty nice." Lyric even points out a few including Ico, Cristobal, (yes the one bleeding). Maybe that's all that are here. "This is only the second Karaoke. It's much larger and much more violent than the last." Whether he was judging her on her place of employment or not doesn't seem to bother Lyric. She goes to the beat of her own drum, not seeking approval from others. Ever. As Ignacio finishes his Royals song, she grins and applauds him, it's a great one and he'd done it justice. "Looks like the party is mostly over."

At Booth 1:
Cris just sort of looks blankly at Ruiz, either uninterested or unaffected by whatever the man has to say. "Mis disculpas." The apology given to Eleanor before he's shifting out of the booth. A bit of a grin is given to Mariah as she suggests he gets his lip looked at. "I think I'll live. Harry." It's a note of parting to Sutton.

Nicole pulls a phone out of her pocket, fingers tapping away as she sends off a brief text, watching Itzhak head out and making note of what is still taking place.

Against her lower back, Everett places a hand on Nicole for a moment, "I'mma bolt," he slides his beer over, that he really hardly touched and then makes the telephone hand gesture to her. "Leave before the cops get here." Yeah, Everett doesn't know. Pulling himself from the bar, he casts a glance to the rest of the bar, and one up nod of acknowledgement.

At Booth 1:
Eleanor rubs the back of her neck, blushing. She mumbles at Ignacio, "I might have had too much to drink." After just getting over the flu? Definitely. She glances down at a text alert on her phone and taps something back.

Ignacio smiles to Lyric watching all of this happen with the same easy amusement he kind of takes the world with, "Lyric, I think the after party just started" But he walks over to Cristobal (limps mostly, but he calls it a strut and don't try to correct em!) "Oye! Oye, se que no te conozco, pero lo conozco. El inglés de Itzhak es, en el mejor de los casos, cuestionable sin jurar o golpear. Voy a cambiar una cerveza por esa disculpa. No salgas allí ahora mismo. Buen momento para dejarlo ir. De donde eres?"

Some people get handsy trying to deescalate stuff. Ignacio? Iggy's clearly not a fighter, but it doesn't leave him shy from confrontation or a willingness to repair some shit. "Eleanor, you okay?"

Aw, over already? Sentiment works both for karaoke and the fight, really. Maybe next time Rhys'll actually show up at the beginning. Oh well, at least he's got beer!

At Booth 1:
Eleanor nods to Ignacio. "Yeah, I'm just gonna go to the ladies room. August texted he'll be back to drive me home in a couple minutes." She gets up and shoulders her purse. "Nice to meet you," she says towards Ruiz and Sutton, arches a brow at Cristobal, and pats Iggy's shoulder on her way past.

At Bar:
Gabriel seems a little confused at the fight going on, as if he is not quite sure who is fighting and why they are fighting. But then his phone goes off, and the detective sighs. "Got to take this, Lyric." He touches her arm for a moment. But then he digs into his pocket and pulls out a business card. "This is my cell if you ever need to text or anything. Least I can do for my dream wife."

At Booth 1:
Sutton steps in a little closer to touch Cristobal's arm. "Hold still." She has a pretty strong grip for a little blonde, but he can definitely break out of it if that's what he's into. She glances over to Ignacio as he comes over to chat with Cris. Before the punchee can beat a retreat, she takes hold of his jaw to make sure he holds still. "You will be fine. If you wash it out then use a cold compress and salt water rinse as it heals." He probably drips blood on her, but it's not like the dress isn't already going to the dry cleaner. She releases the blue-eyed Latino after a beat, then steps back. She glances at Igs then turns her gaze back to Ruiz. She doesn't say anything, but she looks at him for a while, then steps over to slide her arm into the crook of his.

At Bar:
Cassidy yawns, oblivious. She gets up and walks herself out.

At Bar:
"Sure thing Gabriel." Sliding the card into her back pocket, she winks at him and heads off towards Ignacio. They're going to do a duet. Because that's fun! Lyric lets Hank know and soon the tunes are playing. She carries a microphone off stage to Ignacio, and she has one too, but she knows the words so she doesn't need the prompter. "Summer lovin, had me a blast!" she starts it out.

At Booth 1:
Ruiz lets Sutton have her moment with Cristobal, and takes the opportunity to finish off the last two rounds of tequila she brought him. Knocked right the fuck back, one after the other. "I'll call us an Uber," he murmurs while she's having a look at the bouncer's face. And he does, with a couple of swipes of his phone and a few words murmured into it, after a glance at his watch. When the blonde reaches for his arm, he draws her in close and kisses her jaw, then shoves his phone away.

At Booth 1:
Cristobal reaches over to give a friendly clasp to Ignacio's shoulder, "I have no intention of chasing after tail. I don't need to get laid that bad, especially after screwing up my pick up line." His grin gets swiveled away from Ignacio by an insistent grip from Sutton to get the medical eyeball. "Aw, you care." He gives her a little up-nod of appreciation. "See you, Pep."

Rhys perks up slightly when the singing appears to be getting a round two after all, even if the fight isn't. "Hey. Nice lyrics," he leans slightly to note to Ignacio before Lyric-the-woman can fully make her kidnap attempt, but about when it becomes clear she's about to go for it.

Something on Nicole's phone makes her smile practically from ear to ear. She sends off one more text before slipping the phone into her pocket and sliding off the stool. Leaving an extra tip for the bartender before she heads towards the door, waving to the people she knows as she passes, she calls it an evening.

At Booth 1:
Sutton reaches up to brush her fingers across her lips, perhaps to hide a little smirk when Ruiz throws back the leftover tequila that didn't get knocked over in the tussle. She chin-up nods to Cristobal, and says something under her breath that sounds a lot like, "Send me a link later." Surely that's not what she said behind her hand. Except it is. "Ice your face." That's louder. Not a request.

She nods to Ruiz. "Okay, bebe. We'll do that other thing sometime soon." The blonde smiles softly at the kiss to her jaw, flicks a brief look up to Ruiz, then glances around to see just how many people are watching/phones are out in the aftermath of the almost brawl. She's with Easton, in the back of her mind, a little bit disappointed that didn't escalate. Her professional side, the one that goes off the clock as soon as her uniform comes off, is happy it didn't. She hates being a witness and filling out paperwork. She's quiet a few beats, her hand on Ruiz's arm, and then says softly to him, "Pretty surprised that worked." She means the voice he used to keep her off the fight.

At Booth 1:
That voice does occasionally work. It's usually the one Ruiz busts out while in uniform and on the clock, on the rare occasions he gets dispatched to deal with someone with a weapon. When Sutton mentions that other thing, he hesitates. Like he's rethinking something. Then he leans in to murmur to her, and fiddles with something on his Uber app.

Ignacio chuckles and pats Cristobal on the shoulder, "Were it another life man. " Looking up to Sutton and hearing the diagnosis he pffers, "He'll cool down. Just-" and there's Lyric with a mic being handed to him. he grins and takes the mic, "Summer loving kickin my aaaaass. I met a girl crazy for meeeeee-" He waders back to the stage since his beer is here and his people are outside and he's got a microphone in hand. Yeah between the abundant creative energy of either the DJ or the author they can keep this place distracted for a while without getting tired.

"Met a boy, cute as could beeee.. Summer days driftin' away, to h-oh those summer nights. Uh Well-a well-a well-a huh. Tell me more, tell me more, Did you get very far?" Lyric comes right back, taking over part of the guys part except the first line and leaving him to sing Sandy, rockin' to the beat as she sings, just getting all into it.

At Booth 1:
There is a duck of of Cristobal's head to sort of obscure the smirk that Sutton's mumbled words draw forth. His eyes flicking up to respond to Ignacio with that same amusement despite just getting cracked in the mouth moments before. "If only." He seems to think the coast must be clear as to avoid unfortunate run-ins just outside the Pourhouse and so he slips in that direction.

At Booth 1:
Sutton sighs a little laugh. "You're very good at what you do." There's a little smoke in that tone. She must admire police officers. "Should we go out and see how the parking lot is faring?" She glances around briefly. Easton seems to have vanished too. She watches Igs go, smiles and then turns her gaze back to de la Vega. She reaches down to brush at the lap of her dress, which hasn't even started to dry after a Bees Knees was dumped into her lap. Honey & gin. Hopefully the lemon in it won't affect the dye. She already lost one hot dress to bloodstains.

Ignacio bops with Lyric doing the pantomime with her, "Tell you more? Tell you more!? Do I look like i have a car!?" Okay it's not the actual lyrics, but it doesn't stop him from clowning or carrying his part of the tune. So it goes on and Lyric, by the end, gets a high five. "Shit we'll have to do that again." Still, now is the time on sprockets to check on the home team and leaving cash and an apologetic tip for Miranda he heads outside. "Yeaaaaah, Sutton. let's go make sure the kids ain't destroyed the parking lot or got eaten by a Buick." hey, it's Gray Harbor. It's a reasonable concern.

At Booth 1:
Ruiz flickers a smile to Sutton's question about the parking lot. "In a minute," he replies, sliding his arm around her waist to draw her in close for that murmur. Then he leans in to tell her one more thing, before pulling away and skirting around a few tables on his way to the back of the bar, where the bathrooms are. Some missed messages on his phone are answered enroute.