2021-04-19 - Pourhouse Karaoke:Rock Edition

Jens exists outside the immediate sphere of influence of his housemates and immediate neighbors, much to the surprise of people who find him running around without them. Of course, nights sometimes end with them having to pick him up, but nobody's perfect. He came to the Pourhouse to do some karaoke -- not a particularly wise decision, given his ability to carry a tune is strictly limited to the bathroom and the car, and the latter only when someone's in it with him who'll nod and tell him he's doing just great, for reals, while turning the music up up up. But Jens has something many people lack and lacks something many people have too much of:

Tolerance for alcohol and shame.

Respectively.

He lifts his arms from the back of the Pourhouse when the MC finishes the intro with a howl that would be wolfish if it weren't so... Hellenic, for lack of a better word.

Another Karaoke night, another night Leon had set up with a subcontractor to cover his calls. Honestly, it had gotten to the point with business and reputation that Leon was considering buying the other guy out and making it a full time thing. It worked well for him, it meant he spent more nights home or at the bar, and it was honestly pretty lucrative.

Leon was behind the bar, simple jeans, his traditional Red Wing boots on. He’d managed to stretch an extra large Rush shirt across his body, the big blue owl with its yellow eyes of the Fly by Night album peering out at the patrons he serves. Beers were slung, drinks were mixed where Maggi was busy, and food was passed across the bar, the big man always seeming to have a smile and a friendly greeting for his regulars, men young, who frequented anew, and old, who still liked to talk about the good old days they’d spent here with his parents. He grins, he thanks, he sets tips aside for the hourly bartenders.

Bennie likes her costumes and Rock Karaoke night is no exception. She's straightened her hair out of its normal beach waves, added thick eyeliner and cherry red lipstick to match the black lace shirt over a red tube top and (p)leather pants to channel her inner Joan Jett. Of course the entire ensemble's vibe is somewhat thrown off by the wide smile she wears like it's her job. It true busy night fashion, she's at the bar trying to wave down service with a twenty dollar bill to order a pitcher.

Vic is clearly not working tonight, but Seth must be, as she enters the Pourhouse alone. The tall blonde is in jeans, boots, and a tank under an unbuttoned chambray blue workshirt as she sidles up to the bar and slides onto a stool. She nods to Leon and mouths a request for a whiskey to him as she glances around. Oh hey! The boss is here too. She raises a hand to Bennie and blinks at the woman's outfit then seems to realize it's, "...karaoke night. Oi."

"Oh god you've made changes. Really? You got rid of the puke stain?! I worked very hard for that damn stain."

How is Easton so loud? How is he already talking as he enters through the doors? I mean technically yes he could feel some of the changes with his senses before he walked in the door but how on earth did the stumpy little Marine know about the puke stain? Mystery! He's dressed in his usual jeans and a plain tee-shirt, this one gray with a pocket. Regardless Easton takes a seat at the bar next to Bennie without greeting her. He leans aside to ask, "You buying drinks hot stuff? I mean normally I'd offer to buy the lady a drink but I'm a modern man and I ain't complaining."

The fact that he's been out of town for awhile and maaaaaaybe didn't tell her that he was going to be back in means that he can't quite suppress a smile. or mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

Park does her best NOT to miss karaoke, whether it be showtunes, rock, or disco kitsch. When is disco kitsch night? The slender Korean-American has put her cosplay talents to work for the evening, arriving in full on Gene Simmons as the Demon get up. Her huge boots clomping on the floor as she does her best to slip through the tables without hitting someone with her shoulder spikes. Full make-up of course. Strolling up to the bar, looking like a denizen of Hell, she smiles sweetly. "Can I have a Coke No Sugar, please." All the best demons drink that.

August isn't dressed up like last time at karaoke, so anyone who was around to be traumatized by that can breathe a sigh of relief. (It's Itzhak's turn.) He's in his black leather, motorcycle jacket, a gray Henley, dark denim jeans, and black suede boots. It's a night for relaxing with friends and having some beer, so 'slighty disreputable casual urban man' is go.

He heads in, double-takes when he hears Easton and heads towards him. "Well Marshal I'm sure if anyone can get a puke stain onto concrete, it's you." He grins, tips his chin up at him. "How've you been." It invites 'bad but whatever', allows for 'not now, it's karaoke time'. August knows how it goes in this town: sometimes you don't want to think about how it's been.

Javier, for once, does not have a date with a stack of paperwork. So he's turned up here instead, to consume copious amounts of alcohol and watch people make fools of themselves on stage. He tips his head forward as he shoulders his way inside, and rifles some dampness out of his hair, then prowls his way on up to the bar to see about a glass of Patron. "Roen, hey," is murmured to the arborist as he passes, knuckles to the man's shoulder. Easton gets a double-take. Because wasn't that man out of town for god knows how long?

What was Maggi's life about? Primarily snarking and the color black if those could be classified as hobbies. Rock was pretty damn close and she played it every darn day at her establishment. In what may be an uncharacteristic bright face paint has been applied. Messy tresses are unkempt, revealing the freshly shaved side of her head. Gray jeans and a black top that looked like it may have served in a war or two are on the more regular side for her.

The grunge gal gives a sarcastic quirk to Easton and gives Park exactly what she asks for despite her better judgement. "That the one that almost shut us down, the bacteria were demanding human rights." For now she is working the bar...after-all, Maggi had never sung at a karaoke...

You'd think Bennie would be terrible at poker the way her face clearly displays surprise, then unabashed delight at the brash appearance of Easton Freaking Marshall. Still, she's totally playing it cool, right? Her return wave to Vic drops to a casual flick of her hair in the man's face. "Sorry, I'm way out of your league. Besides, I'm waiting for someone...taller." No sooner does she have the words out of her mouth that they turn into a little squeal and warning bounce of energy before she launches her arms around him.

Itzhak, prime fool-maker, struts in a few minutes later. He kind of always looks like a greaser from the fifties, so the slim cut, cuffed black jeans and steel toed boots aren't that unusual. The plain white t-shirt has a pack of cigarettes rolled into the sleeve; also not that unusual, to be honest. He just looks like James Dean style rebellion stacked over six feet high, walking like he knows he's the hottest thing in the room. "Hey!" This is to Ruiz, as he slings an arm around him. Then he's upnodding to Roen, and then... "MARSHALL! You son of a bitch!" is roared in delight across the room.

"Hey yourself." August gives a little push of his shoulder against Ruiz's tap. "Your man gonna show up all dressed to the nines? I put out last week, it's his turn."

Speak of the devil. Sadly, no amazing outfit, or rather, nothing less amazing than his usual fair. August sighs, hands on his hips. "Really? No KISS leather getup? No Poison glam outfit?" He sighs, turns to get his black and tan for the bar and have a drink. "So disappointed. You owe me. I'm owed."

He smiles around his beer for Park's choice of song. Yes, this would be a good karaoke night.

Easton manages to break into a grin right up until the 'taller' comment. He coughs out a laugh and agrees, "Yeah you and me both sister." He grins and accepts the hug, managing to not fall off the stool and as she clobbers him. He gives her a quick kiss and says, "But seriously I do need that pitcher of beer. I didn't touch a drop out east." He is obviously proud of this but at the same time doesn't really want to get into what has held him out east so long and why that required sobriety. Because obviously tonight is not about that.

He holds up two fingers at Leo and adds, "Two shots of Makers when you get a chance big jack." Big jack being the catchall name for any other guy, he does know Leon's name.

The greetings from the others have him upnodding his head, "Gentleman. Congratulations on not being dead." Totally normal Gray Harbor greeting after being away for a while.

Once upon a time, a formerly-Navy sailor sailed into Gray Harbor on a little sailboat. Clean-cut, upright, and well-behaved. In the intervening almost-year-and-a-half, Joe's apparently added more ink and lost both his razor and his clippers. The blond hair is a mane of loose curls, he's got scruff that's really kind of finally made it over the line into beard territory, and he's got that ocean-blue ink on his long fingers. He comes sauntering in not long behind Itzhak, wearing a black t-shirt with the iconic image of Aldrin standing on the Moon, and the caption 'Seriously, We Went To The Damn Moon', and the usual old jeans and boots. He's humming to himself, lazily, stepping aside from the door to see who might be where.

"Ooh! I'm on!" Park rushes for the stage, which means in her huge boots, it is more of a shuffle and thumping of people along the way. "Sorry. Sorry. Oh, your wig stayed on this time. Nice." The last to a man who is still clutching his hairpiece after too many bald revelations with Park around. Clomping up onto the stage, she gives everyone a wave. "Hello! It's really me!" she grins. "Why am I singing an Alice Cooper song dressed like this? Who cares! I would have come as the lead singer of Lordi but you probably wouldn't know who he was. How is everyone? Ready to rock out with your appendage out? How do you tell the difference between a frog and a horny toad? A frog says, "Ribbit, ribbit" and a horny toad says, "Rub it, rub it.”" Park waits for the silence to subside before, "Hit it, Maestro!"

I used to be such a sweet, sweet thing
'Til they got a hold of me.
I opened doors for little old ladies,
I helped the blind to see.
I got no friends 'cause they read the papers.
They can't be seen with me and I'm gettin' real shot down
And I'm feeling mean.

No more Mister Nice Guy,
No more Mister Clean,
No more Mister Nice Guy,
They say he's sick, he's obscene.

Not much of a dance routine so far - not in these boots - but she belts out the song with gusto.

Vic raises her glass of whiskey towards Easton in hello. She looks amused as Park takes the stage in a KISS outfit to sing Alice Cooper. She sips from her glass, before looking towards the trio of the Chief and his boys. She nods to Ruiz, Joe, and Itzhak, but seems to be here to observe rather than participate.

Ruiz gets an arm slung around him, and gives Itzhak a solid slap on the back in return, along with something spoken low in his ear. Then he reaches for the drink that's slid over with a rumbled, "Gracias, amigo," and downs a healthy swig of it before spotting Joe as well. Itzhak's given a little shove, like go get 'im while he takes up a lazy lean against the bar to watch the girl up on stage perform.

"Shows what you know!" Itzhak fires back at August, grinning like a loon. He slides Ruiz a wicked sidelong look, bending his head to him. "I'm mad at you for not texting me for terrible life advice," he informs Easton, then he's quieting to admire Park in her Gene Simmons getup. He's not quiet for long, though. "No more - mister nice guy! No more - mister clean!"

Bennie is grinning as she smudges a thumb over Easton's lower lip to whisk away some of the bright red, but there is a seriousness to her eyes that only those that know what lies beneath her jolly mask might recognize as he tells her about his sobriety. There is no words of praise for this achievement, but there is a scritch of his cheek with her fingernails. "Boys." She greets August, Itzhak, Ruiz and Joseph with a false lowering of her voice like Sandy telling Danny to 'tell her about it, stud'. First beer poured she takes a step away from the bar to start dancing to Park's song with accompanied hair thrashing in order to give Easton a little room to accept back slaps, noogies, handshakes or dip smooches from his pals.

Rounding the bar, Leon delivers the pitcher and glasses to Bennie and the shots to Easton, setting them down on the table and giving Easton a familiar clap on the back of the shoulder. “Good to see you, Marshall.” The big locksmith rumbles, heading back to the bar to fill other orders. Other greetings are made along the way: a nod and “Hola.” For Ruiz, a grin and point for Itzhak, a light pat on the shoulder for Joseph. Vic gets her own upnod, and August a tap of two fingers to mime a salute.

Maggi gets a swat on the ass as he passes behind her to fill another beer order.

It's hard to say if karaoke is really "her thing", but one thing that is her thing is being at a bar. So regardless of if she's singing or not singing, or anything else under the sun, Ash makes her way in dressed jeans and a t-shirt beneath a light-weight rain coat.

Where on Earth did Park get a growly heavy metal voice from? Who knows, but there it is. She even has the headbanging when appropriate.

My dog bit me on the leg today.
My cat clawed my eyes.
Ma's been thrown out of the social circle,
And dad has to hide.
I went to church incognito.
When everybody rose, the Reverend Smith,
He recognized me,
And punched me in the nose, he said.

No more Mister Nice Guy,
No more Mister Clean,
No more Mister Nice Guy,
He said you're sick, you're obscene.

High pitched notes rise and rise on the last word before she is almost (melodically) screaming. Then, as the note falls away, she flops her head in a bow. Her Gene Simmons ponytail flopping down over her face, requiring her to blow it away as she rises. "Thank you, everyone! Have a rockin's good night, and I apologise in advance if I hit anyone with my spikes or my codpiece." A cheerful wave as she bounces off the stage.

The burdens of command are many, and many a night spent wrangling paperwork until either Itzhak or Joe decides to act like a cat and just push it off the edge of the desk until Javier pays attention to him. But they've pried him out into public, and Joe's sidling on over to stand by Ruiz. He looks, quite frankly, smug. Like this is a triumph worth noting.

"I can't believe you're going to let me out-dress you at karaoke," August calls in reply. "I'm up by one, there are pictures to prove it." Sure, he could go over there so he and Itzhak needn't shout but why would he do that. It's a night for unwinding. "Hey Bennie, you look fabulous. I hope you're gonna sing for us too." Some Love Hurts? Maybe Dirty Deeds Joan Jett style? A man can hope. He raises his beer to Leon and then Maggi--always greet your hosts--settles against the bar to watch everyone arrive.

And at least Park is wearing a KISS getup. Who cares if she's singing something else. August whistles for her, throws up the horns. Time to relive his teen years.

The last karaoke event, and maybe the one before? have been missing something. Something very important. But this one, this one does not! For lo, the door opens yet again and therein appear both Rhys and Sparrow. "--but I never did get a decent answer on why she brought a crate of ducklings. Kind of hope she figured she could add them to her stake if the bets went bad," the former is saying to the latter as he holds the door for her. The 'Hiss' t-shirt with cats drawn in the Kiss make-up is probably in honour of the theme; the leather jacket and jeans may or may not be.

With the door opening, then stubbing out a cigarette against the outside of the building and a quick check to make sure the cherry glow of the lit end looks to be extinguished, Everett dispassionately flicks the crumbled remainder into the parking lot before he ducks and turns his attention inside while entering. Then stops. His green eyes look around at the change made to the foyer; gone, the gross carpeting. The corner of his right lip twitches, with a soft, poorly suppressed snarl.

Changes. Only war never changes.

With an effort the large thug continues into the building, letting the door close behind him before he pauses once more to shake the drizzle from his leather Brando-style jacket, then hair. When his path continues, it's towards Hank, er, Davis. Then the bar.

Considering the last time Isi was here turned ~weird~ she wasn't particularly in a hurry to come back to the bar. But the sound of music makes it way into the street and it draws Isi like moth to flame. Stepping inside she quickly puts herself to the back of any crowd and just... leans. Not putting herself forward yet.

Jens is still pitching an ear-splitting whistle for Park's performance when he hears his name and the song he's singing. He gets up from his chair with haste and trips, stumbling out of his seat and nearly knocking his entire table over. The pitcher of beer is blessedly half-empty (wait, isn't he alone?) so even as it slides a little and the beer sloshes inside, it doesn't spill. "Woops." He steadies and walks across the bar with a big, doofy grin. He's in a pair of tight dark jeans, a pair of boots that probbably belong to Ash, and a t-shirt that's cut just a bit too short that has a printed black-and-white picture of Taylor Swift on it throwing some rock'n'roll horns. He also has some chains, wristbands, and a sweet necklace. His hair is tied up, but as he grabs the mic, he reaches up and pulls the scrunchy off, letting it all hang loose and broad.

Jens lifts a hand up and tosses his hair back with the other, flashing the crowd a winning smile.

"Shot through the heart!
"And you're to blame!
"Darlin', you give love a bad name!"

He starts to stalk the tiny stage area side to side, hunched a little, like he's weighed down by something. A rockin' air-guitar, maybe!

"An angel's smile is what you sell,
"You promise me heaven, then put me through hell!
"Chains of love got a hold on me,
"When passion's a prison, you can't break free!"

He does a little double-tap wrist-to-wrist and then cocks an imaginary gun.

"Ohhhhhhhh, you're a loaded gun, yeah!
"Oh, there's nowhere to run!
"No one can save me!
"The damage is done!"

He launches into the second chorus, finger pointing at a different person in the room with each beat of the song. You! Park! Shot through the heart. (Pew pew.) You! Bennie! Totally to blame. (Finger waggle.) You! August! Givin' love a (Talky motion.) -- Leon! Bad name, bad name!

Easton gives Leon and upnod and shoots back to Itzhak, "Believe you were like a terrible drunken Jimminy Cricket in my head even without the texting." He laughs as August yells back at Itzhak, very much enjoying the loudness of the bar with Park singing and everyone else yelling and drinking. He downs the shot and looks over at Ruiz giving a more subdued, quiet nod. Some things you don't shout out across a bar, even when you're Easton. He gets distracted by Bennie's dancing, a big grin splitting his face as he watches her.

"Damn that girl can sing," Itzhak says in genuine pleasure, although he's heard quite a lot of Park's range. She's always pulling something new out of her absurdist hat. "Method to my madness, Roen!" he yells back at August--and tosses his head back to laugh in delight at Easton's comeback. "Better fuckin' believe it." Then Jens is singing and Itzhak's singing along with him, too. It's gonna be one of those nights. "You promise me heaven then put me through hell!"

The important question, in regards to crates o' ducklings, is very clearly, "But are there any left?" as if they'd just been released into the casino to run loose and wild for anybody to pick up. As if Sparrow might have a place to keep a duckling. There's always the bathrub, right? The purple-haired punk is not in costume, but her everyday aesthetic isn't too far off from the evening's theme, even if the cut-off jeans over black tights look is a bit more modern than the whole 80s vibe the rest of the crowd is rocking tonight. Her black tee reads I PREFER THE DRUMMER. Other than her hair, all the color comes from her accessories, shimmery blue on her eyes, lips, the laces in her black Docs. When their arrival coincides with a Jens on stage, she squeals and hollers some encouragement, the arm not snagged around one of Rhys' shot up into the air enthusiastically.

Ruiz makes no attempt to peel himself out of the corner of the bar he's pasted himself into. He's got his glass of tequila, and a few of his favourite people, and like hell he's braving that crowd. "Evening, baby," he greets Joe in a low voice, dark eyes roving over the scruffy blond before traveling back to whomever's up on stage.

Just in time, it seems, to see Jens called up on stage. A sight that she'll never let him forget, even if that might not ever, in a million years, bother him. She's going to bring it up forever. For. Ever. Ash lifts her hands up, tucking her fingers into the corners of her mouth before she whistles in Jens' direction, joining her encouragement in with everyone elses for the performance.

Park cheers as Jens lets rip with alcohol assisted vocalisation. Finger guns! It's a wonder she doesn't swoon. She dances away, doing moves in costume that Gene Simmons would never do himself, but he'd get the dancers to do. Park will do her best to find room to dance without harming other customers...or knock that guy's wig off again.

Jens give sit his all. Look. He may not be the best singer (he is definitely not the best singer) but he has more energy than a methhead hopped up on Red Bull and that's a fact.

He drags his fingers across his lips, giving his audience and broad smile, then drags his nails down his chest.

"Paint your smile on your lips,
"Blood red nails on your fingertips.
"A school boy's dream, you act so shy,
"Your very first kiss was your first kiss goodbye!"

SMOOCH! Kiss blown to the crowd!

"Whoa-oh-ohhhh, you're a loaded gun!
"Whoa-oh-ohhhh, there's nowhere to run!
"No one can save me!
"The damage is done!

Jens hangs his head, breathing heavy, then he pops his head back up for:

"Shot through the heart!
"And you're to blame!
"You give love a bad name! (Bad name.)
"I play my part and you play your game!
"You give love a bad name! (Bad name.)
"You give love, ohhhhhhh...!"

He sings the repeated end-chorus with as much energy as he did the rest. He's probably sweating beer at this point.

"You give loooooooooooooooooooooove..."

He thumps the mic on his leg and tosses his head back, along with his hair. "Thanks everybody." And off back to his table he goes.

Bennie will gladly take Jens' blame, beer lofted above her head like a lighter as she dances like a groupie looking for a backstage pass to whomever is singing. "I mean, when do I get to break out the pleather?" She grins to August and then flips her hair out of her eyes, unused to it being so straight and...everywhere. "Last time I sang, the Other spit out Easton. This time I'm afraid he'd go willfully running back." There is a reason she chose a 'talking' song.

Vic finishes her whiskey, leaves a hefty tip, and makes her way out. Too crowded for her tonight.

Isi lifts her hands up in applause as the singer ends. She's not quite settled enough for doing much but watching, but she's HERE. And that's all that matters, right?

At the bar, Everett accepts his beer bottle and turns around, leaning his lower back against the wood while keeping a thick finger crooked around the longneck. His attention drifts among the people collected thus far, and those leaving. His people spying interrupted to applaud politely for Jens and August.

Itzhak whistles loud and obnoxious for Jens. "Dunno you but I like your style!" he calls to him. "Hey, Rhys, Sparrow! Great to see youse guys!"

"First of all I like your singing. Second, you can where cheap pleather any time when you look that good." Easton grins and then cheers and claps for Jens, and like everything else he does, he's super loud about it. He downs his first beer and heads out on the floor to dance with Bennie for a bit, their mutual lack of personal space not impeding their ability to dance. He may only have one good leg but he's managed to get used to it and still move pretty damn well, at least for a little while.

Jens flashes Ithzak a grin, winks at Sparrow, gives Easton a clap on the shoulder as he makes his way to the table. He spots Ash and shoots her a big ol' bright smile, too, because he definitely doesn't care if she saw that. "Anybody film it?" he asks, mostly absently.

"Oh my gosh! I love 'Twisted Sister'!" squeals Park on learning the next song. She glances around with excitement...where's August? Why isn't he up there singing already? While there is a brief break, she staggers over to the bar in the demon boots for that drink she ordered.

Is everyone getting service with a smile? Nope, but drinks and being poured and passed off with an occasional sarcastic nod, tangled hair tipping in punctuation. In the words of Volbeat, 'Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza'. August gets a tip of her water in return, always pleased to be more than a wall ornament. Leon gets a scowl , then a purr for the smack. Maggi spots someone new in town near the back, icy eyes sharp as a hawk. To Isi she yells, "Newbie, get your ass up here before the boys run me dry." This is a joke considering a small city could be built from the bottles.

The scarlet bolt on her face flashes in the dim light, she waves to Sparrow and several other familiar faces.

"Or are you only saying you like my singing because I'm wearing these cheap pleather pants?" Bennie poses back with an amused tilt of her head, slinging a forearm to rest on his shoulder as they groove to the filler music as they wait for August to take the stage. It's during one particular cheesy booty movement - no doubt to butter him up - she comments back to Easton, "By the way, I rescinded the ban on Sailor Boy at the TIBS. Figured it's about time, and you two can slug out your feelings later."

Park quickly changes cheering. this time for her bandmate Itzhak. "Give me a hunka-hunk of your burning love!" she giggles. And she hasn't had anything to drink yet.

"Not me." Ash points out to Jens as she heads in his direction, inviting herself right to the table he's sitting out without a by-your-leave. Just finds herself an empty seat and drops her ass right into the chair. "But if I had known.....I would have. You should sing another song so I can record it."

Oh, he's up? "That's 'yit-ZOHK'!" Itzhak shoves off from the bar and weaves through the crowd and tables. When he rolls up on the stage, he's definitely in that well-lubricated stage of intoxication. Everything is warm and loose and he moves with lanky, swaggering grace. He snatches the mic off the stand, grinning to himself in unmistakeable anticipation. The music starts in, bright bluesy guitar, and those first chords get Itzhak snapping along, swinging his shoulders. And then he launches into the classic like he's aiming for low orbit. His voice could not be more perfectly suited for rock'n'roll: rough, characterful, and unerringly on-key.

Lord Almighty,
I feel my temperature rising
Higher higher
It's burning through to my soul

Girl, girl, girl
You gonna set me on fire
My brain is flaming
I don't know which way to go
Your kisses lift me higher
Like the sweet song of a choir
You light my morning sky
With burning love!

He's even doing the Elvis lean, hips forward, chest back, singing into the microphone with brow passionately furrowed. Lest anybody doubt he means every fucking word of this song, let them doubt no longer. Now it's obvious why he's dressed like this. This is about the King, baby.

Sparrow's hand comes to her mouth so that she can blow a big ol' kiss over Itzhak's way in answer to that greeting. Those same fingers then wiggle waves out toward Jens and Ash, toward Maggi and a few other familiar faces she hasn't seem in a, uh, fairly sizable eon. School's demanding, okay? Not to mention the might-be-two-jobs she's still rocking. And a magnificently greedy leo who gets most of what's left of her free time these days. It's definitely been a while. She gives a tug over toward the bar, angling for some drinks first.

Rhys joins in the whistles of appreciation for Jens's vocal stylings, and shoots Itzhak (and all around him via splash damage) a brilliant grin at the greeting. "Itzhak! Gonna show us all how it's done tonight?" he calls back, and steers Sparrow along with him in the general direction of (a) sign-ups and (b) alcohol. Both also very important things here. Other people get grins and greetings as he passes, but this is a mission from possibly God, who knows. As far as ducklings, "She took 'em all home with her. Or they're still in the vault. But I think I would've noticed them the next day." And then Itz is heading to sing, and getting a big thumbs up on the way. Encouragement! 'cause he needs it, clearly.

Joe doesn't dance at these things. Nor does he sing, presumably because no one's ever thought to get him drunk enough and then herded him up to sing Major Tom. No, he's lurking at Ruiz's elbow, watching the festivities with that air of feline amusement. His poison this evening is a Cuba Libre, which is somewhere in the middle of the 'How Drunk Does Cavanaugh Intend To Be This Evening?' scale. Then he's wolf-whistling at Itzhak's performance, fingers to his lips.

Jens pours into the glass from the pitcher and slides the glass over to Ash. He'll keep the pitcher,, there's not that much more than another glass left in it anyway. He grins at her. "Maybe once everyone who wants has their chance, but I doubt it. It's gonna be a long night." Jens flashes Sparrow a smile and looks up at the singing Itzhak and bangs his hand on the table, singing along, then looks at Ash. "You gonna sing or you just a dirty spectator?" Like a dirty casual gamer, but for karaoke.

Javier's glass pauses at his mouth at those first few words of song from Itzhak. Then he completes the motion, a flick of dark eyes to Joe for his wolf whistle, and a chuckle as he polishes off his tequila. "Another one, yeah?" he tells the 'tender with a rap of knuckles on the bar, sliding his empty glass back. Then he slings an arm around the blond, and eases in to watch the rest of Itzhak's performance.

"I'm a simple man Oakes." Easton non-answers the question and enjoys the dancing for a bit. The buttering up is obviously very effective as Easton takes that bit of information with a grunt and says, "Alright fine. But if-." He cuts himself off and forces a smile back on. "Everytime he and Ruiz punch it out the dude looks like he fell into a cement mixer with a bowling ball." Easton shrugs and says, "Not sure I'm looking for that kind of punching it out." He glances back at Jens and Ash, before stage whispering to Bennie, "Which one is that again? Ash or Astrid?" Seriously, they look nothing alike Marshall. And both worked for you for ... a long damn time.

There's a return waggle of fingers in Sparrow's direction, then Ash points to Jens' table which has been claimed in the name of Ash. Clearly an invitation. "Me? I'm not singing. Have you heard me sing? It's horrible. Terrible....rotten. Like...stinky dead moo-cow on a hot summer day." Okay, Ash. No one needs this. "But I'll watch and cheer you on for your second go around." She reaches for the glass of beer poured for her, lifting it up in a salute before she drains a good half of it in one go.

"I was thinking more the sexy kind with jello, but a girl can dream." Bennie says wistfully of Joe and Easton going a few rounds. Looking over at his question, her eyebrows knit in the middle with momentary distress. "Y-yes?" Clear as mud, Oakes, but this is what happens when you try to get Bennie to recall much of anything these days.

"Half the point of karaoke is sucking at it and not caring, Ash," Jens informs her with a long roll of his eyes. He sets his pitcher down and wipes his mouth like he's drinking ale in Norway a millennia and a half ago, pulling his scrunchy from his wrist and gathering his hair back up to tie it again. "Chickenshit," he accuses Ash with a grin.

Itzhak can't help getting theatrical up here, fanning himself, letting them hips swivel. Ever wanted to see someone get way, way too into karaoke? Here's your chance.

It's coming closer
The flames are licking my body
Please won't you help me
I feel like I'm slipping away
It's hard to breath
And my chest is a-heaving
Lord have mercy,
I'm burning a hole where I lay

'Cause your kisses lift me higher
Like the sweet song of a choir
You light my morning sky
With burning love
With burning love
Ah--ah--ah--" escalating up the octaves, "burning love--

Itzhak opens up into his full vocal power, pulling out volume that fills the place and rattles the glassware.

"I'm just a HUNK A HUNK of burning love!"

He rocks into the ending lines, all those hunks of burning love, and wraps up with a showy bow. Then he hangs up the microphone and struts his ass back to his boyfriend, grinning utterly pleased with himself.

"I limit my sexy jello wrestling to you and Geoff these days sweet cheeks." Not that Easton and Geoff have ever done that but if it were to happen, few would really be surprised by it. He is distracted by the hip swiveling on stage and ammends, "Okay fine, maybe Rosencratz." As if he's conceding something here to Bennie. As the song draws to a close he whistles loudly through his fingers and heads over for another drink.

Speaking of sucking at it; clapping more enthusiastically for Itzzy, when Everett climbs the stage, nodding to Rhys and Sparrow in recognition as he passes, and takes the microphone into his large right mitt, he glances Davis' way and murmurs with his deep voice, "Thanks, Hank," before turning his attention forward without indication he's trying to start a thing. During the long intro, Everett takes a drink from the beer in his other hand and swallows it like it's fighting back. After a minute, he's nodding his head slowly in time with the slow song. He's so unfocused, that Everett misses his cue again, like last week. Fortunately, it's another song that can be gotten away with while spoken.

--ook into your eyes
I can see a love restrained
But darlin' when I hold you
Don't you know I feel the same

Nothin' lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it's hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain

We've been through this such a long long time
Just tryin' to kill the pain, oo yeah
But love is always coming and love is always going
And no one's really sure who's lettin' go today
Walking away

If we could take the time
To lay it on the line
I could rest my head
Just knowin' that you were mine
All mine
So if you want to love me
Then darlin' don't refrain
Or I'll just end up walkin'
In the cold November rain

Do you need some time on your own
Do you need some time all alone
Everybody needs some time
On their own
Don't you know you need some time all alone

I know it's hard to keep an open heart
When even friends seem out to harm you
But if you could heal a broken heart
Wouldn't time be out to charm you

"Sparrow! Oh my gosh!!" The drummer getting a hug from Gene 'Park' Simmons. "How is the band going? And Rhys, it's been like, ages. Time flies around this place. I wish it would slow down a bit so we can enjoy it more." A shrug of spiked shoulders before cheering Itzhak off and Everett on. "This is such a long song" she whispers to Sparrow. "I think Everett likes to be on stage. Surprised he isn't singing the full 'Inna-gadda-da-vida'" she giggles. "Oh my gosh! I need to be somewhere." A beat. "Okay, I am somewhere, but I need to be somewhere else."

A grin for Maggi. "These are such fun, make sure you keep doing them!" And off she goes - Gene Simmons has left the building.

Bennie mimes wiping drool off her chin and then Easton's as Itzhak leaves the stage, "You and me both, buddy. You and me both." And then the MC is announcing the next song and she's divesting them both of their glasses of beer with a triumphant, "Oooh, slow song!" Because after his trip back East, if Easton thinks he's getting out of this particular dance he's got another thing coming.

"Nice work, tall drink'a water," Joe congratulates Itz, lifting his glass to him in salute. He's already made a sizable dent in it. But then, presumably he's not the one driving home tonight. Still propped lazily against Ruiz, like it's the cop's job to prop him up.

It's difficult to fail a song, even a karaoke one, where the words are more spoken than sung. And you're backed by an orchestra. Or there's a Slash break.

Sometimes I need some time
On my own
Sometimes I need some time all alone
Everybody needs some time
On their own
Don't you know you need some time all alone

Or two. The perfect chance for Everett to sip from the beer bottle both times, then wipe his lips with the back of his large paw.

And when your fears subside
And shadows still remain, oh yeah
I know that you can love me
When there's no one left to blame
So never mind the darkness
We still can find a way
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
Even cold November rain

With the microphone, Everett begins to sway the instrument in the air, not unlike a conductor's baton. There's a pause before the next bit, and when that starts, he returns the microphone mouth-ward for the next few lines.

Don't ya think that you need somebody
Don't ya think that you need someone
Everybody needs somebody
You're not the only one
You're not the only one

This part continues two, two and a half times. And by the time it's getting close to ending, Everett's speaking-singing style is has been stretched to its most. And when the song ends. Finally, ends. Everett breathes a loud sigh of relief, into the microphone as it's still in his hand, and then returns it before making his way from the carpet and back to his perch at the bar.

Itzhak blushes at the reactions he gets, but he's laughing. Oh, he had a great time up there, and the great time is continuing. He swipes his drink (whiskey sour) from the bar and wets his throat, chest heaving, temples damp with sweat. Slumping against the bar, he offers a fistbump to Joe. Everett's singing! Itzhak applauds him with a whistle.

"For the best, I'm sure," Sparrow murmurs distractedly of the baby ducks. "I don't need a duck." She probably doesn't even want a duck, but the idea of a fluffy little duckling is rather enjoyable. She could make it cute little hats! No. No. Gotta stop thinking about it! She focuses, instead, on sign-ups, on drinks, on paying attetion to others' performances and hollering her ass off in support. When Park pops over and glomps on, there might be a small yelp that ends in a giggle and a, "Hi. Hey. Uh. What band?" Low Expectations died maybe a year ago now, with both the guitarist and bassist moving on to other things. "Yours? How's yours?"

"Lo mataste allí arriba, bebé," Javier all but growls at the returning Itzhak, leaning over to cuff him across the back of the head before drawing him in for a quick embrace. Then his dark eyes rove toward the newest performer, and he snags his fresh drink as it's set down.

Easton finishes his beer faster as Bennie reaches for it, obviously ready to be rid of any sobriety streak that he may have built up for 'reasons' back out east. He manages to get most of it down before she pulls him back out on the floor for some crooning rock ballad slow dance action. "He does have the hair for rock night.." Easton says of Everett as he sways with Bennie, his uneven steps a little more noticeable in the slower rhythyms. He looks over her shoulder at Ruiz and tries to make eye contact or something, he's been away from it all so long that whatever he's trying doesn't go anywhere and just leaves him with a bit of a confused look on his face.

August saunters up to the stage, casual as can be. Well, to be fair, most rock musicians in the 70s dressed the same: jeans, t-shirt, leather jacket. His hair's just a bit too short. He sighs, since Davis has ruined what he wanted to be a surprise. Ah well.

"Just a little something we all feel like shouting now and then," he says with a wry grin. The opening drum beat is no doubt recognizable to anyone who's heard this song; the lyrics fire immediately thereafter to help jog the memories of those who don't.

We're not gonna take it
no, we ain't gonna take it!
We're not gonna take it anymore!

We've got the right to choose it
there ain't no way we'll lose it
this is our life, this is our song

We'll fight the powers that be, just,
don't pick our destiny 'cause
you don't know us, you don't belong!

August doesn't have any training in singing, but that's okay, because Dee Snider doesn't sing this song. Which is probably why he picked it.

Your life is trite and jaded,
boring and confiscated
if that's your best, your best won't do!_

We're right!
We're free!
We'll fight
You'll see!
We're not gonna take it!

He gives a bow as the song ends, resists the urge to drop the mic in classic glam rocker style. (Because he doesn't want to pay for a new one.)

"Chicken?" Ash gives Jens a look of clear insult, her eyes widening at him, "I. Am. Not." She exclaims, her voice raising loud enough to probably bother anyone near by. But then she just wiggles her brows at him, turning her attention towards the others that are being called up for their turns, "You can't trick me into going up there."

Jens finishes his pitcher and stands up to sing the song with August, waving his hands in the air, one of them with the pitcher kind of flicking drops of beer everywhere. Whooooo! Then he leans down and smooches Ash on the cheek. "Can I tempt you?" He starts moonwalking back to the bar for more beer, giving her The Eyes.

He's drunk, he looks like an idiot.

(He doesn't care.)

Rhys has a whistle of approval for Itzhak, too; applauding as the guy leaves the stage, and he watches Everett head up as drinks finish getting acquired. "Definitely for the best. Otherwise they'd either be starved or in training to be the next Scrooge McDuck. Hey, maybe that's why she brought them..." Park gets a greeting before she zooms off, and he heads toward the table that they (okay, Sparrow, but they're a set right now) were beckoned toward. Gotta put the drinks down so he can applaud for that cold November Rain! And woo for August as he heads up. Man, these nights go fast.

Itzhak blushes harder when Ruiz growls that at him in Spanish. He gives him a hell of a look through his lashes and jostles up against him and it's quite possible he steals a kiss in the midst of all this noise and music. He settles against the bar, arm around Ruiz, and then August is singing and of course he has to sing along to that too. "We're right! We're free! We'll fight! You'll seeeeeee!"

Bennie hooks her hand in Easton's collar and drags him in for a longer kiss at the end of the rock ballad but then August is damning the man and bucking the authorities with his song and a high heeled foot finds the seat of one of the chairs and the woman is standing up on the damn thing and pumping her fist along with the song.

"Depends on what you're tempting me with." Ash replies with a laugh for Jens, rolling her eyes at him. He probably could come up with a whole lot MORE. But honestly, who cares? Ash is going to give in either way, as sober as she still is. So she starts to look around for where she's going to need to sign up for her future humiliation.

Watching Jens walking backward, Everett's thick brows frown. With a brief shake of his head that disrupts his long hair, his attention returns to the stage, uplifting his beer bottle to shout the chorus as well before he turns around to get another beer. While waiting, adjusting his hair back by combing his thick fingers through it.

Mr. Moonwalk would find a pitcher waiting, a salute given from Maggi. In typical fashion, the ticket names were jacked up enough that one would need a cryptographer to deduce the monikers. This guy though, totally Mr. Moonwalk.

Taking a slow breath she relaxes, taking in the sight of a full bar. Hearing the Rhys/Sparrow debate, she ducks by to check drinks and yells, "Goose" in their direction. The curated mess does not wait to see if they process the joke, nor does she grin. Instead, she stops by August and Co. "Itz, between you and August we may have to up Davis' life insurance soon, pretty sure his heart stopped."

Ruiz manages to catch the tail end of that glance from Easton, and offers one of those awkward smiles of his own in return. It comes out a little more like a baring of teeth, a little feral. Then his attention's dragged away by August getting up on stage, and he gives the guy a whistle of encouragement. More tequila goes down the hatch, and a little of the tension in his big shoulders is smoothed away.

Maggi’s purr gets an even more pronounced and suggestive growl from Leon, a waggle of eyebrows, because marital flirting was always a thing with these two. Shots were being lined up, and refills put on deck for the other tenders to carry across the floor to patrons. There looks to be a moment when a couple of the mill workers were swearing angrily at each other, maybe about to come to blows. Leon smacks his hands down on the wood and strikes a straight armed lean at the bar in front of them, glaring. They immediately shut it down like fighting kindergartners caught by the teacher. They utter murmurs of apologies and go back to drinking.

Leon tosses a towel over his shoulder and wanders back to grab some food to deliver, this time his hand only lightly trailing across the small of Maggi’s back as he moves by. His head swivels in the direction of a patron on a chair... then just chuckles. Bennanegans had returned to the Pourhouse.

Jens is oblivious to anyone's disapproval. He bumps into Rhys on his way to the bar and spins, catching the guy's shoulder. "Oops, sorry, man," and then he turns around and bumps into Easton and Bennie, too. "Oof. Why are there so many good looking people in this place?" he asks them, one hand on either person's shoulders, before he continues his way to the bar. "BEER!" at Maggi, who gets his most broadest and genuinest and charmingest smile because she's putting up with him. Right? Right. He holds his pitcher out to her.

Isi has watched, and been entertained, but without ordering anything she slips back out again. To drink one needs money, and she's a bit tight right now.

Joe's just laughing hard at the spectacle of August on stage. Hard enough that he's gone pink (though at least some of that might be blamed on the rum), and contentedly playing bookends with Itzhak. "Man, it's been a while since I seen it this busy," he says, sounding pleased at the fact. "Maybe it's cause spring's finally here, y'know?" A glance at his companions solicits their agreement, or at least their opinion.

"Heya, pretties," Sparrow croons as she and Rhys maybe actually finally make their way to a seat, joining Ash and... where'd Jens go? Look, it's a busy, crowded night, and there have been a lot of distractions. Like someone shouting 'goose' across the room like it's a command. The purple-haired punk, nearly on reflex, reaches down to grab Rhys' rear and give a quick squeeze, a goose, if you will. And then plunk her butt down before there can be any retaliation, smiling all innocent-like.

The smack of the hand causes a sharp glance from Easton, the tense reaction and reaching to his side for a non-existent piece all before he realizes it's just Leon stopping a little kerfuffle. He sheepishly sits back down and is thankful that Bennie takes that cue to get up and dance so he can cheer her and the current singer on.

Unfortunately for a blonde who only wears heels when the outfit absolutely demands it, (let's face it, Bennie is used to flats when dating Easton) that little jostle from Jens is enough to make her teeter like a totter. Arms flail like a baby bird trying to take flight, but gravity is a cruel mistress and Bennie lacks feathers.

Suddenly, through the door comes a tall blonde, her hair flowing and full of waves, dressed head to toe in all black. Nicole smiles and looks around, announcing to anyone who might hear her, "sorry I am late! You wouldn't believe the chaos of the day today. Three children decided to cut their own hair. One old lady was convinced her appointment for a perm was today and wouldn't take no for an answer, and one woman came in bawling because she fell asleep with gum in her mouth and of course it ended up in her hair. Of course." She scans the room again, looking for people she knows, a seat to snag, and a drink to be had.

When Sparrow arrives, she's greeted with a hugs and a beer-flavored kiss on the cheek from Ash, "Be right back. Hold down the fort." She then presses her half empty glass of beer into Sparrows hand before she goes to sign up for humiliation. Err. Singing. Ash will be singing.

Itzhak dips his head to Maggi with an exaggerated flourish of one hand. "Ahhh, ya flatter a Yid," he answers her, that smile wicked and lopsided. "It's good to get up and sing again." That's to her and Joe both. He's spent a while recovering from the twin slugs in his chest and he was not doing a lot of singing. In fact, what's that necklace he's wearing? It's a slim ball chain with three curious little brass flowers on it. "Spring," he agrees with Joe, though, and reaches around Ruiz's back to whap him fondly in the arm.

And Bennie is nudged and once again Easton's quick to react as he can see she's not up to the task of being up. And so he heroically catches her.. er.. as she slams into him and then he into the bar and then both onto the floor. But! The most important thing is that his leg stays on, so we can still call that a win. "You are apparently out of practice in your barstool dancing Oakes, and that is a damn shame." He says while still on the floor, which he refuses to admit is nicer than the gross carpet of old.

Glancing over people's heads, the right corner of Everett's mouth pulls and relaxes quickly to resume to his normal glower with Nicole's announced entrance. Pulling his beer bottle closer, his green eyes go down to it moments before he starts scratching at the label. Davis' commentary following the announcement of Rhys's song just gets a long stare.

"BOOOO," Jens yells at Davis, but he's grinning. And then he sees the HAVOC HE HAS WROUGHT. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry!" He crouches down to help Bennie and Easton both up. "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry!"

He's sorry.

"Really sorry."

In case it wasn't clear.

"Super sorry."

... smack him, he's skipping.

Bennie, in a heap of synthetic material and a curtain of 80's hair, gives a huff of breath that she's trying to regain. "I mean, to be fair, I usually do Coyote Ugly on a bar, not a chair. And cowboy boots." It's totally cool if they just stay on the nice cold concrete for a while, right? Oh, there's a Jens helping them up. "I'm good! I'm good!" She says, even as she claws up the younger man's arm to get her back to her feet.

"Yo, Nicole!" Itzhak calls out, waving--and then there is a heap of Bennie, Easton, and Jens is coming in for the assist damn near at his feet. Snorting a laugh, he informs Benz, "The first time I ever saw you you was jumping off stage at the Platinum and making poor Marshall catch you."

Rhys is looking the wrong direction when Jens comes moonwalking by, and doesn't manage to step aside in time. It's not that big an impact, though, and all his alcohol manages to stay in the mug -- okay, very nearly all at least -- so after a tiny bobble to make that as little as possible, it just gets a laugh and an, "All good," as he continues tableward. It's the sudden grab from Sparrow -- when he's busy glancing after Maggi and processing her comment -- that gets a yelp and threatens to spill more from his glass, so that he's forced, FORCED to immediately take a good swallow from it and save the beer.

"Pardon me, Ms. Jones," he tells her sternly, but whatever would've followed is derailed by it being suddenly his turn. "Oh, shit. Hold that thought. Also, hey," that to Ash, and extended to Nicole with a grin as she appears. He takes another, bigger drink of the beer, sets it on the table, steals a kiss from Sparrow, and heads up toward the stage. There is a slowing as he watches the other outcomes of Jens's travels, but it seems under control, right? ...right. Unlike Davis's jokes. "Think you might've gotten the kiss-off that time," he remarks to the guy, with a quick grin, as he takes the microphone and steps onto the stage.

Rhys is not the best singer in the bar tonight -- not the worst, probably, but definitely not the best -- but handily that doesn't matter a whole lot tonight. The strumming of a guitar starts, and then he does, quietly, almost as much talking rhythmically as singing: "I need someone, a person to talk to; someone who'd care to love," he begins, and looks to Sparrow, "Could it be you?" then onward to Nicole, a touch more soulfully, "Could it be yo-ou?"

Turning, he strides across the stage, confiding in the audience that the "situation gets rough, then I start to panic," and onward until he informs that well, darling, this is it, and the guitar really kicks in for the declaration that, "You can all just kiss off into the air! Behind my back, I can see them stare! They'll hurt me bad, but I won't mind; they'll hurt me bad, they do it all the time!"

"I do miss those boots.." Easton reminisces as he lets Jens help them up. He waves it off and says, "No worries, one of us was bound to fall off something by the end of the night." They do tend to get a little rowdier at the Pourhouse than the Twofer, for whatever reason. He gets up and calls to Itz, "Yeah you'd think I'd be better at it by now and yet.. no."

Forced! Such bullying from the Sparrow. A bird without remorse, so it would seem, given the beatific way she smiles up at Rhys, post-beer-tinged kiss from a disappearing Ash. But she's saved by the sign-up sheet, his name coming right before hers, delaying any potential retalliation. The parting kiss sees her smile going wider, though her attention turns behind her so she can shoot up a hand to wave toward Nicole when she hears the--okay, admittedly not all that uncoming--name among the crowd. "Hey, gorgeous!" When the music starts up, though, her eyes are all on Rhys, a call of, "Fuck yeah!" answering that surely rhetorical question sung her way.

Bennie paws hair out of her face, her chin tilting up in faux haute fashion at Itzhak. "I am nothing if not graceful." Before breaking out in a beaming smile at the Schnozz and reaching to make sure Easton's all righted. "Well at least we've mastered not pulling down the fridge on top of us during sexy times anymore, that's a point for the balance win column."

It is never too late for a Kailey to show up. Of course she had planned to meet Everett here, but she'd been out installing some art. Like a successful artists or something. When she appears she is dressed in lavender, khaki gold, and black. Black tight jeans with a beige blouse that took its inspiration from the renfaires, and a long, light-weight lavender 'coat' that is more a long sleeved shirt, but it trails down to her ankles. It flutters behind her as she heads into the crowd, searching faces until she finds Everett. And she slides stealthily through them at that. Till she is right behind him and slips her hands over his eyes. Graveling her voice she says, "Guess who?"

Something of what Itz says has Joe turning that blue stare on the musician for a long moment, before he turns to peer at the heap of Bennie. "Stagediving at a strip club?" he wonders, a little blankly, before looking around in hopes of explanation. Maybe Ruiz will be forthcoming.

"That was one time and at least the counter on the island caught it so we didn't get smushed." Easton ammends to Bennie's fridge tale, before adding, "While smashing" Because the little smushed/smashing play on words amuses him. He laughs at Joe's confusion and clarifies, "Amateur night a long... fuck, a /long/ time ago." He shakes his head not wanting to think exactly how long. "God that was you and Sutton right?" Easton asks Bennie before saying with fondness, "I still think about that little dance sometimes."

Ruiz is no help. He's resorted to checking out stupid Spanish memes from his Friendzone feed while nursing his tequila; surefire way to know that his social reserves are getting close to being tapped out.

"They'll hurt me bad, they do it all the time!" Itzhak sings along with Rhys. He has a personal interest in those lyrics. He grins at Joe. "She was surrounded by naked strippers chanting her name. I guess stage diving's the natural next step." Glancing at Ruiz, he takes in what he's doing, and leans in to ask him something in a low murmur.

Nicole lifts her hand when Itzhak calls her name, smiling broadly at him before she looks down to the chaos near him. She bites her lip to muffle a chuckle. But then Rhys' name is called and she looks up towards the stage, then around for Sparrow, probably spotting her friend really easily once she's looking for her. "Hey, Rhys," she says in passing as she moves to snipe his seat from beside Sparrow (if he had one). When he starts singing, crooning to Sparrow, then her, she lifts a hand to her chest, silently asking, 'me?' with the motion. Leaning in towards Sparrow, she says, "I love this song."

A momentary look up to Rhys when he takes the stage. The song, though, doesn't appear to hold his interest, and turning back, shoulders bowed to resume his slow task of peeling the label from his second beer bottle.

Suddenly everything goes dark as Everett's eyesight is blocked. Normally, that only happens when the blanket goes over his cage for nighttime. And with the sudden night, Everett stiffens and freezes, thinking who that might be.
Is that the smell of smoke? The sound of gears heavily grinding?

"Uhh," the gorilla offers after a few seconds. "I told you, Tony, we can't do this in public," he starts to way while turning, and seeing Kailey, his slow smile widens, "Hey, Kitten." Leaning down, Everett unabashedly steals a quick peck.

Jens comes back to the table after getting another pitcher of beer. He stumbles, sure. He trips, sure. He even slips one time, sure. But does he spill any beer?

Well, a little. On his hand. So he's licking it when he sits back down and smiles at Sparrow and Nicole. "Hey, you're not the girl I left here." He looks around. "They multiply," he says, eyes wide.

"Thank goodness for counters." Bennie mumbles before looking up at Joseph. "It was totally Sutton's doing! I think. And I won a raffle! And they tied me up. I think. To be fair the only thing I remember clearly is that the bathroom stall doors locked. Yeah, that was like, one of our first few dates, E." Bennie muses on the tail end of Itzhak's recount. "Okay! More beer, more dancing, more karaoke!" She thrusts the 'rock on' hand towards Rhys and the stage.

That has Joe dissolving into that absurd, frankly idiotic chortle. "Was....like, was this by way of making her a member of the tribe?" he teases. "Like electing her queen of the amateurs? Because I have heard things about amateur nights there. Never have been myself. Figure I made my share of contributions to enough college funds when I was in the Navy back when." Bennie gets a long look. "I've heard of this Sutton," he adds, voice lazy.

"I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record," Rhys intones in his best near-monotone, which turns into a pretty damn good sneer, brow arched and chin lifted, "...Oh yeah?" A pause along with the music, "Well, don't get so distressed. Did I happen to mention that I'm impressed?" Instrumental! He dances along to it, head-bobbing; he's arguably a somewhat better dancer than he is a singer, though really today it's less a question of skill and more commitment. That, he's definitely got.

The music drops down to barely more than the beat, and with it Rhys's voice drops to a softer tone. "I take 1, 1, 1 'cause you left me, and 2, 2, 2 for my family," he begins, very gradually building up, "And 3, 3, 3 for my heartache; and 4, 4, 4 for my headaches; and 5, 5, 5 for my lonely," oh so heartfelt, "And 6, 6, 6 for my sorrow; and 7, 7 n-n-n-n-no tomorrow; and 8, 8!" a tiny pause and, letting the momentum lapse just slightly, "...I forget what 8 was for!" before it builds back up, more quickly this time, "But 9, 9, 9 for a lost god, and 10, 10, 10, 10," softer on the first and building right back up and to full volume, "for everything, everything, everything, everything!"

It stays nearly up there, defiantly, through the last chorus; you can all just kiss off into the air, he won't mind. There's a hell of a lot of energy going into that last bit, with all its time time t-time times. You'd think it might be fun to sing or something. Probably because it really is. The last "Do it all the tiiiime!" is drawn out and ends with a little jump on the last beaat the turns into an unnecessarily deep and flamboyant bow before pops back up with a grin and wanders off the stage, handing the mic back to Davis on the way.

Bennie was free! Free-falling. Then Easton was catching. In almost perfect timing, Maggi is holding up a piece of notebook paper with a number seven hastily sketched. When did she even have time for that?

Looking back at Itz, her expression is as warm as it can be when one is as dead inside as Mrs. Madsen-Gyre. "It has been a community loss up until this point. Glad you recovered." Maggi would have clapped for the purple-headed punk taking the stage, but then she would have to put her shitty sign down. That wasn't happening.

"As women do," Nicole smiles to Jens. "Long time no see!" She wiggles her fingers towards him then gives Sparrow's cheek a smooch. "I've missed you, chica." Attention returning to Rhys she does some head bopping in time to the music. With all that hair, it looks more dramatic than she had meant it to be. She sings a long with him in a whisper, "one, one, one cuz you left me and two, two, two for my family..." continuing on through the numbers until the 'everything' part. "This is normally when I would dance like a maniac..."

Bennie gives a little wince at Maggi's sign, "Oooh, that Icelandic judge is harsh this year." Then to Joe. "Sutton was my partner on the rig. We had a secret snack compartment. She loaned me handcuffs." As if that perfectly sums up the woman in one string of sentences. "And then she left." Bennie shrugs and scoops up someone else's shot glass from the bar, hoisting it up. "Queen of the Strippers!" Before downing the stolen drink.

Kailey beams at Everett as he turns to her and leans down for a kiss. Her arms briefly go around his neck to make it linger. "Hello gorilla," She says with a playful smile. "Order me a strawberry daquiri while I put in my song?" She asks as she releases her hold. Turning to head over to Davis with a brilliant smile. "Hello you, how's life?" She asks as she writes down her song, already know just what she wants. Passing it over with a wink and shoving a fiver into his tip jar. "Gonna rock the casbah," She tells him before sashaying back over to Everett to await her turn.

Having been distracted, Leon does actually take the time to look confused as Maggi holds up a judging placard made of lined paper. He even leans forward and cranes his neck to look at it in incredulity. His eyes follow her gaze, then after opening his mouth and barking a laugh, he moves on to wiping up another beer spill. He assures the drunk patron the cocktail napkins were a good attempt, but he’d take it from here. He tosses the soaked rag into one of the laundry bins and throws another towel over his shoulder.

Then he pours another shot to replace Bennie’s plunder before the patron notices.

Called up, Sparrow presses a quick peck to Nicole's cheek then a big ol' kiss to Rhys' lips on his return and abandons her beer, her boyfriend, her friends to answer the call of the stage. Once she's got the mic in hand, she smiles wide at the crowd and gives 'em all a flirtatious, "Hey," as the drums kick up, inspiring a tap of her heel, a shift of her hips. As the guitar riff joins in, her smiles skews toward a wicked, blue-lipped grin. "The prey the beast screams bloody murder! The line is so fine between hoping and hurting." Bending forward to lean over the crowd, she croons, "Former believers, they beg for release as love looking down on them smiles and picks his teeth." Lips part, showing her tongue running over her teeth as she straightens. "Trapped in between Heaven and Hell, he knows all the secrets you don't wanna tell. There's nowhere to run and there's nowhere to hide." Eyes narrowed as she scans the crowd, she warns, "Love knows you all too well, he will find you!"

Javier glances up briefly when Sutton's mentioned. And the handcuffs. He makes a noise in his throat that might be amusement. Hard to say. "Yeah, getting about that time," he murmurs to Itzhak, shoving his phone back into his jeans pocket. To Joe, "Going to grab a smoke outside. Meet you out there, yeah?" Bennie and Easton get a tick of two fingers to his forehead, and the latter a little wink as he ambles for the door with his musician.

Itzhak saunters out with Ruiz, pausing only to inflict cheek smooches on Nicole. Another karaoke in the bag.

"Whoo!" Jens calls out when Sparrow goes on stage. He flashes Nicole a grin and looks at her a little vacantly, like he's trying to recall her. It's less because he has a bad memory and more because he's drunk af. But she clicks, soon enough, and he smiles more broadly. "So why aren't you?" he asks. "Dancing like a maniac, I mean."

Easton grunts at that summation of Sutton, not missing the handcuffs comment but also not as phased by it as he might have once been, and adds, "She was smart enough to get the fuck outta dodge." Obviously implying something about the rest of them that have not left this place. Seeing Ruiz get up to leave on that causes his jaw to clench ever so slightly, possibly misreading that. He sees Maggi's sign and pffts, "See? You should have put in full twist." He looks around and says, "I'm not going to lie I'm still a little jealous that you get to run the dive bar... Moriah should have sold to me." He never intended to run the tourist trap that is the Two if by Sea and got beat out on the Pourhouse originally before he came to town. He occasionally brings that up, read all the time.

At being called gorilla, Everett pushes his lips out and wiggles his lips for a poor and quick impression before leaning down more to brush his nose against Kailey's.
They're gross.

When he stands erect again there a nod before the separation and he puts in the order for the girlie drink. He's there, waiting like he should be when Kailey comes back. His free arm slipping around her waist, then into her front pocket while he holds his beer with the other hand. And still, somehow. Broods. Even when he ducks his head down, letting his long hair slip over his shoulder while burying his head to the side of Kailey's temple for a brief nuzzle during Sparrow's song.

There's something very dry in Joe's face, as Bennie offers that explanation. As if he knows very well indeed what she's leaving out, and why. "He always has had a weakness for blondes," he observes, wryly. Then he's grinning after the departing cop and musician. "You know I'll be along after you in a li'l bit," he tells Ruiz.

"Love is the ghost haunting your head. Love is the killer you thought was your friend," Sparrow sings the chorus with passion, emphasizing all the appropriate words, eyes spooky-wide as she dips forward, insisting, "Love is the creature who lives in the dark, sneaks up and sticks you and painfully picks you apart!" A moment later, her voice is lighter again, shoulders up and shifting as she sings, "Love is a poet. Love sings the songs. Pointing his finger, you follow along. Voices are calling! The master wants all of you! Paws you and claws you... you try not to fall..." A sinking movement ends in a sudden rise as the second chorus begins. "Love is the leech, sucking you up! Love is a vampire, drunk on your blood. Love is the beast that will tear out your heart--" She thrusts her clawed hand forward, pulling at the air, at an imaginary heart, drawing it toward her face. "Hungrily lick it and painfully pick it apart!"

Sparrow finishes out the song with some fairly impressive, not precisely improvised belting of the refrain of the first chorus, a few ooh yeahs at the end to wrap it up before she bounds off, laughing, to reclaim her beer, her seat, her fine company.

Nicole having stolen his seat, Rhys steals Sparrow's, giving her that kiss and then taking her chair. Fair's fair! He drops into it and claims what's probably his beer and if not it is now, taking a drink and then giving a whistle of encouragement to Sparrow as she takes the stage. "...why isn't she what?" he inquires as he settles in, having apparently just caught that as he was approaching. He's fairly quiet then, at least as far as chatting, because he has a Sparrow to watch, and to sing along with some, while he's at it. And then to applaud and cheer for as she reaches the end. He does not, however, give her back the seat. His now. If she's set on it she'll just have to share it, probably via laps.

Bennie gives a little amused nose wrinkle at Leon as he refills the stolen drink, but then she's holding up two fingers to order her and Easton their own rightful shots. There is a bit of her lip and a dip of her head as Ruiz leaves, head brought up at the last second to catch that salute and wink and she blows them a little kiss. "But darling, if you owned the Pourhouse, where would we let loose?" She asks with an innocent blink. Leaning back against the bar, hitched by her elbows and kicking out a long leg, she comments to Joe with a beaming smile. "All that matters now is that his thing is for you and Itzhak and I now know the word 'thruple'."

Oh! There goes Sparrow! Nicole smiles as her cheek is kissed and the colorful woman heads to the stage. Laughing, she says to Jens, "because I'm not drunk enough yet!" Turning to Rhys, she explains, "dancing like a maniac to your song." Itzhak stops by, kissing her other cheek on his way out and Nicole lifts a hand there. "My cheeks are pleased tonight!"

But then her attention goes to her friend on stage. "Such a creepy song. What's so bad about love? But seriously, I also love this song." She bops along and when Sparrow finishes, stands and gives her a great round of applause, sticking fingers in her mouth to whistle loudly!

Easton grumbles a "That's true." in response to Bennie's very accurately pointing out that he doesn't normally like to be the asshole in his own bar, so he does in fact need someone else's bar to let him be himself. The comment to Joe makes him cough in his beer and then subsequently have to wipe it out of his stubble. "Oookay. Before you learn any more new or interesting words I'm going to head out for a smoke." He downs the beer and heads outside for a beer before Joe can respond (hopefully)

Four glasses are lined up, three of them recieve pours of Maker’s Mark and the last one was grudgingly filled with water. Leon himself claims one, and the water is set before Maggi. He hefts the glass in a silent toast and knocks it back, a show of camaraderie between the four of Gray Harbor’s hosts of sin and inequity.

Sparrow's seat is, indeed, reclaimed by claiming Rhys' lap. Shamelessly. Is there another chair right next to him? Probably. Does she care? Nah. She's alright with having the cutest seat in the place, settled sideways and angled toward Nicole. "Rhys has promised me a duck," she lies. "Rescued from a life of scrooging it up in a vault with its who-knows-how-many siblings." She never did ask how big the crate was, and given how wide her eyes go, she's almost certainly imagining it was much, much larger than reality would allow. But hey, this is Gray Harbor. Who knows! With Ash called up to sing, she lifts her beer and cheers, "Get 'em, Legs!"

When Ash gets called up, there is a point in Jens' direction. He's the cause of this. This is all going to be his fault. Blame him.

Then she gets up on stage, and the music starts, and Ash, god help everyone's poor ears, does her very best to not just nail the words but nail the high-pitch, breathy sound of Blondie as well.

"Once I had a love and it was a gas
Soon turned out had a heart of glass
Seemed like the real thing, only to find
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind
Once I had a love and it was divine
Soon found out I was losing my mind
It seemed like the real thing but I was so blind
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind
In between
What I find is pleasing and I'm feeling fine
Love is so confusing, there's no peace of mind
If I fear I'm losing you it's just no good
You teasing like you do
Once I had a love and it was a gas
Soon turned out had a heart of glass
Seemed like the real thing, only to find
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind..."

"I'm old fashioned, I still use menage a trois, generally," Joe says, in that mild voice has has. Like he's just being helpful. "But I know, baby. I was there long, long before anyone else, after all." Then he's glancing down into the dark depths of his drink, as if considering getting another one.

"Oh, psh, you can't just dance when you're drunk. Half the fun is remembering the night after," Jens tells Nicole with a nudge. He gives another hard whistle when Sparrow finishes, and then slams his hand on the table when Ash is announced. "WOOOOOOOOOH." He accepts the blame by standing up and climbing on his chair, shaking his hips a little along to Ash's singing. Look, this kid shouldn't be left unsupervised.

Who's his legal guardian?

"Like... Peking duck? Or... a quack quack pet duck?" Nicole asks, seeming to want to make sure she understood correctly. Ash begins singing and Nicole's head sways a bit from side to side. "A lot of good songs tonight. I wish I had come earlier."

Easton was going to beat a hasty exit but then there's shots and well, he's not going to leave those lying around. He hefts one towards Leon and says, "To the second best bar in town." And then he heads out for his smoke.

"That's French." Bennie points out to Easton of Joe's preferred statement, grinning dopily at being called baby, "But I already knew that one." As Leon lines up their shots, the blonde takes hers and draws it closer to her. "After your smoke, let's see if the renovations include locks on the bathroom st...oh snickerdoodles, are you pregnant?!" She just caught on that Maggi got a shot of water, and there goes the blonde skimming up onto the bar like a seal to try and peer over for a baby bump she must've missed.

"I don't think ending up on the plate really counts as rescuing," Sparrow points out with a smirk. "But more an imaginary duck. With cute little hats. Potential pirate. Cute little shoulder-crew." As Jens climbs up onto his chair to cheer on Ash, she takes advantage of his new positioning, rather shamelessly watching his ass as he shakes it, lips curled in perpetual amusement.

Ash is all about performance, usually just for the laughs, because she likes being dramatic. So this really is right up her alley, so she starts to dance along with her singing, badly, goofily, which just makes her singing a little more shaky.

"Lost inside
Adorable illusion and I cannot hide
I'm the one you're using, please don't push me aside
We could've made it cruising, yeah

Yeah, riding high on love's true bluish light

Once I had a love and it was a gas
Soon turned out I had a heart of glass
Seemed like the real thing only to find
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind

In between
What I find is pleasing and I'm feeling fine
Love is so confusing there's no peace of mind
If I fear I'm losing you it's just no good
You teasing like you do..."

As the music comes to a stop she flings her arms out, then bows several times before heading away from the stage and back towards the table.

With a happy sigh Kailey fetches her drink up and leans back against Everett. Smiling and nuzzling the big man it turn. So much PDA. So gross. "Mmm, how was your day?" She asks as she plucks the cherry from top of her girlie drink. Popping it into her mouth. The marachino is devoured and when she pulls the stem out it is tied in a knot. She looks pleased as she sets it on a napkin on the bar.

Jens claps for Ash's performance, cupping his hands around his mouth to holler a few times before he drops back to his seat and takes a few long gulps of beer. "She was like 'you can't trick me into singing', and then goes up there like that. Psshhhhhhhhhh."

Maggi was committed to this sign, perhaps beyond what was healthy. She finally places the paper on the bar, smirking at Beaston. "Twist would been at least nine." She adds dryly. "I actually payed people off to whisk you away long enough to take over. It's all a ruse." Lifting a water, she laughs at Bennie. "Only rule of Mariah's I kept, I don't drink on shift. Customers cry and say I remind them of a playground bully." The shot is done, and then she is running the length of the bar high-fiving people, even if they have no idea what is going on. GOOD GAME!

"Possibly toilet duck. Someone's gotta clean the head on the pirate ship and I declare I outrank that job," Rhys says, wrapping an arm around Sparrow's waist, the other one free for drinking. Ash gets an approving 'woo' for heading up; Jens just makes him laugh again. "Shake it," he encourages, though he doesn't seem to have quite the same sort of appreciation for the view that Sparrow does. Still doesn't qualify as an appropriate legal guardian, clearly.

The beer's set down when Ash finishes, in order to pull the hand down where he can properly applaud. "Good work," he notes to Jens while she's still returning, giving him the appropriate credit for the show they've just enjoyed. Ash will get her own congratulations when she makes it back.

Watching Sparrow's song and untucking his hand from Kailey's pocket to applaud, Everett keeps watching the stage for Ash's performance even while he's being spoken too. "Mm?" he asks a second later, applauding once more before tucking his hand back into her front pocket. "Oh. You know," his head sways with a brief roll of his eyes. "People. Kids. Other people's kids. Ask one person how much it'll cost to drag their undisciplined child back to your lair under the bridge, and suddenly you're a," his beer bottle holding hand is used to make air quotes, "'monster', and a 'horrible man.' Well, jokes on her, I was both of those before then."

He pauses to take a sip from his bottle and then looks at Kailey with a turn of his head, questioningly. "I mean. Great. It went great. How was your day?"

"Oh." Bennie intones, somewhat disappointed there is no knitting baby booties in her future as she sinks back off her lean. "Yeah. We don't do that." A hand is flapped at that 'no drinking on the job' from Maggi, but at it's not usually the hard stuff for them at the TIBS behind the bar. Anymore. Probably. Who knows.

Kailey's hands are busy with a drink and so she whistles instead for both Sparrow and Ash's performances, each time. Taking a sip from her daquiri she seems very relaxed. Even Everett's seemingly dramatic story only has her eye-rolling and smirking. Maybe giving him a playful elbow to his gut. "You are indeed a monster. My monster," And she turns to press a kiss to his cheek.

"The back from Seattle was nice and quick and-" She is about to continue when she heads Davis call her name. An excited grin spreads across her face. "Yes! I got it," She says excitedly. Turning to give Everett one more peck and set her drink down she heads for the stage. "Let's rock this house," She says as she takes the mic. The intro has her bobbing her head with the guitar notes.

"Hey little sister, what have you done? Hey little sister, who's the only one..." Kailey begins to sing and her shoulder roll with the rhythm of the music. "Hey little sister, who's your superman? Hey little sister, who's the one you want?" A playful smile pulls at her lips as she signs. Those watching see her looking straight at Everett and winking at him.

"Hey little sister, shotgun! It's a nice day to...start again. It's a nice day for," Her eyebrows waggle playfully,"A white wedding. It's a nice day to start again!" She is dancing in place while she sings, thoroughly enjoying herself. "Hey little sister, who is your whip? Hey little sister, what's your vice and wish?" She does a snake-like writhing dance on the little stage.

Now it's Joe's turn to take care of his bill and tip, and go ambling out after the rest of the Three Caballeros. He's got that look of pleased anticipation on his face. The night's young, after all.

"Now you have to pay up." Ash points out to Jens as she drops herself back down into her earlier abandoned chair, reaching for a beer. Any beer. She doesn't care who it once belonged to, it is hers now. Maybe even was hers before. There's a flash of a smile for those at the table that aren't Jens, "Hi."

"Mm, good point," Nicole concedes to Sparrow with a twist of her lips and a nod. "Wait... imaginary?" Now she's just confused again, but, it's Sparrow.. she'll ask again later. Besides, there is a 'shaking it' Jens giving his own performance.

When Ash finishes her singing, Nicole gives her an applause as well, though not as vociferously as Jens. Ash may not even remember her either!

"Wait... toilet duck?" She asks to Rhys, blinking a few times.

"Poor toilet duck," Sparrow croons as she leans into Rhys. "Spared a life of luxury to sail the still and stinky waters of a pirate potty." After a swig of beer, her expression brightens, and she asides, "Could definitely go for some peking duck, though. Take-out on the way home?" Likewise, her beer goes down to applaud for Ash, the cheering continuing for Kailey as she's called up to stage. It leaves her beer vulnerable for too long, the, "Hey!" of protest promptly followed by a sweeter, "Heeey," with a low-lashed look for Ash and everything.

When Davis announces Kailey's name, Everett's grip on her relaxes. Right up until the name of the song. And then there's a LOUD scoff emanating from where he wants to get punched, along with his green eyes looking upwards, albeit briefly. Before she gets far, he gives her a swat on the rump, "I guess you're ordering a keg and a straw?" he asks hopefully.

With his cheek sporting kisses, Everett leans further against the bar, poor bar, arms open which causes the leather jacket to open and show more of his tight green tee-shirt beneath. Continuing to pay attention to the performance on the state, he shouts an enthusiastic "Yeah!" to rocking the house.

Jens flashes Ash a grin. "I gave Sparrow your payment, you gotta get it outta here," he says with a shrug and a shake of his head. #sorrynotsorry. He takes a long gulp of his beer and sticks his legs out under the table, leaning back. "Good show, though. Nice song."

As the song gets more exciting Kailey's voice moves to fit, "Hey little sister, shot gun (oh yeah)! Hey little sister, who's your superman?" She has range at least and gives some of the lyrics a little rumble. "Hey little sister, shot gun! It's a nice day to start again (come on)! It's a nice day for a... white wedding. It's a nice day to start again!"

Kailey continues to sing and is apparently really into the song. "Take me back home. Hey little sister, what have you done? Hey little sister, who's the only one? I've been away for so long (so long)...I've been away for so long (so long). I let you go for so long. It's a nice day to start again (come on)! It's a nice day for a white wedding..." Her shoulders are doing most of the dancing now as she sways with the beat.

"It's a nice day to start again. There is nothin' fair in this world, baby. There is nothin' safe in this world...And there's nothin' sure in this world. And there's nothin' pure in this world. Look for something left in this world," Kailey now holds the mic with both hands, opting to just sway at the end. "Start again...Come on, it's a nice day for a white wedding, It's a nice day to start again...It's a nice day to start again..It's a nice day to start again!"

"I can do that." Ash assures Jens, sticking her tongue out at him before she takes a swallow from Sparrow's stolen beer. Then she sighs, dramatically, "I was parched." She informs them, glancing in the direction of the next one on stage, whispering to Sparrow, "I like this song."

Nicole gets a wink, because she hasn't forgotten her. Although Rhys doesn't look familiar he gets a bright smile in greeting as well before she offers, "Don't mind me." Then she's leaning towards Sparrow, puckering up before speaking through the pucker, "Payment please."

"I dunno, I feel like swimming in gold coins would just get you bruises, whereas pirate ship toilet maintenance is an honourable and necessary job with a long and storied history. Plus all the bread crumbs you can eat and Sundays off to go mug little old ladies by the pond. I'm a benevolent dictator, I mean employer." Rhys leans into the leaning-into and polishes off what's left of what currently counts as his beer, and gives Sparrow a nod. "Take-out on the way home," he agrees. Poor Nicole does not get an explanation re: toilet duck, but maybe someday when she walks through a store, it'll hit her. Hopefully not literally.

He has a quick whistle for Kailey as she heads up and starts, and that song gets some singing along from his direction, while his mouth's not full of beer. Fixing that by stealing Sparrow's does get a consideration, but Ash seems to have beaten him to it. Alas. "Hey," he greets her in return, with a bright grin, and leans just slightly back to make more room for this payment exchange to occur.

"I wonder if I can convince August and Eleanor to make a baby..." Bennie ponders, and armed with another beer, weaves off into the crowd.

"Best Captain," Sparrow croons in agreement with Rhys' self-proclaimed benevolence. After giggling at the thought of their made-up pirate duckling mugging little old ladies for breadcrumbs at the park. She gnaws on his jaw a little before straightening. The declaration of payment being her responsibility gets a bit of a curious look that promptly resolves itself when Ash leans her way. Oh yeah, she can totally handle this transaction. She lifts off Rhys' lap a little to close the distance, rendering somebody else's payment in a slightly longer kiss than was maybe due. "That all you're owed?"

The question from Bennie had caught Leon off guard, and he’d swallowed funny, having buried his face in his elbow and dropped out of sight behind the bar. After nearly hacking his lungs out, he finally stands back up again, reaching to pour himself a water now and gulp it down, red faced and red eyed. He at least looked amused, and heavily. He goes about cleaning up the shot glasses and moves off to provide more beers and refills.

"Sealed and dee-livered," Jens says with a smack of his hand to the table. He's blinking a lot now and he's still drinking. A sure sign that at some point he's just going to topple over and pass out. It sure as shit wouldn't be the first time.

Continuing to watch the stage, Everett only takes his gaze from Kailey when he needs another sip from the drink in his mitt while he keeps his open posture. His usual resting brooding face having taken on a mild smirk. Waiting, like he was trained enough to only have momentarily accidents in the house, Everett glares at Kailey waiting for her to return.

Kailey finishes the song and grins at the crowd. Handing the mic back to Davis she heads back to the bar and Everett. His glare earns a raised brow and she sticks her tongue out at him. "I doubt I could drink a keg," She tells him primly, answering his question from before her song. "However..." Turning to flag down one of the bartender. "I will have a double of top shelf scotch, please," She orders. Then picks up her fruity drink and takes a sip. "OH! And mozarella sticks." If you didn't know before, this purple-haired artist is part fried food. The gently rounded curves of her speak to that. Turning back to the stage she lets out an excited whoop when she hears the opening notes. "BOWIE FOREVER!" She shouts happily into the crowded bar.

Mwah! Ash has to think about this, "Cuddles, validation, nakedness." She might just be trying to get more out of this than she was owed. Then again, Jens never said exactly what he was bribing her with. She's just assuming. The slap against the table gets a look, and a hand reaches out towards Jens, prepared to catch him if he slumps over. "Who is your friend, my adorable little moppet?" This, clearly, for Sparrow.

The smack on the table has Leon’s eyes wandering over to Jens’ table. There’s a brief moment where Leon watches, waiting to see if he can catch eye contact with any of the drunk man’s table and given them a discreet hand signal that results in a point at Jens and a draw of a flattened hand across his throat. Cut your boy off. it seemed to say. Leon was still smiling though. People got pissdrunk at the Pourhouse all the time, he just didn’t want to have to mop puke off the new floors.

But then Leon is watching in open-mouthed awe as his wife mounts the stage for karaoke. He doesn’t even have the presence of mind to cheer before she starts singing.

Then sense returns and he raises fingers to his lips and lets out the loudest wolf whistle imaginable.

Nicole just watches all this happen around her for a moment before she realizes that the busy and full day of working has done her in more than alcohol could have. Hell, alcohol at this point might wake her up. However, she starts to push herself away from the table and says, "It was good to see you all, even if briefly. Hopefully not so brief next time. I gotta open up shop in the morning though so... I am gonna go stumble my way into a boxer's bed." She gives a salute to them all and steals a hug from Sparrow at the very least before she gets ready to depart.

Now Maggi was more into it, whipping her blonde rats nest about wildly.
Ziggy played for time
Jiving us that we were Voodoo
The kids was just crass
He was the naz
With God-given ass
He took it all too far
But boy, could he play guitar

Making love with his ego
Ziggy sucked up into his mind (ah)
Like a leper messiah
When the kids had killed a man
I had to break up the band

Oh yeah
Ooh

An inhale is taken, channeling every ounce of the thin white duke...
Ziggy played guitarrrrrrrrr
She finishes, scowling. Maggi didn't enjoy this...right? Kissing two fingers, she raises them to the sky with reverence before placing the mic on the stand.

Tucking a thick finger into the hem of Kailey's pants, Everett exerts his dominion with a sharp tug back, to pull her into his lap again after her order. Removing his finger to wrap his arm around her waist, when he nuzzles her cheek with his lips he murmurs something to her then there's a flutter of kisses. Kisses that leave his mouth in the shape of an O or goldfish face.

Something that probably has her defensive, because she's seen him do it before. Following the kisses, he blows, leaving a gentle, but fake, flatulence sound. The way he does with their baby. He leaves her cheek so they can both appreciate Ziggy.

Kailey makes giggling sounds of distress as she tries to hide her neck and face with shoulder. "Eeeek! Noooo," She says in a torrent of giggling. In an effort to fully cease the raspberry kisses she presses her own lips to his and blows. Raspberry kisses indeed. Then she leans back with a smirk and sips her first drink. When Leon slides two scotches down the bar she says, "Thanks!" And takes them both, sniffs, and sips from one. She makes a brief tight face, listening to Maggi singing the while, and then offers the seconds towards Everett. "Does the gorilla brat want a drink?" She asks him playfully as she wiggles said glass teasingly.

Leon takes a moment to take his eyes off Maggi and look to Kailey, “Oh! Shit, yeah, absolutely, we got you.” Quickly tapping some things into the computer and offering the purple haired winner a grin, flipping over two glasses and reaching under the bar to pull out one of the special bottles. Usually, only Ravn drank this stuff, so it took a reach. He pours two out for Kailey and slides them across.

Of any of the cheers that went up to Maggi’s song, Leon made the effort to be the loudest, adding another rowdy whistle and clapping his massive hands together with a loud, “YEAH MAGPIE!” Shouted across the bar to her. He was grinning ear to ear, his eyes flicked aside to a comment from another regular, nodding with a wink and pointing to her, a ’Yeah, that one’s mine.’ sort of gesture before he’s looking back again.

"Pretty sure I can make good on summa that," Sparrow croons to Ash, even if Jens might end up getting the credit for her work. She angles a vaguely concerned look the might-be-viking's way and wonders, "Which one of us is lugging him home?" That's about as close to grown-up adult responsbility as she's getting at the moment, missing that look from Leon, too easily caught up in the parting hug from Nicole. "See you soon, gorgeous," comes with a kiss to the cheek. "Love your face." With a nose-nudge to Rhys' cheek, she adds, "And yours." Which draws her attention back to Ash. "Captain Rhys Evans, best and sexiest spirate this side of the bay. Probably my favorite most days these days. Of, like, everybody." Poor girl's face is broken. It's gone all dopey.

"Hey." Jens frowns. He waves at Nicole, big smile. Then he goes back to frowning. "I --" he informs Rhys, because Sparrow does not merit his attention now, "am _percefectly capalable of getting my own self house." He hiccups. "Home." He takes another drink.

There's a glance towards Jens, then Ash shrugs her shoulders, "I've got it. I'm rather well trained in getting drunk Vikings home, and I've got my keys." It's probably not the first time she's gotten one of them home, at least. Then she smiles again at Rhys, "Nice to meet you, I'm Ash. I was the best once, but now she doesn't love me, and my heart is broken into a million little pieces."

"That's 'cause you have fantastic taste," Rhys informs Sparrow, and has the class(?) -- probably mostly because he really hasn't drunk all that much as yet -- to let a kiss imply 'and taste fantastic' rather than actually spelling it out. "Love yours too," he murmurs to her, and Nicole gets a somewhat louder, "Good seeing you! Tell your boxer he owes me some ribs." He may or may not, but hey, ribs.

"Hey, nice to meet you," he greets Ash, "And sorry. Can't do anything about the bestness, but I've got a tube of crazy glue and pretty deft fingers, if you managed to keep all the million little pieces gathered together." She gets a grin, though some of his attention goes to Maggi's performance then, enough to be able to give her a properly appreciative applause when she's done.

"I don't know," he adds to Sparrow, aside, "I heard a rumour he's perfectly capable of getting his own self house. We might be in luck."

To the question from Kailey, Everett looks at the glass longingly, and then up at her. Removing his arm from around her waist, Everett digs inside his jacket and takes out his phone. It takes little time for him to google the carb content of the two fingers before returning the phone to the inside of his jacket and looking at the booze again.

"Ahh." Still, hesitant. "I'm driving, sooo," he lingers on the last word. But there is so much want in his tone, in his posture before his hand tucks back into Kailey's pocket.

"We can make ''art''," Sparrow proposes of Ash's broken heart, what with all that crazy glue Rhys has lying around. The way her gaze goes unfocused, how her smile dims, she might actually be considering what that might look like. How long's it been since anybody's seen any of her paintings? Might be time for a new one. If she remembers past this conversation. Blinkblink. "House?" She looks between Rhys and Jens and snorts a laugh. "Oh." It's followed by a more sincere, "Thanks," for Ash, trusting in her capability. "Should totally do something, like, the four of us. Sometime. Ya know. Whenever."

"That is what Uber is for, silly," Kailey tells him with a roll of her eyes. Taking another sip from her own and letting out a happy sigh. "We'll come get the shit-mobile in the morning," Referring to Everett's sedan that has seen better days. The glass is one more waved under his nose before coming towards her mouth. Looking like she is about to double hand really good scotch. Needless to say, she is a temptress, but a responsible one at least.

And boy is she going to make use of that free tab. Mozzy sticks first, buffalo wings later, and at least another two daquiris and glasses of scotch. When Everett and her head home she is still singing drunkenly, happily, the whole way home. Bowie and Queen stuff mostly.

Jens is leaning forward now, wrapping his arms around his beer glass and then putting his cheek on the table and taking a long, deep breath. "... suns goo ..." he murmurs, sniffing a little and closing his eyes. He'll be okay in a little bit. He just needs a quick power nap so he can function!

"I am not leaving my car here," Everett replies emphatically, and quickly. That ancient chunk of steel. When she calls it a mean name, Everett gasps, his eyes widening, "How. Dare. You. You take that back. She's never said a mean thing about you."

He watches her tease him, and doesn't stop her. He won't be made to drink and abandon his baby. Either of them.

"Will there be glitter? I like glitter." Ash points out, giving Rhys her very best serious look. Glitter or nothing. But Sparrow gets a grin, and then a shrug from her shoulders, "You know where to find us...and I've got some spare time." She glances over towards the napping Jens, starting to get to her feet to try and collect him, "I think this is a sign he's ready to be tucked in with his blankie."

"If we put glitter in your heart, it's gonna be everywhere forever," Rhys warns Ash, then considers briefly, "So yes. Rainbow or silver, your choice." Sparrow gets a silent and fleeting tightening of the arm around her waist when the smile dims, even if it seems it may be mainly in thought. Excuses to squeeze are not to be fought. "I'm on board for this Something Sometime plan, unless Sparrow had a different four in mind, in which case I'll stay home and eat Ben and Jerry's woefully. Well, it'll start woefully, but then probably cheer up pretty quick, because ice cream." A quick note to the woman in his lap: "We should get some of that when we pick up the take-out, too." Jens and Ash get a considering and possibly comparative look. "Need a hand with that?" Genuine offer, if needed, though not so genuine he's removing a Sparrow before it's deemed necessary.

"There's already glitter in her heart, everywhere and forever," Sparrow counters. "Glitter and tequila." A little bobble of her purple-tressed head allows that there might be a whole cabinet of booze in there, but she doesn't actually correct herself. "Duck and ice cream," she confirms of their homebound plans, though there's a very good chance that their home trajectory isn't Oak Street tonight. There's a houseboat with her bunk in it. Sure, the bunk isn't actually hers, but she's pretty sure the captain will share. With a squeeze-lean into Rhys, she gets up, freeing him to either help Ash with Jens if the viking seems a bit too wobbly for one crutch alone or for making their collective escape. "We should probably get going while places are still open." Ash and Jens both get cheek-kisses, and she waves to Kailey and Everett, to Maggi, to any other stragglers she might recognize. "See you next time, kittens!"