[Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

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Straken
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Re: [Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

Post by Straken »

"Marvelous," Caoranach said to Jane, her tone low and drawn out but sounding genuine. "I have been in need of more acquaintances of the female variety."

Pouring another drink for herself, the Fey considered Jane's follow up question. With one hand holding the small sake glass, her vacant hand went up to rest contemplatively on her cheek. "I suppose I have a song in mind, but I'm going to wait a song or two. No sense in following directly after the bird. I'd rather observe for a bit longer. How about yourself, Jane? Sounds as though you've got something in mind."
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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Re: [Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

"Likewise. The house could use a bit more warmth."

Jane circled around the second question. She was feeling a little... Predictable with her choice. "I like t be prepared, so naturally I'm equipped wit a few. Prolly not erryone else's cup o tea, but should keep the energy up."
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Gwathdraug
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Re: [Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

Post by Gwathdraug »

Released from the hug that she returned just as readily Riley took a seat next to Percy as the group settled in. While Laoise sang the brown-haired young woman held a glass trapped in between her hands and when Laoise finished she set it down and cheer happily and clapped along with everyone else.

The glass, the drink inside untouched, quickly found its place back under her grasp.

Trying to sink herself back as far as she could into the cushions of the couch Riley turned her head towards Percy and whispered. "I have no idea what to do here." The tumbler in Riley's hands turned under her grip as her eyes darted around at everyone in the room.

On the other side, the other Riley leaned forward and set her elbow on her knee and chin into the palm of her hand. Her other hand took a drink from random from the table and then the woman took a small sip. Raising an eyebrow as Eryl seemed to have no response towards Laoise's question the second Riley put her drink down.

"I could sing next if you'd like more time to think."
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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Re: [Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

"Screw it," the American muttered. "If aint no one gonna step up..." She took a deep breath and thrust herself from the couch. From behind the microphone she knelt down and flipped the clasps on an unremarkable, oblong box. The instrument she produced from within was sleek, the dark finish worn from years of use. The strap was already fitted and sat snug on her shoulder as Jane leaned into the microphone. "Y'all prolly aint gonna know this, but I'm hopin y'all can feel the energy at least. Don feel right to sing it wi'out the strings so I'm gon play it too."

And without further ado, she played. The guitar thrummed deep; it resonated with Jane's anxious and eager energies. The cowgirl closed her eyes and just let the music flow. The voice that sprang from her then was a surprising contralto full of emotion that harmonized successfully with the song's backup vocals.

"Some people say I'm a no-count. Others say I'm no good..."

It was not a song one would normally find in a karaoke machine, even in America, much less Japan. If anyone were to look for it later, they'd find it impossible. But for just a few minutes, it seemed, the stars had aligned for Jane to sing the song that spoke dearest to her heart. When she sang, she rocked back and forth, her left leg her anchor, her right stepping to and fro every other beat. It was powerful and hopefully would drive the rest of the room to their feet, or at least to join along for the chorus.
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Straken
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Re: [Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

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Ruarc and Kaori's conversation quieted when they saw Jane approach the front. The Irishman was curious about what she would sing, secretly betting money to himself on the outcome; meanwhile Kaori anxiously waited for what the Western woman would sing for different reasons. Caoranach held a half smile, and began to lounge over into the space Jane had been sitting.

When Jane began to strum it was impressive. It was a simple song, but it was the style that Ruarc personally enjoyed. That said, he lost his mental bet on what she would sing. Kaori was smiling and tapping her hands on her legs to the rythym as she listened. Caoranach's impression was indistinguishable from her usual expression.
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Kokuten
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Re: [Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

Post by Kokuten »

Eryl was thankful to have the attention pulled off of her for a moment, as she had been furiously going through the catalog. There was not a single song in the book that she recognized. Some of them were similar to the recent things she knew, but the triclops was from a time when music was seen in a different way, and wasn't so easily accessible. Sure, she had a smartphone with a lot of songs on it, but she didn't really understand all too well everything behind it. She just downloaded songs from the folding portal tablet that shared some sort of unseen leyline with her smartphone. Most of it had been hits from the 20s in her time, Beethoven and other sorts of best-ofs in the mid 19th century.

She hadn't realized that words played so much in this ceremony of karaoke. The woman was entranced by Jane's rendition, further entranced by how well she seemed to sing. As she stared, she realized Percival was looking at her. The two still shared a sense of things after the incident, and he seemed to feel her unease. Looking between Riley and Laoise, she suddenly felt a lot more pressure to pick a song.

Percy chimed in a whisper to Ruarc while he stared at Eryl, "You know I'm not really sure. The one that follows up Jane's performance will have to pick something good. I don't think any of us can play an actual instrument. Hopefully Otani doesn't realize that the song wasn't actually in the machine. Seems like she's too busy singing along to notice, though."

As Jane's song concluded, her biggest fan began to clap her hands excitedly.

"That was wonderful!" smiled the three-eyed, former villain, now whipped up in the energy produced in Jane's performance. "I-I will go next!"

Eryl took a sip of her drink, to chill her nerves, and snappily selected a song. She thought it looked like a pleasant friendship styled song, perhaps something slow. She stood up, filled with a little liquid courage, and took a spot up where Jane had stood when the gunslinger had sat back down. Her face began to redden as she got a preview of the lyrics popping up, and the song began to start.

Red as a beet, she began to read the lyrics, and did a decent job of capturing the feel of the song. She got about halfway through, just throwing herself into the beat, trying to replicate Laoise's effect from earlier since this one had a similar energy.

"So come over here, and tell me what I wanna hear! Better yet make your girlfriend disappear!" sang Eryl, putting her heart into the performance, but as she said disappear...

... the power went out.

The group heard Eryl yelp in the darkness, and saw a sudden flash of a sparking Light spell almost fire off in her hand. It faded as she caught herself, and there was a sound of a rustling around in a coat pocket as she pulled out her phone and quickly turned the flash on.

"Erm. Is everyone alright?" murmured the triclops, sweating bullets and almost red enough to see in the dark.
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Straken
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Re: [Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

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“Ah cats!” Laoise’s voice sounded in the dark. With Eryl up at the mic the familiar was able to quickly stand and work her way around the center table. Irritation was apparent as she grumbled the entire time. “I’m sorry about that, Eryl. You were singing great.”

Light began to fill the room as various members of the group began to turn on their phones. Ruarc pulled out a modest and rather outdated smartphone, while Kaori pulled out a more trendy model. “Are you alright?” Ruarc asked the woman. She was using the phone to help pat her skirt with a handkerchief.

“Yeah, I just spilled a little bit on my skirt,” Kaori responded, her tone of voice sounding like she was pouting a bit.

“Oh my, oh my, how utterly bizarre,” came Caoranach’s voice from her dark corner, the faerie making no move to create any light. Her tone was bland and seemed entirely unperturbed by the event. “The dark is so scary, I hope the lights come on soon.”
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Kai
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Re: [Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

Post by Kai »

SUddenly, the door opened, and a figure entered, washing the room with the light from her smartphone's flashlight feature. Once everyone's eyes got used to the sudden extra light, they could see that it was Miyuki, wearing a purple dress that seemed to compliment the outfit worn by her Fiancee, Percy. She was breathing a little bit heavier than normal, though not enough to suggest she had been running (That dress and those shoes looked like they might prohibit such unwomanly actions, anyway), and she did seem to be relieved to have found the correct room. Since the last time Miyuki had spent 'casual time' with anyone had been several years prior, the raven-haired woman looked like she felt slightly out of place, and the sudden power outage wasn't helping anything. Still, she quickly regained her composure, stepping into the room and letting the door close behind her.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone", she apologized, making her way toward Percival after bowing a politely and then fixing the strands of hair that had been displaced by the gesture. "What's going on with the lights?" she asked, once she had arrived next to the Welshman.
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Kokuten
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Re: [Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

Post by Kokuten »

"Why thank you Laoise," whispered Eryl, her lips flat in mild shame, "I'm so embarassed, singing such a suggestive piece after Lady Smith's thoughtful performance. Is that not something it does when you sing such songs? Just shut down in admonition?"

Meanwhile, Ruarc felt a silken, suit handkerchief come pressed into his hand during the confusion in the dark. It was an absorbent little thing, something that could help dab up any mess if offered at the right time, and also shared the same color as the Welshman's shirt. Percy shifted over a bit, pocketing something with a mild electrical glow, not quickly enough to avoid Riley's or Ruarc's gaze, but reasonably hidden from the others.

"Don't worry, Caoranach," commented Percival, seeming as unsurprised by the dark as she was, "I'm sure the boogeymen won't bother anyone they recognize."

His eyes betrayed the joking tone in his voice, but there wasn't much time to linger on it as the door swung open. At first he expected someone to be in to apologize about the incident, in fact he almost timed it. The issue with that timing was that someone else had beaten the attendant to their door. Standing ahead of a girl in a sci-fi cow-boy outfit was a woman. Not just a woman, but the woman.

She seemed flustered, and he loved that. He almost stood, but instead made some distance between the faerie and himself for her to sit, almost purposefully pushing the row down from Riley to Ruarc into Kaori.

"Just a little electrical short, love," smiled Percival, "should sort itself right about..."

The lights came back on. "Now."

The attendant at the door took a deep breath, and let it out right as the light hit her eyes.

"Ough! We are so sorry for the interruption in power, please enjoy some extra time on the house!" she said, before rushing off to the next room. Her head popped back in before the door closed, "Please phone the front desk if you run in to any more difficulties!"

"Look at that," said Percival through a cunning smile, "everything works out."

The karaoke machine began to spin back up again, whereas Eryl had been caught mid-way finding her way back to her seat, quitting the field before any encores were called for.
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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Re: [Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

Jane frowned mildly when she saw much of her seat had been claimed by Caoranach. "Ain't very neighborly, this encroachment. Blood feuds been started o'er thangs smaller n this." She delivered it with such effortless deadpan, it not only blurred the line between serious and joking, it had smeared it all over like a bad chalk eraser. It was impossible to tell which side of the line she had intended for.

After pausing a moment to let Caoranach cede ground- which she unsurprisingly refused to do- Jane reclaimed what was left of her space, then shouldered the fey out of the way with the classic couch shimmy, arms folded across her chest to give her elbow a little extra pushing power if she was met with resistance.

"Yer a testy one," she observed flatly. She didn't let it show, but Jane appreciated the steel of the strange woman. So many of her colleagues were civil, byproducts of a world that was moving, but hadn't moved on like the rural realms she had cut her heroic teeth on. Caoranach was not, and it was a trait Jane was only just realizing she missed in others. That push-and-shove, give-and-take wildness that made the Wild West so iconic.

But then she was settled in, with a fresh drink, and Eryl was up. Her song choice was so surprising as to be confusing, but it wasn't long before Jane was nodding along. She wholly disapproved of the song's message- stealing someone's man? abhorrent behavior- but the beat was catchy and Eryl was having a good time, so they were all having a good time.

Then the lights cut. One hand reached for a holster that wasn't there, the other was ready to splash the remainder of her drink at an assailant. In the next second, all her tension evaporated. False alarm. The gunslinger did not assist with the lighting as she didn't own a cell phone, and soon enough the problem corrected itself.

Just prior to that, however, the final performer finally arrived. Jane saluted with her tumbler of whiskey and gave a nod. The field of fresh performers was dwindling rapidly. "Who's hoppin in the saddle?" she inquired loud enough to be heard over the other conversations.
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