[Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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Re: [Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

Jane adopted an amused smile as Eryl grew emotional. Of course she was an emotional drunk. "Yeah. Yer what mama'd call the right folk. Prim n proper too. She'da asked ye if ye was a professor n begged ye t teach some manners to 'the young uns.' Always complained bout 'the youths.'" Her smile had wilted into something rueful, then disappeared entirely beyond the bottom of snifter glass.
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Straken
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Re: [Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

Post by Straken »

Following her graceful performance, Caoranach exited the stage in a similar manner. No fanfare, no boasts, no reply to Percival’s request, and no glance over towards Ruarc. Instead she simply returned to her seat alongside Jane and Eryl. Cozied into her corner seat of the couch, the fey noble settled back having transitioned her drink over to a glass of wine. Sipping idly, she contented herself to observation. There were a number of individuals here that she never had a chance to associate with, so she would watch them for a time. Besides, mortals imbibing various quantities of alcohol most always became an amusing show. Oddly though, it was Eryl the enigma who was the most inebriated, although the result was more or less what she had been hoping for.

In that time, Percival and his betrothed were getting about as lovey-dovey as she would expect the Ice Queen and the Cave Dweller to get. Ruarc seemed to have nonverbally matched her challenge and had thus made no attempt to interact with her, and with Miyuki being the one sitting on his other side it made sense that most of his attention was focused on Kaori. Laoise had gotten up to sing another song or two, happy to carry the weight of the open spaces between singers. The more interesting activity came when Eryl roused herself and clung to Jane as though she were a cottonfly that stumbled upon little Drysi during a final exam. Jane on the other hand was staying true to character.

It was all quite amusing. So, she wondered to herself, why did she feel so bored. Her attention went to Eryl again. Grabbing a glass of water from the table, Caoranach shifted a bit down the couch so she could hand the glass to the woman. “Your drink is low, dear. I poured you another one,” said the fey, her voice honeyed and compelling. She considered offering one to Jane, glancing at the gunslinger as she reached across with the glass. Her attention was diverted however as she felt the couch next to her shift. Someone had taken her spot. Giving a quick glare over her shoulder at whoever would be so bold, she saw one of the primary adversaries to her company; Laoise. The young dove had become a vulture, taking the corner seat once Caoranach had made enough space for the familiar’s lithe human form. Adjusting, Caoranach was now sitting close to both Laoise as well as Jane on the other side, and so she tucked her hands and glass of wine into her lap.

“Comfy?” Caoranach asked bluntly.

“Seat’s cold,” Laoise replied as she took a sip of some iced tea with lemon. “I never noticed that you don’t put out much in the way of body heat.”

“I never need to flip my pillow,” the fey joked, her tone tense.

“Having fun?” Laoise said, but her own tone suggested she had picked up on Caoranach’s mood.

“Tickled pink, although I might take off now,” Caoranach replied, shifting in a way that suggested she was going to leave rather than deal with Laoise. The familiar quickly placed a hand on her arm, gently encouraging the fey to sit back down.

“Are you jealous?”

“Of you taking my spot, certainly.”

Laoise gave Caoranach a flat stare.

“I get it, you are a faerie, and you have some unwritten rule requiring every conversation with you to be an obstacle course.”

“It’s okay, dear. I don’t need you to like me.”

“You’re right, I don’t like you. But you are also wrong. You do need me to like you.”

“Oho? And why is that?”

“Because Ruarc is my brother, and for some stupid reason, while I may not like you, I am rooting for you.”

That made Caoranach raise an eyebrow. “And why is that?”

“Because he likes you. He doesn’t really recognize it yet, but he and I are connected subconsciously. And, if you recall, at one point you were inside of my head as well, so to an extent we are connected as well; although I’m sure you haven’t noticed. You’ve helped him through some difficult times, but if this is really just a game to you then I will make sure you never get within a hundred feet of Ruarc again. So, are you jealous?”

“Of a human? About a human?” Caoranach scoffed.

“Why not?” Laoise asked, her face stern.

Before Caoranach could respond, Laoise got up and made her way over to Ruarc and Kaori so she could pour more beer for the two of them. The fey was left sitting in her corner contemplating the familiar. Lifting her wine, she kept her eyes locked on Laoise.

”Clever bird. Inviting both of us. She thinks she can either scare me straight and make me take things seriously, or she can have a go at driving me off while setting Ruarc up with someone she trusts.”

Caoranach huffed and took another sip of her wine.
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Kokuten
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Re: [Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

Post by Kokuten »

"Oh than-k you, your suj' a dear," answered Eryl, taking the drink gratefully from the mischievous fae. Her three eyes, only visible to the magically inclined, stared intently down at the drink. Absolutely smammered, she turned to Jane and whispered loudly so that she was sure Jane, and nearly everyone else could hear, "Jane... Jane coul'b you helb me finnish thes? Oh don't be sad. Did I make you sad?"

The triclops began to go on a bit more about her father, propping up the gunslinger's shoulder with her own, "My fath-- father, he would tell the most wondeful stories. He wud... make war soun' quite the adventur. Of cour--... COURSE, it is not, but you have that same flair. He would tell me of the horses. My father was a drahgoon, did I tell you that?"

She whispered, "His hoarse was magic, did I tell you that?"

Excitedly, she began to carry on, sipping from her drink that she was already too honeyed to handle, carrying the pair through the nostalgic song.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOKAY!"

The energy in the room stopped, as Percival rose again, throwing his hand in the air as Laoise went down to sit. The blood in the Welshman was running hot and Miyuki had to keep him from colliding with the table with her artificial arm. A single, purple clothed arm went out to the tablet as Kagami kept him stable.

The music started, which only seemed to fire up Percival even more, as he came up to the stage in front of the others. He was actually quite graceful, but the alcohol had the man in rare high spirits. They could see it in as he danced around the table, now carefully missing the edges unlike before.

"I'm going to need your help with this one, everyone," said Percy as he snatched up microphone, "The chorus just isn't the same if we don't all go in!"

Percival went into it, singing into the microphone, carrying on what would end up being the last of the night. The choice of song was a little on the nose, but it would come to mean something more in the next several months. Even as the others joined in on the chorus, they may not have realized how true the words were, how true they would be.

We didn't start the fire,
It was always burnin',
Since the worlds been turnin'!


The fires that they had beat down to save the world, were only embers compared to what was coming.

We didn't start the fire,
No we didn't light it,
but we tried to fight it!


A fall from grace.

The war to save the world.

Trials of family and blood.

Journeys to regain what was lost.

Attacks upon the home-front.

Shimmering towers.

We didn't start the fire,
But when we are gone,
It will it still burn on,
and on,
and on,
and on...


----

"Rook!"

The group was outside now, the final number of the night sung, and the battle-hardened Miyuki was shouldering the weight of her fiance. It was just an excuse for Percival to be close to her, he didn't need any help, but it seemed every action the man took was to leave no doubt in how much he loved this woman.

He clapped the druid on the shoulder.

"That was the most fun I've had in... three years. Hell. Several! I can't believe I'm the one saying this, but we should do this more often. Eryl came up with this, right?"

There was a groan by the wall, as Eryl Maelgwyn, in her little dress and remnants of dignity, was trying to keep it together.

"Miss... Mister... Flynn..." moaned Eryl, as she kept her composure, "... Oh dear... I don' feel good..."

"You? Hah!" Percival laughed, more boisterous than he had been a very long time, "Ruarc Flynn breaking out of work to have fun?"

The Alchemist threw look at Otani, "This guy's brains alway's on the prize, it's a surprise to see him taking time out to take a break."
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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Re: [Pew Pew Karaoke] A Night Off

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

Jane's smile was muted as she looked back at Eryl. "Ain't sad, Eryl, jus thinkin. Don ye fret yer pretty lil head." Then Eryl carried on as if the moment had never happened, for which the gunslinger was grateful. Jane chimed in noncommittally at the appropriate times, but she was listening rather intently to Laoise's conversation with Caoranach.

When the former departed, Jane found a lull in her conversation with Eryl to turn her attention to the fae. "It ain't any o m'biness, but she's right, ye know. I don rightly know ye from a Winter Courtesan, but I heard nuff here n there to know yer bein a right fool. Ye cain't 'proach this with yer usual fae timeliness: he's a mortal n he ain't got as much sand in his hourglass as ye." Eryl spoke up again, and Jane turned away from Caoranach as if they hadn't been speaking, her part done.

Outside, Jane was looking down to realize her shirt was untucked. How in the blue blazes did ye get rustled free, ye mongrel? she wondered silently, before looking up at her companions again. She wished to say something, but she didn't have anything to say in that moment. And then it was her time, the cowgirl's home being in a contrary direction.

"This is me," she announced and cut toward another street as the group carried on. They swapped goodnights and goodbyes and Jane waved farewell. Then she made the long, silent walk home.

Alone.
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