Clubbing at District30

[Alice Hart]

'Roommates...besties..maybe?' Alice thinks as she waves, "'lo Jack." the name invoking memories of her missing hungry eye'd cousin.

Then Jack and Konrad have a names moment, which flies over Alice's head.

"Yes, you're staring, no, it's not bothersome. I get it a lot, if you keep doing then it will be. Yes I'm an albino. Nope, not make-up. It's and experience, but personally I have no other frame of reference. I'm not talking about my acne, nor about my bruises. Google it if you really wanna know." she says dryly, like she's reading off a well worn list. "But yeah my eyes," and the rest of me "are super sensitive to the sunlight." understatement. "Not pleasant." double understatement. "Good thing I'm more of a night owl anyway."

When the word 'fetish' is mentioned, the doll feels the artifice of life flush her cheeks in embarrassment, as her mind pulled toward her meeting with Katya in the Asylum. Then the rest of Konrad's comment registers and the blush stays.

"Drinks?" She asks, ready to shift the topic away from her, and her albinoness. "Dancing? How-ah how do I do?" she asks because even as a vamp first time for everything. "My fav? Uh-I'm more of a stay at home reading with a glass of wine kinda girl so...uh-I don't really have a favorite drink. I'm game to try anything...within reason." She answers as she walks with Madison, and the others into the club.

[Star]

Comrade?

It's easy to forget. Not everyone goes to Guardian U and has to study names and origins in Labyrinth 101. But what was totally more interesting was the 'our Maddy' and all that jazz. It's good technique. Welcome the friend, establish possession with a nickname, and immediately go into (usually) everyone's favorite topic (themselves) with some slow-pitch questions.

Konrad's a player, yo.

"Oh, I have a boring job at the Bee. Taking pictures. It's cool, though, you don't have to chat me up to try and get in Madison's pants. We're, just, like, super-casual friends." True story. Of course Konrad could be legit curious. Maybe Jack was a Fashionista, after all. A light eyebrow bob and smile was directed at Faye. Yeah. Guess no one remembered Aurum's 'street' name. "I'm not, like, moving in on your hustle."

"And, sorry, Alice. Totally sorry. It's usually like a fifty-fifty thing? Sometimes people with uh, well, who are like, unusual? Either they're sick of people pretending they're not in that super plastic fake way or they've been bombed with questions. So, yeah. Totally sorry. Make it up to you?" A hand gestured toward Faye. "I'll teach you how to drink. First question? What kind of tastes do you like? Sweet? Fruits? Or strong and earthy like a good steak?"

Fashionista. Photographer. Bartender.

Konrad and Faye? He wasn't blowing them off. This is being a good Wingman.

Unless the three...

For just a moment, lips compressed before the absolutely casual super friendly totally not thinking about That smile returned.

[Konrad Roth]

So this guy's direct about everything. And observant too. He's got Konrad pegged in the first minute. It's understandably discomforting to be called out. Was this super-casual friend really onboard with it or being indirectly protective?

"Oh, I'm sure I don't have to. But the thing about me is I'm always looking for new business partners, so I've got more than one reason to ask. That's interesting though. I had a friend who worked at the Bee for a while doing the same thing. You guys might've known each other, Cody Marlow?" A pang of grief hits him at the thought, and Konrad wonders if he should have even mentioned him. It's a small city, maybe he'd heard about the "suicide". But the Bee was a big newspaper in Sacramento so maybe they'd never crossed paths. But knowing a guy in the news racket could be have its benefits since Martine had left so soon after arriving.

It seems like a switch goes off in Jack and he's suddenly all apologies with Alice and eager to please. Just as well, since Konrad hadn't done any real drinking since the late sixties. And Jack seems a connoisseur of numerous tastes. Maybe the Savage could learn a thing or two tonight on how to play the part.

The music volume increases as they move into the club and towards the bar where bodies crowd around the large stone countertop. Konrad tries to wedge into a gap to flag down a bartender to place some drinks for them. He'll wait for everyone to decide what they're getting before placing an order, but he'll probably end up getting beer for himself.

He looks to Madison and smiles, reassuring her that he's still here to have a good time.

[Aurora]

Damn, she had to give Alice credit for how she handled Star and had to snicker.

And wait, was she blushing?! Either she was more sheltered than originally thought, or really super shy. Then again she could have a thing for Konrad.

“No worries! We’ll find something you like.” Unless you hated alcohol, there was a flavor for everyone!

Whoa! Did Star just...wait…what?! If she had been drinking, she might have choked on it. Did she blush? She totally might have as her eyes widen at Star. Not that she hadn’t been trying that on Konrad already, but to hear Star mention it surprised her.

Laughing, “Think Jack has the court on what to drink here.” She says deferring to him, “So I’d go with what he suggests. Not many like what I drink.” There was a shrug. But Martha did, and she wonders what happened to the one legged woman.

She catches the smile, and returns it.

“I think I’ll start with a shot, an acid tab, and then a beer? Whatever they have on tap.” She suggests, not sure if anyone else was game for shots. Especially shots that had Absinthe in em. And it had been one she had been wanting to try. Not sleeping well leads to late nights surfing the net for fun and new ways to drink Absenthie.

[Alice Hart]

"Nah. It's okay. I get all the time." she waves him off with a plastic smile. "Bu~ut...if you really want to make it up to me...teaching me to drink would be right up there. Tonight's because I've never been clubbing before, these two," she flashes her too-wide-too-fake-smile, at Konrad and Madison, "Took it upon themselves to help me fix that."

With the music pounding she tried to make herself heard. "Oooh this place! It's-it's awesome!"

Then returning to the topic of flavors, "I have the biggest sweet tooth this side of anywhere." she admits, "So deffinatly something sweet. I don't mind fruit," then with a secret something in her creepy purple eyes, "I never get the chance to eat any anymore."

"So sweet and fruity. I guess. Erm surprise me!" she finishes with another too wide smile.

[Star]

Awesome.

Sure, awesome for vanilla standard fare Top 40 scene full of twenty-year olds who'd just gotten their first real job and were hell-bent on straining their paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyles with overpriced drinks and Dress To Impress clothing. Just to wake up in the morning and run to Seerbucks. Makes you wonder, right? Why Labyrinths are invariably weird online puzzles or secret book clubs, instead of something like this beautiful prison for the Soul.

I am Jack's Cynical and Maudlin Psyche After One Bad Fight With Avis.

"Uh. Cody? Marlow?" Sure, he'd heard. Who hadn't? It's not every day someone in the company, no matter how small or fringe, decides to overdose and try to cut their own head off. That's the thing about The Bee. There's enough people with connections to hear it all and start all the rumors. "Ummmm. I, uh. I didn't know him." What do you say? Or, yell over the throb of music and cacophony of voices. "But, uh. But it's good to hear he had a friend."

Here's the thing. Sometimes? Sometimes you're That Person. That Person who gets, and likes, maybe even loves the weird, crazy, possibly prone to explosive rage and total asshole that no one else does. Who... Well. Maybe that's who Konrad was.

Or maybe he was just networking and didn't even know Cody and had read or heard about it somewhere and was using it as an 'in'.

"Let's, uh. Let's do this," the Angel continued, jutting a thumb at Alice. Because drink orders are the perfect Awkward Topic Segue. "Get her a peach Kir, a Caipirinha, and a Sidecar. I'll just, like, drink whichever one she doesn't like." He turned to Alice. "So, that's white wine with peach liqueur? A Kir is usually made with black currant or blackberries but I'm changing it up a little to make it sweeter. A Caipirinha is liquor, limes, and sugar. I say liquor because, like, bartenders all do it different. There's enough sugar and lime to cover anything." That's bar codespeak for using whatever clear alcohol needs to be used up. "And a sidecar is orange liqueur and cognac with a splash of lemon. Also? You can't just say 'Surprise Me'. One, I might be a total jerk, two, that's not how conversations work. You have to, you know, give me something. Back. To work with."

Someone else might wonder why he'd dodged all the trendy strawberry drinks. Spend a week or few working in a bar, and take a good, long look at the strawberries that usually come from the nearest grocer's Last Chance discount section. That's a lot of mold and bugs, yo. Because no one knows after it's all been in a blender. Gross.

"Hey." Long fingers reached out to pluck at Madison for a 'private moment' but stopped short. "There's, like, no acid. I checked. But..."

The hand dropped, thumb to pinkie, three fingers down to form an 'M'. M is for Molly.

Which might explain the too-bright eyes, trickle of sweat, and unusual and sudden Extra!friendliness.

[Konrad Roth]

At least Madison is laughing, rather than taking offense. She must be used to Jack's mannerisms. Or maybe she has hopes that's what Konrad is going for.

Hearing Jack's orders, he acknowledges him with a, "Nice," before relaying that to the bartender along with his own beer and Madison's selections. "But yeah, don't want her to overdo it on the first go," he continues, referring to Alice. "Got you a shot of Jack, Maddy, with that mixed one. Forgot you liked absinthe."

There's too many drinks to go around so Konrad asks some of their neighbors to move down if they can so that Alice and Jack can at least scope out their samples. He moves away from the counter with Madison's shot and mixed drink and hands her the shot to start. Best not to leave a girl's drink unattended, after all.

Jack's talk of acid doesn't go over his head, but it takes him a moment to discern the meaning of Jack's gesture. "You, uh, you holdin?" Konrad asks, though the softer spoken question might be drown out by the thrum of music and voices.

[Aurora]

Had to give Star credit, the guy knew his drinks!

Laughing, “Damn! Those all sound good!” but she knew to take it slow, cause no one likes a sloppy drunk. She only hopes Alice will take it slow, if you’re not used to drinking it could get messy real quick. Not that she’d hold it against her, but it tended to damper the evening.

Blue eyes widen at Jacks mention of acid, well, real acid and she chuckles. “Totally not my thing. Well, the real stuff anyways, but whatever makes someone happy.” She had tried her share of drugs, acid had never been one. After her Awakening, no drug could show her anything as amazing as Arcadia.

An eyebrow raised at the ‘M’, was she just getting that old and outta touch? Was he on something? He was acting a little differently then she usually saw him, but, meh, whatever. Not her place, he was an adult.
Smirking, she flashes a smile and a thumbs up, seemed like the ok thing to do.

Whoa, Jack and the absinthe? Gonna be a fun night indeed!

Nodding, “Def don’t want to overdo it. Go at your own pace and if you don’t want to drink, no biggie.” She says with a shrug and smile.

“Yeah, the little green fairy and I kinda have a thing.” She jokes with a wink. It was kinda a joke, though it had helped her with sleepless nights.

Well, might as well take the Jack first. Raising the shot glass in a cheers, and waiting in case anyone wanted to join her, she will take her first shot.

The burn down her throat brings a slight wince, but she shakes it off.

[Alice Hart]

As the flow of bodies move to and from the bar, the stone top, Alice eyes critically, and realizes just how much the construction of the Necropolis was still affecting her as she began mentally designing her soon-to-take-shape-sepulcher cum office with the lines she's seeing here. Then eyeing the wall of bottles, and a zero understanding of drink names, well she knew a few from TV but...anxiety gripped her and she blurted out 'surprise me'

Jack the lifesaver, orders three different drinks, and is kind enough to explain what they are, and admonishment is taken to heart, as Alice nods, she blinks while trying to speak over the music. "Sorry. It's just a lot to take in. My night's aren't normally this...loud."

The others order and Konrad's off and edging more room out for them and Alice doesn't feel quite to stiff, pressed so close to kine she can't nom.

The drinks are brought and Alice eyes the lot of them, nodding when Madison cautions the alcohol intake. "Yeah...uh I should drink water between drinks right? I think I heard that somewhere." that and not to sleep on her back...because of the choking hazard...Thanks mom. Apparently the women thought she was going to collage to party.

Pulling herself from spiteful thoughts of the past, Alice wills the vitae to move, so her lesson wont go to a gross bloody waste, she laughs at Madison's quip.

Then she's staring at the three drinks in front of her. Sucking in a breath, and acting more like she was about to throw herself over the trenches and into battle, then she was going to sample the choices. Shaking her head, she laughs at herself, she's definitely being silly.

Picking the sidecar first because she liked the name she took a sip and swished it around her mouth a bit before swallowing. "Hum..." then she mimics her actions with the other two.

"I think I like the peach one and the lime one. The-uh kir? And uh I forgot what the other one's called. But it's tasty!" she says with a bright too-wide smile. "So Jack, one sidecar for you." she says nudging the glass toward the man.

[Star]

"No."

Yes. Jack was totally 'holding'. But it's not an Actual Lie. When you're a Prestidigitator Extraordinaire, were you ever really holding anything? And sure, being able to get your Water-To-Wine on didn't ever hurt, either. Signalman Second Class with a dime bag of oregano.

But seriously, bro. Just met.

"Ooooh, winner winner chicken dinner." Long fingers reached out to pluck the abandoned Sidecar. His total First Choice. He lifted it mirror Madison's. "Oh, and, Alice. Go slow, sweet drinks are kinda tricky because, like, they're sweet so you forget the alcohol and, well, they're sweet so they make you thirsty. Counting is a great way to do it. Like, you..." Never guess a woman's weight out loud. "...maybe a drink an hour? Three max for the night. And, totally. Water."

Fashionista. Photographer. Bartender. Medical Student.

Maybe it was condescending? But she'd said she wasn't a Drinker. Getting jammed up in Consilium by Faye for getting her friend trashed would be a Supernal Party Foul. Speaking of water? Gonna need that soon. Hydration and moderation.

"But I'm glad you like the Kir, that's awesome. You should give the currant and blackberry versions a try."

Want to see a magic trick? Ta-da. Sidecar: Disappeared.

"We dancing?"