10353/Sunrise Party

Sunrise Party
Date of Scene:	05 March 2022
Location:	The Real KTV
Synopsis:	Jon's return party is a resounding success with drinks, food, and best of all karaoke (including one highly unexpected opener.)
Cast of Characters:	Martin Blackwood, Phoebe Beacon, Sara Pezzini, Jonathan Sims, Cael Becker, Bruce Wayne, Lydia Dietrich, Terry O'Neil, Donna Troy

---

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    The bar Martin had grabbed wasn't exactly on any main strip of Queens but it wasn't too far off the beaten path either. Martin has set up a banner the color of worn parchment with the words "Welcome Home Jon" in fancy green cursive script written on it hanging just above the entry door of the establishment after just past the glass parlor. There is already music playing softly in the background and an assortment of horderves set out on a side table and another assortment of sweets on another.

    Martin isn't the chef of the family and so all of the food has that sense of store bought sameness about the pieces that comes with mass production. But the quality is higher than anything a supermarket can think to produce so it's far from cheap. Martin smiles as he waits for the guest of honor and his friends. He's at the bar sipping from a brightly colored drink in a martini glass wearing dark jeans and a bright blue sweater over a white button shirt.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe come sinto the bar -- it felt almost traitorous to be partying in someone else's bar. She comes in wearing black jeans, pumps, a bright shirt with a Spider emblem that arches its way around her back and a very, very light jacket over it, her kinks and coils not braided but wrapped in an orange head-wrap and left to bounce overhead.

    Her head pokes in first, and she gives a soft huff. "Am I too early?" she asks of Martin.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
For once Sara isn't in jeans and a t-shirt, or one of the many ugly throw away outfits she has been seen in lately. Today she wears a pair of dark slacks with a long sleeved black cotton turtleneck, and a pair of recently shined biker boots on her feet. Over the shirt is her black leather jacket, unzipped but still enough to conceal her side arm in a shoulder holster. Her detectives badge is clipped to the belt strung through the loops at her waist, clear indication she's coming in from work.

Entering the bar, she takes a quick look around, then makes her way to the bar. "Evening Martin," she offers, then look to Phoebe to offer a nod as she adds, "How you doing, Phoebe?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon has been almost aggressively dressing down since he returned from the lands of the dead, and today is wearing a Doctor Who t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. None of it's frayed or worn; he's owned the clothing for years but barely used it, since he wore 'business casual' even outside of professional settings. He also /seems/ to have a second arm, although he holds it oddly and it doesn't swing with his left arm quite the way it should. A prosthetic, perhaps.

    He enters hand-in-hand with Cael, who's been having to put up with an entire history of musical theatre sparked by Jon telling a story about the first time he went to karaoke with Martin, because he sang Sondheim, and then he had to explain Sondheim, and Company, and Jon being Jon this meant going all the way back to opera and the transition to musicals and a brief foray into movie musicals.

    "--not the same," he's saying as he comes in. "There's a /magic/ in live performance one can't quite capture with a movie. Of course... there's a /huge/ financial and geographical barrier to most people getting to Broadway, which is why I generally support community... oh we're here." He blinks at the banner. Martin made a banner.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael enters alongside Jon, a slightly glazed look in her eyes as Jon bemoans the Hollywoodization of Broadway Musicals, in his own way. At her heels walks Bear, proudly sporting his Service Dog in Training vest. Now that things have calmed down - she's really going to have to finish the pup's training with him.
    "Yup. We're here!" she agrees - looking for any excuse to derail the conversation. "Oh, Sara and Phoebe are here already. Hello, Martin," she adds to the 'event organizer,' flashing those gathered a friendly smile. It was a small gathering so far. ...she can handle that.
    For her part, Cael hasn't changed for her usual attire - and she sports jeans, a casual blue-hued blouse, and her leather jacket. On her wrist she still wears the cuff bracelet she was given almost a month ago, depicting butterflies in blue, teal, and gold, and at her throat rests the silver amulet with its deep blue stone - as well as a second chain disappearing beneath her blouse.
    "I hope we haven't kept you guys waiting."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
The Justice League and its representatives had been rather hands off with the whole crisis, letting those with an affinity for the mystic handle it. That isn't to say that certain members - certain suspicious and borderline paranoid members - had not been watching, taking notes, keeping track.

It hadn't been too difficult to find out that a party was being thrown and where. Deductive reasoning made the matter trivial. As for how long the Bat had been waiting for the guest of honor to arrive and the festivities to start? That was anybody's guess. He'd certainly not been anywhere he could be easily spotted.

So, as John and Cael enter, the Batman stands with his cape drawn about him behind one of the tables drawn with food. Just empty space one moment, Bat-occupied space the next.

Boo.

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin smiles and offers Phoebe a wave. "No. Perfect timing" he says to the young woman he's only met a handful of times. "Come on in, most people should be here shortly. It's not going to be too big, but... a party is a party." He notices Sara as she enters and smiles to the woman with a quick nod. "Sara."

    He sips his cocktail and then Jon's coming in with Cael and his smile widens. "Jon! Cael! Welcome!" he says and ushers the pair of them inside. "No. Most people have just arrived. So not waiting."

    He notices the apearance of Batman in his periphery with a start. "Oh...Batman... is here?" he says with speculative hesitation. He knew that the Justice League Dark was a division of the Justice League and that meant that Jon rubbed elbows with a number of well known figures. He had also seen the social media posts with Batman fighting against--what the post claimed was--an angel. But to have the man show up at his event that was highly unexpected. "Welcome. I mean, you're an associate of Jon's so I guess you have as much right as anyone to these festivities." He offers the Caped-Crusader a smile of his own, definitely not expecting one in return, and gestures the cowled man to mingle all the same.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a smile to Martin, though it doesn't reach her eyes. She looks tired. "Thank you. How's Agnes?" she asks politely, and she gives another small grin to Sara, reaching out to offer a brief handshake. "Sara, good to see you -- recovering?" she asks -- and there's the Man of the hour with his girlfriend. A wave to Jon and Cael is given as she turns around and then --

    "--BATmaaaan...?" she leaves it off in a question, her head tilting a moment, and then she shrugs a little "Well... everyone was invited who is associated." she states, and then she turns to Martin.

    "Batman was also kind enough to check over the math for my Harvesting project."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara shakes Phoebe's hand with a smile. "All healed up," is offered to the young woman. "Reconnected to Witchblade, so back to work."

That's when her attention is drawn to Jon and Cael entering, and the smile grows even brighter. "Just got here myself, so it's all good," she comments before heading over to give Cael a friendly pat on the shoulder. Cael was not the hugging type, so long ago Sara had found another way to greet her best friend that allowed for a moment of contact without sending Cael into a downward spiral of 'I've been hugged!'... the shoulder pat.

The sudden appearance of Batman turns her head toward the costumed man, but there isn't a great deal of shock or surprise to his suddenly being there. Perhaps she had just a hint of prewarning from Witchblade, or perhaps she was no longer jumpy about people who just pop in and out without warning... thanks Alis.

She offers Batman a nod of greeting, before her attention shifts back to Jon, Martin and Cael. "I'm not singing, but I had to be here, even if I do get called away for work briefly in the middle of things."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon blinks rapidly as Batman appears from nowhere, but he recovers quickly enough to offer the man a smile. "Ah, hello! We're celebrating... being alive, really. Do you sing?" He hesitates. "...It's alright if you don't." He offers Sara a smirk. "You and Cael both, refusing to sing." He turns the smirk on Cael, for a moment.

    He then walks over to Martin to give him a hug from the side and a kiss on the cheek without letting go of Cael's hand. "You did all this /and/ went to Italy and found that nasty artifact while I was gone? Thank you, dear. It's lovely, and I'm sure we'll have fun." Other than Martin and Cael he doesn't even offer to shake anyone's hand, instead waving to Phoebe and Sara.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
" ... Mister Blackwood," Batman offers in return, and indeed there's no smile from him. The way the Dark Knight sets his jaw, it would be something of a wonder if he could smile at all. He regards the other man sternly for a second, looking him over as though taking every measure of him in that one moment.

His head tilts forward, the rest of him stock still as he looks over the food on the table. He doesn't reach for any, instead looking up towards Phoebe. The corners of his mouth twitch downward for a second.

He inclines his head in a nod towards the others, though doesn't offer any further words by way of greeting. The question about whether or not he sings prompts him to gaze sidelong at the karaoke set-up. And take a step towards it.

Cael Becker has posed:
    As Sara approaches, Cael leans in to bump her shoulder casually against the other woman's, a friendly smile on her features - while Bear wags his tail furiously, starting to move closer, before looking up at Cael, and sitting abruptly at her heel instead.
    "Good boy," Cael murmurs absently, reaching down to scritch at the dog's head a moment, before she turns to regard Batman, as well. A hesitant nod is offered in greeting, a hint of caution sliding into place that hadn't been there a moment before. Everyone had been a known element a moment before - but Batman she knew so little about, aside from the news reports.
    "Look, you sing much better than I do, anyways," Cael answers Jon.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia is only a little bit late. The lemon poppyseed muffins that she was baking for the celebration of Jon's return had taken a little bit longer than anticipated. There's nothing quite like warm muffins.

    She arrives on golden wings, and is dressed in a floral print sundress, despite the chill outside. She figures that if you're going to celebrate life, you might as well do it dressed for spring.

    "Hello, everybody!" she says cheerfully, as she sets her bag of muffins down with the rest of the food. "It's good to see you..." she trails off when she sees Batman. That's... wholly unexpected. She gives him a deferential nod, "Batman... sir."

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin smiles at the gathering and the sudden appearance of Lydia (with warm muffins of all things) makes the smile even brighter. "I... found the place not long after we mentioned this party and the owner had heard of you. And so was more than happy to rent the place out for one of the saviors of Manhattan." He comments at Jon's surprise to his organization skills. "He might use you for his own publicity, but... nothing more than 'Favored Karaoke Bar of The Archivist' or something along those lines so don't worry too much about it."

    He looks to Phoebe and then to Jon as Batman approaches the karaoke stage. "Does... does Batman sing?" he asks looking alarmed at the very thought of it. "I mean. I was going to open for us all but if he wants to go first, I'm not averse to cedeing the position." Not often you see Batman do anything aside from appear, round up criminals, and disappear as quickly after all.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Approaching the karaoke set-up and the microphone, Batman regards it for a moment. His back is turned to the rest of the gathering, standing still. Then one hand reaches out, plucking the microphone off the stand and walking over towards the machine. He cycles through the songs available, the glow of the screen reflected back against the impassive mask of his cowl.

There's a chirrup, and a song is selected. A brass section announces the opening bars of Freddie Mercury's 'The Great Pretender' play through the speakers. The Dark Knight turns around, holds the microphone up to his mouth, and ... sings?!

He hits the notes with the accuracy of a professional tenor. Just another of the many skills he's devoted time to mastering. There was a time when his enemies favoured gimmickry, and music often entered into it.

"Too real is this feeling of make believe;
Too real when I feel what my heart can't conceal."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe is just staring a moment, and she really, really wants to pull out her phone and snap a pic -- instead she just sort of stiffens.

    "... I don't think there's a single thing Batman can't do except take a vacation." she admits quietly to Martin, looking over to Martin, and giving a shrrruuuug -- and then reaching her phone to take a pic.

    Otherwise, Red Robin will NEVER beleive her.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon gapes at Martin for a long moment. "Wait. Stop. Go back. The favored... /what/? Of the /Archivist/? I..." He blinks with that deer in the headlights look he sometimes gets, eyes very wide, mouth half open. "I mean, I suppose... we /did/ save... but it's not..." He rubs at the back of his neck with his right hand.

    "This is so bloody /weird/," he murmurs.

    He turns to listen to Batman sing for a moment, smiling at the choice. He squeezes Cael's hand before dropping it and murmuring something about drinks to Martin. Then he goes over to grab a muffin and smile at Lydia. "Hey, welcome to the party. Good to see you too, I'm glad everyone made it back safely."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael can't help it. Batman is singing. Jon is baffled by being a celebrity - and his girlfriend bursts into laughter, shaking her head at his disbelief. "Could be worse!" she counters. "They could say it's the favored bar of the Great God Ra!" She pats him on the shoulder, still grinning broadly as she moves off to get a drink of her own, as well - predictably a whiskey. She also eyes the finger foods on offer - before claiming one of the muffins as her first choice. Might as well - while they're still hot. "Lydia, hey. Glad you could make it," she says casually.
    When did she get so relaxed around a vampire?
    God her life is weird.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia steps up to give Jon a hug. If anybody in the room needed a hug it would be the man who had died to save the universe and come back. "Welcome to the 'I died but I got better' club. It's very exclusive. I'll be sending you a membership card here shortly."

    Taking a step back she rubs the back of her head, running her fingers through her thick mass of curly hair, "Yeah. That's what happens when you take point on trying to drive the angels out of the city. You become the 'Savior of Manhattan.'" She lets out a chuckle, "At least I didn't get any screen time so people don't recognize me, though I /did/ leave something of a mark behind."

    She turns to watch Batman croon out an oldie. "I... Batman is singing karaoke. I feel like I should tell somebody about this, but nobody would ever believe me."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Amusement still evident on her features, Cael answers Lydia with an encouraging, "That's what TikTok is for."

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin blinks at Batman singing Freddie Mercury. And not just attempting it, but doing it well. "I... I guess Batman sings." He says sounding dumbfounded. "Oh, don't fret it Jon. He's promised not to use your name, just your monicker." He smiles and sips at his drink while watching the Dark Knight sing about about the power of facades unironically.

    He thinks of how to follow an (obviously trained) tenor singing one of the greats and his mind wanders to an old friend of his who was and did just that every time they went to these sorts of places before life changed dramatically for them all.

    He smiles and nods. He knows how he's going to follow now and readies himself for the stage stepping away from the bar and into the selection area for the stage.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe has picked an assortment of items from the buffet of treats, grabs herself a coffee and the bat a water bottle, and sets the water bottle to the side.

    "No, no one would ever believe any of us if we said we were just serenaded by Batman. They'd probably lock us up in Arkham." Phoebe offers, and she kind of gives a soft huff, and crosses her arms.

    "... this feels so weird not being able to go behind the bar." she complains, though mostly to cover up her own discomfort.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon stiffens as Lydia hugs him, but manages to /not/ freak out and run away. He even returns the hug, though it's brief. He still smiles as he steps back, though. "Thank you." He sighs. "I just... I didn't think..." He gestures toward the man singing. "He's the one that was all over social media! I sort of presumed people wouldn't... I mean, even if people read Terry's article, I'm not the most..." He furrows his brow. "Look, I'm not used to people taking me /seriously/, alright? Bring up 'Jonathan Sims' in psychiatric circles and you're liable to hear words like 'crackpot' and 'laughing stock.'"

    He glowers at Cael for a moment. "Keep it up and I'll get up there and go through all the blessings I gave in Duat again. In /English/ this time so you know what I'm saying."

    He shakes his head at Martin. "I dispensed with 'secret identities' when I did that interview with Terry. It... doesn't work very well for the Archivists. Not that we're well-known, but we're bad at hiding. If you hadn't noticed."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Having had to step away with her phone, Sara returns to the throng of the party. She didn't miss Batman singing, not really, but she didn't /see/ it. Even on the phone she could hear him, which make it really hard to take the call seriously.

Pausing to collect some coffee, alcohol was out in case she had to go back to the precinct, she makes her way back to where the people are and does her best not to make any comment about the singing or singing in general as she is determined to not end up on the stage.

"Technically Phoebe, you could go behind the bar, but then I'd have to arrest you," she comments with a grin, then lifts her coffee in a mock toast to the woman. "Go a head and try it, I can look the other way."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
When the song is finished, Batman neatly hangs the microphone back on its stand. Phones and other recording devices start working again in the same moment that he steps off the stage, moving in Jon's direction like some ominous shark carving through a placid ocean.

One gloved hand reaches out and clasps him on the shoulder, his expression dour and mirthless.

"Welcome back."

And then he steps past him, towards the door though no one quite sees him leave.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Yes, but can you do it to the tune of 'We Will Rock You'?" Cael counters, still grinning broadly. It seems she's in good spirits tonight, as she sips at her whiskey. "Ay, Maripose - don't worry. I'm sure I'll tire of the Ra references eventually." She pauses a beat. "Mostly."
    She nods to Sara as the woman returns, then finally tries a bite of the muffin before letting out an appreciative sound. "These are good! Sara, did you grab a muffin yet? They're still warm."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia lets out a snerk at Cael, "I would have to have a TikTok account for that. I have an Instagram account that I barely use." Her eyes wander over to where her muffins are at. "Maybe I should use it for baking pics. Hm." She's lost a little bit in thought about this. She /does/ need to get her online presence to be more active. It's a good way to sell more books.

    She shakes her head and turns to Phoebe. "You're eighteen now. I /think/ it's legal for you to hold a bartending job, as long as you don't actually /drink/ what it is that you're making. I could be wrong on that, though."

    She notices how stiff Jon is with the hug. "Sorry," she says. "You're were receptive to physical contact before. I should have checked in with you."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Tonight, Sara, I'm way more intimidated by Batman seeing me behind a bar than getting an arrest in NYC." Phoebe admits as she leans against a tall table, picking at some of the sweets-- and there he went...?" Phoebe blinks, and she looks to the plate she'd grabbed for him... just in case.

    "... I'll get it eventually." she murmurs quietly, and she continues to pick at some sort of sweet item.

    "Lyds, even if I could hold a job --" she motions around "This isn't the Laughing Magician." she cracks a small smile. "They probably serve fancy drinks here and everything."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon blinks at Batman and nods, though the flinch at that touch is visible too. He frowns, reaching up to touch his own shoulder as the man walks past him.

    "Haphephobia," he murmurs. "That... stands to reason, I suppose. It's not your fault, Lydia. I... before I turned myself over to Michael, I was... fine. But now... chest pain, hot flashes, dizziness, heart palpitations, nausea..." He shudders, and shakes himself, and clears his throat. "Sorry. It's fine. I'll be fine. Just, umm..."

    He shakes his head, and goes to sit down at the bar, commenting in a deliberately lighter tone, "Well, nice of him to come. I'm sure he's busy. Oh, umm, I'm reminded that I am supposed to tell you that Chas misses you and is coming back soon, Phoebe. I... saw him, when I was... dead."

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    As Batman steps down from the stage, Martin claps and makes a hoot of appreciation at the rendition. He checks to see that Jon's drink (a pink mixture in a martini glass with a garnish of lime) has arrived before the man, before stepping up and hitting play on the song he has chosen.

    The unmistakable sound of a poppy synth riff opens up the song. Only a moment later Martin's voice comes in with the aucoustic guitar.

"I tried to discover,
A little something to make me sweeter
Oh baby, refrain,
From breaking my heart.
I'm so in love with you,
I'll be forever blue,
That you give me no reason
Why you make me work so hard"

    Erasure's anthem "A Little Respect" is given proper treatment from the man. It's not spot on as the original (but who can truly live up to Andy Bell's note perfection.) But what he lacks in classical training he more than makes up for in enthusiasm. His slight pitchiness is overshadowed and compensated by the feeling displayed in the man's outpouring affection for the subject of his serenade.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Of course, Terry did not see Batman go out. Nobody sees Batman unless Batman wants you to see Batman. And in most of those cases, you probably don't /want/ to see Batman, because it means there's a punch coming in. So, as he comes in (late), the redhead has no clue that the Dark Knight was, briefly, the Dark Lord of The Song. And if you tell him, he will most likely think you are pulling his leg. "Hey everybody!" He comes in, clad in a trench coat and gloves and a scarf, because it appears to be chilly outside. "Sorry I was late. Miss Lane." That's usually all he needs to say. When Lois Lane wants you to stay late to talk about something, you usually don't say 'no'. He gives a bright grin to everybody and presents his offering: a helping of the legendary O'Neil tiramisu, which he leaves ready to be served before he moves over to start greeting people, starting with the man of the hour first and foremost.

"Jon!" he approaches with a grin, but stops for a second, reading the room a little and seeing he is discussing something of weight with Phoebe. So he sidles a little to wave at Lydia, Sara, Cael and company, bopping his head to the Erasure anthem. He's kept his trenchcoat on.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael gives Jon a sympathetic, and slightly worried smile at his distress, fixing him a plate with a mix of the different foods on offer, including one of Lydia's muffins. She slides this in front of him, slipping her hand into his left hand for a brief squeeze and encouraging smile.
    She then takes a step back, as Martin takes center stage - letting him serenade his husband without any interference from the girlfriend.
    "Hey," Cael greets the reporter with a briefly broadening smile. "Working hard for your money, huh?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia laughs, shaking her head at Phoebe. "True, that. The Laughing Magician was something of a unique place. We'll never see anything quite like it again."

    She scowls at Jon, and puts her hands on her hips. "You're /not/ fine," she says. "You've suffered trauma, and you probably need help working through it. Out of everybody here, you should know that."

    Terry gets a grin and a wave, "Hey, you! Glad to see you again! Everything going well at the Tower?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Chaos walks into the room, and Sara offers him a nod. A part of her brain is /still/ trying to understand the giant chew toy, but at least most of her brain has let it go. Terry had already been put into a category in her head, that was enough.

"I haven't had a muffin yet," she offers to Cael. "But I'll have one before I leave."

Turning back to look at Terry, she offers up a, "Evening." and stops herself from adding the 'insane Cat' part to the end. "How are you doing tonight?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe stops her coffee drinking half way to her mouth, and she frowns.

    "Yeah. Well. It seems like I'm the one who hasn't seen him. And as to the Laughing Magician, last place I'll ever call 'Home'." she replies evenly with a rather sarcastic toast of her cup, and sips her coffee, and she motions back to Lydia "She's right, Jon. Nothing about dying and coming back to life is easy even if you took the smooth sailing route out of Duat. You should be in mental recovery and still coming to terms with it all instead of the next phase."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry grins, "You know how it is... working nine to five, what a way to make a living," the reporter winks at Cael, and Lydia's inquiry gets an interesting answer: "Oh, just peachy at the tower. We arrested Alice yesterday and the March Hare is finally reunited with the Mad Hatter!"

Just because things are fine at the tower, it doesn't mean they make /sense/.

Sara's greeting gets another grin, "Oh, doing fine, just fine. It was about time we had a celebration, don't you think?"

His ears twitch at Phoebe's words to Jon, and a thoughtful look flashes across his face. And then, the look of gears turning in that head.

Uh oh.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    For a moment, Jon isn't paying attention to anyone but Martin, the faintest hint of a flush darkening his cheeks. It's a quick cure for his anxiety, evidently, because he's shortly smiling and looking away, almost bashfully.

    "I am going to be fine for right now," he says to Lydia and Phoebe, "because my husband is... doing that." He gestures at Martin, eyes bright, smile expanding to a slightly giddy grin. He grabs the pink-filled glass next to him and takes a long drink. "This is why I came back. To enjoy karaoke and tiramisu and watermelon martinis. Among other things."

    He glances at Cael, /just/ briefly, then says, "Besides, the people dealing with me /not/ being fine deserve a break and some fun, whether they're singing or not. The past month... hasn't been easy, however it might seem in public."

    He shakes himself again and peers at Terry. "...The /actual/ Alice? And March Hare? And Mad Hatter?"

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin manages to hit the high note at the end of the chorus with almost perfect accuracy. Which is a feat in itself. He moves into the second verse with as much enthusiasm as the first. He is even managing a little bit of a dance as he sings and works the small crowd before him. He reaches the second pre-chorus and chorus and is as true to it as the first.

"Don't you tell me no
Don't you tell me no
Don't you tell me no
Don't you tell me no

Soul, I hear you calling
Oh, baby, please
Give a little respect to me"

    He lifts his chin up to help get out that high note (a C5 is not something to take lightly). He moves with the beat and then is into the final push of the song with gusto and a bounce to his step and confidence in his voice.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Watching Terry's expression change, Sara learns something new about chaos with fur in that moment... don't offer a challenge, of any kind, but then her eyes shift back to Jon.

"Jon, we all know you aren't alright," she says softly. "And that's alright, you don't have to be fine. Be you, and know we're all here for you... so if they need a break, or you need a break, any one of us are willing to help out." She pauses a moment then with a sigh continues.

"My aunt wants to know which thing you want. Risotto, Gnocchi, Polenta, Lasagne, Gelato, Ribollita, and/or Arancini. She wants to cook something for my 'sick' friend."

Cael Becker has posed:
    As everyone bombards Jon with a chorus of 'it's okay not to be okay,' Cael responds with a broad roll of her eyes and remarks dryly, "All he's saying is he's okay... right now." Her eyes go to Phoebe with a frown as she adds, "...and it wasn't exactly smooth sailing out of Duat. But.... We were together, and- honestly, I enjoyed that bit of the ride. I know Lady Death did as well. We both... relish a bit of a fight at times. Especially when I've got something to //work out,// you know?" She reaches down to scritch at Bear's ear, as she pup puts his head against her knee.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The Cheshire grins, taken out of his reverie by the question. "No, a /fake/ Alice. Some crackpot from Gotham who thought she was the /real/ Alice and who was causing all of the Wonderland crap in Metropolis because she got a hold of the Regalia. But we /do/ have the actual Mad Hatter and March Hare. They're kind of stuck here until we figure out how to take them back to Wonderland. You should come visit them. They've started a perpetual tea party in the lobby of the tower. To the confusion of visitors."

He looks over at Phoebe and gives her a smile, not wanting to interrupt her before, "Hey Shiny Gal- it's good to see you /not/ yeeted. How are you?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe delivers A Look in return to Cael, and then gives a shrug of her shoulders. "Wouldn't know." she states back to the agent with the dog, and she finishes her coffee before drawing her dark eyes to the Cat, and gives a noncomittal shrug. "Fine, all the breaks fixed themselves in short order," she drops her gaze, and pokes at another sweet on the plate in front of her, and then pushes the other plate over to Terry.

    "Here. I'd grabbed this for Batman, but he slipped out right before you showed up. Save you a trip to the snack bar."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Gnocci," Jon says almost immediately to Sara, though he's distracted again by Martin, grinning as he hits the high note. "And tell her thank you. I really do appreciate... everything."

    He reaches out to take Cael's hand, slowly, like he's seeing whether or not it bothers him. That, evidently, does not, so he comments, "I enjoyed that bit too, if I'm being honest. Which... I have to be, now. Hacking up that snake felt /good/, and so did tangling up Gmork. I enjoy a fight, evidently. Who knew?" He shakes his head.

    He bites his lip and frowns at Phoebe for a moment, but then says to Terry, instead, "I don't know what's confusing about a perpetual tea party. Sounds like fun." He glances over at Martin again. "I know /someone/ who'd enjoy that."

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin finishes and sets the micropohone back on the stand as the synth riff fades out he steps off the stage with a smile and goes to join Jon and an unfamiliar face. "Hi" he says to Terry. "I'm Martin, Jon's husband." He offers the young man a hand if greeting.

    He looks to his empty martini glass and gestures for another that the in house bartender provides with expediency. "Oh wow... more snacks" he says, looking at Jon. "We might have to take some home with us. I'm sure Agnes won't mind. She was a little sad that she couldn't come tonight but you know how she is about her bedtime. Like clockwork."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael gives Jon's hand a squeeze, lifting it to her lips for a brief kiss, before letting it simply dangle between them.She leaves it at that, still allowing Martin to take top-billing while he's on the stage, and letting Jon talk casually with his friends.
    "So many wonderful noodle dishes in Italy - and you go with gnocchi," she complains. "There's just no accounting for taste, sometimes."
    "If we party until dawn she can join us when she wakes up," she remarks in a dry tone.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Martin, it's such a pleasure to meet you!" Terry gives Martin a warm handshake, and takes the plate Phoebe offers him. "Oh, foodstuffs, don't mind if I do! I'm starving! Mom sends her regards and her tiramisu- I tried to make her come with me but she said she doesn't do Karaoke. Apparently /Urban Warfare/ is perfectly fine but singing in front of public is one bridge too far. You did awsome with the Erasure, Martin, who is next on the Karaoke list? I want to sign up..."

He stops with a food item halfway to his mouth, and blinks. "Wait. Go over that again. Batman was /here/?"

Cheshire.exe has malfunctioned. Please reboot your cat.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "He stopped in to welcome Jon home, and here I go." Phoebe replies to Terry, and she goes up to the stage. There's a quick scroll of the machine, and she shifts her weight, narrowing her eyes a moment, then she gives a nod, and as she approaches the mic, the young woman with the black jeans, Scarlet Spider T-shirt and orange-red hair wrap there's blues horns and piano.

    "So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters
Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words, I don't just say
And nothing else matters
Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters
Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
But I know--"

(For your ears: https://youtu.be/KSSa0-oAnIo )

Donna Troy has posed:
    There's late, then there's fashionably late, then there's /too/ late. After that it briefly becomes fashionable again, and after /that/ is generally when Donna arrives.

    Just in time to witness Terry blue-screening. She knocks three times on the top of Terry's head to see if anyone's at home. "What's up, Terry? You got your tongue?" This it seems is an appropriate sort of greeting between Titans, because that out of the way she turns to beam a huge smile at Jon. "Welcome back!" she says to him with obvious enthusiasm. "I'm not going to say 'thank the gods' or anything 'cos I always had total faith you'd make it," she adds, winking. "Is everyone buying you drinks? Everyone should buy you drinks. What can I get you? Do you even drink? You should, you've earned it."

    She glances up at the stage, then back down, then back up at the stage. "That's Phoebe. This is apparently karaoke. I may have missed this detail. Terry's my pinch hitter. Terry, wake up. You've got to sing twice."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "She takes after her mother," Jon says with a fond smile, though his eyes are still bright when he looks at Martin. "You're getting better at that. Have you been practicing?"

    He glances aside to Cael. "I like gnocci. /You're/ the one that's obsessed with noodles." A pause. "It's got /nothing/ to do with you not stealing my food."

    He looks back to Terry and nods. "He sang, in fact. Freddie Mercury. The Great Pretender. Not what I would have expected." He looks over to Phoebe and raises an eyebrow. "...Nor is that. I don't think I've heard this version."

    Then a grin for Donna, after bracing himself to see if she goes in for a hug. When she doesn't, he relaxes and lifts the pink drink he's sipping and says, "Everyone seems to be bringing food, but I wouldn't say /no/ to drinks?" He looks pretty good for a guy who's been dead--filled out again, a few subtle differences in jaw and body shape, a /very/ life-like prosthetic that he holds at an odd angle. He looks softer around the edges, somehow, though that could be the fact that he's wearing sneakers and all.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"... he /sang?/ Okay, you're pulling my leg. I am calling total B.S. Batman doesn't sing. He doesn't laugh. He doesn't cry, he exudes vinegar from his tear ducts." Terry shakes his head at Donna and smirks, "Trust me, after I sing, /nobody/ is going to ask me to sing twice. You're on your own, sistah," the redhead grins, and resumes his eating. "But I will duo with you. Do you know 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Jon is, in fact, incapable of lying, I'm pretty sure. Something ot do with being joined with a Goddess of truth. You can't trust a fuckin' word I say, but you can trust Jon's. Batman... sang. In fact, he opened the party for us."
    Her attention shifts back towards Jon, and she nods safely before asking, "Did that theory save your curry the other day? Keep trying, though."
    Her eyes shift towards Phoebe on the stage, watching her for a while, before letting her attention turn to Donna instead. "Fairchild's not coming tonight?" It would have been nice to have her stop by.
    Oh well.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara chuckles softly as she looks between Jon and Cael. "So here's what will happen. I'll tell my aunt gnocci, so that's what she will make and a lasagna will just /happen/ to end up in the bag with it. That said, Cael, if there's a noodle dish you'd like, I can request it as well. When Aunt Ruth cooks, she could feed armies."

Taking a sip of her coffee, she remains near the collection of people, but not in their personal space. More than enough room for people to move in and out for hugs and what not. On occasion she will check her phone, but other wise she enjoys coffee, company, and other people singing.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe finishes up the very bluesy rendition of Nothing Else Matters, apparently this is a variation she genuinely enjoys, she hits most of the notes just right, her voice suited more for blues than pop, and she switches the mic off, and hurriedly goes back to her high top table and coffee to recover, because Martin and Batman? They are hard acts to follow.

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Doesn't look like it Cael," Donna replies. "It may be she feels like she needs to do a little more talking to people in private before she she's comfortable doing so in private. I think it'll be a while before she feels she has done enough to be forgiven."

    She shrugs her shoulders and gives Cael a what-can-you-do smile before heading to the bar, calling out "Do a duet with yourself Terry, I believe in you!" over her shoulder as she goes.

    About a minute later, she's back bearing a glass that she holds out to Jon. "It's their most expensive whiskey but I dunno if it's any good. There's champagne coming for everyone who wants it, all evening. I dunno if that's any good either, but it's still champagne, and there's something to celebrate, right?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
And now it's Terry's turn. "Pheebs, that was great!" the Cheshire cat sets his food plate aside and undoes his scarf, "Well, time to go make a fool of myself," he says with a grin. He walks up after dropping his scarf on a chair. With a snap of his fingers, the lights dim just a little. Illusion powers are handy, after all. He taps the microphone, "Hello hello hello- this thing on? Okay. So... A Cheshire, A Mad Hatter and a March Hare walk into a well. Story of my life. Badum-tish..." he says, brning time while queuing up his song.

There is a very recognizable piano roll, and the redhead in the trench coat starts singing huskily into the microphone:

~At first we were afraid, we were petrified,
Kept thinking we would never win without you by our side
But then you spent so many fights proving that old Michael wrong
And you grew strong
And showed us how to get along....~

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin confirms it as well after clapping heartedly for Phoebe's perfomance. "He did sing. It was... intersting to say the least." Another unfamiliar face is in attendance and Martin offers the woman a smile in greeting. "Hi. I'm Martin" he says waving to Donna. "Jon's husband."

    He smiles at Jon. "I love gnocci... and lasagna too." He looks at his husband and frowns. "Am I the only one who finds it strange that you died and everyone is offering you food as compensation?" he asks. "Even I did it, to be fair." As Terry starts to sing he blinks at the man on stage. "Is he... deliberately changing the words?" he asks, looking at Jon with an arched brow.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Probably. Terry's pretty..." Phoebe pauses a moment, and frets at another hapless baked good. "Creative." she decides for the word, leaning against the hightop as she watches Terry start to mystify the surrounding celebratory folks. She just sort of gives an awkward nod to Donna, and then rubs the back of her neck, taking out her phone and playing with it a moment.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I like lasagna," Cael confirms with an amused smile. "And chicken alfredo," I know, such an //American// answer, "and stuffed shells." Look. She isn't Italian, and Sara's lucky she didn't say 'mac and cheese.' She smirks with some amusement, before turning her attention back to Donna, giving a nod and a shrug. "I guess I can get that. But- well. I don't think anyone here feels the same way."
    She sips her whiskey again, giving Martin a grin and offering a shrug and a nod. "I do believe he is. Yes."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I should go have a talk with her," Jon muses, regarding Caitlin. He grins and claps roundly for Phoebe, calling, "That was great!" So there.

    He downs the last of his drink and takes the whiskey from Donna with a smile. "Thank you. Mmm, offerings of food to the dead are..." He eyes the whiskey for a moment. "This is a wake, of sorts, except it isn't, because I'm not dead anymore. A celebration of life. We have to eat to live. Ergo... offering food. People /also/ offer food on birthdays, which..."

    They're all spared whatever rambling musings Jon was going to have on the subject of food and parties and birth and death because he starts blinking at Terry. "He is. It's a time-honored tradition, or need I play Once Upon a Time (in Space) to remind you?" He furrows his brow. "Is he singing about... recent events?"

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna has a big smile for Phoebe, even if Phoebe's nods are awkward. "Hey Pheebs. Nice job singing, you're braver than I am. They probably won't want to serve you champagne, but please ask for anything you want at the bar on me."

    "People can take a while, Cael. A few weeks back you wouldn't have welcomed Cait at a celebration, now you're missing her. Give her a few weeks to get over the embarrassment and I'm pretty sure she's going to want to bring you an enormouse Cake of Apology."

    Donna returns Martin's greeting by offering him her hand. "Donna Troy. Or more accurately Troia. Titans, Themyscria, all that. Nice to meet you Martin, and of /course/ he is changing the lyrics. He's Terry. You can't stop him."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
And at as the song hits the up-tempo, Terry discards his trench-coat in one fluid motion, the garment landing neatly on the floor as he reveals the red sequined dress that he is wearing.

Yes. Dress. This thing looks like something Jessica Rabbit would have worn to a gay funeral in New Orleans as a stop on her pligrimage to Fire Island. It has sequins. It has feathers. It has a slit on the side because he's got great legs and you have to flaunt it if you've got it, right? There's also a fascinator on his hair that wasn't there before, and the regularly unruly red mane is sporting a Marcel wave, somehow. He pivots on his high heels to face Jon, swaying his shoulders to the disco beat which now /thrums/ through the place. Multicolored lights flash, because disco isn't dead, it was just a flesh wound:

~And so you're back
From Duat's place
I just walked in to find you here just holding court over the place
I should have known your crazy luck would mean that death was just a fling
And I can tell from all this ruckus you're in need of glittering!~

And at that moment, a mass of magical glitter all of the colors of the rainbow rolls towards Jon. A veritable tsunami. Terry strikes the John Travolta 'Saturday Night Fever' pose, and then his hand lowers to point ^at Jon, reflections from a non-existent disco ball lighting up the room.

~Go on now, go, go hit the floor
Just run around now
And shake your booty on the floor
Weren't they the ones who tried to make you say goodbye?
You didn't crumble!
You didn't lay down and die!
Oh no, oh my! You will survive!~

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Cael offered up a lot of choices for Sara to give to her aunt, which was perfect, it meant she would be bombarding Jon, Martin, Cael and Agnes with a lot of food rather than having to deal with it herself.

"Nicely done Phoebe," she offers when the song ends, along with some clapping. She finally moves to find one of the muffins and bite into it, then searches out a chair to sit in near the throng of people.

Then Terry starts singing, and the song choice makes her stare. Yep... crazy cat... look at that fabulous dress. Looks good on him, but still... crazy cat.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Thanks, thanks everyone -- and it's fine, Donna, I don't drink anyway." Phoebe replies quietly, looking into the bottom of her coffee cup. "Dad would probably get miffed."

    But she looks up at Terry, watching him with a dawning, horrible realization. Terry has the stage.

    She looks down at her left wrist with its aura-blocking tattoo, and she draws her gaze back up to Terry, and moves away from Jon, picking up her plate and going to the other side of the table as that glittering tsunami of the herpes of the crafting world makes its way towards Jon.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon stares at Terry for a moment, but it's evidently not so much because Terry's antics are all that /strange/ as that he's adjusting to the fact that they're aimed at /him/. He grins--and then his eyes widen at the glitter. He shoves the whiskey at Martin so it won't get doused in glitter--because who knows what /drinking/ the stuff would do--and then... well... accepts his fate. There's no dodging the glitter when it comes for you.

    Glitter /everywhere/. It's never getting out. This Doctor Who shirt is now officially a glittery Doctor Who shirt.

    He starts laughing, wobbling a little on his stool. "/Terry/," he gasps. "I am not... I don't /dance/. I /sing/." But he's giggling. /Giggling/. Oh dear.

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin blinks at the introduction from Donna. Troia is another name that carries that air of celebrity in the greater world, even with SHIELD agents. He stammers out a "Pleased to meet you" to her... or tries to. Terry's dress draws his attention away after the first word.

    "This... is..." and then the wave of glitter is sent Jon's way and he has to manage to slide the whiskey, and his own drink away from the tsunami. As it washes over Jon, his eyes widen and then its over and he blinks.

    "You know... I think that actually made the shirt more... authentic" he says. "Still fits the aesthetic too." He grins as Jon declines the offer to dance. "It's true. I barely managed to get him to dance for our wedding reception" he adds as he slides back into place, being careful to make sure his stool is glitter free before settling down.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "'Missing' is an awfully strong word," Cael counters immediately. "Jon would want her here," she explains, giving a shrug of her shoulders - which stiffen almost immediately, though the cause may be difficult to determine. "No need for a cake. Seriously."
    That's all she has time to say, as her attention shifts back to Terry a moment too late - to avoid the glitter coming at the man who's hand she's still holding.
    Half of her is covered in glitter.
    "...Ugh."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara was exceedingly grateful she had gone to get a muffin and sit some where else, because until that moment she had been close enough that the glitter would have hit her. There is no way in hell she would have lived down having glitter all over her if she had to go back to the office tonight.

"Did Terry just explode?" she asks, blinking a few times as she looks at Jon and Cael covered in glitter.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna takes several steps back from the glitternami. She knows Terry too well, and she's not going to be caught by surprise here. As the promised champagne is arriving, she takes the opportunity to grab herself a flute and offer them around to the others (who are old enough anyway) as she waits for the glitter to settle. "Glitter is also normal for Terry," she tells Martin while offering flutes of champagne to him and Sara.

    "He's part cat," she explains. "Part Cheshire cat, to be specific. He likes to slowly disappear leaving behind only his grin and several pounds of glitter. He assures me it is biodegradable."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
As the chorus hits, little sparkling hearts float around the place.

~Oh no, oh my, you will survive
Oh, as long as you know how to love, you know you'll stay alive
You've got all your life to live
And you've got all your love to give and you'll survive
You will survive- hey, hey!~

Terry claps to the beat and says into the mike, "Well, if he won't dance, let's all dance around him! Dance circle! The Goddess Gay-nor demands it as tribute!" he laughs and jumps off the stage. This version of the song only contains that first stanza and the chorus, because /one/ stanza from Terry is probably the only thing anyone can withstand at this moment, and the music goes into the instrumental section which is perfect for dancing.

Terry will try to encourage a disco dance conga around Jon, should anyone want to join him, and if not he will do a one-man Solitary Dance Train of Shame before the song plays out and his turn is up. With a wink at Jon, he sits down on a stool (glitter puff), fanning himself, "Okay... I need something cold now. Anyone got something frosty? Like a glare from Raven?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara shakes her head at the offer of champagne. "Sorry, no alcohol. I might have to go back to the office tonight," she explains, but offers a smile all the same. "I think we should let Phoebe imbibe though, in celebration, a little won't kill and I'll pretend I didn't see it happen."

And then there is a conga! She sets the coffee down and joins right in, no hesitation. She won't sing, but a dance? Hell yes.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe, meanwhile, is taking the opportunity while Jon is happy and Terry is dancing around in a very glamorous gown and doing what he does best -- spectacling himself -- that Phoebe pulls on her jacket, and taps her pockets.

    "I don't drink." she repeats to Sara, sliding her hands into her jacket pockets. "Have to set a good example for everyone and all."

    She looks about the room "Which includes taking my maudlin elsewhere for the evening. Can take the girl outta Gotham..."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Sara - you have to at least toast Jon! To life!" Cael counters, grinning at her friend and then - apparently feeling the same as she does, even while covered in glitter - she climbs to her feet, and offers Jon both hands to coax him to his feet - so she and Jon can dance in the center while everyone else dances around them.
    There's room for Martin to join them as well, if he likes, as she shoots him a quick, questioning look.
    Bear, meanwhile, despite his training - is overcome by the glitter, and barks excitedly, snapping his jaws at any still falling glitter, and kicking some of it up with his paws, as he turns in circles and tries to catch it.
    "Oh God. I'll never get that out of Bear's fur!" she laments with a laugh.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon giggles his way through the whole chorus and waves a hand at Cael. "No, no, you don't want to... oh good /lord/, fiiine." He's not /bad/ at dancing, just awkward, although Martin at least might notice he's gotten a little less awkward about it. His reluctance to dance has always been about not feeling entirely comfortable in his own skin, and he's getting better about that.

    When the whole thing is done, he leans in to give Cael a kiss on the cheek. "Sorry, love. If it /helps/ the angels react /worse/ to this than I am. So, so much worse. Probably because they don't know 'fun' when it bends them over--" He stops. Blinks rapidly. Coughs. "I mean... rains rainbow-colored confetti on them from the ceiling. But! Oh, we're losing Phoebe." He frowns, watching her go, but the frown is brief.

    He reaches over to pick up his whiskey and downs about half the glass in one go. "Alright. My turn. And I /swear/ to the /gods/, this is my usual opener and is /not/ chosen for any particular current meaning. Martin can vouch for me. It just... happens to have particular current meaning."

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna repeats her urging of a flute of champagne onto Sara. "Cael's right. At least toast Jon's return and take a sip. So long as you don't drink enough to impair your functioning, you'll be fine!"

    What is it with all these non-drinkers? "You too, Phoebe. Life should be celebrated. The success of your friends should be celebrated. That would be a better example to set, you know!"

    Bear doesn't get an offer of Champagne, but he does get an amused shake of Donna's head. "I wouldn't recommend that, Doggo. First time Terry glittered me, I was spitting glitter for days. Could have been worse though, Aquaman was doing polychrome sneezes for a week." She nods her head in agreement with Cael. "Never. Ever. You will be brushing him in two years time and still finding glitter in the brush. Terry is a menace."

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin joins in the celebration line around Jon and and laughs when it's over and done. "I... I can see that he brings energy to parties at the very least." He says with a giggle himself before settling back down in his seat with an applause for the Cheshire Cat. He's got the champagne flute near his appletini for when it's time to use it, of course.

    "I didn't realize... I guess I've just been out of the loop on a lot that Jon's been doing since... well..." Since the angelic invasion started. He grins as Jon downs his liquid courage and claps. "It's been forever since I've heard you sing it. I am looking forward to it." He says leaning forward to watch Jon intently. He has been waiting for this moment for some time.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara takes one of the flutes in hand. Normally she'd be right there drinking whiskey with Cael and Jon, but with things almost close to normal, she'd been called back to the precinct. They'd been pretty good about the whole 'Pezzini's part of SHIELD, works with the Avengers, won't be full time' thing, but she was still an NYPD detective.

"I can toast to Jon being alive, take a sip, then go back to coffee," she comments with a grin.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"I'll take a sip for the toast! But no more than that. Nobody wants me drunk here, after seeing what I'm like while sober."

The Cheshire grins and will take the sip, once offered a flute. "And Donna, I am not a menace..." he pauses and frowns as Phoebe leaves. "... or am I? Was the glitter too much?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Life /should/ be celebrated." Phoebe gives a smile to Donna, and then looks down "... but it's getting late. I have course work and training in the morning, and you know how we Gotham Heroes are." she offers as a joke. "Say hello to Diana for me." she states, and then the girl with the orange hair-wrap turns, and jogs for the door and the outside world.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael returns the kiss, giving Jon's hands a squeeze before she lets him go, and goes back to her seat.
    And lets out a loud //groan// at the sight of Bear, //literally rolling in the glitter.// "Terry! I'm sending you the grooming bill!" Cael complains with a loud, dramatic sigh.
    Her whiskey is ruined, so she shoves it away and gestures for another one, then looks towards Sara with a grin. "Good. Or you'd never hear the end of it from me. Just ask His Royal Godliness about what that's like," she teases with a broad grin.
    Towards the departing Phoebe she add loudly, "I want my sword!"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I've been practicing," Jon notes to Martin. "I was singing this and 'Hallelujah' in the subway tunnels at Grand Central... a /lot/. Depending on how pissed I was at God at any given moment."

    He casually flips off Cael at 'His Royal Godliness,' which... he's /never/ done before. Ever. But it's accompanied by a grin, as he goes to pick up the mic and synth chords start up, followed by a brief drum breakdown. Evidently Jon's go-to opener is 'The Show Must Go On.'

~Empty spaces, what are we living for?
Abandoned places, I guess we know the score, on and on
Does anybody know what we are looking for?
Another hero, another mindless crime
Behind the curtain, in the pantomime
Hold the line
Does anybody want to take it anymore?~

    So here's a thing: Jonathan Sims can sing way, /way/ better than he dances. Of course, if anybody looked him up online they'd have seen videos of his college band performing in venues around England, steampunk cabaret that he led with a combination of crisp monologues and rich baritone. He's no Freddie Mercury... but he doesn't bother trying to be. There's a more directly theatrical tone to his voice, a little more vibrato. And sheer, raw emotion. It /is/ an appropriate song, for recent events.

~The show must go on
The show must go on
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking
But my smile still stays on~

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Will do Pheebs! Take care!" Donna calls after her as she takes her leave. More champagne for the rest of them then!

    "Send Terry the grooming bill? That's a smart move, Cael. Terry, I should have sent you my grooming bill. I'll do that in the morning."

    She won't, but Donna does reach out a hand to scruff up Terry's ginger locks, and she has palmed a handful of glitter in the meanwhile. The Glitterer, Glittered.

    But then it's time for Jon to take the stage -- and the dork can sing! Donna hadn't looked up the videos of his college band, so this is something of a surprise to the Amazon, and also possibly something of a relief. She enjoys it though. And when he's done singing, she heckles "You can borrow some of my make-up if you like, Jon!"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry wears the glitter in his hair as if it were a crown, "You only make my power grow, Donna," he says, taking a sip of water now. Jon's song gets applause... and no glitter, but he does send illusions of flowers being thrown onstage. Illusions, because nobody wants to get thorned.

"Fiiine. Fiiine, I'll take care of the grooming bill, Cael." He glances at Martin and Sara, with a faux-dour look, "Behold, how I am victimized, I, who only wants to glitter and be gay."

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin's smile is beatific as Jon starts to sing and sing well. He listens and seems completely enraputred by the man's voice, as he always has been. He sways with the music as Jon sings and claps enthusiastically as he finishes, giving his husband a standing ovation that may seem over the top even if his expression claims it as truly deserved.

    He looks at Terry at the illusions, he can seem them for what they are--as those are his speciality as well. "I think you and I have a lot more in common than I first imagined Terry" he says to the young man, as he waves his hands and conjures his own illusory flower petals (blue in color) to toss towards the stage. "Perhaps we can talk more when we're not in a celebratory event and I'm not two drinks into a rough morning."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Oh, fuck you too," Cael responds - flipping Jon off in return - but also with a grin. She listens to him sing, leaning back against the bar, and sipping at her whiskey. Her gaze flicks down to Bear - who finally seems to have remembered he has a job to do. He returns to Cael's side, trying to act for all the world like he hadn't just misbehaved - but he's covered in the evidence. "Mutt," she mutters quietly, in amusement.
    With her glass in one hand, she claps her other hand against her leg to applaud - but unlike Martin, she seems content to stay in her sit while she simply listens to the conversations around her, for the moment.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Champagne in one hand, coffee in the other, Sara moves over to lean against the bar beside Cael now. Bear rolling in the glitter gets a side glance, that wasn't something she had to deal with but it was funny.

"Not a groomer in New York who'll deal with that," she comments, then goes back to listening to Jon singing.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon /really/ pours himself into the bridge, because... yes, really, the song got /very/ relevant of late. His voice cracks on ~My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies~ and he looks /right/ at Cael for that bit, because... well. Reasons, that have to do with other songs.

    If he were a /little/ more drunk he might manifest wings at 'I can fly' because he can, but... not quite /that/ far. Not quite.

    When he's done he bows, 'picks up' one of the flowers on the stage and sticks it between his teeth, somehow, then lets disappear with a laugh as he comes off the stage and over to Martin. He takes the man's hands in his own and kisses him quite firmly, then plops himself back onto the barstool, picking up the whiskey and taking another drink.

    "Alright, who's next?" He peers around at Donna, Cael, and Sara. "Can we /really/ not get /any/ of you to get up there?" A pause. "Cael. Cael, if I promise to get the glitter out of Bear's fur would you sing?" He grins at her brightly.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Cael, Sara and Donna. I will magically banish all glitter if you three will join me in doing Wannabe by the Spice Girls. C'mon! For Jon's sake. Are you really going to make the poor man beg, here? Cut him some slack!"

The Cheshire cat grins and leans back, "... I'll even tell you where I got this dress," he says, sweetening the pot.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Don't listen to him, Sara and Cael! It's a trap!" Donna declares. "Besides this is magical glitter. It vanishes after a few hours all on its own. Terry will probably disapprove of me telling you that."

    She narrows her eyes at Terry a moment. "At least it /better/ be the magical disappearing glitter. Because that grooming bill is going to bankrupt you, otherwise. It'll take at least twenty sessions to get rid of it all."

    She takes a long swing of her champagne before grabbing herself a fresh glass. "Never heard of it," she tells Terry.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara adamantly shakes her head no. "Listen, I'm glad your back Jon, but there's no way in hell I'm singing. I can't carry a tune, even if you handed it to me in a bucket. I'll dance, I'll get naked, I'll play games, but I won't sing, sorry."

She raises the flute in a toast then takes her sip.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"See what I have to deal with?" Terry gestures towards Donna while leaning in to Martin, "Absolutely no joy, no sense of adventure, s square! But yes," the Cheshire cat raises his eyebrows, "I do think we /need/ to talk after this party. If anything, because we need to trade notes. Definitely."

Because nothing at all can go wrong with these two trading notes in illusionism, at all. "You're from Englandd, right? We have a lot more in common than you think!" He peers at Donna, and then back at Martin. "I have it on good authority that Wonderland apparently was caused by an Englishman. No. Not Dodgson."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "There is nothing in this world that will get me to sing Spice Girls," Cael counters in a voice dry enough for any Egyptian tomb.
    "But I will propose a toast - not that I'm any good at this sort of shit. Words are not my forte. But..." She clears her throat, suddenly looking exceedingly uncomfortable as she rises to her feet, toasting with whiskey, and not champagne, because- well. Cael.
    "To life. To love. To finding friends, and family, and the place you belong. And to getting through life's shit together." She holds her glass up, waiting to see if others mimic her, or have anything else to add - before she'll take a large drink from her glass.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna raises her glass to the toast Cael calls. "To life, love, finding friends and family. Also to kicking angels in the ass when they deserve it. Which honestly seems like most of the time. Well done, all of you!"

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin returns the kiss from Jon with as much enthusiasm as he's given everything this night. He smiles at Terry and blinks at the remark of Dodgeson -not- being the creator of Wonderland. "Oh really?" he remarks with astonishment in his face.

    He takes the momentary coversation of the next piece to slip away towards the machine again. He's not averse to choosing another. It's easy enough to find as it's a pretty popular piece. He plugs it into the machine on a 1 minute delay and moves to take his champagne as Cael is toasting. He joins in saying. "Life. Love. Friends and family" before he raises the glass of champagne to his lips.

    Then his song choice starts in and he moves to the stage. He bounces in place to get a feel for the rythm as the plucky guitar of "Enjoy The Silence" by Depeche Mode starts up and he sings the first verse with ease, it being less acrobatic in it's note choice than his first piece.

"Words like violence break the silence
Come crashing in into my little world
Painful to me, pierce right through me
Can't you understand? Oh, my little girl."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon rolls his eyes and then grabs a champagne flute, raises it, and takes a long drink. "To life, and love," he murmurs, before he leans in to kiss Cael.

    "Guess /I'm/ singing 'Dos Oroguitas' then. In front of /everyone/." He beams at her. "Thank you, though."

    He leans into Cael, wrapping an arm around her, because... well, because he doesn't seem to mind touching her, as opposed to literally anyone else but Martin. "He /loves/ Depeche Mode," he murmurs to her. "And this is his favorite song." He beams. "I realized I loved him at karaoke, you know. He was singing 'Faith' and dancing a bit and he was just so..." He gestures toward the stage. "/Martin/."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Raising her flute to the toast, Sara offers a smile of agreement then takes a second sip before leaning back against the bar again. It was nice to see people smiling, to see actual happiness on their faces. The chaos would return soon enough, she knew that, but in this moment there was joy and that would carry her forward for a while.

"I considered being a snarky bitch," she comments with a grin. "Getting up there on stage and using ASL to 'sing' a song."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Ohgod, you sing /that/ song and I'll just turn on the waterworks," Terry warns, raising his drink to join in the toast, "And then my mascara will run and /nobody/ will be able to enjoy their tiramisu."

And then, he quietly mutter-sings "Ay oruguitas... no se aguanten mas...."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael returns the kiss - leaning into Jon's presence as he wraps his arm around her. Whatever subtle hints of tension that had remained in her form, even in this happy moment, seem to melt away entirely as she leans in against him, a relaxed and content smile on her features. "Dos oruguitas enamoradas," she sings in a quiet murmur - going no further with the song, as she lapses back into silence for a moment.
    "He is undeniably extremely Martin," she agrees dryly, before shifting her attention to Sara. "What's stopping you?" she asks.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara smirks at Cael. "Really? I'd be standing there signing the song, which means most people would have no idea what I was saying," she then grins. "It's the only way I'd even consider "singing"." She adds the air quotes with one hand, the other is holding champagne still.

"You should go sing with him Cael, you know you want to," she taunts.

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin finishes his piece. Thankfully it's the single version of the song in the machine so instead of nearly seven minutes it's restricted to just over four. He sets the mic down, bows and moves back to his seat. "There. Got that out of my system" he says with a smile as he takes up his drink and downs the rest of it.

    "So have you decided who's up next" he asks, looking at the remaining gathering with expectation plainly written on his face. Obviously, he set the event up, entertainment is up the the attendees and their courage (read: intoxication) levels.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon's eyes narrow as he peers at Cael and then Terry. Then he cranes his neck around to ask the bartender for another watermelon martini before he says to Martin, "I'm going to make everyone cry if someone doesn't stop me."

    A pause. "/Or/ one of us could go sing 'Wannabe' with Terry. Admittedly, it's what Tim and Alya would want." He grins, and then explains, "We used to go to karaoke with our school friends... oh, a lot. And Tim and Alya, they'd always do 'Wannabe,' it was their signature. So, see, it's a /tradition/. It must be done."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"I think that me going again by myself would constitute an act of war. But I do have one request: nobody do The Wind Beneath My Wings, because that song is thirty-four minutes long and we'd get kicked out."

He ponders, though. "Tradition, you say? Tradition's gotta be observed. It's very important. Bad luck, not observing tradition."

Cael Becker has posed:
    The choice laid before her was to sing Spice Girls - or a deeply personal song tied to what was one of the most challenging times in a very difficult like.
    Fuck that.
    "I'm not singing Spice Girls," she answers simply, without moving from her position, tucked in against Jon. "It's just not happening. You want Spice Girls, you go sing it. Hmm?" she suggests.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"I don't know any Spice Girl songs," Sara admits. "What song were you thinking Terry? More than willing to sign along to one, so long as I can read it."

No, she wasn't going to sing, that was clear enough at this point... but she'd get up on stage with Cael and sign away.

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin gives some thought to Jon's suggestion. "Oh fine. Let's get up there and sing what might be the most feared British import of the 90s" he says pushing up from his seat. "Wannabe is at least palatable. Some of their other stuff is... questionable at best." He sips the champagne and taps his appletini glass to the bar, asking for yet another. He's all but certain it'll be there by the time he returns from this endeavor.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Oh yes!" Terry grins and claps, "I will provide the special effects and Sara can sign it! Team effort!"

There will be illusory fog. And lights. And sexy go-go boy backup dancers. Because otherwise, what's the point?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Are you dissing the Spice Girls in my presence, Martin?" Jon regards him with a quirked brow. "You /know/ this is grounds for sleeping on the couch." He's evidently not entirely kidding, by the arch look he gives his husband.

    He eyes Sara and grins. "If you /want/ to come sign you can. We can serenade Cael and Donna." He gets up and heads up for the stage, because... well... because evidently this is just how he is when he's drunk. Or maybe, secretly, just /how he is/.