4224/Sing, sing, sing!

Sing, sing, sing!
Date of Scene:	25 November 2020
Location:	The Sing Sing Karaoke Bar
Synopsis:	Fun at the Sing Sing! Koriand'r meets new friends, and learns that her brain is rotting.
Cast of Characters:	Koriand'r, Ray Terrill, Karolina Dean, Mando, Gwendolyn Poole

---

Koriand'r has posed:
    As the season prepares to flip over to being officially winter, the nights grow longer and come on sooner. And in the city, the night thrives.
    Koriand'r insisted on Karolina Dean coming with her to the Sing Sing Karaoke Bar. She insisted on it by using the full name each time to tell Karolina about how fun, how marvelous, how /exciting/ it would be to experience this ritual rite between two particular individuals together.
    And to the Tamaranean's credit, she's studied for this. In a way. Her consumation of media, especially 90's songs, has reached impressive bounds, all thanks given to her Earthling friends. She would have plenty of options to pick from herself to unload her heart out with.
    "There! There it is," she informs her companion on the opposite side of her in a taxi as they came upon the address. She'd insisted on the taxi. It was an essential part of the experience, she insisted to Karolina, in spite of the fact that they both could have easily flown to the location without giving up valuable pocket change--not to mention, time is money. But if there was a way to human up the experience even a little bit, it was going to be on the docket tonight. And taxi culture, Koriand'r had informed Karolina, is a /very/ human thing.
    Koriand'r enters the bar after they've paid the taxi fare with Karolina by the wrist, and with a grip that is iron tight without even meaning to be. Excitement is a hell of a thing. It's not crowded, per se. There's an average number of patrons visiting. A few groups of people sit amongst darkened tables. The bar counter is filled with clientele, and the stage is unoccupied, with the single lonely microphone in place.
    "It is much darker than what I expected to encounter," Koriand'r whispers, and then she adds with a bubbling eagerness.

Ray Terrill has posed:
        Ray is ... new to this. Not just New York City -- he's been here all of three months and change, but absolutely new to the concept of karaoke. However, the holiday break has hit, and some of the remaining guys in his dorm have talked him into coming out -- especially since it's not a 21+ club. His cousin Hank would think this is lame, but ... Hank's not here. Ray is. And he's new to this.

        The group of college students (really about six to eight) come in in dribs and drabs, from various modes of transportation -- Ray took the subway himself. He comes into the club a few minutes after the two women -- and after his dormmates showed up -- looking more than a bit uncomfortable, hands stuffed in his black and yellow jacket, although one hand periodically reaches up to brush against the shaved part of his scalp, nervously. It's dark enough that he can't see people clearly -- and thus isn't instantly noticing Koriand'r's orange skin -- but light enough that he's able to find himself a booth. It's .... the last one, though.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Thankfully, Karolina is a tiny solar furnace, and perhaps unsurprisingly doesn't need a jacket. Except she wears one anyway, as not to get weird looks! It's a cute jean jacket with a fur-lined collar and cuffs while she wears a small knit cap atop her head, rainbow with a white poofball on top. The rest of her attire is pretty normal, wrapped in hip-hugging pants, a turtleneck sweater vest, and some of those boots with the fur. Absolutely faux fur, if you will.

    She's done karaoke before, which she laughingly informs her companion of, "I've done this before! It's super fun! Thanks for taking me along!" she says happily, even if her cheeks are still a faint tint of pink from chil and proximity to the other woman. And she's also no stranger to taxi rides, her history with them long and varied. "Mmm? Oh, of course, it's to let people focus on the performer... or... not anyone at all, really. It's still a bar after all... and... quite a dive one at that..." she muses. She is, of course, not of drinking age, but at least one doesn't have to be to sing. She stays close to Kori, making it easier to hear her and talk to her, and just happily linger near too.

Koriand'r has posed:
    "You have?" Koriand'r frowns but it is for the span of exactly one second before her effervescent nature takes over. "I have not been to one yet. Not as a formal experience. Even though I have practiced on the play station." The clarification is there because the Titan tower most assuredly is host to its own karaoke machine. But there's quite the difference between shooting the breeze with friends and playing Rock Band, and coming out into a public locale with strangers running amok.
    As for Koriand'r, her state of dress is similar to Karolina's. Work as a model has afforded her a full wardrobe, and though she doesn't have the need for a jacket, for similar reasons to her compatriot, she wears one all the same because it's a fashionable time of year for them. And plus, people give her funny looks when she tries to wear them during the other seasons.
    A matching jean jacket covers her arms. Fur lines the neck and cuffs, but instead of a fluffy hat she wears EAR MUFFS. Really cute ones! They have little kitty faces on either side. A long tunic hugs over her hips and flanks, and she wears cloth-based tights that have a colorful pattern, and knee-high boots of a neutral color.
    She lingers there with Karolina at the entrance for a while. Quiet words are exchanged about the venue's interior and the type of patrons that are visiting. Until...
    Ray Terrill happens to be headed for the last booth available!!
    It's one or two minutes after he gets himself seated that he's approached by Koriand'r (and Karolina in tow, since Koriand'r has refused to give up her hold on the poor girl's wrist). "Hi there! My name is Koriand'r! This is Karolina Dean. Would you mind sharing this location with us?

Ray Terrill has posed:
        Ray isn't really paying attention, so it's a good thirty seconds before the chirpy voice gets his attention. He starts talking before he actually looks, which is why it comes out something like, "Yeah, that's fi....." And that's when he sees Koriand'r. Sure, Karolina's an attractive young woman. But Koriand'r is -KORIAND'R-. As stated, she works as a model. And is obviously alien.

        Being a redhead, he flushes easily, although it's harder to tell in the darkness. He shifts to make sure there's plenty of room, coughs to clear his throat, and nods, "Um....yeah. Sure. Feel free." Another pause while his brain re-engages, finally getting, "Oh, I'm Ray. Nice to meet you both." He's still looking around the place, and trying to avoid staring.

Karolina Dean has posed:
Karolina herself is a Hollywood, CA girl, but she's less of a bombshell blonde and more of a earthy, hippie sort. And besides, Kori is KORI. As stated. Karolina squeaks softly as the deathgrip on her means she's being pulled along, but she laughs and smiles. "Hi!" she greets, lifting her other hand and waving to Ray. "And thanks! Pleased to meet you, too. Are you in line to sing?" she asks him, then looks to Kori. "Are you going to sing? Are we going to sing?" she queries. Suddenly she's not so sure! "I could sing..." she then adds in a pondering tone.

Mando has posed:
This is /not/ where someone would normally see a tubby hispanic man in round rimmed glasses, grandpa sweaters, slacks, and all the way buttoned up button-ups (though he really ought to have on a heavy jacket in this weather).  Especially not one who is in his twenties and not being ironic.  He seems to look shorter than he really is somehow and he's coming out of the bathroom, squinting through the darkness.

Mando picks his way back to where...his friends are gone.  Not only that, his drink was cleared out and the newcomers have taken the booth.  Queue awkward standing that starts getting some negative attention.

"Sorry.  Excuse me.  I-"  Mando dips his head to each person along the way and then shuts up after about three, aiming himself to just keep going toward the booth with hopes to spot an empty patch of wall or escape along the way.

Koriand'r has posed:
    Koriand'r is indeed Koriand'r! And she stands there at the table in front of Ray's booth fully aware of this. She did, after all, introduce herself as such. "Oh, that is most wonderful! I would not normally impose, however, I prefer to sit at one of the booths rather than at the bar. It is so much easier to eat without extraneous attention. It just /feels/ more secretive and more intimate, and..." She stops talking for a moment as she glances to her friend, Karolina. She passes the woman a brilliant smile that is every bit as glowing as Ray's cheeks are. "It also perfect for being able to discuss strategy."
    Strategy, meaning songs!
    "Since you have been formally karaoke-ing before," Koriand'r begins, scooching herself far into the booth, while shrugging her shoulders free from the jacket, "how does this work? Do we get a menu with the songs on it? Do we approach the bar keep? How do we--" She keeps asking questions. Seriously. They just keep coming. And it seems like they'll stream endlessly like the babble of a brookstream until--
    Mando comes across their booth and Koriand'r's words hitch in her throat as she stares from the dark corner of the booth. Her bright green eyes cut through the darkness but it makes it harder to make out the other features of her face past the button tip of her nose. "Is there something wrong?"

Ray Terrill has posed:
        Ray slowly gets himself under control, offering a faint smile to both women, being politely pleasant and friendly. He blinks and asks Kori "Strategy? That sounds like those guys going to a club." He motions towards the group of college-aged guys trying to chat up a few girls nearby, "They're like that at school too." He then looks to Mando, but doesn't speak, since Kori's already said what is on his own mind.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "They are, aren't they..." Karolina purses her lips, shaking her head at the guys that Ray had pointed out. "I don't think I've seen you on campus! What classes do you take? I co-teach the vegan cuisine course every other week," she beams proudly. Then she blinks at Kori, "Oh, no, you just. Go ask if they have said song..." she shrugs her shoulders, flopping down in the booth next to Kori. "They probably have everything though, what with the power of the internet and all!" she smiles, then blinks up at Mando. "I mean there's room for more, are you come to sing too?" she asks, trying to split her attention between her friend and two new people now!

Mando has posed:
Mando stops dead in his tracks and takes a moment to realize Koriand'r is actually speaking to him.  He breaks the silence abruptly, dipping his head slightly while maintaining eye contact as he purses his lips to the side.  "It's nothing really.  Just I was sitting here with my friends," he says, suddenly very flustered and blinking more, "and I guess they thought I left with them?  Everyone?  It's okay.  It's no big deal really."

But when Karolina offers him a spot at the booth, he can't seem to say no.  "Well, I..."  He looks down at his wrist watch.  "Yeah I guess I could.  Thanks."  He finds himself a spot wherever they'll make room while saying, "I do have to get to work at some point though...Oh no I'm not a singer."

Ray Terrill has posed:
        Ray blinks at Karolina and ohs, "I'm a freshman. Just started this semester. I'm majoring in engineering. What about you?" He pauses, making mental connections, "Oh, Karolina, yeah?" He offerss a faint smile and looks around, "Are you sure they've got internet in here? I mean, this place looks like it's from the 90s or something." He nods politely towards Mando, then says, "Dude. That sucks. I mean....hopefully they noticed pretty quick?" He leaves unsaid the fact that if they didn't, they're not good friends." He then hears Mando's comment and asks, "What do you do?" He sounds more curious than anything else.

Koriand'r has posed:
     Koriand'r props her chin in a cradle of interlocked fingers with both hands. Her jacket has been shrugged off behind her, cushioning herself within the seat, and revealing the majority of slender arms. Her position beside Karolina is such that they share their own little heat box, comfortable with casual touch such as the stray bump of a thigh underneath the table, or a rub of arm against arm.
    Her eyes skirt to the group of guys Ray briefly mentions, but they return back to him with an unreadable smile curling on her lips. "They have a strategy, too? Good. I love competition. We will beat them," she promises.
    Karolina mentions her vegan cuisine classes and Koriand'r nods her head along sagely, as an expert tryer of said vegan cuisines--at least, the cuisines that Karolina prepares for the Titans. "Perhaps you can interest our new friend, Ray, by suggesting to him what you will be preparing to teach for the next class. I would like to know. That way I can imagine what it will taste like in my mouth." She gives Karolina a bright encouraging smile that reaches her eyes.
    Room is made for Mando at the booth, and once again, Koriand'r takes it upon herself to be the formal dispenser of introductions. "Ray," she says pointing with her finger at the man sitting directly across from her. "Fellow strategist. Karolina," the direction of her finger swings. "Vegan chef." And then she points at herself. "Koriand'r. Not the herb. Though if I were the herb--" Her eyes light up for a moment! And then they flick back to Karolina. "What about a dish featuring coriander?"

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Agricultural sciences and the like," Karolina responds to Ray, smiling brightly. "I do a lot of gardening, and I love to cook.... I'm interested in, like, actual farm management and crop rotation and... things people have been refining for eons..." she nods, excitedly. Her head tilts at Mando, though, "Mm? Just here to drink? Or hang out? Or watch others sing?" the cheerful blonde inquire of the other man, scooting in to get cozier with Kori to make room. She finally wiggles out of her own jacket, though, letting her arms bare free, the silver medicalert bracelet on one wrist shining in the light.

    "I don't think we need strategy... but... oh! Next class? Um, I was going to work on breakfast items... I'll be doing a class on breakfast burritos and making your own hot sauce. A sort of a way to warm up in the winter, you know?" She laughs at the introductions, though. "A dish featuring coriander? Well... it's basically cilantro... so it's good to go in a breakfast burrito, absolutely."

Mando has posed:
"It happens all the time.  Well not all the time because I don't really get out much but-" Mando leaves it hanging and just smiles.  "Well you guys seem nice."  Terminally congenial.  When Ray asks what he does, Mando struggles, squinting slightly and shifting his jaw askew before answering, "I'm an assistant?  Of sorts?"  His voice sounds as innocent as his teddybear physique.  Unassuming.  Yet it is the evening.

Mando leans forward a little so he can see Karolina a she speaks, making up for the blasting sounds of the bar.  "I already had enough I think."  ...maybe water with olives in them.  "My friends dragged me out?  Well invited me.  I've never been to one so, why not?"  Mando looks over to Koriand'r and smiles, his eyes naturally twisting into gentle half moons.  "What herb would you be?"

Realizing that some form of introductions are being made, or are attempting to be made, Mando nods slightly to the others as his eyes roam from person to person.  "I'm -mando -"  The rest just gets swallowed by the music.

Ray Terrill has posed:
        Ray turns to look at Kori, flushing again faintly, and says, "I meant their strategy is how to pick up girls." He flushes just a bit and coughs, then turns his attention back to Karolina, "Gotcha. That ..." He hrms and says, "I mean, I don't know anything about it, I'm not gonna lie." HE shrugs and smiles faintly. His own jacket stays on -- it seems more just something he wears, and less out of necessity." He nods in agreement with Karolina, "Cilantro's used a lot in Mexican food. I found that out last year." Of course, that's because last year was literally the first time he's -had- Mexican food. Or...most things. Turning towards Mando he says, "Same here. Those guys," he head nods towards the group of college-aged guys again, "are in my dorm, they invited me out. I've never been to one of these before."

Koriand'r has posed:
    Koriand'r absorbs the conversation between all four of them like a sponge that's been set within a bowl of water, only instead of swelling with water, she's swelling with things to say. She's an obvious creature and so there's little outward filter in play. Anyone watching her can watch, in real time, the thoughts race into the young Tamaranean's head, and how at the peak of each one, she starts to lean further into the table with an intense focus to her eyes--only for her to stop, and catch herself as other people add to the conversation.
    Unlike Mando, she has no issue in making herself heard though when she finally does speak. "What peaks your interest in it? The gardening? The eons of farm management and crop rotation?" A pause. "Is it for the same reason that I enjoy that game that you showed me?" She's probably referring to Stardew Valley. "I enjoyed the cooking in that game as well... But not the cooking that takes place in an actual kitchen." No, no, that is best left up to Karolina. Far tastier results!
    And when Ray tries to clarify what he'd meant by strategy, Koriand'r bats her red eyelashes at the boy and then gives him another unreadable smile. "Why does your face glow so when you speak?"
    Then toward Mando, "If I had to be an herb... I once thought that I would like to be lavender, because I like the shade of lavender. However, Karolina allowed me to taste lavender once and it tasted a lot like Rosemary... or sage? A mix between the two, and so I do not think I would like to be that. But perhaps a peppermint? Seasonal and sweet." Then she adds. "It is my first time to an actual karaoke bar, too. We took the taxi here." Of this point, she is particularly proud, and it shows in the glow of her gaze.
    She is not deterred by the music. She merely raises the decimels (exaggeration!) of her own voice, so that the next two tables over can hear her asking for clarification, "Mando what?"

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Oh, um.... I just like farming and cooking and with my particular diet, it's pretty important, you know?" Karolina offers with a shrug. She's not used to talking about her classwork on a night on the town! She leans on Kori some, though, and listens to the conversation as it goes back and forth, nodding here and there. "Lavender is good in calming tea, the scent is also calming. It's not really good to eat, though!" She taps her chin, "Mint is good..." she muses. "Also good for tea... absolutely good for tea, in fact..." she sighs happily.

Mando has posed:
"Game?"  Seems Mando was late to understanding.  Clearly he's never heard of it.  "I enjoy baking, but I've never baked in a game before, so who knows how good I'd be at that."

He glances over toward poor Ray, which sadly, makes him feel a little bit better given the whole situation seems a little bit surreal for him.  "So what matters to you is the taste?" he asks Kori as if he might be able to infer something about her depending on how she answers.  He grins, never the less finding the variety of the girl's answers to be pleasant.

"It's my first time too," Mando says with a sort of goofy deference.  "I have to take a taxi home too," but he doesn't sound proud, and more like he's not looking forward to it.

Mando's right there, right next to Kori, but when he cups his hand around his mouth to direct his voice, it doesn't seem to help.  "It's A-mando - - - - ----," he starts saying his entire absurdly long name just to see if any of it gets through.  Then he shrugs and grins.  "People just call me Mando."  Though he's not saying it 'Man-doe', but a Spanish pronunciation.

Ray Terrill has posed:
        And that spawns another blush, "Gah!" is his only (intelligible) response to Koriand'r's comment and reaction. He is less listening to Karolina at the mopment -- or Mondo, for that matter. He hops up and says, "I'm...gonna go get a soda."

Koriand'r has posed:
    Koriand'r waits until Ray has left the table to speak in conspiritorial tones with Mando, and Karolina: "He did not answer my question."
    But after she's gotten that small complaint out of the way, the proper rules of how things typically go come into play: out of sight, out of mind. Her focus, undeterred by the dim lights, the constant murmur of conversation, and bar music, remains on Mando and Karolina.
    "I know you must like it," Koriand'r explains, in regards to Karolina's cooking and education in agriculture. "I would not suspect that you would do it so eagerly and so often otherwise. But what sort of feelings does it bring to you to engage with it?" Her lips quirk and she leans back into the seating, stretching her long legs underneath the table freely now that she doesn't have to worry about kicking Ray's feet by accident. "As an example. When I played the game," her eyes flick toward Mando--see, she's threading things together!--"I felt mostly a sense of contentment that strongly relates with boredom, but without the agitation that one experiences when they they realize they are bored."
    And as for the herb question, her smile brightens as Mando guesses it right. "Yes! That is the most important part of an herb, I feel. The flavor that it imparts. I only wish that lavender could taste more like the color of lavender. It instead tastes like a lie." And since it's apart of the conversation. "What herb would you be?" The question is asked of both of them.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "I'm not sure what sort of herb I'd be... you're asking a chef if she has a favorite herb or would be one? Maybe I'm lemongrass? Fresh and sunny?" Karolina offers, giving a small shrug. She leans back, glancing at the stage, seeing the next half-drunk performer begin to murder the chorus of 'Sweet Child of Mine' and the blonde can't help but laugh. She shakes her head, "Oh... I mean.. it's just satisfying to do things with your own hands, and eating it afterwards is a great feeling. You didn't go buy it, you grew it yourself. It's accomplishment. Stardew Valley simplifies it greatly yes but... it's still a good way to kill time and enjoy something super casual..."

    The mention of tasting like a lie just brings a laugh to Karolina, though, "You should only have lavender in tea, silly! Or as a scented oil. Oh...! Oh! Aromatherapy does -wonders-! Put the oil in the bath and just... lounge..." she exhales a long, luxurious sigh and starts to melt in the booth, sliding down until she's halfway under the table, smiling.

Mando has posed:
"Perhaps you just need to ask him louder," Mando says in the most innocently facetious way, a twinkle in his eye being the tell, and perhaps a little bounce in his intonation.  He doesn't seem to realize the extent of his deviousness as he wasn't really paying attention to the 'question.'  Ignoring another man's discomfort is the only gentlemanly thing to do in such situations.

"Do you bake?" Mando asks to Karolina.

Though suddenly, at the shift in conversation back to the game that Koriand'r is doing such a good job of tying in, Mando surmises, "Oh.  So your brain was just rotting," as if it were no big deal.  "Hmm.  I think I would need help to figure that out."  He falls quiet and then leans closer to Kori to try and ask more privately, "I know this is probably horrible of me, but do you have some kind of -" It's not lost to the music.  He just cuts himself short like he can't go through with 'condition.'

Gwendolyn Poole has posed:
The old stairs creak as Gwen makes her way into view. She's wearing a huge, oversized hoody and baggy sweat pants, along with big, tinted glasses. It's like she's trying to be incognito and is TERRIBLE at it. She tucks a locke of pink and blonde hair behind one of her ears as she peers about. She then begins slowly making her way around the small karoake bar, diligently looking in every corner and crack, as if on the hunt for something. She certainly looks suspicious!

The oddly dressed, baggy-clothed cutie tugs her sweats up a bit, as if they threaten to fall right off, as she reaches the bar. She flashes the bartender a wide smile.

"Whiskey. Neat."

"ID?"

Soda. Cold."

Ray Terrill has posed:
        Ray's getting his own drink. He snorts as he hears Gwendolyn's exchange with the bartender, finally collecting his own (non-alcoholic) drink -- an Arnold Palmer. He comes back to the booth where Koriand'r, Karolina, Mando and he were sitting, moving to take his seat back, "Man. That guy is not good at singing." He motions to the guy on stage, obviously drunk, and obviously bad. He takes a sip of his drink and says, "I'm not going up there." Question? What question?

Koriand'r has posed:
    "Fresh and sunny!" The Tamaranean acutely agrees with this! To the extent that just Karolina mentioning the words is such an echoing of truth that she can't help but lunge at 'Lina with a hug. Orange arms shoot around her companion's shoulders and she squeezes her cheek right into 'Lina's cheek to boot. "I completely agree. Fresh. Sunny. Warm. And refreshing in the same way that a summer breeze is refreshing. And since it makes a blonde broth, and you are blond, and--yes! Lemongrass!"
    And it's whilst she's engaged in this all-out assault on her friend that Koriand'r notes past the line of Karolina's nose a newcomer to the bar. Perhaps because they're standing next to Ray. Baggy clothes. Multi-colored hair.
    Hmm.
    Koriand'r leans away from Karolina long enough to poke her shoulder. To point at the newcomer. To murmur, "Your hair would look cute like that."
    "Rotting?" Koriand'r repeats back at Mando with wide eyes.
    It occurs to her in this moment that she never took her ear muffs off. They're cute. They're fuzzy. They have little kitty-cat faces on the sides of them. She grips them by their circular ear-holds, and slowly peels them off her head, flaming strands of hair refusing to let go, and tousling upward in the process with her removal. They're sat back down on the table, and for a few seconds Koriand'r simply sits there, staring at them, watching the twist of red and green lights from the ceiling create an array of colors that dance across the table between them. After an extended period, she touches the side of her temples with a deep-seated frown.
    And it's almost so distracting a thought, to think of her brain rotting, that she nearly misses that Mando is scooching closer to ask that question. She looks up belatedly with bright, gem-hued eyes to stare at him, to consider him. And then to ask curiously, with her head canted toward one shoulder. "You are trying to say something to me but I do not understand what you are asking for." Her lips purse for a second as she glances to her friend. "The cat has his tongue," she states seriously.
    As Ray gets back, Koriand'r glances toward him. Then she glances back at the drunken singer. She frowns again. "I will go after him, I think."

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina's eyes go wide as she's practically tackled in the booth by her friend. She emits a strange-but-cute sort of squeaking sound, smooth cheek smushed to smooth cheek, and can't help but laugh. "It's... tasty... and good for you... I... guess... I'm both?" she sputters, blinking, slowly hauling herself back up to sitting straight. Ah the thoughts of a long bath though!

    "...you want me to dye my hair?" she asks, perplexed, "I mean they do make vegan hair dyes... and... but... I can make it rainbow for you anyway... unless you'd want to see me do it permanently? I mean... peer pressure I suppose?" she shrugs her bare shoulders again and playfully pokes at those cat earmuffs. "But the cat's right here..." she teases. "What do you plan on singing?" she gives Ray a welcome back wave, casting a bright, shining smile to him.

Gwendolyn Poole has posed:
    Gwen takes her Coke and brings it to her lips for a long sip. She slowly looks around the small place again, watching through those oversized sunglasses. She pauses at the very occupied booth. The people in that booth (Well, some of them) kiiiiiiiind of stand out. Gwen takes another sip of her soda before she tugs her sweats up again and makes her way towards the booth

    "Any of you wouldn't happen to have noticed any suspicious behavior around here, have you?," the teen asks, glancing over all of them through her sunglasses. After a moment she pushes them up into her blonde and pink hair. "Because a place like this -has- to be a front for the mafia, right? Right? And I need work."

    She leans against the table before she offers Karolina a bit of a seemingly random, but certainly flirtatious, wink. She then looks over the others, finally pausing on the very alien Koriand'r. "Ooh. Alien? Alien, right? Awesome."

Mando has posed:
"Uh, I should probably go get a drink right?" is Mando's reply.  He saw an escape hatch and he took it!  ...banking on the idea that he'll just leave Koriand'r confused rather than offended.

Used to not being heard, Mando hardly even notices that Karolina didn't answer him, sure it must be the music.  He /is/ trying to talk across Koriand'r.  He sticks out like a sore thumb in this establishment in his grandpa sweater and attire that basically makes him look like a prematurely aging (in spirit) librarian who is usually relegated to restocking the returned books to the stacks.

Just as Mando is about to get up, Gwen arrives and by force of personality, she keeps him stuck in his seat.  "I don't know...Maybe they're just really poor because they spend all the money?"  His brow arches and then he looks to Kori at the revelation.  'Ohhh,' he mouths, completely unaware of how his little comment about rotting brains has wormed its way into Koriand'r's head.

"That makes sense."

Ray Terrill has posed:
        "So, you guys been dating long?" He smiles back to Karolina, asking her that. He takes a sip from his drink, still wearing his jacket. He blinks, and looks at Gwendolyn and says, "Um. Yeah. You." He then looks back towards Koriand'r, saying, "Could be anything. Doesn't really matter though." This is in response to Gwendolyn, of course.

Koriand'r has posed:
    Koriand'r just shakes her head happily, with enough velocity to send the tendrils that frame her face whipping across her eyes before she resettles them by drawing her hand through her mane. "It is not that I /want/ you to, but I think it would... fit. /ESPECIALLY/ a rainbow!"
    "I am not yet certain. I suspect that I will find clarity on the matter as I approach the stage. Perhaps I will sing of the rains in Africa. Or! Perhaps... Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?" Her eyes twinkle as she stares at Karolina with a grin that takes her whole face as she speaks.
    Gwendolyn and her cool self saunters over, and Koriand'r claps her hands together in front of herself with delight as she is accurately called an alien. "Tamaranean!" And then she points at Ray. "No, but my friend, Ray, has noticed men talking strategies about picking up girls, which is a type of suspicious! Perhaps not the suspicious that you are anticipating." If only they had learned the flirtatious wink that Gwen just pulled!
    Toward Ray's question, Koriand'r brightly lays it out for him since has asked, "We were. Now we are good friends." She leans forward and gives Karolina a peck on the cheek--and then instead of getting out of the booth the normal way, by asking Karolina politely to scooch so that she can free herself, Koriand'r slips free from the seat by coming unglued from her seat and hovering up, up, and up until she's completely disentangled with the booth. She lands on the floor several feet away from the group, and she offers them all a 'thumbs-up'. The quiet signal for that she's going for it.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina is a bit overwhelmed, but she does manage to, before Mando actually gets cult of personality'd back into his seat, answer his question. "I do bake! All the time, actually. I make my own tortillas, for example... even if that's not really baking..." she muses aloud, tilting her head and pondering. "But, I mean, I'm going to be making some really awesome muffins for Thanksgiving. Oatmeal with pumpkin and cranberries in them. They'll be a... treat..." she pauses, mid-sentence, not from Gwen's rambling, but from that WINK. She stares back at the bubblegum blonde and her own cheeks tint a shade darker than those locks.

    Then they go full tomato when she's kissed by Kori. She nods dumbly, watching the woman float up to go sing, pressing the palm of her hand against her cheek. "Y-yes, we're good friends. She's just very jovial and affectionate, and gives really good hugs..." she smiles, a bit dreamily, and bites on her lower lip as she flicks her gaze between Kori and Gwen. "...god some days I wish I was old enough to drink."

Gwendolyn Poole has posed:
    Oooh, an open space at the booth!

    "Tamaranean. Sweet. Like an oranger, cuter Kryptonian."

    Gwen clambers right up onto the table and crawls across it before she falls face first down into the booth beside Karolina. She struggles for a moment, her legs landing briefly in the blonde's lap before she rights herself and sits up. Phew!

    "Damn, I'm suspicious?," she asks Ray before she glances down at herself. She sighs and reaches down to peel her hoody up and tosses it aside. Underneath is her white and pink costume, her cowl laying back on her shoulder. "I gotta get better at disguises. Think Batman will teach me? Or...I don't know. Who's good at disguises?"

Mando has posed:
Mando seems to have a bigger reaction to finding out Kori is an alien than her floating up out of her seat.  Huh.  He grins, watching her go.  He returns her thumbs up with two of his own and a bright grin.  "Break a leg!" he shouts out.

Then to Karolina.  "I love baking.  I don't get a lot of chances to do it though.  Sounds..fun," Mando peters off as people seem to blushing left and right at some point or...now.  "It's not really all it's cracked up to be."  Okay it's just expensive for Mando, but that's not something he freely advertises, but that doesn't change the fact that he's trying to encourage her to feel better.

He looks over as Gwen joins them.  "Yeah.  You do.  I mean you did go all classic cartoon disguise and roll up talking about the mafia and this place being a front sooo..."  He shrugs and grins.

Ray Terrill has posed:
        Ray nods and says towards Kori, "That's good at least, yeah?" He doesn't necessarily have the experience to know how to handle his mistake, and says towards Karolina, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up anything." He then blinks as Gwen falls face down, "Um. Yeah. You okay?" He doesn't sound too certain of that at all, to be honest. He then blinks as Gwen removes her hoodie, and says, "Y...yeah. Definitely suspicious." He takes another drink of his Arnold Palmer, and looks as Kori goes to sing, "Any idea what she's going to do?" He then turns back to Gwen, "Kryptonian, like Superman?" He nods in agreement with Mando, adding, "I'll be honest, I've never really cooked. I think I can make ... um... scrambled eggs?"

Karolina Dean has posed:
    There's... a lot of sensory overload for Karolina at the moment. There's a pretty girl crawling over the table to sit next to her, and has half-landed on her, to say nothing of the rest of the conversation. She just shakes her head at Ray, "Mm? No, no, don't worry about it. Things are kind of turbulent in our lives right now, and it's... a bit difficult to focus on some things. And I'm front-loading classes before the winter break hits... and I can't do any real gardening once the cold hits... I don't have a greenhouse. Just some herb pots for inside..."

    The smile she casts is genuine, though, "You should come to one of the classes I help teach!" she gives a thumbs-up to Ray before sliding out of her seat slowly. "I can text you the class schedule if you want? If your other classes don't overlap it. I'm sure you might learn something you can make use of?" she offers to Ray.

    "No, baking's fun! At least I think so. There's lots of good milk alternatives that can help with altering consistency, and there's a great viable egg replacement, too... and I love sweets, so making my own cookies is..." she makess a happy sound, inching her way out. "...but I'm thirsty.. I'll be back in a sec!"

Mando has posed:
Mando just tries to politely sit there and not outwardly notice Karolina struggling, but it just seems too obvious to him and on him.  "Yeah.  I love it too.  I don't bake vegan though.  I'm pretty sure if I tried I'd be awful at it.  It'd probably taste like sand."  He lifts a hand as Karolina parts from the booth and looks over to Gwen and Ray.

Mando doesn't have a drink in front of him.  "I just learned from my mom growing up.  Not really fair to compare.  Lots of things just take a little know-how and practice," he says in a cheery mood, which only seems to emanate outward.  A faint sense of contentment along with it until it all comes crashing down when he checks the time.  His eyes widen with...fear?  Certainly worry.

"I'm late for work!  It was nice meeting all of you!"  Mando isn't betting he'll ever see them again, but it was pretty cool to get to hang with people way cooler than his so-called friends for a change.

Koriand'r has posed:
    "Ladies and Gentlemen, we've got another singer up here for you in just a few minutes," the MC murmurs into the PDA after the drunk makes it off stage.
     About five minutes later, Koriand'r meanders up onto the stage in her pedestrian clothing and a brilliant smile. Kori holds the microphone up against her mouth intimately and she takes a moment to find her booth--and more specifically to find Karolina within that booth.
    "For my best friend, 'Lina," Koriand'r speaks softly.
    Heavily digitized guitar strings are plucked, soft mysterious stirrings as Koriand'r starts to call into the microphone:
"Picture yoursef in a boat on a river
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes..."
    And thus the night goes.

Ray Terrill has posed:
        "Sure, that sounds good. Lemme give you my number, or my email or something?" He reaches to pull out a ... pretty basic phone, really. "I'm taking a lot of intro classes right now -- I think I'm going to take classes during the summer also, get through all of this quickly, y'know?" He waves to Mando, "Run, dude. It sucks being late for work." He then turns to listen to Kori as she begins to sing.