Owner	Pose
Micola Maximoff	This place is a bit small, but it is THE spot for Karaoke. That means that as the week wanes into the weekend that the night time crowds are getting bigger and bigger. Probably a little on the drunker side as well since it is Thursday. That means that some people are in celebrating the weekend early or there are folks that just need a beer and to let loose for a few hours. For some reason someone has also added this to their pit stop on a Bachlorette bar crawl...nothing can go wrong there, right? Otherwise the list of songs to sing is vast, the drinks are reasonable and it's hard to see others when it's this dim. Bonus to those who are shy! Situated in a corner of the bar is a pale woman with greenish-blue hair that has a drink and is listening to the current resident of the stage that is singing 'Barbie Girl' by Aqua. "This is going to be one of those nights." she whispers to her friend that's seated by her. Shane just rolls his eyes, "Thank god she can carry a tune though." he tells her.
Viola Fiore	It had all started out as an excuse to not go out with Carlo Manfredi. Viola's on-again, off-again, far more often than not off-again, boyfriend dating back to high school. Knowing that he hated karaoke, she'd claimed she was meeting some friends here tonight. Only she hadn't counted on him being an ass and insisting on driving her there. So it was Viola had pulled on a black turtleneck and some slacks and climbed in the car with him for the drive over. After fending off his attempts to talk her into doing something else instead, they'd finally arrived and she'd climbed out, closing the door without a word to him and heading inside. Well, the brandy alexander was hitting the spot at least as the young Italian American woman sits at the end of the bar, turned to face the stage as she sips the creamy drink and listens to the music.
The Joker	"Oh I love this song." A voice says, as a man slightly overdressed for the evening steps inside of the club. He's in a shocking purple suit, a few years out of fashion, with a bright green shirt and a striped purple tie, and purple kid gloves. The most noticeable thing about this man is probably his head of lettuce green hair, bone white skin, and ruby red lips. Someone called a clown. But no one likes clowns in Gotham anymore. The Joker steps in, leaning on an old fashioned gentleman's cane for a moment. He idly takes someone's drink, sniffs it, and hands it to one of his men, who chugs the thing. Joker is escorted by two thugs, each over six feet tall, wearing bright purple bowling jackets with custom images of the Joker's face and "JOKER" on the back. One is a black man who owns a pair of Nunchucks and goes by Chuck, and the other one is a pug nosed farm boy called Little Steve. Little Steve is new to the crew and a little overwhelmed by Gotham's Babylon like attractions, while Chuck is only interested in furthering his study of the martial arts under the cruelest master he could possibly find. Joker sits at the bar, shaking his head to the dulcet atonal chiming of Aqua. "I like. I like the one where the guy's a prince, and it's all about how the girl'd like him to hurry up and save her. I think it says something about the female condition we're afraid to face as a society. I'd also like a Manhattan, please."
Shang-Chi	Shaun and Katy are here. Of course, they are. It's a Thursday and it's Karaoke and they actually have some extra money to spend. So they are at a table where they have been for a while considering the empty glasses of drinks that are in front of them. They have likely gone up separately a few times already, maybe even done a couple of duets, and now they are drinking again whilst waiting on their next turns. These two are known entities among the Karaoke Circuit. It's all they ever do. Time for another round of drinks and selfies as Katy grabs her phone and Shaun puts another order for drinks for the table in. So much fun is being had at this moment by this dynamic duo.
Nico Minoru	Nico Minoru is a fashionable goth. And while her usual fashion sense is 'More layers! More frills! MORE VICTORIAN!' sometimes you need to play to the mark Even if you're not actively conning tourists. Sometimes the mark is the management at a karaoke bar, and the 'con' is 'I will hand out flyers for less than minimum wage and I won't even complain about it if you also comp me one of those appetizer samplers at the end of the night.' and Nico's giving it her all. She's still goth, but it's less Victorian Goth and more sleek, modern goth, short hair done with sharp, angular bangs that dip lower over her left eye than her right, eyes shadowed with plenty of black that fades to a dark but almost metallic blue, lipstick black, but again with a deep blue sheen in the right lighting. She's probably a little too cool to be /hanging out/ for Friday night karaoke, in her black tanktop and a pleated black skirt that flashes an awful lot of strategically slashed leggings covering her thighs. And, of course, she's got a pair of thick-soled, heavily buckled boots. Nico's actually thinking about keeping this look... for one thing, it's _just_ cyberpunk enough that her artificial magic left arm looks like it's part of a costume, and not... just her arm. With things seeming to be picking up, Nico's sort of dragging her feet gathering up her next load of flyers... hey, the place is getting full, no one's going to think she's slacking off if there's an influx of customers. She can chill, enjoy some tunes... see if the bachelorette party descends into reality TV worthy chaos. Work smarter, not harder, kids.
Lady Shiva	"Like what?" Shiva is at the bar. Shiva has ''been'' at the bar. Shiva has not moved from the bar. It's hard to say how long any of this has been true, because Shiva is ''very'' easy to miss in an empty room when she wants to be, much less a crowded karaoke bar alight with sensory overload. "Hello, The Joker." The smile is slight and familiar. Meetings are a rarity between their worlds, but sometimes they wind up on different sides of the same bit; he's a difficult man to forget, no matter how much blood and/or acid might or might not've been spilt between them. The smile is also brief; right after giving it, Shiva returns her attention to Shaun and Katy, known entities in the fast-paced world of the Karaoke Circuit-- and thus, entities of interest for the evening. Which isn't to say that her gaze hasn't wavered, here or there -- there's a goth woman with a deep commitment to costuming who earns a few moments notice as she gathers up flyers, after all -- but the Karaoke King and Queen have the lionshare.
Domino	Neena's not usually been one for karaoke, but it was her birthday a few days ago and she feels like heading out to celebrate. Alone, partly because her friends are busy and partly just because she feels like getting out on her own for a bit. She stands out with her chalk-white skin and the dark spot over her eye, wearing a blue t-shirt and black jeans and not even wearing any weapons openly. Wonders never cease.     She sits at the bar, idly toying with a shot glass of whiskey that she hasn't yet downed, and debating whether she actually wants to go sing or not. Maybe coming alone wasn't the best idea.
Micola Maximoff	Micola had recognized Shaun and Katy, she's not a stranger to karaoke, but she's keeping to the corner of the bar for the moment given she's been in Italy for a few days and she wants to get back on track with their timezone. Something else gets her attention though. Is that the actual Joker? Holy shit! "Can I get another ummm...whatever he's having." the green haired woman points to Shane's glass. This causes the barkeep to chuckle and wander off to also go take other orders. Barbie Girl gets done and that leaves the stage open for the moment. The brightly dressed bridal party hoots and hollers for the girl that was singing, clapping and giving shots for more drinks. They'd never remember this night with the amount of alcohol they were consuming. Probably for the best. That means the stage is open for the next performance!
The Joker	Both of Joker's bodyguards flinch, and Little Steve is about to pull a knife before Chuck grabs his wrist. "Revered mistress." Chuck says, nodding his head respectfully. Joker looks up dreamily, his permanent grin twisting a little wider as he waits for his drink. "Shiva is beyond explanation, notion, understanding, or awareness. Shiva is the beyond. It is in the lap of this vast nothingness that creation happened." Joker takes out a deck of paying cards, shuffling them expertly, a loud fnaaaappp of the cards flipping between his hands audible and potentially ruining someone's set. "All of that and your hips are still maiden slender, how do you do it?" "It's called a Manhattan." Joker says, turning his barracuda grin towards the woman with the green hair. "Lovely look. It's good to see we're more comfortable going natural in public. You know what it did to my scalp having to dye it brown all those years?"
Viola Fiore	Viola Fiore takes another sip of her drink, not really caring for the song too much, but at least it isn't being butchered. One legs is crossed over the other, foot bouncing slightly in time to the music as Viola turns her gaze from the stage, to the rest of the karaoke bar. The purple suit and the hair stands out well enough that Viola's eyes are soon drawn to the Joker. She stiffens just a little bit, eyes sweeping the room quickly looking for any other worrisome signs. She sets her glass on the bar, a hand slipping into a pocket, before she realizes her phone is already there on the bar. She discretely withdraws a tiny vial as she pulls her hand out, thumb popping the top on it. Viola feigns a small yawn as an excuse to bring her hand to her mouth, tipping the vial to drain the contents into her mouth to be swallowed without letting on what she's doing.
Shang-Chi	Katy and Shaun snap about twelve selfies with different facial expressions and everything. Somewhere in those pictures though Shaun is kind of looking around almost like he's keeping his eye on a few things. His gaze falls on the Joker for a little narrowed eyes moment but then he's back to posing happily for the next round of selfies that Katy's taking. Out of the two, Shaun is definitely semi-keeping a close eye on their surroundings. When the drinks arrive, Shaun and Katy get their toasting on before downing their drinks in record time. Katy hops up to go check the karaoke book and flip through it for the next song she's going to perform. Shaun relaxes against his seat and scrolls through his phone... as a way to actually just kind of keep an eye on the room.
Nico Minoru	Nico continues her brilliant plan of 'look busy, don't actually do work'. Anyone who bothers to actually keep an eye on her will realize she's using some slight of hand to shuffle the flyers around, so while it _looks_ like she's making progress in collating them, she's actually constantly shuffling them in a circuit. Her eyes dart around the bar, just taking in the sights. Couple of serious karaoke pros... makes sense. Serious looking lady at the bar, makes sense. The Joker and a couple of goons. Waitwhat? No, that's dumb. The Joker wouldn't go to karaoke in New York, would he? She narrows her eyes a little, for maybe five seconds... is it because she figures any longer and if he's the real deal he'll notice her? Nah. There's a totally pale dark haired lady that draws her eye instead. Hm... blue shirt and black jeans? That's like... pretty goth. The dark hair and super pale skin? Gothier. She nods her head in silent approval. Okay, this bar's not so bad. Except the murderclown. But whatever. She's been to Gotham before.
Lady Shiva	"The knife would've been more instructive," is all she says to Chuck in reply to his reverence. Joker, however, gets more and more of a sidelong glance as he winds his way towards a compliment; he even gets a curious arch from a dark, threaded brow, and a moment's silence to give such an important question the full weight it deserves. "Surrogacy," is what she ultimately goes with. A beat later, a martini glass with a lightly frothy, vividly red drink is set before her, prompting a smooth swipe and sip. "Are you intending to cause violence tonight, The Joker?"
Domino	Neena crosses her legs and bounces her foot idly, peering at the stage, then shrugs, uncrosses her legs, and downs the shot of whiskey. She gets up and heads over to put in a song, giving Katy a friendly smile as she comes up on the book.     "Mind if I take a look when you're done? Shouldn't take too long, I know what I'm looking for." She's entirely focused on the woman in front of her, seemingly paying no attention to the Gotham clown or the people paying attention to him. But then she doesn't really /need/ to be paying attention most of the time.
Micola Maximoff	Micola looks to the Joker for a moment, about to correct him on the drink, but she didn't really want to ferry her own ass to the afterlife tonight. His compliment on her hair was unexpected though, "Oh, thank you. I'm sure dye is a killer. Bad for the environment as well." she tells him with a smile. Shane looks at her like she's lost her mind. Who talks to proper villains?! Her golden gaze goes to the others that stand out and there's a moment of tension that comes across her face, but she picks up the drink that is delivered and takes a sip.
Viola Fiore	Viola Fiore picks her drink back up, and gets her phone in other hand. She mutes it then stows it in a pocket before glancing back around to see what's going on at the bar. So far it seems there's a lack of people keeling over and breaking out laughing hysterically. So she considers that a good thing. Viola does glance towards the door though, as if considering whether leaving would be the safest thing to do. Maybe a comment from someone in a dark colored spider-hero costume come to mind and her jaw muscles tense slightly as she decides to stick around in case people need her help.
The Joker	Joker snorts a laugh. His bodyguards both take a step back. "Shit I forgot you were witty." Joker says, almost sounding like a human being. "Shiva, I haven't even had my drink yet. I'm in town on business and picked a place that I thought I might blend in at. What on earth is funny about shooting up a cyber-goth karaoke bar?" "It'd be like poisoning a corpse."
Shang-Chi	"Oh sure, no prob-- WHOA!" Katy actually has the book memorized so was just kind of posturing with the page flipping so when she turns around to see who's asking for it, she is in nothing but complete awe. AWE. "That is the sexiest eye I have ever seen. Can I show you to my friend? I'm gonna' show you to my friend." Katy shoves the book at Neena while raising a hand. "Shaun! Shaun! Come look at this woman's sexy eye!" Shaun looks up from the phone swiping because Katy's voice is unmistakeable. "Katy..." Shaun's pushing himself up onto his feet and tucking his phone into his pocket. "You're supposed to be picking a song not falling in love with eyes." Shaun's on his way over but it'll take a second because it's more cinematic. Plus, it gives Katy a moment to try to talk Neena into a sexy eye selfie. Oy vey.
Lady Shiva	"Speaking of: remind me to speak to you sometime soon. I just might know of a corpse who even ''you'' might find it funny to poison; the best laughs are the ones you've got to ''earn'', after all, aren't they?" The Joker gets a smile and a wink as Shiva takes one last sip of her drink. She then leaves it on the bar, because the King and Queen of Karaoke have happened upon a chance encounter with the luckiest merc alive, and she'd rather have both hands free as a matter of sheer principle. "Domino is a ''very'' slippery woman," she gently cautious from Katy's back flank. The full context is unknown; the body language tells her ''enough'', though: a camera, bright eyes, and a distinctive mercenary. "You would be fortunate ''indeed''."
Domino	Neena... grins at the compliment to her eye. "So I've been told," she says with an easy shrug. She doesn't seem to mind the idea of sexy eye selfies; if anything it brightens her mood a bit. She'll even smile for the camera if they're going there.     Lady Shiva she peers at for a moment, then shrugs as Shaun starts to head over, and says, "It's distinctive. No harm no foul. Everyone was gonna notice when I got up to sing anyway."
Nico Minoru	Nico finishes stacking up her flyers and drifts out into the bar proper, hopping up onto a stool at the bar and stretching her arms above her head. It is, apparently, break time. She kicks her boots back and forth as she apparently decides to check out the next performance. But she is most definitely not making a move to look at the song list. Oh no. The benefit of friends all being out of town? You haven't got peers to peer pressure you into belting out 80s music to a bar full of strangers. But she can totally provide moral support! And cheers. And hey, maybe she'll get into the groove and give into the urge to perform... if she can bring herself to pick something that's not gloomy. No one ever seems to dig the gloomy song choice.
Micola Maximoff	In a twist of fate, it is the two goons that The Joker left outside that radio in stating that there is a situation occuring. Then a few phones in the crowd of people ping on the Citizen app for those that have it. Shots fired in Little Italy. Black sedan that is on the move. There is a moment the lights flicker in the bar, causing the music to cut off, leaving the poor girl singing Celine Dion on a really flat note. You can let go, Jackie! Micola's eyes roll back into her head for just a second before she's up and moving, "Someone is about to die..." she states in a rather creepy way. Was it the gospel?! It might just be as there is the sound of a crash in the distance, a car connecting with something heavy. It is followed by the sounds of gunshots ringing out. While the bar might be on the basement level bullets have a way of sounding closer than they are when a place like this is crowded. The girls in the bachelorette party look amongst themselves and then panic starts, "I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE HERE!" the bride to be wails as others also start to panic.
Viola Fiore	Viola Fiore sits quietly, drinking her drink and fingers fidgeting with the glass. Her eyes steal glances over at the known villain down the bar, though as discretely as she possibly can. Then Vi's phone buzzes and she pulls it out to check what it is. When she sees the alert, she looks up and about, just in time to start hearing the gunfire and the sound of the vehicle. The dark-haired young woman hops off her bar chair, throwing her coat about her shoulders. "Stay low, out the back way," she says to the bachelorette party, beginning to usher them towards a sign that indicates there's an exit back that way too.
The Joker	"Well now you're just teasing me." Joker says, pouting a little. He wants to know about the corpse! As exhausting as martial artist criminals can be, he always liked Shiva best. Something hollow about her that was just refreshing. The shooting happens. "Sir." Little Steve says, holding his earpiece. "We've got a hot black sedan incoming. Should we call Frost?" "Steve." Joker spins around on the barstool, "Steve I still haven't gotten my drink. They cut the power before I could sing, or worse, hear the goth with the robot arm sing!" Joker stands up, suddenly, eyes wild. "That young bride might get shot in the head before she can be defloured by her fumble handed husband on their white linen wedding bed, before life really get STARTED!" Joker leaps up on the bar with the kind of nightmare speed you'd expect from a trained tumbler like Charlie Chaplin, except he current has sixteen knives hidden on his person. "LOVE! Love is under siege! And what are we even here for if not to love, and be loved in return? But when the most important feeling there is can't even make it out the back entrance without ripping her veil is Batman there to save the day?!" "No. No I don't think the Bat Man's sung a note in his whole repressed life." Joker concludes, as bullets just do not hit him for some reason. Life being unfair. "Almost makes you want to let him life out of honest sadism."
Shang-Chi	Katy's excitement in getting to take the selfie with Sexy Eye is all over her face. Which is why, when she spots Shiva, she's getting even more excited. "Okay, wait a minute. Am I drunk or are Karaoke Nights just getting more cool people these days?" She can't even figure out what's happening with all these stylish people being here right now. Then ish starts going down. Shaun's immediate reaction is to get to Katy at all costs. Which means there is some dodging around tables and getting to his friend to grab her and get themselves ducked down just in case some bullets decide to find their way into the building. This is the part where they huddle close together to make sure they are safe. Even though Shaun is looking up and glaring, in case he can spot anything telling of this situation.
Lady Shiva	Even though she's behind Katy at first, Shiva slips out of frame for the selfie. It is not ''her'' Sexy Eye Time, after all. And then shit starts going down. Shiva's immediate reaction is to watch Shaun's immediate reaction, adroit as it is. She watches all the way until he and Katy are safely tucked beneath a table before turning her attention towards Domino: "There were metal detectors at the door." Her left hand splays wide; a long, belled sleeve shivers just so following a flex of her forearm, leaving a sheathed tanto in her grasp. "I trust you're armed?" And a smile on her lips, even as she heads back to the bar and the ranting Joker to retrieve her drink for another sip. The clown does get a brief, curious look as she lifts the glass - an unspoken, 'Did you...?' - communicated with little more than an arch of her brows, but she sips regardless. "He's a man full with grief and self-importance, The Joker," she notes with a sidelong look. "It is ''dancing'' that would surprise me."
Nico Minoru	Nico's boot heels thunk against her stool rhythmically, not loud, probably not even enough to be heard. But it's enough for her to feel the vibration. She's preparing to BREAK THE LAW. She thinks. She's definitely fishing around in her pocket for a cigarette, when suddenly all hell's breaking loose and she sighs out. Cigarette's still recovered, tucked into the corner of her mouth. She grumbles softly, just sullen, mumbling noises as she drops off her stool, boot soles thudding onto the floor. She rolls her shoulders forward, posture going from 'Sullen waif of the night' to 'Someone's getting hit soon'. She begins stalking towards the front door, smoothly dipping and dodging and maybe shoulder-checking a little bit to make her way. The bride-to-be is spared a shouldercheck, because like, it's almost her special day, but a bridesmaid might get a solid waif-powered nudge. And the entire time, Nico's patting at her hips and thighs... lighter... light... oh, right. She usually just magics up a flame. She dips into the entryway, and when she's out of view, there's a brief, intense flash of purple light... she _tries_ to keep the witchfire tiny, so she doesn't singe a poster or set the sprinklers off. Nico is, in her opinion, too old for this shit. But then again, when you stop your parents' evil death cult at sixteen, you get too old for a lot of stuff real fast.
Domino	Neena frowns as the lights go out, then frowns /more/ as the bullets start to fly. She really did want to get up and sing. It's her /birthday/. Well, not quite, but close enough! It's her birthday party. And just her luck, someone's decided to start shooting and crashing cars and she left her arsenal at home.     "Nope," she says to Lady Shiva, nonchalantly. "Think I'll go borrow one." And then she's off running out the door and up the stairs to throw herself into whatever mayhem's going on up above.
Micola Maximoff	The bartenders and other people are looking at The Joker as he jumps up onto the bar. Alright, that was a sure sign of the night getting worse. The girls in the party start to head out where Viola directs them, because shouting scary clowns were never a good thing. "Remind me to invite you to my wedding." the bride shrieks as she runs for the exit that can be found towards the back. The other patron's start checking their phones, seeing if anything is going on. "Authorities have been called, just everyone calm down unless you want to go running into danger head first." the tender calls. But it's too late, a lot of folks are abandoning ship! For those that head back up the stairs and out onto the street they'd see a black sedan that's been run into a telephone pole, the front crumpled and air bags deployed. The back door has been left open and the man that stumbled out of it raises a gun to fire at a silver colored sedan. He misses by a mile and the return gunfire hits him multiple times. He takes a few more steps before he crumples to the ground. It all happens so fast. The silver sedan idles for a moment, making sure that nothing from the car moves and then drives off at high speed. Micola pops her head up from behind the stairwell to check and make sure the coast is clear before she jogs over to the downed man, "It's alright. Someones here." she tells him.
Viola Fiore	Viola Fiore gathers up a few more people as best she can, and then helps escort them out the back. "Don't worry about your cars if you brought one, let's just get down into the subway," she tells them, urging them out the back door and towards the nearest subway station in that direction. She pauses just a moment, debating if she should go back and try to user her mutant powers to help beyond that. Maybe it's knowing the Joker is there and not wanting to risk it, or may be she's just not ready to be a hero. Yet. Or at all. That thought will keep her up later tonight when she's safe in bed.
The Joker	Click. Click. Click. "Frost got the plates." Little Steve says, sweating. Joker smiles. "You've got a point, Shiva. Call me about the job. I have one in mind that might interest you, as well, actually." Joker hops down, walking towards the exit. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a few gangsters to have a word with. New York, no manners in this Goddamn town." Joker walks out, supremely confident that nothing is going to shoot him.
Shang-Chi	When it comes to getting out of dodge, Katy and Shaun know all about it. With the bridal party getting out of there, the Karaoke Royalty does the same thing. They are not about to get involved in all of whatever this is. Not when Shaun's entire purpose in life is to make sure Katy's safe while making it look like Katy's keeping him safe. Because she's the one dragging him after the bridal party. "Hey! Wait for us! Mazel tov!" Katy chimes while tugging at a potentially lingering Shaun Chee as he follows semi-reluctantly.
Lady Shiva	After touching The Joker's arm and draining the rest of her glass, Shiva ''also'' heads upstairs, intent on investigating. The tanto's casually flipped from hand to hand the whole way. Once up there though, her attention's immediately drawn towards the man at Micola's feet with a gun near his body. She crouches; she touches his neck; she narrows her eyes, thoughtfully. And then she stands, giving Micola a lingering look and slightly arched brow before walking on, heading for the car wedged against the phone pole. She tries the handle a couple times before moving right to striking beneath it with the heel of her palm. And ''then'' she opens the door, intent on leaning in for a brisk examination... and then seizing the one man within who seems salvageable and dragging him out ever so carefully. The tanto's unsheathed, just to cut his clothes out of the way of what needs doing: Pressure applied here by two fingertips; Poultice from -- somewhere -- smeared there; A strong palm clamped just so-- All the necessary steps to preserving a thread of tonight's context.
Domino	The action's over by the time Domino gets upstairs, and she throws her hands in the air. "No singing, no action, this is the /worst/ birthday party!" She glowers at the black van like it's personally offended her. "I'm calling Wade and Inez and demanding a proper birthday bash. Which I should've done in the first place, but nooo, Neena's trying to let people figure out their liiiives. And what do I have to show for it? Nothing! I didn't even work up the nerve to go talk to the clown guy!"     She steps in closer to watch Lady Shiva with a frown. "This something besides random gang violence?" It's not entirely rhetorical. Maybe there's a thread of something interesting going on to follow here.