Koreoke, Washington DC, Saturday Night

[spin_kick_snap]

Sure, some people were busy fighting rampaging snow monsters and stuff today. But for those who were friends with Kathy and Dante, they had another option available to them: Kathy's 21st birthday party!

Their venue for the evening was Koreoke, a Korean barbeque restaurant that doubled as a karaoke bar. Kathy had rented out the back room for her party, which included three long barbeque tables, a stage with up to four microphones (in case of boy bands and group numbers), and a bartender along the far wall to serve drinks all night until last call.

Because if turning twenty-one wasn't a good reason to stuff yourself full of grilled meat (well, veggies and tofu in Kathy's case), get drunk, and sing your heart out to the largest selection of karaoke tracks Kathy had ever seen in one place, then what was?!

[Up VERY early for SP because holidays are a THING (and so are BDEs). Open to pretty much anyone who is/was Kathy's friend (or Dante's friends that Kathy also knows)!]

Comments

Re: Eat! Eat!

[boneyard_girl]

Ada didn't need another invitation; she flung herself at him, intent on giving him the biggest hug possible.

Surprise, Dante. You're getting tackled by a very cuddly mermaid, who has missed you a lot.

Re: Eat! Eat!

[rebelseekspizza]

That was fine. The not-as-cuddly Nephilim had missed her a lot too, and he wrapped his arms around her just as tightly, hugging her close.

"Missed you."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[boneyard_girl]

Eh, Ada liked his cudddly-level. It meant it meant more when he was feeling physically affectionate.

She buried her face in his shoulder for a moment, breathing in. "Missed you too," she sighed, smiling. "'S been ages."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[rebelseekspizza]

"Still owe you a visit," Dante said, and stroked her hair. Happy to stay here for a moment.

Re: Eat! Eat!

[boneyard_girl]

Oh, that playing with her hair was nice, and Ada made a happy sound.

"Damn right you do," she agreed. "I still gotta get you an' 'Bela both out to th' carnival!"

"We're parked at the ranch for the next two or three months now, until the next tour kicks off. It'd be nice if you want a warm vacation, but not near as fun as when we're on the road."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[rebelseekspizza]

"Aw, that just means I'd have an excuse to come back again later," Dante said, smiling. "Be happy to come visit next month."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[boneyard_girl]

"You know you're welcome whenever, you don't even gotta ask," Ada said, shifting slightly to grin at him. "Just show up."

Uncle Chester would be thrilled Ada had friends besides Ezra and Hyacinthe! ...for all of five minutes before he got a headache.

(He actually adored them both, not that he'd admit it out loud.)

"Which, you all settled into your new place? Ain't still living outta boxes, are you?"

Look, Ada remembered the trailer.

Re: Eat! Eat!

[rebelseekspizza]

"Nah, Anders wouldn't let me," Dante said, smiling. "We even got a special bed made for Kathy and everything."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[boneyard_girl]

"I knew there was a reason I liked Anders so much, b'sides his pretty eyes," Ada teased. "So, no living out of boxes. That means you've got a couch for me to come sleep on if'n I want t' visit you, right?"

Ada wasn't afraid of Limbo City; she had other things to fear that were worse (in her mind) than demons.

Re: Eat! Eat!

[rebelseekspizza]

And Dante loved her for being unafraid. Too many of his friends avoided the place already. "It's a nice couch too," Dante said. "Better visit before it gets ratty."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[boneyard_girl]

To be fair, the place had only really tried to kill her twice indirectly, none of it 'personal', and Fandom had done that waaaaaaay more times (and worse).

"What are you doin' to that poor, new couch that it's already in danger of gettin' shabby? No, wait, don't wanna know," Ada laughed. "I gotta sleep on it."

"Just tell me when it's a good time, an' I'll be there. I wanna see what you've done with the place."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[rebelseekspizza]

"We got cats," Dante pointed out brightly. "Uhh... sometime in the first weeks of the new year? Or fuck, come over for New Years' Eve if you wanna."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[boneyard_girl]

"I got cats too, an' Billie an' Louie ain't destroyed it yet!" Ada laughed. Though, to be fair, she'd also built them a massive cat tree to claim as their territory. "That poor thing is older 'n me, an' survived three people an' two cats this summer!"

Wait, too much information, Ada.

"B'sides, I know better than t' impose on your inaugural New Year's Eve in a new place," she teased, glancing towards Anders and Kathy. "Pretty sure you got plans. But I ain't got no plans in January."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[rebelseekspizza]

"Cool, then January it is," Dante said, grinning broadly. "Wait, three people? What you been up to, Ades?"

Re: Eat! Eat!

[boneyard_girl]

"Just 'cause you been too busy t' come visit don't mean I been languishing away lonely," Ada laughed. "Ezra came out t' see me, an' Hyacinthe too."

Hyacinthe had just...come back, after his first visit. And spent the season on tour with her. But Ada didn't really know how to talk about that, and wasn't sure she wanted to. It was private and precious and hers.

"Plus one of th' Little cousins who ain't got Designated Adults decided I was theirs this summer, an' th' couch ended up Waffle's bed for th' last few months."

(Except when there were Bad Dreams, and Waffle had to climb in with Ada and Hyacinthe. That had necessitated some conversations about When To Knock.)

Re: Eat! Eat!

[rebelseekspizza]

And Dante would never expect her to give up anything she didn't want to share; she could talk about it some later time, or not at all.

"Sorry," he said instead. "I should've come sooner, but things have been... busy."

Dealing with - or not dealing with - grief. Figuring out ways to make sure Kathy didn't feel alone despite her choosing Fandom over him, working hard not to let it fester. And always demons, when he wasn't dealing with either of those things.

It was enough to make anyone feel tired, even the Nephilim who could run for days.

Re: Eat! Eat!

[boneyard_girl]

Later. Not in public.

"Hey," she said, "--I c'n hear that brain of yours starting to spin, you know."

"You been building a life. One you get t' pick yourself. That takes time an' focus and 'm really fuckin' happy for you, okay?" And proud. So proud. "Only reason I didn't haul m' ass out t' visit you b'fore this is 'm afraid of bein' underfoot an' slowin' you down."

"...and if'n I left for more'n forty-eight hours during tour season, Chester would have m' hide. But I need more than that t' make you show me everything."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[rebelseekspizza]

"Never gonna slow me down, Ades," Dante promised her, touching her arm. "But I should show you around the place. 's calmed down a lot, might actually make good vacationing now."

He wasn't sure yet what to do with the rest of what she'd said.

Re: Eat! Eat!

[boneyard_girl]

He didn't have to do anything with it, other than know she didn't blame him for being busy. Considering that once upon a time neither of them thought they had futures, Ada was fine with busy. Busy meant alive.

"If the carnival decided to rebuild, you might lose me for a day or two t' help them, but I can't wait," Ada announced, grinning. "You still owe me Limbo City drinks from th' time I had to chase your drunk jail-breaker ass all over the city."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante laughed softly. "I know a good cocktail bar too," he said. "Gimme a week to scrape the cats off the ceiling after the fireworks on NYE? And then come visit."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[boneyard_girl]

"Poor babies. I'll make 'em some catnip toys, maybe that'll help 'em forget the trauma," Ada snickered. "It'll be a nice break b'tween the costume mending I been doing."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[rebelseekspizza]

"Lachlan and Blondie accept all donations," Dante said, spreading his arms theatrically.

Re: Eat! Eat!

[boneyard_girl]

"Not spoiled like their humans at all," Ada laughed. "Which reminds me, I brought y'all a shipment of 'm special glitter for Christmas, if'n we need t' break it out for shots."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[rebelseekspizza]

"Ooooh, really?" Dante said. "Because I can do glitter shots, holy shit."

Re: Eat! Eat!

[boneyard_girl]

"This is 'm surprised face," Ada said dryly, stepping away from him to grab her purse from under the table, and pull out a large mason jar of a deep red, shimmering, glittery substance. "I brought two jars each of blue, green, red, an' purple. You c'n have a glitter rainbow parade if ya want!"