spin_kick_snap | The Flying Pussyfoot, Limbo City, Wednesday

Due to owning a business, Kathy sometimes got very weird, not-at-all-related-to-her-business offers from vendors trying to establish a working relationship. Most she tossed, but occasionally something really cool would end up in her inbox. Like a pair of tickets for a Murder Mystery Dinner, taking place on a newly-renovated luxury train from the 1930s. People would sign up, choose a character from the list of possible dinner attendees, and then show up and ride the train around Limbo City for a few hours, having dinner and trying to solve the whodunnit.

Kathy had been charmed from the start and had pretty much decided to go immediately. The question of who to take was answered when she spotted that one of the characters listed was a "rich rock star."

That made it easy.

One conversation of 'You don't have to dress up and you can bring your guitar!' and 'pleeeeease, it sounds like a ton of fun!' later, and Kathy and Dante had their tickets and were waiting to board the extravagant train cars of The Flying Pussyfoot for four hours of delicious, murdery fun!

[For the poor sap who agreed to this]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

spin_kick_snap

"Oh?" Kathy raised an eyebrow. "Still find yourself needing a lot of practice?"

She loved that he indulged her like this.

From:

rebelseekspizza

"Any guy who doesn't practice on the regular is arrogant as shit and probably thinks he's god's gift to women," Dante said, smirking back at her. "Gotta keep yourself sharp if you're in it for more than the audience."

From:

spin_kick_snap

"And you're gonna do that right here in front of everybody? Bold of you," Kathy said. "But I have a feeling bold is kind of your style."

From:

rebelseekspizza

"Bold enough to offer the lady a chance to put in a request," Dante said, winking.

From:

spin_kick_snap

"I'll have to see how good you are first," Kathy said, turning away again with a coy toss of her hair. "I don't waste my time on amateurs."

From:

rebelseekspizza

"You'll have to come find me after you settle in, then," Dante said, winking at her.

This had sounded like nerdy bullshit up front, but he was starting to find the fun in it.

From:

spin_kick_snap

See? Even nerdy bullshit could be fun, Dante! Trust your girlfriend sometimes.

"We'll see," she said, giving him a last bit of smouldering eye contact before she sauntered into the main car.

And then Hana was gone again and it was Kathy who reached for his hand, a little nervous among all these strangers, especially since they were all at least a good decade or so older than the two of them.

From:

rebelseekspizza

Dante smiled at her and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "Looks like a cool crowd," he said. "Wanna go talk to 'em?"

From:

spin_kick_snap

"Who, exactly, here do you think looks cool?" Kathy asked, still clinging tightly, but managing to smile up at him. "I don't think you've described anyone over the age of thirty cool in your life. Especially not the kind person who'd come to a Murder Mystery on the train."

From:

rebelseekspizza

"I'm being in character," Dante said, grinning at her. "... Or maybe I need to be drunk for that."

From:

spin_kick_snap

"It's your character, you can do whatever you want, so long as we're the first ones to solve the mystery," Kathy said. "Though being a really sweet rock star is delightfully against type."

From:

rebelseekspizza

Dante snickered softly. "I can be meaner, but eh," he said.

From:

spin_kick_snap

"Mean is easy," Kathy said. "If we can be anything, why be mean?"

From:

rebelseekspizza

Dante laughed softly. "Have you met my girlfriend?" he teased. "You sound just like her."

From:

spin_kick_snap

"You trying to flirt with me while you got a girlfriend?" she teased. "That's pretty bold."

From:

rebelseekspizza

"She and I got a deal," Dante said, mouth curving. "What happens on the train, stays on the train."

From:

spin_kick_snap

"And what do you think she's getting up to while you're chatting up cute Broadway singers on this train?" Kathy asked, internally swooning again when she looked up at his smile.

From:

rebelseekspizza

"Something fun, I'm hoping," Dante said.

Would it help if he threw in a wink?

From:

spin_kick_snap

NOT IN THE LEAST, THANK YOU.

Fuck. Why did he have to be pretty enough to make her breath catch? It was unfair. If he smirked at her, she'd be done.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a florid man said from the middle of the room, forestalling Kathy's reply, "thank you so much for coming to this year's Murder Mystery, taking place on the historic Flying Pussyfoot." The compartment broke into polite applause. "Once again, everyone's donations are going to the Limbo City Restoration Project, which focuses on restoring the Limbo City Public Library, an institution dating back to 1816 and heavily damaged during the...troubles." There were several somber murmurs around the room. "We're just about finished boarding and the train is scheduled to depart in the next ten minutes. Please take this time to get into character, the game will begin once we've begun moving. Dinner will be served in half an hour and then, as they say...the game is afoot!"

More sprinkled applause and some cultured laughter. Kathy looked up at Dante again. "I didn't know this was for the library."

From:

rebelseekspizza

Dante shrugged easily. "Neither did I," he said. "A lot of charity stuff like this going around lately."

The city was finally getting over its shellshock.

From:

spin_kick_snap

"See? Not only are we having fun, we're being responsible citizens," Kathy said, a phrase that was not normally associated with being cool at all, ever.