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The entrance outside holds a velvet rope that forms a line beneath an awning for security to check IDs and ensure everyone was 21 and to limit people if the inside has already reached max capacity. The latter rarely happens except during tourist season.
Inside, the bump and thump of music is unmistakable, setting the tone for the club. A bar lined with neon lights as well as circle, rotating bar stools affixed to the floor with a red neon. Behind the bar is a large mirror, rows of liquors and glasses and a vast array of fixings for about any cocktail imaginable. With beer on draft, there's a flavor from the local brewery as well as other popular brands. No less than 2 bartenders are manning the bar at any given time, though during busy hours, there are up to 5.
An area surrounded by mirrors on two sides, a mirrored ball above, is a dance floor that lights up when stepped on. The color of the lights depends on the tile and it makes for a colorful display that is popular with the tourists.
Dotting along one wall is a line of tables and booths and a hallway in back leads to the restrooms. Neon shaped cocktails and things are placed on the walls for decoration.
As per early in the afternoon, Candace is here with a sort of sad smile on her face, already drinking. She's sat at the bar, in a nice, but not super-dressy blouse/skirt combo. A splashy sort of red with high heels. Sleeveless. Smoldery makeup, plenty of pink lipgloss, and some tasteful jewelry start to create a rather 'dressed-up' effect. Which is sort of ruined by the black gloves the go all the way up to mid-bicep on her. Her arms are crossed over the bar top, with a glass of some brown drink held in one still hand. A little way off, about three seats down, a gentleman in black t-shirt, and jeans sits, with a sort of distantly attentive face. Her minder? For now, the music is more subdued. It'll likely be another hour before people start filing in in large numbers, meaning happy hour is in full effect.
Which doesn't stop Abby from coming on down into this place, sometimes when you work weird hours, you get out at non-ideal times. Apparently she escaped the hospital sometime around now and has just wandered in off the street. She blinks up into the lights and squints at the decor. She's dressed up in scrubs, her hair is an absolute mess. The only reason she got past the guy at the door is because there currently isn't a guy at the door. Problem solved! She joins the bar at the seat next to Candace and without looking over mutters a quick hello. "Hey, could a girl get a drink down here?"
Even if Abby doesn't recognize Candace, Candace recognizes Abby alright. Right off the bat. She turns her head, nodding it her 'minder' and then to Abby, before speaking up. Her voice is high, and sounds closer to beach bunny rather than ex football player, but there it is,"Don't worry, Abbs. Tonight, you drink free." Yes. This strange woman, who sounds slightly inebriated, truth be told, just offered to buy Abby's drinks. Meanwhile, the man she nodded to is having words quietly with the bartender about… something. "Looks like you made good after High School, hun. I'm impressed."
"Oh, please tell me that I didn't knock your boxes of beer over too?" Too?! Also what does that even mean? Abby is pulling away from Candace and aiming that too-tired-but-still-awake stare at her. Her blues take in the make up and and hair, but seem to focusing on something else, cheekbones maybe? Shape of the mouth? Angle of jaw? "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude. But do we know each other?" She asks, leaning forward now so that she can stare at the man talking to the bartender. "Uh, thanks."
The woman hesitates for a moment,"I… I don't even remotely know what you're talking about." A pause and her hand, in a too-smooth, too-rigid movement extends towards Abby. If taken for a shake, she'll notice that the hand is too rigid and inflexible to be anything but plastic and/or metal, and that it doesn't really grip back. Either way, she leans forward slightly to murmur to Abby, sounding a little… embarrassed, frustrated. "You knew me as John. You know, alternate lineman on the football team? Except, I go by Candace now. Or Candy." She looks over her shoulder, then turns to look back at Abby,"Don't mind Rodrigo. He's just taking care of the bill."
"Oh. Haha, nevermind." That's for Candace's response about Abby knocking over her case of beer. Her hand comes out for a shake and she accepts it out of habit and politeness, there is a brief moment where she pauses. Apparently she notices the difference between a hand that is made from flesh and bone and one made from plastic/metal. It doesn't stop her from leaning in to hear that murmur and she narrows her eyes, digesting that information. It circulates around in her brain for a moment or two before she opens her mouth a little and then nods, "Ooooh. I see. Okay, but is he like your boyfriend? Doesn't he want to sit by you? Hi Rodrigo!" Abby sits up straighter and waves at him. "You look like you've had a long day already."
The woman looks at Abby with a slightly-wide-eyed gaze. Well. Apparently she's not used to that kind of response. It does get a very wide, very genuine smile. "You took that well. No. Rodrigo… When I had my accident, my husband hired Rodrigo to help me out. He's sort of like a… helper, I guess? After my husband died, Rodrigo decided to come with me back home. He's… not exactly a friend, but he's sort of… family, almost. He keeps his distance mostly so he doesn't scare people off." Still, she nods to the man, and he approaches the two, sitting down on the other side of Candace wordlessly. She looks back to Abby, and shrugs,"It's been kind of hard to get excited about meeting any men or women since Aarni died. It's good to see a familiar face who doesn't send me straight into a panic attack."
"Well, I mean, it's your life." Abby replies easily, returning the smile with one of her own. The explanation on Rodrigo gets a nod and she stops waving at him, "Are you sure he doesn't scare people off anyway? Lurking in the background? I mean- I'm sorry! No offense to him, but he's a little intimidating." She's still borderline talking to this guy who probably just wants to do his job, though he does come over and sit by them. "I'm sorry to hear about your accident and the husband, it sounds like you've had a lot of upheaval. So you're back in town?"
It's early afternoon and somehow these three have gotten into the club before happy hour can really start. Candace is appropriately dressed and Abby apparently just stumbled in off the street from work, in scrubs and a jacket. With messy hair. Though it's around now that she begins to wonder if she's wearing the wrong outfit and starts to at least shrug the outer layer off.
Candace's minder, Rodrigo, merely dips his head to Abby, without actually saying anything, whilst Candace sort of keeps chattering that beach-bunny voice of hers,"Well, I have to have him around one way or another. I think Aarni picked him out to be intimidating, though? And thanks. I suppose it's a lot, but it's not… Mmm… I mean, I'm still young, right? Look at you though… Nurse, doctor? Right? And you look like you've had a day and a half. Or is this just workdays for you? What about you? Dating, married? Thirty-five cats?" Okay, she's smiling a little more easily, now, at least. "And yeah… I'm living in Birchwood right now. It's kind of weird being back home and not staying in the trailer park."
It's far too early to go clubbing, but from the looks of it, Luke wasn't the only one who had a bit of day-drinking in mind. Coming in from off the streets, it's hard to tell if he's coming from work or just got the itch at random; he's dressed in a pair of clean jeans and a fitted t-shirt, dark in colour. There may be a scowl when he sees the 'no smoking' sign, but it vanishes when he catches sight of Abby upon entrance. "It's a little early for a party, eh? But at least there's no lines in here," he calls out to Abby in greeting, lifting a hand in a mild wave.
"You're definitely still young. Because if you're young, then I'm young. And I'm not ready to be old yet." That's some infallible logic right there. The bartender eventually does come by and Abby gives him her order while she fights with her white jacket, "Oh, I'm a doctor. I'm pretty sure that I've been up way longer than any person should be right now. But I'm the new guy at work, so!" Having freed herself from that particular prison, she folds her hands on the counter of the bar. "Well, I went on /a/ date recently. If that counts as dating. I'm not married and haven't been married. I don't have any cats yet, which is depress- oh hey, it's the veterinarian! What a coincidence." She waves at Luke from across the room, "Hey there! This is exactly the right time for a party."
Slipping back toward the bar some … sometime after an awkward conversation comes Briony once more. Dressed in a pink summer dress with thins traps, and mary janes, her hair loose. A touch of make up but not much. She catches sight of Abby at the bar and angles briefly in that direction, lifting a hand, "Hey doct… Oh, hello again, Candace." A nod of her head toward Abby, "Doctor Thatcher."
Awkwardness: INTENSIFIES.
"It's never too early to party. I have been drinking for a while now. I may be the taddest bit drunk." She doesn't get up, or offer the new arrival her hand,"Doctor, Doctor… Wow… I don't have any impressive credentials. At all. So tell me about this new guy… lady… person of non-specific gender identity? It's something, and more than I'm currently managing to give a shit about. Hi." She looks at Luke, and warns him,"Hi. I'm Candace, and I'm very blurty today." She tilts her head towards Briony,"Ask Peony. She suffered from a terminal case of overshare earlier." She looks down into her glass speculatively,"I need to probably slow down on these."
Luke utters a laugh at Abby, flashing her a broad grin. There's a glance as Briony skirts past him, but he just shrugs and makes his way to the bar. "You probably summoned me with the talk about cats, I felt this strange sudden -urge- to come here and get a drink," he remarks playfully to Abby, before he looks to Candace as he eases himself onto a free stool. "Hey. I'm Luke," he offers by way of greeting, lifting two fingers up to get the bartender's attention to get himself a beer. "What're we currently oversharing about?"
Okay, so. Everett definitely doesn't have any clout from being on the football team yet, so there's no chance they'd just let him in on personality alone. Thankfully, he did recently make an acquaintence with someone who has more money than sense, and who likes to go to bars even though she's underage. And since SHE had a fake ID, it only made sense that Everett get one, too. Which is what he uses to get in to the club, even though there's security. Now, if he can just manage to mind his own business and not get into any trouble, and as long as no one gets shot, he might be able to have a good evening! Everett scans the club and the begins making his way towards the edge of the dance floor where he can people watch for a minute and get his bearings.
Abby shrugs her shoulders at Candacy and smiles ruefully, "I think it was probably a one time thing. But still, nice to get out of the house." Because otherwise she'll get herself out of the house and it may or may not involve day drinking, apparently. She now has her drink in hand and is tipping it back when she hears 'doctor thatcher' and begins shaking her head. "No, no. That's not my name right now. My name is Abby." Even if she's still partially dressed from work. "Oh, I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm trying to subtly get your attention. Just talk about cats and get Luke to show up."
"New person?" asks Briony with a glance between Candace and Abby both. She then tilts her head in the direction of Luke— which means /up/ toward Luke. Her eyebrows draw together briefly and she rocks on her heels a moment. "Oh, shit, sorry did I like cut you off or something?" A shake of her head is given and she says to the bartendr, "Rum and coke again, yeah?" She shifts a little bit, not … sitting at the bar but just sort of hovering awkwardly, her gaze shifting over the dance floor a moment, studying the people there.
Candace smiles at Abby,"Well, it's been good to see you again, hun, anyway. Get my number from Rodrigo… I'll be happy to get you out of the house from time to time. Though I gotta say, Abby…" She inclines her head towards Luke,"That guy is a VET. A VET. He's good looking, and you know he likes animals. Why not take him out?" Yes. She just said that TO Abby, with Luke right there. Her having a drink is probably not a good thing. She does fill Luke in on the oversharing though,"Oh it was AWFUL. Yeah. She sits down, and five minutes later, I'm spilling my life story, and she didn't even ask, and it was just… Bleh." She shakes her head,"No good." The woman nods to Briony, though, face all serious.
Luke extracts his wallet from the pocket of his jeans, fishing out a five to lay on the counter when the bartender brings by his drink - a bottle of Blue Moon, which Luke promptly takes a gulp from. Abby's comments get a chuckle out of him, and he swivels on his seat to focus better on the group. "That'll probably work. Or I could just give you my numb..errrr," the words kind of just fell flat at Candace's mention, and he promptly shuts himself up with another swallow of his beer, his eyes far wider than they were moments ago. He manages not to choke down the alcohol, and whatever he was going to say to Abby is completely forgotten, as he looks aside to Briony and shakes his head quickly. "No, no. You're totally fine," he mumbles.
"Yes, I know he's a vet…" Abby starts to reply and then Candace keeps going. And going. Her eyes widen incrementally until they're as wide open as they can be. Thankfully this place has a lot of mood lighting, so it's impossible to tell if her cheeks are red or not. "Excuse me, bartender?" She holds up her index finger and waves her drink, half full. She finishes it and adds pointing into the now empty glass, "Can you just fill this with some whiskey, I think this is going to be a long night."
Alright, here goes nothing. After giving himself some time to adjust and relax, the feeling of being nabbed at any second and thrown out fades away and Everett makes his way on to the dance floor. Now, he's definitely not dancing with the stars. But, he /is/ pretty athletic and has a natural rhythm, so pretty soon, he's dancing like most of the other people on the floor. Operation: Blend In goes down as a success!
True fact there is a thing called fremdschamen… which is a german word for 'second hand embarrassment'. Which is what Briony is experiencing _right now_. She looks between Luke, Abby, and Candace. Her rum and coke is set down and she snatches it up, clearing her throat she says, "I, um… just gonna…" She points over her shoulder with her thumb, turns around, and starts for the dance floor. That's _got_ to be safer than being over there right now. She might be awkward but it's hard to be awkward on a dance floor, right? Right????
It doesn't stop there. No. Candace keeps going on. "It'll be fun." Now she's explaining it to Luke directly,"You're hot, she's hot. You're both doctors, she's a nice person, and you seem nice. You two could go be nice hot doctors, but together, in a public place, romantically." A pause, though, and then it intensifies,"Well, I suppose it could be a private place too." Now she turns to Abby, excitedly,"Oh, I could totally help you pick out some clothes, or something. You can borrow the driver!" She finishes off her glass, while Rodrigo is facepalming now. RODRIGO IS FACEPALMING. The man mouths 'I am so sorry' over her shoulder. "Go ahead, hun, give her your number." Rodrigo is making the cut-off motion towards the bartender even as Candace lifts her glass to signal for more whiskey.
Candace keeps going, and Luke's eyes grow to a point of saucer-wide, brows spiked clear into his hairline. He does nothing more except stare, awkwardly, and guzzle as much beer as he possibly can - so by the time Candace was done, and Abby was ordering whiskey, the bottle was near empty. "Oh, yeah, you know, whiskey sounds -great- right about now. Would you make that two? But make mine a double," he says to the bartender, "Please. Do you want a double, too? It's starting to feel like a double kind of night," he asks as an aside to Abby, before flashing Candace a tight grin, showing just a hint of teeth. "You're real.. nice," he offers.
The whiskey finds its way into her hands and she puts the glass to her mouth, staring at the ceiling as Candace just keeps going. She closes her eyes, opens them again. Is this still happening? This is still happening. She leans back in her seat and starts talking directly to Luke now, "So I mean, if you need to forget that you ever met? That is completely okay. I understand. First it was the coupon lady and now it's whatever is happening, I get it. It would be oka- More whiskey? Yes, I can do that. How about shots? SoCo and lime?"
Boogeying out on the dance floor, Everett just happens to be dancing near where Briony is. Seems like most of the folks are either partnered or grouped up, so Everett is one of the few people dancing solo. He doesn't seem to mind, though, just kinda grooving with the beat of the song, content to mind his own business. He is watching, though, so when he sees Briony making her way towards the dance floor, he offers her a smile- if she looks, anyway. Otherwise, then he's just smiling like an idiot. Or maybe he's smiling like an idiot, either way, and she'll notice? Who cares, it's fun, right?
Briony weaves her way through the crowd, ending up near to Everett. She downs the rest of her rum and coke and puts the glass down on the nearest table. She does squint at the smiling man for a moment, studying his face as if she were trying to judge his age… Hhhmmm… She's about to say something to him when she's jostled from behind and propelled directly toward him. "Ooof!"
The bartender quietly fills the woman's glass with water and food-coloring when Candace is looking away. Nope. No more whiskey for her. She moves to lift her hand up, to drink from her glass… And is left frowning when her arm comes up without the glass in hand, still in a c-shaped position. "Huh." Yup. Too much alcohol to make the dumb thing work. Oddly enough, THAT is enough to make the woman blush in embarrassment now. She abruptly clams up, and turns to face the bar, lapsing into silence, and folding her arms in her lap, now. Finally! She's actually quiet!
Luke's whiskey is poured right alongside Abby's own, and the vet seems more than a little eager to put the glass to his lips. But his gaze shoots aside to Abby when she speaks to him directly, and he manages to swallow heavily before uttering a low chuckle. "Uh, yeah. I think forgetting you is going to be kinda impossible at this point? I mean -maybe- after the cupcake incident. But after this?" he waves two fingers between the three of them, Candace included, "I'm pretty sure you've sort of been seared into my brain." he replies to Abby, and though he's laughing as he says it, he's probably at least halfway serious. And then, about a half a second too late, he realizes how that probably -sounds-, and he's wide-eyed all over again. "But yeah! Shots! Shots sound -great-," he tries to redirect course, "SoCo and lime, I like your style. I'll even pick up the first round." And the bartender's already pouring; maybe even he feels bad for all the awkward.
Hey, all that athleticism and practice have benefits /outside/ the football field! Who knew? As Briony is bumped towards him, Everett manages to reach out to try and catch her gently, making sure she doesn't wind up going to the floor. And, like a gentleman, he'll make sure to hold her until her balance is returned to normal, just in case her gyroscope is a little lubricated. "Watch where you going, jackass!" he shouts at the person who bumped her, before turning to smile down at the woman. "Hey, you aight? You good?"
"Goddamnit!" Briony swears as she's jostled about, and then … well hey she's not on the floor OR smashed into anyone. A blink is given when she looks down and spots hands helping her be steady… Her balance IS a little bit off; that gyroscope a touch more lubricated than normal. A huff is given and she manages to get her feet under her and her legs steady. A hand pushes her hair out of her face and she says, "Yeah, I'm good, thanks. Sorry about that— I'm so short people do that all the time." Her lip curls slightly in a grimace, and then she squints at Everett's face. "You, uh… You look a little young."
Abby is squinting at Luke as he keeps talking, then back at Candace. Then she just lifts her chin and tips back the whiskey. "You know what, I'm going to take that as compliment." That's a firmly made decision and she nods, happy with it. Or the whiskey makes her happy with it, either way. When the shots of SoCo and lime come around, she takes hers up and leans over to do a little glass clinking thing. "Cheers! To whatever is going on tonight." There's some shouting and jostling around out on the dance floor and she perks up, looking out there to see what's up.
Luke finishes off his whiskey, sliding his teeth over the corner of his bottom lip with a light chuckle. "That's.. actually how I meant it," he admits to Abby, softening some, and then immediately reaching for the SoCo and lime, perhaps happy for the distraction. "To uh.. a hopefully decreasingly awkward evening?" he offers before clinking his glass with Abby's own and promptly downing the shot, the glass set back down with a hard thunk. He was about to say something else when the commotion out on the dance floor steals his attention, and he turns in his chair to look.
Smirking as Briony gathers herself, Everett lets her go once she's stable. He shrugs at her comment, his smile not budging a wit. "You know what they say, right? Black don't crack. I been lookin' the same since I was like 13. It was cool back then, now? Not s'much," he says. His smirk turns more playful and he raises his hands up, palms up. "But I got in here, ain't I? So that means either I gotta be twenny-one, or I managed to get a kick ass fake ID. Which you think is more likely?"
Briony squints one eye at Everett, and then the other one. Then her eyes open fully and she looks Everett over from head to toe. It's not a particularly sexual look, mind. Though it could be taken that way since she's eyeing him over intently. She doesn't say it out loud but she does mouth the words 'black don't crack', before shaking her head. She runs a hand through her hair once more and says, "I mean… Fake IDs /are/ a thing." Her arms cross over her chest a moment and she tilts her head back so she can look Everett in the face a bit more, "But I suppose it isn't really my problem… I don't see a drink in your hand and I'm certainly not buying…"
"At the very least, I haven't bumped into anything and sent two cases worth of good beer onto the floor. Which happened to me yesterday when I went somewhere to watch the game. If I'm going to compare my two nights worth of embarassing scenarios…" Well, actually, Abby has to think about this one. Tough call. Meanwhile the bartender is giving her a /look/ and quickly scanning the area, as if he wants to make sure this crazy person doesn't knock his beer over too. "But yes, to a less awkward evening." She knocks back the shot.
Candace stands up a little woozily after a moment, and Rodrigo is at her side immediately, supporting her with a hand on her shoulder. He slides a card onto the bar next to Abby. Meanwhile, Candace manages,"Call me later. We'll hang out Abs. You two totally have fun, get drunk, and … rock out or something?" She begins to toddle towards the exit, supported by her assistant.
Luke shoots an amused glance back to Abby at her comment, a lopsided grin forming. "Well, I guess the good thing about embarassing situations is that it gives you a good story to tell?" he says, a deep chuckle accompanying the words. There is another glance to Candace and he tries not to sink into his chair, lifting a hand to wave at her as she departs. "Uh, be safe out there," he calls out to her, before he looks back to Abby. "Soooo.. was she a friend, or..?"
As Briony studies him, Everett gives her his best, 'All-American Boy' smile, placing his hands on his hips. "Yeah, they is. But, the question you gotta ask yo'self is, 'why is it so important to me if this guy is legal or not?' Cuz you right, it ain't yo' problem. 'less, of course, I turn out to be even nicer than I am attractive, and then you go'n have to decide which it is," he says, his smirk turning into an impish grin. "But, in the meantime, would you like to dance? I'm old enough for that, fa sho."
"Bye Candace! Bye Rodrigo, nice to meet you!" Abby calls to Candace and her minder, sounding chipper despite previously wanting to crawl under the bar stools and hide. It's probably the alcohol starting to warm up her system. "I'll give you a call," she tells the woman sincerely, her eyebrows drawing together thoughtfully as she leaves. With the bar less packed than before, she shifts a couple of seats over plops down next to Luke to continue the conversation with less Loud Bar Voice and leaning around. "I knew her in high school. I guess she just moved back after losing her husband, it sounds like she's had a rough year or two."
Briony's eyebrows draw together again and she tilts her head slightly to the side as she tries to follow something that he's head. "Uh…" She tucks her hair back behind her head once more and says, "Yeah, sure. I'm sure it'll be less painful than watching a very drunk woman try to wingman one of my coworkers and just embarrass the shit out of her."
"Oh, really?" Luke's expression's softened now that there's some flush to his cheeks, the alcohol helping relax whatever tension had been caused by the prior embarassment. He cants his head as Abby comes plopping beside him, his brows furrowing at her explanation on Candace. "That's pretty sad," he leans back into his chair some, stretching out a little more comfortably. "Hopefully being home will do her some good, huh? Do you want another drink?" he points a thumb to the bartender, who was still hovering nearby, before he reaches into his pocket to extract his wallet again and pull out some cash. "My treat," he offers to Abby."
"Yeah, that's what she said at least." Abby confirms with a swift nod of her head. "I hope so too. Maybe some grief counseling… and other things. I think she was just trying to be helpful." She tacks that last part on hastily at the end, her expression rueful as she looks in the direction Candace and Rodrigo departed in. "Sure! But let me get it. You said you were getting the last round." She occasionally glances out onto the floor and her mouth purses into a line before she hazards to Luke, "That guy Briony is with looks kind of young. Do you think he's just aging really well?" She doesn't sounds serious.
Everett grimaces and looks back behind Briony to where she probably came from. "Ouch! That don't sound good. And yeah, I promise I'll make it as painless as possible. You loosen up, you might even have a little fun while we're at it," he says, smiling at her as he backs his way further on the dance floor. And then he starts dancing again, and will mirror Briony as long as she doesn't get too exotic.
"Oh, yeah," Luke bobs his head in a small nod when Abby talks about Candace trying to be helpful, "I wasn't.. upset or anything, just a little embarrassed. But only because I was actually.. you know. Going to see if you wanted my number," he admits with a sheepish grin, adding quickly enough, "For the cats, of course." And then he's running his hand awkwardly through his hair, looking away from Abby to squint out onto the dance floor. "I think I saw that guy the other night. At Johnny Slim's," he mentions with a small, thoughtful frown.
Briony's nape prickles as if she can FEEL eyes on her. A glance is given toward Abby and she gives the doctor WIDE, WIDE EYES. What does that mean? It means something … but Bri hasn't developed telepathy so Abby might know what message she's trying to send. After a moment she turns back toward Everett and heads further onto the dance floor. And she's actually got some rhythm to her though she's not doing anything TOO exotic. Despite her awkwardness she's not a bad dancer. "So, uh. How old /are you/? Because you look super young, and I'm like … almost thirty." NOW the awkwardness is back.
"Right, of course. For the cats." Abby repeats, waving the bartender down to get them their next round of shots. "I mean, I /still/ do want the cat. So you could /still/ give me your number so that I could call you." With the embarrassment fading away and the whiskey working its magic, she even dares to show him a sly smile when she looks at him out of the corner of her eye. The main focus of her gaze is on the dance floor, at least for the moment. "That's the place someone was shot last night, wasn't it?" Briony is staring at her and Abby just kind of shrugs helplessly. She's not sure what that look meant.
Archer chuckles and rolls his eyes. "You ain't go'n know if I'm telling the truth, no-how," he replies, shrugging. "So ain't no point in asking. Does it make a big difference? Besides, if you's tryin' ta get to know someone, ain't it s'posed to start with names and stuff?" He smiles and winks, following her movements easily. He's not terrible, either. "I'm Everett, but just call me E. And I don't care if you near 40, you're very pretty and I'm happy to get to dance with you."
"Exactly. For the -cats-," Luke repeats with a nod, though he catches Abby's sly smile out of the corner of his eye, and he ducks his head with a light chuckle, his own grin a touch wide and revealing a dimple in his right cheek. But he slips his hand into his pocket regardless, pulling out his Samsung phone, swiping his thumb over the back of it to unlock the screen before he offers the phone over to Abby. "You wanna just text yourself? And then we can.. I dunno. Meet for coffee sometime. Or something," he rolls his shoulder up into a hint of a shrug, the grin fading abruptly when she mentions the shooting. "Yeah. I went out to make a call just before it happened, actually," he sighs.
Abby continues to let her friend dance out on the floor with the eighteen year old, oblivious (or pretending to be) to any wayward looks that might be a call for help. "Sure, I can do that." She takes Luke's phone and does the texting thing, pulling out her own just to make sure she didn't somehow muck the numbers up. Because that's definitely a thing after several shots of whiskey and whatever she drank before. Satisfied, she puts hers away and hands his Samsung back. "I should be free in the next few days. Remember to bring your binder of cats." Her shoulders give a little shudder, "I'm glad you got out of there."
Briony's eyebrows lift up at Everett's words and a little shake of her head is given. A mild tone is given as she says, "It matters." She's careful that although they're dancing close, they aren't actually touching. There might be the occasional brush of limb or hip, but she's rather careful to keep from full body contact. Her teeth worry over her lower lip for a moment and she says, "Ah, well thanks. But it makes if you're underage, plus … I don't have any business with someone more than a couple of years younger than me." A wink is given and she says, "But thanks for the drink and rescuing me from awkwardness… I should go though." She starts to peel away now.
Everett shrugs his shoulders and nods, smiling good-naturedly all the same. "Aight, that's fine, I feel you. All we was doing is dancing. But, nah, I ain't near thirty, so I guess that's that. Glad I could be of service to ya, though. And thanks for the dance," he says, nodding his head to her. "Have a good one," he adds as she moves away. And now he's dancing by himself again.
"Yeah. I guess it was a good thing I was on call that night else I wouldn't have stepped out," Luke says to her of the shooting at Johnny Slim's, his nose scrunching up. But he tries to shrug it off, taking his phone back after she's put in her number, flashing her a small grin. "I won't forget the cats, I promise. Though.." he trails off for a minute, straightening on his seat as he glances back to Abby, "Yanno, studies have shown that you're more likely to pick out the right cat over dinner," there's a heartbeat of a pause before he adds with a grin, "If you're willing?"
"Do you happen to have the statistics on that study handy? I'm going to need to see them before I can make any decisions." Abby taps her finger against the bar before glancing over her shoulder. "Oh, Briony left." She glances at Everett curiously before turning back to Luke. Then that same slanted smile is directed at him again and she quips, "I'm joking about the statistics. Sure, lets get dinner. I'll get dressed like a real person." She gestures at the scrub pants and tank top that she wore to this club. Very appropriate.
"Oh, it's a very popular study. Peer reviewed and everything. But I left my only copy at home, can you believe that?" Luke jokes with Abby, flashing her a groofy grin before he looks back over to the dancefloor. "Huh. She did. Left that poor kid dancing by himself and everything," he says of Briony, and apparently Everett too, before he looks back to Abby. Her outfit gets a once-over, before he smirks up to her. "I don't know. You look cute in the scrubs," he chuckles.
Well! A quick glance around tells Everett that, indeed, he may be too young for this crowd, afterall. If there were other early twenties folks around, he could probably blend in. But, no, most of these folks appear to be closer to their third decade. So, making an executive decision, Everett heads for the door.
"Oh, that's unfortunate. You don't keep a PDF of it downloaded onto your phone? I bet you could get more cats adopted that way." Abby watches as Everett escapes, laughing quietly under her breath. "Well, he looks like he's moved on. I'm sure he'll recover." She had a drink somewhere, before the shots. It's around now that she makes an effort to find it on the bar, dragging the glass closer. She catches that smirk and laughs more openly, ducking her head. "Very smooth."
Luke clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth, brows spiking as he looks over to her. "I never even thought of doing that! You're cute -and- smart," he grins broadly at her, reaching for the whiskey he hadn't finished either, tipping the glass up to his lips. "I try," he chuckles when she calls him smooth, eyes glinting with humour. "It's far easier when I've gotten a couple drinks in me. And it helps that I'm being honest," he wags his brows at her in a comical fashion.
"Unless…" Abby looks up at him thoughtfully before tapping her index finger against her lips. "There isn't a study and this is all an elaborate ploy to get me to go out to dinner with you." She lifts the glass and takes a drink, watching him over the rim. "But you have an honest face and you've had a few drinks, so I don't think you'd do that." Her tone is exaggerated just enough in the right places to imply some playful teasing, the bright smile at the end probably helping that along.
Luke's eyes widen at the playful accusation, feigning offense by touching his empty palm to his heart and gasping aloud. "I would /never/," he exclaims, just barely holding back a laugh, and he swirls what remains of his whiskey in his cup before gulping back the mouthful. The glass is set down as he tips his head back to her, looking right into her eyes. "I can promise you, Abby, that I have never before this moment made up a study just to get a date with somebody," he says genuinely, flashing her a broader, dimpled grin with the words.
Abby bites down on her lower lip, the only thing holding back a round of laughter. It's not very successful, after a moment she breaks down and covers her mouth with her hand and lowers her face into her hands. It's take a minute for her to get it under control, "Oh, of course. I definitely believe you." She fights back a further eruption of giggles, shaking her head. "Sorry, my god. I think I've had enough whiskey for the night, it went straight to my head. I'm going to go call an Uber and get home." She finishes off her drink, letting the glass rest on the counter and counting out whatever her tab is for the night before hopping off the stool. Before completely stepping out of his vicinity, she runs a finger down his arm, "Stay safe, looking forward to that date."
It doesn't take him long to lose it either - Luke's laughing the second she starts, ducking his head as deep and hearty chuckles rumble through him, and he has to knock his fist into his chest a couple of times to calm himself enough to agree with her on the whiskey, at least. "Yeah, it's probably time to call it a night," he agrees, fishing out his part of the tab from his wallet. He stays put though, glancing aside to her as she gets up, the touch to his arm focusing his attention there for a moment; his features soften, and he smiles at her as he bobs a nod in her direction. "Me too. You have a good night, Abby. Stay safe."