Oh, yes, it's Ladies' Night. And the feeling's right...

[bossyboiler]

Who: The Ladies (featuring Winter)
When: Tuesday Night
Where: Starting out a bar named TWenty-One and Cup and from there, who knows!?!
Summary: All of the girls have been invited. Now it's time for the Ladies enjoy a much needed night on the town. DRINKING GAME ALERT! Spot Winter, take a shot.
Notes: This is a mix and mingle style log. Post your own top-level, respond to others.
Warnings: N/A at the moment, will update if needed.


There's a new bar in Gloucester and the imported ladies mean to make the most of its first Ladies Night. Twenty-One and Cup promises half-off all pun-inspired drinks and shots are buy two, get one free. There are plenty of pun-inspired drinks such as Cinnamon Toast Punch, Tequila Mockingbird and Sauvignon Private Ryan. The puns don't stop there. Puns adore the various artwork surrounding the bar.

The rest of the bar's décor is casual. There are fairy lights that decorate the ceiling with a large disco ball in the center of the room that's meant to serve as the dance floor. Seating comes mostly in the form of tables but in the various corners there are booths to sit in. There are a smattering of couches here and there.

There's no need to worry about a designated driver. They all had to take the bus.

All signs point towards that it should be a fun evening for all though some may hate themselves in the morning.

Comments

[abrightboy]

He did go with her anyway; it had been more intended to warn her than to turn her down.

"Um. That was more brusque than most invitations," he notes, as he steps in front of her. "I never said 'no'." He gestures towards her. "You're Belova, right? I'm Meredith's roommate Malcolm."

[musicdied]

"Yelena," she corrects. That Winter at times calls her by her surname doesn't bother her - given their backgrounds and the fact that he still looks at his closest relationships in terms of a team, it makes sense.

That doesn't make it her preference.

"And I know who you are. Kate's mentioned you."

She holds out a hand to him, expression almost playful.

[abrightboy]

He shakes her hand.

“Ah, yes. I’m helping her with some of her… impulse control problems,” he explains of Kate. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I was just keeping an eye on Meredith. She hasn’t been feeling well.”

[musicdied]

Her grip is firm, and there are faint ridges on her fingers, calluses and small scars that speak to rough work. She breaks away after a moment, moving in time with the music. It will quickly become apparent that she has some training in dance as well, and decidedly more interest in keeping up with it.

"Did she ask you to?" she asks mildly. It isn't entirely clear which of the two other women she's inquiring about. Possibly both.

[abrightboy]

"I saw her assault a mime. It seemed more... humane to intervene myself than to wait for ADI to do it," he points out. "Considering they told me they'd kill her if it gets to a certain point. Though if you guys have it under control, I'm happy to step out of it."

[musicdied]

Her eyebrows lift slightly at the defensive justification, though there's no particular surprise in her expression. Kate had told her about the mime months ago, and she sees no particular need to feign ignorance.

"They told you this before you decided to intervene?"

[abrightboy]

“I had a one on one with Nia Lehrer early on,” he tells her. “And she was very explicit on company policy towards people who get sucked into serving the Entities.”

[musicdied]

"So after," she says dryly. She remembers those one-on-ones, attached to the ridiculous - and fortunately abandoned - attempts at corporate team-building.

"Kate has things under control. She doesn't need a minder."

[abrightboy]

“I’m not a ‘minder’ and she’s less confident in that control than you are. I’m just a concerned friend. But I only touch base when I see her. I don’t follow her around or even go looking for her,” he points out.

[musicdied]

"Those are pretty words. I haven't seen any evidence that you're either of those things," Yelena points out in turn.

[abrightboy]

He looks at her oddly.

"I... think I only claimed to be one thing," he says. He holds up a hand to belay an explanation; he has a more important question. "Did I do something to you? Because... I think we just met?"

[musicdied]

"To me? No," Yelena says. "And you are not going to be given the opportunity to change that. But in the approximately two minutes I've known you, in response to me saying that Kate's mentioned you and giving you just a little bit of rope, you've decided to tell me that she has impulse control problems and implied that she is violent, and attempted to manipulate me into believing that you inserted yourself into her life in order to save it. In a public place, where anyone can hear it. Even if these were the only things I knew about you, Malcolm Bright, it would be more than enough."

[abrightboy]

"I never said she was violent. Like. Inherently. She committed one act of violence. You're the one that wanted to know how I got involved. Did you want me not to be honest? I'm sure Kate told you the details. You're clearly close. What would be the point of me lying about it?" he asks.

[musicdied]

"Like I said, I gave you a little rope," Yelena says, rolling one shoulder in a shrug. "I wanted to see just what kind of person you are."

[abrightboy]

"...An honest one?" he suggests.

[musicdied]

She actually laughs at that, head tipped back in apparent delight. To anyone standing more than a foot or two away, it probably looks like he's just told an outrageously good joke.

[abrightboy]

"What's funny?" he asks politely.

[musicdied]

"You are," she replies. "You're very funny. Honest." She scoffs, shaking her head. "That's a good one."

[abrightboy]

"...I haven't said anything that isn't true," he points out, frowning in faint confusion.

[musicdied]

"You're not a magical creature out of an old story," she says, gaze flicking towards the ceiling as though she's begging strength from some celestial figure. "And not speaking a word that's technically untrue is not the same thing as being honest. Which I'm sure you know, since you're supposed to be some kind of psychological expert."

[abrightboy]

“I do know the difference,” he tells her. “But that’s not what I was doing. Telling technical truths. I said what’s actually true. I’m not sure what it is you think I’m either hedging or hiding. Maybe you can enlighten me?” he suggests.

[musicdied]

She seems to consider this for a moment, before deciding, "Hmmm...no. I think you know exactly what you were doing. You just didn't expect the stupid drunk girl to catch you."

[abrightboy]

"I didn't think you were either of those things and I wasn't trying to pull anything..." He pauses and holds up his hands. "But I get the signal. I'll. Go." He gestures to the door. "I'll just let Winter know I'm leaving. He asked me to keep an eye on things in here. The twenty percent he can't see."

[musicdied]

This time, she actually does roll her eyes. "I don't care if you stay or go, Malcolm. I don't like you, and the next time you threaten one of my friends or put them in danger, we're going to have a problem. But until then, I'm perfectly fine ignoring you while you sit and nurse your drink and pretend that anyone trusts your skills at threat assessment."

[abrightboy]

Threaten her friends? He’s friends with them. He looks confused again, but doesn’t open that Pandora’s box by asking.

“Thanks for the dance,” he tells her evenly, then heads back to his table to text Winter that he’s calling it a night, asking him to please make sure Meredith gets home safely. He takes his glass back to the bar, kissing Meredith on the cheek and asking her to let him know if she needs him to walk her home. He’ll come and get her. He’s just going to go home for a bit.

Then he heads out.