Participants:
| Scene Title | Of Fedoras And Corsets |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | On their first night out, experiencing in New York City's nightlife, Seamus and Lexi meet a few characters, making some promising contacts and possibly drumming up some business. Nadira stakes her claim for the night in Milton, who gets some fashion advice. Toby is, once again, delightfully fabulous. |
| Date | October 4, 2010 |
The pulsing beat of bass throbs through the walls of Rapture, a high-class nightclub in the heart of Harlem. Rows of expensive cars line up out front of the exclusive club and a crowd of would-be patrons wait outside, cherry-picked by the bouncers to have only the cream of the crop on the interior, while leaving just enough eye-candy outside to entice other patrons. The club serves as a respite for the trendy and the influential from the grind of daily life.
On the inside, Rapture is as much a spectacle as it is a structure. Multiple dance floors in tiered balconies overlooking an enormous central dance floor ringed by plush leather-upholstered booths. Pale blue light shines on the wrap-around bar that curved around the back of the establishment, and the entire building is filled floor-to-floor and shoulder-to-shoulder with the pulsing, flowing sea of people dancing to the rythmic beats of electronic dance music piped through the expansive sound-system.
While it may be difficult to get into the high-class nightclub that is Rapture, the wait is well worth it. Inside, the music thumps, the dance floor fills, the drinks flow and it's an all around wonderful place to forget your troubles. Even on a Monday. They say that when a civilization senses a downfall coming… they try to live it up all the harder. They party, they drink, they throw caution to the wind and live while they still can.
Not to mention, this is New York City.
Leaning against the bar, Lexington Lane surveys the club with a bit of an eager eye. There may even be a bounce here and there. Anticipation, no doubt. But first things first and first thing seems to be drinks! With Irish whiskey, of course. And if that insistence doesn't give away her origins, her accent surely will.
When trying to get into clubs, Seamus has found it helps to have a hot redhead on your arm. Even if she is your own sister. Within the club, the snappily dressed man faces the opposite direction beside Lexi, leaning forward on the bar and letting his eyes trail after a short skirt or two, grinning mightily with his own whiskey on the rocks in his hand.
Leaning towards Lexi, he says loudly over the music, "Feckin' good choice! Haven't been in a place like this since Dublin! I'd hate to think what we'd have to do to get to the exit quickly, though." The smirk on his face as he says this hints at a joke. …maybe? Regardless, he takes a drink, glancing over his shoulder…and frowning. "Is that skinhead checking you out?"
There is, frankly, no nightclub in town that doesn't know Tobias Benton-Ward, and as this lovely evening he's dressed to the nines in silk and other high-quality fabrics, he's practically a shoo-in. The tousselled blond hair of the man is expertly mussed, blue eyes sparkling with mirth and eager excitement as he steps inside.
But of course, one cannot party without dancing, and one cannot dance without drinks, and one cannot get drinks without approaching the bar. Threading his way through the other high-class clientele and already swaying to the beat, he steps up beside the pair of Irish newcomers to flag down the bartender for… "An appletini, if you please!" Wholly unashamed of his feminine drink order (to go with his feminine gait and his flamboyant attitude), he turns to look Seamus over, and then Lexi. "Why hello there, strangers! Love the beats here tonight! Having a good time?"
If there can be a good side to being stabbed and having to spend several days in hospital, it is that one doesn't get much chance to spend money. (Never mind the medical bills… they're still in the post). Milton, finally fully mobile again, is taking advantage of his temporarily swollen financial status to hit up a club that's a little way out of his normal league, and the lean youth is leaning up against the wall, trying (and not entirely failing) to look cool in his leather jacket and fashionable pants, as he toys with his shades in one hand. Peoplewatching.
The Egyptian woman has no problem getting into the club. Mostly, she's beautiful enough and pulling the mysterious act on the bouncer also helps. Tall, dark-eyed, and mysterious woman going to a club alone? Plenty to wonder about there. Nadira makes her way in, a small grin as she moves up to the bar, flagging a bartender down and having a short conversation. Bit of a complicated drink order. Nadira seems more than content, though, gaze shifting about the room for a moment. She'll take things in, have a drink, and then there's the dancing. She's got all the time in the world. At least, for now.
"Wouldn't be surprised," Lexi says to Seamus' last question. Modest? Not this one. "Which one?" She is trying to follow Seamus' gaze when Toby steps into her line of sight. And gets an instant, if amused smile. He's not a sight she and Seamus have seen much like in their years on the run and in hiding.
"Jaysus, boy," she exclaims with that smile widening a touch, "Where did you come from?" She doesn't mean to be rude or anything, but he's just so… fabulous.
Before getting a chance to point out the skinhead across the room, Seamus is being addressed. He glances briefly over…and does a doubletake at the man standing beside him, thick eyebrows flying up. "Jaysus!" he echoes, in the same timbre as Lexi, "Guess I'm bein' checked out as well," he says out of the corner of his mouth to the other Irish, stepping back to get a bit more "personal space" between him and Toby, though his smile for the fabulous man is friendly enough. "Doing fine, doing fine. Is Cirque du Soleil in town? And where can we buy tickets?"
Having been approached by one bogey, Seamus' eyes sweep over the crowd, noting the nerdish wallflower, and the dark beauty coming in. Especially the dark beauty, and he tilts his head with a smirk while watching her for a moment. Hmmm…
Toby doesn't mind the stares and surprise. Because he is quite fabulous, after all. "Oh, I came from the door!" he replies to Lexi with a grin before he reaches for his appletini from the bartender. "But it sounds like you two are up to your ears in Ireland!" He sips at his drink, seeming pleased enough.
Then he turns his attention to Seamus and presses his hand to his own chest. "Cirque du Soleil? I love Cirque du Soleil! So colorful, and the way they can twist? You have to wonder how much yoga they have to do to keep up a job like that. I'm Toby, by the way! You are…?" He looks at the pair, blissfully aware for the moment of other party-goers.
Milton watches the little clump of people form not far from him with some interest. A very cool-looking bunch. Well, hey, he's cool too. And moreover he's Evolved. He thinks a thought at them, just in case it works. Hey, you guys, check me out too. I'm cool as cool can be. I'm the people's poet, the voice of the future…
Nadira scans the crowd, giving a nod to the bartender (and offering a generous tip, as well) once her drink arrives. She takes it in hand, sipping it lightly before her eyes fall on the wallflower, Milton. She steps away from the bar. What? What's this? She's heading over. It's not just a casual walk, either. There is purpose in it. She promptly approaches him, one hand on her hip. "You know, clubs aren't for sitting in the corner. You don't look like you're having enough fun." She smiles broadly, then reaches to grab his wrist if she can and drag him towards the bar. "Come on, I'm getting you a drink. What kind of drinks do you like? Are you any good at dancing?"
"You attract a classy broad," Lexi asides to him before she looks back to Toby. There's a sense that their jabs are in good fun. At least, good fun for them. "Would that it were, we haven't seen much o' Ireland in some time. But it's a pleasure t meet you, Toby. I'm Lexi, this here's my brother, Seamus," she says complete with a rough smack to the man's chest. As Nadira literallt drags someone back toward the bar, Lexi can't help but smirk. Amused. Everything amuses her tonight, apparently.
Seamus smirks at Lexi's aside, and he shifts enough to bump her hip with his. More time for verbal swordplay later. "Born and raised, we piss Guinness and shit four-leaf clover—oof!" Rubbing his chest after that smack, Seamus gives Lexi a sideways look…and waits until she's about to take a drink before he taps the underside of her glass, giving the redhead a bigger gulp than she'd planned on.
Glancing over, the wallflower is gone. Where'd he…oh /ho/! Lucky bastard, Seamus thinks with a grin as he sees Nadira with her victim. Hiding his grin behind a sip of his own drink, he looks back to Toby. "Mmm…what's that you're drinking, Toby? Looks like a warmup, to me." Trust an Irishman to be snobbish about alcohol.
Toby can't help but laugh a bit, catching that aside. "Seamus, Lexi, a pleasure to meet you!" he declares, extending a hand to each to shake. But mentioning their Ireland-free predicament, he continues, "A pity! I guess you'll have to bring the Emerald Isles to lovely Enn-Why-See, huh?"
Toby drinks fairly delicately, sipping lightly at the fruity alcohol as he turns his attentions to Seamus with a lightdare I say, flirtysmile. "This, my dear man, is an appletini. Absolutely refreshing. I don't truck well with whiskeys, unfortunately. At least not when I'm supposed to be dancing!"
Of course, then they're both looking Milton's way and his attention finally meanders in his direction. "Ooo, looks like someone's going to be having fun tonight," he observes in amusement, before turning back to the bartender. "Excuuuse me~," he calls, a bit sing-song, "what do you have in the way of appetizers?"
Milton is astonished by the success of his own mental ploy. Can it be that he does have The Power after all? This needs further investigation… But that can wait. For now, he has a complete beauty paying attention to him. With what he hopes is a relaxed and casual laugh he lets her take his wrist and tow him towards the bar. "I could go for a rum-and-coke," he confides. "And I dance like nobody's watching, honey. Except now, I can't. Because I know you're going to be watching me." He delivers those lines with an inner qualm, but with outward cool. Let's look at it logically, he thinks. Pretty girls don't generally look at me. But this pretty girl seems well stricken with me. Therefore my mental powers must be controlling her. Therefore… oh boy, oh boy. I can feed her lines that a lounge lizard would cringe at and she should lap 'em up.
"Oh, don't be silly. They'll be watching me, and if you'd like, I can shut my eyes so you can dance to your heart's content." Nadira, looks towards the bartender, ordering Milton's drink before looking back towards him. "I'm Nadira, now… what's your name?" She offers before glancing around the bar a bit. "I'm glad you came along. It's a shame to see anyone just sitting around not having fun like that. Not in a club. You want to brood, you go to a bar, not a club."
When Lexington very nearly chokes on that extra liquid, she fights to swallow it down before she turns to throw a punch at Seamus' arm. While it's a playful punch, ya know, for them, it's actually fairly forceful. And it comes with a muttered, "Sheepfucker."
With a breathy chuckle, she turns back to Toby, "We're tryin'! This place could stand a little more Irish around." And then, his flirty smile to Seamus just… has her laughing, oh boy. This is fun.
OW! Seamus chokes briefly on his own drink as he gets a punch to the arm and he leans /hard/ into Lexi, pinning her sideways against the bar with a grin. "I knew I shouldn't've unchained you from the stove, you psycho broad."
His deeply amused smile drops away however as he's confronted with that Look from Toby. Oh shit, deer in headlights! "Y'don't say? Well, sorry but that's a dealbreaker for me. I only date girls who can enjoy a good whiskey sour now and again." Phew! Dodged that bullet. One point to Seamus, and he's smiling again, clearly proud of himself.
Toby watches this exchange with fascination, amusement and mirth glimmering in his blue eyes. And when Seamus makes that look, that amusement only grows. And, because he can't resist, he only turns up the flirtiness more. He even lightly drags a finger around the rim of his martini glass! Obscene! "Who said anything about dating?" he asks innocently, before taking a sip and looking at the man over the rim of his glass. This is fun!
"Milton," drawls Milton. "Total pleasure to meet you, Nadira. And I wasn't brooding. I was just watching people… and waiting for someone like you to go by." The barman arrives back with a rum and coke for him, and he collects it nonchalantly. A little further down the bar, what seems to be a good-natured scuffle breaks out, but Milton only has eyes for Nadira just now. "So what on earth's a girl like you doing here alone?" he goes on.
"Milton," Nadira looks at Milton seriously. "You do not go to a club to people watch. People who are alone in clubs and say they are just people watching are either lonely or they are stalkers and I like to think the best of people. I'm here because I like to drink and I work too hard at my two jobs and need more of a social life." Well, it seems Milton's got his drink, and the Egyptian woman promptly grabs for his wrist and drags him over towards what looks like to be an interesting group of people at the end of the bar. "Hello, everyone. This is Milton. Milton, these are your new friends. New friends, feel free to introduce yourselves to Milton. Do not be shy." She swallows down the rest of her drink and slides the empty glass over to the bartender before looking at the group. "See, Milton, 'people watching' is a lot more fun when you watch up close, is it not?"
Lexi oofs as she's pinned to the bar. "You're lucky you did! I was in the middle of poisonin' your dinner!" Yes, the love. It's deep. Shoving at him so she can stand up straight again, Lexi smirks over at Toby… and then laughs a little louder. "My lord, I just want to wrap you up and carry you home," she says to the fabulous stranger. And when Milton gets pulled over, she slides and arm around Toby's shoulders, pointing at him with one finger and her rocks glass. "This is Toby. The sour lookin' mick is Seamus and I'm Lexi. Come have a drink with us, Milt," she says easily, because Irish hospitality is at it's highest when there's alcohol around.
"Pah! I drink poison every night! You're on a fools errand to try and kill me, lass. I'll be hasslin' you til we're old and gray." Seamus says with a grin. Toby's comeback has Seamus stopping mid-train of thought, eyeing the man wiht great trepidation. Uhhhh…
And hallelujah! There's a distraction in the form of an Egyptian beauty tugging a nerd along behind her. "Don't listen to the mouthy broad. The only sour in this mug," Seamus gestures to his face with a grin, and gives a cheery wink to Nadira, "Is from a whiskey sour. Milton, good to meet ya. C'mon, have a drink on me, and you can tell me what kind of bait you're using," he says, gesturing with his glass to Nadira. With a laugh, he slaps a hand down on the bar. "Barkeep! Four…Five drinks for my friends here, on me!" Irish hospitality is alcohol.
Toby looks over as the lovely Egyptian woman and the be-leathered wallflower join the group, and he gives them both a friendly grin. Upon Lexi's introduction, he extends a hand to Milton, looking pretty damn amused. "Pleasure to meet you, Milton! And what's your name, lovely lady? I just love your boots! Where'd you get them?" He twiddles a bit with the little umbrella in his drink, grinning at each of his compadres in turn. "Oh! And some onion rings, too. I'm just dying for onion rings."
Milton looks around the clump of people he's suddenly been thrust into. Another pretty girl (as if one wasn't enough!); one guy who looks like he belongs in a boxing ring; and one who looks like he's just stepped out of a photoshoot. Milton mentally damns them all, but conjures up a smile somehow. He directs it mostly at Lexi, who at least seems not to resent his presence, and who unlike the pretty guy with the cocktail, isn't immediately trying to schmooze the girl he was just trying to impress. "I can relate to that," he drawls in measured tones, lifts his rum and coke, and disposes of half of the glass in one swallow. "This your regular watering hole?" he adds to Lexi as he sets the drink down, toying idly with his unworn shades again.
"Pleasure to meet you all," Nadira offers, surveying the group now that they're up close. See? People watching is better when it's an interactive sport. An eyebrow is raised as Seamus makes the generous offer of drinks for everyone. "Make mine scotch. On the rocks." She offers towards the bartender before she observes the group again. Toby's comment about her boots catches her attention and she grins broadly. "Nadira Karim," she introduces herself. "As for the boots, got them at a little store, names escapes me at the moment. Sells corsets and various sorts of garb. Shop there for work from time to time. Fantastic place. I'm sure the name will come to me eventually."
"Regular? Not yet," Lexi says to Milton, "We're testing it out. We don't get up to Harlem very often, but heard a rumor this place was too good to miss. It's just too bad about this completely daft curfew business." Lexington certainly doesn't resent his presence, or even the presence of another pretty girl, which would normally set a girl's hackles up… this one just takes her in with a broad smile. "You should come by our place, a little vintage boutique on the upper west side… I just got in a shipment of corsets, trust me, it was very hard to put them up or sale and not just keep them for myself."
Seamus grins at Nadira's request, holding up two fingers to the bartender. "Make two of those scotch on the rocks. Gotta keep up with your girl when drinking, kid," Seamus says, swinging a hand out and cuffing Milton heavily in the shoulder. It's friendly, but it still hurts a little. The half-drunk lug tends to forget his own strength.
As the conversation turns to Nadira's corset, Seamus' eyes fall to her cleavage, eyebrows going up. He pulls his away after only a moment though. Cleavage is like the sun, you're not supposed to stare at it. Instead, he quirks a curious eyebrow to Lexi, some idea having been put in his head.
"You know…we can probably turn over that shipment faster if we had a girl or two to model those corsets. Put up some full-color pictures around the store." Seamus sweeps his hand through the air over his head, grinning eagerly. "See how gorgeous you can look! Yeah, sounds like a winner, eh?"
"Ooo, a vintage boutique? Count me there! I just love vintage. Some of the best ties I have are vintage." Toby cocks his hip a bit as he finishes off his appletini and sets the empty glass on the bar with a gesture to the bartender. "Another, if you please!" He turns and then bites his bottom lip in thought for a moment before pointing to each person in turn. "Nadira, Milton, Lexi/A/lexi? or just Lexi?Seamus. Right?"
Milton hates people who call him 'kid', and he hates scotch. He mentally sends a laser beam straight at this big, bluff, annoying Irish bastard, just in case his evolved powers suddenly now also include the power to call down death from above on his enemies. Assuming that nothing of the kind happens, he shrugs, grins, and finishes his rum-coke, then nods to Toby to confirm his name. (Jesus, being Milton's bad enough, what kind of idiot names their son Toby?) "Retro's not my style," he says, "and neither are corsets, oddly enough. I'm thin enough without squeezing myself into one of those."
Nadira's eyes light up at the mention of Lexi's vintage boutique. "Sounds like it would be worth checking out," she comments, and one can almost see the gears turning in her head a bit. She peers towards Seamus with a bit of a laugh as another scotch is ordered. "I would not doom anyone to attempting to keep up with me. I'm a bartender, so I know how to hold my alcohol." She looks carefully between Lexi and Seamus. "I think Lexi is perfectly capable of showing them off herself. She has got a beautiful figure and red hair goes wonderfully with a vintage look." Milton's comment about corsets catches her attention and she smirks. "Corsets are not about making you skinnier, necessarily, they are about accentuating shape. Wonderful for posture, too."
"Well, see, Seamus… you do that, and then the average, non-model type comes in, tries it on, doesn't look like the model and it's just discouraging." Lexi is, above all, a saleswoman first, and having unhappy customers is never a good thing. She points over to Nadira, though, "That's an idea, but I do like to let the products speak for themselves. But you can stick around anytime, if you're gonna be so complimentary," she says with a grin. For Toby, she adds, "It's called Miss Aphrodisia's. Come by sometime, have a look around. And it's just Lexi. Short for Lexington."
"You're missing the most important factoid, Lex. Any woman looks better in a corset." Seamus isn't a salesman, but he does know what he likes. And he likes girls in corsets, apparently. The brash and blunt Irishman smiles in mild confusion for Milton's glare, and he rubs at his nose. "Is there somethin' on my face, bucko?" he asks, eyeing his finger briefly before rubbing at the other side of his nose. Nadira's comment gets him stopping in his tracks, and he raises an eyebrow at her. His eyes slide down her feminine frame, and he fights back a small laugh. "Bartender, huh? Where do you work?" No comment about how frail women couldn't possibly keep up with an Irishman. His willpower is improving!
"Lexington? Fascinating name! Toby, of course, is short for Tobias." Toby plucks up his new drink to take a pleased sip, looking between the people around him. "Miss Aphrodisia's? I will happily look them up! By the by, do you need any ah… bottles or bowls or ornaments or what-have-you? Perhaps business card holders? I blow glass in my spare time; something of a hobby. I'd be happy to make you a few pieces if you were interested."
He looks over to Nadira as well. "Ooo, wherever do you bartend? I love the night scene here. So fun. And Milton, I think you'd look fabulous in a stetson, so don't go knocking retro. Hmm, but it'd have to be the right color."
Milton smiles back at Nadira. "Well, they certainly work on you," he compliments her, and allows his eyes to wander down over the aforementioned shape for a carefully timed three seconds before they return to her face. "Don't they make it difficult to breathe, though?" That last question is divided between both women present. He's about to speak again to Seamus when Toby's remark knocks him sidelong. "And what color stetson would you estimate I would look 'fabulous' in, pray tell?" he asks, his voice descending into something of a parody of Toby's own.
"I will certainly drop by, Lexi. Sounds like a wonderful place." Nadira comments, her eyes flickering back to Seamus. "I actually have two jobs. Tartarus, it is a goth club. If you are a fan of corsets, there are more than a few. One of my dearest friends, Quinn, is the DJ there and she wears one consistently. She is a charming Irishwoman too, though she has lived in the states most of her life. I am sure she would love to meet the both of you… though I think she might be more fond of meeting Lexi, if you understand my meaning." The Egyptian woman grins slightly at that. "My other job is bartending over at a bar called The Stop. I had not intended on having another job, but he would not take no for an answer and he is an old friend and mentor, so I have a bit of an obligation there. She quirks a brow at Milton's mention of the corsets and breathing problem, then she smiles. "Not really. Victorian corsets are very different than modern corsets. It is quite comfortable."
Lexington just reaches up to ruffle Seamus' hair at his comment, and chuckles a bit before she finishes off her drink and sets her glass down on the bar. "Tobias is fascinating, too, luv! And please, look us up. We have… a little bit of everything and new stock all the time. So, I'll be so disappointed if you don't drop in. My stupid brother is there, too. I put him to work." She looks over toward Milton and Nadira, flashing them both a smile. "Bring anyone you'd like, all are welcome. Whether they're into Seamus or myself."
"Your "stupid brother" is the one fixing all the broken antiques you bring in, remember, Lexi. You'd just be a regular junk shop if it weren't for him." Seamus gives his head a shake, trying to get his shaggy hair to settle after that ruffle. No dice…so he does the same to Lexi, mussing up her beautifully combed red locks. After her remark to Nadira and Milton, Seamus' hackles go up and he adds quickly, "Only if they're ready to be respectful to the shopkeep. Any guys who treat my sis or any woman in the shop like a piece of meat are out on their ass before they can blink." Slipping an arm protectively around Lexi's waist, he raises his glass, and points a finger at the pair, though mostly at Milton. "And that's a promise, pass it around."
Relaxing, he smiles at Toby. "Well, we mostly sell antiques…but bring some of your stuff by, and we'll see if we can't scuff it up a bit and raise the value. And Milt…you should swing by, too. Fedoras are like corsets for guys. They /always/ look good."
Now Nadira, he's not sure how to react to that, though the mention of her running two bartending jobs has him certainly grinning. And corsets! Hmmm… "You tend there Friday nights?" he asks, head tilted thoughtfully as he slowly drains the last of his scotch on the rocks. And surreptitiously steals the fresh glass sitting by Milton's elbow on the bar. If he's not going to drink it, no sense letting it go to waste!
Something in what Nadira says just lights Toby up and he turns towards the Egyptian woman. Gasp! "Quinn — yea tall, rockstar Quinn? Ohmigosh, she's the sweetest girl! I used to superintend for her building, but I'm a novelist now. And, Tartarus is a fun place. I've been there a few times!" And then with that out of the way, he scrutinizes Milton a bit. "Mm, black. I do think a black stetson would look quite dapper on you! Perhaps a charcoal."
But, he straightens and downs his drink. "I'll bring some things by," he promises Lexi and Seamus, and when a new song starts thumping through the club, he beams brightly. "But in the meantime, I'm in the mood to dance! You're all welcome to join me, of course! Ooh, I love this song!" And the flamboyant man starts shimmying his way towards the dance floor with a cheery whoop.
Something in what Toby says gives Milton pause for thought. "You're a writer —?" But the flamboyant man is gone, heading off to dance before Milton manages to get a word out. "Hell," he growls into his empty drink, and reaches round for the scotch he thought was at his elbow. Only it doesn't seem to be there any more. Shrugging, he turns back to Nadira, who still seems his safest bet for conversation in this club. "What do you think? Should I go and find myself a black Stetson? Or will everyone think I'm trying to look like Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name?"
There's a bit of a laugh from Nadira as she nods towards Seamus. "Anyone I would bring into the shop would be more than respectful. I would not stand hanging around someone like that." She comments before she nods a little, "Most Fridays. I am most always at one or the other. A bit of a workaholic, but… can you blame me? Working in a bar is fun." As Toby mentions Quinn, the Egyptian woman grins broadly. "That would be her. She is a sweetheart indeed, one of my best friends. You should come by later in the month… Tartarus is having a costume ball based on the film, The Labyrinth. Elaborate costumes, performers, mystery, magic… that sort of thing. Not to mention drinks. Personally, I think it is worth going to just to see the costumes everyone's planning." Oops, and there's Toby off to dance. The Egyptian woman laughs warmly. "I do not think it would look like you are trying too hard. He's right. It would look fairly classy. You can always try one on and see how it looks."
Dancing, now… that gets Lexi's attention. She gives Milton and Nadira both a friendly smile, and says, "Not to break up the party, but I'm in the mood to dance, too. And Seamus needs to loosen the hell up. Come join us, if you're up to it." And with that invitation, she grabs Seamus' arm and drags him in Toby's wake.
Seamus nods to Nadira, scrunching up his nose with a smile at the mention of a costume party. "Is that right? And yeah, listen to the woman, Milt. Get a proper suit, and the girls will be all over…whoops!" He's being tugged away, but the stubborn Irishman lingers by the bar long enough to down the rest of his scotch in one gulp before dropping it on the bartop, letting the glass rattle around. Two fingers get held up as he's dragged off, the man's smile turning sideways as he shouts to the barkeep, "Two more drinks for my friends, there! Milt, I'm gonna come find you and drag you to the shop if you don't swing by! Nadira, you too!" That said, he turns towards the dance floor with Lexi, his arm going automatically around her waist. All the easier to say to all the other guys in the club, "Hands off".
Milton is looking, and feeling, a little stunned. But it's not altogether a bad sort of stunned. Hell, if this is the social life of an Evolved man, why did it take so long for him to discover his power? The bartender delivers up the final two drinks with a smile, and Milton pulls some money from his pocket to tip him as he takes the drink and — for the first time in his life — downs it in one. Then he turns to Nadira with a slightly wild smile. "Well, I ain't got no stetson yet, but am I cool enough to dance with anyway?" And he holds out a hand, hopping down from the bar stool in readiness.
Well, seeing Milton down a drink gives Nadira a bit more respect for the man and so, not to be outdone, she takes her own drink and downs it without a second thought. It is most definitely not the first or the last time she would do so. The Egyptian woman laughs, glancing at the dance floor where the others have taken off to, and she accepts Milton's hand. "I could do with a dance."