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mariawarrington ([info]mariawarrington) wrote in [info]heureuxlake,
@ 2025-01-02 18:57:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:Δ threads, → cap pucey, → dorret loving, → eric reed, → evangeline ellison, → gregory harris, → kamari mousavi, → mal webber, → maria warrington, ∞ 2000: 12, ◦ sunny's bar & club

RP: Karaoke for a new year
Who: Open to all
What: A special holiday karaoke night about new beginnings
When: December, 31st, 2000 [Backdated]
Where: Sunny's Bar & Club
Warnings: Open
Completion Status: Ongoing


Come one, come all, and sing away your regrets.
Welcome the new year with a song in your heart, a drink in your hand, and a friend by your side, at Sunny's.


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Evie & Cappie
[info]_evangeline_
2025-01-03 09:44 pm UTC (link)
Evangeline stepped into Sunny’s – one of the places on the list her soon-to-be landlady, Iris, had sent her, when she had asked about local bars that was open on New Year’s Eve – the warm air greeting her like a much-needed embrace after the chill outside. The bar was alive with energy, an ebb and flow of sound and movement. Laughter bubbled up from a group near the dart boards, while a woman’s voice – slightly off-key but bold and carefree – carried from the karaoke stage in the corner.

The emotions hit her almost at once, a jumbled tide of excitement, joy, and a faint undercurrent of nerves. Anticipation fizzed in the air, sharp and electric, mingling with the warmth of camaraderie and celebration. Beneath it all, she caught whispers of something quieter – loneliness, perhaps, or reflection, even some heartbreak – emotions that lingered at the edges, easy to miss if one wasn’t looking for them.

Evie drew in a steadying breath, her hand brushing the edge of her scarf, before she unwound it and folded it over her arm where she could still touch it. She focused on the texture of the fabric, letting it anchor her as she carefully filtered through the storm of feelings that weren’t her own. It was a well-practiced routine – identifying what belonged to her and gently setting the rest aside, like brushing crumbs off a table.

Her gaze drifted across the room, taking in the clusters of tables, the long bar counter lined with bottles that caught the light, and the raised section where dart boards and pool tables drew their own small crowds. The atmosphere buzzed with celebration, and though she felt the weight of unfamiliarity – new place, new people – it was impossible not to be drawn into the hum of it all.

As she made her way to the bar, she let herself settle into the rhythm of the room. The burst of emotions had subsided to a manageable hum, and while the weight of the past year still lingered in the back of her mind, the sense of new beginnings threaded through the air was impossible to ignore.

This was exactly why she’d come out tonight. Not for the karaoke or the crowd, but for a chance to lose herself in the energy of others, to mark the turning of the year with something more than quiet reflection.

She slipped onto a stool and gave the bartender a small nod. “Manhattan, please,” her voice crisp and clear amidst the local chatter.

The bartender, a man in his late twenties with a quick, easy grin, arched an eyebrow. “You got ID?”

Evie hesitated, caught off guard. “Really?” she asked, a trace of humour lacing her voice. She had heard about the American purity, but she had never been asked for ID back in England, and here, she was still old enough to buy a drink.

“Rules are rules,” he replied with a shrug, though there was an unmistakable glint of mischief in his eyes. “Unless you’re after a Shirley Temple. No ID needed for that. Even comes with a cherry, just like a Manhattan.”

Her lips twitched as she fished her passport from her bag, sliding it across the counter with deliberate flair. He opened it, scanning the details, and then his grin widened.

“Well, well,” she said, setting the passport back in front of her. “Looks like it’s not just a Manhattan kind of it. It’s a birthday night!”

Her eyebrows lifted slightly, as she tucked the passport away. “You don’t say,” she replied dryly, the faintest hint of a smile playing on her lips.

He laughed softly, nodding as he began to mix her drink. When he returned, she accepted the glass with a quiet thanks and took a sip, letting the bittersweet flavour settle on her tongue.

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Evie & Cappie
[info]_evangeline_
2025-01-03 09:45 pm UTC (link)
For a while, she simply watched the ebb and flow of the bar. Conversations rose and fell, someone cheered over a pool shot, and another brave soul took the stage to tackle a rock anthem. It was a lively space, the perfect blend of energy and warmth.

She was halfway through her drink, when the bartender returned, placing a drink in front of her. With a failed attempt at stifling his grin, he added a stemmed cherry to the top of it. “For the birthday girl,” he said, his grin now unapologetic. “Figured a Dirty Shirley might suit you better than a straight Shirley Temple. Whiskey. Bold, but not too sweet.”

Evie glanced at the drink, then back at him, her brow arching slightly in curiosity. “And if I’d looked like a tequila sort of woman?”

“Then that’s what it’d be,” he replied, undeterred. “But whiskey felt right.”

Her smile widened as she picked up the glass, the cherry stem brushing against her fingertips. “Cheers, then.”

The bartender nodded and moved on to another customer, leaving Evangeline to take a sip of her drink, the whiskey cutting through the grenadine’s sweetness in just the right way. She toyed briefly with the cherry stem, twisting it between her fingers, still slightly baffled – though highly amused – at what had just happened.

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Re: Evie & Cappie
[info]clpucey
2025-01-05 10:36 pm UTC (link)
Cappie had sidled up to the bar just a moment before and he couldn't help but (poorly) stifle a laugh at the bartender's conversation. Shameless, really.

He was nursing two fingers of whiskey himself - neat - and was only on his second since arriving with various members of the Pack. Eric and Maria were off somewhere flirting, of course, and he was avoiding another awkward conversation with Kami, and definitely doing his best to avoid Fiona. So he'd mostly kept to himself, not particularly feeling the excitement of everyone else in the crowd.

But the bartenders obvious attempt at flirting with the British visitor (based off the accent) had shaken laughter loose from him. He turned in his spot and gave her a big grin, "Well, that took guts," he said with a nod toward the fresh drink sitting in front of her. He took a sip of his own and just smiled down at where she sat on her stool.

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Re: Evie & Cappie
[info]_evangeline_
2025-01-06 07:31 pm UTC (link)
Evangeline glanced up from the drink in front of her, catching the grin of the man who’d spoken. His presence was striking – not just his good looks, though they were certainly hard to miss, but the easy warmth in his smile. Yet beneath it, she could feel a faint, lingering ache, like a soft hum of a string pulled too tight. She tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a small, wry smile.

“Guts? Not quite the anatomy I had in mind,” she replied, gesturing towards the drink. “Either way, I wasn’t about to refuse free whiskey. It’d be rude.”

Her gaze flickered to his glass, then back to him. Speaking of whiskey,” she added, her tone light, “you seem to be nursing yours like it’s going out of style. Is that the secret to surviving New Year’s Eve around here?”

She wasn’t entirely sure what had prompted her to say that, but something about his energy felt… familiar, in a way she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Playful, perhaps, but with an undercurrent of something heavier. She didn’t press, though – Evangeline had learned long ago that sometimes, people spoke volumes in what they didn’t say.

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Re: Evie & Cappie
[info]clpucey
2025-01-12 07:43 pm UTC (link)
Cap couldn't help the big laugh that came out of him at her retort. "Good point," he conceded, though he wasn't the sort to just announce anything balls to a perfect stranger. His mother would be so proud.

He looked down at his drink, and then looked back at her, "Well, it doesn't do much for me, sadly," he really wished sometimes he could just get hammered, damn Were genes, "but it does take the edge off when I'm dragged out to be social by my friends." He used the word friends instead of pack because he wasn't quite sure what she would think of that.

"And what about you? That accent definitely doesn't scream 'local'."

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Re: Evie & Cappie
[info]_evangeline_
2025-01-12 08:02 pm UTC (link)
Evangeline’s lips curved into a mischievous smile, her fingers tracing the edge of her glass. “Oh, you mean this accent?” she asked, feigning surprise as if she’d just realised she had one. “It’s actually very specific to a little-known neighbourhood right here in Tarrytown. Very niche.”

She paused just long enough to let the absurdity of her statement settle before her smile widened, her tone softening with amusement. “No? Not buying it?”

Taking a sip of her drink, she glanced at him over the rim of her glass, before she leaned slightly closer. “Fine, you’ve got me. I’m from Bath, England. Just visiting for work, though, and thought I’d see what New Year’s Eve in this corner of New York has to offer.”

Her tone was light, but her gaze lingered on him for a moment, her curiosity sparking again. There was something about the way he spoke, about the way he carried himself, that hinted at more than he was letting on. “What about you? You don’t exactly sound local either,” she added, her smile tugging at one corner of her lips. “Or is that just me imagining things?”

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Re: Evie & Cappie
[info]clpucey
2025-01-12 08:06 pm UTC (link)
Chuckling at her ruse, he nodded along until she 'admitted' she wasn't a local. When she asked him the same though, he turned to lean against the bar, bringing his body closer to hers where she at on the stool next to him. "No, just moved here myself, but I'm from Seattle," he wasn't fully from the city, but it was close enough of an answer. "Running away from a broken heart and all that," he gave her a look of all big eyes and pouty lips, to make a joke of it.

"If you wanted to experience New Years Eve in New York for the first time, though," he said, changing the subject from himself, "you probably picked literally the most boring corner of the state you could have found. No interest in getting smushed by a million drunk idiots in Times Square?" He took a larger sip of his whiskey, enjoying the way it burned down his throat, but wishing yet again that it would do more than simply dull his world.

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Re: Evie & Cappie
[info]_evangeline_
2025-01-12 08:31 pm UTC (link)
Evangeline’s smile softened as he leaned closer, her gaze flickering briefly over his expression. There it was again – that faint ache she’d noticed before, lingering beneath his light-hearted words. She tilted her head, letting the playful edge in her tone remain, but tempering it with a touch of gentleness. “Running from a broken heart…” she mused, her lips curving slightly. “You’re braver than most to admit it… even if you are making a bit of a show about it.”

She plucked out the cherry from her drink, catching the berry behind her teeth as she pulled off the stem. “As for Times Square,” she began, shaking her head with a quiet laugh. “Let’s just say I didn’t cross the Atlantic to get jostled by a million drunk strangers under a glittering ball. I came here form something else entirely – and it’s not in Manhattan.”

Her fingers traced the rim of her glass thoughtfully, as her gaze met his, curiosity still very present in her brown eyes. “What about you, though? Seattle to Sleepy Hollow is a curious leap. Broken heart aside, what’s drawn you here? Something, or someone?”

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Gregory + Kami
[info]pillpoppers
2025-01-05 11:02 pm UTC (link)
Gregory had taken the train up from the City and gotten himself a room at a little B&B called Myrtle House for a couple of nights to celebrate the New Year. Her certainly had plenty of vacation time to burn through, having never used any (can't make quotas on vacation). Dorret's invitation had surprised him, even if they'd been texting to keep in touch since she'd moved from New York. Then again, his surprise at being invited probably wasn't anything to her surprise when he arrived at the Bar and Club she worked at earlier in the night. The crowd hadn't started truly coming in yet, and so she had run through the room and nearly knocked the wind of out him in a friendly hug. The wine expert was - weirdly enough - probably his only friend in the world. And she apparently had a new wine list - a first draft, if you will - debuting at the New Years Eve party, and so she'd texted him to say he needed to get out of the city and take some time off of work for once. And he'd done it, without telling her, of course, because that ruin so much of the fun of it.

They'd caught up at the bar over a couple of glasses of wine (for him, water for her, she was working after all) and he felt good, actually. She'd introduced him to Sunny, and to her "bestie", a charming bartender named Gareth, who he also vaguely remembered from their restaurant in New York.

The crowd - without his noticing - suddenly all around them. He stood from his bench with a fresh glass of French Syrah and chided Dorret about getting back to work in a faux scolding tone. His friend laughed - she had a good laugh - and made her way down the bar.

It was then he spotted a stunning, albeit young, woman making her way towards the bar away from a group of friends. They seemed to be... Yes. A Pack. Definitely, his sensitive senses picked up on just something about them that told him that. Was she a Were as well? She was gorgeous, either way, and so he stayed where he stood, one elbow leaned against the bar and his other hand bringing his wine glass up to taste so he could watch her path across the room and toward the bar without giving it away. She was headed right for the open slot next to him. Perfect.

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Re: Gregory + Kami
[info]ladyinblue
2025-01-05 11:22 pm UTC (link)
The first thing Kami had done upon arriving (after greeting her pack members who were already present) was take off her winter coat and folding over the back of a chair at the table the pack had claimed, showing off the super cute red dress that showed plenty of skin with the thin straps and the extra high slit that played at her hip and showed glimpses of the equally strappy red thong she wore underneath. She felt sexy and light and happy, which was a relief after spending nearly a week with her mother in town. But mom had flown back west yesterday, and she was more than ready to have a bit of fun.

And even if she couldn't get drunk, at least not without Maria covering the tab, she rather thought that meant starting with a drink at the bar. There were so many gorgeous people out tonight, the bar thick with the swirling scents, and yet she noticed him right away. With dimples like those, how could she not? It was only once she was close to him that she was able to identify his scent as wolf, and she leaned against the bar, just a touch closer to him than the crowd demanded, smiling widely up at him.

"How are you not dying in that coat, gorgeous though it is?" she asked teasingly, letting a hand come up to play with the fold of the collar boldly, as if they were old friends rather than strangers.

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Re: Gregory + Kami
[info]pillpoppers
2025-01-05 11:28 pm UTC (link)
Gregory cocked his head and sent her a smile, "Honestly, I'd forgotten I was wearing it. I run hot, either way," he let the potential entendre hang in the air and let her play with the collar for a moment before reaching to set his glass on the bar and then shrugging out of his camel hair coat. He knew he looked good in the ungodly expensive cashmere sweater we wore. It hugged his well-honed body well, letting anyone who might be looking know that he had a muscled, lean build just below the cream-colored, luxurious material.

"I should ask you the same - aren't you just dying in that dress, knowing every woman in this room hates you for looking like that in it?" He had never been one to beat around the bush, and any woman who started a conversation with her hands wouldn't mind, right?

And besides, he'd caught her scent as well - a wolf. But a pack wolf. Something about her boldness and that fact clashed in his head. "Buy you a drink?" He asked, having already run up quite a tab while chatting with the resident somme, anyway.

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Re: Gregory + Kami
[info]ladyinblue
2025-01-05 11:53 pm UTC (link)
That was not something she could relate to at all, as Kami tended to wear as little clothing as she could get away with, between her job and her nature. "Well yeah, I assumed as much! I hate wearing coats because I overheat way too easily." And she'd just always assumed it was like that for all wolf shifters, whether they were born or bitten.

Kami tipped her head back and laughed at that, shaking her head in a way that made her long, dark curls bounce behind her. "Oh my god, no! If I cared what other women thought of me, I'd have been chewed up and spit out long ago in my field." And if it were a dangling carrot for him, she would never admit it out loud.

"I'll allow it," she said playfully. "I'll even let you pick the drink!" she added, her smile widening a touch, curious what he might choose for her after their brief interaction.

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Re: Gregory + Kami
[info]pillpoppers
2025-01-06 12:09 am UTC (link)
"I find myself too warm no matter what I'm wearing," he said, leaning in to her slightly, adding an intimacy to the conversation. When she laughed - a big, fun sound that he found he quite liked - he chuckled himself, unable to held it having heard her laughter. "My field is all about hating and one-upping each other, I can't imagine not caring," he countered with. He knew a leading statement when he heard one - half his job in sales was curating and mastering them, after all.

"Alright, you'll let me pick..." he thought for a moment, "Do you like really good wine? Expensive, deep, sensitive, seductive in its own way..." He swirled his own Syrah as he spoke, his eyes drawn to the dark red of it, before he looked back to her with a thoughtful look on his face.

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Re: Gregory + Kami
[info]ladyinblue
2025-01-06 12:14 am UTC (link)
That only proved her point! If he ran warm too, then why exacerbate it with a coat like that, especially inside a crowded bar? She didn't keep poking at that thread, though, not when he was leaning into her and chuckling in turn. She raised an eyebrow at his counter-point, dreadfully curious what he did for a living if that were the case. He didn't ask about hers, but she found she couldn't resist. "Are you a lawyer then?" she guessed. He certainly seemed to have the confidence for it.

"Hmm, I can enjoy a good wine on occasion, but I'm no connoisseur," she admitted, her smile dimpling her cheeks, hoping he wouldn't be offended if she couldn't appreciate wine on that level that he seemed to.

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Re: Gregory + Kami
[info]pillpoppers
2025-01-06 12:31 am UTC (link)
His laugh at her question was low and nearly dangerous sounding, he shook his head, "Oh no, I'm much worse than that," he lead with. "Sales," he whispered, close to her ear with a smile and then he was laughing again as he leaned back out of her immediate space.

"Oh, the wine here is good. I'm actually only here to see the new menu, and the crazy demigod who created the thing. She's a friend from the city and told me I just had to come see the new vintages she'd found. But I think she just missed my sparkling personality," he said sarcastically with a bright smile.

"And in that case," he waved at Dorret, "Door, my darling, can you get the young lady a glass of that delicious, easy going pinot noir we tried earlier? Assuming the bottle we had hasn't sold out yet?" Dorret raised an eyebrow at him, knowing exactly what he was doing. "It is," she said with an exaggerated sigh, knowing what his answer would be already. She'd seen him charm more than one woman at her bar in New York. "In that case," he said, "We'll have a new bottle, and a glass for my companion." She laughed at him, so predictable, "Yeah sure, I'll be right back," and then she was off again, headed to the storage room to get his bottle.

"You'll like it, it's an easy and fun one," he said, as if that sentence made any sense to someone who wasn't really into wine.

"Oh," he said, as if just remembering, "That was my friend, Dorret." It always helped to introduce a woman he was interested in to to Door - a man with a woman as a friend was less frightening and intimidating, it was like a green flag of easy approval. Truly bad men didn't have friends who were women, right?

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Re: Gregory + Kami
[info]ladyinblue
2025-01-06 12:49 am UTC (link)
Rather predictably, Kami shivered faintly at the feel of his breath so near her ear, rustling her hair. That was obviously a well-practiced move, and she couldn't blame him one bit, as it definitely had her leaning slightly toward him as he pulled back, as if chasing the feeling. "Oh no! Can you turn it off or are you always selling something?" she asked, her dark eyes sparkling flirtatiously, as if he might try to sell himself, figuratively, to her.

"Ooh!" she said, about to point out that he knew Dorret, then, but she didn't get a chance before he and Dorret were going back and forth. She watched with an amused grin. When he turned his attention back to her, she raised both brows at him. "Fun and easy are great and all, but I do love a good challenge." And she wasn't talking about the wine. Rather, she loved being a challenge, even if she didn't acknowledge it.

"I know who Dorret is!" she admitted. "This is one of my favorite places to hang." Not that she didn't go other places too, but she always had a good time at karaoke at Sunny's! She was even known to sing sometimes, though was more enthusiastic than skilled.

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Re: Gregory + Kami
[info]pillpoppers
2025-01-06 01:29 am UTC (link)
"Ah, you caught me," he said feigning shame, "It is hard to turn off sometimes. But I do find that somethings don't need to be sold, they're just that tempting." He definitely wasn't talking about work anymore.

"You teased earlier, that in your field you can't care what others think, so what do you do? Now that you've gotten the confession out me, I mean." He gave her a challenging raise of an eyebrow. She loves a good challenge, eh? Oh, he couldn't certainly be that.

"I find a fun night out, and a holiday at that, deserves a fun wine. I can teach you all about more difficult ones, if you like, later." He was in town for a few days after all. And always just a train ride away - he'd already proven by coming to see his friend, the right woman could easily, apparently, get him out of the city.

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Re: Gregory + Kami
[info]ladyinblue
2025-01-06 01:44 am UTC (link)
Kami's tongue flicked out to moisten her lips, getting the distinct impression that he was used to being just that tempting, and she could see why. He was gorgeous and charming and smooth, and she was like a moth to the damn flame, but she wanted to be the flame!

"I teach gymnastics!" she answered without hesitation. She did more than just that, but it was the mention of gymnastics that was important, that would hopefully put thoughts in his head. "If I hadn't--" gotten sick and "--been turned, I probably would have gone on to compete myself, but I love teaching anyway," she admitted. The kids were so fun, and the youngest tumblers were her favorite even if they didn't give her much opportunity to show off her more impressive skills.

"Well, that should give us something to talk about when you take me on a date," she suggested with a hint of challenge, her teeth nibbling on her lower lip momentarily. She didn't really care about wine, but she could pretend just fine, and his was a rather pleasant voice. She wouldn't mind hearing him tell her about the different wines.

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Re: Gregory + Kami
[info]pillpoppers
2025-01-06 01:50 am UTC (link)
Not a man alive could blame him for the way he watched her wet little tongue dart out and moisten her lovely lips like that. He watched with an enigmatic smile.

"Gymnastics? Ah, so you're very flexible, I mean, teaching must come with many challenges," he said with a chuckle. The way she mentioned being turned... "You're a bitten were? Like me," his tone was steady, but the weight of the words came through, too.

He raised his eyebrow at her next topic, though, "Oh, I'm going to take you out on a date, am I?" Was she turning this around on him? Oh, this was going to be so much fun.

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Re: Gregory + Kami
[info]ladyinblue
2025-01-06 02:00 am UTC (link)
His words and chuckle teased a warm laugh from her, and she nodded. "Oh yes, so many wonderful challenges!" she agreed, though there was a layer of double meaning there as she was also confirming that, yes, she was definitely quite flexible. "I am. By choice, though," she clarified, simple and direct but not without kindness if his experience had been laced with trauma, as she knew was the experience of many bitten weres.

Kami nodded, her curls bouncing around her face with the movement. "Aren't you?" she countered, as if it were obvious he wanted to. "I figured I'd take the guesswork out of the equation. You, me, your next day off, a nice, dimly lit restaurant with a fantastic wine list, so you can show off, of course." She didn't think she was reading him wrong. He was definitely interested, or she was a cat.

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Re: Gregory + Kami
[info]pillpoppers
2025-01-12 07:37 pm UTC (link)
Gregory's head cocked at an almost extreme angle. By choice?

"By choice?" He voiced the only thought screaming through his mind. Yes, he loved the power he'd felt coursing through him since he'd been turned... But he'd never heard of anyone being bitten by choice. Not that he spent much time with other Weres... He was what some might call a lone wolf, ironically enough.

Her curls were beautiful though, and as they bounced he was hit with a lovely scent of her that turned his mind off of the sharp topic of turning and back to how lovely she was.

"Dimly lit restaurant... You seem to have it all planned out, so I have to ask, what happens next? After I take you on this very traditional first date?" There was no way she was going to turn this entirely on him. Gregory was not someone who ever gave the power over to someone else.

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Re: Gregory + Kami
[info]ladyinblue
2025-01-18 07:38 pm UTC (link)
Kami nodded as he echoed the words in that questioning tone, her nose scrunching up a bit though she did at least keep smile. "Oh yes. I was dying. Cancer, such fun! I thought I beat it the first time around, but it came back even worse, and they presented the option to my mom, and she let me choose. I chose to live, and I've never regretted it," she explained. It wasn't something she typically shared with new people right away, but it also wasn't something she kept to herself; she had so much appreciation for having had the opportunity to choose, and she refused to feel any stigma around it.

"Ooh, good question! I imagine you'll throw in a surprise or two. Maybe you'll take me dancing after, or... Hmm, a walk in the snowy park with ice cream cones. And then, of course, the good night kiss," she said with a mock-serious nod. "The true mark of a good date."

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Meredith & Drew
[info]drvoss
2025-01-06 12:02 am UTC (link)
Meredith had finished unpacking her belongings, delivered by paid movers from New Hampshire, a couple of days ago. The house was mostly furnished, which was why she'd purchased it, but she had made sure her things all had a place, as well. Then, having heard a thing or two about the community before moving here, she'd decided to get herself out of the house. It was New Years Eve, after all. New year, new job, new town... it seemed only fitting.

So she'd put on a little sparkly dress, the only of the sort she owned, and had made her way to a bar called Sunny's that was bursting with people singing along to someone going very off key singing "Love Shack".

She found herself a stool and ordered a double shot of tequila, her usual drink of choice, and then a glass of champagne and another shot. She didn't mind being out alone - was pretty used to it, if she was honest, the whole being alone thing - but tonight it felt... Strange. She should be celebrating her match and the fact that within the next two weeks she'd be actually working in a hospital like she'd worked so hard for over the last decade. But she was alone at a bar taking shots of tequila and smiling wanly at people who jostled her seat or 'woohoo'd as they passed her spot.

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Re: Meredith & Drew
[info]drscottmcdreamy
2025-01-06 12:23 am UTC (link)
Having the seniority that he did meant that Drew actually had New Year's off this year, but it also meant that he'd been dragged out to celebrate the passage of time. And where was he dragged? None other than Sunny's. On karaoke night. On a holiday. It was, perhaps, his own personal hell, but he was trying to be a good sport about it. And if that meant making sure he always had a beer in hand, no one was calling him out about it. He wasn't on call for once, so he was going to drink to cope with the environment.

Even if most of the singers were at least halfway decent. Not all of them were, hence the beer. But the poor rendition of "Love Shack" was definitely making him think he was going to need something stronger than beer. He made his way to the bar, his suit jacket left on his chair and the sleeves of his sky blue button-up rolled up to his elbows and showing off strong, toned arms, and ended up victoriously taking the just-vacated spot next to a woman in a rather eye-catching yellow dress.

"You've got the right idea," he said with a soft groan as he noticed her knocking back a shot of what looked like tequila, though he supposed the gold liquid could be rum or whiskey, but he'd put his money on tequila if he were taking bets. "This is just not going to cut it," he added, lifting his half-finished beer, the third of the night.

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Re: Meredith & Drew
[info]drvoss
2025-01-06 12:48 am UTC (link)
Meredith chuckled at the handsome man, "Tequila is always the right idea," she said lightly with a smile.

"The B52's aren't your favorite karaoke jam ever?" She asked with sarcasm, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of mirth and alcohol. Meredith waved for the bartender - a handsome man in a loud shirt - and ordered two doubles this time. The man brought the drinks and left a salt shaker and a small plates of lime slices, as well.

Meredith lifted hers and arched an eyebrow. "A toast?"

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Re: Meredith & Drew
[info]drscottmcdreamy
2025-01-06 01:05 am UTC (link)
Drew's smile was small yet smug at having guessed her drink of choice correctly, even if it were a small detail only in his head. He snorted out a short laugh at her sarcasm, shaking his head. "I'm not much of a karaoke fan, to be honest," he admitted, scrubbing a hand over his scruff and mouth before dropping it again.

She managed to surprise him by ordering two shots, one clearly for him. In all his life, he'd never actually had a female stranger buy him a drink, and he was flattered at the ballsy move. He wasn't reading anything into it, though. Picking up the second shot glass, he raised it toward her. "To, uh, the new year?" Wow, could you be more lame, old man? He resisted, just barely, rolling his eyes at how utterly not smooth that had been. He was clearly off his game. Or maybe he was slightly intimidated by how bold she seemed to be. He just didn't know her at all to be able to do a more personalized toast.

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Re: Meredith & Drew
[info]drvoss
2025-01-06 01:16 am UTC (link)
Meredith crinkled her forehead, "And yet you're out at a karaoke night on New Year's Eve?" Make it make sense. Meredith liked things that made sense - medicine, for example. Science. Math.

She chuckled again at his awkward toast, but nodded, and repeated, "To the new year," letting him off the hook on the awkwardness. He was handsome enough to get away with it, she couldn't help but think as they clicked their shot glasses lightly. She licked her free hand, sprinkled some salt on it for herself and then licked the salt off, her eyes on his, encouraging him lightly to join in. Then she took back the shot and lifted a lime wedge to taste.

Shot taken and process completed, she asked, "So, what are you looking forward to in the new year?" It didn't hurt to make conversation, right? Even if it was stilted and awkward and he didn't seem to be the most... sociable? She was the one who was here alone, after all, who was she to judge? Then again - was he here alone, too? She didn't see any friends behind him trying to get drinks, but maybe he'd left them to get a new round, or something?

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Re: Meredith & Drew
[info]drscottmcdreamy
2025-01-06 01:28 am UTC (link)
His laugh morphed into a groan, his hand scrubbing up to cover his eyes for a moment before he lowered it again to look at her. "I know! I thought they were my friends. Turns out they're sadistic bastards," he half-joked. He was pretty sure they'd chosen this particular bar because they knew it wouldn't be his choice on any level. "But I'm here, and I'm trying not to be a dark cloud about it all." He glanced briefly to the stage, cringing as he looked back at her. "At least they're enthusiastic?" It had to be worse if the singer was not great and a nervous wreck, right?

Drew didn't bother with the salt, knocking back the shot with a faint wince before biting into a lime wedge. "Mm, thanks," he said as he set the shot glass closer to the bartender's side of the counter. Stretching his now-free hand out to her, he said, "I'm Drew, by the way," thinking he might as well introduce himself in exchange for the shot.

"Ahh, I don't really do the whole resolutions thing, so... I don't know. I should probably think about a vacation or something. What about you?" The way she'd worded it made him think she had things she was looking forward to in the new year.

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Re: Meredith & Drew
[info]drvoss
2025-01-06 01:38 am UTC (link)
His groan was adorable and she couldn't help but laugh at him. "Are they really friends if they don't drag you out to do things you hate?" She asked, still laughing airily.

"You're welcome, you seemed like you needed it," she said simply and then when he put out his hand, she put out the one she hadn't licked and said just, "Meredith. It's night to meet you, Drew." Drew fit him, somehow. Yes, she concluded quickly, she liked him, in all his misery and everything.

"Oh, I don't know if I'm looking forward to it necessarily, but I start a new job soon. That's why I moved here, and am definitely not out with sadistic friends, as I don't have any in the area.... But I can only unpack so much without going crazy, and it seemed less pathetic to come out alone on New Years Eve than to stay in alone." She was half-joking, and she shrugged. It had been years since she'd really shaking up her life like she had in the last week. She had spent the last years studying, exhausted, clinging to the only things she knew and considered steady and stable in her life - medicine, school, text books. And now... She didn't have any of that. She didn't have anything that would be steady and stable and familiar - she knew that stepping into Phelps in the coming days would be unlike anything she'd ever known in her life. It was terrifying, and she was pretty sure she was totally screwed and would be awful at it, top of her class in med school or not. But still, here she was.

Just a girl in a bar.

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Re: Meredith & Drew
[info]drscottmcdreamy
2025-01-06 01:52 am UTC (link)
Her retort made him want to groan all over again, but Drew bit it back, chuckling softly instead as he shrugged one shoulder. "You might have a point there," he half-conceded.

Meredith. That didn't seem like the kind of name one heard much these days, but he liked it.

There was a little more of that boldness. Too many people would have holed away, starting over somewhere new at the holidays, and yet here she was, drinking alone at the bar and buying drinks for the stranger who happened to sit next to her. "Well then, I'd like to retroactively change my toast to celebrate your fresh start. But no work talk tonight!" he insisted, his grin going a bit crooked. Wow, that tequila was already starting to hit him, wasn't it? The beer hadn't been quite enough to help him relax in the crowd, but the tequila and a few minutes of conversation with her seemed to be doing the trick.

"What do you like to do for fun, Meredith?" he asked her, keeping an eye out for the bartender so he could order their next round, though he knew they should probably pace themselves with the tequila. How much had she already drank? But no, he was supposed to be shutting off the doctor brain.

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Re: Meredith & Drew
[info]drvoss
2025-01-12 07:30 pm UTC (link)
Oh, that chuckle. That was a nice sound. It somehow traveled from her ears to her chest and she knew that wasn't a thing and yet she felt it resonate in her chest all the same.

She nodded enthusiastically, too scared of her coming first day to want to talk about it, and said, "Yes, definitely no work talk." And then she smiled brightly at him and thought for a moment.

"What do I like to do for fun?" She hadn't had a hobby since she was a child, and her only friends for the last few years had been fellow stressed medical students.

"I like a nice chat with a handsome stranger in a bar," she said, one eyebrow arching, giving her smile a pointed tone.

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Re: Meredith & Drew
[info]drscottmcdreamy
2025-01-18 07:27 pm UTC (link)
While he wasn't sure if she was hedging because she didn't really have hobbies or if she just wanted to keep things more on the anonymous side or if there was another reason entirely, Drew supposed he could roll with it. And it wasn't like she didn't give him the best opening for it.

"What a coincidence! I'm a handsome stranger in a bar," he pointed out with a thread of joking in his tone. And maybe it was the tequila lowering his inhibitions and loosening his tongue, but he found himself leaning toward her, drawn in by that arch expression, so much going on behind those gorgeous blue eyes that he just couldn't look away. "Anything else you enjoy doing with handsome strangers in a bar?"

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Eric & Maria
[info]outdoorsymedic
2025-01-06 12:42 am UTC (link)
He'd been telling Maria for weeks that he wanted to see her in a sparkly dress. They had missed so many social events in the last year that she hinted at wanting to attend only to catch him being too tired. She almost didn't believe him until he came out of their room dressed in a suit and poured her a glass of champagne. "Get dressed. I'll wait." A smile beamed across her face as she took the flute from him and hummed as the bubbles popped against her tongue, "I hope you're ready for more nights out in the new year."

Little missy had become too much of a terror to settle down at night and yet Maria now could sleep without the little orange idiot burrowed in between them. He couldn't squish the little thing even if he wanted to be wrapped around Maria more. Eric nodded to Cappie as they walked in, he didn't seem caught up in a conversation with a woman that seemed dressed for the office instead of a bar. Maybe she'd just gotten off. It wasn't outside of the norm. The local news team always looked like they just walked out of the office and so did Everett, the newspaper's editor-in-chief.

He felt an insistent tug at his arm. It didn't really matter. Not when Maria looked like this, "So what are we drinking tonight? We already started with champagne, but that sounds like a midnight drink chased with a kiss." A smirk danced across his face. More of this in 2001 please.

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Re: Eric & Maria
[info]mariawarrington
2025-01-06 01:01 am UTC (link)
Maria hadn't pushed Eric when it came to a social life -- she wanted more of one, just by her natural extroverted nature, but she also understood and supported his exhausting career. She wasn't so much as changing herself to match their relationship (fuck it when people felt they needed to do that), but adjusting her expectations when being in a relationship with a responsible, dedicated adult. She understood when he was too tired, or when he had a long shift that would mean he missed something. And yeah, being honest, it sucked sometimes to miss out. But she also made sure to make it to nights out on her own with the girls, or to see Em sometimes, and to make lots of time for Harper. It was a balancing act, and while she wasn't changing for the relationship, she was growing up and changing in that way, she supposed.

And then he'd made her whole month by actually making tonight happen.

So she'd changed into the sparkly dress she'd ordered from a favorite boutique in the city, even if when she'd ordered it for tonight, she wasn't honestly sure tonight would happen, and her heart was light and surprised and excited.

Maria giggled, in such a light, happy mood for once, and leaned in to kiss his cheek playfully, "I cannot believe you'll still be awake and out partying at midnight, but even if we only make it till ten here, I expect to end the night with a kiss."

She waved as Kami announced she was headed to the bar, and turned back to Eric. "Should we toast to this time last year with tequila? For nostalgia's sake?" She was half joking, but also sort of liked the idea.

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Re: Eric & Maria
[info]outdoorsymedic
2025-01-06 01:32 am UTC (link)
"We'll see where the night leads us." He smiled, there was a hidden stash of Red Bulls in his bag for emergency situations. Like alcohol it didn't do much but for now he felt like he could go all night. He loved the feeling of the sequins underneath his hand pulling her close for a kiss and ignoring a hollering that could only be Kami behind them. "Definitely ending the night with a kiss." He wouldn't have it any other way. Gods did he love it when she smiled.

He'd stopped apologizing for coming home late and immediately falling into bed, it killed him to do that but it couldn't be helped. The holidays in the Hudson Valley always had that effect and he felt like every time he got a call it was another car accident involving someone from out of state that just wanted to 'see the snow' without knowing how to drive in it.

"Tequila?" He feigned a disgusted look. They could put away bottles of the stuff that he wondered if Sunny's began ordering more just on the off chance that they would come by. She knew more about him in this place than he cared to admit. "Only because it's you." Eric turned to the new bartender who if he was honest was exactly his type. "Two tequilas." His eyes drifted down to the open shirt at the tuft of dark chest hair there. He heard the snap of fingers in front of him.

"Two tequilas." The bartender pushed the glass towards them before disappearing down the far end of the bar. Eric snapped back to attention feeling the heat rising in his cheeks, "For you. And to us and more nights like this." Lifting his glass to meet hers.

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Re: Eric & Maria
[info]mariawarrington
2025-01-06 01:46 am UTC (link)
Maria laughed, a high peel of delighted sound as she watched the way he looked at the bartender and she playfully hit him as he handed her the shot glass. "I swear you are impossible! Our first night out since Halloween and you're all moon eyes over the bartender! And I wore the stupid sparkly dress!" She was just joking, giving him hell because watching him blush was a favorite thing of hers.

She calmed her laughter and looked him in the eye, "to us," she said simply before taking back the shot like someone who'd been doing it for years. The be fair, she had been.

She knew this year would bring a lot of changes and challenges for them, but she knew after their long discussions on the topic, that they would tackle it all together. It felt almost surreal. Her voice was softer, more serious, when she asked, "Are you ready for this year?" She knew he would know what she meant.

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Re: Eric & Maria
[info]outdoorsymedic
2025-01-06 02:16 am UTC (link)
Eric gave her apologetic smile, but she saw him right? The man had a charisma about that you just wanted to gravitate towards. "You look fantastic in that stupid, sparkly dress!" He leaned into the shell of her ear, "And you'll look better out of it later tonight." His voice was low, but he didn't care if he had to toss the cat out to sleep on the couch pulling it off of her would be so satisfying.

The tequila didn't quite burn going down but dammit it felt like he was out of practice. "Okay, I remember why we stopped drinking this all the time." He didn't cough at least, but he was going to need more shots or some fruity cocktail to help it go down smoothly.

He knew what she meant. By the first moon of the year Craig would be naming him alpha of the Reed Pack, and after months of complaining about how he would pull the Pack into the modern world it was time to implement it. The more he spoke with a few people he understood changing the image of the pack would be difficult but if anyone could do it he could. "I think it's going to get harder before it gets easier. I only hope I can change people's notions of us. I'm still not the most popular person in town."

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