Re: the lake -> inside to the bar
She knew it. The little bottle obscured nothing. In fact, it scraped back whatever obscured what was there until you had a grim full view whether you wanted it or you didn't. She was the cat and the room was an opportunity for bullets. It didn't make for relaxed company. She didn't giggle, the laughter came from somewhere low, solid. It was not a girl's laugh. Maybe. He was polite even if he looked as if he was being strangled slowly.
"There is a crowd, over there." She pointed. The cluster of bodies was comfortable in an enclave of soft cushioned couches. They had drinks, the music was doubtless easier to hear from there. They had the relaxed faces of those who had either sipped from a bottle that announced it would produce nothing, or who had determined they would risk nothing this evening.
She could not critique their choices. Her own had been shit. "You should go." She looked at him with consideration. There was no suggestion that she would follow. It was a crowd and the cat's fur stood on end. "They will ask nothing personal." Her smile was a glimmer. "You can be sociable. It will be good for you."