riverviewlogs | you are the dancing queen

Entry tags:

you are the dancing queen

who: Mantis & Quill
what: Drinks and karaoke because why not
when: July 10
where: A karaoke bar somewhere
warnings: alcohol? will update as needed but really this is just shenanigans

closed to peter

[ A few drinks had been had when Mantis first arrived here, but the timing and the topic that had come up had done a good job at smudging out the enjoyment of it (Thanos and everything involving him isn't exactly the most fun topic to discuss), and Peter had (rightfully) cut her off, anyway.

But now that the dust has settled and the entire city seems to be in party mode, it seems like a good time for round two!

So after a colourful evening of eating their way through carnivale sweets, Mantis and Quill have somehow ended up in a lively looking place. Not a shady little bar, no weird looking people to say weird things to her (presumably anyway, and it helps that she is no longer wearing shirts with inappropriate puns on them), and hell, most people are even wearing clothes! Some workers are setting up for karaoke while the live band finishes up their show, and Mantis has once again found a strangely coloured cocktail to drink. ]

How pretty! [ It's a bright magenta colour, with a little umbrella for garnish - pretty is definitely a word for it. ] Would you like a pretty drink too, Peter?

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[ Peter remembers this festival from last year.

... which is a fucking weird thing to think about. He’s been in this stupid place for a full year, when the longest he’s ever stayed on a planet or planetoid or station or whatever is, like, a couple weeks. And even that was pushing it. But Riverview is... it’s fine. It’s okay. Crazy cultists and weird magical shenanigans aside. It’s been okay, and he’s fallen into a routine that almost feels comfortable. Borders dangerously close to domestic.

He’s got friends here. He’s got a couple of his teammates here (though he wishes he had all of them, even with as obnoxious and annoying as Rocket and Drax could absolutely be). He’s got the love of his goddamn life here.

It’s really not so bad.

Peter’s mostly recovered from his Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day(s). He’s still a little tender, but he’s not liable to double over in pain if he so much as breathes wrong. He still has to be careful, and Gamora had been pretty insistent on that, leaving Groot at his bedside to stare at him with giant, disappointed eyes if Peter tried doing too much while she was gone. It was a shamefully effective tactic.

But here he is now, celebrating Carnivale with his favorite empath, the two of them eating way too much sugar. In fact, he still has a churro in hand that he’s munching on. He has another dark stout placed in front of him, and when Mantis receives her drink, he huffs out a laugh. ]

Maybe.

[ Listen, Peter is a sucker for little umbrellas. He wishes his drink had one, or at the very least, one of those little cocktail swords. ]

Tell me how it is, and maybe I’ll get one for the second round.

[ Then, he gestures with his churro. ]

You want a bite before I finish this?

[ Mantis has definitely had too many churros today, so naturally when he offers her a bite, she responds, ]

Yes, please!

[ Most of the foods he's introduced her to here have been incredible, and despite its simplicity, the churro has been such a delight! She has also definitely proven herself to have a sweet tooth, gravitating towards the more sugary treats, drinks, and foods - things that she had never really been given the chance to try on Ego's planet. He hadn't given her much beyond what she needed, really, and even after a few years of freedom from him, Mantis still is learning and experiencing such wonderful new things everyday.

Munching happily on the treat after taking a bite, she then gives her pink drink a try as well.

And oh. Oh, it is sweet. ]

Ah! [ Even her antennae perk up in excitement as she drinks some more of it, a strange but delightful mix of what she thinks may be watermelon and berries of some kind. Hidden underneath the flavours is the burn of vodka, but mostly, all she tastes is the sweetness. ] How interesting!

[ Once Mantis has her share, Peter scarfs down the rest of the churro, brushing his hands clean of the cinnamon and sugar as he glances over to the stage. It looks like the techs are still in the middle of checking their equipment. One disinterested guy is up there, standing in front of a monitor with a mic, muttering into the device as someone fiddles with the sound system.

Not the most riveting show, of course, but there’s someone already signing herself up, already swaying as she does so. She has a glassy-eyed look to her, which tells Peter she’s either super high, super drunk, or super both. That should be fun to watch.

He glances back at Mantis’ little sound of surprise, and he grins. ]

I’m guessin’ that’s a good “interesting,” and not a wow, this is gross but I should probably be polite “interesting.”

Yes, it is a good interesting!

[ Trying watermelon for the first time was a pretty eye opening experience, and she's quite certain that she can taste it mixed into the concoction. Some of the other flavours are less Earthly, but they're all sweet as hell, almost sickeningly so to normal people. (Thankfully, Mantis isn't exactly a normal person.)

She offers her glass to Peter with a smile. ]

It is delightful! Would you like to try?

[ He looks at the drink skeptically for a second, then— ]

Yeah, sure, what the hell.

[ Peter didn’t live as long as he has in the big wide galaxy by being a picky eater, after all.

He takes the drink in hand, inspecting it. It’s... aggressively pink, isn’t it? Not that he minds the color, but even just looking at it, he can tell it’s meant to be sweet. And when he takes a quick sip, it’s exactly what he expected.

But Peter isn’t exactly a normal person, either, and he’s got one hell of a sweet tooth, to boot, which is why he tips his head slightly to one side, looking a little pleased as he hands it back. ]

Not bad, actually.

I’d offer my drink, but I’m pretty sure you won’t like it.

[ Aggressively pink is definitely an apt description!

She seems quite pleased when he likes her drink of choice, smiling that bright Mantis smile of hers as she takes it back, happily drinking some more of it herself. Honestly, the more she drinks of it, the more she enjoys the taste! It's no doubt wildly different than his stout, and she probably really won't like it, but, ]

May I try it anyway? [ Trying new things has basically become her primary hobby, after all. ]

[ Another skeptical look, this time at Mantis. His expression pinches as he glances down at the dark colored drink.

Then, he shrugs, sliding it across the table to her. ]

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

[ Just because it’s called a “chocolate stout” does not mean it tastes altogether like chocolate, even if there’s a hint of it in the aftertaste. Otherwise, it’s dark and bitter. Like Rocket’s soul. ]

[ help what has she done ] You did warn me, so I will not say you didn't!

[ To be fair, she doesn't expect to find the drink very good - but oh no, oh no it is really not good! All she needs is one sip and she's making a horrified sort of face, sticking her tongue out as though the bitter drink has truly assaulted her taste buds. ]

Oh! [ Yeah she's. Just going to slide that right back to Peter. ] That was not enjoyable.

[ welp

Sorry, Mantis, Peter barks out a laugh as he takes back the drink. ]

I told you, man.

[ He lifts the glass up, tipping it toward her as if in toast. ]

And now we know you don't like stouts. Pretty good lesson, honestly.

[ It's okay Peter, she's always been good natured about things like that.

She doesn't fully understand the little raised glass motion, though, but she mimics it all the same with her own fruity monster of a drink. It looks like it may be good manners? ]

If that is what stouts taste like, then I definitely do not like stouts. I like the coloured drinks, though! [ What were they called again? ] Cocktails?

Yeah, cocktails. Mixed drinks. It's probably a good idea to start you off on those.

First time I started drinking, the Kraglin had me taking shots of Contraxian moonshine.

[ And Peter grimaces, apparently remember the god awful taste of that crap, and he washes it down with a mouthful of his stout.

In spite of it all, he adds on a little fondly, ]

Can't remember a single second of that night.

Oh? Cocktails are good starting drinks? Moonshine is stronger?

[ Her knowledge on alcohol and drinking is pretty limited, but she knows some basics - and now she's learning more! Alcohol is such a prevalent thing in society, it's probably a good idea that she become more familiar with it, right? ]

Is it good to not remember?

[ He hisses in a breath between his teeth, tipping his head from one side to the other. ]

Depends on what kinda night you're expecting to have? That one was a fun one. Or that's what they told me after.

[ Peter was too busy puking into a toilet the next late afternoon to determine if that was true.

His lips part to continue on, except something strikes him. Mantis is, like, from weird, far-flung future, right? (Yes, three or four years is far-flung.) But she's asking these frankly basic questions about alcohol. And it suddenly strikes him— ]

... Mantis, have you never been drunk?

So you do not remember for yourself that you had fun?

[ How strange!

What should be an easy question to answer seems to take a moment of reflection. Thoughtful, Mantis recalls all the times she's had an alcoholic drink - all of them since she met the guardians, all of the with the guardians, but none of them excessive. (Except for maybe once when Rocket may or may not have been feeding her drinks that may or may not have been alcoholic). ]

I think so? I have felt what you called buzzing! But I have not forgotten things, and I enjoy spending time with everyone even when they are drinking and I am not.

[ He breathes out an almost startled laugh. Three or four years, and they’ve never tried to get her drunk? But then again, given the locales they usually haunt, maybe getting Mantis drunk in one of those shitty dives was probably a bad idea.

This place isn’t so bad, and Riverview is decent enough. So maybe now’s the most opportune time? ]

Do you wanna try it? Getting drunk, I mean. Just so you know what it’s like.

[ Mostly, it's been a lot of grand plans of "let's get Mantis drunk" turning into "everyone's so drunk themselves that they haven't realized Mantis is just drinking fruit juice now and is just real happy to be here". (Although, the shitty dive bars also don't help.) ]

I would like to try getting drunk! [ Said in the most innocent of tones. ] You seem to enjoy it very much, and to have much experience! [ Also said in the most innocent way!! ] How much do I have to drink?

[ He has a brief second where he wonders if they both might regret this.

But— nah. His first time getting drunk wasn't so bad, if the stories are to be believed. And he's made a pretty decent habit of it since then, which probably isn't healthy, but he knows what he's doing. ]

Depends on a couple things, like weight, how much you've had to drink before, how much you've eaten, crap like that.

Let's not go nuts, though, huh? We'll take it slow. One drink at a time. [ No rows of shots and crazy binging, as Peter's early experiences had entailed. ]

[ If Mantis is about to get smashed, well, she's better off having Peter than not.

As he lists things, she considers her answer to them - but it still doesn't really help, seeing how she doesn't know how exactly they affect the outcome. Well, there's only one way to find out, right? ]

I will not drink two or more at once! [ Good advice, she thinks! And, oh, he's said take it slow, but it's a little too late for her first drink as she's somehow managed to drink most of it while he was talking. Whoops. ]

That's—

[ good, was the intended end to that sentence, except he pauses, takes a look at her mostly drained glass, and blinks. ]

... Did you— did you just... chug all of that?

[ Peter is caught at the crossroads of mildly concerned and really fucking impressed, but he's aiming more toward impressed. ]

[ There's just enough left in the glass that she's technically not wrong when she replies, ]

No, I still have some!

[ It's definitely the pleasant taste that makes it way too easy for her to drink it way too fast. Well, that and her lack of understanding when it comes to pacing. (But she's learning! Sort of. A little bit. It's a work in progress!) ]

Oookaaay.

[ And he breathes the word out, but at least it’s with a tone of good humor. He catches the eye of the waiter who had taken their drink orders earlier, pointing at Mantis’ drink and gesturing for another round.

... And as an afterthought, he holds up two fingers to order one for himself. Peter likes stouts, sure, but Mantis’ drink tastes way better than his, after all. Also? Tiny umbrellas. What’s not to love? ]

Okay. Remember how I said to take it slow? ‘Cause inhaling your drink like you’re getting hazed at a frat party is, like the exact opposite of that.

[ Not that Peter has never been to a frat party, but he’s seen Animal House. That definitely counts. ]

Hazed a frat party?

[ The puzzled way she repeats the phrase makes it clear she doesn't understand what half of the words even mean. From the context it seems to imply fast drinking (she guesses?), and that appears to not be ideal! ]

I will not drink more than one at a time, and I will drink that one slow.

[ There we go. As if to demonstrate, she takes one little sip of the new drink when the bartender brings it to her. ]

[ It's okay, Peter is totally used to being incomprehensible to his alien buddies. He spent almost 30 years of his life on the receiving end of a whole lot of weird looks.

He sets aside the little umbrella (honestly, he's probably going to keep it. He likes keepsakes, because he's a borderline hoarder.) He lifts his glass again, tipping it toward her in another toast as she seems to take his meaning. Peter, being an expert in getting drunk already, isn't nearly as sedate with his drink and takes a quick swig.

Behind them, the sound check finishes, and a perky MC bounces onto the stage, inviting everyone to sign up for a song. Karaoke Night, it seems, and Peter privately decides that this is going to be Bad Decision #1 for the evening.

But he should probably be at least a little responsible, so— ]

Let's decide right now that if I think you've had enough, then I can cut you off, okay?

[ Oh! He's doing the glass tip thing, so she does it in return again, looking wonderfully pleased to be a part of this little social convention, small as it is. A little more magenta disappears from her glass, and she nods an affirmative at his suggestion. ]

Okay! [ She trusts Peter and his alcoholic experience, after all! ]

[ So drinks are had, and, yeah, Mantis' selection is so much better than the stout. When he polishes off his magenta drink, Peter orders another glass for himself, just so he can catch up. Fair's fair, after all.

... And apparently there's a decent amount of vodka in them, because Peter's definitely feeling that familiar warmth in his stomach, movements becoming a little looser, a little more imprecise, a little more animated. Peter's talkative at the best of times, but when he's had a couple, he's a definite chatterbox. ]

—and then I was like, "Drax. No. The dude's already dead enough. Put his rib cage back—"

[ And apparently he has a short attention span, because the MC on the stage gives another call for sign-ups. There've been a few performers on stage, all of them singing songs he's never heard of before, and all of them varying degrees of "decent."

And he flashes Mantis a grin, gesturing at the stage with his thumb. ]

Hey. You wanna do a song with me?

[ Every story and random anecdote he tells Mantis absolutely delights her, and when she laughs it's genuine and pleased, even if sometimes she doesn't always understand or follow everything she's been told!

Honestly, if Riverview wasn't such a bizarre place, it might be a little alarming for a passerby to overhear Mantis laughing uncontrollably at a story involving someone removing a dead man's rib cage. (Or anything else they're laughing about, really, when it comes to their ridiculous friends.) ]

Oh? A song? [ Delight twinkles in her wide eyes. ] I would like that very much! But, I do not think I will know the words? [ Karaoke is kinda new to her too, apparently! ]

That’s the joy of karaoke— [ says Peter, who has only tried his hand at it a handful of times, and was probably more drunk than he is now. Which means those memories are a little fuzzy. ] They have the words up for you on a little screen.

[ He turns in his seat as someone else takes the stage. The intro begins to play, and when the lyrics begin, the performer stutters over the words, staring fixedly at a little monitor. Peter points at the monitor in question. ]

Right there. See?

I’ll let you pick the song, if you want.

They do?

[ Having paid little attention to what the singers were really doing, Mantis only notices the screen of words when Peter points it out. ]

They do! [ Well shit this changes everything!!

Turning back to Peter, she looks as though she's just had the greatest idea in the universe (and a few drinks, enough to make this the greatest idea in the universe), ]

Even one of your songs? [ gasp ] ABBA?

[ He allows himself a split-second to grin before he schools his expression into something solemn.

With gravitas, ]

Yes, Mantis. Even ABBA.

[ Either it doesn't take much to excite her or she's really taken a liking to ABBA (hint: it's a bit of both), but Mantis gasps excitedly when he tells her yes, even ABBA. ]

That one!

[ You know, as if she's actually specified a song. She does actually seem to have one in mind, though - when she finishes off the last of her current drink and jumps to her feet, the MC suddenly finds them first, Mantis is signing their names, and writing down a song that garners her a thumbs up.

(Take a chance on guessing what she's chosen, Peter.) ]

[ Is it "Fernando"???? It's gotta be "Fernando."

But, holy shit, Mantis – and apparently the MC – moves fast, and before he can even register what's happening, Mantis is already writing their names down. Peter, who never embarrasses easily, is suitably impressed by Mantis' apparent moxie, and he barks out a laugh.

... Sorry, Gamora. Peter thinks he's just found his new favorite drinking buddy. ]

What'd you even pick?

[ Listen when ABBA is on the line, you gotta move fast!! ]

The one you gave me!

[ The one on the mixtape he gave her, is what she means - she's always liked Peter's music, and to the sound of ABBA in particular, but Take a Chance On Me had become rather special to her since he included it on the present he'd given her last month. ]

[ It doesn't take him all that long to remember, and he gives a slow, approving nod. ]

Excellent choice.

[ And, in a way, Peter sort of chose it, too! So it's, like, a team effort sort of thing, right?

Behind them, the performer is still stumbling with their performance, holding themselves rigidly. Peter wonders, briefly, if this is some kind of therapeutic exercise, because the performer seems determined to finish out the song, despite the paleness to their face, the sweat standing out on their brow, the way their hand shakes as they hold the mic. ]

Okay, Mantis. [ Again, that solemn tone. ] When we get up there, the important thing is to have fun. Don't act like you're about to face down a firing squad, like this dude is.

[ Team effort is an excellent way to describe it! Mantis, currently a mixture of cocktails and, well, being Mantis, seems to be having a wonderful time, and is definitely not acting like she's about to face a firing squad. Girl's ready to ABBA. ]

Yes! Don't worry, I will have fun!

[ She sure will, if the smile and the carefree little laugh that comes out of her is any indication. When she looks over to the current performer, though, her expression seems to shift to something a little more concerned. ]

How sad! He is so stressed, will he be alright? I hope he doesn't pass out.

[ Peter clicks his tongue sympathetically, his arm hooked over the back of his chair as he watches the poor performer struggle through those last handful of bars. ]

I'm sure they'll be fine.

[ And Peter seems to be right! The song finishes with a flourish, and the performer visibly sags with relief. They pass the mic off to the MC and scurry off the stage so quickly that it might as well be on fire.

The MC, perky and encouraging as ever, calls for a round of applause before calling Peter and Mantis the stage. Peter takes one last swig of his drink before standing, offering Mantis his arm. ]

Shall we?

[ Even without a few drinks in her, Mantis would have still faced karaoke without any of the anxiety that poor person had! As it is, though, she politely claps with the rest of the bar, and she's delighted enough by everything right now that she laughs after she too polishes off another drink. (How many is that now? Who knows, not her!)

Nodding, Mantis takes the offered arm (good idea) and joins Peter on a grand adventure to their spot on the stage.

She lets things just sort of happen then - she takes the mic she's handed, she follows the words on the screen as they're highlighted in tune to the sign, and she tries! By god does she try, singing pretty terribly, messing up a lot, but definitely making good on her promise to have fun with it. ]

[ For his part, Peter's always been pretty good a carrying a tune – though, predictably, alcohol tends to make him misjudge his capabilities. He knows the words by heart, too, which means he doesn't have to watch the screen. Which further means he can whip out a few dance moves between verses.

He's not too deep into the drinks that he's totally making a fool of himself, but he's had enough that in his mind? He's totally killing it up here.

So, in all? He has a good time, and Mantis has an even better time, which is encouraging as hell. And when the song closes out, Peter's grinning as he ushers Mantis off the stage to let the next singer take their place. ]

Dude, you were great.

[ And he holds out his fist for a fist bump.

... has Mantis learned about fist bumps yet? ]

[ The dance moves are pretty great, and while Mantis doesn't quite have her own to demonstrate, she does try to do- well, something, with her arms? It's pretty terrible, but she's happy with herself, and that's all that really matters to her! ]

Thank you! You were great too! [ But come on, Quill is always great at these things!

Mantis has not learned about fist bumps yet! But she has learned about five highs - is that what he's doing? It must be what he's doing, so Mantis taps his fist with an open palm, quite convinced that she's doing it right. ]

[ ... Well, at least she does it with conviction.

Sorry, Mantis, Peter kind of lets out a snort. ]

No, no, hang on. This is a fist bump.

Like, you make a fist, and we tap knuckles, and then we go—

[ He opens his hand, splays his fingers, and makes a quiet exploding sound. ]

See?

Oh? A fist bump?

[ Following his instructions, Mantis closes her hand into a fist and tries again, tapping her knuckles against his this time. Not quite understanding the exploding, she looks confused, but attempts to mimic the noise and wiggly finger explosion all the same, as it clearly appears to be a part of the ritual! ]

A fist bump! [ Said proudly! ] It is an aggressive high five?

It's about on the same level.

[ Peter is a simple guy. He still loves his high fives. ]

Sometimes you just gotta mix it up, though, you know?

[ And as he's wandering back to their table, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet – a dangerous thing, considering he's pretty tipsy— ]

How you feelin', anyway? Good? Bad? Puke-y?

[ Suddenly a thought occurs to her, ] Are there more hand related expressions of joy?

[ That's the best and most normal way to describe it, right? Definitely right. All smiles (and a little swaying that makes her path a little zigzaggy), Mantis happily walks along with him and responds, ] Good! I am good, and definitely not puke-y. Are you good, Peter?

I mean, other than clapping? That's pretty much it.

Oh! And secret handshakes.

[ Not that Peter had many of those, growing up, considering his school friends were few and far between. ]

And, yeah, I'm always good.

There are secret handshakes?

[ Little things continue to fascinate Mantis, if the excited curiosity in her voice and her expression in response to the knowledge that there are secret handshakes are any indications. Sitting back down, she leans in and asks, voice lowered since they are discussing secrets, ]

Do you know any secret handshakes?

[ And Peter similarly takes another seat. He pauses, then—

—well. Apparently he's playing with fire tonight, because he signals for another round.

When Mantis leans in conspiratorially like that, he makes an effort to restrain the way he wants to laugh. He mostly keeps it together, so he explains, ]

It's not, like, a top secret thing. It's a handshake you make up with people you're close with.

[ Aaand he's carefully sidestepping the other question.

Peter was a lonely little kid when he was on Earth, and living with the Ravagers had its own host of problems. Neither of those things are what he really wants to think about right now. ]

[ Top secret or not, she seems quite taken with the concept! (That and the new cocktail that the bartender deposits in front of her, which she starts in on as soon as it's in her presence. Clearly, someone is enjoying herself!) ]

Do you have a secret handshake with Gamora? Oh! [ AN IDEA ] Would you like to create a handshake with me?

[ Gamora and Peter's secret handshake is better left in the bedroom, for everyone's sake.

So it's much safer to respond to Mantis' second question. ]

We should. [ And he says it like this is the greatest concept in the world. ] But we should make it something, like, pretty simple, you know? So it's easy to remember.

[ Especially when there's no way of knowing what state they'll wake up in tomorrow. ]

[ Everything Mantis knows about handshaking is as follows: you shake hands with another person. Even that she doesn't do often, but she imagines that for a handshake to be secret it has to be something a little more, right? ]

Simple, yes!

[ Good idea. She doesn't even know what to do, delighted as she is by the idea, but she figures step one is to extend her hand. ]

How simple?

I dunno. Simple enough that we'll remember it tomorrow?

[ He scoots his chair so that he's facing her more fully. With an air that's probably far too serious for the situation, ]

So a secret handshake is, like, a bunch of parts that you kinda throw together. It's kinda like choreographing a bunch of high fives or snaps or fist bumps and stuff. I think some folks do a quick spin or a dance move? But that seems like overkill.

Like, I guess it's not really a secret handshake, since we all knew about it, but Ravagers had a salute for each other, like—

[ And Peter demonstrates, putting his right hand into a fist and thumping the left side of his chest twice. ]

So it could be simple like that, too.

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you are the dancing queen

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