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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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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