riverviewlogs | 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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[ 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.

you are the dancing queen

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