2025-01-30 - Friday Eve at Lucky's

It is a cold but cloudless night, with a loving waning crescent resting up high in the sky to accompany the stars tonight.

Shirley has the night off and has decided to come out for a drink with her cat ears perky and her tail happily gently swishing behind her as she makes her way to one of the stools at the bar top. She is wearing her usual satin, lace, and ruffles with the colors tonight she is favoring being black and lilac.

Ravin is new to town. The ink is just barely dry on their employment contract, honestly. But they are now settled enough that going out to experience the community seems like a good idea. And thus, the employee bar. Today, they've thrown on a black utilikilt and a purple silk blouse with a short cape thrown over for warmth. They likewise are heading for the bar and give Shirley a smile and then the slight double-take of someone who still isn't quite used to the islands, yet.

Harrison is very newly arrived on the island but the first place that one needs to venture is the local watering hole, certainly. Groceries and other necessities can wait. Tonight, he is dressed fairly casually in a pair of grey trousers with an olive green turtle neck under a grey leather jacket. He makes his way toward the bar after closing the door, letting in a bit of chill air behind him. One hand reaches up to comb fingers through wind-blown hair, and then he finds himself a seat. A smile is offered to Shirley, Ravin, and to whoever happens to be tending bar and he waits for the bartender's attention before putting in an order for a Sidecar.

Eli is not new to the Island. He's a bit of an old hand, not his first rodeo as it were, and as he's one of the Face jousters, he comes in, giving waves to others as he makes his way up to the bar itself, giving a familiar smile and a wink. He's wearing a cowboy hat that looks like he was born to do so, weathered jeans and a plaid flannel shirt under a denim jacket with sheepskin on the inside.

He gives a grin to Shirley first, and gives a charming tip of his cowboy hat and a drawl of 'miss'.

Shirley offers smiles to everyone and little waves hello as she meets everyone else's eyes with her own. The charming tip of the cowboy hat causes her to mildly blush as her smile grows a bit, "Miss huh. Where's that accent from?"

Shirley has been working her just over a year at this point but the bright pink hair was new, as was her cat ear and tail thanks to whatever happened on New Year's Eve. As the bartender approaches her she says, "I want a raspberry margarita neat with a sugared rim please." The bartender offers a nod, mouthing along 'with a sugared rim please' and giving Shirley a knowing look, she always does that with her margaritas after all.

She looks to Ravin and happily comments, "Lovely choice of color, purple is amazing and looks great on you," She pauses before she offers, "Also, if you have questions, I know that look and don't mind them." A friendly smile is accompanying those words.

The bartender takes Harrison's order next and goes off to make both of those drinks before returning to take more orders. She looks over at Harrison and offers to him, "I'll answer any questions you may have as well if you are a new face and not just a new to me face."

Ravin's smile grows. "Oh, I can already tell we'll get along well. I... will ponder my questions and ask later. First, I should probably get to know you a bit before inquiring about unusual biology." He flashes the bartender a smile, as well. "Dark and stormy and... do you have a menu for bar snacks?" Then he pauses. "Actually, miss, do you have a recommendation on what food is good here?" Harrison and Eli each get a little nod of greeting as well.

Harrison's attention is drawn by Shirley and he chuckles. "I do have quite a lot of questions. But then, it's my job to have questions. And right now I'm not on duty, so I will save those perhaps for another time." He offers a smile to Ravin and Eli as well as a little dip of his head. Then he takes out his phone to glance over his messages while he waits for his drink.

Eli gives a small smile and a raise of his hat to Ravin as well, and gives a wave to Harrison.

"Buncha new faces here. An' I'm from Texas, miss." he slightly lies. "Now if I were you, I'd definitely get an order of bar fries. Food's real good here if you don't mind the grease. Unfortunately, I gotta watch my figure." he replies in a joking matter, and lifts one arm to flex in a friendly macho way before settling back down on his barstool.

"The name's Eli. Glad to meet y'all's acquaintance. So where you all workin' on the Island?"

Shirley laughs softly as she responds to Ravin, "Fair fair. I'm Shirley by the way though." The bartender is coming back with Shirley's margarita and Harrison's side car, setting the drinks in front of whom they belong to before taking Ravin's drink order and offering them a menu with the typical array of bar food available. "I think the sampler platter is pretty good, gives you a variety and it can function as a meal. The sliders are also good though if you want mini burgers."

She easily nods at Harrison's words and takes a small sip of her margarita, lightly licking the rim afterwords with a content smile. Her attention shifts back to Eli as she says, "Texas huh? And what is it you do here at the park?" She giggles briefly as he flexes in the joking manner after mentioning needing to keep his figure. "Oh, I work at Tales and Tails over at the Storybook Resort on Fable Island, I go by Tini when I am on the clock, just easier for the client to say over Shirley. And hearing tipsy people shout Tini always makes me giggle."

Ravin grins. "Ravin. Lovely to meet you." They quirk an amused eyebrow at Eli and look him up and down. "And what a figure it is. I just got hired to do shows at the amphitheater. Mostly singing, bit of dancing and acting."

The bartender gets another nod from Ravin. "I'll take a sampler platter and an order of the bar fries and rely on my new friends to help me polish things off if the portions defeat me. Thank you."

Harrison gives a quiet thanks to the bartender as his drink arrives and lifts it slightly to those gathered before taking a sip. When Eli asks about where they work he says, "Harrison. A little bit of everywhere. I'm working on a film for the park." Then he listens as the others introduce themselves as well and takes in their jobs with some interest, curious about those gathered. "Which do you prefer?" he asks Shirley. "Shirley, or Tini?"

"Do you have something that you absolutely love to perform more than anything else?" he inquires of Ravin with interest when they mention performing at the amphitheater.

Another new face joins the crowd at Lucky's tonight, James arrives to the bar carrying a little basket draped in a black and yellow plaid kitchen towel, making her way through the warm and chatty crowd to find herself a place at the bar. Those who frequent Nora's would have seen her working there last two weeks, either very late at night, or very early in the morning, off by 7am most days. She's a quiet server, but almost always gets orders correct the first time. Almost.

She's dressed in fitted black jeans with rippled knees, fishnets under them. A leather belt is studded with little rivets. A burnt orange sweater she wears is thick-knit and cozy, a cowl neck left down, her dark hair pulled up into messy buns, strands of curly dark hair escaped to frame her face. Dark lipstick and smoked eyeshadow is both her day and night look. Basket goes on the bar, James to a bar stool. She lifts a hand in silent greeting to those nearby: Shirley, Ravin, Harrison, and Eli.

"Ravin! Do you do karaoke? I love doing karaoke and it would be sooo fun to have a karaoke night, just saying," is excitedly asked and offered to Ravin as the mention of being a newly hired singer.

"I prefer Shirley when I am away from work. Thank you for asking Harrison. That is cool about the film. I sometimes do little tricks with the bottles which might look cool on an advert," is spoken and offered to Harrison with a smile.

A James enters she offers a friendly wave hello to her back with matching smile before she takes a sip of her margarita.

"I ride an' joust. Yell in funny accents and sword fight on the odd occasion. Used to work the SCA an' Renn Faire circuit after I got tired of cattle russlin' in an Old West show." he gives a cheeky smile, turning to give a smile over to James as she arrives, and he leans back on his stool a bit. "Was also a face for some workout drinks at one point, but it was real local in Wyoming." he adds in a thoughtful measure.

So many new people to learn about!

A mischievous smile settles over Ravin's face. "Well, it's hard to choose a favorite. Variety is the spice of life, after all, but I mostly do showtunes and Great American Songbook, though I'll branch out occasionally." Shirley's question elicits a laugh. "It's a bit of a busman's holiday for me, but yes, I do enjoy karaoke. Honestly, it's hard to resist a spotlight and a chance to perform." There's a glance over and a nod for James and then another smile for Eli. "Did you ever work the one near the Twin Cities. I used to really enjoy visiting there."

Harrison gives a little smile and a nod of greeting to James when she joins those at the bar. There's a curious glance for the basket, but then his attention shifts back to the conversation going on around him. "Of course," he says to Shirley. "We should get some footage of it," he considers when she mentions her bottle tricks.

"Now that sounds like a lot of fun," he says of jousting and then seems mid-thought to shift gears, "Painful, too, perhaps."

He lifts his glass and takes a sip from his drink before nodding to Ravin. "True enough. Well, I hope you get to perform a variety that you can enjoy, then."

James leans in to make an order when the bartender comes down her way. They exchange a few words back and forth, and then she hands over a bribe of a chocolate chocolate chip muffin scooped warm from the basket, and sits back to wait on her order. Since Shirley is bright and chatty, she smiles and glances over, gleaning the names of those near by courtesy of the pink-haired woman nearby.

She slides up her sleeve and slides a ballpoint pen out of her back pocket, making a surreptitious note on the inside of her wrist in ink. Her sweater sleeve slips back down shortly after. She glances up at Ravin's question, then shakes her head in the negative. "Detroit," she says, after a slight pause, perhaps taking a moment to recall which city they're asking about. Of Eli she asks, "What... exactly is rustling cattle?" She meanwhile puts the basket on the bar, shifting it nearby her, but with the plaid folded back in invitation for anyone nearby to reach in if they'd like to.

There's a smile to Harrison and then she eyes the bartender to track the progress of a spiked hot chocolate.

"Oh? So a knight then? Do you have your own horse you use for the shows?" Shirley asks of Eli. She claps with excitement as Ravin mentions the enjoyment of karaoke and says, "I will come see your show the next night I am off and you are performing. As for the karaoke, I just do it for fun, with or without the alcohol."

She offers to Harrison, "Feel free to come by Tales and Tails any night I am working. If you signal to me you are rolling, I can do a few tricks to make sure we don't waste the footage." And hopefully help reduce editing time. She takes a sip of her margarita after James smiles back at her.

"Pretending to steal cattle an' occasionally get arrested by the good guys, end up the jail and get jeered at by tourists. An' sometimes I got to be the good guy too." Eli gives a wink over to James as he grasps a beer, and lets out a breath.

"An yep. I arrived on the island with my own horse, best friend and wingman." he states of his gelding, and he gives a small grin. How about y'all. Any of you ride? I hear there is a lot of horses on the islands." he gives a bright grin, pushing his hat back as he looked to the other assembled in the group.

Ravin grins. "I do seem to be getting a variety I enjoy. And if I need more variety, there's apparently karaoke available." He glances towards James again, just checking in on her and then seems to remember something and digs in one of the pockets on his kilt to pull out a small gauze bag which seems to hold some piece of jewelry. He leans over to pass this to James. "I almost never wear this set any more and thought you'd like them."

The bag delivered, Ravin gives Shirley a laugh. "Excellent. It will be a date. When... we have an actual date." He waves a hand airily. "Details shall be supplied later."

Harrison nods to Shirley and says, "I'll get with you later and we can talk to the manager there to set something up," clearly interested in the idea. He settles back on his stool comfortably, turning a bit so that he can more face the others down the line, his own drink nursed slowly. "I've ridden a bit, but not in a while. I do hear that there are trails and horses for riding at the resort."

"I wonder what karaoke must be like on an island covered in performers. I'll have to go to one when there's another."

Shirley mentions to Eli, "I don't ride but I would be open to lessons if you might be offering them." As Ravin mentioned the karaoke she smiles as she says, "I don't know if they have it here, I will have to look over the newsletter, it has been a while since I looked at it honestly."

"Cool, feel free to look me up in the directory Harrison, you shouldn't have any issue finding me in there," is mentioned to Harrison. "I am not a performer by any means, I just do it for funsies."

"Oh, huh." James seems amused by that, a little smile answering Eli's explanation. "Pretending to..." She nods. "Yep. Black hats have more fun?" She sits back and reaches into the basket of baked goods, pulling out a chocolate chocolate chip muffin and splitting it down the middle. She doesn't order any bar food, but the bartender thus bribed, no one seems to have an issue with some homemade goods shared among friends, new friends, and acquaintances. She smiles her thanks when her hot choco arrives topped in extra whipped cream. Coulda got it at the diner, but in the diner, it doesn't come boozy. "Is there a karaoke bar...?" She asks like she's not sure, but perhaps heard someone at the diner talking about it once.

She glances up just in time to be passed a little parcel by Ravin. She looks from them to the bag and reaches out to take it. She puts the muffin aside, brows slightly raised, and curiously opens the little bag after licking a swipe of chocolate off of her finger so as not to get it on either the bag or jewelry inside. She pulls out a little pair of dangly wire wrap earrings with sparkly, color-shifting crystals. She takes a moment to tip her hand, watching the facets sparkle in the bar's lighting. They must meet approval, because she reaches up to put them on, tucking the wires into her second piercings. She of course slides right off her stool and steps over to give Ravin a brief hug in thanks, a little side squish. "Thank you." The words are simple, but it takes her a second to settle on them.

Ravin seems a little surprised by the hug, but returns it warmly. "Most welcome. I have too many shiny things for my own good. Someone should wear them instead of them just sitting in a drawer." Then they settle back in place just in time for their food to arrive. A big plate of fries with toppings and a sampler platter of some of the other options. "Karaoke, much like Filk, is not exclusively judged on the basis of accuracy. Fun is much more the point and boldness is rewarded. I'm sure there's a spot. And if not, one can be made without too much difficulty. A lot of places operate off Youtube tracks."

"The Bard's Balcony has karaoke nights if I remember right? Don't quote me on it though," is mentioned after Shirley finishes off her margarita. She smiles as she agrees with Ravin, "Yes, fun is why I do it."

James returns to her seat nearby once her thanks has been imparted, and the smile lingers. It's obvious both Ravine and James have sparkly magpie tendencies. She fiddles with the crystals of one of the earrings a couple of times, then picks up her hot chocolate to have a sip. Seeming satisfied with the flavor, she settles in to listen to the conversation and tuck into her chocolate muffin.

With his drink dwindling, Harrison takes out his wallet to cover his bill and tip, and then gives a smile and a dip of his head to those gathered at the bar. "Was a pleasure meeting you all. Have a good night." He lifts a hand in a small wave and then heads for the door, fastening his coat briefly before opening the door and heading back out.

Ravin watches Harrison go and then turns back to the others. "So, Shirley, how long have you been here? Did you say? Anything we should keep an eye out for or avoid Anything we absolutely have to experience? I know James got here about the same time I did." The cheese sticks are probably still a little too hot, but Ravin grabs one anyway and blows on it before dipping it in sauce and biting in.

Shirley offers a wave bye to Harrison as he takes his leave. She looks to Ravin and James as she answers, "I am pretty just it has been at least a year, maybe a year and some months? And just remember magic is real while on the islands but it goes away when you go back to the mainland. And I would say if something within the park piques your interest, please go and see it. I have a long list of ones I need to get around to myself. I am very guilty since I work nights but trying to get better about it." She pauses, "Also, it can sometimes be normal to wake up a little different. For example, after New Year's Eve, I woke up with my cat ears and tail. I do change them up sometimes but my default is cat girl. I can't say if something like this will happen again soon but it might so just, be open to possible changes."

James nods in agreement when Ravin mentions they arrived at about the same time. "Only here a couple weeks," she says, though it's clear she's made a few acquaintances in the service staff on Crescent. She doesn't respond to the magic mention, though she does glance around briefly before she starts to say something, but then Shirley's mentioning waking up with changes, and how it happened out of nowhere. "That's..." She thinks about it a little more then says, "A thing I'll watch out for."

Ravin blinks a little. "That just... happened? Okay. I knew there was magic, here. Hadn't realized you'd just wake up with changes. Though how much I'd object would depend a lot on the changes in question."

Shirley lightly taps her nose, "I feel you there. If I didn't wake up a cat girl, I don't know how I would have reacting honestly. But I am pretty ok with being a living anime character while I work here at the park to be honest. But it did. To be clear, it would be after something super magical happens here at the park. I am not the only one who had it happen to them either. You will see people with horns, some with other abilities. I can heal people with minor cuts and stuff. Can be super handy in the bar."

James glances over at Ravin when they express some reservation about these nebulous changes. "Mmhm." She seems in agreement there. Her attention shifts to Shirley's tail, then up to the cat ears. She'd noticed them before, of course, but paired with the whole waking up with them one day, it shifts her perspective a little. "Horns," she repeats. "I thought that was good stage makeup."

Ravin nods to Shirley. "Right. Go find you if I nick myself shaving, got it." They grin widely. "As I said, I anticipate us getting long very well." They give James a nod. "I can apply pretty realistic horns, so some of them may still be stage makeup. For that matter unrealistic horns. I have one set that are covered in holographic coating."

Shirley shakes her head, "Nope. Its, its real. I mean, I wore fake stuff before this happened cause that is my shtick but this makes it easier for me, personally. But I might be in oddity on it working out with my current employment. But I am not 100 percent on that. I just think it is cool. But again, might be the oddity." She softly shrugs, signaling it doesn't bother her.

She smiles as she says, "I'll happily help you out of you get a cut, without even thinking twice. Promise. Oh! That sounds amazing! Do you have pictures with you by chance?" She pauses and mentions to them both, "Also, either of you ever had something called a Kitchen Sink Cookie?"

"Nothing wrong with a little sparkle," James says to Ravin, a smile hidden behind her cocoa, which she sips and then stirs with a spoon provided, letting the whipped cream melt into it. "I think." She frowns a little, and then continues with the barest of hitches, "Expression is important. If it's like everyone else, it's not you." A couple times there are very slight pauses there, but the words make it out more or less smoothly.

The mention of kitchen sink cookies brings a brighter smile to her lips. "Yes. Everyone does them different. So good." She looks at Shirley. "Do you make them?"

Ravin laughs and pulls out his phone and pass over for cool pictures. Apparently he's done cosplay at conventions in addition to stage plays. There's a great picture of him playing Oberon with a smaller guy as puck almost clinging to him. "What do you put in your version of the cookies? At least usually? I know a number of people where what goes in depends on what they have at the moment."

Shirley beams happily as she answers James's question as she says, "Yes I do. My grandma from Atlanta's recipe. I found the perfect mixing bowl at Tarjays. Oh! Right, ok so for shopping there is Tarjays which is kinda like Target but so much better and then if you like thrifting there is always Ruby's. A lot of people just turn stuff it cause it is usually expensive to get stuff they don't absolutely need off the island so you can find some steals there."

She looks over at the phone and gasps in delight, "Oh my Gods, I love it!" She is distracted for a moment before she says, "Oh right cookies, the recipe uses chopped pretzels, caramel chips, sea salt and the base is a chocolate chip cookie recipe."

James leans over to look at Ravin's pic. She laughs and says, "I used to dress a little to come here. Before." She lifts a hand to fill in the blanks there before working here. It's a vague gesture, but easily enough understood. She looks at the other and says, "Stage presence." She taps the phone. "Not surprised."

And then she's looking over at Shirley, because she just said a few magical words. Perfect mixing bowl. "Really?" Out comes the pen and she slides up her sleeve and writes something else. It's hard to see what it is, but she has a few other blue-scrawled marks on her wrist like she's been keeping notes this way all day. "Sounds good." She hesitates before she asks, "Tried potato chips?"

Ravin laughs and exits out of the pictures, then tucks their phone back away. "I don't do much cooking or baking. I have a few recipes I can manage, but it's not really my focus. I can mix a pretty good drink for an amateur. But I will happily go thrifting. I love a good bargain."

A beeping from her pocket has James pulling her phone out to check the screen. She rises, collects her basket, and says, "I'd like to try your cookies sometime." She tucks her basket into the crook of her arm, sweeping the clock over the muffins inside it. "Have an..." She takes a breath after a couple false starts and finishes, "A thing." She raps twice on the bar with her knuckles and waves to Ravin and Shirley, a lift of hand, and then turns to make her way out.

She does call back, "Thrifting!" With a flashed peace sign which could mean peace out, or I love thrifting too, or is left open entirely to interpretation as she goes.