rogueinladysclothing | Lovesick fools often do foolish things [Tagging Majima and Harley]

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Lovesick fools often do foolish things [Tagging Majima and Harley]

For all the things Amelia was bad at in her life, one thing she could count on was a sense of something not being right. And the current situation with Harley? It had definitely reached that point.

Everything that had followed their Valentine's evening in together didn't make sense. Amelia had sent several text messages to Harley to see how she was doing and to ask if she might see her over the days that followed. Most of the time, she received nothing but silence in response. After a while, though, she got text messages of random words or letters, and the occasional video of a darkness with sniffing and whining sounds that reminded her very much of a dog.

Amelia's been on such a high lately from all of the wonderful things she's been feeling with Harley that this sudden drop off after promises of wanting her around set off the rogue's anxiety. Did she do something wrong? Was it awkward for her to leave at the end of their night in, instead of crashing at Harley's place? She'd had an appointment the following morning that she needed to keep, so going back to the inn had made sense. Was it wrong of her to want that kind of space? Did Harley want something more for her?

Was she doing everything wrong?

The last straw in trying to decide what to do next came in the form of a video message that sounded like the dog answering Harley's phone was chewing on it. It was time to see if the only other person who was as involved with Harley as her knew what was happening. Unfortunately for the rogue, Majima knew as little as she did. Rather than try to work it out with him, she asked him to meet her at Harley's place, to see if they couldn't get the other woman to open the door and let them in.

When Majima finally arrives at the door to Harley's apartment, Amelia's wearing a hole in the floor with her pacing. She turns to him the second he steps through the portal, her hands clenching into loose fists at her sides so she doesn't pick at the embroidery on her fine clothes.

"She won't answer the door. I've called and knocked dozens of times. What do we do?"

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"Eh, let's avoid my world for a bit. Besides, you were already there for work." And Majima's in enough hot water as it is without being caught goofing off with a couple of ladies.

There's always his other favorite way to blow off steam: "Maybe we can find a karaoke joint or somethin'. The Nexus is big enough there's not much risk of embarrassin' yerself in front'a people ya know."

"I would be good for karaoke." Harley smiles. Truth be told, she doesn't think that she would be at her best for roughing anyone up tonight.

"Will you help me pick out a sparkly dress, Goro?" She trails her fingers down his side.

"Karaoke?" Her magical ring doesn't give her a translation. It must be a borrowed word from another language? Her lips pull into a thin line as she shifts Harley into Majima's arms.

"Do I need to change before we do this? What are we even doing with this... karaoke that could be embarrassing?"

Majima looks momentarily taken-aback my Amelia's lack of familiarity, then remembers Nexus. Of course. Not everyone has the same cultural touchstones.

"Karaoke? Right." He scratches the back of his head. "So, uh, back in Japan, lotsa bars have these machines full'a songs and screens that show you the lyrics. Ya pick out a song, and do yer best to sing it. Pretty simple."

His response to Harley's invitation is to draw her out of the kitchen. He calls back to Amelia, "If ya got a good set of pipes on ya, or you've had enough to drink, ya won't be embarrassed at all!"

"You don't have to change for karaoke, Amelia. But I do have some dresses with full sleeves, if you want to look through my closet."

Harley has a wide assortment of outfits, dresses and even costumes in her closet. The outfits range from modest, to professional, to sexy, and to downright slutty. There will be a lot for Majima to choose from.

"And we can do each other's hair." Harley likes styling Amelia's hair. She opens the vanity with her colored extensions. A wide variety of options there, besides the pink and blue that are her traditional colors.

"I'll just stay in what I have on," she calls up to the loft. "It'll give us more time to work on our hair." Smooth way of ducking out of that, Amelia. Really. The awkwardness of that transition wasn't noticeable at all!

She'll content herself with brushing out her hair with her fingers and debating how to style Harley's hair while she waits in the living room. Two people are more than capable of choosing an outfit for one of them on their own.

Majima browses through her closet, flicking clothes hangers back and forth -- occasionally pausing and shooting Harley a raised eyebrow-look at some of her wardrobe choices. As he moves down the line, he pulls out several options and hooks them sideways on the rod. He seems surprisingly comfortable with this task.

"How about this one?" After some final deliberation, he's settled on a sassy, red bodycon number. Sparkly, of course. "Always a fan of red."

"Red is my favorite color." Harley takes the dress from him with a bright smile. "And I have a lipstick that matches."

Harley has no qualms about changing in front of Majima. She slides the dress on, and then turns so that he can zip up the dress for her. It might be an excuse to have his hands touch her again. She feels safe in his embrace.

After she is dressed, she finds some sparkly red extensions for her hair, and heads downstairs so that Amelia can help her with her hair.

Already, just being in the dress is bringing back some of that color in her face. She doesn't like as pale. And her smiles are becoming more frequent.

Amelia can't help the bright smile that pulls across her face at seeing Harley dressed up so nicely. The smile doesn't hurt either.

"You look wonderful," she says, taking a seat on the couch and offering the spot next to her to Harley. "Now, let me try something with your hair to make it extra special for our night out..."

She doesn't go for anything too fancy, simply a style that she has practice with from her world. Braids like these are easy when the person she's doing them for isn't a squirming preteen. When she's done, Amelia tucks in a few loose strands of hair and then smiles at Harley.

"There. Your look is complete. Take a look and let me know what you think? I have a few others I could try if you'd like."

Majima follows Harley downstairs, rolling down his shirtsleeves and re-buttoning the cuffs. He pulls his jacket back on and sinks into a chair. While he watches the braiding through a fuzzy eye, he pulls a cigarette from his pocket and spins it between his fingers. He doesn't bother lighting it -- not out of courtesy so much as a lack of obvious ash trays.

When Amelia declares that she's done, he leans forward in his seat to get a better look. He slaps his knee and declares, "Amelia. We fucked up. We made her look too beautiful. Now we're gonna look like a couple'a total slobs next to this goddess."

Harley gives a really bright smile at the compliment. And smiles up at Amelia, grateful for her support.

"But you are my slobs." She teases lightly. "And I would not change either of you for the world."

"We're only slobs in comparison, Majima," Amelia chides in a teasing tone. "I think we do well on our own, and that our beautiful lady would agree." She throws a wink at Harley as she gets to her feet and helps the other woman to hers. Of course they all look wonderful. There's no way any of them would let themselves go like that.

"But if you're so eager for disapproval from the rest of the Nexus, we should head out. I'm sure they'd be happy to provide it if you ask nicely." Her smile is sweet as she looks over at Majima, but her eyes are full of deviousness. Why, yes, she does love lightening the mood with teasing, why do you ask?

Majima quickly asks his PINpoint assistant for the top-rated karaoke bar in the Nexus. She returns with a place called the "Cantata Cantina" that claims to be charmingly cheap and dive-y (Five-dollar Margarita happy hour?), while also boasting one of the biggest multiversal song catalogs any Nexus-goer could hope to find.

"Well, this slob is ready to get a stiff drink or two and sing his fuckin' heart out," Majima says decisively as he rises from his seat and extends a hand. "Ready, Harley-chan?"

"More than ready." She feels refreshed, and ready to sing a few songs. Harley takes Majima's offered hand, and leans into him with a smile.

She already has a few songs on her mind.

And is just looking forward to hitting the stage tonight.

Amelia reaches for Harley's free hand, taking up her place on the woman's left as they make their way out of the apartment and down toward the karaoke bar. It's a little frightening, trying something new in such a spontaneous way, but she's ready for it. Or as ready as she can be, anyway.

The bar is as much of a dive as Majima's PINpoint promised it would be. It's dark, a little claustrophobic, and filled with a decent crowd. The rogue is off-put by the sheer volume of people and how close they all have to be given the space constraints, which is most of why she tries to keep so close to Harley and Majima. At least they're familiar and being packed in next to them isn't so hard.

"So... drinks first?" she asks with a nervous smile. "I'll buy the first round."

At one point, the bar had some semi-Hispanic trappings, but has since been suffused with the usual melange of Nexus cultures as ownership and staff likely changed over the years.

A small, festively-lit stage is shoved in the back. Currently, a woman with demon horns and a whole glam rock vibe is belting out "One Way or Another" by Blondie. A dizzying montage of seemingly unrelated stock videos is projected behind her and she scarcely needs to refer to the lyrics holographically projected in the air.

It's a far cry from the hole-in-the-wall karaoke bars Majima is used to, but the fancier tech and the energy of the half-drunken crowd definitely doesn't disappoint.

After taking in the surroundings, his attention lands back on Harley and Amelia. The rogue has the right idea. She definitely looks like she could use something to loosen up. "Yeah. Good thinkin'. We gotta queue up, anyway. This place is hoppin'."

Majima hails the bartender, places his drink order, and asks about the song catalog. She wordlessly points to a flat, glowing console adjacent to the bar. While he waits for his drink, he scrolls through the impossibly vast library, humming and rocking on his heels to the current song.

He elbows Harley, remembering the first conversation they had months ago. "Oi, they've got Whitney Houston. And some Britany!"

Harley wraps her arm around Amelia's waist, hoping to provide some comfort to the overwhelmed rogue. She loves the whole setting of the bar. The crowd excites her... just in the same way that a full house at Sunshine Club does.

And she loves the fancier tech that is offered to them.

When Majima remembers their first conversation... she beams at him. It is still a little surreal to think that they only met just months ago. That her life has changed so much since arriving in the Nexus.

"How about Meghan Trainor. I could so sing 'All About That Bass' right now."

Edited 2018-03-02 13:14 (UTC)

Amelia sticks close to Harley as they look over the song list, sipping at the ginger ale she ordered as the pages scroll by. It's quite the impressive list, but the surprising thing to her is how many titles she knows. She hadn't realized how many songs she'd heard while wandering about the Nexus over the last few years. It doesn't help her pick one for herself, but she's happy to see how this works before she attempts anything.

When Harley chooses her selection, Amelia smiles brightly at the woman. "Let's get you signed up, then. I can't wait to hear you sing."

The rogue waives down the bartender, asking about how to sign up for a slot to sing. The woman points again to the console, specifically a bright green checkbox next to each of the song titles. When checked, the box brings up a message asking for a name and how soon the person wants to sing. Once all that's selected, the screen offers a "Congratulations! You're up in # of songs!" message with a kitschy confetti visual.

Majima leans over to grab his scotch on the rocks, then picks out a song for himself: "You Spin Me Right Round" by Dead or Alive. For his timeline, this is a fairly fresh pop hit, but he already has the English lyrics memorized, if not entirely understood.

He queues himself up after Harley, noticing an "fast track" option that would allow them to skip ahead in line for a fee. Yes, please. He feeds a few hundred yen into the machine and the queue updates to bump their names up next.

Majima nudges Amelia. "What, yer not gonna round out our set? There's gotta be somethin' familiar in that list."

The tiefling's performance wraps up and she makes a series of lewd gestures at the applauding, hooting crowd as she leaves the stage.

Harley places a kiss on Majima's cheek when she notices him paying for the 'fast track' option. She is ready to hit the stage.

"It is okay if you just want to watch, Amelia." Harley reassures the other woman.

With the extra option paid for, they will be called up to the stage pretty quickly. Not only does Harley sing All About That Bass, with a good voice... she also moves to the song. She hardly needs to look at the read-out of the lyrics for reference either. It is like she knows the song by heart.

Her cheeks flush a deep red at the nudging. "Maybe after I see how this works," she deflects. "There's a lot of songs to choose from, after all, and I want to pick the best one."

It's not like she's going to admit that this terrifies her, of course.

While Harley and Majima head up to the stage to wait for their turn to sing, Amelia settles into a seat near the front, convincing someone to give up their good table with a few sweet words and a few refills of their drink. She watches Harley's number with rapt attention, not completely understanding the references in places, but enjoying it all nonetheless. Amelia's always enjoyed seeing the other woman dance when she's having as much as she is now.

Majima enjoys Harley's performance from beside the stage, doing his best to be her hype man -- rousing a contingent of the audience to clap along with the song.

When the song ends and Harley's applause dies down, he steps up to the stage and gives her a passing peck on the cheek. See? Singing makes everything better. Well, not that there was any doubt.

Majima sets his drink down on a stool and takes the mic as the intro to his song kicks in. He's already doing his best to replicate Pete Burns' completely ridiculous dance moves even before the lyrics kick in. While his singing voice is by no means the strongest and his English is thickly accented, he makes up for it with vocal range and charismatic enthusiasm. Every time the chorus repeats, he gives an encouraging wave of his hand, inviting the other bar patrons to chime in.

Between his lengthy confinement and boring civilian drudgery, this is a facet of Majima that's been bottled up for the past few years. It shows in how ready he is to let go. Is he making a fool of himself? Maybe, but he clearly could care less.

By the time the song is through, he has a light sheen of sweat on his face. He knocks back the rest of his drink in one go, then gives a theatrical bow before leaving the stage.

Majima's performance is very entertaining. Harley is very impressed by the passion there that is just waiting to be released.

And it makes her feel a little more connected to him. Strengthening the attraction she has for him.

When he leaves the stage, she congratulates him with a passionate kiss.

"This was a great idea."

It's fun to see Majima get so into his own performance, and the rogue laughs and claps excitedly every time the audience gets into it. Even simply watching other people perform karaoke is fun and Amelia would be very content to watch the her companions sing to their hearts' content.

When the next performer - a stout green skinned man with flaming orange hair and an operatic voice - takes the stage, Amelia waves Harley and Majima over, motioning to the empty seats at the table she's claimed. "You were both wonderful," she says with a bright smile as they sit down. "I hadn't heard either of those songs, but I very much enjoyed both of them. The performers may have biased me a little, of course." She winks at the two of them then flags down the bartender from her seat, nodding for a refill of everyone's drink.

"So, what else are you two singing tonight? Anything I might have heard of?"

Majima returns the kiss in full. "I'm fulla great ideas, cupcake," he says through a cocky smirk.

He slouches into a seat at Amelia's table, letting out a long, contented sigh. That felt good. His cigarette makes a reflexive comeback and he's about to light up when a very large hand clamps down on his shoulder. Looking up, a minotaur bouncer firmly shakes his head and points to a no smoking sign.

"What kinda bar doesn't allow smokin'?" Majima grumbles as he pockets the cigarette again. He'll have to pop outside sometime to get his fix.

"We'll see. I gotta represent and do a Japanese tune at least once," he says over the green-skinned man's commanding voice. "Oi, Amelia-chan. If you were gonna get up there, what song would ya pick?"

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