Summary:Riley comes and visits Luke at the bar with surprising results Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
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Luke's is usually quiet right before the lunch rush. It will be a little while yet before the crowd from descends in mass to grab a bite to eat, or to have a liquid lunch.
Luke is currently setting up the bar in preparation for the lunch crowd. Ice is being dumped into the wells. Dishes are being wiped down. Glasses are being polished. He is certainly keeping himself busy, and as he works he whistles to the beat of the music being played at low volume over the speakers, shaking his rump every so often in time to the beat.
Riley will slip in, her guitar in a soft case that's easier to strap to her back and handle when she's walking around the city. She's quiet in that way people that are used to slipping in from the wings onto stage can be, and she may just catch Luke shaking his fine behind. She can't help the smile that lights up her face.
"Well I heard about the girl you been dancin' with, all over the neighborhood. Why didn't you ask me baby, didn't you think I could? But I know that the boogaloo is out of sight, but the shingaling is the thing tonight.." She'll sing the classic as she heads to the bar, shaking out her red hair over her battered brown leather jacket. She's rosy from the chill in the outside air, and she's got some makeup on, but it's not obvious unless you're looking. The jeans are deep blue, the boots cowboy, brown and broken in.
"Twist it, shake it shake it shake it baby. Here we go loop de loop, shake it out baby. Here we go loop de lie,Bend over, let me see you shake a tail feather, Bend over, let me see you shake a tail feather, come on let me see you a tail feather… " She grins, a hand landing on the edge of the bar. "Hey there, Luke."
Stopping the rump shaking and turning as he hears the singing, Luke starts a bit as the sudden appearance of Riley surprised him. "Oh! Hey there. I didn't hear you come in. I'll be right with you."
Luke sets down the tray of glasses he was carrying and makes his way over to where Riley is sitting at the bar. "What can I get you….Riley wasn't it? We have draft beer on special right now."
"I would say sorry to startle you, but I'm sort of not. It's nice to know you get to break loose now and then." Her smile will be bright. "Oooh a draft beer special. Well, I have to trust your recommendation." The tone is light, playful, as she slips the case off over her head and sets it down.
"I was wondering if I could slip in sometime like this, when it's not too crowded, to see what the accoustics are like in here. So maybe I can come some open mic night." She'll flush, just a bit, as she sits up on the stool.
Luke chuckles, "Yeah, yeah. You caught me shaking my groove thing. Guilty as charged, it happens sometimes."
He reaches over and grabs a mug, pouring a draft for Riley and sliding it over to her, "Oh, feel free. It's quiet now so by all means do what you want to do before the rush hits."
Riley will slide some of her mildly crumpled busking tips across the bar, claiming that mug to sip from. "Are you sure? I mean, if it's your time for a dance break, I would never want to interrupt. Everyone should dance a little every day, I believe. Of course, I'm a former dancer, so I would think that, right?"
She takes a few more sips from her beer, aqua eyes running over everytihing again. "Good crowd for the holiday?" She'll ask, fixing her gaze on him again.
Luke chuckles again as he takes the bills from the bar and places them in the till, "I think I am good." he says about the dancing. "I can hold still my boogie feet until later. What kind of dance did you do? Ballet?"
He shrugs, "Yeah. A bit busier than usual I suppose. Get more people trying to get away from the cold at the very least and in turn that turns into a few extra drinks or plates of food."
Riley chuckles. "Maybe I'll ask you to dance, sometime. You move well. Not all tall and built men do." She will sip at beer, eyes looking up at Luke. "Ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, hip hop, belly dance, fusions.." She'll grin. "If I wanted music lessons, I had to take dance, too."
She will nod, a glance at the stage. "I volunteered at a soup kitchen, did a lot of dishes, served my weight in mashed potatoes. It's something I used to do back home with family, so I felt it would be a good idea. Other than that, I stayed in and bingewatched things." There's another hint of a grin as she sheds her jacket, revealing the deep green shirt beneath.
Luke Cage chuckles, "If you ask me to dance, I may just take you up on that. If my mama gave me one thing, it was rhythm. I mean, she gave me a bunch of things, to be honest, but rhythm was one of them. It sounds like you have had plenty of experience in having some rhythm yourself."
Luke leans back against the bar and starts to polish the glasses on the tray in front of him as he watches. "With all that experience sounds like you could land a job as a dancer somewhere on Broadway. How come you just busk?"
There's another grin, "You're packed and you're stacked, especially in the back brother, wanna thank your mother for a butt like that, can I get some fries with that shake shake booty?" The redhead dips into the classic Salt n pepa hit when talking about his qualities from his mother.
"I'm not tall enough for a lot of Broadway casting, for one thing. But mostly because I'm going to college still. I have most of my stuff figured and covered, but if I want to eat anything other than a ramen diet, I have to do some sort of work. Busking lets me do what I love most. Music. My parents swore I came out of the womb singing." There's an embarrassed flush. "And, well, I don't know if I could handle being a stripper."
Luke laughs as she starts to sing, "Careful, of you ask what's up with that thang and how does it hang, I may just tell you."
He sets his glass down and picks up another, starting the process over again. "I get the having to work to afford food, and I get doing what you love, but busking can't put that much on the table. Why not find a steady gig at….well a place like this? Take a percent of the door and all that, you might make more."
Luke casts a glance back over her way when she mentions being a stripper, and chuckles. "I hear they make bank though, but it certainly isn't for everyone. You certainly have the dance skills for it. You would probably be a feature."
Riley will lift her eyebrows and waggle them, before she winks. "I will remember that, you know. You never know when I might bring out a challenge." Her smile, on the other hand, is more sweet than snark.
"Actually, if you cater to your crowds, you can make some good money. Classic rock does well in the evening commute on the subway, for example. Around here? Motown is the mover. I don't need to make a ton. I mean, I'm not eating steak or anything, but I've learned a lot of creative ways to make food work, so I get the most for my buck." There's a shrug.
Then she's blushing again. "I don't know that people who frequent gentleman's club care about my dance skills, so much as my ..assets."
"You might be surprised. Yes, your…assets…might be what draws them in, but show some skill in what you do and impress them with the moves instead of just walking around the stage and shaking your rump? You would make some serious coin. I've heard of top dancers making over 6 figures a year. Hell, that is more than I make. I should be a stripper." he says with a laugh. "But I get it, it isn't for everyone."
He starts to polish another glass, "So what are you in school for anyway? Music I assume?"
"I don't even know what I would do. Or use for an audition song, for that matter. I wouldn't want to just do the usual base heavy, boring thing that I hear girls use." There's a smirk at that. "Maybe you can help me work on some skills. I mean, money like that? I could maybe upgrade from my tiny little studio apartment or something."
"Dad is a music professor. It's in the blood." She drawls with a shrug of her shoulders. "With a business administrative minor. Got to have an array of sklls." Riley will finish her beer, setting the glass on the bar.
Luke moves to grab the mug from the counter and replaces it with a fresh one, "Oh, I'm not sure what skills I could help you with. You're the dancer after all, I'm just a bartender and sometimes bouncer. Besides, as you said, it isn't something you think you could handle. Don't force yourself into something you don't want to do, even if the money seems good. That's a road that doesn't lead anywhere good."
Riley laughs, head tipping back. "You could be a test audience, of course. You seem like a man who has probably had a few ladies in his lap, or dancing to try and catch your attention." Her eyes are brightly amused.
"But if you never travel down a road, you won't know if is going in a direction you like, either. If you don't try something, how do you know if that's the row you want to hoe, as they say?" She will play Devil's advocate a bit, as she steps towards the corner where the stage is. "Don't mind if I belt a few, right?"
Luke Cage rolls a shoulder in a shrug, "Hey, I'd be a fool to pass up an offer like that. If you end up being serious, then I'll be a guinea pig. I can't argue with that logic."
He motions to the stage, "All yours. Belt away." he says before picking up another glass to start to polish. "Next up on the stage, give a big warm welcome to…Riley!"
She will grin, shrugging a shoulder. "I might consider it. I should go look at some of these places, see if I think I could handle it. You could always join me then, too. Give me a good cover story." She'll laugh, as she moves to the middle of the stage.
There's a muted snicker when he's pretending to MC for her. She'll pause a moment, just listening to the space with her head slightly averted, eyes closed. Then comes the deep breath, and she'll just lift her head and let it out. "I'm so into you, I can barely breathe… and all I wanna do, is to fall in deep. But close ain't close enough, until we cross that line… so name the game to play, and we'll roll the dice.."
Luke Cage chuckles. "If you do go, take me because you shouldn't go to a place like that alone as a patron."
Luke shuts up when she starts to sing, leaning back against the bar and listening. He even stops polishing the glass he is working on and watches Riley on the stage with a look of surprise and approval.
"Oh baby look what you started, the temperature's rising in here, is this gonna happen, been waiting and waiting for you to make a move… before I make a move. " There's the faintest toss of red hair over a shoulder, eyes still closed as if she's listening and afraid vision will be distracting.
There's a little sway of her body as her mind changes that tempo up for the chorus. "So baby come light me up, and maybe I'll let you on it, a little bit dangerous, but baby that's how I want it. A little less conversation and a little more touch my body, 'cuz I'm so into you, into you, into you.. " As she sings that song of temptation and sexual tension, Luke may start to feel it. That electric tingling in palms, that itch to touch the object of desire. That anticipation that builds, and will keep building as she sings.
Luke continues to watch as the siren on stage has his complete attention. As he listens to the words, he pushes away from the bar and starts to move in the direction of the stage, taking a seat at one of the tables about halfway between the bar and the stage. He shifts a little in his chair, adjusting to make himself more comfortable as he continues to listen.
She takes a half step forward, before she's just rocking from foot to foot ever so slightly, back and forth with the music she hears in her head. When she hears him move, those aqua eyes open and move to lock onto his gaze. "Got everyone watchin' us, so baby let's keep it secret, a little bit scandalous, but baby don't let them see it, a little less conversation, and a little more touch my body, because I'm so into you, into you, into you… "
Once her eyes meet his, that electric force only heightens. He'll feel the impact of those words, the lure and pull of a forbidden lust, a possible tryst to keep hidden. He may wonder at it, but it still registers. "This could take some time, yeah, made too many mistakes, better get this right… "
Luke clears his throat, leaning forward in his chair as he stares into those eyes. Before he can register it he has moved further up, taking a seat at the next table closer. He mutters quietly, "Damn, girl has some pipes on her."
She should have told small package, big voice. She's heard it a million times, and it never quite gets old. She will hold that look on him, as she sings that song, with only what she can hear in her head as accompaniment. There's no auto tune available here, no guitar to bolster or cover any flaws, just her voice.
She will finally finish, letting it trail off with a run that drops her voice from high to low, before it wisps into nothing. There's a breath in, a smile at Luke. "The acoustics aren't bad at all. I'm glad." She has no idea the daze he's in, as she hops off the stage towards him. "When's the next open mic, again?" That feeling lingers, that craving, though it will start to slowly roll from the crest of the wave down towards the shore.
Luke just stares at her for a moment longer as the song ends, that wave of emotion cresting then breaking over. He stand as she approaches and he takes a brief moment to adjust, clearing his throat. "You know all that I said about being a busker and not making money? I stand by it. God damn, you could pack a place like this without even breaking a sweat. Why in hell do you do it on the street? Shit, I wouldn't be surprised if you could win one of those singing competitions and get a record deal. Hell, I won't lie, you had me into you."
If Riley notices that need for, or the adjustment itself, she won't show it. It would be hard not to notice, really, given his height. But she's a nice girl, raised that way. But her eyebrows will lift when he's saying she could pack his bar without breaking a sweat. She will blush slightly, but she'll smile.
"I don't know how to get a foot in the door to play a place like this, or any bar. I mean, I guess I could ask you now, since you've heard me sing. Just me without anything else." Her head tilts. "Into me, huh? Flattery is nice."
"You want a job? Done. You have one. No need for contracts…unless you want one. One nights that you play, you get 10 of the house take plus a straight amount per hour." Luke says, almost frantic in his desire to have her play there.
As he wave of emotion starts to fall, his mania subsides as well, "Well, yeah. Into you, name of the song right? I was being punny. But damn girl, you have pipes and know how to use them. I was certainly feeling what you were putting down. I know it was just a song, but if I didn't know any better…you made me believe it."
She will blink as she looks up at him. "You're serious. You would just put me up there some night and hope I can pull people in and give me ten percent of the door? Deal." She will flash a grin up at him.
She laughs, edging that tiny bit closer. "How do you know I didn't mean it?" She teases, a finger will reach out to tap at his broad chest. For that moment, that emotion starts to rise again, impossibly quick and fast. A flash flood versus a slow swell. "That's my job, isn't it? Make you feel the intention of a song?"
"Of course I am serious. I have no doubts that you can pull them in, and more over that you can keep them in." says Luke.
The minute she touches him, that rush of emotion causes him to let out a soft little sound in the back of his throat and he looks down at her, eyes filled with a lustful hunger, a manic passion. "You do your job well…" he says as he starts to move forward, closing the distance between them in less than a second and leaning down towards her to seek her lips with his.
"You'll have to tell me when. I prefer not a Tuesday night, since I've stupid morning class on Wednesday. You know your crowds better than I do, and we'd want to cater to them and still sprinkle in other stuff to try and hook maybe your not regulars. Maybe we can get you a wider net."
Then Luke is close and still closing in, those aqua eyes wide with more than a touch of surprise. But her best gift fails her, and she's speechless for just a second too long. That kiss connects, and it's like touching a live wire of those feelings for Luke in that moment.
Luke moves to wrap his arms around Riley and pull her close to him, the kiss sparking off the powder keg of emotion that has had a slow burning fuse till now. The rush of emotion causes an audible gasp from him as that power causes his body to pump endorphins and hormones as his blood rushes throughout his body, his heart pumping fast and strong in his chest.
That heated rush is a shared feeling for a moment, before there's that little spark of shock to the system as he pulls her close. The gasp, that's a sound of alarm for Riley, before she will squirm herself away and out of his arms.
She's flushed at least, and not the blanched pallor of someone stricken. Those eyes are bright in comparison to her cheeks, gleaming as if the water of the Caribbean had solidified in her gaze. She opens her mouth a couple times, but nothing comes out.
Luke reaches for her as she squirms away but doesn't pursue.
As soon as she is away from him, and that emotion subsides he looks to her apologetically, with confusion and a little bit of horror on his face. "I…I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me."
He backs away from her with his arms in the air in a sign of surrender. He moves towards the bar to give her distance from him. Back to behind the bar where something separates the pair. "I really am so sorry. I..I must have read the signals wrong."
He pours a glass of water and sets it on the bar, before pouring another and downing it like a man stranded in a desert.
Red hair lashes out as she shakes her head hard. "No, no. I was flirting and teasing. It wasn't anything to apologize for at all." She swallows hard, following a little meekly in his wake back to the bar.
"No, nothing like that." She's flushed, but there's a shy little smile as she picks up the water for a long couple of swallows. "I just didn't see it coming, was all. I can miss signals, sometimes."
Luke pours himself another water and downs it quickly. "Apparently something we have in common. I misinterpret them and you fail to see them." He tries to let out a little laugh but it comes out a bit forced.
"I'll understand if you don't want to do a gig here after all."
Riley will rest a hand up on the bar, those eyes on him. "Luke. It's not like you grabbed me out of nowhere and puckered up with an expectation. Sometimes the song, especially when something is done acapella, it can stir things harder than people expect." She'll blush fiercely.
"I hope you're not upset at me." She says a little more softly, finally pulling that long neglected second beer closer to her on the bar. "There's something I should probably tell you, that will explain everything."
Drawing a third glass of water, Luke gulps it down like he is trying to force something that is stuck in his throat down the pipe. "Yeah? Maybe. I've never had the string urge, let alone acted, to kiss someone out of the blue like that. I mean, sure, there was some flirting and who knows if I had played my cards right something might have come of it, but that was just…impulse. One thing you were singing, the next. Let's just say I wanted more than a kiss."
Luke looks away and starts to try and busy himself with polishing a glass. "Why would I be upset with you? It's not like you kissed me out of the blue."
It's been a long time since Anya Corazon has stepped foot inside of Luke's Bar.
The young woman has visibly changed. The shaved sides of her head have begun to grow out, exposing stubble of natural brunette that matches the roots of what used to be a mohawk, but is now in that awkward stage of 'growing out'. The pink hair at the edges still remains, but it's been flattened down against her head for the sake of simplicity. She's not wearing any kind of funky makeup today, just some basic coloring, and her clothing lacks some of its usual DIY flair; black skinny jeans, black Doc Martens, a grey t-shirt with the Ghostbusters insignia upon it, and a dark wash denim jacket.
As she enters the bar, the young woman pulls a beanie and fingerless gloves from her extremities. It's a good thing she doesn't have exceptional hearing; she's got no idea what Riley and Luke are talking about, but for a moment she lingers at the door, staring at the large man with a hesitant expression.
Sometimes music can really overwhelm a person." Riley is blushing, a lowering of lashes as she turns her beer glass around and around. She will take a long swallow, before her chin lifts. "What, are you saying you're throwing your hand in already, Luke? For shame." It's that teasing again. "How do you know I didn't want more than a kiss too, if I hadn't been surprised by it?" It's a blunt question, blunter than Riley usually is.
"No, no I didn't kiss you out of the blue, but was it out of the blue, really? I had just been singing to you about making a move, after all."
Luke looks to Riley and nods, "True, you were. It's almost like I was taking the song to heart, you know? The lyrics really just hit home I guess, and with the flirting I just went and made a move. Had you not stopped me, I would have made a few more." He shrugs, looking a bit sheepish which looks silly on a man his size. "No, not tossing in the towel, but that was one hell of a first impression. Not sure I will live that one down."
Luke looks over as Anya comes in the door. It takes a brief second for the big man to recognize her 'less than outlandish' look. He looks flustered, something Anya isn't use to seeing from him. "Anya?" he says, a smile forming on his face. "Welcome back. It's good to see you. It has been awhile, I was wondering what happened to you."
That part she overheard.
Cocking an eyebrow, the blank expression on Anya's face is quickly replaced by one that is all smirk. Whatever happened to the young woman, she's still there, intact, it would seem. Picking up her feet, she walks over to the bar, shrugs the backpack off her shoulder, hooks it under the bar right next to Riley, and climbs into a seat.
"Long story," she tells Luke.
Understatement of the century.
Still grateful that they aren't yet talking about that long story, she instead looks between Riley and Luke, conspiracy visible in her expression. Her eyes finally come to rest on Riley, and she turns to face the redhead directly. "So, is he at least a good kisser?" she asks, bluntly, and with a completely straight face that might have the slightest shadow of a simper.
"Well, isn't the whole point of a first impression to be remembered?" Riley will toss at him with a mild level of Southern Sass (tm). "Maybe you were. There was nothing to distract your from the words, after all. It's very different between acapella and having backing music, even just a guitar."
Riley is flushing, maybe about to say something him making more moves, before he's greeting Anya. There's a stiffness to Riley's no longer relaxed stance, and she'll sip her beer. When that question is fired at her so bluntly, the redhead's chin lifts as she turns to regard Anya from bi-colored hair, her clothes, on down to the boots. Then there's a bright, flashing smile. "Now, a girl shouldn't kiss an' tell. Certainly not when the fella can hear." It's a cheeky little response and delivery, that Riley is fervently wishing would dissapate some of the awkwardness being felt. Maybe she will get lucky, and Luke's lack of resistence to her empathy will extend to Anya. If only Riley really knew.
Nodding to Anya, "I see. Let me know if you ever want to talk about it. I was under a no news is good news umbrella. In any case, I have your back pay in the office."
Luke looks between the two women and rolls his eyes at Anya when she asks her question. "Oh lord. Here we go." He lets out a little sigh. "Anya, Riley…Riley, Anya. Anya, behave." Luke smirks and sets up another glass of beer on the bar, and follows up with a double shot of tequila, the later he slides Anya's way. "Riley has a damned fine set of pipes on her, and is going to take the stage a night a week. Maybe more, we were ironing out the details when…I got distracted."
The bluntness is a shield, and it's one Anya has carried for a very long time. Recently, however, that shield has been galvanized. It conceals a deep wound that was recently put upon her very soul, and one that she may never truly heal from. Such powerful emotions boil under the surface, invisible to the world by way of that subtle smirk and tough-girl attitude, but to an empath… it is like a blinding light.
"Hey Luke, isn't there some, like, bookkeeping you have to do?" She turns to look at the bar owner, a glimmer of mirth in her eyes. "In the back room?" she clarifies pointedly.
The bluff is only held so long, before she's smiling openly, a visible sign that her chiding of the man has concluded.
"Sup," the young Latina says to Riley with a friendly tone, and gives the redhead an upnod. "Singer, yeah? I'll check you out, for sure. I work here, still, apparently."
At that, Anya turns toward Luke again, and the grin is gone. The shield drops, just a bit, and she looks at him with an earnest expression that is still somewhat guarded. "It's… yeah. No news is good news." Even she can't completely hide the fact that she's lying, but, she's here and seems to be in one piece, so that has to be some form of good news. "I'll… pick it up before I leave," she says of the back pay.
Riley's head turns and tilts to look at Luke with an honest, innocently befuddled look. She's not the sort of instigate or agitate, lucky enough for him. But he'll get a wink anyhow, before she's flushing under his praise. Time to drink a little more beer.
She will look at Anya, and aqua eyes wll darken a few shades as the Latina's hurt pulls at Riley's empathy. "Yeah. Singer, musician, that sort of thing. Luke and I were discussing possible employment options." That glance to Luke holds a gleam of amusement.
Then she's studying Anya at that lie, but she's nigh a stranger to the girl, and barely less than that to Luke. "It's nice to meet you."
Luke smirks. "Yeah. Sure. I'll go grab your check." Luke says to Anya. "I'll be about….five minutes. Make it count."
He casts a glance to Riley and chuckles, "Might as well be straight with her, or she won't ever let go of it. Might as well just rip the band-aid off and be done with it."
Luke tosses the towel in his hand across his shoulder and takes one last sip of water before he slides out from behind the bar. He casts one last look at Anya, "Be easy on her." before he walks off into the back room, a loud "FIVE MINTUES" coming from behind the door as he shuts it.
"Okay!" Anya calls back to Luke, then swivels back to Riley. "I'm just messing with him," Anya tells Riley as soon as Luke is out of earshot, and she's grinning again. "But really, no details, but… was it good?" Her eyes are twinkling. "Scale of one to ten-gasm?" She reaches for the glass of tequila out of habit, and laughs aloud as she shakes her hand dismissively. "Seriously, seriously. Don't answer. I do NOT wanna know. But, good going, either way." She casts a grin toward the back room. "He's… svelte."
Turning back to Riley, she instead leans forward, raising her eyes. "What do you play?"
Red eyebrows lift as she looks at Luke telling her that Anya will dog her until she gets the truth. She will watch him head on down the hall, her emotions a bit of a muddled mess. She's not entirely sure how to get them all separated again.
She looks at Anya, sipping at her beer as Anya questions, and then reverses. "So… you don't want to know, or you do?" She sounds amused. "He's been very kind." She glances at the stage. "Sing, guitar, usually. I can play the piano, but haven't in a while other than on campus. No room for one in my apartment." There's a quick here and gone smile. "Violin, but I don't bring it out in public much."
"Wicked," Anya answers. "I've played piano for a long time, but I'm trying to learn bass. It's really weird, but I'm kinda getting used to it." She quickly looks to the back room and back to Riley. "Don't tell anyone though." Her expression becomes pleading. "I really don't talk about it, like, ever. Not out in the open like this. But, y'know, we should, like… jam, some time."
She's not pressing about that kiss. Clearly she does NOT want to know, not really.
Riley is still a moment, looking at her. "Don't tell anyone you're trying to learn bass?" She asks, her voice softened to make sure it doesn't carry. "I promise I won't. Can't have anyone hearing you until you're confident with your instrument, you know? And you can totally come over and jam with me. I might even be able to give you some pointers. Dad's a music professor and all, back home."
"Really?" Anya smiles brightly at that, and some of that blazing hurt in her soul seems to fade. She retrieves a cell phone from her pocket and slides it over, opening up a new contact. "Shoot me some digits," she says with quiet excitement in her voice.