Wastin' Away Again~

[ohgoodgrief]

Who: Teachers! TA's! RA's! Other graduate students! Other students who are crashing (or god help them, working there??)
When: March 8, 2019, in the evening.
Where: A karaoke bar in Soleil.
Warnings: Alcohol

Sometimes, after tests are done and mysteries uncovered, the teachers need to relax.

Which is why there is karaoke! The faculty of Daybreak Academy have converged, through random inspiration and not a terrible lot of planning, on one unsuspecting bar in Soleil on a Friday evening. A few drinks (or more!) are to be had; however, there is also a stage, with a microphone and a big screen -- which shows a music video for whatever song is on -- and the lyrics. A friendly little green ball bounces over them.

It is time to sing your heart out.

It is time... for karaoke.

Comments

[spelleton]

Anything and everything, mostly. [ He laughs a little as he finally gets to his feet and joins Héctor at the bar. ] But since it's a duet, I'll pick something for two people.

[ He scrolls around, then...ah. This should do nicely.

He pauses, though, hovering over the language selection. ]

How good are you at French? [ The man's already drunk, he's not going to make it harder. ]

[unpocoloco]

I'm terrible at speaking it! My accent messes it all up and I forget the words for Spanish, but I can sing it okay!

[He says that with a laugh and hops down off the chair.]

Don't worry about making it easy for me. I'm good at one thing and it's música! [For a brief moment, the light of his power starts and goes bright. But there's no change when it stops. Except, that is, for the way he stands straighter and walks off with the cane abandoned.] And maybe a little dance.

[spelleton]

Very well. Then, shall we begin?

[ He bows to the other man, painfully formal as ever, and then takes up one of the microphones as the song starts.

His pronunciation is good, though his German accent is a little more obvious in French than it is in English. ]

Elle sort de son lit
Tellement sûre d'elle
La seine, la seine, la seine
Tellement jolie elle m'ensorcelle
La seine, la seine, la seine...

[ His voice is clear and strong, a pleasant low tenor that's not particularly loud - he just projects it well. It's obvious that even with his previously disagreeable stance on singing, he's had plenty of practice. Listening to him is easy on the ears.

Of course, some of his clarity is because his voice comes from magic and not vocal cords, but he had requested that his old voice be recreated and he needs to speak somewhat realistically for illusory purposes, so it's not entirely magic. ]

[unpocoloco]

[The guitar in the song starts first. He immediately wishes he'd taken one to the stage, that he knew the notes and could play them as they come by ear. It's not at all a song he knows but he's taken almost immediately.

And then soon he's smiling brighter, eyes lighting, as Ekkehardt's voice follows. It's a good one. He would've had fun even if it hadn't been, but a good voice meant for all the better music.

For the first refrain he only adds his voice quietly to back Ekkehardt's words. The chorus comes and he raises his voice higher, adding into the microphone and leaning a little Ekkehardt's way. And then he spins away and his shoes begin to tap on the stage floor, matching the beat. His part comes and his voice carries.]

Extra lucille quand tu es sur
La seine, la seine, la seine
Extravagante quand l'ange est sur
La seine, la seine, la seine

[He dances his way around Ekkehardt, inviting the man to join but laughing and dancing on if he doesn't. He's back closer to the mic as the chorus makes it's turn around too. He's beaming at Ekkehardt.]

Je ne sais, ne sais, ne sais pas pourquoi
On s'aime comme ça, la seine et moi
Je ne sais, ne sais, ne sais pas pourquoi
On s'aime comme ça la seine et moi...

[spelleton]

[ Oh, they're dancing now.

He was more focused on the singing (and the way both of their voices sound - it's been a while since he's sung in anything but a choir, or just by himself, and it's an interesting novelty he enjoys), but contrary to what might be expected, he rises to the challenge and matches his impromptu dance partner with a certain amount of restrained but genuine enthusiasm.

He's feeling indulgent enough. Why not entertain it? ]

C'est comme ça, la seine et moi
On s'aime comme ça la seine et moi
On s'aime comme ça la seine et moi
On s'aime comme ça la seine et moi

[ He spins on his heel and comes to a practiced stop - he's clearly had some experience in dancing, too - before bowing to the other man.

It's hard to keep up in a language that isn't so familiar to you, but Héctor did an admirable job. ]

[unpocoloco]

[It's the first true duet he's had in a decade. Since Ernesto, but he doesn't think of those empty halfhearted performances now. They've got a good harmony, the two of them, even with their conflicting accents in a language apart from their own.

Even a restrained enthusiasm for dance is something. He finds himself all the more delighted. He should've known the man would be more than able to keep up. That was Ekkehardt "everybody who doesn't know how to fly a plane get out of my way" Gehring.]

On s'aime comme ça la seine et moi!

[He comes to a stop after Ekkehardt, and looks surprised by the bow. He laughs then, shaking his head, his arm goes behind Ekkehardt's back, a sort of quick half hug before he turns Ekkehardt to the people watching them. He gives a cheer and throws up a hand for them both.

To him alone and not the bar, he says.]

No need to bow to me, my friend. Thank you.

[spelleton]

It was enjoyable. Why shouldn't I bow? [ He laughs, quiet and a little awkward - honest, for once. It's something only the other man gets to hear.

He steps down from the stage. ] You did well, considering all the difficulties you had.

[unpocoloco]

Too formal! I'm not some fancy guy you need to do that to! I'm a friend! [Whether Ekkehardt thinks of him like that or not. But that honest laugh? That tells him that, maybe, he's not off there.

He falters in place, going paler for about two seconds before he roughly shakes himself out and slaps on a grin.]

Ah! I don't want to think about that! I've got good friends and good drinks and the best wife in the whole world! Ex-wife. Ex-ish? Ah, but we completed a mission and came back in one piece! And I sang with you! And you sang with me! And really well, might I add. Tonight is a good night and I'm going to let it be so.