[Natasha doesn't push. She knows a thing or two about weird family dynamics. Which unfortunately hasn't made it any easier for her to deal with her own family weirdness. Still, the promise of karaoke is a good distraction, and when he finally notices the name of their destination she gives him a cat that ate the canary grin.]
Isn't it horrible? Figured you'd get a kick out of taking some pictures here for your intergalactic pals.
[She pulls the front door open and leads the way inside. There's a decent number of people milling around, though it's not too crowded. Someone is up on the main stage singing Don't Stop Believing, and it looks like a few of the private rooms are occupied.]
[ He is, in fact, bringing out his phone to take a picture of the kitschy space-themed decor. Mantis is going to love it. Drax is going to say something dumb, like, "These look nothing like me. They are malnourished."
(He already misses them like crazy.) ]
Beer's fine for me.
[ He had to spend some time acquainting himself with Terran alcohol – the last time he was here, after all, was when he was eight, which meant he didn't have time to acquire a taste for any of it. So his stepuncle??? has been taking him through a crash course of what Earth has to offer. (Beer is safe. Whiskey is good. His grandfather's wife keeps bringing him along to wineries, but Peter just doesn't get wine.)
Plus, he's trying to cut back a little. He's not quitting entirely, but there was a while where he was doing his level best to kill his liver in his free time. He's trying to let it recover.
Unhealthy coping mechanisms. You've gotta love them. ]
'Sides. I should do something light to avoid crashing my ship into a public park.
[Who needs healthy coping mechanisms when alcohol and burying your feelings are much more accessible? And prevalent enough that she's starting to suspect it's a screening requirement for their line of work. At least she wasn't likely to throw stones in that particular glass house. Grinning, she pats his arm.]
Don't worry, Quill. I'll hide your keys from you if you get rowdy. I'll be right back.
[She makes her way over to the bar and opens up a tab. It's only a few minutes later before she returns with two cans of a beer called Half A Brain. She's not exactly discerning about beer so much as she likes to order ones that have funny names. As she hands him one of the cans, she tips her head toward the stage.]
So, you feel like rocking out on the stage or are we going to take over one of the private rooms?
[ He's mostly people watching as he waits. The folks singing Journey have stepped down, replaced by a duo drunkenly butchering a Whitney Houston song together, and Peter watches with horrified amusement. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion – he just can't look away.
By the time Natasha returns, the duo on stage are flailing along to an instrumental break. He spares a quick huff of a laugh at the label on the can she hands to him. And in answer to her question, ]
Private.
[ He punctuates it with a nod toward the stage. ]
No one's gonna be able to top this, and I don't even wanna try.
[Natasha's head turns to look at the stage when he nods in that direction, her eyebrow slowly arching. As her lips press together, it's clear she's trying not to laugh.]
Well. They look like they're having fun.
[It's the most diplomatic thing she can think to say about it. Regardless, she flags down a passing employee and asks if there's a wait for the private rooms. There's not, and they're pointed in the direction of one.
Natasha leads the way, and lets out a laugh when they get inside. It's a fairly standard looking private karaoke room, with a cushioned seat around one wall, a table, and then the performance space. But there's an inflatable alien in the corner that matches the logo.]
Cute.
[She drops down onto the seat and takes a sip of the beer. Not bad.]
[ Aaand cue Peter taking yet another photograph on his phone. He plans on sending it to Drax unhelpfully captioning it with something like, "This could be your twin."
As Natasha gets comfortable, though, he wrinkles his nose at her with overblown annoyance. ]
Seriously? I thought this was so you could show off your Pat Benatar impression?
[She hides a smile with the edge of the can by taking another sip. It's pretty much the response she had anticipated. She doesn't know Peter well, but he definitely seems like the type that can't help but rise to a challenge. And also like he's looking for a distraction. Thus, karaoke.]
I mean, you could, but only for a really good song.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Isn't it horrible? Figured you'd get a kick out of taking some pictures here for your intergalactic pals.
[She pulls the front door open and leads the way inside. There's a decent number of people milling around, though it's not too crowded. Someone is up on the main stage singing Don't Stop Believing, and it looks like a few of the private rooms are occupied.]
What's your poison, Quill?
no subject
(He already misses them like crazy.) ]
Beer's fine for me.
[ He had to spend some time acquainting himself with Terran alcohol – the last time he was here, after all, was when he was eight, which meant he didn't have time to acquire a taste for any of it. So his stepuncle??? has been taking him through a crash course of what Earth has to offer. (Beer is safe. Whiskey is good. His grandfather's wife keeps bringing him along to wineries, but Peter just doesn't get wine.)
Plus, he's trying to cut back a little. He's not quitting entirely, but there was a while where he was doing his level best to kill his liver in his free time. He's trying to let it recover.
Unhealthy coping mechanisms. You've gotta love them. ]
'Sides. I should do something light to avoid crashing my ship into a public park.
no subject
Don't worry, Quill. I'll hide your keys from you if you get rowdy. I'll be right back.
[She makes her way over to the bar and opens up a tab. It's only a few minutes later before she returns with two cans of a beer called Half A Brain. She's not exactly discerning about beer so much as she likes to order ones that have funny names. As she hands him one of the cans, she tips her head toward the stage.]
So, you feel like rocking out on the stage or are we going to take over one of the private rooms?
no subject
By the time Natasha returns, the duo on stage are flailing along to an instrumental break. He spares a quick huff of a laugh at the label on the can she hands to him. And in answer to her question, ]
Private.
[ He punctuates it with a nod toward the stage. ]
No one's gonna be able to top this, and I don't even wanna try.
no subject
Well. They look like they're having fun.
[It's the most diplomatic thing she can think to say about it. Regardless, she flags down a passing employee and asks if there's a wait for the private rooms. There's not, and they're pointed in the direction of one.
Natasha leads the way, and lets out a laugh when they get inside. It's a fairly standard looking private karaoke room, with a cushioned seat around one wall, a table, and then the performance space. But there's an inflatable alien in the corner that matches the logo.]
Cute.
[She drops down onto the seat and takes a sip of the beer. Not bad.]
I think new planetary arrivals get to go first.
no subject
As Natasha gets comfortable, though, he wrinkles his nose at her with overblown annoyance. ]
Seriously? I thought this was so you could show off your Pat Benatar impression?
no subject
What, are you afraid to go first?
[She punctuates the sentence by putting her feet up on the edge of the little table.]
no subject
[ And he echoes it back incredulously. ]
"Afraid"? I'm not afraid.
[ The very idea.
And apparently his ego is, indeed, just that fragile, because he immediately grabs up the binder with available songs, grumbling to himself. ]
I'm guessing I can't persuade you into a duet, at least.
no subject
I mean, you could, but only for a really good song.