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Alex and Bobby were coming down the stairs in the mansion, dressed up for an evening in the city when they ran into Kitty. After a bit of small talk involving why they were dressed up and where they were going, Kitty decided she wouldn't mind going to a club too! The guys exchanged looks and Bobby shrugged a shoulder, nodding to let Kitty know they'd wait while she got changed. They did warn her it wasn't a regular club but that just sparked her interest. Now in Hell's Kitchen, Alex parked the car under one of the working street lights and they start heading up the alley.
*
Kitty had rather excitedly put on a yellow dress and a pair of black high heels. Despite the warning, she had been ridiculously excited to go somewhere to dance. There's little question that she's excited as they walk up the alley: her steps have just a hint of skip to them, her curly-ponytail-hair bounces excitedly, and she is virtually beaming as she traipses after the pair of men. "You know, I've always thought Hell's Kitchen to be underrated. Especially he name. It doesn't sound like a place anyone should live. Or visit. It's not just Hell, it's the Kitchen. Which is basically the hell of a home…" oh dear, this may go on for some time.
*
It's a rather nondescript alley, really, except for some stairs leading down to a basement door, and a big man standing by the stairs there. Alex steps forward, offers his hand to shake, and… there's something odd about that gesture. Still, he nods, flashes the big guy a grin, then gestures the others along. He's dressed in white today: white jeans, a white silk shirt that is very, very fitting, and with only half the buttons done up. He glances over and grins at Kitty, "Oh, Hell's Kitchen is fun, if you know the right people and the right places." He opens the door, and gives a slight bow to the lady, and lets her pass in and Bobby next, then follows. Some music can be heard once inside, but its muffled. Down the hall, there's a thick curtain as music is louder, and when its pushed aside they step into… Lace. The drag queen on the stage can *belt* it out, oooh, can she. And the drag queen behind the bar glances up and beams, lifting a hand and waving at Bobby and Alex as if she knew them quite well. "Welcome to Lace." Alex quips to Kitty.
*
Where Alex is in white, Bobby's in black and pretty much dressed similarly. Not that it was intentional, it's just that it's what he usually wears. As Kitty walks in, he looks back at Alex with a hint of a grin and gives another little shrug before following Kitty in. Lifting a hand to greet the bartender, he says "Honey makes a good drink and they're not overpriced."
*
A sharp breath followed by complete silence from the car's resident chatterbox are probably signs that this is definitely not what Kitty was expected. Her shoulders stiffen, her facial muscles tighten, and her paces stop. Her eyebrows tick higher on her forehead, and finally, she forces her gaze away from the drag queen on the stage. "My goodness, she's amazing!!" Her mouth gapes and she glances between her friends before her eyes flit towards the bar. Slowly, with a hint of unprecedented bashfulness, her lips curve into a very small, nearly demure, not-wholly-confident smile. "Well. If it's not overpriced — " she manages a shrug. Yup, Kitty is game.
*
Alex watches Kitty take in the sights, and he can't help but laugh softly, reaching out to gently put an arm around her shoulders and give an encouraging squeeze, "Don't worry, everyone here's quite friendly. But Delilah up there, yes, she is amazing indeed."
Heading up to the bar, Alex flashes a grin at Honey, and before he even orders, she says: "Dirty martini, comin' up, darlin'." She looks to Bobby then, "Brandy alexander, love, or would you like to try something new? A white russian, perhaps?" Then she looks to Kitty, "Oh, a new face, honey. I'm Honey, What'll you have?"
Settling into a chair at the bar, Alex's martini comes up first, and the first thing he does is go for an olive to pop into his mouth. See, a dirty martini counts as a food group as far as he's concerned.
*
Yes, this is why Bobby and Kitty did not date long. At her comment, he grins and nods. "Yeah, she is." he agrees. He takes a seat a couple down from Alex, leaving an empty seat between the two of them. "Sure, honey. Let's try that then. There's always time for my usual later." WAiting for Kitty to order, he looks around and nods at a couple familiar faces before turning back.
*
"Well, when you two say a place is different, evidently you don't mince words," Kitty murmurs softly, but the arm around her neck merits a settling of that smile, a gentling of some of those nerves, at least enough to prompt her to fall into old habits. "Hi Honey," she actually grins as she says it — it's the kind of name she would fail at if it were a term of endearment, but saying it as someone's name seems to change her tone, cadence, and meaning. "I'm Kitty," because introductions should always beget introductions. "Bloody Mary, please?" there's no confidence behind the order, not real commitment, but undeniable warmth as she falls into a pattern she knows.
*
Settling in to sip at his dirty martini, Alex sighs contentedly: the number of things he likes more then a good briney martini are a very short list. It doesn't take long for the other two drinks to come up, and Alex looks to Honey and adds, "Oh, and some peanuts? Thanks, hon." Then he turns to regard Kitty with a quick grin, "So, yeah. I found this place awhile ago— this is actually its third location, though it's managed to stay underground for awhile this time and keep off the police's radar. It's fun: the music is good, the people are easy, and you just *know* no one is here who is a jerk. Then again, I'm all about underground music venues."
*
Bobby smiles his thanks when Honey brings him his drink and he takes a small, tasting sip followed by a larger one. "Oh, this is very good. Feel free to suggest others too." he tells the bartender with a quick grin. Taking another sip, he angles to face the others. "Plus it's easy to relax here and just have a good time." he says to Kitty.
*
Kitty's head shakes, "Man. The police ought to just let bygones be bygones." She pinches the bridge of her nose. "Or… whoever is responsible for shutting places like this down. It's not like we're in prohibition." Because that's obviously the problem with this place. Of course, Kitty is well aware of what the actual issue is, but that doesn't change her opinion or utterance of it. She accepts her drink and begins by eating the stick of celery. CRUNCH. "I can see that. How long has this place been in existence? It's pretty amazing. Also," she eyes the singer, "her makeup is amazing. I wish I was that talented. Seriously."
*
Alex nods his head to Bobby with a quick grin, and tilts his head, watching the young man for a moment and grinning more when he likes the beverage. "Yeah, no one is really judgey here." Then he has to laugh softly and look askance at Kitty, "Oh, you know what would happen if you let homosexuals drink. They'll do like, homosexual things. Like they weren't going to do them anyways." Then with a gesture to the singer, he grins broader, "I can make an introduction, if you like. There's nothing a drag queen enjoys more then comparing makeup and doing makeovers— of themselves and any friends who happen by."
*
"Things like singing and dancing and drinking more." Bobby agrees, smiling at how Kitty is taking it all. Not that he expected a bad reaction or she wouldn't be here. "Horrible. They might even hold hands or kiss." As the talk turns to makeup, he looks over at the singer. "Or we can invite her over when she's done singing and buy her a drink. Then you can pump her for tips."
*
"I'm pretty sure alcohol doesn't make you know, heterosexuals do heterosexual things." Kitty's gaze turns up towards the ceiling, and then she stifles a giggle, "Well, maybe it does. Not that they wouldn't do them anyways. But I can imagine a lot of politician's wives only being interested after liquor." She shrugs. "Maybe they think that's how it works? Like some strange operant conditioning?" A spark of hope ignites in Kitty's gaze at the mention of meeting the singer, "I would love to meet her! And learn something! Gosh, I'm terrible with makeup. My parents weren't exactly strict, but my mother was pretty committed to her more conservative Jewish roots — makeup was purely contraband until I ended up in Westchester — "
*
"Imagine that. Holding hands." replies Alex dryly with a grin, nursing his martini and going in for another olive. "Better yet, I can imagine a lot of politicans wives who ply their husbends with extra drinks so that they end up passing out and not being able to paw at them with any success." He snorts, then nods to Bobby, "We can invite her over—" but then he laughs softly and nods to Kitty, "Well then, meeting it shall be. Me, though I hang out here from time to time, I know nothing of makeup myself. Men have it easy, fix our hair, use cologne, and we're done. Well. Men who don't have such exquisite taste like Honey or Delilah over there. But, I imagine being at the Institute is… eye-opening in a number of fronts then, if you grew up in a conservative Jewish house."
*
Bobby nods his agreement. "Yeah, I wouldn't have the patience to do all that stuff. Shaving is bad enough." Hey, he has to. Once every week or two. "I bet you two would get along. She's nice. Once in a while, I play something and she sings." Finishing his drink, he sets the glass aside and nods to HOney for another. The first always goes super quickly.
*
"Getting ready is a production," Kitty offers glibly towards the two men. "In many ways, life was way simpler before I was allowed to wear makeup. It changes everything. And I'm not even one of those made up glamour women who probably spend hours dressing to impress." She takes a sip of her drink, and chuckles about her move to Westchester, "Well, mom is pretty conservative. Seems to think that someday I'd grow out of being a mutant. Or… choose not to be." She cringes. "Or something? Dad?" her hands waffles in the air. "Less so. Passionate about rights and more open to ideas. I think he and I are more alike. But you're right, the Institute, well…" She shrugs. "Life in New York is different than pokey little Connecticut." Her eyebrows lift at the mention of Bobby playing something, "You should play something tonight! That would be amazing and the perfect way to round out an already pretty fantastic evening!"
*
"Well, I do admit, finding just the right clothes does take a little bit of time…" offers Alex thoughtfully, tilting his head to the side, "But more then anything else that's a question of making time to go shopping. And finding fashions that accentuate what my positives are and don't show off my negatives. But that's everyone." He snorts, "Yes, well. My parents just flat out disowned me for being the whole mutant thing— and they didn't even know about the other stuff." He gestures around. "But it sounds like your lucky about your dad. Do you get to talk to him at all? I stay in touch with my sister— well, adoptive sister— and hear things about my parents, but…" He does nod encouragingly over to Bobby, "You SHOULD play something." he agrees.
*
"I don't know. I try something on and if it fits, I get it." Bobby says with a shrug. "Doesn't seem that hard." Accentuate his positives? Making his ass look good, he means. "Mine were okay with it. They don't know about this though. I wonder how they'd react." Not that he's ready to tell them just yet. Or ever. A glance over at the singer and he nods. "Sure, if they don't mind tonight. I'll do something later and maybe she'll join in."
*
"You and Piotr shop alike," Kitty points towards Bobby. "I swear, the moment something fits his frame," which is arguably, huge, "he just buys it right away! Maybe that's just because it's hard to find things like that." She frowns slightly. But thinking back to her father, she nods, "Yeah, my Dad is great. He tries to understand and be supportive. Honestly, he's more pro-mutant than most mutants I've met." She lifts a hand in slight resignation, "I'm sure that has more to do with me being a mutant, but I think it also has to do what happened in Europe," not long ago. "Mom cares about being Jewish, Dad cares about injustice and inequality. And the problems with creating division." She beams as Bobby agrees to maybe sing. "Excellent! My gosh, you two are ever more interesting by the minute."
*
"I will be neither singing nor playing because you all do not want to go deaf or attract ghosts or police." remarks Alex with a grin, but he nods to Kitty, "Yeah, I always expected Jews should be more pro-mutant. I swear there's not a huge line between these Mutant Towns and concentration camps. Just because this is America doesn't — anyways, I'm not gonna talk depressing tonight." He finishes his third olive and downs his martini, gesturing for more.
*
"And negros." Bobby puts in. "You'd think anyone who's being oppressed would want to support other groups who also are. I just don't get it." Shaking his head, he looks over at Delilah and does some quick air guitar with a quizzical look. Getting a nod in return, he slips off the chair. "Okay, I'll play a bit. Some of the musicians who play here regularly leave some spares and they said I could use them."
*
Kitty nods at both in turn. There's easy agreement there. "Division, in all its forms, is bad for everyone. I'm not sure how people don't see that." She finishes her drink and sets the empty glass down on the bar before motioning for another. "And I second your lack of musical talent. Dancing though? There should always be room for dancing~." She beams when Delilah nods towards Bobby. "Perfect~" she virtually sings.