Logs:The Torch The Singer Carries

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Cast

Teagan, Michelle Hawthorne

Setting

The Club At Which Michelle Sings

Log

Michelle is not singing tonight. However, she's relaxing and watching the comedy night that the new manager is trying out, her eyebrows raised. She's apparently not a fan of White Boy Humor, and neither is the crowd in the Gayborhood. After she helps to boo the current comedian offstage, Chelle applauds loudly for her favorite, a black lesbian comedian who's got a small following in the neighborhood. Chelle is dressed down for her, in a pale gold blouse, dark skinny jeans, and a pair of gray snakeskin boots to her knees.

Teagan has this Way of just fading out of the crowd, and lo, they do so. The Mirrorskin appears -- almost literally -- next to Michelle, and gently touch her shoulder. "Boo." They're dressed exactly the same as they always are: boots, skinny jeans, trenchcoat, and a t-shirt with Trans Pride Iron Arrows on it and the words 'Trans-Positive Anti-Fascist.'

Chelle startles just a bit, and then looks over her shoulder. "Should've expected that eventually. Hey, Teagan." She pushes a chair out for the Mirrorskin with her foot. "Would you like to join me?" she asks them, inviting them to join her at the table. "You'll like Alicia. She's funny," she adds after a moment. "Can I order you a drink?"

"Look, I didn't do my favorite trick. I'm just really good at not being noticed when I want to not be noticed," Teagan huffs gently, and then they tip their head up toward the stage, squinting. "She's cute." Of course, Teagan has a rule about Not Dating Mortals. They slide down into the offered chair, nodding once. "Whatever you're drinking, 'Chelle." Pause. "Not singing tonight?"

Chelle grins, gestures to the waiter. "Gin and tonic for my friend, please." The waiter nods and disappears. Thin night, what with the fears of certain viruses about and all. Chelle seems unfazed. She shrugs at Teagan. "I only sing Fridays and Saturdays. We're trying other things the rest of the week," she says, carefully neutral--with her eyes directly on the stage.

They lean back in their chair, stretching their legs out underneath the table, and fold their hands over their stomach. Teagan, too, seems unfazed. Maybe they're just confident in their stamina? Maybe they just can't read the news. Who knows. "You don't sound too thrilled about that. Or shouldn't I say that where your boss can potentially overhear?"

Chelle gives Teagan a subtle nod and a wink. "So Alicia," she says, "cute. Tiny. Good at jokes." She grins at Teagan. "I'd ask her out, but alas. Monogamous."

Their forehead wrinkles up, and they turn their head to frown slightly at Chelle. "... wait, you are?" They just look like their brain blinked to TILT, like a pinball machine thrown off-balance.

Chelle shakes her head. "I meant Alicia." She laughs. "I'd never survive being monogamous, my goodness. I'm polyam as the day is long."

"That's what I thought," the Mirrorskin agrees, shaking their head in mild amusement. "I couldn't imagine you being monogamous, and not just because I dated both you and your ex at one point." As soon as they say that, they sort of wince a little, the way your mouth says things and then you're like 'did you just bring up the ex again, you genius?' "Aaaaaaaaaanyway. Who's in your orbit currently?"

Chelle smiles kindly. "Daniel was Daniel. It's okay," she says of her ex. "These things happen." The waiter drops off Teagan's drink and another for Chelle. She leans over and pats Teagan's hand gently, if allowed, and smiles at them. "You're good." And she sips at her drink through the little stirrer straw. "Michael Tath." She shrugs. "He's my only at the moment, but we're open."

Relief flickers across their face when Michelle lets them off the hook. They don't shy away from the touch, and their relief grows at that. "Good." They look for half a second like they might say something else, but then they don't, and switch topics. "I'm hoping Sam comes back from wander soon. I left him a message updating him on where we are, but." But Sam does wander, sometimes. They lift their glass, offering Michelle a brief salute, and take a swallow of their gin and tonic. "Oh, the foxy guy?" A soft huff of breath. "He's cute! Good for you, Chelle."

Chelle smiles and offers a toast. "I miss Sam myself. I'm sorry I lost touch with him. And you." She smiles gently, awkwardly. "I'm sorry for a lot." She quirks her lips to the side, thoughtful, as she looks into Teagan's shattered-mirror eyes. "I think I owe you a big ol' apology for just... hiding. I had a lot to figure out. Myself, mostly. I'm sorry I asked you out and then went poof. That was unfair."

"He'll find us." Whether Teagan is reassuring themself or Michelle, it's tough to tell. The Mirrorskin turns their head a little, looking sidelong at Michelle and shrugging just a little bit. "Apology accepted." Even if she didn't exactly tender the apology, just say she owes one to Teagan. "I'd be lying if I said, like, it didn't sting, but, like. We all have our shit to work out. Are you, like, feeling better? Doing better?"

Chelle nods, shrugging. The smile's mostly fled, but still teases around the curve of her lips. "Got my shit mostly sorted. Court changed--that was a bitch and a half. Properly mourned Daniel leaving, too." The smile returns then, a fleeting thing but there for a moment, before she drains the watery remains of her first G&T. Then she sips at the fresher one. "I don't know. I still really like you, but..." Breathing out, she shrugs. "I probably broke that promise pretty seriously." She doesn't look at Teagan then, fiddling with the red stirrer straw from her first drink.

They tip their head to the side. "I noticed the Court change, but I wasn't sure if I was supposed to ask," Teagan admits; sometimes people don't want those big changes brought up. And how exactly do you bring that up, really? More of their gin and tonic disappears into their mirrored mouth, and they turn their attention outward for a moment, offering Michelle their profile. Their gaze returns to her, reflecting back fractions and fragments of the Nightsinger. "I'm glad you properly mourned him. A marriage is a hard thing to get over, even if it wasn't good for you, in the end."

More gin and tonic; they poke their stirrer into their lime, slowly whorling it around the bottom of the glass. "Which promise?"

Chelle ducks her head before looking up at Teagan. "Leaving after asking you to date me." She slowly pushes garnet hair out of her eyes, the strands softly glinting in the low light. Considering them, she says, "I want to try again. I'm here. I'm serious. I'm less flighty, which--ironic for a Joyeux, but there you have it." She bites her lip. "I... carry a bit of a torch for you." The torch singer grins crookedly, abashedly, self-depreciatingly.