come on Virginia, don't let 'em wait [ OPEN ]

[hjack69]

WHO: Everybody who wants in! Primarily adults, but idk maybe some teenagers sneak in with fake IDs or something.
WHERE: BARS..... and also probably some clubs because Jack is Jack.
WHEN: Valentine's night.
WHAT: A Valentine's Day celebration for the grownups. Initiate bar crawl.
WARNINGS: None right now, will update if necessary.

[ The first bar everyone is told to meet up at is ready for them - Jack's already bought a few rounds of drinks for everyone, kindly soul that he is. It's middle-of-the-line, comfortable, neither upscale or ratty. It's a perfect place to start.

From then on, the bars get progressively and progressively shittier, or weirder. Jack's willing to go to a good number of them, so feel free to make up your own theme for open threads and just say they went there at some point! This is pretty much just a mingle/party log spread out over multiple locations, so use it however you want. ]

Comments

HANDSOME JACK

[hjack69]

[ Jack himself is as gregarious as ever - he's more than happy to lead the pack from bar to bar, to buy drinks, to drop in on whatever conversation he feels is relevant to his interests. ]

A:

[ Early on! Whoever you are, you don't have a drink in your hand, and that's unforgivable - see Jack lean over your shoulder and push one in front of you with a wink. ]

What, you poor or something? [ A snort. ] Got ya covered. This time. Hope you like tequila, honeybuns.

B:

[ BIKER CLUB. Ohhh yes, this place is totally ratty, and the room has roughly enough leather in it to make a full cow. Why is there a javelina head on the wall? Why does the bar have bullet holes in it? It is a mystery. Jack's had a few shots by now and he's decided to do something incredibly intelligent and hustle pool. And he's good at it! So good, in fact, that one of the bikers straight out accuses him of cheating. Jack snorts, rolls his eyes. ]

Orrrrrrr you just suck. Maybe we oughta do something easier. [ In primo Doc Holliday drawl: ] How 'bout a spelling contest?

[ This is Jack, getting socked in the gut. What a productive night. ]

C:

[ After A, but before biker club, Jack has apparently tired himself out by being all cheery and fun - he sits slumped over the bar, ignoring the fun in favor of sipping his drink and staring at the wall.

This is the Feelings prompt. ]

[puffing]

[ because of course they need a Feelings prompt after all of the shit they've put each other through.

this (hopefully) happens before shirts start getting torn off and ridiculous wriggling of arms occurs. Bigby notices Jack off on his own, cradling his drink like it's his only lover, and promptly decides to ignore. a double take is
required when he realizes that Jack is never looking to be left alone and he can take a wild guess as to why.

with the most begrudging of sighs, he brings his own glass with him as his feet drag him over to
the suddenly sullen man. after a few moments of just staring down at him, he clears his throat. ]

Hey. Can't be leading these bunch of idiots if you're off contemplating the point of life.

A

[playdolls]

[ Pitou is all about other people buying the drinks, and they turn to look at Jack and his gaudy ass wink with narrow-eyed amusement, ]

Cheap tequila? Really?

B

[wordcarvings]

[ Koutarou had been sitting against a wall with his sketchbook in his lap and pencil in hand, sketching scenes of what was going on inside the bar.

Now he looks at Jack with concern. ]

Maybe you shouldn't provoke, Jack-san?

LIZ

[tearable]

[ Unlike Jack, Elizabeth is tagging along. She's collectively more dressed up and more respectable when this starts. She has a date, technically, or at least partner in crime in her husband. ]

A.

[ Elizabeth starts classy - a fruity drink that would be easily guessed as her preferred drink. False. She sipped on it idly, chatting among the small crowd of adults that decided a V-day bar crawl was a good idea. However, her eyes flutter to the dart board on the wall opposite of them. ]

Hey, hold on a moment. How about — how about the winner buys the first official round? Any takers?

[ She's already up and motioning for the bar tender to provide the darts. ]

B.

[ Elizabeth is fairly mad they skipped a nice upscale bar — since it was Valentine's Day, they were totally booked. She's got a good buzz going on, barely a wobble in her heels as she settles in this really retro-inspired bar. Their special is an alcoholic malt ice cream float. She's debating it, but in the meantime, she's browsing the juke box. ]

It sounds gross. I'd rather just knock a few beers back. Are you really going to waste the money on that?

C.

[ Elizabeth found herself completely sloshed. She was laughing and dancing all night — even when the music was definitely not dance worthy. Her heels kicked off at the leg of the pool table of one of their final bars for the evening, a few bottles remained on the edge of the felt table. ]

Oh my God, you won't believe me? I'm totally not a stick in the mud! I don't go to church on Sundays! I'm not as good as you may think. Don't let the apple on my desk every morning deceive you. I have... my secrets. [ Said in the most... slurred voice imaginable. ] I can Coyote Ugly right here, okay. F-Forget the dumb balls.

[ Please stop her she's about to cliMB ON THE POOL TABLE. ]

C

[hjack69]

Whaoh god no stop.

[ Jack is marginally less drunk than Elizabeth - enough to be concerned for both her safety and his own, should anything happen to one Bigby Wolf's beloved wife in Jack's presence. So this is him, trying to stand from his chair and immediately depositing himself on the ground. He tries again, and by this time, she's already halfway there. ]

Liz, you don't - you're frickin' hardcore, okay, no Coyote Ugly, you gotta come down. You're wearing heels. Why the hell are y--how the hell are you climbing in that skirt?

[ He rushes over, but he's not about to just grab her up, so he just kind of... hoverhands? Defensively, in case she falls?

This is the Worst. ]

B

[myboggartisthemoon]

If I'm going to be out here, I'm going to try something different at least.

[Really, he isn't certain what he's doing here... Jack applied a little pressure, but he can't pretend it's from any desire of having his presence, specifically. He's in the 'more the merrier' territory and he knows it.]

[But he's trying, in any case, which is why he didn't just sneak off in-between bars earlier.]

Is there anything good in the jukebox?

BLIND DATE EXTRAVAGANZA BONUS

[jinglejangle]

[On the morning of the 13th, Jesse gets the word that he's - apparently - going on a date with Jack Dawes. He doesn't remember signing up for the whole...blind date thing being run, but that's a mystery to be solved another day. (Or never. Probably never.) That all makes it tempting to call the date off - surely Jack would understand it's a mistake - but it's not like Jesse has any other plans, and really, what's the worst that could happen? He's a grown man, he can take care of himself.

So it's with only a little bit of resignation, and a whole lot of curiosity, that Jesse heads out to meet Jack once Valentine's rolls around. He made some effort to clean himself up - he's tied his hair back, he's trimmed a bit of his beard, he's wearing clothes that aren't falling apart - and he even manages to arrive only a little bit later than intended. Really, it's only been like five minutes, tops. Long enough for the grin on his face to be sheepish, but hopefully not late enough that Jack is, like, offended or anything.]

Hey, there. You must be Jack, right?

[Which is all a formality - he saw the chocobo selfie; the chances of that Jack and this Jack being different are slim to none. He bows his head with a small flourish, apologetic smile still in place.]

I'm Jesse, though I imagine you figured that out. Sorry about being late.

[hjack69]

Nope, sorry. Can't accept tardiness. The date is cancelled.

[ Jack, having knowingly signed up, has had plenty of time to prepare for this - considering the bar crawl later, he's picked something a little more casual in the form of dark jeans and a nice dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

The agreed upon location is a ludicrously expensive restaurant. Like, neither of them are dressed up enough to step on the doormat, much less go inside. ]

Sup. The bird didn't kill me, if you were wondering.

ardyn (listen all i have is the almost drunken prompt, ok)

[daemonized]

[Throw Ardyn in the tagging along category for now. The man's already been on two dates before arriving, and though he doesn't look particularly tired, one can only wonder how long the man will last before the night is through. Because of the aforementioned dates, however, he looks just slightly more cleaned-up than usual. He's sporting a much more tailored, navy coat (thanks Iris, for making him buy it), and a scarf that isn't questionable in its adorned pattern. He also has his hair tied back this time around, too.

If he doesn't lose the tie by the time the night is through, however, it'll be nothing short of a miracle.

TOO MANY BARS LATER...

So his hair is still tied back, by some way of divine intervention, even at the very end of this unfortunate bar crawl. And while Ardyn isn't the sort of man to get totally, completely shitfaced (maybe, who even knows at this point), he certainly isn't beyond the odd rant or two. Look, in his head, it makes sense, as he leans a hand against a pool table to steady himself as he prepares his exposition.]

King George V received a tattoo while visiting Japan in his younger days; why shouldn't I? Though his was a dragon... blue and red! Majestic! Granted an audience with the Emperor himself!

[He's going to talk about dead royals until the night is through if no one stops him.]

[hjack69]

Ardyn, you're drunk. [ More insistently: ] Gim--gimme your keys, buddy.

[ That saying about the blind leading the blind? Yeah. ]

[tearable]

[ RIP, this was a horrible idea. ]

Because tattoos don't mean anything anymore! They've lost meaning. Some of my students have cartoon characters on their cleavage or ... or misworded latin or fried rice in kanji on their arm thinking it means 'love life'.

[ But, she pauses, flicking her cigarette into the ashtray a bit to tap the ash off. ]

Planning on an audience with royalty yourself or wishful thinking?

mfw i put this as its own reply on the top level like three hours ago

[puffing]

W... what, do you think you're a king in your own right, Ardyn? King Ardyn. Pfffffft―

[ here comes Slightly Sloshed Bigby, who, surprisingly enough, seems to be snorting out a bit of laughter as Ardyn was caught pretty much talking to himself.

don't mind him as he oh-so-casually gives the man a slight tap on the ass. and by slight, we're talking reeling ones hand back and letting it wreak havoc. that'll get his attention. ]

No one gives two shits about you getting your tattoo. Just avoid getting it on your tit. Or face. Honest recommendation!

[wordcarvings]

[ Since Ardyn was one of Togusa's favorite professors and Togusa used to be Koutarou's roommate during their school years, they have met a couple times in the past. Koutarou didn't study any of the subjects his closest friend did, as he studied art, but that didn't stop him from getting to know people after all. Plus, he part-timed at the university these days.

Now Koutarou watches his sometimes colleague with a little bit amusement, a little bit curiosity, as his attention has been brought momentarily from his sketchbook. ]

The tattoo did? That sounds pretty odd to get an imperial audience over, Izunia-san.

Alice

[onceandfuturemascot]

[How'd this girl get in? She looks about sixteen, and skinny.]

[Actually she's used to doubt from bartenders and bouncers so she's started in on the habit of carrying her student ID, university ID, and an expired passport. Just in case. That and an unwillingness to take peoples' crap after working hours meant she keeps up with her coworkers well enough.]

A

[Alice can never remember whether you're supposed to start with wine or hard stuff and never, ever do the opposite, so she just sticks to girly drinks with hard stuff in them early on, generally being present and socializing. It's a work function, right?]

[If you feel the need to encourage people to get hammered faster, this would be the time.]

B

[Later on, after moving to a dimmer sports bar, Alice has moved on to shots. She's walking home, she'll be fine. If nothing else, none of the regulars are commenting on her pale sweater and floral-print pants.]

I could do six of these in a row three--I mean, two years ago. I wonder if I can still manage that...

C

[At some point, once they get to the biker bar...]

I should get a bike. Your guys over there're gonna laugh at me, but I mean it. I've always wanted a bike, 'n I'm not going to come in and say anything about the culture of the people who've grown up on them. I'm just saying. When I can afford it, I'm getting one. Ja--Professor, you've got a bike, right?

Hey, do they call them steel chocobos now? I'm asking because I don't know.

[No more for her.]

C

[hjack69]

Yah? [ Jack lifts his head from the pool table, pre-punchening. ] What are you looking at? Somethin' sporty, some muscle, what?

[ A beat. He squints. ]

Are you even old enough to be in here?

B

[myboggartisthemoon]

[Lunise, who is devotedly not getting drunk, already has a feeling he'll be escorting her home at this rate. Someone will surely have to.]

Are you certain you should try?

(not here but kinda here...)

[mercurio]

[ ]

[this will be a night to forget for many of these outstanding members of society, and prompto is only sorry that he's awake and walking around the area. or that he got to class early and found some suspect sleeping-in-cars action in campus.]

[it's part of his Record Life And Human Behaviour with his camera desire, but what the heck is this...]

also not here

[hjack69]

[ if he ends up in the inevitable recolle burn book you're DEAD ]

BIGBY WOOF

[puffing]

[ for one reason or another, Jack & Co. thinks it wise to invite a member of law enforcement along for a night of bad mistakes and inevitable troublemaking. against every part of Bigby telling him it was not a good idea, he decides to go with it. maybe Elizabeth insisted, or maybe he feels bad for kind of wrecking Jack. regardless, he takes off of work at a decent time, gets dressed up to an extent (minus the sunglasses) and prepares for the worst. ]

A:

[ Bigby fully accepts the fact that he will outdrink a good 98% of the adults tagging along for this ridiculously irresponsible bar crawl. it's a result of consuming alcohol at such a young age and the fact that the man is just plain big, but that doesn't stop him from trying! he's spent who knows how much of Jack's cash on drinks and has finished three or four glasses without so much as a buzz. how boring, right?

like a glutton for liquid courage (something he hardly needs more of), he looks over to the nearest patron and casually reaches out to take their glass. whether he's just fucking with them or is genuine about stealing their alcohol is unknown, but he is sloooowly dragging it back. ]

You won't mind if I relieve you of this, will you? Put it on Jack's tab.

B:

[ as time ticks on, even the Great Gatsby Bigby will begin to feel the effects of getting tipsy. he's light on his feet and has loosened up to an extent, which may surprise many considering it's easy to assume he just gets angry or quiet when drunk. by the time they've moved to the dumb, obnoxious biker bar, the only thing he wants to do is drink and play pool. unlike Jack, however, he does not cause shit when he snatches up a pool stick. regardless of who is around him, he nudges the nearest person on the side with the cue and motions them to come over to the table.

he won't break the stick over your head, promise! ]

C:

[ he's done it. it's happened. Bigby is drunk. his wallet is likely in pain and his liver will probably want to leave his body in the most violent way possible, but the deed is done. his face is flush with red from the effects of inebriation, eyes having grown lazy and his shoulders slack. it's sad this is the most relaxed he looks to have been out in public since. ever. probably. either way, it's taken until the tail end of the bar crawl for him to get like this and there's likely few people remaining. whoever's left?

sorry. Bigby is slamming his elbow down into the bar counter or table, offering his right hand to them. no, not in marriage. a challenge. ]

Y... ou. Let's do this! F-fucking arm wrestle me, motherfucker. I'll even let you squeeze first.

[ what? what does that even mean. Bigby, stop flirting with people, holy shit. ]

LOCKED TO LIZ:

[ they're both wasted, and they have to get home. it seems like an impossible task at this rate and they may have a better time just finding the nearest inn or hotel to sleep at for the night. like the bright married couple they are, what do they decide to do? walk. Bigby's sobered up enough to walk on his own two feet without falling over, which is a godsend considering he has Elizabeth on his back with her arms around his neck. her pair of heels are in his hand and one last bottle of beer he is nursing as if it's hangover food is in the other. with only a stumble or two every now and then, their trek seems to have started out with little issue. ]

Where's the goddamn taxis at this hour? On fucking Valentine's of all nights? ―Why am I even asking you? You're probably passed out up there.

C

[hjack69]

You're fuckin' on!

[ Look whether or not they've had a ~moment~ or what, this is still happening. Jack is hammered and not getting any better, and suddenly it seems like a great idea to plop down opposite Bigby and... take his shirt off?

Why is he taking his shirt off. Nobody knows. He dramatically throws it down on the bar floor and drops his elbow on the table, gripping Bigby's hand. ]

I'll tickle your frickin' tulips, sunshine.

[ what the hell backwater southern crap is that even?? also a mystery. he says it like it's the slickest one-liner known to man. ]

[tearable]

[ Whether they have a group of equally wasted adults behind them, Bigby lead the pack. Elizabeth clung weakly to his back, her nose buried against the back of his neck, smelling his cologne so obviously against her nostrils. ]

I'm not passed out at alllll. [ Jack may have bled and arms may have been pained in wrestling matches, but Liz had a nice time. Except for her little breakdown about her age. ] They probably are picking up drunk people. Drunker people than us, darling.

[ That's a lie. Her cheek presses against his shoulder, eyes shut tightly as she tries to hold instead of falling limp. ]

They're not too bad... right? [ The company, she means. ] This could have been one horrid experience but... I think we needed this, especially with all the silly, stupid, dumb-dumb things going on.

Koutarou

[wordcarvings]

[ Koutarou wasn't going to go initially, since he had had plans with his girlfriend. But after she had canceled on him because she had unexpectedly gotten called in to work at the restaurant and she told him that no, he can't visit her because she'll "get distracted by his adoring looks" (which he takes as a compliment, because it is) he didn't have anything better to do and he didn't want to spend the night alone at home, so he might as well put on something nicer that's not covered in paint and join some of the other adults during their night out. He's good with alcohol anyway, much much stronger with it than his scrawny appearance (there are some muscles hidden but they're exactly that; hidden) might make people think.

He's friendly as he always is, sometimes getting distracted by his sketchbook (you bet he's drawing some of the scenes that goes down during the night, but he also draws portraits and such) and is chatty, but he also seems a little down. That he's not on a valentine's date with his precious girlfriend is the reason for that but not everyone visiting might know that he's dating. He also never seems to be getting drunk, is he actually participating in the drinking? ]

grell sutcliffe.

[erythristic]

[the reason she's even here is because Pitou wanted to come, and wanted company, and Pitou is a friend that she's more of a pushover for than she'll openly admit. so fine, maybe they don't make it for the first location or two, but there is such a thing as fashionably late, after all. with a simple change of jacket and more eyeliner, it's easy enough to fit in.

unlike some, Grell keeps tight control over how much she drinks, never going so far as to stop being lucid, but to her that's an advantage. not only will she be able to make it into work tomorrow, she'll remember everything that happens. whatever she gets first at a bar, she nurses faithfully, keeping her eye on Pitou for a while and her wits about her.]

a)

[later on she's at least seemed to relax, more lounging in her seat wherever she is, content to let things get progressively more and more sloppy around her. but to someone that chooses to sit near, she raises her glass in a tiny toast before letting the fatal words fall from her lips.]

Truth or dare.

[there's no possible way any of this can end well.]

b)

[or you know, luck doesn't last forever. Grell makes eye contact while her phone's in her hand, discreetly taking photographs of whatever nonsense is going on. without breaking her sight, she raises her free hand in a simple gesture - shhhhh.

be a good sport. keep this secret.]

c)

[or you know. wildcard this for whatever scenario. talk about your feelings, make confessions, try to sort out how everyone's getting home, etc.]

wildcard - for the yowling

[playdolls]

[ Grell had tried to brush them off, it was a really valiant and polite effort as she had tried to slip inside, but Pitou is a shameless beast and has now been standing outside drumming on the door for the past fifteen minutes. Catchy tune, although Pitou's singing voice leaves something to be desired. ]

Let's go get driiiinks~

neferpitou is a tiny freak

[playdolls]

[ Pitou is off and in to crowds almost as soon as they arrive with Grell. Pitou isn't much of a drinker, but they love the attention and amusement one can receive at a good party. Although, when it comes to drinks they'll accept anything as long as someone else paid for it. It's a fun game to Pitou, to see who can be schmoozed into opening up their wallet, who can be wheedled into a hilarious decision. If they can't get at least one person here to confess their undying love for someone, they will be sorely disappointed.

Their look is particularly androgynous this evening, simple white collared shirt without sleeves, suspenders, slacks. Their slim frame doesn't make either gender immediately apparent.]

a.

[ If you seem amiable, Pitou will shamelessly inquire if you'll buy them a drink. If you're not so amiable to that idea, they'll also gladly get into an exchange of insults with you. ]

b.

[ Pitou looks bored listening to someone else talk, especially since everyone else is also paying this person more attention, Pitou makes the executive decision to disband this conversation. It's never hard, they have a large collection of disgusting fun facts that never fail to make everyone go quiet, ]

Well, I mean. We're mostly covered in bacteria and there's shit in everything we eat. Right now there are little bugs having sex all over you.

[ A shrug of nonchalance and a sip of their drink as they watch the groups faces change. Pitou smiles to themself. ]

c.

Come on now.

[ Pitou leans in, smiling devilishly, ]

There must be someone here that you like.

b

[daemonized]

[If there was a suitable time for a record scratch sfx, this would be it.

Of course, Ardyn just laughs at that. He'd laugh if he hadn't been drinking, honestly. What a thing to say, what a way to put a nice twist on the conversation at hand.]

Well, at least they're having fun. [The little bugs, he means. Good lord.] Isn't that all that matters?