Shokomaru responded to her grabbing well, there was touching but not lewd, a hand on a hip, on the waist, holding her hand...they were dancing. She was actually pretty amazing, getting sweaty and just rocking out. He couldn't stop grinning like an idiot. Then she slowed down, his arms wrapped around her waist naturally and she whispered to him.

He smirked big and leaned into her ear to whisper back.

"Getting the hell out of here."

"That's... More or less what I had envisioned." she whispered in return.

She forced a dance move to separate them again as much as she could without actually letting him go, then closed the gap into intimacy again:

"And we both know this is a terrible idea."

A spin, a new separation, a new closeness, as the dance within the dance continued:

"So, for now, just please, please..."

The voice of the Hida was loaded with something only very few people had heard coming out of her mouth. The sound of distress.

"For now, please, let's just just keep on dancing. Even if our feet bleed, even if our muscles scream, even if our breath turn short..."

She gripped at him even harder, having trouble leading the dance due to exhaustion:

"Let's keep dancing."

His old man seems like a smart fellow. Ghost dad appeared right on cue. I hope you aren't planning to make a fool of yourself in front of all these potential partners?

"My old man died when I was a baby. Sometimes I wonder what he would call me if he was still alive." There was sparkle in his eyes but it was hard to understand why without the context.

Clever.

"Minor Clanners all took our birds out for a run today. Lot of fun. Good data too. Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing you play, and Meteoric Racing Birds sounds like a great name for a song..."

Ishiyo's movements at first just mirror Mumei's, her confidence simply wasn't there yet. But as the dance continues she grows more bold, trying to move in a manner that compliments her dance partner instead of just copying her.

Despite herself, Ishiyo begins to find the dance enjoyable and her bland Crane smile turns into a more genuine expression of enjoyment. "I am a fighteh pilot myself, not too long past a touh of duty."

Her blue eyes flick to the Daigotsu and Hida, "The company was fine, but I begin to wonder if I was not some bait in an elaborate trap." Despite her words she was still smiling, and perhaps even a little laugh escaped her lips. "So fah? Just the Matcha Made'n'Heaven and Yoake Sunrise." There was probably a little alcohol on the Crane's breath but she had only had about three drinks.

"My own died when I was eight." Ruhe slammed the cup to slam the door in his mind on recalling anything about it at that moment. "Then let's make one! Bartender, bring some acoustic shit here. I left my instruments in the room." Soon, bottles, glasses and the counter would serve fingers and chopsticks as an improvised percussion. Words had already formed in Ruhe's mind, and got their thrash-like machine gun pace. It seemed the metalhead's mind was fertile on alcohol. He set the basic rhythm on counter, then introduced fast diversification along the way.

"Sky is flaring, hell breaks loose
Don't hide, fucker, there's no use
Only way this can be faced
Mount your bird and win the race

*growl on* Moooount your bird and win-the-race! *growl off*

Shrieks, guts splattered where rocks hit
Half the racers lose their shit
Spur your bird to deadly pace
Only way to live through race

*growl on* Onlyyyy waaaay to-live-through-race! *growl off*

Heat on back, that's cosmic rock
Decimating big bird flock
Wanna live? Give damn chase
Else you'll die during this race

*growl on* Else you'll dieeeeee durin'-th'-race! *growl off*

Die, die, die, rocks burn bright
Scorn, scorn, scorn from meteors!
Chickenmeatfuckingburns
Chickenmeateverywhere, yeah!"

Paying no mind to the Moto singing in the background, Tenma smiled, "It... does seem quite chaotic, hm? I find that kind of endearing though. Even if a bit noisy."

The Scorpion finished her drink, setting it down and fanning herself with a hand, "I just wish it was a bit cooler in here; You'd think it would start getting cooler now that it's so late."

"Well, I'm almost positive, I was. But I honestly would have thought you were the fish, not Spider-sama there." She chuckles, picking up the pace a bit as the Crane catches on. "Crab and Spider, seems...volatile." Her free hand illustrates with a closed fist exploding outward in a firework-like motion.

And then the improvised Moto metal cuts into the existing music. Mumei considers the clashing rhythms for a long moment, hand tightening for a bit more control in case others find themselves fumble-footed with the change, as she pulled her partner closer for the same purpose. "Buuut, I think this might be more of a mosh pit than a dance floor in a second. Would you like to join some friends and I at a table with another drink? I wanted to try that matcha one. Headbanging's fun, but really hard to talk through."

The Fox had finally stopped spiralling around the dancefloor and returned to his table, and much more importantly . . . his drink. He grinned at Hide and Eriko.

"It'sfunoutthere!!! Whynottryit?!??!?!"

"It is the realm of storybooks...Benten condemning two enemies to want of each otheh." Ishiyo responded, "Hah...I am rarely the real catch, just the means to a greateh ends. Usually its just people wanting access to Pa-Pa."

With the tightening grip on her hand and the sudden closeness, the Crane blushed again. "A mosh pit? Headbanging?" Her eyes flicked to the Moto then back to Mumei, "I think I would like that yes." The Crane smiled gently and she nodded.

Eriko looked thoughtful for a moment. "Sounds like you have quite a busy schedule, Matsu-san. I would have brought up something but that would be pulling you from your plans. Especially, for a social moth. Seeming kind of unfair, ne?"

Her attention turned to the Moto rocking up the scene and she gave him two wide blinks before turning to Hide once more. "Whoaf, someone really know how to power up the scene, he's really good," she gave a few claps from where they stood, calling him out with cupped hands. "That was awesome!"

"I think he's talking to you, kiddo," she said before giving Hide a shove toward Izumi's direction. "Why don't you go out there? I got this thing I gotta do tomorrow."

“But I said my schedule was pretty free—“ Hide felt herself get pushed towards the dance floor. She turned her head back towards Eriko, a brow rose. “Well, if you change your mind about bringing stuff up, you have my comm info. I can make time for whatever.”

Hide downed the rest of her glass, placing it back on the tray before heading out to the dance floor. “Have a wonderful rest of the night, Kuni-san!”

And she hit the dance floor, not with the expert grace of the Hida or Nakauchi, but she at least was able to move without looking too ridiculous!

A Crab begging for mercy. Shokomaru felt his instincts stir every time she spoke and their movements matched.

But when she looked at him, he just saw a girl. Not a Crab shocktrooper that would kill him in any other given situation, and that drove something pretty powerful in him. Something compassionate, perhaps.

Still, he wasn't going to let her off that easy.

"An all night dance with you?" he asked and switched their hands up, taking the lead. He looked like he'd gotten some practice in with this as well. He swayed with her, leading her around and stayed close. "Well, samurai..."

He took the move he made the night before, his foot between hers and leaned her back, holding her tight, eyes locked and he spoke softly just to her again.

"You'll have to call me Shokomaru, or there'll be quarter."

"Fuck yeah!" Koseki wasn't a singer but a) he was at least a passable drummer and b) it was death metal. As soon as Ruhe laid down the beat the Firefly picked it up and ran with it.

As the Moto unleashed his vocals, Koseki and a few others managed to pull together a decent backing crew. That was the best thing about Moto Death Metal, pretty much any sound you made could fit into the overall vibe.

With a massive grin on his face he rocked out to the improvised tune, finishing up by smashing the chopsticks off the bar and into a million pieces right at the end. "Yeah!"

Eriko chuckled at Hide's effort on the dance floor. Actually, it wasn't bad at all and just more evidence that Hide knew more than she let on about being a social butterfly. However, that wasn't something that was high on her light of mysteries around her. While Hide took to the dance floor, she used that bit of distraction to make her way out of the club.

Leaving a club without causing a scene, this feels like a strange first. I guess my luck is looking better.

/exit

Passing some of her companions heading to the dance floor as she headed off, Mumei gestures in their direction laughing. "Well, I was going to introduce you all over the drinks, but... the blue-hair's Kitsune Izumi, fastest talker in the entire Empire after these drinks I'll bet, and Matsu Hide, our social coordinator for the evening." She shrugs as they pause by the bar to grab more drinks, nodding along with the pounding 'drums' and flashing a thumbs up at the pair, though she only recognized the Firefly.

"Now I don't know your papa, probably. Haven't shipped on any Crane transports, and sounds like you're military folks, not traders. And, I'll be straight, cause that's fair, I'm not all that interested in a Crane bride. But you dance cute and a Crane drinking partner is a whole other thing." Her grin is a bit manic thanks to the Energizer and her pupils vibrate, but her tone is as sincere as it can be, shouting over Moto death metal on top of the club beat.

She pauses at the bar to grab drinks, "What're you having this go around, Daidoji-sama?"

Ishiyo actually smiled and gives a wave to the Firefly, he was after all her room mate and she still owed him some tales of her service after all. And a smiling nod was given to the Matsu, another she had been familiar with...

"Your guess on my family is actually wrong. Fah more tradehs, industrialists, and courtiehs in my line, we go back to the old Yasuki split." She shrugs, "I mean usually you would have been correct the Daidoji are fah more known for ouh Iron Warriohs then ouh tradehs. But foh my own, well I am the only one to join the Crane fleet. Fatheh runs a company, motheh serves in the courts, and my eldeh siblings split between fatheh and motheh's worlds."

A quick glance at the list and Ishiyo adds, "Pretty Pink."

The Fox, having finished his drink, had indeed returned to the dancefloor. Not pinballing this time but still requiring a wide arc around him more for unpredictable movements than any decent dance moves.

She orders one, and a Matcha Made in Heaven, shaking her head at the miai theming. "Fair enough. Shipped on the Lady's Grace early on. Had the friendliest little drones." She glances at the table and sees Eriko gone. "Well, Kuni-san's slipped away too. guess we're holding down the table for a spell." She passes the aggressively peachy drink across the table. "Why'd you split from family tradition then?"

Finishing his own drink, Hayato pushed it away as he rose from his seat at the bar. "Right, I don't think the crowd helps either. It might even be worse out on the floor."

"I suppose a bit of sweat won't hurt us though and if we get too hot there are always some cool drinks here at the bar."

She shook her head, "As long as I can take a dip or a shower later, I don't mind in the slightest."

Tenma was definitely dressed for dancing, not super fancy, the skirt and leggings topped with comfortable loafers all visible as she turned and got off her stool as well. "After all, a bit of a workout is good for you, no?"