"Oh, uh..." Yul smiled. "Actually, I'm not sure I would make the best partner for Akodo-sama, as Utaku-san can attest. My voice, well, it's not good for duets. Actually..." The smile grew. "Perhaps you would like to do a duet with Utaku-san? I think that might make a better match."

Smirking, he gave Hyeon-ju a nod. Ha. Check out my wingman skills.

"Perhaps tomorrow Hotaru-san?" Ishiyo smiled back, "Sometime after the Orbital Defense?"

"As for myself, everything has been well. And as you say...it has been surprisingly busy. I hope you-eh day has been much the same." She rubbed her chin, "Actually come to think on it, you were missing one night..."

Yul. You're a terrible wingman. Not that Yul could read thoughts, but he could probably feel some of the intention going on there in her slightly narrowed eyes.

"I'm not a good singer either, but I'll give it a go to get this started along with Akodo-sama. But Ujina Jin-sama insisted to me that karaoke is not meant for good singing."

Putting down her drink, Hyeon-ju accepted the microphone.

Akihiko smiles and plays along, the dynamic between the Unicorns pretty clear. Probably the best ambush once ever been in. "Glad to have your support, Utaku-san," he says as she comes up, genuine warmth in his voice that the others may not hear.

"How about something upbeat to start?" Akihiko tries to quickly select something fun and energetic, which isn't usually duet material.

"Ah, that does sound good to start us with," she nodded, expression set with some determination at not failing horribly at carrying a note. "Upbeat, energetic, and fun."

Fun is mandatory!

Hyeon-ju cleared her throat, ready to give the duet her all.

"Alright!" Yul cheered, raising his glass. "Let's hear it!"

He clapped a few times, honest appreciation for the bravery of the two folks going first.

Akihiko finally makes a selection and launches it. "It's not a proper duet, but it's got the right energy," he warns Hyeon-ju. "Just stick with me," he says with a smile forher confidence, and then it's happening...

Ah, yeah, ah, yeah
I got this feeling inside my bones
It goes electric, wavy when I turn it on
All through my city, all through my home
We're flying up, no ceiling, when we in our zone
I got that sunshine in my pocket...

His confidence is not really justified.

"That sounds great to me Daidoji-san. I'm hoping to get in a jam session with Moto Ruhe-san tomorrow night, so before or after that would work. Ah, yeah, I've been very busy..." The singing started, which gave a convenient excuse to keep quiet about his disappearance.

A few loud cheers and a round of applause followed the duet. "Wonderful! More sake!"

Hyeon-ju was... making an effort. Her best effort, really, to not sound terrible. And it was paying off! Or maybe it was because she didn't know the song very well that it meant she was actually keeping herself restrained enough to follow the lyrics instead of singing along at full enthusiasm.

"And under the lights when everything goes
Nowhere to hide when I'm getting you close
When we move, well, you already know
So just imagine, just imagine, just imagine

Nothing I can see but you
When you dance, dance, dance
Feeling good, good, creeping up on you
So just dance, dance, dance
Come on
All those things I shouldn't do
But you dance, dance, dance
And ain't nobody leaving soon
So keep dancing"


-----

D7 LE Fluff singing for the karaoke night. Untrained: 2d10 17 (just gonna use that for the entirety of the karaoke night xD)

"Well it is a miai after all...would be strange to just stay in the hotel all the time?" Ishiyo grins at her roommate.

Once the karaoke begins the Crane has a sudden realization. "This...is not really a show case of musical talent in the strictly traditional sense....is it."

As they conclude the song, Akihiko gestures to his partner. "Let's hear it for Utaku Hyeon-ju-san! The beauty and the voice of this team," he says, smile turned up to 11.

Yul applauded the finishing performers. "Hey, that was a good one. Nice job, you guys looked great up there." He flashed them a grin, with perhaps just a little smirk for Hyeon-ju.

Yul looked around. "Who's next? Daidoji-sama? Now that you see how it's done?"

Hyeon-ju, surprisingly, gave a sheepish smile. And a small bow to mask it soon after. Blushing wasn't something that she did easily, though the praise made it pretty close to it.

"Thank you. Thank you. It helps to have a decent partner to sing with. But! Who's up next?"

Ishiyo smiled, "If you want me to try..." The nervousness in her eyes is evident. "I am not sure what song to sing."

Her blue eyes flick between the other four present, like a cornered animal.

Yul smiled reassuringly. "Hey, you don't have to sing yet if you don't want to. Or... maybe you'd like to try a duet, too?"

He glanced casually around. "Maybe Hotaru-san would support you?"

"I'm sure the selection has some old classics, Daidoji-sama," Hyeon-ju, being helpful, pulled up the selections for Ishiyo. And tried to filter it more to classics and Crane. It seemed more like something up the Crane's alley.

Ishiyo frowned, "Now come on...it would not be fair of me to make everyone sing..." She looks through the list of songs. There are many she recognizes from her youth. Times when her father had tried pushing her into the arts. She liked a great many of them, but they all came with the memories of disappointed instructors and her own anger at the same instructors for forcing her into singing.

So she scrolled past all of them and stopped at one....what was the old saying in for a zeni in for a koku.

Ishiyo took a deep breath and began:

The Starlight Miko Crusaders Season 1 Theme

Despite her nervousness she managed to make it through the song. To her listeners it was clear she had the raw talent for singing....just none of the polish.

--------------------------------
Untrained Singing......Ah...ha ...ha....*cries in Crane*: 3d10 11

Ishiyo's discomfort is plain, and Akihiko is quick with applause and encouragement after she powers through: "Yes, yes. Well done Daidoji-san! That was the hardest karaoke song you'll ever have to sing, and you've shown you can do it. Just like with your first combat mission: Just don't throw up. It all gets easier from here." Akihiko the friendly little league coach.

------
OOC: fluff oratory roll: Akihiko's encouragement is more compelling than his singing.

Yul didn't have Akihiko's gift for words, but he did have enthusiasm. "Yeah, alright Daidoji-san! You did great!" He grinned at her, raising a fist in a Unicorn-style salute.

He looked at Koseki. "Well, down to the two of us. You wanna go next, or should I?"

"Yes," Hyeon-ju joined in the applause, "the first one is always the hardest, Daidoji-sama. But now you'll get in some practice, and you can show off to your squad when you return home."

As Ishiyo joined the audience again, she made sure that the Crane had something to drink.