“I have no idea what I’m doing pretty much constantly, so this shouldn’t be any different.” Hide stood back up, not exactly sure where this was going to go. Which was par for the course, as she really had no idea what she was doing.

Eriko smirked at Hide when she see took her opening easily enough and gave her the partnering hand-held device. "Hah, figures I'd get one of the better singers in the room to outclass me. Don't go too hard on me, you hear? Or you might just ruin my evening and nobody will have fun afterwards when I'm cranky."

"Just joking, we still have drinks here as backup," she said as she brought the device close to her mouth again, doing no favours to the speakers in the room. "Okay, I think I'll be the guy in this one..."

The song was a sleek and cool tune, certainly plenty playful and sexy. Eriko was just following the words on the screen but thankfully she didn't stumble on the song and gave a good amateur performance that would be considered standard to the karaoke experience.

"...I will steal your lips and run far away...I'm a trou-a-a-a-ble. Trouble, trou, Trouble maker!"

Yup, Hide did not know what she was doing at all. She quickly picked up the second mic and started to sing her first part with it still turned off. Well, a quick flip of a switch and that issue was resolved. Just a great start!

Eriko had nothing to be worried about, as it was evident that Hide wasn't actually all that great outside her natural contralto range. But, hey, she put the effort into it, even if she missed her cue a few times. She'd just put on a smile and laugh about it afterward, that's what karaoke is all about.

Mumei grinned at the duo, snapping along with the tune and shooting Hide a mental thumbs up even if an actual one would be ridiculous.

She offered her share of applause at the end. "That one was tricky with all the extra parts. That was a great take on it!"

"Are you game for another duet, Shiba-sama?"

____
Note that I'm hopeless with pop music and will describe a tune vs. trying to hunt for one. Otherwise I fall down Youtube rabbit holes and never get a post done. XD

"Trouble Maker!" Eriko sang out the last verse of the song and closed it with a small dance the snapping of her fingers. She was sure to give Hide a small shoulder bump for encouragement before the song for fully draw to a close

"Hey, that was all right! Thank you, everyone! You're far too kind. I know, unbelievable that I don't do this full-time!" she said before bowing deeply and returning back to her seat.

"That wasn't too bad, Hide-san. I mean, I know you were doing your best to downplay yourself with me but you didn't have to take me too seriously."

Hide gave a bow to the group, following Eriko’s surprisingly showy performance. The Matsu followed behind, taking her seat not long after Eriko did. “Uhhhh... Downplaying myself? I was actually trying... It’s hard for me to sound decent outside a certain range.”

Oh no, this was going to be that social butterfly thing all over again. Something told Hide that arguing this was probably going to go nowhere. Maybe another direction would work? “You did really well. You were super into it, too.”

"Strong? That beats the mushroom tapwater they call beer here, eh?" Atsumori plopped down happily between Mumei and Izumi, promptly helping himself to a tipple. "Hey Kitsu-sama, Nakauchi-san."



"Yeah, you two were amazin' together!" 'Mori nodded with absolute sincerity. Karaoke was about spirit, after all. He might not know really good singing if it bit him in the butt, but he could tell when someone was into what they were doing. Or at least he was quite confident that he could. A confidence that would probably only grow when watered further with shochu glass #2...

"Atcher service." He lifted his already-pretty-much-emptied shochu glass #1 to Mumei and wiggled his eyebrows. "I've got to catch up on this singing business, right? Do you have a number in mind?"

"You both sounded great!" That's the only acceptable response to folks putting their best into a song. "There were some decent harmonies to hit in there too."

She lifts her own, mostly emptied glass to clink Atsumori's with a grin. "Yeah, 'The Spy-boteurs Song' is good for mood" It was based on an urban legend about a pair of warriors from some clan or other (totally changes, depending on who's telling it) on a fairly simple mission of industrial espionage who get into all kinds of trouble, escaping in the end with the data, five pounds of industrial solvent congealed in their pockets, a variety of injuries, and a healthy respect for guard dogs. The chorus is a sung tanka summarizing each bit of the action in sometimes crude, and always amusing language, while the main story is sung-spoken in a form akin to Unicorn travel poetry set to music.

"Works best with a drink at each chorus...for lubrication, you know." She leans in close enough to share the mic before queuing up the tune. The dancer's set of rhythm is [url=[url=https://orokos.com/roll/847411]D6 EN karaoke Phantom Perform/Awa[/url]: 4d10o10k3 22]helpful[/url] in navigating the very different portions of the tune, and it's all in such a middling range that it's hard to miss.

Izumi waved at the Phoenix as he entered, vaguely remembering he was supposed to be leaning on the Shiba for something he couldn't quiet remember in his drunken state.

He then swayed along to the others singing before saying the dreaded words.

"Isitmyturnyet?"

Hide shot the pair a surprisingly sheepish smile at their compliments. “Thanks! Good luck up there.” She watched their duet, a pang of jealousy hitting Hide hard as she saw how skilled Mumei really was. She really was outclassed here.

Though, the dreaded words coming from Izumi only brought a huge grin to Hide’s face. “Yeah! You’re after them. Looking forward to it, Kitsune-sama.”

"Yay!!!!"

He leapt up . . . missed the mike at the first attempt, but recovered on the second try. A brief look at the catalogue and he launched into an old SLATE hit.

Crab Glam Rock suited him as poorly as C-pop.


But he was having fun. To . . . the . . . MAX!

--
D6 fluff - THEY LET FOXEH SING AGAIN?????: 2d10 7

Atsumori managed to drone along with Mumei setting the pace. He rolled in with much more gusto on the choruses (especially by the third one, after another couple of shots of shochu)--when not having to look at the screen for the words made it much easier to GO FOR IT, Phoenix-style! He offered Mumei a buzzed high-five and a cheerful "Woo!" and sprawled loose-limbed back onto the sofa in time for Foxy glam glory.

"Whoa! Never heard that one before." Atsumori's eyebrows seemed to be taking on a kind of volition of their own, arcing at different angles as he tried to parse Crab rock, by way of Fox, at 2X speed. "Whoa. That's bloody creative, Kitsune-sama!" He bounced to a more upright seat and saluted with his shochu.

Hide clapped for the Phoenix and Osprey as they finished, but didn't quite get a chance to congratulate them because Mach 3 Fox was already going. She gave them a thumbs up as they went to sit back down.

And as for Izumi... Welp. He was interesting, as usual. Not quite as magnificently bad as last time, but it was up there! "Wait to go, Kitsune-sama!"

She leaned over to Eriko, whispering low as the songs come to an end. "Soooooo... Would you like to go out somewhere just the two of us sometime?"

Mumei grins at the buzzy high-five, feeling her shochu well enough by now, but ready for another. And then she's just staring in fascination at his eyebrows. How?

So she doesn't notice as the Fox grabs the mike...until he starts to sing, at least. She joins in the happy applause despite the painful parts. Enthusiastic singing was the point, not good singing.

She *does* notice Hide's move, quietly flipping to something in the catalog with a bit less volume so they can actually hear one another over it. One of a hundred thousand different sappy ballads about cherry blossoms that she misses half the words to because it's not quite the sappy cherry blossom ballad she thought it was.

"I guess I did pretty good this time around. I think if you butcher a song enough, you might actually chip off some gems from time to time," she smirked.



She gave an enthused clap when the Nakauchi and the Opsrey had their turn. However, when it came time for the Fox to have a turn, it was the return of the cringefest from earlier that only made her drink more appealing. However, that perhaps helped so much until she might get more honest with her opinions. She downed her glass in a quick gulp and turned her attention to Hide.

"You know, I feel that you've got the whole town on your side when it comes to you and I. Maybe a few more days, maybe even the governor might find me and tell me the same thing. So, what do you have in mind?"

“Wait, what?” Hide looked genuinely confused at that first part. “You mean Mumei-san? Yeah, I guess she did kind of send you that message out of nowhere. Anyway... Uhh, I guess we could either go to that Crab bar I heard about. Haven’t been there yet myself. Or if you’re feeling up to it, there’s that fancy restaurant.”

"Akemi-san, Jin-san, just among a few people who are probably still hiding in the woodwork and waiting for their chance. I'm kind of amused, kind of concerned," she said as she looked to the Shiba and the Kitsune curiously, wondering if they were in on it too.

"Those could be some place we could consider. The Crab bar is a bit of a hole in the wall but if you're okay with that, why not?"

“Oh no... I... I apologize, Eriko-san. I’ll, uhhh... Talk to them. Not sure if any other of my friends are trying to wingman or wingwoman for me, but I guess I have been a bit on the...” Hide rubbed the back of her neck, trying to find the right words. “...inept side. I’m very bad at this.”

With that admission, the Matsu downed the rest of her glass.

“Oh, yeah, totally fine with that kind of place. Lot quieter most of the time. Easier to talk.”

"SAKURAAAAAAAAA! ON THE WATEEEEER! SAKUUUUUUURA"

The song wound to a more triumphant ending than expected. Mumei shook her head. "OK that was not the song I expected. Is there still a bottle of shochu here, or should I run for more?" She pointedly doesn't pay extra attention to Hide and Eriko as she sets the mike by the holoslate catalog.

Eriko smirked at Hide as she crossed her arms, reclining back in her seat. "Sounds like you're going to put in the reservations for us then. Not that a place like that would take reservations but let me know and I'll be there with bells and whistles on. Not literally but you get the gist. Just let me know of the time."