Club Astrum, Baltimore, Friday Night (Opening Night)

[my_own_advocate]

It had taken something close to a year, and several fits of terrible trauma, but now the time was there: Club Astrum, Lux's little spin-off in Baltimore, was opening. And Lucifer had pulled out all the stops: sparkling champagne with sparkles, a massive ice luge in the shape of a heavily-embellished star god of some kind, balloons, and some extremely, painfully hip indie bands playing on stage.

The indie folk one due to come on in a few hours was all Duke's fault.

"Welcome," Lucifer declared from the round platform that oversaw the rest of the club, right at the front. He spun around as the sparklers sparkled behind him - and so did the rather massive sparkly sparkler statues at the back of the club.

Ooh, pyrotechnics.

"To Astrum," he crowed. "A project a long time in the making, the new star on Baltimore's firmament. Please, come in. First drinks are on us!"

And he stepped aside.

The space wasn't huge, but it was big enough; little star lights hung from the ceiling in natural patterns. They cast the club in soft blue hues, the bar tastefully framed with almost ethereal curtains.

Red patterns scattered over the floor, as if to signify magma flows. Various setups of modern white leather couches stood everywhere, most facing each other, some facing the round stage near the back of the room. There were more curtains along the walls, creating an intimate feel.

By the bar stood a jar for everyone's tokens, so they could come to collect their free drink.

It was going to be a good night.

[[ for anyone who's been specifically invited, anyone who can assume they're invited, and anyone who might wander into a random new club in Baltimore on a Friday night - open! if SP! ]]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

"Definitely. He might deny it, but I think he really misses the glamour of LA."

[okteiviakom]

"It was his life," Octavia agreed. "For a long time before we came along."

[betterthanaplan]

"That it was. And yet he somehow manages to love us anyway." Duke shook his head, faintly marveling. "I'm glad we're starting to do more of his favorite things, sometimes. That was an excellent idea, ai briyon snogon."

[okteiviakom]

"Seemed obvious, once it came to me," Octavia admitted. "And kind of embarrassing. That we didn't figure out earlier how much he tries to do our favorite things but never really asked for his."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke grimaced faintly. "Yeah. We definitely kind of screwed up there, huh. But hey, now we can do better!"

[okteiviakom]

"Like not wearing plaid to his big night," Octavia concluded, because they didn't need to get too far into all that when she could tug lightly and playfully on the lapel of his button down, instead.

[betterthanaplan]

"Like not wearing plaid for his big night," Duke agreed easily. "And making sure I'm not wearing anything so flashy it upstages him."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia couldn't help her snort.

"Oh, neither of us was going to do that."

[betterthanaplan]

"Of course not," Duke said. "Not even if we tried." He tugged playfully on one of her sleeves. "No matter how much drama you've brought tonight."

[okteiviakom]

"With my swishy sleeves?"

Not yet tipsy enough to stumble over saying 'swishy sleeves'! Good job, Octavia, not that anyone had been waiting to test that.

She gave a tiny snort. "I think I'm one of the least remarkably dressed people here tonight."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shrugged. "Maybe. But you're remarkable enough all on your own."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was tipsy enough (or maybe just relaxed enough) to coyly raise her eyebrows a little bit.

"Sounds sort of like someone angling to get lucky tonight."

He had not gotten lucky with her in a long while, so... She was not bringing it up lightly.

[betterthanaplan]

Which Duke fully appreciated, as evidenced by his eyes going a bit extra wide, followed slowly by his grin.

"Well, I mean, I wasn't expecting to, but I for sure wouldn't turn it down."

[okteiviakom]

Between the progress that had been made across several Sunday date nights as well as the entire weekend the other week Octavia had gotten to spend in the skin of an older and much more comfortable with just about everything version of herself, something had finally been knocked loose in her brain again.

... At least enough so that with a moderate amount of liquid courage, she felt like she could try and take the plunge back into things, again.

That grin of his definitely helped.

"Sounds like it could be a nice end to our night, huh?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Absolutely," Duke agreed firmly. "I'm going to be looking forward to the possibility all night, now."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia smiled up at him. There was mischief in it.

"Feel free to let Lucifer know, too."

[betterthanaplan]

"You don't want to tell him yourself?" Duke asked.

[okteiviakom]

"And rob you two of the chance to gossip about me?" Octavia retorted.

Even though that wasn't quite it.

[betterthanaplan]

"I assure you, we'd find something else about you to gossip about," Duke pointed out. "But if you like, I can be the one to tell him."

[okteiviakom]

"It's okay, I'm sure it'll come up eventually either way," Octavia replied, before this largely light and teasing thing had a chance to become... well, a whole thing that made her feel self-conscious. "It's fine."

[betterthanaplan]

“Okay,” Duke agreed with a smile. “We have all night. What should we do in the meantime?”

[okteiviakom]

"People-watch?" Octavia suggested. Hey, it was her preferred activity at a club where she wasn't working. At least until she perhaps got tipsy enough to try the dance floor. "A lot of strangers here tonight."

[betterthanaplan]

“A sure sign of success for a club,” Duke agreed. “Sounds like fun. We can break in one of these couches.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia reached for one of his hands. "Come on," she said. "You can tell me who you think some of these people are."

[betterthanaplan]

“I promise to make up the craziest stories.”