Grand Opening Terror

Players:

Nikki

Adam

Emma

Barbara

Zeferino

Caitlin

Durante

Felix

The restaurant portion of Dark Facade opened sometime around 3:30 PM for dinner and a large number of people were already waiting to get in. It seems that 'new' is worth a bit of time on the sidewalk. Those who had meals were treated to something very eloquent and tasty; a surprise for what some were thinking was going to be another dive club. Frankly, it's a nice place.

The cover at the door was fifteen bucks and they checked everyone's ID. If a person was over twenty-one, they got a stamp which allowed them to buy booze. The cost of entry gave access to the whole place but of course drinks and meals were separate. Prices varied from the cheapest thing on the menu being 9.99 and the most expensive being a 49.99 lobster meal with steak and veggies.

At first, music was just a DJ playing and people milled about the dance floor or hung out at the balcony and watched everything transpire below. Wait-staff is polite and efficient, bringing drinks hastily and food promptly (most importantly, while it's still hot). Things really seem like they're going to hop at this place or at least, that's definitely what the owners are hoping the reviewers think.

'Vibe' took the stage a little after 8:00 and after a brief sound check, started up their set. This attracted a lot of people who left the restaurant and came out to watch the musicians. General dancing and shouts of appreciation move through the crowd as the crowd seems to gyrate in that sort of way as to lend proof that when this many people get together they become a new organism.

The music builds to a deafening crescendo of guitars, cymbals, and thudding bass, then abruptly releases as the song ends. Nikki Vibe and the session musicians she scraped together for tonight's show -- billed collectively as "Vibe" -- take a short breather as the crowd stops dancing and erupts into applause. Nikki twists around to toss her drummer a thumbs-up, congratulating him for nailing a particularly tough fill, then turns back to give the crowd a grin and a teasing wink. A few of the more inebriated males reply with lascivious whoops, but she just rolls her eyes and grabs the mic to make a short, exuberant announcement.

"Hey everyone, I hope you're having as great a time as I am here at the grand unveiling of Dark Facade!" She pauses for the requisite burst of cheering, then continues, "Unfortunately, this next song's going to be our last" -- another pause, this time for a chorus of 'awwws' -- "but we've got something really cool set up for you. The house DJ is going to join us for a half live, half sampled re-imagining of some of my favorite 80's tunes." She gives an exaggerated sheepish look, then adds, "I realize that sounds dangerously like hippie jam crap, but we worked it out in rehearsal and I promise it won't be." A smattering of laughter. "Anyway, once again, we are Vibe, and we're still /technically/ unsigned." She looks disapprovingly at someone in the crowd and clears her throat, but then quickly returns to her amiable stage persona. "Don't forget to tip your bartenders, and enjoy the rest of your night!"

She steps back from the mic as another wave of applause crashes over her, then nods a cue to the DJ, who obligingly cuts in with the intro to Paul Simon's "Boy in the Bubble." It seems like an odd choice for a dance-rock show, until the drummer starts a steady kick beat and the rest of the band joins in, creating a lush, roof-raising rock song. The opening set may be drawing to a close, but it's obvious from the crowd's energy that the party's just beginning.

Felix's expression is more than a bit pinched, with all the racket, and smells bombarding him. He's not got a migraine ... at least not yet, a fact that surprises him a bit. But then, it's been a while since he was in a club, and his control has improved in the interval. He eyes the stage, grinning at Nikki, even if she can't see, delighted to see her up there. He'd had no idea about this, and was honestly glad he'd come, even if he was going to be a bit ear-sore tomorrow. He was leaning against a wall, gold eyes scanning the crowd, looking for any odd behavior from the revelers, a Pepsi in hand.

Adam laughs when he actually notices the band on the stage. "Holy crap, it's Nikki!" He lets out an especially loud cat-call when Nikki begins to speak and another cry of "I love you Vibe!" just before the 80's set begins. At that point he chuckles and goes about paying more attention to Emma. "Sorry, had to heckle her as she did not invite me to be part of her band, the brat."

Tagging along with Adam and his beautiful companion, Caitlin cocks her head and gives him a distinctly surprised and amused look. Tapping his arm to try go get his attention, she then briefly mimes a fiddly guitar riff, a few thumping power chords, then a rattle of imaginary drumsticks - finishing with a questioning look.

Emma grins towards Adam, recognizing Nikki as well. Oh, why the hell not add to the cat-calling, right? "I want you to have my babies!" Eh, could have been more original, but ah well. "No wonder where that girl went to hiding lately. I haven't seen her in a while..." She then turns towards Adam and Caitlin, "You guys want something to eat while here? I'm more interested in the booze and dancing personally."

Durante slips in after a minor hassle at the door given he looks around fifteen. But he manages to enter and looks about for a moment before looking for a clear section of wall in the back to lean on, keeping his long sleeved coat on. Once finding a place he seems content to just watch the general chaos, almost as though studying it.

Adam looks over to Cait ass he gets his attention and smiles, "I play guitar and sing...me and Nikki has talked about forming a band once. But it's all good, I've got a better gig now." He teases, nudging Emma. "Nah, I'm good." He replies to Emma, "But you're going to get me a drink, right? I'm gunna need it, I think to keep up with you."

Felix flicks a careful glance at the youngster that joins him in holding up the wall. He gives a reflexive sniff, and then grimaces as he simply inhales a bigger whiff of the million and one scents competing for dominance in the room. Absolutely no hope of getting a whiff of the kid in these conditions. "Hey." He greets, careful to keep his head tilted at an angle that keeps his eyes from being immediately visible.

Having shaken her head in response to the query about food, then nodded and grinned at the suggestion of drinking and dancing, Caitlin finds herself giving Adam another distinctly surprised glance. Looking from him to Emma and back again, she holds up her hands, hooks each set of fingers around the others, and makes a show of emphasizing the link with a tug - expression once more questioning.

Concluding the 80's medley with a techno-ified Police hit, Nikki bows, then blows a double-handed kiss to the audience. She even seems to wave straight at Emma and her entourage, although that's probably just serendipity. She carries her guitar off the stage, but leaves the mess of boxes and wires that comprises her synth and sampler setup for the techs, who bustle the equipment offstage efficiently. Only a few minutes after she disappears backstage, she's on her way out onto the dance floor herself, making a beeline for her cluster of acquaintances. She arrives looking tired, sweaty, and immensely pleased. "What are you guys doing here!?" she squeals delightedly once she's in the limited earshot of the nightclub.

Durante looks to the one addressing him, and after a quick look over appearance the young man looking around his mid-teens nods and says with broad smile, "Hey, what brings you here, just the opening?"

Barbara steps into the club nervously, now that she had fixed all that lint on her jacket things should be fine. Shouldn't be too much trouble to get in and the music sounds good when....she visibly staggers...shaking her head lightly as she steps in and blinking. Felix may be doing better at holding back but even a nice club like this is hard on the girl. She begins to move into the club slowly, resting her arm on the wall for balance, not touching it with her hand either, who knows where it has been.

Before Emma moves to get a drink, she waggles a finger at Adam. "You don't have a stamp, now do you? I need someone that's sober to keep me in order." Afterwards, she falls silent, for a good minute or so before turning back to Caitlin and arching an eyebrow at the strange gesture. "What, us?" is indicated as she points to Adam and then back to herself. "N-No... No, strictly business." Smooth.

"Yeah." Felix says. "Came here with a bunch of my friends." He indicates the group that is sort of centered around Emma and Adam. "I don't club much, usually. Not my preferred entertainment." He snorts. "Though I'm going to have to kill Nikki later. She didn't tell us she was going to be doing some of the entertaining here tonight."

Adam huffs at Emma. "Yeah...okay." He seems to grumble at the denial but also gives the woman a wink. He turns back to Caitlin to chuckle, "Yeah what Emma said...I'm just here to protect her assets." Then, when Nikki arrives through the crowd he smiles brightly once more. "Hey! Why didn't I know about this little gig huh? You guys sounded awesome up there!"

Caitlin playfully smirks at Adam's comment about assets, pointedly looking Emma down and up - before starting and grinning broadly at Nikki as the other girl arrives. She taps herself on the chest, touches two fingers to her eyes, then points at "Miss Vibe" - before stepping forward and offering a hug.

Durante nods and says, "Not my kind of thing either but I've been... Away for awhile and I tried to find a few people I've heard about being here."

Leaning into Caitlin's hug, Nikki grins and says, "Aww, you guys are too sweet!" After she releases the girl, she turns to Adam and practically shouts, "Dude, even /I/ didn't know about this 'til like three days ago!" She bites her lip, giving a shamefaced smile to each of her friends, then admits, "The reason I didn't tell anyone is because I was pretty sure that without any preparation, we were going to suck big time."

Damia follows Barbara into the club since she had decided to walk to the store with her to begin with. "Are you alright?" A frown as creased her forehead and she reaches out to brace the girl, but stops just shy of actually touching her. Her nose wrinkles slightly at all the scents in the room, but they're promptly ignored in favor of looking after her friend. "Barbara?"

The music from the DJ moves about a lot. 80s, some 90s, some modern dance stuff. He's good at mixing the music to give rests where necessary and keep the energy flowing.

"You're protecting more than just my assets if you want to get paid," Emma points out to Adam through a smirk. A sidelong glance is offered towards Caitlin, catching the looks the woman is offering, and she responds with a roll of her blue hues, a shake of her head, and something muttered beneath her breath. "What do you want, Adam?" is asked in a lowered voice before attention is turned to Nikki. "I'm still looking for my day of trouble with you." She then grins. "Great number up there. Looks like things are really working out for you lately."

Apparently, Zef had lingered outside for a few extra moments, walking in just in time to catch the tail end of Vibe's performance. And then, faced with a crowd chock full of people, many of whom are much older than he is, he does what comes naturally: he mingles. As someone who's lived in New York for awhile, he seems to recognize a few random patrons, but more or less just makes his way through the crowd aimlessly.

Barbara gives a small nod as she gives a week smile. "I... I am ok really." she says with a small nod as she straigthens up. "The girl who was playing was a freind of mine, I am going to say hello." she says as she walks slowly towards her, stumbling ever so slightly. "Nikki Nikki!" she calls out.

"Well, at least now I won't be the only one holding up a wall." Felix says. Then he catches sight of Barbara, and frowns. "Hang on a second, be right back." He says, already moving, protective streak in full swing as he heads over towards Barbara.

Adam grins and comes back, in a feminine type voice, "Day of trouble? With you two? Oh I am /so/ there!" He chuckles and pats Nikki reassuringly on the shoulder. "You guys were great, seriously." Then as others seem eager to talk with the star of the show, Adam looks about the club a bit, just doing his cut, paying attention.

Caitlin offers Nikki one of her silent giggles, accompanying it with a head-shake and a brief display of applause. Emma receives an apologetic look - then a hopeful one, as she delves into her cleavage and draws out a leather pouch hung on a thong around her neck. From that, she extracts her miniature notepad, flipping it open to then show Emma a page simple saying 'Rum & Coke'. A tightly-folded bill is offered a moment later, though by that point she's quirking another smile at Adam's comments.

"Hey, I feel pretty troublesome right now! Although I didn't even realize you guys knew each other. Teamed up, we'll be pretty much unstoppable!" Nikki responds with a laugh, then waves away Adam's praise. "I deserve no credit. Those guys I was playing with are amazing, they learned the whole set in just a few days! They're actually in this band called --" Nikki cuts off suddenly, swinging around as she's called. "Barb?" she calls, zeroing in on the girl immediately -- she does look pretty out of place -- and waving her over.

Catching up with Barbara, Felix gives her a concerned look. "You ok?" He asks, as quietly as the ruckus around them will allow. "You don't look so good."

Durante continues to lean against the wall, now silent as his companion has left for other company.

Emma nods to Adam silently, and then to Caitlin's note. "Are you sure you want to be invited to that?" She smirks. "I don't think you can handle the both of us at once, Adam..." She's cut short to point at him while turning back to Nikki. "Hired help. He calls himself a bodyguard." In a teasing manner, the woman laughs at this. "The only thing he has that's good is his car." A wink is offered to the two of them. "Excuse me, I've got a drink run to make." The blonde then makes her way to the nearby bar to place an order.

Barbara gives him a small nod. "Yeah.. yeah I am ok.. its just that I’m getting used to this place." she says as she continues to head over towards Nikki. She gives Felix a small smile, doing her best to reorient herself. "Just ..need to get used to it." she says before she walks over towards Nikki. "Nikki.. you did great." she says, wearing a green leather-treancoat and horror of horror...makeup.

Adam cups a hand to his chest in a gesture of being stabbed. "Tell me how you really feel about me!" HE calls after Emma and then smirks once she's out of earshot, "Actually, don't." With a chuckle, he stands by, watching, offering Cait another smile which is only partly an excuse to keep an eye on her too.


"Felix too?" Nikki says, bewildered, as she catches sight of the other Xavierite. "Thanks, Barb! But..." Darting a questioning glance at Adam, she asks, "Is the whole student buh-- er, do I know /everybody/ here?" Nice save, Nik. Fortunately Emma's already moving away in search of social lubricant. Trying to quickly move past her gaffe, she continues to question Adam. "Wait, I heard you were bodyguarding Princess Whatserface, but -- Emma?" She sounds flabbergasted. "Emma's just... /Emma/. What does she need a bodyguard for?"

Felix gives her a long look, but lets it go. "If you're sure." He says. He waves to Nikki when he hears her call his name, but doesn't wade further into the melee, instead returning to his post on the wall near Durante. "Sorry about that. She was looking a bit peaked."

Caitlin part-turns, either to watch Emma go or to show off her full-back tattoo to her companions - but she looks back and shoots Adam a _very_ curious look when Nikki mentions bodyguarding a princess. She studies him pensively for a moment, then digs a pen out of her leather pouch, jotting down a quick note - which she shows to Nikki. 'He's really a bodyguard? Wow. Getting paid? How much?'

Slipping quickly through the spaces left between the crowd, Zef gradually makes his way closer to the main group, arriving just about the time Nikki utters something about the entire student body being present. He grins faintly, but doesn't say anything. No sense in butting into a conversation in the middle of it, especially considering how hard it must be to pick anything intelligible out of the cacophony resulting from the house music and the din of the crowd.

Adam nods to Nikki, "Looong story, but in short, yeah I was Bodyguarding Maddie, but not anymore. So I took the job with the American Princess over there." He says of Emma but fondly.

PLOT NOTE: At this point, Felix smelled Gasoline somewhere.

Durante nods to Felix and says, "Surprised you came back actually. Though she does look unsteady, and seems a neat freak. Possibly some obsessive, compulsive issues."

Nikki peers at Caitlin's note in the dim lighting, then laughs and reaches up to ruffle Adam's hair. "Probably far too much. He's overrated as a tough guy. Keeps getting distracted by any opportunity to be snuggly-wuggly." She grins at him, then turns back to Caitlin. "But yeah, as far as I know it's an actual for-real job. And how exactly is Emma a princess?" She offers this to both Cait and Adam. "She seems pretty down-to-Earth to me." She completely misses Zef's silent presence, she's so wrapped up in the conversation.

A few moments pass before Emma comes back with three cups. Coke and rum, a maitai, and something dark for Adam, soda. The cups are handed out to the two of them before she looks at Adam and notes, through a lighthearted tone, "You're a jerk." There is a sip of her drink as she starts to tap her heeled foot to the beat of the music that the DJ is spinning out. The tail end of what Nikki said catches Emma, but it's not enough for her to question anything, let alone know what they are discussing.

Caitlin gives Nikki a somewhat disbelieving look - then Adam a rather apologetic one, before hastily flipping to a new page in the little pad and jotting down another note. 'Has he ever shown you the chibi version I did of him?', she writes for Nikki's benefit, grinning broadly at Emma before accepting her drink, though doing so is likely to render her entirely mute.

Barbara gives a small nod before she nods. "Well not all of us… I am here with a friend who… I think I lost at the moment." she says looking around briefly before she frowns and then she glances back over to Caitlin and she nods. "Oh um… hello." a little disoriented by all the people.

Felix snorts. "Like I said, clubbing isn't my thing." He says. He very nearly stares Durante in the eye at his very accurate appraisal of Barbara, only just remembering in time to keep his eyes down. "Something like, maybe." He says, then his head /does/ jerk up in a reflexive reaction to a rather distinctive, pungent scent reaching him. He snorts, convinced he's imagining it, but when he takes another whiff, it's still there. Felix forgets about anything like discretion and starts scanning the club in earnest visually, pupils wide enough in the low light to be round, though there's still no mistaking his eyes for anything but inhuman.

Durante doesn't shy away from being looked in his heterochromic eyes, however seeing the other man's eyes he lofts a curious brow of his own. However at the sudden look about the room he asks, "Something wrong?"

Adam humphs at Nikki. "Hey, I can be tough and snuggly! Grrr!" When Emma returns, he takes his drink and leans over to peck her cheek. "You love me, stop denying it. And..." He says this to Nikki again but not hiding the reply from Emma, "She's a Princess because she is so beloved by the people." Suck up.

"Hee! No, Cait, he's probably hiding it in fear of undermining his manly facade." Nikki laughs, then amends, "His /dark/ manly facade!" She catches sight of poor Barbara trying to keep track of all the people, then leans quite close to her ear and points everyone out to the girl in a voice that shouldn't carry to the whole circle. "Adam, Caitlin, Emma, Zeferino. They're a few of my--" She cuts herself off and double-takes. "Zef!? When did you show up?"

The peck on the cheek isn't what stirs Emma, it's Adam's words, the sucking up ones. "Bullshit," she comments dryly. "If I was so beloved by people, I wouldn't /need/ to hire someone to watch over me while going out." Wait, they're talking about her, aren't they? Emma glances amongst the three of them. "Wait, Princess? What the hell am I missing?"

Barbara nods lightly. "I read about Emma." she says softly before she smiles. "I saw Zef...Outside..." she says though once more she closes her eyes and sways a little before opening them and smiling wider. "I will have to introduce you to Damia when I see her." she says with a nod before she blushes. "You know a lot of people here Nikki."

Felix doesn't stop scanning the room, even as he begins to doubt himself. He'd come here expecting trouble ... maybe he was manufacturing it? But the smell was persistent. "I don't know." He admitted finally. "Think I smell something." Though he's not being clear, it's obvious by his tone that whatever it is he thinks he smells, it's not a /good/ thing.

Zeferino can't help but smirk as he listens to the give and take of conversation. Apparently, these are people with some history together. When Nikki notices that he's there, he grins broadly at her, and in a rather passable impression of John Turturro, says, "I am very, very sneaky, sir." Shifting back into his normal speech patterns, he continues, "Or, perhaps, I'm just so bland and featureless that I just blend into the crowd." His tone is rather joking, of course.

Caitlin sips at her drink, chuckling silently as she watches the interaction between those around her - though her broadest grin is saved for Emma's belated confusion over the Princess moniker. In response to that, she points to Emma, then curtseys to her.

"I'm trying to figure out why you, of all people, would need a bodyguard," Nikki explains to Emma before turning to Barbara, looking mystified. "You /read/ about her? That's kind of taking facebook stalking to a new level, isn't it?" She looks around in confusion at all the faces that seem so much more well-informed than she is, and finally settles on Zeferino. "At least tell me /you/ don't know what they're talking about," she implores him.

Durante looks over the room as well, though obviously not capable of seeing as much, it seems more out of curiosity. He takes a few sniffs himself and leans in slightly to attempt a softer tone, "Why do I get the idea you are smelling something... Normal. That is I doubt it is like gas, paint... Someone late to the bathroom..."

Adam giggles, "Oh I was just kidding around. Geez, I thought girls liked being compared to royalty." He grins at Cait but quickly gives her the classic 'cheese it' sign..that is-one finger across the throat. After all, if Emma's unhappy, he's gunna be unhappy.

Felix eyes Durante, but fesses up. Cat's out of the bag at this point anyway ... almost literally. "You'd be right. Smells like gasoline. But it can't be. No reason for that smell in here."

"I don't know anything," Zef replies before a short pause, "I mean, I know who she is," He continues, indicating Emma vaguely, "But pretty much everyone in this city knows who she is. Perhaps that's why she needs a bodyguard?" He ventures, rolling his shoulders in a slight shrug before breaking into a broad grin, "But other than that, I know nothing. Honest."

Durante looks to Felix with a raised brow and thinks a moment before asking, "You can't move about the edges and try to zero in on the general location of it?"

Emma blinks for a moment, taking in all of the information around her as she tries to piece together the puzzle of what they're discussing. It's what Nikki says to Barbara that clues her in on what is going on. This only causes her to take a long draught of her tropical alcoholic drink. "She read about me because the papers plastered my face all over the front pages months ago, Nikki," the woman says, in a rather unamused manner. "The face of me normally, and with my /mutation/." This is only accented due to the fact that she's expecting someone to come out fighting about it. It happens way too often. A look is offered to Adam, just that - a look - before she moves away from the bunch, "Excuse me..."

Barbara gives a small frown before she looks back to Emma. "Im sorry, I didn't see you there." she says before she nods to Nikki. "I try to keep up on the papers." she says before she quickly stuffs her hand into her pocket but not before one can notice its trembling and her face is paling. "Nikki...can you help me find Damia...." she asks softly, voice a little pleading almost.

Caitlin meekly ducked her head to Adam's throat-cutting gesture, but now shoots him a distinctly concerned look. A rapid tap on her sternum, and a gesture towards Emma are accompanied by another one of her questioning expressions.

"Just about useless, with this crowd." Felix admits. "Too many other scents, and no breezes to speak of to move them around. I'd have to be right on top of it to know where it was coming from."

Adam lifts his brows. He replies to Caitlin, "let me make sure she's alright." And then he gives a nod to the group as he moves off to follow Emma.

"Oh. Well, thanks, Zef," Nikki says dryly. "It's incredibly comforting to know I missed something of that magnitude." She turns to listen to Emma's explanation, falling silent as the import of that one emphasized word sinks in. She seems completely shell-shocked by the revelation, although certainly not upset about it, and allows herself to be tugged away from the group by Barbara. "What-- what does she look like?" she asks the Asian girl distractedly, still glancing back over her shoulder toward the retreating Emma.

The music slows to a halt for a few moments then picks up again but this time, it's somewhat quiet--as in, it's now just loud enough to be heard. Conversation is much easier. The DJ leaves his booth and heads off toward the restroom.

Several minutes pass before someone takes up the microphone in that booth and belches loudly; the sound reverberating through all the speakers. "Hey, ya bunch of asses!" He shouts. "Do I have your attention??" People turn and look up there, most quiet but others willing to shout back with things like 'go to hell' and more harsh statements.

Durante nods and moves more to block the view of the dance floor then asks, "I would guess scent and sight, though your eyes gave you away most. I'd also assume some form of closeness with the perfectionist. Family, friend, lover, or the like. Missing anything?" Once done he moves aside as though using his body to prevent lip reading or such. Still speaking in as soft of tones he can manage. However at the sudden change of 'entertainment' he turns his attention there.

Emma pushes her way through the crowd until she reaches a small pocket of a clearing. When she sees Adam following her, she gives him a sidelong glance, and he could surely feel the anger on his side of the telepathic link between the two of them. The woman opens her mouth to speak, probably about to say something in the 'not-so-pleasant' category, before her attention is turned towards the booth and the person there. An eyebrow arches at the sight of the man who clearly isn't the DJ, but nothing is said on her end.

Felix can't quite help a reflexive growl at Durante's accurate guesses, but forces himself to relax. The kid is obviously /not/ freaked about it. "Yes and yes, and the perfectionist is a friend of mine." He explains. Enough of the truth to sate the boy, without telling everything. He hopes. Then the music changed abruptly, and the DJ changes. Felix's response to the sudden change of DJ is immediate. His head snaps up, and a wholly hostile, predatory gaze fixes on the offender. There are kids here ... kids Felix is responsible for ... troublemakers are going to get /extremely/ short shrift from him.

Barbara gives a small frown. "She.. is hispanic... was wearing black and... oh gods." she says face starting to go green. "I have to get out of here...." before there is the belch and the words and she looks up towards the DJ but it is distracted as her other hand is shaking a bit too, still something about whoever is up there just dosn't seem right. If only she could focus through all the other information and get a look at him, she starts squinting.

Caitlin rises up onto her toes to watch Adam and Emma depart - before her gaze, too, is sharply drawn round in the direction of the booth, a frown creasing her brow.

Adam hears the idiot on the microphone, but his attention is more formally on Emma. Since she is distracted, he can manage to get to her without being burned alive by her evil death glare. "Okay, be ticked at me, but I'm not leaving your side." He tells her this firmly before looking back toward the stage.

Nikki is just starting to feel foolish about scanning the faces in the crowd when the girl next to her could probably count the hairs on their heads when the loud belch derails her thoughts. She wrinkles her nose at the new DJ's behavior, but makes sure to keep an eye on the girl beside her as Barbara's tone of voice becomes more and more alarmed. "Hey, relax," she tells the girl soothingly. "It's just some stupid drunk. Nothing to worry about."


"I have some good news and bad news you sycophantic human fucks," Says the man on the stage, kicking the mixing console hard enough to cause some horrible feedback which pierces through the club. "The good news is that my friends and I have secured the doors. You animals won't get out. The bad news is that we didn't bring enough ammo to kill you all with bullets so some of you will have to burn alive."

This turn of events draws a startled bunch of confusion through the crowd but it escalates to disbelief and outrage mostly. The DJ starts toward that way hurriedly from the bathroom.

Barbara gives a small whimper as she hears this. "Shit shit.. NIKKI! I CAN'T SEE! THERE IS TOO MUCH GOING ON!" she says as she reaches into her bag, trying to find either her slingshot or her cellphone, trying to be as subtle as she can and the crowd helps but her hand is shaking a bit from the sensory overload. She gives a small gasp as she tries to look around and see who exactly he brought as a friend, she didn't like being helpless, not when things were getting bad.

There's no mistaking Felix's reaction to the threat. He snarls viciously, the sound, even in human form and voice, enough to raise the hackles of everyone in hearing range. "I don't fucking think so." The words are strangled, perhaps fortunately for his continued survival, inaudible to the complete idiot on the stage. He spares a glance for Durante. "You might want to duck. This is going to get ugly." He forewarns. A thought occurs to him, and, in the faint hope it'll be caught, he sends a near-frantic mental appeal, then starts towards the stage. He needs to be closer.

Nikki doesn't so much as flinch at the anguished yelp of feedback, but Barbara's squeal causes her to whirl. Her hand drops toward the girl's shoulder and she says in a perfectly calm voice, "Barbara, don't panic. We can get out of here. We /will/ get out of here. But I need you to stay with me and keep a cool head. I'm going to need those eyes of yours." She's utterly at a loss as to what she'll actually need the younger girl's help for, but she's hoping that the prospect of some task to accomplish will calm the panicking mutant down a bit.

Wade pages: Oh, if you need someone for the trouble, you can tag Emma. Adam is playing her bodyguard, hired as one, but so far he's had no reason to protect her. (Emma on the Wade alt)

Emma initially glares off at the man at the booth, ignoring Adam. She then grasps at her ears when the feedback is heard, which causes enough of a distraction to make the link between Adam and herself sever. At his words though, her eyes widen. "W-Wait... /What/?!" Comes out in pure disbelief as she stands there, slightly stunned before turning back to the doors. Panic is starting to grow within the woman, and that is never a good sign...

Durante drops to the side to give room, however once Felix is past he gets back to his feet and makes his way towards the nearest 'friend' of the second 'DJ' in a calm but determined fashion. He has no visible weapons but his hands are still unseen.

Adam narrows his eyes and the drink in his had is dropped and he reaches over to take a hold of Emma's arm instead. "Oh, we are sooo out of here." He says with a growl. "Secured the doors...they can kiss my fuzzy brown ass." He happens to spot Felix moving through the crowd, but he's gunna make for the opposite direction, intent on getting Emma, and anyone else he can out of the building. "Come on Emma..hold onto me." He, of course, has a firm hold on her.

Caitlin blinks a few times, sighs heavily, then downs her drink in one long gulp. Pulling a bit of a face, she shakes her head, before tapping Nikki on the shoulder, gesturing to Barbara, and making a shooing gesture towards the nearest wall. She's still frowning, rising up onto her toes again to peer somewhat distractedly over the heads of the crowd.

The DJ manages to make the stage first; a veteran of crowd motion. He gets up there and charges for the guy and a gunshot is heard--a pistol which strikes the man in the stomach. He falls to the ground but before he's fully settled the guy shouts into the mic. "Anyone who wants to live just needs to kill someone in this room. It's that simple."

To better describe this criminal, he's about 5'8, black hair, wearing all black and a long coat. He's bearded but despite that, his eyes are young. He carries himself with more arrogance than confidence. The people that are associated with him, three people that are noticeable, are near the foyer. They don't appear to be armed but neither did the jack ass on stage.

People start to panic and some are turning to rush for the door.

And suddenly people are running in every direction but those around her can hear the sound of the spectacled girl SCREAM and move her hands to cover her eyes, cellphone in hand as she begins to spasm. "To... much movement.... AARRG" and down she goes to the floor in a thump though her hand begins to move on the cellphone, closing her eyes and doing her best to dial a number, getting it off before another spasm forces the phone to the ground.

Emma allows herself to be pulled to the doors of the club. The rushing of the crowd causes the panic to rise and her heart to beat faster. It's Central Park all over again, sans Sauron. She shouldn't have even bothered coming... She ends up in a sort of daze as Adam continues to lead her. When the gunshot is heard though, the blonde freezes on sight, simply freezes. Adam's hand slips out of hers, and suddenly, it all grows bright, yet she can't really hear. The screaming girl sounds as though she's at the end of a tunnel... Not again. Slowly, the woman lifts her hands, they're not the normal pinkish hue, but they're reflective and white. It seems that the gunshot was enough to scare the woman enough, sending her body over the edge in a manner to cause her mutation to re-appear, the physical one, her diamond form. "Adam!" She calls out to him, reaching for him, though her motions are much slower than normal.

If people were panicking when the shot got fired, they're REALLY going to freak out in a minute. In a voice that's just barely human, Felix snarls out. "Well then ... I guess I'll just kill you then. And then everyone gets to go home in one piece." It's /very/ clear Felix means it, eyes slitted, rage an almost visible thing around him ... and Felix throws anything like caution to the winds and 'shifts, and, in the same breath, leaps towards the stage, roaring loud enough to make the rafters rattle.

Nikki nods in response to Caitlin's clear suggestion, but pretty quickly isn't given much choice what to do with Barbara. "Shit. Shit! I can't just leave her here!" she shouts, looking for the others. It doesn't take her long to spot Felix, but her only comment on his little demonstration is, "What a moron. Let's push the 'make-it-worse' button, shall we?" She tries to pry Barbara off the floor, and says to Caitlin, "We have got to get her out of the way or she'll get trampled!"

Durante uses the sudden chaos as a distraction and runs up to the nearest 'friend' of those threatening the crowd and blocking the doors. Movement under his sleeve proceeds a sudden jerk down bringing a bone-like hook out of the sleeve. Relying on the chaos and disorder to keep attention off of him Durante closes on the guard and thrusts his body up sending the point of the hook for the guard's groin in a straight up motion as he then throws his other hand into a punch-like movement. A long stiletto-like spike concealed by the overly long sleeve, but on impact the tip aims for the chest area. Though what penetrates of the two fold attack is reliant on the guard's awareness and any body armor h may be wearing.

Caitlin sighs once more as she pulls a very sour face, thrusts her empty glass at Nikki, then crouches down. Barbara is prized off the floor without any apparent effort, let alone difficulty, and slung unceremoniously over one shoulder. Holding the twitching girl there with one hand, Caitlin rises and uses the other to propel Nikki towards the wall and the edge of the panicking crowd.

Adam pulls his lips back into a snarl at the sound of the gun, but he still drags Emma along to the exit. Kill someone? No problem, just let any of those f-ers get in his way. "Emma-" She slips from his grip and Adam turns back. He hasn't seen the change in her before, but that's no matter once she calls for him. He can hear Felix's roar and the feral sound prompts his own reaction. Even as he picks her up, his last words are marred by his own shifting form. "Hold onto me-just hold on!" People around him better damn well move to make way fro the appearance of a 600 lbs grizzly bear.

The guy on the stage sees the lion and panics. The microphone is dropped. It makes a loud 'thump' through the speakers and again, feedback sears the air. He manages to get the gun up in time to fire off three shots; three shots in the direction of raging blood crazed Felix--shots that may or may not hit before the man is taken down like a bison.


The one that Durante attacked becomes a gurgling mass of death and blood, slumping against the boy before expiring entirely. The crowd is in full on screaming and freaking out mode. They are charging for the door just as Caitlin gets Barbara up. The last of the three guys sees what's happening on the stage and draws out a large pistol, taking aim on the stage...

Durante extracts his 'weapons' returning his arms under his sleeves and moves for the next guard unless the crowd is in the way, moving for a similar maneuver. Though if at all possible his priority is one of those aiming at the stage.

Barbara usually would fight off her compulsions in such a situation but her higher mind is not at all in control at the moment and her spasms take on a much more...aim at Caitlin kind of way as she is lifted. "No... touch... no touch!" she shrieks but she was never really on the strong side and any accuracy she usually has is gone now..

Emma tries her hardest to keep her grip on Adam as he makes a grab for her, but she's finding it to be more difficult than normal since she can't exactly /feel/ him. The sounds around her, the roaring, the gunshots, and the killing, all sound like one gurgled mass that she can't decipher. Eyes close as the woman takes to simply praying that she can get out of here in one piece without drawing anymore attention to her, which she is seriously doubting will happen right now.

Gaping at Caitlin's sudden display of strength, Nikki follows her prodding without question. Her head snaps around as she hears more gunshots, and despite her criticisms she winces as the bullets fly toward Felix. But that's not a problem she can do anything about right now, so she tears her eyes away from the spectacle and focuses on getting anyone and everyone out of Caitlin's way. Her arms are held down at her sides, shaking visibly but making no audible noise in the cacophony of the panicking crowd.

Adam holds Emma cupped in one furry arm. It's awkward, but he's managing it as she is his main priority at the moment. The bear, charges the foyer, swiping those panicking around him with a heavy paw but not with use of his claws. He's just getting them out of the way, if they are stupid enough to remain in it. And then, with all his great might, he slams his body against the main door.

Either unhearing or uncaring, Caitlin ignores Barbara's protests, an arm around the girl's waist holding her in place draped over the Goth's bare shoulder. Most of her attention is focused upon Nikki, and the making of rapid progress towards her destination - heading neither towards the doors nor the stage, but for the comparative quiet of a blank stretch of solid wall.

Those shots went off at point blank range ... and the results were pretty much foregone, really. It's a miracle that one misses Felix, going high and wide and hitting a wall well above everyone's heads. The other two slam into him, prompting a scream of pain, but there's no chance of them stopping the momentum of Felix's charge. The leader of the gang gets squashed by Felix's weight, head slamming into the floor hard enough to break the skull. Even half-blinded by pain, Felix makes sure of his fate, teeth snapping the man's spine. He tries to get to his feet and can't on the first attempt, right front leg bleeding and dangling uselessly. A second effort and he's on his feet, nothing even remotely resembling human understanding left in him, aware only that his 'pride' is in danger. He staggers down from the podium, headed for the last of the Three Stooges.

The last guy might have gotten a shot off if he wasn't overrun by the people charging for the door. He's taken down, stepped on, trampled, his weapon sliding from his hand and tapping the wall. He manages a few well placed screams before the crunches can be heard (at least by those close by or those stepping on him.

The door is secured, held by something on the outside but when Adam hits it, something splinters and breaks. Three people are in the street watching the door and when the big ass bear comes through... well, one of them screams and the others start to run.
Felix's yowl earns gritted teeth and a shuddering gasp from Nikki, but she keeps moving and doesn't turn around. The thump of Adam's body smashing the door, coming from the other direction, does arrest her gaze for a moment, but considering one of her friends just got shot, she's in no mood for pithy comments. No one tries to block the three girls’ progress, thankfully, because Nikki was quite ready to blast a path if that became necessary.

Felix is not in any kind of mood for mercy. He makes it to where the last of the cretins is, and as with the leader, makes sure of the man's fate with his teeth before heading outside. By the time he catches up with Adam, he's clearly struggling, but also just as clearly not going to stop until the threat is gone.

Durante looks about as the last guard goes down and the scream outside is a good sign. He first looks to the 'lion' before looking for those the 'lion' was trying to protect to see if he is close enough to help any.

Barbara manages to close her eyes....and the twitching stops, the girl gives a small groan. "Please...please don't... I… I don't want to be touched...where is Damia?" she asks, the thought coming to her head, not even thinking about her precious purse...yet.

Smart little hoodlums. Adam breaks through the secured door with a few grunts and some scraping of claws. Inside his head he is trying to contact Emma, screaming for her to hear him. The smell of blood from Felix is almost overpowering and he looks down at his injured friend with a growl. It would be wise if Felix find a place to recoup or something, but Adam can't press the issue because he's still got Emma and all the people now filling out of the building to deal with. The large bear stands on two legs by the doorway, but outside and seems to be watching to make sure everyone gets out.

Still ignoring - or failing to hear - the girl over her shoulder, Caitlin ushers Nikki to the wall, swinging Barbara down to rest her feet on the floor and try to hand the task of supporting the rest of her to Miss Vibe while she positions herself between the smaller girls and the seething mass of people panicking away from the bloody lion charging through them.

Sirens can be heard approaching. People on the street see the bear and if they weren't already running, they are now. The patrons of the club charge outside and continue to flee; apparently not wanting to see what happens next.

Someone shouts "Is that a fire??" And they gesture toward the back of the club. Sure enough, there seems to be some flames brewing inside the restaurant but they're fairly small at this point. But they are growing. Without attention, they could get bad.

Durante looks to the back of the club, hearing the shout. And seemingly the only one left in the dance hall he tries to find a way to the source of the shout.

There is no response back to Emma, telepathically or verbally. Her eyes are still closed, she's still clinging to his fur, and her heart is still racing. The armor doesn't disappear, it stays promptly in place, and she's simply wanting this all to be over with. "I can't be seen like this," she calls out to Adam, a bit more loudly than her normal tone, due to not being able to hear herself speak well. "... Not again."

Barbara opens her eyes finally and though her step is still wobbly and everything seems blurry, enough people are outside of the club that she can see and.. "Fire... in the kitchen. Smoke coming under the door." she says looking around with a grunt. "Holy....oh no.." she says softly as she spots something, shivering. She looks to Nikki. "Is he alright?" she asks softly.

Things are heating up, literally. Felix can smell the smoke, and turns, giving an urgent, demanding leonine call, trying to rally his 'pride' together. Even wholly feral as he is, he knows they need to get the hells out of there, get away from the fire, and the strangers converging around them. Unfortunately, unless some of the gang are fans of the Discovery channel, they're not going to have the faintest clue what the caterwauling is about.

"Fuck. A duck." Nikki comments, following the crowd's attention and spotting the flames growing in the restaurant. Barbara's words grab her attention and she reaches out to touch the girl's shoulder gently, then replies, "No. He's not." She looks around to glare at the door the shifters used, trying to search for some words to make the brutality they've just witnessed -- and from a friend! -- somehow okay. Unfortunately, there are no such words. Instead, she stands up and touches Caitlin's shoulder, now that most of the nearby crowd has dispersed. "Wanna play amateur fire brigade?" she asks weakly.

Adam would like to help further, but it's Emma he must protect. He lets out one last roar, this sound is directed to be understood by Felix. A cry of encouragement and to tell his feral pack-mate he is leaving. And leave he does, starting to pad down the street until his human form replaces the ursine one. Human again, he adjusts his hold on Emma, scooping her up in his arms so they can get to the car faster.

Caitlin sighs once more in response to Nikki. Tapping Barbara on the shoulder and pointing firmly towards the fleeing mass of club-goers, she then nods and moves with long, swift strides in the direction of the fire, scanning the walls for a fire extinguisher... hoping that in somewhere with so much electrical gear, any that are around will be filled gas rather than water.

Durante bursts through the doors and into the kitchen to find the cooks tied up and near the flames. In a rush he sweeps off his heavy coat and starts to slap the flames in a desperate attempts to put them out while looking about for a better extinguishing source, mostly an extinguisher. One would think a kitchen would have one, but given this set up...

Barbara squints her eyes then she gives a small cry. "THERE are people in there!" and then she blinks again and shakes her head... leaning heavily against the wall. "I can't walk...but there and there." she points to two fire extinquishers near Caitlin then to another one, pointing to Nikki. "Get it quick... I will look to see if there is anyone else hurt but we have to get out of here soon."

Nikki hesitates, not at all sure she wants Barbara out there with that lion-thing they call a teacher, and is actually quite relieved when the girl says she can't make it. "Stay here, then, and if the authorities come by, pretend to be terrified to the point of a nervous breakdown," she instructs the girl with only a hint of dryness in her voice. "If you see anything dangerous, call me and I'll come get you. You're more important than making sure the place doesn't burn down." That said, not getting fried is at least high on the priority list: Nikki grabs the extinguisher indicated, then starts for the source of the flames.

Feeling the sudden shift, as she's no longer holding fur, Emma dares to open her eyes, seeing Adam in his human form once more. She glances around herself, seeing that they're no longer at the club, but outside. The woman even goes so far as to slowly move her head, gazing behind Adam's retreating form, where she sees flames through one of the windows. Her hold on him slowly re-adjusts, moving to wrap a hand around his neck, and her panic is starting to subside as the immediate danger is gone.

Caitlin dithers only for the briefest of moments, before turning her back on Barbara, collecting her own extinguisher, and hurrying to the flames as well....

Durante continues to slap at the flames with his coat, his arms in full view. His lower arms appear normal only they have the coloring of exposed bone and some evidence of drying blood. Though his attention is now more on the flames, even more then the tied up cooks.

The flames, given that they are receiving quick attention, are not hard to extinguish. Six total people, because some of the club staff join in, attack the fire and put it out. The cops are showing up about now and begin an attempt to contain the scene. They do draw weapons but they are mostly simply trying to keep people in line and figure out what's going on. A fire truck is arriving as well as a paramedic van.

Felix is in a hell of a bind. He /knows/ his pride is here, and in danger, but they're not responding, and he's far too injured to go in after them. With a last, forlorn sounding call, he very reluctantly starts to limp off, only just making the relative safety and anonymity of the nearest alley before the authorities arrive.

Barbara continues to look around when...she see's something, glancing at the obviously busy Nikki, Durante and Cait she decides to try this one herself...the girl begins to stumble forward towards the stage...she stumbles and falls but keeps moving, grabbing her discarded purse along the way and then..she see's the paramedics...she takes a deep breath and calls out as loud as she can. "THERE IS A MAN IN HERE WHO WAS SHOT! I THINK HE IS DYING." as loud as she can, hopefully the guys in the kitchen can hear and will hide any sort of weird mutty appendages.

Adam tries not to let his own worry show through as he smiles down at Emma. "Easy now...it's okay. We're okay. And no one's going to see you, we're at the car." He sets her down slowly, making sure she can stand alright before letting to. "Emma..." he says after hearing the lion cry in the distance. "Emma..I want to go and find my friends..Felix. But only if you'll be okay..can you wait for me here, in the car?"

Durante looks about as the flames start to die down, noticing the group he slips his coat back on, though blackened and singed it doesn't appear burned or smoldering. He seems more concerned with hiding his obvious mutation before anyone notices as he looks about for a way out without being noticed.

Nikki pitches in to the firefighting efforts at first, but pretty quickly hands off her extinguisher to someone older and grabs a serrated kitchen knife with which she can saw apart the ropes holding the cooking staff. "Hold really damn still," she instructs them unnecessarily as she sets to work. "I'm a musician, not a surgeon."

Once Emma is placed on the ground, she moves to gain her footing before nodding. All of her movements are still slowed down to turtle-like speed. It takes effort to hear him, but when his words process, she offers his a look, an insecure sort, but then calls out, again a little too loud for normal means, "Go!" Slowly, she makes her way to climb in the car, making her way to the backseat to lay down and stay out of sight until she can regain control of herself.

Caitlin tackles her own fire-fighting duties with some small degree of skill, apparently having handled an active extinguisher before. Still, she looks anything but happy to have the chance to play the heroine, however careful she is to protect the bound staff-members and clear a safe path for Nikki to aid in their escape.

Durante seems to get out relatively unnoticed given the excitement in the kitchen. However with various service providers moving into the area he ducks down a hall and looks around trying to find a place to hide. Despite wearing his coat, he'd be hard pressed to find an excuse, and if they hand-cuff him his mutation would likely be noticed. Though he could get out of cuffs easy enough, it may be a bit difficult killing enough cops to escape.

Adam locks the car, just in case and then he turns and runs as hard as he can back to the building, listening for sounds from the jungle cat. Attuned ears pick up movement in the alley so he slips down into the shadows. "Felix!" He calls with a purposeful growl to his voice. "Come on Felix...we gotta get outta here, where are you?"

Nikki's tempted to use her powers to hurry up the rope-sawing process, but just one thought of the shifters' display out on the dance floor -- and let's face it, she won't be thinking about much else for days -- is enough to convince her that discretion is the better part of valor. She finishes off the ropes with nothing more than elbow grease, and as soon as the cooks are free, starts drifting toward the door, watching Caitlin to make sure she follows.

Felix doesn't understand words at this point, but he knows Adam's voice and scent /very/ well. He makes a strangled noise of pain, but starts towards Adam, limping badly, unable to even put his right paw to the ground.

Caitlin makes sure that the intended victims have made their escape, before setting down her extinguisher and following Nikki - wheezing somewhat from the smoke - out of the door and into the main body of the club. There, she starts towards the exit, though she holds little real hope of evading the cops she now fully expects to be guarding the doors and trying to detain people for questioning.

The police move in first and start to secure the area. The paramedics are close after them. Apparently, the situation is at least under control enough that people are being helped. Police are requesting people to remain present to give statements and all that jazz. It's still a little too chaotic for them to -stop- people from leaving if they do it in a hurry but anyone being too suspicious will likely be chased.

Durante can't manage to get to the ceiling panels as he's only five foot seven, so instead he moves for the ladies' room... If any are in there they need to get out anyway. And if needed he could always go for the panicked running for any door excuse. But hopefully there is a window or such he can get through.

Adam looks down at the lion and moves quickly toward him, laying a hand gently upon his mane. "Aww you stupid furball..." He says affectionately and then looks back toward the street. "You can't shift can you?" He says more to himself as he thinks. If they walk out in plain sight, someone is bound to notice the lion limping along and Adam can't carry that much weight in human form. Adam kneels and looks Felix in the eye, keeping stern contact with the animal. "Felix...you gotta shift man...try. Human." He orders, pointing at himself. "Come on man...concentrate. Human."

Barbara frowns. "DAMMIT THERE IS A DYING MAN IN HERE!" she says as she continues to crawl towards the man before she finally spots the paramedics. "Quick! he needs help." now looking around for Nikki or Cait to help her up so she can get out of here before she is detained. The last thing she needs is to go to the hospital and have anyone look at her eyes as she glances around in a panic, grabbing her cellphone again with her trembling hand, just in case she needs to have Jean rescue her from the paramedics somehow since she doubts Felix's method would work and Nikki doesn’t have the authority.

Nikki beckons to Caitlin and makes her way over to Barbara, and starts trying to help the girl to her feet. "Time to get out of here, kiddo," she says. "Party's over." She looks over at Caitlin. "I think we should carry her out between the two of us," she says pointedly. "Being a roadie for a girl who uses as much equipment as I do has given you some muscles, sure, but nothing quite that extraordinary." As she hoists Barbara up, she glances at the other two and says, "And much as I'd love to stick around and give a statement, it's more important that we get her home."

Having quite forgotten about Barbara for the time being, Caitlin looks guiltily surprised for a moment then - still wheezing a touch - hurries over to crouch down and take Barbara by the shoulders. She tries, on the whole quite successfully, to look as if she is struggling with her share of the burden as she resumes progress towards the doors.

Durante does find a window, however noticing the cops moving into the alley he instead improvises and moves for the ceiling tiles above the stalls. The toilets given the added height boost as he pushes a tile aside and slips in. As cops move into the girl's room he looks down and ducks back, slowly trying to slip the tile back in place unnoticed. Perhaps not the best option, but he'll have access to the lowered ceiling area and his relatively small mass would minimize weight. Now just to find somewhere he can get out of the drop-down ceiling and slip away unseen to get back 'home'.

Felix blinks at Adam, aware of the urgency in his voice. At first, he tries to duck his head, instinctive reaction to the eyeball to eyeball stare with someone he considers to be dominant over him. But Adam isn't letting that happen, and the instinctive discomfort is getting through where another method might not, even if it's taking a while. Though Adam has no real way to tell, after a few minutes of the staredown, something resembling human thinking patterns finally starts to reemerge. After that, the process speeds up a bit, and Felix is finally able to think as normally as he ever does. Shift? What? Adam has to be /kidding/. Felix isn't even sure he can stay conscious for much longer. He's feeling really, really woozy. After a moment, he tugs backward, pulling free of Adam's grip, and, with an effort that makes him cry out in agony, somehow manages to 'shift ... and promptly collapses on the ground, panting like he's just competed in a decathlon and pale as a ghost.

Barbara allows herself to be scooped up. "Quickly." she mutters before closing her eyes, limping out with the others as quickly as possible, no way she is going to get her face plastered on the walls as a mutant.

Human Felix is carryable. And with that cry of pain, Adam winces both in sympathy and because someone's gunna hear that. He strips off his jacks and lays it over Felix's shoulder, so at least no one will easily see the gun shot wounds. Then, as Quickly as he can manage it, Adam grabs his friend and hoists him up over his shoulder. "Sorry man, I'd be gentler, but we gotta move. You'll be alright." From there, they head back to the car, and someone must be watching out for them because they actually make it without being stopped.

Nikki takes Barbara and Cait out the doors and toward the street, waving off any medics who try to intervene with the explanation that "This girl's medication's in the car; she needs her medication." Once they get a block or two away, it's the work of a moment to hail a cab. Nikki helps Barbara into the backseat, then turns and asks Caitlin, "Do you need me to get you anywhere? That cough sounds pretty bad..."

Caitlin offers Nikki an amiable shrug, then a shake of the head, waving away her worry before forming the near-universal "OK" sign with one hand. She dithers briefly, then opts to take the time to fish out pad and pen and jot down a note. 'Where you go? Need help?'

Durante pauses to get his bearings and moves for what he remembers is the direction of the foyer hoping most of the cops are now in the rear portions of the club and out front. Once in the general area he his an arm into a spike to lift tile as he lacks fingernails. He then leans down for a peek, if all if clear he drops down towards the door between the foyer and dance hall. He then starts running out of the club like a lunatic shouting, "There's a bear, lion, and wolf in there!" sounding decently like someone who has spent to long in the club and the chaos. He attempts to just run past anyone at the doors hoping the hysterics show is enough distraction for him to slip into the crowd outside or into an alley unnoticed.

Barbara gives a small frown before she shivers lightly. "Nikki... I’m...dizzy.." and the girls eyes close and she goes limp, the damage to her mental state enough to finally finish her off for now.

Emma remains in the back of the car the whole time, quiet and still. She's calmed down enough to the point where her body has returned to normal, no more glassy appearance. Now the only thing that was moving at a rampant pace were her thoughts. When Adam gets back to the car with Felix, she looks up at the window cautiously, but then settles back down when she realizes who it is. "We need to lie low... Just drive to my place, Adam."

"Train station, then home," Nikki answers. Then she's distracted as Barbara faints. "Er... make that a nonstop cab ride. Jesus. Baldy had better reimburse me." She rolls her eyes, then turns back to Cait. A dimple of worry appears between her eyebrows, but she doesn't pursue the matter of Cait's health. "Hey, Cait...? I-- Thanks. A ton." She hesitates for a moment, then tries to throw her arms around the other girl. "You're a lifesaver."

Caitlin peers past Nikki at Barbara, offering a silent laugh. Though surprised by the hug, she accepts it, enfolding her friend with both arms and momentarily hoisting her off the ground. The musician receives a kiss on her cheek, before the now bashful-looking tattooed Goth steps back.

Durante comes up to an alley as a car bursts out to drive away, then moves on to find what transportation he can. Maybe he should have stayed at home.

Looking a little flustered herself, Nikki gives Caitlin an imitation of one of her own patented finger-waves, then smiles a little weakly and gets into the cab. After giving the driver a quick instruction, she and Barbara speed off into the night.

Caitlin tucks away her notepad and pen while somewhat forlornly watching Nikki and Barbara's cab disappear into the night... then she turns and starts towards the nearest bus-stop, muttering silently to herself as she goes...

Durante drops to his hands and knees after a few blocks his chest and legs burning from exertion. But he's got to get home. Resting for a bit he forces himself to his feet and more drags his body the runs, breathing heavy trying to find a cab... There really isn't any when you need them... He makes a mental note to learn to hot wire cars when he gets the chance.

Durante reaches a bus stop as it starts to pull up with a few others waiting. He mutters something about the fact it isn't a prison bus and half walks, half staggers to the bus, last in line.