Welcome to Gaia! ::

The Lucky Shot is located far enough from town that a good night can be had here all the time, but it's close enough so the patrons can get home without problems. It was remodeled after the ownership changed hands - it's now a rather large two story brick faced building. The second floor houses the dressing rooms, one male one female, for the dancers strippers as well as the businesses main office. Downstairs in the front is the main bar as well as space for the strippers to do their thing. To the right and down a short hallway is the casino with a small kitchen built to the side. For now, Tate runs both business with an iron hand. He and his staff are all for having a great time - but if you cross that line there won't be a hesitation in showing you the door. So kick back and relax, and let's have some fun boys and girls.

Open :: 8 p.m. - 3 a.m.
Closed :: Sundays and Holidays


Owner ::
xoxo ✔ Tate O'Ballivan

Strippers ::
xoxo ✔ Vi Triggs
xoxo ✓ Open!
xoxo ✓ Open!

Bartenders ::
xoxo ✔ Icis Salvador
xoxo ✔ Miah Bernadetto

Bouncer ::
xoxo ✔ Briar Appleton

Casino Owner/Manager ::
xoxo ✓ Open!

Dealer ::
xoxo ✔ Cyrus Hayden

Wait Staff ::
xoxo ✔ Brody O'Ballivan
xoxo ✓ Open!

For his part, Javor felt it was really important to pick a costume that made him look as different as possible from his actual appearance. Since his red hair was rather bright and obvious, he had chosen to go with a long, blond wig. And a crown. And a pink dress. His legs, he discovered, looked sensational in heels--it really was a pity his dress covered them. But he supposed it was for the best since walking around in pink pumps was not likely to win him much community respect. But after his costume was entirely in place, he felt he made a very convincing female.

Fortunately his date had chosen a very masculine costume, which simply enhanced Javor's naturally feminine physique so he doubted anyone would recognize him, or say anything to him later.

And if they did, he would merely stab their eyes out with toothpicks and serve them up in a martini.

"That is a little obvious, is it not?" he said, turning his large, green eyes up to peer at Xeiro's newly acquired mustache. "Perhaps something less distinct would be better. Like...Luigi. You look like a Luigi." He wasn't sure why the name popped in his head, but it did seem to fit Xeiro's new look. Lifting the hem of his skirt, Javor stepped into the room, looking around to locate their target. He instantly ticked off, mentally, each person that looked as if they were unobservant enough for a poison to be slipped into their drink while they weren't looking. A shame really, think of all those potential victims, he might one day have to treat at his clinic due to lack of proper multitasking.

Lyra was trying her hardest not to stare daggers at the two people that had just entered the bar. She knew for a matter of fact that that was her dad and his date. No one else had that broad of shoulders with that height and those damn beady brown eyes. The short little one also strongly resembled the weird little redheaded man she had seen with him not so long before at the festival. She was honestly infuriated. He had taken it a step too far this time. She had even been having a lovely night, and that's what made this whole thing all the more shitty. "Oh, Synder. You're really such a doll! I'd love to be one of your models!" She kept her best smile on her face, not wanting to show her stupid dad that he was winning. She grabbed up a napkin and jotted down her cell phone number. "I've actually got to run, the big problem from before has followed us here. But, you can keep in touch if you'd like. Here's my number. Otherwise, John and I will be by the tailor to check in on you? I've really had a great time!" She reached over to gently rub Johns' cheek before she stood up from the table and bent over to kiss Snyder's. She made sure to look up over to the direction of her father to make sure he had been looking then made her exit. She wasn't going to let her dad ruin everything for her, even if this particular round had come to a defeat.

[Exit Lyra]

____________________________________

Xeiro was pleased that his partner was good at this. Even if he slightly questioned why he was so good at this, that didn't matter! All that mattered right now was that they sit at a comfortable distance and watch the night unravel. "Ah, yes. Luigi. I like that! And for you... how about Daisy? Because you're like all girly and girls like daisies." Fool proof logic was basically Xeiro's middle name. He chose a table quickly and grabbed the other seat to turn it so they could sit side by side and both look in the direction of Lyra. For all anyone else knew they could just like their public intimacy. Was that so weird for a big mustached man to be canoodling with his princess in a bar? He sure as hell didn't think so and these people shouldn't either. He looked at Javor Daisy to motion towards the seat and sat down in his own. Ah, a perfect view. A perfect view in which he could look over at the exact moment to see his perfect little daughter writing down something and then ...kissing... the cheek of her date. AND NOT EVEN THE RIGHT DATE. NOT THE BOY. THE GIIIIIIRL. As he watched her leave, he felt a strong pang in his chest. "Daisy. Daisy! DAISY! I think.... I think we have lost." Xeiro wasn't accustomed to losing and maybe that was why it hurt so bad. Surely he wasn't this upset solely over his daughter, but it could be that too. He was so confused and he didn't know what to do, so he just brought his arms up onto the table and forced his head down onto them.

Oh. It was John. Not Jan. Not Jack. John. Just like how Lyra wasn’t Lyla. Or Layla. Lyra. Snyder nodded in understanding when her date had to leave. It was pretty obvious that the two in suspicious video game attire had something to do with that. However, it was really nice that now Lyra was officially going to be Snyder’s model. She was still going to hold auditions for more models, but the bluenette was definitely going to be in it. She was going to have to put her in an outfit that played up that color. Some very high heels would work nicely too. Hm. Snyder quickly snapped out of her musing when she felt something brush against her cheek. Oh. Well. Um. That certainly caught her off guard. She’ll definitely have to return the favor to Lyra when they met again. With a small smile and an awkward wave, she made sure to say her goodbyes to her date.

Well, it looked like it was just her and her drink. Not to mention the quiet Ja-John. She blinked in surprise when he finally spoke up though. It looked like she was going to have another model. She... really didn’t expect to hear that response from him. In fact, he was throwing all sorts of surprises at her. Snyder had to raise an impressed brow at John and gave a low whistle. She was definitely going to remember him now. “Straight up whiskey? You must be able to hold your liquor pretty well.” He was really going for it wasn’t he? And here, Snyder thought that he was going to stay sober.

“Hm. I’d have to say no to that. Remember, it was just a fun thing to do for that matchmaking event. I certainly wouldn’t mind for another chance to spend time with her though. Possibly without the interference of video game characters. What about you? Were you interested in Lyra?” She directed John's question with another, an amused smile tugging at her lips. Ah, yes, even if they had cockblocked the date, it was rather entertaining to see the how they did it.

(( OOC: I don’t know my alcohols at all, so if I assumed wrong about whiskey, BAP me. ;~; ))

This was not the kind of bar Ayaka was used to. Alcohol, sure! The sort of western chic vibe? A little classier than anything western-themed bar you'd see in Tokyo, but not unusual. But something about this place was different than anything she had experienced before, something that made her think 'whoa, this is really a foreign bar', but it was likely too abstract for her to put into words -- nope, it was the strippers, most definitely the strippers. Not that they didn't have strip clubs in Tokyo! They did, but they were off the beaten path and sort of obscure, the kind of place only American military guys from Yokosuka or something would go to, and most importantly, she had never been to one. The closest thing she could think of was when she went to a host club that one time, after a Halloween night of clubbing (the first and last time she would ever go into Shinjuku after 10 PM), but it was frivolous and besides, the hosts stayed fully clothed and didn't dance or anything, just kept pressuring them to buy more champagne. This was what ran through Ayaka's mind as she stepped through the doors of the Lucky Shot.

To be honest, she felt a little guilty whenever she slipped off alone. She knew there wasn't any reason to; they were all independent adults with independent careers and (presumably, though they hadn't talked to many people yet) independent social circles. There wasn't anything wrong with going off to have some time alone, but when she slipped out of the trailer, she felt like she was sneaking out in the dead of the night. It felt a bit like a betrayal. Drinking beer was sort of her and Dodge's thing. To go out and drink without him... Wasn't that a bit of a slight? But she was growing tired of whatever beer they had in the fridge. She was from a culture essentially founded on the concept of social drinking! She wanted to get out and be around people! Big, flashy bars like this weren't exactly her thing, she only really went to them for joshikai and it never lasted for long. Where were the small, intimate izakaya? With overpriced snacks, a middle-aged drag queen who knows everyone's name, and elderly men belting out enka on the outdated karaoke machine? Ahh, she was beginning to feel homesick. She didn't see any elderly men or karaoke machines, but maybe there was an okama somewhere. That'd be nice. Anyway, she was a social drinker. Dodge was a wonderful drinking partner, and she was very fond of C.C. and Baba, even if they didn't drink with her, but sometimes she needed some fresh faces.

Keeping her eyes firmly averted from the strippers, in true Japanese fashion, Ayaka made her way to the bar. It wasn't as crowded as she had thought it would be, but maybe it was to be expected, considering this was a pretty rural island community and not a rocking party destination. There was plenty of space at the bar, but she chose to sit near a brunette girl (Icis), simply because she had come here to be around people, and she intended to be around people! As she took a seat at the counter, she called the bartender over, and ordered an umeshu. Of course, they didn't have it, so she simply ordered a Kirin instead. She was in the mood for something Japanese, she was feeling homesick. As the bartender went off to fetch her drink, Ayaka glanced over at the girl who sat not directly next to her, but a seat apart (as was polite; when you ride the train, if you can help it, you never sit directly next to someone. You allow at least one seat as a gap, so you can enjoy at least a moment of personal space, before some sweaty otaku waddles on board and wedges himself next to you, and you have to ride the rest of the way with his slimy arm against yours), and offered her a small smile. To be polite, you know.

The bartender was quick, Ayaka noted, and she took her beer with a murmur of thanks. She still felt a little bit bad for being out without her fiance or her fiance's other fiancees, and for some reason taking that first sip was like committing to this treason of hers. She quickly glanced around the bar, as if looking for potential spies, before lifting the heavy glass up to her lips. "Uma'!" she sighed happily as she tasted her favorite brand for the first time since leaving in Japan. 'Delish!'. She took a long swig before setting down the slightly lighter glass down, exhaling deeply. She would have leaned back in her seat if it hadn't meant she would go toppling off.

She had only been there long enough to sit down and get her drink when the woman next to her spoke up. Ayaka glanced in her direction once, then again when she realized the girl was talking to her. "Me?" she questioned, pointing to her nose. She looked over the woman. She was tall and pretty, like a model. As for age, she was obviously young, but specifics... Ayaka was never good at telling how old foreigners were, they always looked older than they were. Maybe they were around the same age? Regardless, Ayaka was the smaller of the two, and she felt kind of plain next to this glamorous foreigner -- though, once again she was thankful for her petite nose.

It took a moment for Ayaka to reply. She had grown quite used to speaking in English all the time with Dodge and Baba and C.C., but she was still quite quiet amongst her clinic coworkers, and the prospect of demonstrating her poor English to a complete stranger was daunting, so she took a moment to summon her courage, as well as to process the girl's words. English slang was so difficult! "Ah, yes," she nodded, suddenly conscious of how heavy and clumsy her tongue sounded compared to her neighbor's crisp accent. "I am... new? New," she nodded, unused to using the word in this context. She wasn't a handbag, it sounded strange. "I am mov-ed here. Summer I came. You.... Nirvani, long time?" she asked, scrunching her nose up in frustration as she wracked her brain for the vocabulary she was looking for. If this had been Dodge, it probably wouldn't be this hard.

New Year's Eve! Nanami had been coming to whatever bar was open on Nirvani for... well, she didn't want to think about the exact number of years, but let's just say, the first time she came to celebrate, Haruka had been just barely old enough to spend the evening home alone, and now Haruka was staying behind with own kid! Ahh, she was getting old, they both were. Just two middle aged ladies~ Still, Nanami may have been old, but she wasn't too old to have a good time! New Year's was one of her favorite times of the year, and there was no way she was gonna miss it just because she had turned fifty-four! Making her way into the bar, the red head glanced around, pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. It was still pretty early, and she was one of the first ones there. Well, it meant she had her pick of seats, at least. She decided to take a table, leaving the bar open for all those young singles to mingle or do whatever it was the kids were doing nowadays. The table was a little out of the way, but she liked it that way -- her partying days were over -- and it had a good view of the door, so she could see if anyone she knew came by. There weren't a lot of people on the island that she could call up, but maybe she'd luck out. Afterall, it was New Year's!

---

Even though she was 18 now, Yue still felt a little nervous walking into the bar. Just a few weeks ago, this would have been illegal, yet here she was! She had never done this before. Her mother did not approve very much of public intoxication, arguing that women did unladylike things while under the influence, and it was better not to display that lack of grace to other people. But Yue was a college freshman back home for the first time, and what else was she going to do but demonstrate her newfound sense of independence? That was probably the only reason she had come; she was not a big drinker, and even less of a big socializer. With an apprehensive glance around the club, she took a seat at the bar, at the far end, where maybe she could hope no one would notice her. Still, it beat hanging out at home playing board games with her disgruntled siblings!

---

New Year's was another tradition of Yuri's that she had started as a young woman and was quite thankful she had kept. There was nothing she needed more right now than a strong drink. This year had been awful. Her divorce had been finalized, setting up a wild storm of emotions that had worn her out and kept her home and sent her spiraling into full blown panic attacks. She did not see her children as often as she had liked, yet she acknowledged that she would probably not want them hanging around someone like herself right now, and that was another reason why this year had been s**t. On top of it all, the end of the year meant her birthday and her birthday meant she was one year older and wow she wanted nothing more than to drink and drink and forget all about this terrible terrible year.

She ignored the fact that it was still pretty empty -- it would fill up later, it always did -- as she bee-lined for the bar. Wasting no time in ordering something strong enough to get rust off door hinges, she plopped down on a random stool. She and the NPC bartenders were good pals by now, so after a quick exchange of greetings, she glanced around at her bar-mates. There was some uptight looking teen at the end, but only a few seats away was a young guy (Sethrian) who looked absolutely miserable. Maybe even more miserable than herself. This immediately piqued her interest; what was Yuri attracted to more than those more pathetic than herself? Why else had she initially befriended Junior? It wasn't exactly his biting wit or hilarious jokes that had her pursuing his friendship. "Had a rough year, I take it?" she spoke to him, smiling slightly at him as she waited for him to notice that she was addressing him. Anxious for her own drink, she drummed her fingers lightly against the counter top, examining her neighbor absentmindedly. ...He looked familiar... Her smile fading into a light frown, she wracked her already-tired brain... Oh right! In the summer! How could she forget? That day had been so bizarre, such a roller coaster, it wasn't something she could forget so easily, yet it had taken her a moment to recognize him. "Hey, I think we've met before. A couple seasons ago? Valentine's Day, I think?" She pointed at him, cheering up a bit. All she needed was a semi-familiar face and she felt much better. She didn't even care if he felt the same, she was almost aggressively focused on herself this evening. But a conversation partner was better than none, so she wasn't going to let the chance slip by.

Well. It was New Years, and Eoin found himself at a rather...shady sort of place having a shot of whiskey at a small table in the corner, watching the other adults as they arrived and started to mingle. He hadn't been to a place like this since he was just a navy greenhorn. Okay, and a few times when he was an officer--but mostly because his subordinates had dragged him there.

He was seriously starting to question the wisdom of coming but at least the scotch was good. It was probably better than sitting at home alone, since Angela had ditched him. Again.

Honestly, that girl had no sense of devotion to family. It was truly disturbing. But at any rate, he was here so he might as well enjoy himself. Perhaps he'd find a lovely lady tonight? Well...not likely. But one never knew.

**

Umi had decided to forgo spending the evening with her parents and went to the bar, where there was apparently a party brewing. Normally she'd want to stay with her parents for a holiday but they'd been pushing her to get out more so she soon found herself at the bar, seated on a high stool and looking around at her fellow partiers. She had to admit that it was kind of a lackluster crowd before her--several middle aged looking men, a lot of women and at least one very sulky guy lurking in a corner.

Well, whatever. Maybe she could at least meet someone new. Or see her co-workers if all else failed. They were the only people she really knew.

Oh! And Kade.

God, she was pathetic. Her only acquaintances were her boss, her co-worker and her hairdresser. Why did her social life suck so much these days?

**

Sethrian looked up with surprise when someone sat next to him and started talking to him. Not just someone. A woman. An attractive woman. A familiar attractive woman that didn't seem to hate his guts.

He twisted his head around to survey the room for the pending zombie apocalypse or something.

"Rough life," Sethrian muttered, draining his glass. He was starting to feel the warm, fuzzy effects of the booze frolicking at the edge of his brain, but still lifted his glass for the bartender to refill his drink. He narrowed his eyes at her when she mentioned they'd met, mentally agreeing when she remarked that it had been on Valentines. That was right. She was the only girl he'd talked to that day that he didn't make cry.

"Right, you were being accosted by a hobo. Or a clown. I'm still uncertain which it was." He noticed she didn't have a glass in hand, and said something that he probably wouldn't have normally--had he not had booze related giddiness frolicking about his head. "Can I buy you a drink?"

***

Murren was ecstatic! It was a festival that involved drinking! She hadn't even had time to get drunk at the last two festivals inspite of ensuring that she did have alcohol on her person just in case. But this party was being held at a bar. Drinking absolutely had to be involved.

And sure enough, when she arrived, there were lots of people about. And they were drinking! It was perfect. She quickly settled in at the bar and ordered scotch and looked around for a potential drinking buddy. Preferably someone she could drink under the table because that would be really fun!

Especially if she could incite bets to the effect that she'd lose, that way she could get some money too. Nothing like drinking and gambling!

Hmmm....now, what unwitting party goer could she target?