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Kirin Thompson had heard the rumours circulating around Meadowview. As the self-proclaimed Karaoke Queen, he of course had to attend and see what all the fuss was about. True, he usually preferred the private booths in order to avoid hearing tone-deaf idiots who belonged on American Idol offtakes belting out their favourite songs - and forever ruining them for Kirin.

Hindsight was nothing overly special inside. Nothing other karaoke bars in the area didn't have. Apart from a massive influx of students, Kirin noted with surprise. He grimaced. It seemed everyone else at school (and some others) had had the same idea. The place was filling up quickly and Kirin watched as the last free tables filled up before he could get to them. He scowled at the table thieves, wishing horrible things upon them while he went over to the alcohol-free bar and ordered a coke.

Drink in hand, he debated buying a second to throw at the idiot on stage, demonising 'Toxic' worse than even Britney herself. Instead, he worked up enough of a social vibe to approach a table that only had one girl sitting at it. She was a fellow redhead, though her hair was darker and shorter than Kirin's - or possibly up in some form of braids, it was hard to tell. Giving his bestest, brightest smile, he asked, "Mind if I sit here? Looks like this place was more popular than I was expecting."

As usual, Kirin was dressed in a skirt over jeans. Today it was a long, heavy skirt - double insulation from the winter cold. A cable-knit sweater topped it off, high-necked so that even if he leant over, no one would see the lack of cleavage between his silicone-padded bra. With his hair up in pigtails, he was just a cute high school girl, out for a fun night of singing.

Kirin arched a delicate eyebrow. "YouTube is for people who couldn't be bothered going out and making their own fun," he informed her. "And yes, I intend to sing - assuming that I don't stab myself in the ears with a fork to end this utter torment they call 'open mic'."

Clearly, Kirin had a glowing opinion of the performers so far. He leveled Lily a challenging look, as if to ask whether she was here to be entertained or to do the entertaining. He didn't bother to check if she shared his opinion on the singers so far, assuming that everyone who wasn't completely deaf was wincing at the strange, new notes the girl had discovered.

"I'm Kirin," he belatedly introduced himself. He stuck out a hand across the table. "From Meadowview High. Yourself?"

"If you weren't better than this girl, I'm afraid I would have to throw my glass at you," Kirin said idly. It wasn't empty yet, but no doubt it would be by the time the current torture was over and Lily had her turn. "That is, assuming this girl doesn't get any worse herself and I have to knock her out to save the rest of us from the caterwauling."

Kirin scowled into his drink and spent the rest of the song sipping it through a straw as quickly as possible. It was up in the air as to whether he meant his threat or not. On one hand, getting banned for life from a place that allowed this... perversion of karaoke would be no great loss. Possibly ending up arrested was less desirable, however.

When the girl on stage finally, thankfully, finished and looked around for a replacement, Kirin waved a hand at Lily - an 'after you' gesture. It wasn't that he believed in ladies first, but there was still a tiny bit of drink left in the bottom of his glass. Plus, he had to think through his song choices.

"Don't suck," he offered as 'encouragement' to Lily.

Thankfully no one had to find out if Kirin was joking or serious, because it turned out that Lily had talent. The soft start hadn't impressed Kirin too much, though it was a relief to have someone hitting all the right notes no matter their volume. Letting his eyes drift half closed, he nodded along to the beat. Lily seemed to gain confidence halfway through, though, shocking Kirin into opening his eyes once more and paying attention.

Quite a good voice, he decided, though he couldn't tell if she was used to performing as such. He supposed some performers got nervous in a new setting, but it seemed more like Lily was the sort who sang on her own or on a stage - not in front of a loud, noisy crowd of people who didn't automatically give you the respect the audience of a concert hall would.

That didn't stop him from applauding loudly as the song finished. Good karaoke should always be rewarded. Most especially after the earlier horror performances of the night.

He stood as Lily gestured to him. As they passed each other on their way on and off the stage, he held up his hand for a high five.

Kirin spent a few moments at the machine, programming in his song choice. His choice wasn't overly recent, maybe a year or two old. But he didn't have to alter the pitch for it, which was often the case for many of his favourite female artists who were simply too high above his low alto range.

Fast drumming blared out the sound system, joining by a loud guitar riff. Kirin's heels drummed along to the rhythm until the vocals began. "I couldn't give a damn what you say to me," he belted out, energetic from the start as he sung Avril's 'I Can Do Better'. Kirin was a born performer once he was given a microphone, making full use of the full stage. He made sure to give the YouTubers the finger when he got to, "There's nothing you could say that would hurt me."

Avril was a good choice for vocal range, though Kirin did sometimes despair at her bland repetitions. He tended to spice up her codas in the middle of the songs, but otherwise just enjoyed himself with something that let his enthusiasm shine through. There was nothing like being 'allowed' to swear because it was in the song, too.

True to the lyrics, Kirin didn't much care what the audience thought as he finished. He knew he'd kicked a**. And he wasn't here for applause - he was just here for the music.

Kirin returned the high five as he took his seat across from Lily. He outright grinned at her compliments, still riding the high of his performance. Tossing his hair off his neck, he said, "Hahaha, pretty much! Though usually I karaoke in the places with private booths. Less having to suffer through the performances of the tone-deaf, even if it does reduce my audience." He sighed, before perking back up. "It's fun to organise a big group to go, though."

His glass was reclaimed and Kirin used the straw to poke at the melting ice. He plonked an elbow on the table, placing his chin in it as he gave Lily a considering look. "How about you? Karaoke often? Or usually more controlled settings?"

Kirin beamed. He really was a completely different person when it came to his karaoke. "I'll let you know the next time I organise one. I'm always looking for new people to drag along."

He nodded as Lily explained her practises so far. "I'd do the same, but my neighbours complained too much. Apartment block," he advised her.

The idea of introducing someone - especially someone who could sing - to the karaoke circuit perked Kirin right up. "Have you been down to the electronics district? There are a lot of karaoke places hiding around there. I think because a lot of Japanese own space down there - great tech and great entertainment all in one place." It wasn't racist if it was true. And Kirin loved both types of places equally. "The better places are more expensive, of course. But I can give you some names and price ranges..."

"Awesome! The more, the merrier," Kirin beamed. Assuming they could sing on key, but he doubted Lily wanted to suffer any more than he did.

Digging through his small bag, he fished out his mobile phone and handed it to Lily. "Stick your number in. I'll call the next time I'm organising something."

He probably wasn't going to stick around here for too much longer, considering the poor quality of the other singers. But Lily was worth keeping track of, so it was best to get her details and add her to his 'karaoke' texting list before he fled for the sake of his ears.