The live band that played here at night was finally settling into their groove, the noise ringing through the establishment and escaping out into the street outside. People were lined up waiting to get in, tapping their toes in time to the music. A few latecomers who weren't stopping here first and had a bit of a connection had paired up and were dancing in line, entertaining those who were stuck out in the cold winter of Michigan. As their shoes moved on the pavement the clouds of steam from their breath mingling with the fresh air created an atmosphere that seemed nearly magical, if you could ignore the smell of cheap booze and parental disappointment coming off them. A large man at the door reached down to allow a few more people in, who were giddy with excitement as they were ushered through the door, the lights, smoke, and general atmosphere hitting them like Dopamine after a good orgasm. And that look on their faces, that's how Amara knew she was in the right business. 

She leaned over the edge of the balcony above the dance floor and tables, where the bodies were swirling and moving in a pattern that was enticing but dizzying at the same time. Her eyes met one of the band members on stage and she winked, and as the song faded the tempo increased. She started tapping her own toe to the beat, as she scanned her business that was deemed risky and foolish for a newcomer to the city with little to no funds. But it was better to fail in a blaze of glory than fizzle out like a wet candle. She sipped her drink and continued observing, wishing she could shove those words in a few people's faces. 

"What can I get you?" the man behind the bar asks you, he's pouring drinks for the people next to you at the bar. Somehow pouring and moving to the beat of the music while still appearing to give you his full attention. "Buddy..." he says as he lifts the glasses he had been filling and pushes them towards the customer, pocketing their money, "Whaddya gonna have?" he inquired again. 

"In here!" Mitch called out over his shoulder, his voice barely audible over the din of the crowd outside the club. The four of them had been walking the final block to the stadium, but Elle had to wonder now if catching a Red Wings game had ever really been on his agenda at all.

"Come on!" He yelled out again. Margo was already being enveloped by several people, the pair seemed to be well-known around these parts. The theory was only confirmed when they blew right past the bouncer without so much as a look.

A crowded nightclub seemed as safe a place as any, but as they squeezed past the swaying bodies inside, Elle found herself searching each and every face, looking for any hint of a Gambrelli. They'd been fortunate enough in LA, but now that they were east again, Elle's anxiety began to climb. She tugged on DickGrayson 's arm to slow him down while M&M continued on to... of course. The bar. 

"Want to dance?" The band was playing upbeat and loud, but the space was next to nonexistent. Elle reached up and draped her arms around Dick's neck, her face close to his so he'd hear at least some of what she said.

"We actually going to make the game, or should we just throw in the towel right now and go ahead and get drunk?" She smiled, trying to add humor to the moment, but what she really wanted to do was get inside of Dick's mind and see what his take on the current situation might be. 

It was a little difficult to hear Elle_E_Ott over the music and chatter but all that meant was I had to pull her closer, something I wasn’t going to start complaining about now. “Well, to be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t. Mitch doesn’t seem like he has the longest attention span in the world. I doubt he’ll even remember why we flew into town with another drink or three.”

I continued to sway with Elle, deciding to let everything else fall away and focus solely on her. In the hustle and bustle of the last few days and nights, I had nearly forgotten the troubles that seemed to be nipping at our heels. It was a welcomed respite but one that I knew wouldn’t last. We were marked, simple as that. It might not be tonight or the next but eventually someone would come calling. There was only so much running and hiding that we could do.

After a few minutes and with M & M finding someone else to chat up at the moment, I lead Elle from the dance floor, finding one of the few empty tables and pulled out a chair for her. “We are going to have to put our foot down sooner than later Elle.” There was a certain sadness in my voice that I couldn’t keep out even though I tried, “Don’t get me wrong, Elle, I’ve loved exploring this country with you but that’s not fair to either of us. We’re better than a night or two spent scattered around. We may be able to put it off a bit longer but we’re eventually going to have to go back to New York. We’re going to have to finish this.”

Sighing deeply, I sat back in my chair, eyes scanning the room as I did. It was a natural habit at this point, something I did without even realizing it now. I didn’t like it though. I hated the constant stress of having to check around every corner, look down every darkened alleyway for whatever might pop out at us. We had been out and about long enough that the Gambrellis must have let the word spread. Even in a country this vast, it still felt like the walls were closing in.

I forced a smile as I turned my attention back to Elle, “I’m ok with getting drunk right about now.”

She let DickGrayson 's words descend over her. They were an island, the two of them, sitting there with their dark thoughts while happy, clueless, and drunk people circulated around them. Elle's hand came to rest on Dick's thigh under the table just as the M&Ms appeared, their hands full of drinks. Elle was grateful they'd taken mercy on her when a dark, carbonated beverage landed in front of her. When she took a sip, though, she made a face.

"I think there's something wrong with this Coke."

"That's because there's rum in it, Ellie!" Margo was drinking something from a glass that looked sophisticated, with its toothpicked olive and hazy liquid. Mitch was drinking something that looked even foamier than beer, and he'd brought one for Dick as well. Elle gave Dick's leg a sympathetic squeeze, decided 'what the hell', and gave the rum and coke another chance.

Unfortunately, it got easier and easier to drink as the night wore on, which in turn made it easier to tolerate the inane conversation coming at them from across the table. Some of it was even entertaining, and made a little sense. M&M seemed to draw from an endless well when it came to things they could brag about, or the outrageous stories they could tell. She supposed she and Dick could tell a few themselves, for no other reason than to watch the color drain from their faces. That little thought had her smiling, and she gave Dick's leg another squeeze, one that could have bruised.

I got lost in the haze of smoke and drinks that Mitch was plying us with now. It was almost as if he wanted to drink me under the table. Not the easiest task for him to accomplish but that certainly wasn’t for lack of effort. At some point it became nothing more than a chore trying to keep up with him. If the goal had been to get smashed, I was pulling up pretty close to the finishing line.

Finishing another drink, I placed the empty glass down a little harder than I meant to atop the table. The warmth radiating from Elle’s hand was more than enough to keep my interest though, despite the near constant flow of people in and out and the music that seemed to only grow louder the longer we were there. I reached for my pocket, pulling out the watch and flipping it open. We had been here longer than I thought, a place like this seems to mess with time quite a bit. The game was long over by now but I suspected that was never our endgame anyways. M & M just wanted to get drunk in a new place and they were going to drag us along regardless.

”It’s getting a bit late and I’m not really looking forward to anymore of these drinks to be honest. You want to get out of here? Find a hotel for the night? Preferably something with a warm bed and soft blankets?”

Elle opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by Mitch before any words got out.

"Ha ha! Dick, you randy dog! Yeah, sure, let's blow this joint, I'll settle us." He gulped down what had been a fresh drink, burped, then stood and wove a path through the bodies towards the bar.

Elle had been paying less and less attention to him the later it got. She'd been watching Margo, rather, watching Margo watch others. The woman reminded Elle of a shark, her half-drunk eyes not unlike the half-dead gaze of a real predator, never stopping in its movements during the unending search for prey. When Mitch had spoken, it had broken Margo's concentration, but why be sad about that, when there was already prey at the table? Elle finished her rum and coke, shuddered, and released her death grip on Dick's leg. This wasn't a pissing contest, and even if it was, Margo wasn't going to win it. She leaned towards Dick and lowered her voice so that only he could hear her. Margo was back to fixing her face anyway, something she did a lot of, even when it didn't need fixing. Elle suddenly realized she was looking at people over her shoulder, in the compact's small mirror.

"Do you know of a place, or should we just assume they own one?" 

“In for a penny, in for a pound I suppose. We’ve come this far, night as well see this one through, Elle_E_Ott.” I stood slowly, swaying lightly as I did. Apparently all the drinks I downed did more damage than I thought, “Besides, I’m too drunk to worry about it right now. I’m- im sure these two know of a place.”

I draped my arm over Elle’s shoulder, breathing her in as I did. Truth be told, it didn’t matter where we went as long as I was with her.