Sharon Kihara and Chino Moreno - You Should Be Dancing!
Who: Chino Moreno (remanufacture) and Sharon Kihara (hairy_situation)
Where: Santorini's Restaurant and Club
When: Friday, 14 November


The guys razz Chino for not hitting up karaoke on Friday, but he'd promised Sharon he'd be here and... here he is, indeed. It's really not his kind of place, but that's okay, it's good to try new things, right? He sits down, feeling a little odd being by himself, and he orders a beer and the tabbouleh with pita, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

It's kind of a small club but Sharon likes it that way. There's a better chance of being able to interact a little more intimately with people and she does love stirring things up! When she comes out to do her solo number, she sees Chino sitting off to the side - hiding! - and gives him a little wink and a chest pop. She's right back into her thing, though, loving the sensual feel of the music moving through - moving - her body.

He flashes her a smile, and is halfway through chewing his pita when she does that chest-pop thing. Yeah, Chino almost chokes. But there are a lot of people there, and thankfully, it goes unnoticed, washed down by a swig of beer. She's stunning in her costume, all its bells and decorations and things in her hair. And... her hair, ugh. It swings with the fluid motion of Sharon's body, the way her hips seem to move independently of the rest of her body. The word 'muse' comes to mind.

Every now and again, her eyes cut over to Chino and the look on his face makes her smile, pleased and maybe a little bashful. Her face flushes - luckily, it's easy to put it down to her physical exertion - but her smile never dims. It's always like this with someone she might kinda like...sort of...a little bit...maybe. She's never shy with total strangers or really anybody...except those people that really attract her, the ones she could see herself really liking. Then she gets all girly and blushy and retarded!!

Chino watches her the same way he'd look at a set of prints, watching how she moves, what muscles she uses to be so graceful, so serpentine, how her arms move, even the way she breathes in time with the music that's making her move. When she's done, he's fairly certain he's the first one to start clapping... isn't that what you're supposed to do after a performance? And when Sharon looks like some kind of pagan goddess, moving like the rhythm of the earth itself is her music, she deserves every single bit of applause she gets.

When she's done, Sharon takes her bow and moves out into the crowd at their tables while the next pair of dancers get their number started. She wouldn't normally do this but a hafla is less rigid - literally, a 'dance party'. Adding her encouraging cries to those of the crowd and clapping along with the music, she finally makes her way back to Chino's table. "Hi!" she leans in for a quick, tight hug, "You came!! What did you think?"

"You were f- fantastic." She's getting glitter and shimmer on him, but Chino doesn't really care. He hugs her warmly, offering her the empty chair across from his. "You sh- sure look different. Beautiful still, but different." His eyes drop to the ends of her hair. "Are they- are they b- behaving?"

"Aww, thanks!" Sharon beams, declining the seat, instead standing between his chair and the wall so she can at least look like she's still paying attention to the performance going on - not that she is...all her attention is focused on the man sitting so close to her. And the compliment? Yeah, there goes the flush again! Jeez! "Yeah, all this goop, it's hard to see me under it all!" Her eyes following Chino's, she watches the lazy sway of her hair, looking more like she's just shifting on her feet rather than that her dreds are doing it on their own. "Oh yeah. It's always easier when I dance; looks like it's natural, yanno? They sorta enhance the movements rather than just going off on their own."

"It t- totally looks natural," Chino grins, reaching up to touch her hair. "And as for the- the goop, it just makes you look like- like Saraswati, or something. Like you are the music, and it c- caters to you, instead." Sharon might be pretending to watch the other performances, but she's got all of Chino's attention, right now. "You're c- crazy graceful. It's pretty off the- the hook." Again, he offers the other chair, moving it around so she'll be able to watch what's happening. "S- seriously, eat some of this stuff. It's wicked."

Without a by-your-leave, that lock wraps briefly around Chino's wrist but lets go just as quickly - more a 'hello' than anything, really. The compliment has Sharon flapping a 'pshaw' hand at him cause yeah, dance is something she loves; she doesn't really think about being good or bad at it. Again, she ignores the seat but she does lean across him to take a bite of the tabbouleh - Sharon Kihara never turns down food. "Didn't I say!?" she asks, mouth full, "I mean, s'not Lebanese tabbouleh but s'till really good!"

"N- never had it before," Chino says, taking a drink of his beer. "But you s- said it'd be good, so." He takes another bite, looking at the intricacies of her costume. "You g- gonna dance again?"

"Is good!" Sharon grins, swiping his bottle for a swig before handing it back with a wink, "Thanks!" She's glancing up at the current dancers when Chino's question penetrates. "Hmm? Oh yeah," nodding, "There'll be a big group number in a few minutes then I'm free for the evening!"

"That means I c- can hog you." He grins at her, playing with the ends of her hair with his fingertips. "And you can p- ply me with food I've never tried before, and I c- can tell you what evil intentions I have with- with your car." Chino's smile is sunny enough that it crinkles the corner of his eyes, and he steals his beer back. "How often do- do you dance here?" He only holds his laugh for a second, before adding, "Come here often?" So cheesy.

Finally sitting - but not in the offered chair, oh no, she drops herself right on Chino's lap - Sharon grins back, fluttering her fake eyelashes, "Oh, hog me, hog me!" Just the mention of her car, though, and Sharon brightens. "Ooo! Are you gonna 'Mach 5' my little Brunhilde!?" Yeah...that was a Speed Racer reference right there...and maybe she's a liiiiiitle too excited over that prospect! She almost misses his question in her excitement, in fact. But, good-naturedly eyerolling over the pure-cheeze line, Sharon answers, "Two or three times a year," one-shoulder shrug, "Not that often, I guess."

He likes her, very much. She reminds him a bit of Stef, but, well. Pretty. "I'll m- make her run like a dream." Chino's surprised that she drops into his lap that easily, and he feels a flare of guilt because of Eliza. But Sharon's not hitting on him, right? She's just being... friendly. "Sh- shit. I haven't seen Speed Racer in years. I was always m- more of a Thundercats fan, myself." He pushes his beer toward her; he'd rather stuff his face with the pita and tabbouleh, and watch the dancers, now that Sharon's not dancing. It's easier to concentrate when he's not, you know, staring.

"Thundercats!!" Sharon nearly squeals, giggling, "I bet some of your earliest wet dreams were about Cheetahra!" There's a beat and then she realizes what she's just said. "Oh my god!" Sharon gasps, brown eyes going wide as saucers as she turns bright red in her embarrassment, "I'm so sorry! That's not any of my business! Shit!" Goddamnit! When is she going to learn to think before she fucking speaks!? Obviously, not any time soon!

He's not sure how to tell her about Eliza, how things have changed between them in the space between Chino looking at Sharon's car and now. So he leaves it alone for the moment, mulling it over in his head while Sharon laughs and blushes and apologizes. "At least it- it wasn't Lion-O, right?" Chino quirks a humourous eyebrow at her before taking another bite of the pita. "Or w- worse... Snarf."

For long seconds, she's struck completely speechless - Sharon just sits there (still on Chino's lap, mind) and gapes. In fact, what pulls her attention back to the here-and-now is the sound of the music changing. Group number! Giving him a hard hug, she laughs, shaking her head ruefully at herself, "You are the grooviest dude, Chino Moreno!" And with that, she's bouncing up again and heading back down to the 'stage', which is really little more than a raised area where the tables have been cleared out.

The grooviest dude. Chino laughs, watching Sharon gather the other dancers together, watching them set themselves up for the music, and then... wow. It's almost like synchronized swimming or something, the way they move together fluidly and gracefully, and Chino can't help but watch Sharon's hair, specifically, seeing if it moves to the music like she does. And it does, which makes Chino scruff through his own hair, thick and black, wondering what it feels like to have something like that, that generally feels nothing, mimic movement, emotion, whatever.

There's no stopping her gaze from being drawn to Chino - frequently - but Sharon just channels everything back into her dancing, banishing any lingering embarrassment through the movements of her body (and hair). By the time the number's finished, she's feeling more balanced again, throwing Chino a wink before heading backstage to change and pack up her 'tub-o-belly'. Fifteen minutes and she's sneaking back into the restaurant, jeans riding low and the little sport cami riding high under the off-the-shoulder crocheted top. "Hey!" she whispers in Chino's ear, coming up behind him, hands resting on his shoulders, "You still saving that seat for me?"

Chino cranes around to look up at Sharon, and gestures at the other seat. "Sh- sure! You guys were awesome." The next time the waitress makes her rounds, Chino gets another beer and looks at Sharon for her order. "It'll b- be on my bill, please."

Giving him a raised eyebrow, Sharon doesn't say anything to Chino, just places her order with the waitress (vegetarian dolmas and a Mythos). Once the girl's on her way, Sharon leans her arms on the table and grins at the man sitting next to her. "So what is it you usually do on Friday nights?" Okay, so it may be lame in terms of small talk but she's genuinely interested.

"Karaoke," he answers, his grin chagrined. "Me an'- and my friends and their wives usually hit up S- Spyner's, you know? And then- well. Uh. Last couple of w- weeks, I've met up with my- my girlfriend, and we hang out." Speaking of which, he hasn't even told Eliza where he is... "Y- you'd like her, I think. She-" Chino shrugs, taking a sip of his beer, for lack of any other words he could use to describe Eliza without coming across as stupid or over-romantic, or something. But... wasn't Sharon sort-of flirting with him? Wasn't he maybe giving it back, a little? "Hey, uh. I'm- I'm sorry if. You know. You thought."

She's just getting ready to make some sort of joke about her 'enthusiastic but unfortunate' voice when the whole Girlfriend (yeah, capital G) thing hits her. There's no stopping the flush that spreads over her skin. Okay, yeah, she might have been harboring thoughts that way and is a little embarrassed that she'd misread the situation so badly. I know I've been out of the game for a while but holy cow! Way to make an ass out of yourself, Kihara! There's no change in her posture, though, the only signs of her agitation are the blush and the way one lock of her hair winds around her own arm and she absently strokes it. "Hey," she shrugs, "No harm, no foul, right?"

But Chino catches the movement, and tries apologizing again, halting and embarrassed in his own right. "It's just- it's just that it's gotten, uh. Serious, and it wasn't r- really when I met you. And I'm really sorry." One half of his mouth turns up though, hopefully. "So if you d- don't think I'm a weirdo for wanting to- to come and see you dance, or fix your c- car or anything..."

Seeing that his discomfort is almost as intense as her own helps Sharon be able to push hers back and ignore it a little. More easy this time, she smiles at Chino, reaching out to put a friendly hand on his wrist. "No worries. Honest. I'm a big girl." I'll get over it. Thanking the server when she appears with her food, Sharon waits for the girl to leave before continuing. "Besides," she shrugs, "How often am I going to find a fellow 'tattooed freak' who's willing to spend time quality time with an old clunker like with Brunhilde, huh?" Sure, she's a little disappointed but there's no way she's going to let that interfere with what's already looking like an awesome friendship.

"Guys like me're everywhere," Chino says with a half-smile. "I m- mean. Mechanics and stuff. But, uh. Speaking of B- B-" Fuck. "Your car, when do you w- want me to come by and fix her up?"

Sharon shakes her head. "Like you?" she grins, leaning over and nudging Chino's shoulder with hers teasingly, "Not a chance!" She's leaning over her plate, biting one of her dolmas in half when he asks about Brunhilde. One shoulder comes up as she chews. "Whenever you want," she tells him, "I do mostly local gigs during the winter so I'm around most of the time."

"Too cold to- to travel," Chino agrees, ignoring her compliment, or whatever it was. It's just... he's good with tools, with building things. It's not like his hair moves, or he can fly, or can read minds or anything. He's just Chino. "I'll h- have to come over sometime after work, if that's c- cool... weekends are kind of- kind of busy now." He adds wryly, "If I'm bringing my t- tools, you get to see my ride." There may or may not have been discussions when Chino got his El Camino for him to put "Pussy Wagon" on the back in big, gaudy stencil. That would have been Stef's idea, the asshole. A grin flashes across Chino's face when he thinks about it. "Would- would it be weird if I brought Eliza to come see you dance?"

"More like 'saving my travel money for Christmas on the Big Island'," Sharon grins with a wink, feeding him the rest of her dolma before biting into another one. "And like I said, I'm around," she's got talking around a full mouth down to an art form, "I do teach a late yoga class on Tuesdays but otherwise..." Another shrug to signify the ease of her schedule. The mention of Chino's 'ride', though, has her grinning, "Your ride, huh? You sure it won't be traumatized by the sight of my poor little battle-scarred valkyrie?" His grin has a tiny little flash of regret streaking through her but Sharon shoves it aside - None of that, now! His words bring her up kinda short, though. "I--" she says after a moment, pausing before starting again, "It probably would be kinda weird, right off the bat," she's not going to lie to him, "But I think it'd be better in the long run, yanno? That way she can have met me and wouldn't have to worry about it if you came over to hang out and work on my hunks o'junk, right?"

"Would it t- totally make you laugh your- yourself stupid to know that Mr. Downey does yoga?" Chino leans back in his chair, raising his eyebrows and holding up his bottle to the waitress in a silent request for a refill. "Nah, El Guapo'll b- be just fine. You sh- should have seen that hunk of c- crap when I got it." He's glad for her honesty, and Chino flashes a smile for her. "I- I really do like you. You're c- cool and funny and smart and you move like- like I want to." Eliza's told him so many times how graceful he is, but compared to Sharon, he might as well be a hippo with cinderblocks on his feet. "Back in LA, I was a- a b-boy."

Her own eyebrows lift as Sharon takes a sip of her own beer and her eyes spark with humor. When she sets the bottle down and catches a breath, she grins, cocking her head slightly, "He does? Actually, no." A broad wink and she tells Chino, "Any man that successful has to have found a way to get himself centered, right?" There's a shared chuckle of camaraderie over their respective 'old clunkers' but then they're back to that slightly more serious topic again. "Right back at'cha, babe, on the cool and funny and smart thing," she attempts a tease, though it comes out sounding a little more earnest than makes her comfortable. That then spurs her to joke, "I can't speak to your moves, though, since you haven't shown me any."

"I'm way too old to- to be busting like that anymore," Chino smiles, looking down at the table. He's flattered by Sharon's compliment, even if it's just a reflection of his own. "El Guapo's all tuned up now, I don't even th- think he'd recognize himself in the mirror." Sharon's words make him curious, though. What would he still be able to do? Would he still be able to move the same as he used to? Probably not...

Waving a 'pshaw' hand, Sharon snorts, "You're never to old to move your bod!" And honest, she didn't mean that the way it came out! "Er--I mean--shit!" Now it's her turn to look at the table, attention suddenly tight-focus on what's left of her food. "So," and yeah, her voice is a little high and strangled but she plows on, "Big facelift on the old guy, huh?" Jesus! Could she just sink through the floor straight into her sweats and sofa in the comfort of her own little apartment!?

Chino senses her embarrassment, and nudges her elbow. "Thirty-five's t- too old to be busting out moves that could- that could break my ass in half. Th- that's what you meant, right?" Giving her a chance to redeem herself, to push back the blush that kisses her cheeks underneath all that makeup. "If I can do for B- B- your car what I did for El Guapo, you won't even r- recognize her when I'm done." He pulls his chair up closer to the table, affording them a speck more privacy than they'd had a moment ago. "Sharon, are you okay?"

Grateful for the thread of conversation he throws out for her to hang onto, Sharon gives Chino a little sideways smile. "Dude, my first teacher's 63 and she's still got the best hip drops I've ever seen!" His moving closer has her eyes on the bottle in her hands, though, as she turns it in slow circles. Swallowing down everything but a soft, friendly warmth, Sharon glances towards him to answer his question. "You bet," and it's not exactly a lie...she will be okay...in a couple of days.

Chino snorts out a little laugh. "When- when I was, like. A t- teenager, I could do Capoeria, hang glides, the whole th- thing. I'd be lucky if- if I could do a handstand, now." He's tempted to try, but not here, not now, because... just, no. "So, uh. D- do you need a ride home? I actually b- brought El Guapo tonight..."

The grin is easier when Sharon nudges Chino's shoulder with hers again. "You never know until you've tried. I bet your body remembers more than your brain thinks it does." There, that wasn't nearly as suggestive, just a dancer talking about muscle memory and how the mind gets in the way...but his offer then has her flushing all over again. "Well, I came in with one of the other girls..." she starts, trailing off uncertainly. He's still my friend. You can get a ride home with a friend, right?

"T- truth is, I'm missing about eight years. I remember them? But they're s- staticky, like with bad reception." Chino finishes his beer, making a gesture for the bill. "If you want a ride, I'm t- taking off in a couple... but if you want to wait for your f- friend, that's cool too..."

Honestly? She doesn't really feel like a party anymore. "Actually," Sharon lifts one shoulder in a half-shrug, "I'd like to get out of all this goop, into my sweats, and spend a little time with my fish." There's a little pause before she adds, "And maybe a pint of Cherry Garcia."

"B- best ice cream ever when you- when you've got the munchies," Chino smiles. Something's sprung up between them now, and he's not sure how to dispel it. Some kind of ennui from Sharon, as if he's said something, did something that cuts her. "What k- kind of fish do you have?" Hey, it's better than nothing, than letting discomfort settle between them.

There's no stopping Sharon's little answering smile. "Yeah, that and Funyuns," she chuckles, shaking her head. Best munchie-food ever! Discomfort? As a matter of fact, she's just about to stand up and head to the back for her bucket of costuming to dispel the awkwardness that she can feel sitting between them like a chaperon now, but there's the distraction of her fish so they're saved for a bit longer. "I've got guppies," one corner of her mouth tilts up at Chino, "Cool, huh?"

"Super cool. I k- kill fish, so I don't have any- any pets." That... doesn't sound right. "I mean, not on purpose, but... I g- get involved in builds and I f- forget about them." Chino zips his hoodie up, making sure his keys are still in his pocket, along with his wallet, which he fishes out to take care of their bill. "If you- if you wanna grab your stuff, I'll be waiting here, okay?"

"That's why I have guppies," Sharon snorts, "They're easy." When Chino starts making ready, though, she stands. He gets a bit of an odd look from her before she finally says, "Why don't I meet you out in the parking lot instead?" 'Cause her gig-tub is frikkin' huge and she doesn't really want to try and carry it through the throng of people in here.

Chino nods, flashing her another little smile before ducking through the people in the restaurant and out into the parking lot, where he lights a cigarette and waits for Sharon to reappear.

It doesn't take her long, just enough to throw on a thrift store faux-shearling 70s pimp coat thing and grab her crate o'gear. She goes out the back and so comes around the corner behind Chino. When she catches sight of the car he's leaning against, Sharon lets out with a low wolf-whistle. "Whooo! Pimp-mobile!"

"Oh, c- crap, let me give you a hand with that." Chino's already taking the crate from her, once he's decided that his heart's not about to come out of his eyeballs. For a girl carrying something this cumbersome, she's sneaky. "You scared the f- fur off'a me." He hefts it into the back of El Guapo, securing it down with bungees, and beeps the car unlocked. "My b- buddy Stef wanted me to call it the P- P-" It's a good thing it's dark, because Chino's face darkens as well. "Pussy Wagon. From Kill Bill, you know?"

"What?" Sharon lets Chino take the tub, "It's not heavy really...just awkward. All that costuming - it's a lot of mass but not really that much weight." She's running her hand appreciatively over the side, heading for the passenger door when she has to stop and laugh. "Oh my god, yes! That's awesome!!" She loved Kill Bill - Uma Thurman was hot!

"N- not when it's my car," Chino grins. "'least you don't have to- to give me directions." He gets in, making sure to turn the stereo down before turning it on, just in case he deafens her with the Beastie Boys. "Y- you a big fan of Tarantino?"

"Tarantino," Sharon agrees as she twists around looking for the seatbelt, "Rodriguez," after clipping it, she looks up at Chino, grinning, "Any of those guys, yanno?" This is probably not the time to admit her deep and abiding love for Nora Ephron and Rob Reiner films, huh? Yeeeeah...no!

"Planet T- Terror was off the hook," Chino all but crows, wheeling out of the lot, and toward Sharon's little place. "I will p- probably crap when I see Sin City 2. It just sucks that Barbarella was put on hold. That actress that he's- he's dating is so hot." It's as if that little break sort of cleared things up, and they can be normal. Hopefully. Talk movies and music and dancing, and maybe when he drops her off, he'll show her - briefly - if he can still bust.

And just the mention of said actress - not to mention the thought of half-naked chaps-clad Jessica Alba - has Sharon squirming in the seat. "Oh God," she grins, eyes closing as she lets her head tilt back, "I cannot wait for them to get that thing done and rolled the fuck out already!"

Chino would definitely agree on the Jessica Alba front, with the lasso and hip-swinging, holy cats. "I th- think between Rodriguez and Tarantino, they've got a- a list of pet actors. And did you ever notice T- Tarantino's got something for Uma Thurman's f- feet?" Chino makes a face, turning into Sharon's neighbourhood. "S- swear to god, I'll have you over so I can show you w- what I mean. He's like that with J- Juliette Lewis's feet in F- F- From Dusk 'til Dawn."

Shaking her head, Sharon can only snerk, "I don't know. Feet don't really do it for me but to each his own, right?" Seriously! She knows what's going on with her own feet, no matter how they look!

"Feet are gross," Chino retorts flatly, though there's a smile on his face and in his eyes. "Here." He pulls into the driveway, getting out of the car to grab her tote in a silent offer to haul it up the stairs and into her place for her. "So h- how 'bout it? Beer and v- veggie pizza and Tarantino sometime?"

It's not that big a deal, Sharon's hauled the stupid thing up and down these stairs more times than she can count but she just shrugs and lets Chino play the gentleman, leading the way up the outside stairs to her door. "Hmmm..." she grins over her shoulder as she unlocks the deadbolt, "Make it extra olives and you're on!"

"D- deal. You've got my number. Just give me a- a buzz sometime when you've got a free night..." Chino puts the tote on her floor and gives Sharon a sheepish smile. "Thanks for- for the awesome time tonight. You were pretty off the hook." Should he hug her? Would that be weird?

"Cool," she replies, getting her door open, "I'll totally take you up on that." Shoving the tub inside her door, Sharon tilts her head at Chino. "Thank you. I'm glad you came." She glances at the bin and back, "And thanks for schlepping my crate o'dancer up the stairs, huh?" It's unusual for Sharon to feel this unsure of herself and she stands there, shifting from foot to foot, wondering if she should just go on inside and put them both out of this--not really misery...just discomfort.

"N- no problem," Chino smiles, finally moving forward to give Sharon a little hug. "Call me o- okay?" Maybe if they hang out again, some of this tension will go the hell away. That'd be good; Sharon's so open and funny and genuine that he hates the idea of him being the ruin of that.

Giving in just a little, Sharon lets herself squeeze Chino a little tighter, a little longer, before letting him go. And, inside her own head anyway, it's a sort of symbolic letting-go, a settling within herself of the 'just one of the dudes/hang-out/friend' role. When she straightens back up again, then, there's a sense of relaxation, of acceptance, an easing in her. "You got it. Be careful going home, huh?"

"For sh- sure." Chino goes down the stairs, stopping at the bottom to glance up at her. "Thanks. F- for tonight."