Things got into a tentative routine for the band since signing on at the Moonstone Cafe after their opening night. They were well received after initial uncertainty. They were a group of unknowns across the pond but after luring in the crowd with a rendition of Alive by Godsmack, they were impressed with Nara velvety voice that quickly shifted to a potent allure when belting out lyrics as the band's thunderous melody kept pace with her. It only got better after that.

Word of mouth helped as Roxane hinted at, but Ethan and Vicki had fun with promoting the band on the cafe's Twitter account with an array of hashtags to see what gained any traction, which were usually crickets, until they paired it with food choices offered. That got more views and working with Lila, were able to promote the cafe as well for fresh baked goods, amazing drinks, and atmospheric music all week by local bands. They also hit the pavement and put up flyers with local businesses - highlighting the music lineup for the month and foodie specials.

The work was good for Nara. It helped her focus. The band practiced Thursday mornings and played solo Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday. The later the band decided on so they could have the weekends free. Nara filled a lot of her time with Hans helping with the renovations so she could keep busy. She knew a little bit about home improvements and this was the monotonous work that kept her mind free from wandering too much, even if the object on her mind was down the hall.

She kept her word and became decidedly less awkward around Roxane. When the Bastet wanted to be around company, it was usually in cat form as warned. Even Paul was able to bestow pets upon the elusive cat now and then but it was usually Nara's boots she'd curl around or beside when working on lyrics, music, or painting in back room addition.

That was the Garou's last three weeks. She kept busy as her kin enjoyed London, but one of them was going to prod her dear friend into joining in on the fun.

It was after their fourth Friday night performance and the backroom filled up so well that admittance had to go to standing room. That was an accomplishment! Some of the crowd had dispersed to the front for food and drinks, others stayed in the back for drinks and dancing. Usually Nara would disappear right after set but tonight Vicki convinced the Fury to share a drink with her and unwind for a change.

"See? This is nice!" the bassist said, needing to lean close to be heard. Vicki had her back against the counter while standing next to Nara, who was sitting on the barstool.

Nara took a long sip from her glass, some pale ale that was in season, and shrugged. "Yeah. I guess. Been awhile since we had some drinks together."

"Exactly!" She nudged the Garou with an elbow. "And it's nice, huh? People liking the sets and saying so when we came out. Hasn't been like that for awhile. Not since Chicago."

She rocked her head back and forth in thought before a firm nod came in agreement. "Yeah. That's true."

Vicki glared without Nara noticing and was about to respond with before another voice beat her to it.

"Um ... hi?" The voice was timid and unsure, but the face that it came out of was eager and a bit starstruck.

Nara peered over her shoulder to see who it was. It was a woman about her age with dark hair highlighted blonde that came down to her shoulders that was pushed out of her face with thin white headband. She wore a thin strapped white top that accentuated her chest but fanned out towards the waist. There were various black and silver bracelets and bands around her wrists that matched the choker.

"Hey." She kept it simple but was polite.

"You're really great! Um ..." She chewed on her lower lip as she gained courage to speak further. "... been seeing ya both play since ya started here. You're all so great."

Despite being inclusive, the fan was speaking directly to Nara.

"Thanks. I'm glad you're enjoying the music."

"And you've seen us every Friday?" Vicki asked curiously.

"Oh yeah! And couple of weekday performances when I can. You're that good!" she confirmed, briefly looking at Vicki before all eyes took in the Garou. "Never heard a voice like yours before ..." she added as quietly as she could without the music drowning it out. Her courage would only last for so long.

"Ya hear that?" Vicki shouldered her friend playfully. "She really likes your singing."

Licking her lips, Nara shifted so her expression was not seen by the fan and shot Vicki a warning look. "Well, I'm glad people like my singing. I like sharing our work and we're lucky to find an awesome gig here." Nara turned back to the woman and gave her an honest smile. "And an awesome crowd to share it with ... um ...?"

"Casey!" she answered eagerly. "I'm Casey."

"Nice to meet you Casey. I'm -"

"Nara of course!" she beamed and backed down, looking sheepish. "Sorry... just happy to finally meetcha."

"It's cool. Um ... did you want a drink or something for showing up so often to our sets?"

"Well ..." Casey leaned against the counter and moved just a little forward, closing the space between them with blue eyes flickering between Nara's lips and eyes, "I was thinking more of sharing a dance with ya?"

"Uh ..." Nara was stunned and felt the heat rushing to her cheeks. She wasn't sure what to do. Before meeting Roxane, she wouldn't question this at all and would have said yes to have a bit of fun, even as she was working through the raw emotions from the fallout with Brigid. Now? She was conflicted. Which was absurd. She promised to be the Bastet's friend and be there for her during this rough auspice change.

Vicki sighed. Nara last real relationship went bad and the woman that she was interested in, wasn't available, so the Garou was holding it together but was a pouty pup inside. If the two of them hadn't laid out the groundwork for their current friendship, Vicki would offer for the two of them to casually screw to blow off some steam. Since that wouldn't happen, she had to do some encouraging.

"Go on ..." she whispered after resting her chin on her friend's shoulder so Casey wouldn't see or here. "... have a little fun." When she didn't hear Nara commit to anything, she tried again. "You do deserve to have some fun, hun, but ... do it because you want to, okay?"

The Garou hesitated long enough where Casey leaned back and looked down at the counter. "It's fine. Never mind. You just ..."

"Wait." She took a deep breath and this time she reached out to place her hand near Casey's. "Sure."

Casey looked up in shock, not yet wanting to believe it. "Really?"

"Yeah." Nara smiled and stood up, feeling Vicki give her an encouraging squeeze around the waist. "Really, really."

"Awesome!" Her smile was toothy and appreciative as she watched Nara knock back the rest of her ale. With a tentative reach, she wrapped an arm around Nara's to lead her to the dance floor

The Garou looked back questioningly towards Vicki who just shooed her off playfully and mouth have fun like I said!

Nara could feel Casey's nervousness now, not just hear it. It was subtle, but her skin shook and she could hear how quickly her breathing hitched up several notches being in close proximity to the object of her desire, who was also getting noticed since she locked arms with the lead singer. Nara had to appreciate that Casey wasn't looking to be noticed that way, at least on the surface it appeared that way. She was focused on checking with Nara and smiling towards her as she found a good place to dance. Once they were facing each other, Nara really looked at her and did find her attractive. She had drank and danced with fans that approached her before so why should this be so different?

The answer was easy and it hadn't changed in three weeks. And it wouldn't change in three more, or three months, or three years. Nara knew this and had to accept it.

So with an inviting smile, she curled her finger for Casey to come closer and the two of them cozied up together to the beat of the music.