It's rare that Furiosa will close the diner early, but Valkyrie's birthday is always a worthy occasion. The birthday girl herself is hosting a backyard barbecue to commemorate the day, with everyone from the diner and their significant others in attendance. But somehow a simple beer run turns into going to the local karaoke bar, though Miss Giddy begs off due to the late hour. Capable suspects that this was the plan all along, as Valkyrie would otherwise never have been able to convince Furiosa to come out to karaoke with them.
The bar isn't very crowded when they arrive, though there's already a group of guys onstage mangling the Beastie Boys. The entire party crams into the largest booth they can find. Capable and Cheedo are forced into their boyfriend's laps to make room, while Furiosa simply sits next to Max - there is no question of lap-sitting with them. An extra chair is pulled up for Toast and for Thrash, one of the former War Boys who's managed to worm his way into the group. He jumped at the change to come out for Valkyrie's birthday. His crush of Valkyrie is more than a little obvious, even though he's at least 15 years her junior. Valkyrie's never shown any particular interest in any guy, and certainly has no interest in some pup, but she mostly ignores his crush and treats him like her kid brother. Thrash seems content to worship her in any capacity she'll let him.
He's the first one of the group up on stage, boldly screeching out Quiet Riot's "Cum on Feel the Noise". It fails to impress but they all applaud his enthusiasm. When he returns to the table he's immediately looking over at Valkyrie with puppy dog eyes, begging for any sign of approval. The expression is completely at odds with his otherwise rough appearance, and it should look ridiculous but for some reason it doesn't. Capable wonders if that look is how all the War Boys managed to keep out of trouble for so many years. Nux has certainly perfected it, and two of his other former brothers have also managed to earn the town's forgiveness somehow. Perhaps only the youngest among them had that skill? Or at least the innocence to pull it off. All of the older War Boys were rightfully languishing in prison, along with old Joe and Rictus. Good riddance to bad rubbish and all that.
Thrash manages to earn himself a pat on the head from the Valkyrie with that look, and he accepts it as eagerly as if it were a declaration of love from the older woman. He spends the rest of the evening in a state of bliss. Toast rolls her eyes at the entire display, before turning her focus back to the song list in front of her.
Dag makes her way to the stage during the next opening, following a man singing "Hotel California". No one is entirely sure what to expect from the girl, as her musical tastes are generally rather eclectic, and her sense of humor is equally unpredictable. It's not until the chorus that anyone even recognizes the song. Capable is pretty sure Kate Bush isn't even on the list of artist choices, but somehow Dag's up there singing one of her more popular songs. Dag's voice is much better than the original, but still fitting. Meanwhile, her hands are making strange motions that might be considered dancing - a tamer version of Miss Bush's wild choreography. It's simultaneously hilarious and bewitching, just like the girl herself. The applause that follows is tempered a bit by awe.
Toast is a little more predictable, jumping in after Dag to belt out Cherry Bomb, complete with plenty of air guitar. As her friend sings, Capable grabs up the list, looking it over with Nux peering over her shoulder.
"How about ABBA?" She teases, laughing as Nux's nose wrinkles up in disgust. Capable occasionally enjoy some Dancing Queen but she knows Nux is not much of a disco fan. Everyone at the table has been taking turns pointing out the most ridiculous songs on the list, some of which end up chosen by the other patrons - much to the amusement of the entire group. Nux is jokingly suggesting some death metal song to her when she sees it.
"What about this?" Nux's gaze falls where her finger rests beside the title, and she feels more than hears what might be a choking sound or might be laughter. She's not entirely sure. She can definitely feel her own face heat up a little when she realizes he's remembering the same thing she is, but it really is a perfect suggestion. His voice is a little more strained when he answers.
"Yeah, we can do that one."
They don't tell the rest of the group what they've chosen, even when Toast comes back to the table and remarks they both look a little too pleased with their choice. Nux simply grabs up his leather jacket on the way to the platform, throwing it on for maximum effect.
With the first few notes it's obvious what they've chosen, and the whole booth is filled with laughing and cheering. Cheedo throws in a more suggestive sound of approval, knowing a little about why exactly they've chosen that particular song. Capable tries not to blush up on stage, as Nux stands beside her and takes the microphone.
Summer lovin'
Had me a blast…
Capable almost misses her cue, completely mesmerized by Nux's voice. He had jokingly serenaded her before, and he's not entirely serious even now, but she's still taken aback by how lovely his voice is - deep and perfect. The rest of their friends are equally impressed, and their cheering only grows louder.
Her own voice isn't perfect, but they complement each other well. Even their outfit choices seem to fit the Danny/Sandy dynamic - her in rarely seen sundress and him in his leather jacket. She couldn't have planned it better if she tried, and she's certain she's wearing a goofy smile the entire time she's up on stage. Nux seems to suffering from the same problem, so at least they look like dorks together. And even if it's cheesy, the rest of the bar seems to be sharing in their good time, singing along whenever they need backup.
By the time they've hit the final notes the whole bar is applauding, and she takes a small bow as Nux leaps wildly off the stage. He turns back towards the stage, grinning up at her from several feet below and holding out his arms to her. She follows his lead and jumps into his waiting arms. Nux catches her easily, swinging her around before finally setting her back on the floor. They walk back to their booth hand in hand, their friends still cheering enthusiastically.
But the loudest cheers are reserved for Valkyrie, who belts out a spot-on rendition of Cher's "Walking in Memphis". Clearly this isn't her first time at karaoke, and a few others in the bar seem to recognize her as a regular. Valkyrie's attention ends up divided between her diner friends and a very attractive strawberry blonde working the sound system. But as soon as she's done singing she returns to the booth, offering no more than a shy wave to the other woman on the way.
Grant is apparently also a regular, though he's quick to realize that all of his go-to songs about bad relationships and even worse breakups - which don't really work with his dream girl currently sitting in his lap. Instead he goes in the opposite direction with his song choice, picking the sappiest duet to impress Cheedo with. She's definitely charmed by his choice, expressing her enduring love for Disney's Aladdin as well as for her boyfriend. It's more than a little corny, but Capable can't really fault them for it considering she and Nux just sang Summer Nights. Toast and Dag don't hold back though, pretending to gag a little whenever Cheedo looks away. Furiosa almost looks pained, while Max and Valkyrie take this opportunity to get more drinks for the table. Thrash scrambles after them to help.
Grant is actually pretty decent at singing, even if he's not quite Aladdin. Cheedo, however, is terrible. The rest of the girls already knew this about her, but she's never had a microphone in her hand before so it's never been quite so loudly bad. Still, they offer up their applause just the same, as does the rest of the bar - most of whom are more than a little drunk by this point of the evening. At least the following act - a painfully off-key rendition of "I Will Always Love You" - makes Cheedo look a little better by comparison.
Toast and Dag soon shift their teasing to Max and Furiosa, the only ones who have avoided getting onstage so far. "How about 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' - it's the perfect follow up," is Dag's suggestion. "Or maybe something from Dirty Dancing!" is Toast's. Furiosa is out of range to kick the girls under the table, but she sends over a fierce glare that has nearly the same effect.
"I was thinking something more along the lines of 'Tequila'." They're all a little shocked to hear Max's chuckling response, especially considering he's had fewer drinks than most of them.
Cheedo is the first among them to recover. "There's only one word the entire song! It doesn't count!" She crosses her arms over her chest, as if to show that her decision is final.
"What about you?" Capable asks Furiosa.
"I don't sing."
"Don't sing or can't sing?" Valkyrie taunts, as even Toast and Dag aren't that daring.
"She can sing." Max interjects, and then immediately looks as though he wishes he hadn't. Furiosa's glare turns back on him, and he at least has the decency to look sheepish about revealing this ability to the group. But the others have already jumped on it, coming up with increasingly outlandish stories of Furiosa's secret singing career. Eventually Max promises to go up and sing if they'll leave Furiosa alone, and they reluctantly give up their new game for the chance to see what he does.
"It has to be something real!" Cheedo shouts after him as he heads towards the the front of the room, but he just waves off the reminder.
The sound of a rather solemn guitar comes out of the speakers, with a twang that suggests a country song. The first verse comes out entirely mumbled, but steadily Max begins singing a little more clearly. His voice is rumbling and pleasant, and the song is surprisingly sweet.
I promise you for better or for worse
I'll stand by you as I did at the first
And when you're in the winter of your years
I'll be right by your side to dry your tears
Yes I'll be the same through all that we go through
I promise you I promise you I promise you I promise you
The girls exchange several look, half shock and half delight. Johnny Cash suits Max perfectly, though they never would have expected him to choose this song - it's practically a proposal. Capable certainly wouldn't say no if someone sang this song to her, and all eyes are on Furiosa to see how she reacts. But she's ignoring all of them, her focus clearly on Max alone. Her expression doesn't reveal much, but it's definitely softened from her previous scowl. Each of the girls is more than a little enchanted by Max's voice and his lyrics, and it's impossible for Furiosa to be entirely immune. But they never get a chance to ask what she thinks - she's up and heading towards the stage just as Max is singing the final notes. The two of them are lost amidst the crowd's response, disappearing from the bar entirely. Valkyrie just smiles at their escape and no one worries too much about their sudden absence. Max's singing was probably the most public sign of affection they've seen from either of them, and they likely want a little more privacy now.
The rest of the evening is spent watching as the increasingly drunk patrons sing more and more ridiculous songs, occasionally daring a second go themselves. Capable simply enjoys watching everyone else. She's curled up on Nux's shoulder now, imagining this night as their big musical finale. They've certainly found their happy ending.