Parry left Rikive as Tony went into the basement brewery, going backstage after he whispered in Rikive's ear "Be good for just a few minutes, hun." The bubble of laughter that escaped Rikive's lips earlier was a warning sign that her inhibitions were pretty much shot at this point, which was both good and bad. Parry'd taken enough selfies of the two of them to notice her once serious and haughty demeanor had shifted toward carefree with every bar they visited.

Parry had hoped to put on a quick number per Tony's request and call it done. The suddenly awake crowd would make that difficult. So it was with much trepidation that Parry snuck into the back dressing room where the regular performers were primping and preening in front of their mirrors.

"Parry, darling! Where've you been?" Ruby, the red-haired buxom man asked as soon as Parry shut the door behind him. "We haven't seen you since Pride! Rose, Diamond! Parry's back!"

Ruby was quickly joined by his co-workers in various stages of dress and undress- all done up to the nines but finishing their shows for the evening. People sometimes asked where Parry learned to apply his cosmetics so well. The answer was pretty simple: Drag Queens.

"Hey Rose!" Parry offered with a kiss on his cheek, followed by Diamond and Ruby. "Gentlemen and ladies! I need a quick favor. Tony opened up the brewery downstairs for a friend of mine, but he wants me on stage for a number for old time's sake. Do you have anything... flashy?"

=======================================

Tony returned from the downstairs brewery to find Parry gone and his strange friend still at the bar. He had a tray in hand with three glasses of mead, cold, and a plate of summer sausage and cheeses on the house just 'cause he felt bad for making Parry do a show just so Riki could get some of the better drinks. Still, Parry's shows were always a blast and he was way behind on rent, so the tips it might bring in would do him and Michael a world of good.

"M'lady," Tony said, offering the tray with a smile. Which was when that guy- Creeper, as most of the staff took to calling him- came up and started chatting with Riki. Tony didn't like to judge the customers. The owner welcomed everyone's money. But Creeper never bought drinks for himself. Only other people. 

And while it wasn't Tony's place to decide who Riki talked to, he felt it was necessary to keep Parry's friend looked after while he was gone.

"Excuse me sir," Tony said, scratching the back of his brown hair. "The lady is spoken for."