Viva La Vie Boheme!, Doesn't ANYBODY here have money?

[Tom Collins]

"HA! I BEAT YOU ALL!" Collins yelled over his shoulder as he pushed open the door of the Life Cafe. He was greeted by the sounds of clinking glasses, loud chatter and the sweet smell of wine and beer. He took a deep whiff and grinned, beginning to walk in.

"No, please no. Not tonight, please- wait. Where's the albino pumpkin head?" A waiter asked Collins in confusion.

"He's not here. Can we please get a table?" Collins sighed.

"Do you have any money?" The waiter replied, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently. Collins winced and looked at the group behind him uncertainly. He coughed awkwardly and gave them a look that he was sure they all knew well.

"Anyone?" He asked sheepishly.

[Mimi Marquez]

Mimi shook her head. "Sorry, Col. Haven't been working, so I haven't got any dough. But I know who does!"

She pounced on the skirt-clad redhead behind her, and in a few moments reappeared with a fistful of money. "Here," she told the anarchist. "Ax'll pay."

[Emily Stangerson]

Emily smiled as she entered with the others, still buzzing with the bit of energy from them she caught back at the hospital. "Oh, hey, it's not much but I can contribute some to the pile." She offered, remembering she still had a little left over from the other day. Emily's hands dove into the pockets of her jeans and she fingered around for a small wad of cash. She pulled out a few ones and a couple of fives and held it out for someone to grab.

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

Angel wasn't far behind Collins, even with her crutches. She dug in the pockets of her jacket for remnants of drumming money, coming up with a few coins, a couple of ones, ooh a five!... and a twenty?? "Where...?" she muttered, holding it up with a confused look. When had she gotten a twenty? Oh well. Not one to question randomly appearing money, she held out her money to Collins as well with a big grin, balancing neatly on her crutches.

[Roger Davis]

Everyone looked at Roger expectantly.

"What? I haven't left the loft since..." Roger's voice trailed off. When had he last left the apartment apart from today? Shoving his hands in his pocket to see if he had anything, the musicain pulled out three ones. Roger sheepishly added the little money he had to the pile.

[Maureen Johnson]

Everyone's eyes were on Maureen now.

"Um...here."

She dropped two quarters - about the only thing that would fit into her tight pants pockets anyway - onto the pile. "I leave the loft about as often as Roger these days. We're starting to learn telepathic communication, that's how bored we get. And I have no job."

She grinned sheepishly. "Oh well, we have like thirty bucks now, right? We can get drinks...right?" She turned to the waiter. "Please say right."

[Tom Collins]

Collins watched as his friends pulled pitifully small collections of dollar bills out of their pockets, frowning as the pile that had begun to form in his hand remained exceptionally small. He was therefore extremely surprised when Angel pulled a twenty dollar bill out of her pocket and placed it on the anarchist's hand. She seemed just as surprised as Collins had been. He grinned, holding up the twenty with his unoccupied hand. "Nice," he said, before placing it back on the pile and waiting for his other friends to contribute.

After he had collected about thirty dollars, Collins turned back around and addressed the waiter. "I think this should be enough for a few drinks, as Mo so brilliantly stated!" He waved the bills in the waiter's face.

"Fine." The waiter grumbled angrily. Collins whooped and held the small but valuable - to them at least - wad of cash high in the air, waving it around like a mad man.

"New York City, prepare yourself! THE BOHOS HAVE ENTERED THE BUILDING!" He screamed.

"Please be quiet! And don't move the tables!" The waiter shouted after him. Collins paused for a moment and looked at the waiter seriously, then his face split into a wide grin and he turned back to his friends.

"Come on, let's put some tables together! PARTY!" He laughed, spinning around.

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

Angel laughed and followed her spinning lover into the main part of the restaurant. Spotting a couple of their boho buddies, she called, "Hey Rosie, help us put these tables together!" The woman and her boyfriend called hello to the group and got up to do that, shoving three tables together into a line long enough for all of them. Angel swung over and took a seat, arms a bit tired from the crutches, knowing Collins would sit next to her eventually.

[Mimi Marquez]

Mimi, feeling more energized than she had in days, began pushing tables together with a vigor.

As soon as the long line of tables the bohos preferred was set up, the dancer jumped up on them, high heels (she'd change out of her hospital clothes) notwithstanding. Reaching out a hand, she attempted to pull Roger up with her.

"Hey waiter person!" she yelled at one of the waiters. "Guess what we want?"

She gave a wide arm gesture, indicating to the other bohos that they should join in. She yelled with all her might:

"WINE AND BEER!"

[Maureen Johnson]

Maureen cheered and leapt up onto the table with Mimi, dancing even more crazily than she had on that night more than a year ago. "Par-tay!"

Spinning around, she flopped down onto the table and grabbed a menu, though she had practically memorized the food list here anyway. As usual, she was completely oblivious to the fact that everyone was staring at her and , thanks to her stomach-down positon, Collins was getting a much better view of her cleavage than he had ever expected to see.

"Hmm...I think I'll have miso soup...or seaweed salad - ooh, or a soy burger! Or the tofu dog platter - " She poked Collins. "But definitely no meatless balls, Vegetarian Boy. Angel, how can you stand him eating that stuff?" She grinned. "Plus as many drinks as I can afford. Which is none, but I'll get drunk anyway!"

[Tom Collins]

Collins finally sat down beside Angel and put his arm around her, proceeding to light up a joint as he did so. He winced as Maureen took on a very... interesting position and leaned backwards in his chair in a sore attempt to get away from her.

"I really do not need to see that, Mo," He told the diva as she reached out to poke his chest. "And the goddamn meatless balls taste exactly the same as the ones you lot eat! I swear!" He shook his head and rolled his eyes as Maureen moved on to the topic of getting drunk, but soon found himself agreeing with her heartily.

"Come on waiter, we haven't got all day! Drinks all around!" He called out, snapping his fingers. "Oh, and one order of your best pasta with meatless balls, pronto!" He said this while looking at Maureen, just to spite her.

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

Angel laughed, joining in with Mimi's yell around her mad giggle fit. She plucked the joint from Collins, taking a drag on it before handing it back to him with a grin. "Mo, they really do taste the same. I've tried them." Even the fact that she couldn't get up to dance on the table didn't bother her in the least right now; she was caught up in the spastic happiness that everyone else was feeling too.

[Emily Stangerson]

Emily found herself a seat across from Angel and Collins and was a bit surprised when Maureen and Mimi jumped onto the table. She laughed heartily with them and then looked to the couple across from her, "Are things always this crazy?" She asked, meaning no offense to any of them. It was great to know people that liked to let loose.

[Tom Collins]

Collins couldn't help but let out a large snort of amusement when Emily asked him an Angel a question. After he had recovered, he looked at her and grinned. "You call this crazy? Just wait till we get started, girl! We're gonna redefine the word 'crazy'!" He laughed heartily and put his feet up on the table, ignoring the waiter's freakishly intense arm-waving and yelling.

[Roger Davis]

Roger chuckled at his friend's actions and lept out of his chair. He half-skipped over to the guitar the Life kept in the corner. He picked up the red guitar with a grin. Roger jumped up on the bar. The musician burst out laughing as he began an upbeat take on Musetta's Waltz.