soft glow - (open)

[ZANDER MORRISON]

Zander was wiping down the bar, struggling to reach the other side of the wooden surface without moving from behind it. He wasn't really one for expending too much energy into something like cleaning the counters off. As long as they were clean and sanitized what was the point in overworking? After all he needed to get ready for the evening rush, if there even was one. With people coming in and out of town all the time it was nearly impossible to tell how well a night would take. Though being a Saturday night he fully expected to have a few patrons. It was getting towards the tourist season. He hated tourist, even if they were a big source of income for the town. They couldn't be trusted and they didn't respect the natives of the town at all. Sighing he tossed the rag over his shoulder and walked from behind the bar, taking down the chairs at rest on the tables from cleaning the floor. Running the tavern was mostly cleaning and cooking. What he needed to do was hire a waitress or something. Actually hiring a waiter would be better, a waitress would probably just fold under the pressure of hard work and having to do more than one thing at a time. Best he didn't really bother with that problem.

His white hair fell into his eyes as he shook his head in denial. Could he even afford to hire someone on right now? If he did he wouldn't be able to pay them much and he'd probably only have them work part-time so he wouldn't have to look at them everytime he came into work. "I should just forget about it and keep doing all.of it on my own. Besides, who would want to work here anyways? His tables and chairs set all that was left to do now was switch on the light outside and unlock the doors. That way people could start flooding the place with noisy chatter and idiocy. His boots clicked on the wood floor as he crossed the large room with a sense of deliberation. There was a small bit of satisfaction in the sound of the light switch clicking and the sight of the soft glow from the window. The same satisfaction was had at the soft click of the lock turning, indicating that the Tonic Tavern was once more, open for business.

[ALEXANDER JAY NIGHT]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width:370px, bTable] so it seems i'm someone i've never met

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width:270px, bTable] Ahhh. There wasn’t anything Alex enjoyed more than a long shift in the shop than go to the tavern. There was sex too but… the whole point of getting a couple of drinks was kicking back and relaxing. And maybe possibly fishing for a lay. His store was locked up (well, he hoped he’d remembered to lock up) and he was thirsting for something decent, alcoholic and stomach warming. He wasn’t wearing his long emerald coat with fine details this evening, just his starched blouse that was ruffled over the chest and the skin-tight trousers that slid into some shin-high riding boots. His hair was untied and cascaded freely down his back, tumbling over his shoulders in golden swells and framing his gentle face. The place was a bit quiet considering it was the evening but perhaps the night’s local punters were just taking their time to appear tonight. That didn’t matter all that much. Rumour had reached Alex’s ears that the bartender here was a handsome thing with lovely hair and piercing eyes. He needed to get a glimpse of that. And maybe not just that, maybe something more than just a look. Maybe a touch of it too. Alex chuckled quietly to himself and glided with poise over to a vacant stool by the bar. As he’d noted before, there weren’t many people here. Just a couple of tourists that looked like they didn’t speak the same lingo as him, a couple and two old men. Alex had no interest in old men. “Oh, bartenderrrrr~” He chimed out in a dulcet, sing-song voice. “May I have a drink?” Cupping his chin with the palm of his hand and resting his elbow on the counter, Alex waited for the man with the striking eyes to appear and most probably turn into his object of interest for the night. tagged: zander words: 0318 notes: nyeheh.

[ZANDER MORRISON]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,120,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=vAlign, top][atrb=style, background-color: #eaeaea; margin-top: -20px; border-left: #cdcdcd solid 1px;] " With words I've been betrayed, you respond and let them fade, and I just won't let you bring me down. You can see what I know and I know somewhere there's a sorry heart. " let the lol's begin

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0px,true][atrb=vAlign, top][atrb=style, background: url(http://i.imgur.com/DfhFz.png);] LIAR, LIAR, DON'T CRY ON MY SHOULDER, YOU PLAYED WITH FIRE — christina grimmie     Zander noticed that the customers were slowly starting to trickle in. It was going to be another slow night for him which meant he could probably take it a bit on the easy side. Mostly idiot tourists that felt like they had to try the local alcohol selection just to say they got drunk on something exotic. He had news for them, there wasn't much of anything exotic to be had here. Simple drinks were what he served the tourists. Only locals got the shit that took effort to make or that cost a bit more to get their hands on. He stood behind the bar, wiping out a glass that had a little bit of dust on it. If he didn't get more business soon he'd have to stop ordering some of his supplies. His back was to the room and he attempted to ignore the idle chatter of the few tourists scattered about. Maybe it would pick up later on... He heard a sing-song voice behind him and scowled harshly. One of these days he was going to end up hitting one of these stupid tourists that thought they owned the place. Tonight though he was determined to keep that urge in check as he turned around to face whatever idiot wanted something from him this time. At least they had the courtesy to say please or whatever. His eye twitched a little when he saw that it was a girl sitting at the bar. A girl with ridiculously long hair. He had no idea how girls could keep their hair like that and still keep in clean and neat and whatnot. It looked like such a hassle. "Well this is a tavern isn't it?" Goddess he was so rude to everyone. "What do you want?" He needed to work on his people skills badly.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,439,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=style, margin-top: -10px;] — made by ayu of btn

[ALEXANDER JAY NIGHT]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width:370px, bTable] so it seems i'm someone i've never met

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width:270px, bTable] Oh my. So the rumours were true. The bartender was divine and that snap he had to his voice probably just made it all that more better. Alex actually faltered for a moment, his brain drew a blank. Drink? Pfft. He’d rather drink in the delectable sight he had right in front of him. Despite the man’s hardened expression, there was beauty to it. His hair was so fair compared to his own, light and whispy looking. Alex just wanted to touch it. And then he had those eyes. Unf. They were wintry yet so vibrant with a colour he rarely saw on guys or people in general, Alex unconsciously tucked a softly kinked curl that fell over his face behind his ear, so to get a better look at this fine-looking specimen. “I’d like a, uhm…” Alex blinked back into reality with a light blush on his cheeks. “…blueberry cocktail please.” He’d have ordered himself a beer yet, nngh, right now he was in the mood for something fruity, sweet and with a bit of tart to it. Would it be bad to say that he was already in the mood for the bartender? Alex chuckled lightly at the improper thoughts that wanted to seep into his mind. No. First he’d have a drink. Or two. Or three, who knew. “You usually so rude to paying customers, hm?” Alex inquired softly, a slight teasing tone wriggling its way in as he tilted his head, rolls of flaxen hair spilling over his shoulder at the small movement. “Or is there something bothering you?” He slipped his hand into his pocket and retrieved some notes to pay for his drink. Before sifting through them, he brought his thumb up to his mouth and pressed the pad of his finger against the tip of his tongue that peeked out from between his rosy lips. He glanced at Zander with eyes that could easily be considered casual or flirtatious. His lips twitched in a small smile and gave a faint ‘hm’ noise before going through the notes and placing enough on the counter for his drink. Yep. He liked this one. tagged: zander words: 0363 notes: nyeheh.

[ZANDER MORRISON]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,120,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=vAlign, top][atrb=style, background-color: #eaeaea; margin-top: -20px; border-left: #cdcdcd solid 1px;] " With words I've been betrayed, you respond and let them fade, and I just won't let you bring me down. You can see what I know and I know somewhere there's a sorry heart. " let the lol's begin

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0px,true][atrb=vAlign, top][atrb=style, background: url(http://i.imgur.com/DfhFz.png);] LIAR, LIAR, DON'T CRY ON MY SHOULDER, YOU PLAYED WITH FIRE — christina grimmie     He wondered to himself if this blonde was going to be like the majority of them; stupid and self obsessed. The order of a blueberry cocktail told him that she was probably the same as all the rest. His hands ducked underneath the bar and pulled out the ingredients and liquids necessary to make the drink. Feeling a bit bored with himself he used what little flair bar tending skills he had to make it look like it was more interesting than it really was. Flipping the bottle and all that jazz was something any bartender knew, executing it right was the key to the show though. "One blueberry cocktail." He almost turned away when he heard her next question. This was going to be one of those nights he could already tell. Maybe if he got her sufficiently drunk she'd just leave him alone or something? Wait, why bother with leaving him alone? He was supposed to hit on girls. It was such a bother though. He cocked his eyebrow up and looked at her. "No, usually I'm worse." Of course though she just couldn't leave it at that. Why was it that on slow nights there just happened to be that one person that just couldn't mind their own business. "Isn't it the customers that are supposed to get drunk and tell me their problems?" Not the other way around. Not that he really had any problems right now. He was one hundred percent perfectly fine. He watched as the girl attempted to flirt or something like that. He'd never really found it interesting when girls tried to act somewhat sexual, then again girls were kind of boring. Once you had one the rest were essentially all the same. He figured that this one really wouldn't be any different. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes he kept them on her the best he could, wishing rather to just go to his room and sleep.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,439,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=style, margin-top: -10px;] — made by ayu of btn

[ALEXANDER JAY NIGHT]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width:370px, bTable] so it seems i'm someone i've never met

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width:270px, bTable] Cute. Zander was doing that whole bartender-flippy-thing with the bottles, juggling them and the like with a daring flair. He was definitely showing off for Alex's sake. It made the blonde man smile demurely into the lithe fingers curled into a loose fist by his chin. Cute, cute, cute. “Usually you're worse?” He echoed, pinching his glass and drawing it closer. “No wonder this place is so quiet as of late.” Innocent teasing, that was all Alex was doing. He pressed a fingertip against the cool glass, now moist with condensation, and ran it up and down the side absent-mindedly. “I suppose it's meant to be like that but to tell you the truth?” Alex picked up his glass and brought it close enough to his lips so the glass touched the pink, sensitive skin. “I don't have all that many problems and... I get the feeling you hear your own fair share of petty troubles already.” But if Zander insisted, Alex figured he could lean on his shoulder to tell him the current principal woe in his life. And that was that he hadn't had a decent, sober fuck in, like... a long, long time. So that made it around a week? Yeah. That sounded about right. Alex shrugged his shoulders and tilted the glass slightly, letting the sweet beverage with a sharper, alcoholic tang fill his mouth and be swallowed. He pursed his lips after his tongue darted along the lower one, chasing away the last vestige of that tart tasting liquid. Delicious. He loved sweet, fruity things like those. “Why don't you sit down and have a drink with me? You look like you need it.” Maybe with a bit of drink in his system, Zander wouldn't have that face that suggested he'd be thwacked around the head with a sack of sour lemons. Maybe. Plus, Alex was curious. He wanted to get to know this handsome stranger more. And... whatever happened after that. “And I could use the company?” tagged: zander words: 0333 notes: nyeheh.

[ZANDER MORRISON]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,120,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=vAlign, top][atrb=style, background-color: #eaeaea; margin-top: -20px; border-left: #cdcdcd solid 1px;] " With words I've been betrayed, you respond and let them fade, and I just won't let you bring me down. You can see what I know and I know somewhere there's a sorry heart. " let the lol's begin

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0px,true][atrb=vAlign, top][atrb=style, background: url(http://i.imgur.com/DfhFz.png);] LIAR, LIAR, DON'T CRY ON MY SHOULDER, YOU PLAYED WITH FIRE — christina grimmie     He listened and watched as the somewhat cute blonde took a few sips and started talking about how business wasn’t so great in the bar. Did he really just think that she was cute? Maybe there was a little hope left for him yet… He rolled his eyes at her comment though and gave a light snort. ”Business is good enough for this time of year, seems to be looking up a little at least.” His eyebrow cocked a little as he looked at her with something of direct intent. Yeah, he was an ass, and really bad at flirting but he’d do it when he felt like it. He’d had customers ask him to sit down for a drink before, most of them tourist girls already trashed out of their minds looking to score a bit of local action they could brag to their friends about back home. More than once he’d had his picture snapped with a phone and they’d run off giggling. He’d gone to bed with a few of them and a few of them actually expected him to ask them to stay, as if. He didn’t need some chick hanging around here and not being able to pull her own weight. ”Usually the people that come up to the bar end up walking off after the first attempt to talk to me.” Unless they were some drunk slut, then they got rather belligerent about it all. Zander sighed and gave the very smallest hint of a smirk. It was slow enough for him to take a seat and enjoy a drink. That and this blonde didn’t seem as bad as the ones that usually came in so maybe he’d end up enjoying her company more than originally thought. ”Alright, guess a drink won’t hurt. It’s slow enough in here that I could probably sit the rest of the night.” She’d asked specifically for his company meaning that if she bitched about him being an ass she had to deal with it. Instead of pulling from the tap he grabbed a bottled beer from the bar’s cooler, not feeling like going through the trouble of doing his job for himself. He popped the cap off and caught it with a practiced arm as it flipped in the air, another bartender trick he had picked up. It always impressed girls when he did the small things like that. His lips found the bottle rather quickly as he started to drink, taking a seat on the other side of the bar next to the blonde girl. ”You live here in Pastora, right?” The last thing he wanted to do was keep a tourist company. He didn’t even mind the newcomers that had just started living here because at least they were contributing.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,439,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=style, margin-top: -10px;] — made by ayu of btn

[ALEXANDER JAY NIGHT]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width:370px, bTable] so it seems i'm someone i've never met

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width:270px, bTable] Well, of course business was looking up. Zander was in the company of Alex. The blonde pursed his lips in a small, amused smile and pressed them against the rim of his chilled glass, looking up at Zander with bright, emerald eyes. “You don't seem that bad...” Alex mused, his fingers coming to cup his chin. Zander seemed as though he was much more blunt and bitter than most, something that would undoubtedly make him a harder person to easily talk to. It was understandable that some wouldn't even bother cracking his rude exterior but Alex was different. He was very determined when he set his mind to something, especially a man, so it'd take something more than a few cold words to make him back off. Zander was quite the show-off, wasn't he? Alex decided to humour him a bit by giving a light, quiet clap; playful and in no way mocking or the like. The blonde set his hands back on the bar and twisted his upper body gently where he sat so he was facing Zander yet not fully on. “Yep. I've recently settled here actually,” Alex told him, plucking a straw from a small container and using it to idly stir his alcoholic beverage. “Just set up a small flower store in Rococo Alley. S'called Ikebana. You should maybe check it out someday.” He added a small wink on at the end before returning his attention back to his drink. He certainly wouldn't mind having Zander turn up at his shop, regardless of whether he wished to purchase something or not. Alex just simply enjoyed having people swing by his store. It made the monotonous and long work hours not seem so drab and dull. Well. As drab and dull as they could be when he was surrounded by the smiling heads of a myriad of flowers. tagged: zander words: 0311 notes: short, sorry