𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬

the author grabbed his own bottle of beer as he made himself comfortable on his seat, a small nod given as an immediate response. "i mean why not? you wanna gatekeep that knowledge so you can mesmerize everyone with your talent? i see how it is" a chuckle fell from his lips then at the other's implication as he brought the neck of the bottle to his lips, giving a small sip. "i'll have you known i know my way around the dancerfloor so joke's on you, i'll be great irish dance student. i have my mother's reputation to uphold so i take dancing very seriously" his lips curled up further hearing about his friend's band. "sounds fun. let me know when in august and i'll get some tickets. ever wanted to play another instrument?" then, his eyes fell on the bottle as a soft sigh escaped his lips. "publisher. nothing special, bargain, if you will. 'give us something, a chapter, or this fancy wine will be the last thing you see from us' type of deal which sounds counterintuitive if you ask me" he shrugged.

"you  know  what  they  say..."  a  long  enough  pause  followed  to  leave  wonder  if  she'd  actually  finish  the  statement,  something  on  her  screen  had  captured  her  attention.  a  new  email,  a  response  to  some  questions  she'd  sent  out  earlier,  and  it  was  promptly  ignored  as  caz  locked  her  ipad  screen  and  put  it  aside.  "where's  the  fun  without  some  level  of  danger?"  was  that  a  saying?  maybe  something  similar  to  it,  though  she  had  a  feeling  sebastian  would  catch  on.  her  blue  eyes  found  his  and  she  smiled  again,  felt  her  cheeks  warm  at  the  level  of  intimacy  offered,  they'd  been  neighbors  and  friends  a  good  while  but  the  trust  of  an  open  door  and  freedom  to  go  through  his  things  (  just  the  fridge  and  maybe  the  pantry  )  meant  something.  "i'd  make  for  a  terrible  criminal  though.  i'd  get  caught  cleaning  up  after  myself  and  making  sure  all  was  tidy."  caz  winked  at  him  regardless,  an  acknowledgment  of  the  trust.

It had been a long day and a longer week for Sky. It was officially summer vacation so the aquarium had been over run by wild children and their already exhausted parents or nannies. During the summer, they doubled the daily marine mammal shows so he'd been talking nonstop. It was going to be a long summer. Sky was ready to be home in his bed for the next two days. As much as he loved living on Mirabella... Sky really hated this fucking ferry sometimes.

"Mind if I sit here?" He asked, finding an empty seat next to someone looking out at the ocean. Sky sat down before he even finished asking. He was trying to be polite, but he was sitting regardless. He let out a yawn, covering his mouth with his hand. "God, it's been a long week." He sighed. "There's a beer and some buffalo wings with my name on it the second I get off this boat."

residing  on  an  island  was  wonderful.  for  the  most  part.  as  much  as  she  loved  the  small  community  of  it  caz  still  had  to  often  visit  the  mainland  for  work  purposes  and  gigs  with  her  band  on  the  few  occasions  those  came  up.  this  trip  the  strawberry  blonde  was  returning  from  had  been  back  to  back  meetings.  too  much  coffee  in  her  system  still  trying  to  burn  off,  caz  felt  jittery  sitting  there  watching  the  water,  her  thoughts  on  the  depths  and  mysteries  of  it.

red lion tavern

emerson's date with caz didn't exactly crash and burn, no, but it did fizzle out into an awkward exchange at the end of the night which left him (and he's sure, her) feeling confused and unmotivated to stay in the dating world. it wasn't that it was bad, persay. it was just that it was awkward. no fireworks or romantic chemistry at all. he wasn't delusional, he had no pretences that love was supposed to be instant, at first sight, but he also knew chemistry, and they simply didn't have that kind of connection. you win some, you lose some, or whatever. the thing was that they both seem fine with that, in fact, so fine that they had decided to hang out together again. no pressure for it to be anything. if the pressure was off, emerson knew the feeling of devastating awkwardness was, too, and so they found the most lowkey place on the island to meet, the red lion. a sports bar that he had frequented to catch a game, or catch up with friends, nothing particularly remarkable about it at all, but it was solid. he orders a beer when he gets there, and is playing darts alone when he spots her come through the doors, eyebrows raising. "ah, there you are," he offers in lieu of an actual greeting "and here i was thinking i got stood up by someone who rejected me once already," he teases, and nods towards the bar. "let me buy you a drink?"

entering  red  lion  tavern  it  wasn't  difficult  to  spot  emerson,  a  man  little  more  than  a  foot  taller  than  her,  through  the  bit  of  crowd  that  night.  the  irishwoman  made  her  way  towards  the  darts  area  with  a  lighter  feeling  in  her  chest.  maybe  their  date  hadn't  gone  in  the  most  positive  direction  with  no  romantic  chemistry  between  them,  they'd  still  come  out  of  that  attempt  with  something  good  in  that  they'd  enjoyed  each  other's  company.  enough  to  try  again  sans  the  original  objective.  for  caz,  maybe  that  was  more  important,  making  another  friend  and  avoiding  something  that'd  end  up  fleeting  in  her  life.

𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: sebastian's porch, midnight

deep brown eyes study his pantry as quickly as possible, searching for two mugs to complete his spread for the night: coffee or tea of choice, a bottle of chilled wine sebastian had received that morning from his publishing house as an incentive to write his next novel, a charcuterie board assembled by the author himself and his rendition of prosciutto, buratta and peach flatbreads. he had had the same menu for lunch so when night hit and he stepped out to his porch for a night read and saw caz, he couldn't help but offer to share a late night dinner, as they often did.

with everything fitting in his trusty wooden tray, sebastian walked to his porch once again, placing the tray in the little table he had purchased a month after meeting caz in one of those nights where sleep would not claim either of them and they ended up accompanying eachother through the night. "hope you're hungry, pol nearly took everything for himself earlier" he spoke as an unbothered pollux laid on the bed he had specially bought for the porch. "so, how was your day? the ashes been keeping you busy? will you ever teach me to play?"

"i  couldn't  blame  him,"  the  strawberry  blonde  glanced  up  and  somewhat  over  her  shoulder  to  witness  her  neighbor  making  yet  another  nightly  entrance  with  a  tray  of  goods.  "you're  a  wizard  with  your  offerings.  if  i  hadn't  known  you  to  share  i'd  be  working  up  theft  as  well."  blue  eyes  moved  over  what  he  was  setting  on  the  table  between  them,  the  drawings  in  her  lap  of  her  latest  work  project  forgotten  about  momentarily  as  her  lips  stayed  quirked  with  some  amusement.  typically,  caz  found  ways  to  pay  back  the  author's  hospitality.  especially  since  he'd  mostly  taken  over  this  part  of  their  quality  time.  the  irishwoman  appreciated  many  things  but  whenever  it  was  her  turn  the  offerings  were  much  more  basic  and  simple.

but, reality hits him again as he realizes he's still standing in the way, and his face takes on a slight pink tinge. "um...you were trying to look at something over here, weren't you?" they glance toward the shelf. "weren't you looking at that jewelry box a second ago? i can grab it if you'd like.

"you're  welcome,"  caz  smiled,  "seems  it  was  meant  to  be.  quite  a  serendipitous  moment."  head  nodded  toward  the  frog  in  his  hand,  there  was  still  a  pleased  quirk  to  her  lips.  in  her  days  she'd  found  too  many  people  looked  down  on  or  just  completely  overlooked  symbolism,  but  there  were  cultures  behind  these  faiths  and  beliefs  and  that  had  some  weight.  at  least  in  her  opinion.

"I probably could find something to complain about," Collin admitted with a chuckle. "But I won't." When she made her request, he grimaced slightly and shook his head. He hated having to deny a customer, but there were only so many types of beer they could keep on tap. "I've got Guinness... but that's it for Irish stouts." He tried to switch out the types of offerings he kept on hand, but Guinness was one of the regulars. He'd have to look into the ones this customer mentioned, though. Collin grabbed a glass, then glanced back at one of the TVs. He shrugged his shoulders, "Whoever is winning..." Maybe it was strange for an owner of a bar & grill to not care much about sports but, he didn't. He knew enough to follow along with basically every game played, but he wasn't the type to go diehard fan for anyone. "For this one... I think I'll go with Panama." And that was only because that's who some guys who worked here wanted to win. As he slid the drink in front of her, Collin leaned against the bar again. "Lemme guess... Ireland native?" It was easy to assume considering what she'd ordered, but he could hear the accent, too.

guinness.  that  was  what  caz  was  afraid  of.  no  offense  to  the  stuff.  it  had  it's  merits  and  was  a  very  strong  stout,  earned  it's  popularity  the  good  old  fashioned  way,  and  hell,  the  engineer  was  proud  something  of  her  native  country  had  made  it  all  the  way  out  here  on  another  distant  island.  "right,"  caz  said  with  a  lopsided  grin  and  nod  of  her  head,  "that'll  do."  though,  he  hadn't  waited  and  began  to  pour  a  pint  regardless,  the  strawberry  blonde  watched  his  technique  because  guinness  was  fussy.  "the  poor  stuff  doesn't  travel  well  but  it'll  be  good  enough  to  give  me  my  fix."  as  he  answered  about  the  gameplay  her  eyes  drifted  from  television  to  television  and  then  landed  back  on  him  when  the  stout  was  placed  in  front  of  her.  "appreciate  it,  thanks,"  her  accent  rung  out.  "so,  why  a  sports  bar  then?  or  is  footie  just  not  your  game?"  once  again  her  eyes  shifted  away  to  check  a  score,  that  time  to  see  how  panama  was  doing.  "yeah,  how'd  you  guess?"  being  cheeky  about  it,  her  grin  was  prominent.  "it's  been  a  long  time  now.  believe  it  or  not  i  moved  out  this  way  for  uni.  are  you  from  here  yourself?"  as  many  years  as  she'd  lived  away  from  home  there  was  no  real  ridding  the  accent,  it'd  faded  some  but  there  was  no  escaping  the  tells  with  her.

"I'm planning an end of the year Jeopardy game for my first graders," Birdie explained, motioning a hand around at all the different colored index cards and various other craft supplies. "The last week of school is next week, and I like to send them off to summer with a band, you know?" She smiled. "I've got to come up with enough questions for the whole class to get at least three turns, so, it's taking up more time than originally planned..." As organized as she could be, albeit chaotically, Birdie sometimes procrastinated and then had to scramble at the last second. It always worked out, though!

"You're Caz, right?" She pointed a finger at the woman then turned it on herself. "I'm Birdie! We live down the street from each other." She was positive she'd waved to this same woman on numerous occasions, and probably even called out a 'hiiii' but they hadn't had an official sit down meeting yet. Birdie's mission in life was to know all her neighbors, though. She stuck out her hand, wiggling her fingers slightly. "It's so nice to finally meet you, I love meeting all my neighbors."

impressed,  caz's  brow  lifted  enough  to  crease  her  forehead,  the  ingenuity  and  fun  seemed  like  something  her  students  would  remember.  "that's  a  brilliant  idea,"  she  commented,  a  smile  turning  the  corners  of  her  mouth.  "if  you  need  help  with  questions  —"  the  offer  stopped  shy  of  telling  the  teacher  she'd  be  happy  to  help,  only  because  the  strawberry  blonde  was  suddenly  stricken  with  the  fact  that  she  had  no  idea  what  kind  of  questions  were  at  the  student's  academic  level.  "well,  first  let  me  ask  what  kind  of  questions  you  already  have  on  cards  for  them?"  a  chuckle  followed  her  inquiry,  hoping  that  wasn't  offensive  at  all.

she reached for a cup, starting on the relatively straightforward drink. “the darkest. italian blends are actually darker than most french roasts, and the arabica beans we use have a softer taste that keeps it from being too bitter.” then, almost conspiratorially, “but if you don’t like it, i keep a bottle of french vanilla creamer in the fridge.”

"i know, i know," lopsided grin secured, her hands were posted in a placating manner, "but you've got to admit that was brave for me to admit in such an outstanding coffee shop." the instant coffee was a mainstay from her irish roots, and well, every single time she visited home. it became a convenience that eventually turned to a norm, given that every time you took in guests at your home in ireland you always were hospitable with a tea or coffee. "well, congratulations," caz complimented, her brow shifting up, impressed. "you've done well with the place since you've claimed it." then she shrugged and that curve on her lips grew, "you've got me. not a regular, but i've been in a time or two. i'm just either drinking office coffee or home coffee. now i've got even more of a reason to stop in here."

Birdie's usual organized chaos was scattered around her, taking up half a leather couch and a table at the local coffee shop. School was nearly out, but there were still a few things she needed to do for her class of first graders. She wanted to send them off to second grade on a high and make sure they remembered how much fun they had in her class. Birdie liked working in public because she'd usually see someone she could talk to, and Birdie loved talking to people. She never minded sharing her space, even if someone didn't want to chat, so when she saw someone approach from the corner of her eye, she looked up with a smile. "Oh, hi," Birdie quickly grabbed up her colorful papers and things to make room. "Please, join me!" She smiled widely. "Ignore the chaos, I'm like a colorful tornado blowing through..."

between  meetings  and  not  wanting  to  be  stuck  inside  a  stuffy  office  space  for  the  hours  she  had  to  kill  before  she'd  have  to  do  time  in  a  conference  room  at  a  table  with  a  bunch  of  suits,  caz  hit  the  coffee  shop  and  had  her  americano  in  hand  as  she  surveyed  for  a  place  to  sit  and  review.  the  strawberry  blonde  had  looked  down  right  as  the  brunette  had  looked  up,  the  slant  on  her  lips  was  instant.  "hello  to  you,"  caz  greeted  as  she  watched  the  woman  clear  up  some  space.  "aw,  luv,  you  don't  have  to  go  to  all  that  trouble  for  me.  i  don't  take  up  much  space."  while  petite  for  sure,  mostly  the  irishwoman  didn't  want  to  intrude  on  the  project  the  other  had  going.

Collin should've already been home by this time of night, but his bartender called out and there was no one else to replace him. So, he was behind the bar until closing. On the Rocks was relatively empty this close to last call, but there were a few stragglers enjoying their meal or nursing a beer while they watched the game. Collin was leaning against the bar, his gaze on one of the televisions when someone took up one of the stools at the bar. "Hey," He said, turning his attention towards them. "How's it going? What can I get you?"

"hiya,"  caz  answered  as  she  settled,  "can't  complain.  how  about  you?"  while  her  irish  brogue  had  faded  some  it  was  still  very  present  as  she  spoke.  the  phone  in  her  hand  had  been  placed  screen  down  on  the  bar  top  in  front  of  her,  she  didn't  want  to  look  at  it  and  be  tempted  by  anything  pertaining  to  work.  "have  you  got  beamish  or  murphy's  stout?"  even  if  irish  beers  were  hard  to  come  by  at  most  places,  caz  still  tried.

thankfully, she had added her own spin to most of the drinks and had a few suggestions. “i have a cold brew with whipped honey cold foam that you might like? it’s topped with a pinch of sea salt flakes. it's not quite as rich as the lattes.” the brunette nodded to a small chalkboard resting atop the pastry display. “or, if you're after something summery, there’s an italian caffè al limone. espresso with a bit of lemon zest.”

"it's  a  good  thing,"  caz  assured,  "having  plenty  of  options.  i'm  just  a  simple  one."  there  was  a  small,  quiet  laugh,  mostly  at  herself.  "i  usually  drink  a  black  coffee.  instant  at  that,"  the  slant  to  her  lips  inclined,  "and  at  the  times  i  do  feel  adventurous  i'll  maybe  add  a  flavored  creamer."  the  fact  that  she  wasn't  coffee  savvy  was  likely  even  more  pronounced  with  caz's  ignorance  to  the  café  having  changed  ownership.  it  was  great,  and  impressive,  to  see  a  young  woman  at  the  helm.  "how  long  ago  did  you  buy  this  out?"  the  strawberry  blonde  leant  into  her  curiosity,  her  irish  accent  always  coming  through  in  the  musical  cadence  in  which  she  spoke.

where: cherry street flea and thrift

jibril had entered the thrift store with the intent of "just looking", when in reality he never left one without buying something. it's not long before they find themself perusing the objects, inevitably being drawn in by one. he's currently standing in an aisle holding an almost cartoonish ceramic frog, when he looks up and notices someone trying to get by.

"oh, sorry." they step to the side and their fingers tap lightly against the ceramic as they consider it, a small smile pulling at their lips. "i know it's just a frog, but i think he has a great personality. i'd trust him to watch over my garden, wouldn't you?"

"you're  good,  luv,"  caz  assured  as  she  moved  past  the  male,  the  irish  brogue  still  present  despite  the  years  away  from  home  in  the  states.  truthfully,  the  strawberry  blonde  hadn't  noticed  the  frog  in  his  possession  until  he'd  pointed  it  out  and  her  attention  swung  from  a  vintage  appearing  jewelry  box  on  the  shelf  that'd  reminded  her  somewhat  of  her  grandmother's  to  the  ceramic  in  his  palm.

the morning rush had come to an end in a flash of splattered glasses, flurried hands, and too many pitchers of steamed milk. the last of the early customers sipped their drinks idly in the sand, not quite as rushed as the commuters. an indie pop playlist played softly from the speakers, drifting out onto the beach.

lavinia hummed under her breath while she cleaned, just finishing wiping down the espresso machine when she noticed someone waiting at the counter. tossing the cloth over her shoulder, she approached them. “thanks for waiting, darlin’. what can i get started for you?”

when  it'd  come  to  simple  pleasures  such  as  coffee  caz  usually  enjoyed  them  at  home,  on  the  porch  or  patio  whilst  enjoying  the  quiet,  as  sacred  me  time.  though,  clearly  vulnerable  to  temptation,  the  scent  of  espresso  pulled  the  strawberry  blonde  into  the  clementine  café.  while  the  barista  was  busied  with  tasks  to  keep  the  shop  in  tiptop  shape  her  irish  eyes  perused  the  menu.