𝐞𝐯𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧.

"Thank you." Noah nodded, looking around the shop a little. "Not yet. I was supposed to be opening at the end of the month, but things are taking a little longer. I'll deffo hit you up if I need some help though." he smirked, turning back to Evren.

Now there was only one real reason Noah was here, and it wasn't for a tatt or to get help opening his shop. He cared about his sister. More than anything, and as much as it pained him that she was still with this guy, he was going to have to deal with it for the time being. "How is Neena anyway?" he asked, unable to resist bringing her up. Deluding himself into thinking he was going to catch Evren out, and have a real reason for hating the man.

"Opening businesses takes a lot." he admitted. "I was lucky with this place; the guy I was an apprentice for decided to sell so I just bought it but, it was a lot of work getting everything switched over." he shrugged. It really was a lot, but he assumed Noah had figured that out by now. "So trust me when I say I'm right down the street and will help with whatever, that's not a lie." he shook his head. Though there was a small part of him that was using it to get on Noah's good graces, he really sincerely didn't mind helping. "Good luck with all of that." he nodded, looking at the other.

The mention of Neena made Evren smile and he nodded. "She's fantastic. Feisty as ever." he admitted though he probably shouldn't have said that out loud. "You should call her. Meet up with her for lunch or something I'm sure she'd like that." he shrugged. "I promise I don't keep her away on purpose."

"I'm not." he shook his head, giving her a look before looking at the shelf again. "I'm not a good cook, but, I'm certainly not picky. I'll eat anything that won't eat me first." he admitted, a small chuckle following. He knew that in most cases there was always a solution for something else. Spaghetti in a can, frozen pizzas, chicken and veggies. Though he'd never thought about the potential of frozen lasagna. In all of the time he'd been buying things to cook in the oven like that lasagna had never crossed his path. "Oh, actually that might be best." he stated, nodding as he took a step back as if to give the idea more thought. He certainly wasn't one that cooked well, and while he wasn't even sure he felt ready to attempt to tackle lasagna, he'd been ready to try. "I'm not sure something with a lot of steps is something I should mess with honestly." he stated. "The goal is for it to be edible; if I spent all that time cooking for it to not turn out I'm sure I'd just be pissed off at the end of it all." he added. "Do you have a brand or a preference of which is the best? I'd like to at least get one that's not going to taste like rubber."

He reached out, firmly gripping the man's hand and shaking lightly. Keeping eye contact with Evren as he did so. His expression still fairly plain. "Glad you understand." He muttered. Pulling his hand back and resting it on the desk in front of him.

"And I sincerely hope the best of your ability is good enough." As Noah said it he heard how it sounded. Even if he did try and speak with a lighter tone than before. He wasn't here to threaten the man, not this time. "Look. I'm opening a bar in town soon, just down the road from here. It's almost ready, and I'm having a small, opening party thing. If you wanted to come? I know Neena would want you to be there." The offer was genuine, but maybe a small part of Noah was also just trying to save face here. Specifically his.

He listened as his girlfriend's brother spoke. They had never been on the best of terms before, and the fight in the bar had been no denying that. But, at least in this particular instance they could manage it with no issues, at least for now. As the other shook his hand, Evren nodded. There was no need for a response, just like there was no need for an argument. He knew how he felt about Neena and he knew that he would do anything to keep her safe. Maybe one day her family would believe him.

"Oh, congratulations." he nodded, hands in his own pockets. "If you need any help or anything with set up or anything, feel free to stop by or reach out and I'll swing by and do what I can." he nodded. "You have an opening date yet? I'll be sure to come by and check it out."

Evren was honestly overwhelmed. A lot more overwhelmed then he felt like he should be for someone his age that also was responsible for a child. He had never been one that cared much for learning how to cook, and despite the fact there were a few years between him growing up and going to jail, he'd never been above frozen food or something from the diner. But now, well, now he had to be responsible and feed Layla, he was trying to branch out a little more. He exhaled as the other asked what he was looking for and he paused, turning to look back at her. "Okay, well." he paused, looking back in front of him and then back at her. "My goddaughter came home from school the other day and said that she really liked the lasagna that they made. I've never made lasagna before, don't even know what I need, but, I did get someone at school to tell me what I needed, but all they said was 'the sauce' and I know it's red. But all I'm seeing is pizza sauce." he shrugged. "I don't even see a spaghetti sauce or anything."

Her apology - while sincere - was unneeded. Evren shrugged it off, eyes focusing on the other for a moment before he shook his head. "It's alright. That's what I get for standing in the middle of the aisle looking like a dumbass." he laughed, taking a step closer to the shelves. "I am on a mission. My goddaughter is a picky kid and apparently has fallen in love with the lasagna she had at school. I asked if it was some special kind and they said that all of their food is freshly made, which not only shocked me but also made me realize she'd probably eat better if I made homemade things." he exhaled. "But all I see here is spaghetti sauce, I don't see anything that's specifically for lasagna." he exhaled. "Please tell me I'm not an idiot and that I'm not standing here looking for something that doesn't exist."

Noah caught that familiar whiff of tension in the air the moment he laid eyes on Evren. He wasn't here to fight though, and had to constantly remind himself of that fact. Something about the man's face just made him want to punch it, but he couldn't. He wasn't that guy any more.

"Possibly." Noah said blankly. He had a couple of pieces of ink all over his body, and was usually pretty particular about who laid needle to his skin, but in this instance, and for the sake of peace, he might be willing to let Evren have at it.

"I actually sort of came here to talk, dude. To you." As if that part wasn't obvious. "I've been gone a couple of months, and I know we didn't exactly leave things on the best of terms last time..." he shrugged, not the best of terms being a true understatement. Slowly looking up at the man in front of him. Swallowing every ounce of pride he had.

"I wanted to apologise. For how I was." It was almost nice, the way Noah put it, but of course, he couldn't leave it at just that. "I mean, I don't trust you as far as I can throw you, still. But I'm trying to not be such a, hot head?" Dick being his preferred term of phrase, but hot head also worked.

"So, what do you say, we good?" Noah asked. Unable to quite read how the other man was about to react. Hoping he wouldn't make this more dificult than it had to be.

To say that Noah Dunn was the last person he wanted or expected to see in his shop was an understatement. Something about the other coming in here made his skin crawl, but, one thing about Evren Osman was that he wouldn't show his ass at work unless he had to. At least, not for anyone but Neena, but, that wasn't information anyone needed to know. He was professional before he himself was a hot head, and for a split second, he applauded he other for coming there to talk to him; but only for a minute. He couldn't go out here and boost the other's ego just yet. Not without knowing why he was here to begin with.

"I gathered as much, man." he nodded, a bit of snark in his voice when the other admitted he was there to talk. Evren didn't want an apology. Sure, it'd be nice but, Evren wasn't one that typically let apologies change his opinions anyways. Sadly for Noah Dunn the likelihood of this changing his opinion of his girlfriend's brother was slim; at least for now. There was too much to prove between the two of them still. "We didn't." he agreed as he listened, eyeballing the guy at the front desk who took the opportunity and the look on his bosses face to leave the area, leaving Evren and Noah truly alone. Yet, instead of taking the chance to speak first, he listened, letting the other get a word in. The apology was nice, and while it wasn't something he'd expected, he could take one when he heard it.

Extending his hand to shake the other's, Evren nodded. "I get it. You just want the best for your sister and as an older brother, I understand that." he nodded. "But I wasn't lying when I said what I said before. About treating her properly." he stated. "Regardless of how anyone else sees our relationship, Neena's one of the very few things that I care about in this world and as long as I have a say so, she's gonna be cared for to the best of my ability." he stated. "I can promise you that." he exhaled, removing his hand and placing it in his pocket.

A shake of his head answered the question long before Evren's lips could, but he paused, eyes focused on the other as he exhaled. "I'm not too picky." he admitted. "A weekend in the mountains shut in watching the snow means just as much to me as a week on the beach." He'd spent so much time locked up in jail that he wasn't one to take freedom for granted. He'd learned through the years that he wasn't picky; he was just happy to make the decision of what he could and couldn't do on his own time. Though another nod of his head indicated he understood how hard it was to run a business. It was a hell of a lot harder than Evren ever thought. Shit ton of paperwork and an ungodly amount of complaints, but, it was a passion for him and therefore that made it worth it. "I know how that goes; though, mines not generational. Found out I had a talent in prison and kind of ran with it."

This already felt like a bad idea, but after his talk with his sister Noah knew he had to clear the air with her boyfriend if he ever wanted to have a chance of things being okay again. The last time he saw the guy they were throwing hands in the middle of a fucking strip club, of all places. Now, sober as a stone and heading to Evren's place of work, Noah was hoping things wouldn't end with him covered in bruises this time.

He stepped through the door of the tattoo parlour and headed right up to the desk. Not seeing anybody right away, he called out "Hey, you guys doing walk-ins?" Unsure if Ervren was even there, but sure enough letting the guy touch his skin with a tattoo needle before they could clear the air was pretty damn unlikely.

With a nod of his head, the guy at the front desk grabbed the appointment book. "We do. And we've got an opening in about five minutes, bossman's just finishing up." they stated, nodding towards the book for the person to sign in with their name and contact info. "You know what you want to get? Or?" they paused, eyes focusing on the other as Evren finished up their client, moving to the front desk and noticing Noah standing there. Exhaling, he waved his former client out the door before he looked at the book. "You here for a tattoo?" he questioned, raised eyebrow as the tension seemed to grow now that they were in the same room again.

When: Early Afternoon

Who: Anyone ( Capping at 4 )

Laurel maneuvered the cart carefully through the aisles of Anderson’s, her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter perched comfortably in the child seat, clutching a small stuffed bunny. The store wasn’t particularly busy, which made it easier for Laurel to browse without feeling rushed. The familiar hum of soft pop music playing overhead brought back memories of growing up in this town, and she couldn’t help but feel a small pang of nostalgia. "Laß uns sehen, was wir als Nächstes brauchen," Laurel said to her daughter with a warm smile, switching effortlessly to German. She scanned the shelves, glancing down at her list. "Milch haben wir schon. Wie wäre es mit ein paar Äpfeln? Magst du die roten oder die grünen?"

Her daughter giggled, her tiny voice chiming back in German, "Die roten!" Laurel chuckled softly, grabbing a bag of apples and placing them into the cart. She turned down another aisle, her mind distracted by thoughts of settling into her new home and making it feel like theirs. Her daughter was babbling something about the bunny wanting bananas, and Laurel laughed, playing along as she pushed the cart. "Banane für kaninchen? Natürlich, das können wir machen," she teased, her attention split between her daughter’s antics and the grocery list in her hand. As she turned a corner, she didn’t notice the figure in front of her until it was too late. The soft bump of the cart against someone’s side brought her back to reality.

Evren was scanning the aisle for the contents for lasagna. He didn't know the first thing about making lasagna, all he knew was the Lyla had eaten it at school and it had been the only thing he'd ever known for her to ask seconds of, so if he could figure out how he'd make it once a week if it meant her eating and gaining weight. His eyes were scanning the contents of sauces - of course he'd found one labeled specifically for spaghetti, and one for pizza - but lasagna sauce was no where to be seen, and of course in true Evren fashion he didn't know the first thing about cooking. He'd let out a few huffs, growing louder with each one, but sadly no one had joined him so he couldn't exactly ask. And he'd never leave the aisle because truthfully he'd never make his way back.

He'd shifted, taking a look on the opposite aisle as he heard someone approaching and he was waiting, trying to determine how much information he could get from the other before he was immediately hit with the cart, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "It's alright." he admitted with a shrug. "Kind of my own fault for standing in the middle of the aisle."

"A vacation sounds fantastic. You have a place that you prefer?" he questioned. He wasn't one that was able to really take a lot of time off, and in the rare occasion that he was, he usually just stayed home, smoked entirely too many cigarettes and watched entirely too much tv. There were the days he'd take his niece, Lyla, to the park or spend some time with Neena, but, most of his vacations weren't too exciting. "Oh, I imagine owning a winery is exhausting." he admitted. "You grow up on the winery or was it something they started later in your life?"

When Lacey said she wanted to do their sister outing at Birdie, Ash was a little hesitant. Golfing? That didn't really sound all that fun. But Lacey had sold her on the idea with two words; day drinking. Ash was on her way back to their bay when, as she turned a corner she collided into a stranger. The next thing she knew, she was holding two mostly empty cups. It seemed some ended up on the floor, while some was on the stranger. "I'm so sorry!" Ash gasped, looking around for napkins and mentally cursing herself for not getting any when she was at the bar. "If you come to the bar with me I'm sure they can get us a wet rag, and I'll buy you a drink to make it up to you"

Coming out to Birdie had been a bit of a 'team building' exercises that Evren had suggested close to the holidays. And now that the day was there for the team to all go, there was a small part of him that was trying to figure out why he'd agreed to come golfing. Sure, he was kind of good at it, even if there was no competition to be good. He'd been farther ahead than the rest of the team for most of the game and had agreed to go to the bar to grab himself some drinks along with the others, yet, when he found himself colliding with someone - their drinks and his own being smashed at the collision - he closed his eyes. "It's alright." he stated, though his voice was a little more irritated than he actually was. "I'd normally say I'm not worried about it, but." he exhaled. "I guess I should probably care a little more than I normally would and get cleaned up, yeah."

Nodding at the other's comment, Evren smiled. "I get that completely." he stated. Granted, most of Evren's days were spent at the tattoo studio or picking up Lyla and going back to his trailer - or Neena's place depending on the day - and that was typically the extent of his day. Sometimes he'd find himself at the park or at one of the local food joints when he was too lazy to turn on his oven, but, most of the time he was in one of two places. "I'm always running around, so when I get the chance to settle I definitely don't take it for granted. Even if that was usually in Neena's bed, he wasn't going to share that with the other. "What have you been getting into? Anything in town that makes you curious enough to keep going back?"

Where: The Garden

When: February 2025

"Hey man," Finn said as he reached out for a handshake with Evren. Though they barely knew one another, Finn knew Neena and figured he'd get to know his old friend's boyfriend. "How's it going?"