leaking sunshine

It was a slow day at the vineyard, not having hit the lunch rush quite yet, which meant that Lydia was able to get out on the floor and actually talk to customers instead of putting out little fires everywhere. After noticing an unfamiliar blonde browsing the selection, she decided to move out from behind the counter to offer her assistance -- which, evidentially, was much needed. "Give yourself some credit -- I don't think half the people that come in here even know what a rioja is. I sure didn't until I decided to open up the place," Lydia let out a soft laugh, asking, "let's start easy. What are you trying to pair it with? Like, are you cooking for them or ordering food? Might help narrow it down some."

The moment the other woman started talking she knew that she'd made the right choice in seeking help there. "I know, I know we all gotta start somewhere - I'll take a tiny bit of credit for being a tiny step ahead." Laughter left her lips to match the other's, the next question leaving her somewhat stumped for a moment. Not wanting there to be any awkward silence, Fliss launched into a stream of consciousness. "We hadn't actually discussed food yet but I think it'll be more of a drinks and chill kinda night. Maybe some nibbles but ideally the wine being the like showstopper?" It dawned on her once she had finished speaking her thoughts aloud the minute that they'd popped into her head, that she maybe hadn't been all that helpful in narrowing down what it was she wanted. Apologetic grin is flashed before in a surprise to even herself she settled on at least a colour of wine. "I'm leaning towards a red though."

Emiri smiled in response to Fliss mentioning how she always tried to do the things that made her happy, it was nice to hear, in fact it actually made her feel happy that her friend was able to do that. She would always stand by that being the right thing to do, no, it didn't mean you disregarded how life could get, it simply meant that despite all the shit that surrounded people on a daily basis, some people could still appreciate and find joy in what life had to offer. "Yeah, they really do. Maybe because you're in a different town?" as to why she was overthinking it, Emiri could only guess, after all. "Either way, I still think you should do you." as in her eyes, there was nothing wrong with that in the slightest. She nodded soon after, acknowledging that she knew exactly how Fliss had felt about the festival, especially as she too felt the same. "Yeah I... got out of it all okay, actually. I feel bad for the people that got hurt though, but here's hoping the rest of the year in Tonopah will be smooth." she chuckled lightly, despite deep down knowing that she had that same thought every year. "Do you have any plans for the rest of the year?"

Light hum was given to Emiri's suggestion, shrugging slightly when she was none the wiser despite giving it a bit of thought. "Maybe. Or maybe it's some kind of late quarter life - early midlife crisis." Warm smile was given to the brunette at the encouragement given to continue doing her own thing, knowing she'd never needed reassurance before but it was welcome now. "I'm just glad there weren't more casualties. My fingers will definitely be crossed for a peaceful rest of year." From what she knew of the town's record it seemed unlikely but they could always hope for a better outcome for the remaining months. "I have an interview, actually, at the Tribune - speaking of work. I wasn't sure I wanted to go forward with it but I'd like to stay in town and a job is kinda necessary for that." She chuckled, wondering if she'd just gotten to the core about why she was considering her future so much. But thankfully her decision was made, the blonde content to stay writing the sorts of pieces she always had. "I just think I'll pitch myself as someone versatile instead of hard hitting. What about you? Apart from continuing to kill it as a ridiculously talented tattoo artist, of course."

Abril could take pain, one look at her numerous scars would tell you that. But there was something different about this. Maybe it was because all her previous injuries were expected, they had been results of calculated risks. Brought on herself. And despite some of her closer calls, she had never been truly afraid, as even when blood pooled beneath her, she had felt in control. --- But there was something different about this. As the tent came careening down, with no idea of where it would land or how it would feel if it chose her as it's landing zone, she was afraid.

For most of her life she'd been vaguely aware that she wasn't taken seriously. That her bright, carefree demeanour meant that too often people assumed that she wasn't capable of seriousness. Or that the way she was happy to go with the flow and take things as they come meant that she couldn't be steady and solid when she needed to be. There were times when she'd even doubted her own capabilities herself. But now wasn't one of them. Despite the fact that at any other time the way that Abril spoke to her would have made her baulk and seek a speedy exit, a rare wave of stubbornness ran through her as she knew she was about to ignore the brunette's warning.

"If you're looking for the best party of the year, you've made it." Ella was practically on cloud 9 as they greeted the next person who walked into the Lounge for their birthday party. Their edible had hit, their best friends were having a great time and there were many woman who were vying to be by Ella's side at the end of the night. A true dream come true. "We just refreshed the food bar so your timing is great but we've actually got to take a picture with each other first. I need to have a record of everyone who's here cause I sure as hell won't remember most of this tomorrow."

Excitement and anticipation had been building about the party since Abril had mentioned it and from the moment she had set foot in The Scarlet Lounge she knew that she wouldn't be disappointed. "You can say that again, this looks amazing." A touch of awe was left in her tone, wanting to make sure that her host knew the warm compliment was sincere. "You've got this whole birthday thing figured out perfectly - I always spend so long narrowing down ideas I've got no time to organise anything this cohesive or put together." At the mention of a picture the blonde brightened further, moving next to Ella in preparation. "Oh sure! Any particular pose?"

Gabe chuckled softly, “I do what I can,” he said in response to him keeping the tasting simple for her. Lifting a brow, he glossed over the bit about his superior wisdom, choosing to latch onto how he felt like Fliss might be indicating that she was a bit more of a thrillseeker than he’d originally perceived her to be, “That right? You a bit of a daredevil then?” He asked, just keeping the conversation going, but to also learn a bit more about her. Nodding, he couldn’t help the sheepish grin that formed at the corner of his mouth, “Yeah– what can I say, I’m a hopeless romantic at heart.” At least that’s how he felt when it came to Sawyer– how he’d always felt, really. “It’s definitely a fan favorite,” he continued, happy that Sapphire Blonde was so difficult to keep in stock– it meant business was good, and it meant he’d made something special in honor of someone who was definitely worth that level of hype, and more. “He’s a good time,” Gabe began again, shifting towards the topic of his brother. “He bartends here most nights so I’m sure you’ll run into him eventually. He actually has a goat,” he rambled, finding it easy to settle into the flow of most conversations, “Bert. You might get to meet him one day too.”

Light shrug was given to his question before she elaborated further. "I don't know about daredevil - I do have a little bit of a sense of self preservation - but maybe risk taker. I guess I just think life's too short to be too scared to experience new things. You gotta try something before you know if you like it, right?" The question she posed was almost rhetorical, if Gabe didn't want to answer it she wouldn't push, but there's a curious raise of her brow that hints that she wanted to know more about him and his views on life. She knew she was far from alone in her way of thinking but it was always refreshing to find those who might share it. "I think that's really sweet. You've raised my standards now, anyway, I won't settle until someone creates something in my name." She grinned, mostly joking but there was no denying how nice it was to see that there were still people who were capable of grand romantic gestures, and still love around to spark them. "I can see why. But it wouldn't be fair of me not to give the rest a shot so." With that she took a sip of the next, nodding slightly in approval though it didn't have quite the same appeal as the last beer she'd tried. Before she could relay her finding his words caught her attention, excited gasp given before she looked at him in earnest. "I'm gonna need an introduction to Bert immediately. Maybe you should warn your brother to expect a wild eyed blonde looking for his goat some night soon."

"Please, I completely understand and sympathize with the struggle. I too have been hot and had to go before." He joked, already brightening up a bit in his friend's presence. Fliss had a way of making him feel at ease that he didn't get with many other people -- and, no, it wasn't entirely because she usually made him fun cocktails when he was over. "That good, huh? Well, the fact that it looks all fancy and shit makes me inclined to believe you." Ian took the drink from the blonde's grasp, a low chuckle falling from his lips at her next question. "Uh -- define 'fun'." The words were out before he could stop himself, deflating slightly as he brought the drink to his lips. "I ran into an ex I haven't seen in a while. Zero out of ten, would not reccomment -- oh, this is delicious, by the way." He wanted to get that compliment out there before they got too in the weeds. "What about you? I see you're still alive, unharmed as far as the naked eye can see."

Grateful smile was flashed his way, relieved that she'd been right in thinking there'd be no hard feelings. "See, I just knew you'd get it. Just two hotties with places to be." The blonde laughed before nodding sagely. "Mhm, and I would never lie or exaggerate." Grin spread over her features which said otherwise, when for all her honest nature she had been known to embellish now and again, but the grin turned into one of brief satisfaction when he interjected a compliment. "Oh god, an ex? That does sound zero percent fun but I'm still gonna ask you to tell me more." Sip of her drink was taken, shifting to get herself more comfortable as though she was buckling up for the ride down memory lane she was hoping he'd take them on. "Unharmed physically yes, emotionally? A little shaken, my, uh -" She hesitated for the right word to label her relationship with Abril, ex didn't quite fit and friend felt too hollow for the depth of feelings she held but nonetheless it was the one she settled on. "- friend was trapped but we both got out fine in the end."

It was as if in moments they had been transported to an alien planet.  The entire world was suddenly in shades of yellow and orange, as if she had put on sepia sunglasses.  Her hair, which had been pulled back into a severe ponytail, had begun to whip her in the face and shoulders, leaving a stinging sensation behind.  And that wasn’t even to mention the sand which the wind began to pick up in droves, the air feeling like sandpaper on her skin and in her throat. 

Panic had been the overwhelming emotion, all other thoughts evacuating her brain with the same swiftness everyone charged for the exit. It wasn't until Abril took her hand, centring her, and pulled her toward the exit that she gathered herself enough to shift into action. But they were far from the only ones with that idea, chaos breaking out as the wind whipped around, her own hair in the way as much as the sand. Though her grip on the other's hand was tight, doing everything not to lose her, her efforts were futile as the shifting crowd as she got swept away by the changing tides of the others around them. With no choice but to go with the flow she ended up outside, disorientated and bewildered as she watched a shape that she thought was the tent collapse.

As Aiden balanced his coffee cup on the nearest ledge to enable him to finally put his wallet away, the grip on Bella's leash loosened whilst he messed around, giving his four legged friend a chance to get closer to the woman that had began to give her attention. With her tail wagging excitedly Bella happily accepted the fuss she was receiving; all while Aiden focused more of his own attention on the stranger cooing at his dog as he picked up his cup once more. "Bella," he answered, his expression pulling a smile, "She give you the feel sorry for me eyes?" he chuckled, knowing himself that he fell for them every time. "Works every time eh?" he leaned down just to ruffle the top of Bella's head. "She's been with me for four years, manipulative as they get." he was just joking; he loved his dog more than some people.

Grin brightened once more, cooing over the dog again this time using the name that had been given. "Bella! Well don't you just have the perfect name - beauty by name and beauty by nature." The blonde was somewhat satisfied that she'd succeeding in spoiling the staffy enough ( if the wagging tail was anything to go by ) that she finally decided it'd be rude not to properly acknowledge the owner again. "Oh yeah, she got me good." Slow nod was given before she laughed, hand running over Bella once more, finding herself unable to stop making a fuss over the animal. Mostly because she didn't want to. "And they've been the best four years of your life right? How could they not be with this absolute angel." Her own expression took on a puppy dog quality as she looked up at him again, almost as though she was appealing to him on behalf of Bella. "Is it really manipulation? Who could really say no to this face - it's our failure to resist, she doesn't know her own power."

"Oh good." she smiled brightly; already looking forward to spending more time with Fliss. She found it nice to surround herself with people that just felt good, especially after how hectic the previous weekend had been. While Emiri had managed to escape the sandstorm pretty much unscathed, she knew a lot of people that didn't quite have that same amount of luck. She nodded lightly as she listened to her friend, taking in what she had to say about her work and she soon smiled softly. "Well I think you should do what makes you happy," she says, considering Fliss had mentioned that she wasn't even sure she wanted to find her scoop, "If that's staying as you are, then there's nothing wrong with that." she certainly didn't think that added stress of finding something newsworthy, was worth it. "How did you find the festival last week? Hope you managed to keep safe?"

While Fliss had never been short of friends with a variety of outlooks on life there was something about being around someone who mirrored her brightness. The shared positivity had a way of making her feel like anything was possible and the fleeting anxieties she had would all work out fine. "I've always tried to." The problem usually was that with her natural curiosity and enthusiasm for the world around her almost everything made her happy, at least for a little while until she found the next thing that brought her joy. "I don't know why I'm overthinking it so much this time - everyone needs reminded that there's still plenty little things in life that are good, right?" Little shrug was given but she still looked to the brunette for her reaction, trying to gauge if they both felt the same way. "I had a great time, well until, you know." Slight grimace was given at the vague mention of the sandstorm before she continued. "But I got out with barely a scratch, I was lucky really. Hope you were too?"

Beau had promised he'd grab some ice cream to restock the freezer at the clubhouse, but it seemed like everyone else in Tonopah had the same idea. He joined the abnormally long line, resigning himself to scrolling on his phone in the meantime until the ruckus picked up at the front of the line. He hadn't caught everything, but he saw the end result and his laughter sputtered out of him, forcing him to cover his mouth with his hand to keep from drawing attention to himself. His laughter grew at the puns the woman beside him whispered. "I'm with you; seems to me like they should get straight to the pint and call it quits," he snickered under his breath. "Or maybe eating their ice cream'll help rum raisin their spirits." He furrowed his brows. "Okay, that one's not good. Who even eats rum raisin these days?"

Excitement had sparked in her eyes the moment that he'd begun to entertain her puns, growing into enjoyment as he indulged her by joining in. Their attempts at subtlety was quickly ruined by the laughter that bubbled up, hand brought up to her mouth in a belated attempt to hide it. Quick glance was cast outside, relieved to see that the couple had moved on. "It looks like they've gone somewhere else to chill out. Wonder if they'll realise that they're really nuts for each other or they'll top it all off with a break up." Grin was on her features, unable to resist throwing in a few more references into her curious ramble. "No but it's almost so bad it's good. But I'm cone-fident you can do better."

Valentina had only come to the Black Rabbit for her own research. After wallowing in her mixed emotions for a total of 24 hours she knew she had to get out there and have a plan. Her father's absence would leave a bigger hole than anyone in town would realize and if she didn't start studying what she was up against then she'd fall behind. She turned to the blonde and gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I wish I had more time for dates with myself. Doesn't happen as often as I'd like," she told her and glanced at the menu in her hands. "Actually I've only been here once before myself so maybe we can try something new together," she offered, thinking to herself that the other woman looked familiar. "I'm thinking something with tequila, just the kind of mood I'm in tonight. What about you?"

There was a sage nod given at the response and an attempt at reassuring words followed. "It can be hard to find the time for it sometimes." Not an issue she was having at the moment when she was really making most of the free part of freelancing. But she found herself wondering for a moment what the other woman did, the brief intrigue set aside for excitement the moment the offer is extended her way. "Yeah? I'd love that - tequila sounds perfect." Grin beamed on her featured before she moved in a little closer, conspiratorial tones leaving her lips. "To be honest, I'll try anything once so it'd have taken me way to long to even decide what spirit let alone narrow it down to just one drink. You've already saved me." Light, self deprecating laugh was given before eyes turned to the menu. "Looks like they've got a good ole margherita and a spicy one as well, but then there's a paloma too." The blond hummed in consideration before realising that she had been rambling on to her new companion without so much as an introduction. "Oh, I'm Fliss by the way."

A condescending pat on the shoulder, a folded hundred slyly slipped into his palm, and all was well. Not that she really gave him a choice otherwise, as soon as the hundred had left her own palm, she was ushering Fliss on through. Abril had learned early on that between a good bribe and not giving someone too long to think about it, one could get away with almost anything. --- Besides, a crisp hundred was a very cheap pay off for the debt she owed. Because that's was this was, a way to repay Fliss for going through the trouble of tracking the real author of the article down. Nothing more.

There might have been a pang of jealousy at how effortlessly Abril dealt with the bouncer but instead she only found herself in awe of the smoothness of it all. The ease might have been enviable but the blonde realised she'd found yet another thing to admire in the brunette. Even with decades of practice she doubted she could ever be as self assured, not when her brand of self confidence leaned more towards endless positivity that it'd all work out rather than the sleek confidence the woman next to her always seemed to exude.

Location: Lavished Lacquer

Bright grin was given in greeting to the now familiar brunette before she nodded in response. "I wanted some highlights touched up and to be honest I was way overdue a trim." Appointments slipped her mind more often than not until she couldn't put them off any longer. "Absolutely!" Excitement only grew at the idea of the two of them spending more time together. "It'd be rude to waste our perfect hair day by just going home - do you have anywhere in mind? There's a couple of places I still wanna try."