Pour 'Em Hot

“Fair enough,” she replied, keeping the distance for the time being in order to remain in control of the situation. This wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to fool her by playing nice first, but she didn’t feel woozy or anything; so even if the tension didn’t leave her shoulder, she allowed the woman a chance to speak.

She laughed, crossing her arms over her chest with a grin.

“Please tell me damn Oogie Boogie did this. I can believe a lot of crazy things, but I think I draw the line at Tim Burton characters.”

Well, that made sense, at least. If she was picking up the woman’s cues correctly, this situation was related to the world of the supernatural. Gabe had seen a lot of bizarre things since she’d opened her bar to nonhumans--so far, this didn’t even make the top ten. Still, it confirmed her suspicion that she needed to tread carefully. Whether the woman in front of her was creature or human, hunter or hunted, she certainly seemed like someone she didn’t want to pick a fight with.

She’s taken aback by the stranger and her abruptness, the hand drumming on the bar stopping its’ movements. The bartender is straightforward. Prudence can appreciate that, likes that she’s not hiding what she means behind pretty words. Slowly, a smile spreads across her face and instead of giving her order and going to hide in the corner, she leans her weight more on the steady structure of the bar. 

“Oh, they all know the rules. Anyone who starts a fight in here without a damn good reason gets a crack on the head and a boot out the door.”

Her shoulders relax, her smile more genuine this time. The girl seemed to know a little bit about what sort of clientele she served, which in her experience only helps matters. It can be an awkward conversation, attempting to explain to a person trained by years of tragedy and bloodshed to destroy anything nonhuman that the people in her bar were friendly--or, at least, weren’t going to outright attack them.

“No straight whiskey, huh?” She feigns shock, eyes playfully wide as she reaches for a glass, “I thought it was some sort of unspoken rule that all hunters guzzled it like it was going out of style.” 

She quickly mixed a drink, pouring it from shaker to glass with the ease of practice, and garnishing it with a freshly cut orange slice.

She returns the laugh, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“I think I’m the opposite. I still feel like I’m so new to this world of the supernatural--” she shrugged with a smile, “I find it all so fascinating. But I can definitely see how slogging through some of the dryer texts for a few years would quickly turn me off of it.”

❝ Zing! I just got you with another one of my trademark ‘complete lies’. ❞

❝ Is this a picture of the internet? ❞

❝ I always thought losing your sunglasses was something that happened to other people. ❞

❝ When I die my entire fortune will be donated to charity, except the $40 billion I will have buried with me. ❞

❝ One time I punched a goose right out of the air. ❞

❝ I will drink every last drop of water on earth. ❞

❝ I know heaven is real because I saw it and abducted an angel. ❞

❝ Sometimes I feel like things would be better off if I never existed. ❞

❝ Whenever I feel sad, I just go down to the wreck of the titanic. ❞

❝ Please, make yourself at home while I silently count down the seconds until you leave. ❞

❝ I’m always open to feedback that I can get defensive about and ultimately ignore. ❞

❝ When I need strength, I turn to the bible or whatever else is around. ❞

❝ So help me God, I’m going to eat one of those multicolored detergent pods. ❞

❝ I wish I could get through to you with a sports analogy, young man. ❞

❝ God has kind of a loose outline for us all. ❞

❝ After another incredible summer, it’s time to put my shirt back on. ❞

❝ You really don’t know who people are until you make a vicious snap judgment about them. ❞

❝ If another country ever started calling itself America, I’d be so pissed. ❞

❝ I’d like to see the government try and take away my trash. ❞

❝ If you want to date my daughter, you’re going to have to date me first. ❞

❝ The only way to get over your fear of the moon is to walk on it. ❞

❝ A woman as beautiful and intoxicated as yourself shouldn’t be drinking alone, my dear. ❞

❝ Aw, fer crying out loud! ❞

❝ I only like movies where the whole cast dances in a little box next to the end credits. ❞

❝ Looking back on my life, I guess my biggest regret is trying to fight that alligator 5 minutes ago. ❞

❝ You might be wondering why I’m wearing a cap usually reserved for playing baseball. ❞

❝ As a failure, I’ve learned to appreciate the little things in life. ❞

“Made fancy work of those,” she nodded toward the already fallen littering the ground as she was busted in her escape attempt, “but if you plan to come after me, you better be quick. At this distance, trust me, the advantage is mine.”

“Relax, amada, I have no interest in getting on your bad side. Not right away, at least. I’d like to at least exchange pleasantries before we try to kill each other.”