Keanu

"as you should be," charlie nodded his head in agreement over keanu's name. charlie was a much more common name than the one keanu had been bestowed, but even so, they both felt like they belonged in their names adequately. while charlie had never been an academic, learning fun little facts such as the origin of tipping was something that greatly interested him - and particularly in the way that he had learnt it from such an attractive individual. he didn't have much more to say on the topic, but he was glad that keanu had shared their knowledge with him nonetheless. "well thanks for letting me know," he smiled. "that's super interesting," he voiced again. "maybe we can start a revolution here, get it back to the old ways," he suggested, though only half-heartedly; charlie didn't actually have any plans to work on the way tipping happened, not even when it would have been smartest to go back to how it was done originally. he laughed at the way keanu teased him. "honestly, with you in the crowd, i would have tried my hardest anyway," he flirted. "don't take my tip back now that you know that, though," he softened the flirting with a joke, not wanting to come on too strong like he so often was told he did.

Keanu was amused at the idea of actually changing things when it came to tipping. They certainly had the funds to tip blindly but Keanu wasn't sold that Shrike was the kind of place for that sort of forward thinking or maybe more accurately historic thinking. "You work on the service end of things and I'll be sure to put my money where my mouth is," Keanu joked. Keanu was used to being flattered and the flirtation didn't go unnoticed by them. It'd been a while since they'd been flirted with and they blamed it on the podunk town they were in. There was not nearly enough fish for Keanu's liking though they didn't mind who they swam up next to this evening. "I wouldn't dream of it," Keanu insisted before taking a nonchalant sip of their beverage. "That twenty's got a very valuable number on it just so you know," Keanu added as the nudged towards the bill that was now in Charlie's possession. Keanu didn't really care if Charlie did get ahold of them later but the flirtation now was keeping Keanu occupied and they really were the type to live in the moment. "It really is a shame you've got to get back to work."

"That's why you've gotta know good people in this place," Chandler advises them. "When you've gotta make your own entertainment, the people you're with makes it or breaks it," she says. "What kind of stuff are you into? What do you like getting up to?" She asks them, assuming that they're not a competitive athlete like herself, which in turn is Chandler assuming that she can't help them all too much with suggestions on how to keep themself busy outside of the mall. "That makes sense," she agrees with Keanu at their comment about the drinks not mixing well. She makes a note to not mix anything too different if she continues to drink, though she doesn't plan on a wild night. "My best friend works at Julio's, so it's usually pretty good for me other there," Chandler understands why it might not be Keanu's scene, however, from judging their appearance and attitude so far - and she doesn't think this is a bad thing. "Sometimes I find the customers a little old, though," she admits.

While there wasn't much Keanu was lacking in life they weren't nearly as well connected as they once were in Miami. It seemed that you had to have lived in Shrike your entire life to have any sort of credentials here and that just wasn't Keanu's story. "This place isn't exactly welcoming to newcomers," Keanu admitted. That was why they were constantly making their own fun with those who happened to be around more often than not. "Oh you know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. I like going out and having a good time. Been getting into abstract art a lot lately too," Keanu explained. There were plenty of other ways Keanu liked to spend their time but talking about lavish bubble baths and skincare didn't lead to conversation. "Julio's sounds like a hometown favorite around here," Keanu observed. They'd only heard good things about the place. Keanu was more used to spending time in clubs that the bar really wasn't their speed but they'd learned to make do with what was available. "That's exactly why I'm not there right now. The crowd's too old this early in the night. I probably would've gotten stuck drinking some beer."

Keanu watched as Danny order himself another round. They briefly looked down at their own cocktail that they weren't finished with when he asked the question. A smile crept onto Keanu's face before taking a long sip of their drink to help dwindle down the liquid. "Well I haven't got any other plans for the evening," Keanu began. "Why do you ask? Are you just enthralled with the conversation we've been having?" Keanu teased. They weren't sure if the other was actually lightening up or not but they figured this was the best way to test his mood.

Photography by Jordan Munns

" yeah , we are close , " akito told them . they'd always been proud of the fact that they were a good big brother to momoko , and a close one , too . while some siblings thought it embarrassing to call a relative a best friend , akito was also proud to call momoko one of his . the pride associated with them being a good brother was no longer as strong , as they had failed their little sister by not being able to save her from her attacks , but the pride he they felt when thinking of her being friend wasn't something that could ever be changed . " that's good to know , " akito wasn't an avid drinker , or someone who went out to establishments like angel's or julio's very often , so it was genuinely good information to learn from keanu - even though it was likely subjective , where had the best drinks . " i would have thought more people would go to julio's for a good drink , as their focus is pretty much just on the drinks , you know ? " while julio's had performances there , too , they were very different on the scale of performance . akito wasn't bringing it up because he didn't believe keanu , he was mostly only bringing the idea up as a talking point .

"I wouldn't know what that's like. I'm an only child," Keanu explained. They quite liked being an only child and rarely thought about what it might've been like to have a sibling. They had plenty of friends growing up to fill any void that might've been caused by being raised alone and they certainly hadn't minded the spoiling that came with being an only child by their parents. Keanu could see the point he was making but didn't agree. "Some of the best drinks I've ever had have come from restaurants," Keanu explained. They'd done plenty of drinking in their day to support the claim. "Julio's doesn't do anything special they're just run of the mill if you ask me," Keanu went on. Even though Keanu hadn't picked their drink tonight they were used to the cocktail menu that Angel's provided that featured a lot more variety than Julio's did not that Keanu really had a bone to pick with the other establishment. Julio's still beat out the other options in town by being in the mall. Keanu rarely ventured downtown and when they did they didn't bother in places like Creepie's or Wastoid. Keanu really only occupied the CBD and had since they moved to Shrike.

Keanu smiled at the question. Even though they'd been in town for over two years now they hadn't really acquired a friend base in Shrike Heights. Instead Keanu sought out cheap thrills with temporary people. "Anyone who knows how to have a good time," Keanu put simply. "The nightlife here is terrible but I've still been able to find a few people who know how to party," Keanu went on. Even though Keanu had high standards they had to lower them significantly after moving to Shrike Heights.

"ah, well like well not well like well, gotcha," marty nods in understanding. he appreciates that keanu doesn't mind answering his questions, or that they at least are answering his questions and helping him to expand his knowledge, regardless of how they feel about doing so. "it's expensive, though," marty argues, having guesses about keanu's finances due to everything he's seen so far, and guessing that they're very different to his own, different enough to not think about the fact that some people can't afford a top shelf lifestyle. "especially when i was younger," he says, as if he's not still young, and baby faced enough to prove it. "the best i could get was cheap," he states. "oh-" he reacts to keanu ordering him a luxury drink of his own. "are you sure?" marty has experienced kindness before, but nowhere near enough to be used to it, or to feel entitled to it. "thanks," he settles, excited to try the drink.

"Exactly there's nothing well about them, they taste awful," Keanu insisted. They already didn't like whiskey much to begin with so they couldn't imagine drinking the cheap stuff. Keanu had always grown up with wealth so they were used to the finer things from a young age and couldn't relate to their fellow patron but they understood where he was coming from. "Were you even able to drink when you were younger?" Keanu asked jokingly. They were terrible at guessing ages and even though Keanu was quite vain they could tell the man was much younger than themself. "I'm positive," Keanu insisted as they took another sip of the drink they had before them. "Everyone should get the chance to try the good stuff at least once in their life."

Keanu was certainly no angel but they'd take the title if given to them. They were doing a kind act after all when they could've instead called the cops on the person passed out in their yard. Keanu had woken up on the right side of the bed this morning and didn't see the need to get cops involved. They were busy enough as it is with all the crime this little town had afoot. Keanu hadn't actually been looking to hear this woman's story for the evening but they weren't surprised by what they heard. It was a classic story and one that many of their friends had told a time or two in their past. Never Keanu though, despite being a partier they never truly loved to be fully out of control that was why they hosted as many parties as they did. The clean up was something they could always pay for and they never had to worry about finding a bed to sleep in. "Well next time try to make it someone else's grass. I've got landscapers and it's not part of their job to remove people from my lawn," Keanu explained. Even though Keanu's home was modest by Keanu's standards they still kept up with the outside of the estate and wanted it to be one of the prettiest in the CBD if they could help it. "You might've. I certainly party," Keanu began. Her face wasn't ringing any bells but then again few people in Shrike had made it to Keanu's permanent memory. "The name's Keanu," they introduced (or reintroduced) themselves.

"The liquor selection is weak, but whatever this punch is is good," Keanu explained having already gotten their hands on the refreshment table before Zeke had arrived which they now led the both of them back towards. There was of course plenty of beer available but that wasn't Keanu's drink of choice so they hadn't even bothered to mention it before they got there. "My week's been fine, I'm glad it's over," Keanu began before smiling at the question. "I don't think we've talked about it before. I tend to do what I want from day to day but if you're asking what I do for work I'm in charge of keeping the mall gorgeous," Keanu explained. That was putting it broadly but they figured that Zeke didn't actually care to know about the meetings about what fake plants should go out for which season and what design should be placed over the not yet occupied spaces in the mall.

"Yeah, you're right there," she nods her head, Keanu growing on them the more they spoke - though it's not like Chandler wasn't a fan of theirs before now. "I think that's the only reason to be grateful for the mall; you couldn't find a hell of a lot of variety in this town beforehand," she says this like Keanu knew Shrike Heights before the mall, but even though they don't, it also works in informing the other of what it was like pre-mall. "It's actually quite nice," she answers. "I think these kinds of drinks," cream based ones, she means, "get a bad reputation for no reason at all. Well, maybe not no reason, but I think as I'm not just throwing them back like there's no tomorrow I'll be just fine," she chuckles. "Usually I'd be over at Julio's," she tells them. "So the whole experience is kind of new for me."

"I can only imagine. There really doesn't seem to be anything to do in this place that isn't in the mall," Keanu agreed. They'd arrived very shortly before the mall had been constructed and those first few months were terribly boring for Keanu. They were forced to throw themselves into the work that they'd come to town for simply because they had nothing else to do. Small town life really didn't suit Keanu and it still was taking some adjustment to this slower pace of life that they'd stumbled into some two years later. "I think that's where they get their bad reputation. They don't mix well with other drinks," Keanu followed up before taking another sip of the minty beverage. "It's a good thing I don't plan on having too many drinks tonight." Keanu had no real plans for their evening but they didn't expect to have a late night so the drink suited them just fine. "Julio's is sad this early in the night. I only head over that way once the bar is alive," Keanu explained. They didn't mind grabbing a drink at Angel's early on. The atmosphere was more laid back by nature and they weren't stuck drinking with the sad day drinkers that were just beginning to wrap up at Julio's for the evening.

"Trust me, you wouldn't be eating that orange slice if it was cut this morning," Keanu explained taking note that the other was eating his garnish. There was nothing worse than dried out citrus. That went against all the appeal the fruit had. "This place gets busy, I've been in when it's full," Keanu said coming to the establishment's defense. Even though Keanu wasn't terribly attached to Angel's he still believed it made the best drinks. "That all depends on the night," Keanu began. "If I'm with the right people I don't mind migrating to wherever they choose." Keanu liked to follow the party and they had no shame in that. Tonight, however, considering they were alone and not with company that seemed too thrilled to make their acquaintance Keanu planned to stay where they were for the night.

My Fake Boyfriend (2022, dir. Rose Troche)

Reed supposed Keanu was right. But he personally didn't read too much into it. He smirked and shook his head at that. When Keanu asked for clarification, Reed nodded. "Mhm," he said, putting his beer down for a moment. "Electronic, kinda experimental. Looking to make some music you'd hear in a sci-fi movie soundtrack," he said. Then they were talking about Keanu and he smiled. "Big shot from Miami, huh? You must really know people here then, if they pulled you out to the middle of nowhere," he said, raising his brows a little. "So you've got one foot out the door already, I take it. Any idea where you'll go next?"

Keanu hadn't expected to sit down next to someone so nerdy when they picked their seat at the bar. Sci-fi movies weren't exactly Keanu's cup of tea but they frequented the cinema enough that they'd seen a few of the biggest films in that genre over the years. "So it sounds like you want to be the next Toto?" Keanu joked referencing their work on Dune. "I'll admit I've always been a bigger fan of the stuff they release on their own." Keanu took a moment to sip at their drink in front of them before nodding their head. "I did for a time. My father was one of the head architects for the construction of this mall. He's moved back home and is onto bigger and better projects already," Keanu explained. It'd been the man who'd gotten Keanu their job in the first place. "I haven't decided yet. Maybe I'll continue westward to L.A. or return to Miami. That'll always be my home," Keanu expressed. They weren't actively looking for new employment but if another opportunity fell into their lap they'd be sure to take it.

"Rum is good. A piña colada is one of my go tos. It's great for a hot summer night and is nice and flashy in presentation," Keanu explained. They'd always been drawn to party drinks and really the only reason Keanu went for higher end liquor in their drinks was because they had the money to do so not because they could truly taste the difference in a fruity blended drink like the one they'd just ordered.