m a r i n

"Everyone has their own skills and talents. It's what makes the world go around." Sanjit spoke, "It would take all the fun out of the jobs and passions in the world if we could all do it." At least, that's how Sanjit saw it. When she asked how long it took, he felt his smile grew. She was genuinely interested and he never got bored of talking about wine. "Honestly, it depends." He began, "It's roughly six to twelve months for a small batch, something that would be more homemade and anywhere from one to five years if we want it to be commercially made. But, I'm fortunate to sit on the lower end of the timeline, at least at first. It's get people interested and gives it a sort of novelty that it's not available right away, but gives hope that it will come back later on when we can make more." @marincole

"You're right." Marin laughed. "And I do think that if I were as talented as you are with wine I would be unstoppable." she laughed. "But you have a point." she nodded. She listened, letting the other's words sound. "Wait, to make this wine commercially it takes five years?" she paused. "That's absolutely insane. I feel like it should be the opposite; takes awhile if it's one bottle, but once the right formula and recipe is created, I can't imagine why it would take that long." she shrugged. "Granted, I don't know much about the process of wine making, so I guess I have no real say so." she shrugged. "But I can say, though, you guys are doing a great job here." @sanjitxgupta

"I like the sound of that. We don't want to burn ourselves out." Xavier told her, flashing her a grin. "Mhm, yeah, it is." Xavier answered, "She was standing up there, being bid on by probably one of the oldest guys in the room. He looked like a real creep." He shook his head, "I had to step in and I kept my promise of taking her out on a date and we've been seeing each other a bit here and there." Xavier continued to explain, "You have anyone in your life?" He questioned, figuring they'd might as well get to know one another. @marincole

"I thought so too, but, glad to know that I was right to assume it was a great idea." Marin laughed. She listened, eyes shifting from him to the box, removing a vinyl from the top, giving it a glance and then looking back up at him. "Okay I'm not even someone that thinks relationships are that great but that's kind of cute." she admitted. "It was nice of you to save her, even nicer of you to follow through with it." she admitted. It was only at his question if she had anyone in her life that she exhaled. "In a serious manner? No." she admitted almost too quickly. "I was sleeping with this guy at work, but, we ended things because he's got a girlfriend now. And my ex boyfriend keeps haunting me, but, aside from being tortured by the ghosts of boyfriend's past, no, I can't say I'm too invested in anyone or anything in that manner." @xavierxromano

The words shot back at him from Marin hadn't come as a surprise. Her level of alcohol intake had him knowing the kind of reactions he'd be getting from her. Though, they hadn't always been this way. "Alright." Jasper said, his own personal admittance of defeat as she took large gulps of her drink in front of him. He didn't break eye contact with her either, not until she was finished. "Do you have a way of gettin' home?" Jasper asked, knowing that it was getting close to closing time as another patron slid their cash across the bar to him. @marincole

The eye contact from the man that had once shared a part of her heart was enough to send chills down Marin's back on a normal day. Today, though, it was just enough for her to be that much more annoyed at his presence there even if he was the one refilling her glass. Tossing her head back, she let the glass hit the counter top a little more aggressively than she'd meant, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. "Yeah, these." she answered, shifting so she could attempt to lift her leg over the bar top to show him her feet, the very ones that had carried her here and would carry her home too. "You offering?" @jasperxsinclair

Sanjit chuckled at the woman's words. He understand the want to be right and to not know otherwise. "You are." He nodded his head in agreement. Even when people were not necessarily right, Sanjit enjoyed listening to what they tasted. Wine was a different experience for everyone and that was something that he found great pleasure in. "It comes a little too naturally to me with the job and all," he laughed softly once more. "I think it's just second nature to me now." He admitted to her before nodding his head. "Thank you." Sanjit expressed his gratitude with a smile. "It's new this year, actually. I've been working on it for a while." @marincole

"I wish I had this kind of talent." Though, Marin had talents in other places. She could look at nearly anyone that walked into the tattoo parlor and tell you on the spot which piercings would work with their anatomy or not. Not something she necessarily bragged about, but, a talent others didn't have regardless. "You definitely have the talent for it." she nodded. "I know that's part of the job, but." she paused, shaking her head. "It's not something I could do." she stated. "I'll happily be the taste tester of any of the recipes you want to put into the world." she admitted. "But you say awhile. How long does it take you to come up with something new?" @sanjitxgupta

Mateo took in the sight before him. The woman was practically underneath a giant neon sign. He could not say that he had ever seen anything like it before, if he were being honest. And as a bar owner, Mateo had seen a lot of shit in his time. "Nope, can't say I do." Mateo answered her as he moved closer to her. He looked for a beat, trying to find the best place to grab it. "Here," he began, "let me take it." He figured that would be easier than trying to maneuver with her holding onto it as well. "Where you tryin' to take it?" @marincole

Marin paused, letting herself remain still for only a beat before she shifted, feeling the weight of the neon sign shift as well. "I-" she began to counter, trying to let him take a hold to help her before he ultimately asked her to take it from her. She obliged. Not because she wasn't someone that could handle it - she were an independent woman for a reason - but that sign was heavy. And for once Marin decided not to be too proud to ask for help. Slowly moving so that the sign was lowered, she watched as the other went to grab it. "Up this flight of stairs." she stated. "I'm plastering it right there on that empty wall." she paused. She just hoped that her stair landing was big enough to house it until she could find someone to help her properly hang it up. @mateoxtorres

Jasper looked to Marin, brows raising at her. "Yeah, you know that from experience, or?" He answered before shaking his head. He had his own demons to battle, none of which were any business of Marin but from the words that fell from her lips, he knew that she had not given up holding onto anything either. So, his question was more to goad her than anything as she had been doing to him since the moment she sat down at the bar. Which, a quick glance at the clock told him had not been that long at all. He silently cursed to himself, knowing that the rest of his shift was going to drag on as long as Marin was sitting before him. @marincole

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Marin asked, a raise of her own brow as she looked at the male. Marin never claimed to be someone that could let go of her past, clearly she'd been holding onto how miserable losing Jasper in their past had been. It was the biggest reason she'd made it her own personal mission to keep ruining his life. Or at least his day; she couldn't promise that she made as much of an impact on him as he'd had on her in the end. "You have no right to question what kind of shit I'm still holding onto." she paused, lifting the glass he'd placed in front of her to her lips and pouring it back in a couple of large gulps. not breaking eye contact. @jasperxsinclair

"That sounds great," Xavier said with a nod of his head. Even if it would take a while, he also knew that it wouldn't feel like that at all. Getting lost in music didn't make time drag for him, it never had. "I'm not offended that you didn't, by the way." Xavier started with a huff of laughter passing over his lips. It was an easy one, knowing that they were both just excited about the vinyl records on hand. "I've been good, though. Uh, I've been hanging out with someone new. Do you know the auction that goes on for Valentine's Day?" @marincole

"I figured even if we can only get through one or two a week, I'll come out here on my days off, we'll play them, see what is worth it." she shrugged. She wasn't one that ever thought she'd find herself bonding over music, especially something like vinyl records. Yet, when she'd stepped into Vinyl Fantasy and found herself intrigued by the other's interest in records; music media that she thought had died out years ago; she'd been mistaken. She shocked herself, really, finding a friend in the other she'd even say if she were one to put a label on things. It was only when the other asked about the auctions at Valentine's Day that she nodded. "Yeah, I remember that." she nodded. "Is that where you met the person you're hanging out with?" @xavierxromano

starter for anyone (cap at 1)

location: any neighborhood / anywhere

Minding his own business was something that Mateo was good at, at least when it came to personal information and gossip that coasted around town like it kept it alive. However, when it came to minding his own business in helping someone with something, he had never been good at that. Mateo noticed them well before he was noticed by the other person. Walking over, Mateo took a beat, assessing what was going on. "Excuse me," he called out, "need a hand with that?" He always noticed when someone bit off more than they could chew and while he could have gone and helped without asking, he decided to ask this time around. "Happy to lend a hand if you need."

"No shit." Marin called from somewhere underneath the sign that had taken over the majority of her body. She'd never been known to use money very wisely, not had she been known to sleep in the odd hours of the morning, so, instead she was often scrolling Facebook marketplace or other bidding sites in search of the most unhinged things to purchase. Last night's purchase had been no stranger to that. At two seventeen in the morning she'd driven three hours to some place to pick up this ten foot neon sign with the word PETTY in bright, neon orange letters from some dive bar - one called 'Petty's Place' to be exact - and had driven three hours back when she'd arrived at home, determined to get it to her house above Uptown Books where the sign would add character to her outdoor sitting area. Though she hadn't considered how annoying it would be to get this thing out of public transportation - she really needed to look into getting a car of her own - or up the small stairs that would lead her to the area in question. So, as the other asked if he could help she'd nearly cursed at him on the spot. "Unless you see a tiny girl struggling with giant metal signs on a regular basis around here I think it's safe to say that yes I need help." @mateoxtorres

Sanjit's laughter was soft with her words. "There is a lot of satisfaction in being right." That was a notion that the wine maker could appreciate. As she brought up rose, he felt his smile grow. "Correct again," he offered the congratulations in his tone. "Green apple is very much a cider flavor," he admitted, "but, I wanted to try to make it into a wine. To make it so we could have the flavor but it not be overwhelming. Rose does a good job at making it a bit more muted but not completely erasing it altogether." @marincole

"Especially with me. If I'm not right I don't want to know." Marin admitted, eyes shifting from her wine glass to the other. "I'm on a roll." she beamed, a nod of her head to indicate how happy she was to be right. "I think green apple with wine works fantastically." she nodded. "I'm not one that's too familiar with ciders; don't get me wrong I'm not a prude. I love drinking as much as the next person but memorizing flavors and drink titles isn't something I care about." she shrugged. "I do know though, this is good. Really damn good." @sanjitxgupta

His fingers curled around the empty glass, preparing himself to step away from the train wreck that was likely occurring before him when she spilled her beer. He grunted, reaching for some napkins when her words caused him to pause. There would have been a time in which those comments would have made him laugh, or for him to say something witty in return. Tonight all it did was make his shoulders tense. "Jesus Christ, Marin." The words were filled with more exhaustion rather than irritation. He placed the napkins before her and at the mention of his smile, his expression shifted. He wasn't hurt. He wasn't anger. It felt more complicated than all that. "Yeah, well, maybe it doesn't come around as easy as it used to." @marincole

"Can't say it's the first time I've heard that." Marin spoke, eyes shifting from Jasper to the pile of napkins that had been placed in front of her. She were sure from the outside looking in, all people could see was Marin being an absolutely menace, and she had to admit bothering Jasper was her favorite pastime. Mostly for the sole reason that a small part of her felt like that was the only she could get back at him from the hurt he'd caused her years ago. It wasn't fair to hold a grudge, but Marin didn't find life very fair. It was only once she'd taken a napkin from the counter and dabbed at her jeans, drying the spill when she looked back up at him. Something in her eyes shifted, some might even argue it was pain, but Marin would never admit to that. "Life feels a lot less miserable when you stop holding onto shit, you know." she spoke, as if she had any room to talk. That girl had been holding onto pain for thirty seven years. @jasperxsinclair

"Honestly, with me there's always something on my mind." Marin laughed, leaving out the part where she was thinking about how silly this entire thing was. Sure she'd signed up, and sure she'd showed up, but she was still trying to figure out why people were taking this thing as seriously as they were. "Oh Dax." she nodded. "Short for Daxton. That makes a hell of a lot more sense." she nodded, looking at the other. "My last conversations have been boring." she stated. "Though I did want to keep talking to the last date simply because he had a motorcycle and I really wanted to keep talkin about that, but timer got the best of us." @daxtonxhays

"Hey I do not blame you at all. I would be the same way with someone who had a cool motorcycle or some cool ride." he spoke and before he knew it the timer went off. "Hopefully you can say the conversation this time was not too boring," he winked. @marincole

The straightforwardness of the question hadn't caught him off guard. There was something about the woman sitting across from him that was already different than the rest. He could tell that she wasn't afraid to speak her mind, for better or for worse. "No." Connor answered honestly and it wasn't because he didn't think it were possible. It was because he knew that he had already met his soulmate. She just happened to be someone he couldn't have. "But I don't think there's anything wrong with making the best of the short time you have to talk with someone. Even if it doesn't lead anywhere." @marincole

When he agreed that he didn't believe he'd find his soulmate here, Marin nodded, happy he agreed. Because she didn't either. Only difference was she wasn't even sure she believed in soulmates, much less that she'd ever find hers. It wasn't something she were proud of, but, Marin couldn't help it. She wasn't one that ever found herself settling down. "Glad we can agree on that then." she nodded again, lifting her glass to finish it off as she looked back at him. "I think getting to know people is always nice." she added, though paused as the bell dinged for them to move on. "Thanks for the chat, chief." the given nickname falling off her tongue as she took a step away from the table once she'd stood, her turn to switch out. "Nice to meet you." @connorxbowen

Xavier had just been sorting through some new records at the register when a box was placed atop the counter that stretched from it. His gaze lifted, looking up and landing on his new found friend, Marin. "Hello to you, too." He quipped with a warm smile tugging on the corners of his lips. As the box opened up on the counter, he looked at the first album record that she pulled out of the box. "I don't recognize that one off the top of my head, but I'm happy to go through the box and see what's of good use here. Though, I'm bettin' with your taste, even though you don't recognize some of them, you've got some winners in there." @marincole

"I can almost guarantee I do." she nodded, looking at him as she flipped through a few records on top, picking one that multicolored out and looking at it, as if searching for a name of the band or at least an album title. "Of course I figured we could give them a listen together -" she paused, shrugging. "I know it'll take some time but I want to see what I have worth keeping so I don't have to but it back from you." she paused. "How have you been over the last couple weeks by the way? I guess I should've asked that first." @xavierxromano

Jasper arrived at work, a few minutes early so that he could get a feel for the evening. The bar was lined with patrons, which was not out of the ordinary. He locked up his few belongings and moved behind the bar. It had only taken a few seconds for the air around him to change and then he found himself face to face with Marin. His jaw tightened, just enough to notice. Her slurred words were an indication that she planned to be a pain in the ass for the rest of the night. "Sure, thing." Jasper kept his voice even, not raising it but not lowering it either. Looking up her tab, Jasper's fingers hit the screen a few times before he moved to grab a fresh glass for her. His back was to her as he filled the glass, the liquid flowing from the tap until he turned it off. Gentler than she had slammed her empty glass down, he placed the new drink in front of her. "Can I get you anythin' else?" @marincole

Marin was far too wasted at this point to see the way that Jasper's jaw seemed to tighten as he realized her presence. Something she'd have teased him about a few years ago, but definitely would've hurt her feelings today. Maybe that was her own fault for allowing herself to get so caught up in someone that had tried to tell her from the beginning his intentions, yet, the sting of Maddox Cage leaving hadn't hurt any less. Thus why she was indulging in alcohol to this extremity. Eyes brightly watching as Jasper brought her a drink without her even having to tell him what she were drinking. Something she wouldn't have had to question if she'd been sober minded, but, right now her head was too foggy to think about the fact he'd just looked it up on her tab. With the drink now in front of her, Marin pushed the empty glass towards the other, lifting the more full one in her other hand, spilling a little as she'd decided using her non dominate hand in this moment was smart. The liquid landed on her lap, which caused her to smirk, looking up at the other again. "Nope, looks like you still know how to get me wet, so, that's all, for now." she stated, causing a snicker from one of the girls next to her as she took another sip of the glass in her hand. "Oh, maybe smile a little more, Jaz. Yours was always one of my favorites." @jasperxsinclair

Sanjit slowly nodded his head along to the woman's words. People who created wine had a certain fondness for it. "Now we are getting somewhere. The green apple is there. That's the type of flavor that likes to show up first." He continued, listening to her hesitation between cedar and floral notes. "You're closer with the lavender than the cedar." His smile softened against his lips. "I will say, that is something nice about wine. It's not about being right. It's how five people can taste and all find something a little different." @marincole

Marin let herself nod as she took another sip, letting the liquid linger for a moment as if trying to taste again, wanting to lock in exactly what it was she tasted. "I know the point isn't to be right." she shrugged. "But I find a bit of satisfaction in knowing that I was anyways." she laughed. "Definitely get what you mean tough, the green apple is the most powerful and obvious flavor. If we're being honest I don't think I would like it as much if that flavor underneath didn't help dull it down some." she paused. "Wait -" she paused, giving a sniff test and another tiny sip. "It's rose, isn't it?" she smiled, more confidently this time. "I'm probably wrong because it's not the type of wine I would imagine has rose in it, but, I think that's what makes it work. It's unexpected." @sanjitxgupta

"Honestly, with me there's always something on my mind." Marin laughed, leaving out the part where she was thinking about how silly this entire thing was. Sure she'd signed up, and sure she'd showed up, but she was still trying to figure out why people were taking this thing as seriously as they were. "Oh Dax." she nodded. "Short for Daxton. That makes a hell of a lot more sense." she nodded, looking at the other. "My last conversations have been boring." she stated. "Though I did want to keep talking to the last date simply because he had a motorcycle and I really wanted to keep talkin about that, but timer got the best of us." @daxtonxhays