no, not today.

"yeah," randy shrugs, performatively nonchalant. "maybe. i'll check my calendar. when do you open again?" looks at his own nonexistent wristwatch. "crap, you're timing me now?" but all tomfoolery aside, there's serious matter on the line. randy exhales sharply through the nose, a visible shift in his demeanour. why is he suddenly feeling so awkward about this? see, this is why he doesn't like this serious talking thing. let him joke around, disassociate a little. but he's trying to be better at communicating. and the fact that she kinda stood him up the other day has been swirling around his mind more than it probably should. "i..." clicks his tongue. "guess i wanted to make sure that everything's fine? with you? and that it's not, like, crazy weird between us now that we've.. ? pff. yuh."

the very thought of him wanting to talk about what happened with them made her want to shove drumsticks in her ears. she clocked a set from the corner of her eye and honestly considered it for a moment. "nope," she held up her hand to him, before he had a chance to finish what he was saying. not that he said much of anything at all. "no, we're not doin' that. nothing happened." if her drunkenly taking him back to her place after a long night at alibi was the same thing as 'nothing' now. and in the moment maybe, maybe, she agreed to see him again. but she knew that was a mistake about five minutes before she needed to leave to meet him. "there's nothing between us, so you don't need to worry about a thing."

birch walks around from behind the counter, a giddy excitement in her steps. she couldn't have asked for a better distraction from this miserable day. "wait, i'm sorry, cami. let me just-" she cleared her throat, stood taller and plastered her perfectly curated customer service smile on her face. "welcome to string and brass, home to all your musical needs. how can i service you today?" a pause. "is that better?"

Open starter: Any male muse Location: Alibi Dive

cem was known for loitering around alibi dive on his days off. if the right bartender was working he could usually convince them to give him a few free drinks under the table. he sat lazily in one of the corner booths, nursing a bottle of beer as he watched the end-of-workday crowd begin to filter into the dive bar. he didn't like to stay drinking alone for long, but he'd gotten pretty talented at picking up a stranger for light conversation, or wherever else the evening might take them. his eyes snapped to her as she entered the bar. she was pretty, and he liked the way she moved around the dive bar like she knew the place already. after working here for 6 months, cem still suffered from face-blindness when it came to their regulars. he waited a full sixty seconds before he got up from his booth and casually walked across the bar towards her, perching himself on a barstool a couple along from where she sat. it didn't take long for her to flash him a smile. he raised his hand in a small wave, before throwing back what was left of his beer. with her permission, he stood up, waving to the bartender on shift to pass him another beer, before back down next to his new friend. "hey," he greeted, holding out his hand to her. "cem altan," he smiled as he introduced himself.

val slams the now mostly empty plate back onto the counter, looking him dead in the eye. "yes, cem. i was trying to hit you. because the brain damage you endured upon being spin-kicked across the room as a toddler wasn't enough." she turns her attention to the kitchen for a split second. "can you re-do that?" and then back to cem. "you're bleeding all over the chardonnay. go wash your face, it's disgusting."

"i have witnesses," he pointed with his free hand to the patrons of alibi who were far too busy enjoying their drinks to care about what was happening behind the bar. all except one guy who just had a look about him that said he was waiting for fries. "you just admitted to purposefully causing grievous bodily harm, mallory. you won't stand a chance when i take you to court." cem pulled his hand away and inspected his palm. there was blood, but not much. at least it didn't look like much in the dimly lit bar. he grabbed a paper towel from under the bar and held it against his bleeding nose, turning to val. "hey, madam safety officer. you have to help me with this and write up the incident report or you're gonna get shredded," he threw his thumb over his shoulder to the office behind the bar. without waiting for her, or a response, he disappeared back there.

the miserable heat that almost turns him into a pool of sludge on the doorstep is enough for randy to re-reconsider his life choice. thank god for the off the record air con. and the fans. can't forget the fans. he's never gonna complain about having to work again. ...okay, that might be a stretch. anyway, once he's there, he's quickly starting to regret it, and not just because of the uncalled for sauna situation. wonders if this was a good idea to begin with. technically, he's already announced his presence with that stupid bell, but if he's quick enough, maybe he can turn around and just- a groan, and then she comes out, the window of opportunity shutting violently. randy tries not to act all surprised to see her, after he specifically came to the store where she works to see her. first day on earth, much? "uhh, i came to egg your shop. and piss in that corner." points to a random corner. "but now that you've seen me, i can't anymore. shame." pause. "no, i just... came to talk to you. if that's allowed."

"ha ha, that's hilarious," she deadpans, a still expression on her face as she leans back on the checkout counter with her elbows behind her. she's trying to decide if she has it in her to match the energy he's brought into the store. but regardless of how tired she was... sarcasm usually won out. "as you well know we close in-" she raised her completely watch-less wrist to 'check the time', "-oh, i don't know, exactly four minutes, so if you could reschedule your torment for opening tomorrow that would be greatly appreciated." and then her gaze turned suspicious. "well, i can't say it isn't allowed when i'm still on the clock. so, what it is it? you have three minutes."

this is exactly why val would rather work solo. would she be run into the ground with orders, hating her life and probably crying? yeah! but at least ugly loser cem wouldn't be there, making her night difficult by cosplaying as a human obstacle course. a gasp. the plate comes in contact with the bridge of his nose before she can even fully rotate her body, fries flying everywhere. now, if this was anyone else, she'd consider an apology. but because it's this guy- "are you fucking stupid? how am i supposed to know you're fucking behind me if you don't say fucking 'behind'?! like, sorry i don't have eyes in my fucking ass!"

cem grabbed his nose, the plate hitting him in exactly the spot that sends a crushing pain across his cheekbones. "jesus christ," he exclaims, drawing in a harsh gasp between clenched teeth. "what is your problem?" he asks again, shaking free the fries that landed on him. "maybe you should invest in some? nobody your height should be swinging your arms around like that. maybe you were tryin' to hit me?" he tried to play cocky but it didn't exactly come across as his usual arrogant self when he still had his hand cupped over his nose. "fuck, i think you've broke it."