wine and dash

location: nautical food truck park status: open

“ Are the seafood tacos good here? ” Sebni randomly asked the person closest to him. After getting into yet another argument with his head chef at Ocean Breeze Wine Bar, he decided to grab a quick bite outside. The rest of the food trucks didn't have anything he wanted to eat, so thought this one, with the fewest people around, would have what he wanted. When he turned to look at the other guy, he seemed like Sebni needed to ask him another question, “ You good, dude? ”

location  \  sunset  tacos. status \  open to all.

Savannah watched patiently as cereal box was retreated, grateful that there were still kind people in the world. She was perpetually shocked by that. "Thank you," she replied with a smile as she dropped the box into her cart. "My daughter would not have been a happy camper if I'd come home with something else." River was at that specific age where she seemed to be very particular about her likes and dislikes, and Sav often gave in on the things that didn't much matter in order to avoid conflict. "Savannah," she introduced herself with a laugh, "and yes, I do tend to frequent the grocery store."

“ You're welcome, ” he grinned, beaming with pride. Her smile made him feel like a hero, like it was the best thing he'd done that week, which might just be the case. It was yet another busy week at the Ocean Breeze Wine Bar, so a less stressful encounter such as this was a welcomed respite for him. “ Oh, you've got a daughter? How old? ” Sebni looked around, trying to see if the daughter was around. He had never had a strong opinion about having kids, or not, but he always liked the way they were. So young and innocent and full of charming hope. He also made a note in his head to check if her husband, the daughter's father was nearby. “ Savannah is a wonderful name. ” Her laugh, Sebni found to die for, and it distracted him from the truth that perhaps his question of whether she frequented the grocery store was the dumbest thing she'd ever heard.

open  stater  :  @palmviewstarters  .

"yeah, well..." he leaves the word hanging as he shrugs. leon nods his head with a smile. he can't help but feel proud of himself as he hears sebni's words. it's true, people really seem to dig his music. it took him so long to believe in himself, and now that he does, it feels amazing. "always ready, man." the blond has been rehearsing his songs for days now. it doesn't matter how big or small the gig is, he always wants to be super prepared. "thanks again for this. i don't know if you know, but some execs from a few labels tend to really like your food. i saw two or three on a table." besides, leon needs to ride the wave. his latest single just hit the top spot on the palmview radio charts.

“ That's good to hear, ” Sebni heaved a sigh of relief, shaking his head. The last thing he wanted is for Leon to botch this opportunity. As much as he didn't really think this would be a good deal, he still didn't want his friend to fail. He'd much rather be proven wrong than for an artist to lose their muse, especially in public. “ Really? I mean, of course they do! Ocean Breeze Wine Bar is the best restaurant in all of Palmview, ” he turned to Leon with a confident smirk after almost revealing the exact opposite. Sebni does believe his restaurant is the best in town, but he'd rather not start a war among his friends. Besides, execs were more important to Leon. To him, they were just customers. At least until he tries playing the guitar professionally. “ So, what's your plan for tonight? Playing covers or your latest single? You should know: I have yet to hear it live. ”

who: open @palmviewstarters where: grocery store

“ Hey yourself, ” Sebni playfully smirked, reacting quicker than he usually did, especially in the presence of a lovely woman, though to be fair, he'd seen her a few seconds ago, his beauty catching his eye even before she ever made contact. “ Of course. Let me just, ” he grabbed the item with relative ease, taking a quick scan of it before surrendering it to her. He wondered if it was good, if he should get one, too, just to extend their time together for a few more seconds longer, but decided to just confirm if she was a regular here, so he could be a regular, too, if possible. “ You always go here? I'm Sebni, by the way. ”

after talking, talking and talking to sebni for months about a spot to showcase his music in the restaurant, leon finally gets it. thanks to an old man who liked his rendition of can't help falling in love by elvis presley. the blond plays his guitar, warming up for the gig, and chewing gum, when the owner of the fine establishment appears. "hey, man."

“ Everything good, Leon? ” Sebni asked, checking in on Ocean Breeze Wine Bar's newest attraction. “ I've got to admit: I really didn't see the point in all this, but, ” he shook his head, tilting it to one side, as his eyes wandered over Leon's guitar, reminding himself of the good old days when he used to play music on his own. “ I guess people really dig your music, huh? You ready for tonight? ”

location: The Book Nook status: open @palmviewstarters

“ Whoa there, ” Sebni exclaimed as he bumped into the woman. He had been checking out a few books here and there, just trying to distract himself from his problems in life, when he really should have been paying attention to his surroundings. In his defense, he has never had this much action in a bookstore, so he thought this was a safe space. “ You okay? Sorry about that, ” he showed the woman the book that had distracted him, a pretty large picture one with the image of a unicorn on the cover. “ It's the unicorn's fault. ”

Open Starter - Open to Anyone (@palmviewstarters)

“ You can get me the best meal of my life and the best place in here to eat it at, ” Sebni took off his sunglasses as he walked in, smirking like he owned the place. He had a place of his own, Ocean Breeze Wine Bar, but he was not in the mood to argue with his head chef this morning, so instead, he decided to visit his old friend. Also seemed like a good opportunity to just rest and relax with a friendly conversation or two at a breakfast spot. “ How's business these days? ”

serin’s smirk froze for a fraction of a second, and in that brief moment, the glint of playful amusement in her eyes sharpened into something more akin to disbelief. she tilted her head, her expression carefully composed as she regarded sebni with the sort of scrutiny reserved for an inferior opponent who had just revealed their hand too early. slowly, she pushed her sunglasses up to rest on her head, revealing her full, piercing gaze. “crème my brûlée?” she repeated, her voice a mix of mock incredulity and disdainful amusement. the words hung in the air as her sharp brow arched, cutting through the charged tension he had so recklessly attempted to escalate. she leaned in slightly, her lips curving into a smile so saccharine it could have rivaled the honey he’d been inspecting moments before. “well, aren’t you bold,” she drawled, her tone laced with venomous charm. taking a measured step back, she exhaled a soft laugh, the sound as calculated as her movements. “it’s almost endearing, really,” she added, her eyes raking over him with a mixture of appraisal and mild contempt. “but let me give you some advice, darling.” the word dripped with condescension as she mimicked his earlier remark, her delivery flawless. “if you’re going to attempt a line like that,” she said, her tone turning sharper, “you’d better bring more than just innuendos to the table. because trust me…” she leaned in again, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper, “if i wanted mediocre, i’d still be entertaining my father’s attempts to set me up with hedge fund managers back in manhattan.” straightening up, serin adjusted the strap of her basket, her movements deliberate as she reclaimed the upper hand. her smirk returned, this time colder and more calculating. “but by all means,” she continued, her tone lightening with faux generosity, “if you think you’re up to the task, prove it. make me the best crème brûlée i’ve ever had. no gimmicks, no excuses.” she slipped her sunglasses back over her eyes, effectively shielding her emotions and restoring her air of untouchable confidence. “and as for whose place,” she added, “let's say yours. my roommate could probably use a night of peace anyways. just don’t keep me waiting too long, sebni. i’m not exactly known for my patience.”

Damn. Sebni managed to catch himself before he could wince. Daddy issues? Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. The last girl he went out with had daddy issues, too, and while it was very, very enjoyable at the start, things went downhill so fast. Like a car crash. But with a helicopter in the mix for one reason or another. “ Lucky you, I actually learned from an actual French chef. Three and a half Michelin stars, ” he humbly remarked again, putting up two fingers to emphasized that last bit. That wasn't a lie per se. The old man did have the Michelin stars, but the old man was also not there to remind Sebni what the recipe was. Guess he'll just have to ask Viv again. “ I have a little thing tonight, but how does the weekend sound? ” he smirked. That was a lie: He didn't have a thing tonight, but he did plan to just chill on his own. Sebni was no stranger to bringing attractive women home, back to his place, but he knew he was unprepared and she did seem like she had pretty strict standards, so she'd rather not risk it. Unless... “ By the way, daddy's hedge fund managers? Why did you leave Manhattan? Sounds like the best place for you. ”

leon shows up at kenny's new year's party in his favorite yellow suit. after all, isn't yellow the best color to welcome 2025? he did read something about it somewhere, he thinks. after a few drinks and trying to avoid the offer of cigarettes, the blond ends up smoking two -instead of six-. and when kenny rolls around with a box, leon chuckles. the other has been asking everyone tonight to do a task. "you're such a fucking nerd," he chuckles at the other. "i love it." a person he dislikes? leon doesn't tend to dislike people. not really. but he catches a glimpse of the fine establishment owner a few feet away from him and he thinks, what's the worst that can happen. it's not like there's a slow song playing. "fine," leon shrugs and walks up to sebni. he doesn't tell him what his task is, all he says is "may i have this dance?" his grin is stupid. he's having a good time.

Sebni used to love parties like this, but then his last pseudo-relationship broke down, with the younger woman leaving him even before Christmas could roll around, so this year wasn't really about the parties for him. Fortunately for Leon, Sebni was personally delivering the wine. Why? Well, stranger things (not the show) have happened. “ Hmm? ” The confusion in Sebni's face was apparent. He looked like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. At first, he thought they had figured him out, that, yes, he still wanted to be at parties like this, he just didn't feel like he'd be a positive presence. Then he realized Leon was probably just trying to get him to let him play at the wine bar again. “ Oh, I see what's going on... If this is your latest attempt to try and get me to let you play at the wine bar, Leon, then forget it. I'm just here to deliver the wine. Nothing more, nothing less. ”