#m80starter

For Arthur, going to work was like pulling teeth these days.

“What can I get for you?”  A pixie-like woman appeared behind the bar, looking over at the other, expression changing as they wait for a response. These days she rare was seen making and serving drinks but being back there, Darla felt more in control of her own place. There she could see everybody, being able to watch who came in and who went out. But also behind the counter, the bartender could also just be a bartender, without the outside world trying to grab at her. “There’s a menu behind me,” she pointed out to the large floating chalkboard that listed all the drinks the Dusty Moon carried including some specialty drinks.

These kind of things were not her idea of fun. Far too stuffy. Full of double talking politicians, bored housewives, and death eaters. Her parents had insisted though, only after giving her a warning that she shouldn’t do anything to embarrass them. They could have saved their breathe. She was most certainly going to embarrass them and she wasn’t even sorry. “Is drinking whiskey before dinner in bad taste?” She asked the person closest to her.

She didn’t spend much time doing what a lot of other society girls did. For many pureblood young women, the main goals were to get married and move the family name forward, and Alessa was not interested in any of it. She spent her time learning about magical beasts, finding out which ones were a danger and taking them down when they were a threat. Alessandra knew that this was what her life was meant to be, stained red with the blood of beasts and warmed with the heat of battle. She liked the idea that this was going to be her future, that this was what was waiting instead of the icy-cold life of a perfect pureblood woman. 

When Arun needed to blow off steam, he’d lace up his sneakers and just take off. It was a habit left over from the better part of a decade he spent traversing the U.S.—it was something that he could do anywhere, regardless of if he was staying in some shitty motel, crashing on a friend’s couch, or (for once) back in his own bed. The issue was that even after a year living in London, Arun still couldn’t get his bearings with the curving streets and unfamiliar place. Obviously, he could get around when he was trying, but running without a plan just didn’t come naturally to him anymore. Maybe it was because of the paranoia that always creeped up his spine when he was running on his own, especially at night—the constant feeling that the hairs on the back of his neck were raised. 

A keen observer would notice the bounce in step and the minute lip movement signifying a song stuck in the head of the young clerk moving up and down the aisles to stock the shelves. It was less subtle when she twirled around before grabbing hold of the cart handle. The store was practically empty at this late hour that Daisy wasn’t worried about someone spotting her. Surely she would hear the bell above the door if anyone had entered. She was singing softly by the time she entered the next aisle and completely missed the ringing bell. “When I feel you put your arms around me, baby, baby, can’t you hear my heartbeat,” she sang just loud enough for anyone nearby to hear. She was struggling to put a book on a higher shelf. Magic was the obvious choice at this time, but didn’t want to use it when she could do the task without. She pushed herself up on her tiptoes in determination to put the book away without taking out her wand.

Loud music easily drowned the inner noise, the thoughts that buzzed in his head ever so often. Amos, however, was particularly skilled at ignoring all melancholy thoughts as he now had a good amount of alcohol running through his body. A sloppy grin was met when someone came into his view, his striking blue eyes glued onto them. Charming wasn’t even the right word for it but there the part fae stood, practically glowing with charisma and confidence. It was nearly impossible not to feel the effects of the fae and Amos did not make it any easier with his bright perfect teeth flashing. “Hey.. Wanna dance?”