#rrhcopen

Jacque adjusted her elf hat, pulling it on a little tighter over her curls, and reapplied her lipstick. The waitress that got the most selfies - or any photographic evidence - won a spa gift card. She didn’t need the gift card, a competition always sparked her interest. The diner was rather quiet today and the atmosphere was calm. It was a good day to make friends while waiting for more people to arrive and demand her service. She swayed over to a table for one and scooted in across from the customer, smiling bright when they looked up. “Merry Christmas! Can I get you a refill?”

One cup off coffee had already been downed, and he had begun on his second. Sipping was an act of waiting, though he was unsure of what he was waiting for. Every sip or two he’d raise the mug to his lips again, resting his lips on the rim, but not drinking any liquid. He was in the process of one such “sip” when he heard movement beside him, the side he couldn’t see. Nim turned, just enough to see someone standing close to him. He was unsure as to why.

"So, Sugar... like what you see? I do...” She smirked tucking her hair behind her ear she made eye contact with someone she found rather interesting. Enough to make conversation that is. Unfortunately it was frowned upon in a plain ol’ restaurant to go and deposit yourself in someone else’s lap.

“It’s after hours, go away.”

Okay, so it wasn’t technically after hours, but there was no nice, neat turn of phrase he could call out without looking up from his papers that meant we’re not open yet, come back tonight. At least none that had quite the same finesse.

He shuffled the papers on the table in front of him (dead center, second row) with his legs sprawled out around the table’s central black pole. Old habits die hard. He uses the top of his foot to scratch the back of his other leg and counts to a slow five, but the door he’d already heard open and shut didn’t repeat the routine, meaning he still wasn’t alone.

Deep breath in. Roll eyes up to the fly space (a sound technician’s worst nightmare, honestly). Release breath with a noisy sigh and turn to face the intrusion. Alex sat up a little taller as he turned, his legs gathering underneath him to make him look a little more impressive--one eyebrow raising to make him look a little less impressed.

         Clouded skyes left room for the dark veil of the night and the shy street lights with their warm glow started to dye the city with a nostalgic feeling. Just the preamble of the later explosion of music and life vibrating in every echoed laugh and shout. There wasn’t a lot of people around. This was the time for stores to start closing for the day and people heading home to rest or get ready. Some where going to say their goodbyes and get to bed for another hard day of work. Some are barely waking up to start a new adventure in a city that hardly sleeps.

She could have went out a thousand hours earlier but the sun was too bright and too strong for her and her mood to deal with passers not even looking at her brilliant effort to get some money to buy fries at the gas station or -if lady luck was on her side- to find a good place to fall asleep for a change. But no. She wasn’t even going to try to annihilate the desire to punch someone in the goddamn face when they decided to stand there and listen wthout giving her a single coin.

At least afternoons and the absence of the hot balloon in the sky made her a little more patient.

A little

Let’s say enough.

Guitar in hand and well seated on the corner of a street she reached for the hat she usually placed to receive her payment, but only to discover she had left the damn thing forgot God knows where.

Ugh this was just perfect.

She looked at herself. Not a lot on but her shorts, boots, shirt and...

Ha.

Well at least she was going to drag some attention now. She took her bra out without lifting her shirt and placed it in the ground with a message wrote with chalk so people knew -if it wasn’t obvious already- that she wanted their pretty bucks inside her tiny black bra.

She was dressed to impress; a pant suit outfit and black heels. All very tidy, all very professional, Frankie walked out into the lobby of the law firm she worked for. She was initially just heading to get some paper work and the lobby was a short cut... but a lost soul... or at least someone looking a little confused caught her eye. 

“Hello, I’m Frankie Lockhart... Are you waiting on someone? Could I help you with anything?” She might not be top dog at the firm but she definitely was one of the better lawyers here. Excluding the partners. She was confident, not cocky. And they’d all had at least ten years more experience than she. She was fresh out of law school and her heart wasn’t in it the same way anymore.

“Excuse me-” Jacque called out as loudly as she could as she stayed seated on the bench outside a bakery. “HEY! Excuse me! Discúlpeme!” She gruffed in aggravation. The dog at her side whined while adjusting their head on Jacque’s lap. “I know...life’s not fair, buddy. Who’d leave you wrapped around a tree for so long?” Unfortunately while freeing the loved animal from the shadeless tree, the leash snapped completely. Leaving Jacque to keep her fingers hooked around the collar to save from the furry friend running off. 

“Discúlpeme!!” she waved her arm wildly about as she tried to flag someone down. “Excuse me! Hi! Have you...” Her head turned as her voice trailed off, watching yet another person run by and pretend like she didn’t exist. She sighed, “lost your dog?”

Zachary didn’t care for the majority of Independence Day festivities. Parades were too loud and crowded, the town barbecue was much of the same. But the one redeeming quality was what they had at night: pyrotechnics. The lighting designer had always had an interest in them and knew the basics, he was far from being licensed to operate fireworks. But inevitably he found himself hanging back when they lit up the sky, wondering if he could ever do something that grand.

A smile creeped over his features when the first explosion went off, red, white, and blue sparks covering the canvas of the blank sky for a few short, wonderful moments.