#x. interactions

her eyes scan the paper tacked upon the wooden board, and the side of her finger lays atop her lips, gloss leaving a smidge of a sticky residue in their wake. a sigh slips past her lips and her hands move to rub the back of her neck. perhaps tomorrow would yield better luck in the job department. it's not like she was hurting for money at this moment. a step is taken back and she feels something soft underneath the sole of her boot as she stumbles.

her eyes widen and she turns around to spot a familiar face, and her face softens as she shoots a warm smile his way. " OH -- ! i'm sorry, i didn't even hear you coming, neo. i didn't mean to step on your foot. are you also looking at jobs? they're kinda picked over at this point. "

      It did not take a lot to render Ira silent. Not in moments like these where the event was bustling and the soft chatter of conversation he cared little to listen in on consistently buzzed around him. Solace was sought in each of the rooms in an attempt to lose himself in the art itself. But this kind of silence was not the same as the social anxieties that made his hands shake in slight ---this was in awe. Each of the lights and mirrors erected in such a way the felt both like a cityscape and outer space, where Ira could easily close his eyes and imagine floating in the blissful nothingness worlds beyond ... there was a sense of peace, here.

      “ You cannot look up at the night sky on Planet Earth and not wonder what it’s like to be up there amongst the stars. ” He breathed the quote softly, his own eyes glittering as if he were a child fresh home from their Halloween candy catch ---as if he belonged in this room of the exhibit as well. “ I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. I didn’t expect to be this impressed by the exhibit. Especially not coming from the mushroom room. ” Candid ---it took a lot for him to speak to a potential stranger, never mind to spark conversation out of the blue. But the wonder in his features made him bolder.

There was few people Caoimhín would considered family in this world but Micayla was one. The older woman was the only person knew about what he had been through and despite knowing that she’s never pressured him or made him feel pitied. Their relationship was special and Caoimhín knew that without finding her, he would be back home in Dublin, depressed and working some dead end job. He owed her so much but yet, it never felt like that. 

“You’ve got to be joking me?” He asked through laughter, as she shared a story about this crazy customer from the club. Last night was his night off, so he had missed it all and of course before they got down to business talk, Micayla had to make sure he was up to date on all the gossip. This was how they worked, laughing and talking until they both were forced to do work. Not that he was a slacker, but he knew that she trusted him to do whatever was needed when she asked. If Micayla asked him to come in on his night off and clean toilets, then he would be there for her in a second. She was the boss and he repected that. That didn’t stop them from having fun, though. 

The last of Sam’s classes for the day had ended about an hour ago. A quarter till seven now, he was in his office returning emails. There was a stack of fresh essays on his desk that needed to be graded, but the rumble in his empty stomach told him they’d have to wait another day. After a stretch in his chair, Sam stood up. He was wearing dress slacks and a tucked in button up. The blazer he’d worn while teaching was hanging from the coat rack in his office and he grabbed it, along with his satchel on his way out. Besides the light from another office, the building’s hall was dark. He knew whose office the light was coming from, so he made his way into their doorway. 

“Hey, Chey.” She was a professor of religious studies and semi-new to town. Having grown up in Wilmington, Sam knew the city like the back of his hand. He’d taken to showing her around a little, and thought tonight was a good opportunity to show her more. “Are you hungry? There’s this real good sushi place out in Masonboro. Wanna go?”

location: le comptoir bar​

It was Caoimhín’s night off from the Le Rouge and in the mood for a change of scenery, he had made his way to Le Comptoir. You would think that a person who spends most of his time around alcohol that he might be sick of the sight of it and drunk people but it was the complete opposite. If anything, Le Rouge entered his life in a time of need and being surrounded daily by the antics of the customers and his colleagues helped to fill the emptiness inside him. That’s why even on his nights off, he craved that company and buzz of being out with friends, enjoying life. 

It was always a fun night when Luca showed up, so Caoimhín was excited for what was to come. You could never predict the the pair would get up to and that was the beauty of their friendship, two party kids, up for anything. “I’d say it’s just about time for a shot or two. What do you say?” Caoimhín asked the other man sat next to him.