That farmer guy

"That's a price I'm willing to pay." Chandler shrugged. He raised his glass to the other man's, then took a drink. Pretty good, but rum and coke was hard to fuck up in general.

"I'll take that, then." Tyler agreed, taking another sip of his drink. The alcohol was refreshingly sharp, burning it's way down his throat, and it was exactly what he needed to forget tonight ever happened.

"That makes sense, but it is a very real fear around these parts, you know. They're ruthless." Arturo gave a good natured wink to the man. "Stood up? That's brutal, I'm sorry to hear that. The least the person could do is give you a text as courtesy. Hopefully they rue the day they stood you up."

"Honestly? Yes, it is, and it feels validating getting to admit so." Tyler nodded along seriously, breaking into a smile moments laters. "See, exactly that! Plans fall through, that's fine. But having to make all these arrangements, go outside and socialize, and only end up with nothing at the end of the day? It's heartbreaking."

"You really don't have to, I wouldn't want you to be late at home. If you're bringing dinner for everyone, then there could be quite a riot once you're back. Being late can be fatal in this case." Tyler mused, even if he would absolutely appreciate company. Being alone tonight wasn't exactly something that he was looking forward to, and maybe he was feeling just a little selfish tonight. "That's very kind of you, but Marisol's at her grandfather's today. It's honestly probably the first proper evening out that I've got all to myself." Tyler admitted. Besides, he did not want to impose on Navy; it was a busy time of the year, and the last thing he wanted to do was make it worse for her. "But I'd love to take a raincheck on that. Besides, Marisol would very much so chew me out if I came over without her being around. We should arrange something for them - maybe some sleepovers here and there? Make it easier for each other every other day and make the girls happy."

"I think I've heard the saying about spreading joy, but not so much about alcohol-- 'tis the season, I suppose." An amused smile crossed the blonde's face, ordering a white wine, waiting to see what the other's drink of choice was before answering his question. "Mm, mainly just here to blow off some steam; this winter season is a lot for me. Lots of red and green bridesmaid dresses, and hoping the snow doesn't put a damper on pictures," she rolled her eyes exaggeratedly to emphasize she was kidding. "What about you- care to share why this night isn't how you hoped? Or will I have to for the next round for that?"

"And sometimes, alcohol can be synonymous with joy." Tyler argued with a small smile, ordering himself a whisky, neat, once the other placed their order. "A wedding, I take it? Congrats! How's that going for you? All sorted, or is chaos reigning everywhere?" He wasn't exactly teasing her; having had gone through a wedding himself, albeit many years ago, he could feel sympathy. Simple stress couldn't come close to what poor woman must've been going through. "My probelm's a bit of an opposite of yours, I'd say." Tyler mused. "Seems like I got stood up on my first date in over twenty years."

Darcy was at Macks, just looking for a nice fun chilled night out. She had come with her sister but she had to leave so now she was on her own wondering why she bothered to stay. She stood at the bar scrolling on her phone, debating whether she should just book an uber and head home since there was no one there she knew. She was scrolling through her phone as she looked around for a moment and as she was about to return to doom scrolling or even booking an uber she heard someones voice and she couldn't help but smile.

"Smart choice. Besides, I bet Uber's triple the price it should be right now with all the people rushing about." Tyler reasoned with a small smile, finishing up his drink. Once a bartender approached, he allowed the other to order before ordering himself a drink, too. "I know it's stupid, and really definitely a problem that's not really a problem, but this is definitely the first time that I've been stood up. Guess that's what happens when you go on a first date for the first time in probably twenty years."

Alice nodded with a small smile. It was nice to still be in the middle of the excitement of town while being able to enjoy a quiet drink. She sipped on her drink. "Meetings, and more meetings, and I just got off another call," she chuckled. "You'd think in a small town, everything would be so straightforward," she said.

"See, that's the beauty of a small town - the smaller it is, the more complicated and busy it gets." Tyler argued with a small smile. Having had experienced both, he could still easily say that he preferred a small town. "Bigger towns help you disappear and blend into the crowds... which can be far more alienating than it sounds." His brows raised, then, at her next admission. "Sorry, must've slipped my mind with all of this chaos - what exactly do you do? It sounds amazing."

"If anyone understand the importance of candy, it's children, you're right," which meant that she would always have someone on her side, whether or not that was the goal. Maybe being a cryptid that everyone talked about -- one way or another -- that was widely beloved by children wouldn't be so bad. "I like you, you're funny," she admitted, reaching for another bag of candy and tucking it into her basket, "not many people could joke around about candy-stealing cryptids when they first meet someone."

"Exactly. The real connoisseurs of this place." Tyler nodded aong seriously before breaking into a smile once more. Perhaps he was being a little too silly, but the holiday cheer and sugar was in the air, and it always helped with any situation. "Oh good, so I am coming off as funny. There's always that fine line between funny and stupid, and I'm glad I've crossed over to the good side this time."

"Oh, come on," Elena shot Tyler a sidelong glance as he talked about wanting to go in as few shops as possible, doing her best to hide her amusement, "are you trying to tell me that you don't love to go Christmas shopping? Don't enjoy having your feet stepped on, elbowed while you're in line? Reaching for something just to have it snagged from your hands?" Actually, as much as Elena loved the holiday season and how bright and bustling the stores were, she did have to admit that even she had a tendency to get overwhelmed and desperately want to be at home and on the couch, under a blanket, far away from the craziness. Pronto.

"Nonsense! I'd be out of my mind if I ever said I disliked the masses of stressed out and unhappy people, fighting over last minute cliche Christmas gifts. Isn't that what this holiday is all about, after all?" Tyler argued back with fake concern before bursting into another smile. Marisol was already a step ahead of them, eyes wandering around the many bright lights, almost as if trying to spot the perfect Christmas gift for herself. Not that he could blame her; Tyler worked hard to make sure that his daughter retained the innocence of such holidays. It was the least he could do for her.

"In that case, next round is on me." Cori was more starting her night at Mack's more than anything, looking to head over to Vibrations later in the night to party. However, she needed food, and she wasn't one to turn down a drink. "I'll take a Captain and Coke," she smiled at Tyler, allowing him to order for them both as she tapped her finger nails on the bar top.

"I like that deal, I"m in." Tyler nodded, a small smile reappearing on his face as he ordered drinks both for her and for himself. If he was free for the night, the least he could do was find ways to enjoy himself, even if it meant just getting drunk. "Please tell me you're here for a much better reason than I am?"

Chandler was early. The plan was to get burgers with a friend and then head out to Vibrations...but he read the time wrong and got there way too early. At least Mack's had a bar for him to pre-game at. He was just approaching when he saw a familiar face - not unusual in a small town like Merrock. He instantly recognized the other man from the farmers' market.

"That's the spirit." Tyler smiled lightly, ordering the same for himself once Chandler placed his order. It was great to see a familiar face, even if he was somewhat humiliated right now. Then again, what else could Tyler really expect? That he'd sail back into the dating world like nothing's changed? He hadn't even looked at anyone but his now ex-wife since they were in high school... surely, things had changed a lot since.

Mandy giggled loudly. "Okay, fine, if you have to insist." She shrugged. "Maybe it is," she narrowed her eyes at him, before softening her expression and smiling. "Or you curl up on the couch with a blanket and watch some trashy reality tv or some romcom," she mused. "But alas, I will admit I've done the thing with the car," she said with a slight wrinkle of her nose.

"No no, that activity requires cheap wine too. You can't have trashy reality tv or something equally as cheesy without cheap wine. Otherwise, it might look like you're not at your worst and you're actually enjoying it." Tyler joked, only to laugh as the other admitted the shameful thing he had done himself so many times before. "It's okay. You're one of us now. Gotta live with the shame."

"Begs the question -- have you ever gotten a tree all the way home, set it up, lit it up, decorated it up… and took it down because you hated it that much?" Although it seemed like a tall task, Josh figured that it was a better option than looking at your Christmas tree every single day and hating it more and more because it just was not what you wanted it to be. "I know a lot of people rely on artificial trees for that reason, but I can't make myself do it. I love that fresh pine smell." Even the dropped needles were a part of the experience, or at least that was what he told himself.

Tyler genuinely paused for a moment, thinking over the other's question. Has he actually ever done that before? Not really. The man was far more likely to suffer through something he did not like, and his marriage was a prime example of it. Granted, a Christmas tree was nothing in comparison, but it was similar enough to warrant such a thought. "You know what? I don't think I've actually gone to such extremes. But that'd be an interesting thing to do... one day." Tyler mused. "I've also heard that people use one of those pine fresh air fresheners in their plastic trees. Apparently, it makes them smell like the real deal."

This time of year was something that Mavera loved to every single moment of. It was the time of year that she knew she had put all her extra time into so that she could take a solid three to four weeks off. Vera had all the faith in her coworkers, knowing they'd call her in if it was a true emergency but that that this time of year was typically off limits. It had been her last day at work, she had cleaned up, set things as needed for anyone else that was in the office, or others who may need to access anything of hers, locked up her office, and was out.

"Smart move." Tyler nodded along with a small smile, allowing the other to order a drink before ordering himself another one. He was free for the night anyway, for the first time in a long time, and it felt awful having it go to a complete waste. The least he could do was get somewhat drunk and maybe make a new friend or two.

"Hey, Navy." Tyler smiled back at her before finishing up his drink. If he had a whole free evening to himself, then at least he would have one drink too many. Or whatever he could still manage after years of moderate drinking. "I was planning on staying here for dinner, but you know what? Picking it up and going home actually sounds pretty good. What are you getting?" Because no matter what he did, he still felt the best at home, with his daughter and his animals. Perhaps that's how the date stood him up, probably smelt the sadness and unwilingness to explore more from a mile away. "Has she? That's so sweet. Marisol would absolutely love to have her over, I'm sure. With the holidays and all approaching, I think it'd be good for all of us if the two of them spent some time together."

"What's the story, then?" Arturo said, leaning over to look at the other man. He'd spend the day shopping for a client and wanted to get off of his feet and maybe enjoy a glass of moderately cheap wine, maybe even order something with bubbles to celebrate the season. "Fired? Dumped? Seagull steal your fries?" There were dozens of ways a night could go wrong, and Arturo loved hearing people's stories.

"If a seagull stole my fries, I'd be out in the streets, crying like it's some music video. And even then, I'd be acting reasonable." Tyler joked, finishing up his drink and ordering a drink for both himself and the other man. If he was willing to listen to his story, then the least he could do was buy him a drink. "I've been stood up, actually. But that's a joke on me, cause who still waits around an hour after the agreed-upon time, and even after the said date has been ignoring my texts the whole time?"

Alice was out doing her Christmas shopping, which was already a process. What did one buy for kids who were only interested in things that had some kind of digital connection? It became more challenging and she had kept up with the trends (mostly). So she was expected to know what each item was that was sent to her as an 'idea'.

"Perfect." Tyler smiled back in return, ordering a drink for the other. His own glass was still half empty - definitely not half full today - but it wouldn't be long before it was empty. It wasn't often that he had the evening all to himself, and it was a shame to let it go to waste like that. Perhaps he could've gone out, find another bar or even a club, but his age was really starting to show. All he wanted was to forget the evening he had, and go back to his daughter.