Xav

"I'm  gonna  go  ahead  and  take  that  as  a  compliment  you  think  I've  got  the  funds  to  be  an  annual  member  here."  He  wasn't  struggling,  he  also  didn't  have  throw  away  money.

"Oh, n-n, now hold on," he took a step back from the guy, leaning back in to pat his chest in the sober reality at the reveal they were on the same page. Financially speaking. "That's my bad, I jumped the gun, you got that Keith Urban thing going for you I just assumed. That plus one only works if one of us is a member." He let out a laugh, "But hey, cool show tonight, deal still stands at the Ox if you want."

"Two rounds is all you’re offering?" Having grown up in a world of wealth had left her with a rose-colored perspective. To go from much to little was incredibly jarring. Yet, Calla learned how to rebuild her own funds from scratch; she quickly learned the harsh realities of money, access,  and privilege. Yet also, how people were curious enough to strip parts of themselves even for a peek. "You gotta barter something better than that, Xav. Try again."

"In my world, two drinks is the perfect courtesy. What if by one you decide — 'hey, I'm tired. Or hey, friend of a friend's over there and I've got some Brewery talk that needs to be handled? Or - or I gotta have a chitty chat with someone my cook doesn't need to know about," He told her as if speaking on her end. Thinking he knew her well enough by now, at least from a back of the house perspective. During working hours and the occasional owner/management staff interminglings, but here they were very much unattached to their common space, "My food's already out, innit? (Her food) Alright, I do have Phantom's opener game tickets, courtside. (Thank you, Rhiannon)You like Basketball?"

"Beefeater?" The name sounded familiar. At least he knew it had to be a spirit, "Is that a drink or a spirit?" He asked, hoping Xavier could hear him over the bellowing noise. Cole ordered his drink, which was the beer-shot combo. "Yeah thank god for that shit." Cole grinned. "I waited like an hour because this blind date I got set up with wanted an apple martini. It was only available at the bar below where we were. Anything is easier than that shit. " The bartender delivered the drinks. Cole held his shot glass up, "Cheers!" He knocked back the shot in one go. It nearly took the wind out of him. House tequila always hurt the most for him.

"A spirity drink." Telling him, through a laugh. Playing it off what he hope was good enough as if he'd leaned against that bar top on the regular, "An hour?! She get sick of waiting? Didn't dig the small chat? That why you're up here with me?" He asked, assuming the blind date at hand was mostly a failure. "Cheers, mate!" He sipped his cocktail, watching Cole wince. "Grew a couple hairs on your chest there with that one I see."

The pepper was more heat than it was spice, the flavorful kick swiftly overpowered by a prickling warmth all over her tongue. Elaine was suddenly very glad that she'd already eaten an actual meal along with her margaritas, otherwise her stomach would never forgive her for this. "Oh - oh!" she exclaimed, gleeful and swaying towards Xavier, "Is that a tear I see? Are you wellin' up already? Oh, you wanna cry sooo bad." Laughter infiltrated her taunts, feeling as if they could've been out on any tropical coast together right now, rather than cooped up in ol' Telos. It was her final chewing bite that betrayed her, though, a surprise seed bursting, creating a new fiery wave that made Elaine cough around her swallow. "Still - fine - !" she proclaimed through her miniature coughing fit, torn between laughing more and catching her breath.

"I'm not gonna cry —and you are too close," He shielded her nudge, she was on a mission to get by doing a live roll out and away.

Kyle put down the book he had been attempting reading, spine open, pages face down on the sticky bar counter and looking Xavier's way. The book had a label on the bottom of the spine, showing it belonged to the Cascade Library. "A pregame for what?" he said, having already forgotten. He shrugged, and looked around him seemingly for the first time since entering the establishment. He spent all his free time at the bar, almost as unspoken penance for something.

"How can you read in a bar? That's some adderall level attention span or somethin' — especially this one. Full of distraction." Like clockwork, there was a cheer over by the pool table and a glass breaking somewhere further off. "Obsidian, some of the Bigfoot crew's all goin'. Casey, the bartender, you've met her. She's here a lot after shift, it's her birthday." He'd seen them talk at least, and he liked getting Kyle out of Star Bar. Out of the Tattoo shop. A change of scenery. "Should've showed with a coloring book instead —" he joked, Clipper, replacing Kyle's empty when he placed Xav's drink. "Busy. Eighty Sixed my chicken, didn't have to do last round cleanup." A bet within the kitchen crew that especially made worth it on long, late shifts. He leaned in to sip his drink, opening his phone's screen, sliding it over to Kyle, "Man, look at this. . .that's flirty innit?"

Xavier had a warmth about him that pulled Cole in. Maybe it was the ease of the chat that had him feeling livelier. Cole chuckled as he followed the man inside. "I'll try, but we'll see how the night goes." He jested. The music was energetic. It felt as if the entire room had gotten dance-bug. Every single foot was tapping along to the music. "What's your drink of choice?" He asked, already gravitating towards the bar.

"Oh alright, alright so that's where we're goin'. . . " Xav relinquished; it was kind of funny, Cole he'd just met but he was walking in next to like they'd be having fists thrown, or the very least a solidarity pavement crashing. "Beefeater and tonic. Makes for a zen kind of night," he laughed as it was far from the case, sidlng up to the bar, voice raised over the loud and ordered, "that shit was too easy."

"I appreciate the honesty, so does my wallet (ego too of course)— don't need to jump all the hoops if there's somewhere else you'd rather be. Buy you one inside The Not Foundation Room?"

"I'm not, sorry! I've been as plus one though, it was kind of overrated," Nessa said with a shrug. "But I know the guy at the door, I could try talking to him?" Ever the person who wanted to be useful, Nessa was experienced at charming her way into — and out of — situations. "Please, you wouldn't need four rounds with me. I mean, I'm a lightweight," she added, realizing how that sounded, coloring a little. Never not putting her foot in it with strangers.

"Ohp, you know what, that doesn't surprise me. As a pleeb—" he laughed, humbly so. Proud even. "It was during a 100 Gecs show - you heard of them? Not really my thing, not someone up there either, made it rain something blue all over us below." She wasn't into it though, and instead of taking her up on the doorman's attempt, Xav pivoted. The Foundation Room could wait another day, laughing at her admission, "That's beautiful, so am I an arse if I take it all back, first and only on me. . . an nothin' blue."

"I'll do you one better," she said, stretching over the bar top once more to snag another pepper. Elaine settled back with a private smile, arching a brow at Xavier. "If you think I'm going to cry, then you don't know me at all, baby." Habanero raised in a mock cheers, she gently knocked them together before chomping down, right up to the stem. The taste of pickled brine was swiftly overtaken by heat, mouth flooded with unwanted saliva, and it took everything in Elaine to hold onto her neutral smile, refusing to break eye contact with Xav while chewing.

Damn it, this challenge got him thinking — Elaine, out of all those with her back in the day was the one and only to hang. Pretty sure no habanero was involved then but she did have a superpower of drinking most the deck crew under the table when it counted. "Oh nn, no, one tear—" though that stipulation was too late, and he winced as she crunched into the pepper, "I know you like pullin' triggers," he said, as she quickly got it done, pushing his pickled habe to air mimicking her cheers, aggressively taking his first bite too. The two chewing in sync, sure to not lose any eye contact, either. "Mm . . .it's nuffin . . ." holding that through a cough that escaped, "Tenner's. . . tenner's mine."

Cole had frequented the place a few times. It was always with his coworkers. They thought it was a fun way to knock back a few brews with live music. As he stood at the entrance, he had a sudden case of cold feet. Cole cast an unsure face at the stranger as he continued to size up the entrance like it was a giant. "You know what... I'm in. It beats showing up with my dick out," He breathed out. Cole offered his hand out to shake. "The name's Cole, boss. You stick by me for the second round, and I got it covered." He nudged his head to go in.

His gaze followed the guy that seemed to stall out in contemplation for a beat, it was an odd spur of the moment suggestion, that much he couldn't argue with. Especially as far as strangers were concerned. "Aye!" He cheered before taking the other guys hand, "Cole, Boss! I can live with that. . . Xavier. Xav. 'preciate you, not normally my scene, so we play it cool, sit, order, have a banter. We're good. We're in." He started leading the way up The Foundation Rooms entrance. "Oh uh, bruv, dicks zipped. Play it cool, yuh?"