wasted youth.

casey deidrick, cis man, he/him, 31 // i think xavier matthews just walked by, a casey deidrick lookalike. they’ve been here in rocky view for about five years, and seem to hang around paws ands claws animal rescue a lot. i’ve also seen them working at flower’s grille and pub as a bartender. when asked to describe themselves they’re likely to say mediocre taylor swift covers he tries to pass off as original songs, well-rolled blunts, unironically saying y’all.

tw for alcohol, drugs, overdose 

location: the beach 

when: 10:06pm, friday, january 15th

“Yo, fuck, my bad I’m late.” It’s only six minutes so he’s not that hard on himself or overly apologetic. Six minutes of being tardy was more like showing up ten minutes early in Xavier time. 

He drops his lanky frame down onto the sand beside her, stretching his legs out as his gaze drifts from the steady rolling waves coming in at the shore to his friend. 

olive: yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees

olive: B&B is so needed, see u then 🧠

olive: idk there isn't an emoji for xavier but i think of the xmen british guy

“….how do you survive?” The question slips out before she can stop it. Maybe she was getting too addicted…nah, no such thing. 

“I feel it. That’s why a jar stays in my locker. Because you never know when it’ll come in handy.” Almost as if a second thought, she grabbed a jar for herself. She was running low and it may save her. “ER tech but…I do the dirty work no one wants to do. Better than EMT duty I’ll give it that much” 

“I don’t,” He jokes, though most of the time he was walking around in a haze. Be it weed-induced or disinterest driven, he couldn’t say. 

“Ah, see. We’re normalizing instant coffee being tolerable one jar at a time. Go us.” He grins, nodding to the jar she had just taken. If coffee brand camraderie was a thing, he was experiencing it at that very moment. 

for: anyone! @rockyviewarchive​ location: outside of downtown market and grocery

    elijah sat in a heated tent with one of the shelters newest furry companions hanging out in his lap, and oreo, the shelter’s unofficial cat mascot, was curled up on the table soundly asleep. he had been stationed out here for a little over four hours, with two more left to go, trying to bring some attention to paws and claws in hopes more of the animals there would be lucky to find a forever home. despite it being quite cozy underneath the tent, and neither animal that was there seemed like they were cold, elijah felt bad for being out here still. however, it wasn’t his fault as they insisted on them staying out there for the entire six hours. as someone approached the tent, whether they were going to walk by or actually come to take a peek at his brochures, he couldn’t help but call out to them, “hello, there! if you have some time, would you be interested in coming over to meet one of paws and claws newest arrival. if you’re interested in taking this little guy,” he motions for the puppy in his lap, “home it can be arranged right here and right now. otherwise, if you’re tempted to pet the little guy, i’m sure he’d appreciate some human interaction that isn’t me. and pets are free with no obligation to adopt!”

“Yo, what’s up, El?” Xavier greets, unable to resist being drawn to the tent with the familiar logo and the promise of some cute furballs inside. He had intended to volunteer to help him out today but a series of unfortunate weed related events had led to him waking up too late to actually be of any use. Nothing new there. 

“you didn’t think that new year’s night.” the brunette reminded him though there had been parts of that night that she’d wanted to forget. like the ruined kiss. still, he’d followed her across a dark rooftop and trusted that she wasn’t leading him over the ledge. 

she’d even offered to get him laid. frankly, she was as close to a saint as they came. 

“oh come on. don’t knock it until you tried it. i’m sure it’s great.” she nudged him. at the mention of the love letters, she could only laugh. she’d be good at writing back but she wasn’t going to out herself. “i’m in need of some light smutty reading before bed. pass those along after you digest each and every dirty detail she has in store for you.”

“Not like I had much of a choice. I couldn’t see my face from my hand in that darkness, plus I was all struck and shit. My chin was so impressed with how you smooched it.” 

It was funny when it happened, but it was even funnier to him now in the aftermath -- especially given every time he mentioned it she seemed to cringe. 

“Purist? Nah.” Though at the rate she was going, Keegan probably could consider a second career track. “Just….very addicted, very tired of not having a coffee maker, and very tired of instant coffee” Her eyes trailed to the jar. “No offense, it comes in handy in a rush and I used to keep a jar with me in my locker…the kind at the hospital just blows, I’m not entirely sure it’s actually coffee.” 

“I don’t have a coffee-maker either,” He commiserates, though that didn’t weigh on him in the way it seemed to weigh on her. It would be nice though, he thought. 

“Strawberry,” Crash repeats, nodding as he commits Xavier’s order to memory. “I expected something more exciting from you. Like a chocolate fudge brownie milkshake or someth—” His words are cut short by the lime wedge hitting him square in the nose, prompting Crash to steeple his fingers over his nose. “Motherfucker!” He exclaimed more out of shock than anything else, pointing a warning finger at him. “Cut that shit out!” He was already backing away from the bar, hip banging awkwardly against the edge of a table. 

“Or what, Adams? What’cha gonna do?” Xavier goads, swept away in the mischief when they should be working. Thankfully, they didn’t have to open up the pub for another hour yet so that left a solid twenty that could be gotten away with for dumbassery. 

( Which was a twenty-four seven state of being for them. ) 

He reaches beside his lime chopping station for the half lemons he hadn’t even started on, which were heavier than the wedges he’d been working with. Instead of throwing it at Crash, he tosses it to him and then arms himself with the other half of it. It’s then that he abandons his side of the bar to step out to the main floor, putting them on the same playing turf as he lays down his just thought of rules. 

olive: Oh yeah I usually ignore those no offense

olive: But ignored w/ the best intentions ❤️

olive: 10? pm obvi

xavier: well gotdamn

xavier: 😡

xavier: nah all good i'd ignore them too

“i’m very wise. look at me, i’ve got one of those faces that you can’t help but trust.” andi fluttered her lashes at him and placed her chin in her palm. who was she kidding? he knew better. “stop it. you’ll have a great time and you’ll be thanking me. you know what she told me; the secret to her boys returning is that… she has dentures. lucky you.” 

“Your face does not inspire trust,” Xavier informs her, taking the window to get a good look at it. He’s said it before and it still stands -- it’s a good face, but mischief seemed to follow wherever she went and he got caught up in it far too easily. 

( But damn if she didn’t know how to make him laugh. ) 

“Bet.” Was all he responded as he rose from behind the chair once he was certain that Xavier wouldn’t try and pelt him with another lime wedge. Maybe he was being too hasty wanting to add Xavier’s latest bar ghoul to the wall of shame, but he’d added people for less in the past. 

One man had received a nomination from him for simply ordering extra gherkins with his cheese burger.

“I’ll trade you a milkshake for a blunt.” Crash might as well get something out of this arrangement. “I’m not picking that shit up by the way.” He nudged the lime wedge with the tip of his boot, before stepping over it and drifting towards the bar. “What’s your milkshake order?”

With the chair no longer acting as a makeshift shield for Crash, Xavier deliberately cut another lime slice. This one was thicker than any he would use for a drink, making it the perfect makeshift missile for his co-worker. 

“Deal. I want a strawberry one. Real frothy and shit. Large. On, and Crash?” He finishes listing off his demands and waits for him to get close enough to him so he can throw his mega-wedge, watching it bounce off his oddly perfect nose. 

“maybe it’s code for something. you should go and ask the bartender.” she tilted her head towards the girl who would likely judge him for making a drink up. “come on, — and let me watch.”

It was damn right psychotic. Unhinged. Deplorable. If Crash hadn’t been holding a chair in his hands, he might have shuddered. Instead, he set the chair on the ground, sliding it beneath the table. “I know it’s wall of shame worthy,” The wall of shame was less a wall and more of a notice board behind the bar, displaying pictures of their least favourite customers.

“Wha— Hey!” Crash all but yelped, narrowly dodging Xavier’s attempt at flicking a segment of lime at him by ducking behind one of the chairs. “Cease fire,” Crash demanded, peering over the back of the chair. “Do I look like a mind reader to you? How was I supposed to know you were going to be craving a milkshake!”

“You think?” As far as infractions went, X’s nominations were usually more so those who had been responsible for him having to use the dreaded mop and bucket reserved for the pukers. They were permanent shame stars in his books. 

“Dude. I’m here and I’m awake, of course I’d be craving one.” He tilts his head like that was the most obvious assumption in the world. Given that Crash usually had to cover his many smoke breaks that preceded a case of the munchies he thought he would have put that together. 

“Did you tell them we don’t serve psychopaths?” Crash sneered, lifting a brow and slurping at his peanut butter blast milkshake. “I’ve heard of a hot whiskey,” He begins, leaving his milkshake at the bar and lifting each chair down individually from where they had been stacked on the nearest table top the night before, “But a hot gin? That’s some Jeffrey Dahmer shit.”

“It’s just wrong, right?” Xavier made no mystery of his disdain at the grimace on his face, which was only partially due to the strange request the night before. It was also influenced by Crash’s behaviour there and then. 

@rockyviewarchive​