| Listening |
[08 May 2009|03:59pm] |
Earlier in the night, the bar was a zoo. A sporting event blasted from two plasma screens, getting the patrons rowdy. A fight broke out around 9pm, and some guy's shoulder busted up the front door. Now masking tape criss-crossed the glass pane, holding it together at the cracks. An employee swept ground-up peanut shells, napkins, checkered food wrappers, and beer caps into piles. Cigarette smoke, that much-maligned, illegal substance that was outlawed a few years back, hung in the air unchecked. Nobody cared.
A pair of shoes entered Hayden's field of vision. He lifted his head. When the bartender turned around, he released the death grip he kept on his neck and waved. "Hey... can I get another beer?"
The tender had a decidedly relieved look on his face as he completed the cleanup from the earlier WWE match that had broken out spontaneously over the outcome of some sporting event or another. A slow nod in response to the hail requesting a fresh beer before he made his way behind the bar to pour the requested beverage. A fresh glass was produced from the dishwasher and rinsed in cold water so it wouldn't warm the beer before the patron received it.
Beer in hand, the slightly weary but friendly looking barman returned to the quiet man's table and set the glass in place of the prior one, which he picked up and set aside for later washing. "That be all for you?" Typical question coming from someone who served others for a living.
( Lending His Ear )
[NPC Pete was written by Anne]
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