InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Welcome to the jungle"

Hope O'Shea (hope_lingers) wrote in haunted_roads,
@ 2008-07-17 12:49:00

Entry tags:

bastian, hope

Week Twelve: Monday
Who Bastian and Hope/Alyssa
When: Monday Night
Where: The Barking Spider
What: Reunion

Nox had found out a lot. Well, perhaps not a lot, but enough to make Hope wander if her instincts that told her to come here had in fact been correct. There was a girl reported missing, daughter of the owner of this Tavern, fifteen, nearly sixteen, years ago. The hair, the eyes, it all seemed to add up, but how had she, as a teenage runaway, or was she perhaps abducted, able to get all the way across the country to New York? That was the one question she could not answer, well, one of many. But it was time to stop delaying it and see if it were possible that she was, in fact, Alyssa Veniamin.

She had been working up the courage to step inside of this bar since the first day she had arrived in Seattle and had yet to do so before now. But one foot was inside the door, and soon the other followed, and without much reluctance, she was crossing the barroom floor to the actual bar itself, situating herself upon a stool as her eyes glanced around the place for anything that might seem vaguely familiar. There was nothing.

A hand moved up to push long strands of dark hair back out of her face as she slipped off her jacket, the same one she had had on the night that she had watched the woman die. The blood stains had come out easily at the dry cleaners though she now lacked the belt that she needed to keep it closed. Eventually she would track down something else that would work, but that had been the last thing on her mind since she had arrived here.

In her well-tailored, dark-wash jeans, and her deep brown sweater and brown boots with a small heel, she looked more than a little out of place in this bar. But she was here on a mission and she hardly noticed though she couldn't say there wasn't at least a small bit of intent there. That last thing she wanted was to garner any unwanted attention from drunken bystanders. She was a beautiful woman, this she knew, and attention generally came easy if she dressed herself up, but she hoped that dressing down would alleviate this.

The bartender made his way down to her but she didn't look up immediately, eyes instead focused upon the beer menu in her hand. "Let me have a Beck's Dark." She looked up as she spoke. Nothing too heavy for her tonight. Things were potentially going to get heavy enough as it was.

(Post a new comment)

better_days
2008-07-18 12:02 am UTC (link)

Unusual faces weren’t all together a strange thing at the Barking Spider. People stopped in to check it out, get a drink, and go on with their day. Most of the regulars were used to it and barely blinked an eye to it. Bastian, on the other hand, was all too acutely aware of new arrivals. Especially after what happened long ago. Women, men, he noticed them all even if it barely looked like he’d seen them at all. The girl was noted, but with so much time passing there was no way he could just give a glance at her and know who she was.

All he knew was that she was human and for him that meant less of a threat. It meant she wasn’t with people he never wanted to be in the bar again.

She took her seat and Bastian continued on with the table he was currently talking to. A group of regulars that were all grinning and trying to joke around. Even if Bastian only seemed half interested in the jokes. The guys that came into a place like this were good guys deep down. They weren’t the slur all over a girl sort, no reason that Bastian or his old man would put up with that. Most were just looking to enjoy their beer and get on with their night. Others just wanted to forget the night in a beer. This wasn’t the sort of place for girl hunting.

But though the bar was old, and though it was a bit worn, it was a friendly enough environment. Even if that needed a bit of work…the bar had gone through some tough times. Much like the family that owned it. Bastian was attempting to bring some new life into the place but considering his rather dim view on the world lately…it was a bit difficult to get the urge to brighten things up. He was trying…it was just slow going.

At the least with Bastian back in front of the bar the old man was better able to sit in the back office and go through paperwork. Handling the money side of things that needed some attention alright. Bastian helped with the catching up when he could but the old man stubbornly held to a lot of the tasks. It made him feel useful and Bastian wasn’t about to take that away from him.

“Be just a sec.” Bastian remarked to the new comer as he finished taking the order of the table and headed back behind the bar. There he glanced to the girl even as he started getting drinks ready for the other. As a bartender you had to become great friends with the ability to multitask. “Sure thing.” A remark of confirmation as he finished up the other drinks, lining them on the bar for the boys. “Making us get our own drinks, getting lazy Bas.” Bastian just rolled his eyes a bit, attempting to keep up that banter “Just helping to make sure you get some needed exercise, that’s all.” It made them all laugh.

A second later the cap to the beer was being popped off “Bottle or glass?” everyone had their preference. With the question he looked up at her again. It was only then that he got that…feeling in his gut. That strange tug that he couldn’t really place outright but it sure as hell made him cautious.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

hope_lingers
2008-07-18 12:17 am UTC (link)

The place actually was really quite nice. She had been here for a bit and there were no cat calls made at all. That wasn't usually the case when it came to most bars. But it wasn't just that. There was this feeling, this.. familiarity about it. It felt like.. like she had had been here before, and often. And the more she sat there, the stronger that feeling became, and the more she started to think that maybe, just maybe, this was the place she was supposed to be.

If the feeling had not been enough, the look that the bartender gave her certainly assisted. "Bottle." She replied, though the words came slowly, and she found herself unable to look away from him as a feeling took hold of her gut, like something had grabbed it and was starting to twist it, making her feel both nauseated and breathless at the same time.

"Thank you." She finally managed to speak, feeling like the words had been hung in her throat which was suddenly beyond parched. She wrenched her gaze away as she took the beer in hand, enough money to cover it already having been laid upon the bar top. A hand moved up to tuck her hair back behind her ear, visibly shaking as she took a drink of the dark liquid.

She could feel the pace of her pulse starting to pick up. Should she say something? What if she was wrong? What if this was all just wishful thinking making her feel this way and the look was nothing, was all inside her head? But what if it wasn't?

"Do I know you?" She asked, those deep browns of hers moving back up to meet his own.