Merri/Ash | bar in the Theatre District | late-evening
"Good! Good, I've been... um, well, good." Merri winced at the lack of grace to his words, his face coloring a little. "I, ah, well, how have you been?"
He kept himself from cringing again. Instead, he cleared his throat to give himself a cleaner start and he tried to muster up all the confidence he could to ask, "Can I, uh, buy you something to drink?" Except, wait, she already had a drink. Oh no! "Your next drink! Can I buy it for you?" That sounded idiotic, even to his ears, and he let out a defeated sigh.