Shawn Hunter (mistercory) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2020-07-01 16:19:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !completed gdoc, !log, ~2020 july, ~~hayley marshall (havinaminiklaus), ~~shawn hunter (mistercory) |
Who: Shawn Hunter & Hayley Marshall
What: Drinks & Dancing
Where: Verdant
When: This evening
Warnings: nope
Status: complete
Shawn still wasn’t sure exactly what was going on with him and Karen. Part of him was hesitant to take the plunge into a real relationship after losing Liz. Another part of him really enjoyed the time they spent together and wanted to see where it could go. If she got sent home, would he regret not pursuing something with her? That was what he had to figure out.
Tonight, he’d gone to Verdant for a few drinks, hoping that it would help him think. He was sitting at the bar, nursing a beer, when someone walked up next to him and he almost fell off his stool. “Faye?”
He hadn’t known she was back. It had been years, but he remembered her fondly, no matter how awkward he always acted when she flirted with him.
***
Hayley had been a bartender before, and one thing she had learned. You didn’t drink where you served. People were tempted to ask you to pitch in when it got busy, and the barflies saw it as an opportunity to flirt with actual intent instead of the harmless attempts at getting a non-watered down drink. All of those reasons, and her recent spat with Klaus, were why she walked into Verdant to put a few back instead of at the Wyrm.
Luck had it there was a space at the bar. Both hands connected with the edge of the wood as if she were physically claiming the spot as hers before she slid onto the barstool, and leaned forward to be heard by the bartender. “Vieux Carre.” She grinned as the bartender gave her a foul look then left to make her ridiculously pointed drink.
It wasn’t until she sat back that she realized that the guy next to her had said something to her. “Hmm?” She turned a quizzical look to him then smiled and shook her head. “No. Sorry.”
***
Of course it wasn’t Faye. Shawn should have expected that. He’d been in Madison Valley long enough to know that face twins were a common occurrence. Even if it had been her, what were the odds that she’d remember being here before and meeting him? People often returned without memories of being here before.
“Sorry,” he said, offering her a smile. “You look like someone I used to know. Let me at least buy your drink.” When the bartender brought over her drink, he pointed and said, “Put it on my tab.”
***
“No problem,” Hayley said easily enough. It wasn’t often that she got confused for someone else, but she’d learned that in Madison Valley, anything was possible. At the offer of picking up her drink she opened her mouth to warn him, give him an out, but he beat her to it. The bartender muttered an affirmative with a shake of his head then wandered off while Hayley gave her new friend an apologetic smile. “You might regret that,” she said as she picked up her drink.
Taking a sip let her know that the bartender knew what he was doing which also meant it was expensive. After she set it down she extended her hand. “Hayley Marshall. Thanks.”
***
“Shawn Hunter,” he said, shaking her hand. “And it’s fine.” He had no idea what she was drinking, but it wasn’t like an expensive drink was going to break his bank. Between the paper and the studio, he brought in decent money and now that he only had one teenager to take care of, he had a bit more disposable income.
Since she was here drinking, he assumed she was at least 21. Still too young for him, but there was no harm in having a conversation and maybe flirting a little.
***
She drank the best, and what she liked since it took a lot to even give her a buzz. Between being a werewolf and a vampire her constitution made drinking more of a thing about taste and enjoyment than to get drunk. As for her age...well. If he only knew.
“Nice to meet you, Shawn.” She meant it. Hayley liked meeting new people, especially ones that weren’t from home with an attitude you could slice bread with. “And for the record,” she lifted her drink. “New Orleans original, and they don’t make anything cheaply.”
***
“I think I can handle buying one expensive drink for a pretty lady,” Shawn said, easily slipping into the suave flirty banter that he’d perfected long ago. It wasn’t something he used much these days and somehow now felt like the right time. “So you’re from New Orleans, I take it?”
He’d been there a few times, had photographed Mardi Gras, and had trouble imagining Hayley as the type to flash people for beads.
***
Oh, he should have known her sixteen to twenty years ago when she had most certainly been the type to flash her breasts...and more...just because. That was how she ended up with Klaus. But also how she ended up with Hope, so she didn’t entirely regret everything.
She grinned for the compliment, but it was obvious that she wasn’t the type of woman to preen and simpler just because she was being flirted with. She also didn’t flirt back immediately. That sort of thing Hayley held in wait...see if the guy was worth the effort.
“Louisiana, originally,” she said. “But I spent a lot of time in New Orleans and the bayou around it.” She definitely didn’t look Cajun. Not even Creole.
***
The more she talked, the less she reminded Shawn of Faye and that was probably a good thing. The younger girl was a distant memory and needed to stay that way. He was not the type of guy who would take advantage of someone young enough to be his daughter, no matter how attractive.
“Nice. I was a travel blogger and photographer, so I’ve been pretty much everywhere,” he said. “Grew up in Philly though.” Shawn definitely missed the excitement of city life. “How long have you been here in Madison Valley?” he asked.
***
“I was in Philly a few times,” Hayley said as she turned a bit more to face Shawn. He wasn’t giving off creeper vibes, and the travel thing interested here. “Spent a lot of time on South Street.” Then she smirked. “Not that I remember what I did on South Street. I was a bit more...open minded back then.” Drugs, alcohol and more drugs. South Street was notorious for that.
“Not too long,” she said before she took another drink. “Couple of months, maybe. I tend bar at the White Wyrm.” Hurray for dive bars! “You?”
***
Shawn chuckled, well aware of South Street’s reputation. “Sounds about right,” he said. “I moved to New York for college and have only been back for short visits, so I was never a regular down there.” It was a good thing he hadn’t found his way there when he was younger and more likely to get into trouble.
“Haven’t been to the White Wyrm yet,” he said. Maybe he’d have to check it out now. “I work part time for the paper and I run the photography studio here in town. Been here… almost five years now.” Which was crazy to think about.
***
“Oh, yeah?” Hayley actually kind of perked up to hear about a photography studio. Of course, her version of perking up drew a few pairs of eyes her way with the small wiggle and how much her back arched as she sat up straighter on the stool.
“I’d like to see some of your work,” she said with a smile. “I might be interested in a sitting with my daughter.” Not that she could take it back with her if she ever went home, but it would be nice to pretend while she was here. “I didn’t get much time with her back home.”
***
“Absolutely,” Shawn said. “We can make that happen anytime. This isn’t exactly our booming time of year.” He tended to be much busier in the fall and winter, with people wanting holiday portraits. And some in the spring for graduations and whatnot. “How old is your daughter?”
It was nice that she had her daughter here, though it made him miss Maya. He hoped that she was okay back home.
***
Hayley groaned as she rolled her eyes melodramatically. “Sixteen going on thirty.” She chuckled as she took a drink as if to wash that down. “Back home she’d been eight. We lost time together. I’m really glad we have it now.” Then she wrinkled her nose as she thought Even if it does mean dealing with her dad.
“What are your prices like?” she asked. “Remember, I’m just a lowly bartender. My tips don’t amount to being able to afford superstar travel blog photography. Just a humble shoot.”
***
Flattery wouldn’t get her anywhere. Shawn laughed at her comments. “We’re in Indiana. You can definitely afford me,” he said. “But, wow, you must have been young when you had her.” She clearly wasn’t old enough to have a sixteen year old and he was a little surprised that she had an eight year old.
Of course, as soon as the words out, he realized they might be a bit insensitive and he cringed. “Sorry, that’s none of my business.”
***
Hayley laughed at the backpedaling. “It’s ok,” she assured him. “I’m twenty nine.” And looked twenty one still thanks to being a vampire. “I would be thirty seven if I were from the same time as my daughter, but I guess you could say I was still young when I had her.”
Twenty one wasn’t that old. These days you’d be accused of not knowing shit from shinola, and they probably wouldn’t be wrong.
***
Shawn was all too aware that he was staring down the barrel of his fortieth birthday. It shouldn’t bother him, age was just a number, blah blah blah, but it sounded so wrong. “So is this place your future, your daughter’s past, or something else?” he asked.
Anything was possible around here. Like the teenage version of his wife showing up. He still wasn’t over that.
***
Hayley laughed. “I have no idea.” She drained the glass then signaled for another one. “But I don’t really care. I have this time with her. Back home I couldn’t.”
Her voice hitched just a little on that. Not only could she not have been around Hope, but she had to avoid Elijah as well. And damn it! When was that going to stop hurting?! “That’s what matters, right?” She didn’t sound entirely convinced.
***
It sounded like there was a story there and Shawn was definitely not going to ask. “That’s exactly what matters,” he said. “Bring her down sometime this week and we’ll get you hooked up with photos.” Hell, he’d even do them for free. He wasn’t really in this for the money, only needed enough to keep a roof over his head and make sure he and Rowan were fed.
He signaled for another drink too and while they were waiting, he gave her a grin. “Want to dance?”
***
Hayley found her smile again as she gave him a grateful nod. “Thanks. I’ll find your number and give you a call to let you know we’re coming.” Now she just had to talk Hope into doing this. Honestly, Hayley didn’t think Hope would have a problem with it. She wasn’t the shy oh em gee don’t take my picture type.
Shawn caught her mid drink with that offer and Hayley almost choked. “Serious?” Wow! When was the last time someone had asked her to dance? Elijah. Privately. Ugh. She was beginning to feel like plutonium. Was Klaus behind it? She wouldn’t be surprised.
She chuckled as she set her glass on the bar. “I would love to dance.”
***
“Great,” Shawn said with a grin, sliding off his bar stool and holding out his hand to lead her to the dance floor. He was far from a great dancer, but he could manage to move in time with the beat of the song and who cared if he looked like a weirdo.