noli timere messorem (defyuntildeath) wrote in paxletalelogs, @ 2017-02-23 06:27:00 |
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Entry tags: | freyr, kali |
Tact is just lying for adults
Who: Jay and Rafael
What: a low key introduction
Where: The Last Stop
When: 2/8/17 Noon ish
Rating: PG-13 for language at least
Jayati kicked the swinging door open that led from the kitchen area, carrying a rack of dried shot glasses. Behind her the fry cook’s british punk rock contrasted with The White Stripes that was currently playing in the main bar. The cook came and went, she needed them during lunch and in the evening but she wasn’t running a proper pub so she couldn’t really justify keeping them on for 40 hours a week unless they could bartend as well.
Wednesdays were good days. They fell after her only consistent day off so she was recharged and refreshed, she was nearly always in a good mood and ready to be busy. It wasn’t overly busy at the moment, a few guys for lunch from one of the local car shops (not chop shops, but she had a few of those here and there as well), and a handful of barflies that could be there for hours but were pretty low maintenance. Their food menu filled half a page and wasn’t five star, but it was good for bar food, it wasn’t pricey, it tended to be fast and she didn’t judge you if you stunk from working all morning. So she finished putting the shot glasses up before making the rounds to check on everyone.
Rafael was seated in a corner booth, nursing a draft beer and a burger, the bun neatly picked off and set aside. He looked up as the proprietor circled around, greeting her with a smile. He had heard stories about her, all of them whispered things whose veracity he doubted. Having never met her himself, he had thought very little of the rumors. The Last Stop was an excellent place for him to have a bit of privacy. None of his clients and few of his fans would frequent such a place, and it felt good to have somewhere he could have a semblance of anonymity. So he was grateful to his unknown host, though she had no idea what she provided for him; the least he could do, he thought, was to be welcoming and warm when at last they spoke.
With two empties in hand Jay paused by his table, heavy work boots not quite catching on the floor as she pivoted back towards him, returning his smile while shooting a curious look at his picked over plate but not commenting. People that liked out of the way hole in the wall places were almost always some sort of eccentric, and this wasn’t her first time seeing him around, “Ya’ good over here?” Casual like, with a relaxed stance that showed she wasn’t needing to rush off if he did need anything.
"I am," he said. His smile did not abate. "I haven't been here that often, but I feel like you're here every time I am. You're the owner, right?"
He seemed genuine, and there was no spark of greed or hunger in his face that told her he was about to ask for something like friendly people at bars often did, so she let her posture relax a bit more, “I am, I prefer the trenches to an office.” Jay never dressed any differently than any of the other bartenders on staff, and there was no job around the place she didn’t do.
"I understand that very well. I think people like you make the best bosses, if you want the truth." He wiped his hand clean on his nearby napkin, and extended it to her in greeting. "I'm Rafael. It's good to meet you."
Appreciating the gesture she gave him the same courtesy, trying to clear out any beer or anything else she had picked up on her cargo pants before shaking his hand. Her own told the story her mouth would not, calluses along her fingertips and a roughness on the palm of her hand from labor and weapons training, and a few off kilter knuckles from too many hits, “ Thank you,nice to meet ya’ Rafael, Jayati, but Jay is easier for most.”
He nodded, his smile fading only a little at the implications of such a thing. He was more than passingly familiar with such concessions. It made his next question come all the more easily. "Jayati is lovely, though," he said. "Which do you prefer?"
When she wasn’t on a job that forced her to consciously control her expressions, Jayati tended to lead with her face and this time was no different. The pleased surprise was evident when he pronounced her name exactly as she had, most Americans butchered it in some way, taking away the melody and meaning of the name she had chosen.
“The full version, when it’s pronounced right.” Her smile and nod gave him credit where it was due, “Nice of you to ask.” It felt odd to come so close to genuinely thanking someone twice in one conversation, so she skirted it, “How was the food then?” He wasn’t consistent enough in his visits or what he ordered for her to have his habits or judge his reception of what he had received.
Rafael nodded, swallowing the fresh bite he had taken before responding. "It's great," he said. "It always is. Please don't be offended by this." He gestured to the removed bun. "The beer is probably more carbs than I should be having already." He chuckled, a self deprecating sound. "I know how that sounds, but…"
Jayati snorted, “I didn’t slave away all day making the bread myself, I’m not wounded.” But she leaned forward to get a more obvious look at him, “If you’re on some weird diet I think you’ve already screwed the pooch, but I believe you’ll be fine either way.” The guy didn’t look like he needed to be on any kind of diet, a little pretty but not bad looking, but the onions on the burger weren’t exactly fried in fancy olive oil so him avoiding the bun was funnier than it was anything.
He laughed, nodding as he did. "I'm sure you're right," he said. "But it makes me feel a little better. That's something, right?" He gestured to the seat across from him. "If you have a break, would you like to sit? You look familiar. I think I've seen you around somewhere… other than here, I mean."
The man was one of those whose geniality was easily contagious and she couldn’t help but smile, “The most important, really.” Seeing as her current situation was the illusion of control and stability to make herself feel better, who was she to criticise, “Sure, I doubt that though I don’t get out much.” She swung the free chair at the table around, setting the empties down on the table so she could gross her arms over the back of the chair as she straddled it. The temperature had been in the upper sixties to lower seventies for a bit now, but she still wore long sleeves every day to hide her distinctive ink, and so she wiped down the condensation on his table so they wouldn’t get wet in the process.
"Oh… well, I might be mistaken." He smiled. "It's happened before. But I feel like I've seen you, maybe around Newport Beach? I just moved into a new apartment complex there. Well, newly reopened. I haven't met all of my neighbors, but... " He tipped his head to one side, looking at her with all the unfeigned an open interest of a puppy. "Do you live in Pax Letale? Or near it?"
Jayati visibly tensed, unseen hand that wasn’t holding the rag on top of the table curling into a fist. Rafael was the second semi-regular customer to tell her they lived in the same place, and she was beginning to regret moving.
“Sounds familiar, I think I’ve seen it?” The lie came easily as she worked to clear the irritation from her face, a deep breath on a three count. Instinct said to get away from him and to busy herself elsewhere, but Chris was right--the universe wasn’t plotting against her. Besides that, it would look suspicious if she rushed off at that moment, “Lived around here long?” Casual. Easy. Normal. Safe.
He nodded, apparently oblivious to the sudden tension that crackled through her. "Ten years or so, I guess? So I've probably just seen you around the area, I suppose. Or here…" He shrugged, allowing her an easy out from the uncomfortable topic. "I was lucky to get into the building, I think. The rent is surprisingly good, especially for beachfront." He took another sip of his beer, his tongue swiping small beads of amber liquid from his lips.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to keep you from your work…"
She shrugged, the beachfront thing didn’t really matter to her. It was kind of nice to look out her window not just see buildings as far a the eye could see in any direction and look up and not just see smog on certain days, but the ocean in and of itself didn’t hold too much of a lure.
“I feel like I stick out in that area, I thought about trying to live in the back of the bar but it didn’t pan out,” Her face scrunched up in displeasure for a moment, remembering that temporary debacle, “In some cities it’s more common to live above your business, but not in this area I guess.”
"I guess not," Rafael said. "But maybe that's for the best. We all need a little separation between ourselves and work, don't you think?" He chewed his lip, doing his level best to set aside all the uncomfortable thoughts this line of conversation brought to mind. So he nodded a little goodbye, smiling softly up at her.
"It was good finally meeting you, Jay," he said. "I hope I see you around soon."