Normally, Abe was the type to spend most evenings working at his bar whether it was up front among customers or in the back looking over the books. He was used to staying busy and working more often than not rather than spending a lot of time left to his own devices. Tonight, though, he left his capable bartenders on their own and was taking a walk around the park. The temperature had turned cool for the time of year, and the night air was refreshing as he walked. A yellow scarf adorned his neck tonight as it wouldn’t have mattered how high the temperature might have been.
It was nice to have the evening to himself. Being at the bar was enjoyable in its own way, but it also meant that he was constantly surrounded by people. As much as he was energized in a good crowd, solitude was something he craved every now and again. Back home, he rarely had time to himself due to having guardians or his employees with him most of the time, so the opportunity to venture off by himself after dark without worrying what might be going bump in the night - aside from the occasional COS agent - wasn’t taken for granted.
Nights such as these often brought back that familiar tug to pick up some of his old and a bit more… colorful business practices. Most of his services weren’t needed here, and most of the underground likely supplied COS with supplies and intel. That wasn’t something he was interested in pursuing while in Atlantis.
He circled around the edge of the park and ended up walking back towards the business district. He considered taking a trip back to the bar to see what was happening at Dive but decided against it and ended up slipping into Cava instead. He ordered a glass of wine and stayed up at the bar, leaning against the counter and scanning the room for any familiar faces.
Georgina didn’t frequent Cava very often - you couldn’t even get a gimlet here - but tonight she’d made plans to meet a friend for a glass of wine or three and maybe a light bite to eat. Cava might not be her usual top pick, but she had to admit the place had a nice atmosphere.
Noticing her friend wasn’t here yet, she made her way up to the bar a grinned when she spotted Abe there. “You know, I think that shade of yellow is out of season,” she teased. She’d known him long enough to know that for Abe Mazur, there was no such thing as out of season for he bright colors he wore or scarves in general. It was a little charming, but she couldn’t help giving him a hard time.
“No, I believe you’re wrong, my dear,” Abe said with a smile as she sat down next to him. “You see, I’m ahead of the times. Wearing tomorrow’s fashions today. You’ll see.” He raised his glass to her before taking a drink. Abe had often been given grief about his bright scarves and flashy suits, but he paid the opinions of others no mind and did as he pleased. He did so in every other aspect of his life so why not with his wardrobe too? People took notice of him because of it. Or they noticed what he wanted them to notice. If someone was paying too close attention to his clothing then they might miss something much more important he didn’t want them to see.
Abe liked Georgina. He enjoyed her company, and it wasn’t simply because of the allure she carried with her wherever she went. She was a pleasure to be around, and he always was interested in hearing some stories of her very long life whenever she felt like sharing.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he said. It wasn’t often that he visited Cava either, but here they were. “In the mood for something different for the night?”
“Mmm, yes, I suppose you are,” she conceded, grinning slightly. Abe seemed to be a man who marched to his own beat and that was something she’d admired about him since first meeting him around a year ago. His personality was just as colorful as his clothing and she found it made him interesting to be around.
“I’m meeting a friend,” she answered, giving a slight shrug. “Don’t worry,” she teased slightly, “I haven’t abandoned Dive for more than an evening. Your bartenders still make the best gimlets in town.”
“Lucky friend,” Abe said with a sly look behind his glass before taking another drink. It was no secret that the Moroi liked to flirt, and it was always enjoyable with someone like Georgina who took it all in stride often returned the favor. He knew a portion of her history, and it made no difference to him. He wasn’t about to step up onto a pedestal on a piece of moral high ground in that regard anytime soon.
“That they do,” he agreed with her observation of his bar. He shrugged. “Sometimes it’s nice to go for something different for a change, yes?” He was here, too, after all. Abe enjoyed the certain ambiance that Dive generally gave, but even he liked to have a chance of pace every now and then.
“So, tell me. Anything new and exciting happenings in world of Georgina Kincaid these days?”
“Life would be boring without a little variety,” she agreed easily. Moving around, changing her identity now and then through the centuries had been a necessity, but it had also kept life from getting too boring. When you’d lived as long as she had, that variety got harder to come by, but it was a worthy pursuit.
Bringing her glass to her lips, she sipped at the wine before answering Abe’s question. “You know me - breaking hearts, living the good life,” she answered. “The club is going well.”
“Most definitely,” he said with a smile. During the times when he would occasionally find himself growing a bit bored leading a relatively ‘normal’ life with the business, Atlantis would then decide to shake things up and keep life interesting again. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait too long for an something unusual to happen.
Raising a brow, Abe looked at her curiously. “I’m glad the club is going well,” he replied and signaled for a second glass of wine. He didn’t say anything else until the bartender had disappeared to serve someone else.
“Breaking hearts, though, that must keep you very busy,” he said as he absentmindedly sipped on his new glass. “I suppose I should know.” His voice grew a bit lighter. “I’ve been known to break a heart or two in my time.”
“You know it,” Georgina agreed with a smile. Truthfully, she wasn’t actually breaking so many hearts these days. She had a few people in Atlantis who knew what she was and were only too happy to help her meet certain needs. They also seemed to not be looking for any type of real attachment, which kept things from getting messy. It was the perfect arrangement if she didn’t think about the fact that there was a part of her that would always want more from life.
Tonight wasn’t a time she wanted to think about that, so she turned her attention toward Abe, giving him one of her best flirtatious looks. “I’ll bet you’ve broken more than a heart or two in your time,” she said.
Abe probably looked far too smug for his own good, but he still pretended to wave off her comment as if it didn’t hold the slightest bit of truth. “Oh, we all have a few loves lost here and there,” he said with a sip of his drink. There were a few broken hearts along the way, but that was generally early on in his life. Later, he usually had an understanding with anyone he found a certain… interest in throughout his travels.
“But that’s a bit of ancient history.” Janine had been in Atlantis for a time, and he’d always have a soft spot for her no matter when they saw each other, but he wasn’t pining and neither was she. They were who they were, and both were fine with that no matter what might have been if their careers had taken them in different places.
“I like to think that I’ve broken few hearts but rather simply shared heartfelt… moments with over the years.”
“Mmhmm.” Georgina clearly didn’t fully believe that version of events, even if it sounded nicer to put it that way. Ancient history was something she knew all about, literally in her case. She’d lived a number of lives and broken a number of hearts in her long life. There was a part of her that longed for something more, but after trying with Seth - and failing miserably - she’d come to accept that just wasn’t her destiny. In spite of embracing her succubus role a little more willingly since their breakup, though, breaking hearts wasn’t something she usually aspired to.
“Drinking alone tonight?” she asked him, “or are you planning to share one of those heartfelt... moments with someone special?” The question held a hint of teasing, but she was also curious.
Abe gave her a knowing look at the clear meaning of her words, but the expression soon turned into one of amusement. “Yes, drinking alone,” he confirmed, but it wasn’t much of a surprise. He’d come into Cava for something different than the usual night and was greeted with a familiar, yet welcome, face.
“And you?” He made the point of briefly looking around the room. “Your friend seems to have had something else come up.” She hadn’t said who she was meeting, but where Georgina was concerned it could have been any number of people for any number of reasons.
“Hmm,” she said noncommittally, shrugging, but then she offered him a smile. “Perhaps fate means us both to change our plans for the evening.” If that was the case, she didn’t really mind in the slightest.