Brooding and Snarking Who: Avery and Devin When: Late afternoon Where: Near the lake
Avery was feeling okay. Sort of. Maybe. She was excited to move in with Fiona, but everything else was just… blah. She had spent some of the afternoon packing up a few things in her bedroom, though she figured Lochlan or Patrick could help her get her furniture over. Unless Fiona had a bed in the second bedroom already. Avery hadn’t even thought to double check. But there had been a few moments, here and there, when Avery had to stop and just sit. She cried for a bit and then, of course, felt stupid about it. Really, there were very few people worth crying over in her life, and she usually didn’t let her emotions get the better of her. But everything sort of sucked. Finn, Darcy and now, getting the feeling that Noah was blowing her off. Which wasn’t surprising. He was Darcy’s boyfriend, and Darcy was pretty good at manipulation when it suited her. So, that was that. She just figured she needed to chose her friends more wisely next time. And boyfriends. Sadly, she couldn’t chose her family.
She still had an hour or so before she had to be at the bar, so Avery pulled on her jacket and boots and left to take a walk. It was still a bit rainy and cold, but she didn’t care. It was better than being at home alone, stewing. She really sort of felt like doing something really stupid. She couldn’t exactly get drunk, seeing as how the only liquor she had access to was at the bar where she had to work soon. She didn’t really have the money at the moment to try and buy some pot from the greenhouse guy - though that didn’t mean she hadn’t thought about it before. There was a chick in town who did tattoos. That was always a possibility. Avery thought tattoos were pretty badass, after all. Maybe a quickie from some hot stud in town. That bitter thought prompted a tiny smirk, since that was one of the three options that would never happen.
She turned toward the lake instead, aware that it would just be colder near the water, but she didn’t care. It was less likely that there would be people around.
Devin had no idea why he couldn't keep his ass in the house, but there it was. He'd gone in to help Justin at the diner for a while, then he'd gone to find Skylar and hang out with him, and now he was wandering around again. This last time he'd put on an extra layer of clothing beneath his jacket to keep warm, leaving him at undershirt, thermal shirt, hoodie and denim jacket. If he fell, he might actually bounce up from the ground. The thought made him smirk around the cigarette that was in his mouth as he meandered around the lake that was near the lumberyard. It was quiet out here, nothing going on and no one in sight, but that was okay. Once he'd had his fill of the cold and the lapping sound of water, he'd go home and stare at the fire.
Exhaling smoke, he kicked at the ground beneath his feet, hooking his hands into the pockets of his jacket. He'd be damned glad when Eatzy's opened again. Maybe the power would be back tomorrow, he thought. Glancing up, Devin noticed someone else walking in his direction, and he squinted to try and see who it was.
When Avery spotted the figure sitting near the lake, she nearly turned around. But the closer she got, the more familiar the face became, although that wasn't exactly what she was focused on. It was Devin, the cook from Eatzy's. He came into the bar from time to time, but Avery had never really spoken to him, or even thought of him beyond a vague He's cute kind of way. But she did that a lot, especially at work. In any case, Avery noticed he was smoking, It didn't smell like pot, which was mildly disappointing, but something was better than nothing. Here was her maybe-opportunity to do that stupid thing she had been thinking about. Or maybe not even stupid. Maybe just new. When she was close enough, Avery worked on a smile, though she was fairly unsuccessful. It was too cold and she was in too bad a mood to try and pull the perky, friendly blonde thing. "Got another one of those?" Avery asked, lifting a brow before continuing, "I'm willing to trade, if you are." Because things like cigarettes - and even pot - didn't come cheap.
Devin had seen the blonde at both O’Reilly’s and Eatzy’s, and he knew that she was one of quite a few O’Reillys around the dome, but that was about it. His eyebrows were lifted slightly as he appraised her expression: a thin layer of happy over a shit-ton of discontent was the best way he knew to describe it. He paused deliberately before saying anything, trying to call her name to mind. Couldn’t think of it. “What’re you gonna trade me?” he asked, the faintest of smirks on his lips as he removed the cigarette from his mouth and ashed it. Unless she was talking about sexual favors, he couldn’t imagine what she could possibly have to barter with.
Avery noted the smirk, and was unsurprised by it. She gave him a mild Look, though her lips twitched briefly in amusement. Most guys were likely to think something sexual, even if it was in jest. Bigger assholes would suggest it out loud and mean it. But it was something to expect when you offer to trade for hard to find goods. "Free liquor," Avery said after a moment of deliberation. "Next time you come into the bar. Two free beers for a cigarette sound fair enough?" It was really all she had of value, and all he would probably want anyway. Avery highly doubted someone like Devin had a hard time getting laid. Not that Avery would have offered that to begin with.
Oh yeah, there was booze. That was something Devin could definitely deal with. “Free liquor it is,” he said, reaching into his pocket for the baggie of smokes he’d gotten from Skylar. “Not gonna forget, are you?” There was no way he was going to miss out on beer when he could get it for free. His mama, may her soul be at peace wherever it might be, had taught him the value of a bargain. He handed one over and took out his lighter to light it for her if she wanted, his own lit cigarette twitching in one corner of his mouth.
Feeling fairly triumphant that she had successfully bargained a cigarette out of him - despite having never smoked one before - Avery felt a grin pull at her lips. "I don't forget anything," Avery said simply, "and even if I did, I'm sure you'd be more than ready to remind me." If Devin came in with Eily or Patrick working, she would just have to be sneakier about giving him the free drinks. But Avery could be sneaky when she wanted to be, so she wasn't terribly worried about it. Plucking the cigarette from his fingers, she lifted it to her lips and leaned in a bit so he could light it for her.
“I don’t forget anything either,” Devin told her. “So I guess we’re all set.” Once her cigarette had caught, he put the lighter away and ashed his own cigarette, letting a stream of smoke exit through his nose. Casting her a glance, he asked, “What’re you doing out this way, O’Reilly?” Hey, it was better than admitting he didn’t know her name.
Avery took her first hit off the cigarette, felt it catch a little in her throat, but managed to keep from coughing. It didn't taste bad, really. It was just... different. Clearing her throat in what she hoped was a subtle manner, Avery looked up at Devin, a tiny smirk playing at her lips. "You make it sound like I've wandered to the wrong side of the tracks. The house felt too quiet, so... I went for a walk. Which also turned out to be pretty quiet. Until now, I guess." She shrugged one shoulder and glanced over at the water. "What are you doing out here, besides smoking and looking broody."
The girl didn’t look like a heavy smoker by any means, and Devin was surprised when she didn’t cough at all. Well, at least it proved that people could still surprise him sometimes. He’d been smoking on and off for years, whenever he could get cigarettes, himself. He cut his eyes over at her when she asked what he was doing besides the two things she mentioned. “I’m not broody,” he said. “This is my normal look.” Sometimes it was. He could be a crabby and yet somehow stoic wad of angst at times, but he didn’t think she’d seen him around to know how he might ordinarily appear. “Just didn’t wanna be inside,” he added.
The second drag from the cigarette was a little easier on her throat and Avery studied the tip of it, pulling the smoke into her lungs before exhaling. It didn't particularly taste good, and so far, she wasn't seeing what the big deal was. In any case, her gaze ticked to Devin and she exhaled before smirking softly. "Huh. Well, sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your normal look is broody." Avery hadn't wanted to be inside either, somehow finding the chill in the air preferable to sitting in an empty house and stewing over all the bullshit in her life.
Devin rolled his eyes. “Whatever,” he muttered. He exhaled smoke, ashed his cigarette, then chuckled reluctantly. “You better be careful, or I’ll put a little somethin’ extra in your blue plate special.” He wasn’t serious about that, of course, but it was fun to say. And she might believe him, who knew? He glanced at her again, for a little longer this time, before turning his gaze back to the lake, which looked infinitely chilly right then.
That amused Avery, especially the subtle threat about her food. She tore her eyes from his face to look out over the water too, fighting back the urge to grin. "Bring it. Just remember before you sneeze in my eggs, or do whatever vile thing to my pancakes, that I'm also the one who'll be serving your drinks at the pub and I can get pretty damn creative." She glanced at her cigarette briefly. "Where'd you get these, anyway?"
“Are you old enough to serve drinks?” Devin said. He was mostly joking, since technically he wasn’t old enough to drink if one went by the old rules. Those didn’t seem to apply anymore. When she asked where he’d gotten the smokes, he said, “Skylar. He keeps me hooked up.” He figured she’d know what kind of business Skylar did at the greenhouse. Devin had no idea how long she’d been in this dome, but it had to be at least as long as he’d been and probably longer.
“How old do you think I am?” Avery asked with a soft snicker. She could serve drinks. And drink drinks. It wasn’t like they were pushing some legal age limit anymore. “And even if I weren’t, I’d make sure to serve yours.” She took another drag off the cigarette, wondering if the tension seeping out of her shoulders was from just talking about nothing with someone she didn’t know, or the cigarette itself. “Skylar. I should have figured. I’ve never bought anything from him, but I know he wanders around the greenhouse in his underwear from time to time.”
Devin turned his head again to squint at her. "I dunno... sixteen?" He figured she was older than that, but maybe he'd piss her off by guessing younger. It was worth a try. He made a snorting sound through cigarette smoke when she commented on Skylar and his peculiar habits. "Man, I'm glad he wasn't doing that today," he said, shaking his head. "That I do not need to see." Now if Skylar had been a chick, he would've been fine with such a habit, of course.
Avery rolled her eyes as his answer before releasing her own snort. "Sixteen, my ass. Well, at least I didn't ask how much you thought I weighed. And no, that's not an invitation for you take a guess." Just in case he thought it would be funny to throw a number out there. For a second there, she almost forgot she was turning eighteen in a couple of weeks. Not that it really meant anything. Her lips twitched briefly and she lifted the cigarette to her lips, figuring she ought to finish it since he was nice enough to trade her for it. "Not a fan of men in their underwear. I guess that answers my question, then."
Devin fought against the urge to smile. Turning his eyes to the heavens, he asked, “Why is it that girls who don’t have a thing to worry about always say shit like that?” The blonde’s figure looked just fine to him, but he knew that girls were always concerned about what they weighed. He rolled his neck, turning his gaze downward again, then cut his eyes over at her for her next remark. “Your question? What kind of question could that be?” She was probably messing with him, but he took the bait anyway.
She didn't really worry about her weight much. Sure she had moments of feeling gross and blah, but Avery's insecurities weren't really physical. So she snickered softly when he tossed his question upward and then exhaled another stream of smoke as Devin turned his attention back to her. Avery didn't return his look, but scanned her gaze over the water, struggling to keep another grin from curving at her lips. She barely succeeded, and amusement danced in her eyes when she shifted her gaze back to Devin. "The question of whether or not you liked seeing guys walk around in their underwear. Obviously."
Devin snorted. “Obviously, that’d be a no. I don’t even want to see myself walking around in my underwear.” Did he look like the kind of guy who liked dick? Intellectually he knew you couldn’t necessarily tell by looking, but it still irked him. Yeah, she was clearly one of those chicks who had to pick at others, look for weak spots, but that was all right. He couldn’t stand talking to insipid girls who agreed with everything a guy said.
Avery couldn't say she had to pick at people. She simply figured if he could try to get under her skin by guessing she was sixteen, Avery could return the favor. And it kind of seemed like she had, which was mildly satisfying. She didn't really think he really looked like he would like guys, although no, you couldn't always tell. But that wasn't the point. "Don't be too hard on yourself," Avery said, as her eyes drifted down, assessing him. "You probably look just fine in your underwear."
She’d said hard. Heh. Devin had an amused look on his face as she scrutinized him, and he pinched out his smoked-to-oblivion cigarette and tossed the butt toward the water. He waited for her to look back up to his face, then smiled innocently. “Oh, I do,” he said. “When I wear any.” That should give her something to think about.
That particular comment prompted a quick, loud laugh from Avery. Then she shook her head, dropping the cigarette to the ground and using her shoe to scuff it out against the grass. “How tantalizing,” she said before lifting a blonde brow and looking over at him again before sliding her hands into her jacket pockets. Her eyes drifted down his body again before she smirked. "Are you wearing any now?" Of course she had to ask, he practically invited it.
Devin just smiled at her sarcasm, giving her his best lofty look. This was just the sort of conversation he liked, and even more so when she asked the question she did. “Very personal question,” he said, sounding regretful. “You don’t know me well enough to get the answer to that.” His expression shifted to something that was distinctly dirty, suggestiveness in everything from his blue eyes to the set of his mouth. His expression said, Nope. Then he got up, deliberately brushing potential specks of dirt off his ass, as if to accentuate it.
Avery fought back any urge to grin, and rolled her eyes instead. She was no fan of boys at the moment, but at least Devin was entertaining enough. As Devin stood up, Avery watched until he brushed his hands over his ass. He could easily be lying about not wearing anything beneath his jeans, but then again, maybe he wasn’t. She really didn’t know him well enough to know for sure. Not that it even mattered. She was still trying to figure out how they even got on this topic. Releasing a small laugh, Avery climbed to her feet and brushed her palms together. “I would think telling me that there are times you don’t wear underwear at all would be just as personal as telling me whether or not you’re wearing any now. But,” she added, her tone tinged with mock disappointment, “maybe someday I’ll know you well enough to find out. Until then, I guess I’ll just have to look at your ass and speculate on my own.”
Devin lived to entertain, not to mention irritate and annoy. Okay, scratch that, he liked irritating and annoying people more than anything else. Still, he was definitely having fun. “Speculate away,” he said. “Knock yourself out. I’m gonna go home and pile up in front of the fireplace, unfreeze myself. Think I’ve had enough of the lake.” He was mostly saying that to be semi-polite-- shocker!-- and because they’d been trading innuendo at a fairly brisk pace. It would be ruder than he could justify to just walk off. And he still didn’t know her name, he realized.
"That sounds like amazing fun," Avery said, unable to disguise the mild sarcasm in her tone. She wasn't sure what it was about Devin that made her so snarky, but she didn't really hate it. But now it was over, and that was okay. It had been a decent enough distraction from how shitty she had been feeling. "See you next time I'm just dying for a blue plate special," Avery added as she turned to go, slipping her own chilled hands into her jacket pockets. She glanced at him over her shoulder as she walked back toward the street. "Sneeze free, obviously."
“Or maybe when I come by the bar for my free drinks,” Devin said. “Also sneeze free.” He quirked an eyebrow at her and began heading back toward his house. “Seeya.” Maybe he’d actually stay inside tonight considering he’d been out the entire damn day. It was worth a try, at least.