Tiffany Maxwell doesn't give a fuck what you think (dirtyandsloppy) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-10-14 20:29:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, lara croft, tiffany maxwell |
Who: Tiffany and Lara
When: An evening last week
Where: Neena’s Bar
What: Tiffany pops in for a drink and runs into Lara, who brings her up to date on her endeavors.
Rating/Warning: PG, Just Because
Status: Complete
Tiffany genuinely liked to drink alone. Or maybe it was better to say that she didn’t mind it. When she wanted to go to a bar, she didn’t always bother to call a friend and didn’t feel any stigma in going solo. Her mother called it a masculine trait and it was pretty clear that she meant it as an insult, but Tiffany didn’t give a crap. She did what she wanted. She liked to have a drink and read a magazine and just chill in a pub setting.
She never faced the television, though. She hated watching organized sports. All of them.
Lara was working tonight at Neena’s bar, and smiled at the pretty girl that had sat down. She walked over and leaned on the bar, a pleasant smile on her face. Her hair was pulled back into a french braid and her hazel eyes were unusually sharp and intelligent. She had a blouse that was open on the top two buttons and a scar or cut was visible near her collarbone. She was also unexpectably British. “What can I get you, miss?”
Tiffany’s black-lined eyes fluttered. Lara? What the what now? “I thought you’d be sailing the high seas by now,” she said, smiling. “Or is this how you fund all of that?” The words appeared overhead in a lovely script.
Oh the poor girl is afflicted too. “This is part of it, yes. Mostly just funding day to day living, while I convince people with money that my ideas are worth it.” Lara smiled. She knew her ideas were worth it but she also knew she was terrible at it. Having Sam help her with that was a godsend. Thinking about Sam threatened to derail her thoughts and she forcibly focused on the task at hand.
Running into Lara here couldn’t have been more different than running into her at the library. And what were the odds, really? Tiffany folded her arms across the table and reminded herself that she was with Wally--not that there was much danger. She just had a big imagination. “Are you a good bartender?”
“I like to think so. I’ve worked in London before, but this is my first shot in the states.” She looked around the bar. “Not some place I would have frequented before, but the drinks are excellent.” Her favorite place was Always but she didn’t want to talk about a competitor.
“In that case, make me something quintessentially British.” Yeah, just because she was out of work didn’t mean she couldn’t use big words.
"Ever hear of a Pimm's cup? Probably not, but I think I can make something like it that will work in this bar," Lara replied, busting out the lemon soda, fruit and some orange liqueur. Vodka for kick.
“Nope,” Tiffany said, shaking her head. She’d never even heard of one before. Usually she went for a vodka or gin with tonic: reliable drinks that were hard to mess up. But she trusted her beverage needs in Lara’s world-traveled hands.
“Well…” She slid the glass over to Tiffany. “Bottoms up, and I hope it comes out as good as I think it will.”
The smell of everything refreshing hit her other senses before Tiffany took her first sip, and that sip was more of a long pull. It was the kind of concoction that was sweet enough to make you forget you were drinking alcohol. “Hey, that’s good,” she said, lowering the glass again.
“Thank you. Don’t drink it too fast, that’s a little dangerous.” She put away the ingredients and returned a moment later. “You’ll end up getting hammered before you know it.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Tiffany placed her glass on the bar and took a moment to adjust her bun atop her head. She definitely drank more when she was in a good mood than when she was in a bad one. And things had been going much better lately.
“I have to make sure you can get out of here under your own power,” Lara replied, grinning. There was a bit of a twinkle in her eyes. “But I suppose I can pour you some more.”
“Now you’re just looking to make a good tip,” Tiffany grinned. “But how’s your project going? The island thing. That still happening soon?”
“As soon as I can secure the funding. We’re going south first. There’s a site in Central America that I know the general location to and we’re like to get more bites with that than an island that might not exist. Once I establish my bona fides…” She grinned at Tiffany.
It was a life she knew absolutely nothing about, but Lara’s grin was no mystery to Tiffany. “Who goes with you on these trips? Like, do you need a lot of people?” She took another drink.
“Well, I’ll need staff to assist the dig. I can probably get some students easily enough. My mate Sam is going to film and put together a documentary. We’re thinking a youtube show. I want to do something to excite people about our past.” Lara sounded a little wistful.
“Sounds like a pretty big crew.” Tiffany was actually a bit surprised. No wonder raising money was such a big deal. She lifted her drink again and tipped it toward Lara with a grin. “I drink to you.”
“I’m thinking I’ll need four or five plus hiring local help,” she mused. “The hardest part are going to be legal permits.” Lara gave Tiffany a grin. “And thanks.”
“I’m seriously going to keep my eyes peeled for that YouTube show,” Tiffany replied, setting down her empty glass. Any excuse to keep her eyes on Lara. Er, she’d invite Wally to watch, too.
“Thanks, at least I’ll have one viewer.” Maybe some people might tune in for her looks, but she hoped they’d stay for her information. She put a hand on Tiffany’s. “I appreciate that.”
Tiffany glanced downward, wondering if the touch meant anything. She knew she’d been flirting with her eyes the whole time, even with Wally ever-present in her mind. She couldn’t help it. She was wired to be a little naughty. But maybe this was more of a friendship touch. Lara didn’t really give off that sort of vibe. “You can appreciate that by mixing me another drink,” she said with a wink.
"Do you think you can handle another drink?" Lara's tone was amused, with a little bit of challenge in her voice, and a dash of flirting.
“If you dare me, you’re going to have to drag me out of here in a few hours,” Tiffany replied. She could drink like a trucker three-times her size. And she was proud of that. One day, it would come in handy.
“I’ll call you a cab then,” she responded, pouring the girl another drink and grinning.