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[tokilltherose.livejournal.com]

He was getting more and more tired of seeing...

He wasn't sure what, exactly, he was seeing. Maybe, he thought, he was fooling himself. Maybe he was just being paranoid as the time came closer and closer.

But maybe paranoia was worth it, too.

Either way, when he came into Milliways, he was wearing an outfit close to a suit - button-down shirt and a jacket and a tie, that he immediately loosened. Job interview clothes.

Comments

[guppy_sandhu]

A tired-looking young man, with dark curly hair, collides with Steven as he comes through the door, dropping a huge pile of paperwork.

"Sorry." he says, bending down to pick it all up again.

[tokilltherose.livejournal.com]

Steve crouched and started picking up papers, too - after all, he was the one who'd walked in out of nowhere. "No problem - sorry myself. Didn't mean to get in the way out of nowhere. That door's gotta be a hazard sometimes." He did offer a smile, though.

[guppy_sandhu]

A small tired smile in return.

"Oh I've been here long enough to know better, but thank you."

[tokilltherose.livejournal.com]

"Welcome. I'm Steve." He offered the paperwork, and then his hand.

[guppy_sandhu]

He takes the pile then shakes the hand.

"Guppy, nice to meet you Steve."

[tokilltherose.livejournal.com]

Guppy. He'd not heard that nickname before. He'd heard Emmers and Sister, but not Guppy. "Short for something? Your name, I mean."

[guppy_sandhu]

A nod and a smile, he's had this question many a time.

"Gurpreet. But only my grandmother calls me that."

[tokilltherose.livejournal.com]

Steve paused, then nodded - "Makes sense. My grandmother--" Hoo boy. "--Called me Stevie."

[guppy_sandhu]

He grins tiredly. "Stevie it is. Fancy a cup of tea or anything?"

[tokilltherose.livejournal.com]

"Tea, coffee, soda, beer, you name it." Steve chuckled. "I've not seen you around before. ...Or I did and didn't notice; I'm a little oblivious sometimes."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Well as I said, I've been here a while. But I work odd hours."

He goes over to the bar and orders tea plus whatever Steve's having.

"Are you new here?"

[tokilltherose.livejournal.com]

"I've been here a few times," Steve shrugged, "but not for long. I guess I'm kind of new." He ordered soda. Maybe caffeine would feel good.

[guppy_sandhu]

"Well welcome to Milliways. Has someone shown you the ropes?"

[b-a-summers.livejournal.com]

There's an almost-chipper blonde heading down the stairs, recognizing the interview-clothing when she sees the outfit.

"You look almost spiffy. Let me guess: job interview."

So says Buffy as she passes him to get to the bar, ordering a diet coke and a chicken salad.

[tokilltherose.livejournal.com]

"Hey, Buffy," he greeted, immediately starting to smile. She was still one hell of a cute blonde. "Yeah, job interview."

He ordered his own meal - not much, really. Couple grilled cheese sandwiches that he could actually pay for.

"Don't know if I got it, but I think I did okay."

[b-a-summers.livejournal.com]

She nods.

"Believe me, I understand."

She smiles at him, rolling her eyes. Cheese. Yum. But - boys. Typical. Cheese and inappropriate amounts of milk in the canteen. Or, they used to drink inappropriate amounts when she was still in college.

"What was the job for? I interviewed in here. Bartender, if I get it."

[tokilltherose.livejournal.com]

Cheese and soda - something anybody could eat, and he was good at it. He could even cook it! Sometimes, people lived on grilled cheese, mac & cheese, cheese and cheese if cheese was all that was on sale.

"Mail clerk," he answered after a drink of soda. "Not much of a job, but a job is a job, you know? Any paycheck better than none."

[b-a-summers.livejournal.com]

"Which is what, I'm assuming, you're getting right now. With the cheese and all."

She gives him a knowing look.

"I'm just running up a tab until I actually get worried about the figures. I'll do something about it later. Right now, I'm just hungry. I figure, I can't get people gifts because I have no money, the least I can do is eat."

[tokilltherose.livejournal.com]

"The last thing I need is another debt I can't pay off," Steve said with a try at a smile. "My savings are running a little thin and the house deal... If you ask me it can't come through soon enough." If it came through at all.

[b-a-summers.livejournal.com]

"Hopefully soon?" she offers by way of consolation. "But hey. You still need to eat. Even if it means having to leave the tab until you can pay it."

She pushes her salad at him.

"Take some; I won't eat it all. All that cheese can't be good for you. Even if it is nummy."

[tokilltherose.livejournal.com]

He chuckled. "Nah. You eat all you want first. But the house... That may not go so well." He shook his head even though he took a few bites of grilled cheese. "When I drive by, I swear I think it's starting to rebuild itself."

[b-a-summers.livejournal.com]

"It might well be, from what you said. Either that, or there are wee little people in there rebuilding it for it."

And now she has that mental image.

"It's like... The Borrowers if they were Xander. God, that's weird."

[tokilltherose.livejournal.com]

Steve chuckled - weakly, but it was a chuckle anyway. "Well, I know my grandmother's spirits, along with the rest of the people the house ate, used to build it while it was empty before, but now it looks like they're making repairs... And if TechStar doesn't come through with the payments, I end up in the same situation as I was in before. With a big, haunted house. that I can't get off my hands."

[b-a-summers.livejournal.com]

"You ever tried to have it exorcised?"

[tokilltherose.livejournal.com]

"Can't say I have," he admitted, "but I also kinda figure that... Gramma would just have the house eat the priest."