bartending!

[antishinra]

Tifa likes to show up a little early on nights when she's tending, and until she's supposed to officially go on duty, she spends some time wiping down the bar, humming under her breath. She has a cup of berry tea for herself behind the bar, and once she's done, she stops to take a long sip of it.

She doesn't decorate the specials board with any drawings of her friends this time, but she does write up a notice that all beers are half off for tonight's Happy Hour. It's a decent excuse to familiarize herself with the bar's selection, and even though she's been happily surprised to spot a few names she knows, there's a lot more that she's never heard of before.

When she's ready, she pulls her hair back loosely and secures it with a band, then takes a central spot behind the bar to wait for orders.


[tiny tag: Lucrecia Crescent, Reno]

[OOC: You can probably expect another post or two from me tonight, but please consider these threads officially in the Land of Slow! ♥ Thanks for the tags!]

Comments

[naiad-burial.livejournal.com]

It's her first time to the bar where she now has some semblance of currency backing her. Lucrecia only hopes that the time she's spent working on plans for the gardening job will suffice for a small drink in addition to the other necessities she's been needing or borrowing. Granted, the bar is probably one of the last places she would go to spend her money, but since there are not exactly shops or seaside broadwalks to carouse down throughout Milliway's, it serves as a nice place to relax and meet people.

"Beer tonight, then." Lucrecia murmurs to herself after glancing to the specials board. It's not her preference, far from it, but she's had them before in the spirit of the company, or her classmates, back in the day. Besides, she needs to be frugal, for once.

"Is there any particular beer you would recommend?" Lucrecia leans against the bar once she's caught the dark haired tendress' eye. It's much nicer to have a real person behind the sentient Bar, she decides. She might be left guessing and thinking more than she should, otherwise.

[antishinra]

Stepping over enough to be sure they won't have to raise their voices over the constant hum of the bar crowd, Tifa smiles a welcome.

She knows she hasn't seen this woman around the bar before, but there's something so familiar about the long hair and the shape of her face.

"Well, it seems like a lot of the beers we have available back here are from Earth, and those I'm not exactly well-versed on those. But there are a few from where I'm from. There's one called Icicle Run, and it's from a little snow-covered village in the north. It's the frothiest beer you've ever seen, but it has a great taste. One of the best I've had."

Cid, she knows, would recommend it, too.

She could almost swear she's run into this woman before, and she thinks it the more she looks at her.

[naiad-burial.livejournal.com]

Earth is one of the worlds that has quite a bit of presence at Milliway's. Her own, however, she would not have expected like this in the least. It's surprising, but familiar and bittersweet. Even the sight of the woman behind the bar is vaguely nostalgic. Perhaps that, though, is only drawn from the small handful of experiences she's had at bars, and all that she can remember of them.

"You wouldn't happen to have something called Gold Grain, would you?" Lucrecia couldn't help but to ask given the mention of Icicle Run. "I think it's from Mideel, and more of an orange amber color. I think it tastes the most natural, or home-made." Lucrecia can't quite tell by this point if the bar waitress is only looking at her attentively or actually watching her. She goes on before she can focus upon it.

"They used to say it's because they brew it in their fishing tubs. I don't believe it, of course." Offering a weak smile, "But if you do, I'll have the Icicle Run."

[antishinra]

She can feel the surprise on her face. "Gold Grain? I--"

...didn't see a label that said anything like it, but she takes another look. She can't not. She hardly expected someone she doesn't know personally to come up and request a beer she's had before herself, and it'd be worth the trouble if it just so happens that she overlooked it.

She ends up shaking her head a little sadly when she's sure they don't have it behind the bar, but there's eagerness in her smile anyway.

"It looks like we don't, but you should try asking the bar itself for it sometime. It may be able to give it to you even though we don't seem to have it in stock." Not having the Gold Grain, she goes ahead and fills a glass with the Icicle Run as requested. "I'd do it right now, but the bar's supposed to be taking a break when you see one of us behind it."

With the glass full, froth kept to the minimum possible with this particular brew, she places it on the bar. "I was thinking you looked familiar. We must have--"

Abruptly, she stops, all thoughts of possible meetings or the sad fate of Gold Grain now that Mideel's been effectively wiped off the map or anything else gone from her mind.

It's been a year since she's seen her, and even then she wasn't seeing her like this. But now she knows who she's talking to.

"--run into each other before somewhere."

It has to be Lucrecia. She's... a lot less encased in crystal than last time she saw her.

[naiad-burial.livejournal.com]

The supposition that Milliway's could provide or surprise her with anything and everything no longer held. Not when it did not possess the only beer she ever found noteworthy to remember. Maybe she would try asking the Bar for it sometime, just to see. In the meantime, she gave the other woman a small nod of thanks before taking the pint to try. It would take her some time to nurse it away even if it was as good as she had said it was.

"Maybe we have," Lucrecia agrees quietly, lowering her eyes to sample the beverage. It's beer, but the froth distracts from the bitter taste of it and its refreshing as it cools her throat. Especially after walking through the long day outside.

"I'm afraid you might need to remind me of your name, though," Lucrecia smiles, somewhat sheepishly. Introductions like this are rare. She carefully sets the heavy glass down again. The small ripple of recognition from one to the other, along with the momentary reaction to something as ancient as Gold Grain, and now the bartender's eyes, tells her that she is aware of her, too, but never before in person.

[hopefulpoet.livejournal.com]

Christian knows that he really must stop coming down to the bar, especially during Happy Hour. When he sees the specials this time, though, he smiles softly.

"Beer," he says to himself. He can ask for something that will give him a taste of home...

The bartender is a woman this time, but that doesn't bother him in the slightest. He stands with his hands in his pockets and asks, "May I have a pint of Guinness, please?"

[antishinra]

Tifa tips her head to the side and grins widely. "When you ask so nicely, how can I say no?"

Guinness is a beer she's not familiar with at all, but she knows what it is and so much is helpfully labeled behind the bar -- they obviously expect to get bartenders from all over, and they should! -- that it takes almost no time at all to spot it and set the young man up with his requested pint.

She's still grinning, when she carefully pushes it across the bar to him. "There you go."

[hopefulpoet.livejournal.com]

He gives her a shy smile when she comments on his polite request and it widens as the glory that is Guinness is presented to him.

Eyes shining, Christian looks from the beer then back to her.

"Thank you," he says. "Hardly any foam... lovely job..."

And he picks up the glass, almost reverently, and takes a sip.

Perfect.

[antishinra]

"Thank you." She can't help smiling at the compliment. She loves her job, even if it's a part-time thing at the end of the universe rather than a full-time one in Seventh Heaven. "I've had some practice."

He looks at he's completely enjoying it when he takes a drink, and that only makes her smile more.

"Ordering Guinness must mean you're from Earth," she goes on conversationally.

[hopefulpoet.livejournal.com]

"Well, you can stop practicing," he says, sitting on a stool and enjoying the play of words. "You've got it right."

Christian has another appreciative sip then replies, "Yes, Earth, so that means..." he studies her more closely, then realizes he's staring and looks down, blushing slightly. "Um, sorry. That was rude." Keeping his head down, he returns his gaze to hers through his lashes and asks, "Does that mean that you're... not from Earth?"


[[OOC: And if I stop tagging, it means I've passed out. My apologies. Thoroughly enjoying the thread. Will continue tomorrow, if that's alright. :)]]

[sleazeoverstyle]

"Oh. Hey Tifa. Long time no... whatever."

Yeah, it's been a while but since he doesn't usually go seeking out former condemned prisoners and terrorists -- wait, what the hell is he saying? That sounds just like his kind of woman.

"'Scuse me, lady bartender, but this your new place? I thought I knew where everything was everywhere... 'cause I stole Reeve's latest plot plans last week."

The only thing he's not real sure about is how come HQ is suddenly a bar. But that's definitely a welcome turn of events in his book, any day of the week.

[antishinra]

As much as she'd like to stop it from happening, her jaw drops.

Oh, she remembers him, and even though they parted on decent terms the last time they ran into each other -- and they've even had to work together once before -- she's not exactly thrilled to see him.

"Reno."

He's impossible not to recognize, and she can't help straightening to her full height. It's instinct.

"I'm afraid it's not my new place. Maybe you should have a drink."

Serving drinks is her job, and part of the interview made sure she knew she had to do it even if Sephiroth or Hojo came strolling in. Reno's very far from being her favorite person -- lowering the plate on Sector 7 was his job as much as drinks are hers, as much as she doesn't want to think about that -- but he's a definite step up from either of those guys.

[sleazeoverstyle]

Well, if she's offering...

"Don't look so happy to see me. Sure, twist my arm, I'll take a beer. Something good, you know. Rich. Heady."

So, it's not her new place: she must be helping out someone else. "So if it ain't yours, who runs it? Not that mopes-around pain-in-the-ass with the big spiky hair. Tell me he isn't in the bar-owning business, or I'm gonna have to find myself a new waste of time."

[antishinra]

She actually smiles at first, in spite of herself.

"Do I usually look all that happy to see you?"

But the mopes-around pain-in-the-ass with the big spiky hair grates even though she's picked on Cloud's chocobo-style yellow spikes more than once herself, and her smile doesn't last long.

"It's a long story. This place is called Milliways, and after you have your beer, I'd turn around give that door a try."

In the meantime, though, she gets his beer -- he gets the Icicle Run -- and slides it neatly toward him, none spilling.

"You're here alone?"

The Turks usually travel in pairs, at least. Reno and his partner Rude always seemed practically attached at the hip.

[sleazeoverstyle]

"Tifa, you've never once looked happy to see me. That's so sad we might have to remedy it."

Do not go there, he tells himself, but it's a little too late now; he smooths that over by downing a nice sip of beer and it's good: she knows her shit.

"Milliways. That's an unusual name. At least it's not called NORTHERN CRATER or something stupid like that." Yeah, the place is on his mind, he's on his way. What the hell, though: any time a guy can stop for a drink when he thinks he's opening the door into the office is okay by him. "And yeah, I'm here alo... hey, why do you care? You AVALANCHE people planning a little more terrorism or something?" Yeah, yeah, it's been a while, but he has to use his lines while he has the chance. For all he knows, Tifa won't ever talk to him again... not that he'd care a hell of a lot.

It's his partner with the sweet spot for her, not him. Nope, not him.

"That got anything to do with you telling me to try the door?"

[hatchingviper.livejournal.com]

Deitmar's moving better than the last time they (briefly) met. Well enough to be thinking about going home. Only thinking. Some things are going to take a lot of time and effort to prepare.

"Black coffee?" It takes him a minute after seeing her to recognise her, but then she gets a very small smile. "You're fitting in well."

[antishinra]

Now this is a familiar face, and it's been quite some time since she's seen him around. In fact, it had occurred her that he might've left.

"Dietmar? It's been a while. How're you doing?"

After flashing him a surprised smile, she busies herself with filling a cup of coffee for him.

[hatchingviper.livejournal.com]

"I've had things to catch up on," he shamelessly lies, since what this basically means is I got embarassed at falling over constantly and then my friends gave me technology, so I retreated to my room and completely geeked out playing with electronics and reading until I had my coordination back. "Well. Yourself?"

[antishinra]

"That's a good reason to be scarce," she tells him in all seriousness, and she passes his cup of coffee over the bar to him.

This time around she notices that he seems less... erratic. He doesn't seem so much like Cloud when she found him at the train station, and she's glad for it.

She never asked about it, but it worried her.

"Not bad, thanks." She smiles again. "I thought getting a job would keep me out of trouble."

[hatchingviper.livejournal.com]

"It does for most people," he says, perhaps thinking of a man who wanted a job at the forge and got chased by werewolves, perhaps not. "Are you Bound here, then?"

[yankeedoodle_dr]

"Let me guess," says Hawkeye Pierce, taking a smooth seat at the bar, and tipping his head to one side as he makes a show of careful thought. "--You're an angel." He grins at the lovely bartender. "You never know, around here."

(Milliways: facilitating awesomely bad pick-up lines since the first end of the universe.)

[antishinra]

Surprised, she laughs out loud.

"If I'm an angel, nobody informed me before now."

Suppressing a grin, she folds her arms over her chest. "Now let me guess. You'd like a drink. A beer, probably."

[yankeedoodle_dr]

"Definitely one of the higher seraphim," Hawkeye pronounces, his (admiring) grin growing exponentially with her laugh. "A beer is exactly what the doctor ordered."

[antishinra]

"And I never even knew it," she comments almost ruefully, making a show of being truly marveled by the news. "I'll just have to make the most of it now that I do."

It's harder and harder to keep from grinning. "Are you one of those Earth beer types, or should I give you something more exotic?"

[yankeedoodle_dr]

"Oh, you're doing pretty well so far," says Hawkeye breezily. "Surprise me."