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Post by jarahamee on Jan 17, 2024 20:13:41 GMT -6
The winter meant that the sky was already dark long before Ru and Simon arrived at the bar.
The vampire eyed the neon store front skeptically. It looked…normal. Like a bar that his friends would have gone to when he was still human.
These days, Ru rarely went to human-only bars anymore. In fact, he rarely went to bars at all, but today, he was meeting one of Simon’s friends. Well, one of Simon’s friends he didn’t already share with Simon.
Most of the friends that Ru and Simon shared were through work, and, Ru noticed, he had a shrinking pool of friends who were just his. Only Sarkany was really just his friend anymore, and of late, he hadn’t seen his silver-haired companion much.
He wondered if the man was busy. He must be.
Well,
Here he was. Reaching out. Being social.
He could even have an alcoholic drink or two with Simon. He could pretend to be human (nevermind that he slept all day) before this. Ru was going to be really, really normal.
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Post by beastly on Jan 17, 2024 21:24:11 GMT -6
Simon walked into the bar with his very normal, human, totally not a vampire boyfriend. He sensed Ru's hesitation and gave his arm a light squeeze. It was true, they hadn't been very many human-centric places lately. The circles the both of them ran in overlapped, were almost one big circle at this point. He supposed that was what happened to people when they dated and worked at the same place.
Thea was nice though. He liked Thea, and he hoped Ru would too. If all went well, he could rope the both of them into doing more baking nights with him. They could both use more chill people in their lives.
Simon's eyes scanned the room for Thea, locking onto where the small woman was and waving a hand in greeting as they approached.
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Post by wiltingdaisy on Jan 17, 2024 22:06:32 GMT -6
Having just finished her day shift, Theadora was tired, but a little giddy to meet her friend's partner for drinks and snacks.
Admittedly, she really didn't have many friends other than Simon - she still considered herself "new in town" so to speak, but she hoped to make a good first impression. Despite that optimism however, that anxious energy that constantly gnawed at her was fresh and new and was going to make her start to bite her nails if she didn't distract herself. You'd think after a full shift at the bar she'd be too tired for anxious habits, but you'd be surprised.
She adjusted her glasses, spotting a familiar wave before focusing over at Simon, whose pleasant expression left her feeling at ease. She waved back at him through the not-too-busy (thankfully) bar from the table she'd sat at to save for them. She didn't mind drinking where she worked off the clock - she still got her discount!
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Post by jarahamee on Jan 18, 2024 2:01:18 GMT -6
Ru was a striking figure. His very pale skin was in sharp contrast to his carefully styled black hair and somber blue eyes. His features were angular, partially from his thinness, and partially from his overall presentation. He wore a black swallowtail coat and dress pants with beetleback-shiny dress shoes.
He squeezed Simon’s fingers with his gloved hand as he walked with him to meet his friend Thea. She saw them, recognized Simon immediately, and then made her way down to join them. He wondered, vaguely, if she was going to have a drink with them, or if she was one of those bartenders who didn’t drink their own products.
“Oh…she looks…nice,” Ru said in an overly loud whisper.
The vampire crossed one leg over the other, sitting down at the newly saved table. He jittered slightly, his foot moving.
He waved to Thea, glancing down at the ground shyly.
“Hello! I’m Ru. I’m um. I’m Simon’s boyfriend.”
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Post by beastly on Jan 18, 2024 20:28:19 GMT -6
Simon plopped down in his seat beside Ru with a big smile on his face, setting his elbows on the table. If he'd been a wolf, his tail would've been wagging. He was dressed casually, a thick blue hoodie and black t-shirt with a full moon on it and a shocked looking wolf standing below. Jeans. Nothing fancy, but he usually left that to Ru. He did it better. Come to think of it, so did Thea. He was now the least fashionable person in the conversation.
"Thea! Good to see you, lady!"
He nodded as Ru introduced himself, rubbing his thumb over the back of Ru's hand and using his free hand to gesture at Ru as if to say 'look at this guy'!
"Ru, Thea, Thea, Ru! How've you been?"
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Post by wiltingdaisy on Jan 18, 2024 22:20:01 GMT -6
Ru certainly was a striking figure, though frankly, when you are four-foot-nine, anyone taller than you can be described that way. Thea herself was dressed for her job, a navy blue button-down shirt and black slacks, though thankfully she took off her name tag and had on her dusty brown jacket, thick glasses sitting comfortably on her face with her long, curling hair pulled back as best she could manage into a ponytail.
Once they'd sat down and greeted her, she straightened herself up "I am good, though.. tired" She admitted to Simon before turning her attention to Ru. "Good to meet you, Ru." She nodded in greeting, hoping her accent wasn't too thick "I am Theadora, Simon is my friend"
Sitting up with her back straight, she kept her hands clasped in her lap, somewhat hoping she didn't look silly since her legs didn't touch the ground in the seat...
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Post by jarahamee on Jan 20, 2024 2:42:08 GMT -6
“Hey.”
Ru smiled and reached out to offer his hand. He had forgotten to ask Simon if Thea knew about the supernatural, and he felt stupid trying to decide if he should poke around and figure out if she did now. He’d just assume she didn’t and be pleasantly surprised if she asked them about it. After all, Simon was mostly normal, and Ru looked like a normal, everyday goth to most people.
He settled down at the tablet, wondering if he should look at the drink menu. There were a lot of things that he could order. It didn’t even have to be something that he would have to mix with blood.
“I’m um. We met through work but how did you get to know him? And um, what do you do for fun?”
The vampire felt like he was rambling a little, but he couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t shake the feeling of nervousness out of the middle of his chest.
“I um, used to work at a record and video store in town, the Paramecium, but now I work with Civil Services.”
He didn’t say it was ghost-civil-services, but you know.
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Post by beastly on Jan 21, 2024 21:29:14 GMT -6
"Ah," he said gesturing at Thea, "Place would probably fall apart without you, huh?"
Simon glanced between Ru and Thea, nodding along as they talked. He detected some of Ru's anxiety, and patted his hand in an attempt to help calm him.
"Yeah! He does a great job. He's still got the music brain too. "
He bit his tongue to keep from gushing about Thea's baking powers, watching the conversation unfold. He could get a little overexcited about introducing his friends. After all, he thought they were great and if they liked each other then that meant they could all hang out... He drummed his other hand's fingers on his table, sliding the drink menu in front of himself to take a look. He knew what they had, for the most part. He'd visited enough times.
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Post by wiltingdaisy on Jan 21, 2024 22:04:27 GMT -6
Thea reached, shaking the man's hand and noting that he was cold, but not so much that it was an unpleasant handshake.
"Ah, I met Simon because he is a patron of this bar. He can be a "chatter" as some say" She answered with an amused smile "And do not get me started, Simon. This place drives me crazy" her accent coming through on the last word a bit stronger than normal.
She listened to Ru and Simon talk about themselves for a moment before responding
"Ah, I don't have a lot of free-time, admittedly. When I am not working at this bar, I am working my other job, I teach a dance class locally" She responds. "It is ballroom dance" She clarified. "Though, I do quite like to bake, and watching movies."
She flagged down a waiter for them, asking for just "a ginger ale" for herself.
"Ah, I never learned to play an instrument. Never had the time, even when I was younger"
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Post by jarahamee on Jan 22, 2024 0:53:51 GMT -6
"I know how that is with work. People always asked me if being in the Paramecium was good for me as a music guy, and um... well, kinda. I kept it running but it's just work, you know?"
Ru smiled, glancing at Simon as Thea mentioned the Ballroom dance. Would Simon enjoy ballroom dancing with him? He had always wanted to learn how to do it himself, and he had to admit, the mental image of dancing with Simon on the ballroom floor was just outright romantic and made his eyes shine with need. “Hey, maybe we can take a lesson with you? I’ve always wanted to dance, but I’ve never really taken lessons.” He squeezed Simon’s hand, then glanced back at Thea. “Any kind, you know. I don’t know any of them.” Ru wondered if it was one of those little dance studios he walked by in the city, or if it was somewhere else. Somewhere with beautiful pillars and grand stages to enjoy. “I learned to play the piano, but now I do like…digital composition. On the computer. You know. Um. I know a lot of music because I had to find it when I worked at the record store too. I’m um. Music-literate, you know.” When their waiter came, Ru ordered a Bloody Mary, for pure irony purposes.
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Post by beastly on Jan 23, 2024 22:26:51 GMT -6
Simon couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of himself taking a dance class. He didn't consider himself especially aerodynamic or graceful when it came to things like that. But, if Ru wanted to dance, and Thea said she wouldn't hate them joining her class, he'd do it.
The werewolf grinned broadly at Thea, his smile slightly too sharp.
"Oh, I'll have to pay you double if you're gonna have to watch me try and dance. Y'know. For damages. Blindness."
Simon continued to drum his fingers on the table and ordered a cider for himself. The alcoholic kind for adults, he specified with a wiggle of his fingers.
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Post by wiltingdaisy on Jan 23, 2024 23:10:29 GMT -6
Theadora perked up at the mention on wanting to try dancing, pleased at the interest.
"If you are interested, you can certainly come! We have these 5 - dollar "open house" nights where couples can come for lessons without signing up for them, I can text the image of the calendar to Simon if you are interested" She informed "And trust me, Simon. I have dealt with all kinds. you would be a delight, regardless of the 'leftness' of any of your feet, as some may say" She chuckled
She tried to let herself be at ease, though there was an elephant - or should she call it a wolf ?- in the room that hadn't been addressed. She wondered if she should...
Tapping her fingers on the table rhythmically, she looked to Simon "Simon, if I may ask..."
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Post by jarahamee on Jan 24, 2024 13:19:35 GMT -6
Ru smiled and squeezed Simon’s hand again, a glimmer of excitement in his pale blue eyes. He ran his fingers through his dark hair absently, slicking it back against his head. It was nice to think of things the two could do together.
“No one is going to go blind watching you dance, you’re the handsomest and hippest guy around.”
The vampire cringed a little as he rolled the thought around in his head. Did he really say that in front of people?
Sometimes, when he was by himself, he’d take time to think about potential plans for their future. Would they get married some day? Hopefully if Simon liked him enough. And they got along well after they moved in. And they made enough money to help sustain them. And of course, if Simon really wanted something like that.
As Theadora changed the subject, he leaned forward, frowning slightly.
What was she going to say? Who was she going to bring up?
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Post by beastly on Jan 26, 2024 12:10:11 GMT -6
Simon snickered, and shrugged. It'd be fun. Even if he ended up looking silly. As long as he could laugh at himself, he could bring himself to do quite a lot. It would be a good experience and an excuse to hang out with the both of them.
"Well, then, I'm in. Send me the calendar when you get a chance, Thea. It's my duty to go, as the hippest guy around."
Simon put his hand on Ru's, beaming as he gently teased the vampire. He was adorable. The sweetest, kindest guy Simon had stumbled upon. He was really excited. About all of it and everything. They had slowly been integrating themselves into each other's lives, and with every friend he brought Ru to see, or every new tea he bought for when the vampire came over, the more tangled together they were becoming. It was vulnerable, letting someone else into your life, bringing them to meet your people, letting them know all your silly habits.
Simon detected the change in his friend, leaning in as Ru did.
"Yeah, lady?"
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Post by wiltingdaisy on Jan 26, 2024 20:51:25 GMT -6
"I will" She responded with a nod, taking a brief look at the bar to see how their order was coming along before giving her attention back to the table.
Suddenly feeling a bit more anxious than before at their attention, Thea swallowed those nerves, and carefully worded her question;
"Es... Ru aware of the ..." She attempted to find the right English word "Incident... that happened at my house?"
She was hoping that her friend could read between the lines of what she was asking - or at least knew what she was referring to. It was pretty hard not to remember the giant wolf sleeping at the foot of her bed, after all.
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