(open) i'm the demon alcohol, let's party

[gr8muppetyodin]

CHARACTERS: Buffy Summers & YOU!
LOCATIONS: The Deviant
WARNINGS: None yet
SUMMARY: Buffy has begun her new job under Faith's employ (so many jokes to be had), so let her fail to mix your drink and listen to your woes. She really will listen and not just talk at you, promise.


[ Was it ironic? Buffy was still mulling that one over even as she turned up for a night of work in Faith's club. Faith was the boss. Faith was giving her orders. Faith was somehow older and wiser and Buffy was the junior here. The world had turned upside down and inside out, and Buffy had come through a rabbit hole where she was still alive and Faith was now in charge of her paycheck.

But hey, no Hellmouth. No graveyards. No patrolling. No having to pull double duty as Buffy and the Slayer. She could just be Buffy. And right now that meant that Buffy was behind the bar, giving herself a crash course in serving things other than beer and whiskey. The shots were easy. She could wrap her head around the shots. Especially when patrons were already too drunk to notice that she might have poured them the wrong spirit.

Cocktails were presenting an entirely different set of problems though. And this was not something she could fight her way out of, or use Mr. Pointy on. She stopped long enough to pull her hair back into a ponytail and wiped up her latest spill before going back to the cards she had stashed behind the bar to read through for a third time how to make a Cosmo.

Somehow she pictured all the alcohol she was using up as coming out of her CuddleBucks when Faith discovered she was testing out drinks in between serving the paying customers. ]

Comments

[obdurates]

[ City exploration hadn’t been an indulgence up to that point; a strange thought, considering never before did he have the kind of freedom Caddle afforded. No Institute, no Valentine...leaving the quest to discover what ‘normalcy’ really was open ended. What did you do in a situation like that? Roam around the numerous metropolitan blocks? Let the night paint itself in neon light and escape committing to any plan? That Deviant ends up his destination wasn’t surprising; a call back to home, the warehouse-turned-nightclub a sister in spirit to Pandemonium.

Moving inside felt like a different world; the thrumming pulse of the music, bass reverberating within his chest, and a palpable tension in the air from the sea of bodies. It couldn’t be helped; how Jace’s lips curled, a smirk flirting the line between appealing confidence and unbearable arrogance. Joining the crowd didn’t endear itself as an option; no, he calmly navigated a route towards the bar, ignoring attention along the way.

Jace couldn’t blame her for not immediately noticing; the blonde bartender, eyebrows furrowed, reading over something before returning to the cocktail shaker. Palm flat against the countertop, he leaned forward, watching, already an interested party ]

Lime juice. [ His voice carried a playful undertone as he shrugged his shoulders, the picture of nonchalance ] Most people like a decent amount of lime juice in theirs. It’s cute, though. Watching you figure it out.

[gr8muppetyodin]

Huh? [ Buffy couldn't deny being distracted, and it was hard to miss as she managed to tuck the palm tree shaped cocktail stirrer in her ponytail like it was a hair accessory.

She tore her gaze from the cards and the shaker, almost knocking the shaker over as she looked at Jace. Yep, she was definitely one with the crowd when it came to admiring the other blond, but no one else was about to knock over a cocktail shaker that she managed to catch with lightening reflexes and almost make it look like it's what she intended all along. ] Cute lime...

[ Buffy blinked, somehow managing to drag her mind from the brief daydream it had entertained and she gave the man a lopsided smile as she set shaker back down and held up her hands like she was surrendering. ] Lime juice. Right. Definitely. I'll, ah, make sure I add it in. But I don't think you're the type that wants a Cosmo, so what can I get you?

[obdurates]

That was pretty impressive. ( The words left his mouth with a hint of appreciation; reflexes could be a natural thing, but there was something about the way Buffy moved, hinting at more. Attention to detail had been drilled into the fibre of his being at an early age, willingly or unwillingly ) You know, I was thinking about ordering a long island iced tea, just to see your reaction. ( What better way to indulge in a little fun at her dilemma than watching Buffy attempt to mix all of the elements together in the right proportions?

Leaning backwards, Jace’s smile became more natural, one elbow resting on the bartop ) But I’m feeling pretty benevolent tonight, so I’ll just make it a bourbon. Straight. ( It went beyond simple description; the ability to tell who was a natural citizen of Cadelle, and who had been brought here for...energy purposes. He didn’t doubt she made the same conclusion about him ) First night?

( Not asked in an insulting way; honestly, for everything he had been through, any kind of ‘real job’ doesn’t fit anywhere on the list. He knew how to be a soldier; knew the fastest way to dispatch a shax demon, but those skills aren’t very sought after in day to day employment )

[gr8muppetyodin]

Thanks. There may have been some slight training involved. [ Giles had trained her exceptionally well. When she let him and didn't just rely on her natural gifts. Buffy was still trying to look like she wasn't entirely overwhelmed by Jace's good looks and set aside the shaker as she too leaned against the bar.

After an awkward few seconds where she held her hands behind her back like she was about to curtsy and greet royalty. And another awkward moment where she almost touched her mouth. Her eyebrows knitted together in clear concern before she gave him a lopsided smile ] Oh so you're evil, and hot. Good to know. Also glad to know that I exist for your amusement. I can add that to my list of skills and see if it makes up for my lack of mixing skills.

[ It was a damn good thing she was friends - frenemies? - with the boss. Faith would probably toss her out on her ass if she kept wasting drinks. The natural smile of his kicked in and Buffy was lost again for a moment. While she didn't exactly give the whole powering the city thing a lot of thought, she definitely was now. ] Well, I certainly appreciate your, ah, benevolence.

[ Even if the way her gaze shifted said that another word could have quite easily been substituted for benevolence. She turned to get a glass and the bourbon, giving him a look at the red leather pants she was wearing along with her black top. ] That obvious? I wasn't exactly a bartender back in Sunnydale. I have an in with the manager. Guess she too likes me to be a source of her amusement.

[ When she turned back to give him a drink, now that she'd had a breather from the initial attraction, she couldn't help but notice the soldier under the layers of charm. Once you dated a soldier it was hard not to see it. Even when one was "at ease". ] So not your first night?