Lucy; New Bartender of the Town

[Luc]

Time; 5:30am.
Shift; 6:00am - 3:00am.

Lucy groaned as the light from the window violently showed itself to his closed eyelids as a type of wake up call type alarm clock. He glared at the open window and cursed the moment he opened the window and blinds the night as of late due to the fact that he had smoked out the window as to not make his room smell like smoke.
He sat up in the bed, shirt and pant less with just a pair of long'ish' boxer briefs on, as he scratched his back and stomach standing to his feet and venturing his way to the bathroom.
Many a noises escaped from the bathroom as he threw things out of his way and tossed items aside to find ones that he actually needed that morning.
After taking a shower he walked out of his bathroom in a towel drying his hair with a smaller hand towel as he walked down the stairs and looked around the living room which the stairs lead straight to. Odd, nobody was home. He looked at the clock, 5:45. Crud, if he didn't leave soon he'd be late; great. First day on the job and he's already going to be late.
He ran up the stairs dropping the towel on his way he didn't have time for breakfast or to worry about people seeing him. He ran into his room slipping on his pair of black Levi jeans, tight black t-shirt, light Gray hoodie zipped up about half way, dark gray hoodie not zipped up at all, his black steel toed boots and his necklace never left his neck so he didn't have to put that on. He looked in the mirror messing with his hair for a few seconds making sure it looked naturally awesome, which to him it did, and he made his way out of the house, into the garage and into his car.
The ride over was simple. He had seen the club before but never thought that he'd get a job there. Sure, he had a few jobs back in the day in this club back when it was dubbed something different, back before it was Shattered Glass. He shook his head of the memories and got out of his car locking it with the button pad on his key chain; putting his keys in his black left pant pocket afterwords.
He reached into his right back pant pocket and showed his ID to the man at the door and walked into the club.
Looking around at the small amount of people in the club, he looked up at the clock; 5:58. Ha! He was early on the first day; and he smelt really good. He couldn't tell if it was because he rushed in the shower and put to much soap on himself, or didn't get all the soap and shampoo/conditioner out of his hair. He shrugged it off and walked behind the counter taking cups and starting to wash them properly.
He knew through different experiences what you were supposed to do behind the counter and how to do it to please the boss. He didn't really give out his first or last name a lot, but when it came to jobs there was really no way to get around it.
He wondered if Ash would remember. All those times, all to days with them and Alec. He shrugged off the thought and continued to was his cups. He sighed not really know what to expect from the rest of the day.

[Ash + Bells]

Ash ambled around the club, not really bothering to rush with things. He was taking his time because in the past few days, he'd had a major babyboomer experience with employees. Babyboomer? He shook his head, looking to the dancers for a moment. In a way it made sense, but shouldn't it be something more like... employeeboomer? A soft laugh escaped his lips as he made his way to the bar. And it was then that he saw Lucy.

Luc. He had to do a double take. There was no way. Of course he had read the job application, but he supposed that he just hadn't put two and two together. Ash was flightly that way. Oblivious, some would say. He called it being just plain retarded.

Taking a deep breath, Ash walked quickly to the bar and scooted onto a stool. He watched Luc work for a moment as he worked up the nerves to speak. It was a bit like coaching himself. Talk, Ash. Talk. You guys used to be best friends! Talk! Ash bit his lip. You would think he'd be better at talking with people, considering he owned his own bar. But the reality of it was that he was far more comfortable talking to people he didn't know rather than people he did know. So it was in a small voice that he spoke. "Hey Luc. It's been awhile."

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[Luc]

"Hey Luc. It's been awhile."
...
The words rang through his head a million times over, though it had only seemed like a split second. The last time he heard something like that he was being threatened by somebody.
He turned and rested his gaze on Ash.
"Well, that took you long enough." replied Luc to Ash with a friendly smile though you'd only notice it was a smile if you where close to him.

Though you couldn't tell the smile, he really was happy. Something in his life that never changed or tried to take him apart was Ash. A long time friend of his.
He glanced back down at the cup he was washing and gave a slight bit of a sigh. "Any word from Alec yet? Just wondering... you talked to her more then I did." sighing, he looked up at Ash from the cup. "Shoot, she'd actually tell you things." he added onto his last sentence with a bit of a confused Luc look and then a concentrating stare at the glass he was cleaning.

[Ash + Bells]

Ash frowned. "No actually... I haven't." He really did feel quite ashamed. There was no doubt in his mind of the reason of Alec's absence in his city life. He knew it was because he couldn't return her feelings. Though she'd never verbalized them, it was always obvious how she felt. It hurt him, but maybe it was best to let her do as she wished. He turned the conversation towards a lighter topic. "So... what made you decide to work here?"

[Luc]

Shaking his head he leaned on the counter with both elbows with the glass he was cleaning in his right hand, the towel in his left; his arms were crossed across his stomach and his face seemed to be more mischevious then ever.
"Got it.... you know the reason?" he asked Ash while hiding more of a mischivious grin then he was giving him at the moment.

Luc however had a good bit of an idea on what was going on between the two.
She'd always stare at Ash and give a sigh when Ash wasn't paying attention. She'd take care of Ash like she was already his girlfriend. She'd try her best to get along with Ash's boyfriends when Luc wanted to knock half of them dead flat on their backs. She'd pamper and comfort him as far as Luc was conserned and she just up and decided to leave? Seemed a bit odd to Luc.

[Ash + Bells]

Ash muttered for a moment or so before finally growling. "She had feelings I couldn't return." And it was true, of course. Now he was just... waiting. Over the last week that they had been speaking, Ash had made it a point to hint rather strongly that he thought of her as a sister. He tried to be careful, but it was difficult. How couldn't you hurt someone who loved you, when you couldn't love them back?

[Luc]

Lucy just sat there for a moment. "Yeah..." he shrugged and stood up straight starting to clean the spots and speckles off of all the glasses. He looked over ever once in a while while talking to Ash to make sure that Ash was paying attention.

"To be honest," he started with a sigh. "She knows good and well that you don't love her like she loves you, she knows you love her as sister." he set the glass down and grabbed another. "Although, what I don't get is why in the first place she even 'digs' you that much to begin with. Other then that, she's pretty much insane anyway so it kind of makes sense."

And again, like he always would, he started to steere off of the subject at hand. He glared at the glass he was cleaning and sighed. "What kind of people use these glasses and why chapstick are they buyin'?" he set the glass down in a disappointed sigh.

"What you have to realize is that you can't go easy on a girl. You have to tell them flat out, 'I don't love you like that, I love you like a sister.' and reguardless of weither they actually stop fliting with you or loving you or whatever is random, but they will back off. All girls do." he gave is advice and then stared at Ash for a while. "Now, you going to ask something else from the advice bar or are you going to get a drink?"

[Ash + Bells]

"Now, you going to ask something else from the advice bar or are you going to get a drink?"

Ash just laughed. It truly had been too long since the two had spend some time together. He had almost forgotten Luc's strange sense of humor. Almost. "Nah. I'll take something to drink. Just give me whatever you like."

His eyes turned to the dancers who were setting up on stage. Most of them were new - and rookies at that. The were stumbling around in their high-heeled shoes and whispering frantically to one another for advice. Ash smirked. He had some sympathy for them, but mostly he found the whole scene quite humorous. Turning his attention back to Luc, he sighed. "So how's life been since the good ole' days?"

[Kat Shrill]

[[OOC ;; Hope you guys don't mind if I join ;D]]

The pumping of the bass, the sway of her body, and the innocent look on her face would have any guy flocking to the stage closest to the bar, and that they did. While all the other rookie girls danced on the platform awkwardly, having difficulties keeping to the beat, Kat had no trouble at all. From the look of things, she had all the customers under some kind of spell. Kat didn't even know the song that was playing; all she knew was that she had to keep the beat and she was good to go.

Shaking her ass and grinding against the cold, metal pole, she was down to just her bra and thong. That night would be a strip-tease, she wasn't gonna give the boys exactly what they wanted, but would let their imaginations do what she wouldn't. It seemed to work often to, Kat stripping down to just her lingerie. When she knew what kind of crowd she was dealing with, she'd pull her trick and they'd seem satisfied. As the song ended, Kat turned back and gave one last seductive look at the boys, which resulted in some wolf whistles and howling. Oh what a tease she was. She made her way backstage and quickly pulled on some jeans and a blouse; she really needed a drink.

Through the door she walked and made her way to the bar where she saw Lucy and Ash conversing. She hardly knew them, only meeting Ash once when she'd first arrived the day before, but she gathered her courage and sat on the seat directly next to the owner. 'Shot of rum, please," she asked Luc, criss-crossing her legs at the ankles and leaning forward on the counter. She didn't really know what she should say, and suddenly became aware that she could potentially be intruding in the two's conversation.

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[Luc]

"Now, you going to ask something else from the advice bar or are you going to get a drink?"

Glancing at him a bit and putting down one of the only drinks in the bar that didn't have alchohol in it but he knew Ash loved; good old fasioned orange juice.
"Things have been normal. My other job is more hectic then usually as of late, but I've gotten over it." He was of course speaking of Irene, the girl that all knew he trianed in the oraganization and none knew he loved.

"'Shot of rum, please,"

He looked over at the girl and then nodded to her getting her a glass that he just worked so hard to clean, filling it with rum though it was small, and set it down in front of her.
Though the way she had danced and the way she had dressed, oddly enough he didn't even seem to be the slightest bit inticed or subduewed by it. He didn't like strippers, but then again he of course didn't hate them. It's a way to make money with a talent that he thought was odd. No, the true thing he hated was that they sold themselves to boys. That's what he hates.

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[Ash + Bells]

"Things have been normal. My other job is more hectic then usually as of late, but I've gotten over it."

Ash nodded and smiled softly. He never asked Luc too many questions about himself. There were some things he seemed to want to keep to himself about and that was perfectly fine with Ash. That was the thing he loved about their friendship. They knew that they had eachother to lean on whenever they needed to, but if they didn't want to, the other wouldn't pressure them into talking about anything. It was nice.

A grin broke out onto Ash's face as Luc slid him a good ole' glass of orange juice. Mn. His favorite. "Wow." He laughed. "You know me too well, don't you?" He put the glass to his lips and took a deep and long swing - enjoying the feel of the heavy pulp against his tongue and throat. There was nothing like a cold glass of orange juice.

"'Shot of rum, please."

Ash set the glass down on the counter, completely empty (he had a talent for unsually fast drinking) and looked to the girl sitting next to him. He recognized her instantaneously, as he did all of his employees. He tried to be a good boss - call everyone by name and keep up to date of the happenings in their lives, but it was really hard. Physically and emotionally draining. He flashed her a grin and made an effort to remember as much as he could about her. "So... it's Kat, right? How are you liking Shattered Glass? Better than your past club experiences, I hope?" He sounded sincere. Interested.

[Kat Shrill]

Hearing a voice that had been directed at her, Kat took her eyes at the still full shot of rum and turned them attentively at the man sitting next to her. She was surprised at his recognition for her; so used to was she at informality and the fact that she hardly spoke to people aside from clients.

"Yeah, and you're Ash, right?" she countered, upturning have of her full, rosy lips upwards in a smile, "Errr, I really like it actually. I was expecting it to be like all the other places I've been to, but the customers and other dancers actually seem really nice. I hope to be here for a while."

Turning her body so that she was moreso facing Ash, she tucked a lock of her chocolate hair behind her ear, clearing her throat though it was inaudible over the loud music. She loved clubs so much; the beating of the bass, the dancing bodies, the feeling of ease and carelessness in the air. She never wanted to leave.

[[OOC ; eww icky post xP]]

[Luc]

Though the club was alive and moving all the time, and it seemed that Lucy did a lot of moving and such with his old job, the club always seemed to bore him. He never knew why, but ever since he was little it always seemed to be such a drag for him to go to just one of these stupid things; now look at him, he's a bartender.
Shaking his head of the thought he was listening in to the small talk that was going on around the bar. Different people talking about who knows what, Ash talking to a stripper and himself being a conversation all to himself with his thoughts racing around, he turned around towards a glass of ice water, reached his hand under a cabnet getting out the asprin and getting himself four of them. Taking them with the water, he sighed and then glanced over at on of the dancers almost falling off the stage. He almost choked on the water he was drinking but managed to keep his cool.
He set the glass down on the counter behind him again and then sighed. Life at the club, boreing yet sometimes very funny; though most of the time it was horrible and troublesome to him.

[Ash + Bells]

"Yeah, and you're Ash, right? Errr, I really like it actually. I was expecting it to be like all the other places I've been to, but the customers and other dancers actually seem really nice. I hope to be here for a while."

Ash smiled back at her, looking into her eyes as she spoke. Though he worked at a strip club, he made it a point to always look people in the eyes and to remember them by the looks in their eyes. Sure, from far away he would recognize them from generalities. But when he really was close enough, he wanted to be able to know exactly how they were feeling... what kind of a day they were having... and what kind of person they were, just from looking them in the eyes. He had told Luc this only once, and had felt horribly ashamed and embarrassed afterwards.

"I'm glad you like it here." Ash licked his lips and ran his fingertips absentmindedly along the cool side of his glass that had once been full of fresh orange juice. "I've tried to make this place a bit less shady than all the other clubs around here and a bit more welcoming... "

He turned to watch Lucy now, feeling a slight stab of sadness. That was another thing about Ash... The reason he had ever started the club... Wasn't for any particularly kinky reason. You would think a guy that chose to surround himself with sex, drugs and alcohol for the rest of his life would have enjoyed that sort of lifestyle. Now... it was true that Ash loved the party life... the buzz of alcohol... and the extra pump his heart gave whenever he was on the dance floor. But it was also true that his motivation for starting the club had nothing to do with his love of ...well... partying. He bit his lip. But that wasn't something he really wanted to to think about now.

"Hey, Luc... wanna take off early? I'd like to spend some time with you." Ash managed another smile and pushed the glass forward. "I can find someone to take over for you here."

[Luc]

Lucy was caught offguard by the question. Was this really Ash? His old Ash that had to have everything done at a certian time. Well, that wasn't usually the case. Most of the time Lucy and Ash would goof off for no real reason, then they'd pretend that they were working like the work-a-holic's that they were.
Lucy shrugged. "Sure. I guess the first day of work can end early if the boss says so." he mentioned with a bit of a grin as he then sighed and glanced over at a few of the customers, that happened to be male and female, commenting on him. Most men like Ash would find it complementing, somebody commenting on how well they walked or how their butt moved a certain way but Lucy was the type of guy that hated being hit on in any way shape or form by people, or anything for that matter.

After giving the group a rather harsh glare of, 'leave me the crud alone', they finally got the hint that he didn't like it and started to whisper amoung themselves. He looked at Ash with a glare that rung out, 'I. Hate. You.'. "You know what Ash," he started and then walked out from behind the bar standing behind/to the left of him, placing a hand on his left shoulder. "One of these days, I'm going to pay you back for everything you ever did. Like wrapping me up into this."
Somehow, Lucy always found a way to blame it on Ash; weither the situation made since to the human mind or not.