where do i begin, the choices are endless [open]

[jay]

Humming softly to himself, Anthony Mckay walked into Waterson Hall, ready to start his shift. He hung his coat and pageboy cap up in back with the other staff belongings, and headed out. He had the feeling that tonight would be a good night. He couldn't explain why, he just got one of those feelings. He'd been getting good vibes all day and it had him positively whistling everywhere he went.

Coming round to the bar, he waved to a couple people he recognized and greeting his fellow bartenders. His first serve of the night was a group of guys in to watch the game. They were cheerful enough and actually left him a tip, even though they were on their first round of the night. Yup, tonight was shaping up to be a damn fine night.

There was a lull in orders, so Tony took a moment to crowd watch. What else was there to do until someone came to place another order?

[booster]

Parking her car outside Buffy shut it off. She got out carrying her purse. She locked it and walked in. She went to the bar and sat on a stool. She sighed. She had taken her medication at home. But, knew she had to drown more pain from her life. She sighed. "What do you got that's strong and powerful enough to make me forget my past?" she asked. She was having a really back time controling her past from putting flash backs into her head.

[jay]

Tony glanced around as someone new came in. He then was flagged down by the same group of guys as earlier. He quickly sent another round down their way to a small chorus of cheers. What a group of guys, Tony would like to join them someday when he got time off.

He went back to his usual spot by the bar when a lady came up. He flashed her a quick grin before she spoke. His grin faded into a frown after she asked him about getting something strong and powerful enough to make her forget her past. A pity drinker. Boom. There went his good mood. God he hated them. People needed to get off their self-pity train and start looking forward to the future. Life wasn't worth living if you constantly bemoaned your past.

Glancing hard at her, Tony scowled again. "I'd recommend a good shrink, to be honest," he said coolly.

[booster]

Buffy looked to him. "Okay then. I guess I won't have something strong and powerful enough to make me forget. How about a tall glass of Jack Daniels, then?" she said. She actually didn't want to forget her past now. She had seen a shrink when she was ten and she hated the guy. She'd never trust a shrink again with anything. She looked to him and sighed. She was having a bad day she didn't need people telling her that she should see a shrink instead of trying to forget what happened.

[jay]

When she sighed at him, Tony could practically feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise. God! They were all the same. They really were. "Listen, lady," he said, leaning on the bar. "Order whatever you want, just don't expect me to recommend something to help fuel your little private pity party. No one's past is perfect, but there are better things to do then sit around in a little hole in the wall like this and try to drink it away. Face it, what's done is done and it's over. Move on."

After giving her his little tirade, Tony shook his head. He was wasting his breath, just like he had with all the others. Stopping to reflect, Tony realized that he was the only one from that night that was actually still alive. What a goddamn waste. He quickly turned and fetched her a tall glass of Jack Daniels. "Enjoy," he muttered darkly. God, he was gonna get fired for this shit someday.

[booster]

Buffy sighed. She picked up the glass and sighed. She was now trying to think about why she was even drinking this stuff. She was thinking about what he had just told her. She took a sip from the glass and felt bad for even ordering it now. But, she sighed. "I'm sorry for being like this. I basically just finished my job with my new rider. I almost lost alot of money. My racer has gone lame. I just don't get why I'm having all this bad luck" she said. She glanced to him. She took another sip from the glass and set it down on the bar infront of her.

[jay]

Tony closed his eyes as he faced away from the bar. Now she was trying to justify herself. That was the thing Tony hated the most. The justification, because they all thought that their reasons were good enough to waste their lives and money on death in a bottle. What a load of crap.

Now, it's not that Tony has anything against drinking, he even has the occasional nip or two himself. What he hates are the people that constantly drink themselves into a stupor because life, their past, whatever, is just "so awful". It drives him mad that these people can't see past the end of their own godforsaken noses to the hope that the future holds. It just makes no sense to him to wallow in self pity and booze when life was out there, waiting to be lived.

"Lady," he said, holding a hand up to silence her. "Whatever reasons you think you have, keep them to yourself. I've heard it all before. I'm sorry things are shit for ya, I really am. But, I'm not interested. Everyone has tough times, it's how we deal with it that defines who we really are and what our lives are worth."

[booster]

Buffy sighed and pushed the glass away from herself. She hadn't even tried to do anything wrong to deserve what was happening to her. She looked around and then looked to the other people around the bar. She picked up her glass and without stopping she drank down the rest of the drink in seconds. She set the glass down and turned around in her chair. She leaned back to watch the other people in the bar making fools of themselves.

[jay]

Tony meandered around the bar, filling orders here and there. He paused to flirt with one particularly lonely-looking girl. He was pleased to find out that she was simply put out that her friend was going to be late and one had canceled on them. But, she was not out drinking alone for some random and pathetic reason. Once her friend showed up, Tony tipped the girl another wink and headed back to his usual post.

The girl was still there, but this time she was crowd watching. Tony felt moderately guilty about the rant he'd unleashed on her, but he was sick of seeing people drink for stupid reasons. He considered saying something, but decided against it.

[booster]

Buffy sighed and glanced around again. She sighed. She was too alone to care at the moment why she was even there. She clasped her hands in her lap and looked to them. She wasn't feeling too great anymore. She unclasped her hands and reached for her purse. She opened it and took out her medication. She took two pills from it and swallowed them before putting the bottle back into her purse. She hadn't her lung illness now.

[jay]

Tony took a brief break from behind the bar to cover for one of the waiters who had to run to the bathroom. It basically just consisted to wandering to a couple tables and asking if they wanted or needed anything else. He then fetched another round for the guys watching the game, and headed back to the bar as the waiter came back on the floor. Glancing at the clock, Tony was relieved to see that his break was fast approaching. He'd like to grab a quick bite to eat and maybe something to drink.

He glanced down the bar. No one was waving him over for a refill on drinks of any sort, no one new had come in. It was a pretty quiet night.

[booster]

Buffy sighed and leaned forward. Her elbows on her knees. She placed her face in her hands. She was trying to think about why she even wanted to drink her past away. She groaned slightly. She shut her eyes and tried to think more. Her purse sitting next to her on an empty stool. She felt stupid for drinking while on medication for her lung problem.

[jay]

Tony ducked in back to have a chat with one of the cooks. He was pretty friendly with all the staff, and well, with just about everybody. That was just in his nature. But, after his chat, Tony obediently went back to his post at the bar. It was oddly slow tonight, slower than Tony had ever seen it. With a sigh, he absently ran a cloth over the counter just for the sake of having something to do.

Shortly after, Tony's boss came around and sized up the crowd. Needless to say, he wasn't too impressed. He quickly motioned Tony over. "Look, Tony," he said, "I hate to cut your hours, but I've got the feeling that things aren't gonna pick up tonight. Why don't you just take the rest of the night off and enjoy yourself."

Not one to argue with getting a night off, Tony quickly agreed and grabbed his stuff from out back. Swinging himself around the counter, he quickly plopped himself down on a bar stool. "One celebratory pint of Guinness, if you would," he said jokingly to the bartender still on duty.

[rain]

Worn down heels plodded against the cement floor as the vibrant redhead thrust her face through the door and took a sweeping glance around the pretty much empty establishment. Having just gotten into town, she wasn't in the mood for gracing a crowded building and was grateful to find the place relatively dead. She had yet to announce her arrival to her dominating sister of a similar namesake and preferred to grace her presence with her own edges softened. If Domeena wanted to pitch a fit, she could do so facing the buzzed Dena who would be less likely to take a cheap swing for her older sibling. So, she pushed all the way through the entrance and let the door swing shut behind her.

Nimble fingers brushed the windswept cherry-red strands out of her face and back behind her ears again as she sashayed up to the bar. Seemed to be the most happening spot as she eyed the two individuals who took their seat there as well. One tall drink of water who was boasting the ever-attractive five o'clock shadow, and another forlorn excuse for a sad-faced female. Catching sight of the approaching tender, she turned her attention back to him as she eyed the rows of liquor bottles that decorated the wall behind the bar. "Let's do a Jerry and coke, Khemosabi."

The tender hesitated and eyed her briefly a moment before asking about the obligatory legal identification. Having only recently graced the appropriate age to drink in public, Dena was all too happy to provide her ID card for him. Flipping it across the bar, she sat back against the chair with her arms folded triumphantly as he stared with scrutiny at the card and then at Dena, almost as if suspecting it might be fake. Snickering, Dena's eyes flashed defiantly. "What? It's as real as these babies are," and with a lewd motion, she tugged upwards on the spaghetti straps of her shirt in an obvious gesture towards the goods she was born with and then winked back at him, "Promise." With a blush and a chuckle, he tossed the card back to her and proceeded with her drink order.

[jay]

Tony could always hear the door open, even slightly, to admit a new patron. Carefully honed skill that came in handy on crowded nights. Saved you from carding people multiple times if you saw who had just come in. So, out of habit, he glanced around when he heard the door open a tiny bit. The first thing that hit him was how red this girl's hair was. Wow. We're not talking the carrot-orange type redhead, we're talking almost fire engine red! Yowza!

He ordered himself a plate of nachos with the works, hold the olives though, as she seemed to be making up her mind as to whether or not she wanted to come in. Just after the bartender brought him the heaping plate of spicy goodness, she seemed to deem the establishment acceptable and plowed right on over to the bar, only a few seats away.

He was happily chowing down as she made her order, and he could see why the other bartender hesitated. She didn't exactly look old enough, but she easily produced ID to prove it. Tony couldn't help but snort loudly when she declared her ID as real as her.... well... you knows.... He looked over at the bartender on duty and laughed at the embarrassed look on his face. "Oh, come on, Mark!" he teased, "All the shit that gets said in here and that's what you blush at?!"