You've been warned

[Remle Boyd]

It had been a long, long week. Between over-time, project planning and taking over shifts left and right this week thanks to a bout of stomach flu that had swept the office, Remle had actually managed to get some sleep when she had finally dragged herself home. She was so happy for Saturday morning to dawn, she'd stolen one of the umbrella's from the lost and found to shelter it's shadow later, to one of her favorite bars still open at nearly six in the morning. She dumped the umbrella at the door and slipped in with a happy sigh. She was greeted with familiarity despite only visited a few times since she had moved back into town.


A shadowed space at the far end of the bar had opened up and she slipped onto the stool, frowning as she eased her glasses off and rubbed at her burning, tired eyes. She would definitely go home and sleep after this too. She'd probably be coordinated enough to feed Ceasar and Kraken before falling into bed and passing out. Frowning at the fact that it was still too bright despite the cool darkness of the corner she had claimed, Remle pulled several more shadows from nearby to darken the space even more, careful to arrange them as naturally as possible to avoid offending someone. She heard someone approach her and didn't look up as she continued to rub, eyes watering a little from the pressure and how god damn good it felt to close them for a moment. "Whiskey. Neat." she ordered tersely, scarcely having heard anything the bartender might have said to her. All she wanted was her alcohol and she wanted it now...they could all talk later.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

It had been difficult finding someone, but one of Vanessa's coworkers had agreed to watch her one year old son Christian overnight while she covered someone's shift. Looking at her tip jar that she kept emptying periodically, (some people saw the empty jar and would pity tip her. It was a dirty tactic, but it worked) she kept a running total for the night. More than enough to cover for the extra babysitting and pay a bill or two. She pushed back a few stray hairs that were falling out of her messy bun, staring at the clock. Six. AM. She groaned. Only two more hours to go.

Right now, Vanessa was running on fumes. She could use a shot.. or four, but the bar had a strict policy regarding bartenders and drinking. Instead, she had a pot of coffee going in the back that she frequented with her manager every once in awhile. Not a lot of people came at this time in the morning, so it wasn't necessary to have a lot of people working. With a yawn, she waved her hand dismissively at her manager, as if to say she could handle the new patron.

She tiredly smiled at the girl, making her way over to the shadowed section that the girl had settled in. "Good morning, what can I get for you to start off your day?" she joked with a laugh. From analysing the girl, the blonde didn't seem like the type to be coerced into tipping due to cleavage, so Vanessa decided not to rely on her usual tactics.

She felt like she recognized the girl from beforehand; Vanessa wasn't too sure though. "You bet." She answered, reminding herself to keep her sentences brief. The customer didn't seem like the talking type, least right now. Vanessa reached for the whiskey, poured it into a glass for the girl and handed it over with a smile. "Enjoy."

[Remle Boyd]

Remle murmured her thanks as she took the tumbler from the bartender and took her first sip, enjoying the flavor as it washed over her tongue. She sat there with her eyes closed for a while, enjoying the darkness, enjoying her liquor before she finally opened her eyes and put her glasses back on. She frowned for a moment, looking at the bartender. She wasn't the usual person behind the bar this time of night...er...day. Remle lifted her glass again and sipped, her stomach rumbled in protest as she hadn’t filled it in a while. It would be bad later on if she didn't ingest something soon but had never ordered food from this bar before. Perhaps they only had peanuts?

"Excuse me?" she called to the bartender, her soft voice carrying in the quiet bar. "Do you serve any sort of food here or only snacks?" she asked before taking another drink. If she drank a little faster she could feel that lovely little buzz she got when she drank but she'd been taught from various other bar goers that doing such a thing to whiskey was a crime and if she had any sort of respect for herself and for alcohol, she would drink it properly or not at all. Accordingly, she had learned to take it slow, but as she was already feeling much more relaxed than before, thinking about her extra day off on Monday and how much sleep she was finally going to get when she got home, she was willing to try and be personable early.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Vanessa nodded, acknowledging the girl's thanks. She hovered for a moment before going back and doing the rounds, refilling for other customers and chattering idly. She hadn't noticed the one girl's confused expression at seeing the young mother behind the bar at six in the morning, which was unusual. Usually, one of the younger guys and the manager would stay. Not tonight, though.

Making her way back across the bar, Vanessa neared the girl and quickened her pace when she heard the girl's quiet voice. The only reason the Hispanic girl had heard was due to the fact that it was six in the morning, and rarely anyone went to a bar at this time. She paused in front of the girl with a smile on her face. "Yeah, we do serve food and snacks here. I can grab you a menu." From behind the counter, Vanessa grabbed a menu and handed it over. "The hotel's breakfast bar is just around the corner so we can definitely get you something from there. Omelettes, eggs in any sort of fashion, bacon, toast, fruit..." She ratted off on her fingers, before trailing off. Didn't want to bore the customer. "I'll give you a few to look it over and then we can fix you up."

[Remle Boyd]

Remle hummed quietly in thanks as she flipped the menu open. Actually anything sounded good and she wasn't really picky about the food she ate, just what she drank. As she perused the menu the more she realized she would have to pick something. Though...she could ask the other woman for a recommendation but that would be a little rude considering that Remle wasn't used to seeing her, she might not have a breakfast recommendation. With that in mind Remle settled on something and closed the menu. "Thanks, I'd like that ham and egg dish, the one that comes with hashbrowns, not extra sausage," she explained because she couldn't remember the name of the dish in question and was too tired and lazy (and in a good place) to look again.

Her stomach growled in appreciation, she was certain to sleep well when this was all over and that put a not wholly unexpected smile on her face. She took another sip of her drink and finally met the other woman's eyes again. "So, youre not usually behind the bar at this time, do you work at night or are you new?" Remle wondered not unkindly.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

As Vanessa glanced at the menu, she made a mental note to stop by after her shift to grab a hearty breakfast. She could use some of the tips to get herself a nicer breakfast, as opposed to her usual plain toast. As nobody else required her attention at the moment, Vanessa patiently waited for the blonde to make a decision with a tired smile. She took the menu, and paused with a frown. As she wasn't use to working at this time, Vanessa had no idea what the breakfast options even were here. "Sorry... new here." She explained with a slight blush, eyeing the menu. Ham and egger with hash? Sounded right. She assumed the name and walked over to the manager, who ran over to the kitchen to get the dish prepared.

"It'll just be about ten minutes." Vanessa said to the girl as she came back, still smiling. "Both." She answered. "I've been here... two weeks I think? First overnight shift too." On cue, the girl let out a yawn. "Didn't even know bars opened this late." She chuckled, idly playing with a glass behind the counter.

[Remle Boyd]

Remle waved her hand away at the bartender's apology. "No need to be sorry, everyone's new at some point or another," Remle murmured as she shifted her fingers through her hair. Ten minutes would be a long wait to her stomach, but Remle knew that the time would go by quickly if she kept talking. "Two weeks though, that is pretty new. Especially before your first overnight shift," Remle giggled a little at the other woman's yawn and covered one up herself. "Sorry, their contagious ya know?" Remle sipped her drink before setting it down and playing with the condensation on her glass.

"I work late, so I'm always happy that the bars are open in case I want a drink before I head home for the day," Remle said conversationally. "So naturally I hold my bartenders in great regard," she grinned as she sipped her drink again and started tracing vague shapes in the water on the bar. "Where did you come from if you don't mind me asking, to make you more comfortable I will admit to being from California but not having lived there for a very long time, so I tend to act like a native of Vermont," she chuckled.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

"Suppose you're right there." Vanessa said with a nod. Afterall, people weren't born with work experience. She grinned, agreeing with her other statement. It had been soon, but Vanessa was eager to cover a longer shift, even if it meant being awake at this... untimely hour. "Yeah... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling it right now." The coffee in the staff room was calling her name at this point. "No problem, totally understand." The Hispanic girl laughed, running her fingers overtop of the counter. The place was dead, so she could interact one on one with the blonde guest.

"Oh yeah? We're do you work?" Vanessa asked, as there wasn't a lot of night time jobs. Police officers. Club owners. Apparently all frequenters of the Inn at 3 am. Now that morning was rolling back around, it was even slower. "Well, I hope I live up." She joked with a short laugh, hoping that the girl wasn't offput with her lack of experience with the job.

Vanessa poured herself a glass of water, sipping at the cool beverage with a smile. "Texas. Born and raised there. Came out here for university and been ever since." She decided to leave the detail of her son out, as it led to... sometimes controversial conversation. Since it was early, Vanessa had no intention to bring it up. "Vermont seems like a pretty nice place though." She commented.

[Remle Boyd]

"Oh I'm the late night DJ at the radio station, sometimes I get off earlier than usual if there isn't anything left for me to do," she explained as she sipped at her drink once more. She ginned at the bartender's quip about living up to Remle's expectations, except that Remle never ended up having any since she tended to love everyone when she was drinking.

"Texas eh? Too sunny, don't think I could ever live there. Moving up here must have been a big change. What did you study in college?" she continued curiously as she set her drink down and turned her attention back to Vanessa. It didn't occur to Remle that there were other deciding factors in Vanessa's life, but of course, if she were sober they wouldn't even be having this conversation. "I went to college up here as well, media and communications, took some music classes, I enjoy jazz from the early 20th century," she admitted offhandedly.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Late night DJ. That would explain why the woman was here at this time of day. Vanessa nodded. "Do you enjoy your job then?" She asked, out of genuine curiosity.

The mention of the sun did stir a longing sensation in her chest. Vanessa did miss the constant sun and the hot weather of Texas, but since moving back to Pilot Ridge, did feel a sense of... community. Her coworkers were incredibly nice and it was a good town for a young mother with a baby in tow. "It was a very, very harsh change." The Hispanic girl said with a laugh, faintly remembering her first Vermont winter. It had been a shocker, for sure. "Biology was my major with a minor in economics." She listened as Remle listed what she studied, smiling. That answered her earlier question about enjoying her job. "Jazz? Any recommendations?"

Before Vanessa could say another word, her other coworker came back with a heaping plate of breakfast. Since no one else ordered, she assumed it was for Remle, and the plate was set in front of her. "There ya go."

[Remle Boyd]

"It's not bad usually," Remle said conversationally as she finally finished her drink and indicated she'd like another. She laughed at the comment of it being a harsh change; that was something she could very much agree with considering where she'd moved from. "I imagine so." she paused for a moment and looked at the woman curiously. "Those fields are quite different, why did you decide to go with that?" she wondered a bit more bluntly now that the alcohol had loosened her tongue. She hadn't said it harshly though, but with a healthy dose of curiosity.

She would give her recommendations after her question was answered but was momentarily side tracked when a giant plate of breakfast arrived for her. Her stomach growled at her and she realized that she was in fact, starving so thank god for all this food. She picked her utensils up and with an apologetic smile started to eat. "Best decision ever, anyway about your degrees?" she questioned again as she continued to eat.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Without hesitation, Vanessa poured Remle another round, of the same thing she had been drinking before, assuming that was what she wanted. "It seems like it would be interesting. You get any weird sorts of people up at that time?" She asked with a snort. It happened in the bars too, supposedly. Vanessa hadn't experienced it much at the Inn, then again, it was her first overnight shift. There might've been a shady character or two at 3 am but now, most people were sleeping or waking up to go to work.

The breakfast had arrived before Vanessa had the chance to answer her question. "Do you need ketchup or anything?" She asked, out of courtesy, and if so, the Hispanic girl would go to the back and retrieve a bottle for Remle. Her own stomach grumbled in response. "I may have to order me one of those after my shift." She said, laughing. "I'm glad you're enjoying it."

"But really, in simplest terms, I like both math and science. Wanted to incorporate a bit of both in my degree. At the time, I was also a bit ensure about what to do." Vanessa shrugged. "If I were to go back, I'd probably settle with biology. Concentrate fully on that." Maybe having the baby was a blessing.

[Remle Boyd]

"Oh yeah, got some very strange listeners who like to call now and then to request strange things but they're mostly harmless. My gimmick I guess you could say is that pretty much anything goes. I put on a lot of different types of music so it's difficult sometimes when I switch shifts with someone and have to do the "golden oldies" lunch hour or the "Pop Hits Today!" type stuff. I like being able to do my own thing late at night when no one's around to dictate to me," she sighed a bit wistfully as she took a drink of her newly full beverage. "No ketchup thanks," she declined after another bite of food. "You should by the way, it's surprisingly delicious." Remle was usually quite critical about the food she ate but found the fare to be quite good for the establishment.

"I always found biology the more interesting of the sciences to be honest. I was actually pretty good at it, remembering things and how they worked. I had to study a lot more when I took chemistry and later physics. But you know radio and technology always seemed to make sense to me." Remle paused eating for a moment and looked at her plate. "Coffee, I should also drink some coffee with this...whiskey is a bit strange with the spices." she finally observed, realizing that she must be dead tired if she was this late on noticing that the taste of her preferred alcohol was off.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Vanessa nodded as Remle answered her question about the not so shady listeners at three in the morning. "Yeah, probably just trying to get a rise out of you." Prank callers were more of a nuisance than anything else. "That must be nice, the being able to do your own thing aspect." She said with a smile. "Just put on a little mix of everything at that time?"

Since Remle didn't need ketchup or any condiments, she stayed in place, masking a yawn behind the back of her hand. "That's good to hear." She beamed. So long as the customer was happy, she was happy. She hadn't been here long, but the customer service mantra was something the Hispanic girl tried to take as seriously as possible.

"It is more interesting. More applicable to the real world on a daily basis, I find." Vanessa pointed out. She liked math and didn't have a problem with chemistry and physics, which seemed to be the more formula dominated science form. But biology... there were just so many options and different kingdoms with fascinating wildlife. "Plants are something I've always enjoyed studying." Vanessa casually brought up. "When we find something that clicks, it makes finding a career a hell of a lot easier." She said with a chuckle. "So, what sorts of thing do you have to do for your job then?"

When the blonde patron mentioned wanting a coffee, Vanessa seconded the notion. "Sure thing." She went to the corners where there was a coffee machine that she had been frequenting most of the night, grabbing her mug and a new one for Remle. She poured two cups, walking back over with a sleepy smile. "Any cream or sugar?" Vanessa asked, while splashing some cream in her own and tearing open one of the sugar packets behind the counter.