Whiskey River (Ant)

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

As usual, Vanessa was behind the counter of the Rochester Inn, serving drinks to patrons. It had been a couple of weeks since moving back to Pilot Ridge, and she liked to say that she had been adjusting to the move fairly well. Of course, the girl missed having her family helping out with Christian, but it was time she found her own way and stopped relying on them so much. Even if it meant working longer hours to support her own little family. After finding the father, much to her relief, maybe it would get easier.

Until then, Vanessa would have to slave away for a little more than minimum wage and tips. Then give a fair chunk to babysitters. She groaned at the thoughts, pouring another round of whiskey for the older gentleman in the corner. Flashing a sultry smile, Vanessa made flirty eyes with him, watching him chuckle and throw a few bucks in the tip jar. Desperate? A little bit.

The drinks kept pouring and Vanessa continued flirting, as per usual. The doorbell of the tidy bar chimed, and she looked over at the door with a smile on her face. "Hello there!" She greeted, wiping down the counter. Even if she didn't feel cheerful at the moment, she'd fake it until it was real. The bar wasn't empty, but it wasn't near capacity either.

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha didn't go drinking alone often, not any more at least. Turning 21 had cured him of his insane desire to be drunk all the time with or without company. But he counted tonight as an exception to that particular rule. There was no real reason for why the Russian was standing in front of the mirror, fixing his terribly short hair into something he deemed public worthy. Well no, there might have been one or two reasons for his current desire to find company at the bottom of a glass. Antosha's amber eyes turned to the side to look over at all the newly acquired dog supplies instinctually as though answering his inner thought of ‘reasons’.

A laugh bubbled out of his throat at his own over-dramatics and Antosha stepped away from the mirror, walking out of the bedroom to gather his jacket. After slipping the warm leather on the Russian was out the door, in his hearse, and driving down the streets faster than he usually would have gone. He turned left to head towards the Inn, planning on trying drink somewhere not involving Churchkey as he was sure Cecil was getting tired of him. Antosha lit a cigarette as he drove, letting the familiar scenery go by him in a blur.

Minutes passed quickly as he smoked and drove with one hand, until eventually the Inn came into view. Antosha parked in the rather full lot, climbing out with the last of his cigarette to smoke as he walked. The entrance stood before him, mocking him with the bright interior just past the thin glass. With a heavy sigh he stomped out his cigarette and brushed inside, heading to the bar with only a nod to the person attending the desk. As the incredibly tall Russian pushed open the door he was greeted (or assaulted depending on your view) by a cheerful feminine voice. He raised his hand in response while heading to an unattended seat with heavy footsteps, sitting down on the edge before finally glancing at the female who owned the voice. “Hullo. I would want some… A beer, nothing light, preferably not American.” He spoke in his own husky, deep voice.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

The whiskey chugging man in the corner caught Vanessa's attention for a moment. Since the man who just walked in hadn't sat down yet, she turned away to serve him another round. She was getting a little bit concerned, as he had been drinking for awhile now. Vanessa wasn't in a place to judge, as she too use to drink heavily back in university. Back before becoming a mother. She sighed at the thought, idly wiping her hands on a cloth, turning back towards the leather wearing patron.

Vanessa noticed how the man seemed to be... down, for lack of a better word. He had heavy footsteps, a deep voice and no smile. Typically, these sorts of patrons weren't the cheerful, easily persuaded to tip kind of guys. She toned down the smile a little bit, nodding in answer to his question. "Sure thing. How about Irish?" She asked him, digging out a mug from behind the counter. Although a relatively small bar, the Inn boasted a wide variety of beers, with certain specials every week. Chances were, if they didn't have it this week, depending on the popularity, it could be brought back as a full special. It was a different kind of bar, classier than usual bars.

She patiently waited for a response, a subdued, but still sultry, smile on her face.

[Antosha Vikenti]

The panther's eyes couldn't help but scan up the woman's body before him. Not that he was interested, never would he be interested in the terrain of a female's body. He'd tried that once during a Hammel summer break. It didn't exactly... end well... In fact, Antosha distinctly remembered lots out loud laughter coming from the situation. No, the way his eyes were currently looking over the woman was more the way a predator would look at potential prey, looking for something that could be exploited. Though that wasn't at all his intention. Really Antosha was just trying to figure out if he was dealing with a human or a meta. However, regardless of what his eyes might be expressing, he gave the female a small smile and tilted his head up to show he was paying attention to the question. "Irish will do, da." he responded in the same husky tone that his voice always held.

He didn't miss that sort of look in her eyes, though he pointedly tried to ignore it. Weren't woman supposed to have a 'gaydar' or some such thing? Antosha was pretty sure he remembered some saying something like that awhile ago. "My names Antosha." he said, trying to remain hospitable even though she was really the hostess. Plus, he didn't really want to seem rude to the one who would be serving him alcohol. It might get the alcohol cut off.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

With the patron's confirmation, Vanessa smiled with one quick nod. She slipped the mug of beer underneath the tap, letting it fill with the imported beer. Her eyes went from the man to the mug, ensuring that it didn't overfill like a certain time not so long ago... deciding not to dwell on the thoughts, Vanessa brought back the now full glass of Irish beer, placing it in front of the dark haired man's body. "There ya go." Vanessa's smile re-appeared on her face, as she leaned against the countertop idly.

Vanessa felt... a sudden coldness from the man now known as Antosha. Suddenly, her smile wavered in response, adjusting herself awkwardly to not reveal as much cleavage anymore. "Vanessa." She responded, tapping her fingers on top of the bar. "So, first time coming round?" The Hispanic girl asked, still adjusting to the small talk part of the job that was necessary for survival. And to seem like a normal human being.

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha took his eyes from the females form, having come to the conclusion she was probably just a simple no good human, and watched her fill the mug. Or at least he assumed that is what she was doing since he couldn't really see what was going on. When she put the mug back on the bar's counter Antosha gave the woman a soft smile before picking it up with his black nailed hand. He paused while bringing it to his lips, sniffing the liquid once out of habit, before downing a rather large swallow. No. Not the best he'd ever tasted but thankfully not the worst.

He raised an eyebrow at her sudden adjustments but he didn't want to comment just in case she took that as an opportunity to reveal... more. Instead he just gave her another small smile, sort of rewarding her for having covered up. Not that he thought of it like that but it could come across that way. "Yes, first time. Usually I'm over at Churchkeys but I started suspecting Cecil grew sick of me. Too much drinking, I would assume." he laughed, leaning back some to sit straighter. He could do small talk. It was easy. It kept her shirt on. He just needed to picture her as a meta for it to work. "Have you been at Pilot Ridge long..?"

((It sucks... I apologize))

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

OOC: It's fine love <3

Vanessa had been completely oblivious to Ant's observations, as being eyed over was something the Hispanic girl was use to after working at the bar. She hardly noticed the leering eyes, lingering in places better left unsaid. Then again, Ant's wasn't like that. Vanessa was also sort of oblivious to the whole existence of metas, surprisingly. She knew there was a massive school in Pilot Ridge, attributing it as some rich boarding school for children whose parents wanted to rid of them for eight months of the year. She smiled back at Ant, enjoying the quiet lull of the evening and simple conversation with a patron.

Not noticing the rewarding smile, Vanessa let her hands fall down to the countertop, leaning against it with a small sigh. Laughing, she shook her head. "Nah, you don't seem like the type who would drink too much. Already, I've had to lug out this massive guy. Took myself and someone else but..." Vanessa shrugged. "So, unless I'm dragging you out as you're unconscious then it's a-okay."

"Kind of? I went to the university here a few years back. I.. decided to move back. Seems like a nice little town." Vanessa nodded to herself, deciding to hold back on the whole 'I-hooked-up-with-a-stranger-and-now-I'm-with-child' thing. Some things were better left unspoken. "How about you?"

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha let out a soft chuckle and took another drink from the mug. "Last I check I could handle my alcohol quite well. I just drink too much of it." There was a moments pause before he shrugged and let his eyes wander over her body in a slight critic. Sure, she was a non powered human (or at least he assumed) but he could at least attempt to maintain this pleasant air going on between them. Plus he was never one to avoid someone who might need assistance- human or meta. "If you have any trouble with drunks tonight I can take care of?" His voice was softer than before and he tilted his chin up slightly as though it would show just how prepared he was to settle imaginary disputes. "Would be less trouble than you carrying out?"

"Oh? Did you have a major? Or graduate?" He smiled kindly. It seemed like he was doing much better at this than in his younger years, when he could treat others who weren't metas like dirt. Granted he never really knew who wad a meta and who wasn't, so he usually relied on instinct for telling people apart. "Ah... Finishing out my senior year at Vermont. I happen to own a house in town." Antosha would have shared the fact he was working at Hammel (unpaid, mind you) but that might sound like he was tooting his own horn.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Vanessa laughed at Ant's initial comment, shaking her head with an amused expression on her face. "It happens." She said, indifferently with a shrug. There was always one guy who came in on Thursdays and without fail, always drank more than his worth in whiskey. It seemed that she was the only one who recognized him, and always personally cut him off before the seventh. She never understood those who pushed themselves past the limit. Buzzed was fun, but so drunk that you couldn't stand? Vanessa never enjoyed that. She tilted her head to the side at his offer, eyeing the bar with a quick glance. "Nobody yet... but you never know. I can be quite unpopular as I cut people off." Vanessa snorted, her expression relaxing into a smile. "If that changes though, I will let you know and will accept the help. Thank you."

"I was going to major in biology with a minor focus in economics." Vanessa sighed afterwards. "I.. I had to drop out. I... had a child.. unexpectedly." She shifted, waiting for the judgement that usually followed after admitting the fact. "Yeah, I went to Vermont too. It's a nice school." Nodding, she looked up to meet his eyes. "What's your major or concentration? It's an interesting town, for sure." She added with a laugh.

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha took another drink of the beer, using it as a cover so he didn't have to respond to her laugh. After all he had said what he wanted to and he wasn't totally sure what else to say when it came to his habits. Plus if he spoke any further on the matter Antosha was almost positive he would come across as an alcoholic. No. It was better to say nothing. "I never saw the point in complaining about being cut off." He said conversationally, almost as an after thought as he carefully swirled his mug as though he has something else in his hand. "Would it not be just productive to find another bar? Start fresh over each time." Antosha shrugged regardless of his own observation and took another large swallow. "It is nothing." In his head he wouldn't need to say you're welcome as it would implied. So instead he just substituted the words. Just as he did with goodbyes. Though that was always for different reasons.

The word 'was' had found its way to the tip of Ant's tongue, but before he could reply to Vanessa's intended major the rest of the woman's words came free. There was a pause as he took another drink. After waiting for her to finish her ramblings, and to look back up, his amber eyes met hers easily and he gave her an easy smile. "Girl or boy?" This was the first question that came to mind. The next was one he wouldn't ask. So instead he followed her line of conversation (his as well but he didn't quite remember that). "I am going to school to become an art teacher." Another half smile and another drink of beer followed the words.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Vanessa raised a curious eyebrow after Antosha casually mentioned that he never saw the point in complaining about getting cut off. The way people acted out against the bartender after she politely mentioned the fact always managed to surprise her. It was like all of a sudden, it was the end of the world. Then, he finished the rest of his sentence and Vanessa found herself nodding in agreement. "That is true." There was nothing said that a person couldn't stumble from bar to bar in hopes of continuing the streak. "Though, by the time people get cut off, they're usually in no shape to stand up, let alone walk." She'd seen it happen. Numerous times. Her smile widened slightly, as Ant dismissed his own kindness. It was nice of him to offer.

Surprisingly, Vanessa found the dark haired man smiling and asking about her child. It was perhaps the most relaxed anyone had ever been about her situation. She wasn't complaining, it was a nice change to be able to casually converse about it instead of hiding the fact, shamefully. "Boy. His name is Christian." Her eyes met his, the smile already on her lips widening.

Art teacher. While Vanessa herself wasn't into the arts, (she much preferred the sciences and maths as her major shows) she liked hearing about other people's interests and career plans. The Hispanic girl could tell that it was something the man was into. "That's cool. You almost completed it?" It being whatever was necessary to become a teacher.

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha let the conversation of people being cut off drop. It wasn't that entertaining and really it served no purpose other than reminding the woman of his offer. Instead he focused on the conversation of her child. Which, to Antosha, was a much happier topic. It didn't really cross his mind to think less of her for having a child young since he was only twenty-four and would be more than happy to have a child of his own. If only he didn't have to sleep with a woman for it to happen. Besides, he could understand that accidents happened and life was uncontrollable. The only proof he needed for that was seeing his soft spoken sister order around her rather terrifying fiance. "How old is he?"

Helping people was something Antosha loved to do and it was a toss up as to if he liked helping people or art more. But it had taken him almost a year to figure out he actually wanted to become a teacher. Before that he had just thought he'd before a tattoo artist. So, when people actually showed interest in his chosen profession, Antosha couldn't help the idiotic grin pulling at his lips. "Just about. Will be done with school this semester, taking the final test this summer, starting my first job when school year starts again."