My time of day (Vanessa)

[Josie Raines]

It was becoming a habit for Josie to spend evenings after work unwinding in her tiny apartment, nobody for company but her dog and her music. Most days that's all she felt like she could handle; cleaning all day was physically taxing enough that nothing sounded more appealing than a few beers and falling asleep to the sounds of smooth crooning from her stereo. Tonight, however, she was feeling restless. It had been weeks since the last time Josie had treated herself to a night out, and holing herself up every night was having a dark effect on her moods. The solution? A long shower, a clean outfit, and a stroll down to a bar moderately nicer than her usual fare.

The Rochester Inn was one of those establishments Josie had never ventured into during her time at Hammel, being the kind of place one could expect to be consistently carded. She strolled in past the hotel lobby, feeling slightly out of place but determined to imbibe something other than boxed wine for the first time this week. Josie took a seat at the bar, leaning on her elbows against the wooden surface with her wallet in hand.

"What's on tap tonight?" she asked, when she thought she caught the bartender's attention. 

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Despite Kai's weekly allowances, Vanessa still worked a few nights a week at the Rochester Inn. He had reassured her that he had more than enough to asset herself and their son's living expenses, but the proud woman didn't want to retort to total dependence on someone. Plus, for the time being, she enjoyed her job. Not really. There were a lot of leering drunks, but Vanessa tried to remember the gems amongst the crowd.

Tonight, she was wiping down the already impeccable counter, humming underneath her breath. Only a few more hours to go. The bar wasn't bustling as it normally was with richer patrons, and thus, her tip jar sat sadly in the corner. Oh well. Vanessa ran a hand through her hair, perking up as an unfamiliar face walked inside.

She walked over to the blonde with a soft smile, nodding with her question. "We have a few different options. Budweiser, IPA, Guinness, a few light varieties, as well as this really good locally brewed beer." Vanessa listed the options for the patron. "I recommend the latter. It's got a different taste, and knowing that it's local, helps the business owners around here." She suggested, still beaming.

[Josie Raines]

Already Josie's mood began to lift as she listened to the bartender number off the labels to choose from. In the seedier places she was used to patronizing, the employees were usually either too harried to give a full rundown or too disinterested to bother. Not this woman, though. And that last option did sound tasty.

"I'll take a local brew then," Josie told her as she rifled through her wallet for the correct amount of cash. "And a water."

After passing over her money, she glanced around the bar for signs of a tip jar and spotted it in the corner. Normally Josie's policy on tipping was to be as obvious as possible on the first drink to get prompt service on any following, but that was more for establishments that were jam-packed. She had a feeling that trick wouldn't be necessary here.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Although bartending was not Vanessa's ideal, dream job, it paid the bills and provided support for her son. There was no point in wallowing in self pity or moping around the bar. Patrons wanted perky, both personality and assets. She liked to think she provided both reasonably well. She was here to do a job, and to be knowledgeable of what the bar was serving was extremely important.

Seeing the blonde girl dig out money, Vanessa waved it off. "Nah, first one is on the house." She said with a beaming smile. "Haven't seen you around here yet, might as well see if you enjoy the local brew."

She poured the on tap beer, humming underneath her breath. A few seconds later, the cup was nearly full to the brim with the golden liquid. Vanessa set it in front of the girl, also getting her a glass of water. "Hope you enjoy it."

[Josie Raines]

A smile tugged a the corner of Josie's mouth. Free beer? Sure, why not. The act struck her as more savvy than kind - make the first one free, make a good impression, then she'd be likely to buy more and tip better, right? Not that Josie minded. She'd been planning to splurge tonight anyway, so if that was the bartender's plan, then they'd both walk away winners.

"Awful nice of you." She took a sip and, finding she enjoyed the heady flavor, followed with a couple of deep gulps. "Good stuff you guys have here, what's it called?" If it was local, it shouldn't be to hard to find at a liquor store somewhere. Going out was nice, but Josie knew that most of what she spent tonight would just be paying for the experience. Enjoying the same brew at home would be much easier on her budget.

Josie glanced around the bar as she took another sip. The place definitely had a more relaxed atmosphere than she was used to. Most places she visited, the music was so loud you couldn't hear yourself think. Here, it was more of a backdrop, more peaceful.

"Hey, you guys ever do any, like, live music nights?" she asked, the thought occurring to her suddenly. It was a total lark, but it had been a while since Josie had gotten to hear any live jazz, and who knows, maybe the Rochester Inn had events from time to time.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Vanessa smiled mirrored the woman's own. Sure, the majority of her coworkers used it as a ploy to get patrons to buy more, but the Hispanic girl genuinely liked to kind to people. Her general rule was the first one was free, provided that they were nice (and the blonde was) and were trying something relatively new and somewhat unknown.

"Well, I'd hate for you to pay for a drink you don't like." Her smile widened. "And thank you. It's something I like to do." Vanessa peered at the label on the tap, nodding to herself. "Derailleur. When I choose to drink beer, I prefer this one." The Hispanic girl wasn't huge on beer or drinking in general since her days of college parties ended and being a mom became her first priority. She watched the girl take in the atmosphere, as most people did the first time they frequented the Rochester Inn.

Nodding, Vanessa pointed towards the door, gesturing to the hotel lobby just outside the bar. "We do. Not in here, as you can see, it's on the smaller side." She said with a chuckle. The bar was incredibly nice, but there wasn't enough space for a live band setup. Which was a shame. "Usually, people play just outside of the doors. It's a little bit inconvenient but." Shrugging, Vanessa then asked "What kind of music you into?"

[Josie Raines]

Josie took another pull from her drink as she glanced towards the area the bartender had indicated. Lucky she'd asked. Even if performances technically took place outside the bar, she still liked knowing of a place in town that had them. Clubbing got old sometimes; some nights, all she wanted was a drink and some music that wasn't loud enough to disorient.

"Eh, jazz, neo-swing, whatever the hell people're calling it these days," Josie replied. "Heard this group on the radio the other day, Lake Street Drive or somethin' like -"

She was interrupted by an older man a couple of seats down rapping his empty glass loudly on the counter:

"What's a guy gotta do to get some service around here?" he barked. Josie's expression soured.

"It's called waiting your fucking turn, pal," she shot back. She shot a glance as the bartender, immediately regretting her words - she hadn't even had one beer yet , she wasn't too far gone to realize this wasn't a place for fights.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

"There was one girl, Sienna, performing here recently. She's really talented. I hope she gets invited back." Vanessa mentioned offhandedly, remembering the redhead's prior visit to the Inn. Now that she had been here for a few months, she had the chance to remember the regulars and their drinks, while meeting fresh faces who usually provided the best conversation.

Vanessa was intently listening to what Josie was saying, so engaged with the conversation that she hadn't realized that one of the more regular patrons wanted a refill. Her eyebrows furrowed together, dismissing his comment and bit her lip to hold back a laugh. Josie's comment almost made her chuckle, which would've been a bad thing to do. "It's okay. Sorry." She apologized, without much effort. Sliding over, the Hispanic girl refilled his glass with the beer he always got and sent a fake, cheerful smile his way. Refills were one way to get people to hush up.

"It's okay, he's always a little... gruff around the edges." Vanessa smiled. "Anyway, you were saying the group was good, yeah? I'll have to look them up when I get home tonight."

"So, what made you decide to pop in tonight? I don't think I've seen you in here before." She commented.

[Josie Raines]

Sienna, huh? Josie mused as the bartender spoke. The way the other woman talked about her, it sounded like this Sienna girl was a local artist. Maybe she was worth coming back to check out.

When the bartender hurried away to handle the grouch a few seats down, Josie knew she shouldn't be bothered. The lady was just doing her job, after all, and she didn't need Josie getting uppity on her behalf. At the same time, fuck that guy, she thought as she drained more of her glass.

All the same, she had a smile waiting for the bartender when she returned. The issue had been resolved. Now wasn't the time for arguing with another patron.

"Just thought I'd try a new scene tonight, I guess," Josie replied with a shrug. Another pull from her drink - as tasty as it was, she'd never been one to nurse a single beer all evening. "I only got here a few months ago. Haven't checked out this part of town much." True enough, although there was also the fact that lately when she went out, it was less for local brews and jazz and more for hard beats and hard liquor. Tonight, well, that had seemed a bit much. The conversation, while unplanned, seemed nice enough though.

"So what about you? Been here long, just passin' through, or what?"

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Vanessa was use to dealing with rowdier patrons, but they were few and far between. Since the Inn was a nicer bar in town, the higher prices and atmosphere kept most of the trouble away. The one guy just got upset when all the attention wasn't focused on him, and the Hispanic girl noted that she would go check on him in a few minutes to keep him happy and keep the tips coming.

She matched Josie's smile, happy to continue the conversation from beforehand. "Well, I'm glad you decided to stop by then. The Inn... it's... different, that's for sure." Vanessa said with a small laugh. "Oh, only a few months ago? What brought you here?" There seemed to be something about Pilot Ridge that always drew people in.

"And I use to go to school at the U of V." Vanessa mentioned casually. "Decided to come back. Something about the town I like." Even if the weather was a shock to her Texan blood. "I came for school, went back home and recently came back to settle down." For how long, the Hispanic girl had no answer.

[Josie Raines]

"What brought you here?"

Josie's smile faltered briefly before she hitched it back in place. What brought her back to. Pilot Ridge was the same thing she'd abandoned her apartment tonight to escape. It was only back in February that she'd discovered what Cal had been up to, when an unfamiliar and very drunk woman had shown up at their door and tried to hit her in the face, screaming all the while about "stealing her man." What options did Josie have, really? Stay? She'd barely been able to look Cal in the face while she packed her things. And she couldn't stomach the idea of moving back to Ohio. So Pilot Ridge was it.

But as friendly as the bartender was, she didn't need to hear any of that.

"Just lookin' for some steady work," Josie lied with a shrug. "Job upstate fell through, thought I'd try some familiar territory."

Fortunately the other woman seemed happy enough to talk about herself, so the blonde latched onto the new train of conversation gratefully.

"U of V? Not bad." She took another swig, finishing off her glass, and slid it across the counter for a refill. "I've heard good things about some a' the programs there." Which ones, she couldn't say - Josie had never been able to seriously consider college when she was younger, so she'd never really looked into schools around the state. Didn't mean she couldn't go along with the convo, though.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Vanessa nodded, understanding all too well the struggle to find steady work. After she had moved back to Texas a year ago, it had been hard to find a consistent job and she ended up jumping from place to place before deciding to move back to town. Surprisingly, for such a small town, Pilot Ridge seemed to have a lot to offer in terms of jobs. "I see. Well, I wish you good luck in finding a job. Is there a specific field you're looking into?" If she wasn't too picky, Vanessa would recommend working here. But maybe the other woman had found something else already.

"It's a nice school." She agreed with a slight nod of her head. The fond memories came back, and she let out a sigh in response. Now was not the time to get all apathetic, though. The universal sign for a refill came from the girl and without hesitation Vanessa took hold of the mug and refilled it with the same beer as before. "I could only afford to go due to a generous scholarship."

[Josie Raines]

Chosen field? Ha! Like Josie could afford to be picky. While other students had been loading up the bio classes for pre-pre-med or logging hours in the art studio, she'd just been treading water till graduation. Now, she took what she got - gotta keep the lights on and the dog fed.

"Nothin' specific, but I've already found a gig," she told the bartender. "At one of the schools in town." Josie wondered briefly whether to elaborate, but decided against it. She'd never been sure how much most non-metas in Pilot Ridge knew about Hammel, and she certainly didn't know whether the other woman was a meta herself. But just in case, she decided not to name-drop. To the strangers in this bar, she was just another human, and that was just fine with her.

Josie offered a nod of thanks before starting on her new drink. Yep, she'd definitely have to try this stuff again. Maybe come back for it if she couldn't find it in a store.

"So what'd you go for? Like major-wise." Mostly Josie just wanted to know what career path the woman had been heading for that had landed her in a bartending job, but that was hardly the kind of thing to ask a woman who'd given her a free beer.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

"Oh, okay." Vanessa said with a gentle smile. "Otherwise, I was gonna suggest coming by here. The hours are pretty flexible, decent starting pay, pretty straight forward." She said, shrugging. Bartending was considered a lower job, from her experience, but it was what kept food in her and Christian's mouth.

"You enjoy working there?" She asked. As a non-meta herself, Vanessa was not acutely aware of the existence of metas, and if she had ever seen anything slightly suspicious, brushed it off as an overactive imagination or seeing things. Maybe she knew more than she let on, but Vanessa tried not to think about it much. It was... weird.

Her smile widened at Josie's nod, cleaning a few of the mugs behind the counter as they continued the conversation. "Biology. I really like studying plants." She said. "I, uh, never finished my degree though. Got interrupted. Hence why I'm here."