Soughthaven - Tumblr Posts
even when it wasn't busy, the vampire loved working the bar at pantheon. while he wasn't the most fond of remedial labor, he did come from a comfortable life in the lap of luxury after all, he always loved getting his hands dirty; he loved having something to do to keep him occupied. idle hands and all that. he especially enjoyed the slow nights like this one because, well, it allowed him more time to focus on gossiping with the people that darkened his barstools and, on occasion, allowed him to snack on his distractions as well.
unfortunately tonight he wasn't working on his own. the manager, for lack of a better word, managed to sucker some freelance worker into helping out behind the bar-- and as much as he would have preferred to handle things on his own, at least his help was attractive; maybe having him around wasn't the worst thing after all.
"oh, to clean the glasses you have to take your shirt off. company policy," he teased as he glanced over at finlay with a playful, toothy grin. "or, if you're more the modest type, you can keep your shirt on and just use the dishwasher we have beneath the bar," he explained with a nod of his head towards the unit tucked into the corner of the bar beneath the shelves. "it's easier when it's slow but it's best to get into a habit of washing them ourselves in general because if you take those glasses to the kitchen? if we're lucky we will see them again in two hours, but nine times out of ten they never make it back to the bar."
( @fangsnfair | for Elgin)
These days, Finlay never really knew what his days would be like. They often never started out the same and they never ended up that way either. It was a life of mystery, which sure was a little anxiety inducing but he liked to think it kept him on his toes. So, here he was. What had started as him going to the pantheon for a drink, was now him working a shift behind the bar. That was the life of a freelancer. He seen they were down staff and so he offered his help. Now, bartending was not something he did often. He could most likely count on one hand how many times he had done it.
Thankfully the bar didn't seem too busy that night and so he was able to pour the drinks out fine without any pressure. Going around the bar, he filled a tray with empty glasses and came back around to the bar were he approached the other bartender working. "Where should I put these to get washed, Elgin? There are quite a lot."
"mhmm, it's a new policy they just started," he continued his playful, and in his opinion harmless, teasing. "something about wanting to show off our bartenders and give people a treat, watching you flex and all while you clean the glasses by hand." pity he didn't make himself sound more believable. finlay almost seemed gullible enough to have gone along with it and, well, no one would have complained about that. chuckling under his breath, that toothy grin still showing flashes of his fangs, he set the shaker down he'd been holding and walked over to join the other at the dishwasher.
"it's actually fairly straight forward. pull the door open and load everything in," he explained as he moved to lean against the bar counter, arms crossing over his chest as he kept his attention on finlay, "and once you shut the door it automatically runs on it's own. you don't have to push a button or anything. you do, though, want to give it a least three minutes or so to go through the whole cycle-- i've made the mistake of opening it too soon and wound up soaked. that was a long night."
The bar seemed rather cosy. To an extent. Though he was here on a night that wasn't busy. He wasn't sure how things were when it was. Maybe it didn't have the cosy vibe. Either way, he was enjoying himself and he was thankful for Elgin for giving him some tips when it came to pouring pints. Could he see himself doing this work more. Perhaps not but that wouldn't stop him from helping out when he could.
"My shirt? Policy?" Finlay uttered out in response. "How...how does that help me clean them?" He tilted his head in thought. Was he to use his shirt to wipe the glasses or was it so the water didn't splash in his shirt? Or was Elgin just teasing him. Either way, he smiled as he set the glasses down near the dishwasher. "I don't have a change of clothes with me so best just to let the machine do it." He began to place the tumblers in, back to Elgin. "How do you turn it on?"
"that is a fair point but, hey, i'm not the one calling the shots around here. we have a lot of asinine policies around here that feel more aligned with a club. i think they are trying to keep up with the times," he mused. cocking his brow, he let his head tilt to the side with pursed lips at the mention of being able to pay for finlay to clean things while being shirtless. "you know, when you originally told me you were a freelance worker i simply assumed you were basically from a temp agency. now you're just starting to sound like a glorified escort." he teased. "--but i'll have to keep that in mind in case i ever need help cleaning my place up." see, it was moments like this that made the vampire enjoy these slow nights. he could actually hold a conversation and flirt with finlay rather than having to practically ignore him in favor of tending to a crowded bar full of patrons. "careful, give me that kind of power and you'll never wear a shirt again." he mused with a lick of his lips and a loose smirk.
relaxing against the bar counter, he let out a soft sigh and watched the other work. the one patron they had was still nursing the same beer while they rambled on the phone, paying finlay and elgin little to no mind; the vampire could have found something else to do but, for now, he was enjoying letting the other distract him. "oh, it was horrible. i was absolutely soaked, didn't have a change of clothes, and i had to spend the entire night listening to alpha after alpha make some poor attempt at a joke about how wet i was for them. it was painful."
"I'd expect something like that to happening in a more club like setting. Here. Not so much." He playfully responded back as he gave the other a smile. "If people wanna see me clean shirtless then they just gotta hire me to do so. I am a freelancer after all." The weredog winked. To be fair, he had done it before. Nothing happened afterwards but he got paid handsomely for it. "and besides, if you wanna see me shirtless. You just gotta ask."
Following the bartender's instructions, he set the glasses in and closed the door. He was genuinely surprised that it did just start like the other had said. It felt weird that it would but who was he to comment on it. Turning to face Elgin, he found himself chuckling at the end of his story. "You did? That would have been hilarious to see."
"oh i completely agree, unfortunately they are a bit lost and don't know how to keep up with the changing times. so many new faces are coming to new haven, moving in and making this their home, they are desperate to make it feel modern like the world outside of our little bubble." he was lying through his teeth, there were no insane new policies or attempts at modernization but the vampire was keeping the bit going, if you will, because he still had a plan to try and use it to his favor; to try and have a bit of fun with finlay. "i've done questionable things in my past as well, likely much worse than what you've done, so don't worry about me judging you. if anything, knowing that about you makes me like you a bit more." he admitted with another toothy grin.
"i've been alive long enough to get used to it. well, it still annoys me mind you but at least now i can stomach it without immediately wanting to rip their throats out with my teeth." he admitted with an almost nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "though it might have been nice if you had been there, getting to see you shift and go after them sounds like it could have been fun." moving away from the other, he crouched down behind the bar and began reorganizing the bottles of liquor, pulling out any empty bottles so they could get them replaced, though every few seconds he kept turning to look over his shoulder at finlay as he worked; for whatever reason, elgin couldn't stop looking at him. "speaking of biting, i am a bit thirst. usually i can get a snack out of a customer but we've been a bit slower tonight than usual and i can already tell the one drunk we do have isn't going to taste good at all... have you ever been, well, bitten?"
"Well, not to speak ill of the owner or that but I think they should keep this place as is. The traditional pub setting is very much a great feel. It sorta reminds me of home." Back home being Scotland. If it wasn't clear to Elgin with his accent. The weredog sighed as he looked around the bar. All glasses clear except for the one that the last remaining punter had. "I mean, I can't lie. I may have done some...things, that I may not have been proud of but hey, I needed the cash and it paid well." It was how he could afford a nice little apartment in the town.
Grabbing a dishtowel, the omega began to wipe down the surface of the bar that had some spills on it. He could sense the other's eyes on him but he didn't mind. From the little time he had spent with the other, he found him rather enjoyable. He was helpful to him plus he was hot as fuck. A win win for him. "That must have sucked. Alphas man. Think they can tease us omegas. Pfft. If I had been here, I'd may have shifted and bit a few of them."
