"I love plants," She said dreamily, "I've never been in one place long enough to have a garden, but I learned early and well what wild plants were useful and tasty," She laughed at how silly and wistful she sounded, but continued with interest, "What did you grow?"

"My boss at the time wanted me to grow food for her," he said. He smiled a bit at the memory. They were simpler times. "She knew that the draught was coming and she wanted to be prepared. Mostly, I think she just took pity on me. But the soil was all sand and all I could grow was grasses and cacti, at first. But with some..." he trailed off, not sure what to call it. Call it magic? That made him sound crazy. But here he was talking to someone with a face covered in fur. "With some work, I managed to make things grow again." He sighed. "It was good while it lasted." His little garden was something that Garrett didn't know he was proud of. No, not the destruction that followed them, or the money that they'd looted as a result, or any of the big things in his life. A garden. A big guy like him, and the things in his life that filled him with joy included a garden that could fit behind the bar.

But he turned his attention away from himself, finding it a little embarrassing. "What about you? Aside from sleeping on the streets, I mean. What was your thing?"

She laughed, "I avoided the streets themselves as much as possible, but I know what you mean," She paused for a moment, seeming to come to an unspoken decision, "Here, I'll show you," She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment. The bar was silent, nothing seemed to stir as she stood there. Then, it started. The melody started out soft, then it swelled and rolled over the listeners like a wave. It grew into a heartbreaking song of longing and loss. Or, that's what it felt like. It wasn't in a common language, but it spoke directly to the heart. It lasted for about a minute before fading. "It's called Saudade," She said softly. She opened her eyes and smiled, "I sing for my supper. I'd show you my other trick, but I don't think there are any animals in the bar...are there?" She looked around and shrugged, "Well anyway, I have a way with animals. They like to dance while I sing. I usually dance with them, but I haven't put on a proper show in a long time," Her eyes got a misty, far-away glaze as she remembered the tears, the sighs, the laughter and the applause. She missed it. She shook her head a little to clear the haze of memories and laughed lightly, "Look at us, reminiscing like two war heroes; sans the blood and glory,"

Leonard stood very still, soaking in the melody. He did not know much about music, but he did know that he had never heard anything so moving without the words to speak it. He felt out of breath after hearing it, as though he had taken a short journey. The song had conjured memories of his: not of loss or longing, but of guilt. But as soon as the song was over, the guilt was gone, and he was left with little more than the feeling that it had been lifted. A smile tugged at the corner of is mouth.

"I... don't think I've ever heard a song like that," he said, but then came to a conclusion. "I... I can see why you would want to find more steady work, though. Charity is ninety-percent luck." He chuckled a bit at the comment about animals. He didn't know if his brother counted as an animal as such, but he was sure that he heard the melody and had begun to sway, if only a little bit. And he knew that it was rude to theorize about his co-workers, but he had noticed an animal-like quality to Miu, even if it was only in the way that she moved. It made him wonder. There seemed to be something about Fid's that attracted those connected to nature more than what could be considered normal. But he said nothing about it, preferring to discuss that when there was more a reason to do so.

"It might be for you," he said quietly. "But my life isn't without bloodshed."


Garrett vacated the kitchen, smelling quite a bit like onions and bell peppers, quite aware of that fact and not surprisingly grouchy about it. He had, at some point, forgotten that the reason he hated chopping onions was because of their known ability to make him cry. However, to counter this, he made a point of insisting that they did not make him do anything that he didn't want to do and that he was manly enough that no thing, particularly a plant, could change that. And so, wiping the onion tears from his eyes, he entered his domain once more insisting that his face was not turning red from crying. "Just as I suspected," he said, making this into a formal report. "No broken windows, no health violations, no stolen property. Its a good thing he refused to take the check because if I weren't so damned principled I wouldn't have paid him for that tripe."

Leonard resisted the urge to laugh at "principled." He knew him far better.

Kristoph had shifted a bit uncomfortably on his bar stool when the girl had sung her song of longing and loss. He had grunted softly, that nose wrinkled in disdain. He had enough of his own feelings of longing and loss. He certainly didn't need that girl's song to add to it. He gripped his still full teacup tightly between both hands. If he were stronger, the cup might have broken, but he wasn't, so it didn't. Kris didn't really pay much attention to the conversation going on near him, and only barely glanced at Garrett when he came back from the kitchen smelling of onions and peppers...the scent did make him a little hungry. He frowned slightly and stared down at the cold tea.

Garrett came up to the kid with the tea, which it vaguely occurred to him that he hadn't learned his name yet but decided that it didn't matter right now what his name was, and leaned against the bar. "You know, kid, there are three reasons that people come to bars. The one that people first assume is to drink, but that's never the actual reason. You see, if all you want to do is drink, why spend the extra money and effort to have someone serve it to you when you can just buy a bottle of Wild Turkey for $12 at a liquor store? And since you're not here to drink, obviously, we can exclude that one. The second reason is to meet people, and seeing as you're not particularly willing to talk to anyone about your problems, we can rule that one out. Which brings me to believe that you're here for the third reason: to get away." He shifted his weight on the bar for dramatic effect as well as the fact that he was cutting off circulation to his arm. "Getting away from your problems is great if that means that they can be solved by the time you get back, but judging by the shiner you've got I'd say that's not going to happen anytime soon. Now, a good handful of people here seem interested in your problems, even if they're no business of theirs. So, why don't we see what we can do to fix your problem?"

Kristoph blinked. The bartender was talking to him. He shifted a bit on his stool, his gaze shifted up from his cold tea to Garrett's face. He fidgeted a bit, clearly uncomfortable at what the man was saying. His grip on his tea cup tightened a bit. Or rather, was as tight as his grip could get. "Uhm.." Kris frowned, biting his bottom lip some, for a few moments he looked away from Garrett. Only for a few moments though. Then his eyes were on Garrett again and he shrugged slightly. "Some problems can't be fixed.." He spoke softly and with a slight frown.

"Leonard," he said, calling out to his partner and noticing that he wasn't doing any actual work. "Get something for this kid's eye." Leonard excused himself from the conversation he was having with the new employee and disappeared into the kitchen.

Garrett rolled his eyes. "What kind of attitude is that," he asked rhetorically. "Its the attitude of a fatalist," he concluded, pointing at him as if to say that he was, in fact, a fatalist. "If someone isn't treating you right, there's a solution for it. Now, as a rule I don't like going to the Cops, but that's for me. Plus, I have someone that I pay to beat people up for me if I need him to. You don't. And you don't have that rule. So if there's someone giving you bruises this big," and he indicated the boy's black eye, "then I think its time you went to someone who can beat him up for you. Which, in this case, would be a Cop. Probaby." Because of his aversion to the police, local or otherwise, he began thinking of other people he could go to. "Or... I dunno... a lawyer. The Mafia, if you're so inclined. You've got options."

Leonard returned from the kitchen with a small bag of frozen peas that he was fairly certain weren't going to be cooked in anything anytime soon. Without a word, he handed it to Garrett, who handed it to his guest.

A fatalist? Kristoph blinked and stared at Garrett. He wasn't entirely sure about what the bartender meant by that...but he had a general idea. More or less. "Erh.." He shifted a bit on his stool, fidgeting lightly with his cup of tea. "Police are stupid.." Kris frowned with a slight huff. "They need EVIDENCE...bruises don't mean much. Maybe I just fell down some stairs or wrecked my bike or any other kind of accident." When Leonard came back with the frozen peas, he blinked and stared. They wanted him to hold that on his face? He hesitated before taking the peas. "...Lawyers and mafia require alot of money...I don't have alot of money.." He had muttered that last bit as if in afterthought, from behind the bag of peas that now mostly obscured his face.

Wake up child. You're sleeping on the table again. Get yourself together. The voice from her dreams snapped Gracey back to an upright position. How long had she been sleeping? When did she even fall asleep?

She looked and saw the shepherds pie she ordered waiting on the edge of her table, still steaming a little. Apparently she hadn't dozed off for that long. She looked around for a bit, nothing much seemed to have changed, accept for the obvious lack of the obnoxious young self proclaimed bouncer/cook. Gracey smiled a bit at this, she hadn't really felt right with him around anyway.

((sorry for disappearing! I had apparently unsubscribed from this rp at some point without realizing it! I check stuff from my mobile allot, so it's easy to hit the wrong link from the account setting page))

Katya watched as Leonard disappeared into the kitchen Not without bloodshed...I wonder what he did... he seemed like a nice guy, even if it was his job to kick people's asses. She felt sorry for the poor guy with the black eye. Not sure how else to help, she piped up, "Maybe he could stay here?" the question was addressed to Garrett, but it was clearly aimed at Kristoph as well. She shrugged and began humming and wiping down the bar.

Gracey pulled the shawl she'd been using to cover her head further over her forehead to cover herself better, and stood to venture in search of the bathrooms. The noise from the ceilings as well as the staffs reactions to it had been intriguing her, and the ceiling didn't look like it was in to sturdy of shape.

She made herself hobble a bit to keep up the illusion of being elderly as she wandered back the hallway the sign marked restrooms had indicated. Looking first in the woman's lavatory, she decided the surprisingly in tact roof in there wouldn't be easy enough to breech. She looked around for a few moments, then peeked her head cautiously into the men's room. She was surprised to find that not only was the ceiling cracked and shoddy in here, but at one end, the boards were fully pulled apart, wide enough that someone could easily slip up at down from above through the gap.

Gracey stepped into the grimy stall below the gap, and closed the door behind her. Carefully she hiked up her skirt, and climbed up onto the hand rails attached to the wall. She stepped onto the back of the back of the uncleaned toilet, and then used the top of the stall divider as leverage to hoist herself up a bit higher so she could poke her head up between. the scuffling she'd been hearing suddenly stopped, giving her the distinct impression she'd better announce herself. This was much to large to be a rat.

"Hello?" she said, her tone barely louder than a whisper. "Please don't be frightened. I just wanted to say hello and see who was up here. I don't wish to be a problem."

Lacey walked into the tavern and rubbed at her eyes since the change of lighting. She brushed her long bangs out of her face and looked around the occupants. She titled her head to the side and stretched out her body, feeling her spine crack from driving in her car all night long. She probably should not have decided to go on a spur of a moment road trip but she needed to get away from everything that was her life.

She looked around and even though she was tired, all she wanted was something to drink. She bit her lip and walked through some tables, sitting down randomly and hoping a waiter comes by. She used both hands and tied her long brown waves in a bun at the nape of her neck. She lolled her head to the side and other hearing a crack. She smiled a bit since it felt a little better than before. Lacey leaned back in the chair and thought I should be home. But I am already here, might as well get something to drink first.

She crossed her legs over the other and adjusted the simple purple strapless dress she was wearing. She brushed her ankle clad boots together and hummed softly to herself, hoping that someone would talk to her first so she wouldn't look so obvious like she does not belong.

Noticing the newcomer, Katya removed herself from behind the bar and came over holding a pencil and slip of paper, "Hello, welcome to Fid's! What can I get for you?" she smiled widely.

Lacey was looking down at the worn in wooden table when she felt a shadow cast of her. She looked up and saw Katya and smiled back thinking Finally. I can get something to make this aweful night go away. She said "Hi um can I get something to drink? I don't care what but it needs to be strong and can it mixed with coke?" She tucked a piece of her hair behind her right ear and fiddled with stud in her ear.

Katya smiled, "Of course darlin'! I'll get you a rum and coke," she walked back to the bar and mixed the girl's drink, adding a generous portion of rum and a splash of amaretto for extra flavor. She finished it with a slice of orange, returned to the table and handed it over, "Would you like anything to eat with that?"

Lacey watched Katya and she thought She is a good bartender. She saw Katya come back and she sat up a little bit as Katya handed it over. She accepted the drink and took a big swig, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth. She smiled sheepishly saying "Thank you for that. I needed it." And Lacey heard her own stomach growl then she blushed slightly saying "Yes, I could probably use a bite to eat. Get me anything you feel like making, I am not picky." She undid the bun at the nape of her neck, and let her long brown hair down to brush the middle of her back.

"Can do!" she slipped back into the kitchen and started riffling through racks. Popping open one of the cookbooks she flipped through to the section of lunch and dinner-type meals. Glancing around and sizing up the supplies she settled on a Philly Steak Melt. It was one of her favorites and she was quick with it. She whistled as she sautéed the steak, mushrooms, onions, and green peppers. When they were finished she toasted a hoagie roll, laid on the hot ingredients, added a couple slices of swiss and added some fries to the side of the plate. She smiled, maybe this was going to be a good place for her! She carried the plate back out into the bar and over to the girl's table. "Enjoy!"

Lacey folded her left leg under her body, tugging her dress down a little lower so it covered her more. She laid her right elbow on the table and picked up the drink, taking a deep sip. She sat it back on the table and took another sip before she laid her head down on the table getting comfortable. She lifted her head up and took another swig and started humming softly. She smiled when Katya returned and Lacey's stomach was excited to see her too. She took a bite of philly steak and smiled happily as if she melted in the chair, "This is very good. I haven't eaten all day. Thank you. How much do I owe ya?"

Katya shrugged, she hadn't really gone over prices since she started. Plus it didn't seem like Garrett kept any menus around. Doing some quick calculations she said, "How about $10?" She figured $5 for the drink and $5 for the sandwich seemed reasonable.

Lacey nodded her head to Katya and stuck her hand in the small pocket in her dress. She pulled out a ten dollar bill and handed it over to her. She took another sip of the drink and noticed it was empty and she said "Can I get another one?" She smiled and said softly "Thanks for doing this for me. Your the nicest person I have been around today."

"Happy to make your day a little brighter then," she smiled and went to mix the girl another drink. She came back and set the glass down. Leaning against the edge of the table she said, "Ya know, bartenders are famous for being good listeners. Want to get anything off your chest?" she smiled gently.

Grace poked her head a little further up in, trying her best to see in the low light filtering in from the gaps in the boards that served as a ceiling to the bar below. "Hello?" She called again softly. "Look, I'm just looking for some place away from people. I'm just gonna climb up and sit here. I don't know who or whas up here, but I'm a friend to all creatures. Please, just don't be upset at my presence."

With much strugling and scrambling Gracey pushed her way the rest of the span up into the attic type space, and crawled into the corder she presunmed to be about the womens rest room, certainly not wanting see what would take place in the meds room of a place like this. Pulling her shawl tightly around her shoulders, she leaned against the wall and tried to settle into meditation.

Lacey waited for the next drink and took another sip when Katya brought the new one over. She took a bite of the food and shook her head slowly saying "No, I am not drunk enough yet to talk about my problems." She laughed slightly and took another sip but looked up saying "If you not doing much you can sit with me though and wait for my lips to get alittle looser."

((I didn't so much forget this time as I did have a ton of stuff happen to me at once. xD))

"Well there's a thought," Garrett said at Katya's suggestion. "If the kid can pay for a few nights here, I could be persuaded to waiver the law on minors." He shrugged. "Its all up to you."

Hans was suddenly aware that there was someone in his little nest. And by 'suddenly' it is meant that he heard the call of a woman and followed it to the men's room entrance. He crept around in the dark, trying to get a closer look at the woman in the dim light that was allowed through the cracks in the ceiling tiles. When he approached her, he tilted his head to the side, trying to figure out what she was doing in his domain. He had to keep himself from salivating, and it was a difficult task. But it was always different when they came to him rather than having the hunt. Perhaps... if she was willing... he could let her go, and he could chase her down instead.

"You're a weird thing," he said bluntly.