Players:
Summary: Tyler goes into the High Dive for a drink where he meets Selene and Jacob. Summer comes in and ends up butting heads with Selene.
Date: February 17, 2009
High Dive Tension
Rating: PG-13
Some bars remind people of the classy places they see on TV, like 'Cheers'. This isn't a place like this. The High Dive is exactly what the name says… a dive. Beer and liquor stains sometimes remain on the floor for a while before being cleaned. The floor's been scrubbed through the varnish in a few places, and many of the chairs are slightly off balance. The lighting is kept low, for a reason.
This isn't the kind of bar that people who aren't used to the rougher side of life belong.
The air seems like it hasn't been circulated yet today, and the stale odor of cigarettes lingers like an old memory. The music is kept irrationally low, serving only to detract from the otherwise intense silence that brings in the desired clientel. This is a place for thinkers, drinkers, and regrets.
Speaking of which, having just locked up from his shift at the repairshop, Jacob enters the High Dive as he has done just about everyday since securing the job. By this point he's familiar enough not to look around curiously - instead, he just makes his way over to the bar. He lifts his satchel over his head and places it on the stool beside that which he occupies. The bartender's busy for now.
Tyler steps into the bar, his eyes scanning over the room as he makes his way towards the bar. As he arrives, he slides onto a bar stool, removing his jacket and waits for his turn to place his drink order.
Selene opens the door to the bar and walks inside. She glances around the room a bit checking the place out. She strolls towards the end of the bar kind of in a dark corner and takes her coat off. She looks up and down the bar for any familiar faces, but with this kind of light it's hard to tell.
Jacob regards Tyler, and later Selene, with the basic amount of curiosity typically given to the others that enter this place. Just enough to see if they're gonna start disrupting the silence. The bartender finally finishes with one a customer who returns with her drinks back to her table, and finally comes to see Jacob. "Whatcha want?"
Jacob considers something for a moment, and after coming to a conclusion on the subject he replies with, "Bud Light," in a vaguely accented tone. The bartender goes to get it, meanwhile, Jacob pulls three or four ragged notes from his pocket - flattening them out to find which of them was a fiver. He places it counter-top in exchange for the beer.
Tyler watches the bartender as she moves to Jacob as she takes his order and gets his drink. His eyes scan over Jacob for a second before he looks back to the bartender as his turn arrives. "Irish Car Bomb, a shot of whatever you wanna pour and a beer." he says to the bartender before he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet as the woman goes to make the drinks.
Selene waits for the bartender to maker her way over. She thinks about what she wants for a moment then decides what she is going to get. She pulls some money out of her jacket pocket and then her iPod. She puts the left earbud in her left ear only. She leaves one ear empty so she will be able to hear the bartender and anyone else who talks to her.
From his satchel, Jacob pulls out a small pocketwatch, and he lays it onto the counter. He looks up briefly to scan the area, watching as the Bartender does her business with Tyler before heading to Selene, and he looks back down. With a very tiny screwdriver being pulled from his satchel, he turns the watch on it's back and begins to open the door to it's heart. A bored sigh escapes him as he opens it up; the tiny gears inside as silent and dead as the bar itself. With his free hand, he lifts the beer again, once more looking to Tyler, Selene, and the unnamed bar denizen, to check and see if he's being closely scrutinized…
Tyler gets his drinks and slides the bartender a few bills. He doesn't get change back as he takes up one of the shot glasses next to a pint glass of Guinness. He drops the shot into the glass and starts to chug the pint.
Selene smiles when the waitress gets to her. I would like an Irish car bomb a shot of Goldschlagger and a Screwdriver please. She tells the bartender handing her some money then says "You can keep the change for yourself." she says looking at her. She picks up her iPod and changes the song to "I Love My Computer" by Bad Religion.
Jacob steals occasional glances at Tyler due to his drink order. Then at Selene's list of order he can't help but smile and nod impressed. He mumbles in a tone just loud enough to be heard - this time the thickness of his accent revealing itself, "An' 'ere I fought Americans were poor drinkas." He shakes his head once, and looks back down to the watch, for even while he spoke his hand continues to tighten various parts of the watch.
Tyler smirks up at Jacob as he barely manages to hear his words, setting the empty pint glass down on the table and slides it to the edge, towards the 'tender before he picks up the second shot. "Just us drunks, really." He says to the man before he slams back the shot and sets the empty glass down next to the others and moves onto the beer.
Selene smiles to the bartender as she sets her drinks down. She looks up to Jacob, "Well that would be true, but I'm from England so I'm not American." she says with a grin. She notices Tyler and smiles, "Hey you. Haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?" she says looking at him, "Mind if I join you?" she asks before moving at all.
Tyler makes Jacob snicker, but at Selene's words, the first sign of real life enters his eyes and he sits a bit straighter up - his hands still routinely working on the gears like he has a milion times before - "Hang on. You're British. Where from?" He stops working for a moment, his whole mind waiting for an answer as if it might mean something other than simply where she were born.
Tyler grins and nods to Selene. "Yeah. It's been a while. By all means, come join me." He says with a smile before he looks to Jacob. "Oh wow. Two Brits in here. Nice."
Selene grins and grabs her drinks and her jacket then walks towards Tyler taking a seat next to him." She looks to Jacob, "London. My parents were both actors there when I was little. I haven't been her but a few months." she says with a smile.
Jacob follows Selene with his eyes, turning on the stool as he replies, "'m from South London." He looks to Tyler and nods in agreement, "Innit though? I fought I'd be th'on'y one for miles round in Washington." A subsequent thought makes him snicker, and he turns back on his stool to the watch, shaking his head slightly as he puts the screwdriver to the gears.
Tyler nods his head as he looks between Selene and Jacob. "Well, why don't you come join us? We can always talk about the place I've never been." He says with a smirk as he takes a drink from his beer.
Selene nods, "That's really kool. I thought the same thing as well. But it's nice to know I'm not." She picks up the shot glass and drops it into her pint of Guinness and chugs it all in one go. After a few moments she slams the glass down and grins, "That is a damn good drink." she says then turns to Tyler, "Maybe one of these days I'll take you to England. I think you would rather enjoy it." she says with a smile.
Jacob figures it'd be too difficult to move all his watch gears, and they're close enough to speak to, so he just stays where he is, turning slightly towards them in response to the request to join, "Sure fing, mate. Let me have a go at finishing this watch first though, man offered double if I fix it tonigh'." He sniffs and looks towards them skeptically as he finishes his beer. He places it back onto the counter and glances at the bartender, asking for another.
Summer makes her way into the bar, excitedly babbling into the bluetooth earpiece which connects her to her iPhone. "… OMG! No kidding! I know! Like, I can't believe she wore that dress, it made her look so washed-out! And did you see her date? Who takes their -brother- to an awards show, even one as second-rate as that? And why does the Travel Channel have an awards show? Oh, I know, but- yes, I know, yes, OMG! I know!" she squeals. "Oh, gotta go, Kim, I've found this darling little bar, and am dying for a flirtini." She clicks off, and looks around with wide, blue eyes, oblivious to the place's lack of charm.
Tyler looks to Selene and smiles. "That'd be cool. I've been to Ireland once when I was in the Army, but that's about it." He takes a drink of the beer as he looks to Jacob and nods. "Sure thing, mate." He says before he starts to say something else, then comes the voice of Summer. One that isn't easily to forget, he smirks and shakes his head slightly before he looks back over his shoulder towards the source of the voice to confirm who it is.
Selene grins, "Okay. We'll make a date and I'll pay the way there and back. I have quite a bit put away to tell you the truth, thanks to a really rich grandpa." she say looking at him. "How did the Army treat ya?" she asks before she turns to the woman who is saying OMG and raises an eyebrow then turns back to Tyler, "Well that was unexpected, but now we know she's one of those cell phone barbies." she says smirking.
Jacob's work involves a delicate melody in his mind: a fluid string of sound that plays out like a symphony. Usually Beethoven, rarely Bach, this music carries him throughout his repairs. That is, until, it all comes to a grinding halt with the entrance of the innocent obliviousness speaking in… such a manner. His hands pause, and he simply turns, as it appears most are, to just stare at her, a smirk playing on his lips as Selene quips.
Summer glances around, foot tapping, as if expecting some lowly waitstaff peon to come and show her to a table. When she catches on that it's one of those places, where you do the work yourself (how quaint!), she huffs briefly, and strides towards a free table, picking her way carefully. The mental 'ew, ew, ew' as her shoes encounter something sticky or wet on the floor is almost audible via the look on her face.
Tyler watches Summer as she moves through the room, can't help but giving a chuckle at the look on her face. He takes a drink from his beer before he watches her a few moments longer. "Don't come to these places very often do ya?" He calls out to her.
Selene laughs out loud as she watches Summer, "Easy there killer, Don't want you to break a nail and ruin your manicure or your pedicure at that." she tells Summer as she continues to laugh. She turns to Tyler, "Wow, I have never seen a girl act like that in my life. That is Ridiculous if you ask me." she says with a grin on her face. She picks up her shot of Goldschlagger and downs it.
Jacob looks away from Summer as Tyler greets her. If someone in this bar was going to address the poor young lady, better Tyler than him or any of the other garbage men in the room. Selene draws laughter from the Englishman, but he just goes back to his watch, resuming the melody in his head and the reparations of the golden gears - while drinking alcohol. Stealing a look every now and then towards Selene curiously.
Summer blinks with surprise as she hears that vaguely familiar voice, and follows it back to Tyler. "OMG!" she burbles. "It's you! The warehouse guy! Like, your directions were so helpful, I finally found my car and the Green Dolphin and everything, and was only like, an hour late!" She frowns as a thought tries to gain dominance inside her head. "I can't believe I'm seeing you again, like, in a city this size. Coincidence is weird!"
Tyler looks to Summer and grins, nodding his head. "Glad to hear ya made it back safe." He says before he takes another drink of his beer. "Welcome to Seattle. The home of coincidence and repeat encounters." He nods towards Selene. "I've ran into her several times since we met."
Selene turns to Summer and glares at her slightly, "Wow girl, You are strange." she says to Summer looking at Her, "I don't see how it's Coincidence at all. It may be big, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't see him smart one." she tells Summer. "I honestly think you should Tone it down a little, "Some of us here got off of work and are trying to relax and you aren't making it easy." she says before turning to Tyler, "Obviously. I think she made that quite clear. Damn I've never heard someone so annoying." she says with a smirk.
"Does this mean I'm stuck with you, too?" utters Jacob in a friendly jab. But he, of course, always means what he says aloud. Selene thereafter describes him to a 'T' and he therefore keeps glancing at her every now and then. Then going back to the gears. He's about gutted it, the golden gears delicately arranged around his beer bottle - which he occasionally drinks - on the counter top. "Oh God what if I'm stuck wif'er too. Oh em gee," he mutters darkly.
Summer gives Selene a baffled look, big blue eyes wide with surprise, confusion, and hurt. It's like kicking a puppy. "Tone it down? Tone what down? I'm just, y'know, being myself." Sniffle. Lower lip quivers briefly, but she reins it in like a big girl. "And in a city with millions and millions of people, it's like, weird to run into the same people more than once in different areas."
Tyler smirks and shrugs as he looks to Selene then to Summer. "Don't mind her. She's like that." He says as he takes a drink from his bottle of beer before he sets down the bottle of beer. "I don't think I ever got your name." He says to Summer.
Selene facepalms, "Nevermind." she tells Summer as she picks up her Screwdriver and downs half of it. "I don't find it weird. Obviously you've never been somewhere bigger." she says looking at Summer, "Trust me, it's not as weird or coincidental as it could be." She tells Summer. She turns back to Tyler, "I was wondering if you wanted to come back to my place tonight?" she says with a smile.
Summer sniffs indignantly at Selene. "Oh, please! I've been plenty of bigger places. New York, and LA, and San Francisco, and London, and Paris, and Tokyo, and Berlin, and Hong Kong, and one of those Australian cities, and LA…" She pauses to count them off on her fingers. "I said LA already, but you get the point. At least, I assume you get the point." She beams at Tyler, and tells him, "I'm Summer. Summer Casablanca?" A familiar name, if one keeps up with celebrity gossip sites or tabloids.
Finally, there's a look of satisfaction on Jacob's face. He sits up, takes a deep breath and cracks all of his fingers before taking a big swig of his beer. Once more he leans down towards the watch and begins placing tiny screw after tiny screw back into the golden shelling.
Tyler doesn't really watch TV or follow the celebrity stuff. "Nice to meet ya, Summer." He says with a smile before he looks to Selene and grins slightly. "Sure. Sounds like fun." He says before he looks to Jacob. "Finish?"
Selene turns to Summer and can't help but laugh, "You honestly think I care about the places you been?" she says with a smirk, "You are way over your head here, I don't think you'll be able to handle yourself here. So it would probably be best if you got someone who is lower than you to do everything for you. Oh wait. You already do because you have no feelings for others." she says with an evil grin. "That's all I've got to say to you, so Have a nice day." she tells Summer and then turns back to the bar and downs the other half of her screwdriver. She turns to Tyler, "Okay. Kool." she says with a smile.
Piece after piece finds its way back into its bed, thanks to the assistance of Jacob's steady hands. He listens quite obviously to the words being tossed about between the ladies, but detracts from his observations to give Tyler an answer, "Are you suggesting," he continues working, "that I just repaired a 1929 Hamilton Limited Production," the gears become bigger as he nears the end now, "Golden-Plated pocket watch in under an hour? With two beers?" He places the last one into place, and then closes the door to the backside. He leans down and winds up the gears then waits and listens with a smile to the click click click of the gears working perfectly within. "Come now sir that'd be impossible." He places it in his pocket and gives Tyler an incredulous shit-eating grin before downing the rest of his beer.
Summer blinks again, blue eyes watering up at Selene's words. Then she stops, and takes a deep breath. An angry wipe of the sleeve across her face gets rid of the evidence. Several strides forward puts her in range to jab at Selene with a single finger. "Look here, you low-rent Goth club reject," she snaps, "it's pretty shitty of you to take out your feelings of inadequacy and your lack of self-worth on someone else. I don't really care what issues turned you into a mean-spirited bitch bordering on cheap whore, but all you're doing is spreading the hate and making the world a bit worse. You don't know me one bit, or you wouldn't say such things. So shut the fuck up already."
Tyler starts to take a drink from his beer as he nods to Jacob to answer his question, but stops mid-way through as he hears Summer's reply to Selene. He raises an eyebrow slightly before he looks between the two. "Why don't you both just chill out. Have a beer and relax. I don't need a pissin' contest when I'm trying to get drunk. Ruins the buzz."
Selene laughs even harder. "For one I'm not a low-rent Goth club reject just so you know. I happen to be pretty damn wealthy." she says still laughing. "Aww…look at that tears." she says not being able to stop from falling over from laughing so hard. "I'm not a mean spirited bitch. I just hate cell phone barbies like yourself who think they are badass." she says before turning to Tyler, "Okay. I'll stop for you. But I won't stop for that girl. She turns to Summer, "Oh by the way. I wouldn't suggest you tell me to shut up or tell me what to do for that matter. You will regret it greatly, your life could be at stake if you piss me off." she says smiling then turns back to face the other side of the bar. She flags down the bartender, "Could I get another round of what I just had please?" she asks smiling. She pulls out a $100 bill and lays it down on the counter for the bartender to take.
Jacob stands from the bar and goes to leave, but something Selene says sends his mind for a whirl. The coincidences indeed continue to line up, until finally, he turns to directly give her a proper once over. A breath later, he's picking up his satchel and putting the strap over his shoulder. To Selene and Tyler he offers, "I'll be seein' you both then…" He seems to leave them no other option in his tone but to expect it, and he moves to make way towards the exit, apparently following behind Summer who wordlessly and non-descriptively storms out moments before him.
Tyler offers a wave to Jacob. "Later." He says to the man as he heads out, picking up his beer and drains the last of it. He sets the empty bottle down on the bar and stands as well. "I'm going to get going myself. I gotta long day tomorrow. I'll have to give you a raincheck on tonight."
Selene nods and waves to Jacob, "Bye." she says before turning to Tyler and just shrugs. "kay." is all she says and then looks down at the bar and shakes her head. She mumbles to herself, "Why do I have to be such a bitch? I can't help telling people what I think. I'm honest. Oh well guess I'll have to live with it." she says as a single tear rolls down her cheek.