[bigbadraff]

google doc.

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬: name: rafferty faolan nicknames: raff age: 44 pronouns: he/him dob: november 13 species: born werewolf occupation: bartender

𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: positive traits: charming, intelligent, resilient, selfless negative traits: argumentative, moody, aggressive, brash

𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: enhanced strength, heightened senses (seeing, hearing, scent), proficient tracking skills, and mastery of several martial arts.

𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐢𝐨:

born in london, england to a wolf and a human, rafferty is the oldest of three children and would later take on a paternal role with his youngest sibling. he grew up nurturing both the wolf and the human side of himself. when he was sixteen, raff dropped out of school to help the family out financially -- a year later, his younger sister was born and his mother died.

rafferty’s father was reckless on his best days and got into some trouble with some hunters which caused him to leave town. rafferty took on the burden of taking care of his younger brother (boris, two years younger than raff) and younger sister (lovette, 17 years younger than raff). because of this added burden, rafferty had to find a better way to make money. he was nineteen when he began bounty hunting, mostly other supernatural creatures but also humans who had found themselves on the wrong lists. the best thing about rafferty in this position was that he asked no questions. his father had made sure that both he and boris were good hunters from a young age.

this sort of lifestyle had rafferty and his younger sister moving all over the country once boris left them. raff hated that he was putting lovette through the trauma of moving around and not digging in roots, but it somehow fulfilled a primal urge in him -- like he was meant to roam. eventually, the pair wound up back in london where they reunited with their brother and father, both of whom had been making very poor decisions. their father’s past caught up with him and cost him his life which ignited a fight between rafferty and boris that left them estranged from one another.

after the death of their father, rafferty took his sister to ireland for a while then they traveled across europe settling for a while in germany until lovette reached adulthood. it was then that she expressed she wanted to try to have a normal life and enrolled herself in university, this was supported fully by rafferty who only left the country when he had an opportunity he could not pass up. the opportunity took him to new york where he stayed for two years working pretty steadily in the bounty hunting business.

eventually, rafferty heard of the haven for supernatural creatures in los santos. it didn’t take long for him to decide that was the place he needed to go. he’s been there for three years, keeping his head down and working hard as a bartender at the ugly duckling where the income is more than enough to provide his studio apartment in tsavo. he still hunts, but it’s never anywhere near the city.

[vindlcated]

for: everyone! where: love you a latte coffee alley  what: sabine is taking a massive risk by putting flyers out for a roomie all around the city. she just bumped into your character whilst doing so at the coffee shop. feel free to assume connections if we haven’t plotted!

now this… was something sabine didn’t want to do. but, it had to be done. she needed a roommate. rent was high, she had a crappy car to take care of, and student loans… she didn’t even want to think about those—and she was in her last year of vet school. so there she was, putting up fliers around the campus in greenhaven but also elsewhere—like the coffee shop in sunnyside. this was probably beyond stupid but her idea was that someone would contact her and they’d meet up in a public place… like the coffee shop, and talk it out if on first sight things were sketchy. she was desperate, and frankly without parents since she was eighteen so she really was all on her own with this stuff. 

sabine taped a flyer to a wall in the coffee shop and turned, bumping into someone. “oh, sorry,” she said, about to walk away, but stopped and looked back at the person with knit brows. “you’re not looking for a roommate are you? or… know someone who needs a roommate?”

[bigbadraff]

Rafferty was up early for once. Being a bartender meant late nights and sleeping sometimes until the afternoon. But, since it was his day off, he wanted to get some things done and not feel as if he had slept through the entire thing. To start that out, he went to a nearby coffee shop to grab a hot coffee with cream and sugar. Before he had a chance to get inside the door, however, he was jostled by a young woman hanging up fliers.

Raff squinted as he tried to make out what was written on the papers she was hanging up, then he looked at her with a small smile, ready to respond to her question. “I’m not personally lookin’ for a roommate, no, but I know lots of people. I tend bar down at the Ugly Duckling. What kind of person are you looking for? I might be able to help.”

[lucxboyce]

Who: Lucas Boyce x OPEN Where: The Ugly Duckling What: Needing a night out, your muse and Lucas hit the Ugly Duckling for a night of booze, darts, pool, and general fun, and yes - the threat of Lucas making them sing on stage. If we haven’t plotted, feel free to assume connections!

“Okay,” The hellhound huffed out with a mild laugh, “that was such a lucky shot!” He defended as the dart his company had thrown hit bullseye. A feat he could accomplish if he wanted to but what was the fun in using his supernatural abilities all the time? The 80′s rock playlist he had paid to be played at The Ugly Duckling had Lu nodding his head along to the beat as he went to the board and collect their darts. “Don’t be such a damn show-off or I will sign us up for karaoke and unlike me, you can’t sing worth shit.” Lucas teased with an easy grin - he actually could sing and it had been briefly something he pursued many years ago when he resided in Nashville for a couple of years. 

Walling back up to his company, he handed the other their darts and gave them a playful shove. “Alright, the next one who wins buys the next round, deal?” He didn’t wait for an answer and took his spot, aiming for the dartboard and letting his dart fly. Perhaps….the dart was thrown with some of his supernatural skills for once…maybe.

[bigbadraff]

Rafferty gave the hellhound a look over his shoulder, something that called into question Lucas’ judgment of things. “Please.” Raff said as he flipped another dart in his hand. “I’m good at this. You think I haven’t mastered everything there is to do in this place?” The wolf snorted then, shaking his head as he threw his dart and hit center again, slightly displacing the first dart. Maybe it was luck to get those two shots in a row, but of all the things in the Ugly Duckling, darts was what he was best at.

“Sign us up for karaoke, mate. Pick a rap song, I’ll show you up in a second.” His face was split wide with his grin as he playfully elbowed Luc, nodding his agreement with the deal. “Be prepared to pay for the next round.” He said, watching where Lucas’ dart landed before taking his turn, this time on the single bull instead of the double bull. “I spend way too much time in this place.”

[dirtbagdefender]

[bigbadraff]

fadedhvntr​:

all his life he’d had it beaten into him; never let a wolf get familiar enough to get your scent. it was dangerous that way. there was no guarantee when your prey could hunt you down from just a brief little inhale. richard knew how to cover his tracks and knew how to disappear. he can tell exactly when it gets to the wolf that he’d outlasted him for three years before finally choosing to throw in the towel. he could’ve gone his whole life hiding right under rafferty’s nose and the wolf never would’ve known.

then raff is sniffing and watching him and there’s almost a sense of relief having that choice to run taken away.

it was too easy to tuck tail.

dark eyes watch the wolf, watching as that familiar gleam gets in those eyes. rafferty joked once that he was like some kind of rubix cube or a puzzle and richard wonders if he’s got those same thoughts running through his head. he’d laughed back then, shoved the wolf away, and gone to make coffee. at least the smile on those lips is the same and there’s some measure of comfort seeing it again and again so damn easy.

“yeah well - those mountains ain’t no joke. always figured you both got smart and stayed in new york.” where it was safe. his family didn’t have connections there, the place was so densely packed you could hide in plain sight. richard had been so careful about picking his trail always hoping that love and raff would get too tired and slow down. maybe they’d even settle down.

he’d known a long time ago he couldn’t give raff any kind of future. not in a way he figured a wolf would need.

no kids. no pack.

knuckles tap against wood and he swallows thickly. even after all this time it felt damn impossible to keep his heart buried when it came to the wolf.

“you uh, three years here done you good.”

---

From the beginning, the relationship between the two of them had been something that no wolf or hunter would have ever accepted. They had bred familiarity between them, let each other get close enough to cut the other’s throat, but nothing like that ever happened. It was just a beautiful little friendship, a kinship that Rafferty couldn’t quite explain.

Then, like nothing had ever happened, Rick had vanished as if into thin air. What a shock to the system that was, when Raff could barely even follow the scent. But Richard was a hunter, and he knew how to dodge someone if he didn’t want to be found. Even if that someone was an incredible tracker.

They watch each other for a moment, each one wondering what the other is thinking, but it’s Richard who speaks first, and Rafferty frowns only slightly. His suspicions are concerned with the things that Rick says, and it upsets him though he tries not to let that show on his face as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other behind the bar, reaching over to refill Richard’s glass even though he’s only drunk a little. “I was following something. If I knew that something really didn’t want me to follow, maybe I would’ve stayed in New York.”

He looks at Rick then, leveling his gaze at the hunter as if to cut through him, as if to say I see you. But what does the past matter now that they’re here?

“You’re daft.” Raff replies, but it’s said with a smile that he can’t even try to hide. When he’s happy, he’s always been easy to read. “It’s good to see you. You look like life’s been treating you well, too. What’ve you been up to?” He knows that Rick’s hunting wouldn’t be allowed, not inside the city, so the hunter has to have been feeding himself some other way.

[bigbadraff]

lucxboyce​:

🔥 – 🔥

“When you’ve lived as long as I have,” Lucas started, only pausing to finish up his drink. He wished alcohol had the same effect it used to have on him, “not much can keep life entertaining.” He grinned, though there was a slight bitter truth to the words. He was only a couple of centuries in and he was already wondering if he’d make it the rest of the eternity. 

“Oh trust me, I’ve gathered.” He teased, chuckling lightly because he didn’t understand how Raff didn’t lose his mind all the time being here during Jeopardy! night. “I figured if anything, it might give me a laugh at how some of these people play the game.” He shrugged, leaning back in his seat. “Besides, how could I not come and offer actual entertainment?” Grinning, Lu watched him as he filled each shot glass with vodka. “Cheers!” He returned, lifting his glass to clink it against Raff and downed the shot in one swing. Placing the glass back on the bar top, Luc leaned forward again. “Any juicy gossip coming to you from the patrons tonight?’

---

Rafferty couldn’t imagine living that long. He, as a mere werewolf, was not immortal and would have a normal lifespan, thus he did not have to worry about losing the thrill that life still gave him. “I pity you.” He replied, but he was still smiling. There was something intriguing about the possibility of never-ending life. Raff had more than a slight feeling that Luc would be just fine regardless.

“Are you sayin’ I’m easy to read?” Rafferty teased back, a little gleam in his muddy blue eyes as he wiped up a little of the spilled vodka out of habit before lifting his glass to Lucas. “Cheers! To you, for offering me some actual entertainment.” He said with a slight chuckle before downing the shot. He set the glass back down on the bar and wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. “There’s a lady here...” He scanned the patrons then before finding her, a woman sitting at a two seater table alone, hunched over the top and looking directly at someone else in the bar. “She’s trying to prove her girlfriend is cheating. I’m pretty sure she’s here with a family member.”

[bigbadraff]

fadedhvntr​:

seven years by his counting. three since he knew the wolf was here in saints.

it’s a long time to miss a ghost.

richard figures it’s a test now to see who’ll break the unease tension first. they’re surrounded and suffocated by hundreds of people filing in for trivia night all eagerly talking. all the while richard is watching the wolf, expression as unreadable as ever and he’s sure it’s frustrating for rafferty. last time they’d stared off like this was back in the woods almost ten years ago. and jesus if time didn’t fly.

just like before, the wolf moves first.

rafferty with that big stupid grin that tugs at something treacherous in richard and has him staring a little longer. a grunt of approval slips free because of course the guy would remember his drink of choice. dark eyes drop from the man’s face and down to his hands, to the glass filled up far too generous for one drink.

“well hell,” there’s a breathy kind of laugh but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. the smile is hollow and more to blend in with the crowd. people tended to notice when you sat there with little to no expression. “a girl’s gotta have some mystery ain’t she?” tipping the glass, it’s easier to swallow the bourbon than admit the truth. setting the empty glass back down, knuckles tap the bar in a silent request for another.

“better question for you, mutt. how long did you look?”

---

Rafferty had no idea that the hunter was in town for any measure of time, and that makes him worried -- worried that he’s losing his talents, the very things that made him a special kind of wolf. He sniffs at the air, catches the hunter’s scent deep in his lungs, and vows not to let it go. Richard won’t be getting far this time.

He watches Rick with his sharp and keen eyes, looking at him like he’s a puzzle that Raff has to put back together again. Even though he swears he solved the puzzle once, this time the glass has shifted into a new image in the kaleidoscope.

“You’ve got more mystery than anyone I’ve ever met.” Rafferty replies, trying not to smile even though they come easy. He’s a happy kind of guy, despite the life he’s lived.

Better question for you, mutt. How long did you look?

It’s like a sharp twinge of pain, and he scrunches up his eyes at it as if having a physical response. “Love and I followed you around Europe, always a few steps behind. I lost you in Switzerland, heard you were in New York, stayed there for a while hoping you’d turn up. No such luck. Wound up here three years ago. So, I guess that’s your answer.”

[bigbadraff]

whimsics​:

‘  they  behave  when  they  need  to  .  ’  of  that  much,  saniyah  had  made  sure  of  .  it  wasn’t  often  that  anyone  could  manage  to  crack  through  her  demeanor  and  make  her  mad  enough  to  show  the  other  side  —  infamous  and  dripping  in  danger  ,  though  few  had  ever  seen  it  .  ‘  some  of  them  had  to  learn  the  hard  way  that  i’ll  throw  them  out  on  their  asses  ,  but  they  learned  .  ’  niyah  preferred for  people  to  forget  ,  or  at  least  feel  comfortable  enough  in  her  presence  to  gloss  over  ,  that  not  only  was  she  a  werewolf  and  an  original  ,  but  the  alpha  .  unfortunately  there  had  been  some  that  had  gotten  too  comfortable  with  disrespect  .  ‘  he’s  fine  now  ,  anyway  .  sent  home  in  a  cab  to  sleep  it  off  and  have  the  worst  hangover  in  the  world  tomorrow  .  ’  she  gave  a light  chuckle  ,  before  waving  a  hand  .  ‘  you  would absolutely  manage  just  fine  if  i  wasn’t  here  .  i  have  full  confidence  in  you  .  ’   perhaps  not  others  she’d  employed  ,  but  certainly  with  him  .

dark  hues  followed  the  direction  he  gestured  to  ,  nose  wrinkling  for  a  moment  .  ‘  when  the  hell  was  i  even  over  there  ?  ’  comes  her  hypothetical  question  before  she’s  turning  a  smirk  onto  raff  ,  leaning  in  like  they  were  sharing  some  secret  .  ‘  so  that’s  why  you  want  your  schedule  like  that  .  you’re  secretly  a  trivia  nerd  but  have  to  give  the  masses  a  chance  .  you  can’t  fool  me  anymore  ,  raff  .  ’  one  shoulder  shrugged  ,  gaze  ticking  back  over  to  the  stage  .  ‘  me  ,  apparently  .  you  think  i  could  get  a  witch  to  clone  me  for  a  couple  hours  ?  ’  niyah  half  joked  before  shaking  her  head  .  ‘  nah  ,  i’ve  been  sneaking  shots  all  night  .  anymore  and  this’ll  be  a  shit  show  .  ’       

---

Rafferty let out a little laugh, nodding his head when she said they behave. “Yeah, you make sure to keep them in check, don’t you?” He offered with another little chuckle. He had seen her kick patrons out, only if they were unruly and deserved it, but it was always a little treat for him when people underestimated her strength and power. She was an Alpha, after all, people needed to respect that -- just like Rafferty had since the moment he’d stepped foot into Saints. Things worked differently here -- they worked, and that was all that mattered to him. “Bless.” He said, pressing his palm to his chest. “You have more faith in me than I’ve got in myself.”

He shrugged his shoulders at her question, “Maybe someone took the mic from you and deposited it over there when you were dealing with the drunkard?” He offered with another little shrug of his shoulders. Raff was already mixing together the ingredients for a Shirley Temple before she could even object. Drinking on the job wasn’t exactly frowned upon so long as you didn’t get shit-faced, but he knew she wanted to be professional, so a little mocktail would be nice and wouldn’t hurt anything. “Yeah, you caught me.” He teased, sliding the glass over with another bright, crooked grin. “Doesn’t mean you can’t have an alcohol free drink, don’t forget I’m the master of mixology.” Another tease, the sparkle in his eyes bright.

[rcignxs]

Location: Cheap Thrills

She found solace in being alone as she grew older, assuming it was the aura she put out there. And while she didn’t mind it at times, seeing as it left the annoying people out of her life, she did miss having good company. And she found that this town was no different than others, where a good amount of people kept to themselves. There were those rare few that were more than personable, wanting to have a conversation, but she had yet to find a sober person with that personality here. Nursing her drink at Cheap Thrills, she decided to start a conversation, a rarity for her. “I just arrived here and this town is something else,” she admitted, looking at the person besides her. “Have you lived here long?”

[bigbadraff]

Rafferty was good at sparking up conversations. As a bartender at Cheap Thrills, he had to be pretty personable. There were lots of people who were lonely, lots of people who needed someone to talk to. As he wiped the bar, he heard the woman speak and he snorted a little laugh, nodding his head in agreement. “This place is definitely something else.” He replied, shaking his head ‘no’ to the question. Of his 44 years, only a few had been spent in Saints. “Been here for three years. You plan on staying long?”

[bigbadraff]

leavetheminshreds​:

-

Douglas happily pushed back the glass, still licking his lips to try to push the taste of straight vodka from his tastebuds. He frowned at the bartender’s statement, having been trying his best to conceal his emotions like his hunter had tried to teach. As much as he good as he was at following instruction, that was something that had never come naturally to him. He curled his lips between his teeth, quietly critiquing himself to try to work on that - but did it even matter anymore?

The young man sighed, his head drifting off to the side, “and people drink this straight? City people are insane,” Douglas said, shaking his head, now wondering if he should had just stayed in. He hated this. He missed his master. 

The bartender brought his attention back, tearing him from his lapse of sad thoughts with a new concoction in front him. He hesitated, looking at it, then at the man, then it again. He sniffed it this time, not willing to take a second chance at burning his throat with straight acid again. Fooling him twice wasn’t going to happen. But after he’d thoroughly investigated it and deemed it safe, he took a tiny sip, and the sweetness hitting his tastebuds made his eyebrows raise as he took another. “Oh, that’s actually really good – Thank you. What is this?” Doug said, taking another sip before he set the glass back down on the bar counter, his fingers cupped over the top of it. “Yeah. It’s obvious, isn’t it? I’m not really sure that I belong in the city. But I sure as heck don’t want to be caught outside of the city alone, either.” He knew what hunters were capable of after being with one his whole life, but he didn’t have that protection anymore. He wasn’t special anymore. Not without his master to protect him and give him immunity. “My name’s Douglas. It’s nice to meet you, Raff,” he said, remembering at least the pleasantries and manners he’d been taught. “Thanks for the drink. I don’t think it’s helping, but it was worth a shot.”

---

Rafferty laughed at the comment, “I think people in small towns drink more of it.” He teased, watching the young man as he sniffed the drink. That was typical behavior, he thought, he’d have done the same with something new and foreign. These little things were making it easy for Rafferty to be his nice, charming self. Some wolves put him on edge, this one just made him curious. “You’re welcome. I can make all kinds of drinks that mask the taste of the alcohol.” He replied with a smile and a nod. “It’s an amaretto stone sour. It’s one of my favorites. I got a bit of a sweet tooth.”

Raff cleaned up a small patch of moisture from the bar and grabbed two empty glasses in his one hand, all the while keeping at least part of his attention on the young wolf. “Yeah. It’s pretty obvious to me when someone’s not from around here.” Even if he’d only been there a few years himself. “You’re safest in the city, ‘specially if you’re alone.” He was guessing that the kid was, in fact, alone, perhaps for the first time. “You got that baby-bird-pushed-outta-the-nest look to you, Doug.” He continued, leaning in closer and dropping his voice. “But don’t worry, I’m just especially good at reading people.” He winked before standing up straight again, draping his cloth over his shoulder. “You gotta give it more than one sip before it starts workin’, kid. You hungry?”

[bigbadraff]

lucxboyce​:

🔥 – 🔥

There was a kinship that Lucas always felt with werewolves. It’s what he had wanted to become years ago but fate had a set of very different plans. He loved the species but even then, he sometimes envied them because that been stolen from him. And with his transformation, many of the wolves and vampires seemed to stay away. He was glad Raff didn’t seem to be one of them cause he genuinely liked his company. “You are entertained far too easily, my friend.” Lucas joked with him, bringing his drink up for a sip. 

Lu shook his head and crinkled his nose in distaste. “I don’t,” he wanted to make sure that fact remained unquestioned. “But there was nothing else to do tonight so I figured why not come here for a drink and mess with my favorite bartender.” A lopsided grin was given back to the other man. His hands tapped excitedly against the bar top at his agreement for a shot together. “Fuck yeah, whiskey? or vodka - you pick!” 

---

Before coming to Saints, Raff had never encountered a Hell Hound. To this day, he finds them curious -- a puzzle he’d like to work out. Lucas feels like one of the boys, though, and it had always been easy to talk to the hound, and -- over time -- they had seemed to grow to enjoy each other’s company. “Maybe that’s true, but I’d rather be easily entertained than the opposite.” Rafferty replied with his brows high. “Makes life more interesting.”

Rafferty laughed at the way Lucas answered about Jeopardy! night, shaking his head. “’S one of my favorites.” He offered, though he thought Luc might already know. “Oh, so you came out here to endure somethin’ you don’t care for all for little ole me?” He teased, grabbing out two shot glasses and filling them each with vodka. “Seems like a vodka kind of night -- cheers, mate.”

[bigbadraff]

fadedhvntr​:

what can I get for you?

simple as that. he ought to have thought this through or maybe considered just heading home instead of working up the courage to come here. it didn’t take an idiot to keep track of prey. it took less effort to catch and release than it did to hunt down and eradicate. little lessons his father all but burnt into his skull. richard had kept tabs on rafferty for little over ten years now.

the wolf was predictable.

wednesdays were for trivia. the same as it had been for three years. he’d spent four years right outside the side-door and the first sign of rafferty had sent him running. because it was easier to just pick up a job at the funeral home away from too many prying eyes and ears than answer the questions the wolf would have for him.

for a long moment he’s quiet.

“don’t know.” calloused hands smooth along the bar top. “maybe something with a bit of a bite? you got that?”

---

Rafferty is stunned to see the hunter before him. The hair on the back of his neck stands on end for just a moment, and he internally shakes his head at himself. Is he losing it? His ability to be who he is? That excellent tracker title he’d always been able to fall back on.

Somehow, he’d missed Richard’s scent under all the others that were filling the bar. So many years and they were face-to-face again, to the Hunter’s advantage from where the werewolf was standing. Right in the middle of a crowded bar -- loud, full of a thousand different scents, and with unkind lighting.

For a beat too long, they’re staring at each other -- another face off, but this time it’s not in the woods with Rafferty shielding Lovette with his body. It’s just a bar between them, and a different kind of static in the air. “Always got somethin’ with a bit of bite.” He offers with a crooked grin that cracks his face in two -- shifts his whole face into a different image. “Bourbon?” He remembers, already pouring into a glass, once it’s got a few ounces in it, Rafferty sets it in front of Richard and takes pause there, looking the Hunter over as if expecting the mask to fall off. “How long have you been here?”

[bigbadraff]

ofgraveblud​:

.

        “ Oh , I’m not sure . Depending on the topic or if I am in the mood after a few drinks .” She smiled as she took another sip of her martini before plopping an olive in her mouth . She could already see most buzzing around for the game night . “ Although you seem to want to join yourself .” It was more of a question than statement , after all it was just assumption . 

       “—Cash prize . Does that include you too?” She decided to tease him a bit . 

---

“It’s Jeopardy! there’s gonna be a dozen topics.” He replied as if offended but offered her another smile immediately after to let her know he was only teasing. There were going to be many people playing that night, but he thought it might be amusing if she popped in and answered a few questions. “I’d join if I didn’t have an advantage.” Rafferty replied , brows high.

He laughed at her question, shaking his head, “Not many gonna consider me a valuable enough prize, I’m afraid.”

[bigbadraff]

moonshincs​:

.

          “you know, i hadn’t thought of that.”  aslı sarcastically volleyed back. flu season had caused a lot of the staff to call off sick which meant there were extra hours available and aslı had to pick up the slack. it wasn’t all bad though, the pay check just in time for christmas would be worth the embarrassment of soup in her hair, then when the holidays were over she could take an entire day off to do nothing but catch up on sleep. hopefully.

          she shook her head with a down-turned smile, she didn’t even know what jeopardy night was. “i haven’t, but i wondered why it seemed busier than normal.” her eyes followed his to the stage and she wondered if it would be fun. she could always stick around for a little and then duck out later if it wasn’t her kind of thing. “Yep.” she answered quickly as she looked back to raff. “it’s good to keep busy. how are things with you? any plans for the holidays?”

---

“Ha-ha.” Raff offered back, but such was the nature of their relationship. He knew she was overworked, but she knew it, too, and she had a vision in sight. It wasn’t like Raff didn’t spend most of his time working, too. “Maybe you should reconsider it. You got time off for the holidays?” He asked, more concern than curiosity.

“It’s like that game show... you know, the one where you answer in the form of a question?” Raff looked up at Aslı then from where he was leaning on the bar in front of her. “I watch it all the time.” Offering her another crooked grin, Raff stepped back to make a drink for another patron before returning his attention to her. “That sounded kinda like a lie, but okay.” He said, brow furrowing at her curt response to his question. “I’m trying to convince my sister to come for a visit, otherwise the answer’s no. How ‘bout you, love?”

[bigbadraff]

whimsics​:

‘  something  like  that  !  ’  as  many  trivia  nights  as  there  had  been  now  ,  she  should’ve  already  had  a  plan  for  it  all  ,  but  in  allowing  others  to  run  it  ,  niyah  wanted  to  leave  room  for  creativity.  if  that  meant  her  running  around  for  the  rest  of  the  night  ,  so  be  it  .  ‘  no  .  i  swear  i  left  it  on  the  stage  before  i  went  to  get  someone  water  .  .  .  poor  guy  ,  tried  to  outdrink  a  vampire  and  didn’t  even  know  it  .  ’  that  was  one  of  the  most  interesting  parts  of  each  night  to  her  —   watching  the  genuinely  enjoyed  interactions  ,  though  she  had  been  known  to  cut  people  off  or  throw  them  out  if  need  be  .  ‘  then  someone  else  had  gotten  into  something  .  ’  she  mumbled  ,  searching  under  receipts  and  menus   ,  turning  when  raff  spoke  .

‘  as  usual  !  where  did  you  find  it  ?  ’  niyah  beamed  as  she  took  back  the  elusive  mic  ,  gripping  it  tightly  as  if  to  remind  herself  not  to  put  it  down  again  .  ‘  oh  ,  i  told  you  the  prizes  tonight  ,  right  ?  second  and  third  place  get  grab  bags  and first  gets  a  $100  gift  card  .  if  you  slip  some  answers  in  ,  i’ll  look  the  other  way  .  ’         

---

That was like her, he thought, so busy fussing over someone else that she lost track of her own wants or needs. He hated to see it, but it endeared Niyah to him even more than just working for her had. There was a reason this place was the only kind of real job he’d held onto for more than a handful of months. “Same old trick, different night.” Raff said, “These vampires always tricking poor humans into getting absolutely pissed or losing some money. It’s kind of lost it’s charm.” He was smiling though, meaning he still found it at least somewhat amusing. “What would we do without you?”

Raff’s smile only grew and he turned a little, pointing to the dark corner of the bar. “Easy to miss over there.” He rationalized for her, nodding his head as she told him the night’s prizes. He’d need to know, he’d be asked about a million times. “Nah, that wouldn’t be fair, would it?” Rafferty cocked his head to the side, that playful gleam still alive in his eyes. “I’m here every trivia night, and I watch Jeopardy! on my own time. But thanks for the offer. Who’s hosting?” A pause as he cleared a few glasses. “You want a refreshment?”

[alltoowsll]

TOM HARDY as Bob Saginowski in "The Drop" (2014) dir. Michaël R. Roskam

[bigbadraff]

ofgraveblud​:

.

         Selin was happy to see her drink having more than three olives . probably one of the three reasons she liked it when rafferty was tending the bar whenever she came . “ I like my olives and dry martini .” She mused over when he teased . “ Among other things, raff .” She teased back as she leaned against the bar . Taking the glass and took a sip to taste , she was happy with it . 

          “–Just enjoying the show and view . “ She didn’t really participated in the events and fun nights they had . AT LEAST , she had to be a bit drunk to even decide to participate in game night . Which happened once or twice and won every time . “ Always .” 

---

Rafferty smiled at her then pulled out a little plastic cup they used to serve water, plopping some olives in it before sliding it over the bar to her. There were certain customers he gave special treatment, at least from time to time. “You gonna play tonight?” He asked, looking over her shoulder to the set up then back to her with another lupine grin.

He’d seen her win before, and he always thought it was amusing when there were ‘runaway’ champions -- or people who couldn’t be caught. “I think there’s a cash prize tonight.”