꩜ A / D / D !

randy rowan, val elms & skeeter iahtail, for @valenciacresthq.

[blockbustrs]

─ . ꩜ "i wonder if we're living in a simulation, stop making noise because you'll go and break my concentration." a dependent blog for @valenciacresthq, micromanaged by alex.

home to:

randall 'randy' rowan; twenty-six, shop assistant at off the record

valeria 'val' elms; twenty-five, bartender at alibi dive

ernest 'skeeter' iahtail; twenty-nine, shop assistant at mo's best budz

[mustntdwell]

"ha ha, that's hilarious," she deadpans, a still expression on her face as she leans back on the checkout counter with her elbows behind her. she's trying to decide if she has it in her to match the energy he's brought into the store. but regardless of how tired she was... sarcasm usually won out. "as you well know we close in-" she raised her completely watch-less wrist to 'check the time', "-oh, i don't know, exactly four minutes, so if you could reschedule your torment for opening tomorrow that would be greatly appreciated." and then her gaze turned suspicious. "well, i can't say it isn't allowed when i'm still on the clock. so, what it is it? you have three minutes."

[blockbustrs]

"yeah," randy shrugs, performatively nonchalant. "maybe. i'll check my calendar. when do you open again?" looks at his own nonexistent wristwatch. "crap, you're timing me now?" but all tomfoolery aside, there's serious matter on the line. randy exhales sharply through the nose, a visible shift in his demeanour. why is he suddenly feeling so awkward about this? see, this is why he doesn't like this serious talking thing. let him joke around, disassociate a little. but he's trying to be better at communicating. and the fact that she kinda stood him up the other day has been swirling around his mind more than it probably should. "i..." clicks his tongue. "guess i wanted to make sure that everything's fine? with you? and that it's not, like, crazy weird between us now that we've.. ? pff. yuh."

[mustntdwell]

cem grabbed his nose, the plate hitting him in exactly the spot that sends a crushing pain across his cheekbones. "jesus christ," he exclaims, drawing in a harsh gasp between clenched teeth. "what is your problem?" he asks again, shaking free the fries that landed on him. "maybe you should invest in some? nobody your height should be swinging your arms around like that. maybe you were tryin' to hit me?" he tried to play cocky but it didn't exactly come across as his usual arrogant self when he still had his hand cupped over his nose. "fuck, i think you've broke it."

[blockbustrs]

val slams the now mostly empty plate back onto the counter, looking him dead in the eye. "yes, cem. i was trying to hit you. because the brain damage you endured upon being spin-kicked across the room as a toddler wasn't enough." she turns her attention to the kitchen for a split second. "can you re-do that?" and then back to cem. "you're bleeding all over the chardonnay. go wash your face, it's disgusting."

[mustntdwell]

#𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍𝖾𝗋  ››  ft.  birch helyer. location:  string and brass. ~5 minutes before closing. status:  open  for  replies.

the air con was on day three of being a useless piece of trash and the heat was starting to get to her. even after the sun set it was as if string and brass just held in all the warmth. it hadn't been good for business. she'd watched at least six people today walk in, be hit with a wall of hot air, and then walk straight back out. they hadn't had a customer in the last hour and birch was at the end of her tether. her eyes strained on the clock on the wall, willing for the minutes to go faster. her only respite was the desk fan she'd aimed directly at her face but even that didn't feel like enough to get her through the next five minutes. she'd already done the majority of her closing tasks thirty minutes ago. she just had take the cash drawer and put it in the safe and then she was home free. as long as no inconsiderate assholes walked through the door- as if on cue; that stupid little jingle of that stupid little bell over that stupid fucking door. she knew she should have just locked it. who cared for the last 10 minutes of the day? nobody would have known. but not doing her job properly went against everything in her dna. that didn't stop her dropping her head, an audible groan cutting through the otherwise silent music store, before she put her customer service mask on again. "hi, we're closing in five-" she spun around to face them, surprised to find a non-stranger stood there. "you're here? why are you here?"

[blockbustrs]

the miserable heat that almost turns him into a pool of sludge on the doorstep is enough for randy to re-reconsider his life choice. thank god for the off the record air con. and the fans. can't forget the fans. he's never gonna complain about having to work again. ...okay, that might be a stretch. anyway, once he's there, he's quickly starting to regret it, and not just because of the uncalled for sauna situation. wonders if this was a good idea to begin with. technically, he's already announced his presence with that stupid bell, but if he's quick enough, maybe he can turn around and just- a groan, and then she comes out, the window of opportunity shutting violently. randy tries not to act all surprised to see her, after he specifically came to the store where she works to see her. first day on earth, much? "uhh, i came to egg your shop. and piss in that corner." points to a random corner. "but now that you've seen me, i can't anymore. shame." pause. "no, i just... came to talk to you. if that's allowed."

[mustntdwell]

#closed𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍𝖾𝗋  ››  ft.  cem altan + val elms @blockbustrs. location:  alibi dive. saturday night. status:  closed.

management had learnt early on in cem's employment that it was best to avoid scheduling him in for saturday night shift if a miss valeria elms was scheduled in for the same shift. but when three bartenders call out sick... that's why he's there. he's just a helpful guy. plus he needs the money. they move around the bar like magnets. specifically, magnets when you hold two of the same poles aimed at each other, forcing the invisible magnetic field lines to clash. the pressured-filled energy that courses between them is only relieved if the distance is kept. she moves towards the spirits, cem moves towards the draft. val needs to grab something from the kitchen window, cem grabs bottles from the fridge. it's almost like a well practiced dance. until it isn't. "what's your problem?!"

[blockbustrs]

this is exactly why val would rather work solo. would she be run into the ground with orders, hating her life and probably crying? yeah! but at least ugly loser cem wouldn't be there, making her night difficult by cosplaying as a human obstacle course. a gasp. the plate comes in contact with the bridge of his nose before she can even fully rotate her body, fries flying everywhere. now, if this was anyone else, she'd consider an apology. but because it's this guy- "are you fucking stupid? how am i supposed to know you're fucking behind me if you don't say fucking 'behind'?! like, sorry i don't have eyes in my fucking ass!"

[theweirdosmister]

Open starter: Any male muse Location: Alibi Dive

After locking up the furniture store for the day she left her car in the parking lot and proceeded to walk a few doors down the street to Alibi Dive. She had the next three days off from work and that was more than enough reason for her to celebrate. It couldn't have been later than 6:30 by the time she strolled into the bar and as expected few people were there so soon after opening. The regular bar flies she tried not to associate with were already playing darts and it freed up a spot for her at the bar. She ordered herself a strawberry mojito and sat back as she watched the bartender make her drink. She'd probably call one of her friends on the payphone outside to see if she could get them to come out tonight but for now she sat.

A man she wasn't familiar with but was certainly far more handsome than the schmucks already in the joint caught her eye as he sat down a few seats away from her. She made eyes at him and flashed him a smile as she beckoned him over with as little as a head nod. Maybe if she was lucky she'd be able to flirt her way into getting another drink or maybe a basket of fries or something from this guy if she played her cards right. She'd learned the hard way it wasn't smart to drink on an empty stomach.

[blockbustrs]

it doesn't take much to catch the man's attention. he's already making eyes, assuming his macho pose as he fixes his slightly-too-large blazer. he's about to make a move, already up and locked in on the chair. and he's actually quite handsome, too. it could've been such a beautiful time; gazing into each others eyes, the breeze of a barely working deskfan on top of the bar blowing through their hair. you can almost hear the romantic music when- record scratches, and in comes stupid fucking randy with his messed up manbun and complete lack of self-awareness. appears in front of her out of seemingly nowhere after having spotted her from the doorway. completely oblivious, he straight up snatches the barstool from in front of the handsome stranger's face and plops down next to her. "oh, you're not gonna believe this." puts his elbow up onto the bar. "we almost got robbed. freakin' burglarized. and the kid was like thirteen or something. like, a fucking infant, right? and i see him carrying out the entire robbie williams cd section while his pal has the freakin' life-sized robbie williams cardboard cutout. and i'm like 'hey, hello, boys. that's, like, really messed up, please don't do that here' and stuff, and the guy's like 'yo, i have a fucking knife'. so now suddenly it's become an armed robbery. i mean, i think. i didn't actually see the knife, but he seemed confident, so-" it's only somewhere halfway through his monologue that he wonders if he's interrupting something. is it the light in here, or is she looking at him kinda funny? brows scrunch up. "you good?"

[freakoutgirl]

"all you ever do is complain" that's not true. I also resent.