Funny Guy Dex

Yo! The name's Dexter Barnaby but call me Dex. I have two sister, Nina and Rose. I'm also dating the most beautiful girl around, go ahead, be jealous. I tell stupid jokes and like to make people laugh. I'm basically here to bring the fun

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

Bailed || Dexter & Rose

[laviebarnaby]

Rose’s cheek quivered as she tried not to smile at her brother’s offer. “I know, Dex. And I appreciate it, I really do.” It was moments like this where she looked at Dexter and saw her father. The thought made her smile, though she had been trying to avoid the reaction. Underneath the jokes, her brother was turning into someone far more responsible than her. All her life she had been driven, it was what she had always heard, but she was starting to wonder if she had burned out in the middle of college. She didn’t regret it, as now she was living a more passionate life but she did occasionally wonder if she was making her dad proud anymore. Rose decided to push the thought aside for the time being and focused on her brother’s aspirations. “Are you just working at the record store still? Or have you been focusing on your comedy too?” 

"I would have just climbed the fence. Busted my car out of there." Rose gave a small chuckle, "Yeah, right! I’d probably rip my pants and get stuck." Rose didn’t say anything as she thought about Dexter’s comment on the police. Was her complaint not serious enough for her brother? Rose couldn’t help but feel a bit insulted but at the same time she considered the possibility that she was being too sensitive. Dexter brought up being hungry and it snapped her out of the fog, "Yeah, sure. I’m pretty hungry too. I could really go for a salad." Rose leaned over and nudged her brother on the shoulder with her elbow, "Plus… it will give us more time to talk and I just know you LOVE that." She had a lot she wanted to discuss about his life and the woman she had met in jail, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to catch up on the details of each of their lives.

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

Dexter drove down the street, heading back towards the home he had once shared with his sisters before moving in with Lydia. Though he enjoyed living with his girlfriend, he did at times miss the eccentricity of his old place, Nina's room smelling of weed and posters scattered about the place, female products everywhere. Sometimes it still felt strange to Dex that he no longer lived with his family, but was out on his own doing things. Sometimes he missed that old part of his life. He wondered what his parents would think of him now, seeing him with a job and a place of his own. He was sure that they didn't expect him to be the first to move out on their own and frankly neither had he.

He turned the radio on and let the music play softly under their voices as they continued to speak. As Rose asked him about work, Dexter gave a small shrug, glancing over at his sister before returning his gaze to the road ahead. "A bit of both. I mean, mostly working the store but I've been trying to get more gigs in." He said, though now with the extra hours he was pulling in he found that he had to reserve his time to comedy solely on the weekends. Not that that was much of a deal though since most open mics tended to run on the weekends, but still it meant he had less time to practice. Though of course that never stopped him from getting a joke or two in at work to a customer or coworker. "I have been sort of writing new material though... not a lot but some." He added with another shrug.

As Rose began to speak, mentioning climbing the fence to get her car, Dexter was ready to playfully call her out on her words but then she herself was saying how she'd likely get stuck and Dexter couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle. "Yeah, you'd end up like me that one time I tried to sneak out of the house and got my foot stuck in the fence and woke mom and dad up." He said with another chuckle. He thought back on that particularity embarrassing moment in his life, grinning to himself and wondering if there was a good joke to be found in that. He was pulled back from his thoughts as Rose agreed to getting food, mentioning that she could go for a salad. Dexter glanced over at her, giving her a look as she nudged him before smiling. "I said food not plants." He teased. "And hey! For your information, I do love talking to you. You're my big sis! You know I have nothing but love for you." He said, playfully nudging her back, his gaze shifting between her and the road as he grinned.

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

Bailed || Dexter & Rose

[laviebarnaby]

Rose kept talking even after her brother brought up the goat’s name. Although she hoped that he was taking her seriously, she was also used to Dexter’s sense of humor and rarely took offense to anything that he said. She didn’t miss a beat as she shot him a playful look that suggested for him to be quiet. “I would have reported them for animal abuse.” Rose scratched the side of her head and pushed her hair behind her ear, she realized how bad it looked that she had run away from the very people that she expected help from but the gravity of each situation was different. “But the police might be too busy arresting people for putting up flyers to care about a defenseless goat.” Briefly, she considered the possibility that the police were in cahoots with the abuser but she quickly let the thought go because it was rather absurd.

A small blush took over Rose’s cheeks as Dexter brought up money. He was her little brother, she was the one who had gone to business school, and yet he was going to offer her money. It didn’t seem right and she felt embarrassed by the fact that he would even reach that conclusion. Rose waved at her brother, as if she was trying to push away his offer. “No, no, it’s fine. I can’t ask you for money. You just bailed me out. If anything, I should be giving you money.” Rose put a lot of energy into what she believed in and while it made her happy on the inside, she knew that it wouldn’t pay her bills. She sighed deeply and placed her hand over her forehead, “I’ll figure this out Dex, I don’t even know how much I’ll need. Maybe Micah can get me a shift at the Pet store.” 

Money had never been something she struggled with when she was growing up. She couldn’t blame her parents for setting her up for failure though. Her dad had pushed for her to get an education and she could have become successful but she chose a different path and had made poor decisions along the way. “Let’s just worry about this another day, okay?” Rose knew that putting it off wasn’t going to solve anything but she had too much on her mind already and she just wanted to get out of there. “It’s my debt. I shouldn’t pull you down into it.” When she heard the sound of his car unlocking, Rose pulled the handle and climbed into the passenger seat. A smirk formed as she tried to lighten the mood. “At least we don’t have to pick up my car. I walked to the park.”

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

Dexter was happy to help his sister out whenever she needed it. He didn't mind picking her up from the police station like this, or helping her out with lending her a bit of cash, knowing she was responsible and would pay him back. He had always been taught to be there for his sisters and to help them out, because they were family, and he would always believe in that. He knew that part of it was bad, that he should let Rose figure this all out on her own since she had gotten herself into all this mess, but Dexter didn't like the idea of sitting by while his sister's struggled. He knew that had the tables been turned, both Rose and Nina would do the same for him. Well, if Nina was sober enough to remember him.

Of course, though he offered to help her out, Dexter had already had some idea that Rose would refuse her offer. She was a proud woman and still seemed to treat him like her baby brother from time to time. He decided not to argue with her though and continue to insist helping her out, knowing that she would only continue to fight against his offer. So he figured to just drop it. Maybe he could find another way to help her out. Buy her lunch for a few days or something.

"Yeah well okay, if you say so. But just remember, if he can't help you out and you need help, I'm here for you." He said before smiling. "You know, now that I'm working and making the dough these days." He wiggled his eyebrows in her direction, before chuckling, not being able to resist playing around with Rose. He nodded his head though as Rose spoke, mentioning not worrying about it right that second but rather another day. He didn't mind that, knowing she probably already had a lot on her mind and didn't need to weigh it down more with financial affairs. So, Dex simply opened up the car door and hopped inside the drivers seat, waiting until his sister was in as well and settled in in the passenger seat before he started up the engine. He turned to look at her as he shifted the gear shift into drive to pull away from the curve, smiling at her comment before looking back at the road as the vehicle began to move. "Yeah that's good. Can only imagine the pricey ticket that would have been left on that. Then you'd really have something to complain about against the PoPo. But anyways, I'm feeling a little hungry. What do you say Mandela, wanna get some food before we take you back to your little crime lair?" 

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

Bailed || Dexter & Rose

[laviebarnaby]

Rose had already started to answer her brother before she made it back to him. Her voice wasn’t quiet, she wasn’t trying to hide her story from anyone. If anything, the more she spoke the louder she got. “Do you remember how I was volunteering at that one shelter recently? Well, there was this goat there and its owners left it for dead. I’ve been asking around to see if anyone knew who had owned him, but no one is coughing up any information.” She put her cellphone into her pocket and counted her money before slipping her wallet in her other pocket, “I decided to put up some fliers because maybe I just wasn’t asking the right people, ” Rose aligned herself with Dexter and kept moving to show that they could leave, “I was at the park and this cop showed up. He asked me to take the fliers down. Like that was going to happen. He tried to grab me…”

She continued to tell the story, leaving no detail untouched, as they walked out to his car. Rose reached the passenger side and waited for her brother to unlock the door, “I’ll probably have to go to court.” It was worth it though. “I might have to do community service.” Rose had been down the path before. She did feel guilty about littering. If there was a fine to be paid then it was probably there. “Do you think dad would lend me some money?” Rose bit down on her lip as she said this. She couldn’t remember the last time she asked one of her parents for money and she hoped it had been awhile ago. Rose had a difficult time keeping track of where her money had gone to. “Never mind, I don’t want to bother him with it. I’ll figure it out when the time comes.” 

Once they were in the car she wanted to tell Dexter about the woman she had met in the cell. She was going to do what she wanted, regardless of his opinion, but she still wanted to know what he thought. Rose could always tell Nina when she got home but Dexter was a better listener. She didn’t feel like she had to repeat everything ten times before it stuck and his feedback was usually more constructive. Nina could be helpful in other ways but Dexter had really grown. She wanted to say that she was proud of him but he had just bailed her out of jail and she thought it would have made her pride seem almost insincere.

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, his stance appearing that he was ready to walk out as quickly as Rose was ready, and quite honestly he was. Dexter wasn't a bad guy, he didn't do much wrong besides the occasional recreational use of marijuana and sneaking out as a teen and maybe speeding, but other than that, Dexter didn't like to put himself in situations where he could end up in his sister's place, in some holding cell. He was sure she'd probably have it worse off than her too, being a guy and all. They usually got pitted more as criminals than women and being black didn't help his cause at all. So once his older sibling got her things together and stepped up beside him, speaking, he began to walk towards the exit, listening to her but keeping half his focus on the large doors that went out into the front of the police building to where he was parked on a meter at the curb. 

He let Rose go on about how it was she ended up getting arrested, half facing her, half facing the walkway in front of them as he lead her out to where the car was. He wasn't surprised at all to hear that this whole thing was over some flyers and a damn goat. He didn't doubt the animal had been in bad shape, his sister might have been passionate but she usually didn't exaggerate too much on these sorts of matters, but still Dexter didn't really understand how his sister could let herself get into this much trouble over something like that. He couldn't help himself, as he listened to her speak, interrupting to make a small little quip. "Was his name Billy?" He asked, as she mentioned the goat, before letting her continue to go on about asking around for the owner and leaving flyers around. He wondered what it was Rose was even planning on doing if she had figured out who the goat belonged to. He voiced this thought. "So let me get this straight, you see the goat and start posting flyers searching for the owner before getting stopped by the cops? So then, if you had found the guy, if you hadn't been stopped, what the hell were you even planning on doing?" He said, giving her an amused grin as he shook his head at her.

He had listened to her go on about the cop trying to stop her and her running around, evading him. Dexter could only imagine the scene, and laughed to himself. It didn't seem like the cop was really forceful with her, which Dexter was happy about, not liking the idea of his sister being harassed by the police over something as petty as papers. Once she was finished, Dexter could only shake his head at her again. Rose definitely found herself in some pretty funny sounding situations sometimes. However, his amusement subsided a bit as she asked him about their father, about asking him for money.

His smile faded as he pulled his mouth into a fine line while contemplating her words. Honestly, Dexter didn't really like the idea of even letting their father know about this little incident. He could only imagine how the older man would take it and he didn't want his sister to get grief for something their father didn't even know all the details to. He wanted to tell her that she'd probably have better luck asking a stranger. Not that their parents wouldn't lend her the money, but no doubt they'd probably give her this whole long speech and never let her down for it, and though it may have been a little selfish of him, Dexter also knew that it would then reflect on him and Nina as well as they would probably assume they were getting into just as much trouble. Before he could answer though, Rose continued, disregarding her own words, probably coming to the same conclusions as he had.

As they came to the car, Dexter walked over to the door and fished for his keys, he was thinking to himself for a moment, on what he could offer, to help out with her situation. His first thought was to lend her the money himself, but Dexter was hesitant. After a few moments of grief from his conscious though, he gave in, knowing he couldn't just let his older sister struggle or have to turn to desperate means. He let out a sigh as he pulled his keys out and began to unlock the doors. He looked over at her from across the top of the car, "Alright, how much do you need?"  He asked, cocking his head to the side as he gave her an exaggerated defeated smile, as if she had been weighing him down this entire time trying to get him to crack to help her out, though he knew that was not what she had been trying to get at.

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

Bailed || Dexter & Rose

[laviebarnaby]

Rose already had Dexter on her mind when she was told she could call someone. It wasn’t the first time she had called him to bail her out of jail and she doubted that it would be the last. She hoped that he wouldn’t judge her too harshly. Rose wasn’t ashamed of landing in jail again, and for sticking up for herself, but she knew that it could be a pain for other people. At least Dexter was around because she didn’t think she could trust Nina to get to the police station fast enough and her parents, specifically her dad, wouldn’t have been happy to hear where she had landed herself. She was working herself up to owing her brother a lifetime supply of pie if she didn’t stop getting in trouble. 

Going to jail was never something that Rose wanted to happen but it no longer scared her. The first time was terrifying because she didn’t know what to expect and she thought that people would beat her up. Instead she was just held in a small cell with other girls who had also barely broken the law. She rarely spent more than a few hours behind bars and often found an audience within her cell. Rose caught on quickly that her cellmates had nowhere to go so they couldn’t walk away from her rants. Most listened, she could be compelling at times, but there were others who groaned and mocked her. Despite the mixed results, Rose usually left the station with more friends than enemies. 

As much as she liked to share her cause with others, Rose also liked to listen. It wouldn’t have been fair to the other girls if she rambled on and didn’t let them explain why they were there. While she waited for her brother to come pick her up, she let a cellmate tell her story. Apparently she had caused a scene during a pat down. The more she spoke, the angrier Rose became. As far as Rose was concerned, police in Renata didn’t have the best reputation so the fact that the stranger before her was accusing them of mistreatment was not a surprise to her. She believed the woman when she said that the police wouldn’t allow a female officer to pat her down. It was a simple request and yet they refused.

When Rose’s name was called to be let out of the cell she stood up and turned back to the woman she had just met, “I’m going to make this right.” She didn’t know where to begin, the mayor certainly was tired of her complaints, but Rose had her mind set. “I promise.” Rose pushed herself forward and walked out with her head held high. As she made her way through the station she brainstormed how she was going to help her new friend. Rose had told her not to back down and to be honest when her court date arrived but it didn’t feel like enough. The reality would get lost in a cover up, she had heard of it happening before, so she needed to get the story out to the public before it was too late.

Rose was brought through to the room Dexter was in. Her face lit up when she saw her younger brother waiting for her. “Dex!” She exclaimed with a smile, “I’m so glad you’re here.” Rose couldn’t wait to tell him about the events that lead up to her arrest, even if she was worried that he would make fun of her, and she wanted to get his opinion on her most recent cause. It was going to take more than one story to hog all of her attention, she hadn’t forgotten about the goat, but it’d be difficult to juggle them both. “Can you believe they arrested me? AGAIN?” She heard someone clear their throat and she spun around. Behind a glass wall they were trying to hand her a clear bag full of her stuff. 

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

As Dexter waited for Rose to be let out of her holding cell, he began to think back to the other times they had found themselves in similar situations. He wondered what it was this time, that his sister had done to get herself in trouble with the law, though he had no doubt that she would see her actions as justified and not think she really did anything wrong. He was always amused by Rose and how dedicated she was in her causes, even if she tried to preach her views onto him from time to time. It was annoying but never enough to make him really angry at her. He would just usually make a joke or tow, to turn around and get on her nerves right back. All done in a sibling-love kind of way of course.

As he heard the door open, Dexter looked and and found a bright smile pull across his lips as he saw Rose walking through, looking as happy as ever to see him. As she exclaimed him name and mentioned how glad she was to see him, Dexter stepped forward and pulled his older sister into an embrace, giving her a welcoming hug before letting her go and chuckling at how enthusiastic she seemed to be for someone who had just spent time in a holding cell at the police station. He shook his head at his sister, at her question. He knew she was going to say something like that, he had thought it the entire time he was waiting for her. Just like every other time. "Yeah, I can't believe it" He said in a playfully sarcastic tone. "What did you do this time, Rose?" He asked before someone interrupted them and his older sister turned to get her things from the officer behind the desk.

Dexter waited patiently, until Rose gathered up and signed for her things, fishing in his front pocket for his car keys as he waited for her to finish. He couldn't help but wonder if this would be the last time they would go through this whole process. Then another thought came to his mind. He wondered if the roles would ever be switched and it would be him grabbing his things after Rose bailed him out. His mind flashed for a moment back to the time when he had been feeling as though he was going through withdraws and the time before when he felt this strange pull to the drugs that others around him had been doing. He quickly pushed those thoughts away, frowning, not liking the places they were making him go. Instead, he focused back on his sister, the real hardened criminal of the family. The thought brought a smile back to his face, as he half turned his body towards the exit, ready to head out as soon as she was done. 

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

Bailed || Dexter & Rose

Dexter leaned against the wall of the police station, watching officers haul rowdy criminals in and receptionists talking to people coming in and out of the various doors and halls. He hadn't been waiting long but Dexter couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in the place, at the way some of the officers looked at him as they passed by. He wanted to ask them what they were looking at. Haven't you ever seen a black man in here without handcuffs on? He wanted to ask as they stared but decided to keep his thoughts to himself. Unlike his sister, Dex didn't plan on ticking any authoritative figures off if he didn't have to.

At the same time though, Dexter couldn't help but be a bit amused by the whole situation. That it was him bailing his older sister Rose out of the slammer instead of the other way around. Had he told anyone they knew growing up years ago that the super smart and passionate older sister was the one to get in trouble with the law, not once but on several occasions while the only run in with the cops he had was a parking ticket and being caught shoplifting as an eight year old, no one would have probably believed him. And yet here he was, waiting to pick her up, on the free side of law enforcement office.

In all honesty, Dexter always thought it would be him who got in trouble with the law first. That or Nina due to her recreational habits. However, Rose had never been the one to jump in his mind as the first. And yet, here he was again, bailing her out. He wondered what their parents would say if they found out. Would they be proud or pissed. Dexter was betting on the latter, which was why he had chosen not to inform them on Rose's little run in. 

In fact, he had driven straight down to the police's station from work after having gotten the call from his sister. He had even left early, telling his shift supervisor that it was a family emergency. He knew that whatever Rose did to end up in cuffs was probably something stupid rather than actually dangerous and he didn't like the idea of his sister, who had a bit of a loud mouth on her, standing around in a cell with actual criminals that could easily beat the crap out of her if she got on their bad side. 

He continued to wait, wondering if Rose would actually learn her lesson this time. He understood that she was passionate about her cause, and he thought that was great, but he also thought she took it a little too far sometimes. It seemed that both of his sisters were excessive with their hobbies, to the point that it could get them sent to the slammer, and there he was in the middle, always having to bail them out. It was bizarre, for Dexter to realize he was the most responsible one of his siblings. He almost wanted to laugh at the thought. It was that ridiculous. He was definitely gonna give his sister shit about it the moment they stepped out of the building. At least he'd get some entertainment out of the whole thing for a while. 

That thought put a smile on Dexter's lips, and he continued to gaze towards the door that Rose was suppose to be escorted out of. The door that led her to her freedom. Modern day Nelson Mandela. He though, Oh yeah, definitely gonna call her that for a while.

[laviebarnaby]

I'm about a blink away from turning 30...

[laviebarnaby]

Or, I was just fishing around for more gift hints. While we’re on the topic though, I would love you forever if you could get me a stack of flier paper. I’ve run out again and there’s a patch of town that I haven’t hit in awhile.

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

For your birthday? Really sis? Flier papers?...... ohhhh kayyy. Not covering the place head to toe again are you?

[laviebarnaby]

I'm about a blink away from turning 30...

[laviebarnaby]

What are you going to get me next year, Dex? 

A gravestone with my name on it?

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

Wow, geez sis! Way to take it to a dark place. We were having a nice time, laughing and being care free, then you had to go and be all morbid, What it is wrong with you? Is this something that happens with age? You just start getting really dark and depressing?

[laviebarnaby]

I'm about a blink away from turning 30...

[laviebarnaby]

Only if I can get a matching purse. I need one big enough to keep all the bingo daubers in it. I don’t want my stuff getting inked. 

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

Alright, that's what I'll get you for your birthday. A nice big purse that's as big as you are. For all your bingo things and pill cases.

[laviebarnaby]

I'm about a blink away from turning 30...

[laviebarnaby]

Will I get to wear those really big glasses that make my eyes look like saucers? I kind of like those, they make me seem wise. 

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

You would rock those! Maybe we can gets some rhinestones and bling them out.

[laviebarnaby]

I'm about a blink away from turning 30...

Give or take a few years.

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

Damn girl, you're old! Pretty soon I'm gonna have to buy you a walker and start taking you to Bingo.

[midnight-harmony]

[laviebarnaby]

Hey You - Rose, Dexter & Lydia

Rose had expected to be a little frazzled over turning twenty-six but as the day approached she found herself quite calm over her birthday. She still had four more years until she was thirty and she figured she’d save the freaking out until then. It would have been difficult to feel down on her birthday anyway, there were too many people in her life that had gone out of their way to celebrate it. She spent the day with Nina and their cousin, as well as Micah and Aiden. Her fling with Micah had been short but she didn’t regret it and she was glad he was still around. Her taste buds weren’t as happy though. As much as she appreciated their attempt to make her a cake, she wasn’t that impressed. It tasted exactly like she’d expect a cake made by Nina and Micah would taste like. Just a little too green, to say the least. She couldn’t stomach it and told them that she was saving room for her dinner with Dex and Lydia.

Her stomach grumbled as she drove to her brother’s house. Knowing her brother, there would be pie there but she hoped that other food was made too. She enjoyed living with Nina and spending time with her friends but Lydia and Dexter were more her speed. It was a shame that she didn’t get together with them more often. She’d been absorbed in her activism lately, even more so than normal. Rose wasn’t sure if she was fond of the new mayor. He wasn’t as bad as the old one but he didn’t seem to care about her causes either. She didn’t think it was fair that animals had no voice and now she was trying to give them one and no one was listening to her either. Rose pushed thoughts of the mayor out of her mind, not wanting to make herself mad, as she approached Lydia and Dexter’s place. She found a spot in guest parking and got out of her car. Rose made her way to the door, knocking once she got there.

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

Dexter was glad to be able to spend some time with his older sister on her birthday. He felt he didn't spend as much time with Rose as he once had, the both of them preoccupied by other matter that they regularly attended to, and was more than happy to put together a little something for her on this special day. Besides, it wasn't everyday that his siblings turned twenty-six. And there was always the fact that this gave Dexter an excuse to get a pie; not that he usually ever felt he needed one. 

He had decorated the house up a bit for Rose's arrival, setting out some streamers to hang around the room as well as blowing up some balloons to try and make everything more festive for the occasion. In all honesty, Dexter left most of the real preparations for the dinner to Lydia, like the cooking since he wasn't the best cook around, and busied himself with doing at least something for his sister, so decorations seemed to become him duty. Once everything was set up and dinner was all prepared and placed, Dexter waited for his sister to arrive. He knew she was spending time with Nina and Greta so he didn't expect to see her too early. When there did finally come a knock on the door, Dexter sprang up from his spot on the coach and moved to open the door.

"Hey! Happy Birthday, you old lady!" Dexter said in a chuckle as he pulled the door open and pulled Rose into an affectionate hug. After a moment, he pulled away and smiled brightly at her. "Damn, are those grey hairs I'm seeing?" He said pointing at her hair, joking around with her before another hearty laugh escaped him. "I'm just messing with you, come on. Get your butt in here." He said, stepping aside to allow her entrance. 

[moonlight-hayes]

Gettin' In Tune - Dexter & Christian

[moonlight-hayes]

Christian bit his lip, a croaking sound came from his throat as he tried to hold back a laugh. Dexter was going through all the possible ways that his uncle could have been considered legit and it was making Christian regret his use of the word even though he found him funny. “Well, um, more like he filled up concert halls. He was a composer, is a composer, I guess.” Christian couldn’t picture Gavin up on billboards or on CD covers and Dexter probably wasn’t his audience but that didn’t make him any less talented. Christian was a better performer but he hadn’t come to that realization yet, he was still young and in awe of his uncle. “So, he wasn’t really famous, I guess, but he had a career.” Christian suspected that his uncle’s career was bigger than he let on but he never pushed the subject. Pretending that it didn’t carry much weight made Christian feel less bad about how things had ended up for him and his uncle too. “We don’t bring it up a lot, really.” Christian admitted with a shrug. 

"Oh, okay." He was hoping to have a straight answer but he understood. It didn’t seem like the store got a lot of activity so he wouldn’t have been surprised if they weren’t looking for a new worker. "Yeah, sure." His face lit up briefly and then fell, "I’m just trying to get some experience in before-" Dexter already knew about his eyesight but that didn’t mean he wanted to speak about it freely. He chose his next words carefully, "I finish high school." A moment later he continued, "I’m going to be sixteen soon." Christian was surprised that he was on schedule with school, there had been a time when he didn’t think he was going to graduate on time because his grades started to slip after missing days of school. He’d get headaches that he couldn’t shake and it’d prevent him from concentrating. Now he had some control over them and was headed in the right path. It still meant he had two more years of high school though.

He wasn’t upset with Dexter but he appreciated the apology, “It’s alright. At least you were in the right direction.” Christian’s gaze, or lack there of, fell onto the music labels again, “i’ve got it now, I think, thanks.” He liked Dexter but he also liked being alone and he felt like Dexter had helped him enough.

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

As Christian explained his reasoning behind the question, or at least that's how Dexter took it, the older man bobbed his head back and forth slowly in understanding. He got what Christian was say, about getting in experiences and all, and though he didn't really say it, Dexter knew the younger man's diminishing eye sight probably had a lot to do with it. He, of course, wasn't going to bring it up if Christian wasn't, knowing it was probably a sore subject for him, so he just offered the teenager a smile and rubbed the back of his neck as he let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, well you might not get hired until you're sixteen but once you are man, it'd be cool to see you around here more often." Dexter offered the younger boy a smile. He really did enjoy his company and wouldn't mind having him around, even if he wasn't the most talkative person out there, but Dexter never cared about things like that.

When he mentioned that he had things under control from there, Dexter took that as his cue to leave the boy to himself. He seemed to be able to manage just fine without him from there on out and he was sure that if he did need something else, he would come get him. At least during the time being, Dexter could try to find that application for him somewhere. "Yeah, alright. Well, if you need help with anything else, I'll just be at the register there." He pointed back over his shoulder towards there area where the register sat atop a heavily graffiti-ed and sticker-ed counter. He then stuffed his hands into his pockets and gave a small nod in salutation before making his way behind said counter, busying himself for a moment with going through the files to look for where his supervisor kept the application forms. Once located, he set one aside near the register and sat back, relaxing while he waited for Christian to either need a hand, come over to ring his purchases up or for someone else to enter. 

[moonlight-hayes]

Gettin' In Tune - Dexter & Christian

[moonlight-hayes]

A blush spread across Christian’s cheeks as Dexter commented on his musical talent. He wasn’t trying to brag but music had always come natural to him. Yes, his uncle had taught him a lot but playing the piano just felt right underneath his fingertips. Even from an early age it was like he had been playing for years. “Um, just a few. It sorta runs in my family, I guess. Because my uncle is really talented.” Sometimes he felt bad that his uncle had given up his concert career to take care of him but there wasn’t much he could do about it. He’d be an adult in a few years and that might be of some help but he couldn’t give back the years that Gavin had spent taking care of him. “He used to be kind of…legit, but he doesn’t really play anymore.” Christian shrugged, he had only heard of his uncle’s concert career, he hadn’t been around to experience it. 

"Yeah, well, actually - there’s not a lot of bands that escape me." Christian admitted, "But I have my favorites." He couldn’t say that he knew of every band in existence but he had an ear for bands and usually remembered their names, even if he thought they were awful. Christian, being the typical hormonal filled teenager that he was, couldn’t help but wonder what Dexter’s coworker looked like. Sometimes he got carried away with thinking about someone’s appearance, he tried to absorb every feature and permanently etched it into his brain because he’d lose it someday. He wouldn’t be able to see them the same forever. Thinking about his coworker got Christian into thinking about other things. "What’s it like working here?" He asked, somewhat abruptly due to his quietness moments before, "Are you guys hiring or anything?"

Dexter brought two CD cases to his attention and Christian grabbed one to get a better look. Absolution. “This is my favorite album of theirs.” He held it tightly in his hands before handing it back to the man in front of him, “But I’ve already got it at home. Somewhere, I mean… it might still be packed but its definitely in my room.” His tone was light, thankful but he didn’t need something he already owned. “I’ll keep looking. Maybe I’ll find something by De Facto or The Last Shadow Puppets.” Christian said, thinking out loud. He didn’t have the best track record with CDs, he had a habit of taking his rage out on them because they were often nearby. “They’re just in alphabetical order, right?” He had followed Dexter and noticed that he had pulled the Muse album out near the middle end. “I guess you’re just doing your job but thanks for helping.”

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

Dexter found himself content to be able to stand there and talk with the teenager. Usually his shifts, when done on his own, had a tenancy to drag with what little customers stopped by the shop for physical copies of music. Even when they did, the usual small chit chat, that came with Dexter offering and giving assistance, did very little to pass the eight hours that he was usually in the store. It was a cool job, no doubt, and Dexter liked the fact that he was constantly surrounded by music but he was far from the type to be able to sit around quietly for long periods of without having another soul to converse with and it was just a plain and simple fact that record stores were not as popular as they once were; especially a record store in an already small town. He craved an audience and one which actually listened and interacted with him, beyond the usual "do you have so and so on vinyl?" so standing there getting to know Christian was quite a breath of fresh air.

He listened as the young teen went on about how he was good when it came to playing instruments, even playing a couple, but that it was his uncle who was the real talent, even going so far to use the word "legit". Dexter's brows creased together softly in curiosity. "How legit we talking here? Like people paying to hear him at small clubs legit or like yo that's my face on that CD legit? Or even yo that's me on the tv there, legit?" He nudged his chin upwards in question as he spoke but grinned a moment later. He always found a way to make a small joke or funny line out of any conversation. His expression turned to one of thought, though, a moment later when the teenager asked him about his job. He shrugged his shoulders a bit, "It's pretty slow a lot of the times but it's chill. The boss is a cool guy and the others who work here are pretty dope. Plus you get to listen to music all day and get an employee discount so if you like music then that's definitely pretty sweet." He motioned with his thumb over his shoulder towards the register. "I don't know if we are or not but I can get you an application if you're interested." He offered.

When he handed the boy the CD and he revealed to Dexter that he already had it, Dex frowned slightly, a little disappointed that he had not really found anything that Christian would want to buy and he had been rather optimistic that they would have what he was looking for. Of course, it was merely one CD of one band in a store full of a variety of both things and no doubt Christian would come to eventually find something to purchase, but Dexter thought it would have been pretty damn sweet if he got it right on the first try. He gave another shrug though, not being too broken up about it "Ah, sorry man." He offered before turning to look back towards the CDs again.  "But yeah, I'm sure you'll find something." He turned back towards the rack of CDs, strumming his finger tips over the top of them again. "Yeah, all alphabetical and if you need any help again, don't mind asking. I ain't really got nothing else to do so it's no big deal." He smirked. 

[lydia-michaels]

I'm ready for warm weather again.

[lydia-michaels]

If I was cold at work would you run in and act like a human blanket?

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

If I wasn't at work myself then, yeah of course. Plus that would give me a chance to pick up a pie for Christmas... or two or four.

[lydia-michaels]

I'm ready for warm weather again.

I love this season, but my fingers aren’t fans of it. 

[dexterbarnaby-blog]

I'm always here to keep you warm if you're ever cold, you know!

[diangelovato]