Joseph Oscuro

Bar Owner

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Can I Kick It?

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People’s Instinctive Travels and Paths of Rhythm

[josephoscuro-blog]

claircroberts:

Embarrassment rushed through her as she felt the adrenaline quiet down and the couple wander away to wherever they were going and never see her again. At least for the rest of the evening. Wasn’t it just her luck? Two out of the three people she never wanted to see in her life again, were suddenly standing just a few feet away from her and making her run for her life as though she was running from… the Australian police. A small sigh of relief exited her and her lips were occupied by a small smile, as she tried to compose herself before looking at the much taller man that stood in front of her. She didn’t know exactly why she asked him to start a conversation with her, when it was pretty damn obvious that he didn’t need to do so– he managed to hide her entirely and if it wasn’t for the wind blowing her white dress, people would only see his back and that would be the end of it. She had way more to be thankful towards him, than to anyone in that party at that point. 

“If I said hitmen, would you believe me?” Claire cleared her throat not wanting to give away exactly that were her former in-laws she was trying desperately to hide from. He didn’t need to know that bad part of her life, he was simply a stranger who happened to be on the right place at the right time and served her purposes, they didn’t need to swap bad time stories, did they? “I am actually a part of a secret service and they managed to blow off my cover, which means, I am surely putting you in danger right now.” She joked, continuing on with her story. Of course it was a blatant lie, not even a twelve year old would be able to believe her, let alone a grown man, but hopefully it would give him a small idea about how badly she did not want to talk about the pressing subject. Starting with the in-laws would lead the way to knowing how badly she had screwed up a marriage and all the other bad things she was trying desperately to avoid. “It would be clever if you stuck around, though. Not for your sake, but for mine and I can maybe get you a replacement for that drink. You’re so tall, they’ll never notice I’m here.”

He could feel her grip on his arm began to loosen as the blonde started to relax after such a tense but short couple of moments. Whatever had threatened her had retreated, and seeing that she wasn’t so worried anymore, Joseph shrugged it off as nothing more than an unwanted social encounter since that’s all big social events tend to have. Masses and masses of people who don’t really like everybody, and he wasn’t quite sure if he was willing to dig into that part of her life. After carrying his own luggage for so long, he figured he could take the night off, and the fact that she continued on with his banter only allowed him to shrug off the incident all the more easily. “Well, no,” he said as he shook his head, “You look like you could be the type. I always expected to run into a secret agent at some point in my life, but I just wish it was sooner. But what can you do?” He shrugged his shoulders as he finished off his glass of whiskey, letting the liquor burn through his chest before sighing out and finishing his thought, “You can’t always pick when and where you embark on a life-changing, secret mission.”

His eyes scanned around the area as he had hoped for a waiter to come by with an empty tray for him to get rid of his empty drink. Out of curiosity, he tried to find what had spooked her so much, but seeing that there was no waiter or a very threatening ex-boyfriend (?), he gave up on his search and returned his gaze to the woman in front of him. “I don’t mind staying,” he answered truthfully before joking, “but you’ll have to answer to my millions of adoring friends and family who desperately want my presence.” Clearly, there was really no one else around him. He had been standing there alone for a good…not sure how long. Maybe he was more drunk than he thought. “And I don’t mind getting another drink,” he mentioned, drunk and without any notion of self-control. “I mean, it’s not the first time a woman has wanted me for my body, but a drink really does sweeten the deal if you’re going to use me like a hunk of meat or as a general thing to hide behind.”

[josephoscuro-blog]

summerdhale:

Summer shared at the sea, mesmerized by the movement of the waves. It had been the first time of that night she had been able to take some time to herself and to appreciate the solitude for a few minutes,  wrapping her arms around her legs, resting her head on top of the knees and picturing the scenario in front of he as the beginning of a good story, it was a great picture. And for a second she wished she had her laptop with her, allowing her fingers to move in a fast pace as the story was written and she’d allow creativity to flow within her being. But at the moment, all she could was to allow the light of her eyes to contrast with darkness, and stare at the night until obscutiry would be ripped by fireworks. Hypnotised by it, it took her some time to acknowledge the man’s presence close to her. Looking up at him, Summer watched as the man motioned down, sitting somewhat close. “Truth being told, I don’t like people.” Which was the truth. She faked every single time she was out, at pubs trying to meet a stranger for a one night stand. Summer didn’t like the idea of being social, and now she didn’t need to pretend anymore.

Shaking her head, it was to scoff. “Oh, trust me, if I had been hiding from you, it meant you were a bad decision,” with a shrug she looked in to the sea once again. “Why? Did you miss me? Am I the girl in your thoughts? Because we both know it was just sex, Joseph.” Leaning closer she grabbed one of the bottles he was holding, opening it to take a sip from it, which these past few days would be even better if she had a cigarette on her hand. If only her parents weren’t at the beach. “Spending New Year’s eve alone or are you also avoiding the crowd?”

It had been a while since he ran into Summer, and just as he expected, she was her usual, grouchy, and antisocial self—and that’s what he always loved about her. It’s what drew him in when he first saw her at his bar. One thing lead to another, and before he knew it, he had been talking to her for a couple hours before they both came back to his flat. If he were to judge her by her looks, her straight, long brown hair, her wide eyes, and just her overall complexion, he wouldn’t have expected such a cynic. Right off the bat, she already started to talk about how she didn’t like people in general. How fitting of the girl he’d come to know in a string of late nights and drunk conversations. He watched her boldly take his beer from him even without his offer, and an amused smile grew on his features as he listened to her speak before he could answer her question. “I wouldn’t say I’m avoiding people,” he said as he opened the other bottle of beer. “It’s more of me, getting a breath of fresh air from a crowd of old, married people.”

He took a drink of his beer, taking down the carbonated liquid and swallowing the cool, delicious taste of the beer that started to taste more like water throughout the night. “And no, I wouldn’t say I miss you either, Summer,” he mentioned, a joking smile on his features as he stared out into the darkness, watching as the light of the moon reflected off of the water. “Not a lot of girls come back around the bar if they’ve slept with the owner, who they’re trying hard to avoid either in some form of regret or embarrassment, and I didn’t think you’d be the type. It’s usually the college girls who’ll do that to you,” he lamented before he laughed quietly. “You’re more of the type who doesn’t give a shit, and I guess that’s what I miss. Although, your presence doesn’t really hurt.” Joseph placed his hands on the ground as he leaned back and glanced out over the water before he spoke again, “How’ve you been though? You seem like your usual cheery self tonight.”

[josephoscuro-blog]

@summerdhale

Joseph wandered the length of the beach with a bottle of beer in hand while he could hear his friends in the distance. At his age, he didn’t have many who were willing to actually go out for New Year’s, and from the small population of friends he had, all were married and coupled up by the bonfire they had made. He never felt so lonely in a crowd, and as much as he enjoyed being his friends, it was always a grim reminder that most of them were almost always disappointed to see him without his ex-wife. He was in desperate need of some breathing room, so he excused himself from the smoky fire and left to take a quick walk and ironically breathe in the smoke from a cigarette. He could hear them shout in the background, their drunken slurs and obnoxiously loud laughs. All of them would be returning to their kids tonight or, those who had now had adult children, to an empty nest where all they had was their marriage. Joseph glanced back to the crowd as he took a drag of his cigarette and felt his envy enflame again before he tossed the filter to the ground and stamped it out. For a night promised with plenty of alcohol, he still felt sober as hell.

He picked up the filter and tossed it back into his now empty bottle of beer before he headed back towards the group. He stealthily skirted around the conversation and made his way to the cooler where he studied the contents of the box—plenty of beer left, he figured he’d take two for his walk and scope things out. He heard one of his friends call for his attention before he shook his head and told them he was going to look around for a bit and probably find a bathroom. He wandered off before they could drag him back, and before long, he found himself going to one of the more secluded areas of St. Kilda’s where there were considerably less people. In the distance, he could see a figure sitting alone, and the closer he came, the more recognizable she became. “Well, shit,” he said as he approached who he hoped was Summer, “Fancy running into you here, especially since there’s so many people out.” He cleared his throat as he realized he may have been intruding on her alone time, but figuring she looked as miserable as he did and feeling a little more inebriated than he thought, he took a seat on the sand anyway and placed the bottles of beer between his legs. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while though,” he added before saying jokingly, “You been hiding from me?”

[lydicss]

Out of the corner of her eyes she saw them. An elegant pair for sure. The woman was tall, bright eyes and dark hair reminded everyone else that someday, not a long way back, she was a model, one of the most prestigious and beautiful models of the world. The man, reminded Claire far too much of the man who used to be her husband and she hoped, she begged God that they didn’t want to speak with her (although it was hard to imagine with them already having tried to contact her in the past). She didn’t like her odds and she liked even less that they were approaching, making her slowly enter in their field of vision, surely they would spot her– surely she had to do something, quick.

First order of business was to get away from them, start walking in the opposite direction and maybe hope that they wouldn’t follow her, yet, instead of going in the opposite direction, they seemed to be going straight to where she was going. What the hell was going on? The last thing she wanted to do was to have a nice conversation with her former in-laws. She needed something better, a deviation plan, something to make them never notice her presence at all. Grabbing by the arm the first person she could get her hands on, Claire made them stand in front of her. “I’m so sorry, I just– can you maybe stay there for a minute? And maybe pretend you’re talking to me? No, you don’t even have to pretend to talk to me, just for a second, I just need…” her eyes followed as the pair passed them by, letting go of the other’s arm and smoothing her white dress with her hand and then gulping what was remaining in her glass of champagne. “Thank you and I’m sorry again. I didn’t mean for any of this.”

[josephoscuro-blog]

Joseph stood rather awkwardly to the side as he sipped on his third whiskey for the night and took in the sight of the crowded beach. It was rather unusual for him to be out and away from the bar, especially since he had talked so much about keeping the bar open, and he was rather looking forward to see some of his favorite regulars. But plans changed, and he found himself regretting his trip to St. Kilda’s, which became an impulsive adventure that his friend had pushed him to go for. Instead, he found himself standing on some patio, leaning on the railing, drinking away the night alone while his friend went off to mingle with his wife’s friends and company. Joseph could barely even focus on the night but rather what was happening back at The Black Pearl; the place was his life, and he suddenly felt a wave of anxiety rush through him as he thought about the possible fuck-ups that could happen on a big night like New Year’s Eve while he was away.

Jerked out of his reverie, he felt his body pulled away from the railing as he stumbled back to reality and found himself standing in front of a stuttering blonde woman. His brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of her frantic gestures, but he found himself following along to her scattered instructions. “Uh,” he began, still confused but scraping by, “well, I’m not really sure what to say.” His gaze tried to discreetly focus on what she was trying to avoid as he sputtered about the weather before his eyes began to focus on the woman in front of him, his brow raising as he studied her features. “You don’t want me to talk about the weather, do you?” he asked, now more composed and more situated to the situation at hand. “It’s okay,” he reassured her with a soft laugh, amused by the fact that this whole string of events made him feel like he was in a movie, “Who’re you trying to avoid? Australian police? A couple of hitmen? Your in-laws?”

[josephoscuro-blog]

harleybvrke:

Harley had been outside smoking her own cigarette, leaning against the wall while she glanced at the man while he ventured towards the dumpster. Snorting slightly, the brunette flicked her cigarette and crushed it beneath the toe of her boot before turning around and venturing towards the bar. With a seat on the bar, she leaned forward to glance at him. “Oh, you came inside fast.” Her gaze ventured to the male who went towards the table. “Maybe I should be the one to buy you a drink – seems like you could use more than anyone else. But I’ll have a beer for now.”

He snorted at the woman’s comment before he answered, “Yeah, I’m surprisingly fast for my age.” Clearly amused by his own retort, he shook his head with a chuckle before he moved to the icebox behind him and lifted the lid to pull out a beer. He returned to the bar and picked up a bottle opener to lift off the cap, and he placed the cold beer in front of her. “You don’t have to buy me anything, sweetheart,” he answered, “I own the bar, so you’d be just throwing even more money at me. And then at that point, I’d feel like a stripper, so I’m fine for now. That cigarette probably helped a bit.”

[josephoscuro-blog]

aurora--knight:

&. @josephoscuro

      Sighing deeply to herself, Aurora watched as her last few customers walked out the bar door, now making the place completely empty. It has been a long night and she was ready to leave. After cleaning off the bar top and tables, she threw the dirty rag in the hamper and checked her phone. No one texted or booty called her, so she was in for a night alone. Walking towards the back, she saw Joseph was still in his office. Licking her lips, she always wanted to know what he looked like underneath his clothes and how good he was in bed. Maybe tonight was the night to figure it all out for herself. Her black heels tapping against the concrete floor, she knocked on his door before entering slightly. “I’m about to head out. You in for a long night?”

Joseph had retreated to his office a little earlier in the night to do some housekeeping. He had to make sure all the liquor was stocked up and to work with the distributors to make sure his shipment was coming in on time. He left the clean-up to his staff, and he could hear the bar slowly settle from his office as the night went on. Eventually, his focus on everything else teetered off, and he became engrossed in his own work. Joseph glanced up from what he was doing when he heard the clicking of heels approach his door and a knock following suit, and he found Aurora standing there, most likely the last to leave. “Yeah, I’m just working on some stuff,” he answered, his eyes glancing over her quickly as he sat back in his chair and took off his glasses. He sighed as he shut his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his hand, realizing he had spent the last couple hours doing nothing but work nonstop. “I don’t know if I have anything else for you to do, but nothing really comes to mind now,” he said, sighing as he pulled his hand away and relaxed back into his chair. “Yeah, I got nothing,” he answered as he shook his head and picked up his glasses again to slip them back on, “You’re free to go if you’d like.” 

[josephoscuro-blog]

keiko-wilson:

“It’s a busy season, I’m sure,” she shot him a reassuring smile. “I don’t know. I like being in other places. It’s a bit weird to settle down and stay still.” She’d been dealing with the difficulty of adjusting back into civilian life, but she knew Joseph likely dealt with hearing enough people’s problems. She wouldn’t add hers to the list. “Just because you’ve been here doesn’t mean that nothing exciting or important has happened,” she pointed out before frowning. “You’re spending Christmas here? Don’t you have family to be with or friends to celebrate with?” She looked down at her glass at his next question and pursed her lips. “With all due respect, I’d rather not talk about my time abroad.” If they were just vacations it would be one thing, but being on active duty in the air force was another thing entirely. On top of that, talking about it didn’t exactly help her not miss it. “Perhaps another topic? Has anyone caught your eye since I last saw you? Someone special to spend the holiday with?”

His brows raised curiously as she shifted the topic, his curiosity piqued for a second before he shrugged it off and moved on. He really didn’t mind listening, but he understood that sometimes it was better not to pry—that or he didn’t really have the energy he once had when he was younger and more curious. “Well, all right,” he started, “This is probably the first time I’ve ever had someone switch the conversation up and put the spotlight on me.” His brows furrowed as he wrinkled his nose and tried to think back over the time since he last saw Keiko. “Uh, well, I’ve been good. Been doing the same stuff. Wake up late, open the bar, work, deal with drunks, close the bar, and go to bed. You know, the usual, but no, I’m not going back home to spend the holiday with family or anything. They’re all in New York, and I thought I could just skip out on Christmas this year. There’s always business on Christmas, you know? Maybe not a lot, but there are plenty of lonely people around that want to get drunk. It’s all supply and demand. There’s a demand, and I’m gonna supply it, at least, for this year,” he said before his brows furrowed and he shook his head, “As for a special someone, no. Not really. I think my special someones are the lonely people coming in on Christmas,” he said, half-joking and half-not. “What are you doing for Christmas?” he asked.

[josephoscuro-blog]

imogen-banks:

She smirked and tapped on the side of her nose, silently promising to keep the fact between the two of them. “Does it?” she questioned with a laugh “I’ll have to pay you back in installments, maybe a dollar a day for the next million years and decent conversation, of course.” she offered as a remedy, a playful expression on her face. 

“I’m full of surprises Joe” she assured him, playing with a coaster in front of her. She couldn’t help but laugh “Let’s go with that, I’m here for the views, not because I’m turning into a raging alcoholic at Christmas time.” she agreed, a light blush colouring her cheeks. She had been drinking more than she’d like to admit, recently but it was the nature of the holidays, there were Christmas parties to attend, friends to catch up with from every corner of the state, that was her excuse, anyway.

Joseph laughed quietly as she went along with his joke, glad to see that she was willing to go along with his teasing. “You’re a good sport, Imo,” he said as he moved to the bar to continue with his work, “It’s nice to run into you after being so pissed off for no apparent reason.” It didn’t take him very long to decide that he liked Imogen and was glad she was one of his regulars. She always went along with his teasing, and her easy-going attitude almost reminded him of his wife—not to mention the fact that they both had the same jobs, the same complaints, and so on and so forth. He picked up one of the freshly washed glasses and a towel before he dried it off, his eyes staying focused on his hands as he spoke. “As for the drinking part,” he began, “it’s not really something to be too ashamed of, right? You’re handling yourself. You’re not out of a job, and I’d guess you’re a pretty successful lawyer since you can afford all these shots. If anything, you’re just making me richer and having fun with it at the same time. In a million years, I’ll finally be a millionaire, and that’s all thanks to you.” He glanced back to her with a wide smile and a wink before he placed the dried glass down in front of her and nodded, “How about I get you a beer or a mixed drink though?”

[josephoscuro-blog]

diego-olmedillo:

He chuckled at the comment, he wasn’t really much of a screamer or cursing guy when it came to made people work harder, but he guessed this was the way of doing things in a bar and the guy seemed to make this place successful since it was crowed “I can see that, well congrats, busy night means more money, so cheers to that” Diego took his glass and raised to make a toast before having his first sip. “Me well, tough week, lot of work and not many time to rest and my best friend kinda left abruptly and we had plans to spend Christmas together, so I felt like rum could wash that feeling for at least a few hours”

Joseph nodded at the man’s congratulations before he leaned back against the counter behind him and crossed his arms. The other guy wasn’t wrong. Joseph had owned the bar for about two decades now, and it was more successful than he could’ve ever thought. “That’s tough,” Joe started, his mind already flashing back to when his wife had left him, “Loss is never easy, but lucky for you, I got enough alcohol for you to forget most sad things on your mind. If anything, I’m sure you can find yourself a lady who’s feeling as lucky as you are, and maybe that could help. I don’t know who your best friend is, so if that person’s your wife, then my bad. You still have the alcohol part to look forward to tonight.”

[josephoscuro-blog]

pippareyes:

“You don’t need to, it’s not my place to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. I just think we have so many bad things happening in the world, sharing kindness is hard and it’s the best option,” she shrugged. Or maybe that was her problem, since she was always trying to be gentle with everyone she met. “He was nice, yes, but in the end, I talk a lot so anyone who’s around me will be forced to watch me share any sort of subject I’d like to because I don’t know when to stop talking,” she smiled, knowing that was the truth, after all, silence terrified her. “I’m just getting drunk to get drunk because while I love holidays, this one is getting shittier as time passes. So, I’d like to forget my problems, get drunk, hopefully I won’t make any bad decision by the end of this night and I’ll head to my apartment safe and sane.” Reaching for her shot, she clinked against his, drinking the content all at once.

He stared at her in disbelief for a second as she went on her little spiel about kindness. Her speech reminded him of an innocence he felt when he was younger, and he almost admired her ability to be so optimistic in place that could be so cruel. Typically, the people he’d find in a bar didn’t tend to hold the same values on kindness that she had, or at least, they weren’t so open about it. “That’s cute,” he said, a quiet laugh escaping his lips as he put away the bottle of liquor, “but I believe there are definitely different ways to be kind. I’m kind to him by giving him a job and a living wage before he goes off and finds a real career.” He cleared his throat as he let his joke wash down, realizing that he may have sounded a little harsh despite meaning no harm by it. He picked up the shot as she did and clinked glasses before he downed the shot, his face scrunching up as the liquor burned the back of his throat. He took a deep breath as he shook his head, sighing out and saying, “I don’t think I can ever get used to the burn of tequila.” He reached for her empty glass and began to clear the table before he glanced back to her and asked, “You know—if you don’t mind me being so frank—you’re very optimistic. You ever get worried about people taking advantage of that?”

[stupidtunes]

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The Times They Are a-Changin’ | Bob Dylan

[josephoscuro-blog]

diego-olmedillo:

Diego haven’t been around in a bar, to just relax, but this past two weeks, really deserved to have a drink and he wasn’t really in the mood to be at his now empty big house, so a loud bar did felt like the best option for it. He was enjoying the old rock music when the bartender who was probably the boss ask one of the other employees to clean the table before asking him for his drink choice “Rum and coke, please. Tough night, huh?”

“Eh, I guess,” he answered as he picked up an empty glass to fulfill the man’s drink order. “It’s just a busy night, and busy nights are always stressful. That whole thing,” he said, motioning his finger toward the worker he had ushered off, “was pretty normal though. If I don’t swear at my workers at least once a night, then I probably had a stroke or a concussion or something.” Joseph let out a soft laugh at his own joke as he picked up a pair of tongs and dropped some ice into the cup, pouring in some rum before picking up the nozzle to fill the rest of the glass with coke. He topped the glass off with a wedge of lime before he slid the finished drink over to the man across from him. “What about you? What brings you around here?” he asked, attempting to make conversation.

[josephoscuro-blog]

eliassinclair:

Tonight was not a good night. Even Elias was annoyed by his own mood and he wanted nothing more than to drown them in alcohol. The bar he had picked however seemed to serve chaos rather than alcohol, so he was kept waiting in the barstool until an older man walked in, one he deemed to be the boss by the way the he scolded one of the other guys that had seemed to have ran around like idiots. “A whiskey, please. Make it a double.” He spoke, already placing the money on the counter, enough for a couple of glasses.  “Tough night, huh?” 

Joe nodded as he reached for the man’s money and placed it under the bar before he exchanged his bills for a couple of glasses. “Yeah,” he answered as he picked up the bottle of whiskey and untwisted the cap, “It’s just busy and chaotic as fuck.” He poured the drink into both glasses before he slid the drinks across the counter and added, “Also just one of those days, you know? You just wake up on the wrong side of the bed and suddenly realize you don’t even want to get out of bed to begin with.” He twisted the cap back on the bottle, and he placed the whiskey back in its place. “What about you?” he asked curiously, “What brings you to the bar and compels you to order two whiskeys? Are we celebrating something tonight?”

[josephoscuro-blog]

keiko-wilson:

“Having a rough day?” she asked, noticing the sigh and the moment he took to collect himself. “That will do just fine. I would say that more people should know what they like to drink, but if I did, I’m afraid I would be coming across as a bit of a hypocrite considering what I just asked you,” she laughed lightly and nodded in thanks as he set the beer in front of her. “Well for future reference in case I forget and ask you to do it again, I can handle a strong drink, but I don’t imagine I’d be too picky either way. It would be rude to correct you for doing what I asked.” She took a sip of her drink and shrugged. “Work keeps me out of town a lot, but I’m here to stay for a long while now. It’s been an adjustment. Not an entirely pleasant one, but I am glad to be back. How have you been?”

“I’ve been all right,” he answered, his hand moving to rub the back of his neck, “It’s just been one of those days, you know? But hey, glad to hear you’re back. I bet it’s nice to settle for a bit instead of having to be on the move constantly.” He folded his arms together before he leaned against the bar, using his arms to prop himself up. “I mean, I’ve just been here,” he said as he looked around the noisy, crowded bar. “Tending to the bar and making sure she’s in good shape for the holiday season. You can imagine all the lonely drunks on Christmas, myself including,” he added with a joking smile. “Tell me about your trips though. You see anything exciting? Any interesting stories to share with your old pal Joe?” 

[josephoscuro-blog]

imogen-banks:

“I’m lucky I have you to make sure I’m pacing myself, I’d probably be half a bottle under if I was behind the bar” she assured him with a smile, she didn’t mind waiting, she wasn’t going anywhere for the time being. She chuckled, organisation was something she excelled in but she’d be the first to admit that the end of the year was always a mess for even the most coordinated of individuals. “Nor do I” she agreed, she always attempted to conjure decent New Year’s resolutions but they rarely stuck. “Maybe I should resolve to drink less.” she suggested before downing her second shot, lip, sip, suck.

“And hey, I like your forgetful dumb ass. Especially when it forgets to charge me full price.” she added with a cheeky wink.

His brows raised at her teasing comment as he tried his best to suppress a smile. There were a couple times where he felt a little soft on the girl and “forget” to charge her, but he had thought that she didn’t notice, especially considering that she was several drinks deep when he would give her a pass on a shot or two. It didn’t happen often, and he figured he could have slipped on by without any notice. “Oh, yeah? I thought you just decided to open a tab,” he challenged, his tone matching her joking one. His brows furrowed as he looked at his hand, pantomiming a piece of paper on his palm as he squinted to read the make-believe note he had. “Says here you owe me a little short of a million dollars,” he answered, his eyes shifting back to her with an obvious grin now, “Good tequila ain’t cheap, Imo.”

“Speaking of good tequila, I’m always surprised to see how much you can handle. You’ve got a helluva liver to be taking so much every time you’re here, which is kinda often. Makes a man think you’re really here for the views,” he said with a pause before he added with a laugh, “You know, otherwise known as me. I’m the view.”

[josephoscuro-blog]

keiko-wilson:

As Christmas came ever closer, Keiko was beginning to feel lonelier and lonelier. Of course she had her father to celebrate with, and she was happy about that, but it was just the two of them, and she was used to celebrating with all of her brothers and sisters in arms. It would be a different sort of Christmas, that was for sure. Rather than sulking on the actual holiday though, she decided to go to a bar and have a drink in their honor. Maybe she’d ring a few of them up the next morning if she wasn’t too hungover. She was just about to order her first drink when an ornery voice called the bartender away. It wasn’t a surprise. She’d been to this bar more than a few times over the years while she’d been home visiting, and she knew the owner could be a bit of a grump sometimes. She smiled as he came to take her order. “I was just going to have a beer, but why don’t you surprise me?”

Joe let out a heavy breath as he tried to regain his composure, and instead, he put on a smile as he heard the woman’s voice, recognizing her after failing to do so immediately. “How about I surprise you with a beer?” he asked, already reaching for a glass under the counter. “You know, people ask me to surprise them a lot, and I have to say, I still don’t have a knack for guessing people’s drinks,” he said as he approached the tap. He pulled down the lever to pour her a glass of Shock Top, filling the glass to the brim before he came back to place the glass in front of her. He picked up an orange slice under the counter and placed it on the rim as he spoke, “At least you gave me some direction, you know? You say beer, and I feel like I can get you something without having to worry if I’m giving you something too strong or something that’s not strong enough.” He flashed her a smile, tilting his head to the side as he asked, “How’ve you been, Keiko? How are things going for you? I haven’t seen you in a while.”