"Why wouldn't I believe you? Is it because you're a girl and they never are perceived as someone who can enjoy straight whiskey?" He asked her as he smiled. He then heard her question and he nodded slowly as he thought of something to drink to and he shrugged. "Life maybe? I don't know. I guess I don't really need to drink to anything specifically in order to drink but it's always better to drink with someone else instead of drinking alone."
"well that's definitely one reason--another being that it's definitely not straight whiskey, but I was just curious about what you thought i'd drink. i like your answer more though, so let's go with that." lena chuckled, and sent him a wink. "ah, so true--life is a good enough reason on its own. good or bad, we all have things to drink to and people to drink with." she patted the seat next to her, beckoning him to sit with her. "so, here's to drinking together." she raised her glass. "and getting a chance to meet new people. i'm lena, by the way--it's nice to meet you. are you local?"
"Can you... just pretend you didn't just watch me make a fool of myself?" Lena asked, bracing herself slightly on the frame of the booth as she looked up. "I know, I'm asking a lot--a woman completely face planting in heels at a dive bar is funny stuff, but if you can just look past it--and maybe delete any video evidence of it--I could throw in ten bucks? A free drink?" She ran her hand through her hair and sighed. "Look, desperate is not a good look on me--so what do you say?"
"Go cry about it to your mommy, dick," the tall brunnette called to the guy grumbling and complaining about her conning him. Frankly, he should be glad she didn't use the pool stick somewhere else. She put the cash in her bra before turning back around to the table, looking at the next person nearby. "Just because I hustled that douchebag out of a hundred bucks doesn't mean I'll hustle you too. So long as you don't act like an entitled dick or say something sexist," CJ stated, taking yet another shot at the pool table. She usually reserved her skills for assholes and a little bit of cash, but she didn't mind playing a game legitimately for fun either. She'd even give her opponent a chance at winning.
"oh girl, you couldn't hustle me if you tried." lena winked, leaning against her pool stick as she watched the pissbaby lumber away. "impressive though, the way you really had him on the ropes. i can't imagine he's been the kind of guy to have ever been on the ropes in the first place." her free hand swirled her drink and she looked on. "who taught you? mom? aunt? youtube?"
" i'm happy that the series is coming back, but damn, it's only been like a few years, " he joked. " it feels like the 2010s again, i swear. new hunger games, harry potter series, twilight most likley announced soon, " he sighed. " i'm honestly so happy for rick, though. he finally gets to have the series that he D E S E R V E S on screen. i'm for sure going to give it some love, " he smiled.
lena's head spun around--no way was someone talking about percy jackson in the year of our lord 2023. "wait, did you say something about rick? like rick riordan?" lena had never been one for subtlty--or shyness. she didn't have a single problem talking to someone she'd barely met. "this is gonna be real weird if you weren't, but if you were--is percy jackson coming back?"
Grayson sat at the bar and he sipped on his beer. It was number.... Well he forgot what number it was because he wasn't keeping track. He was just happy to be getting a break from everything. He set down his drink as he looked over at the person next to him. He wasn't drunk but he was definitely feeling the buzz as he began to speak, "Well, you look like you could use another drink as well. What are ya drinking over there?" He asked them as he raised an eyebrow slightly.
"would you believe me if i said it was a whiskey straight?" lena smirked, swirling the drink in her glass. it wasn't--god, no matter how tough she wanted to look, she'd never be able to get a whiskey down without something else to help her out. in fact, if it wasn't so dark in the room, she probably wouldn't have even been able to get away with the statement at all. she'd been thankful to to have gotten out of the office early enough to actually get out on the town. "What are we drinking too, anyway?" not that she cared--a drink was a drink regardless of the why--but it didn't hurt to be friendly, right?
ana de armas + she/her + cis-woman – have you seen magdelena "lena" ibarra around los angeles? the thirty three year old is usually jamming to daddy lessons by beyonce ft. the chicks. word around the city is that they’re determined yet, they can also be snarky, but you didn’t hear that from me. they’re currently an executive assistant and are typically seen walking the streets of los angeles with their favorite daily planner. when i think of them, i think of color coded schedules, beer bottles with peeled off labels and riding a motorcycle in heels. let’s hope the city treats them good!
penned by nika ✨
basics →
name: magadelena "lena" ibarra
age: thirty-three
gender & pronouns: cis-woman, she/her
birthday: october 17, 1989
hometown: miami, fl
current residence: los angles, ca
current occupation: executive assistant
romantic orientation: hetero-romantic
sexual orientation: straight
relationship status: single as a pringle
fun facts →
likes: dogs, thai food, rock music, country music, reading, color coded planners & organization, anything that makes her heart race, proving people wrong
dislikes: cats, rap music, cuban sandwhiches, know it alls, chocolate cake, peppermint
prized possessions: her motorcycle, daisy & her first edition copy of the scarlet letter
wouldn't be caught dead without: her planner, a pen, and a bag of mike and ikes
background →
magdelena ibarra--lena, as she would be known-- was born to Selena & Raul Ibarra as their only daughter. Only child, which was in stark contrast to the dreams that had held for their family. They had been envisioning a dynasty, one that could stand the test of times--and trends--to remain on top.
selena was a former singer turned entrepenuer who created the nation's first fair-paying streaming service, melodia. it had taken the industry like wildfire and while it had not surpassed spotify, it absolutely held a name for itself. raul had been her manager in her younger days--a rare case of when a working relationship could transition flawlessly into true love.
lena, despite the parentage she had, was hardly musical. she couldn't hold a beat, had no idea how to read music and couldn't understand rhythm for the life of her. her parents weren't sure where they went wrong, but always tried to love her regardless. er, well they always loved her--but sometimes, well, it was hard to celebrate a daughter that couldn't carry the family talent. most especially for selena, who always envisioned doing a comeback tour with her daughter at her side.
the last chance for lena to make her family proud was becoming the next ceo for melodia--and boy did her parents know it, at every turn, she was enrolled in business classes. young entreupener programs. internships for middle schoolers. even a business camp to support the up and coming.
and boy did lena hate it. for how type a and organized she was, she couldn't stand how her parents aimed to control her. she was a free spirit, an adreneline junkie--she needed to chart her own path. she flat out rejected their offers, and begrudgingly went to the things she couldn't escape. but at 18, she determined that her life was hers and hers alone--and she would not let her parents make her a puppet.
dramatic? sure, but that was lena ibarra--if she could have carried a tune, broadway would be shaking in their kinky boots. so off she went, far from miami and the comfort of her family, to los angeles, where celebrities were a dime a dozen and no one would give a shit what the last name ibarra was. she applied for any posiiton she could find at a record studio--only because she did know the industry but not because she felt it would be her calling, finally working her way up to executive assistant to the president. no one would even bat an eye at her, for how unimportnat her position was. just how she liked it.
plots →
friends from either la or miami
enemies/folks she has anamosity with
locals she's close with (bartenders, coffee shops, mechanics etc)
clients from the record shop she has built connections with
