Sweet & Sour | Julia & Tyler
Background: Julia is Oliver’s sister, and Oliver is the NPC that was friends with Emily! This takes place back in Ben and Eric’s town pre-rebellion. Tyler and Em aren’t close right now because they’re fighting after he found out she was lying to him about his past memories. Oliver has been tortured once before because Emily can sometimes be reckless with her protest group.
She had been watching Tyler for awhile now. Him and Emily always spent days together out on the dock, or walking around downtown. They were so chipper and energetic, it was sickening to watch. Julia loathed the blonde and her plans, especially after she had already gotten Oliver on the guards’ radar. That bubbly attitude, the wide smile, that annoying laugh that erupted throughout the grounds on most days – Julia wanted it all to go away. Eventually, she gained distaste for the girl’s companion. He seemed just as entangled in Emily’s web as Oliver was, and anyone remotely associated with her seemed to get deep under Julia’s skin.
But things began to change within the past few weeks. She came to notice the two weren’t hanging out as much as they were before, or at all to her knowledge. The end of the dock remained vacant, and the streets were free of the duo that walked through them. Julia would see him walking alone, or with another girl at the bar. According to Oliver, Emily was on edge more than usual, making her nervous for whatever protest planning was to come. It seemed like the perfect time to put her plan into motion, she thought. Someone had to do something, didn’t they?
The bar was full that night, music blaring and sweat glistening off of the bodies that filled every corner with conversation and drunken laughter. Julia loved the cheerful atmosphere, it reminded her of Denver and the many nights she spent roaming the streets in search of a new life, a new body, a new friend to immerse herself in. This was the little bit of Purgatory she was growing to cherish, no matter how drunk and merry they all had to be in order to reach that achievement.
He was bartending that night, as he usually was. Donning a grey t-shirt and jeans, his hair tousled about. It was a shame Julia wasn’t a fan of his at the moment, her eyes finding it difficult to peel away. Emily had an effect on people like that – she ruined everything, at least for Julia. Plopping down on the stool, she made sure to make her presence known, releasing an exaggerated sigh. He looked her way, smiling as he topped off the row of shot glasses between them.
“Rough day?” he asked, almost shouting above the music.
“One of the worst ones yet.” A group of girls snatched up the shots, immediately gulping them down and finishing their beverages with a celebratory cheer for their effort, their bodies stumbling back through the crowd. Julia waited for him to egg her on, to ask her what was having her so down and how he could help. But instead, he returned nothing, the business of the bar consuming him. She felt somewhat insulted, but chalked it up to the multiple residents trying their hardest to steal away his attention. But he glanced her way again after awhile, perhaps silently asking her to continue.
“Just... life, you know? Or lack of. It’s just one of those days,” she said, rolling her eyes. She hoped she could conjure up a better lie for her fabricated sorrows, but her day had actually been a pleasant one. The sun was shining, she went for an early swim, her and Oliver grabbed lunch, and she bathed at the beach until the sun went back into hiding. In fact, Julia wasn’t one to sit around and brood over their losses and what their futures could have been. What a waste it was to throw away something many other people in their universe seemed to miss out on. Julia welcomed second chances, even third and fourth ones. But it was a quick lesson to learn that not everyone else around her felt the same way, and she was faced with disgust when she would relish in the joy of something for too long. They all wanted to steal away into their homes and complain about their pasts until the conversations were exhausted. Then, they’d retreat back to their routines, put on brave faces, and wait for the cycle to begin again.
The man beside her ordered a beer, and Julia wrinkled her nose in disgust at the bubbly, auburn substance he excitedly clinked against his friend’s glass. It was in that moment that Julia realized she had shown up alone, wondering what others thought of that. What he thought of that.
“I completely understand,” he said, letting out a sigh similar to her own. “When the bar gets this busy, you know it’s one of those days, for everyone.”
“Looks like you need to take a load off,” she replied, resting her head on her hand.
“I can dream, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t had at least a shot or two during this shift.” Julia laughed, almost too forced, but she did find him charming. For a moment, neither of them said anything, and she was curious as to where the awkwardness erupted from, but then she realized. “Did you... want a drink? I just figure people don’t come to the bar just to sit and watch.”
“Right... a vodka tonic would be great.” Julia smiled stupidly, although she didn’t mind just coming in to watch.
“Coming right up.” He returned a smile, and Julia instantly knew what Emily saw in him. He didn’t seem the bartender type. His hair wasn’t gelled back, his arms weren’t covered in tattoos, he wasn’t flexing his muscles whenever he poured girls a drink. He was fairly ordinary, in fact. Perhaps that was what made the kind soul so appealing. Whatever romance or obsession him and Emily had made a little more sense knowing that he didn’t appear to be as psychotic as his friend.
She sat upright when he slid the drink her way, and she instantly reached her hand out across the bar.
“I’m Julia. I don’t believe we’ve met before.”
“Tyler,” he replied, shaking her hand with a firm grasp. She wondered if he had seen her around before, if she looked remotely familiar to him. Watching him and Emily together wasn’t nearly as stalker-like as it sounded. The pair truly did spend every waking moment together, at least up until now.
“So, you enjoy being a bartender in this town? I always wondered if I had it in me to do it. I will say, I’m a little too into my liquor, I think I’d end up just making drinks for myself.” Tyler released a chuckle, beginning the preparation for another patron’s order.
“The temptation isn’t always easy to fight, but you look like you could do it. You seem... I don’t know, tough. You look like you could handle a hectic day.”
Tough. She liked that.
“Well, I could probably kick some ass if I needed to, no doubt about that.” His attention was briefly stolen away by another resident making an order and Julia was growing slightly frustrated by the crowd. There needed to be a way to expedite this process, but she refrained from being too forward. She figured ‘Hi, I’ve noticed you and blondie aren’t friends anymore, let’s rebel against her stupid group’ would be a bit too forward.
Straightening up on the stool, she cut in before another customer could rush up and distract them.
“You know, actually you look familiar. I think we have mutual friends in common.”
“Do we?”
“Yeah. Emily. Emily Fairfield. I could’ve sworn I’ve seen her around with you before, but I could be wrong–”
“No, ah... you’re right, actually. I know her. We uh... we’re friends.” There was a level of uncertainty in his voice that proved the presence of a rift between the two friends. While it wasn’t important what the cause of it was, Julia was having a difficult time not being nosy.
“Oh... sorry, did I say something wrong? Doesn’t seem like you two are much of friends.”
“No, you’re fine. We just... we’re going through a rough patch right now.”
Julia put on her best worried expression, pouting her lip slightly. “Sorry, didn’t mean to pour salt on a fresh wound.”
“No worries. How do you know Emily?” he asked, wiping down the counter top, almost a little too rigorously.
She thought quickly on her feet, and luckily Oliver was close with the girl, so there wasn’t much to lie about.
“My brother, actually. He’s very close with Emily. I met her through him when he joined her little... group.” She whispered the last word, careful not to alert anyone nearby, however they all seemed too drunk and consumed in their own thoughts to bother paying them any mind. She hated the group, but Oliver was still involved and she wasn’t going to put him in further danger.
“Oh, so you’re in the group?”
“Are you?” She was curious, unsure about his status as a group member. He was never at any of the meetings, but then again, neither was she.
Tyler paused, rearranging some of the glasses behind the counter.
“Not really... isn’t really my thing,” he said, immediately jumping to the defense. “Don’t get me wrong, what goes on here is completely wrong and cruel. I just don’t know if that group’s way of doing things is the right way.” Sipping her drink, it was news to her that Tyler didn’t seem entirely supportive of Emily’s plans. She had never seen him at any of the meetings when Oliver dragged her out, but she at least believed he was a silent supporter observing from the sidelines.
“No need to freak out, I’m not a fan of the group either.” She raised her hands in surrender.
“You’re not?”
“Not at all. I joined for Oliver, but–”
“Oliver... sounds familiar.”
“My little pain-in-the-ass brother.” Julia shifted in her seat, wondering if he knew of him.
“I think I know the guy. Not well, or much at all now that I think of it, but he’s good friends with Emily. I’ve seen him a few times.”
“He trails around her like a puppy dog, if you ask me.” Rolling her eyes, she began to chew loudly on one of the ice cubes, glancing around at the different bottles behind the counter. “They’ve become ‘best friends’ and do everything together, it’s a little gross.”
Tyler chuckled, shifting uncomfortably. He wasn’t receptive to negative-Emily-talk, she wondered.
“Anyway, I think the group is doing more harm than good. Would I rather there be peaceful protests instead of that violent rebellion group that’s been running around? Sure, but both groups are fighting, and Emily doesn’t... she just doesn’t know how to keep her mouth shut. She’s gotten him into trouble before.”
Anger was filling her veins and she kept gulping down her drink to subdue the fire burning inside. “What are your reasons?” she asked bluntly.
He seemed a bit taken aback, stumbling on his words for a moment before recollecting himself. “It gets out of hand very quickly. I love Emily and I’m proud of her, but she’s gotten herself and others hurt before and I don’t want to see them go through that again. It may just not be worth the physical and emotional toll it takes on her.”
His caring nature toward Emily sickened her again, but she forced out a reassuring smile in order to avoid looking too disgruntled.
“It’s hard to watch someone you care about basically light themselves on fire and tell you everything’s fine, isn’t it?” Her words were laced with nothing but the truth. It pained her to see her little brother be put in harms away. She wants to protect him at all costs, even when he won’t let her.
“It’s hard... yeah. Especially when they know deep down something is wrong but they don’t want to listen to that gut feeling.”
Come on, she thought. Use me as a sounding board.
“Sometimes I worry that Oliver won’t even come home one day after one of those meetings.” Too much, Julia? Too much. “I stopped going to the meetings, but sometimes he drags me there and I’m horrified by the things I hear.”
“Horrified? They can’t be that bad.”
“They’re just getting antsy because Emily never really has concrete plans and people have been threatening violence, not to mention Meredith’s group is poking fun at them. Four people, my brother included, were tortured not too long ago because Emily confronted guards and got them in trouble.”
“I didn’t think things were getting that out of hand.”
“It’s getting worse. I just wish there was something we could do, you know?” She was fighting back a smirk. Tyler had a look on contemplation upon his features and Julia was pleased to see this conversation heading in the right direction.
After a moment of silence, Julia slammed her finished drink down on the counter with enthusiasm. “They have a protest coming up. Something they’ve been planning for awhile. Something about rallying at the fence, crowding the town center.”
“They think that will work?”
“Yeah, they do. To me, it just sounds chaotic. Even people in the rebellion group are against it. I don’t want my brother in the middle of that, and I’m sure you don’t want the same for Emily.” In her mind, she hoped the whole thing would erupt in flames and Emily would face the consequences. But she needed her brother removed from the plans first.
Tyler filled her glass, shaking his head.
“I don’t. Has anyone tried telling them it’s a bad idea?”
“Dozens of times. They don’t want to listen. You know how stubborn Em– they all can be.” Her dislike for Emily was showing for someone who was supposed to be “friends” with the girl.
“They’ll get tortured or... or worse,” he said, huffing out in frustration.
“That’s why they need to be stopped. I’ve been coming up with an idea on how to delay the whole thing, but I kind of need some help with it.” She was hinting at him, but she wasn’t entirely sure if Tyler’s confused look proved he’d be in agreement. She assumed if anything, his loyalties to Emily would get in the way. Using his nauseating friendship with the girl to persuade him otherwise was key.
“Are you asking me to help? I don’t know, Julia. This is the first I’m hearing of this, and I don’t like getting involved for a reason. And Emily’s my friend–”
“Exactly. She’s your friend who is completely blinded by this group she’s made. It’s a great accomplishment,” Julia said, practically forcing the unbelievable words out of her mouth, “but everyone could get hurt.”
Sounds of laugher and cheering filled the space between them, another drunken girl heading up toward the bar, but Julia blocked her off. “Bar’s closed, sorry,” she whispered quietly enough so that Tyler couldn’t hear. The girl was drunk enough that she nodded gleefully, retreating back in the direction of her friends.
“What exactly is this plan?” he asked, eyeing her curiously.
“A distraction. I can’t share the details here unless you want all of Purgatory knowing, but if you agree to help, it could definitely work. You in or what?”
It was easier than she thought it would be. It didn’t take Tyler much convincing for him to agree to completely dismantle the protest group, without his knowledge of course. She left the bar that night feeling satisfied, proud, and a little drunk. All she had left was to warn Oliver and watch the entire plan unfold. It was about time someone put Emily in her place. The girl just wouldn’t expect that it’s her best friend that would give her up.
