a closed starter for @hernovel ... bastian + emilie ! setting : black diamond brewers around dinner time
the pub had quieted down in the way it always did after the first rush. laughter fading into low murmurs, the sound of glasses clinking against wood, the occasional burst of a card game gone wrong. bastian was where he usually was, planted behind the counter with a rag in one hand and a drink in the other, neither job done with any real conviction. there was still that permanent scowl hanging over him, the kind that warned most people off trying to make conversation.
but ems had never really been most people. his dark eyes flicked up at the sound of footsteps, catching sight of the familiar figure, and for a moment something softer threatened the set of his jaw. not quite a smile, but not nothing either. " well, look what the cat dragged in, " he muttered, leaning an elbow on the counter. " you here for a drink or to make my night more complicated ? "