casey deidrick, cis man, he/him, 31 // i think xavier matthews just walked by, a casey deidrick lookalike. theyβve been here in rocky view for about five years, and seem to hang around paws ands claws animal rescue a lot. iβve also seen them working at flowerβs grille and pub as a bartender. when asked to describe themselves theyβre likely to say mediocre taylor swift covers he tries to pass off as original songs, well-rolled blunts, unironically saying yβall.
tw for alcohol, drugs, overdoseΒ
SORTA BUT NOT REALLY FUN FACTS.
xavier grew up in what he thought was a stable home in houston, texas. that was until shortly after his fourteenth birthday his mother addie came out as a lesbian in her forties which effectively ended her marriage to his father, darren. his fatherβs departure from the home and his parents subsequent divorce weighed heavily on him, and kickstarted a five year long spiral that culminated in a cocaine overdose at the age of 19.
what followed was his first rehab stint, and a six month period of consecutive sobriety which ended in a weekend in LA that he still canβt recall the full details of.
most of his 20β²s was spent falling on and off the wagon, but heβs been sober since his 30th birthday and is determined to make it stick this time.
regular attendee of AA meetings, but isnβt the most forthcoming about that. or anything.
he started playing guitar after his father bought him one for his 10th birthday, and it remains the one consistent hobby he keeps that doesnβt double as a vice.
found himself in rockyview with the intention of staying for a month at most five years ago and has yet to actually pack it up and leave -- though he keeps saying heβs going to.
works at flowerβs grille and pub as a bartender and swears he can pour the most perfect guinness you can this far away from ireland. heβs never been to ireland, heβs just confident in his pouring skills.
out of boredom, he formed a band three years ago and will sometimes play local gigs. he thinks theyβre not bad, unless someone thinks theyβre bad then he thinks theyβre the greatest band ever.
heavy weed smoker. wonβt give you his plug but if youβre looking heβs happy to act like a middle man for green.
likes animals more than people half the time and regularly volunteers at the animal shelter, though he doesnβt always remember to show up.
PERSONALITY.
+ capable, independent, enthusiastic, skillful.
- loud, jealous, implusive, fickle.
BONUS ROUND.
openly bisexual.
speaks fluent spanish.
has an arrest record thatβs both long and ridiculous.
will tell you heβs wrestled an alligator. is it true? thatβs for you to decide. π
WANTED CONNECTIONS.
connections wise heβs pretty much an open book right now, but some baseline ideas that can be springboarded off are:
friendly.
best friend (1 space available) / Β childhood friends from houston / bandmates / friends / drunk friends / online friends/pen pals / former friend / new friends / roommate (2 spaces available) / co-workers (relative to how many spaces are available at the location) / former co-workers (pretty fluid and heβs definitely bounced around jobs so can be worked out for specific plot needs).
romantic.
flirtationship / friends with benefits / tinder matches / exes / the big bad heartbreak heβs still got a chip on his shoulder about (1 space available) / unrequited crush (can be either way) / experimented with their sexuality together.
antagonistic.
enemies / former (best) friends / fell for the same person & fell out of touch / frenemies / rivals / negative influence / former co-workers (could have caused him to quit or be fired from a former job, can be worked out in depth).
βYo, fuck, my bad Iβm late.β Itβs only six minutes so heβs not that hard on himself or overly apologetic. Six minutes of being tardy was more like showing up ten minutes early in Xavier time.Β
He drops his lanky frame down onto the sand beside her, stretching his legs out as his gaze drifts from the steady rolling waves coming in at the shore to his friend.Β
βI got some Acapulco Gold on me if you wanna get real buzzy with it.βΒ
ββ¦.how do you survive?β The question slips out before she can stop it. Maybe she was getting too addictedβ¦nah, no such thing.Β
βI feel it. Thatβs why a jar stays in my locker. Because you never know when itβll come in handy.β Almost as if a second thought, she grabbed a jar for herself. She was running low and it may save her.Β βER tech butβ¦I do the dirty work no one wants to do. Better than EMT duty Iβll give it that muchβΒ
βI donβt,β He jokes, though most of the time he was walking around in a haze. Be it weed-induced or disinterest driven, he couldnβt say.Β
βAh, see. Weβre normalizing instant coffee being tolerable one jar at a time. Go us.β He grins, nodding to the jar she had just taken. If coffee brand camraderie was a thing, he was experiencing it at that very moment.Β
βOh shit, thatβs pretty dope. Yeah, you deserve a coffee maker.βΒ
for: anyone! @rockyviewarchiveβ
location: outside of downtown market and grocery
Β Β elijah sat in a heated tent with one of the shelters newest furry companions hanging out in his lap, and oreo, the shelterβs unofficial cat mascot, was curled up on the table soundly asleep. he had been stationed out here for a little over four hours, with two more left to go, trying to bring some attention to paws and claws in hopes more of the animals there would be lucky to find a forever home. despite it being quite cozy underneath the tent, and neither animal that was there seemed like they were cold, elijah felt bad for being out here still. however, it wasnβt his fault as they insisted on them staying out there for the entire six hours. as someone approached the tent, whether they were going to walk by or actually come to take a peek at his brochures, he couldnβt help but call out to them, βhello, there! if you have some time, would you be interested in coming over to meet one of paws and claws newest arrival. if youβre interested in taking this little guy,β he motions for the puppy in his lap, βhome it can be arranged right here and right now. otherwise, if youβre tempted to pet the little guy, iβm sure heβd appreciate some human interaction that isnβt me. and pets are free with no obligation to adopt!β
βYo, whatβs up, El?β Xavier greets, unable to resist being drawn to the tent with the familiar logo and the promise of some cute furballs inside. He had intended to volunteer to help him out today but a series of unfortunate weed related events had led to him waking up too late to actually be of any use. Nothing new there.Β
βLemme get a snuggle off this bro,β He requests, gently scooping the puppy out of Elliotβs lap so he could cradle him gently against his chest while he gave his head a scratch.Β βYou had much luck with people adopting?βΒ
βyou didnβt think that new yearβs night.β the brunette reminded him though there had been parts of that night that sheβd wanted to forget. like the ruined kiss. still, heβd followed her across a dark rooftop and trusted that she wasnβt leading him over the ledge.Β
sheβd even offered to get him laid. frankly, she was as close to a saint as they came.Β
βoh come on. donβt knock it until you tried it. iβm sure itβs great.β she nudged him. at the mention of the love letters, she could only laugh. sheβd be good at writing back but she wasnβt going to out herself.Β βiβm in need of some light smutty reading before bed. pass those along after you digest each and every dirty detail she has in store for you.β
βNot like I had much of a choice. I couldnβt see my face from my hand in that darkness, plus I was all struck and shit. My chin was so impressed with how you smooched it.βΒ
It was funny when it happened, but it was even funnier to him now in the aftermath -- especially given every time he mentioned it she seemed to cringe.Β
βNaw, I should have known youβd be into that. Us well-adjusted folks donβt want to be the main character of elderly erotica.β Well-adjusted was a stretch, but he wasnβt about to call himself out on that fact.Β
βPurist? Nah.β Though at the rate she was going, Keegan probably could consider a second career track.Β βJustβ¦.very addicted, very tired of not having a coffee maker, and very tired of instant coffeeβ Her eyes trailed to the jar.Β βNo offense, it comes in handy in a rush and I used to keep a jar with me in my lockerβ¦the kind at the hospital just blows, Iβm not entirely sure itβs actually coffee.βΒ
βI donβt have a coffee-maker either,β He commiserates, though that didnβt weigh on him in the way it seemed to weigh on her. It would be nice though, he thought.Β
βYeah this shit does actually suck, so none taken. Itβs just fucking easy and thatβs the route Iβll always take.β Dropping the offending jar into the basket, he eyed her curiously.Β βYou a doctor or something?β He wonders aloud, making that assumption based on her mentioning hospital coffee.Β
βStrawberry,β Crash repeats, nodding as he commits Xavierβs order to memory.Β βI expected something more exciting from you. Like a chocolate fudge brownie milkshake or somethββ His words are cut short by the lime wedge hitting him square in the nose, prompting Crash to steeple his fingers over his nose. βMotherfucker!β He exclaimed more out of shock than anything else, pointing a warning finger at him.Β βCut that shit out!β He was already backing away from the bar, hip banging awkwardly against the edge of a table.Β
βOr what, Adams? Whatβcha gonna do?β Xavier goads, swept away in the mischief when they should be working. Thankfully, they didnβt have to open up the pub for another hour yet so that left a solid twenty that could be gotten away with for dumbassery.Β
( Which was a twenty-four seven state of being for them. )Β
He reaches beside his lime chopping station for the half lemons he hadnβt even started on, which were heavier than the wedges heβd been working with. Instead of throwing it at Crash, he tosses it to him and then arms himself with the other half of it. Itβs then that he abandons his side of the bar to step out to the main floor, putting them on the same playing turf as he lays down his just thought of rules.Β
βCome on motherfucker, you get me and Iβll clean all the glasses after shift. But if I get you, you gotta work my shift tomorrow for me.βΒ
βiβm very wise. look at me, iβve got one of those faces that you canβt help but trust.β andi fluttered her lashes at him and placed her chin in her palm. who was she kidding? he knew better.Β βstop it. youβll have a great time and youβll be thanking me. you know what she told me; the secret to her boys returning is thatβ¦ she has dentures. lucky you.βΒ
βYour face does not inspire trust,β Xavier informs her, taking the window to get a good look at it. Heβs said it before and it still stands -- itβs a good face, but mischief seemed to follow wherever she went and he got caught up in it far too easily.Β
( But damn if she didnβt know how to make him laugh. )Β
βOh my god, thatβs fucking gross. You are literally gross. Iβm going to start forwarding her weird love letters to you. Theyβre not even really letters. Theyβre like oddly threatening sexual promises.βΒ
βBet.β Was all he responded as he rose from behind the chair once he was certain that Xavier wouldnβt try and pelt him with another lime wedge. Maybe he was being too hasty wanting to add Xavierβs latest bar ghoul to the wall of shame, but heβd added people for less in the past.Β
One man had received a nomination from him for simply ordering extra gherkins with his cheese burger.
βIβll trade you a milkshake for a blunt.β Crash might as well get something out of this arrangement.Β βIβm not picking that shit up by the way.β He nudged the lime wedge with the tip of his boot, before stepping over it and drifting towards the bar.Β βWhatβs your milkshake order?β
With the chair no longer acting as a makeshift shield for Crash, Xavier deliberately cut another lime slice. This one was thicker than any he would use for a drink, making it the perfect makeshift missile for his co-worker.Β
βDeal. I want a strawberry one. Real frothy and shit. Large. On, and Crash?β He finishes listing off his demands and waits for him to get close enough to him so he can throw his mega-wedge, watching it bounce off his oddly perfect nose.Β
βPickΒ βem up or Iβm just gonna keep throwing.βΒ
βmaybe itβs code for something. you should go and ask the bartender.β she tilted her head towards the girl who would likely judge him for making a drink up.Β βcome on, β and let me watch.β
βIβm not taking any advice from you.β She could have been giving him the winning lottery numbers and he would have been too stubborn to take heed of them.Β βOr dares from you, for that matter. You made me cougar bait.βΒ
It was damn right psychotic. Unhinged. Deplorable. If Crash hadnβt been holding a chair in his hands, he might have shuddered. Instead, he set the chair on the ground, sliding it beneath the table. βI know itβs wall of shame worthy,β The wall of shame was less a wall and more of a notice board behind the bar, displaying pictures of their least favourite customers.
βWhaβ Hey!β Crash all but yelped, narrowly dodging Xavierβs attempt at flicking a segment of lime at him by ducking behind one of the chairs.Β βCease fire,β Crash demanded, peering over the back of the chair.Β βDo I look like a mind reader to you? How was I supposed to know you were going to be craving a milkshake!β
βYou think?β As far as infractions went, Xβs nominations were usually more so those who had been responsible for him having to use the dreaded mop and bucket reserved for the pukers. They were permanent shame stars in his books.Β
βDude. Iβm here and Iβm awake, of course Iβd be craving one.β He tilts his head like that was the most obvious assumption in the world. Given that Crash usually had to cover his many smoke breaks that preceded a case of the munchies he thought he would have put that together.Β
βDid you tell them we donβt serve psychopaths?β Crash sneered, lifting a brow and slurping at his peanut butter blast milkshake.Β βIβve heard of a hot whiskey,β He begins, leaving his milkshake at the bar and lifting each chair down individually from where they had been stacked on the nearest table top the night before,Β βBut a hot gin? Thatβs some Jeffrey Dahmer shit.β
βItβs just wrong, right?β Xavier made no mystery of his disdain at the grimace on his face, which was only partially due to the strange request the night before. It was also influenced by Crashβs behaviour there and then.Β
βYou know what else is wrong? The fact you didnβt get me a milkshake too. Thatβs whack.β To emphasise just how much, he flicked one of the segments of lime from the full one he had been cutting up behind the bar to prep for opening directly at him.Β
βNo, you heard that correct. Not a gin and tonic, a hot gin and tonic. I try not to judge peopleβs drink orders but, thatβs a fucking weird one, right?βΒ
