He almost always took the initiative to introduce himself first; receiving a less-than-kind answer always took him by surprise, though it most definitely wasn’t the first time. Upon hearing her reply, the corner of his upturned lips twitched ever-so-slightly - whether it was out of irritation or sudden admiration, he had no idea. Returning a similar expression the stranger’s way, Anzi turned away for a few moments, only to return with a frothing beer mug filled to the brim. “Here, miss.” Placing it in front of her, the grin on his face only widened as he bothered to add, “The first drink is always free, so long as I have an intro in return. Care to tell me about your day, then?”
Raising her eyebrows in response, Ayumi brought the drink closer to herself before taking a chug of it, the liquid pouring down her throat. As she brought the mug back down to the bar, she swirled around her beer before taking another drink, smacking her lips afterwards. “Well, that’s really nice of you, and I’m speaking sincerely here,” she told him, attempting to shoot him a smile in thanks. “I’m Ayumi, and please don’t think of some cheesy nickname to call me. As for my day, I don’t know if I want to drag you down with too many details, but I just couldn’t get myself together this morning when I was trying to scribble out some designs for my next brand launch. Then I went into my other job a few hours later, and two parents brought in their kids to the daycare knowing they didn’t feel well,” she said with a roll of her eyes before continuing with her small rant. “One poor kid was throwing up everywhere and the other one kept on complaining about a sore throat. The parents didn’t pick up our calls. Go figure.”
