That Was The Beauty Of A Small Town, This Was Invaluable Advertising Because The Whole Town Had To Be

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"They are," Leyla assured, "I've sampled them all myself before putting them on the menu, so you can't go wrong." She was leaving nothing to chance, putting her whole being into making this concept work. There were a couple of bars in the area, so she had competition but no one was doing exactly what she was doing. They might have non-alcoholic options, though. That's why she had to work extra hard to make her place stand out as something special. "Great choice!" She replied, beaming, "I leave that menu then." As she began to make the drink herself, she decided she should probably strike up a conversation like any other bartender would do. What would Sam Malone do? "So what do you do?"

"They all sound kinda good," Che said, eyeing up the menu. He'd often spend time like this at bars with alcoholic beverages, but it was early and it was a work night and he was trying not to be the worst. "Go with the strawberry basil one, then." He smiled over at Leyla. "And then maybe something more smoothie-like afterwards for my second drink."

See, solved your problem. Kevin with the chili, Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration, Identity Theft!Jim, the possibilities are pretty endless. Oh, that's a tough one...Dwight, probably, or Stanley. Who's yours? You just get a bunch of friends to do it with you, all as various characters, and you'll win all the costume contests as a group. I mean, you could, but I think that's cannibalism, so your costume might have to be classified as horror.

I do love the Office. That’s always been one of my biggest comfort shows to watch when I need a fast pick-me-up. Who’s your favorite character in the show? I can’t be the only one going as someone from the Office, though. I’d be out of place. Ooh, that is quite the idea. Not sure how I’d dress like a strawberry banana smoothie. Can I be a banana drinking a strawberry/banana smoothie? 

Leyla knew there had been a concert about a month ago, but she hadn't gone. The idea of really being part of the town, opening herself up to people again, it sort of scared her. It was much easier to do it all in the context of work. Still, she had seen the posters and thought she remembered seeing his face in one somewhere. "Do you mind if we talk a little business then?" She asked, "because I want to put on some events in the bar, and I thought live music would be a great option. I know you're more of a...louder band, but do you ever perform any acoustic sets?"

"Thanks!" he offered up a warm smile as she began working on his drinks. At the question of being in a band, he confirmed with a nod. He wasn't entirely sure which band she was referring to, but he could probably safely assume she wasn't a devoted fan of any sort and just had heard around town. "I am, yeah."

Though Leyla did not have much of a sweet tooth, she was in the area to find the cat cafe and thought she might go for a small cup of something. Perking up as she heard the woman next to her murmur something about a bad day and cookie dough, Leyla offered her a supportive smile and a shrug to her question. "Will you judge me if I say vanilla?" She asked, knowing most people did have a true favorite ice cream. Cookie dough in ice cream, though, did sound like the makings of a sugar high for days, but she didn't tell the disappointed woman that. "I don't eat a lot of sweets. All of these flavors are actually making my head spin a little."

who: kennedy & open [ 2 / 5 ]

where: the creamery

Kennedy had a particularly stressful day, running around town doing errands for an upcoming wedding. She knew what she was getting herself into when taking the job, but she still found herself a bit overwhelmed from time to time. So she decided to treat herself to some ice cream, knowing she had a bit of a sweet tooth and deciding to indulge in it as some type of reward after the hectic day. Glancing at the flavors, she noticed they were out of her favorite flavor. "This day just keeps getting worse," she mumbled to herself and glanced over at the person also waiting in line. "What's your favorite flavor? They're out of cookie dough which should be constituted as a crime." she was joking of course. "But if you say mint chocolate chip, I will be judging you."

"Boss with a painful tendency to micromanage and not leave work back at the booth where it belongs," she joked, "all these beautiful pumpkins and I'm thinking about whether I need to grab more cinnamon sticks on my way back." Work was still her main--and sometimes only--priority, but she really was trying to enjoy Creek Fest fully. This guy had actually probably done her a favor by bumping into her. "Good," she said with a light laugh, "and yes, I am offering. What do you need such a big pumpkin for anyway? Or is it some 'go big or go home' thing?"

Vince picked up the phone and handed it to her with a smile. He was glad that they narrowly avoided making the situation more awkward. Chuckling softly, he nodded. “Boring work call, I presume?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Vince laughed softly again, dropping his head. “Thankfully the children won’t be scarred by me being a clumsy fool,” he smiled. “But I could use some help if you’re offering too,”

She liked talking to customers, despite the wall she put up to keep people from getting too close, she liked feeling like she maybe made someone's day a bit brighter. There was something quaint about the idea of a candy shop in a small town, reminded her of old-timey movies. "I'll trust you completely then," she teased. "Oh, of course, they'll be so happy to hear someone's dared to take the job." Laughing a little, she said, "so you'll have your angel wings and then run to the other shoulder and throw your horns on?"

She had grown liking working at Cassidy’s. She had taken the job because it was available when she came back to Merrock, and also because she needed money after spending several weeks across South America. But truth be told, she didn’t expect to enjoy it. Now it was making her happy. Tasting candy before anyone else was fun, and as busy as the shop could be, serving kids and teenagers was refreshing – they always had a lot of stories to tell, most of the time without even realizing that it was embarrassing for the adults being with them. “I’ll be your best guide,” she promised. “I’m so happy the last one retired. Tell them I say hello, and that I promise to do a good job.” She chuckled. “I can be both, though.”

Turning the page of her book, Leyla had made it back to her chair after being encouraged to participate in other things for a little while. She settled into the peace of the moment when it was suddenly interrupted by a shout, looking up in time to see a ball hurtling toward her. She managed to raise her book over her face in time to block the shot. "I've been called a lot of things, but never a goal," she quipped, "but I blocked it, so you better not count it as a point."

Event: Beach Bash When: afternoon of August 26th Who: Wes + @leyla-tehrani

Wesley was dribbling a soccer ball to keep himself entertained while keeping an eye on his daughter, who was out on the water boogie boarding with her friends. Kicking the ball up into the air, he accidentally kicked it a little too hard, sending the ball flying toward a nearby beach-goer. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath, immediately shouting in her direction, "look out!" He jogged over to retrieve the ball, apologizing upon reaching Leyla with a quick, "sorry about that."

Leyla knew she wasn't the only one who ever had bad life circumstances or a far from dream relationship with parents or family, so it was sort of an innate learning one had to do: find the good. It just wasn't always so innate. "Exactly, like riding a bike, I guess," she mused. As she suspected, he could go when he wanted. "Do you think you'd ever go back and live there or are you here to stay?" It was a question she asked herself a lot, especially with the idea of being known in such a small town. It made her want to run. "That's the dream, though, to have something that large that you can call your own. I used to watch Shark Tank all the time when I was younger, just wishing I could be in one of those seats someday."

Rafael's smile was lopsided, but sincere. He knew what she was talking about; if you could take one good thing out of a bad situation, it hadn't been for nothing. And sometimes even those bad situations had their reasoning for happening, whether or not you realized it at the time. But that was neither here nor there, and his thoughts shifted seamlessly to the idea of languages, nodding his head, "I can understand that, sort of all comes back to you." Listening to his mother talk to herself in Italian, or his father speaking Spanish on the phone, sometimes shifted things in his brain, as well. "Sometimes," he nodded. "But I'm lucky enough that I can take the trip when I like to, and there is the beach here, even if it's not quite the same," he grinned, at that thought. Different worlds, really. "By now, I'm used to it. But about the time that I got into real estate and realized that I had really, actually created something quite… large, it absolutely felt surreal."

There was a peace in a small town life, but Leyla wasn't sure that meant she had to be out in the crowd. It let people too close to her, and while it was important for her business that people like her, she wasn't sure she wanted people close enough to see her. She saved herself in the end, and she didn't need anyone trying to help anymore: she didn't need friends, she didn't need saviors, she didn't need anyone.

A book kept some away and others to nothing more than a brief exchange of pleasantries, so she kept it on her like a shield. Maybe that's why she immediately held it to her chest when she heard that voice. It sounded so casual--like the first she'd heard it--she thought she might hurl right here. "No, for you, I don't," she finally managed, feeling that old familiar rage she was sure she'd already worked through rise again like a phoenix from ashes. "You have no business in a small town, Vitus." Hasn't he broken enough people?

@leyla-tehrani Beach Bash: August 26, 2023

A life powered by caffeinated beverages and nightlife meant Vitus had no trouble staying up late into the evening, which was exactly what he'd done after setting up his tent last night. The downside, however, was that he often stirred around 11 or noon, and missed most of the morning's festivities. He popped out to discover the sun already blazed high overhead. It bathed the whole beach in dazzling yellow-white, the sand glowing like small embers beneath his feet. The water reflected the light, too, shimmering and sharp against his unadjusted eyes. The circumstances were enough to disorient him, leaving him standing there like a sleepy, stranded sailor.

Luckily, though, there was someone sitting only a few feet off from his tent, her nose buried in a book. "Hey, sorry to bug you, but do you have the time?" Yawning, Vitus rubbed his eyes free of sea salt and blinked, trying to clear his vision.