Escape the daily grind with me (Mirath & darkleather)

[Mirath]

It’s only 7pm… Gotta be kiddin’ me…

Danny sighed as he heard the usual sputtering of the tap that supplied the house special as he went to pour a test pint after he’d just fixed the thing. Even though it was a favourite of their usual customers, the owner simply didn’t have enough money to spend on complete repairs, so the staff often fought with the old machinery to get it to play nice - a bit of coaxing here, a bit of swearing there, and it usually decided to work. If not, well, there was a reason why they had the local repairman’s number under the bar.

The blonde barman cast a quick look around the bar, making sure that nothing untoward was happening, or about to happen, as he was the only one behind the bar at that particular moment. It wasn’t particularly busy, especially for a Saturday night, but trade would pick up in about an hour or so.

People wanted more modern bars, more modern drinks… Bah. Danny was perfectly happy working where he was.

“C’mon… please?…” He muttered to the tap in a want for it to work, begging whatever deity watched over these kind of things.

[Darkleather]

Steve sighed as he walked along the sidewalk, his feet clumping as his engineer boots truck against the pavement.  A heavy session in the gym hadn't done anything to alleviate the frustration of his day at work.  He ran his hands through his short, smart ginger hair as he wondered why he'd ever thought this job would be any different.  He stopped at a crosswalk and looked up.  Any casual observer wouldn't have thought he was worried - 6ft2", heavily built, green eyes hidden behind aviator glasses, his tight black jeans did little to hide his muscles and his leather jacket hang open displaying the t-shirt covering his impressive chest and tight stomach. 

As the light went green and he walked across, he hefted his sports bag over his right shoulder and looked around.  His eye was caught by the window of the bar.  Yes.  A beer would go down well.

He strode into the coolness of the bar and hitched out a stool.  Sitting down with a sigh, he put his bag on the floor and, peering over his shades, said "hey, barkeep.  What's on tap today?"

[Mirath]

Lifting his head at the question, Danny brushed his hair out of his blue eyes from where it had flopped over as he’d been busy bargaining with the brewing gods. Once everything seemed to be working and he’d made yet another test pint (to set aside for later, it was still somewhat drinkable), the bartender just acted as if nothing had happened as he straightened up properly to face the newcomer, the well-built man, and had to tilt his head up just that bit to look him in the eye.

“House special. Dark ale, hint of toffee. Comes highly recommended.” Danny shrugged casually as he rest one hand on the long wood handle of the tap that had been giving him so much grief. He grinned “If I do say so myself.”

But Danny’s curiosity got the better of him - in such a trade you certainly had regulars over the years - and he couldn’t help himself.

“Not seen ya in here before.” He commented, unable to place the man before him. “Ya local?”

It was a question that Danny was now used to asking, and hearing - for even now, years one, he’d never lost his English accent, although it had become less thick over the time he’d spent working in this old-world bar.

[Darkleather]

"More local than you, I reckon."  Steve grinned and took his glasses off.

"The house special sounds good."

He looked round the bar and then watched the barman pull the pint.

"I've not long moved into this area.  I used to live in a small town about 100 miles from here."  Steve sighed softly as he remembered how excited he'd been to get out of his home town and away from his family.  His phone softy chirped and he checked his messages to find one of his co-workers had sent him a meme.  Pressing delete, he turned his attention back to the bar

[Mirath]

“What gave it away?” The barman joked as he finished pulling the pint and set it down on the dark wood between them. He took a step back to be that bit closer to the cash register and card reader, nodding at the patron’s words.

“And yeah? Always been a city boy. Always been a barman too.” Danny laughed and shook his head, soon reverting back to the ‘standard’ lines as he too cast a quick glance about the bar. All good so far - and yet quiet meant he could indeed spend a bit more time talking - always a bonus. “Cash or card?”

Maybe this shift would go smoother than last night - Danny certainly didn’t fancy wearing a thrown glass of beer again.

But he had noticed the bag down by the new man’s feet, the sigh as a pair of green eyes had glanced at their phone, and decided to pick up on it. Besides, wasn’t that usually the reason people of all kinds came in here? Have a drink and unwind from the day?

“Rough day at work, hm?”

[Darkleather]

"Oh, well, it was the hairstyle - that's not very normal for around here."

Steve handed over his card.

"yeah, you could say that."  He paused.  Did he really want to talk about it to this stranger?  Steve hesitated, then nodded to himself - some of it, anyway.

"You know how it is.  New job, new people.  Just finding it tricky to find my place."  He paused.  "Finding it harder than I thought I would."

[Mirath]

Nodding to himself as he took the card without much thought, motions on autopilot, Danny typed in the meagre amount before getting a resounding successful beep from the machine. That was always a good start - and he had to laugh about it some days.

“Here ya go... Steven, right?” He stated as he handed the guy his card back using his left hand, having had a real fast look at the name on the card as he’d lifted it back. But he held out the card nonetheless, and tilted his head in some sympathy.

“Be fine. Tough guys like ya always are.” The bartender assumed with a small laugh, trying to make the patron feel that little bit better. “Big city, ain’t it? Too big, but gotta go where the money is. Beats back home too.” He shrugged - God knew there wasn’t money in this business, but it was sure slower-paced at times.

[Darkleather]

"Steve."  He took the card back and then leant forward to shake the barmans hand.

"good to meet you."

He chuckled along with the barman.  "You got that right.  Big city, big opportunity.  More people, more to do, more to see... you know how it is.  My little town, everyone knew everyone else, and everyone was in your business.  Here... here, it's the opposite.  No-one knows anyone."

[Mirath]

“Danny. Good t’ meet ya too.” He quickly introduced himself as Steve shook his hand. The man’s palm felt somewhat smoother than his own, like Steve had never done a hard day’s work in his life, but of course that could have just been his imagination.

“And ya right, no-one knows anyone here. Why I like doin what I do - ya get t’ know people after a while. Got some stories too.” Yet Danny soon nodded towards the pint he’d pulled earlier. “Go on, before it goes warm.” The barman soon trailed off and shrugged with a flash of a smile.

The last time a customer’s beer had gone warm, well, the poor barman had ended up wearing it. Nothing he wasn’t unfamiliar with, but it sure wasn’t fun.

[Darkleather]

Steve took a sip of the beer and nodded.  He put the pint down and wiped the thin trail of foam that had been caught on his upper lip.

"Not bad, not bad at all, Danny."

He looked around the largely empty bar.

"Stories, eh?  I guess this place must get busier then."  He grinned at Danny and took another sip of his beer.  The chime of his phone indicated the arrival of another annoying gif from his work colleague.  He had joined a Whatsapp group at work as he felt he should do, but it wasn't helping him acclimatise and he was getting tired of their in-jokes and, in this case, boring cat memes.

"So what do people do for fun around here?"  Steve had thought that in the middle of a bustling city, there would be all sorts of things going on.  He was yet to find it and he was finding the size of the city overwhelming.

[Mirath]

Danny had to sigh and shrug at the comment about the bar not being too busy at the moment.

“It happens. It does get busier in the next few hours, our peak is around 9pm til midnight, sometimes 2am on a good night. We did use to have a quiz night goin every Friday, but we just didn’t have enough turnout to make it worthwhile. Really had some stories from that.”

Danny rest his hands on the bar, checked over his shoulder for his manager lurking, and looked at Steve before his voice lowered.

“People want modern. Don’t need me t’ tell ya that, big city like this. No matter how many certificates I have in flair work, makin things look fancy, people just… want different.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t change this for the world. Dad was a pub owner, and his dad, so… yeah…” He rubbed the back of his neck and took a step back.

“Bet ya always busy?” He tried to make conversation, tried to figure out what Steve did.

[Darkleather]

Steve nodded along in between sips of beer.  He was (as usual) watching the rest of the bar in the mirror behind Danny. 

"I know what you mean.  I don't see what the problem is with a traditional bar.  Back home, there was this place.."  He trailed off.  "Hey, but you don't want to hear about that."

"Yeah, the job keeps me pretty busy.  You know what it's like, new job, although I'd done it back home, trying to get used to a new place.  Can end up dead tired by the end of a shift."

Steve looked up.  It was clear Danny wanted to know what he did.  "I'm a patrol cop.  Just started at the local precinct.  Done it for like three years and then started here.  And they treat me like a damn rookie."

Steve finished the pint off and looked up.  "Same again, Danny.  One for yourself too."

[Mirath]

“Lemme guess - got into a brawl or three? Been there.” Danny chuckled as he guessed about ‘the place back home’.

But his grin seemed to get wider as he listened to what Steve did. And he definitely took back Steve’s glass to stick it under the tap again, giving a small grumble as it *wanted* to play up, but he held firm until the pint glass was full once more.

“Oh yeah? Tell me, there a veteran cop called Frank still working there? Short blonde hair, loves hazing rookies? Seen him a few times, always looks like he’s in a bad mood.”

There was someone else Danny could have asked about, but that wasn’t his place. Not yet. He could just stand and observe.

“And thanks, I’ll save it for the end of my shift.” He explained as to why he wasn’t pouring himself one - working when tipsy was harder than it sounded.

[Darkleather]

Steve gave a small, short laugh.

"I been in a few good fights.  I was brought up in cowboy country where it was almost the law to get into a fight on a Saturday night.  Spent a lot of time wrestling people who do it for a living on the rodeo circuit.  Didn't always win, either."

Steve watched as the tap groaned and the flow of the beer sputtered, but the amber fluid slowly filled the glass.

"Frank?  Yeah he's still there.  He's my mentor.  Been riding my ass all day.  Good cop, but not exactly big on the soft skills."

Steve lifted the second glass and raised it to Danny.  "Cheers.  Good health to you."

[Mirath]

Danny had to laugh and shake his head in mild amusement as he learnt that Frank was his mentor.

“Ya poor sod, gettin stuck with Frank.” He sympathised - Frank never talked much whenever he came in, just sat down, ordered some vodka, and was left alone to his thoughts. He was a good cop - just very… rough around the edges, guarded.

But he saw how Steve had watched the struggling tap, and offered an apologetic smile.

“S’ a bit temperamental. It still tastes good, the equipment is just old. Think it’s the pressure or somethin, but I ain’t an expert. Costs too much money t’ fix.”

The barman nodded happily as Steve raised his glass in cheers. “And the same t’ ya.”

[Darkleather]

"Yeah, he's a bit difficult to deal with.  Got some real old fashioned ideas and I get the feeling he's a bit stuck in his ways."  Steve sighed.  "Franks just counting the days till retirement."

He nodded as Danny gave him an explanation about the tap.  As he listened, he stripped off his leather jacket and draped it over another stool. 

As he turned around to look at the room again, the back of his T-shirt showed a name and a logo - "Saddle Up, Wichita Falls"

"Damn.  wish I could help, but I don't know much about plumbing."

Steve took another sip of the beer.  "That tastes pretty good to me.  Don't suppose you serve any food, do ya?"

[Mirath]

“Ain’t we all…” Danny mused quietly at the mention of counting down the days.

But he nodded at Steve’s question of food, turning away briefly to grab one of the paper menus that they used for the late-night meals. They were never anything fancy or too extravagant - even Danny was more than happy with a cheeseburger or some bacon fries - but it was what people always seemed to ask for, the simple stuff. And they were more than happy to provide.

Tucking his hair back behind his ears as he handed over the menu, then brushing the blonde strands back forward again, he let Steve browse and drink for a bit before asking his next question.

“So, whaddya do outside of work? If ya wanna get outta the city I know a few nature reserves up north. Great views, nice accommodation too.”

[Darkleather]

Steve had a glance down the menu.  He was in the mood for a chilli, but settled for something less challenging - cheeseburger and fries.

"Outside work?  Not much really.  Not since I moved here anyway.  Found myself a decent gym close to my apartment.  nature reserves?  Damn would be good to see some countryside again.  Used to do a ton of camping and hiking back home."

[Mirath]

Blue gaze flicking from Steve to the door as it opened, Danny silently tracked the couple that had walked in as he finished his small talk with the nice man.

“If I had a map, I’d show ya. Uh… what was it… Baker’s Creek, bout two hour’s drive North.” Danny explained as he tried to remember off the top of his head. “There’s little internet signal so it is perfect…” Yeah, that suited Danny just fine - he wasn’t the best when it came to technology, but that was okay because he had never needed top-tier skills in a place like this. He’d survive.

“Just gonna serve these guys then I’ll be back. Get ya another if ya really want.” Danny laughed softly as he went to go and serve the young couple, having to grab two bottles of the paler ales they kept stocked and handed them over with the same cheery facade as always.

[Darkleather]

"Sure.  Why not?" Steve hadn't planned on having more than one or two, but he was feeling relaxed for the first time since he came to the city.  He watched as Danny served the newcomers and stretched his arms out when he felt a twinge in his forearm.  He could feel the post-workout burn settling in and all those little gripes and grumbles that his muscles came up with were starting to kick in.  He'd usually have been able to stretched properly, but he just rolled his shoulders and almost unconsciously flexed his muscles to try to relax them a bit.

The third one would definitely be the last one, he decided.  He thought about going back to his somewhat dingy apartment.  It had been on a list of places supplies by his precinct when he joined.  There were several people from his work in the same block, so it was relatively safe and familiar but it did mean that he kept seeing them.  And sometimes he wanted to be a bit more ... private.  The place itself wasn't bad - just plain and clearly not intended for long-term residence.  Once he'd got himself settled, he'd start to look for somewhere more suitable - somewhere with a bit of room so he could get his weights set up properly.

He thought about what Danny had said about interests outside work.  Steve had never exactly been a great thinker and he'd never gone in for hobbies.  Sure, he played sports while at school - he'd done pretty well at football and wrestling but he'd never been as intense about it as some people.  He'd got involved with the rodeos, of course, but again not as much as some of the other guys.  Maybe it was time he started to think about something like that.

[Mirath]

Danny had to smile at him as he took Steve’s empty glass back to fill it once more, soon hanging his head in a very loud grumble of complaint as the tap sputtered and died halfway through.

“Oh my god…” The barman shook his head, checking the quality of the half-pint he’d pulled. It looked okay.

He set it on the counter between them and wiped his hands of the spray of foam, and his apron had caught the rest.

“New plan.” He tried to laugh and shrugged. “Either you can have half a pint, or you can wait five minutes for me to try and fix this. That… no guarantee though.”

[Darkleather]

Steve laughed.

"I'm not the only one having a bad day.  Look - rather than you wasting your time ... and it looks like you might need to use some time to clean up ... why don't you just get me a bottle of beer instead?"

Danny was clearly having a bit of a bad day.  Although they'd only just met, Steve was enjoying the chat and honestly felt that this was the first non-work chat he'd had since he came to the city. 

"Why..."  Before he could frame the question, his phone rang.  The opening chords of "Just Getting Started" rang out and Steve grabbed the phone and answered it.

His voice dropped as he quietly chatted to the person at the other end, and after a couple of minutes he hung up.

"How's that beer coming along, Danny?"

[Mirath]

At Steve’s question of a bottle of beer, that was doable. It would be a hell of a lot easier too. Fixing the tap meant going gentle, in some cases going all the way into the cellar to check the connection between barrel and pipe. Sometimes it was a two-man job.

Danny grabbed a rag and wiped his hands and the faulty tap down to start a bit of cleanup. He’d try and fix it later, or maybe after Steve left, if he decided to not stay for any longer.

But as Steven answered his phone and his voice lowered, Danny decided to leave him to his conversation as he went to go and fetch a bottle of beer, a more popular brand, and tapped the rim of the half-full pint glass in a silent question of ‘still want this?’

“Were ya goin t’ ask me somethin?” Danny asked as Steven hung up - since he had picked up on the start of a question.

[Darkleather]

"Huh?  Sure. Yeah, sure."

Steve was a little disconnected.  He hadn't expected that phone call and it had stirred up some old emotions.

"I was? umm.  Oh yeah - why are you over here?  It's a bit of a long way from home."

Steve picked up the half pint and sipped at it

[Mirath]

Ah, that question.

The barman had tilted his head a bit as he noticed that Steve seemed a bit less happy since that call, but maybe it was for the best if he didn’t ask about that. The guy hadn’t completely shut down, so that was a start.

“Well… Startin t’ wonder that myself.” Danny admitted. “Just wanted t’ do somethin new, I guess. Same old city I grew up in, same old bar I grew up in… Ya get the idea. Kinda do miss home though. No offence but everyone here is very… Hm… rushed. S’all ’do this n that’, y’know?” The bartender soon poured himself a glass of water and added a few ice cubes from the box under the bar, enjoying the drink before he went back to talking.

“Back home, I could take a week or two off, pack my camera n go hikin somewhere nice - no-one minded. Here? They’re way too focused on work…”

He sighed and studied Steve some more.
“Guess it’s the same for ya, hm? Law enforcement n all that.”