fourstrings | When the world is too dark

When the world is too dark

[ The Evergreen has a strong no-assholes policy. This is undermined somewhat by the fact that Nick basically runs it now, but it means he can use himself as a gauge. If anyone’s a bigger asshole than he is, they get kicked out.

Steve is the kind of asshole who should have been kicked out way earlier. That’s on Nick. He was over-cautious, cut the guy too much of a break, because running this bar is the only thing that has him making enough cash to keep up with his responsibilities. He’d worried that word would get around that The Evergreen wasn’t a friendly place anymore, and he’d ruin the reputation Al had carefully built up for it over the years, drive customers away. And it’s not just because Al’s basically promised him the place and it’s his future he’s gambling on, but respect for Al. He built Nick sure as he built up this bar, and the very least Nick can do in return is not tank it. And in fairness, Steve had started slow: the kind of coarse jokes that are mean instead of funny, taking sly digs at people. Way too much flirting with women beyond the point it became clear that they didn’t want to be flirted with, at least not by Steve. Nick finally found his balls the night he’d rounded the corner to check there was enough paper in the johns and seen Steve caging a girl in against the wall, face leaning in even though hers was twisted adamantly away. He’d grabbed the man by collar and belt with no regard for the fact that Steve had a good three inches and 20 pounds on him, marched him out the door, and told him not to come back, ever.

Which means that Steve is now going on the Wall of Shame, and he’d been such a dick about it Nick wants to make it a special occasion. There’s a little florist across the street that’s probably gonna close down any day now, judging by the amount of foot traffic they get, so before opening the next day Nick heads over to give them a little last bit of support. There’s a little bell that rings cutely as he pushes the door open, a blast of welcome cool, fragrant air, and… the most beautiful man he’s ever laid eyes on behind the counter. Blond hair in one of those trendy cuts that look goofy on most people that aren’t pop stars but somehow suits him just right, big eyes shaded with long lashes, a sweet little beauty mark.

Nick stops dead just inside the door, confident that if he takes one more step without preparation he’s gonna trip over his own feet. ]

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Oh?

[ Damn, that... is kinda cool, actually, and he pushes his sunglasses up on top of his head so he can get a better look. If it's meaningful, the colours and shit are gonna be a factor, right? ]

Are they all romantic stuff, or can you shade people with them? Like "hey, we're glad you're gone"?

[ see? vash knew right away that he liked this guy. ]

Depends on how awesome your florist is. Lucky for you... [ piling up the little collection of pink roses he's accumulated in wolfwood's lap, since it's not like he's using it! and then he's settling the rose plant back into her spot, beaming her a silent thanks for helping out.

now, hmmm... ah, there we go. white lilies! ] Roses say a bunch of stuff. You usually give red ones when you're trying to romance someone, but pink ones mean something totally different.

[ Whoa! He's a flower tray now?

Honestly, it makes him a little nervous. Vash obviously cares a great deal for his plants - even the way he cuts the blooms is gentle, which seems like an oxymoron, but his fingers are deft, the shears he's using angled carefully, resulting in a clean and tidy cut each time. Nick's hands are more accustomed to throwing a shaker around and cracking ice than cradling blooms, so he tries to just... not move, beyond tracing the petal of one of the roses with a careful, hesitant finger and then deciding he's better off just letting the master work. ]

And? What do pink roses mean?

[ If red is for when you're trying to romance someone, and pink is like red but paler... maybe they're like "meh"? ]

Secret! [ with a wink. ] For now.

[ if he gives half the joke away now, it'll only be half as good later. lilies are always a little stingier than roses when it comes to giving up the goods, but that's okay! you don't wanna throw too many on a wreath and make a guy's bar smell like a funeral home.

settling those into wolfwood's lap with the rest, and... hmm. poppies also work for this, right? more white, to balance out the pink.

then he's grabbing one of the wire frames to make a wreath, using his feet to scoot himself around so he's facing wolfwood. feet on either side of his knees, using his own thighs as a work space. fingers flying as he starts to weave the flowers, never breaking the flow of chatter. ] But! No matter what you're trying to say to someone, it's still nice, right? Like, usually funerals are gloomy, but I think it's harder to be sad when you're looking at flowers. Especially when you know they're telling you someone cares about you.

Edited 2023-02-28 19:25 (UTC)

Tease.

[ He flashes a smile as cheeky as he dares before he goes back to watching Vash work; it wouldn't do to get kicked out! He might... need more flowers, one day. For the bar.

But Vash keeps talking, and Nick nods. ]

Mm. I used to really like doing funerals for old people. Folk who'd lived out a good, long life. Seeing all their friends and family gathered to cry it out and trade stories and share their good memories, and they'd all leave feeling lighter at the end. I always thought funerals were for the living more than for the dead.

[ He smiles. Another reason it was a good thing he got out. ]

[ his smile quirks up a little at one corner, but vash can also feel the way the heat rushes up into his face. agh!! no, don't even think about sexually harassing a customer!

nice of wolfwood to give him something else to latch onto. vash blinks, looks up from what he's doing. ] ... you do funerals? [ brow scrunch. ] As... a bartender?

[ vash... doesn't know much about bartenders. is that part of the job description? ]

Oh! No. It's such a joke around the bar I forget not everyone knows. I trained as a priest.

[ and now he's wondering whether he should have held off a little more. Tried to feel out how Vash might take the news before he said anything... but that'd be lying, basically. ]

Didn't work out, obviously.

Whoooaaa, really? [ vash doesn’t know much about priests, either. but it’s hard to imagine this guy behind a pulpit? ] That’s…

… cool! [ as sincere as he is enthusiastic. ] It kinda makes you sound like you’ve got… [ dropping his voice a little, just for effect. ] A mysterious past.

[ the priest-turned-outlaw rolls into town, the cross around his neck glinting in the light of the setting sun. forced to turn from a life of peace, carrying out the lord’s will with a gun instead of a sermon. cue theme music. ]

[ He can't help laughing, and the sound is just a quiet little huff, but it crinkles his eyes. It's... interesting, too. It's the second time Vash has said something that a certain tone to it - saying he's got the fastest fingers in the west, getting enthusiastic about Nick having a mysterious past. It seems a little at odds with selling flowers and the tender way he deals with his plants (which... seems an ass-backwards way to go about it, honestly, don't most people buy in from markets?). Everyone's got layers to them, but it's usually a matter of seeing one at a time. And here Vash is, multifaceted right off the bat. Intriguing. ]

I'm pretty sure that's the first time anyone's ever said it was cool. But I'll take it.

[ it's the kind of laugh that makes vash want to hear more. just a little thing, but it warms up those eyes -- vash wonders what it would take to make him laugh right from the belly, wonders what it would sound like if he did.

he'd really, really like to hear it. ]

Maybe people just keep it to themselves.

[ because, y'know, most of the world has a filter between their brain and their mouth. vash can't relate. ] How does a priest end up working at a bar, though?

Hm.

[ It's... kind of a long story, and full of the sorts of things that make people go "oh, I'm so sorry!" which always makes Nick feel awkward for not actually being that bothered about it. He hedges his bets a little. ]

It's more like I was always meant to be a bartender, and had a brief stint as a priest. It's just how I was raised. Lots of religion growing up, so when I was encouraged to go to seminary it seemed reasonable. Can't remember exactly when I realized that most people in the church believed in God in a way that I didn't, but once I did it didn't feel right to keep it up.

I still hear plenty of confessions. Now I just give 'em a drink and some advice rather than Hail Marys.

[ vash makes a hmm of his own. ]

That's kinda nice, though. In the end, you wound up right where you're supposed to be!

[ the glove he wears is cut-proof (nai had insisted, after one very unfortunate incident with a box cutter and an ER trip), but unfortunately? he kept having to tug them off whenever he needed to use his cell phone, so vash has completely defeated the point by cutting off two of the fingers.

pays for it, too! like now, when one of the roses he's trying to weave pricks him with a thorn. there's a little hss of pain, a shake of his hand, and then he's popping the finger in his mouth to suck away the little bead of blood.

doesn't stop him from talking with his mouth full. ] And running a bar seems like way more fun than doing priest stuff.

[ ehehe. ] No offense to priests, or anything.

[ There's a brief spike of concern when Vash pricks his finger that furrows Nick's brows, but if Vash doesn't seem bothered by it it'd be werid to make a fuss, right? He decides not to. ]

Never got to throw a guy out and then get sarcastic about it with a wreath when I was in the church, that's for sure.

[ Or meet cute florists in a context that meant it was probably okay to flirt with them a little. Although maybe a little of the caretaker urge lingers - he looks at Vash, sucking on his fingertip, and holds out his hand. ]

Let me see that.

[ he blinks! it's just a little prick, really, nothing to worry about!

... but, instead of saying that? vash is handing his hand over obediently. it's almost kneejerk; something about the guy's voice has the same big-brother no-argument tone that vash has had his whole life to get used to. ]

What d'you think? [ tone grave. very serious! ] Am I gonna make it, or should I ask for last rites?

[ Oh, so he's a wiseass aspiring cowboy florist. The facets just keep on coming! Well, two can play that game. Nick holds that hand in his and looks over it with the best sombre face he can manage (and it really is just a tiny thing, there isn't even any blood after its trip into Vash's mouth), and makes the sign of the cross over it. ]

Lord, heal thy servant, that he may continue his good works.

[ He squints performatively at the finger. ]

Well, they must have forgotten to take my mojo when they took my collar, 'cause I can't see a damn thing.

[ And he hazards a wink, hoping it looks cool and in-jokey - or maybe just a little flirty - rather than sleazy. ]

[ okay, vash wasn't expecting the guy to actually give his finger the twisted christian science treatment. he blinks, eyes wide and mouth open a little in surprise --

but then, that. and vash laughs, rocking back a little where he's sitting. ]

Scratch what I said earlier. The priest thing is obviously your higher calling.

[ it's really unfair when super attractive priests-turned-bartenders rock up into your shop and start winking at you and calling you a tease. but vash!! can totally play it cool!!

besides, the wreath is almost done. just needs more green to balance out the color, so he's rummaging for that -- broad, shiny leaves woven in to form a base, smaller clusters of greenery helping break up all the pink and white. ]

[ Oh, wow. Vash laughs, and it lights up his whole face. Maybe the real miracle here is that he turns back to the wreath to add the finishing touches, so Nick is spared the indignity of being witnessed gaping at him. He lets his gaze linger a second now that it's safe before he redirects his attention to the wreath. ]

I'm starting to think this is too pretty for what I plan to do with it. You're good at what you do, huh? You'll have to give me a couple cards to pin up with it.

[ and... what the hell. They're neigbours! Well, work neighbours, at least; just the clothes Vash is wearing tell him it's pretty unlikely they live in the same area. Still, it works. Community feeling between local businesses, it's not an offer that could only be seen as sleazy. ]

You should come by the bar after you get off. You can see it in action, and I can fix you a drink.

Yeah?

[ he beams, lighting up at the praise. ] Glad you like it!

[ aaaand, finishing touch! which means he can pass it over to wolfwood, propping his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. ] White lilies symbolize a return to innocence after death, since hopefully your bar is better off without that guy around. Poppies are meant to represent a restful sleep once you pass, so hopefully he stays gone. And pink roses mean you're grateful to the deceased, since now you've got one less pain in your ass.

[ and! listen, vash knows the guy is just being nice, since they're neighbors and all! he's just asking him to drop by during work, not actually asking vash out for drinks. but, urgh, it still makes his heart do a weird little stuttering thing inside his chest.

which is mostly to blame for the next stupid thing that comes out of his mouth: ] Promise me your best drink on the house, and you can have that one as a freebie.

[ Nick gapes for a second -

and then cracks up. ]

Damn, Blondie, that's brutal. It's perfect. You're on.

[ But there's no way even their most top-shelf offering is equal in value to an arrangement this good, so Vash is definitely going to find himself fed and kept in free drinks. Nick's just... not going to tell him that just yet, because he seems like the type to demur.

It's almost sad that he doesn't have a reason to hang around anymore. And he should go get everything ready for when they open, especially now he has a new display to put up. He stands slowly, trying not to exude reluctance as he does, and reaches across the counter to help himself to a couple of business cards. No way he's putting this up without giving due credit. ]

I gotta go ruin your beautiful work by putting a picture of a real asshole in it, now. I'll see you tonight, yeah?

[ there it is. a real, deep laugh, and it's even better than vash was expecting. he just sits there glowing in it, puppy-dog pleased that he's pulled this off with his own handiwork.

ah, but wait! he rolls back up to his feet with a little hup! of effort, reaching out to snag the hand that wolfwood is using to hold a few business cards. grabbing a pen with the other, uncapping it with his teeth. ] 'ang on. Lemme --

[ bending over it for a second, scribbling! and once he pulls away, there's his name, cell phone number, and a little doodle of a spiky-haired guy doing double finger guns and a wink. and, no!!! he isn't blushing, not at all! the only reason his face is a little flushed is because it's, uh, suddenly kinda warm in the shop! ] There.

[ letting go of wolfwood's hand again. ] Just in case you ever need to make another order. Or figure out the best flower for insulting your enemies!

[ Don't business cards usually already have a phone number on th-

oh. Ohhh. He flips the card back and forth, comparing. The numbers are different. So Vash just gave Nick his personal number?

... maybe he should run home real quick, change into a better outfit for work tonight. Still, he smiles, raises the card Vash embellished as if in salute, and tucks it into the poket of his jacket. ]

An artist too, huh? I'm hanging on to this one.

See you around, Quickdraw Vash.

[ He exits the shop with the wreath in hand and a saunter in his step, and yes, he is absolutely back in the Evergreen by the time he realizes the appropriate thing to do would have been to give his details in return. So he fills what he thinks seems a not-too-eager amount of time with fixing the wreath to the wall with Steve's picture inside it and a printed off little banner that says Gone and Soon Forgotten underneath it, with an additional and much classier-looking note that says Arrangement by Vash at Seeds with the all but one of the cards pinned to it. Then there's regular opening stuff as the staff start to arrive, and then - and only then - does he give in to the urge to use the number bestowed upon him, firing off a text. ]

Hey, got any allergies? You vegetarian or anything?

[ Okay, two texts. ]

This is Nick

[ wooow. a guy so cool he even makes vash sound cooler! is it too late to try getting everyone in his life to call him quickdraw vash? he's gotta figure out, like... a nickname psy op.

but! if he was bored before, he's jittery now. tonight already works out -- nai texted him before lunch to say he'd be tied up with something and wouldn't be home until late. and he does make a valiant effort at telling legato not to bring the car, that he can make his own way home, but the guy starts sniping at him about taking pride in his job, following nai's orders to the letter. whatever!!! let him sit in the street like a dumbass, vash doesn't care!!!

it'd be kinda nice if he could duck home and change, though. now that he's looking, he's noticed a little blotch on his jeans where he's managed to spill plant food mix and discolor the denim, and his sweater has soil smudged on it. (he tries to brush it out, and only succeeds in smearing it.)

but! phone buzzing! ]

hi nick!!!!!!!!! 😎
nope ur in the clear
im not picky 🍴
and its sterotyping to assume the guy who runs a plant shop is vegetarian lol

[ Jesus fucking Christ, he even texts cutely. Nick smiles at his phone until Lena - the cook - asks what's got him so moony-eyed and pretends she's going to try and snatch it off him, resulting in a familiar and affectionate back-and-forth in which he tells her she's fired and she reminds him they'll never know which of the dips is poisoned without her. ]

Are you kidding? Those plants are your babies. I half expected you to tell me you eat meat only.

u know me so well
vash the carnivore 🍖 thats what they call me
a legend in every butcher shop in the city

[ and it's... close enough to closing that it's not weird if he goes ahead and does it, right? it's not like he's hurrying across the street to see mr. bartender priest again sooner or anything! vash just believes in, uh, the principles of a healthy work-life balance. ]

[ That's a joke, right? It's probably a joke. But maybe it's not? He yells to ask Lena if they have any fancy steak and she just comes out of the kitchen to give him a very flat look before heading back in without a word. So that's a no on fancy steak and he's got to think of a clever response, so he's standing behind the bar regretting making the whole place non-smoking just to be ~inclusive~ when he catches someone coming through the door out of the corner of his eye.

He looks up.

Tall, legs for days, the sunlight from the street lighting up a mess of blond hair like a halo. ]

Hey, Vash. You made it.

[ There is a wolf whistle from the kitchen. Nick turns so he can flip the kitchen off behind his back. ]

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