Absinthe
Art Nouveau decor throughout the main lounge pays homage to an era when architecture and interior design were the perfect marriage of form, function and art. The walls are purples and pinks that blend into more subtle hues with the constant green lighting. Small tables with four tall chairs can be found scattered about the room. Large purple couches can be found nestled between the table sets, and in front of a smaller stage used for poetry readings.
The bar itself is long, taking up the entirety of a wall. Tall chairs are scattered on the patron side, and behind the bar is a beautiful greenish glow. The glow comes from the shelving where the majority of the alcohol is stored. The nearby glass racks reflect the glow splendidly as well.
Sitting on one of the couches, Aislin is swinging one leg slowly back and forth, the other tucked beneath her. A brightly coloured drink is in hand in front of her, the straw being slowly stirred as her green eyes drift curiously about the room. The redhead brings the straw to her lips and sips slowly, watching the people mill about.
Connor has only really been in the city for about six months now. He hasn't gotten around to seeing much of the nightlife and this is his big first venture out of his apartment (save for work) in about a week. Given his stuffy attire, Connor hardly seems to fit into the barhopping crowd. He reaches up to smooth back his hair before he walks past Aislin on the couch and over toward the bar, waiting to get the 'tender's attention. He doesn't bother to call out to the bartender like most would; instead the man waits patiently. Perhaps even a little too patiently to be noticed at all.
The bartender does catch notice of the quiet man eventually. 'Eventually' being the key word of that sentence. After a minute or two, he realizes that Connor hasn't yet been served. The bartender makes his way over, resting his hands lightly on the counter. "What can I get you?"
Aislin's eyes do follow Connor as he wanders past her, gaze studying him as she studies everyone. Eventually her attention moves on and her eyes slide back out across the room. Her legs shift and she leans back, crossing one leg over the other as she moistens her lips. Her head tilts from one side to the other, soon illiciting a *pop* noise followed by a wrinkled nose and a soft "Ow" from the redhead.
"TruBlood. Doesn't matter what type," comes Connor's quiet reply. He reaches into his pocket to pay for the drink before reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck too. The popping noise that comes from the other side of the room is heard and Connor's head tilts in Aislin's direction. He turns and smiles briefly at her before looking back to the bartender to wait for his drink. The strange popping noise makes Connor rub his ear for a moment. He can't even remember how long it's been since one of his bones popped like that.
A nod from the bartender and he turns to pull out a random bottle from the fridge, placing it in the microwave to warm it up for Connor. It takes a minute or so, of course, but soon the properly-warmed blood substitute is placed before Connor and the money is scooped up. "Let me know if you need anything else," he says with a nod, seeming friendly enough.
Meanwhile, Aislin has lifted one hand to rub at the back of her neck where the joint as released some tension with the audible snap. But at least her neck feels a bit better. The fruity drink is brought back to her lips and her green eyes shift about, inevitably focusing briefly on Connor as he looks in her direction again. A light smile comes to her lips as he looks to her, a polite bow of her head given in greeting.
Connor nods his thanks to the bartender politely enough. He doesn't seem to be a man of many words in the least and in fact tries to avoid going out of his way to say much of anything to anyone. He settles on a couch opposite Aislin, cracking open the bottle of TruBlood and taking a long few sips. He licks his lips free of any remnants of the drink. A long silence enfolds their general area before he glances in Aislin's direction.
"Kind of quiet in here tonight. I'd expected more of a crowd." It's not really the best of icebreakers, but it's a start nonetheless.
Aislin's shoulders lift in a mild shrug and she squints slightly at Connor when he settles down in that couch opposite her. It's hard to miss the drink in his hand. He may even hear her heart skip a beat when she notices it. But whatever emotion it was, either panic or desire, a deep breath soon calms the woman's nerves. "Sometimes the city is quiet," she answers smoothly. "I'm not usually in here, really. My usual location of preference is the jazz club."
"I didn't even know there was a jazz club around here," Connor says, sounding vaguely impressed by this notion. He takes another long drink, deciding it would not be fitting at all for a gentleman to mention the detected skip in heartbeat. "This city seems less quiet than some I've been in, but I guess it's alright. I like the noise most of the time. It's not like I'm that easy to wake when I go to sleep anyway." He laughs at his own joke for the briefest of moments, taking another drink from the bottle. He's already about halfway through it.
"There is," Aislin affirms with a slight nod. "The music there is exceptionally good. It isn't like most of the loud nightclubs." She finishes her drink and sets the empty glass down, exhaling slowly, a warm breath. "No, I don't imagine you are terribly easy to wake. But I don't typically spend a great deal of time with vampires. I have one that is a friend, and another that makes me… uneasy." She doesn't immediately clarify, though her green eyes lift to focus on his. "So my knowledge is limited. Given the dangers of the sunlight, however, I would imagine you have some kind of evolution to protect yourself."
Connor quirks a brow, looking somewhat amused. "Evolution? We're not the X-Men, we're just vampires. If the sun touches us, we're pretty much done for. It's a little problematic if you're the kind of person that likes the sunlight, but…" He gives a vague shrug of his shoulders before finishing off of the rest of the bottle and leaning over to put it on a nearby table. "Sleeping in a very protected place is usually the only safe bet against the sunlight. And you know, that really begs the question: Do I make you uneasy?"
Aislin considers that for a moment, eyes lifting up towards the ceiling as she thinks about the question. "Not yet," she admits with a light shrug. "We're in a public place, and you haven't done anything to make me uneasy." Her fingers link together in front of her and she rests them in her lap, offering him a gentle smile. "Safe places are always where people wish to sleep, regardless of whether you're a vampire or a human, yes?"
"Well, that's good." Connor says before he takes a vibrating cell phone out of his pocket. The cell is sleek and it's obviously a new model — one of the more expensive ones. He pauses as he looks at the message on it before sighing. "You would be quite right on the matter of safe places to sleep. That's a good point. But I'm afraid this conversation like all good things must come to a end — a bit more abruptly than I'd have liked. There's a problem with the computers at work. It was nice chatting with someone who appreciates jazz too," Connor says as he stands up, replacing the cell phone in his pocket.
One hand rises to wave to Connor as he rises, fingers wiggling slowly. "I'd say that work is a pesky interruption, but I imagine that this is the hour where vampires -do- typically work," Aislin muses, lips quirking into a wry grin. "Good luck with your computer. I find them to be pesky things. Perhaps we will meet again. In public." Yes, she added that part in.
The lean man gives Aislin a rather odd look at the last improvisation. Nonetheless, there's work to be gone and so begrudgingly he goes out the door, due at work for some bug fixing.
