stay right here and save myself some trouble [open]

[couldusealaugh]

There's a young dark-haired woman surveying the outside of her bar - and, for the most part, she seems to be happy with what she's seeing right now. After the riot, she'd expected, at the very least, graffiti or other forms of vandalism to be decorating the outer shell of Luna. But the metal fence she pulls down at the end of every late night has

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[gotbottle]

Rachel's passed by Luna biking to and from work pretty much every day, but it's only this afternoon, after work, that she's decided to stop in. She finds a place to lock up her bike, and then she wanders inside.

The place looks reasonably safe, and it's nice. And while her anger over the riot and her concern for Adrian and Martin (and everyone else) has mostly gotten her out of her vaguely suicidal funk, she could stand to drown a sorrow or two for a little while.

So she takes a seat at the bar, balancing herself on a stool after she slides the strap of her messenger bag off her body and sets the bag on the floor.

[couldusealaugh]

Avery's finished her wine by this point, and her back is turned to the door as she rests her hands on her hips, surveying the shelves of liquor in front of her and trying to figure out which brands they're sorely lacking in at the moment.

She makes a mental note to disappear into the basement and bring out two more bottles of Jose and Jim when a sound behind her draws her attention away.

"Pick your poison," she says, without turning around.

[gotbottle]

Rachel scoots a bit closer, digging the balls of her sneakered feet into the footrest of the stool for balance, resting her arms, folded one atop the other, across the edge of the bar in front of her body.

"Whisky sour, please," she says politely, "with Jameson if you've got it."

[couldusealaugh]

"You got it."

A few moments later, Avery plunks down the drink in front of her, leaning against the backside of the bar, and pours herself another glass of wine.

[gotbottle]

"Thanks."

Rachel takes up the glass and takes in a healthy sip. She sets the glass down again on the polished wood and sits up a bit straighter.

"I've passed by here, like, every day going to work," she offers. "First time I've stopped in, though. It's nice. I guess business picks up later in the evening, though, huh?"

[couldusealaugh]

She takes a sip of wine, then sets it aside and starts working on polishing some glasses.

The tumblers are first, followed by the more delicate wineglasses, but she handles them expertly, and none of them break or slip from her grasp as she checks for smudges.

"Usually," she admits. "Some people do enjoy an afternoon drink here and there - why I keep the door open, at least."

[gotbottle]

Rachel nods, smiling faintly. "I'm glad you did," Rachel tells her, idly running a couple of fingertips along the side of her glass. "I'd have had to go all the way home for a drink otherwise. Not, like, that there's anything wrong with that or anything. It's just good to have some variety."

Her smile widens a bit, and she adds, "...I'm Rachel, by the way."

[couldusealaugh]

"Pleased to serve you with variety, then," Avery answers, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly in the beginnings of a smile, even though it doesn't entirely appear.

"I'm Avery."

[gotbottle]

Rachel chuckles softly, though the amusement doesn't quite reach her eyes. They remain a bit distant as she raises her glass to her lips once more.

"Hi, Avery. Nice to meet you. So, is this your place?" She makes a vague gesture that encapsulates their surroundings. "I noticed you said, 'I keep the door open'."

[couldusealaugh]

"As of last year," Avery explains. "I took over after my boss decided to retire."

What she fails to mention is that she was pretty much running the place long before he signed over the deed to the bar.

"Sometimes this place takes a lot out of you, I guess."

[gotbottle]

"That's really excellent. Congratulations."

Rachel lifts one shoulder in a shrug, studying her glass. "Seems like just about anything that's worth doing winds up taking a lot out of you, in the end. But it's always worth it."