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Post by Princess Katie on Oct 29, 2008 20:02:39 GMT -5
Cherry had lain in bed most of that morning. She actually didn’t move from her pathetic, curled-up position until the cleaning lady came in and interrupted her mostly self depreciating thoughts, and recommended that Cherry get up and shower, maybe put some clothes on. Cherry conceded and after a healthy breakfast of an Irish coffee and few more Irish coffees—hold the coffee, she boozily walked to the Straight and Narrow. Her car was still parked outside the restaurant, since Cal had driven them straight from the store to Cherry’s.
Her tiny hand fumbled with the keys for much longer than she probably should have. When she finally got the door open, she stumbled inside, flipped on the phonograph to some inappropriately high-energy jazz tune, and collapsed into one of the barstools. Cherry contemplated, for a minute, getting something to eat to maybe soak up some of that liquor, but decided that scrounging around the kitchen to find something edible was probably out of her league at the moment.
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Post by Jules on Oct 29, 2008 20:12:00 GMT -5
Cal came by a half hour late, and breezed in like he had more stuff he'd rather be doing and that he was doing Cherry a real big favor by even dropping in. Despite his coldish manner, there was a recognizably famous blue gift-bag in his hand, surprisingly large. He dropped it beside the barstool Cherry was sitting at and hopped over the bar.
"Don't worry, I don't expect you to screw me." He muttered. The bag was filled to the top with jewelry cases.
"I've already hired a contractor, and I thought we'd go all out. Bullet proof glass, new floors, new walls, all new kitchen. It won't be the same restaurant. There's just a little matter of this." And with that he pulled out a thick looking contract from inside his suit jacket (underneath which he was wearing a teeshirt). "You'll understand if I want a little security. Sign where the stickers are." He took in her appearance for the first time and it made him pause, if not soften, "If you're even capable."
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Post by Princess Katie on Oct 29, 2008 21:49:16 GMT -5
“Calcifer,” Cherry hiccupped into her hands, “I did not mean it that way. I was not suggestin that you were tryin ta buy me.” With some difficulty, she propped herself up on her elbows to look at Cal. He was really upset with her, she knew it, but he was still going to do all this for her. If she wasn’t quite so out-of-it, the light of admiration in her eye might have been visible.
Something in the back of Cherry’s mind asked something about signing contracts with The Devil, but she ignored it. She flipped through the contract, not reading, just looking at all the places where she needed to sign or initial. “Mhmmm, I am fully capable, what would suggest,” she paused her slurring to hiccup, “othahwise? Got a pen?”
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Post by Jules on Oct 29, 2008 22:12:12 GMT -5
He slipped her a pen and studied her. Just how much had she drank this morning? With her apology came a bit of softening on his part and he sighed. "Because I wasn't." He looked around, it had been a while since he'd taken a good look at the place. It definitely had potential. "I think we'll keep it's old-time feel. There's enough ultra-modern places out there."
This was more a peace-offering to Cherry than a matter of personal preference. He liked the sleek lines and bold shapes of modern clubs.
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Post by Princess Katie on Oct 29, 2008 22:50:30 GMT -5
Cherry managed through the contract in silence. She could not sign this thing and talk at the same time, not right now. Once finished, she slid it across the bar to Calcifer. “You maybe wanna double check that shit. I might have missed some.”
She stood, a little wobbly, and teetered over to the record payer to change the disk. “Good. I don’t think I could run a modern joint,” She muttered, retrieving a cigarette from her purse hanging from the front door, before stumbling back to the stool. “Can we do the walls green? I like green.”
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Post by Jules on Oct 29, 2008 22:53:13 GMT -5
"Cherry, how drunk are you?" He asked instead of answering. Sure, green walls, whatever. He flipped through the contract. Surprisingly, she hadn't missed a single spot. Tucking the papers away, Calcifer leaned forward to study Cherry's face.
Or get a whiff of her breath. She reeked of alcohol. "You know, if you're going to be hostess, you'll have to cut back on all this drinking."
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Post by Princess Katie on Oct 29, 2008 23:21:10 GMT -5
“Not too drunk,” she slurred, sounding just a little ‘too drunk’. “I walked here from the penthouse, I’m alright.”
Cherry tucked her hair behind her ear and stared up at Cal, “How come? I’m fully functional. It’s not like I’ve got a problem.”
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Post by Jules on Oct 29, 2008 23:27:30 GMT -5
Cal snorted, "That's what they all say. Cherry, I hate to break it to you, but you're a bit of an addict. And you'll have to cut back if you want to help with the restaurant. Otherwise when Brolly gets out we can always tell him you were constantly too tanked to do any work."
It was fun, but Calcifer could pass it off as tough love, or something. He didn't really cared if Cherry drank her days away, but he could use the help. He didn't want to do this alone.
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Post by Princess Katie on Oct 30, 2008 1:17:41 GMT -5
“I am not an addict! That’s ridiculous. Sure I smoke a lot, and I drink sometimes, but I make liquor. You’d drink some too,” She could be worse, she could! But that little jibe about Brolly had really hit home. She had already given him enough reason, last night, to be mad at her. “No, no. I want to help, I want to run this.”
Cherry peeled herself off of the counter, “Okay, okay. I’ll try and sober up, alright? Do you think ya could flip on the coffee maker for me?”
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Post by Jules on Oct 30, 2008 1:24:12 GMT -5
He smiled at her and nodded, the wall behind the bar had the coffee maker, and he flicked it on after filling it up with water and refreshing the filter. The warm hiss coming from the machine filled the small front room and he smiled happily.
"I know, and you will. You just need to be able to walk in a straight line to do so." He'd broach the whole addict thing another time. For now, if she could manage to cut back, that would be enough. And he didn't care about the smoking.
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Post by Princess Katie on Oct 30, 2008 8:33:47 GMT -5
“I can walk a straight line. If I was that far gone I’d be passed out in an alley somewheres,” She protested, kicking her dangling feet rhythmically as she waited for the sound of the coffee maker to tell her that it was done brewing.
“Hey,” She started suddenly, “I have a guy at the Paper who owes me a favor and we need someone who can work…that,” She gestured to the kitchen, which was clearly so far beyond her that she didn’t even know its name, “I can get him to run some ads for me, ya know, ‘Help Wanted’.”
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Post by Jules on Oct 31, 2008 0:40:32 GMT -5
He looked at her in mild surprise, which he quickly hid. That was a good idea, and more importantly, one he hadn't really thought of himself. Turning around to make the coffee, he handed her a mug when he was done. But before relinquishing it, "It stays coffee."
They had to get through a day of decisions, and drunken ones were always regretted. Which was why he was staying on this side of the bar.
"Good idea, talk to him. Now did you have any other preferences besides 'green'?"
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Post by Princess Katie on Oct 31, 2008 1:07:50 GMT -5
Cherry nodded, looking a little regretful. “Just coffee.”
She sipped delicately at her decidedly G-rated beverage with a sigh, stretching like she had just woken up. “I’ll give him a call later,” Cherry wrote down a little reminder on a bar napkin. She’d forget otherwise.
Cherry spun her stool slowly in a circle to inspect the room. “I like brass. And dark-colored wood,” She had photo snippets from magazines at home; she had a lot of free time on her hands and she enjoyed looking at pretty things. Maybe she’d bring them here later to show Calcifer.
“OH! And a new sign. With neon.”
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Post by Jules on Nov 2, 2008 14:11:20 GMT -5
Cal grinned wryly at her obvious disappointment that the coffee remain virgin. If she wasn't an alcoholic he wasn't as good at reading people as he thought he was. Her ideas actually sounded good, and he could imagine the decadent colors, metals and woods mixing together perfectly.
"A neon sign?" He echoed dubiously. That wouldn't really go with the fancy appeal of the place. "What about a nice sturdy mahogany thing, hand painted? Or maybe metal?"
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Post by Princess Katie on Nov 2, 2008 14:49:00 GMT -5
Well, it certainly wouldn’t be as exacting as a neon sign, but it would match better, she supposed. “Whatevah, yer the boss,” She dismissed with a shrug. She was going to say ‘you’re the one with the checkbook’, but after the ‘expensive clothes’ comment last night, Cherry wasn’t quite sure how well that would have gone over. “A wood one would be nice. With some pretty script and a Claddagh?” She held out her left hand to show her Claddagh ring: a pair of tiny gold hands holding a crowned heart.
“Oh, I think we need a menu, too.”
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