Avoiding Work [anyone]

A thankful sigh escaped Skyla's lips as she picked up her outfit and headed out back to get changed into her next costume. It was a quiet Wednesday night and it was dreadful. The tipping was poor and the guys out there tonight were the sort that were wanting to get something for nothing. But the dancer was not about to give them any extras.

Having changed, she headed out to the bar. She needed a drink. It didn't seem likely that this shift would end well without one.

Kath was sitting at the bar, watching the smaller crowd around the dancing stage and sighed. Days like these never went by as fast as the days when the club was booming with people. But normally these quiet days were no drama for Kath. She actually liked them, as it meant she could relax a little. It wasn't that busy for her.
But she knew that on those days the tips weren't that great. She saw Skyla coming over to the bar and gave her a small smile.
"What a day, huh?" she said.

He'd been working for the past four days.

Finally, time to relax.

The bass of the club was near deafening as he walked in the door, down the stairs, and into the main room. It was about time he got out of his work head space - sirens, death, blood... He shuddered quietly and forced his mind away. Get away from work.

Ignoring the dancers on the stage, he headed straight to the neon-lit bar, ordered a drink, and smiled at the women next to him. How long had it been since his last normal conversation? A week, maybe two?

He downed the first vodka, chucked a $100 note to the barman, and had another poured within milliseconds. More money than sense tonight, Sneight.. The mental warning ran clear through his head. He silently prayed for the night to take a turn for the more distracting, he needed to get away from work and life and enjoy his night. Here goes nothing...

He turned to the women and grinned,
"Good evening!"

Sipping her [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] cocktail, Skyla gave Kathleen a smile. "What's the bet I'll have to keep avoiding those uglies by hanging out here all night?" she joked with a soft laugh. It wouldn't be surprising. The female had done it many a time, when the prospect of chatting up clients just didn't seem appealing enough.

Eyes sliding towards the entrance, Skyla watched a new customer coming in. This could be interesting. He was even rather attractive looking, which was always a bonus in the job.

She raised an eyebrow as the male plonked a $100 down onto the counter, took another sip of her cocktail. Well well, so this hottie was looking to spend money here tonight. Well, she could definitely help him along.

"Good evening," she replied, flashing a sultry smile. "How's your night going so far?"

He was surprised by an actual response. That was unusual. He hadn't shaved in two days. Nor slept. Apparently, he was looking healthier than he thought.

She was young, attractive, and drinking something extremely expensive. This should be interesting.

"It's just become fantastic!" He whirled around, doing a VERY obvious glance up and down the woman. She was slender. Her eyes were a bright and sparkling green. The smile was suspect at best. She was going to hustle him. Big time.

Would he let her?

He turned back towards the bar, leaning on his elbows, hiding the smirk that he could feel crossing his face from her...

"And yourself? Looks like your dressed for a far louder night than it is."
He shoved his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to the quiet room.

"Looks like it's not a high earner. Wednesdays are hardly the busiest, surely?"

Kathleen smirked a little, then watched as the new customer walked up to the bar. She could tell that he was surprised to hear an actual response from Skyla.
"Well... I'll leave you to it. I'll be around if anyone needs me." she replied in a friendly tone and hopped off the bar stool to leave.

Taking another sip of her drink, Skyla's smile growing ever-so-slightly. "Well, that's good to hear..." At his obvious glance, she chuckled internally. Subtle much? "Like what you see, do you?" she teased, slightly raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow. This could be fun.

"And tonight's only quiet because it's student night. Students aren't the best of tippers," she shot back with a slight shrug as she turned to lean with her back against the bar. "But I'm sure that you could fix that..." she added, a smirk playing on her lips. By the looks of it, this handsome stranger could surely make her night.

Besides which, he wasn't repulsive to look at. Nor did he seem like one of the regular creeps that would expect something for nothing. Those were the most frustrating to deal with. "Shall we go grab a seat...?"

As Kath said a farewell, Skyla gave her a friendly wave. "See you later," she replied, her smirk and eyes telling the blonde that she'd share all the juicy details later.

"Like what I see?" He smirked, allowing a flash of amusement to cross his features before he stomped it out.

"Let me put it this way, you're a damn-sight better than what I usually deal with."

He downed another shot, and as the burning spread down his throat he held down a reactive cough. He could feel it a little bit in his system already, thank goodness, his entire body was relaxing after being tense for days.

"I can imagine they're not the best," he laughed, allowing himself to flash a grin at the attractive girl.
"And I'm sure I could fix that."
He flashed a €10 note out of nowhere, a smirk playing across his face.
"I believe in paying what is owed, but I prefer to earn the attention more than pay for the privilege.."

Sneight.. What are you doing..?

It's been a while, alright?!

Sure, whatever.

"Want a drink before we sit down?" He asked, throwing the note to the barman, watching for a reaction.

Skyla ran a finger around the rim of her now-empty glass, the smile never leaving her as she studied the handsome male. "Sure, that would be lovely... A [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] please."

Lovely? Lovely?! Since when did she use that word...?

Whatever, there was a first time for everything...

"So what do you deal with?" she asked. "Hmmm, let me guess... Doctor? Either surgeon, or ER. Those would have some gruesome sights..."

Her green eyes searched out a suitable spot, as she waited for drink and reply. The [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] was rather empty, but she wanted a quiet spot which would allow her to be able to chat to the guy without rowdy teenagers listening in on every word.

Commandeering a couch for the evening seemed a rather good plan...

Wow, she's not interested in the money. Fantastic!
The thought whizzed through Sneight's mind faster than he could stomp it out.
It's obviously been a while, buddy... It was astounding how dry his conscience could be towards him, really...

Sneight grinned, the intensity of her gaze and perceived interest was a little bit of a confidence boost, at least! "I'm a paramedic," he said, lifting his jaw a little, without thinking, pride emanating from the man. "I've been working a bit hard lately, figured it was time I saw healthy people, you know?"

Holding out his hand to the woman in front of him, he gave her a brief second of intense eye-contact.. Gods, that green... He could barely keep it up for that long, even.
Defeated that easily, eh?
Hush, you! He shook his head to clear the internal bickering.
"Do you know somewhere cosy we can sit down, get away from the noise, and talk? preferably with table service and somewhere comfortable to sit back in. Relaxing, after all!" He winked, beaming at the girl as he again tried to look her in the eyes. They looked a lot harder than he was expecting, she'd been through her fair share of shit a while ago, it seemed...

As the rose-coloured drink was slid towards her, the brunette gave a demure 'thank you' to its maker. Turning back to the male, she raised an interested eyebrow. Well that wasn't a profession you usually heard from the customers...

"Paramedic, huh? That sounds even more exciting than a surgeon. You definitely wouldn't get bored in that job," she replied, taking a sip of her cocktail. "And as for seeing healthy people, you've certainly come to the right place," she added with a smirking chuckle.

Wow, those baby-blue's... Intense and intelligent; Sky liked that in a guy. Shut up. Don't start actually liking the guy. You're working...!

She couldn't help the grin that came upon her lips at his wink. If nothing else, this handsome fellow was definitely going to provide her with the self-confidence she craved during these frustrating quiet nights. "Let's head over to the fireplace," she told him, nodding to the mentioned spot. "Both comfortable and cosy." Plus Gabby would look after them, in way of drinks. She always did.

The man took a beer from the counter, and let to girl talk to the barman about where they would be sitting. At least he'd paid his way drinks-wise already, service should be more than forthcoming... He ordered a drink, just a beer to sip on, and let the girl lead him away from the noise and lights of the bar.


Sneight slid onto the couch, close to the warmth of the fireplace. Leaning back, he closed his eyes and sighed in relaxation. The music was a bit more distant now, fading into the background as they'd walked around the corner from the main stage. Kinda of nice to not have skin shoved in your face, too, actually.. his mind murmured, bemused by his choice of nightlife locations.
He un-did his evening jacket's button, removed it, and draped it over the arm of the soft, black, leather.

"So, I'll bet you get psychoanalysed all the time, so I wont bother with that, but can I ask what brought you to working here? It must be a bit exciting - the adrenaline, sweat, music, and fat bastards.." He laughed, letting his face show that he was teasing the girl, not attacking the profession.
"I've had friends work in places like this around town, most of them say it's more the excitement than anything that keeps them going."
He sit back, studying the elegant woman, waiting patiently as she began to reply...

As she sank down onto the couch, the female fought the urge to tuck her legs under her and relax properly. How nice it would be to chuck off these heels, curl up on the couch and sleep through the rest of the shift.It would be better than nice - it'd be bliss. But she couldn't. Club etiquette wouldn't allow it.

She gave a soft chuckle at his words. "Definitely. Especially the last one on that list," she retorted, green eyes taking on a slight sparkle. Thinking about the answer to his question, she gave a slight shrug. "It's mainly the excitement. And the sense of power that you feel in this job. Because despite some people claiming otherwise, it's always the girls who hold the power here. Even if we're in nothing but our underwear," she added with another soft laugh.

She got this question almost every single time. Usually the answer was shorter and sweeter - always something along the lines of 'I enjoy dancing and the money's good'. So why had she strayed? she asked herself, brushing some hair from her eyes.

Because he's handsome and intelligent. And it's been a while since you've had conversations resembling intelligence with a male...

"Since when didn't a woman in underwear hold all the power? It's been the same since we came out of caves, and I dare you to find a man who thinks otherwise. Wars have been fought and peace made, cities built and destroyed, and peoples' lives changed irreversibly by women in underwear." He couldn't help but laugh loudly. God, I must have sounded ludicrous...

"How much would it cost for you to relax and to sit and talk a while? I'm not interested in you stripping, in being hustled.." He trailed off, wondering what exactly he was doing here...
"I just want a conversation with a beautiful and clever woman. And maybe a drink or two. Generally the women in places like this are a million times more interesting than anyone you'll meet clubbing mid-week." A pause, a thoughtful look.
"At least, I think it's mid-week. It's been a while since I bothered looking at the date."
He turned and sat cross-legged on the couch, facing her. It was a two-seater, but there was plenty of room to give the girl her own space.
"And please, do relax. So long as you make money off of me I'm sure they don't care if you curl up, surely?" He shot a bouncer nearby a look and a cocked eyebrow. The bouncer made a point of looking the other way.
"I'm fairly certain you aren't being watched for a slip up in etiquette, if there is such a thing here!" He grinned, light-hearted and jovial, and rested his beer on the table.
"What does bring you here? You have my full attention!"

Skyla couldn't stop the giggles that escaped her red lips. "My thoughts exactly! Seems that great minds think alike. Now, if we could just get all the idiots in Parliament to see it this way too..." Though she could safely say that a few of them definitely saw it her way, judging by the occasional Party members that stopped by every once in a while for a harmless perv and an intelligent chat.

At his next words, her green eyes widened slightly. He was willing to just pay her to sit with him and chat? During all her years of working in this industry, the amount of times an offer like that had come around could be counted on her one hand. Such an offer was the eluding unicorn of the dancing world - not to be passed up lightly. So then why wasn't she jumping at the offer?

"Well..." she faltered. "My turn's not for a while yet. And if you're not bored of me by then, you can always book me for a lappy," she added with a slight shrug.

Normally, she had no qualms about getting as much money out of a guy as possible. Yet tonight, with this man, she didn't really want to. He seemed genuinely interested in her, and not just because she had breasts and was in a skimpy outfit. It was a rather nice feeling.

What is wrong with you?!

Shut up brain. Just shut up...

Finishing the rest of her cocktail, she placed the glass on the table, bringing her legs up and under her a moment later. Much better... "Work brings me here," she told him with a teasing smile. "But the question is, what brought you here tonight?"

Sneight laughed at the proposal, "I don't want a lappy, I thought I made that clear enough!!" He smiled warmly at the woman, "I'd rather just pay you to not have to disappear off to the stage and some sad bastards who barely tip, and to relax here until you're bored of me!"

He watched her eyes intensely as they flitted between him and the distance, drowned out in a pool of thoughts that were hopefully whirling through her head.
"I'll pay if you need me to, I don't want you to go poor just because I want a conversation - I know how much you rely on tips for your pay. If you want, I can even wait here while you get changed into something more comfortable." He gave her a hard look, trying to look as serious as his boyish face could.

You were never very good at serious, were you, Sneight?
Hush you..

"Work brings you here, eh? Mightily vague, but fair enough. We all need the money, right?"
"But what does bring me here? I don't even know. I've been working ungodly hours, seen horrible things, and had to work for a living for the past four days. That takes it out of most. I just chose a random club to walk into and found myself at the bar next to you, so it can't have been too bad a choice!" He said, raising an eyebrow and looking a tad silly. He ruffled his hair, took a sip of beer,
"Must say, once you get away from the stage it's not too bad, actually. The chairs are a damn sight more comfortable, to say the least!
"And, to be honest, I'm glad I found someone to talk to. All I've had is the cat, my work, and sleep to keep me going. I know I must sound like a sad sad soul indeed, but the job is worth the sacrifices. Tonight, I just needed to get out and talk to someone beautiful."

"For a start, you can't call the unshaven bugger I work with beautiful, by any stretch of the imagination. Nice guy and all, but it's a face only a mother or someone deluded would love.." He laughed. He hadn't laughed about work in months.

"To be honest, it's a compliment that you're happy to sit and talk with me. I needed it." He felt a little exposed for a second.

God damn your honesty streak, Sneight...

"Well, no, I meant it as in you could book me so I don't have to disappear off, and we'll just continue our conversation away from private eyes," she explained, allowing a slight smirk to play on her lips.

That sounded much more suggestive than it should have...

Good.

"Well, I used to work in England, but I got bored of that. So my bosses got me a position here, and ta-da, here I am." Plus ghosts are much easier to outrun and hide from in a foreign country.

"And I can imagine that a job like yours would be intensely draining on a person. But a couple of hours in here should do the trick. Especially if you stay with your present company," she added with a wink. "And hey, your life sounds exactly like mine used to in England. Except instead of a cat, I had a pup. Pets are wonderful creatures - they can always sense when you've had a crap day and somehow always manage to make it better," she told him, smiling as she remembered her loveable mutt. He was the only thing she missed about back home. Just her darling Roscoe.

She looked down at his compliment, trying not to blush. "Well, I appreciate the compliment. And I'm more than happy to sit and talk. It's not every day you meet someone who'll pay you to keep your clothes on," she joked lightly, but the smile in her eyes told him that she appreciated the company just as much as he did.

"Well, if you insist, I've become quite cosey here though!" He laugh, stretching his legs into the nearby table, past the girl, and basking in the warm.
It had enveloped him now, wrapping around him like a blanket, setting into his skin through his shirt. Gods it was pleasant. His muscles, tense with work, were beginning to relax again. Noticing his teeth were pressed tightly together, he un-clenched his jaw.. Fuck, I must be worse than I thought..

"Why didn't you just move elsewhere in the country, what drove you out here? I would never leave behind Kit-Kat, and don't laugh about the name, what made you leave your pup? I mean, England isn't one of the most wonderful places out there, but it's not that bad. Ever want to go back?" His eyes were wide with curiosity as he addressed the questions to her, watching her intense green.
"Well, hey, you and I have a little in common, we don't pick our clientele.."
He leaned forward, grinning, till he could whisper secretively,
"Once, I had a gentleman call up, complaining of migraines. Turns out, all he had was the flu and wanted us to take him to the doctor's for free. You should have seen the piece of mind I gave him along-side the money for him to drag his sorry ass into town, I should have been on the road dealing with serious shit and this guy has a runny nose, you know?" He grimaced, and leaned back, relaxing again,
"And hey, of course I'm happy to. I'm of the certain belief that you have to earn the great pleasure of seeing a woman undressed, and will never pay for the privilege. I'd much rather prove myself worthy of it than try and objectify you. One of the things I pride myself on is keeping everyone I come into contact with as human. Tough in my job, I can tell you, your entire soul screams to not do it. But it's important. Same thing with life and love, you can't just objectify a person to make it easier to deal with them, to get what you want or desire out of them. Do you know what I mean, it's a little bit of a difficult thing to explain, I'll be honest.."

The man looked sheepish for a second or two, smiling awkwardly at the girl he'd probably just dramatically confused.