Amour Beach discussion

He just sat there, quiet actually, inhaling all of the background noise as if it came in second nature. He was alone, and he was five minutes away from getting up and heading out the back door to take a smoke. The young man sat there, running his tattooed hand through his tousled hair as he looked at the salt and pepper shakers in front of him, just siting at the tables. They always seemed to be filled, did anyone ever actually use them? Or were they just there to be stood as decorations? Yet then again, he was the type of guy who would just shut up and eat whatever's in front of him. He was hardly picky about food, but when he was he wouldn't even be able to stand the smell, touch, or texture of it. When he started thinking about food, that's when he realized that he was hungry. The young man picked up the little menus of bar food and scanned his eyes over it.

Sydney pushed open the entrance door and slipped into the pub. The aroma instantly reached her nose and she couldn't help but enjoy it. It was a mix of so many things, but somehow she could pick out all of them if she tried. She didn't. To her surprise it was empty. Well, almost. It was always a much more enjoyable time going to places and not having to deal with people. Especially the young teenagers who would sit and talk loudly about ridiculous things. Luckily for her, it was only a boy, around her age, who sat at the counter scanning over the menu. She ignored him, naturally.

A bit aggressively, she lowered herself onto a stool and tapped her fingers lightly against the table. Where was the waiter? She reached for a menu and scanned it lazily, trying to decide on something to eat. Debating whether if she should try to get some alcohol, despite being only 19, or just getting a meal, her eyebrows knit together in concentration. Could she pull off being 21? Maybe. It wasn't like she hadn't ever done it before. It was too bad she left her fake ID at her house.

He considered taking a cigarette out and lighting it while he would look over the menu, but just as he finally contemplated that he should, he heard the sound of a small bell ring followed by shuffled feet. He looked up to notice a girl and sighed, as right behind her, on the window, he could see the "No Smoking Inside" sign, backwards and dirty, he wondered how long it has been up there for. He put away hi a cigarette with a sigh, shoving it into his pocket as opposed to the box it belonged in with it's brothers; he would use it later. "Jesus, what kind of pub doesn't allow smoking?" He mumbled, a bit too loudly, irritated. Most places banned it because of the children. When would children ever be at a pub?

Jojo wiped down the counters as she started her afternoon shift. Despite the sometimes unpleasant patrons, she enjoyed being a bartender. People tend to trust bartenders, especially when they're drunk. She learned a lot about people and the way of the world doing this job. But she had learned that you never cross the bar, you stay the objective third party and no one gets hurt. She liked it that way.

She glanced at the only two customers, both looked way to young to be at a bar. She sighed, hopefully these kids knew that and wouldn't try anything. Although from what she learned from her last week here, everyone was rich enough to get a fake ID. At least in New York, the underaged knew not to drink in public. Actually that was probably because they couldn't afford a realistic fake ID.

"Don't ask me," Jojo replied to the irritated man. "I've always wondered that myself. So what will it be?"

He looked up and was about to raise an eyebrow towards the woman, but didn't act on his instincts. The young man looked back down and picked the first think that his eyes caught,"I'll uhh, have the mini sliders with a side of fries." He said, before putting the menu back down onto the table, running his hand through his hair yet again. Suddenly an idea sparked in him, and he gently sat up straight and looked around, all the while feeling his pockets for something, as if he had forgotten some important object.

Sydney snorted quietly, not even bothering to look over at the boy. He put out a fair question. Why didn't they let people smoke? She tried to think of reasons for it. Probably something to do with secondhand smoke. She didn't have much education on the effects of smoking. Actually, she didn't listen when she was getting the education on smoking. Having no answer for his question, which was probably rhetorical question question anyway, Sydney continued to scan the menu.

"I won't stop you." She murmured after a while, realizing that an awkward silence was settling over the three of them. Hopefully the bartender would put all of her attention on the boy. They always seemed too. "I'll have a beer." It was worth a shot, the worst they could do was kick her out. Maybe she should have been more classy and ordered some kind of cider? She laughed at that idea, knowing she would never do that.

"Alright, anything to drink," She asked as she wrote down the order. She looked up and notice his movements and expression. The whole act looked extremely familiar. How many times had she seen an 18-year-old try something like this, and she'd only been old enough to work in bars for a year. Please don't tell me he's going to try the whole 'I forgot my ID' thing, she thought, or maybe it's the 'I lost my ID' gag. She sighed. "Forgot something?"

Jojo glanced at the girl. Had she heard her right, beer? "I'll be with you in a moment."

"Uhh, sprite.." The boy said, not really paying much attention to either of the woman as he looked for his pockets. He would dress it if he had come here with out it. He sighed, figuring that it was probably in his car, back at his place. That's what he got for taking long walking at night. He leaned back in his chair and sighed, then looked up to realize that the waiter was still there,"That will be all..." He mumbled, dismissing her.

"Alright," Jojo looked at the boy, slightly confused. So he hadn't wanted something alcoholic, he really had lost something. Thank goodness there were some honest people in the world. She turned her attention to the blonde girl, definitely the rich type Jojo decided. "What would you like to drink? Water, or maybe a club soda?" She asked pointedly, pretending she hadn't heard her first request. Maybe she could get her to reconsider lying about her age.

Sydney let out a small sigh, knowing now, that the girl did not think she was old enough. It had been worth a shot, hadn't it? "I'd prefer a beer, but I guess a Cream Soda will do." She reluctantly answered, a small frown on her face. Why was that even a rule? It wasn't like she would drive or anything. Pushing her menu aside, not really hungry anymore, she ran a hand through her current mess of waves on her back of her head.

"One cream soda coming right up," Jojo said with a slight smirk. Sometimes it felt good to be right and to have others know that you were right too. Okay, not sometimes, all of the time. She was always surprised how much of a stickler she was for the drinking age rule when she never followed that rule herself, or many rules in general for that matter.

She got the drinks for the two patrons, sent the boys order to the kitchen, and went back to cleaning tables. Maybe she just liked being able to see through people, and most people were see through. Yep, that was it.

Well wasn't this waitress proud of herself. Her smirk made Sydney feel irritated and annoyed. While she was away, she set her hands loosely on her thighs, choosing to ignore pressing responsibility. And the boy. Who even was he? When the waitress came back with the drinks she took hers resentfully. Not bothering to thank the girl, she brought the soda to her mouth and let the fizz slide down her throat. For some reason, it just didn't hit the spot.

"How old do I look?" She asked quietly, turning so the boy could see her full face. She didn't look that young did she? A pained expression passed across her features as she took, yet another sip of her Cream Soda. Only two more years and this would not have to be a problem. Why was the waitress such a stickler? Sydney could easily find alcohol somewhere else.

The young man looked up at her and shrugged. She looked around sixteen and all the way up to twenty two, so he really wasn't sure,"I'm guessing that you're seventeen?" He guessed, not really caring, he glanced at the bar by the girl and noticed just what he was looking for. The boy slowly got up and gave her a right smile as he walked a few feet away from her, towards the bar and gently picked up a pen. He then walked up to her and took a seat near by, reaching over and grabbing a napkin near her as he quickly jolted something down. He wondered when his food would arrive, but then quickly shook the thought out of his head as he continued to scribble on the napkin.

A small ding came from the kitchen, signalling a ready order. Jojo picked it up and gave it to the man. "Let me know if there's anything I can do for you," She said and went back to cleaning. Not many people came in around this time, the real rush was at five. Luckily she'd brought a book with her, Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. She couldn't wait to get back to it. She loved the classics.

17? Really? Maybe that was why the bartender saw right through her. Did this outfit make her look younger? She glanced down at her pale green sweater and the black jeans, unsure of whether or not that really affected how old she looked. Letting out a small breath, she turned forward, away from the boy and took a sip of her nonalcoholic drink.

"What are you doing?" She asked bluntly, unable to ignore his presence. Why had he moved closer? Why was he writing on a napkin? All of which was a bit irritating considering he had just said she looked 17. She narrowed her eyes and ran her finger along the rim of her cup as she watched him.

The man nodded and murmured a quick thank you to the waitress as he continued to scribble on the napkin. He then finsished it with a sigh a relief, putting his pen down and folding it before looking up at the girl,"It's not my number, if that's what you're asking for." He said simply- a small smirk playing on his lips- before shoving the folded napkin into the pocket of his leather jacket. He looked at his food and puches up a fry, dipped it in ketchup and took a bite. He wasn't really sure if the food was good or not, but he are none the less; he was starving.

"I don't want your number." She rolled her eyes, shifting her gaze to the picture on the wall. Who did this guy think he was? He was strange, to say the least. He could of been anything from a weird tree hugger to a pedophile. Her eyes ran across the details of the picture, kind of liking the abstract edge it had. It was a nice touch the old room, she had to admit. A bit tense, she crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at the wall. If the bartender hadn't seen through her.. She couldn't help but feel anger towards the unknown lady who smirked too often. She hadn't even seemed 21.

"Picasso." The boy murmured, before taking another French fry. He has barely been here for a week or so and was already tired of most of these superficial airheads who got wverything from their parents. It was rather irritating really. He was pretty sure that the girl next to him didn't even know who the painter was, or who was it's muse. "Dora Maar..." He said quietly, remembering who the muse was. He was more of a writer, but he knew a bit about the arts as well from his girlfriend, Lauren.

"1941." She answered blankly, only able to remember the date it was painted because her parents had once bought a replica to put up in their house. Sydney wrinkled her nose and took a sip of her drink nonchalantly. It was strange when random facts would pop in her head. Most of which, came from her night adventures around her house as a child. Due to boredom and such, she had taken time to learn the details about everything in their home.

He took a sip of his coke and nodded slowly, surprised that the girl actually knew something. "Most people call it a work of art, but I call it a way of showcasing sexism." He said simply, staring blankly at the painting. Picasso was a genius, yes, but he was also a bastard at that, and would move from one woman to the other in the course of every seasonal shift. He looked at the girl next to him, his brown eyes watching her carefully, as if taking her in for once. She actually looked a few years older now, maybe she just needed to mature a bit just like the rest of these kids,"I'm Joshua, Joshua Evans." Josh greeted with a small nod.

"Sydney Morsett." She turned slightly, her eyes reaching his face. This boy looked tired and distant, as if his thoughts were elsewhere. Maybe the were. He had some obvious tattoos showing and from before, she knew that he smoked. He definitely was not your average citizen living here. It bothered her a bit that he seemed to hold himself above the other people residing here. Having only lived here for a few weeks, Sydney barely knew anyone. That's how she liked it though. You didn't have to know many people to understand how this town worked. "Not from around here?" She asked flatly, tapping her right hand against the counter silently.

Joshua nodded,"Nice name, it suits you." He said before looking back down at his food. Why wasn't he hungry anymore? He supposed that he would have to get a doggie bag once the waitress came back around- if she did. It didn't seem like she liked younger folks much. Joshua wondered why. Yet then again, he always finds people younger than him a bit irritating at times. Joshua turned his head back towards the girl so that he could face her, his eyes quickly running over her appearance, obviously studying her. "Nope, from Anaheim, just an hour or so down south." He said simply, looking back at the painting,"You?" He asked, his eyes still fixed on the piece of art work in front of him.

Sydney drank the last bit of her cream soda, wondering why she was still here. She hadn't even received what she had wanted here. That waitress wouldn't let her. She glowered at the cup. Sensing that Joshua was looking at her, she shifted her gaze over to him, softening her look just a tad. "I'm from Houston." She thought about Houston and couldn't help but feel a bit homesick. Which she definitely did not think she would ever experience. It was strange how that worked. Never having gone to Anaheim, she figured it was similar to this place. "What brought you here?" Cocking her eyebrows up a bit, she asked about the boy with an edge of curiosity.

"Texas?" Joshua raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised. She traveled to California and decided to stay here... Huh. Not that he really cared on what she did, but he gave a small smile, maybe she was here for a good summer job just like how he did. "I like to write, and last year I actually worked for the Anehiem CA, the local newspaper. Before that I was studying jurnalism at the university there- and I even worked for the school paper, but then I ended up dropping out as I got an internship at that same local newspaper before getting a job there. Now I'm just trying to branch out and work at other places, which is why I'm here..." He said with a small smile towards the end, sighing. He took another drink of his coke, really not in the mood to talk any further about himself, he just didn't find it as Intresting. "What about you? What lead you here?" Joshua asked her slowly yet casually, his brown eyes watching her carefully. Texas was a pretty far place from here- he never thought of actually ever leaving the state for longer than a week or two. But then again, he was living in California, the state that could probably be a country strong enough to support itself on it's own.

Sydney nodded in response, trying to push all of her thoughts of Texas away. As he talked, she couldn't help but notice how excited and passionate he seemed about his work. It was refreshing to see someone who knew where they were going, what they loved. "Impressive, you must be quite the writer." With an even friendlier tone, she tilted her body even more so that he wasn't just talking to her shoulder. "It seems like you really have a handle on your life." She smiled, almost to herself, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"What lead me here?" Sydney repeated his words, unsure of how to answer it. She wanted a job and was looking, but as of right now she was unemployed with nothing ahead of her. Not exactly how you want to present yourself. "I wasn't exactly drawn here. It was more of a push than a pull. When I turned 18, a bit over a year ago, I picked up my bags and left my home." She chose her words carefully, unable to hold his eyes for more than a few seconds. "The last year was spent moving from city to city, and well, here I am." She put on a smile and shrugged, almost back to her careless self. "What is your favorite thing to write about?" Definitlty not wanting to talk about herself, she turned all the attention back to him.

Joshua shrugged,"I'm alright." He said, honestly believing that he was just slightly above average, nothing more to get him head journalist or anything. He was hoping for that, in the future though. "I mean, a did just hit my twenties, so my days of playing teenager are officially over, so I might as well start the life that I want somewhere." He said, noticing how her mood was changing. When she mentioned her move, Joshua assumed that there was probably something that did push her away from her home town, from her old life. He didn't show any signs of pity or overly curious facial expressions as he listened to her. "Well hey, seventeen is a good age to go traveling in my opinion." He joked, winking at her to show his amusement as to took another drink. He honestly didn't want to talk about his career when she turned the conversation back to him, but none the less he decided to tell her briefly, vaguely, about his writing. "Well as of right now it's just articles. Sometimes I'll write a bit more, like quotes or something. Usually those just come to me, so I don't bother waiting for it unless I have nothing else to do." Hence why he picked up the napkin and started jolting over it, as a brief two or three sentences came to him, and would have probably left just as unannounced as it came unless he wrote it down.

"I'm 19." Sydney spoke, amusement flickering on the edge of her eyes. It was a bit insulting he still thought she was 17, but she didn't know this guy, or really care to know this guy much more than this conversation, so she wasn't too upset. "Two decades." She muttered, a distant look falling over her. "You have lived two decades and you want to send the rest of your life writing articles." Sydney spoke slowly, thinking about how many more decades they would both live. How long of a time they had in front of them. "Fortunately for me, I still have a couple month of teenager left." She smiled, tapping her glass against the counter softly as she thought about how she had no cream soda left. It was a shame and the waitress was no where to be seen.

((Sorry I havnt been on, life has been getting crazy and such, and it takes a while for some people to sometimes catch up with it haha))

"Oh, my apologies." Joshua said, his voice sounding rather distant, not careless but not careful either. Neutral. He scratched the back of his neck as he tilted his head downwards a bit, only to look up at her and raise an eyebrow,"Why wouldn't I? Two decades sounds long enough. That way I can finish in three or four more and live the rest of my life in Greece or Spain or something." He said, looking up at her. That's how Joshua saw his life. You grew up learning right and wrong, then you experimented with the wrong and bit then once you were old enough you started to make your way to the right. Then you live you're life by making money and for some people a family- which he honestly didn't think too much about, despite how he has a girlfriend- and then you get old and spend all of that saved up bank money on yourself on some sort of exotic, foreign, almost magical land. And then you died, hopefully in that exotically land, and that's it. Unless you beloved In Heaven, which in Joshua's case didn't think much about it.

((Oh, don't worry about it! I honestly don't care at all. We all are busy. ))

"I hope everything in your life goes as planned." Sydney spoke honestly, which was rare. Especially when talking to a stranger. It was weird and maybe a bit creepy, but she hoped he would end up where he wanted. At least he had a goal, right? That was far better than her plan. She didn't know where she wanted to end up. That by itself was a bit of a problem. Coughing quietly, she turned in her chair and stood up quickly. "It was lovely meeting you," She began to say goodbye, only then noticing how late it was getting. As she continued, a small smile trickled onto her expressions. "Maybe I'll see you around some time." The last part was unlikely, but you never know, right? Tilting her head sideways, she reached into her pocket and pulled out some spare change. Gently setting an amount next to her cup, she turned to leave.