West Richland Tavern.

[feistyphoenix]

Tess didn't want to seem needy but she was terrified of being alone after being assaulted. She almost asked him to stay before it registered him offering to let her stay with him. She honestly didn't know if she should say yes or not.

She rubbed her arms as he walked out, trying to keep the goosebumps from forming. As she lowered her head her neck ached from Mack choking her. She rubbed it slowly and tried to make sense of everything. She didn't know what Dj had done to Mack and she wasn't sure she wanted to. DJ's face would be bruised for awhile, it gave him a sort of badass look.

She sighed absently and sat on the bed, curled up. She wasn't sure she'd be able to go back to work and finish her shift even though she didn't want to let anyone down.

 

[1millionsecrets]

Hannah's breath caught when Alexa fell, but DJ handled it nicely. She was the preoccupied with her duties as the bartender. A noise caused her to glance up and meet Dj's gaze. She soon knew what it was about when the other man's fist made contact.
Her fingers reached under the bar and brushed against the cool metallic of the handgun. Thankfully she did not need make use of it, and watched as the blonde man fumed outside. Soon his cab arrived after Troy called it, and he left.
She made a mental note as to not let him in again and sighed, the population at the bar dwindling to nothing. They had moved to tables to get better looks at the girls. Hannah knew it was their job, but felt envious of them all the same. Somewhere in her fucked up subconscious mentality she somewhat wished to be objectified and lusted after.

 

[Kit_Cartaii]

Kit moved about cleaning quickly before sighing and moving to the bar. "WATER?" He asked Hannah softly. He had heard a commotion and Troy or somebody would probably tell him about it later, but at the time he had been cleaning a particularly master puddle of puke in the bathroom.

Then after washing like a mad man he came out just in Time to see someone get kicked to the curb. "What did I miss Hannah?" He asked softly.

 

[1millionsecrets]

Hannah managed to get him a cold water. She sighed wiping down the counter. "Some guy was giving Tess trouble I'm guessing. Dj took care of him."

 

[raiguy]

DJ made his way to the bar, looking at Hannah. "I had to forcibly remove someone from Tess' room. Unfortunately I took the door off its hinges. That's the guy I "helped" outside. I got there in time to see him choking Tess out, before I stopped him. Here's enough to pay for the door. Tess might not be down to finish her shift. She looked pretty shaken. I know it might not be the best, but I'm taking her home after this. I can explain what happened to her, since it involved me, and she needs to be somewhere she can fully relax," he said, handing Hannah $600 for the door and lock.

He made his way back over to the sound booth, noticing that the lunch rush seemed to be dying down. He wondered what the dinner rush would be like, and if he needed to regalia te his conceal and carry permit. He figured he wouldn't need to, but made a note to ask Hannah about it at some point.

 

[1millionsecrets]

Hannah nodded but refused to take his money, it wouldn't be too bad to replace the door. She smiled warmly and.closed the bar and finished out Tess' tables. She watched Dj and Tess leave and she sighed.
Gradually she, Dee, and Kari began cleaning the area. They swept, mopped, andhelped buss tables. They then began washing dishes.

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexa went through her shift with a smile, but after she had a client, she walked over to Tess's room, and knocked softly on the outside of it. "Hey, hon, how are you doing?" she asked softly. "Do you want me to bring you anything to eat, or drink?"

 

[feistyphoenix]

Tess had moved to sit in her arm chair and kicked off her heels. A mess of "what ifs" running through her mind. She almost jumped out of her skin when Alexa knocked. It took her a minute to process what the young girl said.

"No...thanks though," she thought carefully,"is there any way you guys can handle the rest of the shift without me? DJ wanted to take me to his house for the night so I can relax but I don't know if I want to go. I don't want to leave you high and dry, and I was kind of expecting someone to stop by and visit tonight."

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexa smiled and she nodded. "Sure, me and Raven got it, and I think that Dee and Kari are helping. I thought I'd stop in and check on you. And if you don't want to go to DJ's, you can come bunk with me." She walked in and handed Tess a lotion. "Here, it'll help with your throat. There's no marks, but it will soothe some of the pain."

 

[feistyphoenix]

"Thanks," she said quietly, "I might just sleep down in Hannah's room if she doesn't mind. I feel like I shouldn't have let this happen and now i've inconvenienced everyone," she looked down at the floor, she should have trusted her instincts about Mack.

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexa sat down on the bed next to her. "Tess. . . You may've gotten a bad vibe about him, but it's not good to beat yourself up about it. It happened. The important thing is you don't have physical marks, and you have people here who care about you, plus you did do the right thing by having DJ close by. Otherwise, it could've been a lot worse." A small smile curled onto her lips. "Besides, DJ beat the shit out of him, and he's been banned from the club. He won't bother you or any of us girls."

 

[feistyphoenix]

She looked up at Alexa, "He did what?! I figured Mack was pissed off enough to fight but DJ really kicked his ass?"

 

[celestialdragon]

She nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Took him outside of the club and the two fought, and soon, he was out on the ground, cold. He REALLY kicked his ass."

 

[feistyphoenix]

Tess was a little shocked, maybe more than a little. She'd noticed last night when he'd hauled out those two idiots by their collars that he was strong but she never imagined he was the fighting type.

"He's a software programmer, kind of nerdy. He never struck me as the type to know how to fight," she shook her head, there was a lot about him she didn't know obviously.

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexa shrugged. "There's a lot of things we don't know about a lot of people," she noted. "I guess that's why it's a haven to a lot of us, not many questions are asked, we're welcome in. Maybe that's why he hasn't said anything. I know I've kept quiet 'bout my past for the most part, but it's painful. That's why I'm so happy. If I wasn't actin' happy, I'd be cryin'. I hate cryin', so I laugh."

 

[feistyphoenix]

Tess thought about her own past; it had taken her months to get to the point she was now, she was starting to feel confident in herself again even if it was only a little. This one incident would drag her down, but only if she let it.

"Yeah, I suppose. We're all a bunch of wounded souls aren't we?" she said flatly.

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexa shrugged. "We didn't choose to be wounded. What we can choose to do is overcome it, and how. Whatever way we choose, more wounds will be created, but the past will help you overcome those."

 

[feistyphoenix]

"You're right, but it's still hard to see the end of the tunnel sometimes. I thought I was getting close but maybe I was wrong." she shrugged and sighed. It was quiet for a minute and then she spoke again.

"I'll stick around until close and help you guys clean up and set up for tomorrow. I'll just stay up here until then. And if my friend stops by, you can send him up. You'll recognize him when you see him. He's about 6'4", longish dark hair, lots of tattoos. He's Wolf's younger brother actually, you'll see the resemblance, "she smiled, "aside from the height difference. I was hanging out with him this morning, I didn't mean to be gone so long."

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexa raised her eyebrows and grinned. "I sure will, Tess. I won't tell Raven, either, unless you want me to." She stood up and smiled at the older girl. "You got this, Tess. And remember, we're here for you." She left and made her way back downstairs and began to work again, humming quietly.

 

[feistyphoenix]

Tess grinned and almost laughed, "No, it's not like that between Eric and I," she thought before she added, "And it isn't like that between DJ and I either. He was a client the first day we were open, now he's a coworker, I don't even know what he wants from me anymore but I do know it's never a good idea to date or sleep with someone you work with," she almost felt like she was lecturing Alexa, "sorry if that came out wrong."

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexa shrugged. "It's alright. Never really worked anyone before, so it makes sense. I'm not sleepin' with nobody unless they pay me, though. Don't matter if they're coworker or not."

 

[feistyphoenix]

Tess grinned, "Good girl," she admired Alexa's approach but knew there would always inevitably be a guy around who made you want to break your own rules, "I'll see you downstairs later."

She got up out of her chair and went into her closet to change, she might as well be comfortable. She slipped into some yoga pants and a V neck t shirt then checked the hallway before opening her window and stepping out onto the fire escape. She sat on the steps in the comfortable night air, watching and listening.

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexa went back to work, and she and the others were a bit busier with Tess recuperating, but Alexa knew it was for the best, and that she needed time alone.

She enjoyed her shift, except for her ankle, which still pained her, but she knew it would. She knocked back another Advil and kept working.

 

[raiguy]

DJ saw Alexa coming down from Tess' room, and figured that she'd probably end up staying here after thinking about it when he got done talking with Hannah. He sighed, knowing that Tess would do what she wanted, and he wouldn't force her to do anything. He wasn't going to hurt her, only help her. Instead, he just decided that she was a big girl, and she could handle herself. As DJ was packing everything up, he smiled at Alexa, before walking over to her.

"I don't know if you want this, but I have a few ankle braces at home. I used them for when I was....well, I used them in the past. I think I may have one or two that fit you, if you'd like to try one on and see if it helps. It should reduce the pain while your ankle heals, and it won't be as uncomfortable as tape is," he said, leaving it out there for Alexa to accept if she so chose.

DJ went back to packing up, wondering what was going on with this workplace. He had just kicked the crap out of an old "friend", had sex with a girl who became his co-worker, and now he was flirting with another co-worker. He shook his head, deciding to just go with things and let them all happen. He would take things as they came, regardless of who it was.

 

[celestialdragon]

"I'd like that, actually," Alexa agreed. "The wrap digs in, and I used to have one, but. . . I had to leave it behind. . ." She shrugged and smiled. "Thanks, DJ."