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WANT AD PREREQUISITE
All I ask is that you make sure your character is an appropriate age [20+] to be working in a bar and if they aren't understand that they will only be able to fill in the 'strays' slot and work during the day making sure the place is clean (inside and out).
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THE BAR & THE BARKEEP
In the early years of Rustboro a wandering gentleman took up residency in the building, finding himself quite at home in the budding city- The first place he had ever thought to call home.
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Time moves on and he makes a place for himself, the barkeep mans a place with no name. He doesn't know what to call it, he tells people. They come and they go from his tables nonetheless, because in so many ways the place feels like home. Locals and travelers alike make a spot on their maps, they come by again and again. The barkeep is always smiling.
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It's starts with a trouble maker with no place to go. He lets him have one of the beds in the back that he offers to travelers when the inn is full. Let's him work it off by cleaning down the bar at the end of the night. He is the first of many strays.
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The others flock to him as the years pass and the back of the bar becomes just as busy as the front. He is both a home to the local hoodlums left to their own devices and an inn for travelers in need by day and bar by night. The building sees many patrons in his life time, those that grew up in its room and danced amongst its tables taking care of it as the man grows older. Despite his wrinkling face, even as he begins to fumbles with the glasses, he is behind the bar until his dying breath. Always smiling.
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It is one of the oldest boys that takes his place at the bar, guiding the younger trouble makers to clean and keep the place just as they always have. He takes the coin of travelers and trades it for a bed just as the old man did and even if the drinks aren't exactly the same they're close enough to keep the locals happy.
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He saves for a sign that he buys from a regular, and hangs it above the door.
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Welcome to the stray[break][break]
The cycle repeats and as always,
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The barkeep is always smiling.[break][break]
PRESENT DAY
The Stray thrives, quietly, but it thrives. Despite the wanning need for a bar that doubles as an Inn in present day Hoenn the place still has its charms. Locals frequent it for its ever present reputation, the nostalgic throwback to the early Rustboro Era that thrives in its decor and above all else the history its old walls carry. Wanderers hear stories and find themselves drawn to it, the beds are still open even, to those that wish for the
experience of the place if nothing else.
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The Stray has an atmosphere that sets it apart in a rapidly changing world, one that has persisted even through the invasion of Slateport and the looming threat only recently pushed back. It is no raging club or posh bar with frilly drinks. Old glasses are placed on rough wood tables in time with the old school performance from its quaint little stage. The song plays over the sound of boisterous laughter and stories abundant.
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And every so often a Stray finds their way to the doorstep and feels at home.
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Traditionally the Stray has always been run by a Stray, an individual with nowhere else to go that ends making the place their home. Evan is no different, a wanderer that has stayed in the bar before at the insistence of the old man that ran it before him. A chance to keep it alive he told him, and Evan made his rounds in the place more than once, vowing to stay a night every time he passed through Hoenn.
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Roughly a year ago the old man was reaching the end of his ropes, he could feel it. Having kept in touch with Evan he called him back to Hoenn to close up shop for him, feeling that it would be most fitting if one of the last strays to stay in the place would be the last in it. When the time came to close the place down for him Evan couldn't bring himself to do it, feeling that too much history would be lost if he did.
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It took a good chunk of his savings but the Stray has changed hands as it always has, and he keeps his word to the old man. Clean up is always incomplete, because only the last night the establishment is ever open will be done perfectly. A quietly accepted fact of everyone in the bar.
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THE BARKEEPS [SEEKING 1]
While Evan is considered the primary barkeep and owner of the Stray he's only one of 2, likely to the dismay of the other. The second was likely employed before the old man passed and has stayed on after for reasons that are up to the player.
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Their's and Evan's relationship will likely be a bit of a tit for tat one, he's never been rooted before and is having a hard time being tied to somewhere. Pair that with his gone with the wind demeanor and to be honest he's probably not the best boss in the world because he's spacey, whimsical and doesn't always remember to get the paper work done. But his heart is in the right spot and when he devotes himself to the place no one has the kind of fire Evan does. Where he might falter on the technical front of owning a place he makes up for it by being a solid worker himself (when he remember to come home) and will actively wake up early to make sure the place is taken care of.
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He's also hella appreciative of people, so every piece of paper he forgets that the other reminds him to do will be noted, every drink they get to before him because he's asked 7 people their orders and is behind will get a huge thank you and you can bet their ass he'll find out their favorite flower and bring them like, entire armfuls of them once a week as a thank you for putting up with him and helping him keep the place alive.
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He's a pain in the ass as a boss but as a person he's taking care of his team like their the family he has
literally never had.
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THE SERVERS [SEEKING 2- maybe 3?]
Seeking at least 2, the bar itself isn't very large and caters to a smaller and closer knit crowd. This allows it to function on 2-3 servers to handle dishing out food and drink to those not sitting at the bar.Possibly more when passers by are looking for a way to afford a room if they're looking to stay but want to avoid spending money.
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There isn't really a lot I super want for them though I would love to have none of them end up being a bit of a confidant with Evan maybe? not in the way of telling secrets but Evan has a lot of stories to tell and having one of the servers be someone who listens to them a lot off the clock for one reason or another sounds pretty appealing.
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Like with the barkeep he can be a bit frustrating as a boss because realistically he has no idea what he's doing but the trade off is he's undeniably human in how he treats everyone. You're crying because the rest of the day was shit? He's probably going to send you home and work double time himself because he'd rather see you go rest and put in a little extra effort himself than force you through the night. If you insist you can make it he'll let you try but the moment he catches you almost crying again your going home, boom done.
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THE PERFORMERS [SEEKING ANY]
Whether it be through a third party company or directly through the bar they do house a variety of performance on the stage that opposes the bar and is surrounded by the tables. Local performances are both welcomed and highly sought after as a way of showing off local talent both in rustboro and in Hoenn as a whole.
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However these performances will be expected to appeal to a more old school crowd over being pop and trendy. Jazzy vibes for anything musical or dance related- a spicey tango would be a delight but they also seek out other things like magic acts or even small time coordinators with a little stage fright that might be looking for a place to get their performance legs under them. [within reason, of course, pls don't break the stage]
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Repeat performances are also welcome, especially should the usual crowd like it well enough.
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THE STRAYS [SEEKING ANY]
Nowadays its more of an affectionate term for someone that stays at the Inn part of the Stray than what it originally was. Every once in awhile they get someone like Evan that genuinely doesn't have a home to go back to and the place gives them somewhere to go when they don't know where to go next but it's not as common as it used to be.
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It's a pretty good bet that should anyone start to use the Stray as their home to go back to though that Evan's gonna kind of mother hen them a bit because that's what he does. However he also nips problem in the bud pretty fast and people that stay at the stray can expect to be scolded for getting unruly or heaven forbid he find them breaking laws that could jeopardize the stray.
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In general it'll just kind of make them a part of the stray but not an employee so the relationships will be a little bit different. I would love a couple of travelers that often stay at the Stray instead of the bigger hotels and such in the area for one reason or another for Evan and the others to interact with <3 this can also be discussed over on his plot page since the nature of it is a bit different than the employees.