Lex had become a regular at the bar, and not only for the atmosphere and good drinks. Roach’s occasionally roguish charm made for good, intermittent company. It wasn’t always that way though, he had his days. Which made it all the more intriguing for a curious patron like Lex. Her red lips twitched into a smirk as she grabbed the first of the three small bar towels. These probably wouldn’t help much but they would do. She started with her long red hair, ringing it out with the towel. She threw it upside down, roughing it up before flipping it back. Lex placed the now wet towel back on the bar and grabbed the other two. She took a moment to consider what to tackle next. She glanced at the towel in each hand and shrugged, pressing them against her breasts and squeezing. Not only was the shirt soaked through, but the bra underneath too. She continued to pat the rest of the shirt uselessly before wiping her arms, goosebumps starting to rise on the bare skin. Lex set the two towels with the rest.

Her eyes rolled slightly when Roach said Ma’am. It was a charming trait of his, but she hated it when he did that. Although obviously young, she couldn’t help but think it was a reference to age instead of a custom from where he came from. She gently caught the crystal glass with the healthy sum of whiskey. A small frown twitched at her lips, she as disappointed it was high shelf, she felt sinful when she downed it all in two gulps. The well-made whiskey left less of a burn as it traveled down her throat. But the warmth spread all the same, calming some of the chill that was manifesting on her arms.

She took her seat again, pushing the empty glass back towards Roach, “I’ve had better,” her grin was more playful now that she was comfortably inside Ritual, “It was a shame to have to shoot that one,” she looked longingly at the empty glass, the oaky flavor still lingering on her tongue.

virgil roach

Lex cast him a sideways glance when he mentions the ‘cheap shit’. Her lips pulled into a playful grin and she pointed a finger at him, “Only when I’m shooting it,” she clarified. There was no mistake this girl liked her whiskey. Whether it be well or high shelf, it was her drink of choice. But she could appreciate a high quality one for what it was – even going as far as describing the subtle notes and the lingering flavors it left on your tongue. There’s nothing like a good glass of whiskey to keep you warm and happy, especially when there wasn’t a man to take its place. But whiskey never complained, and that was extremely attractive.

The redhead moved the two new towels to the side while Roach set out two more shot glasses and the well whiskey. The man listened well (or more likely just didn’t want Lex disrespecting the high shelf liquors by shooting them straight; she couldn’t blame him).

She gracefully took hold of the shot glass, leaning in closer to meet his gaze, “To bartenders and whiskey,” it was still too soon and too fresh of a scar to cheers the rain. Her glass raised to meet his and then she downed it in a single gulp. It certainly burned more than the good stuff. She could feel it travel all the way down. A shiver rose up the spine, but her face remained stoic. She wasn’t a stranger to the harsh taste of well liquor.

“Thanks,” she purred as Roach refilled the empty glass with the expensive stuff. She wouldn’t shoot this one. Lex knew her limits and she had a healthy enough dose on board to calm her chills and make her relax. As Roach moved on, Lex grabbed the two new towels, and tried to make another dent in the wet clothing.

Lex was dabbing the dripping water from the back of her neck and taking the opportunity to stretch her back out by pushing her chest forward when Roach returned. She glanced over to him as he spoke, relaxing back into the bar, “Work,” she sighed, “And . . this doesn’t feel too great either,” she motioned, again, to her current situation, “Ritual was closer than my apartment so now you’re stuck with my pleasant company,” she teased before taking a sip of whiskey.

virgil roach

Jokes and casual conversation? Lex caught virgil roach on a good night. There was a light laugh followed by a curious glance, giving him the obvious once-over after the comment about the change of clothes, “Hm, you sure about that?” she continued the joke with a small smirk, knowing damn well she could.

She hadn’t been coming to Ritual for long. Long enough to have built a casual rapport with Roach but in the dozen or so times she’d been here she had never seen him actually sit down on her side of the bar. When he first poured himself a drink she though it was for another patron. She found herself pleasantly surprised she he sat beside her, but curious to the motive.

What surprised her more was when he asked about her work. Was he taking an interest in her life? No. There had to be another reason. Lex’s guard had been up since she left Johto so it was natural for her to assume there was bullshit she’d have to sift through. Regardless, work wasn’t something she openly discussed, “This surprise storm kinda fucked it all up,” she kept it vague on purpose, a half truth. There were whispers Roach wasn’t the cleanest but there was no reason to trust him. She took a healthy sip of the good whiskey, letting it linger a moment on her tongue before swallowing it. She slowly turned to face him, leaning casually against the bar, “And to what do I owe this pleasure?” she asked, motioning towards him and his drink.

virgil roach

Yes. She had seen that ass. She smirked with a nod of approval and not another word.

The whiskey was starting to do what it should. A warmth started to grow, calming the chill but leaving her guessing as to whether the source was the alcohol or Roach’s chiseled jawline and strong, broad shoulders. She took a moment to admire his profile as he looked out towards the front of his bar. She probably lingered a bit too long. The alcohol was starting to ever so slightly impair her better judgement.

He looked back at her and she didn’t attempt to try to pretend she was looking elsewhere, “Your end of the bar?” she repeated with a slightly raised brow. This was the only place she ever sat when she came in. If there were people already occupying her seat, she probably would leave. She was a creature of habit, “Guess I chose the right end of the bar,” she mused looking past him at the other patrons of Ritual.

Another joke. Lex’s amber eyes cast a side glance towards Roach followed by a laugh, “I like this place too much to work here. Can’t mix business and pleasure,” she winked, obviously amused by the idea of working at Ritual. At least, that’s what she assumed he meant by it.

virgil roach

Lex wasn’t shy. And the mischievous smile that returned his smirk made that obvious. The current bartender took up some banter with his boss which was amusing to watch. Lex sipped her whiskey slowly and looked back over to Roach when he spoke. Her gaze drifted back towards the dark corner of the bar with the billiards tables, currently unoccupied.

Her shoulder lightly shrugged as she slid out of her barstool, taking her whiskey into her left hand, “I try,” she smiled, already walking past Roach towards the corner. She was dry enough to not be dripping anymore but the clothes still clung to skin as she moved. Lex was athletic, a natural talent that made her good at a lot of things. But billiards was not one of them. And she was ok with that. She still enjoyed playing despite her embarrassingly long losing streak.

After setting the whiskey on the ledge, she grabbed a pool stick, spinning it gracefully in one hand before placing the butt of it on the floor. She assumed Roach had followed her and she stole a glance towards him while moving back to her whiskey, “Alright, virgil roach, rack ‘em up,”

virgil roach

Lex slowly moved over to the other side of the pool table while Roach racked up the balls, glancing over to the ‘asshole’ that he threatened would cut her off. Didn’t look like her heard that comment, “Call me doll one more time and I’ll hafta kick your ass,” she retorted right back, glaring playfully from across the pool table.

She took one more sip of whiskey for luck and set the glass down behind her. She gently rolled the cue ball into place, making small adjustments to get it just right. Leaning over, she lined up her pool stick, subconsciously biting her bottom lip in concentration. You could tell she had done this before, but her form was certainly far from perfect. After a few gentle pulls back, she struck the cue ball with just the right amount of force to send it buzzing towards the concentrated cluster of balls, a loud crash echoing out when it made contact.

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virgil roach