although still skimming, his head nodded with a laugh.

“tch. yeah, i don’ know ‘bout that, but you’d be surprised how many can’t pour one the regular way.”

he set the papers down and pulled off the too-small green readers, daintily folding them shut and replacing them inside his desk. leaning further back in his seat, he clasped his hands.

“why do you wanna work here, hope?”

maybe a too-typical, sort of ridiculous question on the surface, but it had multiple meanings. it was code. already once today, an interview had turned out to be another type of business offer altogether. there were plenty who wandered into ritual innocently, but with its more official tie to rocket recently, more seemed to come for the underbelly than the booze—or the poorly paying jobs behind his bar.

hope einar

☉

kendra, roach’s most reliable bartender, had finally graduated. she was leaving, even though roach had done everything to beg her not to short of getting on his knees. no luck.

so, here he was again, in his small office, in the back of his bar, staring at his last interview of the day with a dull expression.

a mandibuzz stretched her wings with a waking squawk, and then settled on her perch. she watched their guest through a floating ribbon of smoke.

roach set his burning cigar down in an ashtray, and picked up a form, looking it over with a pair of lime green reading glasses kendra had left behind.

“can you pour a beer?”

open hope einar

☉

‘madame mildred: experienced psychic’

‘find out the truth’

‘see the future’

these were just some of the words that decorated the small building that had been purchased down the street from his bar. tonight, he’d had too good a conversation, and then a couple too many after he’d finished his work for the day. he’d suggested to his latest lingering patron that they both check it out, just for shits.

a cigar hung in his fingers, thickening the air around them and making it smell like molasses and leather. as he looked over, face half-shaded beneath the brim of a krookodile hat despite the time of day, he flashed a smile.

“y’know, what if she tells me some’n like… like my bar’s gonna burn down tomorrow’r some shit.”

he puffed from bittersweet brown leaf, hot on his lips.

“not sure if i’d even wanna know.”

open / mission: future sight

☉