Claire Novak carried bloody halos on her wrists like athletes showcased their trophies. But this evening, as she leaned against the edge of the bar, flirting with the cute bartender, they clanked together like shackles.
"You sure you can't come to Nick's party tomorrow? I could introduce you all my friends if you're worried about not knowing anyone," he said, pushing back his hair with his hand.
Claire laughed before saying, "Really, I wish I could, but I work nights, and alcohol," she moved her glass towards him with a nod, "is a luxury meant for blotting out the day. Parties and work really don't mix well."
He poured more beer into her glass and sighed, "Man, that sucks. What kind job is that?"
"Oh…I take the night shift on pest control."
"Pest control?" She could already hear the disbelief rising in his voice, "You?"
"Yeah you know, someone needs to keep Seattle safe from cockroaches at night. Too many of them, and we could have a full-on epidemic, and where would we be then?" Claire scratched the back of her neck, trying to scrape her anti-possession tattoo off for just one night so she could forget and go with this boy to his stupid party.
He laughed, still doubtful, and raised her glass, "To saving the city, then."
"To saving the city." Claire took the glass and downed it quickly, putting a wad of cash on the counter. Glancing towards a man moving towards the door, in a voice devoid of the earlier teasing tones, she quickly said, "I gotta go."
She turned her back to his protestations, and watched her mark walk out of the bar, "It was nice meeting you, really."
"Wait! Where are you going?"
Claire grabbed her coat from the rack, swiping the neighboring coat's wallet smoothly out of its pocket, and flashed him a feral grin, "My shift's started."