Turn Me On-1-2-3
(Skaia AU, integrated city of prospitans, Dersians, humans and trolls.)
Tavros' day could not get any worse.
He grimaced at the eviction notice taped to his door, stating that he had seven days to either ante up with two apartment payments, or abscond somewhere the hell else. He clutched the pink slip in his hands, feeling his mood hit rock bottom.
Today was not his day.
Earlier, Tavros Nitram had been relieved of his duties of a website designer, and effectively kicked out on the street. And to make it worse, and even more cliche, while traveling to the train station, the sky lost each and every ounce of pity, and decided that it would be comical to make it rain.
Perfection.
Tavros managed to get the door to his apartment open, and he collapsed on his couch, burying his face into the woven gray fabric.
He wanted to cry.
He needed money, and a job.
He rotated onto his back, letting his hand rest on his eyes withholding his urges to bawl like a grub. He stayed like this for a while, wishing his self confidence would have a miracle-like boost.
His mind wandered to the sessions with his therapist, envisioning the long plush lounge chair, and the tangy aroma of oranges in the air. He recalled her saying something along the lines of him being in control of his self confidence, or sone other bullshit of that manner. Nevertheless It was advice he'd taken to heart, so he swung his legs to the oak floor, and stood up, his right knee buckling to the sudden movement.
You see, Tavros had a 72% lower body replacement a few months back, rendering him bedridden for a few months. It had started when he had discovered that the bones in his legs had begun to decompose, and if he didn't have the surgery, his legs would either collapse under the weight of his body, or he would be placed in a wheelchair for the remainder of his days.
He DAMN sure wasn't going back to the wheelchair. He'd had enough of that between sweeps four through nine.
He made sure that his legs were okay, grabbed his bag, which contained his laptop, and a few other essentials, and exited the small abode. He slumped down the stairs and into the street, pulling his hood over his head and horns, buckling the small openings for said horns with ease. The streets were empty enough to drive a unstable man stark raving mad, which was just the way he liked it, no one to stare at him, or judge him as he journeyed down the damp street.
By the time he reached Elmore place, he realized he had no itinerary, or nothing even closely resembling a plan for that matter. He shrugged, and turned back the way he came, a wayward piece of paper colliding with his face.
He panicked for a short time, never dealing with surprises well. He pulled it off, and threw it to the ground, then sauntered off back the way he came.
He decided to take the long way home, the way that wound through the park and by the pond so he could greet the ducks.
Well he would of.
A bright green HELP WANTED sign seemed to allure him closer and closer to the building. And in a seemingly robotic motion, he was whisked inside.
I slim derseian woman, greeted him in the small lobby of the establishment.
"Can I show you to a seat, or are you waiting for someone?" her tone was dark and arcane, with a slight brightness to it.
" Uuh, no I'm Uh, here about the help wanted thing." he signaled to the bright green sign, and gave a nervous smile.
She grinned and escorted him to the back of the establishment. She rapped on the door a few times, a deep voice responding with a distorted "Enter."
"Doc, he's here about the opening." she said, wiping off her name tag, that read WQ in big silver letters.
A male Prospitian, with a big white head and no visible features, stood up and shook Tavros' hand.
"So, you're here about the job opening." The figure otherwise know as Doc, said bluntly. He regained his spot at his desk, closing his Laptop and crossing his legs, making the troll slightly shiver in a nervous chill.
"Uuh, Yes Sir."
He leaned forward and folded his hands on his desk. "Have you ever worked in a club?"
Tavros shook in despair. He had absolutely no idea what the hell kind of place he'd sashayed into. He stiffened even more, gripping the sides of he leather chair, as his hands began to sweat.
"N-no Sir."
He put a hand on his head. "Jesus Christ." "Stop with the formalities." his hands returned to rest on the dark oak desk. "Do you want the job or not." his long white fingers danced on the desktop.
"Uuh, Yes." he replied, wiping some imaginary sweat form his brow.
Doc rummaged in his desk for a while, and removed a small stack of paper, a rainbow colored wristband, a sheet of silver glow-in-the-dark stickers, and a blank name tag.
"The dress code is all black; grays and other ashen colors, as well as white are permitted." "Jeans are allowed, just make sure they look classy, and that they aren't cut up so much they look like the cloth went through a shredder." "From nine pm to midnight, you'll take over Willow's shift and work as a waiter." "From midnight to four am, you'll work under Nepeta, who will tutor you in the wondrous and slightly mystic ways of the bartender." he flailed his arms in the air for added affect.
Tavros grinned excitedly, and shook Doc's outstretched hand. "Thank you, Mister, Uuh, Doc, you won't be sorry."
"Just get here at eight pm tomorrow." Doc replied bluntly, releasing the trolls hand and re-opening his ivory laptop.
Tavros bid him a adieu and scurried from the building, fist-pumping happily, as he crossed the damp street. He turned to admire the sleek establishment, his eyes settling on the glowing emerald sign that hung daintily overhead. He silently read out the illuminated words 'Scratch.'
He grinned yet again, grasping his laptop bag and scurrying off towards his home.
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Kanaya had been observing him for an hour. The big horned fellow who seemed to innocent to be a troll. Hell, he seemed to innocent to be a actual living being. She made a face, and looked at him like she could see right through his cloak of fallacious innocence, knowing she couldn't. She watched him feed the things the humans called birds, with the remains of a bag of chips, spreading them askew the park's blacktop, then smiling at the small creatures as they hopped around for the sustenance.
Kanaya flipped her purple sunglasses up. There was no way in hell he was that sweet.
She took a sip of her coffee, and checked her phone, which read 7:46, which she ignored.
Kanaya tilted her head over the headrest of the city bench, looking up at the dimming autumn sky, and admiring the leaves as they turned that saffron color that greatly resembled the color of troll horns. The stars were just beginning to shine, paying no mind to the hustle and bustle of Skaia and its inhabitants.
She turned back to look at the big horned fellow, but found him exiting the park, and slowly shuffling down the sidewalk. Kanaya stayed there for a while, finally rising and heading off to her job.
Soft music played in the air, as the waiters and waitresses slid around, greeting patrons at their tables and booths. Various smells littered the air, from fresh fish, and otherwise. Tavros smiled, taking a liking to the various aromas. He could taste garlic, fish, onions, and...
Peaches?
Yeah, peaches.
He gulped as a couple, a troll woman with a long dark mane, and a prospitan male with short spiky white hair sat at one of the three tables he was to akin to.
If he remembered everything from the training booklet that Doc had bequeathed to him yesterday, things should flow smoothly.
He slid over, smiling and setting the menus in front of them.
"Uuh, Can I start you off with something to drink?"
The couple responded, woman ordering a pint of a Dersite lager called Rook, much to the man's surprise.
The troll smiled and fetched them their drinks.
Meanwhile...
Kanaya made the face of a skeptic as the tall troll from the park, sleuthed around the restaurant handing out drinks, and making disgruntled faces at the touch-screen register.
However, she had no time to dally; she had her own square of tables to attend to.
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He time was midnight, and Nepeta sauntered upstairs, to her post making drinks for the people. She let her silver painted nails dance up the railing in glee with each step.
She smiled at her Moirail, Equius, who was employed as the bouncer in the later hours. He made the same odd face he always made, his eyes darting for any potential stalkers behind the cat-like troll.
But the Boy with the large horns behind the counter piqued her interest. She recalled Doc speaking with her about her apprentice bartendee.
She grinned and shook his hand, and ran him through the amateur bar-tending course she had taken when she had gone through when she had been in school.
"So," Tavros spoke, placing his fingers on his chin. "All of the liquor is, Uh, grouped together by the numbers on their tops, and, Uh, all I really have to do is type the name of the drink in the computer, and follow the little recipe?"
Nepeta nodded happily, mixing a shot of black and tan for the human boy John, who Tavros met earlier.
Dave, the Deejay went on break, sitting at the far end of the bar. Kanaya, and the one Tavros learned was the huge bitch,Vriska, and a male, tall and lanky, with a messy shaggy mop of dark ebony locks, and long twisted saffron and scarlet horns. His face was eerily shrouded in a coat of white and gray foundation. A silver saxophone was nestled in his arms, that seemed to be the dance floor for the shining light.
Kanaya plugged in the ash gray bass guitar, as Vriska strummed her 'Flying V'
The pair began to play, the male joining in. The floor was doused with the writhing bodies of the dancing Skaianas.
Tavros was entranced by the Saxophonist.
He was so...
Sleek,
Sexy,
Beautiful.
Tavros was in a trance.
The music flowed like the sweet fountains of Ambrosia from the mountains of the gods. His hips swayed to and fro lightly, as his converse clad foot tapped on the gray tile.
"Uuh," he began, Nepeta turning from her drinks. "Who's the guy with the long horns?" For a slight moment, Nepeta was lost in her own train wreck of thought, but then she perked up and turned to the object of Tavros' curiosity.
"Oh, you mean Gamzee," she stated, in lieu of preparing a few shots of tequila for a customer. "He works on the third floor during the day, and then comes down here and does entertainment and stuff."
He smiled at the smaller troll, who beamed him one of the same kinds, now cleaning a tall cup. She finally settled back in one of the small chestnut barstools, and gave a look to Equius, who in turn raised an eyebrow and blew out a bunch of air. Equius turned to Eridan, who in one hipster-esque motion, removed his glasses and teased his hair.
The small group was playing another song now, something with a fast pace and a dark undertone. Vriska's blue pick danced over the strings of the flying-V in a fast yet graceful manner, and the troll otherwise known as Gamzee, had, in the small intermission, switched from a silver saxophone, to a dark gold trumpet. They began to play faster, the large-horned Troll listening and switching in awe as the notes melded into each other, founding one vibrant sound.
A small group sat at the bar, Nepeta and Tavros traversing behind the bar again to mix drinks, the male feeling a bit triumphant at his ability to mix an Appletini.
Life was good.
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Karkat collected the tip from the last customers, counting the multicolored boondollars then shoving them in his pocket, contemplating going upstairs and swiping a bottle of Jägermeister and get his ass fired.
Sollux swiftly passed him, lisping hello, and pushing his way through to the kitchen.
Karat made a face that made him look extremely constipated, then let his hand rest on his thin hip.
He was gonna bite the flying fuck out of him.
The gray skinned male turned and continued his duties servicing the patrons, tending a repetitive glare in the direction of the kitchen every few minutes. He stopped and watched the clock, praying for his shift to be over, so he could go upstairs and get partially tipsy. His hand came to rest on his head, as his eyes wandered to the door again, as he slid a group of women their bill.
After a few minutes, the kitchen light flickered off, and the cooks and various other assistants flooded from the door and most traversed upstairs. John came and wrapped his lanky arms around the troll's neck and gave him a light, chaste, kiss, Karkat pushing for more as Sollux came from the dark kitchen and glanced in his direction.
Come Hell of high-water, He was going to make that bastard pay.
Upstairs, Tavros was doing surprisingly well at his new occupation. Nothing showy, just productive and fast. He added a few pints of vodka to the shaker, which held some cranberry juice and lime, took that and shook it furiously, doing a little jig in the process. He poured the beverage for the Dersian male, who slid him a couple boondollars in payment. He turned to Nepeta, who shot him her signature wide mouth smile in return. He grinned back, and felt his body be drawn to the empty stage, which was now filled with Dave's deejay equipment. Some part of him was desperate to see the troll known as Gamzee, slide up on the stage once more an witness him make beautiful music with that glorious saxophone once more. The other part was advising him to concentrate on his damn job.
Jade came from upstairs, straightening her black collar, and waving at Tavros in a peppy manner, taking a spot at the barstool in front of him and grinning even wider.
Jade had gone to high-school with the male, the only other being Karkat, who was so angsty that he was avoided by all but a select few.
"So Tav, how do you like the new job?" she inquired, as he handed her a glass of water. She took a couple sips, her eyes trailing to her vibrating phone fir a second before flipping it face down and looking back at him.
"I, uh, like it here." "Everybody's, uh, nice and shit." he spoke, tripling over his words in the usual manner that he did so. His eyes diverted to Jade's facedown phone, as it vibrated again.
"I'm glad that all the people are so inviting." she replied, clearly ignoring the device at her fingertips.
"Uuh, Jade," he stuttered. "Aren't you going to answer that?" a small orange blush powdered his cheeks, the pigment of his blood somehow breaking through the dark shades of his cheeks. Jade rolled her eyes. "It's my Ex," she explained. "He keeps calling me, whining about how sorry he is for sleeping with my cousin." she rolled her eyes again, John hearing the last of the conversation and shaking his head in agreement.
Tavros flushed with embarrassment.
John gave his toothy grin.
And Jade ordered two shots of something strong.
TBC.
Sorry if they seem a bit OOC...
Review please