********
Birkoff furrowed his brows looking at the luminous and eyechacting insignia upon the engress, and thrusted his hands deeper in his jacket pockets when an hispanic boy collided with him.
'' Sorry '' he told casually , looking staight ahead and going for his path without gracing him of a second glance, but Birkoff repayed him with equal disinteress keeping his eyes trained upon his blonde guide, and following her inside with a ease he didn't feel.
The Security Man , a man he heard being called by Nikita as '' Davemport'', hugged her briefly and smiled at them as he let them pass.
While nobody would defined Volare's a chic place, it was far from being a simple bar. Middle aged gentlemen in research of a diversion, married ladies looking for a nightstand, couple in need of some sane fun or of privacy ,police officers with late night turns and the most of the annoyed youth in range equally frequented it, and equally had their wishes met by the staff. Nobody could look out place there, and never in his life he saw so many totally different people reunited togheter.
Loud music, drinks, food and billiards were what made the place suitable for an all-ages costumers of not too difficult tastes , and the somewhat unusual internal decorations reflected the hippy tastes of the owners.
Walter and Belinda O'Brien were been, and in some ways were still, two whacko children of flowers, who spent the most of their adult life wandering around the world, and finally settled in New York only to keep themselves close to their son, beginning an working activity suited to their idea of free time .
Birkoff rested his glasses in the breast pocket of his green shirt, vaguely disturbed by the changing lights his friend found instead so cool. I'm working too much - he thought at himself, blinking .
Nikita seemed spot someone she reconized, and cheerfully made her way at the boot where they would sat. The barman, a man large and fat, with a red bandana on his forhead and a funny grin plastered on his cheerful face, came to them right away .
'' Hey Rudy !''
'' Nikita , long no see ! Where' s Michael ? ''
He saluted her enthusiastically, and his blubby voice overhung the pounding music as he unawarely made Nikita , who was trying to not think of the subject, cringe and provoked Birkoff to stifle a chuckle at how he singsonged his welcome
*Why everyone just presume I'm constantly joined to his hip? * '' Busy and elsewhere .'' - Nikita forced herself to continue to smile happily at Rudy ordering - '' A Cosmopolitan, straight up ''
'' Comin' . Your friend ? ''
'' Uh, I'll take a beer ''
Birkoff looked around unconfortably, like if he had no idea of what he was doing there, or what he was supposed do. Nikita was rather bemused observing his sceptical glances at few of the costumers , until Rudy brought their drinks and he could concentrate on something else.
'' So, see anything that you like ? ''
She asked teasingly bringing the globet to her sly lips, enjoying her flirty choice of words.
Her colleague, anyhow, understood nothing of the joke.
'' I saw better places '' The beer went down in his troath
'' I was talking about girls''
'' Girls? ''
Now all his sceptical looks were clearly focused on her.
'' Did you never hooked up with someone in a bar ? Your highschool years? ''
'' No. Why? ''
'' It's a necessary step . '' She said leaning exaggerately toward him
His eyes widened at the point she guessed his eyesballs could just roll on the floor, but he made an admirable attempt at keeping his mouth shut. In the complex he looked so funny that she wanted laugh out loud, but it would embarassed him.
'' Take a look around. Do you see ayone look interesting to you? Anyone you might want to talk to? - she indicated a brunette of heavy make-up, smoking disinteressedly at the bar down from them - What about her? ''
The boy at her side hissed with distaste. '' She smokes!''
''Well, what about them? '' She tried again , eyeing a group of younger girls , freely laughing in a corner.
'' What about you ?''
Totally caught out guard from this one, Nikita cleared her troath, desperatly hoping that in the blank in her mind it would be formed a coherent reply.
'' Me? ''
Not being in codition to refrain himself anymore, Seymour Birkhoff erupted in a startling laughter ''Take it easy! I was joking! ''
'' Jee, How mature of you '' She smorted, but was smiling as she rolled her eyes. Taking her second drink, her gaze casually fell on a interesting object. '' Birkhoff what about her ? ''
This time she was pointing at long-haired blonde girl . A *very pretty* blonde girl who, chewing a bubble gum, danced with evident abandon. She wore a lightly clingy pink dress, and something in her reminded him vaguely of the Spice Girls. He thought that the girl looked like someone who feels awfully good about herself, someone at ease with life .
'' Out of my league ''
'' Oh, and in what league are you? ''
He shook his head, defeated, and saw Nikita slinking off with definite ulterior motives. '' Where are you going ? '' he asked, uncertain if it scared him more the fact she was leaving him alone at the bar, or her potential intentions in doing so.
She left without answering him, and got lost in the crowd.
*I'm not made for this * - he moped, fighting an unexpected rush of panic . But there was definitely too much noise for he could entertain intelligent thoughts.
Nikita returned soon, but this made nothing to assuage his disconfort. She returned with *the* girl in tow.
'' Birkhoff say hello to Ginger ''
''Hi '' The girl who he now knew as Ginger told him, blubbly and easily as he would expected from someone looking like her.
'' Hi '' He shyly echoed.
Seeing that her protegeè needed another shove in the right direction, Nikita sighed. It was necessary playing the host until he got confortable a little.
'' I told her about your undying love for Metallica . I hope you don't mind ''
'' Uhm, no''
'' She told me you work in an Investigative Agency. Sounds pretty cool! '' Ginger sounded like a genuine person to Birkhoff,but he briefly wondered if her interest in his work meant she was someone attracted to luminous careers or good cars.
Nikita, behind Ginger pushed up the corners of her lips, intructing him to smile
'' Yeah.'' He smiled brilliantly, hoping he wasn't doing an ass out of himself.
'' You have travel a lot, you have not? ''
'' Not so often as people could think '' He continued to smile so much than he feared his face was cracking. At least, it seemed work against the awkwardness.
Feeling that she had make an exit soon, or Birkhoff would never made a true move, Nikita choosed that moment to back on her strategy and leave. Plastering a smug grin on her face, she decided announcing she had leave:
'' I'll be right back '' she explained briefly, turned her back at the young duo, and directed again toward the crowd of dancing people .
'' Nikita! Wait! '' The Birkhoff's terrorized plea fell on deaf ears, and he looked at the girl beside him with a lost , puppy dog _expression . Ginger thought it was cute, in a adorable kind of way.
'' My brother loves Metallica, too. He entered in a group with the same namme, played the drums but y'know my parents kicked him out of the house. He made too much noise. The whole neighborhood was complaining. ''
'' Drums ...''
'' You could hear him a mile away. '' Ginger stated, nodding and looking him with really huge blue eyes
'' I played the drums when I was in High School... '' he began exicitedly, glad he finally found his way to break out of his mute-mode
* * * * * * * * * * *
Birkoff furrowed his brows looking at the luminous and eyechacting insignia upon the engress, and thrusted his hands deeper in his jacket pockets when an hispanic boy collided with him.
'' Sorry '' he told casually , looking staight ahead and going for his path without gracing him of a second glance, but Birkoff repayed him with equal disinteress keeping his eyes trained upon his blonde guide, and following her inside with a ease he didn't feel.
The Security Man , a man he heard being called by Nikita as '' Davemport'', hugged her briefly and smiled at them as he let them pass.
While nobody would defined Volare's a chic place, it was far from being a simple bar. Middle aged gentlemen in research of a diversion, married ladies looking for a nightstand, couple in need of some sane fun or of privacy ,police officers with late night turns and the most of the annoyed youth in range equally frequented it, and equally had their wishes met by the staff. Nobody could look out place there, and never in his life he saw so many totally different people reunited togheter.
Loud music, drinks, food and billiards were what made the place suitable for an all-ages costumers of not too difficult tastes , and the somewhat unusual internal decorations reflected the hippy tastes of the owners.
Walter and Belinda O'Brien were been, and in some ways were still, two whacko children of flowers, who spent the most of their adult life wandering around the world, and finally settled in New York only to keep themselves close to their son, beginning an working activity suited to their idea of free time .
Birkoff rested his glasses in the breast pocket of his green shirt, vaguely disturbed by the changing lights his friend found instead so cool. I'm working too much - he thought at himself, blinking .
Nikita seemed spot someone she reconized, and cheerfully made her way at the boot where they would sat. The barman, a man large and fat, with a red bandana on his forhead and a funny grin plastered on his cheerful face, came to them right away .
'' Hey Rudy !''
'' Nikita , long no see ! Where' s Michael ? ''
He saluted her enthusiastically, and his blubby voice overhung the pounding music as he unawarely made Nikita , who was trying to not think of the subject, cringe and provoked Birkoff to stifle a chuckle at how he singsonged his welcome
*Why everyone just presume I'm constantly joined to his hip? * '' Busy and elsewhere .'' - Nikita forced herself to continue to smile happily at Rudy ordering - '' A Cosmopolitan, straight up ''
'' Comin' . Your friend ? ''
'' Uh, I'll take a beer ''
Birkoff looked around unconfortably, like if he had no idea of what he was doing there, or what he was supposed do. Nikita was rather bemused observing his sceptical glances at few of the costumers , until Rudy brought their drinks and he could concentrate on something else.
'' So, see anything that you like ? ''
She asked teasingly bringing the globet to her sly lips, enjoying her flirty choice of words.
Her colleague, anyhow, understood nothing of the joke.
'' I saw better places '' The beer went down in his troath
'' I was talking about girls''
'' Girls? ''
Now all his sceptical looks were clearly focused on her.
'' Did you never hooked up with someone in a bar ? Your highschool years? ''
'' No. Why? ''
'' It's a necessary step . '' She said leaning exaggerately toward him
His eyes widened at the point she guessed his eyesballs could just roll on the floor, but he made an admirable attempt at keeping his mouth shut. In the complex he looked so funny that she wanted laugh out loud, but it would embarassed him.
'' Take a look around. Do you see ayone look interesting to you? Anyone you might want to talk to? - she indicated a brunette of heavy make-up, smoking disinteressedly at the bar down from them - What about her? ''
The boy at her side hissed with distaste. '' She smokes!''
''Well, what about them? '' She tried again , eyeing a group of younger girls , freely laughing in a corner.
'' What about you ?''
Totally caught out guard from this one, Nikita cleared her troath, desperatly hoping that in the blank in her mind it would be formed a coherent reply.
'' Me? ''
Not being in codition to refrain himself anymore, Seymour Birkhoff erupted in a startling laughter ''Take it easy! I was joking! ''
'' Jee, How mature of you '' She smorted, but was smiling as she rolled her eyes. Taking her second drink, her gaze casually fell on a interesting object. '' Birkhoff what about her ? ''
This time she was pointing at long-haired blonde girl . A *very pretty* blonde girl who, chewing a bubble gum, danced with evident abandon. She wore a lightly clingy pink dress, and something in her reminded him vaguely of the Spice Girls. He thought that the girl looked like someone who feels awfully good about herself, someone at ease with life .
'' Out of my league ''
'' Oh, and in what league are you? ''
He shook his head, defeated, and saw Nikita slinking off with definite ulterior motives. '' Where are you going ? '' he asked, uncertain if it scared him more the fact she was leaving him alone at the bar, or her potential intentions in doing so.
She left without answering him, and got lost in the crowd.
*I'm not made for this * - he moped, fighting an unexpected rush of panic . But there was definitely too much noise for he could entertain intelligent thoughts.
Nikita returned soon, but this made nothing to assuage his disconfort. She returned with *the* girl in tow.
'' Birkhoff say hello to Ginger ''
''Hi '' The girl who he now knew as Ginger told him, blubbly and easily as he would expected from someone looking like her.
'' Hi '' He shyly echoed.
Seeing that her protegeè needed another shove in the right direction, Nikita sighed. It was necessary playing the host until he got confortable a little.
'' I told her about your undying love for Metallica . I hope you don't mind ''
'' Uhm, no''
'' She told me you work in an Investigative Agency. Sounds pretty cool! '' Ginger sounded like a genuine person to Birkhoff,but he briefly wondered if her interest in his work meant she was someone attracted to luminous careers or good cars.
Nikita, behind Ginger pushed up the corners of her lips, intructing him to smile
'' Yeah.'' He smiled brilliantly, hoping he wasn't doing an ass out of himself.
'' You have travel a lot, you have not? ''
'' Not so often as people could think '' He continued to smile so much than he feared his face was cracking. At least, it seemed work against the awkwardness.
Feeling that she had make an exit soon, or Birkhoff would never made a true move, Nikita choosed that moment to back on her strategy and leave. Plastering a smug grin on her face, she decided announcing she had leave:
'' I'll be right back '' she explained briefly, turned her back at the young duo, and directed again toward the crowd of dancing people .
'' Nikita! Wait! '' The Birkhoff's terrorized plea fell on deaf ears, and he looked at the girl beside him with a lost , puppy dog _expression . Ginger thought it was cute, in a adorable kind of way.
'' My brother loves Metallica, too. He entered in a group with the same namme, played the drums but y'know my parents kicked him out of the house. He made too much noise. The whole neighborhood was complaining. ''
'' Drums ...''
'' You could hear him a mile away. '' Ginger stated, nodding and looking him with really huge blue eyes
'' I played the drums when I was in High School... '' he began exicitedly, glad he finally found his way to break out of his mute-mode
* * * * * * * * * * *