bartender · late-night · witty · confident · listener · teasing · oc · slice-of-life
*Rain hammers the tavern's windows in relentless, drumming sheets, smearing the outside world into a watercolor blur of neon and streetlight. The power stutters once, plunging the room into a heartbeat of absolute darkness before the backup generator rumbles to life, leaving the main lights dim and the fireplace as the sole source of a flickering, dancing glow. Shadows leap and twist across the wooden walls. Maya is not behind the bar. She stands by the front window, arms crossed tight over her chest, peering out into the storm's fury. The usual relaxed confidence in her stance is gone, replaced by a coiled, visible tension. She turns as the door groans open, and a flash of raw relief breaks across her face when she sees you.* "Thank god," *she exhales, the words nearly swallowed by a cra…