2019-06-17 - On a Dark and Stormy Night

Friday night at the bar isn't always like it is in the movies. In this case, the Pourhouse is pretty quiet, a few regulars sat at the bar, a few people huddled in booths. Genevieve is sitting at the bar, some sort of cocktail sat in front of her. She is dressed in sensible jeans with a half-buttoned white blouse worn over a faded white tank top. Her dark hair is loose, curled around her face. She checks her phone, a fond grin forming on her face as she taps out a text message. The thunder outside rolls through, and a flash of lightning follows quickly after, making her turn her head toward the entrance.

Dahlia ducks into the bar quickly, like the devil was on her heels. And it might as well be. That storm was about to start any second and she had no desires to be caught in it. What better way to wait it out than one of the oldest bars in the town. She claimed a spot at the bar and offered a smile to the bartender. "Whatever's on tap please. Surprise me." Dahlia exhaled softly, shifting a bit so she could tie her hair back up in a ponytail. A brief, curious look towards Genevieve. Someone she didn't know, and didn't look familiar. That was honestly a nice thing. "Someone special?" She quirked a brow, noting the woman's look as she typed out a text it seemed.

Genevieve watches Dahlia enter when the lightning flashes, her gaze lingering on her outfit briefly before she picks up her drink to sip from it. "Don't know yet." She answers, offering a smile as she sets down her drink. Her voice has a slight accent, not immediately discernible. "It looks like it's going to be quite a night out there. I hope you brought your umbrella with you." A beat. "I didn't." She picks her glass up again, raising it in a toast. "To bad weather and awkward text messages."

Dahlia's outfit is a navy blue strapless dress with a pair of black sandals. The dress, up close, looks expensive. Or maybe it's just really good at looking expensive. Either way, that's what she's wearing. "It's a fun sort of feeling...butterflies almost?" Half asked as she leaned against the counter. "I don't remember the last time I had that kind of feeling. Hope it works out. If you want it to work out." Thanking the bartender when her drink arrived. "No umbrella for me. I'll just sit here until they throw me out or the rain stops." Giving a bit of a grin. "Dahlia." She offered up.

"It's more of a steady weight, comforting almost." Genevieve explains, turning slightly on her stool when Dahlia leans against the bar. "I don't think I ever had it before either. I think that I like it, but honestly it's far too early to tell." She gestures to the dress, a slow smile curving her lips. "What is the occasion? You look very nice for a Friday out and about." She glances at the door, the rain has started to fall and it's heavy. "Yeah. I'm probably fucked. Might just see if I can find an Uber." She takes another drink, sets down her martini glass and holds her hand out toward Dahlia. "Pleasure, Dahlia. I'm Genevieve Dupuis."

"Well, that I've never had. The comforting...heart racing and butterflies yes - comforting...that's out for debate." Dahlia mused, looking down at her outfit and then back up. "I had a couple meetings." She smiled. "Have you heard about the festival that Byron Thorne is working on putting together?" Asking curiously. She wasn't sure how far Byron had started spreading word about it in general. "I live in ubers." Dahlia grinned. "No one wants me behind the wheel of a car. It's much safer to just pay someone to take me places I don't want to walk to."

"It's always the quiet ones." Genevieve offers, resting her chin on her palm as she listens to Dahlia speak. She gives her polite attention, the fingers of her free hand stroking her martini glass slowly. "Festival? Byron Thorne?" Her eyes narrow, chin tilting up slightly as she considers. "I've heard of Mister Thorne, someone mentioned the apartments he rents. I have not heard anything about a festival though." She lets out a quiet laugh when Dahlia describes her driving skill. "I'll keep that in mind, if I ever see you behind the wheel I shall find a nice sturdy building to hide near as you pass, oui?" She picks up the glass to sip at it. "So what is this about a festival, and since you mentioned it, I am going to imagine that you are involved?"

"Yes, he owns the Bayside Apartments. They look quite nice, today was my first day actually seeing them." Dahlia mused. "He's working with a few others on it. Wanting to do a Carnival sort of festival. Town wide. Like they have in Italy." She smiled a bit more. "I'm going to try and assist some with the design work. Bringing the ideas to life...we'll see how it goes. But it sounds like it will be exciting if it all works out. It'll have a few masquerade elements and he's been reaching out to the local businesses . It's an attempt to try and liven up the economy some. I'm hoping it'll go well." Dahlia nodded. "So, I've never see you around. Of course, that isn't saying much since I've only been back in town a week. But I don't recognize you from before I left either...and you look about my age maybe?"

"New in town." Genevieve murmurs, her lashes kissing her cheeks as a smile forms on her lips. She opens her eyes and focuses on Dahlia, her head tilted slightly to the side. "This festival sounds quite intriguing and will probably be a lot of fun." She crosses her legs, letting the crossed limb swing out lazily. "Who doesn't like a masquerade?" She taps her fingers along the top of the bar, her chin still cradled in her palm. "Perhaps I will be meeting with him soon then, I am opening a business soon. A cannabis dispensary on Elm." She looks amused, her chin jerking up briefly. "How old are you then, Miss Dahlia?"

"I hope so. And I'm sure he'd be happy to talk to you about participating if you wanted. I can pass you his information too before we part ways if you wants." Dahlia looked intrigued at the notion of a dispensary in Gray Harbor. "That sounds like it will be fun. I'm definitely going to be stopping in when it's open. At least it'll be easier to get a hold of then it is now." She grinned. "Did you have a dispensary elsewhere before you came here? Or just trying out some new things?"

"We'll see, I'm still pretty new in town. I'm not sure how folks are going to take the shop just yet and I'd like to not push or provoke too early." Genevieve aims an indulgent smile at Dahlia, brushing her hair back away from her face. "I look forward to having you as my customer." She pulls a card from her purse, sliding it along the bar toward the other woman. "I did not, I was working at home in a greenhouse before I came here, it's not legal where I'm from. When I came out here, I saw an opportunity and grabbed for it, the paperwork was quite the pain in the ass, but I think in the end it will be well worth it. J'espère que je ne me trompe pas." She gestures to the bartender for another drink. "You said you are recently home, where were you?"

"I think you'll have nothing to worry about." Dahlia chuckled, taking a long sip of her beer before accepting the business card from Genevieve. "I was in California before coming back here, but it was such a pain. Though I didn't indulge too often." A shrug and a grin. "I'm pretty sure there's plenty of people around here who'll keep ya busy." Brushing a few strands of hair from her eyes, "What's that mean?" Curious at the French words. She was definitely going to have to take Eli up on learning some French..."Well, Hollywood/LA area specifically." As to the question of where she was. "I'm an actress."

"I do hope you are right. I'm hoping that the shop will be a success, or at the very least, a mainstay." Genevieve's second drink is dropped off and she inclines her head slightly toward Dahlia. "There, now you have my number, and you're welcome to give it to this Byron if you think he will be interested in it." A slight smile tilts her lips as she clears her throat. "I hope that I am not wrong, those are what the words mean." Her eyebrows loft slightly as Dahlia answers her question. "Oh, really? I do not often get out to see movies, would I recognize anything you have been in?" She sits up a little straighter and reaches for her glass, pulling it closer so she can take a sip. "Sounds very glamorous."

"Duly noted." Dahlia flashed another smile as Genevieve translated. Then shook her head, maybe a little too quickly, when asked if the woman would recognize her. "Oh no, likely not. I'm not...like...famous or anything." Another slow sip of her beer taken. "Just a couple extra roles and minor supports. Some indie things." She elaborated. "It's not as glamorous as it sounds. Not yet at least. Mostly just a lot of long hours. But I do learn a lot, trying out for different parts and such."

"Mmm.. I see." Genevieve pushes her martini glass away from her, reaching in her back pocket to pull out several bills. "It's good that you're keeping up with it, are you home for a visit then?" She sets down a twenty on the bar, stuffing the few other bills back into her pocket. "My mère wanted me to try out for plays and the like when I was younger. I have.." She gestures with both hands, her brow furrowed slightly. "..stage fright? I freeze right up. I don't do well around large crowds of people, and I probably will never be able to speak in public." She rolls her eyes, a wry smile on her lips. "It takes a special kind of soul to be able to perform in front of others, in my opinion."

"It's my passion. The only thing I've really been passionate about." Dahlia admitted and nodded. "...something like that." To why she was back in town. Flashing another smile, "I'm working on trying to set up some acting lessons. If you ever want to try and get over the stage fright or get more comfortable with public speaking. It's a great way to do it." She offered, Finishing off her drink and motioned for another one. "It definitely takes dedication. And I still get nervous sometimes. But once you're in character it's...like nothing I can properly put into words. But it's a thrilling sort of feeling. Bringing a character to life."

"Everyone should have a passion. Mine are plants. You can say so much with flowers and blooms if you know how, it's one of the things I dabbled into when I was in college." Genevieve toys with the stem of her glass, her cheeks coloring as Dahlia brings up lessons. "Oh no, I don't think that is ever something that I can overcome. I have been shy for as long as I can remember, and I prefer a nice quiet place with planting soil, seeds and other tools to any stage, no matter what the thrill." She watches the bartender move to get Dahlia another drink. "You seem to love what you do, that is important, and something that a lot of people are missing." She looks thoughtful, falling quiet for a short while. "Well, since you are newly back to town, we can't gossip about boys or drama." She shifts her eyes to take in Dahlia, a teasing grin on her face. "..unless you brought those with you?"

"With that sort of attitude I really can't wait to see your shop. It sounds like those plants will be very well taken care of." Dahlia chuckled softly. "Never say never. If you change your mind, I'm not going anywhere for a while." She agreed. There was a moment where Dahlia just stared at Genevieve. Her pale skin possibly seeming to go a shade paler. A brief tensing of her shoulders. How did she know?! She couldn't right? It was just a coincidence? Thank god for beer. She stalls by taking a sip of her new glass. "I did. Unfortunately." She admits finally. "Completely unintentionally. Who's Mr. Comforting? Maybe I know them."

"That is the hope. I'll have cannabis but I'll also have some homemade tea, tinctures and creams." Genevieve places her hand on her chest briefly, covering her heart as she aims a smile toward Dahlia. "You are very sweet, thank you. If I ever decide that I need to conquer the world, I will seek you out, so I can at least speak to my subjects once I subjugate them." Her lips quirk as she says this, and it's clear after a moment that she's teasing, soft laughter escaping her. Her expression goes from amusement to concern in a few heartbeats. Dahlia is pale to begin with, so when she gets paler, it looks for a moment like she might get to her feet to comfort the other woman. Then she speaks, and air leaks from the French woman slowly as she exhales. "You had me worried there for a brief moment, I thought you were going to faint." Fingers brush curls back behind her ears as she tries for a faint smile. "Oh, well, like I said it is very new. We've been on one date, maybe two. A third to come, we're going to Seattle for a short trip. His name is Eli Blake."

"I'm sorry." Dahlia took a breath and shook her head. "I didn't mean to worry you it was just...uncanny that you said that is all." She let out a little chuckle. But she didn't seem so inclined to divulge any further details for the moment. More than happy to listen to Genevieve talk about her guy. "I just saw Eli earlier today." She grinned. "He's a good guy. He kinda grew up with one of my older brothers. He was telling me a bit about what he's doing for work and it sounds pretty interesting. All that translating." She shifted a bit in her seat. "And I'm sure it's neat that you guys can talk together in French yeah?"

"If you're going to faint, I would appreciate warning in advance so I can seek out a strapping gentleman to catch you. Hmm?" Genevieve gets a look on her face while they discuss Eli. It's withdrawn a bit, as if she's not sure she should be smiling about it. "He's something, and he seems to enjoy his work. We do get to speak in French when we're alone, it's comforting to me, and I think he enjoys it, probably because he knows it calms me a bit. Reminds me of home." She finishes off her drink, waving away the bartender when he approaches to refill it. "Work keeps him at home a lot, I'm hoping to get him out more, he's quite withdrawn. I worry."

If anything, Dahlia was a very good listener. Especially if it meant not having to talk about her own issues. "I can't claim to know Eli very well...but I do know he's been alone for a long time. More or less. He doesn't really have any family around anymore. So it'll probably take time and patience but I think you wanting him to properly get out more is a good thing." She assured her drinking companion. "And I do hope it all works out, if that's what you decide you want." She eyed her glass for a moment, it was still half full but she seemed to be debating of if she wanted to go for a third. To be determined. Dahlia took a smaller sip this time. "So, where did you move here from?"

"We'll see what happens, he ..is a good person." Genevieve takes a deep breath, moving to the other subject easily. "I come from Savannah, Georgia. My parents live on a plantation out there, well it used to be a plantation. Now it's just a big house with too much land and some fruit trees." She watches Dahlia take a drink, her eyes on the woman until she decides to elaborate more. "My parents emigrated over here from France before I was born. They didn't plan to stay, but plans change." She pulls her phone toward her, tapping on it as she fiddles with an app. "I'm ordering an Uber before it becomes too late and I get stuck walking in the rain." She grimaces, and then sets the phone aside again. "You are welcome to join me in mine, if you need a way home."

"I've not been out to the East Coast yet. I'll be it's nice and warm most of the time." Dahlia grinned. "Funny how that works out isn't it? You go in to something with one plan and it ends up becoming something entirely different." She took another drink and shook her head. "I'm going to hangout a little longer I think...but I appreciate the offer. It was nice meeting you Genevieve." Offering another little smile. "I'll definitely be one of the first in line at your shop.

"I will save you a heart shaped edible brownie." Genevieve says, slipping to her feet, pulling a long leather coat from the back of her stool. She pulls it on, hands moving under her hair to pull it free so it can settle on her shoulders. "Perhaps one evening you can come over to my place, have dinner? I'm sure I can gently bully Eli into coming as well, I have promised that I was going to cook him something." A soft beep sounds outside and she turns, surprised. "Shit, they're fast here. It was nice meeting you Dahlia, I'll hopefully see you again sometime!" She backs away, her hand raised to wave briefly. She pulls open the door, groans and steps out into the rain, quickstepping to the Uber so she can climb inside.