GREG DECKER
Human
Posts: 197
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Apr 17, 2024 19:11:06 GMT
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Post by GREG DECKER on Nov 29, 2022 18:23:55 GMT
Three days mid-week, no work, it was a dream for most people. A mid-week staycation or an excuse to actually get out of town. Run errands, catch up on all the episodes of Rupaul’s Drag Race you’d been missing, just put your feet up.
Forty …. Forty-three hours mid-week, no work, and Deck was watching the second hand on his watch drag around. With each tick of it the twitch in the back of his mind was getting worse. He dragged his gaze away from it, reaching for his glass on the bar again to find it empty. Had he drunk it? Tilting it, he studied the foam still clinging to the inside of the glass, like a map of the world carved out in bubbles. He tapped his thumb over the eastern US - or the blob that might’ve been it - dragged it around the glass. Maybe a trip would’ve cleared his head and stopped that clock ticking, but it wouldn’t have rid him of any of his problems - those things were everywhere after all.
Like the plate that’d contained a burger and fries half an hour ago, the glass was pushed away. Deck squinted down the bar, looking for the bartender that’d served him then. Not Clea, she’d have been hovering back by now, concern leaving her frowning at him. No need to worry, he might not’ve been sailing entirely smooth again yet, but he hadn’t fallen back into that pit he’d been in when he’d first arrived in town either. No passing out drunk behind the wheel of his truck for the sheriff’s people to find (definitely not leaping straight over that line to actually trying to drive home). He’d walked in from home and after another, he’d walk back out. With maybe just … thirty eight hours to go. Where had they … huh
Deck blinked at his watch again, his vision as soft and fizzy around the edges as those bubbles. Maybe he’d started to lose his tolerance, those long nights that’d been filled with drinking to avoid being able to think damning him when they’d started to ease. Wasn’t that bloody ironic. What had once been his only way out now taking bites out of that forced down time, unintentionally turning that last day tomorrow - the one that would’ve felt three years long - into an uphill climb against the hangover that’d bite with sharp little teeth. And no banana bag in sight to string himself to.
At least he wouldn’t be staggering into the hospital tomorrow with the scent of beer pouring out of him. That would’ve had that look of concern on all their faces and not just Clea’s. Maybe Dr Fell would pull him aside, trying to softly talk the strain out of him again like he was a frightened stray dog. Nope, just a stray doc.
Spotting someone behind the bar finally, Deck aimed a smile at them. Definitely softer around the edges now, every tick of that clock taking just a second more. He picked up the glass, his grin growing crooked as one corner of his mouth hitched higher. ”Hey. Can I get another one of these? Please.” He glanced down, spotting the plate again. Too long since he’d cleared it maybe, it definitely wasn’t doing any good soaking up the beer he’d drunk anymore. ”I think some pie might be in order too. What kind do ya recommend?” Dark brows hitched as he looked up, squinting at her the same way Clea might’ve squinted at him. Was that same concern going to pop out? He straightened up in case, drawing in a deep breath to steady himself like a man about to leap off a diving board.
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EVANGELINE SALVADOR
Vampire
Posts: 64
Age:
23/596
Occupation:
Owner of the Mystic Grill
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
bad things only make up a few pages of your story and anyone can survive a few pages
Last seen Mar 31, 2024 16:57:11 GMT
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Post by EVANGELINE SALVADOR on Sept 29, 2023 21:55:34 GMT
These days Evangeline seemed to split her time between working at the Grill, running the group home and helping Kol but the truth was that she loved it. She had always preferred being busy and she got to help people which was never going to be a bad thing as far as she was concerned. She would be lying if she said the fact that there was an angel out there who wanted to wipe out everyone who was supernatural didn’t scare her but she had never been the kind of person to run from her problems. Evangeline was the kind of person who stayed and fought and that was never going to change. It had been that way back when she was a witch, she had given her all to protect her kingdom and in the end her mortal life had come to an end. She had died with Kol’s blood in her system so she had been reborn as a vampire and ever since then she had been doing her best to help those around her and make the world a little better. Now someone was threatening to ruin all of that and Evangeline knew better than to take that lying down. She didn’t know what the future was going to hold but one thing she knew for sure was that she wasn’t going to give up, she was going to stand up and fight the same way she always did and she hoped that those around her would do the same. That day had been a little different, Evangeline had ended up spending some time with friends before heading to the Grill for her shift and she hadn’t been inside long when one of the staff warned her that one of their regulars had already been propping up the bar for a while. That came with the territory of owning the place but Evangeline knew better than to let any of her customers drink too much. If that happened then she always made sure they had a ride home when she could and she made sure to take away their keys so they couldn’t be tempted to try and get behind the wheel. There were already too many people dying and disappearing in Mystic Falls without adding another threat to the list and even though it annoyed some people at the time, they always seemed to appreciate it in the morning. Making her way behind the bar, Evangeline decided to get stuck in and served a couple of people who were waiting before looking at the next and studying him carefully as he asked for another. “How about a coffee or water? I understand you’ve been here for a while already,” she countered, knowing that she didn’t want him taking it too far. As he mentioned pie, Evangeline nodded. “Something to soak up what you’ve had so far isn’t a bad idea. Apple is popular but we have chicken too if you’re not feeling the fruit.”GREG DECKER
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GREG DECKER
Human
Posts: 197
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Apr 17, 2024 19:11:06 GMT
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Post by GREG DECKER on Sept 30, 2023 19:18:18 GMT
Like a rock climber who had the top of the cliff in view before his strength had started to give out, Deck felt like he was clinging onto his life while everything in him trembled and threatened to give out. He’d been that close to feeling like he’d finally crawled out of the abyss. Then she’d arrived.
A flash of blonde hair out of the corner of his eye yesterday had been enough to have him shaking and breaking out in a cold sweat. He’d have called it pathetic, but this wasn’t just a spider or a roach he was afraid of – after years of living in camps or sleeping outdoors in some of the wildest parts of the world they didn’t both him – it was a creature that could order him to do just about anything and he’d have absolutely no chance of resisting her.
He hadn’t drunk this much in months, but it had taken beer after beer to dull that anxiety down to a level where he wasn’t quaking somewhere inside. Work usually would’ve handled it for him, taken his mind off of whatever tried to drift into it, only he’d been forced into taking a long weekend. For his own good. He’d laughed at the order, tried to brush it off. If he’d really wanted to push it, he could’ve snuck in. Only then security would’ve been called and instead of it being some friendly bar tender who cut him off from sinking another three or four beers before he called it a day, the head of the hospital would’ve had security escorting him out. There was pushing it and there was being a big enough idiot that he’d end up losing his job.
If Clea had been behind the bar it would’ve been a glass of water slid across to him instead of that last beer. She’d seen him start to slip down that slope enough times to know when to cut him off by now. He hadn’t always appreciated it at the time, but after, yeah. She had more common sense than him and enough tact not to push too far when it was obvious that too hard a nudge just might leave him truly cracked.
The woman who stepped up in front of him at the bar wasn’t as familiar. Deck squinted at her, even as he gave a sloppy grin. He’d definitely seen her around, but he didn’t think she’d ever served him before – if she had it was lost in those dark spots in his memories, the ones that hadn’t eaten away what he’d actually needed them to. ”If you’re worried about me falling down drunk, you don’t have to. I’m a long way off of that,” he promised, setting the glass down and holding up his hands in surrender.
He’d have pushed for the beer, but the minute she started mentioning chicken pie, the nausea clawed its way up his throat. Deck swallowed hard. Chicken pot pie had been one of his mom’s favourites, a Sunday dinner special before she’d died. He’d felt the nostalgia and that ache for her every time he’d had it since, but now the thought of it was enough to have the colour draining out of his face. ”Maybe just the apple, with some ice cream on the side. And a coffee? Thanks.” It might not work out too well for his stomach later when stress had everything mixing together badly, but for now it felt like getting a little of the alcohol out of his system before he staggered home was gonna be his best bet. ”No Clea tonight?” he asked as he propped his elbows against the edge of the bar and tried to concentrate on breathing through the nausea.
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EVANGELINE SALVADOR
Vampire
Posts: 64
Age:
23/596
Occupation:
Owner of the Mystic Grill
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
bad things only make up a few pages of your story and anyone can survive a few pages
Last seen Mar 31, 2024 16:57:11 GMT
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Post by EVANGELINE SALVADOR on Jan 30, 2024 2:05:24 GMT
Evangeline had tried her hand at a lot of different things over the years, that was one of the perks of living as long as she had, but the truth was that she was always happiest when she was able to help people. She had grown up as a princess and had known that it would one day become her responsibility to protect her people and she had taken that very seriously even when she was young. She had often found herself sneaking out of the castle to pass food to those who needed it and she had used her magic for good. All of that had gone away when she became a vampire, she had known that she couldn’t be the protector her people needed any longer so she had left after the battle was won and she had done her best to find other ways to do some good with her life ever since then. Opening the group home was a way of giving kids who were less fortunate a safe place to live and the chance to find a family and she knew that she was always going to be on hand to help Kol when he needed it as well. The Grill was the first challenge she had decided to tackle when she moved to Mystic Falls and it was something familiar given that she’d owned places like it before but she still loved it. There were plenty of people she considered to be regulars, people who often ended up spending time at the Grill, and Evangeline always made a point to remember their faces even if she didn’t always get to serve them herself. She had so much work on her plate but she always liked to work behind the bar when she could. It reminded her of the years she’d spent working alongside Alec and the others in the last place she’d owned and she wasn’t ready to let go of that yet. “I’m not worried about that but you should still pace yourself and have something to eat. Drinking on an empty stomach is never a good idea,” Evangeline said, offering him a smile as he held his hands up in surrender. She had dealt with plenty of people who knew their limits but still kept on coming close to them or surpassed them pretty frequently and she knew that she didn’t want that to happen here if she could help it. They didn’t have as much food left as they’d had earlier in the day but she knew they still had some of two kinds of pie left and she was quick to offer both up when he asked. As he asked for some apple with ice cream and a coffee, Evangeline nodded. “Of course, coming right up,” she nodded, passing his order through to the kitchen before setting about getting him a coffee. “You look a little pale, are you okay?” she asked gently, not sure what had caused the sudden change in him. Whatever it was something seemed to be bothering him and Evangeline knew that she would listen if he wanted to talk about it. As he asked about Clea, Evangeline shook her head. “No, she has tonight off so you’re stuck with me I’m afraid. I’m Evangeline,” she said as she set the mug of coffee down in front of him. GREG DECKER
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GREG DECKER
Human
Posts: 197
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Apr 17, 2024 19:11:06 GMT
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Post by GREG DECKER on Mar 8, 2024 21:01:14 GMT
That saying about doctors being the worst patients wasn’t complete bull. Some could tolerate it, but for most it wasn’t the fact they were sick that they whined about. It was knowing what was wrong with them and being able to think up every worse case scenario that could come from it. They buried their head in the sand, tried to cover injuries up and carry on like they hadn’t just come close to having their guts torn out. Instead of living by the advice they’d try and hammer into everybody else, they put their hands over their ears and blocked it all out. This included moderating their alcohol intake. A functional drunk was a functional drunk, whether they were wearing a white coat or not. For a moment Deck wondered if he’d have got the same reaction from the bartender if he’d been sitting there with his scrubs on, but the part of his brain that hadn’t gone fuzzy from the beers yet warned him it would be far worse. He’d never been intoxicated on the job, would never risk patient lives that way. All it took was one rumour that he had getting back to hospital management and there’d likely be an immediate suspension while an investigation happened. That forced break was something he knew he absolutely couldn’t handle.
The woman’s concern radiated from her like heat from a sunbaked road. Deck thought he could almost see it around her like an aura, but they really might just have been the alcohol. ”Swear on my life I didn’t do that,” Deck promised, tapping a hand against his chest as he dropped his hands. ”You can ask the guys in the kitchen. I had a burger just a … maybe a couple of hours ago?” The fact that he couldn’t pinpoint just how long he’d been sitting here at the bar probably wasn’t a good sign, but he had eaten tonight. If he ran his tongue around his mouth enough he’d chase up some taste of the ketchup or a stray speck of lettuce that had hidden between his teeth and survived the constant wash of beer.
Whatever had been in his stomach hadn’t stuck around long enough to keep him from getting drunk. Like days of old he felt that buzz in his system and knew it would be hours before it had faded. More food would help, if he could keep it down, but that was the part Deck wasn’t entirely sure he could manage. To reassure the woman he’d asked for apple pie all the same, hopefully it’d stay down til a cab dropped him back at the cabin at least. ”Thanks,” Deck murmured, propping his elbows against the edge of the bar. He dragged a hand over his mouth, still tasting the yeastiness of the beer there. As the woman appeared back in front of him and spoke again, Deck’s gaze shot up to meet hers. One corner of his mouth lifting faintly. ”It was just the thought of the chicken pie,” he told her, only half of it the truth. It had been the memory of his mom as much as anything.
Deck knuckled his mouth again, then offered the other to the woman as she set his coffee down and introduced herself. Clea had been the first to do that here, bustling into his life despite his frosty attitude. ”Deck,” he murmured. ”I’d say I was lucky you were working tonight, Evangeline. Although Clea would’ve done the same. Don’t worry, she’s not letting people drink themselves unconscious here. I thought I’d seen you around before, for a little while maybe. Are you new?” Clea had probably babbled about her in that way she did to fill the silences so he didn’t have to. Some of it he retained, some was washed away by the pints of beer.
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EVANGELINE SALVADOR
Vampire
Posts: 64
Age:
23/596
Occupation:
Owner of the Mystic Grill
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
bad things only make up a few pages of your story and anyone can survive a few pages
Last seen Mar 31, 2024 16:57:11 GMT
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Post by EVANGELINE SALVADOR on Mar 31, 2024 16:32:46 GMT
This wasn’t Evangeline’s first time owning a place like this, in fact she had owned quite a few over the years so she knew what she was doing by now but she knew better than to let that make her complacent. There were always going to be customers who liked to test their limits and she knew when to cut them off completely or make sure that they at least took a breath long enough to have something to eat and soak up what they had been drinking. The Grill had been doing okay when she had taken it over but it seemed to be doing much better now and she really was glad about that. She always tried to put on some different events to keep things interesting and even when she wasn’t doing that she liked to be behind the bar as often as she could so that she could really get to know the locals. There were people she knew quite well by now but there were others she hadn’t yet had the pleasure of meeting and this guy seemed to be one of those. She wasn’t too sure what to make of him just yet but she knew she would figure that out soon enough. “I’m glad to hear it but by that answer you’ve definitely been here for a while,” Evangeline said gently. He might not think that he was that bad right now but she knew it had a way of catching up with people and the last thing she wanted to do was to have him overdo it. “You’d be amazed how many people forget to drink water or have something to eat on a night out. You need to look after yourself,” she added. He might have had something to eat already but he didn’t seem sure how long ago that was and that wasn’t a good sign. Evangeline knew he might be drinking to forget something but it was still important to be careful and she knew that she was going to see to it personally that he was put in a cab at the end of the night rather than risking him trying to find his way home on his own, wherever that may be. “You’re welcome. It’ll be out in a few minutes,” Evangeline said, offering him a smile before setting about making his coffee. “Cream and sugar?” she asked as she worked. “I see. Not a fan?” she asked as he said it was the thought of the chicken pie that had him not feeling so good. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said as she shook his outstretched hand. As he said Clea wasn’t letting people drink themselves unconscious, Evangeline couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, I know she isn’t. She’s one of the best I have,” she grinned before shaking her head as he asked if she was new. “Definitely not, I’ve been in town for a few years now. I own this place,” she said as she gestured around them. She remembered Clea mentioning Deck to her before but this was the first time they had spoken directly. GREG DECKER
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