Mach moved lazily down the street and up the steps to the inn, cig hanging lazily from a nicely healing split lip. He'd applied a little makeup before going out today to lessen the worst of that bruising that marred his features and particularly the radiation of sickly purple that marked a healing broken nose but there was only so much that could be done. And the man had been keeping himself couped up too long and needed a change of drinking habit and so here he was stepping into the inn during a time he knew it would be unoccupied so as to feed that self anesthesia.

Behind the bar she was leaning, head downcast while she flipped through a little book of mixed drinks. There was a colorful assortment of drinks across the bar already made, some half full because she may of been testing her work more than a quick straw full. Jukebox music going she was tapping a foot to the tune but not singing along like she normally would. She might be a little too tipsy to.

A drag of smoke was taken as blue eyes blue wandered over the emp... **** Well, he hoped it would be empty but then he really should have known better that luck was sort of kicking him from one ringer to another as of late. There was a thought to just leave and seek a drink elsewhere but upon seeing who it was that was leaning behind the bar the man sort of froze. Many, many, many thoughts crossed him as he beheld the woman, and with such just as many actions tried to play out at once that held him trapped until such point that leaving now would most certainly come across as awkward and impossible to ninja. So instead he pushed himself forward, walking on up to the bar silently so as to snag one of the glasses and take an appraising sip before snagging another. "Taking up bartending now?" His tone soft, a mix between that usual glib and the monotone that had been creeping into his manner as of late.

Her browsing of the pages stopped as one of the most sourest expressions known to man slapped across her face. She didn't look up and eventually began to continue the browsing. "No. One of my tenders are sick so I might take his shift tonight." There was a lacking warmth in her voice while she addressed him. Speaking of said shift, she turned her hand to pull on the red sleeve and check her watch for the time.

"Ah..." A drag was taken from his smoke as he took up another drink, a sip taken. "They have temps you know for that... or you could ask a friend. Probably one you've not blocked." Spoken softly as he set the glass down, another taken up and tried. He noted that agitation and the lack of warmth in her tone which brought a slight tension to his form as many more thoughts tried to play out at once again. Instead he'd simply keep that stoically friendly expression as he continued to sample her work.

Her fingers pressed down into the book and she tilted her eyes ever so slightly to look at him through the fall of pale hair. She had only ever given the **** off look to a handful of people and he just started a second hand. "Don't start. Don't you dare start with me." It was a warning as she leaned from the bar. "Yes, I am well aware there are temps. Managed Ampersand long before I was owner." The book was slapped close and she turned and moved to the shelves. She needed something and it wasn't in those mixes.

"Don't start?" Words to go with that expression which only stabbed hard into the man and rose his gall in one. "So that's it. You were just lying about wanting to be friends and really did just want to get rid of me, is that it? Because if that's it than tell me straight." His tone held a sharpness he'd never really used with her, not since he'd first met her, but at the same time there was a desperate sadness that purveyed beneath.
Her teeth clenched to the point her jaw went white. Did she look like she wanted to deck him? Sure the hell did. "You denied that right when you left me hanging and **** worried for weeks on a dead end line and no respond. Do you have any idea how **** worried I was, Mach? Only to come to the inn one night and find you-" she stopped herself quickly before she ended up going off on him like she did Sven. "I don't want to be friends anymore. I don't want anything to do with you so just bugger off." The book was slung across the bar and it landed crossway in its place. Swiping her hands on her skirt she made her way out from behind the bar.

"Worried?" This drew a scoff from the man. "Oh don't you even, you denied that right the moment you told me I had no future! And what the hell you even talking about!? YOUR line is the dead end one, not mine. Or were you expecting me to just keep in touch so willy nilly like before after the **** you pulled? Do you even know... even care how much you hurt me? But I was, what, suppose to keep up because you might be worried!? Sure as **** didn't seem that way before!" This wasn't the rationale conversation he had been wanting to have but with everything so raw he just couldn't help that outrage that reared it's ugly head only spurred by all the many different words that had been spoken to him over the past weeks. "So worried you couldn't give a **** that your friends might try to teach me a lesson, yeah? For hurting YOU!" A sharp point to the bruising of his features before he just threw his hands up in agitation. "Right. Fine. Suppose that was just stupid of me to think that you would. All you've ever done was push me away..." A self-depreciating scoff. "Guess I was always just too **** stupid to take the hint. Well, FINE. Loud and clear. Go to hell Mach, get dead Eli. I get it now. Sorry I wasted so much of your damn time!" He yelled through the tears that spilled down his features maring that angry sneer. He turned angrily starting for the door.

His words hurt more than she could even say. "That's right. Run off to your easy women who you never knew how to keep your hands off of. Yeah..You are right, Mach. You can **** go to hell. And while you are at it why don't you grow a set of balls like a real man and stop throwing around that hypocritical ***." She had no idea who he was talking about 'teaching him a lesson'. "Hell if I know who you are talking about but next time you see them tell them that the bitch hurt you first. Cause apparently that is all I've ever done. Except you to be more a man than you are." She wanted to throw something at him but she also didn't want to. It was quite a ying-yang feeling. While he charged for the door she turned and stomped way for the stairs. "AND for your information I was hugging my phone for two weeks everywhere I went. So **** yes I was worried you ***." Stomp step, stomp step! Up she went.

Her words galled and tore him apart more than she could know yet they caused him to snap about angrily. "Hypocrite? Oh that's rich! What exactly was I hypocritical about, huh? You hurt I went to find comfort in another? Guess what, YOU DUMPED ME! What the **** did you think I'd do? 'Grow a pair of balls' and GROVEL my way back to you!? Cut all ties to everyone I know so maybe I could even HOPE of trying to assage what fears you had about me? Yeah, I'M the hypocrite here. Or were you trying to 'teach me a lesson' or some rot. Was that it? Give Mach some hurt to scare him straighter than he'd been? Well congratulations. You sure taught me...what happens you go the CAPITAL PUNISHMENT route, yeah? But then it's simply fair since all I EVER do is hurt you, right? Because I'm not enough 'man' for you whatever the hell that means. So you'll just push me away like you always do. And don't you dare say all you've ever done was hurt me. Don't you DARE try to turn this on me. I told you time and time again what I wanted but you just never listened. Always thought I had one foot out the door, was just one step away from bolting. Because that's what YOU wanted me to be and you'll be damned if I was anything else. Well fine. Wish granted. Glad I could finally give you what you've really ever wanted from me... to be right." The angry words crushed the man, destroyed him as the tears streamed while he screamed but he just couldn't halt them. "Yeah, you don't know what the hell I'm talking about... good to see everything norm there at least." A 'tch' at that as he turned for the door once more, brisk steps carrying him forward. "AND stop with that *** about being worried about me. The **** did you care if I was alive or dead in my apartment. You pushed ME away. Just finally found the right thing to do it with, so bra-***-vo. I love you but even I can take a hint THAT LARGE." And through the door he'd go, a complaintive creak given from the assaulted hinges as he stormed swiftly across the porch without a care. This wasn't what he wanted! He still loved her, still wanted to be there for her as he could but at this rate...! But he just couldn't quell that hurt that made him lash out as a wounded animal.

Every single word was cruel. Of course she was wrong. She was always wrong. So what did she do? About halfway up the steps she turned to face him and jerked both thumbs at herself. "The Bitch!" She threw her hands out in an exaggerated shrug with a smile planted on her face. As fake as it was it seemed appropriate to wear along with the title and she shouldered the full blunt of his words. Of course it was her. Always her fault. It was the all of what he said, summed up in a neat little bow. She turned on her heels and resumed her way up the stairs. She didn't wait to hear his reply. Soon as she was on the second floor she broke out into a run until she was at her room. The door slammed a few moments later and she slumped down to be a human doorstop, knees against her chest, and face planted against the bend of her knees.