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"Holding out on us both, brother," Ed chuckled softly, still unable to fathom his uncle being any type of underground secret-holder. He loved the man, but he wasn't the type. He smiled a little at the way Joa spoke of what his uncle had been able to do for him, as proud of his friend as he was his uncle and father. Joa had made a name for himself, he hadn't rested on the hard work of his lineage like Ed had and a part of him was... jealous? Jealousy in the best way, he supposed.

Another bark of a laugh escaped Ed as Joaquinn patted his pocket, his eyes gently rolling at the reply, "Yeah alright," he hummed, trusting his friend wouldn't get himself into too much trouble if he could avoid it. The food was as incredible as Ed had hoped it would be, and he was already regretting not grabbing that many napkins as Joaquinn teased him, "Oh get fucked," he chuckled, shaking her head vigorously and sending a stray piece of carne asada that had rested in his beard flying across the ground next to him, "The ladies love my dance moves, don't be rude."

joaq let out a laugh, "yeah that would be a pretty funny thing to come out.. but no.. he didn;t own a bunch of clubs and if he did he was certainly holding out on me.. though he did help me in learning business and calming my ass down and staying out of trouble." he pointed out but ed already knew all of that. joaquin didnt like thinking about his past much. it was a terrible one and he knew he had done his family dirty the way he had treated them when his ma had kicked him out. at the end of the day she did the best she could with how he acted. his biggest regret in his life was not apologizing to the woman for all the pain he had put her through before she had passed away. he tried his best to avoid thinking or talking of his past.

his mind was brought back to ed when he had asked when party favors he had grabbed. as hetook a seat he patted his pocket . "well only the best party favors and if you have to ask then you dont deserve them." he had teased his friend. it wasn't that joaquinn was an addict however he often liked to partake in a little drugs for fun here and there. it was a old habit that certainly would resurface from time to time. though it was something he did ever so often socially and could manage it all. taking a bit of his food he groaned. "are you really going to subject those poor ladies to your terrible dancing moves?" he teased.

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He wasn't one to judge, but the younger man certainly looked like the type to smoke and thankfully Ed had been correct. Or maybe he just carried a lighter around. Ed wasn't going to complain or debate. He lent in and lit his cigarette, taking a long inhale and letting the smoke out away from the other man's face in a long and thankful breathe, "Thanks man," he hummed, flicking the ash away quickly before chuckling a little, "Uh, yeah... you could say that -- you too, apparently? You usually around here this early?"

Foster wasn't exactly a morning person. There was a reason he'd ended up in restaurants instead of bakeries... He preferred not to get out of bed before noon, but oftentimes, his body had other ideas. this morning, it was the nicotine cravings — though it was just as likely to be nightmares (or both!) that had him out not long after the sun had risen. "Yeah," he said, patting down his pockets to locate his lighter, spinning the flint to create a spark and holding the flame out. "You up and at 'em this morning?" He hadn't met many smokers in his life who were eager to take on the day first thing.

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Ed hadn't wanted the farmer's markets to close once the last owners had decided to retire and move to Florida, so he'd arranged some meetings and bought them out. He wasn't really an expert in anything Farming, but he felt good being able to keep something valuable to the community alive and thriving. He was wandering around to say hi to everyone when he heard his name and looked up, "Ed, please," he chuckled gently, offering Devon his hand to shake, "It's starting to pick up, thankfully. I've been well, getting out and about, y'know? How're you doing?"

Closed: @estradaed Concept: Chatting it up with the head honcho in charged at Bay Farmers' Market

One thing that Devon loved more than anything about the community was their farmer's market. There were always good fines and it had always been a favorite of hers to spend the weekend with her grandmother in this way. Miss Betsey made the best apple strudel that was always a treat on their monthly runs. Now that she got to have her own stand and sell products from her own business was a full-circle moment. One in which she was incredibly grateful for. "Eddie! Hey," she beamed seeing the man behind it all. "Good turnout today. How've you been?"

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Oscar Isaac

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c l o s e d: @foster-matty 💚💚💚

Eduardo wasn't really in the mood for crowds, but he was glad for the morning walk. Having not been to bed yet, he figure the best way to calm himself down after a night out was to get some fresh air down by the water before going back to sleep. He hadn't drunk that much, but he'd been out dancing until the sun had come up. Eduardo was running on the adrenaline of the night out and needed to calm himself down and cool off before he went to bed for the day. Once he'd taken a few deep breaths, he reached into his pocket and grabbed a cigarette and began to pat his pockets for a lighter. Not finding one, he frowned, lifting his head up to see another man close by, "Sorry to interrupt you Pal, but you got a light?"

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"If after all this time it came out that Tio was actually the successful owner of a bunch of strip clubs -- Madre would be outraged... me? Impressed." Eduardo laughed brightly at the thought of his straight laced and easy to blush uncle having anything to do with strippers or anything in the adult industry. He thought his uncle was so straight laced he barely ever spoke of any women or men he was even attracted to. Not that there was anything wrong with not settling down -- the older Ed got, the more he understood it. Not being attracted to people, that's the part that Ed couldn't understand. He was a self-proclaimed hussy -- someone who loved attention and giving people attention.

"You haven't," Ed conceded, not actually sure if he had ever seen his best friend throw up before. It wasn't as if the two were attached at the hip, but it was hard to conceal someone being sick when they lived together. His brow raised when Joa mentioned the 'party goods' and he asked quietly, "Oh yeah... what did you happen to bring?" It wasn't long before their food was ready and Ed grabbed both servings for them both, heading over to a dimly lit table so they could tuck in, "I think I wanna dance," he admitted, "Somewhere we can dance with women we're allowed to touch."

joaquinn always had a great time when it came to ed. the two had been best friends for such a long time and joa wouldnt have it any other way. not only could he easily live with the man but he loved spending a lot of his free time with him. it didnt matter what kind of mood the man was in ed just seemed to make it better. no one knew the ugly side of him like his friend did and vise versa. the two had seen each other at some pretty low times in their lives and they were always there.. never judging and always helping. it was the biggest thing that joaquinn had be thankful for in his life. when he had heard the compliment he nudged his friend. "thanks.. i learned from the best... well maybe not how to run a strip club.. but at least how to run a business." he pointed out.

the man shook his head, "i havent thrown up in years actually.. at least not from drinking.." he teased then he tapped on his nose looking at the man. "however i did manage to bring a little party goods if you manage to not get completely shit faced that we have take later." he smoothed his hand back down to his pocket and put his hands in them waiting on their food. "i have done pretty good at not getting completely shit faced lately. the hang overs are so much harder to recover from." he took his food and followed him. taking a seat he began to eat. "whereever you wanna hit up i am game."

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Once Lili's hand was on his arm, Ed began to lead them down to the footpath, waiting for her to take somewhat of the lead so he could know where exactly her car was. There was no denying the woman was absolutely stunning, but Ed knew better than to break Joa's trust, he would keep their friendship strictly that -- friendly, at the most.

"I don't do much," Ed chuckled easily, knowing it was somewhat of a joke between him and his actual friends that he really didn't do much, "I recently made purchase on the Farmer's Markets, though it's not as if I'll have a stall to man. I just wanted to make sure they didn't close when the old owners put them up for sale." He shrugged, "Other than that, I do a few meetings here and there with the Security company... I disappear for a week or so to do face-to-face, but most of the time I can stay in my sweats and zoom in."

Lili shot him a small smile and accepted the outstretched arm. "I appreciate it. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important," she responded. There were few men she actually trusted to help her get from point A to point B and Ed was one of the...potential three. Joaquin was certainly another.

"I don't even think I've ever asked you what you actually do, other than help Iggy with the club sometimes. What do you do, if you don't mind me asking?"

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It was fun to tease Joa, but Ed wasn't going to act on his teasing. He respected his friend like a brother and he wouldn't do anything to upset the other man. Especially if he could jeopardise Joa's business or ethics with his actions. For the most part, Ed could keep it in his pants and if he wanted a quick hook up he was more than capable of finding an attractive woman who wasn't under Joa's employ. "You are a man of the people, Joa," he joked, "If only every dancer had a boss as good as you -- we'd have clubs on every corner like Starbucks in the cities."

His friend's laugh caused Ed to grin and he sidled up next to Joaquinn so he could look over the menu. It was nights like these he cursed himself for not putting in his contacts or wanting to wear his glasses out at night. The last thing he wanted was another pair of broken glasses from a night of drinking. He narrowed his eyes, the gaze still on the menu as Joa explained his plans. Ed hummed when he spoke of having to do business that wasn't work related, not probing or commenting as he understood to what the man referred, but snorted a moment later. "So we'll hit the tequila and cerveza chasers the moment we get to the front of the bar. Can't wait for you to complain about the tacos coming back up."

Their orders didn't take long and Ed was sure to tip the food truck workers as a thanks and he handed Joa his compostable box of tacos before grabbing his own and making his way over to one of the free dimly lit tables so they could quickly eat.

joquinn had nodded at his comment, "as long as the money is coming in and we don't have problems then i am not going to micromanage what they play or what they wear... i try to give them as much freedom as possible. along the years i have learned that you have happier employees who want to work and be there when you give them a little trust." joa admitted. as much shit as joa gave ed he never minded the man looking as long as he paid.. just as long as he didn't fool around with any of the dancers. he had been an investor which meant he could be considered close to a business partner meaning that the dancers were off limits to him in anything beyond looking. it had always been the strictest rule in joaquinn club. when the women had gotten hired and even the men who helped out around there he had made it clear that they weren't allowed to fool around or be together. that was grounds for termination no matter how close or how good the employee was. he was a laid back and fun man but when it came to his rules he stood firm on them

he trusted ed though and knew that he would never cross any lines. joa smacked his hand away and let out a laugh as they made their way closer to the truck. looking over the options he glances over at ed. "i was going to go into work for a little to do some business that isn't really work related." he kept the sentence vague but knew the man knew what he was referring to, "but once i make the deal my plans were just to come home and enjoy in said plans." he pointed out. "nope, i'm all the toilet bowls tonight and tomorrow.. if i cant fall asleep in the floor from puking all night then you failed as a friend." he teased as he walked up to place his order.

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"Of course I don't mind," he insisted with a wave of his hand. He tucked his phone into his pocket and took a small step toward her. The last thing Eduardo wanted was for any of Joa's dancers to feel unsafe coming and going from work - they all worked so hard and they were all more than entitled to continue to feel safe to, from and at work.

Once close enough, he offered his forearm for Lili to take so they could walk together to where ever she had parked. It was curtesy, that was all, and Ed's gesture wasn't at all intentioned to be anything but comforting, "I walked, so I'm out and about tonight anyway. May as well have someone to chat to for at least some of the walk home, right?"

Lili didn't often walk alone to her car. Security often took up the mantle, but the usual guard was seemingly off. Half Moon Bay was ordinarily a sleepy little town, but the scariest of slasher flicks took place in towns such as this. Maybe worry for her safety edged into paranoia.

Ed, however, never made her feel uncomfortable. In fact, he was likely one of the few people she trusted for this, if she couldn't have the usual security guard. It was entirely likely her usual suspects had already gone home.

"Are you sure? I ended up parking a block over. I don't know who was throwing what, but the lots were packed tonight," she stated, giving a quick hand raise in apology to the person he had been speaking to.

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the magician: have you ever written a poem or song about somebody else?

"Young me's been known to try and woo a woman in my prime, that's for sure..."

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the world: do you like waking up early?

"Honestly?" Ed thought for a moment before shrugging, "Take it or leave it. If I've had a late night, absolutely not. I need at least six hours to be a functioning human the next day. So if I've fallen asleep at 9, yeah, I'll get up before the sun. If I've not yet gone to sleep...? Well I guess then it isn't 'waking up' early so much as it is 'being' up early, huh?"

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Eduardo had spent his night filling in for a member of he security team who had been called away on a family emergency and he had been more than happy to do so. Considering Ed had grown up in the scene and raised to hold his work ethic in high regard, he felt as if he'd done a great job tossing the drunks out and making sure the not-so-legal boys stayed away. He was chatting easily with one of the younger security guards when he heard a voice. Turning his head, Ed smiled gently at Lili, nodding mere seconds after she spoke, "Oh, c'mon Lil," he hummed, signalling a farewell to the man he'd been speaking with, "No need for a coffee. Where'd you park?"

closed starter for @estradaed

Whenever work lasted as long as it had, Lili occasionally stayed out just a little bit longer. Being out in the middle of the night was dangerous, especially for someone with $1700 burning a hole in her pocket. It was one reason she wore nondescript clothes after work.

She stepped down from the threshold of the club down to the curb, cold pinkening her cheeks. Her hands shoved into the pockets of her worn Carhartt jacket. It was meant to be cold tonight and the saying of in like a lamb, out like a lion was something the weather took to heart.

A familiar figure nearby made the tension lift at least somewhat from her shoulders. "Hey, Ed. Mind walking me to my car? Coffee's on me later," she requested.

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"True," Ed hummed, "Let's not piss the money makers off by questioning their music choices. Maybe for your birthday this year I'll get you a pair of earmuffs." He knew where Joa was coming from, but perhaps that was where they differed. Ed figured as long as someone was willingly showing themselves off, he was more than happy to watch them... and he was more than happy to pay for the privilege. 'Supporting local talent' as he often referred to his visits to his friend's club. If there was a line Joa didn't want Ed to cross, he was sure his friend would make it clear -- and Ed was sure he would do whatever was asked of him.

He bowed playfully at his friend, offering him a hand as if helping Joa up the stairs in a long dress. Ed was more than happy to lead them up to the notice board outside the taqueria truck so they could sort their orders and he fished his wallet out of his back pocket, "You got any plans tomorrow?" he asked, "Just wondering how paralytic to let us both get. Can't have you wrapped around a toilet bowl if there's business to attend to."

ed had always found ways to get joaquinn going. though at the end of the day he knew it was all in good fun. it was just the relationship the two older men had with one another. years of a brothership had done wonders on finding out what pissed the other off and just how to push their buttons. a curse and a blessing.

joaquinn shook his head, "yeah she does, i wont disagree there.. but yet she still brings in a crowd so i try to let her do her own things and leave her be. whatever she is doing for the last three years has been working for her and the younger men apparently." he shrugged. "i dont know about that. i mean every woman who works here is beautiful but i certainly couldnt bring myself to google any of them with my eyes, they have enough men doing that." he chuckled.

"ah my knight in shining armor, how thankful i am for my price." he teased when the man called him princess. "sounds like a plan to me, lots of beer and shitty tacos sounds like the dream tonight." he admitted. as they made their way closer he groaned, "no i get it. my stomach has been growling for the last two hours."

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Ed was waiting for Joaquinn to finish work -- something he realised not too long into him following his friend to town possibly made the two best friends look more married than either had anticipated. It wasn't as if Eduardo cared what people thought of their friendship, he was too old to pay much mind to gossip or rumour, but it certainly made him chuckle at the thought of just how much like an old married couple the two friends were at times. His head was turned down, his fingers scrolling between Twitter, Tinder and one of his favourite news sites when he heard the familiar voice.

Ed looked up at Lola and smiled a little, "It actually smells amazing, what you got there?"

closed starter for @estradaed at The Full Moon Club.

A staff meeting generally meant somebody was getting fired, or somebody had really fucked up. Today Lola was in for a treat, and it was both. For all the years she'd known Joaquin, going on ten now, she'd only ever personally experienced his good side. He was kind and generous, sometimes to a fault, but he meant business about his business. Which, Lola greatly respected. She meant business about her business, too, and she was glad to see girls who weren't be given the boot. When the messiness of the day was done, Lola made herself a late lunch in preparation for the night shift to come. Their house mother made things special for her as a tenured dancer and vegetarian. Cheese fries loaded with peppers and onions were her favorite.

"You want some?"

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Eduardo figured since taking ownership of the market he should really be supporting it by actually visiting often and doing his shopping there so as to encourage others to do it as well. It wasn't as if he was some influencer or anything, but the more popular the market place seemed, the more people would actually go, right? Ed laughed a little at the reply from the woman in front of him, nodding a little as if to thank her for not agreeing with him before raising a brow, "Ah perfect," he hummed, his eyes glancing over at the area she'd indicated, "I should have worn my glasses. Don't worry yourself, I'd be an ass if I asked you to show me, wouldn't I?"

The farmers market quickly became one of her favorite places to go. Not even because of the food that they had there but also because it was relaxing walking through the different aisles, looking at all the new items that were there. Her basket was full of different food items that she had purchased and she found herself looking off into the distance at some wind chimes that she didn’t see the last time she was there. It wasn’t until she heard a voice that she zoned into the person standing close to her. Aiyla let out a laugh before shaking her head. “I wasn’t going to say anything but for the record, I don’t think you look like someone that’s trying to sell me a condo.” His mention of sweet potatoes caught her attention and she motioned behind her. “They’re right over there and they are huge this time around. Want me to show you them?”

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Ed wasn't about to ignore a small child when they were in his vicinity. Even if he himself was childless, he wasn't as much of a grumpy old man as his friends often teased him for. He was happy to chat about Santa, the Tooth Fairy and God, if children were so inclined to discuss. "As he should," Ed replied, thought he quickly added o the young boy, "But y'know what I learnt once? If you cut your hair -- even just a little -- it makes it so strong and so healthy that it'll grow really long really quick! So it's far better to get it trimmed, yknow?"

"Lovely to meet you both," He frowned, though it was more because he was thinking rather than upset over anything they'd been talking about, "Turkish, yes?" One of his favourite employees' back in San Fran was Turkish and the names sounded familiar to him. Ed was almost certain his husband's name had been Deniz. He nodded a little and quickly made his way to the counter to pay for the books he had gathered before his mother had called and interrupted his errand run. Once it was done with, Eduardo handed Deniz a small bookmark with dragons on it he had bought as a add on purchase when prompted by the clerk, "For you and your next book."

The smile at Deniz made Cemre aware that the compliment in return caused her son to get all thrilled about it. “This young guy loves his hair, I could count the times he cried when I told him that we needed to cut a little bit of his hair,” although Cemre was already old and no longer her baby boy, he was still a child, her child. And she talked about him like he was the baby he used to be, which maybe was the reason why sometimes Deniz would get all red when he was the subject. “And how impolite of me, I’m Cemre. And this is Deniz.” 

There was no harm at trying to share some of her company for that particular day. They didn’t have anything else to do, and in the worst case scenario it’d turn into a quick stop by a coffee shop before they’d head back home to have their mother and son time together. So, when the other person agreed to their plan, Cemre flashed a smile at them. “Perfect, it’s on me. And this isn’t even about whatever is happening in your life, trust me. I just like meeting people. It’s a habit of mine.”

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Eduardo couldn't help the laugh that escaped him when Clay complimented his name, his hand scrubbing through his overgrown beard. He'd need to set a reminder to book an appointment with his barber or he'd surely be left with an unpleasantly short cut the next time he walked in, "God no," he laughed still, shaking his head at Clay, "I am hardly a badass, my friend. By no stretch of the imagination."

He realised that a bookshop was not necessarily a place to be making new friends - or laughing so loudly - and the clerk at the front desk was showing his displeasure at the loud noise Ed had made, "Now look at me, getting glared at in a book store. Maybe I am a badass."

it wasn't that clay didn't want to learn — he had picked up a few books on horses and cows when he was younger, thumbing through the pages in the darkness of the barn, but even with the moon's illumination he struggled to make out the words. he couldn't see such a thing changing as he approached forty; the male would argue that he didn't need to read anything, that he knew this town like the back of his hand, but when he needed to stand and stare at menus or maps for longer than everybody else there was a niggling in his gut that told him he was stupid, that he wasn't like everybody else. his southern drawl did him no favours fitting in.

"it ain't no bother. you're not distractin' me. it's nice bein' away from the ranch for more than five minutes," the blonde reached out his own hand, rough from fenceposts and rope, and shook the other with a firm grip. their interlocked fingers bounced once before he broke away and tipped the edge of his nonexistent stetson. "i'm clay." the male introduced, "nice to meet you, eduardo. a badass name for a badass guy,"