joey-madani

[joey-madani]

[ 🌊 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhen was the last time they cried ?

“Today, of course. Over a bowl of Cheerios! I watched a reel on Instagram with a compilation of animal videos that were being reunited with their owners, and it got me in all my emotions.”

[joey-madani]

What is the pettiest and most immature way you’ve avoided losing face?

“I can be petty, but I don’t think I ever avoided losing face. I’m never quick enough to avoid the consequences of actions that do cause me to lose face, and I also can have a tendency to react poorly to that. I dig deeper holes, woops.”

[joey-madani]

“Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve,” Joey teases. “Please, it’s alright. It’s early. Go easy on yourself.”

She certainly was. The man didn’t need to beat himself up, no matter how minutely, over nothing more than a few drops of coffee on a table that is bound to have more spills by the end of the day.

When he begins to dismiss himself, Joey’s eyes shoot up to his face. She entirely dismisses the offer for another drink — she wouldn’t nickel and dime him for an ounce of liquid, this isn’t a bar where that ounce can be worth a few dollars — and starts with a, “Well, I never said you were a bother. My morning’s as peaceful as it can be with the cappuccino machine screaming every ninety seconds back there.”

She gestures to the empty seat across from her. “If you don’t want to hide away over there, you can always join me. If not, I still need a name so I know who I’m hollering at if I decide to change my mind about a new drink, which, spoiler alert, I probably won’t.”

@drvaldes

Elías's nerves were quickly replaced with relief at Joey's reassurance, though he couldn't help but be impressed with her quick reaction. "Wow, you've clearly got sharper reflexes than I do," he chuckled, grateful that she wasn't upset, but even more so for the warmth in her tone. Her whispered jest caused his smile to deepen further, "Sure, but... I'm glad they're okay. Even sleep clothes deserve a little peace."

Although he felt responsible for the mishap and therefore responsible for the clean-up, he surrendered the napkin with ease when she reached for it, eyes sweeping the bustling cafe. "Yeah, it got packed pretty quick. I should've paid more attention," he admitted, guilt still lingering despite her assurances.

"Uhm... If you're sure everything's okay, I'll get out of your hair and let you get back to your morning in peace... But if you decide you do want a new one, really, it's on me." He offered a soft and apologetic smile before nodding towards the small table hidden in the corner. "I'm usually over there, so... Give a holler if you change your mind?"

[joey-madani]

“So, what’s keeping you here then?” Joey asks, as if it’s so easy to just not be in Aurora Bay. “San Diego is expensive, and so is Los Angeles and most of Orange County, but you can head inland. Might be more desert than civilization, even if you head into Nevada.”

She wouldn’t really suggest that one, per se, considering how most of it really is nothing, and living in Vegas is…

It isn’t it, by Joey’s standards. 

“It pays the bills! And I’ve been in the bar life for a long time. I know it more than the back of my hand, you go home with cash every night, and if you’re pretty enough for the right person, they’ll throw you another twenty just because.” 

@felix-kumara

“You’re not wrong about that.” Felix let out a little huff of a laugh before he took a sip of his drink. “Nah, I didn’t think that. But you’re right, that’s the thing I try to focus on. It’s not all bad, but sometimes it’s… not great. I don’t mind living in Aurora Bay, it’s just not my first choice.” Living in California wasn’t his first choice even.

“I can’t either. I can make a cocktail, though. Probably not as many or as fast as you, but I’m much better at that than singing.” Felix chuckled softly as he thought back on the times Pae had gotten him to sing with or for her. It wasn’t good. Not at all, but he did it for her. He couldn’t exactly say no to that kid.

“You enjoy it?”

@joey-madani

[joey-madani]

"I think you need to start making time to stretch before bed, then. Or find ways to stretch in bed." She smiles, trying for coy at the suggestion, as if to pretend it is wholly innocent, even at the obviousness of her impishness.

Then she shrugs one shoulder up and adds, "I keep a stretch band on my bedside table so if I'm too lazy to get up, I'll use it watching t.v. because ugh, moving." Joey know's she really should cancel her Titanium gym membership.

She takes a moment to reflect back on high school once more, which is all too easy while they're standing in a gym at prom. "Some kids can do it, but I think there's a sudden temptation to start fresh when you walk out of high school for the first time." The loss wasn't a great one. Joey spun it well, and there wasn't a regret to be had about it.

She gently slaps his shoulder across the space between them.

"Noooo! Tell me you didn't! And then you posted it all over your social media, didn't you?" Joey can't help but laugh, even if she doesn't really know much about GTA. She sobers up enough, even with a few giggles still forcing their way out. "Trust me, they wouldn't have bat an eye at you. That is the least crazy thing to see at the pier there. Tourists can get crazy sometimes, but it's mostly locals who cause the most problems."

@samirpanchal

He grins immediately. "I've done real yoga. I'm pretty flexible, to be honest. It's just the general laziness that tightens everything back up when I sleep. And I may have been slightly exaggerating... with everything but the kitten heels." "And thank you," he continues, "Nah I like this height. I think I'd look awkward if I was taller or shorter, to be honest." A shrug of his shoulders. "Might just be a time bias thing, though. It's all I know. But yeah I'm good. And extra so if I had to wear heels to achieve it." Samir gives a smirk at this, amusement on his features. "Aw, sorry, girl. Yeah I think the long-distance thing is damn near impossible for most people, especially when you're fresh out of high school." He watches her as she says the rest, holding his heart like she just wounded him, then laughs. "Oh, girl, absolutely. My idiot self has even posed there like I'm one of the characters. I wasn't committed enough to do the whole GTA walk around there or anything. Mostly because I didn't want any cops to come beat my ass for being crazy." Another laugh. "Anyway, yeah, nah. Santa Monica's great." @joey-madani

[joey-madani]

Joey is quick enough to lean back before what spills forth from the lip of the her cup could land on her. It instead hits the table with a light splash. She blinks owlish eyes down at it, her late night closing out the Golden Hour Lounge slowing her processing down enough that she has to wait for the man to speak to register what happened.

"Hm, wha- oh. No! No no, I'm good. Nothing on me, working with beverages has built in a 'quick dodge' skill," she jests, and then leans in to whisper more for only him to hear. "Besides, I'm in my sleep clothes, still. Nothing worth being upset over if it got a coffee stain."

He is too quick for her, dabbing at the small mess with care, and she tries to 'shoo' him by reaching forth to take the napkin. "It's alright! Spills happen, especially when this place gets busy, don't sweat it."

@drvaldes

⟡ : open starter - @aurorabaystarter ⟡ : location - driftwood coffee

For someone who was still relatively new to Aurora Bay, he was quite the regular at the town's coffee shop. They already knew his name and typical order, as well as which small table tucked away in the corner he'd so often retreat to. Today, however, the cafe was more crowded than usual, and in trying to maneuver through the narrow space with a fresh cup of coffee in one hand and a stack of papers tucked under the other arm, Elías misjudged the angle. The corner of the nearby table caught his hip just enough to jolt it, and a splash of the other's drink sloshed out over the lid.

"Oh sh- I'm so sorry, that was completely my fault," he said quickly but sincerely. A quick glance told him that the nudge wasn't enough to make too much of their drink pour out nor did it seem to hit anyone, but it was enough to have him reaching for the nearest napkin right away. "It didn't get on you, did it? I can replace your drink if so... Or even if it didn't, still." A faint and sheepish smile followed as he moved to dab his napkin over the small splash on their table.

[joey-madani]

𝐨𝐚𝐤 : what gives your muse strength when everything feels uncertain?

"I'm not very strong when things feel uncertain. I back down easily, I get in my head, and I'm afraid to push forward. I think whenever something I was working on or towards, or something I was aiming for changes direction, and I don't know how I will get what I want, I freeze up and wait for it to pass. Then I will very slowly and carefully push forward, after I spent a lot of time not."

[joey-madani]

🍵 + bo!

“I wish I could say I did so well with my resolution I could answer ‘Bo who?’ but that’s not the case. I’m not as angry as I used to be. I can’t help but have a sour taste in my mouth if someone mentions him, but I can proudly say, my first instinct isn’t a rage crash out. 

Hating him won’t help me move forward, but it’s so hard not to. He and I have fundamentally different ideas on what being ‘friends’ means, and a deal made between them, but I bet you, if you said anything to him, he’d probably act surprised about us being friends. He’s a selfish opportunist at his best.”

@borawinters

[joey-madani]

𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐞 : how does your muse heal - physically, emotionally, spiritually?

“That’s a good question. I don’t think I have an approach to this. I take a day to myself to just lounge with no company, phone on do not disturb, and contact. Or I take a kick-boxing course if I have pent up energy to get rid of. I’m also not opposed to a spa day for some self care.”

[joey-madani]

"Thanks, Mei," Joey smiles, soft and full of gratitude. She knows that aside from getting together the funds needed and an agreement together for the offer, it really mostly hinges on the current owner's willingness to sell.

If not the Golden Hour, she can find something somewhere else. That is her own mental note. One rejection is only one hiccup, and the smallest hurdle she has ever needed to cross.

"I have been toying with the idea for a while not, but I haven't talked about it a lot. There is like this fear that if I yell it out too loud and excited, the universe will snatch it away from me. But..." she shrugs with a sigh, her mood still light. "There are plenty of doors to walk through if that one's locked shut. I think it's about time I try and put my name on something." Again.

There is no reason to let a near half a decade wound keep her scared from stepping forward again. "I did it to myself. I let myself fall into this... this huge victim role, and I should have dusted myself off and got back to it again. But this time, I would let myself wallow if it doesn't work out - I'll just keep searching."

@themeixhuang

Mei's smile easily stayed on her face as the two of them playfully bantered, and slowly but surely the tension even drained out of her shoulders, her whole posture relaxing. It was one of the many reasons Mei loved Joey so much- she could let her guard down around the other woman, could be vulnerable and ease.

"Listen, if you need help with those funds please let me know." Mei told her seriously, even reaching her hand out and giving Joey's a little squeeze, "It would be the least I could do. And before you go about saying you couldn't, just think that in return you can just always guarantee me free drinks and the best seat in the house for performances whenever I manage to swing by." she teased, giving her hand another little squeeze before letting go so she could take another sip of her wine. "I mean it though Joe, really. You should do it."

[joey-madani]

Joey can say she has never stayed in many motels. Television has branded to seem seedy and like a place you go where you have nowhere else, or when you aren't up to anything good.

"The curse of a beach town. Sea Shanty must get overrun with them in season." Sea Shanty and Four Leaf or the Reef, and for those couples in town, When in Rome. Golden Hour does get some in, though it's never been anything awfully insufferable. "But I'm not knocking you. A paycheck is a paycheck, and if they work with your schedule, then how can you complain?"

It's not an obstacle she ever had to face, her two dogs are easier to manage time with than a child. That's a given.

"Bartender. I can't sing, I wouldn't ever be able to perform, but I know how to make more drinks off the top of my head than I should. Been doing it for too long."

@felix-kumara

"Yeah." Felix let out a little breath with the word, wrinkling his nose at the thought of it. It wasn't the worst place to work but it certainly wasn't the best. While the establishment was nice, it did attract a lot of sketchy people sometimes. Every town, no matter how amazing and family-friendly it was, always had a part that was kind of... well, shitty. "Oh definitely. Tourists are fucking weird." Which was funny to say since he used to be somewhat of a tourist in California himself.

"I needed a job if I was going to move here so I took the first thing I was offered. At least they're good about allowing me time off on the days I have my daughter. Well, most of the time."

"Mm, so you work at Golden Hour? Bartender or...?"

@joey-madani

[joey-madani]

"That just sounds like you need to start stretching in the morning. Have you ever tried hot yoga? It'll keep you loose and limber." Joey detests it herself. She's done it once, and she never intends to step in the studio again. "But if you feel safer in kitten heels, live your life. And no, I think you're tall enough. Don't get hung up on that."

She knows it's just banter, even if some guys can take comment about their height to heart. She tilts her head and looks up to him, using her own mental ruler to assume his has near half a foot on her.

"I think we all did dumb things when we were younger." Some dumber than others. Joey thinks she got worse as she got older. Her own prom night was plenty normal when she thinks of college, and then Scott and Santiago.

She chooses to reminisce about being only eighteen, running the beach in her prom dress after dark and losing one of her heels in the ocean. "Oh, I was one of them. We made it through the summer, but he went off to school in New York City, and I stayed here. But I lived in Santa Monica. Del Perro Pier just becomes a part of the backdrop of your life when you do. Have you ever been?"

@samirpanchal

"I'm definitely not the bodily injury risktaker type anymore." He laughs, shaking his head. "Back in the day? Probably. But now I'm getting to the point where I can sleep wrong and need to take ibuprofen when I wake up, so I need to be gentle with myself." He's probably teasing with the last part. "Stilettos?!" Samir's eyes wide. "I don't even get to prance around in kitten heels to start out? ...are you secretly wishing I was taller?" "I try not to dwell on it too much," he says. "I definitely did worse in my time, too. I just try not to be that guy anymore. I like to think life kind of humbled me a little anyway. I can't be an entitled little shit now. Not all the time, anyway." He watches her, nodding as she talks about her prom. "Normal isn't bad, though. No drama and your date not ditching you to go with his idiot friends to score drugs sounds like the right kind of prom. And, I mean... You know half the couples that went probably broke up in a couple weeks anyway. Plus, I'm a little jealous of you ending prom night chilling near Del Perro Pier if I'm being honest..." He cracks a grin at his own reference. "Way cooler." @joey-madani

[joey-madani]

👀 + What’s next in your career plan?

“Okay, so I told only Mei so far because I don’t want to jinx myself, and I'll probably tell Delilah soon, but I have been seriously considering putting an offer in to buy the Golden Lounge from our current owner.

I make a lot of the drink menus, I know how to run a bar, and inventory is so easy to track even with shrink and spill sheets. I know I could run a tight ship, and I would be good at it. And it’s not because I have a degree, a piece of paper means nothing if you don’t know how everything works behind a bar.

Once I secure financing, I’ll start negotiating a purchase agreement, so put out all of that positive energy for me.”

[joey-madani]

It shouldn't be a surprise, Joey quickly shifted the mood with her snappy comment because she can't let go of a grudge that is too many years old to be held onto.

She barely acknowledges Lalita's explanation, caring too little about whatever reason it is she has. It's better not to talk when she feels prickly. She'd wrongfully lash out in her own way.

"It's something, that's for sure. Couldn't be me, but you also want to keep a relationship with your family. Backed into a corner in that sense," Joey concludes. There is no need to put emphasis on 'two idiots' and 'impulse issues', because at least Lalita can outwardly acknowledge it is impulsive.

She looks around and makes eye contact with their server, prompting them with a smile. "Hi, we're ready to order." She places hers and waits for Lalita to do hers, and adds, "And a refill, please. No rush, I see you're busy." Another smile that depletes somewhat in energy when she redirects her attention.

"Good luck with it all. The something you have going on with your friend. Uh, Sebi? And getting your parents off your back."

@xlalitax

This was new for Lalita. The strange sort of quiet that emerges not because she rubbed someone the wrong way and didn’t care; but because she did care. She actually did really care about Joey and it made her feel bad that a few sentences could have put them in this awkward moment. If she didn’t care she’d get up; but she stays there thinking of something to say to get them back to what was going on before

“ I figure if you want to tell me things you will and in your own time. I’m not here to ever pry “ Lalita noted before her eyes went wide at the abrupt change in subject. “ dude “ she replied shaking her head as her smile slowly returned. “ it’s not a love life. I don’t know what it is. Two idiots with impulse issues making some pretty permanent decisions. He’s the what are friends for ‘ final boss “ Lalita replied shaking her head

“ shit you’re right “ she had been so distracted by things that Lalita hadn’t processed they were even getting food. Distractions tend to make her forget everything @joey-madani

[joey-madani]

What would they do with an extra $1,000 to spend only on themselves?

"I'm taking Delilah and Mei out to Willow Spa in Los Angeles for a Complete Manifest Ritual package and a day of relaxation and pampering. Sea Salt is great, but it's in town, and sometimes going somewhere else just adds to treat yourself part of it.

I also haven't been to Willow Spa since I was driving back and forth to Los Angeles, so it's half self indulgent."

[joey-madani]

Describe their family dynamic.

"My ever loving parents doted on my brother going up, but where they pushed and encouraged him to succeed, they were busy teaching me how to be a good homemaker, caretaker and wife. They're definitely very traditional, very stuck in their ways, and they weren't happy when I said I was going to be heading to college.

They liked that I was going ahead to get an education, but trying to get a degree in a business major told them that I would be anything other than what they expected as if pursuing a career doesn't mean I can have a partner and a family.

Granted, I didn't think much of having children, it just wasn't something I was against, but they thought I was wasting my future. My relationship with them as well as my brother is very strained, and I don't think I've even talked to any of them in over a year or so. I'm honestly happier that way."