Leyla Usually Tried To Keep Her Looking Back To Therapy Sessions, Especially To That Time, This Man.

She liked talking to customers, despite the wall she put up to keep people from getting too close, she liked feeling like she maybe made someone's day a bit brighter. There was something quaint about the idea of a candy shop in a small town, reminded her of old-timey movies. "I'll trust you completely then," she teased. "Oh, of course, they'll be so happy to hear someone's dared to take the job." Laughing a little, she said, "so you'll have your angel wings and then run to the other shoulder and throw your horns on?"

She had grown liking working at Cassidy’s. She had taken the job because it was available when she came back to Merrock, and also because she needed money after spending several weeks across South America. But truth be told, she didn’t expect to enjoy it. Now it was making her happy. Tasting candy before anyone else was fun, and as busy as the shop could be, serving kids and teenagers was refreshing – they always had a lot of stories to tell, most of the time without even realizing that it was embarrassing for the adults being with them. “I’ll be your best guide,” she promised. “I’m so happy the last one retired. Tell them I say hello, and that I promise to do a good job.” She chuckled. “I can be both, though.”

All Leyla had been reading lately was business-related, and she thought it might be time to mix in something new again. Not like it would save her from being the workaholic she was, but she'd look a little less like her entire personality was entrepreneur. She was browsing one from Jodi Picoult when she heard a voice. "Hi," she sort of mumbled at first, before answering the question posed to her, "oh, it's called The Pact. One of Jodi Picoult's if you've ever read her before. What sort of genre are you looking for?"

Location: Bookends

Status: Open

Context: It's after work on a Friday and your character is witnessing Summer winding down in a book store looking for a new recommendation

Tagging: @merrock

Books were something that Summer loved to indulge in and right now she was quite literally flying through them, then again the recommendations she had been given weren't exactly the thickest of books but it still excited her to even think about taking a trip to the store to find something new to read, the problem now was what exactly; "Excuse me, sorry to interrupt you there but I was wondering if you could tell me what you're reading?" turning to the person beside rather invested in the book they were holding.

Leyla got a bit of a rush anytime anyone recognized her place because it was her pride and joy. The cumulation of years of work and battles. It made the journey worth it all to finally have the one thing that could belong to her. "Thank you for saying that!" She replied, her countenance brightening all the more. "It's sort of my passion, having a comfortable place for anyone and everyone to come and be welcome. Not that the other bars aren't welcoming, I'm sure they are, but sometimes you just want or need something different." But she was blabbering on, so she just smiled and nodded, "it's an open offer anytime."

Sounded like she was talking to the right person then, Leyla thought she seemed like she really knew what she was doing around here. "I've actually been involved in a program kind of like this before," she said, though leaving out that she was in it not volunteering, "I think they're great programs. Animals are true healers, in my opinion. How did you get involved?"

Livvy's eyes brightened a little bit at the mention of Mawk Tales; even though the establishment was newer to town, she had fallen in love with heading there after work for a few drinks and social time with co-workers, not having to worry about heading home drunk afterwards. "I love it there! It's such a great idea, especially in a town full of bars," she laughed. "I'll absolutely run that by the founder, see if we can get something figured out."

When she was asked how long she had been working on the program, she let out a thoughtful 'hmm,' before answering. "I've been working with the program since June of last year, then in January started training and taking some courses to get more involved. The founder's looking to retire in the next year or so, I'm hoping I can step up and take over for her."

Love you, definitely love you. As long as we're allowed to eat some of it. But I completely agree with you, I feel like all I want when the weather gets cold is soup. Have you ever made Adasi? It's a Persian lentil soup, and it's delicious. I have a recipe for it if you want to give it a try.

The temperatures are dropping which means it is officially soup season at my place, which means I'm in the mode to make a ton of soups. So far I've already made Italian penicillin, chicken gnocchi, and now I've got bacon cheeseburger potato soup in the making. Nothing better than when the temperatures drop than having something comforting like soup. Pretty sure my roommates are either going to love me or hate me with the fridge full of it. Either way, give me more ideas, what's your must have soups during fall and winter? @merrock

Leyla was actually forward to the game, watching was participating and no one would try to make her do anything during that timeframe. Best of both worlds. "That's where you say you hope for a good game and wish all the best," she agreed, "do you know anything about volleyball?"

"That sounds like fun," Lara said in response. She was excited to watch both teams play. It would be a great experience to be out there and just enjoy it while being out in the summer sun. "I think it'll be fun. I also have friends on both sides, so I have to root for both!" she chuckled.

She perked up a bit when he seemed interested in the idea she was proposing. "Just sort of chill, enjoy your drinks with friends or partners while listening to music. Something they don't have to shout over to have a conversation. What kind of music is popular around here?"

Leyla had Alec's interest, pitching him a gig opportunity at the bar. "Depending on what you're looking for.. I can do acoustic though, with the band or solo. Do you have a specific vibe in mind? You can turn most genres acoustic."

"A lot of competitive spirit," she laughed. She hadn't been here very long, but that was clear. "Me too, my sport was running," she said, before glancing over at where some kids were before looking back, "which one's yours?"

Lara gave her a smile. “Yes! Hope that everyone just has a lot of fun. I know this town has a lot of team spirit,” she said, trying to give extra context to what she meant. “I played in school… for gym class. My daughter is more athletic,” she added.

Leyla knew there had been a concert about a month ago, but she hadn't gone. The idea of really being part of the town, opening herself up to people again, it sort of scared her. It was much easier to do it all in the context of work. Still, she had seen the posters and thought she remembered seeing his face in one somewhere. "Do you mind if we talk a little business then?" She asked, "because I want to put on some events in the bar, and I thought live music would be a great option. I know you're more of a...louder band, but do you ever perform any acoustic sets?"

"Thanks!" he offered up a warm smile as she began working on his drinks. At the question of being in a band, he confirmed with a nod. He wasn't entirely sure which band she was referring to, but he could probably safely assume she wasn't a devoted fan of any sort and just had heard around town. "I am, yeah."

"Right. So you do remember?" She said with a warm smile. Good for him. As someone in the customer service business, she always found that to be a highly valuable trait. "I heard about that," she admitted, "I'm considering it actually. I've always wanted one, but I do share custody of my roommates' dogs and I work so much...I'm never sure if I'll have the time." She was really saying too much to the guy just trying to make her coffee. "I think there was worse things to be than a crazy cat lady," she replied with a small laugh, "oh, you definitely shouldn't have! So is the dog Blake Lively or Hugh Jackman?"

Chandler nodded. "Still want that hot and medium, right?" He confirmed, keeping himself busy behind the bar as he continued to talk to her about the pets. "They actually have some adoption event coming up at the end of this week." He informed her and nodded as she commented it was hard not to adopt all of the cats. "Yeah, I also have a dog at home so I'm keeping my limit at one of each 'cause I'm not gonna turn into the crazy cat lady in my neighborhood. But his name is Ryan Reynolds - that was what the shelter named him and I couldn't possibly de-Reynolds him, you know?"