She Perked Up A Bit When He Seemed Interested In The Idea She Was Proposing. "Just Sort Of Chill, Enjoy

"I hope not," Leyla said with a slight laugh, "everyone has seemed to like them so far." She wasn't really afraid of that, not in a town like this, but still, she hoped for good feedback. "I'll take hopeless addiction, at least it's mostly healthy ingredients so you can feel relatively guilt-free about it." That was one thing she was really loving about Merrock, everyone was genuinely so kind and supportive of one another. "Apple Cider Mule," She listed off, starting with the one he'd just picked up, "then Autumn Spice, Pumpkin Pie Martini, and Ginger Pear." That way he'd know which one he liked best. "That's the idea, yeah!" She nodded as he asked about her experience, "a little bit. I'm trying to make some time for it because I really do want to see what everyone else has put together. I got some blueberry jam from the Newman Family Farm and this really cute crochet pumpkin." She pulled it out from her bag under the table to show him. "And I plan to catch one of the horseback rides if I can and maybe the Morris Winery. I don't think I'd try it, but I think it might be fun to watch some people grape stomping like that I Love Lucy episode. Where are you headed next?"

"Something tells me that you won't have anyone spitting drinks back out," Josh laughed, shaking his head. Sure, people could have discerning tastes, be picky about the things that they chose to eat and drink, but something told him that no one in this town was going to have a problem with a delicious, fall-themed beverage. "Alright, good deal, that way I know where to go to get my fix once I ended up hopelessly addicted," and then have to find another one that he liked once the Christmas and winter seasons rolled around, that was how this cycle inevitably went, every single time. "Ah, perfect, thank you so much!" He reached for the first drink, admiring the color, and broke into a smile. "I'll definitely end up taking one with me. Feels best to explore a place like this with a drink and snack in hand, doesn't it? Have you gotten the chance to wander around yet?"

Leyla has happy to see more and more people discover Mawk Tales and start to come in when they were in the mood for a mocktail, but she still had to keep working. The momentum of the new(er) wouldn't last forever. It was up to her to make it into something. "Also delicious," she said, pausing as she noticed him continue to look over the menu. "We have a flight option too if you want to try a few. It comes with any four you want."

Alec was on his way back home from work when he decided to drop in by Mawk Tales for a bit. While Anchors Away was his usual hang out, mocktails were probably the better option at the moment. "Uhh.. let me do the sparkling blackberry lemonade," his eyes stayed glued to the menu as he spoke, double checking the options to make sure that was what he wanted. His attention finally turned back to Leyla once he was sure. "I'll try the strawberry basil one too."

Leyla kind of wondered if Darrius was bothered at all by a house full of women, whether he hoped a guy would take the free room and make it even. He'd never given off that impression though, so she hoped that meant he didn't mind it. "Coming right up," she replied, a hint of a grin back. It was easier to keep people at a distance in New York, but she was going to have a harder time here. Still, there was something warm about Darrius that made it easy to feel comfortable. "Always," she half-joked, "entrepreneurs can't really keep regular hours. You teach, right? So I guess you know a little about that too, huh?"

Darrius's living situation had been a bit of a whirlwind throughout the course of his life. Growing up with siblings, sharing bedrooms, and then living on his own when he moved to Michigan… only to come home to that childhood bedroom all over again. Then his own apartment in Merrock, and now a home. With three women, granted, but he had come to love that. Especially when they offered to make him tea. "I'll take some, yeah," he smiled, having chosen a small bowl of fruit that he had cut up a couple of days ago. Turning towards the island in the middle of the kitchen, he popped a grape in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully before speaking. "Were you working?"

If you're forgetting that iconic moment, then you definitely should. Oh, those are good too, I'm not sure there's a bad favorite to have. Except Cathy, and I don't think anyone liked her. You need better friends if they don't jump at the idea to go as a The Office ensemble, I'm kidding. I still say it's a good idea. It would, but maybe not red blood because bananas wouldn't bleed red, would they? Maybe get some freeze-dried bananas and put little pieces over your costume and maybe a yellow-er food coloring for the 'blood'.

Ahh, how could I forget about Kevin with the chili?! Now I feel like I should rewatch the whole show. Think that it’s a tie between Creed and Michael. Can never decide between the two! But yours are pretty great. Stanley is really underrated. It’ll be tough to try and get a group to help me out, but I’ll give it a shot. I mean, it’ll be a unique horror costume, no? Add a little of blood paint on me, and I will win any contest. 

"It is! Once I'm done, I'm happy to let you borrow it if you would like," she offered, "even if you don't own your own business, I think any woman can benefit from some of the lessons." Anything female empowerment should be shared in Leyla's opinion. "Aren't those quite spicy or is the show overselling? I would think that's very exciting," she quipped.

"Oh, that sounds interesting," she commented. She loved anything about empowerment and that sort of thing, and loved how readily available. "That's very bold of you. I'm reading through the Bridgerton books, not very exciting at all, but I enjoy it for what it is."

She meant it when she said she wanted Mawk Tales to be for everyone. It was safe. "Good, I'm going to be putting on some events, trivia, live music, things like that, over time." She wanted to have more reasons to bring people in to have fun and enjoy some non-alcoholic drinks. She smiled in understanding as he said it depended on the day. "Yeah, I can see that. It's the kind of day for friends not dads," she remarked with a small laugh.

He nodded in understanding as Leyla encouraged stopping by Mawk Tales with Ary. "I'll have to make sure I stop by and check it out," he agreed. It was always nice checking out new spots around town anyway. Wes couldn't help but chuckle at the question of whether his daughter was outright ignoring him or if she still thought he was cool. "Depends on the day," he shook his head. Pre-teens were interesting to navigate parenthood with. "Right now, she'd rather be out with her friends," he added as he looked back out at his daughter, then back at Leyla. At least that was the case in that present moment.

"Some of these comments sound like high school all over again," Leyla joked, though she liked seeing everyone in town get so into the competition. Like a really big family. "Please do," she offered, "I guarantee atmosphere." She smiled as the other woman undersold her job a bit. She was not the most tech-savvy, so she admired people who were. "My business relies a lot on technology, so I'd say it's a very sexy job and now I know who to call if my systems go down," she teased.

"Can I? Sure, but I think it makes for a lot messier of a situation." Which was true, but obviously they couldn't control who drank or didn't. Most people could handle it okay but obviously it only took one person going too far. "I would love to stop by sometime, see what it's like and honestly it sounds like a perfect atmosphere , I like quiet sometimes." she said. "Oh." she cleared her throat, it wasn't something she could explain being a hacker, "I work in IT security, an analyst." she shrugged, "Not a very sexy job."

"Exactly, I think it'd make the place cozier," Leyla said with a bit of a laugh. She had found it endearing. As an only child, she hadn't shared a lot of space before, except with lovers, so it had been...dare she say, a fun experience. "A therapist-mechanic, that's quite a career choice, well, if you're as good a mechanic as a therapist, I know where I'll take my car if I have trouble," she offered, only a light passing reference to the fact she knew he was a good one. "Well, that's true, some people overdue it. When people don't know what you're talking about, that's a problem. I like that name, is there a meaning behind it?" She always liked hearing people's stories behind why their animals were named certain things. "Wow, that is decent-sized. I guess they're probably somewhere around here today too?"

"Nothing inspires trust among roommates quite like setting up cameras to catch them doing all of the things that they thought they were getting away with," he teased, broad smile on his face. He also couldn't see Leyla being too uptight about someone snacking during off hours… although people could be picky about their food. "When I'm not a therapist, I'm a mechanic -- in a garage full of men with big appetites. You learn how to get creative," especially if you didn't want your food to just up and disappear, and Josh didn't. His father, alone, wouldn't hesitate to eat his goodies. "Apparently we can be! I try not to be that kind of person, though -- I've already had conversations with people who are talking about 'my son' this or, 'my kid' that, and then it takes me far too long to realize they mean a dog. But mine's Toshiko. Toshi for short. And I hope, for your sake, you never have to part from the adopted dogs," he teased, letting out a laugh. "She has four kids, so a pretty decent sized family."

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.

"Quality control," she quipped back. This was the sort of thing she had wanted in the bar, a place could relax and be themselves. A place for good conversation and memories. "Oh, what sort of things do you write?"

"Well, part of the fun of running a business is getting to sample the goods, right?" Che teased, good naturedly. He appreciated the ambiance of the bar that Leyla had set up and could see himself doing work there now and then. "I work for a bank, but I'm also a writer. I'm trying to get more into doing the writing thing as an actual way to make money and such."