Cracking Open A Cold One With The Girls Except It’s My Icy Heart And They’re Teaching Me How To Love

Singles mixers - or mixers of any kind - weren't exactly Zahra's scene but she had made a promise to a friend. Said friend had been terrified to go by herself but had managed to hit it off with the first person she had struck a conversation with. Zahra had been left to fend for herself and had taken to people watching from a blessedly quiet corner. Eventually she had ran out of her drink and was making her way towards the bar when someone stopped her. Oh, she had been in her situation before and hurried to nod eagerly. "Yeah, I was just coming to look for you. That Jenga isn't going to play itself," she confirmed, mustering an apologetic smile as she nodded towards the very opposite side of the space. "Shall we?"

STATUS: open @bhqextras

LOCATION: Singles Mixer @ Puzzles, Manhattan

When a friend suggested a night out, Devi pictured something along the lines of going out dancing at Club 51, not a game night at a singles mixer. She supposed it was better than getting dragged along to something that felt a little more desperate like speed dating, but she still couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment with how she was spending her night off. To make make matters worse, she had just been stuck in what felt like the world's longest game of darts with someone who made watching paint dry seem more exciting than holding a conversation with them. At the suggestion of a rematch, she immediately panicked and locked eyes with someone else who was nearby. "Oh, I would, but I already agreed to a game of Jenga with them." She tried her best to communicate with the other using her eyes, "Isn't that right?"

It was a relief how Julia seemed to understand exactly what she was going through and didn't ask any awkward follow up questions. Their careers were evidently very different but there were similarities as well. The constant need to learn more and keep researching even when that was the last thing you wanted to do. Zahra truly appreciated Julia's company in that moment, glad she had ran into her.

"Oh yeah. I thought it would be useful if I had to take her to the vet or something. She's not the smallest of cats so carrying her isn't exactly fun," she explained. Her face seemed to lit up as she talked about Circe and the corners of the mouth twitched towards a smile. "But I've been too embarrassed to use it. She's real loud, too, so I'm sure no one would think I had an actual baby in there." That being said, Zahra would undoubtedly change her mind the moment she saw someone else prancing around with their cat in a stroller.

She nodded eagerly, clearly delighted by the prospect of accomplishing something small yet meaningful. "Absolutely. Sounds good," she agreed, already heading towards the returns. "It's ideal, really. I doubt I will be too tempted to pick up any medical books. Wouldn't understand most of it. The Latin and Greek I studied wouldn't get me very far with those terms."

Julia smiled softly, understanding the issue being described because she’d been there herself - more times than she’d care to admit because you’d think she’d have learnt her session after the first. “We’ve all been there.” As they headed into the vast library Julia was relieved to feel the familiar wash of calm the old building brought with it. A place that housed so much knowledge with no expectations on it apart from that you feasted to your hearts content, she could slip away in here for hours on end. Reading while the outside pressures melted away until it was time to walk back out the doors again. “You have a cat stroller for her? Oh my goodness, I’ve only ever actually seen those used on television. Is it common for people to take their cats out for walks? I thought they were more inside pets. Especially in the city.” Not that she’d ever had one, though they were very cute and occasionally the thought had crossed her mind to keep her company in the times she wasn’t at the hospital, before she remembered that those hours were extensive and it wasn’t really conducive to looking after a pet. 

The offer of help was one she’d happy accept though, enjoying Zahra’s presence because it felt like they had a lot in common, even if the information they’d shared with each other was limited. It was just a sense the doctor got. “I’d love that, thank you. Why don’t we put yours all back in for return and then we can head up to the medical section?” Her voice lowering as they were now in the confines of the library. @ofzahras

"Ah, I see. Well, it seems to be a warm reunion, both literally and figuratively," she replied with a tired smile. God, it really was uncomfortably hot and the fact that she had dragged a small library worth of books from her home in Queens hadn't exactly helped.

Zahra's hand travelled to rub the back of her neck, clearly somewhat uncomfortable with the question and possible follow ups. "Research. I'm doing a postdoctoral fellowship, so, you know, a lot of reading and writing should be taking place."

"I love this library, I haven't been here in a while." Matt started explaining. "I was born in New York but upstate and then I lived in LA for over ten years so it all seems new to me now, even if I've even here many times before."

Matt looked at the volume of books and how big they were and turned back to her. "What do you do?" He asked curiously, always looking for a character in the people he meets randomly. It all helped his creativity. The best stories came to him in random encounters with strangers.

"Oh yeah", she glanced at one of the books towards the top of the bag. "Religious Ethics and Constructivism: A Metaethical Inquiry. Just something fun for bedtime, you know how it is." Her tone was dry but her sharp features had softened the moment she had spotted Birdie. At one moment in time she might have very much considered the title in question just that, fun, but as of late Zahra hadn't exactly found any of her research books or research papers page-turners.

Zahra nodded as Birdie offered to help. Deciding against arguing and claiming she didn't need the help, she bent down to reach for a few hefty titles and handed them over. "Thank you. It was a pain to get them here."

It often felt like there was never enough time in the day to get to all the hobbies she wanted to. There were so many books left unread, movies left unseen, albums left unheard, and knowledge left unknown. It was one of those things that Birdie tried to accept best she could and not dwell on too much. And thankfully she could do just that as she spotted a familiar figure on the steps.

Her eyes immediately landed on the other's bag, her shoulder hurting at the mere thought of carrying it herself. "Just finish some light reading?" Her question was more of a lighthearted jest than anything else. "If you want, you can take some of those out and hand them to me to carry. Might be a little easier than trying to lug that thing inside as is." With her own hands empty, she didn't mind helping out and it was hardly an inconvenience.

She might have mistaken the tap on her shoulder for just another celebrant making their way out of the crowded bar had it not been so determined. She looked down at her feet, immediately realising she was indeed standing on the poor woman's very impressive Ella Enchanted costume. "I'm sorry," she half-shouted over the music, immediately taking a quick step to the side and releasing the fabric from under her feet. Hoping she hadn't caused any damage, Zahra glanced at the dress as if inspecting it for holes and tears. "I didn't ruin it, did I?"

who: anyone! ( @aurorabaystarter ) where: sharky's monster mash

With a drink on her mind, Aylin walked in her heeled boots down the few steps that separated her from the rest of the crowd and beelined straight for the bar. Once she had a drink in her hand, she would attempt to find higher ground - not wanting to deal with anyone she knew just yet. But as she shuffled on her feet impatiently, her long dress was caught under someone’s shoe at the bar. Tapping them on the shoulder, she spoke without looking up from their foot placed on her costume. “Excuse me,” she said loud enough to yell out the DJ’s Halloween tunes. “You’re standing on my dress.”

"You've got a keen eye, Rosie," she replied, careful not to sound snappy, "but I guess this combines strength training and cardio. Saves me a trip to the gym." Not that she had actually frequented one after moving back to the city, nor was she particularly interested in doing so. Admittedly it might have made her trip to the library just a little less torturous. Zahra tilted her head to the side as Rosie voiced their offer. It was a sweet gesture. "Thank you. I might take you up on that if I ever grow really tired of these pilgrimages." Zahra sighed at their question and shook head slowly as she studied the books in her bag. "I have honestly lost count. Way too many?"

“zahra,  are  you  behind  again?”  rosie  was  not  so  much  asking  as  they  were  just  making  the  assumption.  if  it  was  them,  they  certainly  would  also  be  having  late  fees.  this  was  one  of  the  pluses  of  owning  a  bookstore;  they  could  read  whatever  it  was  they  wished  directly  as  it  came  in.  so  long  as  it  didn't  interfere  with  the  customers  coming  in.  offering  smile  for  sheepish  smile.  “y'know,  if  there's  something  you  want,  you  can  always  ask  me  for  a  favour  to  order  in.  a  copy  you'd  get  to  keep,  and  like,  not  worry  about  returning  and  all.”  nervous  chatter  immediately  boiling  up;  even  though  rosie  could  keep  friendships,  it  often  filled  her  with  doubt  to  be  social.  as  though  she  might  ruin  something  by  accident.  “how  many  do  you  even  have  in  there  this  time?  the  box  is  bigger  than  last  time.”

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT TASK #001

a zahra hamed playlist

Glancing at the woman who appeared quite pregnant, Zahra hurried to shake her head. She couldn't possibly involve this kind stranger in her dumb mess of a situation.

"Oh, I can't expect you to help. I made my bed, now I must lie in it, or however the saying goes." Of course she had to oppose, embarrassed she appeared as if she needed help carrying the books she had been dumb enough to check out and now return in one trip. That being said, Zahra had to admit she was just about to give up and escape, leaving the bag and its contents behind. She had to admit defeat and accept the helpful offering, no matter how mortifying.

Nodding, she picked up just a few books, the ones trying to make their own escape. It was a miracle she hadn't actually lost any of them on the way. That acted as a small consolation at least. "Actually, that would be really helpful. Carrying this would be a lot easier if I didn't have to worry about some of these getting lost," she admitted, a hint of defeat in her voice.

For as long as Sage could remember, libraries were one of her happy places. While many of the memories she had of her mother eroded with time, she could remember spending hours of her early childhood happily perusing the many shelves of their local library while her mom held her ever-growing stack of books with an amused smile. Walking up to the library the only thing she looked forward to more than finding a new read was the air conditioning. While summer felt like it had barely begun, it was already kicking her ass. “I hate stairs,” she grumbled as she trudged up the steps, one hand on her lower back and the other fixing her ‘I’m not like other girls, I’m worse’ tote that threatened to slip off her shoulder. She had only borrowed a couple books this time but was already a day late to return them. Something that was minuscule in the scheme of things, but stressed her out endlessly. Finally having made her way up the steps, she stopped beside another patron to also catch her breath. How any person chose to have a baby was beyond her. Even more baffling were the people who chose to have a second baby knowing damn well the little fuckers made it so much harder to breathe. Taking in as deep a breath as she could, Sage glanced down and noticed the tote spilling over with books. “Damn,” she said before she could stop herself, her gaze darting from the overburdened Ikea bag to the breathless woman with a sheepish smile. “Sorry. I won’t ask. Plus, I can’t judge. I usually look like I robbed the place when I leave,” she added though even she had yet to take out quite so many at the same time. Truthfully, it made her feel like she should step up her library game, but seeing how winded the woman was had her reconsidering. “Do you need help? I can’t carry all of them, but I can lighten your load a little.” She held up her practically empty tote as she spoke. Sure there wasn’t far left for her to go, but she knew that if she was struggling, she would have been happy for the help. Hell, if it had been socially acceptable, she would have asked someone to fireman carry her up those damn steps just so she could avoid the struggle.

Zahra studied them briefly, eyes intense as she scanned them from head to toe as if trying to come to a conclusion of some sort. "Plenty of pubs in NYC as well. You just have to know where to look. Some of them are real tourist traps," she replied with a shrug. What couldn't you find in New York City? It was easily one of Zahra's favorite things about the city, the sheer scope of options for activities, food, and drink. "That's fair." She had never liked those places either.

She fell silent for a moment at their question, then reached for her bag and stood up easily. "If it's good beer you want I can think of few places in the neighbourhood."

Theo turned to her a little, leaning closer to hear her better and paid attention to her every word. "In England, a place like this would be exactly where you'd find the good beer." They explained after hearing her. "The specialty places are usually full of posh twats that don't know what good beer is."

They gave their tumbler a last swirl before they down the rest of the whiskey, putting it down but their fingers linger on it, thumb stroking the edge. "Can I buy you a beer sometime in one of those specialty places, then?" Theo turned to her again with a bit of a cheeky smile.

Zahra grimaced as the woman spoke, feeling dumber by the moment for picking such a hot day for her pilgrimage to the library. Not that she should have checked out all the books in the first place considering just how unwilling she had been to start even reading them. Most of them hadn't even left the bag which had at least made gathering them up a simple task.

"Already did, unfortunately. The library is my final stop," she admitted, carefully kicking the bag as if trying to relieve some pent-up frustration. Unfortunately the kick did very little to move the bag or its contents any nearer the entrance. "This weather must be some sort of a punishment from the universe since I didn't even bother reading most of these. So, you know, you have me to thank for this."

in her heart shaped pink shades and jean skirt, Isabelle had been walking back home from a little trip downtown to see her girlfriend at her boxing club and have dinner with her (or more like, try to get her to stop throwing herself at the punching bags like a goddamn maniac for more than five minutes to drink some water or at least something cool with electrolytes in it, eat something, cool off for a while...)

She had been trying to wave down a taxi, but it had been of no avail, the streets too busy and thrumming with activity, burning under a hot July sun, everyone rushing home. Her phone was dead and she had forgotten her power bank back home so she was only growing more irritable by the minute...

Trying to cool off, she stopped at a little café to get herself an iced blueberry slushie, had stood at the window outside afterwards, looking at her flickering reflection in the glass pane as she reapplied her gloss when she noticed the woman near her. Pushing her shades up onto the top of her head, she blinked, immediately feeling bad for her. "oh wow... Don't tell me you gotta haul an entire library's worth of books somewhere further than a block away from here in this heat..." She sounded a little too surprised, her senses somehow both dulled and muddled from the scorching heat of the day.