A glass slammed against the counter of the bar, sending the man cleaning a used mug into a disappointed sigh and head shake. The slammer of the glass had her head pressed against the counter as well, her neon blue hair splintered out around the outline of her head as groan after groan escaped her alcohol heavy lips. Regardless, the barkeeper took the woman's cup reluctantly and went to refill it, taking the moment of it filling to voice his two cents. "Vinyl, whatever's bothering you probably won't get solved with booze..." much to his distaste and growing disappointment, Vinyl refused to lift her head up and just kept her hand out, gripping it at the air for her filled mug to be given to her.
The bartender shook his head one more time before putting the cup back Vinyl, ending her grasps. Suddenly but wavering, Vinyl lifted her head up off the counter and pushed the glass to her unsteady lips. Her usually cheerful, playful expression seemed to have been drowned out by the alcohol she was swigging down. On her face, her signature shades hung crooked at the bridge of her nose, letting both her eyes show over the top of the frames, showing that they were glassed over with a lifeless lustier. Vinyl looked at herself in the reflection that the drink offered, seeing herself ripple in the thick liquor. Thinking back, she came in here about two hours ago and just went right to getting plastered. Only, this time... It just didn't feel as fun. Vinyl lifted the glass up and went for it to slosh down her throat as she perked her lips to the tip of it. But, before she could feel a drop of it, the glass was yanked out of her hand and she tapped herself in the face with her empty hand.
"W-Wha...?" Her tone slurred a moment and she tried to follow to where her glass was yanked off to.
Following what she could in her slowed senses, Vinyl looked around behind her and saw another woman standing there with appraising eyes set against the DJ. Even in her drunken stupor, Vinyl could piece the girl holding her drink together. After so many years of hard drinking at parties between tracks, Vinyl -much to her own dismay- built up a growing immunity to the effects. Because of that, despite her outward dishevelled appearance, her mind and sight remained repetitively intact; resulting in Vinyl putting together -slowly- who was behind her. Normally Vinyl could tell anyone from first glance by just how they dressed or their face; but, with winter being around and making everyone change their normal clothes for the sake of keeping cold, first glances had to go a little further.
Even still, Vinyl knew who it was not long after she put the colours together. Red coat, orange scarf, and -of course- that cowboy hat topped over blonde hair. Vinyl didn't feel like being herself right now, but she still managed a cheesy smile and gave a flopping hand wave to the farm girl. "Hey, AJ... What're you up to at this hour? And... at a bar no less. I thought you're family didn't drink?" Vinyl chuckled and continued on, clearly trying to reach out for her cup that the farm girl kept holding.
When Vinyl reached out for the glass, AJ took a single small step back, letting Vinyl's hand drop and miss. Once again, Vinyl looked to her drink thief, trying to make eye contact with her; but, with the steaming wisp of the hot chocolate she had in one hand and the square frame glasses on the curve of her nose, it was a little more difficult. It was only when the apple picking at Sweet Apple Acres couldn't be done -in the winter- that AJ would put on her reading glasses and take care of the financial side of the farm. If anything, the glasses alone gave the farm girl a new look pretty easily. Even Vinyl would have to call it cute. But, from the look she could make out from AJ, cute was the furthest expression she was trying to give off.
"Listen... AJ... I'm not having that good a night," Vinyl laughed half-heartedly and tried to reach out for her drink again, "So, how about you just give me that back."
Once again, AJ took a step back and continued to look down at Vinyl with a dismal glance. When Vinyl's hand grabbed at air again, she curled her fingers into a fist and dropped her smile. Her eyes glared at the farm girl over the rim of her shades, the red of them straining into a shaking rage. Calmly, AJ started to speak but kept a distance from Vinyl. "Listen 'ere. Y'all way passed drunk now--"
"Drunk? I'm not--"
"--ah want you to get in a cab an get on home..." AJ's tone went stern to cut off Vinyl's own interrupting.
Vinyl looked back over the counter, seeing herself in a mirror that the bartender kept behind the shelf of bottles. Obscured as the vision was, Vinyl could still make herself out, frowning more so at that then at AJ. "Jack... I... I can't go back there. Not now..." Vinyl shook her head and matted brushes of her hair between her fingers as she slumped over the counter and rested her elbows on the wood surface, "I fucked things up... Again. I tried to do the stupidest thing and Tavi just--..."
At first, AJ waited for an answer as she watched Vinyl, but decided to sit down on the stool next to her at the bar after a minute. She put both her cup and Vinyl's down, though pushed Vinyl's a little bit away just in case. "Well... Seems y'all mess up a lot. But, same time, ya' always seem to fix 'er all up 'fore long..." AJ wasn't much of a talker in this kind of scene, but she was trying.
For just a second, Vinyl opened her mouth and let the thick musk of alcohol slick out between her lips before she spoke. "I asked her to marry me..."
The bar was already pretty silent since the three of them were all that was left and the TV in the corner of the bar was set to a low volume. But, in that moment, it felt like even the cold night went still and even a snowflake could be heard touching to the mounds below. AJ pushed her index finger and middle finger up to her face, pushing her glasses and hat up just a little bit while wearing a calm look to her. "...Ah see..." sound suddenly pounded through the bar as AJ threw a collection of coins onto the counter, bringing the bartender and Vinyl to look at the action in startled alarm, "Ah got 'er tab," she simple said before she grabbed a strong grip to Vinyl's back collar and pulled her off her chair to an unsteady stand.
Once Vinyl's legs steadied out, she was pulled once again by the back of her shirt towards the exit of the bar. "Whoa! What're you doing!?" Vinyl flailed her arms in front of her, trying to grab at something as she was pulled through the bar by a surprisingly strong farm girl.
"Said ya' can't go home. That's fine. Just gonna have to stick 'round me till ya' can..." AJ didn't let Vinyl protest for even a second as she kicked the bar door open and pulled Vinyl along behind her into the cold night, "An', while ah got'cha... May as well try an' figure out a ways ta' help."