chasing roller coasters;

[Laura Montiez]

By now Laura should have got the party scene out of her system. From the begging she hated hot, sweaty and crowded clubs filled with the smell of alcohol, lose inhibitions and a slight hint of vomit. Nothing about the party scene ever appealed to her. Even the shallow promise of free drinks wasn't enough to convince Laura any of it was fun. From the get go she only partied so hard and so long for the people, cherishing the alcohol fueled moments of vulnerability they shared. She hated the scene and the clubs, but what she truly and honestly loved was the intimacy people share on the verge of passing out. She felt so close to these people. People who probably didn't remember her, and probably never would. That was how she liked it. Sharing her innermost thoughts, aspirations and insecurities with someone that wouldn't care to remember the next day. She never had to face a consequence, nor a reality for anything she said. Finally Laura had the freedom she'd been waiting for.

What came as a surprise to her however, was the few people that stayed. Alyce wasn't so much Laura's friend as she was her mentor. They'd spent many a night drinking themselves to oblivion and not once had Alyce questioned anything Laura said, or tried to say while so deeply intoxicated. Alyce was a helping hand for the most part, a helping and also heavily drunk hand. Usually at 5 o'clock Laura would be getting ready and wouldn't meet up with Alyce until a few hours later. Tonight however was different. Laura had shown up unannounced on her friend's doorstep, carrying two large pizzas and a twelve pack of beer. The girl had wanted a change of pace for a while now, a chance to get to know Alyce away from all the drinking. Sure, the beer would mean they'd still be drinking. However that wouldn't get them wasted, more like comfortable enough to open up and become closer friends. Laura had no idea how her friend would react, she didn't even know if Alyce was home. At this point she didn't care. The cold was enough to convince her to knock on the door and run in after Alyce opened it. "Jeez it's cold out there." Laura always seemed to forget how cold New Zealand could be, especially in the middle of winter. Summer in New York was so different, as usual Laura was under dressed for the occasion. "Surprise!" She pulled her friend into a one armed hug, making sure she caught eye of the pizza boxes.

"I didn't feel like going out tonight. So I thought I'd surprise you with pizza." She pulled away. Searching for a place to put everything. It felt different here, she'd never admired Alyce's place with sober eyes before. Now she was able to realize it suited Alyce very well. She placed the pizza and beer on the coffee table. "I hope this isn't a bad time." She mused, seating herself on the nearby couch and gesturing towards the pizza. "They're hot from the oven and straight from New York." She opened a beer for herself, waiting for her friend to join her. "What are you going to do, just stand there? Dig in!" ​

 

[Alyce Brown]

It was a cold winters night. alyce had worked the previous thre doing the shift until the bar closed. not that working nights were much different from non working nights. the main difference was that she was on the other side of the bar, and had to be careful who she flirted with. she had already had complaints a few times for flirting with someone who didnt want her to. Oddly the complaints were not from the person she had flirted with but their boyfriends. she had woken up mid afternoon and was planning on taking the bike out for a spin maybe get some milk or cerial or bread or something she could eat. as one check in the fridge showed she was pretty much all out. she cirtainly wasn't one of the best at keeping an appartment clean. the sink was piled with dishes, the bin was full there was piles of waching that needed doing and washing that needed puttign away in the small alcove corner which served purpose as her laundry room and the piles had murged together. she was jsut slipping on her shoes when she heard a knock at the door. wondering who it was. maybe misses floor above her who wanted to complain about the noise. or the people who lived two floors below doing their weekly missionary door knock.
Looking through the peep hole she saw a familiar face. alyce wasnt usually one to fet to know the people she drank with for much longer than the night and sometimes the following day however there was a few people who were different. For example Laura, then they had first met she had sort of thought of her as an annoying lightweight kid. but aver time they had started going out together regulaly and she has sort of become in someways a little sister to her, someone to keep an eye on. there had been a couple of occasions when some drunk guy was trying to make a move on Laura and she had had to come in and tell him where to go. he had backed off quickly she could be quite persuasive when she wanted to. she opened the door for her and stepped aside letting ehr in so she could shut the door against the cold of the hallway. she felt the girl hug her and hugged her back slightly awkwardly as the boxxes sort of got in the way. no this isn't a bad time. actually its perfect timing" she said having laura over with food and drink. it meant she wouldn't have to go out in the sleet. "New york pizza yum" she said. when she had been traveling she had spent a bit of time in new york and still went back every now and then. she loved that city the vibe of it. the partying the fact you could order pizza in the middle of the night and no one cared. and the pizza there was good. "take a seat" she said shoving a collection of shoes and books away from the sofa. and sitting down next to Laura tucking in to one of the pizza. "mmm, pepperoni"
she said as the salty spice hit her tongue. once she had finished the first pice which was finished rather quickly she thought she was being a little rude. "umm, so how have you been up to? she asked mixing two questions into one unintentionally.

 

[Laura Montiez]

Laura felt oddly comfortable in Alyce's apartment. Usually a lot of mess would have the opposite effect, but in Laura's case it was enough to make her feel at home. She lived with two guys, so she never expected the place to be clean. What was surprising however was that one of the guys was training to be a professional chef, yet the place was always entirely void of food. Most nights Laura ordered in Pizza or Chinese. It was annoying sometimes, to live with someone that possessed the ability to make real food, but always refused. By now Laura couldn't even look at Chinese food anymore, luckily she still had the option of pizza. "I've just been working, and partying with you really. It's been boring." Realizing what she just said, Laura sat forward. "Work has been boring, I mean. Not you. You're hilarious." She clarified, tucking in to a slice of pepperoni pizza. The guys she lived with she also worked with. Whenever she wasn't out with Alyce her mind was on work, whether she liked it or not. It was exhausting to say the least.

It was obvious she didn't exactly know how to act right now. She'd never really been around Alyce without alcohol clouding her mind. She wanted this change of pace and environment, but she still didn't know what to do. "What about you? How's life been?" Laura changed the subject onto her friend. "Met any super cute guys lately?" She had another sip of beer. She didn't really like the taste, but if she pursed her lips together and had small sips at a time it was bearable. Surely that was how everybody drank beer. She couldn't see how people could tolerate the stuff if they didn't. Gradually she was feeling more relaxed. Unsure if it was the beer or the fact they were now talking about Alyce, she continued prodding the blonde just to be safe. "What's it like working on the other side of the bar?" She had always been curious what it was like to be a bartender, but hadn't had the chance to ask until now. There were a lot of things Laura wanted to know about her friend's life. What it was like having one night stands, being a bartender, knowing what to do with her freedom. Her list of questions was endless, they could be here a while. ​

 

[Alyce Brown]

Alyce Saw Laura come in and settle down in her apartment. she did look almost at home there. she had crashed in lauras apartment once after a night out in new york and she guessed it did have a sort of similar fool to it. the feel of belonging to people who had so many better things to do than tidying. which was certainly the truth bout her house. why would she waste time tidying when she could be doing something else. even if being a witch meant she could tidy the room in just a few seconds. she still couldn't find anything when it was clean. she knew what laura meant when she had said that it was boring. she chuckled when she clarified herself "yeah, i Know" she said opening one of the beers and taking a swig. "ahh, that's good" she said feeling relaxed.
she picked up another peace of pizza this time from the other one. it was just as good. As she ate she heard alyce ask her how she had been. "you know. same old, same old. had to go back to england for my mums birthday. no matter how much space i put between us... oh well got to go to some great clubs in london. and the pubs were pretty darn good too" she said. she liked the english pubs they had a better atmosphere than the ones here. the people were cool there too;not so many posers, the people were more the real deal. i they were wearing leathers they likely had a bike outside and weren't just wearing them because they were cool. "you know me. there is always someone. mind not many of them are 'supper cute guys' that doesn't exist. there was a cute girl in Birmingham." she said. thinking she had been a little blonde girl. although she looked quite cute and a bit more girly than her likings. inside she was great fun. she took another swig of beer and bite of pizza. "have you met anyone?" she said. continuing the pizza as Laura replied. once she had finished the slice se stopped for a minute. she didn't want it all to be gone too quickly. the next question was a little out of the blue. "umm. good i guess. you get a drink for free whenever you want. and you get paid for it" she said. It wasn't as fun as being able to party but is was certainly her kind of job.

 

[Laura Montiez]

Laura smiled. The pubs in London sounded like good time. If she ever felt like going there one day she'd be sure to check some of them out. However with her schedule it wouldn't happen for a while, all she had time for these days was working and getting wasted. That was why she treasured this evening so much. She had barely been here half an hour and already felt more relaxed than ever. There was no pressure to talk about work, get drunk or look pretty. Laura reminded herself to do this more often. The delicious pizza was an added bonus. She finished her first piece and went in for a second. At this rate there might not be any left for Alyce. "You should tell me all about this cute girl." Laura liked hearing about her friend's life, because her's was usually so boring. Sure she got wasted nearly every night but she'd barely kissed anyone let alone had a one night stand or even a boyfriend. The closest she ever thought she'd get to having a love life was listening to other people's. She wanted to know what this girl was like too, merely out of curiosity. Usually the girls Alyce took home were really interesting if she got the chance to talk to them. "Nope. Probably never will either." She laughed. The fact Alyce even asked that question was hilarious in itself. As far as Laura was concerned no guys had ever given her a second glance.

Being a bartender sounded awesome, drinking for free and getting paid for it? What could be any better? It almost made her reconsider being a waitress. She dismissed the thought however when she remembered she was supposed to be a chef, not a bartender. She wanted to cook food for people, and have fun doing it. When she moved in with one of the training chefs, she hoped they would train her too. That was a bust. "Remind me to come and see you one of the nights you're working." She wanted to see what Alyce was like at work, but never managed to ask what nights she was behind the bar. Purely because she felt like she'd be overstepping a line if she did. Maybe after a few more relaxed evenings like this she wouldn't feel so intrusive. "I feel like I should have got garlic bread with the pizza." She mused. Garlic bread would just about hit the spot right now. Never mind her breath would stink afterwards, it would have been worth it. But could always bring some next time.​

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[Alyce Brown]

Alyce smiled when remembering london, she hated living in england. she hated it because it meant she was so close to her parents and she wanted space, half a planets work of space was just about enough even though new zealand was rather sleepy. when asked about the girl in london "well, she was called Kayleigh had long choppy pale blonde hair, she was quite short but she had great style and was such fun to be with. such a wicked sense of humour." she said stressing the world wicked a smile crossing her face. she had had a really food few evenings with her. maybe next time when she was that way she may try and catch up with her again. she took another few swigs of her beer, it was about two thirds of the way gone now. "hey, don't be like that, I met a guy the other day who i thought you may like. I think i have his number and if you want we can meet up some time" she said. shrugging. it was just a thought she had had.
Alyce chuckled thinking about her job. "mind you, you do get the *******s. and the sleezes, and those so drunk that they make me on a night out look sober, but you get used to them" she said. she had the sort of personality that she could easily show people who's boss if she needed too, and still have a bit of fun. "where i work is wizard night sunday, tuesday and thursday so i have to work them nights as there aren't that many witches who work bar, then the other days often work karaoke tuesday and some live fridays but not all" she said. it sounded like a lot but at least with the ability to appraise she was able to jump time zones and still go out after work no matter what time her shift ended there was always somewhere open. she picked up another piece of pizza. they had made a good headway Alyce now on her third piece and Laura her second at least. they had about a pizza and a third left. "garlic bread is nice but pizza is great" she said. though to be honest she just didn't want to go out in the cold how rain. "I think i have some chocolate in for after if you want. she said getting up and heading to the fridge and taking out some chocolate, and a few bottles of cider. "not a fan of beer are you? here try some cider" she said. it was a rather sweet drink which was a little less of an acquired taste.

 

[Laura Montiez]

Laura shook her head. On most days she looked average at best, and without alcohol clouding her mind she was undeniably boring. If anyone found her attractive they'd be delusional. "No thanks. I'm happy being single." This was always her excuse. Truth be told she loved being close to other people, but had always been afraid to put herself out there. Even with Alyce offering to set her up, it sounded terrifying. She didn't want to burden anybody with the task of talking to her anyway. Laura raised an eyebrow, she never realized how often Alyce worked. She'd only seen Alyce behind the bar a few times before, and naturally assumed her friend didn't work often. Did they usually meet up when Alyce was finished? Immediately Laura had a whole new set of questions to prod her friend with. She started another piece of pizza to keep herself quiet. The pizza was still very good, Laura was glad she had someone to share her food with tonight. Eating alone seemed sad to her, especially now that all she did was eat alone. Garlic bread still would have been nice though. She finally opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself again as Alyce stood up. "Chocolate? Sure." She nodded. Chocolate was delicious, but to be excited about it Laura needed to be in the mood for chocolate. Right now she was in the mood for garlic bread. It seemed chocolate had to do for now, she could always pick up some garlic bread on the way home. Cider on the other hand sounded a lot nicer than beer.

"Don't mind if I do." Laura stood up to retrieve a bottle of cider. In the past she'd only tried cider once or twice and she liked a lot more than beer for sure. This was why she liked Alyce so much, even if they were both drunk and barely coherent, Alyce always made her comfortable. "Are you allowed to drink on the job?" Laura asked, returning to the sofa. Being a waitress at an Italian restaurant meant she could eat pizza whenever she wanted if she wasn't serving customers. Bar tending was a night job so maybe it was different, maybe it was considered unprofessional to drink while serving people. Or maybe nobody cared. She was genuinely curious to find out.​

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[Alyce Brown]

Alyce smiled wryly at Laura when she said that she didn't want to be set up and se was happy being single. "that's what they all say" she said chuckling. "the worst excuse in the book" she said. getting up and heading to what had been called a kitchenette on the flats advert. she opened a cupboard and reached a block of chocolate off the top shelf. she threw it gently towards laura "catch" she said when it was already part way there. she was a tease, she always had been.
when asked if she was meant to drink on the job. she chuckled. "of course we aren't allowed to drink." she said winking before dropping herself onto the sofa. "but of course we do, or at least i do. so long as we aren't noticeably drunk a few shots aren't a problem" she paused. "mind you I am sort of a special case, it think the witches get a little extra leeway." she said. picking up another pice of pizza and biting into it. "anyway. surely there is more interesting things happening in new york than there is here. after all it is the big apple isn't it? so what's new in your life" she asked in maybe a slightly round bout way swallowing her mouthful of food before asking the last question. she realised she knew hardly anything about Laura other than that she lived in new york, worked as a waitress, was a bit of a lightweight when drinking was concerned and not really much more. not that she really knew many people well. she was more of a in the moment girl not a talking about things girl but then there was something about this atmosphere that sort of screamed talking (or watching football, not that she was in the mood for that even if any was on).

 

[Laura Montiez]

Laura sipped her cider and smiled. It was better than beer by a long shot, she was glad Alyce suggested it. For some reason she was still in awe at how comfortable this evening had been. At first she felt worried, anxious that showing up to Alyce's place unannounced would be awkward however now that things were underway it was completely the opposite. She had a gut feeling this was all thanks to Alyce and that gut feeling was probably right, Laura had never been the most sociable especially when sober. "Why do you get leeway?" Perplexed, the brunette sat forward. "Is it because you could jinx them? Make them eat slugs?" She honestly couldn't figure out why Alyce and other witches would get leeway as a bartender, unless whoever owned the place was scared of magic, or rather the aid of magic. Otherwise she had no idea. Not realizing she completely disregarded the chocolate, she picked up another piece of pizza and took a bite. Right now her belly felt so empty, like no amount of pizza could fill her up. It was almost weird since usually she could barely finish half a pizza. Let alone a whole one.

She choked a little at Alyce's question. Albeit she was uncomfortable talking about herself, she did anyway. "Nothing really. I mostly just work, come home to eat, then get ready and go out to party." Her life didn't sound boring, but for the most part it was. "I don't really have people to hang out with, my roommates are too busy with their own lives to spend time with me." The boring part was when she had downtime, when she didn't feel like going out or had a day off work, she had nobody to spend time with. Alyce was an exception but of course the other girl wasn't always free to hang. The only other people she hung out with she met at clubs. Those people of course were shallow, and so were their encounters. Never did they make good company. They were the kind of people she didn't hope to see the next day, or ever again for that matter. "Why do they call New York the big apple anyway?" Laura attempted to change the subject, afraid she would bore her friend if she kept going on about her uneventful life. ​

 

[Alyce Brown]

Alyce shook her head whilst taking a swig of beer when laura guessed why she got leeway. no nothing that interesting, there are only a few people who can work on magic nights. oh and the owner knows my uncle" she said she wasn't quite sure what relationship he had with her uncle she just know that when she was moving to new zealand her uncle said she should apply there as he knew the boss. he gave her a job and that was all she cared about. she had a feeling it wasn't the most licit of associations as that was the kind of impression she got from her uncle, but still it didn't really matter to her.
listening as Laura described how she lived. "I am sure it isn't that boring." she said putting her arm around Lauras shoulder. she had tried to not hit on Laura since the first night she had met her. this in her mind wasn't that hinting anything, but then again the alcohol she had consumed was maybe starting to make its effect. "your room mates are obviously missing out then. not that i mind" she said. it was true, Laura was a cool girl and fun to be around at a party. as the girl wondered about the name of new york, the big apple and asked what it meant she shrugged "Apparently it is something to do with it being where dreams are made honey, or something like that" she said. she didn't really know for sure. she was just making things up. and it didn't really answer the question, apples and dreams had nothing on common other than three letters. It was then that she realised what she was doing and shifting slightly in her chair reaching out for a pice of the chocolate so as to move her arm without it being obvious "sorry" she said through a mouthful of the chocolate.