Distractions Necessary (Open)

Erik took the number discretely, nodding to her "I'll call you tomorrow night after I get off okay?" he said softly to her and he quietly wrote on a different napkin his number for her.

Ali tried not to look scared for the boy, but she did manage to get a photo, search her brain if he paid with a card or just cash - shit just cash.  But yeah she'd tell the man about that one.

She took the napkin from him and folded it, then slipped it into a pocket -- yes. Amazingly, the outfit did, in fact, have pockets. She gave him that winning smile again.

"I look forward to it. But we're about to have last call, so I should probably head back there to give Ali a hand. We've gotten busier since I came out here."

Victor just kinda sat there watching the whole thing.

Too sexually charged for him to get very involved in, although it was rather entertaining to watch. He just had stick in the mud manners.

"I noticed, it must be the beauty that entered the bar." with a shy smile at her and then moved away to let her help Ali behind the bar. Heading back to the table, he was getting razzed but not necessarily in a bad way.

Ali smiled at Griselda "Hey Boss." with a nod to her as she went to handle the busy bar's last call.

She smiled in an almost dazzling sort of way when she stepped behind the bar with Ali. The first thing she did was to pull her hair back in a loose bun at the back of her head. She kept one eye on Erik on his way back to the table, just to make sure he wasn't getting razzed too much. She nodded to Ali and winked.

"Let's do this, Beautiful."

Ali nodded to her, glancing to see if Victor needed anything then she was off in fluid motion with the Boss, working the large bar like the pro's they were. If you didn't know her or her eye glances - most wouldn't see her glancing at the front door.

Security-wise, she took glances at all of the doors as well as making sure that the rush for the bar at last call didn't result in any fist fights. Otherwise, she and Ali moved together behind the bar like it was some sort of dance and the two of them were old pros as well as old partners at it.

Ali hit the bell that said end of last call, then went to start paying out tabs, and giving out glasses of water to those that needed them plus hand out "cab call" for those that shouldn't be driving.

Because they worked well together, she also moved to make coffee for those who didn't want to have water to end the night. It was actually good coffee that she used, a lighter roast that wasn't harsh and would not, unlike most diner coffee, tear holes in the lining of someone's stomach. She was brewing coffee and actually handling most of the cab calls for those that expressed an interest in that sort of thing. As Ali cashed out the tabs, she was helping to collect signed receipts as well. There was only one register behind the bar, but two could work at it if you knew what you were doing.

Ali glanced at the front door again, but then the closing out tabs, cash - credit and that had her full attention while she and Griselda worked smoothly behind the bar to get the busier then usual crowd out of the bar. The smell of the coffee got a smile from her, she at least was going to have a cup of it.

She winked at Ali again, because she certainly wasn't going to let Ali leave the bar until her ride arrived. The coffee wasn't only for the patrons, obviously. But she was pouring it out in cups (she had two brewers going, in fact) for those who frequented the bar and usually requested it. The funny part was that, after last call, the coffee was on the house. The bar made enough money in liquor sales to cover the free coffee.

Ali took her glass, kept working and watched as some of the regulars headed out for their cabs. She watched as the guys left and she made sure people got their credit cards. A half look towards the door, waiting for her ride and still being social with those left at the bar.

She had put the lights on so it was more lit then usual, Ali looked pale due to her night time schedule, but otherwise nothing was really out of place.

And when she turned, she found Griselda standing there with a cup of hot coffee fixed for her, just the way she liked it. The redhead held a smile.

"Why don't you go ahead and sit for a while, Ali? Back here, obviously, since I don't want you to be out solo. I'll handle cleanup and the like until your ride home arrives."

"No I've got it, I normally do tonight solo but I will take the coffee." with a smile at her. "I've got it you can sit and rest if you'd like you were the one dancing all night." taking a sip of her coffee, then moving to start and clean glasses.

She followed Ali with a slight laugh.

"That's my point. You've been busting your butt all night. You take some rest. I've been dancing and having fun. Honestly, it's good for me."

"I'm just not built that way, I'm on the clock so I am working, but thank you." with another sip and going to keep working on the glass pile she'd gotten the last half of the night - trying to keep an eye on Griselda but not be obvious just in case something got out of hand.

It was funny that they were both keeping an eye on each other. She poured herself her own cup of coffee and sipped it slowly with a slight smile.

"I can order it, as your boss, if you like."

"If you feel you have too." looking at her with a really look at her.

She cupped her coffee with both hands, pointing toward a chair behind the bar with her index finger.

"Sit. That's an order. I've got this."

Ali gave a soft "umph" but sat where ordered, with her coffee and watched her boss work.

Sipping her coffee for another minute, the redhead looked a little triumphant. But she sat the cup of coffee down and started in on the glasses, giving her bartender and manager a sly smile.

"Thank you. Have you had a good evening?"

"It's been a busy night unexpectedly." with a look at the boss, with a raised eye brow to match the look she was getting.

She laughed softly.

"But a busy night is a good thing, isn't it?" she asked mildly, while still cleaning the glasses. Friendly chat, swear to God.

"Busy is always a good night. Makes the night go by fast and it helps the bar make more money for the boss." with a coy smile back at her.

She was putting bottles of liquor back in their proper place and wiping down the bar with a rag soaked in bleach so that it wouldn't get sticky, gross, and could be disinfected.

"Hey, I don't pay myself all that much from this bar. I have to make good money because I have to pay people like my bartender to make sure they get a living wage."

She grinned and stuck her tongue out at Ali, obviously in a good mood and having fun with the situation.