you're losing control of it and it's really distasteful

[justsookie]

It's half an hour into Sookie's shift, and Rochelle hasn't stopped talking about her new boyfriend for longer than it takes to draw a breath. With business being relatively slow as usual patrons celebrate St. Patrick's Day elsewhere, Sookie is forced to listen where she stands behind the counter, burying her face into the crook of her elbow and trying to focus on anything other than the fact that she's frustrated.

For entirely frivolous reasons, but still very frustrated.

Threading her fingers through her hair, Sookie groans and swings around the back of the bar, trying not to earn the attention of too many customers as she looks for Robin. As many liberties as Robin tends to permit her while on the job, Sookie doesn't want to do anything to fall out of favor with him, both for the sake of maintaining her income and for making sure that Lafayette still has a comfortable place to work and perform culinary magic.

"Robin?" she asks, peeking her head into his office, where he seems to be lounging, taking a break from the many computers and laptops littered all over his desk. "Robin, do you mind if I have a couple of shots on the job? Or if I buy a pair of earplugs? Rochelle will not stop talkin' about the way her new boyfriend went drilling all night, and I haven't gotten laid in long enough that she is actually getting on my nerves."

Her cheeks color slightly in embarrassment, but really. There's only so much that she can take. "I promise, you and Lafayette are the only ones I don't know any shame around," she adds as an afterthought.

Comments

[goodfella]

"Shame isn't always a bad thing," Robin says from where he sits, a grin curling across too-bright teeth as he stares at Sookie over the top of the monitor of his laptop, pleased to have an excuse to distract himself from the monotony of ordering inventory.

"If a person has just the right amount of it, sex will always be a little dirty. And then things will never get boring. But if you want to get away from Rochelle for a half an hour, we're slow enough that I think I can use you in here. You've got a couple of food safety online tests to go over, and I could always actually do your employee assessment. Do you think you can remember the temperature the coolers under the bar need to be kept at after a few shots?"

[justsookie]

"Are you kidding me? With how neurotic Sam Merlotte could be, I know all of those numbers backwards and forwards," Sookie replies, rolling her eyes. Even with the slight differences between American laws and the regulations in Darrow, Sookie's sure that she can pass whatever test is thrown her way.

As long as she doesn't drink herself to the point of being unable to read the words.

She leans back, grabbing the bottle that she had preemptively set aside for the job. Nothing fancy — just an already opened bottle of rum with enough for a single sitting remaining.

"Who is the employee assessment supposed to benefit, exactly?" Sookie asks as she strides inside, closing the door quietly behind her and rounding Robin's desk. "I mean, you're the head around here. Surely we don't have to report stuff like that outside of these four walls?"

[goodfella]

Robin gives his track-pad a few more brief taps before bringing up the automated food safety quiz and turning the screen of his laptop just enough to face Sookie. He is all for killing two or three birds with one stone, in any event.

"Assessments are no fun to do. I dread that sort of thing, actually. But they benefit me. I'm not just accountable to myself, after all Maybe if I were working under the radar, but I don't. I prefer to work within the system, because I know how to make the system work for me. And the system demands that I have a valid, recorded reason for firing an employee, and I want to have the documents to back myself up if my ass comes under fire one day. The same goes for the Darrow Department of Health. Food safety is no laughing matter. There is nothing laughable about listeria. Although, admittedly, a good many of my customers aren't likely to be touched by a bit of tainted food. In the end, it's all about the same thing, though. Covering my sexy ass.Speaking of ass, do you want me to get you some? I know people. Some of them are even human."

[justsookie]

"The bit about food safety, I definitely understand. I know I feel a hell of a lot better knowing that the restaurants I eat at are up to regulation. Or I can pretend those certificates are a guarantee, anyway," Sookie says, waving her hand before leaning forward and turning Robin's laptop a few degrees more. Without yet pouring out her drink, Sookie starts to answer question after question without much hesitation.

"I guess assessments just never crossed my mind 'cause Sam Merlotte wasn't the type to fire anyone. I swear, I worked for him for over half a decade, and I never saw him fire for things like arriving late, or being clumsy. He was great in that way," sighs Sookie, feeling a pang of nostalgia at the thought. "When things got complicated for me, sometimes I didn't turn up for work for weeks on end. Even then, the one time I got fired was by someone who'd shifted into looking like Sam. His brother, actually."

Her lips press into a thin line.

"Anyway. So what are these people, if not human?" Sookie asks, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

[goodfella]

"Your old boss was a shapeshifter?" Robin says, a scowl forming over his lips at the idea. He'd only ever met one shifter that he really liked, and even then, things for he and Trixa were complicated, to say the least. "Did you tell me this before and I forgot or ignored it?"

Waving that off, he addresses the more fun portion of the conversation, mainly the part that has to do with trying to find his precious employee a delightful hook-up, if at all possible. He prides himself on his ability to set up an engaging date, after all.

"Not human. I wouldn't suggest a vampire or a wolf or somesuch for you, but there are so many different kinds of fairy out there. Some of them are even a good lay, a bit like yours truly. Though nobody else is that good. I am, as always, in a category of my own. Peerless."

[justsookie]

"I didn't tell you this before because there was never a reason to. But watch your frown, Robin Goodfellow. Sam Merlotte is one of the most upstanding and trustworthy people I know," Sookie says with a slight pout. She knows better than to truly chastise someone like Robin, who can easily turn her words back on her with a thousand times the experience and knowledge.

She continues to click through the rest of the test, glancing up at the half-full progress bar.

"Vampires are definitely to be avoided. If they don't have a reason to care about my well-being, I'll end up drained dry for sure," nods Sookie, before carefully glancing Robin's way. "You know, there's someone I've had my eye on. Not for somethin' quick and dirty, but for... actual dates. I only bring it up because he happens to look like you. Almost exactly. He has different eyes, though."

[goodfella]

"I met that kid," Robin says, mouth stretching into a broad and self-indulgent smile, too wide and too bright. He does remember the man with a face like his own. Not a puck, just close enough for a bit of discomfort.

"He wasn't as handsome as me. You're looking into him? Really? He's clever, but there were some things .. just, you know. Things. That would be a bit of a worry, if it were me. I'm not saying that you should value the same things that I do. Everyone knows best what touches them in the right place, if you get my meaning."

The smile parted to reveal a thin line of white teeth.

[justsookie]

"You're right. He wasn't as handsome. He might be more so," Sookie says with a playful arch of her brow. It's not really a fair comparison to make, she thinks. In spite of their features being almost identical, the difference between both men is very much a matter of personality. She's never been the pickiest about presentation.

Will certainly has his charm — quieter, and thoughtful, with the barest amount of frenetic energy. Robin is another beast entirely.

They're different.

Glancing up at the progress of her test, Sookie presses pause on the time, then turns in the chair to fully face Robin. She lays both arms on the table, running in parallel.

"Okay. A bit of worry. I need you to tell me exactly what it is you think I should be worrying about. Because, in case you didn't know, I have a tendency not to worry enough, so just — pretend I'm dumb. Thick as bricks, even beyond the whole blonde thing. Indulge me."

[goodfella]

Robin gave a loud snort, but not one of ill-humor. It wasn't that he flatly refused to believe in Sookie's assessment, but that he knew his own charms, and he was quite impervious to the idea that they were lesser. At least, as far as his needs went.

"He has a curious skill, and a dangerous occupation, and a woman for whom he buys pretty scarves."

[justsookie]

"'Cause I've got any right to judge that, considering what my skill is," Sookie says skeptically. No matter how acute, Will's empathy can be passed off as well-developed intuition, but there isn't much Sookie can do to duck around the fact that she can read thoughts. "Even Will gave me the most nervous look when he found out."

She pours a couple glasses of rum, giving Robin a more generous amount than her own, the glass sliding smoothly across the table and coming to a stop shortly before his hand.

"I assume buying scarves is a euphemism?" she asks, wrinkling her nose sheepishly.

[goodfella]

"Nobody's ever got a right to judge another person," Robin says, with a shrug. "But they do have a right to want the best for themselves, whatever that means, even if it means being a little unfairly skeptical of others."

Catching the glass, he picked it up, gave it a tilt toward Sookie in a toast, before draining half of it quickly. He clears his throat.

"And it isn't a euphemism. He was actually buying scarves. Truth."

[justsookie]

While not by nature a jealous sort of person, Sookie knows the complications that can arise from one person being infatuated with multiple people. Heck, she's a great example of all the stickiness that can result. And that's not something she's sure she wants to dive into on the other end.

Then again, it seems like it'd be a poor idea to back out without explanation.

"Oh, fudge. Well, we aren't exclusive or anything," Sookie sighs, rubbing at her forehead. "I guess I'll just have to ask him what's going on with that. I don't like going into a relationship feeling like I'm in a competition. You ever try that before?"