𝓦𝓪𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓡𝓸𝓼𝓮𝓼

𝒜𝓇𝒾𝒸ℯ 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒫𝒶𝓃𝒹ℴ𝓇𝒶

12

Arice looked at the woman in front of her with wide eyes. She was charming, very relaxed, with a big smirk on her face.
"I am waiting"
"For who? And who is waiting for someone in the middle of a wedding?" The bartendress asked, not in a mean voice, as she started preparing a drink, playing with the glasses and syrops all over.
She put ice in a metalic glass, vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice and  cranberry juice also, and started to shake it, trowing it from a hand to another, from front to back. She then poured the warm coloured drink in a tulip-shaped glass, and added a sliced lemon to its edge and a red straw. The brown haired then pushed the glass gently in front of Arice, with two fingers.
"It's on the house" she said in her special tone, than Arice already saw as normal. "I don't usually drink.." she said in low voice. But she didn't want to be unpolite and make the woman feel bad.
Arice took the glass and drank some. It was actually very refreshing. The woman was delighted seeing that Arice liked her drink. "And what would you name be?" She asked
"Arice"
"Arice, such a pretty name. I am Pandora" she streched her hand out. "Are you related to the couple?" Pandora asked
"No..my sister and her husbands are friends with the groom. She made me come here to have some good time..."
The music got louder, the guests were dancing like crazy and the two women had to rise their voice in order to hear each other.
"Let's go outside" the woman named Pandora suggested. And they did. Arice took her drink as the other grabbed fast an usual glass of champagne and walked outside.
The ballroom and the halls were so full, that out of reflex, Arice grabbed into the woman's arm. Pandora was taller and her body was bigger that Arice's. Her arms were muscular, her legs thicker, her chest also kinda impressive and her hips wider.

Outside were a lot of white benches, most of them already occuped. In the middle was a fountain and on the grass, the little gardens were full of red roses. As they walked on the paved way, the music was harder to hear.
"Arice...I didn't quite get it. Why are you here all alone"
"I came with my sister and her husband. I just needed to...clear my mind. But i don't think it was a brilliant idea"
"Clear your mind? Who bothered you dear?"
"It's a long...long story"
The way Arice was talking with a low voice was pleasant to Pandora. Her voice was calming, very tolerable. Arice took another sip from her drink. Its taste was really good and refreshing, the alcohol in it barely felt.
"What about you? What srr you doing here?" Arice asked. And it sounded very dumb, but Pandora understood what she meant. "I am a bartendress. I don't usually serve to weddings, I am much of a club person. I don't like weddings at all, but this time no one was avalible from 9pm to 12am, and the payed me double, so here I am" she had a way of talking, with an accent, an expensive one, but very pleasant to Arice's ears. 
She looked at the woman, then at the sky.
"You like talking, don't you?" Arice asked.
"I do, indeeded. I talk very much, of course I hope this doesn't bother you"
"No, it's okay. I like listening to people"
"Then we will get along very well" the other said while sipping some champagne.
"Tell me more about you, Arice, as we seem to get along"
What could she say?
Her past?
Was not important
Her future?
She had no idea
Her present?
Was too confusing
"I see you have a hard time socializing. I am sorry for asking such a direct thing. Let me talk about myself"
A pause. Then Pandora started.
"I am 32. I live alone, not far away from here. I have been a bartendress for...a lot of years, actually. I didn't go to college, at 18 I left my home and came here, in Foxwoods. Until 22 I used to be a waitress, but it was too boring. So I took it on the next level, took some classes and became a bartendress. I don't think this is something you want to know about me, maybe my personal life...my birthday is on 15th of december, i was never married, and if I stay to think, I haven't had a boyfriend since highschool. And of course, I don't have kids. I do have siblings, on the other hand. Two brothers, one older and one younger than me. And I also smoke" she finished while getting a cigarette from a pack that was in her pocket. She spoke really fast, going from a subject to another, but for Arice it was really nice to have someone enjoying talking to her.
So this is how adults introduce themselves...When she was little, she would say things like her favourite colour, book and what she likes. Now she has to offer details about her life...
"Do you want one?" She asked offering Arice a cigarette. "No, thank you" she wasn't a smoker. Arice felt indebted. This woman introduced herself so well, it was her bussines to make a good impression.
"I've been living in Foxwoods since forever. When I was little i used to live with my parents and three siblings. Then i left to The School for Good and Evil. Then i came back. Then I left to Camelot and sadly came back, but now i don't live when I used to anymore. Now it's just me and my sister"
"The School for Good and Evil...so you must be a very important person" she said with a big grin, getting closer to Arice's face. "No, actually..."
  "How come?"
"It's very...very complicated"

They talked and they talked and Arice felt like she could actually comunicate in a really well manner with this woman. It was very nice, very...normal...and Arice wasn't prepared to leave this woman.
  Then a watch rang.
"Oh..looks like my shift is done" Pandora said while getting up then put out the cigarette.
Arice was suddenly so devastated.