Punks and drunks - bad influence

Nixie walked into the Rabbit Hole. It was a busy night that night. Most of the spots at tables were taken up, as were the stools by the bar. Smoke hung thick and almost smothering, low in the bar. It was dingy, as it normally was. Nixie was good with all the company, but sometimes preferred to have a little one on one with some people hanging out. They went up to the bar, stood in line, and finally got up to order their drink. A glowjito. It was seasonal, so they planned to enjoy it as often as they could until it wasn’t available anymore. Nixie looked around to see where to drink, and saw a table with only one other person at it. 

Being a sociable person, they figured they could chat up whoever was there and get a seat to chill and talk about stuff. As they got closer they recognized the dark dress figure. It was Jackal. Nixie still hadn’t had much a chance to chat with her, but was prideful enough to believe that Jackal had no reason to not like them. 

Nixie approached Jackal and noticed there were no other chairs beside her. Just the one. The table clearly hadn’t been cleaned before Jackal took it over. Nixie grabbed the chair and pulled it out, seating themselves down. Jackal just stared at them. “Can I help you?” Jackal said, with a voice of almost disgust.

“Nah, just needed a seat and noticed you had one. What’s going on, Jackal? Remember me?” Nixie said, spreading their arms out to their sides, as if to say, ‘how could you not remember me’. They grinned and stared at Jackal.

“I remember you. From the hazeblooms with Hops.” Jackal said, motioning over to the bar where Hops was hard at work tonight. “What makes you think I want you to sit with me?” Jackal let out a puff from the cigarette she was smoking. She stared back, no emotion behind her eyes. She seemed like there was a wall put up, and they didn’t want anyone to traverse over it. 

“Come on now, we are practically friends after the hazebloom thing. There’s no way you can still be mad about me smacking you with the net, can you?” Nixie laughed and took a drink of their glowjito. “Wanna drink?”

“No, i’ll stick to my own. Besides, I think I’m leaving now. See you later, Nixie.” Jackal said, as she pushed the chair backwards and got up, snuffing out the cigarette on the table. She left the butt of the cigarette in the rest of her drink. Nixie watched her leave and then got up to go follow her out. 

Right out of the door, they saw her turning down an alleyway, cigarette in mouth. Nixie turned his walk into a light jog and followed her down the alleyway. “Hey, what’s the deal, abandoning me in the bar. I just wanted to talk and get to know you.” Nixie said to Jackal. Jackal turned and looked at them, surprised to see she had been followed. Nixie came to a stop several feet away from Jackal.

“Listen, it’s not personal. I just don’t see the need for many friends. I’ve got my crew, and that’s all I need.” Jackal said matteroffactly. Nixie scoffed at her. 

“It doesn’t hurt to know more people you know. Especially in a place as big as Burrowgatory. Besides, we don’t need to just stay friends.” Nixie was on a little bit of a ramble at this time. When they noticed it, they stopped. Reaching their hand out, they grabbed the cigarette out of her mouth and took a puff.

“What’s your deal, Nixie!” She yelled at them. She grabbed another cigarette out of her mouth and lit it. “That was a bold move. Listen, you wanna hang with me, you better be cool about a lot of things, very quickly. I didn’t have a stellar upbringing, and I’m making up for it by living life to the fullest.”

“That’s what Burrowgatory is all about, Jackal. If you need someone to show you around, I’m always here.” 

Jackal pulled out a bottle of liquor and Popped it open. “Wanna drink?” She asked Nixie. Nixie nodded and took a swig of the alcohol. This may be just the first step, but Nixie could feel her starting to open up some with them. They spent most the rest of the night smoking and drinking in that alleyway, not saying much to each other, just enjoying the company.