Theboldtypetv Everything The Light Touches Is Our Kingdom. Happy 20th Anniversary @thelionking Broadway.

Leyla did her best to make this a warm place, one of the reasons she chose a spot close to the coast. It created an atmosphere, almost like a vacation in the middle of the day. Though maybe for the locals, it was more mundane by now. As she looked at her latest customer, she could see a bit of a glow--and maybe a bump? Though Leyla would never make assumptions.

"Good choice," she agreed. Most bars added so little alcohol to their cocktails that it was hard to tell the difference when that part was missing. A good flavor speaks for itself. "My first regular," she joked, "maybe I can get your name and train the bar to call it out every time you come in like Norm on Cheers--if you ever saw that show."

Mawk Tales felt like the perfect spot for Alice to spend her afternoon. Nonalcoholic drinks for the pregnant wine lover? She could enjoy some of that. She eyed the menu and licked over her lips. Everything looked good, but when she heard the word ‘strawberry’ she knew that’s where she had to start.

“I do enjoy a good fruity drink,” she said with a nod. “I’ll try the strawberry one,” she gave a smile. “You know, I’ll probably be here quite often, trying something new.”

Leyla Tehrani, End of Summer Beach Bash, August 25-26, 2023

TASK #10: GET BOLD

WHERE DO THEY FIT IN

financial / class status: wealthy | middle class | poor

grew up: wealthy | middle class | poor

health / wellness: fit/healthy | moderate | disabled | ill

education: below high school | high school | college | beyond (master's)

legalities: clean record | has a record | trouble / prison

town status: local | new in town (since May 2023) | somewhere in between

lives: downtown | suburbs | coast | countryside

FAMILY LIFE

parents: alive | deceased | unknown

came to be: blood | adopted | other

siblings: multiple siblings | one sibling | only child

extended family: large (aunts, uncles, cousins) | small | none

children: none | has children | wants children

relationship status: single | complicated | taken

if taken: dating | relationship | engaged | married

if single: looking | not looking | whatever happens

pets: no pets | has pets | wants pets

PERSONALITY STUFF

extroverted | introverted | somewhere in between

organized | disorganized | somewhere in between

close minded | open minded | somewhere in between

calm | anxious | somewhere in between

easy to get along with | not so much | somewhere in between

cautious | reckless | somewhere in between

patient | impatient | somewhere in between

outspoken | reserved | somewhere in between

leader | follower | somewhere in between

empathetic | careless | somewhere in between

optimistic | pessimistic | somewhere in between

traditional | modern | somewhere in between

hard-working | lazy | somewhere in between

cultured | uncultured | somewhere in between

BELIEFS AND IDEALS

are they: religious (sort of) | agnostic | atheist

do they believe in ghosts / spirits: yes | no | unsure

the afterlife: yes | no | unsure

reincarnation: yes | no | unsure

aliens: yes | no | unsure

astrology: yes | no | unsure

fate: yes | no | unsure

SEX, ROMANCE & RELATIONSHIPS

sexuality scale: allosexual | in between | asexual | other

romantic scale: allromantic | in between | aromantic | other

experience: virgin | very little | moderate | experienced

number of partners: 0 | 1-5 | 5-10 | 10-25 | 25+

number of relationships: 0 | 1-5 | 10-25 | 25+

preferred partners: men | women | any gender | other | none

relationships: monogamous | polyamorous | other | none

with others: relationship person | casual sex (though less so now) | other | none

in bed: traditional sex | adventurous (potentially with the right person, she'd need to feel safe) | kinks/fetishes | other

ABILITIES AND SKILLS

cooking: good | in between | bad

cleaning: good | in between | bad

musical ability: good | in between | bad

artistic skills: good | in between | bad

driving: good | in between | bad

athleticism: good | in between | bad

swimming: good | in between | bad

horseback riding: good | in between | bad

fishing / hunting: good | in between | bad

gardening: good | in between | bad

communication: good | in between | bad

handiness: good | in between | bad

handwriting: good | in between | bad

technology: good | in between | bad

HABITS, GOOD & BAD

alcohol: excess | frequently | average | infrequently | never

smoking: excess | frequently | average | infrequently | never

pot/weed: excess | frequently | average | infrequently | never (now but tried it before)

drugs: excess | frequently | average | infrequently | never

shopping: excess | frequently | average | infrequently | never

gambling: excess | frequently | average | infrequently | never

sex: excess | frequently | average | infrequently | never

It took her longer than she wanted to get here, but the fire for her goals had been there after all. It just took the lowest point in her life and the climb out of it to inspire her again. "I did!" She exclaimed, "and it is amazing. The town has seemed to really love it, the location really has been everything." She was so used to having her guard up, that she forgot how freeing it felt to have someone around that didn't need the wall.

"But there is a family farm, so you can go up there and see if some rugged farmer needs a big city girl to help him save the family farm," Leyla replied, laughing a little at the absurdity of it and how realistic it actually sounded in this setting. Though she was pretty sure the Newman Family Farm wasn't in danger. Just because a shirtless hunk was destined for her movie, love had long lost its meaning, she would support her friend in her dreams. She nodded, remembering she had brothers, so it made sense. "So you probably know more than I do about this place," she admitted, smiling as Cemille mentioned the dance studio. She always had been an exquisite dancer. "I haven't been out dancing in forever, I might need a refresher or do you not teach club dance?" She was teasing, but she really didn't think it would be the worst idea to find a place to go dancing sometime. "They don't seem real," she agreed, "everyone is almost too nice. I like it though...in a weird way." Even if she didn't always act like it.

"You did?" Her eyes lit up, but Leyla was the type of person who always went after what she wanted, so she shouldn't have been too surprised. "Wow, congratulations! I have to be sure to stop in to check it out. I'm sure with you running it, it'll be amazing." She nodded, earnestly. She couldn't think of anyone who deserved it more than her. She was just one of those people Cemile felt at ease with, and she thought small-town life suited her.

"Bummer about the lack of shirtless lumberjacks though, I was hoping one would sweep me off my feet. But I guess that fantasy is tabled." she joked, a slight grin on her face at the thought. Though she understood what Leyla meant, this place did remind her of something out of a made-for-TV movie. "Well, I spent summers in Merrock so it's not a new town. But my brothers have been here for a few years, and I figured it was time to make an effort with the family. So mainly for them, but I'm also teaching dance at the local studio which is a nice change. Everyone here is so," she struggled to find the word, without making it seem like she was being cynical. Because in reality, she was starting to like this place once again. "Wholesome, but I guess I'm making things work. Maybe once people stop being so overbearing I'll finally like it here."

"Oh, definitely. I have a row or two on my bookshelf basically dedicated to those," she admitted, which pretty much consisted of non-business books as that's all she'd been soaking up lately. "I'll probably need something like when I finish my current list."

"Some books you buy in good faith and never get around to reading, right?" She knew who she was, with her cheap romance novels and tasty thrillers. That's what she liked. "I would, especially if you want something that doesn't require much thinking."

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING (2022) dir. Olivia Newman

Leyla laughed as they both moved for her phone, navigating around each other to not go full comedy of errors. Stopping, she let him get it, just holding her hand out for it. "Thank you. I invest in solid cases, not the first time my phone has hit the ground," she said with a warm smile as she brushed some grass and dirt off it, "but our conversation was done anyway, my employees probably wish you'd bumped into me earlier." She laughed again before teasing, "so you think you can manage to get that where you're going without taking out small children along the way or do you need some help?"

“Oh!” Vince said quickly as he realized she had dropped her phone. He tried to strategically move down to grab it, swerving his body quickly enough so that they wouldn’t bump into each other again, making a bigger mess of things. He laughed and grinned. “Hope the phone’s not too damaged, though. You can say there was a big doofus who doesn’t look where he’s going which is why the call got interrupted,” he chuckled.

"I think picking it up counts," she said with a laugh, "or talking about it." Leyla then nodded, "it's not mine either. I'll stay for part of the bonfire and then see if I can sneak away before one of my roommates sees me."

"Well, the best intentions means you read at least an occasion book on the list, or at least the back of the book." Aleja shook her head at the mention of camping. "No, no. That's not my style at all, but I'll be out until it's time to sleep."

Squeezing some into her hand, Leyla tried to warm it just a little in his hands before massaging it into the other woman's back. She was sort of getting this small town hospitality, but she was a little worried about how it would affect her plans to let no one under the surface again ever. "Yes, I feel like I always make a mess of one hand and not the other," she agreed. Smiling, she replied, "that's the best kind of weekend. Mine has been largely relaxing as well. Leyla, pleasure's all mine. Are you going to participate in all the activities or are you going to see how long people will let you sit here?"

A sense of relief rushed through Libby as the other agreed to help her. "Thank you!" she spoke, handing her the bottle before turning around so the other could access the area she needed to cover. Kindness from others, especially strangers, was one of the reasons why Libby preferred living in a small town. In Libby's experience, people were generally more generous when it came to small town life. She could remember countless times that she would be flipped off or cursed out back in Boston for so much as looking at someone the wrong way. "Right?! It's kind of like when you're trying to paint your nails. It's better to have some help or an extra pair of hands." Libby replied, before nodding her head. "I am! It's been fairly relaxing. How about you? I'm Libby, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

Luckily Leyla liked being busy, especially when that meant her business was doing well. If it kept up though, she might have to start a hiring process. "Then I think you'll really like this," she promised, "and if you don't, I'll make you something else." She did want her drinks to be a little healthier than your average bar, and most drinks were, like this one. "I think I've walked past it before, but I haven't yet made it in there. I don't eat much candy, but maybe I'll stop in sometime just to have a look around. I bet you're the kids' favorite person around here?"

"Oh, no worries," she brushed the apologies away, offering a smile to the woman. Valentina had worked behind a bar in the many different jobs she had taken over the years. She knew how demanding it could be when there was a lot of people all at once. "Honestly, I spend so much time around sweet things", or sweet people she almost added, "that something different sounds perfect to me." Plus she was not going to complain if the drink had some health benefits, too. "I work at Cassidy's Candies. That's nearby. And kids are still on holidays, which means that my days are-- busy. Ice cream and candy and a looot of people on sugar high."