[center][h1][color=662d91]Genevieve Alleron[/color][/h1]
[i]Target, retail hell
Day one - Afternoon[/i][/center]

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[i]"Spooky, scary spectacular! Monster deals now thru the first of November!"[/i]

Her eyes narrowed as that damned sign caught a breeze from the entrance doors and blocked her view from camera three. That was the third time today it had happened, and she had already told the executive lead that it was a security issue. Why it was he allowed it to be hung in that particular spot, she would likely never figure out, but that didn't stop it from annoying her to no end. It didn't help that it was advertising the swiftly approaching holiday, perhaps her least favorite time of the year. All the people scurrying from aisle to aisle, getting the last of their decorations in order or stocking up on candies… It was truly unbearable.

Speaking of which, a knock on the door to her office announced the entry of Richard, the short and portly executive team leader for the store. His beady and nervous eyes reminded her constantly of a farm animal, the kind that if she said aloud would be fairly accurate for his appearance and behaviour, but would see a fast response from HR.

"Ah, Jen. Good to find you in the off-"

[color=662d91]"Out with it, [i]Richard[/i]."[/color]

There was only so much of his nasally tone that she could tolerate in one sitting, and with the way her day was going that point was swiftly approaching. As if sensing as much, Richard backed slowly out of the doorway and into the adjoining hallway, giving a short nod to acknowledge her. "We're having a store meeting in fifteen minutes. I would appreciate it if you attended this one." Great. She [i]hated[/i] these meetings, and if it wasn't for him showing his porcine face in the security office, she would have dodged this one as well. Rather than dignify his request with a yes or no, Genevieve narrowed her eyes and grit her teeth, as much of a [i]"Fine."[/i] as she was going to give. As if the day hadn't been bad enough, now she had to stand around on the floor in uniform with the rest of the team. With luck no one would bother her and she could clock out after the meeting in peace…

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"... He's just been so frisky lately, I think it's the colder weather or maybe the humidity. The rain is really bad for his fur you know? That and being cooped up with all the others. Oh, I think this winter is going to be a really bad one, what do you think miss Alleron?"

[i][color=662d91]"Jesus. H. Christ."[/color][/i] Sometimes she truly wished she was still making a living off getting shot at. At the very least back then she could shoot back. No one talked about their fifteen cats back then either. Who the hell keeps that many of anything under the same roof? Thankfully Richard was coming around the corner with his clipboard, perhaps the [i][b]only[/b][/i] time she would ever be happy to see him waddle into view.

[color=662d91]"I think the winter will be manageable enough, Edith."[/color] She was courteous enough to give a response to the elderly inventory team lead, even managing a false smile her way as the meeting began.

It was the same song and dance for much of the meeting, monthly figures for each department was rolling in and the yearly lecture about overtime. Make sure to do double the workload in the same amount of time as normal, and also keep the orders extra tight so as not to go over budget, but make sure to stock all the sale items. The collective groan was the same this year as it was the last, and the one before it. Retail woes at their finest, and [i]the big one[/i] was just a month away. At the very least she would be a fair bit more relevant during that time, instead of feigning interest in the wonders of the latest store display for the grocery department, or the new furniture they were setting up.

"And last, but certainly not least." Thankfully, he was nearly done talking to them, a quick glance at her watch showed it was five minutes till and everyone else was already eyeing the door to the timeclock. "Halloween is in just a couple days, and that means two things! First, a reminder that while everyone is free to dress up in costume for the day of, corporate would like to ask that we keep everything family friendly for our guests. Nothing scary, and no monsters! We don't want a repeat of last year…"

Oh. That was directed at her. Genevieve tactfully looked in a different direction, avoiding the pointed stare her way. It wasn't her fault that someone thought it would be a good idea to sneak up on her in a werewolf costume. She hadn't even broken anything, except for maybe the poor sod's dignity when he got flipped onto his back by someone half his size.

"Also, we have the company picnic coming up in the third week of November. Since only a couple people brought items last year, we've decided to cater this year's event. It'll be the barbecue place a couple stores down from us in the shopping center, so if anyone has any requests please make sure to place them in the suggestions box next to my door. That's it for today everyone, have a good rest of your shift for those of you on flow, and everyone else have a great night! Remember, teamwork makes the dream work!"

She was gone before he finished speaking, already at the time clock and punching out with the rest of them on her heels. After today she really felt like she needed a drink, thought it honestly took little convincing for her to consider taking the drive down to the bar. Perhaps the Indo would be good for a change of pace? It had been awhile since she stopped by, and her misunderstanding with the bar owner was water under the bridge at this point… Unless he didn't have any good scotch. That would be cause for a rather dire [i]misunderstanding[/i].

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It had been an hour since Genevieve escaped retail hell, changing out of the red polo and khaki pants into something far more comfortable in the form of a rather conservative purple blouse and jeans. She wasn't exactly looking to impress, and anything except work clothes was appealing to her at that present moment. Luckily the Indo was a fairly short drive away, though she still despised driving any distance and would have preferred to walk if it wasn't so inconvenient most days. Even better it seemed the pub wasn't too busy this time of day, perks of visiting on a Monday she supposed.

She parked at the side of the building, the beep of the car's alarm automatically switching on just barely audible over the jaunty music from within the pub. Drinking songs never really were her thing, though she understood it to be the national pastime of the Irish. That and actually drinking along with the music. Her eyes briefly crossed over the bike parked in front, something about it striking her odd and triggering a feeling of unease deep in the back of her mind. It was just a motorcycle. Perhaps she was a little more on edge than she thought, and that drink would be even more welcome in that case.

Inside she found it to be just like she remembered from the last visit, and like every other pub and bar in Salem or elsewhere. People sat at the bar with their chosen drink while others enjoyed a meal either before or after their own long day. Two in particular stood out to her, the tarot cards on the counter attracting her attention before she took a seat not too far away.

"You are quite possibly, the worst hunter I have ever heard of." Ah, there was Harkin. At the very least he wasn't calling for her to be escorted out by the security guard near the door. Her night could very well be salvaged with a decent drink assuming that no one else was in earshot and got the wrong impression of her. To that end, she kept her voice down though allowed the faintest of smirks to cross her lips.

[color=662d91]"But you have heard of me."[/color]

That was enough to diffuse the situation and let him know that she was only here for a drink, not to cause trouble. Then again, that was generally her reputation among the varied supernatural communities in Salem. At least those who kept track of those who hunted them. It afforded her some leeway, as she was known for not actively tracking people down unless they started making trouble. That meant she could sit at the bar and order drinks from a Vampire without much more than idle teasing, and more easily acquire information from them.

[color=662d91]"I see you've managed to get a bottle of Bruichladdich Classic."[/color]

She inclined her head towards the blue bottle sitting on the alcohol shelf behind the Vampiric owner. [color=662d91]"Neat if you would."[/color] Harkin shook his head slowly and turned to grab a glencairn glass, setting it on the counter in front of her and pouring the alcohol slowly. Genevieve didn't take long to indulge in the drink, the smoky overtones melting away the building stress of her day and allowing her to quietly enjoy the moment of relaxation in the pub. Seated as she was, she had a decent view of the floor of the main room, eyes tracking movement between the kitchen and each table as well as the patrons. Nothing stood out to her at first other than the pair a few chairs down from her with the tarot cards. What kind of person brought cards to a bar that weren't for playing poker?

That distraction had taken up quite enough of her attention, though she was aware of herself enough to keep her face directed down at her drink while she surveyed her surroundings. That was when she noticed the woman sitting by herself at a corner table. Something about her made her uneasy just in the way her eyes roamed the other patrons. Those blue eyes were uncomfortably sharp, to the point where she returned her attention back to her drink in order to gather herself. It had been quite a long day, and she was capping it with a rather strong scotch as her first drink of the night. A slow and deep breath reordered her thoughts, dismissing one by one the threat indicators her mind had drawn up, and the already forming route of withdrawal.

It also helped to feel the weight of her Beretta pressing against her waist in its holster. Everything was cool. The thought repeated in her mind until she had taken another few drinks, relaxing down again and leaning back in the high back bar-chair. Salem had been keeping her more on edge than she had liked of late, perhaps the approaching holiday made it feel more tense than it really was. Maybe she just needed a good drinking budd- Nope. Genevieve killed the thought before it proliferated beyond just idle musing. She was just fine drinking alone at the bar. Absolutely nothing wrong with having a drink all by yourself. Another drink dismissed those thoughts as well, and with a tap of two fingers on the counter, Harkin swung back by to refill her glass. Another wonderful day in Salem.