On a yellow and red brick street, as the mud water drips from a teen's left hand he grips in his right hand a nice, succulent cluster of grapes. That he just received from a charitable uncle near the town entrance; they have a nice batch of fresh fruits and veggies from his farm and orchards during every winter.
The snow underneath his bare feet leaves footprints after every step, "Maybe I should record the sounds of my steps and make some income from a 1-hour loop ASMR video mm..." he thinks out loud.
Continuing to think random thoughts down this current sidewalk he passes on his bunch of remaining grapes to some actual beggars; who look skinnier than the alleyways from shoulder to shoulder.
There wasn't any pity in his eyes. He continues walking eventually taking a right into a narrow alleyway that's met with a dead end.
Placing his hand on the wall, he phases through to be met with a broken down neon sign written 'Phase bar'. "I'm home~" he hums at the front door.
A bell rings and he walks in to be greeted with silence; tugging on the rope behind him 3 times, having some empty bar shelves do a complete 180. A grey-haired lady appears while sitting on a chair, holding a book in one hand and in the other using a stone-like prosthetic half-arm to twirl a glass of wine.
Without looking up from her book she says, "Welcome back brat." A slight twitch of his lips is all he reacts with before returning to a poker face and sighing.
"I still don't get why do you always waste our money on the hardcopies when we could easily afford at least a holowatch to do a lot more, instead of spending it on an antique like that."
The boy goes into the shower room at the back to remove the rags he is currently wearing to change into some more... dapper attire. With some nice black trousers with thin grey stripes, a tucked-in white dress shirt, with a comfy black vest and tops it off with a neat bow tie.
"Pretty words kid but you just don't appreciate the scent and experience of reading a good book, and be sure to put on those shoes you always forget those."
"Scent? Sure, sure whatever you say Faye, and no I won't put on shoes I'll be standing behind the bar no one's going to see my feet unless they try really hard."
"You'll get splinters... and if anyone sees I'm the one who'll get a bad wrap for not getting a stupid kid to put some damn shoes on." She mutters the last part.
"That's your problem not mine besides who could stand to look at anywhere but this handsome face of mine?" He shakes his head and puffs with unbridled narcissism.
She keeps silent as he eyes widen seemingly ignoring him as she gets absorbed into the book before saying
"Connor Jobs please don't waste my time with your shenanigans don't think I don't know the scams you pull on those good people, particularly that sweet farmer boy near the gates maybe I'll take him out for a drink~ BUT he'll find I'm a bad guardian when he realizes your poor child façade thinking I raised you to be a scammer."
Looking at her with his emerald green eyes he wonders if she just admitted that she's a bad guardian then shakes his head when he ties his medium-length hair into a ponytail sending condolences to the farmer who will have a rough time later that day.
Heading to the dusty back with a press of a button a wind current blows all that out the window as Connor's dark brown hair flows forward as he grips a pole to not fly out the window himself then once its only acceptably dusty presses the button again to turn off the dust cleaning magic system.
Lifting multiple heavy boxes at the same time bringing them to the front of the bar says to the women, "Aunt Faye please place the bottles."
He puffs air and takes a seat on a sofa next to the windows that peak through the wall to make one of the buildings that make up the walls of the alleyway towards the entrance.
His irises reflect the clear blue sky and looks back at that now grumbling aunt of his.
Her long gray hair can confuse her for some old lady when in fact her face and body remain quite youthful as she still happens to be in her 36th year of living. Lightly tanned skin and missing her left arm from the elbow down she compensates by constantly controlling the earth element made arm instead of a commonly used cybernetic prosthetic because it "Feels more natural."
Faye Keller is her name and apparently was his mother's sister who he never met and passed away right after his birth despite the technological advances in the medical field.
Her hair is grey apparently due to stress in a certain event which she won't elaborate on no matter how many times she's asked.
"Oooookay, guess it's time we open up shop." Near the door ringing the bell 4 times tugging on a rope a loud vibration happens no more for a second and stops abruptly.
The first customer walks in and orders a mimosa since its day time and we only work the first 12 hours of the day from 5:30 am no exceptions.
The first customer is a regular old man Greg he's a regular who spends most of the day here since he has no one to go home to. Seemingly energetic taking a sip of his mimosa that Connor hand-made since working here for the last 5 years sure did give him a lot of experience, before that well that's a story for another time.
"So kid..."
*Takes a sip"
"Your 14 ready to try out for RCA?(Realm-Cross Academy)"
"Always have been Greg..." He responds with the most obvious fake smile in disdain.
"Oh come on don't be like that it'll be fun you won't have to listen to us oldies, enthusiasts, and... whoever else comes to this wonderful dump of ours."
He leans in and whispers, "You get to sneak away from your aunt too hehe~."
"Oh come on don't say that~ don't disrespect the WONDERFUL guardians that exist out there, most of them at least know how to spend money on stuff that is convenient."
A conniving grin appears on their faces but not before 2 large octahedron-shaped pebbles hit the side of their heads and they literally hear the sound of teeth grinding then hearing.
"Hi~ boys you sure do seem to be having a swell time talking shit behind my back." Her eyes darken and she smiles oh so sadistically.