"Do you think I liked hurting you?" ((oxo//closed//Mature?))

hello! This looks really cool, may I join?

Thank you!! A bit busy atm but I'll get a character up soon, is there a specific pairing you're looking for? I have a girl who would be great for this plot but I wouldn't mind switching to male if you want m/f

(great!)
Name: Alice Kiren Hollow
Age: 21
Gender: female
Sexuality: Pansexual
Personality: Alice is typically the peacemaker, whether that's in her friend group, workplace, or family. She's calm and collected and is used to dealing with the problems her family gets into. This sometimes comes off as cold and emotionless but usually Alice can fix her expression to something a bit more pleasant. Alice is more spontaneous and carefree when she's not worrying about her family or work.
Appearance: Alice has brown curly hair, kept short and practical. Her large honey brown eyes are the main focus of her oval face, only essentuated more by a pair of bold black and silver aviator style glasses. The rest of her features are relatively plain, pink lips chewed raw from anxiety, and tanned skin spotted with freckle. She practically lives in sweaters and leggings when she not in a work uniform. On occasion she'll wear something fancy but it's more for family functions than to make herself feel good.
Background: Alice grew up as the middle child of the three Hollow siblings but wasboften the bearer of most responsibilities since her older brother,Grey was always off with dad and her younger sister Maeve was too small to be left alone. Alice's mom lefter after Maeve was born so naturally Alice took care of most of the household chores when she grew capable enough. This also served as a good distraction from what her dad and her brother were doing away. She had never wanted to get involved with her father's affairs, working with "CEOs" and "big business gurus" but what Alice quickly figured out we're con artists and heads of underground organizations. She had never really faulted her dad for much, but she understood why their mom had left. She had made it clear from when she was a teenager she wouldn't participate but he'd drag her to events anyhow. Alice would compromise since it got her out of the house more but she made her stance clear when she was able to finally move out, leaving her youngest sister in the care of a trusted relative while she saved money up for a more stable home.
Other: Alice is more skilled with words rather than anything physical. Despite not wanting to take part in her dad's shady business, she did get quite good at talking with other business kids, gaining their trust easily and soon small positions here and there. Currently she was employed at the cafe by sweet talking it's Ceo's daughter. Whatever worked she guessed.

Alice wrapped the ties of her apron about her back then again Ather front before making a little bow. It had been a rough morning and she had gotten to work a smidge late. For all he times she had been early you'd think one day 5 minutes late would be brushed off. Apparently not. After being chewed out by her boss and having her positioned threatened (not that she could actually get fired by anyone here,) Alice brushed a hand through her curls and tugged on the cap before stepping out onto the front floor and starting to absentmindedly start her little routine. She first cleaned out the espresso machine and whipped down any drying dishes. Popping in a few pastries into the toaster oven to make herself a small breakfast, she began on her own latte, seeing that there was no one to serve. She punched in the code for the register, depositing her own payment for her regular breakfast.
"Little Hollow, can you get this one, just gotta run in the back to grab a few things." A coworker called out, waving in thanks as Alice nodded with a mouthful of pastry. She took a quick swig of her latte before wiping her mouth and bouncing back to the register, "Hi and welcome! uhm, what can I get started for ya?" She asked, flinching at her own over enthusiasm. It was way too early for this level of energy. "We have a few new item on the menu if you'd like to try. Take your time looking." She assured, silently cursing herself and taking another sip of her coffee, peeking over the rim of her cup at the girl. Clad in black from head to toe but oddly enough the girl made it work. They looked sleek and dangerous, something straight out of sexy spy film.

Alice quickly shifted her gaze away and picked at the edge of her paper plate, not wanting to make it obvious she was blatantly staring. People fascinated her. It was half the reason why she came to her dad's functions. She liked watching beautiful people and trying to figure out how they worked. It was surprising what you could learn being quiet off in the corner just watching. She glanced up when the girl spoke and gave a nonchallant shrug. Secretly she didn't have a recommendation like most baristas. She would sort of go on instinct whenever a customer asked for her drink, mostly based on what she could observe. Alice looked the girl over slowly again, drinking on her sharp features, the way her lips pulled into a smirk when she smiled. The girl was ridged all over like she was on a mission or something, determined and moving with purpose. "I think I might have something for you." She declared, punching in the drink and getting to work. While simple, Alice had ways loved this particular cafe's chai lattes. Its what she usually drank in the morning when she didn't need espresso to wake her up. The spices were warm without the odd artificial taste most chais had. Through her own experiments she found that oatmilk worked best but just enough to bring some creaminess to the drink. She capped off the drink and plated up a warm slice of coffee cake before sliding both items across the counter but kept her hand over the drink. "Now this is ultamately up to you. We do have extra cinnamon on the tables to add to your drink if you want more spice but what I'd suggest is popping over to the store just across the street and grabbing those tiny bottles of fireball and adding just a smidge to the latte. Not enough to make you tipsy first thing in the morning of course but just enough of a kick to warm you up. Your choice." She let go of the cup and gave a small smile as if that were her greatest secret. "Enjoy and let me know if you like it." She reluctantly turned to her breakfast just as her coworker came back in. "Did you really just suggest alcohol to another customer again, Hollow?" Alice shrugged "they seemed like they needed a little bit of warmth." She replied, sipping at her drink and enjoying the few moments of reprieve in the morning before the rush. Her coworker stood beside her, snatching a piece of coffee cake. "She seems like your type." They commented with a nod towards the girl. Alice huffed a laugh, blaming the rise of blush on her cheeks on the cool day. "What dark and brooding?"
They shook their head "no, mysterious and alluring. You can't take your eyes off her." Just to prove then wrong, Alice snapped her focus to a spot on the wall, only earning her a laugh and a gentle nudge of encouragement. "Come on Hollow, more customers, the day has only started."

For the rest of the day Alice would stay up front as much as possible, her gaze scanning the rush crowd for the girl again. A ficker of those blue eyes, of her goddess like features amongst the crowd, anything that would allow them a chance to talk just for a few more moments.
"Hollow, the cup is dry." Magnus, her coworker piped up. "You're still looking for Miss Mystery?" They asked, gently taking the cup from Alice and setting it in it's spot.
Alice shook her and quickly looked away from the door. "Just spacing out, and no. She was just a customer, that's all." She said as much to them as for her. That's all the girl was.
There were plenty of good looking people that came everyday to the cafe and Alice had paid little attention to most as far as being a customer. So why this particular girl catching her interest, it was beyond Alice. She glanced up ever so slightly hopeful one more time before returning to her shift, now switching over to lunch to get ahead of the rush.
Halfway through at a grace period Magnus gently nudged her shoulder while she was busy cleaning out a blender. "Incoming 2 o'clock Hollow, I'll finish up here." Her eyebrows creased in mild confusion but she was eager to get the shift done so she complied and turned around "welcome, how ca-" she looked up from wiping her hands. "Ah-" she waved her hands desperately and gave a laugh. "It's nice to put a name to face. I'm Alice." She greeted and gave an impish grin. "Sure, as long as I can take you out to lunch. I'd offer coffee but seeing as I work here, I'd figure a new place would be nice."

Alice barely concealed a little squeal of excitement and relief as she signed out of her account on the register. "I'll be right out," She promised, untying the apron and tugging it off. She half jogged to the back, waving to Magnus with the biggest grin as she gathered her things and clocked out. It was rare when she allowed herself to be this naively excited over anything. Toeing the line between her family's line of business and wanting to be independent opened up all sorts of danger from anyone and anything. Keeping her sister safe was her top priority, far above herself so depriving herself of having fun or exploring what she liked was a small sacrifice to ensure safety and security. But there were times where she would let loose just a bit, just to feel something more than always on edge. And this girl in black and all sharp edges, Lyra, she seemed like the perfect person to offer that sort of freedom, even if it was painfully temporary as it always was for Alice. But no matter how many times she told herself she'd end up alone soon after the excitement, the thrill of something new overshadowed any sound reason she tried to instill in her boring life.
Alice changed quickly into a graphic tee and ripped jeans before meeting Lyra. She grinned and started towards the front door. "We're going to Arcadia. A little pricy but they have a little bit of everything and amazing taco bowls." She explained excitedly. "and don't even get me started on the dessert options. Hoenstly this place is dangerous for my wallet but I havn't been a while."

Alice glanced down at herself and blushed, only now realizing she had grabbed whatever t-shirt was most convenient at the time of leaving, apparently with some chesy show she liked as a kid. "Thanks" she slung her bag over her shoulder and tucked a stray curl behind her ear, trying her best to avoid making eye contact with Lyra, though she had a feeling the heat rushing to her cheecks had to do with the the girl's heated once- over.
"Oh no, no thats fine! I didn't mean to say you had to pay for anything, I'm the one invited you out. :She argued, faltering at Lyra's compliment and smirk. "This must be a normal occurance for ya, huh? Asking random girls out, I mean."

Alice glanced back behind her and gave Lyra her own once over. "Oh really? You're stunning. Intimidating yes but I think that's attractive." She said, shrugging and falling into step beside Lyra. "I'm glad then. I get to go out with the intimidating model. That doesn't happen every day." She clasped her hands behind her back and tilted her head. "For fun, huh?" She contemplated for a bit, the gala from a couple of months ago flashing in her memory. Her father had invited her but she already had plans to attend. Perhaps it was a drunken last-minute plan but nonetheless her choice and the most fun she had in a while. She chuckled to herself and glanced over at Lyra. "Minigolf." She replied, leaning in as if to share a secret. "Don't tell anyone but I'm a terrible shot. It'll take me 20 tries or more to get the damn ball in the hole." She shook her head and shrugged. "But it's fun. I also really like those cheesy museums. Those pop-up places are more for Instagram posts than actual educational purposes. There something…otherwordly…about them that is just fun to me." She gently nudged the girl's shoulder both out of encouragement and to get her to turn onto the next street. "What about you? What do you consider fun?"

Alice gave a triumphant little grin at seeing Lyra blush, personally considering that a victory. It was better than thinking about her siblings. Of course, she loved her older brother, Quinn. But god above was he the very definition of all brawn no brain. He was their dad's right-hand man, not because he was cunning or intuitive. No, he barely passed high school, let alone knew a lick of sense when it came to underground business. Not her (lovingly) dumb brother. Thats what she was for. To do the talking and if anyone refused her most generous offers, then Quin would step in for some…reconsideration. She faught back the smirk that quirked at her lips took a measured breath, gently remindingherself that wasn't her life any more. She had chosen to step away from that life a long time ago. Her younger sister was her priority now, Quin could take care of himself…she hoped.
She raised a delicate eyebrow "will we now? does that mean we'll meet again?" She asked, already loving the idea of finding this girl again and spending time with her more. She nodded, tucking that precious little fantasy deep within her heart. "Then we'll have to find a time to go to the gym. I can't bench or lift much but I can run on the treadmill forever." Running, yeah. That came with the territory, especially for an impressionable young girl. She shuddered inwardly but managed to keep her tone light as she continued. "Though painting does sound more appealing. Maybe a bit of wine included." She pinched her fingers close together and shrugged.

Alice stopped dead in her tracks, an incredulous laugh escaping her. Honestly, she was surprised by the girl's boldness. "Will there be now?" she asked, catching up to Lyra and passing through the door. "You seem very confident about that." She mused, tilting her head with a smile. "Another employee special, huh? Alright." Alice stepped in line, bouncing ever so slightly on the balls of her feet as she scanned the menu for anything that might interest her.
"Wonderland, I was wondering when you'd come back," The guy behind the register greeted warmly to which Alice gave a laugh. "Ah you know I can't leave my old haunts for long, I brought you a customer." She waved her hand in Lyra's direction. "Cute isn't she?" She asked, nudging his shoulder when she caught him staring for a few moments too long. "Anyways, we're going to both get the chicken caesar salad and the onion rings for lunch and…" She paused, looking over the menu for the drinks "Just two french style hot chocolates, extra mallow." she snapped her fingers in front of her still staring friend and gave a warning glare. "Go find your own single girl to gawk at." She muttered, subtly dropping her niceness for a moment as she puled out her wallet to pay. As if she'd let Lyra pay on the dat…was this a date? sure. A date Alice had invited her to. Besides, the farther away she was from her friend, the better Alice would feel. She had known the owners of Arcadia through her father, and thus knew Jeremy. They had a good repore but Alice had always gotten a slightly desperate, try-hard feeling from him she didn't like but he had never made a move or anything in the time they had known each other so she dubbed him as harmless. If anything he stared a bit too obviously, even now at Lyra. Alice couldn't really blame him, she was gorgeous…but he could learn to be more subtle. Not like you're doing any better. Alice sighed softly as she waited for her card and recipt back and then went to find them both a place a sit, somewhere Jeremy couldn't stare from, preferably. "The coffee getting to ya?" She asked as she found Lyra again. "A bit jittery, huh?"

"yeah…of course." Alice replied slowly, studying Lyra for a few moments. The urge to reach out and take the girl's hand was string but the voice in her head reminding her they were essentially strangers was stronger. She glanced over her shoulder, straining to see if Jeremy was still staring, he perhaps being the source of Lyra's discomfort. Thankfully for his sake, he was now attending another customer but she didn't want to take chances. "Did you want to instead take our lunch to go? We don't have to stay if he makes you uncomfortable." She offered, or if I make you uncomfortable. Alice chewed her lip nervously before she took a deep breath and nudged Lyra with her foot under the table, if only to get the distant blank look off her face for a bit. "Tell me more about yourself. Whatever your comfortable with. Favorite movie, best vacation you took, favorite thing to cook." She listed, fiddling with the single portion jams off to the side if the table.

Alice only grew more worried as she watched Lyra. "That's a good one! I've never seen it in full from start to finish though." She admitted sheepishly, trying to bring back some of the lighthearted repore they had before entering the shop. "I've heard it makes everyone cry." she mused softly. She was never a crier, not necessarily because of her upbringing, oddly enough her family was okay with emotions but it never really was something she expressed much. A movie seemed like a nice and easy way for her to let some pent-up emotions. She blinked and glanced up at Lyra. "Yeah, of course, there's a park close by we can eat at." She suggested, standing from the chair. She wavered a bit in place, debating on whether she should reach out and comfort Lyra or change the order before Jeremy could come over. She steeled herself and gently rested a hand on Lyra's shoulder, leaning in slightly. "Just breathe, hon. We'll be out in a sec. Just let me change the order and we can go anywhere you'd like." She gave a reassuring squeeze before going back towards the counter and asking Jeremy to change the order to make it to-go. It didn't escape Alice his quick little side glance at Lyra again but she tried her best not to lash out. They wouldn't need to worry about him anymore since they wouldn't be coming back any time soon.

Lyra stayed by the counter, wanting to keep an eye on Jeremy instead of turn her back on him for a moment. She bounced anxiously, her mind racing a mile a minute. Had she asked something wrong? Had she done something that over stepped their tentative friendship? If she could even call it that. Coming here was mistake, Alice knew that. But was meeting a mistake as well? Is this why workers never went out with customers? "Thanks" she muttered as jeremy passed her the bagged lunch and a tray of their drinks, heading back to Lyra before they could say more.
"Of course, let get going before all this gets cold." She encouraged, heading back towards the door while balancing their lunches. "You sure you're okay?" She asked, glancing over at Lyra once they were outside. "I'm sorry if he made you uncomfortable. He's usually not that weird but that's not an excuse."