Following a recent performance, a female hyena begins to wind down at a local bar to relax, even catching the eye of one of the bouncers and a couple of workers.

Post-Gig Relaxation

After an exciting performance at a local bar, Massy decided to relax. The rest of her band members left, making her the only one solo for now. So she decided to settle down here afterwards. Grabbing herself some time at the bar section, Massy begins to immerse herself in the television above to pass the time.

Even though the television above her wasn't showing anything special to her liking, the female hyena still took the opportunity to wind down for the time being. To pass the time, she orders herself a drink.

After the bartender slides her drink to her, Massy pops the cap to take a light swig of her drink before setting it back down on the counter before her. During this time, one of the patrons, a spotted hyena, takes a seat next to her.

Before the spotted hyena can speak, Massy aggressively hisses, "I'm married, so no! I'm not interested!" This only draws laughter from the spotted hyena beside her, who raises his hands up in assurance; he lets her in on the matter, "I'm just here to talk to you; in no way am I romantically interested in you. Just wanted to get to know you, is all. My name is Henry, by the way."

"Massy." The female hyena responds coolly. "Nice to meet you too. Now what is it that you want from me?"

"Oh nothing, really. Just wanted to know what a pretty lady like you is doing hanging around here. Nothing romantic, that's all." Henry giggled. He adds, "I never knew you performed in a band."

"Okay, now you got me curious too. What's all the talk about being in a band?" Shuffling to join the two hyenas is a striped hyena bouncer, his green eyes falling on Massy's figure.

When Massy whirls on the striped hyena bouncer, he backs up and chuckles softly, raising his hands up defensively. "Relax. I'm not going to do anything to you.

The female hyena snorts and exhales sharply through her nose, barking out, "Better not. I'm already taken!"

"Good to know. So what are you doing hanging around here in the first place?" The bouncer wonders in keen interest.

"All I'm doing is taking a break after a band gig; no big deal. I'm Massy, by the way. Who are you?" Massy responds coolly.

"Warwick. I'm Warwick Durham. It's nice meeting a beautiful lady like you, though." Though Warwick's smile is genuine, the unimpressive look on Massy's face says otherwise. The striped hyena then huffs, "Oh relax, will ya? I was just giving you a compliment!"

Massy only smirks at Warwick, accepting the compliment. "I appreciate it but thanks anyway! No one else has ever complimented me other than my hubby."

"So you're married. Who's your handsome man?" Warwick's eyes light up from intrigue in wanting to know more about the female hyena herself. However, Massy is unwilling to divulge information on her marital status, so she shakes her head at him, sliding a finger across her throat as a warning. Warwick only rolls his eyes in response while Henry observes from the sidelines, still sitting beside her.

"I've dealt with people who act the same way you do, so it's nothing new for me. I'm sure Henry and Antoine have." When Warwick relates this, Henry exhales sharply in relief, attempting to relax while another hyena approaches, this time from the bar counter. He didn't seem too happy. "What was that??"

"Oh Antoine, you're here!" Warwick's tail wags moderately upon seeing his spotted cohort; he introduces him to Massy, "Massy, this is Antoine; he's one of my colleagues and buddies. He is also a bartender. Antoine, this is Massy. She's in a rock band. And just to let you know, she's married. So no advances." That last part Warwick mentions in a whisper, hoping Massy wouldn't hear him.

"Are you three related or something? You guys seem like brothers in a big happy family." Massy noted out of interest. Nothing could stop the jealousy flowing in with her question.

The three male hyenas stare at her in silence, wondering if she's grown another head. But Antoine steps up to meet her, shaking his head in denial. He explains, "Nah, we're not related in any way. It may seem like family - me, Warwick, and Henry together, just the three of us. But if anything, we're best buds. We're also a mercenary team taking small jobs here and there."

"That explains how close you three are. I've got nothing." Massy rolls her eyes and spins herself back to face the bar, to which Antoine counters, "I wouldn't say that if I were you. When you're married, you have someone to look forward to seeing when you're done."

"I guess so, but sometimes it's not the same. You don't understand loneliness, do you?" Massy rebuffs Antoine's statement, her jealousy increasing. Even Henry tries to comfort her. "Massy, listen. We're only trying to help you. You're not the only one who struggles with loneliness."

"Enlighten me." The female hyena mumbles boredly. When the spotted hyenas point directly to Warwick, Massy tilts her head, not understanding what they're getting at. Soon, Warwick explains to the female hyena, "I'm a former gang member, so I can assure you that being alone and by yourself is no picnic. I always thought I was Mr. Tough Guy until I saw how much everything changed. Even after being released from prison I felt all alone. But when I met Henry and Antoine, things changed from there."

"How in the world did you manage to land a job as a bouncer?? Didn't you register for anything??" Massy implied, confused.

Shaking his hands in denial, Warwick denies, "I never did that! Nooooo! It was all just gang activity, like selling, shootings, graffiti, things like that. No vulgar stuff was part of my agenda!"

"Yet you still landed yourself in hot water, I assume." Massy retorted, smug.

Warwick's demeanor doesn't change, though he still manages to explain, "Getting a job was hard enough, so I decided to try out mercenary work. No requirements, no laws, just your own morals. But then I got an offer to work as a bouncer and I accepted it. You can say I was quite surprised, to say the least."

"I have all day to be enlightened. Tell me more, will ya?" After downing the rest of her drink, Massy rests her head on her fist in a sort of "Thinker" pose, intrigued by Warwick's background. And couldn't wait to hear more from him.

~~~~~

Massy belongs to Max_Art_Fox from Instagram; Antoine Harrison, Henry Windsor and Warwick Durham belong to me!