Zahra Studied The Cover Of The Book That Had Caught Her Attention For A Moment Before Thumbing Through

Joe's Tavern had come to serve a very specific purpose for Zahra. It was dark and dingy, and the drinks were definitely cheaper than the outrageous prices she had come to expect from New York City. It had served her well during her PhD years and she hadn't really bothered trying to find a new spot.

The stranger sat next to her didn't seem to be enjoying the atmosphere quite as much Zahra. She glanced at their beer and shrugged her shoulders.

"Thought of trying anything else?" she asked, eyeing her own shot of Jack Daniel's. It was a safe choice, hard to mess up. "Just don't get the wine."

open starter @bhqextras

where: Joe's Tavern

They've lost count of how many bars they've been to since they moved to the city but they still haven't found a place they can call their place, where you'd find him every Saturday or after a work day where they'd have to deal with a lot more dunces than they'd like (one)

Trying not to snap at the bartender that asked them "a what"?" when they asked for a pint and added a condescending "you're in America, sweetheart, just say beer." as if they could erase from their brain the way they've talked all their lives because they set foot in the country.

And all of that to taste the piss poor excuse of beer the man served them. "Ugh, I don't know what I was expecting. It's like it gets worst every time I taste one of these." Theo shook their head in disgust but took a few more gulps anyway.

"I wouldn't dare to try. You're evidently much braver than I am," she chuckled in agreement. "I know. I used to think I was pretty good at all that stuff, knowing what's new and hip. And now I'm the sort of person who uses the word hip unironically." She waved her hand flippantly at Violet's compliment. "You're one to talk. I am sure all the heads turned when you walked in." It didn't seem like an overestimation by any means, and Zahra had never been good at giving out meaningless words of praise.

She could feel her cheeks warm up as Violet inquired about her dating life. "Not a chance. Not that I'm against it, but I just haven't even thought to consider it," she admitted. "Oh, no, can't have you do that. How about you? You have your eyes on anyone?"

"God, and then you try to explain landlines to them. Oh do I feel old then! I like being in my thirties honestly but with the way tech moves sometimes I feel older. Still, we look beautiful, you especially." Violet said as the day unfolded around them with pleasant chatter. "So anything else new? You seeing anybody? Or is the thesis your one and only right now? I have some people I could introduce you to if you're interested."

"Ah, there we go. That's the attitude I was looking for," she laughed, relaxing considerably now that they were no longer talking about work. She could be fun, right? She had certainly once been. "Can't judge a place by just one dish, right? So better try a few. Besides, all of this looks way better than the bowl of cereal I had earmarked for my brunch." The amount of food options was one of the things she really loved about New York City, especially now that her creativity had ran dry and she couldn't bring herself to try anything new in the kitchen. "So, definitely the eggs and the pancakes. Anything else catches your eye?"

Violet snorted at Zahra's attitude, completely understanding. She was happy her school days were behind her, though she did miss having all those people to play with. Her eyes perused the menu again, before locking onto her friend's with glee. "Ooh, maybe they have a sampler or something? Like you can order 3 different things to try? That sounds like a great idea. But if not, I'm hungry enough to eat more than one thing. I just started a new exercise, so I'm starving."

zahra hamed character inspo task

fox mulder (the x-files) cassie thomas (promising young woman) abby sciuto (ncis) jo march (little women) ambrose spellman (chilling adventures of sabrina) river tam (firefly & serenity) beth harmon (the queen's gambit) nomi marks (sense8)

"Oh, I'm sure. I have always enjoyed bickering with grown men who seem to think the only things worth studying are business and engineering. They never seem to like my research topics. It's great, really," she sneered. Despite the road block she had hit with her work, Zahra still considered the material itself fascinating; the lustre of academia she had once so enjoyed had simply disappeared. "Pancakes do sound good," she admitted, eyeing the options listed on the menu. While she was a decent home chef and could feed herself no problem, none of the things she whipped up were anywhere near gourmet. "Are you real hungry? I kind of want to order a bunch of things. Never been here before."

"Honestly the best part was telling people what my various research papers were on. Like, 'oh Violet dear what are you studying this month? Just animal mating habits. The gorilla were particularly passionate.' Always fun to see people's reactions." She said with a chuckle. She took a sip of her water. "But I'm sure it'll get easier once you aren't being graded. But until then, you know I'm your gal." At that point the waiter arrived and dropped off their drinks. Violet still didn't know what she wanted to eat. There were too many good options. "I'm thinking pancakes. What about you? Their eggs are good here."

"I hear you. And I am sure you're making the world a better place one client at a time." Zahra has absolutely no reason to doubt Violet's professional abilities, especially if her clear enthusiasm and dedication were anything to go by. While she was delighted for her, Zahra couldn't help feeling just slightly jealous of just how much enjoyment and purpose her friend seemed to get from her job. She had been like that before, living and breathing her chosen career path, but lately finding any joy in research had been near impossible. "Yeah, I know. I'm sure it's not all that unusual, you know," she spoke with a shrug, dark brown eyes reading through the menu once more, "but it's frustrating. I thought it would get easier, you know." Zahra rolled her eyes playfully at Violet's offer of help. "Oh, God no. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. You just enjoy the fact that you're done with it for the time being. That being said, I might have to take you up on your offer of drinks and snacks."

"Haha, I agree. I think the world would be much more peaceful. But it's my passion in life so of course I want everyone to come see me." she agreed, settling back in her chair. The summer air was around them, warm but not oppressive, and there was a lovely breeze. "I'm sorry you've been having trouble. I'd offer to help but I doubt I'd be much of one. I haven't thought about papers and dissertations in years and frankly, I don't want to. But I'm always here for moral support. Available at any time day or night with snacks, drinks, 2000s romcoms, and a hug." Violet teased, taking on the voice quality of an old timey superhero show narrator. "Maybe a change of pace will help."

"I don't know, could be both," she pointed out, eyes nailed to the balloon as she thought through her strategy, "plenty of relaxing things are also real dumb. That being said, you could win a record."

who: open (@bhqextras)

where: early after noon, any day, aura music festival

what: doing an activity at one of the vendor tents (making rave sprouts, laying in hammocks, palm reading line, sitting inside the giant parachute, playing balloon darts, making signs, or face painting - pick your muse's favorite!)

Sherri sighed, scrunching her nose at her current task. "I can't tell if this is relaxing, exciting, or just — dumb." She blurted to the person nearest her.

Scanning the space with a positively neutral look on her face, Zahra didn't necessarily look like she was enjoying herself. However, she loved Halloween and was having an absolute blast people-watching. "Oh, it is creative, that's for sure," she commented as the other posed her question. Truly, she had no idea what she was looking at but it was obvious the costume had taken some time and effort. Zahra could definitely appreciate that. "Love the multiples, um, heads? I guess those are heads."

open - @aurorabaystarter

where - sharky's halloween party

Celeste wasn't really one for dancing (at least not while sober) so she happily stood to the side, leaning against the wall as she people watched, sipping on whatever bright red 'blood' drink she'd been given at the bar. "What the hell do you think that costume's supposed to be?"

AIYSHA HART