11 Let's Try This Again

Shouji got them to Hotaru in one piece. He parked and turned the motorcycle off before taking the helmet off. He wanted to throw the damn thing in the street, but refrained and helped Megura off the bike. "The place is pretty packed. I heard it was the best bar in town."

"It must be a humble bar then," Megura murmured, getting off. "Because I've yet to visit it."

"Well, let's go in." Shouji told her as he turned towards the door.

Megura nodded, glancing back to the street before they walked in. Her eyes traced over the features of the maroon colored bricks that trailed down a slender alleyway. She wondered how anyone at all knew this place led to a bar off the street, but then again she had read of speakeasies long ago during her travels to the Americas.

Megura recognized that despite having been around town, she hadn't seen everything. She smiled to herself, wondering if it might be a new place to enjoy drinking, partying and all the other remaining best pleasures of the nightlife that filled her regular midnight hours.

She followed along Shouji, half caught in a daydream of bodies nearly packed like sardines against each other until the music drowned the heat and passion of her emotions into a mixture of arousal and dimming energy.

"Meg," Shouji called, snapping her attention back to him.

She scowled at him a moment. "Megura," she yanked on his hand lightly to remind him.

Shouji glanced back, smiling at Megura somewhat, and he shook his head to her. "Come on."

The two came up to the door before Shouji took the handle that had lightly crusted in green around the edges and seams. He pulled it open to a bustling bar, but Megura hardly seemed to notice it as he led her into it.

Megura remained distracted in her daydream, imagining something that could divert her from the rollercoaster of unwanted feelings she was attempting to ignore. It took a moment before she realized they were already inside of the bar she hardly knew in the deep pocket of the outskirts of the downtown district not too far from the inner city.

Nobuko, a woman with long black flowing hair that she had neatly tied up at the center of her head. Nobuko dressed in a formal outfit reminiscent of old traditional Japanese women's kimonos. The sleeves of her kimono neatly rolled up above her elbow's, revealing her pale skin reminiscent of a luminous buttercream.

Her hands were swift, pulling up glasses from under the bar table, sliding them into distinct groups by the size of the glass before turning the tapered spouted bottles upside down as she mixed a round of drinks. "I promised you drinks on the house," she said, sliding Tensei, a pale man with dark black hair that glistened an off-black nearly blue sheen under the low light. He tipped the glass up to his lips as his eyes closed and he took his second drink.

Nobuko looked up, surveying the room as she watched the two new patrons walk in before her eyes settled on the patrons at the pool table. "HEY! Drinks off the pool tables!" Nobuko yelled as a tipsy little girl set her drink down on the side to shoot.

Tensei smirked slightly, laughing a bit as he tipped the glass back from his lips, hearing Nobu curse them under her breath.

"I swear..." she growled.

Tensei glanced back, swishing the bourbon around the short glass before tilting the glass to his lips and chugging it down. From the looks of it, he was attempting to become plastered from his 'free drinks' before the night was over. "They're drunk," he told Nobu. "As I'd prefer it, myself. Let them enjoy themselves Nobu. It's a bleak world." Tensei mumbled.

Nobu stared after them at the bar, sighing as she shook her head, but John was already on it. "Not if anyone else is going to enjoy that pool table after them."

Tensei didn't respond to her, having already given his piece but his eyes followed Nobuko's till he too was watching everyone gather around the pool tables and jukebox.

On the other side of the situation, it was at this moment that Megura was following Shouji to bar table reluctantly as her eyes wandered about, observing the contents of the bar, Hotaru. The bar gave off a casual feel that made her reconsider herself somewhat as she stared at the patrons. It took a moment for her to recognize a few vampires floating about the bar, and Megura tugged at Shouji's wrist. "A bar?" she asked him, making a face at him.

Great? Was this the mile high club for bikers and punks alike? She shuffled behind the Shouji.

"Let's go get a drink up at the bar." Shouji recommended.

"You first," she breathed, completely out of her element.

Shouji obliged her, leading them up to the bar where he pulled out a chair and sat down, only glancing up at a black haired woman in tradition dress flinging out drinks to her servers between wiping the counter down.

From just a glance, Nobuko was seemingly on her A game but she was feeling rather well tonight. She didn't waste any time, quickly coming over to the two fresh faces that seated themselves at the bar. "What can I get you?" she asked, looking at what she assumed was a couple.

She glanced at Megura, noticing the girl's presence easily enough. She was a vampire, that was apparent, but her date was a human. Nobuko smirked, filling another glass with a drink before shoving it off to Amari, who swiped it up from the counter.

In her mind, she was already starting to imagine what a date this boy was going to have.

"Power driver," Megura started, sounding almost irritated as she swirled her finger over the countertop. She stared at Nobuko for a minute, looking her over suspiciously, but she seemed to drop the attitude when she remembered herself a bit.

"Half orange juice, half Everclear, and two whiskey sours behind it. Just for me," Megura followed up to Nobu before averting her gaze.

Although it was unclear to Nobu, Megura was deep in thought over the previous occurances during today.

She was in to drown out her anxiety and angst and Nobu seemed happy to oblige her request without question. For Megura, she was hoping she could remain in her daze and trace over the dark oak wood countertop till the swirls started to mix together and her mind wondered into some obscurity that she could only dub a 'happy buz'.

Megura was ready to drink every drop of top shelf liquor with whiskey to chase and probably several margaritas till she dropped. She tapped the table for a moment longer, then her gaze trailed back down to the counter. "I'll probably take a few margaritas later."

Nobuko looked at Shouji and raised an eyebrow. "And you?" she asked with an ever-growing smile.

He laughed a little. Shouji wondered how much she could drink before she was drunk. Did vampires get drunk? He thought to himself. "A Guinness," he said. "Tall."

"An ale man." Nobuko nodded and started on all the drinks. She gave him the beer and Megura three of her drinks. "Tab?" she asked.

"Yeah," Shouji told her, sliding his credit card over to her as Tensei glanced at the two.

John was hovering over the jukebox and flicked through some classical music before he found a nice swing song. He turned the volume up and a few people from the pool table cheered before clinking glasses together.

The place was really starting to liven up now. Nobuko sighed with how busy it was, but she was fine with this. It would be a bit of a challenge, even having three other employees, but it was becoming too busy for them.

Megura hunched over the bar, huddled over her drinks, and she took the whiskey first. That went straight down. Her head bobbed a little as a surge of warmth came back up from her stomach through her chest, and then she went for the Everclear. It took a moment to drink because of the taste.

Megura paused mid breath, then cast her eyes down on the last whiskey.... She coughed lightly, she knew it'd hit in a few minutes, but the warmth itself sent her lightly abuzz... "Another one," she demanded as she passed the empty Everclear glass forward. She didn't want to think about what came next, she just wanted to keep drinking till she didn't feel self-conscious.

John had swung around behind the bar, helping Nobuko catch up. He polished off another glass, filling it before going to grab some juice. When he crossed behind Noboku, he glanced at Shouji before smiling sheepishly at the pair.

The more he looked over Shouji's appearance, the more John liked how much Shouji's style of hair matched his own. The difference was John didn't have a slack mohawk and the black hair he had dyed a golden blond previously was now showing black roots that bled into the bleached blond.

"She's a keeper, I suppose," John nodded, pushing the second Everclear back to her before creating her next mixed drink. Megura pulled no punches. Especially on one of the more expensive and highest alcoholic beverages she could ask for. He wondered if they'd even make it home.

When Nobuko passed Tensei his third drink, John made a surprised gesture to Tensei. "Still?" he asked.

Tensei nodded, "Still," he breathed at his third one. He took it a little lighter this time.

Shouji smiled at John's words as he watched Megura. He couldn't contain himself as laughed a little to himself. Shouji chugged about half his beer and was good for a minute at the pace he was making with his ale. "Mm," He told John.

"John! I need the corner covered. Asami went to get more drinks from downstairs," Nobuko called to him.

"Got it! Give me a minute!" John told her, trying to wiggle from around the bar.

Nobuko watched John go, glancing back to the cellar doorway as she whispered to herself, grumbling something under her breath before her words became more audible. "I need more people..." She mumbled to herself.

"Really?" Shouji asked her. "Would you hire someone with little experience?" he asked her.

Nobuko turned towards him, a bit surprised he caught that, but she grinned at Shouji. The kid was cute. "Why, you looking?" she asked him.

"Sort of," Shouji told her, trying not to appear desperate. He didn't come here with the plan to get a job, but he had been looking.

Nobuko smiled wider. "You have people skills?" she asked him.

He took another drink. "Enough to help at a bar."

She liked his bluntness. "Well, when can you start?" She was seriously considering him. With Selene having her other job, she needed someone more flexible. "How's your schedule?" she asked him.

"Open."

"Well..." It was only a Saturday. "Monday, can you come in at three for training?" she asked.

Shouji finished his beer before letting the glass hit the coaster lightly. "Yeah!" He smiled. Well, that was unexpected. "Can I have another?" he asked her.

She slid it to him and nodded to him before going further down the bar to serve more customers.

Megura looked at him, kind of shocked. He just popped a job like that. She slid down into her seat, sipping the rest of her drink before finishing as a pang of jealousy came over her that she couldn't buy up all his time. She cast her eyes on the whiskey, took in a deep breath and tipped her head back and drank.

The alcohol burned through her throat again. Almost seemingly, it came right through her, and she gasped for a good breath before laughing. Her vision was clouding up, but she was already feeling less nervous. "Shouji," she waved her hand after putting the glass down.

Megura almost missed the counter, and she laughed at herself, "I'm going to go dance by the pool table," she told him, standing up. "Come with me, yeah?"

Shouji glanced at her as he watched her head bob a little as she swayed, turning towards the pool table. He chugged his ale quickly, getting up quickly to follow after her as she joined in with a few girls at the table who were dancing together.

Megura seemed unaware of the men that were staring at her, making Shouji a bit more self-conscious of his desire to be next to her. He saw them try to get closer to the girls and Megura, attempting to dance next to her and he shook his head. She was acting a little wild, but he was getting used to it. This was the night they'd needed.

When Shouji managed to squeeze up behind her, he started to dance with her as she turned around to stare up at him.

The liquor was sinking deeply into her blood now, making her loosen up in the soft mix of jazzy song that made the others around them laugh as a bit of alcohol spilled over her head.

Shouji brushed the top of her head, smiling at her as he watched her eyes flutter closed. A new song kicked on, reminiscent of the new songs off the radio when someone went over to change the song. The soundtrack played out, but Megura didn't seem to care what was playing.

She seemed far more relaxed now compared to earlier, and Shouji stared at her lips again, wondering if he could try that missed chance again. His vision was becoming reminiscent of a fishbowl, making his area of view and depth a little more off than he could comprehend. His hand reached for her chin but brushed her cheek. He wasn't quite drunk yet, but he was feeling the effects.

While they two danced among the rest, Megura was having a harder time recognizing Shouji's face as the alcohol's effects hit harder. She laughed, spinning around before she stumbled - off balance and dizzy - in an even-tempered mood. Shouji tried to grab her, but someone else came up behind her, attempting to catch her.

Shouji watched her head tip back as the other man tried to dance against her, but he grabbed hold of her waist, pulling her into him as her eyes closed and he swayed with her. She was humming something to herself, letting her head rest against his chest.

Shouji stared down at her excitedly, caressing her cheek clumsily as his other arm pulled her closer, almost tightly to him. He was feeling bold once again.

He pushed her blush pink blond hair back from her cheek before he leaned down and kissed once, then let his lips brush her lips again. It was short, but it was sweet. "Let's play pool," he told her as a table came available further from the cluster of bodies.

"Yeah," she murmured, slurring her words as she stared up at him.

Shouji couldn't resist enjoying this moment, staring down at her as his thumb caressed her cheek, and he kissed her once more. The touch her lips warmly against his own gave him chills. She was definitely something electric, and his mind couldn't wrap around the concept of letting her go.

From a distance, Nobuko could see people dancing, and the idea of patrons not demanding drinks for a little while was a bit of a reprieve. This was her opportunity, and she made haste in the moment to take a break and grab herself a drink. She always had a bottle of blood stashed for her on busy nights.

Amari came back up, setting down the box at the counter as she glanced over at the influx of customers. She sighed, but her eyes widened as she glanced back again, taking a double take. She caught sight of Shouji, then stared at him. It was nearly a month and somehow here he was, in Noboku's bar, dancing. She shook her head, relieved he wasn't dead.

Amari pushed the case onto the shelf. "Noboku!" she called, not tearing her eyes from the boy. She wondered if Noboku had known this was even him.

Nobuko tore her gaze from the crowd and then up at Amari. She noticed her eyes try to direct her attention to who she was looking at. "The kid?" she asked her comfortably. It took her a moment to place him, and then she remembered Amari's conversation. Her eyes widened a little as she put two-and-two together. "That's him?"

"Yes," Amari sighed, shaking her head. "I prayed his recovery would be merciful, but, Noboku, who is with him? If that girl- If she's the girl we spoke of previously, you have a larger matter at hand. She could draw in danger," she whispered, glaring at the ditsy peach-haired woman who seemed oblivious to her surroundings. It was no doubt the humans were already keeping a keen eye out for her.

Nobuko looked back to the couple. Honestly, their lovey dovey playfulness made her a bit sick, but it was whatever seeing as how that mood was catching on to a few other handsy patrons. "So they were hunting her then." Nobuko tried to clarify from Amari. She had a feeling the poor kid would get caught in the crossfires again. "If she's really the little yakuza princess we know her to be then we'll have to do what we can. The boy starts work with us on Monday," she said as she wiped down the bar counter.

"Do not fool yourself," Amari told Noboku, a skeptic as usual. "Recognize when you are beaten. Prey can kill a predator," she advised her, stepping away.

Nobuko looked at her. "I won't turn away help," Nobuko informed Amari quickly. She knew she heard her when she stopped walking despite having her back to her.

"He'll need all the protection he can get, and if I remember correctly, we are the predators," she corrected Amari. It pissed her off when vampires were made to seem inferior to humans. Nobuko would coexist with them and she had for a long time, but by no means was she prey. "It doesn't matter what his affiliation is. I won't let anything happen here." Nobuko said rather resolutely. She had ways of diverting attention away from them.

Amari paused in her tracks, hearing Nobuko out. "I won't play a part in this." she told her finally.

"If I had any of it my way, he wouldn't be here. I feel sorry for him, but I don't like any of this. Honestly, Nobu, you're over here promoting safety of the bar, but the fact is... You'd openly welcome a mortal into our ranks and I'm almost certain this is going to backfire." Amari explain bitterly, before she turned her head away.

Nobuko went quiet. She didn't want to say something and lose the friendship she had with Amari. It had taken a while to rekindle after what happened previously, but Amari wasn't wrong. Unfortunately, Nobuko was too resolute to back out now. The boy needed help and it was better to cover things from a distance than to let matters blow out of control. Amari obviously felt it too. Shouji had been dealt a bad hand, but by no means did they have to leave him to the wolves.

In the time Nobuko grew lost in thought, Amari disappeared back downstairs. She wasn't one to argue it, she'd stated her point as she had wanted. What mattered the most to Amari was that Megura was Shouji's bad hand and that this point was obvious.

Amari wanted Nobuko to be aware that by inviting Shouji in, Megura's interference in his mortal life would entangle him in a fate worse than death if he got caught up in their immortal affairs. Of course, the matter of him working working at a bar for vampires only sealed his fate more so now because he was affiliated with two different clans operating parallel to one another.

"You'd best hope our scent doesn't get him attacked down with those Darguul werewolves roaming around." Amari mumbled to herself out of earshot, leaving the crowded bar behind.

It took a moment before anyone else to catch on what had been going on between the two but it had sounded like some sort of whispered bickering match, making John wonder back over after Amari left.

Unlike Amari's solemn demeanor, Nobuko stared after Amari more conflicted with the direction of events that could unfold. She couldn't help herself as she stared at the cellar door that laid wide open, and for a time Nobuko contemplated their conversation carefully. With everything that was going on, it hadn't been a quiet last few months for them but having the bar up and going again was something she needed for herself.

Nobuko knew that there was a lot she hoped for, but she was only trying to find her niche that she could comfortably preserve herself in amongst the ranks of misfit vampires she'd gathered together in her clan.

"Alright," she said finally, snapping herself from her own daze. Nobuko looked up then from the now over-cleaned glass, feeling a bit disappointed and dejected. She set it down. "John, take over the bar for me. I'm serving tables," she told him, her voice straining.

John picked up on the distress. He sighed, nodding but quickly swung around the back of the bar. The more he thought about everything going on, the more he started to realize just how tired he was going to be after tonight. As much as he liked Amari's company, he couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated with her.

Why the hell was Amari freaking always down stairs during times like these?

In the distance, the two lovers were oblivious to their surroundings.

Megura was a loose leaf following the flow of the river of bodies and smooth voice of the man she was leaning against. Her eyes were closed still, but her mind was lingering on the touch of his lips against her own.

For a tender moment, she breathed in sharply, taking in the smell of him. He glistened with light sweat from dancing, but the smell of his nature musk made her body feel sharply alive in a way that was reminiscent of an old-time movie.

At first, she hadn't noticed it but a sharp familiarity roared up within her as she felt his fingers press against her hips, making her repress a moan.

"Megura." Shouji whispered, staring down at her. She looked absolutely lost, but he adored the innocent and loose expression on her face.

At the very least she didn't look as perplexed nor as distraught as she had been only hours earlier. He heard her mumble an incoherent yes to him and his finger tangled in her hair trying to trace down the back of it before her head turned up to let their faces meet.

For a moment, he caught sight of her eyes and the soft pink that seemed to edge around her iris. He would have questioned it if it weren't for the touch of her lips as she leaned up, yanking on the collar of his shirt to pull him in. He couldn't help himself, falling in line with her eager demands as he cupped her cheek and kissed her back.

Would this be how they continued their night?

"Mm, naturally... I can't see them, but- you point, I'll fol-low," she giggled, snorting at the end.

Shouji breathed a laugh. She hardly sounded coherent as well. "Pool. We were going to play pool. Remember?" he tried to remind her. He couldn't help the large grin that spread over his lips at her kiss, and his chest felt tight when he pulled back to get an excellent view of her.

"Should we not?" Shouji asked her. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it.

"Mmm," she smirked, trying to sound thoughtful, but she sounded less lucid than she tried to play off. "Play whatever song you want," she slurred her words to Shouji.

For a moment, she almost looked like she was more dignified. She straightened her back, arching herself into a position that looked as tight and rigid as a bow, but maintained some manner of frivolity that allowed her to still appear slightly aloof in the alcoholic stupor she'd cooked up for herself.

In this moment, Megura tossed her hair back over her shoulder, leaning her head back as Shouji held her up.

She was completely comfortable in this position, but the reality of it all was that her previous drinking had gotten her loose while her time dancing had worn out the last bit of energy she had left.

Her hands wrapped over Shouji's wrists and for a second, she pulled out of his grip to stumble back, as if reaching to grab for some sort of support other than him but stumbled back and caught herself, making her more aware of her surroundings.

"Fucking kids," a woman growled just out of earshot. She was a frequent parton. Everyone knew her as Jennifer and her hair was a bright blonde with obvious brown streaks died between to give the illusion that of highlights. Jennifer plucked the cue stick from the wall as she walked back to the table next to the one Shouji was attempting to occupy, but what she didn't expect was Megura to sass her back.

"Fu- Fuckin' kids." Megura snorted back, crossing her arms as if to mock her as she rolled those beautiful bright green eyes. "Oh, co-come on now. Is that all you have? A whimper that some kids are having a better time than you?"

"Piss off!" Jennifer remarked sharply, eying Shouji. She nodded to Megura then.

"If you have any taste, you'd sober her up. This isn't the kiddie lounge at Loser's Lounge," she told him, setting down the chalk before breaking. Balls rolled in all directions before she pocketed a stripe.

For a moment, Megura looked stupefied. She stared at Jennifer, slowly contemplating her words before the anger formed in her features and Megura reared up. "What the fuck did you say?" she growled, pushing herself to walk towards Jennifer's back, clearly stepping into her personal space.

Jennifer wheeled, pivoting on her heel to meet Megura face to face. Her eyes gleaming red in the dimmed light. "Bitch, you heard me right."

"Woah, woah," Paul, another regular cut in. "Jen. Chill out. Now ain't the time to start a fuckin' fight. It's been a good night."

"Whatever," she tossed, flipping back her golden blonde hair as she walked over to the pool table again. "Dumb brat probably learned her fuckin' lesson. I swear to god, every time these girls come in here thinking it's party central. Fuckin' bitch trying to fight me. I'll fucking chew her ass up," she grumbled low in her voice at the end, trailing off.

Paul sighed, turning away, walking with her. "Shut up and play me pool, you old dog," he bantered.

Megura sobered up lightly and her head wrung, something screaming akin to danger in her mind. "That's right. Shut up," Megura grumbled, stepping back after Jen went back to her table.

"Come on, Shouji. Fuck em'. This place- Is full of too many hard ballers," she growled, trying to gain a handle over herself. She started seeing double then, feeling the blood rush up then fall just as quickly. She tried to take a step forward, but her head throbbed painfully as her body swayed with her, but Shouji caught her wrist.

"Oh god," she coughed. She looked ill.

From a distance, Paul and Melanie were trying to console their friend. "Jen, it's a bar. You don't want to see drunk people go home," Melanie told her friend. "We're going to get banned from this place if you start another fight."

Vaughn laughed and shot next. "Well, getting that plastered is unnecessary," he said, making a small jab at Megura from the other side of their pool table.

Shouji watched it all play out, and he began thinking that no matter where he was, a fight would break out. He wrapped an arm around Megura. "Yeah, we should go," he said. He thought she was going to throw up, so he tried to lead her outside quickly.

"How about next time we take it slower?" Shouji told her.

Jennifer grumbled, hearing Shouji as she took a large swig of her cinnamon whiskey. "Oh hush, Melanie. I wasn't planning on it," she snarled. "I'm not to say I'm not lightly drunk myself. Just.... Ain't no damn hooker's lounge." She shot, tapping the ball lightly as she sunk in another one. "Damn good," she breathed.

Megura kind of just sagged in his hold. As Shouji led her out, she knew only then how deflated her will to fight really was and her eyes watered. For the remaining time she had left in the bar, Megura couldn't help but just stare at Jennifer, trying to think of something to say, but she just couldn't help but feel like the fool for being ridiculed by the entire group.

The night was rough enough. As her eyes trailed over the group, Jen glanced back up at her and the hot red ring of fire that laced her iris told it all. Megura sobered up a bit for a moment, blindsided by her discovery. She was a fucking vampire!

When Shouji pulled the door open, pulling them out, she finally looked at him. Shouji was hoping maybe the cool air might help her a little. "Are you going to be alright?" he asked her, a little worried.

"I'm fine," she told him, being rather straight with her response. She tried not to mince her words here. The discovery had shocked her, but she could shake it off with a little more disappointment from the realization of just who was criticizing her. "Let's go," she muttered.

Shouji nodded. "Alright. Any ideas where?" he asked. He had downed two large beers in a matter of minutes and was a little too tipsy to drive; especially when it came to a motorcycle.

"Your home," she smirked, kind of intrigued by the idea. "I threw my wallet and phone at Shu. Kind of," she mumbled, remembering herself better. She put her hand to her head as if stressing just how much she had managed to fuck up today. "And I told him to fuck off. And I don't want to go back right now." She rolled her eyes.

He might have blushed then. "Alright," he said. Shouji hardly hesitated when he took her hand and led the way. Though he would not drive, his house was actually closer than the burnt rubble of his dilapidated artwork.

At the very least, he got through one night with her to the extent that they were going to go to his house and relax. It was nice being able to enjoy this moment, and it excited him that they had actually been able to go out together with no trouble to put everything to a screeching halt. He didn't know exactly what was going to happen next though, and it had his heart beating quicker at the idea of what could occur later into the night.

The bar seemed to carry on without the two without a hitch. Nobuko had come back from her break, but not to the bar. She seemed to linger out on the floor longer, serving the patrons while Elijah sat next to Tensei, contemplating what he had seemingly missed tonight. "John, a double bourbon." he said, raising his hand up slowly before crossing his arms to lean over the counter again.

From Elijah's perspective, he could see Nobuko serving, but not with the same enthusiasm as usual. "Did something happen?" he asked John, unable to tear his gaze from her.

John nodded, pulling a glass out. He turned, two bottles in hand, and filled it before sliding it down to him. "Sort of," he told him. John looked up at Nobu, staring at her face as he studied her expression and he thought about Amari, but it was probably better to keep his mouth shut on this one. "I'm not sure. Amari was talking with her. She was fine until that point." He shrugged, pretending to not know much.

Tensei shook his head, "It's probably something that's been a talk amongst you three for a time. What else has concerned her so much?" He paused, feeling sluggish.

Elijah grabbed the drink and polished it off quickly. "Well, I'm sure she can handle this place," he said. "She can be a bit overprotective sometimes. She'd rather have all her eggs in the same basket to keep a better eye on them, but she knows that's not how things work." Elijah watched John clean the counters before he finally posed the question to Tensei. "Has she offered you a room yet?" he asked, a smirk on his face.

John stopped at his final question, making a face that seemed almost conflicted before removing himself from the conversation. He shuffled back to the other side of the bar, picking up the empty glasses and leftover drinks to put them in the sink, but kept just enough in earshot to listen in.

Tensei didn't smile at Elijah's remark, but he paused for a moment to think over his words. His glass settled on the table rather loudly before he turned to Elijah. He didn't look particularly pleased by the turn of the conversation, however his intent was to remain as neutral to the conversation regarding Nobuko. He didn't mean her ill will, so he chose his words carefully.

"Can you blame her? Someone as old as her has probably seen a lot in times passed. She may have lost someone dear to her. Maybe it's why she is who she is." He paused, looking back down at his glass as he reminisced over the remaining honeyed golden red bourbon. "I'm not staying here," he remarked slowly. "It's not like I'm homeless, Elijah."

"I'm sure. A very long time ago," Elijah said, watching her. "Then don't. I don't care if you stay or not," he sighed. "She just wants those closest to her stay close." Elijah stood up and laid down some money for his drink. He nodded to John before he walked over towards her.

Nobuko slung out the last of the drinks off her tray before she heard Elijah walk up, making her turn to face him. She smiled a lot more naturally upon seeing him before they immersed into a brief conversation, greeting each other. Elijah knew almost everything about Nobuko, and she relied on him as a stable support for herself through the years over a wide range of topics.

Tensei could see that, even in the distance. He took another drink, grimacing slightly less than before finishing it. Although Tensei knew less of the context behind their conversation, he knew that Elijah and Nobuko had each other's backs for centuries and that was all he needed to know.

Tensei knew he wasn't like the rest of them. Between everyone here that was part of Nobuko's troupe, he was the anomaly. He was of pure origin and held no sire. When John took Tensei's empty glass, he stood up. He glanced at Nobuko once more, watching her chatter with her fledgling happily, and a part of him had wondered if turning someone would garner him the same relationship she had.

Although Nobuko was the one who turned Elijah, their relationship didn't stop there. For Elijah she was aloo his lovely mistress, and that affection wasn't something Tensei had, but a part of him had thought he wanted it.

"After work," Nobuko told Elijah a little more loudly. She had a glimmer of excitement in her eyes that hid another intention she'd been hinting at to Elijah before the two came back to the bar.

John slid back over to the side Nobuko came up to, waiting to see what she needed before she turned to him.

"I need two tall pale ales, a black rum, and a glass of Scotch." She rattled off to John.

Elijah didn't seem too worried by their surroundings as he nodded to Nobuko before parting ways with her at the bar. "I'll wait upstairs then," he said as he walked to the door leading to Nobuko's apartment upstairs.

John stared down at the table as Elijah disappeared upstairs. He was beginning to worry that he would end up stuck behind the bar all by himself when Amari appeared in what seemed to be the nick of time. John huffed rather audibly, making Amari look up.

She knew she'd been taking her sweet time pulling orders at her leisure, but she was also checking on a few other things down stairs. "I'll restock and help prepare drinks." Amari told them, sliding behind the counter. She could read the mood rather easily, especially with John. He was an open book.

"Thank you, John," Nobuko told him. "I'm working on getting more help. I have someone starting on Monday," she told him, taking the drinks he had ready to their tables.

"I know, I know." He sighed, "Just- It's just a lot tonight," he murmured, pulling up the next set of unattended glasses as he washed them out.

"Yeah, but its good money," she told him. Nobuko picked up the tray, then continued waiting tables and cleaning as people left. Nobuko told a few regular goodbyes as they left and tried cheering up a little. At least the night was winding down. When the last customer left, she was about ready to collapse.

Amari cleared all the tables at the back of the bar, and a part of her felt relieved. She was a lot more nimble on the floor, seemingly whisking past from table to table to wipe them down before putting the chairs up.

Between cleaning, Amari noticed Nobuko, and a pang of regret came over her. Amari quickly hauled her remaining trays of glasses over to John, trying to catch up on cleaning to be on par with Nobuko.

For a moment, Amari hesitated, and it took her a moment to build the courage to reach out, but she was trying not to be so sour. "Here," Amari offered Nobuko, holding out a small clean towel. It was damp. "I'm sorry I took so long. Just take a bit of a break. I'll wipe down the bar and- I'm... I'm sorry about earlier. I was just frustrated."

"Thanks," John sighed from a distance, clearing off the tray into the sink. Amari seemed to nod in agreement as he set the last glasses in the sink before he walked from behind the counter and tossed his apron onto a bar stool. "Tonight was rough.".

Amari smiled a little at that, but she looked back to Nobuko who seemed to smile at her as she took the clean towel.

"Thank you," she said as she put her face in the towel, exhausted. She pulled the towel away and wrapped it around her neck and looked around. "What's left to do?" Nobuko asked. She'd practically taken care of the cleaning as customers slowly left. The pool tables were clean and chairs stacked.

"Nothing," Amari cut in before John. "Rest. We've got the last two chores covered. John can mop, I can stock shelves and clean the bar down."

John couldn't oppose to that. "I'll get the mop."

Nobuko liked the sounds of that. She nodded, then laid the towel on the bar as she walked past the bar to the stairs. Her hand clasped the railing before she turned to glance back at the room. "Thank you! Be careful on your way home." She told them.

"Sure." John answered.

Amari nodded, putting all the server trays up on the counter before she got the sanitizing spray out. She heard the door click shut when Nobuko left and she heard John sigh heavily.

"What?"

John shook his head, kind of disappointed with the night, "You wanna finish up? I'm rather beat," he sighed, kind of coughing as he brushed his hair back.

Amari hardly felt surprised, but she felt a little worse knowing she'd be finishing this all up by herself. Still, it was John. "Why don't you take any days off? You wouldn't feel so overburdened."

"Because unfortunately, I don't have a life outside of this. It's hard to explain," he responded, grimly. "I am not blessed with some lovely desire and strength to just find something to do with this life of mine. The company of the bar soothes me. I'm just- worn out. It's been stressful."

"You have no issues being social, John. I don't see why you can't make a life outside of all of this." Amari said, trying to sound reasonable. "Besides, if the bar is so soothing, why don't you just come to visit instead of work."

John cringed, "Amari, you're crossing lines you can with Noboku, but with me... It will not fly. Don't- Don't talk like you understand or know me. It's not your business. I didn't ask for you to critique my choices. I'm just tired tonight. I'm leaving. I can't stay late tonight, okay?" he huffed, walking to the back as he tossed his apron on the shelf. He walked to the front, unlocking the deadbolt before he flung the door open, then stepped out and shut it behind him.

The bar grew eerily quiet for the few minutes after as Amari stared at after him. She looked down at her hands, contemplating just how this was all transpiring. "I get it." Amari sighed. The last few months had been quite rough just getting back into the groove of having the bar open.

Amari stepped up to the door, flicking the deadbolt closed. She knew she was going to be here for a while.