7 The Bar Hotaru

Nobuko sighed, exasperated that the help she had was so clumsy it hurt her to even watch them work. "I will kill you the next time you break a glass," she told one of her part timers.

Nobuko had her long hair spilling down one shoulder with half of it tied up. She was hardly wearing anything at all, which revealed a very detailed tattoo of a dragon on one shoulder, and a firefly on her left arm that shimmered in the lowlights of the bar.

Tensei kept one eye open on the waiter, his other eye closed as he sipped on his bourbon softly. "You're too harsh," he quelled softly, closing his eyes. "Nobuko."

She smiled and looked at him. "Maybe, but I need more help. Tensei... Darling," she smiled sweetly at him and leaned over the bar towards him, showing maybe a bit too much cleavage. "Maybe if you trained them, they wouldn't be so terrible." She never had the time to train anyone anymore. She had to make sure the place had enough supplies for both humans and vampires.

He didn't flinch from her obvious sexual advance, but there was a look of distaste as he set his glass down. "You know I don't like it when you objectify yourself," he said crossly, but he knew he wasn't much for holding himself against the thought of it. "But back to the subject, yes. I could train them. If I felt like it, but I think I'd be too impatient. I'm not one to handle social interactions well." He paused, his eyes dead set on her cleavage before he glanced up at her face and his lips thinned in an attempt to muffle a smile.

She smiled at him, not caring about objectifying herself. That wasn't really what she meant to do. She just enjoyed the more revealing clothes, and it worked out that way. "Now you see my problem. No time or patience." She laughed and took another person's order and made their drinks quickly. "Maybe I'll just hire you."

Tensei's smile brimmed from the ashes of his thinning frown, and he couldn't help but scoff. He didn't mean it rudely, it just came off badly. "Hire me? I'm not worth a dime of this place," he told her, sipping on his drink before taking a larger chug of it. He didn't want her to catch his wince at the voice of his own insult, so it looked more like the bourbon just hit him hard and he took a harder drink after it, downing it all. "It's a gracious gesture, but I think you've got your business' worth in the wrong place. You'll lose incoming customers. I'm terrible with people." Or more specifically, he'd just give his father another reason to yell. Everything he did was a disgrace to the family name. Even the change of his last name. He said it was only irrefutable proof that he wasn't the heir.

She smiled at him. "Tell you what. I'll give you a room, food and a job," she started. "Plus, it'll be good for you to get away from your family for a bit."

He shook his head. Now she was just going over the top. "Next you'll tell me you'll contest the practice of humans literally breeding wolves into their own kind to make hybrids to combat us." He laughed and stood up. "That's enough jokes, Nobuko," he frowned, not laughing anymore. He pushed a tip under the glass as he stepped away from the bar. "Taking the Bludhaven family lightly is only going to start a war against clans."

"Maybe not werewolves, but vampires," she said, barely loud enough for him to hear. "Well, tell daddy dearest if he wants a drink." She grinned. This was neutral ground anyway. Sanctuary almost. No one would be harmed under her roof.

He sighed, his shoulders slumped low, and he looked at her. That usually defeated glance that made it known he knew damn well what she said. Without much more to say, he opened his mouth, but thought better of himself. He'd only say something thoughtless that would probably make him regret it all later. So, he turned on his heel and walked to the door, his hand on the frame as he looked back and shook his head before walking out.

"He's a real lack luster," Amari murmured, setting a glass down in front of a customer before looking back at her boss. "Did you really mean it when you said you wanted him to work here?" Not that she minded. He was cute. In a dark, teenage emo kind of way, but… She found it hard to imagine a real time relationship with someone like that.

Nobuko looked at her, then turned to clean off the bar. "I think it'd do him some good," she sighed.

Amari snickered. "I think I'd be okay with that."

John pushed the door open from the back, putting down a crate before busting it open. "What'd I miss?" He asked, unsure what he didn't catch. He was bad with hearing, surprisingly.

"Tensei," Nobuko said as she moved to clean glasses. The bar was winding down as closing time approached. "Last call!" she called out.

A few people got up at her mention of closing and kindly waved, but exited. John tapped a bottle of whiskey against the counter and cringed at the loud clunk. "Really? That grump? What'd he want?"

Amari shook her head. This one was on her boss. She would not get involved.

"What? What's so funny?" he asked, his eyes wide. "Was it bad? Did he say our service was bad?"

"John, you're clueless."

"Our service is never bad!" Nobuko said, proudly. "I offered him a job and a place to get away from the Bludhaven's for a while."

John calmed at her first notion, relieved, but looked at her in disbelief at the second. "Jeroen Bludhaven would tear this place apart. Last time he was here, he broke two tables and several of the best chardonnay."

"And Nobuko banned him, rightfully so. Bastard scared off some good customers then," Amari mentioned.

"Yeah, but that was nearly eighty years ago. I'm sure he's barely changed. The man is absolutely on edge, half the time I'm sure he wants to tear the head off anything in his path." He shivered, looking back at his box. "Don't invite him Nobuko. That's bad. We'll go out of business. Or worse.... He'll eat them all."

Amari choked on a laugh, "Bludhaven? A killer? Maybe, but a bloodsucker? No. He's too refined for that, John. He'll only drink the best he can find."

"Ha, yeah right. Try the blood of his enemies. I'm not surprised he isn't Vladimir himself."

"He was general to him," she remarked.

"And the more you talk about it, the less I want to hear. Let's just get out of here before he busts down the door for talking about him."

"I'm well aware of what he did and I can assure you-" Nobuko said with a breathy laugh. "That won't happen again." There was a red shimmer in her eyes then. Sure, he was tough, but Nobuko had her own strengths. "I know who the Bludhaven's are," she said, looking at Amari. "And their relation to Vladimir." She stretched her neck and rolled her shoulders back. Her back ached every time she thought about Vladimir.

Amari glanced her way, watching her stretch with discomfort. She understood why she felt that way, but she wasn't so upset. After all, Vladimir was kind to his people. He cared for them as if they were his own people, but for others... He wasn't so compassionate. It was quite noticeable at the end. "I'm sure," she sighed, shaking her head. After all, it was only in the last century, when he laid to rest, that the clans had broken up amongst the world to spread territories unbeknownst to humans. "Be thankful he slumbers softly out of kindness to any other," she breathed. "For he wouldn't tolerate such fighting." He'd easily sort out the ranks and Bludhaven would probably be on top. She bit her lip, sliding the apron off from around her neck and tossed it on a chair. "John never knew of him, just stories." That was most ways for most vampires. It was like a child's bedtime story.

John shook his head. "I just don't want to get on the wrong side, alright?"

Amari laughed. "Sweet heart, sides change quickly when he is awake. Be glad he slumbers, for petty fights wouldn't really be your concern if he had a say."

John swallowed hard and decidedly shut up, pushing the last bottle into the rack before stomping down the box for the dumpster out back. "What time do you want me here tomorrow, boss?" he asked almost eagerly.

Nobuko didn't enjoy talking about Vladimir. It put a foul taste in her mouth. "Six, please." she told him as she grabbed a long brush from under the bar and started touching up the pool tables. She mumbled angrily under her breath about someone spilling beer on the table. "Amari, did you need tomorrow off?" she asked, not looking at her.

Amari nodded. "I'm going to be out on business," she replied, walking to the door. She opened it, flicking the lock as the bell rang. "But I'll return the next night by 8, if that's alright with you?"

John nodded, "I can manage, will you ask Selene to work a double?" he asked. "I'll even come as soon as dusk hits around five," he offered.

Nobuko moved to the next table. "That should be fine. Tomorrow might be just as busy." she said, finally looking up. "Be careful. The dogs are in town and their hunters too."

Amari nodded, ready to close the door behind her. "I'll be fine," she muttered, stepping out into the alley before walking into the streets. She'd take a cab home.

John sighed. "Great. Well, I guess I'll be taking my leave too." He crushed down a few more boxes and walked over to the back door. "Do you need any more help with anything Nobuko?"

She smiled at him. "No, John. Thank you." She could handle the rest, she just had to do a quick sweep and mop. Thank the gods she had wood floors. Drunken fools and carpet do not mix. She'd also have to make a sign of not setting drinks on the pool tables. It shouldn't take too long.

He nodded, pulling his leather paperboy cap over his head. Adjusting it, he glanced back at the empty bar room and nodded. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then," he remarked before walking out the back door, locking it behind him.