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(Setting) The Midnight Drifter SPECIAL night!
| >"OMAE I'LL BEAT YER' ASS SO MUCH YOU WON'T EVEN BE ABLE TO FUCK ANYMOR' YOU BRING YOUR SORRY MUG BACK HERE TEME"
>She seems in a really bad mood, and some clients are pulling away from her as she continues to unleash abuse upon the person on the other end.
>A catboomer is down by the piano next to her, adjusting pedal extensions while humming a tune
>It was promising to be an interesting night if anything, the tender smiled widely
| >A tall, masked, stranger enters the bar.
>He wears a tight fitting button up shirt and loose flare cut pants, both covered by an apron that read: "Fish fear me, God respects me" complete with a large graphic image of a singing bass.
>Slung over his wide shoulders is a guitar-case
"I made it"
>He says, weakly, nodding to the bar tender.
>A small bead of sweat flowed from his chin, unto his neck and down his chest. His head was already hurting.
| >>760857
>Emily waves to the man
"Welcome to the drifter, your band is over there!"
>She directs him towards the short screaming woman
>She... tries to avoid looking at the apron.
| >>760859
>The man nods, he notices your stare quite easily, but doesn't seem to mind, he is already used to the looks his aprons get him.
"She seems a little angry doesn't she? I'd hate to interrupt her."
>The Demiurge says while pointing towards the one who called him here to replace their missing guitarist.
| >>760865
>Oh boy does she, the short red haired girl wearing a Sukajan jacket was absolutely fuming, various variations of TEME and KISAMA are beng thrown around as she stomps her feet unto the ground!
>Emily laughs a little, her smile frozen in place
"Y-yeah..."
| >>760867
>The Demiurge simply stares back at the angry woman.
"Another headache to deal with"
>He prepares himself, and slowly walks over to her.
>Slowly letting down his guitar case he taps her on the shoulder twice, deliberatly so.
| >>760868
>The girl turns with a "HUH?"
>Her pupils are small, and she looks absolutely furious, glaring with her teeth grinding against one another
"What??"
>She asks with a growl...
>Meanwhile the short cat-boomer gets up from beneath the piano and notices you!
>She runs over with a "tip-tap" her little legs making ground rapidly
"Yes? Aru? You have made it--? Lovely? Place is hard to find, small sign? Meow?"
>She says in her usual airy tone.
| >In comes a short woman, dressed in a simple print t-shirt and short pants, the print on the shirt says: "Born to Create; Reality is a FUCK; I am FLESH; 410,757,864,530 Dead Dimensions"
>She has long blond hair, somewhat faded but well-kept. Her eyes are a deep blue, and her face is completely expressionless
>She walks up to the tall man in the apron and her face twists into disgust as she voices a complaint without speaking
| >>760874
>She must not like the apron.
>The Demiurge just smiles back, under his mask.
>>760871
"Hey, I'm the Demiurge, the guy this cat called to play the guitar."
>He points to Xiria, noticing her approach
"It wasn't all that hard to find the place, I knew where it was after-all; I was more afraid you would lose your way Xiria."
| >>760875
>The girl's stare conveys: "I'll skin you for wearing something like that, dumbass. How dare you expose me to such terrible things? Who do you think you are?"
>She soon returns to her expressionless visage and instead walks to the bar, taking a seat and observing the preparing band
>She remains silent, but she rythmically taps the counter
| >>760875
>The girl seems to calm down a bit as you explain, she even takes a deep breath and closes the call on her phone, her eyes are still glaring though, baddly.
>This almost seems like her natural face.
>It's a legendary tier Resting Bitch face.
"Oh yeah, the weirdo with the mask, gotcha, sorry about that uh, two guys' just flaked on me, dumbasses they are"
>She spits out with a scowl.
>Xiria smiles
"Meow--? Flaky flake?"
>She says simply
| >>760876
>The Bar tender approaches you with a smile, a small bell attached to her eyepatch ringing as she does!
"Welcome miss Alice! it's been a bit hasn't it?"
| >>760880
>The girl's face does not change at all, but her aura seems to soften at the words
"Yeah."
>She says, her voice lacking in emotion
"..."
>Having not truly left her house in quite a long time, Alice Arcand struggled to find her way through the thing known as language, but she eventually opened her mouth again.
"...Too long."
>Her tapping is a bit faster now, sign of her good mood
"...Problems?"
>She looks at the band
| >>760876
>The Demiurge shrugs, still smiling under his mask.
>He would retort about the girl's own choice of wear, but decides to stay silent instead.
>>760878
"Yes, that's me. So that post on the board was from you then? Mikamo?"
>The Demiurge asks.
| >>760882
"Yes, too long!"
>Emily smiles widely
"Also yes, apparently some people from their band just well... didn't show up?"
>She smiles wryly
"I get how that would make anyone unhappy"
|>>760883
>"Mikamo" nods, and cracks a grin, it looks scary with her eyes being like that.
"Yeah, twas me, no serious responses though... what am I gonna do man?"
>She sighs loudly, her shoulders drooping.
>Xiria simply shrugs
"Things happen? Unsightly people happen too?"
| >>760885
>Alice's face remained stoic, but her tapping slowed a second
"...Troublesome."
>She'd come here to relax, having people around in a state of upset... well... upset her
>She raised a voice towards the one named Mikamo
"...Need what?"
| >>760886
>Mikamo switches her gaze towards the counter, looking straight at you
"What was that lady? speak up!"
>She says, glaring... or well looking, it's hard to tell
| >>760887
>Alice's surroundings grew a bit hotter as her tapping almost slowed to a crawl
>At this moment, a woman dressed in a maid uniform walked into the bar, breathing heavily
"M-Ma'am, you just vanished all of a sudden..."
>With pink hair and ochre coloured eyes, the maid slowly caught her breath and moved towards Alice
"W-What?"
>Alice's gaze was fixed on her demonically large breasts for a second before she turned back
"Need what?"
>She spoke to Mikamo again
| >>760888
"Ah, uh, a Guitar player for the support riffs"
>Mikamo clarifies, before looking at the maid for a second
| >>760889
>Alice nods and turns to the maid, busy readjusting the socks around her knees
>Her face freezes and she turns to Alice
"H-Huh? Me? W-Well it's true that I can play guitar..."
>Cold sweat drooped down her face as Alce simply kept staring
"...A-Alright, Ma'am..."
>And admitted defeat
>Alice turns to Mikamo
"There. Guitar player."
>Her gaze still cold
| >>760890
"I mean..."
>Mikamo doesn't seem conviced, but she slowly hands the maid a guitar anyway
"Just show me what ya' can do"
|>>760891
"Did she? Doctor Walker sang really well--? Meow what was it that song? Loads of songs in the car? speedy car speedy songs--?"
>the cat muses on
| >>760892
>The maid gingerly picks up the guitar, giving her lady a final look
>Alice simply stares again, applying pressure on the maid
"A-Alright then... but don't be upset when I'm nothing special..."
>The maid tests the guitar and adjusts it in her hands
>She then begins strumming
>Soon, music fills the air, blisteringly fast solos of a bygone era where the legends of rock duked it out on stage
>It's awe-inspiring, in every way
"S-See? Nothing special..."
>The maid sighs
| >>760896
>Mikamo stands still, her mouth agape
>She pulls out a cigarette, lights it up and slowly nods her head
"Yeah... yeah you good'"
| >>760899
>The maid's face goes blank, clearly, she wasn't expecting this to be good enough
"E-Err..? Are you sure? I-I wasn't actually..."
>The maid looks around, sweating, her gaze lands on Alice
>Alice simply stares again, speaking her wordless tongue
"...Ok, ma'am..."
>The maid hangs her head, finally resigned to perform
| >>760896
>The Demiurge nods
>>760892
"Do you still have their numbers? I'm afraid you know I only use public phones"
| >>760901
>Xiria nods and her tail shakes a bit.
"Meow? Yes? I'll call Doctor Walker? Tell him to talk to me? drive his car again? unsightly if he refuses!"
>She says, taking out her phone
| >>760900
>Mikamo seems really glad, even going so far as to tap the maid's back
"Yeah, you're good missy!! Man this might turn out alright!"
>She says, puffing her large cigarette
| >>760904
>Xiria shakes her head, tail drooping.
"No such thing? How unsightly--?"
>She doesn't seem angry, but scratches her head
"Busy man? Busy men usually have good cars--?"
| >>760903
>The maid froze at the display of sudden camaraderie, but her face slowly turned into a beaming smile
>Alice, in the meantime, turned back to Emily
"Drink... soft, please."
>Her atmosphere has returned to calm... and also a degree of happiness
| >A man, outfitted in a very peculiar outfit, enters the bar. He carries a guitar and a haversack hanging from his side. The man wears an old-fashioned tricorn hat, a loose fitting coat over his shirt, a pair of breeches, and a pair of leather boots, all in shades of brown. His dark blonde hair is kept fairly long, fashioned into a ponytail that hangs down to his neck. If his outfit isn't strange enough, he also has what seems to be a crow perching on his shoulder.
| >Xiria snaps a picture of herself and the bar before nodding once, and then twice, and then thrice.
>>760906
>Emily nods and starts making a drink
>>760908
"Welcome to the drifter sir!"
>The eyepatched bar tender says while waving to the man who just entered
| >A somewhat tall girl enters the bar, her red bomber jacket hanging over her shoulder.
>Her long white hair flows as the wind makes its way into the bar past her.
"Yo, Emily, I came like I said I wou--"
>She quickly notices >>760911 and stops moving
"Oh great, just >>>great"
| >>760913
>The Demiurge takes off his mask and offers his best smile, along with a wink to Falschen.
>Finally, someone whose thoughts he doesn't have to deal with.
"Hey, I see you missed me so much, you just had to come."
| >>760910
"Hey, hello! I'll have a brandtini, if you have that."
>The man merrily says as he makes his way towards the counter and take a seat. The crow on his shoulder hops off his shoulder and go to stand on the counter instead.
"Oh, and do you guys have some olives or pickles? Crow loves those."
| >>760915
>Fal cringes visibly at the smile and manneurism of her ""Friend""
>She scoffs and turns to the bar counter, sitting next to >>760906
>She turned back and shot a glare at the formerly masked man
"Piss off Grant"
>She said while scowling
| >>760917
>Alice spares only a glance to Falschen
>Meanwhile the maid is simply taking in the atmosphere, she seems a bit nervous, she keeps fiddling with her uniform
| >>760916
"A brandtini coming up sir! and yes we do, do you want those on a plate?"
>Emily, the bartender responds to the oddly dressed man
>>760906
>A sunshine cloud makes its way into your hands, along with a wink from Emily... well it's actually hard to tell if she was winking or just closing her eyes there.
| >>760919
>Alice nods and partakes of the drink
>She gently sips it with class unbifitting her current fashion choices
| >>760919
"Yes! That will be great, caw! Mich easier to eat from a plate than those jars, caw."
>Unexpectedly, it was the crow that answers this time, instead of the man. The man pulls down his mask.
"Yep, what he said."
| >>760922
"Woah, is that a speaking crow? some kind of robot?"
>Emily seems impressed as she plates the olives and hands you your drink
| >>760917
>"Grant" shrugs and with a renewed smile approaches Falschen
"C'mon now, we go way back, what's the deal with this cold shoulder treatment."
| >>760928
>Falschen scowls even harder!
"I don't remember "Going way back" with you Grant, you just make good food, don't get over yourself"
>She says, looking at him straight in the eyes.
| >>760929
>Emily looks at her friend with a smile on her face, before facing "Grant"
"You two know one another?"
>She asks simply
| >>760931
>"Grant" points to himself with his thumb, before extending his pointer finger to outline the angry Albino
"Besties"
>He delivers the line, completely deadpan
| >>760925
"Yeah, that's Crow, my robotic companion and duet."
>He says, taking off his hat and setting it on the table while Crow starts picking at the olives on the plate. He takes a little sip from the drink.
| >>760933
>Falschen almost loses her pokerface
>That was close, and underhanded, she shoots Grant a glare while trying her best to remain composed.
"Dumbass, who would hang out with someone who wears these rags... why does god respect a good fisherman anyway?"
>She says
| >>760939
>Grant smirks.
"Because God loves fishing, you wouldn't get it."
>a beat
"You know normally I'd make a retort about your own sense of style, but I can see that you've mostly fixed it lately. Is this a way to separate yourself from me Fal?"
| >>760941
>Emily chimes in!
"I was actually the one who helped Ele buy a new wardrobe! All she had were those old t-shirts and coats, she didn't even own a pair of jeans you know? nor a swimsuit!"
>She sounds proud of helping her friend be fashionable, she even smiles smugly.
| >>760941
>God loves fishing? That's a new one...
>Alice simply kept her comment for herself, she'd parroted the tall man's fashion choices to instill in him shame or at least understanding, but it seemed to have been a fruitless effort
>Not that she minded in the end, the short pants and t-shirt were very breathable compared to her usual outfits
>With these thoughts, Alice took another sip, nodding to herself
| >>760940
"Sure, why not. Give him a pet."
>He replies, while the crow is too distracted by olives to say anything.
| >>760942
>Falschen blushes a bit and shoots a reproachful look to Emily
"You didn't need to say that!"
>She pauses...
"It wasn't even that bad anyway."
>She adds, resolute.
| >>760948
>Emily, having pet the bird turns to her friend with a smile
"It was a shame is what it was, since you're so pretty Ele!"
>She says, with a genuine smile
| >>760949
"Pretty huh..."
>This doesn't seem to make Falschen feel good about herself, at all.
>>760950
>Falschen looks at the Demiurge... she returns the grave nod
| >>760949
>Crow actually seems kinda pleased to be pet. He swallows another olive before letting out another "Caw!"
| >>760956 >>760954
>Alice simply observes the two jesters, a faint frown finally appearing on her icy face
"Annoying."
>She mutters
| >>760960
>Falschen's neck creaks, she slows down and... not able to handle the sudden stoppage starts to feel dizzy!
"Damnit"
>She mumbles under her breath
| >>760962
>Grant stops at once as soon as his friend does.
>He smiles, winks, and slowly lifts both his hands into two finger guns
>*click* *click*!
"My win, once again"
| >>760958
>Alice simply returns to her stone face
"...Not a good noise."
>A rare longish sentence escapes her lips
| >>760964
>Fal smiles a little, before craning her neck
"Yeah yeah..."
>She looks back at Grant
"Your hands aren't shaking anymore."
>She points out to him, looking at his finger guns.
| >>760967
>She caught him, of course she did.
>Grant nods, and scratches the back of his (Now Sore) neck
>His head felt much better, clearer.
"Thanks"
| >>760968
>Falschen simply scoffs
"Emily get me a Ragnarok."
>She says, turning away from her friend.
| >>760969
>Emily seems impressed
"I thought you hated those Ele?"
>She still starts prepping it though.
| >>760970
>Fal blushes slightly
"It's for a friend, thought I'd honor them yaknow... don't make me spell it out alright?"
>She stammers out
| >Grant turned away, and approached the small pianist cat-boomer.
>Back into the fray.
| >>760972
>The maid seems to notice and stiffens up a little
>To relieve some stress, she begins patting the small cat-boomer
| >>760971
>Emily smiles
"Oh, right!"
>She hands the albino her drink, red like her eyes... and alcohol free!
| >>760976
>The maid seems highly disquieted by your look, sweat pooling on her forehead as she pet the cat
| >>760976
>Xiria lifts her face from her phone as Mikamo finishes up her cigarette while tuning some gear on the small stage in the back of the bar.
"Why didn't I call her directly? Why? Hmmm? Meow--?"
>The Cat says, her ears twitching
| >>760977
>Your eyes asshole. It's your eyes.
>Grant quietly puts on his mask again, cursing himself under his breath.
>As you should.
| >>760978
>The maid smiles at seeing the cat ears twitch
>Alice simply keeps sipping her drink as she watches
| >>760981
>The maid almost squeals in delight, barely holding herself back
>She'd always been fond of cats, but her mistress Alice insisted on not keeping any, so this was as close as she could get
| >>760984
>Grant lifts an eyebrow, and takes up the phone
>Don't sound too bad, please.
>You do. You always do.
"Hello? Aikawa?"
| >>760985
>"... This is... her husband, may I ask who I'm speaking to...?"
>... Goddamnit. Maybe you should've ripped off the bandaid instead of hoping she'd take the hint.
| >>760987
>Hmm, It's hard to read over the phone, the voice of her husband is Roy, why did she call him?
"This is Aru Grant, I guess people fancy me a Demiurge, we met in Colorado, Roy."
>There is clear, discernable pain in his voice, this is the voice of someone who will have to consume his daily limit of pain-killers, fast.
| >A man wearing cheap street clothes and a large green jacket walks into the bar with another man, a larger wearing a hoodie and wrapped hands
"Doesn't this place seem a little loud to talk business?"
>Step says to the man in the hoodie as they walk in and take a seat
"Yeah, it could be but I need to know if you can hang if we're gonna be partners."
>The hooded man says nudging Step with his elbow.
"Yo, bartender can we get a couple beers to start us off?"
| >>760989
"A-ah, Demiurge, I... almost didn't recognize you for a moment, there."
>"Grant" is what his wife calls him, but Roy can't bring himself to be so casual. He's at least dropped the "Mr." he used to title Aru with-- at the man's own request.
"Is... everything alright?"
| >The weirdly-dressed man with the crow, having quickly drained his first drink, starts playing a few notes on his guitar before catching himself and turns to Emily.
"Hey, uh, 'tender. Is it okay if I play a song here?"
| >>760995
"Hello! Welcome to the drifter! Beers is it? I'll get those out right away!"
>The eyepatched bartender answers your call for beers, dropping two large glasses filled to the brim before you after a few seconds of preparations!
>>761036
>Emily seems pensive for a moment
"You would have to ask Mikamo, the lady over there, she technically bought the stage for tonight"
>She points to the glaring, smoking, young girl with the Bousozoku jacket, hanging out on the stage.
| >>761041
>The man sets his guitar down, a little bit of disappointment in his face, which was quickly cover up with a sad smile.
"Oh, well, guess it's alright. We can just watch, wouldn't want to mix up the schedules now, eh Crow?"
>Crow swallows another olive whole.
"Caw, of course, caw!"
| >>761030
>Grant's smile widens just a bit.
"Thanks for not calling me mister, and yeah, I'm okay; just-"
>He pauses for a short time
"-Just the city air isn't doing me any good."
| >>761041
>Step and the man in the hoodie both thank the bartender for their drinks.
>The man in the hoodie addresses Step first
"I've lost every fight I've ever been in but *you* think we can make money as a team? You don't look like someone who can throw a punch let alone take one"
>Step laughs with a shrug
"You got me, My chin is like paper, but I AM good at fixing things, like busted up faces, augs, and of course, your shit technique."
>The pair begins to argue/discuss
| >At this moment the door to the bar was pushed open rather meekly by one caramel-skinned red-haired woman. She wore a rather disheveled crimson suit, that had a coffee stain etched into the fabric. Without saying a word she found her way to the bar, and sat down.
"... So much for journalism..."
| >>761135
>Emily takes note of the woman and smiles to her
"Hello, welcome to the drifter! what can I get you?"
| >>761138
"... A life."
>She notices her expression change upon the strange response, before she went to waive her hand as if to say forget it.
"Nevermind, just get me something strong."
| >>761108
>I'll say. The guy sounds like he's well on his way to keeling over... On the other end of the line, Roy grimaces. There's a beat as he painstakingly concocts his tone of voice: he's careful to remove any snark from the hint of doubt he's muddled into his reply.
"... Right. I see."
>Whose idea was it to call him? The Demiurge had been expecting to speak with Aikawa-- not the man he's talking to currently.
| >>761180
"Don't worry about it, just talk normally. I'm used to snark."
>Grant leans over to an amplifier, sitting upon it to rest his legs. He gives a look to Falschen as he mentions "snark".
"Xiria was the one who called you, I think she assumed I wanted a singer along with a drummer. Apologies for that."
| >>761188
>Falschen only gives Grant a side-look as she drinks from her glass... and promptly starts coughing
"This is so sweet-- jesus"
>She says, coughing
| >>761188
>Alice Arcand looks on to Grant as he speaks to the phone, her rythmic tapping steady and forming a melody some might recognize
>For one with such sight, she thought, he surely did not seem to be in the know of much
>Then again, sight is a fickle thing, we see what we want to see, and contrasts hit us harder than even the darkest of colours
"...Dumb cat."
>Alice murmured as she sipped her drink
| >>761194
>Emily gives an exasperated sigh to Fal, and shakes her head
"This is why I didn't want to make it, you're always talking about how you hate sweets Ele, why did you force yourself like this anyway?"
>She attempts to pick up the half-finished glass from the counter...
| >>761188
>Roy chews on his lip. His desire wasn't to /be/ a jerk, he just... didn't want to end up /sounding/ like one by mistake. He sighs as the Demiurge finishes calling him out, then clarifies the reason for this call.
"..."
>... There's something about Aru's phrasing that triggers a little red flag in Roy's head to start waving. He shifts his weight from foot to foot uneasily.
"... I'm sorry, but... neither are available."
| >>761199
"That's what I assumed, Xiria said she couldn't join you at first, I guess you're busy. That's fine, don't worry about it"
>Grant waves a hand around.
"Oh, and also, I wanted to apologize for something, I gave Falschen Aikawa's number, I heard she met your mother and wanted to talk to her and you, by extension."
>He pauses
"It wasn't a bother was it?"
| >>>761174
"More like a rough year..."
>The woman laid her head onto the bar table, her messy hair spilling over it.
"I'll never win over those executives are TMMN..."
| >>761210
>Emily hands you an old fashioned in a chilled glass, with a large ball of ice.
"I hear Executives are often inflexible."
>She says with a single nod
| >>761212
"I've never seen those executives /flex/ either."
>She'd sit up to pick up the drink, as she swirled it around a bit before taking a chug, before coughing like mad.
"Ugh GOD! That was a terrible idea..."
| >>761221
>Emily panics a little and hands you a large flute glass filled to the brim with cold water
"Are you okay?!"
| >>761204
"..."
>... Where's the relief? Where's the feeling of pressure being eased off his shoulders, of that twisted arm being unwound and returned to it's rightful place?
"... Okay."
>It's not here. Not at all.
"Huh? Oh, n-no-- you don't need to apologize for that..."
>That's right. She did meet Peggy. His mother couldn't stop talking about the kind young woman who helped her-- the one with the most beautiful white hair...
"A bother...?"
| >>761228
"Some people take it the wrong way to have private information shared to others... plus I had no way to know Falschen wasn't lying about knowing both of you."
>Aru pauses, a grunt escapes his lips, barely contained.
>He sounds awful, yet still manages to crack a smile.
"I can't read that one after-all."
| >>761232
"... I had... honestly thought they'd exchanged numbers. Every time Falschen comes up in conversation, Ei mentions how she saved her life at least once. She trusts--"
>Roy startles as the Demiurge tries and fails to muffle the sound of his pain.
"Demiurge, I'm serious-- are you >>>okay?"
>Maybe the guy should skip the encore tonight...
| >>761238
>There's no answer
"Do I sound okay to you?"
>A single mutter, quiet
"I can't skip this saddly... I have to be here in Glitch City tonight, Pain is something I can fucking try and deal with"
>Aru speaks quietly, and curses. It's clear he's not the type to use such language usually, something is clearly making him angsty.
| >>761243
>Falschen looks at Grant and sighs, she grabs the drink Emily was trying to wrestle away from her hands and downs it completely
>Her face contorts in disgust for a second, but she recovers quickly enough and gets up.
"Thanks Emi, but I'm fine"
>She says
| >>761222
"Yeah... I don't uh... drink super often... well, at all..."
>She sighed as she rubbed her hands into her eyes.
"I guess I do now.."
| >>761247
>Emily pats the woman on the back with a soft smile
"It's not good to force yourself miss, you should take it slowly, maybe talking about it would help?"
| >>761245
>Emily simply shrugs as Falschen does her own thing
"What even brought this on Ele...?"
>She asks the Albino
| >>761248
>She'd smile sort of meekly towards Emily, appreciating the gesture.
"Yeah, actually I think I'd like to..."
>She fidgeted with her hands a little bit as she thought how to talk about it.
"Have you... uh... read any of the faux news articles on Danger/u/ by Marion 'May' O'Naiz?"
| >>761243
>A lull, as Roy internally berates himself for asking a question he'd known the answer to not even three words into their conversation.
"..."
>What can he do, other than apologize? There's this knee jerk urge to tell the poor man he can write him a script-- that's squashed almost as soon as it's a fully formed thought. Prescribing for friends and acquaintances is bad medical practice.
"..."
| >>761256
>Marion would rub the back of her neck sheepishly, looking anywhere but at her bartender.
"Well, I'm... I'm the writer behind them...?"
| >>761260
>Aru sighs, he breathes in and his smile deepens as his eyes look over the bar in a single, winding motion
"Don't be sorry, I showed you something unsightly, as our common friend would say"
>A look towards the cat-boomer Xiria
"The only thing I need prescribed for me... is a Banger, Roy"
>I'll show that fucker I can still party, he thinks.
>No matter what.
"Oh, and Advil, of course, unless you know a better and hopefully stronger pill I could take"
>A wink.
| >>761262
>Falschen, who was approaching Grant, sees him smile and wink.
>She shrugs and turns back
>Looks like he's fine anyway, thank god.
>She spots >>761124
"Yo! Step is that you?"
>Falschen waves at him
| >>761261
>Emily claps her hand, bringing them together up to her chest
"That's impressive! I couldn't write myself out of a paperbag you know?"
>She says, actually a bit impressed.
| >>761264
>Step waves back
"Hey, hey! Falschen! How you doing?"
>The man in the hoodie with Step elbows him in the ribs
"*whistles* Bro! Who's she? I thought you were new in town?"
>Step elbows back, harder
"She's a friend, You stupid gorilla. The only one I've got so far and the only *reason* you're sitting here with me in the first place."
| >>761267
>Fal shows both the men a grin as she places both hands upon her hips
"So I guess you got your credstick situation sorted, and met someone to help you along the fightin' part eh?"
>She chuckles
| >The man with the crow flags Emily, having finished his drink.
"Um, bartender, I'll have another Brandtini, please."
| >>761268
>Step flashes a credstick
"Yup. but the fighting bit? I found a cage downtown from some of the street racers you pointed me towards"
"Then watched this idiot get smoked, I think he's got potential. At the very least a comeback win after that last disaster will lead to big money in side bets"
>The man tries to interrupt him but Step shoots him down.
"The fact is, you're desperate enough for a W that you agreed to meet me."
"What about you Falschen, you alright?"
| >>761275
>She flashes step a grin
"Glad it helped you out pal, and yeah, I'm dandy, right down feelin' great."
| >>761262
>A sliver of a grin creeps across Roy's face. He can't help it.
"... Naproxen, and cyclobenzaprine. You can replace the Advil with the former."
>He'll have to consult a pharmacist on what the medicinal equivalent of a "banger" is. Sounds like it'd be something fun, which means it's... almost certainly very, very illegal.
"..."
>Roy clears his throat awkwardly. Another pause-- he hesitates-- before speaking again, his voice lowered.
"... Aru."
| >>761277
>Aru Grant nods
>He never did like being called by his first name. But somehow; it felt good this time.
"Yeah?"
| >>761278
"... Your company means a lot to my wife."
>Roy heaves a deep sigh.
"... Something-- no, some >>>things came up recently, that... made her question whether or not being around you was safe; whether or not it was a sound idea..."
>And, it isn't the first time she's worried about that. Ever since that one visit to the underpass, she's been skittish and easily spooked when it comes to mention of the Demiurge and his associates.
"That's... why she's not coming."
| >>761282
>He sounds regretful, and disappointed. Over what? Or, with whom? It isn't hard to guess.
"... It's part of why >>>I'm not, either."
>Though, it has less to do with you, personally, than it does the people you're surrounded by...
"... I have no doubt that, were current circumstances different, she'd be there in a heartbeat."
>But, neither of us can ignore what we saw-- what we read, what we were told. We can't take that risk.
| >>761276
>Step polishes off his beer.
"You sure? You seem a little off. I'm not one to pry so if you're feeling good; how about a drink?"
| >>761265
"I wish the executives at work could find it as impressive as you do..."
>Marion sighed staring at the alcoholic beverage in her hand as she watched the liquid move with each little tilt of her hand.
"So, I... I guess I used to work, at TMNN, The Meta News Network as a journalist."
>Marion would grip her glass a little tight.
"I've been trying to get back in, by continuing to write articles, but they all won't touch my work with one click of their mouse."
| >>761284
>Aru keeps up his smile, but closes his eyes underneath his mask
"That's... understandable Roy, It's all part of my mistake, sometimes the best intentions one can hold lead to unwanted results."
>He pauses, he know that very well, about how the desire to help is what got them in trouble in the first place.
>And how it got him the way he is now.
"It's part of why I'm here, clutching my head in this bar, I have to make things right."
>His voice sounds his age finally.
| "And it's all because of one stupid article I wrote..."
>Marion would go to take a proper sip from the drink giving a little recoil from the taste, but went for another quickly.
| >>761289
>Aru sighs, leaning back
"... Wait. Who said what, read what?"
>Aru latches on to what Roy thought, What did he read about him? Aikawa knew of his relatives, but surely he didn't mean that alone? what was it they had heard?
"Roy, you're talking about my imposter right? The tall bastard who disguised himself to look like me on that interview, right?"
| >>761289
>Alice finishes sipping her drink as she watches Grant go through a guilt trip, her face is still cold
>She shakes her head and stands up, moving closer to the Demiurge until she's right behind him
>She remains stock still
>Meanwhile her maid is still standing around nervously, petting Xiria
| >>761291
>Roy cocks his head. Did he say something strange?
"..."
>How to explain it all...
"The... comic that was advertised on /u/ recently. The one featuring our... likenesses. Ei came across it, and... wasn't happy about it. Neither of us were."
>That's an understatement.
"We... brought it to a colleague's attention, and... the night we left the hospital briefly became the topic of discussion."
>It only spiraled from there...
| >>761297
"We were told somebody very dangerous was in the hospital that night."
>... /Which/ somebody, Roy; SEVERAL dangerous entities showed up at NSFMed during the course of the blackout. You had two active shooter warnings, and a bomb threat.
"Someone >>>we weren't in contact with, but our... mutual 'friend' was."
>He... no longer seems all that enthused about referring to Xiria casually.
"... It all fell apart from there."
| >>761298
>Oh lord.
"Roy... You're talking about Xiria's previous boss, correct? Weisswind."
>He doesn't know how to break this to him.
"... She's not after you or Aikawa, she was helping CN because she wanted to use his Decking skill, she also helped him out in other ways that night."
>She /is/ a dangerous person though, in many more ways than one, her addiction to Boys Love comics is something for which legends are sung.
| >>761302
>Xiria's ears twitch!
"Weiss? Very good lady, very--? Wanted CN to help her find old computer? IBM? Meow--?"
>She keeps purring from the Maid's petting.
| >>761302
"I... think that's them, yes. Something was said about... 'creating a debt'?"
>Which, our "mutual friend" facilitated. That's... definitely not concerning; no, not at all--
"Somewhere down the line in this conversation, you were mentioned, as was Hougetsu... Ei was... reprimanded for thinking about the hardship we were enduring when she came to talk to you about that same hardship...?"
>That's what she told me, anyway...
| >>761306
>Hougetsu?
"Hougetsu, how was she mentionned? What does she have to do with this? My imposter isn't hollow enough to affect her"
>Aru's energy is back, he gets up on his feet and paces around.
"Who mentionned us, and did they say the word REO at any point?"
>It was Half-light wasn't it? or Electro-Chemistry?
>No, it was another.
>Whose thoughts are these?
"It was... Humilitatem wasn't it?"
| >>761305
>The maid swoons as she watches the funny cat's ears twitch
>Alice meanwhile is still standing behind Aru Grant, a cold stare bores into his back
>She can feel it on her Skin, the prickling feeling... shivers, words and sentences from another place, carried in the air
| >>761309
>[Shivers]: The city speaks. It lashes out, a porcelain doll watches from the rooftops, towards the farmlands beyond the horizon.
>[Shivers]: A light turns off within the underground, a beast with purple eyes smiles while slowly winding it's tendrils.
>[Shivers]: The city moves, it screams, it refuses to die.
>[Shivers]: IT IS ALIVE
| >>761308
>... How /was/ she mentioned? He'd logged off at that point; she'd been on her own.
"..."
>... Goddamnit.
"... H-hold on, just a minute."
>The sounds of creaking wood, of tottery footsteps, and the rustle and ruffle of bedsheets. The groaning of springs.
>"Ei-- hey, Ei..."
>His voice is muffled. He must've put the phone down a little ways away from him.
>"... Hi."
>The amount of love Roy somehow manages to express through that simple greeting alone is stunning.
| >>761312
>Alice nods, her skin still feels the words, the sentences... it still feels the rage, the resilience and the strength
>She wonders how others can live, knowing so little of the world around them, never hearing the voice of the City, never hearing it's pulse, quickening every more
>Finally, a smile dawns on her frigid face; she feels truly alive, finally
>She keeps her gaze trained to the Demiurge, she wonders; does he hear it too? Perhaps not yet...
| >>761314
>Aru smiles at Roy's clear affection for his partner.
>>761315
>He doesn't need to feel it, he knows.
>His power isn't like how Hougetsu perceived things. it will never be
"Having fun Alice?"
>He asks with that encrusted expression of his, that half-smile.
| >>761314
>"... I'm sorry to wake you."
>A soft moan, followed by mumbling, mostly incomprehensible. The voice that isn't Roy's is hoarse-- they sound kind of croaky. Might be good for them to clear that frog out of their throat.
>"'Bout time f--... ...t up, anyway... what is't?"
>"Ah, I... there's... someone on the phone who wants to talk to you."
>The other party scoffs loudly.
>"/Who/-- 'f'ts your mom, tell'er can't talk right now..."
| >>761318
"Yeah, feels like I'm finally alive, Grant."
>Her voice now flows smoothly, much more reminscent of the Alice others would be familiar with
"But really, saying all this to that idiot couple's gotta be a huge pain, right? I wish I could be half as carefree as they are, sheesh."
>She shrugs exaggeratedly
"Still, it's so like you to worry about others to that extent. You're the model 'Tortured Saint' archetype you know?"
>She frames Aru's back with her fingers, all smiles
| >>761319
>... Oh, if only.
>"No, it's... it's somebody else, it's... /Grant/."
>You can almost hear the other person's eyes snap open. Their volume spikes, they lose their rasp--
>"The /fuck/?! Roy, the /fuck/ are you--"
>Copious amounts of shushing, the word "no" repeated over and over, in an attempt to soothe.
>"... Xiria called me. She wanted us to come out to the bar tonight, and... when I said no, she passed me over to Grant."
| >>761320
>There's a twitch in Aru's left eye as she utters the words "Tortured saint"
>He's no such thing. A devil would fit him much better.
"That's good, I only wish I could feel half as alive as you do right now"
>He points to his head with a wider smile
"Hurts like a bitch"
| >>761322
"Ahaha, nah, a devil wouldn't suit you. The Devil is evil, and he knows. You? You aren't like that. You aren't good, but you aren't bad."
>The Great Chaos chuckles, her eyes are unfocused, but her skin prickles, she can feel everything again
"Still, all this pain you feel, it's a remainder that you're still human somewhere down there. I'd be more worried if you weren't in pain like that."
>That volume of information would make any human suffer
| >>761321
>"... What's he /really/ want?"
>"... Nothing. Just to talk. He just wants to talk."
>There's crackling and a sudden "crunch" as the phone is presumably snatched from Roy's hand, and brought to the other caller's ear.
"... >>>What? What is it?"
>Yikes. Good morning to you, too, sleeping beauty...
| >>761324
>Aru shushes Alice
"Well, good morning to you too Aikawa"
>He jokingly says; he sounds absolutely terrible, like he's about to keel over and pass out at any time now.
"Don't mention how bad I sound, My head hurts enough to kill me already, I wouldn't want to have to explain this twice..."
>A pause, you can hear him sigh lightly
"I wanted to ask a question to you, about that time you talked with Humilitatem, is that okay?"
| >>761285
>Falschen looks at Step with a wry smile
"You could tell?"
>She sighs, and points to the tall man with the gaudy apron, speaking on the phone.
"This idiot calls himself my friend, and seemingly I'm gonna have to babysit him all night, just my luck"
>Another sigh
| >>761326
>Aikawa respects Aru's request to keep the questions about his present state to a minimum, and merely grunts in response. She doesn't sound much better.
"... >>>Who?"
| >>761294
>For a moment Marion was distracted by the other scene going on in the bar, before she realized she left Emily hanging.
"Sorry, I was distracted..."
>She took a big sip from her drink, which prompted another cough from her.
"I uh... I wrote a article about the wrestler The Red Comet, but the information I had was false."
>She'd lean her head back a little looking up.
"Someone tore it apart online, and I've been crawling out ever since..."
| >>761332
"The red comet? Oh, that muscular lady with the arm."
>Emily nods.
"I see, that's rough, how did you get the wrong information?"
| >>761330 >>761331
>"Mili". That's familiar... Yes, she did talk to somebody who went by that name, recently.
"..."
>... It didn't end all that well. That's why she's sleeping at such an odd hour. Something rumbles in her chest and climbs upward-- a growl of annoyance. "Just to talk", huh?
"... Shoot."
| >>761337
>Aru chuckles
"I'm not responsible for how your husband introduced this call Aikawa, take it with him"
>He says, trying his best to be as cheery as he can be.
>It's a failure sire, his words are weak, his voice lacking any power.
"I wanted to know, if she talked about Hougetsu, and mentionned the word 'REO' at any point. Roy seems under the impression that Xiria's past employer is after both of you."
>A pause
"He's wrong by the way"
>He says in a whisper.
| >>761338
>Aikawa gives her husband an absolutely vicious side eye. In response, he looks down at his lap, where his hands are busy lacing and unlacing their fingers. Busted!
"... Asked me 'bout 'Getsu's name 'n her eye color..."
>Man, that slur is wicked when she's zonked. Someone, get some coffee in this woman!
"Said pink, 'n they flipped... 'code for empty'r some bullshit."
>At this point, Aru should know /exactly/ how much Aikawa /loves/ "cryptic bullshit".
| >>761340
>Aru smiles, She really doesn't sound much better than he does.
"Yes, We're both related to the hollow thing, those were the relatives I spoke about before... Why would she confuse that with my imposter though? and why would she bring attention to Xiria..."
>Shaking his head he takes a deep breath
"Look, Aikawa, the one who made up that comic about the Dynamoforce using my name was someone called LS, they're not after you. they're simply a coward"
>And a motherfucker.
| >>761333
"Actually, I was pretty big then, so I had some good informants to get me some news when I couldn't find anything really juicy."
>She'd go to take another sip of her drink, getting a bit more used to it.
"But, I guess one of the others was jealous or something... I'm still trying to figure out who fed me it..."
>She'd finish off her drink, with a small grimace at the end.
"... Am I'm doomed to upload unofficial articles on Danger/u/?"
| >>761327
"Bartender, grab the lady here whatever she wants, if anything. I'll take another beer. Get ol' ham hands here a water, he's gonna need it for tomorrow morning"
>Step turns back over to Falschen, while his "business partner" begins grumbling something incoherently
>Step shoots a glance at Demiurge
"That guy, huh? Babysitting usually means one or two things; Either he can't handle himself or he can't be trusted to not make a fool of himself. Which is it gonna be?"
| >>761342
"... Don't 'spose that stands for somethin'...?"
>Aikawa coughs to clear her throat-- mercifully, she turns her head away from the mouthpiece of Roy's cell to do this; sparing the Demiurge the brunt of her hacking. At least it's only like this in the morning, now-- when she smoked, this sort of thing happened much more often.
"... 'REO' came up."
>She hadn't been paying attention by that point, though.
| >>761386
>Aru appreciates the gesture, seeing as his head was already about to burst; the last thing he needed more of right now was noise
"I would love to tell you it stands for coward, but it's really code for Life Stealer; They're a great one... one my master was suposed to have dealt with a long time ago."
>He remembers the face of his mentor for an instant.
>What color were her eyes underneath the veil?
>He can't remember.
"an REO is what Hougetsu is classified as."
| >>761347
>Falschen scoffs
"With an apron like that, embarrassement is all he can provide, trust me on this."
>She gives the tall man a glare.
"But, I'll take the drink with pleasure. Emily, give me whisky on the rocks, good one"
>She calls out to the eyepatched bartender as she sits down. she turns to face Step's partner
"So, what's your name chummer?"
>She asks with a smile
| >>761391
>Step gets a laugh out of the apron
"I dunno what kinda history you two have, but I'd trust a friend to let me learn my own lessons; not that I wouldn't appreciate you having my back."
>Step's partner flashes a big cocky grin
"Name's Russ, Current cage fighter, future LEGEND! I'm hoping this joker can get me there but he won't tell me about his 'previous partners' or where he came from."
>Step's expression shifts to a pained one but he chooses to keep quiet.
| >>761390
>There it is again, "Great One"... Fal's one of those, right? She never did learn what that meant. Now, she's not sure she wants to know.
"... You guys ever think 'a... >>>not usin' 'breviations for this shit?"
>As if it isn't already hard enough to make sense of...
| >>761513
>Aru grins as he responds.
"If I was the one who made up these words, I'd have used simple, direct language. Something like: Annoying idiots would have been a good blanket term I think."
| >>761523
"... There anything >>>else you wanted t'know?"
>Aikawa yawns-- Aru can hear her hum as she stretches, trying to shake blood into her limbs.
| >Alice simply shrugs as Aru focuses on his conversation, going back to her seat at the bar
"Emily, my dear, I'll have a hard drink, don't hold back on me."
>She seems much happier now, her face back to expressing genuine delight
| >>761551
"... I would ask you to bang some drums while I make a fool of myself on stage, but it seems like Roy is against the idea, so I'll hold off on asking about that."
>Aru exhales loudly, pushing the warm air of the bar out of his lungs
"but, I confirm you heard wrong information from somewhere, and in a way... it's a relief for me to know that I was right about coming here tonight."
| >>761555
"Walker's >>>not my keeper."
>Aikawa's voice is firm. Her eyes narrow. Roy feels his brow beginning to bead with sweat-- did he make the wrong call (or, perhaps /take/ the wrong call)? He wouldn't have been so insistent in his refusal if he'd felt she'd welcome seeing Aru again...
"... Not super hot on playin' out with you, though. Got that right."
>A beat.
"Why'd y'come, anyway?"
|
| >>761738
>Aru breathes in sharply, steadying his voice
"Because I'm tired Aikawa"
>There is not a single hint of his joking tone within his voice anymore. Although, after a single beat, his voice resumes with it's usual tone;
"Also got some friends in town I need to meet, a guy I know owns a bar in Midnight for example."
| >>762201
>Thanks for dropping the schtick. I'd rather you be straight with me and cut to the chase than waste your breath on banter, if it means you get to tell the truth without suffering for it.
"... Yeah."
>Me, too.
"... Gonna go say 'hi' to Vincent?"
>Drop off more cookies for him to pawn off on me?
>The wry smile she wears flattens out, as she thinks.
"..."
>Isn't it only fair for her to quit joking around, too?
"... What can I do?"
| >>762212
>Aru nods, his pacing stops.
"Yeah, gotta go pawn off more food to him."
>Aru looks towards Falschen as Aikawa speaks of helping him.
>His face returns to it's usual smile, he shakes his head.
"If you could find a way to talk to Hougetsu, while I'm here. Tell her not to follow me. That'd be a great help... I have a feeling she may try something stupid... In a way she really does take after me."
>He winks to the Albino as he speaks.
| >>762213
>Falschen simply groans
>>761394
"Glad to meet ya Russ, hope you get to legend status quickly eh?"
>She says in a good mannered voice, offering him her hand to shake
| >>762213
"How the fuck'd she >>>follow you?"
>She's a little /kid/, for christ's sake! She can't even reach the stove without getting on a step stool-- she's not /allowed/ to cook without supervision-- unless she's an emancipated minor, /nobody/ in their right mind would let that child travel unaccompanied by an adult.
"..."
>Aikawa's about to speak further when Roy's phone starts buzzing against her head.
"The fuck...?"
>Her voice gets distant as she pulls the phone away.
| >>762214
>"... For you."
>... Oh, no way. There's /no/ way. This is just some kind of prank, right?
>"... What the hell...?"
>Quiet murmuring between the roommates, punctuated by harsh whispers and muted exclamations of disbelief... rapid tapping, then sounds like static as the phone returns to it's place by Aikawa's mouth.
"... Too late."
| >>762217
"She's a very ressourceful girl."
>Aru cocks an eyebrow as he hears the phone being pulled away
| >>762222
"Geekboy's got'er. Dunno >>>where he's got her, but he's got'er."
>Aru can hear Roy groaning behind his wife, muffling his despair by hiding his face in his hands.
| >>762223
"..."
>Aru is left speechless for an instant, his headache roaring with renewed ferocity
"I can't trust CN, especially with all the people who flock around him."
>He gives Alice Arcand a furtive look.
"Just, if you could, I'm sure she'd be glad to see any face she could recognize right now."
| >>762224
>... The Demiurge's stunned silence speaks volumes.
"'Could' >>>what?"
>Aikawa and Roy exchange nervous glances. Neither know why the other appears so concerned... yet.
| >>762225
"Meet her, talk to her. Tell her I'm fine"
>Aru clarifies
"I know it's a big favor, but I..."
>He pauses for what seems like an eternity, the smile on his face twisted by nervosity
"I can't affoard to have her walking around unattended, you remember what I said don't you, about my "relatives"? She's not safe out there."
>He bites his lip
"You both are the only ones I know and trust in this city, everyone else may as well be a stranger or a foe."
| >Mikamo, the girl on stage next to "The Demiurge" looks at the small cat-boomer next to her, now holding a pair of drum sticks and tapping them along to a rythm she alone hears.
"S'that guy gonna be alright, he seems awfully stressed, can't strum like that can't ya?"
>Her voice is a mess, what with her thick Kansai accent comming through
"Meow--? Fine? Good? He'll be fine? Finer than hair?"
| >>762226
>"... Hear that?"
>"... Yeah."
>"..."
>Of course, they remember. It was a big deal for him to say that-- it still /is/ a big deal.
>"..."
>More whispering; discussion of whether or not this is just as "bad" as going to the bar to play out with Aru & Co... you can practically hear all the anxious hand-wringing that's being done.
>"..."
>The tapping, again.
| >>762232
"He is, but I also haven't seen him in a while... he's my height too."
>The last of his words are whispered.
>He could have been the one who...
>He didn't want to say it.
"I can't ask him."
| >>762234
>Aikawa's confusion is audible.
"... Soooo's Walker...? Geeky too, maybe? Your point?"
>The Demiurge can hear Roy rapidly trying to hush her-- she'd been asleep for the part of their conversation where they'd discussed the "tall bastard who diguises himself to look like Grant".
"... Oh. >>>Oh. You... y'don't mea--"
>... She doesn't want him to say it, either. Roy fills the space.
"... I'm sorry to interrupt-- CN says she's... at a place called 'Charlie'?"
| >>762237
"... You >>>aren't okay."
>They aren't going to /lie/ to the girl--
"... Why she came out here'n the >>>first place... you're all fucked up."
>Eloquent as always, Aikawa.
"..."
>Well? Now what? You offered the man a hand; either you actually give him one, or you yank it away. Or, you tell him you have a hook, instead. That'd throw him for a loop.
"... We gotta shoo Geeky outta there, 'r somethin?"
| >>762241
"You don't need to tell her I'm okay... just tell her i'm >>>fine enough, she'll understand... probably."
>Aru smiles, she'll know, their bond is strong enough.
"If you would, I'd appreciate it, just tell him I'll be coming to get her soon enough, wherever she is, and that he shouldn't mention this to anyone: especially not his exotic friends."
| >>762246
"... A'ight."
>The phone vibrates again as CN replies to Aikawa's most recent message... Aru can hear her snort loudly as she tries to avoid cracking up on the other end of the line.
>"Oh, /fuck/-- hold me /back/, Walker--"
>"Ei, /don't/-- does he know it isn't me he's talking to?"
| >>762246
>Alice is still sitting and looking over at Grant, a smile on her lips
"Aren't you a good little guy. Worried about the kid like that."
>She's holding back laughter, and it's obvious
| >>762247
"Always glad to offer some opportunity to take it out on him, but please atleast be civil"
>Aru winks as his smiles grows larger
"Wouldn't want to sully Roy's good image too."
>>762249
>He scoffs
| >>762250
>She explodes laughing, very, very loudly
"Ahahahaha! Get a load of this guy! Oh man, this is why being around you is the best, it's so goddamn *amusing*!"
>Her maid on the stage is blushing now, embarrassed that her master is attracting so much attention
"Ah... man, been a hot minute since I haven't laughed my ass off, you should think about a clowning career if Demiurge-ing doesn't treat you nice."
| >>762251
"I'll give it some thought, maybe I could fit you and your sisters inside the clown car, might fit in a few other GOs in there too."
>Aru jokingly adds while staring at Alice.
| >>762254
>Alice's face doesn't lose it's smile, but it gains an icy edge
"Don't act smart with me, Grant, not when you're obviously a step away from choking. And don't compare me to those fakes, yeah?"
>She shakes her head with a shrug
"Oh man, I must be slipping up myself, getting upset over such cheap provocation... Well, that does sound like me, in the end."
| >>762250
"A'ight, only 'cause you >>>asked, though..."
>Alice's sudden laughter isn't at all difficult for Aikawa to overhear. She says, with mock disapproval:
"... God, you're doin' >>>stand-up? All 'cause I couldn' be your rhythm section?>>>Grant--"
>"Ei..."
>Aikawa sighs as the fun stops. Party's over; time to leave.
"... Don't take too long, 'kay?"
| >>762259
"Yeah, Real funny jokes coming in live, the biggest one is right here talking with you"
>He laughs derisively
"I won't take long. Thank-you."
>He hangs up the phone, handing it back to Xiria.
"Sorry it took so long, Xiria, Mikamo."
| >>762261
>Xiria tilts her head as she takes back her phone
"Hmm? Fun talks? Good talks? not coming? sad--? Drum go dokodoko don still?"
>Xiria says, her ears flopping down
"Yeah, what's gonna happen to the drummin' Can't rush without a drummer omae"
>Mikamo adds with a sigh.
| >>762214
>Russ accepts the handshake, probably a bit too firmly
"And Step called you Falschen, right? It's great to meet someone who treats me with some RESPECT!"
>Russ leers over at Step, then back to Falschen before exclaiming
"You bet I wanna reach the top! I'm gonna do it too. I'll have you know I've only lost FIVE fights!"
>Step's expression lightens up and he laughs
"You're goddamn right you've only lost five!"
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| >Deep into uptown, tucked away within an alleyway, there is a bar of some repute, with a small name-plate and an industrial loft design. Within, an eyepatched bartender was holding a glass and cleaning it.
>There were a lot of clients today, including some regulars, and it was promising to be even busier; the band hadn't even arrived yet apart from their bassist and organizer, a short girl with shoulder lenght red hair, screaming into a phone receiver in heavily accented japanese.