"I hate it when someone asks that question", she disgustingly slammed the glass on the counter, "How are you?"

Miranda turned around from the wine cabinet, and looked at her hopelessly, continuing to rinse the glasses.

"Oi, that's gonna cost you, ya know, if it breaks", she said in a low, reserved, and relaxed voice.

"Really, now?! What the hell am I supposed to say to that?", the other party who was clearly far too agitated and drunk to hold a conversation, completely ignored Miranda's kind warning.

"Don't spill, Kino, you're stinkin' up the whole place. What are you, an old man?", Miranda, noticed the spill on the counter and grabbed a swab.

"You know what he should have said, instead? Ya know?!"

"Please not so loud, Barry and I had a hangover last night. Although I'm still working", Miranda retained her calm composure, despite the complain.

"Wha...?! Who the candy crane's Barry?", Kino burst, slamming her hands on the bar, and getting up in frustration.

"Calm it, miss", Miranda backed off for a bit, "Barry's my man."

"You pig of a liar, you!", Kino pointed right into her face, "It was Jim Bo last week, wann'it?"

Kino's speech was apparently becoming slurry because of the drink. Yet, she firmly held on to the champagne bottle like her life depended on it. Miranda knew it was a sign to put her to sleep, otherwise the whole pub would be in ruins.

"Who's Jim Bo? Funny name for a real person", Miranda brushed her off easily, and went on wiping the counter.

"You little yap! You told me that yourself! I knew it was a sin of a name. T'was you gettin' on my case about bein' judgy o' names! You sick little...!"

"Kino, please hand over the bottle. It's bar property until you pay for it", Miranda reached over the counter to grab the bottle.

"No, you dirty...!", Kino backed off, "Not until you tell me the truth! Dammit! How am I still all lonely and shit?"

Miranda sighed. In fact, all 53 of Miranda's boyfriends and husbands over the past month, were short lived, lasting barely a week. Once the week was out, they were wiped from reality and went back to being non-existent. Kino bought it every time. And Miranda couldn't help but test how far she could go.

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This once she'd thought she'd really be caught with Jim Bo. But apparently, Kino was buying Barry as well. So the trifle continues, thought Miranda. In fact, her real name wasn't Miranda at all.

"Alright, Kino, I'll hear you talk. You don't like people asking "How are you?", was it? Well that's a perfectly sane sentiment to have, just not something one'd expect from you", Miranda tried to make her drop her guard.

"Huh?! Why not?", Kino closed in.

She was far too easy.

"You're not very sane, Kino", Miranda replied casually, "Not that it's your fault. You are just never really sober is all."

"Huh?! You cun-"

"Whoa now, not so loud, Kino. Armand and I had one too many shots last night", Miranda interrupted her, calm as a summer day.

"Armand? Who the duckling paw's that?", Kino broke again.

"Barry's step-brother from his third mother. He's rather something, I tell ya. Just hopin' Barry doesn't figure it out. Well, he's a bit slow upstairs so...", Miranda dropped, as if it was the most casual thing to say.

Meanwhile, Kino had been closing in without realizing.

"Oi, you aren't for real, are ya? You're doin' 'em both, are ya? Brothers and all?", Kino's eyes were open as wide as a dead drunk's eyes could possibly open.

"Hmm? Anyways, Kino", Miranda leaned in and quickly snatched the bottle from Kino's hand, "You've had enough. Pay up."

"Oi!!!!", Kino could barely do anything in her condition, "You foxy!"

Miranda let her be and turned back towards the cabinet she was cleaning before. It was past closing time, Kino was the only one who came in at that hour.

Kino grabbed a stool and basically slammed her head onto the marble counter, before breaking into sobs.

"Why's it a'ways happens t' me?! I don't get it! How've you made it?! You of all...!", and her sobs only grew louder, painting the perfect picture of a hopeless drunk.

Miranda watched her, without caring a whole lot, leaning back on the other end of the counter. She'd lit up a cigarette. The sound of rain outside made her feel drunk herself. She hadn't touched a drop for seven years. She never planned to. But an alcoholic that she was, she could get drunk on all those distance melancholies, like the rain, or the birds trying to take flight but falling down to some impending doom before even getting started.

Kino's sobs, as loud as they were, didn't drown out the sound of rain. Miranda listened close, the pitter patter made her feel full.

"Oi, Kino", she spoke after a while realizing the sobs weren't going to calm themselves, "Ya know, I figure why you hate that question is because you don't got the answer, do ya?"

"Eh?", Kino lifted her tear stained face from the counter and looked at Miranda, questioningly.

"It'd be something if you could figure it out, eh? I'm awesome and you? How's your day?...Or something like that, huh? Honestly, if someone asked me that question, I wouldn't know the answer either. It's never really registered as a question I want to lie to. You catch my wind?", Miranda took a deep drag of her cigarette.

"Heh...?", Kino was clearly too fuse blown to understand.

"All I'm sayin' is, Kino, ya don't gotta hate it if you don't know it. Though, I'd likely hate the question too, as much as ya, if I were ever asked", Miranda mused on, looking at the mahogany carpet that she'd kept remarkably clean over the years.

"Eh, what? Ya ne'er been asked that? How are you? Ya nev' been asked that, Miranda?", Kino straightened up, though still muffled in her head.

Miranda let out a puff of smoke, thinking it might be time to drop that trifle of an act that had effortlessly amused her.

"You wanna know my real name, Kino?", Miranda asked, reaching the end of her cigarette.

"Yer real...? Ain't it Miranda?", Kino felt a heavy head, and 18 hours of blackout approaching her.

Miranda shook her head. Kino stared at her blankly, a bit shocked for a moment, but then let her head drop on the counter with a little bang.

"No, don't tell me. Miranda's fine. I can't 'emember anythin' anyway", Kino said.

"You think? But names hold meaning, Kino. I ain't tellin' ya just for the kicks. It's important."

"Ya think?", Kino raised her head, looking straight at the cabinet, "You know what my name means?"

In fact, Miranda had known for a while what it meant.

"It's German for a movie theater. That's all my folk could think of, can ya imagine? Musta had balls for brains there, donccha think? I been ruined since day one!", Kino looked like she might start sobbing again.

Miranda let out a final puff of smoke. The cigarette had gone out. She ashed it cruelly in a crystal ashtray and made her way towards Kino.

"Right. Names have meanings. But we're never supposed to understand such things", she said, before lifting Kino's chin up with the tips of her cold fingers, liberating a warm kiss on her lips.