The bell attached to the top of the door jingled as Selene pushed it open. She stepped inside the bar, stopping halfway through the door to scan the interior. Seats were stacked on top of the tables while a lone person stood behind the counter, washing a cup with a rag. The natural lighting from the late afternoon sun gave her a clear enough vision of the bar. Dark windows lined the walls. A glossy wooden floor made Selene's shoes squeak as she stepped further inside.

Behind the marble counter stood a bartender. Dressed in a crisp black vest and white undershirt, he continued to wipe down the glasses and paid Selene no mind. He gave his head a small shake, moving the long white strands that blocked his wrinkled face to the side. To the far side of the room was a small stage surrounded by round tables. A lone microphone attached to a pole stood by itself in front of a pair of purple curtains that concealed the back part of the stage.

"Excuse me sir," Selene while advancing towards the counter. "I was told that is a job opening available at this location?"

The bartender placed the glass back on the shelf behind him. He then leaned forward of the counter, eyeing Selene from the bottom up. She stood with her hands behind her back as she nervously bobbed up and down. "You're not looking for a spot as an entertainer, are you? We're not here to host people desperately looking for a 'big break.'"

Selene shook her head. "No, no. I'm here for the waitress position put in the paper. I even called earlier and spoke to someone. He told me to stop by for an interview any time before closing."

"Ah, you spoke to the manager. Let me go get him for you. That is, if he's even here. You'd think the guy in charge would spend his shift at his place of work, huh?"

An awkward chuckle accompanied with a phony smile came from Selene. "Yeah. I can't stand employees that don't work their assigned shifts."

"Sounds like you'll fit in just fine here. Our crew is a team! And if one person doesn't do their job, everybody suffers. You ever tried to serve a bar full drunk customers? It's not easy. I can say that for sure. They're screaming at you. They're taking forever to tell you what they want. Then they start complaining that you didn't bring them the right food even though it is exactly what they ordered." He then rubbed an imaginary pair of dollars bills in between his fingers. "But that tip money makes it more than worth it. Some of these people get so wasted they can't tell the difference between a fifty and a single!"

Selene became more attentive at the statement. "Really?"

"I've seen it happen myself. But not everyone is cut out for how demanding the job can be. You've got people from all walks of life stopping by here, so everyone is clamoring to get one of the bigwigs as their customer while hoping to avoid the dregs. That's why Casey quit."

"Is she the one that you're trying to replace?"

The bartender nodded. "Oh yeah. The girl was too much of a pushover. Couldn't stand up for herself. She'd high tail it to the bathroom the moment one of the customers said anything even remotely rude. You gotta have thick skin at this place." The man squinted at Selene. "You got thick skin? The manager's not gonna want to waste his time training another softy."

A smirk came across Selene's face. She leaned over the bar's counter, resting her body on her elbow. "Me? Soft? Never. I'm a blackbelt in hapkido." She then twirled an imaginary weapon in her hand. "Not to mention I know my way around a set of tonfas."

"Tonfas? Is that slang for some kinda substance or something?" The bartender then became angry. "We don't want any of that stuff around here! I'll have you know—"

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"What? No, no. Tonfas are a kind of weapon. They're... never mind." Selene shook her head. "I was just trying to tell you that I'm tough, okay? I've been punched, kicked, thrown. I've even had swords swung at me. Out of everyone that works here, I'm probably the least soft."

"Oh. Should have just said that. But I like you already..." the older man looked at her from the top down.

"Selene."

"Right. Selene. I'm gonna try to find the manager. If you want to wait over in the employee breakroom, I can come get you once I find out his whereabouts. Or maybe I should say 'if.'"

"Thank you..." Selene leaned forward and squinted at the man's nametag. "Lorenzo."

"Ah, don't mention it. The breakroom is right past the stage. Just take a right. Can't miss it."

"Thank you again." Selene followed the bartender's instructions while Lorenzo disappeared into the backroom behind the counter. She headed to the door indicated, looking at the large sign with the words "Employees Only" written in bold and black letters. She pushed it open with one hand, light escaping from the crack to fill the dark hallway. It creaked, requiring a bit of force from Selene to open it all the way.

[https://i.imgur.com/VVoztxB.png]

One person remained seated within the spacious room; a young woman dressed in white shorts and a white tank top with a loose black crop top with gold stripes on top. She had long, straight black hair that went down her back. Her skin was a clear yet pale shade of beige. In front of her was a glass of water on top of the table. The woman paid the open door no mind, as if she was fixated on something else.

"Oh, hello," Selene softly, giving the woman a friendly wave. She remained focused on her thoughts, staring at the wall of posters and signs in front of her. Selene then stepped closer, placing her hand on one of the seats in front of the table. Is it all right if I use one of these?"

"Huh?" the woman snapped out of her stupor. "Yeah, yeah sure. Go ahead."

Selene slid out the chair from underneath the table but paused when the seat was only halfway out. She leaned in closer, squinting her eyes at the woman's face. Upon seeing her closer, the woman's oval and hazel eyes looked familiar. "Wait, you're..." as Selene continued her sentence, the other woman's muscles laxed at all once.

"Hualing?" she said curtly, looking at Selene with a frustrated gaze.

"Yeah!"

"And let me guess. You just love my song Passion and Patience, right?" The way the woman spoke was soft yet captivating. Upon hearing Hualing speak a full sentence, Selene recognized her voice.

"I do!" Selene said excitedly.

"Everyone that meets me seems to say that."

"Because it's a good song. I still hear it on the radio to this day!" Selene pulled the seat all the way sat herself down next to Hualing. She then placed both of her elbows on the table and rested her cheeks on them to the other woman's subtle dismay. "I never thought I would have seen a celebrity here at The Family's Stone! It's not even my first day and I already have a story to tell."

"Yeah, well don't get too excited," Hualing replied before taking a sip of her water. "I'm not in the mood for signing autographs. Let alone talking with fans."

"Oh." Selene looked down with disappointment. "I... uh... sorry for bothering you." As quickly as she had sat herself down, she had gotten up from the seat.

"I didn't say you had to leave. I just said I didn't feel like talking."

"Oh." She found herself seated once more.

Then there was silence. Hualing took another sip of her water, keeping her focused on something else. Selene remained quiet as well, her eyes looking as far away from the singer as possible. There was only the sound of the buzzing from the light in the ceiling. Hualing looked at Selene from the corner of her eyes. Selene's eyes briefly made contact with her before turning her head away immediately.

"You said you were looking to work here?" Hualing asked.

"Me?" Selene said nervously while pointing to herself.

"No. The other person behind you."

Selene turned behind her only to see a closed door. "Oh. You were making a joke."

"I can do that you know."

"I thought you didn't want to talk?"

"Let me rephrase that. I don't want to talk about the same three questions people ask me whenever they meet me."

"What would those questions be?"

Hualing began counting her fingers. "Aren't you Hualing? Didn't you sing Passion and Patience? And my least favorite..."

"Is it about autographs?"

Hualing drank the last of her water and nodded. "Oh yeah. That one drives me crazy."

"What questions can I ask you then?"

"Just... whatever. Anything is better than awkward silence."

"Okay, okay. How about we start somewhere simple?"

"Try me."

"What are you doing here?"