Tsukiko finally turned up for her first shift at Aurelia's bar. She didn't know why she had even agreed to it in the first place, but she did it anyway. It couldn't have been that difficult of a job, plus the hours were flexible.
The uniform was tight. It wasn't uncomfortable by any means, but Tsukiko felt a little more exposed than usual. She wasn't used to wearing a tie either, but deep down, she thought it made her look quite professional.
"Are you ready?" Aurelia stood beside her.
"Yeah." Tsuki nodded.
Once again, she got to see Aurelia in this strange new look. Her tied up hair made her look more youthful, but it was still messy. No matter what she did, there was always some unmistakable yet unidentifiable thing that made her stand out.
The first customer stumbled in after a few minutes. They were completely sober, yet they seemed to trip over themselves trying to get in. Aurelia smiled at them as they finally regained their composure and sat down before them.
"Hello." An oddly eager man looked up at Tsukiko.
He wore a somewhat messy dark blue business suit. His tie was hanging on for dear life, and his undershirt had the top two buttons undone. The man had glasses, but they definitely hadn't been cleaned in quite a while.
There were slight bags under the man's eyes. His smile was genuine, but a bit weak. His beard and mustache were nothing more than a slight shadow on his otherwise pale face.
There was something odd about the man, but Tsukiko simply looked him in the eye and mustered her finest customer service voice.
"Hello, sir." Tsuki bowed her head.
"Thank you for coming." Aurelia bowed.
Tsuki suddenly froze. A moment felt like an hour as she tried to figure out what exactly a bartender actually did. She didn't know any of the drinks, nor was she actually prepped for anything. The only thing Aurelia had told her was that she was working. It hadn't crossed her mind to ask what she needed to know.
"Oh, are you new?" The man asked.
"Yeah, I start today. Aurelia's a friend of mine, and she offered me a job I couldn't refuse." Tsuki replied.
"The name's Tanaka, nice to meet you." he smiled.
"First name or last name?" Tsuki asked.
"Given. Screw the formality. I just wanna have a good time." Tanaka sighed.
Aurelia answered for her. "This is Tsukiko."
"Y-yeah." Tsuki forced a smile.
"Oh, I see! Well, let's have a good night together!" Tanaka raised his hands.
"Yeah!" Tsuki couldn't help but join in on the fun.
"Hand me a tall glass of the house beer then, eh?" Tanaka put his hands down on the counter.
Tsukiko turned around and grabbed the tallest glass she could get. It sparkled like crystal under the multicolored light of the bar. She turned back around and put it under a spigot under her left and pulled the handle.
It felt completely natural as she angled the glass at first, letting the beer gently flow down. Gradually, she straightened the glass out to give the beer a nice foam at the top. Proud of herself, she smiled as she handed Tanaka his drink.
Tanaka took a sip. "That's good..."
"Enjoy it, sir." Aurelia smiled.
"Say, what kinds of drinks do you prefer, Tsukiko?" Tanaka asked.
"...hard stuff." Tsuki replied.
"Is that right?"
"Yep. I like it when things have a kick. I don't drink to drink, I drink to feel, y'know?"
Tanaka laughed. "I drink to forget!"
Tsuki smirked. "Tough day at work?"
"Work? Nah! My girlfriend dumped me." Tanaka laughed. "Still can't get over it."
"You don't need to make up an excuse to drink, you know." Tsuki scratched her head.
"Easy for you to say, bartender."
Aurelia put her hand on Tsuki's shoulder. "Serving drinks is just... a hobby."
"...yeah." Tsuki was forced to agree with something she didn't quite understand. "Something like that."
"...just don't bleed me dry, alright?" Tanaka let out a defeated laugh. "I need to be able to pay the rent."
"I'm not a monster." Tsuki raised an eyebrow.
"If I get too drunk, just kick me out, please!" The man pleaded.
"Don't make me kick your ass." Tsuki glared.
Tanaka laughed at first, then turned to Aurelia. "I'm not that bad! ...am I?"
Aurelia simply smiled at him. The room went silent as the man stopped talking in an attempt to prevent further embarrassment.
"What do you work in, Tanaka?" Tsukiko tried to coax more conversation out of him.
Tanaka took a drink. "Computing. I... help write software. Lotta long nights."
"Ahh, I see. Must be a pain." Tsuki tried to sympathize.
"No, I really love it!" Tanaka raised his glass again. "Maybe a bit too much."
"What do you mean?" Aurelia polished a glass.
"I work too much. That's why my girlfriend left me." Tanaka sighed. "Y'know, I hadn't really gone out much on my own 'till this bar opened a few weeks ago. I owe you a lot, Aurelia."
"You do not owe me a thing." Aurelia bowed her head. "I'm happy to have you here."
The front door swung open. A small bell chimed, and a very, very well dressed woman stepped in. As she approached the bar, Tsukiko tried to get a better look at her.
She wore a khaki coat, with something far more formal hidden underneath. It was definitely something blue, but it was just a slight glimpse. Her heels made a menacing sound as she approached.
The woman's eyes were obscured by sunglasses. Her cherry red lips weren't alluring as they were intimidating. There was a slight mark just underneath one of her eyes. She was far too well dressed to be drinking alone.
"Hello, Miss." Aurelia smiled.
"Yo, Aurelia." The woman lowered her head onto the counter.
"What're you drinking, Miss?" Tanaka asked.
"Eh? What, you buyin'?" The lady lazily looked over at him.
"...maybe just a couple." Tanaka's attempt backfired.
"...give me something sour." The woman yawned. "I've had the longest day..."
Tsukiko turned to her right and grabbed a nearby shaker. She poured in some nearby liquor, lemon juice, lime juice and ice. It was the first thing that came to her head, so she didn't know whether or not it would come out well. Still, she didn't hesitate to add a slice of lemon and slide it over to the woman before her.
"Should you really be drinking if you're already tired?" Tsuki asked.
"Didn't realize Aurelia'd hired a part-timer..." The woman looked up at Tsukiko. "Oh shit."
"Do you know each other?" Tanaka looked at them both.
With another glance, Tsukiko knew exactly who she was looking at.
"Asuka." Tsukiko glared. "Inaba Asuka."
"And you're... Himura Tsukiko." Asuka looked away.
"I... have no idea who either of you are." Tanaka admitted with a laugh.
"That's the Third Knight Himura." Asuka explained.
"Oh." Tanaka paused. "Well, if she knows your name, you're screwed, huh?"
"I wouldn't say that." Tsukiko shook her head. "As long as she doesn't cause me any trouble."
Asuka turned to Tanaka. "Did you know she worked here?"
"Aurelia's got an eye for strange characters. There's always something going on here." Tanaka nodded, as if agreeing with himself. "So I'm not that surprised."
The lights of the bar reflected off of the woman's sunglasses.
Asuka got a mischievous smile on her face. "Y'know... you owe me one, Miss Knight."
"I don't owe you a damn--" Tsukiko stopped herself.
"An interview." Asuka pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. "To go with the photos."
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
"Really? Right now?" Tsuki sighed. "I don't have anything interesting to tell you."
"You don't?" Tanaka raised an eyebrow. "You're a Knight. Don't Knights Himura all have really cool stories?"
"You didn't know who I was a few minutes ago." Tsuki countered.
"Fair point." Tanaka lowered his head a bit.
"I think Tanaka here's got the right angle, though." Asuka continued his train of thought. "It doesn't have to be about what you do. It can be about... you."
"I can help!" Tanaka suggested.
"What would you know?" Asuka sounded a bit cold.
"Everyman's perspective!"
"...good point." Asuka held out a gloved hand out to Tanaka. "The name's Inaba. Inaba Asuka. Freelance Journalist."
"...you can call me Tanaka." He said back to her with a limp handshake.
Aurelia's face went flat. "Miss Inaba, if you make my friend uncomfortable, I will have you removed."
"It'll be fine, Aurelia! Trust me! We worked out all the details in advance." Asuka turned to Tsukiko. "So, you're a Knight, right?"
Asuka bit her lip, like a carnivore waiting for it's next meal. The amount of excitement the woman was trying and failing to hide was making Tsukiko a bit uncomfortable.
"...yeah." Tsuki straighted herself out.
"What's that like?" Asuka pressed a pen to the paper.
"It's... good, I guess. I like doing it. Even if it's hard, it feels like I'm doing something good, y'know? I want to protect people." Tsukiko struggled to find her words at first.
Tanaka cheered. "Sounds good, sounds good!"
Asuka turned to Tanaka. "What're you on about?"
"Listen to her! She sounds so passionate!" Tanaka took a drink.
Asuka paused to think, then wrote in her pad. "I guess."
"No, listen to the way she talks." Tanaka was clearly starting to feel his drink.
"You'd better not be writing anything weird about me." Tsuki frowned.
"I'm not!" Asuka finished writing. "How'd you become a Knight?"
The question took Tsukiko by surprise. She hadn't considered the events leading up that that at all. It had almost been two years since she had first learned about the Shakudos.
Deep down, she didn't know if she wanted to answer. It was painful, yes, but it wasn't a tragedy. It had become a point of strength for her. Still, it wasn't only her battle. She couldn't encapsulate it all herself.
"Well?" Tanaka watched.
"I... don't know if I should get into that." Tsuki looked down.
"C'mon!" Tanaka finished his drink. "Tell your side!"
"My side?" Tsuki turned to him.
"Yeah! Every story's got a side. There's probably all sorts of rumors, now you can tell us all the truth." Tanaka seemed more enthusiastic about the interview than Asuka was.
Tsukiko grabbed another glass, poured in some beer and slid it back to him.
Asuka nodded. "It'd be interesting to get your input. Straight from the source's mouth."
Tsuki mulled it over. She felt guilty speaking about other people to a stranger. Still, there was something inside that compelled her to speak.
"...someone I loved-- No. Someone I love got stabbed by a Shakudo. I started fighting because I wanted revenge. That was personal, though, I was fighting for her back then. I eventually became a Knight because..." Tsuki trailed off.
"...because?" Tanaka sat, eyes wide open.
"I felt like... I found my calling. Eventually, I was fighting to protect people I'd never met. I felt connected to the city for the first time." Tsuki blinked. "I've always loved Tokyo, but... I never really considered the people here, the things that go on. I became a Knight because I wanted to protect the things I didn't know."
"The things you didn't know?" Asuka gave her a strange look.
Tsuki sighed. "...I did some stupid things back then. Someone told me that I could never really know the effect of what I did. A man gets hurt or dies... you only know his name. You don't know his wife, his kids, his parents, that sort of thing. You can never really know the people that rely on him."
Asuka stopped writing. "I see."
"Kind of a bad answer, huh?" Tsuki smiled weakly.
"No, it's perfect. It's exactly the kind of answer you wouldn't expect from someone famous." Asuka shook her head. "It's honest, genuine. You've got quite the head on your shoulders."
Tsuki shook her head. "It's just something I tell myself. I can't feel alone when I think about all the people that rely on me. You try to do this and be humble, but it's impossible. You shouldn't hide how happy something makes you."
Tanaka sipped. "Mhmm. Amen."
Asuka tapped her pen against the paper. "Hmm."
"What's wrong?" Tsuki asked.
"I'm still sober." Asuka turned to the glass next to her and started drinking.
"You sure you wanna drink that fast?" Tanaka watched her gulp down the odd drink.
"I'll be fine." Asuka gasped for air. "I can handle my liquor. Gimme another glass, barkeep."
"What do you want now?" Tsuki asked.
"Something... blue." Asuka pondered aloud.
"Something blue?" Tsukiko repeated. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"
Tsukiko sighed as she made something else up. She poured a blue liquor and a clear liquor into the shaker with ice and shook vigorously. This was poured into a glass with ice. She squeezed in a lemon and stopped to think about what else it needed.
"You okay?" Tanaka watched carefully.
"Something's missing." Tsukiko stared down at the blue drink.
"Syrup?" Aurelia suggested.
"Yeah." Tsukiko nodded. "Need some sweet for all that bitter and sour."
Below the counter was a simple glass bottle with a metal spout. She lifted it up, and poured some into the blue drink, before handing it to the journalist.
Asuka took a sip. "Well, I mean, it's blue."
"...I can get you something else." Tsuki suggested.
"No, no." Asuka took another sip. "I asked for blue."
"Can I ask the question this time?" Tanaka asked.
"Sure." Tsuki nodded.
"Hey, this is my interview." Asuka complained.
"You're working together, remember? He's paying for your drinks too, he deserves at least one question." Tsuki felt a bit hurt over her drink being reduced to its color.
"Who's your most important person?" Tanaka asked.
Asuka nearly spat out her drink. "Huh?"
Tsuki turned red. "Uhh..."
Aurelia chuckled. "That is a hard question for anyone."
"Well, why's that?" Tanaka seemed genuinely confused.
"It's just--" Asuka tried to answer.
"You shouldn't be ashamed of your answer if they really matter so much to you." Tanaka smirked. "Be loud and proud!"
"Alright, you first." Tsukiko dodged the question.
Tanaka paused to think before speaking, "Probably my dad."
"Your dad?"
"Yeah. He taught me how to live, really. Any other day of the year, I would've told you it was my girlfriend, but..." Tanaka tried to smile through the pain.
"There's nothing wrong with admitting she's still important to you." Tsuki added.
"Love's rough." Asuka sighed.
"You too, huh?" Tanaka chuckled.
"Nah. Not really." Asuka shook her head. "I avoid that kind of stuff."
"Must be lonely." Tsuki remarked.
"So, you're seeing someone?" Tanaka asked.
"Good eye." Asuka looked over at him. "Nice work, Tanaka."
"Son of a bitch." Tsukiko frowned. "Of course I am."
"Who?" Asuka asked.
"Should I really say that to a journalist?" Tsuki tried her best not to sound mean.
"Good point." Tanaka nodded.
Asuka glared at him. "Whose drinks do you think you're paying for, huh?"
"You heard her rambling about important people. What, you want me to throw her a softball?" Tanaka complained.
Tsukiko laughed. "What are you, a cop?"
Asuka smirked. "Is this really how cops talk?"
"D'you wanna find out?" Tsuki replied.
"Just answer the question already." Asuka groaned. "Get Tanaka another beer, too."
"I'm not your maid." Tsukiko crossed her arms.
"Honey." Asuka smiled. "You're a bartender."
Tsukiko let out another sigh.
"Surprise me." Tanaka chuckled. "Pick whatever you want, bartender."
Tsukiko grabbed another glass and turned to the taps. She paused for a moment, trying to think which she should choose. Her eyes narrowed as she lowered the glass.
She began to sing, swinging the glass from side to side. "I don't know which one to pick so let's leave it up to God--"
"Just pick one already." Asuka slapped the table.
Tsuki put the glass under one of the taps. A strange looking red beer poured out. It wasn't like what she was used to seeing or drinking. Still, she slid it over to Tanaka and stood back at her posts.
Tanaka took a sip, and he flinched a bit. "Ooh, sour."
"Sour?" Asuka watched him drink.
"Mhmm." Tanaka sighed. "Fruity too. It's good, though."
"Alright, alright." Asuka pressed her pen into her notepad. "Your turn."
"It's honestly not an easy question." Tsukiko admitted. "I can't narrow it down to just one."
"It's that girl who got stabbed, isn't it?" Tanaka blurted out. "You're still dating!"
Tsuki sighed. "Yeah."
"See, was that so hard?" Tanaka chuckled. "There's nothing wrong with admitting that, remember? I mean, you basically admitted it all earlier, we just needed confirmation."
"You're right." Tsuki nodded.
"I feel like I'm learning more about him than I'm learning about you." Asuka got a little annoyed that her interview was being stolen from under her feet.
"Lighten up!" Tanaka put a hand on her shoulder. "You're gettin' all the answers you want, right?"
"My work is serious." Asuka glared.
Tanaka shook his head. "No, no, you've got it all wrong."
"Ehh?"
"Journalism is all about reading between the lines, y'know? If you see something, but don't know it for sure, curve the conversation toward it." Tanaka nodded. "If you're right, you're right. If you're wrong, you're wrong. Gotta turn speculation into cold hard facts."
"You're seriously trying to tell me how to do my own job?" Asuka's eyes were narrowed like a snake's
"Hey, I just confirmed that our friend Tsukiko here is no longer Tokyo's most eligible bachelor." Tanaka looked a bit too smug for comfort. "Bachelorette? What's the word..."
"That doesn't sound very... impartial." Tsuki made a weird face.
"Well, it is a reasonable approach." Asuka muttered. "Not something you'd wanna admit out loud though. It's essentially making the news instead of reporting on it."
"You can't just make wild assumptions about people." Tsuki felt like she was talking to two brick walls.
"What other assumptions do you have?" Asuka turned to Tanaka with genuine interest.
Tanaka stopped to think. "They're not assumptions, more... educated guesses."
"That just sounds like you're covering your own ass." Tsuki watched him.
"There's nothing wrong with observing people, it's what you do with that observation." Asuka tried to justify their way of thinking.
"Just because you think something's a weakness doesn't mean you should underestimate someone." Tsuki tried her best to understand.
"Exactly. I see a little gap in a Knight's armor, and I poke and prod till something gives." Tanaka seemed quite proud of himself.
Aurelia smiled. "Had too much to drink, Tanaka?"
"I can still think." Tanaka smiled back at her. "Definitely my last beer though."
"I'm pretty sure I got screwed out of an article thanks to him, so... don't forget what he said earlier, okay?" Asuka stood up slowly.
"Aww, c'mon! Don't be so harsh!" Tanaka looked up at her. "We tried our best and we didn't get what we came for. No need to get all grumpy about it."
"We?" Asuka laughed. "Alright alright, you had your fun. I'll get a good interview outta her someday."
"Try not to bother my friend too much, Miss Inaba." Aurelia gave her a proper bow.
"I won't, I won't. I'm a journalist, not a monster." Asuka Inaba sighed as she headed for the door.
"I'd... better get going too." Tanaka laughed weakly. "I wanna be able to remember this tomorrow."
"Was it really that interesting?" Tsuki asked.
"...something tells me this is gonna be a night to remember, y'know? It's the start of something new." Tanaka smiled before stumbling out of his seat toward the door.
"Enjoying yourself, Tsukiko?" Aurelia asked.
Tsuki turned to the blonde. "It was alright. I don't know the first damn thing about mixing drinks. I just tried to whip something up."
"You will learn." Aurelia nodded. "It is quite rewarding work."
"You know those two?" Tsuki gestured toward the door.
"Oh, them? Yes, they are repeat customers. They come here every other night. This is their first time coming together." Aurelia smiled.
"Hmm." Tsukiko paused to think. "That a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Is meeting new people not a good thing?" Aurelia cocked her head slightly.