Every Day is Night(Nagami)

Heaven's Door started to gain some movement in the previous days she had just served a couple of clients not ago, and honestly it made Blake happy, Mio and Azami had put so much effort into making a comfy place for clients, it was all well earned. Not to mention how much preparation and hard-work herself and Jack had to go through, it was gratifying and hopefully it would stay like that for a long time to come.

It should be about the middle of their shift at this point, Jack was handling one of the regulars while Blake was washing some glasses, an upbeat song played in the jukebox bringing some life to Heaven's Door. The sound of the bell's ringing announced the entrance of someone, a new face it seems. Either way, the woman put up a smile on her face and walked forward.

"Oh hello," I said in response, waving at the woman. Looking around at the buzzing and glamor of the place I was a tad bit overwhelmed. I didn't usually frequent bars and lounges but this was a special case.

Back in the day with the Old Man, every day when we got off work we'd go to a small open bar in the mega mall. What we got there, at his request, we ordered the most horrid drink known to mankind. It was called a Ginger Shot. What it was, was a piece of ginger ground into juice enough to fill a large shot glass. You would then squeeze a lemon over it (like it was supposed to help) and serve. Somehow the old fart could always stomach it without a flinch but every time I would down it hell would ensue within my body. However, with his passing, I didn't frequent that bar much. I guess I was feeling guilty about it today so I decided to go back to where it used to be. Turns out it had closed and now it was home to some sort of knick knack store. Even so, it felt right to pour one out in memory of him but at the same time, I had no idea what I was doing and ended up here.

"So, do you guys have Ginger Shots here?" I ask, still standing in the doorway. Should I get a seat? Where do I sit? How do I bar? Needless to say, I didn't really get out much and every second here made it feel even more apparent how lost I was.

Blake couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Nagami's request, not a lot of people come to a bar to ask for that most people just want a good ol' dose of alcohol, and while good for your health not many people can take nor enjoy the bitter taste that it leaves on your mouth. Additionally, he looked like the pretty boy type, someone who would rather drink something sweet, though she shouldn't be judging clients based on appearance.

"Can do. Though wouldn't you rather wait sitting while i prepare it?" She gesture towards the stool in front of her on the other side of the counter. "So, do you have a name?"

The bartender promptly began to prepare, it wasn't that hard to prepare especially if you have a juicer around, so it wouldn't take very long for it to be ready and served in a short but wide glass.

"Oh... yeah right sure," I say still a bit nervous as I sit down in the stool. I couldn't help but grimace as she prepared the drink. If I don't live an extra 50 years because of this stuff I'm going to have a word with the old man in the next life. "Could you make 2?" I requested as she was working on it.

I perked up as she asked me for my name, "yeah I'm Nagami, what about you?" She seemed very calm and stoic, almost a perfect match for the atmosphere this place projected. As I looked around everyone seemed to be having a good time. "Man I wish my shop was this successful," I say, tapping my fingers on the counter to the music.

There were enough leftovers for a second glass, so she just poured it right away on a second glass. Now she wouldn't have to deal with the leftovers and just sold two drinks, less work to do which is a win in her book. Her serious and professional demeanor would break as she chuckled when the customer commented on Heaven's door success, if his shop was doing worse than them, boy she had pity for him.

"It's not that much and we usually don't get movement like this." The young woman scratched one of her cheeks with one hand while she rested the other on the table.
"By the way i'm Blake. What sort of shop do you run? If you don't mind me asking."

"Oh, I run a small store called 'Mementos' down on Market Lane. We specialize in clockwork and repairs of other mechanical items of the sort. The nice way to put it would be we have a bit of niche market." I say with a smile, recollecting memories from my time there. "It's nice though. Earns me enough to get by... and also afford a drink once in a while," I say, looking at the two glasses in front of me.

I grab one of the shots and put it beside me and take the other one for myself. For a couple seconds I stared into the drink. As much as I liked to make fun of him, that old man was a true friend. He raised me and made me into who I was today. For that I was grateful. "Just like old times" I murmur, taking a deep breath I gulped down the contents as a familiar burning sensation moved down my throat before settling in my stomach. I got up and did a little circle around my seat before sitting down again as I got a little bit teary eyed. "That's some strong stuff, just like I remember it" I croak out as I wipe away the residue building in my eyes. I cough before continuing, "So uuh where you from Blake?"

"Still good to keep in mind, if someone i know ever needs something like that i'll point them to your store, i doubt i'll ever need it myself." Keeping the costumer entertained through small talk was pretty much part of her job, not that she minded, she'd hear some interesting stories from time to time, some bizarre as well. Though at few occasions she'd hear stuff she would rather never think, some stuff was never meant for mortal ears...

"Eh? I'm just a girl from some place somewhere, serving you drinks right now, pretty boy." The bartender playfully stated, her home town was something she abandoned long ago, not like there's much of it left anyways. "It had beautiful beaches and forests, i'll tell you that much."

I pouted a little bit from her remark. It felt like she was running circles around me, I'm not that much of a square, am I? Sure I didn't get around much but I shouldn't be this easy to get teased. I mean I get around, it's just that the last time I talked to a girl outside of work is alluding my memory at the current moment. I put my elbow on the counter and put my hand on my cheek, looking at the second shot. In hindsight, I don't think getting it was a good idea. I could pour it out but then I'd seem really weird, but something told me drinking one is healthy but two would probably kill something inside me.

Either way, I decided to leave that for now and turned back to Blake. "Beaches and forests huh..." I say as I pulled out my trusty notebook and opened it to a new page. "Blake... cute girl... from a place with beaches and forests," I said as I wrote, "I do like myself a good mystery." "Who's the pretty boy now" I thought to myself.

Blake didn't seem to react to his remarks, in fact it was as if she hadn't acknowledge them at all. So that's why he was so interested? At least he was harmless compared to other more unsavory things she had heard during her time as a bartender, if the guy right here got too happy Mio could always kick him out anyways.

"If you are not going to drink it, i could always prepare something sweeter for you, without charging for the second Ginger Shot." Blake now had to find a way to get rid of that drink, she doubted anybody else would buy it but she wouldn't put pass Mio chugging it down just to show off and taunt her and Jack.
"We have a menu with an assortment of drinks that i can prepare, or just bottled brand drinks if you want. If you don't want anything alcoholic i could just serve you a sweeter juice or a can of soda."

"Nah it's fine... It's for someone else, they might not come by for a while but it's their favorite drink..." I say looking back at the small shot, for some reason her asking about it made my mood all more apparent. Days like these were the worst, you get all this nostalgia building up and you remember all these things that you don't want to. I tapped my pen against the notebook as I read what I wrote before ripping the page out and crumbling it up. "Nah that doesn't sound right..." I grumble as I put it away. It was strange, I didn't want to go home but it suddenly seemed that whatever I usually do didn't bring me enjoyment. Usually, I'd be clamoring for things from Blake about her experiences here or just babbling on about the most exciting person I had met this week. But there was this strange sense of melancholy every time I looked over beside me, like a part of me was missing.

"I usually go around, ask people about their experiences here on Junction and write it down. It helps me learn about this strange universe we live in but today I just can't seem to put pen to paper." I say, a little less excited or expressive than earlier. "But if you have the time, tell me a story. Maybe a strange encounter here in Heaven's Door or somewhere else on Junction. If nothing else it helps pass the time" I say with a smile, it almost felt as if my body got heavier in a way as all the adrenaline from being here for the first time dissipated into the air. I guess I had sobered up, not from drinking but from avoiding how I was feeling

She tapped her chin a few times, with a somewhat amused expression. So he just wants to hear about people's experience and was not hitting on her? Honestly, she isn't sure which one was weirder but she wasn't going to tell much about her to anyone, that's for her and herself alone. While Heaven's Door was mostly quiet, some interesting things would happen from time to time.

"Well, Heaven's Door is co-owned by Mio and Azami, the former is a badass girl with a robotic arm and the latter is a talking dog in a hawaian shirt and raybans, though that's not very uncommon over here in Junction." Still amusing for her, she just wants to pet Azami at times.
"We also have two regulars, one is a war veteran who had most of his body replaced by cybernetic implants, the other is a werewolf warlord. So, the two are drinking and talking about war, i don't know what the fuck happened but at some point the two starts trading blows with each other. Thankfully Mio stopped the two and presented their asses to the front door before they hurt anyone."

"So you're telling me that there once was a literal cyborg and a werewolf warlord in this bar and they got into a fight which was stopped by another cyborg which beat the crap out of both of them. All the while there was a talking dog in the back just going about its business? Man, I need to come here more often, this is where all the interesting stuff is going down" I say, amused as I imagined the prospect in my head. The more I thought about it the more that remark made logical sense. I spent all this time trying to find interesting people and stories but not once had I considered coming to a place like this where residents of all backgrounds came to relax and have a drink.

Anyways, since she shared an interesting story I guess it was my turn to do the same. "Have you ever heard of The Gate?" I asked, putting both elbows on the counter and resting my head on my hands.

"Yes, that's what i just said. Though, i doubt this is the only place stuff like that happens." Considering how diverse Junction was, it's very unlikely Heaven's Door is the most crazy spot in the city, if it was it would be just sad for what the city is. She still finds that story badass, despite the nature of junction probably making such occurrences mundane. "I'm sure if you are looking for stories like this, you can find them everywhere. We just happen to be the chillest bar in all of Junction."

"Well, Junction is split into multiple levels. There's the top, middle, and lower wards but there's a section even lower under the slums. It's called The Under and access is restricted to almost all residents. No one really knows what's down there, some people say abominations that could bath in the blood of millions, other say supernatural forces linger there, many tales and superstitions revolve around it. But with it being sealed off, there has to be an entrance and that's the Gate. I don't actually plan on breaking in mind you, but there are people there... guards who prevent others from entering. They're known as the First Floor Fleet. No one really knows much about its members or how the organization functions, but rumor has it they keep the peace in the slums, dispensing justice where the eyes of the law can't reach. I'm planning an expedition down there to hopefully talk with one of the Fleet and hear about their exploits. But it's not going to be easy..." I explain to her as I pull the crumpled piece of paper and flip it over.

I begin drawing a crude illustration of a map of the slums. "With the lower ward being what it is, any new additions shift the layout of all the floors, the lower the level the more drastic the change. That means in order to get to The Gate which is on the lowest floor of the slums, you need to navigate through everything that comes before. I've talked with a lot of people since the last Jump to get a clear idea of the route and I think now would be the best time to go. I have my doubts though, not a lot is known about what lies down there but part of me sure as hell wants to find out." I say as my eyes begin to gleam, this was it, this was what I lived for. The old man once told me said that at my age I didn't have to settle for anything, and I'm taking those words to heart. I'm going to see as much of this place as possible, as long as I still live and breath.

"Hold your horses, Mr. exposition." He just drop some information that was common knowledge to Junction citizens, the part about the wards is one of the first things you learn upon arrival, though some of what he said was news to her. First Fleet, the gate, perhaps there's always something new to find out about the city, hell she had no idea where it came from or why the jumps happened. "Why do you plan to find out though? Seems like a whole lot of trouble just to find what's on the city's basement..."