アルバイト [Mariko/Shouhei]

After sharing a delightful but emotionally charged breakfast with Mariko at the eatery known as “Crepe Expectations,” Shouhei brought her to their next destination, his part time job.  Mariko had shown a desire to work for her stay in his dormitory, sharing Shouhei’s own ethic of not wanting to owe someone anything.  When it came to Mariko very little could sway her mind once settled, so the plan was to see if she could also get hired at the bar known as “All Night Long.”

Again, in the back of his mind, only briefly, Shouhei imagined the two holding hands before entering.

The inside of “All Night Long” was relatively simple and could seat no more than thirty people at a time.  There were several points of entertainment on display.  Up front were a billiards table and a dartboard, and behind that a table for gambling- cards, mahjong tiles, and dominoes were stacked neatly in its center.  A small stage area for performing and the like was situated near the back, as its corner also housed a karaoke machine.  The middle of the bar was a modest dancing floor.  A soft blue lighting illuminated the barfront on one wall, its countless bottles of liquor glowing like a beacon.

Since it was early morning there were no customers inside, save for the manager and owner of the bar.  A statuesque woman, her very presence commanded strength, grace, and beauty altogether.  Ebony bangs covered one side of her almost indescribably gorgeous face and a noticeable beauty mark hung below her exposed left eye.  She sat at one of the tables, smoking an ornate pipe, awaiting Shouhei to start his shift.


“I wasn’t expecting you to bring your clientele from the host club here,” Shizuka Sakakibara said in Japanese, her tone a low, husky voice.

“...No, it isn’t like that, Sakakibara-san.  This is a childhood friend of mine, Mariko Matsuda.  She recently moved to Endymion, and was looking for some work.  I was hoping you could kindly employ her, Sakakibara-san,” Shouhei answered back in Japanese, as he humbly bowed to her.

“Is that so,” Shizuka’s eye narrowed momentarily once she saw Mariko.  She took a long and drawn out puff from her pipe, as its curious scent wafted in the air of the bar.  Smoke streamed elegantly from pursed lips in a steady flow, until a grin spread across her.  Shizuka’s steady gaze seemed to devour Mariko in entirety.  

“Tell me, Matsuda-san, what are your talents.  I have servers just as beautiful as you, mind, so I’d like to see what other services can you offer to my establishment, ‘All Night Long.’”

Mariko wasn't nervous, really. The most nerve wracking thing about this city had been facing Shouhei. Now that she had been able to piece that reality together, she was feeling much more at ease. The Breakfast had been helpful in several ways, giving her some time to really adjust to the boy's -- no, the man's presence. He was eighteen and it was probably a more accurate word. It also helped to separate him from the person from her fragmented memories, and the man he was now. She thought that differentiation was important, even if she'd hoped to pick up the pieces, it wouldn't matter if she had no frame of reference for the present.

She was here, she was living with him for now, and she'd be trying to acquire work for herself from his place of employment. How or what she'd do...she didn't know yet. But, one thing was for sure, she was beginning to feel eager to try.

She kept pace with Shouhei as the walked, contemplating the city around them, and different people she'd met here - as well as what things she might expect from the bar.

Shizuka Sakakibara was not what she had expected. Mariko walked in behind Shouhei, differing to his lead since she was out of her element. The interior of the bar was...quaint, and her eyes caught the stage immediately. There were memory flashes again, but this time they weren't of Shouhei. She was glancing away when Shouhei introduced her, and she snapped back to attention, examining the woman before her. There was...a look, that she received from the woman. Mariko didn't like it. She matched it in kind. It was a hard look. One that Mariko could tell was not the look of a simple Bartender. But this city had layers, and that alone was not a reason for prejudice.

The shop owner seemed to be sizing Mariko up, asking her what she could do that other server girls couldn't. Mariko's mouth opened before she realized she was ready to talk. "Alright, I'll show you then."

Mariko moved with purpose, shouldering off her jacket and draping it over a chair nearby, she made a b-line for the stage, hopping up onto it with one agile leap. She walked over to the Karaoke machine and clicked a button or two, before taking a few long strides up to the Microphone.

The music started immediately. It was a song she knew, and one she'd performed to before. She could remember it, see it in her mind perhaps more clearly than she had ever seen Shouhei. A glaring light that had guided her before she'd ever had anything else important in her life.

She...let it take over. She knew every word, and moved with the shape of the lyrics, becoming the power in them. Instinct flared, and she couldn't keep still. She didn't stay on the stage. After the first part of the song, as the energy built up, she dislodged the microphone and hopped off the stage, striding down the center of the dance floor toward the other two, running her free hand along the backs of a couple chairs. If this were a performance with more people, she might have interacted with people in those chairs. But instead, she came steadily forward, stopping only as the song ended. She let the mic fall from her hand, dangling from one hand at her side.

She was breathing a little harder, full of a kind of adrenaline she hadn't felt in- she couldn't even say. But she knew she wanted to do it again. "I sing in English too."

Mariko’s performance was something Shouhei thought he would never see again.  Her voice shook him to the very core, releasing the floodgates of memories and emotions.  For him the performance was like getting drunk on Mariko; her fluid movements, her silky voice made him crave more and could only watch completely transfixed.  She reminded him of his love of music- and most importantly- herself, as it felt like he had fallen in love with her all over again.

Once the performance had finished, Shouhei wiped away the tears that he unknowingly gathered.  There was a brief bit of silence before the thrum of clapping came from Shizuka.  While she carried the same expression, a simple smile, there seemed to be more to it than just that.  

“Bravo, Matsuda-san.  I’d ask for an encore, but I wouldn’t want you to reduce our precious Shou-chan to a quivering mess,” a haughty laugh came from Shizuka as she turned her head to Shouhei.  “Tell me, Shou-chan, did Matsuda-san influence you to sing?  I feel like the two of you together could earn quite the profit for me… not to mention earn an impressive reputation.”

“...To compare me to Mariko is like dirt to diamonds,” Shouhei said, as his eyes had never left Mariko.  “But I can confirm that her ability to perform will draw a crowd.  It always has.  On top of that I’ve never seen someone so hard-working in my life- you won’t regret hiring Mariko, Sakakibara-san.”

“Coming from someone with your work ethic, that’s something worthy of praise,” replied Shizuka in a seemingly indifferent tone.  Her ebony eye shifted its focus back to Mariko, repeating the same look Shizuka gave her before the performance.  A greedy gaze.  

“How long have you been performing, Matsuda-san?”

“All her li-”

“Quiet- please, Shou-chan.  I’d like to hear it directly from Matsuda-san.  Consider this part of the interview,” Shizuka interrupted Shouhei, then took another pull from the pipe, awaiting Mariko’s answer.

The clapping of the barmaster was unexpected. It broke the silence after her performance like waves crashing over rocks. Mariko looked away from Shouhei. His fawning was...embarrassing. She blushed a little as the boy admonished her to his boss, and realized with a pang, that she could never truly measure up to the regard he held for her. It made her feel uncomfortable. She rolled her eyes as he continued, essentially doing the interview for her.

Mariko turned and walked back towards the stage, fitting the mic back into it's stand. When she turned back toward them, the woman was giving her that look again. It was like a bladed net. Dark eyes that sought to swallow her whole. Mariko realized why it felt familiar. She'd seen that look in men's faces as they saw the power she had. Saw her roast people. It was the look someone had when they wanted to use you for something.

Mariko looked around the stage. Let her use me, then. she thought, Because I want to make this mine. She had her own hunger to satiate. Somewhere along the line she'd forgotten how good it felt to be watched, to be adored. She'd wanted this kind of life in the past - wanted it so badly that she felt the ache in her bones and sinew. Here in Endymion she could have that, couldn't she? She could be an idol here, if she really wanted. If she put forth the effort. It could start on this very stage.

When she thought about it, it made her skin boil with a sensation much stronger than anything she'd felt in a long while. It was almost enough to wash away the pain and uncertainty that lingered behind her eyes still.

She stayed on the stage, standing above Shouhei and Sakakibara-san. "I've been singing since I was small, that's true. I took part in competitions and recitals in highschool, both with and without Shouhei. But if I'm honest," She looked at Shouhei with a look that emplored him to understand, "I prefer to perform alone." She said resolutely to the woman. She wanted to make it clear. If this was going to be her stage, it was going to be her domain.

Mariko’s answer didn’t surprise Shouhei in the slightest.  Ever since he had known her, she always wanted to be known for her merit and work alone.  In return he firmly nodded at her, supporting her own words.

“That sentiment may sound self-absorbed, but I see the reasoning behind it.  One must be unyielding in the entertainment industry.  Which means you know that you must do whatever it takes to rise,” Shizuka responded in earnest to Mariko.  Another fine cloud of smoke poured from her lips, which revealed her visage to be expressionless.

“While you may be able to perform in front of a crowd, how do you handle them?  In particular, I’m referring to the nasty drunks that may stumble in here.  I tend to worry about the wellbeing of my staff, customers, and myself in those situations.  How would you normally react?”

Mariko smiled at Shouhei's nod of encouragement. Of course he would support her in this too. Actually, with how much he'd been fawning over her, this surprised her a little. Part of her had expected him to beg to perform with her or something of that nature, but he respected her independence...it made her feel a bit better about the situation in general, if only just a little bit.

The next question caught Mariko off guard a little bit. It was a smart question to ask, and probably one that she asked any girl who wanted to work at a bar. But she couldn't shake the suspicious nature she had grown as a defense mechanism over the past year, and part of her felt like it was a test. Does she know about my powers? was the first question that popped into the girl's mind. But of course, that was ridiculous. They hadn't met before today, and while the looks she'd received betrayed an ulterior interest of some kind, Mariko doubted it had anything to do with the supernatural. Not in this city anyway. She wouldln't be able to summon her skills to aide her during the day, and she certainly wouldn't risk doing it at night. Not with these "Cadets" roaming around.

Honestly, what a dangerous city.

Still, Mariko had to answer the question in a reasonable way. She thought for a moment, as she hopped down off the stage again, and began moving toward the two. She grabbed her coat off the back of a chair and looked back at the stage. "The performance for the people who aren't causing a problem is more important than me doing anything myself. I assume that's why you have guys like Shouhei to protect the place and deal with trouble makers. But in the absence of someone else to take care of a problem, I have ways of defending myself." her eyes flashed at the woman challengingly, returning that fiery gaze she'd received earlier.

Shouhei simply gulped what felt like a boulder down his throat.  While he knew Mariko had a very dangerous other self, even before that, he had seen her make grown men twice her size cry.  Woe befall the poor soul that crossed her, especially now.

“A fine answer.  I require my female staff to take self-defense classes, in case Shou-chan and the other bouncers don’t happen to be around,” said Shizuka.  While she had seen the look Mariko had given her, her own stone-like facade revealed nothing in return.

“I also like my staff to be flexible.  Are you willing to learn how to mix cocktails, and prepare any appetizers of the sort?  This establishment serves food as well, and I’d prefer if you were knowledgeable about the back of the house as well.”

Mariko looked a little surprised again. This was another question that made sense, but that she hadn't seen coming. She...hadn't done much cooking. Unless roasting people to a crisp counted, which she very much doubted. The dryness of that thought made her feel a sudden pang of guilt. She was prepared to sing, but she had no idea how to mix alcoholic beverages, and...well she really wasn't sure if she had ever really done much cooking. She could be great or terrible at it, she had no idea. At the very least, she was out of practice.

But now the challenge was laid out, she wasn't about to back down from it either. She nodded. "Of course. That makes sense. I'll learn whatever I need to." She seemed to remember someone somewhere saying that when you got a job you wanted to make yourself as important and useful as possible. She...couldn't remember who or where though. "That is, if you'll have me." She inclined her head a little. It was the first submissive gesture she'd made since entering the establishment, and it was calculated. She'd shown what she was capable of, now it was time to defer to the powers that be.

Shouhei couldn’t recall Mariko ever mixing alcoholic drinks before, but he knew she was a capable student and learned quickly.  After all, if he could learn how to mix, certainly she could too.  When it came to cooking, he recalled times spent growing up and making simple meals together.  He wondered how much of that she actually recalled.

“As expected, you are to sell yourself if you want to gain a job,” Shizuka noted as a smile spread across her full lips.  “Which leads me to ask, how do you view customer service?  What does a customer mean to you?”

That smile of hers caused Shouhei to worry.  While it seemed as if Mariko’s hiring was all but guaranteed, Shizuka sprang a loaded question.  He knew how Shizuka felt about customer service to a degree, but did Mariko retain her own values in regards to that subject?  Did she still hold onto the same selflessness in service- the highest quality of an idol- to her standard?

Mariko arched an eyebrow, studying the woman, and Shouhei (who thankfully was keeping his mouth shut now). The answer to the question was a simple one, but of course the woman would want to hear it. Customer Service was exactly that. Service. You couldn't expect someone to keep coming back if you didn't contribute to their experience while they were there.

"How can fans love me if I don't love them first?" Mariko answered, folding her jacket over one forearm and folding her arms in front of her. "That's rule number one of being on any stage. They don't need me to be on stage, but I need them to be in the audience. Making sure they have a reason to stay there is important." She leaned her head to one side, "Is that adequate?"

Mariko’s answer relieved any worries Shouhei had earlier.  Not only that but he was grateful that she retained a core part of herself after all this time.  If she had lost that aspect of herself, he wasn’t sure how much of her personality would have remained intact.  He turned his head towards Shizuka, eagerly leaning on her verdict.

“Very well.  Congratulations, and welcome, Matsuda-san.  If you’d like, you can start immediately- by helping Shouhei clean and prep the bar for the evening shift, and serving any wayward soul that wanders in here by any chance.  Shadow him and he will teach you the basics of the job.  Afterwards we can discuss your schedule and the like.”  With that said Shizuka slowly rose from her seat and headed towards the back of the restaurant, to her personal office.

“...Hell yeah, I wasn’t worried ‘boutcha in the slightest,” Shouhei lied through his teeth with a cheeky grin.

"Liar." Mariko stepped past Shouhei, flipping her coat over her shoulder at just the right moment that the tails of it slapped against his shoulder, but she pretended not to notice. She started walking toward the bar, looking around, and thinking. For the first time since she'd come to the city of Endymion, she had some idea of what the future might have in store for her. Regardless of what nonsense was going on on the streets during the night or day, or what Shouhei got himself into, she had something she knew she wanted, something she could work for and towards. It could start here, she thought, this was adequate.

She folded her coat and set it on one of the bar stools and looked back over her shoulder at Shouhei, favoring him with a slight smile, "Well? Where do we start?"

“...Where to start,” Shouhei turned the bar. “We can start with restocking the bar. They usually have a list of bottles and inventory that we can work off of, if not we can just eyeball it.”

While he lead her to the bar front, he spoke over his shoulder. “...I worried ‘cause I wasn’t sure how much’a your memory was still in that pretty li’l noggin’a yours. I knew the old you woulda aced that interview, or any interview for that matter. Y’know, my work ethic was inspired by yours. That selflessness of an idol. It’s really admirable.”

Mariko was quiet for a moment as she followed Shouhei. She was eager to work, but the next thing he brought up made her tense a little. Was it really selflessness? No, it definitely wasn't. She just knew what was necessary to get what she wanted. Or...atleast that's how she saw it. Perhaps there was some sentiment there, but it was hard to define as "selflessness." She supposed to know for sure, she'd have to try it out.

For now, there was a bigger issue she wanted to tackle with him, so she'd leave that piece for later. "And...what would you have done if I said something the old me never would have said?" She asked as she followed him, hands tucked behind her out of the way, for fear of touching something she shouldn't. "What if all those things that inspired you were gone?" she added, for effect. She really wanted him to think about it. It was irritating...having herself compared to a version of herself she couldn't remember fully. It made her feel like she had to become that person. As much as she wanted to live up to her own reputation, there were things she couldn't do. Things that could be very different. Could he...live with that?

Shouhei stopped.  That notion, that what if scenario, definitely had occurred to him, ever since he had reunited with Mariko.

“...Even if the old you weren’t there anymore, it wouldn’t change who I am now.  Just know that you helped me become the man I am today, no matter what happens.  People change.  They adapt and move on.  While there’s nothin’ more I want than for you to be the Mariko I used to know, I know that it’s a dream of mine.”  He turned to her, stared long and hard at his former love and childhood friend.  

“...In the long run, you are who you are.  I can’t change that.  I just want you to live the life that’s been given a second chance to you.  What I want doesn’t matter.  If… you wanted to never associate with me again, I’d have to abide by your decision.  So don’t worry ‘bout what I want, focus on yourself, Mariko.  If ya want me to help, I won't hesitate though.”