DISCLAIMER: dragon Knights do not belong to me.
My Cup of Poison
Finally, I've revamped and put this story back up! Enjoy! It isn't as bad and no-plot-ish as before. Hopefully. Main pairings are your usual, RxC, TxK, RxR. Others are soon to follow.
Chapter One: Drink
AU
--
The air was thick with smoke wafting from various cigarettes.
Garish-colored lights flashed repeatedly all over the place. Neon colors reflected the frenetic mass of bodies on the dance floor. It was guaranteed to give anyone a headache when one stared too long.
Cesia ran her fingers through her thick wavy black hair, fiddled with her double piercing, straightened out her skull necklace, until finally resting on the thick shiny counter. She felt her heavy mascara-lined eyes droop from the tobacco-ridden smoke.
She was sure that seconds off her own life was ticking away with each deep breath of cigarettes. Subtly, Cesia moved her hand over her mouth as if to create a makeshift muffle.
"Hey. Can I get a beer over here?" snapped an impatient young man.
Cesia, startled, pulled her hand away from her mouth and sent a sunny smile in his direction. "Sure." She quickly pulled out a glass, poured in the beer, and slid it down the counter towards the man. He grunted in response and grabbed it.
Honestly, it can't hurt to say thank you...Cesia rolled her eyes. Sighing, Cesia watched the customer down his drink and finally toddle off. She pulled out a cloth and wiped the counter down, concentrating on getting the dark stains from the man's suit off the marble.
Cesia was twenty-one years old. At her age, many young people were at college and were pursuing their direction in life. However, Cesia didn't even bother sending in her applications. She knew her job as a bar hostess would be sufficient enough to support her. Not to mention that she really hadn't discovered her so-called "path of life" yet. She wasn't looking for it.
She lived with her roommate in a small apartment, situated near Soho's Omotesando. It was a crummy neighborhood at best in the afternoon, but shed its poor appearance as soon as the streetlights flicked on.
Soho's Omotesando was located on the top floor of CDI Aoyama Studios. The bar was the definition of snazzy and high-class. Cesia surveyed the curved aluminum walls, the exposed piping, the red velvet decorations, and the massive windows. She could see how Omotesando was the talk of Tokyo (where she currently resided) especially with the masses of people that came to frolic every night.
"Excuse me, do you know where the VIP room is?" asked a tall mid-30's woman. She was nervously clutching her Louis Vuitton purse and practically strangling her VIP card as if Cesia was going to steal it. "To the left ma'am." Cesia said, smiling. The woman, in a rather obvious way, ran past her.
Since Cesia wasn't one of the best bar hostesses, she served outside of the VIP room. Because of this, she had to endure the snotty looks of the other bartenders while they strode into that cavernous dining area. The VIP place was filled with plush sofas of various soft materials and apple-scented candles, each placed on a low oak table. If one thought the entrance of Omotesando was elaborate, the next area was nothing compared to it. She could hear the music flowing through those caramel-colored doors. She could practically taste the scent of expensive champagne and gourmet food.
Not that she cared of course.
Her eyes lingered onto the woman who entered the room, finally snapping back to the impatient customer who was banging on the table. "Can I help you?" She asked, her tone a bit irritated. "I asked for a Rosemary martini." The man said haughtily.
Cesia expertly snagged a mixing glass. She poured the vodka in, added some dry vermouth, and put in a sprig of rosemary. She stirred the contents and added some ice. Finally, she strained the drink and poured it into a well-chilled cocktail glass. "Here you go." She said, bored.
The man flicked a tip, which she expertly caught in one hand. She pocketed the yen. The trick was to make the customer's drink as fashionably as you could (and fast). Of course, knowing the recipes for the drinks didn't hurt either. She turned to the next customer, grinning. "Next?"
:ooo:
Two hours passed, it was well into the night. Too bad for Cesia, her shift was only starting. This was rush hour. This was when Cesia had to shake the drinks at an incredible speed. This was the hour where much of her bruises and exhaustion came from. Cesia tensed, brushing away her red dyed bangs from her forehead. Hopefully, she could make a tidy amount of tips tonight.
And it started. "A mint martini please."
"A Satin Manhattan over here."
"I want a Caipirissima."
"Mojito Cocktail."
"Daiguri over here!"
"Where's my Caipirissima?"
Cesia shook. Literally. Her hands and arms were a blur as she grabbed some Oronoco rum, lime wedges, vanilla liquor, White Jamaica rum, and ice cubes. She pulled the cocktail glasses out with intensifying speed, and shook the freezer.
Finally the hour passed.
"Thank gosh I made it." Cesia eased her sore shoulders. Luckily, she had gone through the night with minor problems. The drinks weren't that hard to make and the freezer didn't stop on her. Also...Cesia smirked at the wad of yen smuggled in her pockets.
"Can I have a Rockapolitan?" The language was Japanese with a heavy accent.
Cesia whirled around to face a young man with an exhausted appearance. "Of course," She replied smoothly in English, grinning proudly at his startled face. Nosing out accents was always her specialty, including a knack for languages. As she took the Cruzan Citrus rum out, she took a closer look at the man.
He had pure white hair, slicked back. It was a shade that had to have been achieved through a hair-dye bottle or spray. His eyes were a deep icy blue and he was impeccably dressed. (Not a surprise of course, Soho's Omotesando demanded the best attire). A foreigner. She thought as she rattled the cocktail shaker.
Inquisitive, Cesia looked fleetingly at her customer. After all, he had white hair, even though he looked like he was well into his late-30's. Cesia set the glass on the counter taking another glimpse.
He took it and drank. He was probably accustomed to alcohol too; by the way he handled it. "The name is Kai-Stern." He said, surprising Cesia. "Excuse me?" She asked, stupidly to her dismay. Damn...was I that obvious? Cesia averted her eyes quickly as if to say I-really-wasn't-staring-at-you.
At all the bars she worked at, Cesia had accumulated experience and a series of rules to practice when at employment. One of them was absolutely no eye-contact. The other was never seem too curious about someone. Apparently, drunks always misunderstood innocent glances.
"Kai-stern" glanced at her. "My name is Kai-stern. What is yours, Miss?" Cesia slapped a hand onto her thighs to squelch the nervousness.Should I say a fake name? She thought, before realizing that her name tag was fastened on her collar. Of all the days to wear the stupid thing...
"It's Cesia." She replied. "Cesia, that's not a common name." Kai-stern remarked, taking another sip from his glass. "Neither is yours." Cesia shot back. She was accustomed to people harping on her name and it became a reflex to defend herself. Wincing, she looked at him.
He grinned back. "That's true. I'm from the U.S." Kai-stern said. He doesn't look American... Cesia gave him the critical eye, disguising her look as plain curiosity. "I was born here." Cesia answered back simply when she realized that he was waiting for an answer. One of the rules of the Omotesando was not to give out personal information to the customers.
"This isn't a sex bar."
That was another. Soho's Omotesando was not the average Hooters restaurant where drunks harassed waitresses without penalty. It was one of the reasons why Cesia had taken the job, the other being she really had no choice. Of course, after the first few nights, Cesia learned not to believe the fine print. The occasional pervert did come along in need of a scolding and Cesia was always ready to push a rowdy drunk out the door. Omotesando had a pretty large share of them.
"Miss Cesia?"
Cesia was brought down to earth again. Stop doing that. She reprimanded herself before turning back to Kai-stern. "Yes?"
Kai-stern looked at her. A thoughtful, pensive look was on his face. "Do you think that women, such as yourself, get harassed here?"
The question threw her off. What was she supposed to reply to that? Was this guy just asking her or was this some sort of obscure bartender test she didn't know about? Cesia stared at Kai-stern who wasn't quite meeting her eyes. Suspicions started to build up inside.
She began to open her mouth, Cesia could stay here all night just telling him about all the instances that involved a hand that strayed or boundaries crossed.Actually...Prior suspicions finally surfaced. It wouldn't be too smart to besmirch Omotesando's name to this random foreigner. He could be one of those tabloid reporters that Cesia always had to kick out of the bar.
"I'm not really obligated to answer that question," She began coldly. "If you're interested why don't you show yourself out the door before I report you for harassment." Cesia snapped.
"What?" Kai-stern looked at her in disbelief.
Oops...maybe it was just plain curiosity. Cesia mentally slapped herself. Way to go. "I-I..." She stuttered.
To her relief, Kai-stern chuckled good-naturedly. "Trust me Miss Cesia; I don't go around picking up young girls. I'm not that sort of man. Besides, my line of business won't allow me." Cesia blushed. "I'm sorry, it just popped out..." She trailed off.
The white-haired man chuckled again and finished his glass. "It's been nice talking to you Cesia-san." He added, suddenly reverting back to his heavy Japanese. Getting up, he dropped a single yen and went out the door.
Cesia watched until he disappeared from the entrance before snatching up the coin. One yen only? To be honest, she was a little disappointed. He had forced her to maintain a conversation and she even talked in a language that was more comfortable to him. I think I deserve at least a 500 yen coin.
"If you're interested why don't you show yourself out the door before I report you for harassment."
Actually, she was lucky that he hadn't complained to her superiors.
:oooo:
The crowd was thick and the roads were congested. People shoved each other, screaming, talking, and laughing at the top of their lungs. Cars and other similar automobiles honked at each other at the slightest bit of provocation. Pedestrians ran haphazardly down the streets, ignoring the safe green light. Everyone was busy. Everyone was going somewhere.
Kai-stern hated it. The hustle and bustle of the city was one of the main reasons he hated diplomatic trips. Ruwalk owes me big for this... The night had been a complete waste. The fact that he was returning with useless bits of information irritated him also.
Well, it wasn't useless completely. He had fostered a contact with a young bartendress who wasn't as dumb as the rest of the high-school dropouts. She was sharp and clever by way of her easy transition to English and her guarded cautiousness.
I can definitely use her. Kai-stern commented to himself. Maybe the night wasn't so wasted after all.
:ooo:
I'm glad that I finally put this fanfic back up. This was one of my favorites. Partly because I had no plot and partly because I could do so much with the characters. The plot is mainly a "gangster" or "criminal enterprise" sort of background with Cesia right in the throng. I'm going to have fun with this. Thanks for reading everyone! And hopefully reviewing!