[A/N: This is an AU idea I saw on the Bubbline tag on Tumblr. You guys are terrible influences and I love you for it. It inspired me so I'll just put this here. Yes, I know Marceline doesn't smoke, but I believe her smoking at times is appropriate to this certain AU. She doesn't smoke when she is sober, just when she drinks to forget. Thanks!]
[PS: Let me know what you guys think! If it goes over alright, I'll continue it.]
Marceline took a drag from the clove cigarette resting between her fingers. She exhaled lazily watching the silver smoke dance into the air. It danced like her girls; wild and untamed. She smiled and leaned back, the glass in her hand clinking softly with ice. It was a dark rum night for the Queen. The heavy spiced scents hung about her as her dark heavily lidded eyes looked around. It was a couple of hours before they opened for the night and she was nicely on her way to a fine drunken stupor as she was prone to do on occasion. Most of the girls knew how to handle their boss when she got like this, but a couple of the newer girls fidgeted nervously. Marceline stood up on uneasy feet and began to laugh.
"Alright, ladies! We still have time before our special guest is due to make his appearance…" She swayed lightly. "Now, I know better than most, he may not be the nicest guy, but he's our stepping stone to the absolute top. Sure, I know we're already the best. But after we're done with him, everyone will know and there will be no damn doubts!" She growled to the ladies around her.
Most of the girls encouraged her with hoots and whistles, but the newer girls who seemed more than a little nervous just clapped uneasily. After a couple of minutes, she sat back down heavily in her booth to her smoke and drink. She nestled herself back against the overstuffed cushions and watched as her girls got the room ready for the next shift.
The room was heavily decorated with red and black velvet. It was reminiscent of a Victorian manor, but the music was far from matching. The dark Victorian atmosphere was purely for the comfort and theme Marceline tried to uphold. She was the only matching piece, for she was the owner and operator of The Burlesque Palace of the Damned and she was their Queen.
Bonnibel had nowhere to go. She had tried to find a job almost everywhere. She was 23 and had no work experience; she had been laughed out of every place. She still carried her refined air, but she had become very discouraged. One of the men at a store had grinned at her, eyeing her up and down and told her to try "Marcy's Place" down the road. She was desperate so she made her way towards the large building that reminded her of a bad horror movie set. The large stone manor had large grotesque gargoyles on the edge of the roof that leered down at her mercilessly. Their jaws hanging open in what seemed to Bonnibel as mocking laughter. She took a deep breath and hefted her bag once more. She made her way slowly down the cobblestone path to the front doors. As she stared at the doors and contemplated knocking, she brushed a lock of pink hair out of her face. She finally managed to swing the large brass door knocker. A minute later, a small meek looking girl answered. Bonnibel tried giving her a confident smile.
"Oh, ah, hello." She gave a stiff wave. "I was told I could come here to look for work… Is there any way I could speak with the manager or owner…or anyone really…?" She chewed her lower lip nervously.
The small girls face lit up. "Work? Oh, yes! The Boss is in, as always. I'm sure she'd be happy to meet you." The girls tone was slick with something Bonnibel didn't quite recognize. She still had so much to learn about to learn about the "real" world. The girl turned and motioned for Bonnibel to follow her. "You can call me Berry, everyone does. I'm sort of a hostess here." The small, raspberry haired girl said as she pushed open the doors to the large open room that served as the main hall for the business. "No need to be nervous Miss. The Boss is nice, especially to those she likes, though she is a bit….out of sorts tonight. She gets that way sometimes, but she isn't bad." She added as she led her across the room to the owner's private booth. Bonnibel followed in silence.
"Excuse me madam." Berry said with a sly smile playing across her lips. "We have ourselves a caller. She says she needs work…" The small girl said to the darkness. From the dark came the red hot glow of the cherry of a cigarette. "I'll leave you to it madam." Berry said as she backed away. As she turned she gave Bonnibel a reassured smile and retreated to her duties.
Marceline slipped out of the shadows to greet her potential employee. She put the clove out in her ashtray and stood up uneasily to get her first look at the newbie. Her dark eyes looked Bonnibel over before she smiled and took a step closer. "So, looking for a job? This is definitely the place for a pretty young woman, like you." She said as she smirked picking up her glass. "Such an interesting beauty…" She murmured, staring into the dark liquid, as she lifted her drink to her pale lips and took a long drink. She set the drink down with a hollow thunk on the thick wooden tabletop and turned her eyes back to the displaced looking girl standing before her. "My name is Marceline Abadeer and I own this 'little' establishment. And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" She purred in her drunken husk.
Bonnibel fidgeted. "Ah, my name is Bonnibel -… just Bonnibel." She replied setting her bag down by her feet. For a fleeting moment Marceline saw a look of fear when she omitted her last name. It wasn't really Marceline's place to pry into why women sought her employ. It was rarely a pretty story and she imagined it was much the same for this fallen princess looking type. She gave her a look over and smiled to try and reassure her. The girl was dressed in high-end clothing, albeit a bit dirty from the looks of it. She looked as if she hadn't had a proper place to bathe or sleep for some time. But even under her beauty and attempt at hiding her disheveled look, she couldn't hide the fact she was homeless. But of course Marceline had an eye for that sort of thing in her line of business.
Marceline smiled again. "Well, Just Bonnibel, what brings you to my home?" She gave a toothy grin. Bonnibel stiffened and held her head high or at least tried. "I need money…and a place to live. Why? That is my own reason." The pink haired girl replied curtly. Marceline chuckled. "Oooh, mysterious, I like it. I won't ask your reasons, just so long as you're okay with the work. I take good care of my girls. I'll feed you, clothe you, put a roof over your head, and pay you. In return…" Her look turned part mischief and part something Bonnibel didn't recognize. Marceline ran a hand through her dark hair to hide the fact she eyed the girl up and down again. "…you dance."