"Time for work, Scarlet." I said, walking into her room.
"No…" She moaned, still in bed. "Giselle, I don't want to go."
"Well, we have to. We're going to get evicted if we don't get jobs to pay rent." I pulled my best friend out of her bed.
"Did we have to get jobs down at the bar?" She asked.
"Well, what else are we qualified to do? I don't exactly want to be a strumpet, Scarlet!" I exclaimed fixing my hair. She finally got up and began to fix her own hair.
"You do realize that is what we are going to be taken for, though." She said.
"Maybe. But we still need the jobs. Besides, its not like we're going to meet anyone in one of those bars that would actually be able to change us!"
"True." She said. "Alright. Let's just get this over with." We walked out of our apartment and made special care that the door was locked. You never know what can happen in Tortuga. We walked down the street, avoiding nuemerous fights along the way, and finally arrived in front of the bar.
"The Dusty Demoness Tavern. How quaint." She stared at the sign in horror.
"Come on." I grabbed her arm and pulled her into the tavern. We walked up to the bar and sat down.
"What can I do for you ladies?" The bartenderess asked us.
"We applied for jobs yesterday. We're supposed to start today." I said.
"Oh, you're the new dolls." She said. "Finally." She sighed.
"What do you mean by finally?" Scarlet asked as a strange look appeared on her face.
"I've been the only one for a while." She replied. "All the other ones have turned to selling themselved instead of the rum." She grimaced. "You have no idea how hard it is to be the only bartenderess working at all times. Especially when the place is full of pirates trying to get you into an upstairs room." Scarlet and I looked at each other.
"Oh." We both said.
"But don't let me influence you." She said cheerfully. "The job really can be great! Its always tons of fun when we get the band playing. There's a guitar and a accordian, and all sorts of things. Good times!" She smiled.
"Yeah. Sounds great." Scarlet mumbled.
"Shh..." I glared at her. Such a pessimistic girl.
"Anyway, let me show you girls what to do."
"Well, that wasn't as bad as I expected." I said as we walked back to our apartment late that night.
"It wasn't great, but I suppose I won't hate it." Scarlet said, making sure not to let me know that I was right the entire time.
"You know you had fun tonight!" I giggled.
"No I didn't." She grumbled. "Someone slipped something into my rum. I had no self-control!"
"Excuses, excuses." I said. We continued on our walk in silence.
"I still can't believe you wouldn't dance with that pirate that sat in the corner the whole time." She said, suddenly.
"He never asked me." I said, recalling the pirate with the tri-corner hat. "Besides, anyone could tell he was a drunk. He came up for at least twenty rums tonight."
"Twenty." She repeated. "No one could even handle twenty rums without passing out." She laughed.
"Anyway, we're supposed to be working. Not dancing. I applied for a job as a waitress, not a dancer, and I intend on keeping it that way." I huffed as we climbed the stairs.
"He was watching you the entire time. Won't you at least talk to him?" She asked.
"Since when do you care about my love life?" I asked.
"Since I have nothing else to care about." She smiled. "If you won't go after him, I will. He was extremely handsome."
"Go ahead. I'm in this for money for rent, not for a one night stand. I thought you felt the same way."
"I do!" She protested. "I just don't think there's any harm in meeting him, thats all." She unlocked the door. "I'm going straight to bed. I'm not feeling the best."
"Alright." I said. I waited until she closed the door to her room until I went into my own. The truth was, I did notice the man. I saw him as he watched me from across the room, and I watched him myself when he turned away. I remembered perfectly every drink he ordered that night and I knew he'd probably be there tomorow. At least I hoped so. "I wonder who he is." I said to myself as I drifted off to sleep.