Mei Yo knew the stories of Ikebukuro as well as any other person. She knew the names of the people whom she needed to avoid, the colors of the gangs that she shouldn't associate herself with, and the places where most of the trouble happens. However, unlike most of the residents of Ikebukuro, there was no helping most of her involvement. ShizuoXOC
The obviously dyed red-haired girl blew out a puff of smoke into the night air after inhaling the sweet bitterness of lit vanilla flavored tobacco. Her vibrant red hair tousled down her back, lifting as a breeze would make its way in between the two buildings' alley.
Her outfit consisted of a short black skirt and black heeled boots which she had placed beside her as she dangled her legs from her perch atop the large garbage can. Her shirt was a white, button-up blouse that had the first few buttons from the top undone and a loosened tie. A black waitress apron was tied around her waist. She had her eyes closed while she leaned back, one arm supporting her weight while the other held up her pipe. The red-head liked to think of herself as classy, at times.
She puffed once more before lifting her head at the sound of footsteps, her chocolate milk-colored eyes gazing at the figure. The person, obviously a male, was rather tall with blond hair and sunglasses. He sported a bartender suit, probably from working at the building opposite to the one she worked at. He stopped and leaned against the gate separating the alley from one of the roads, not allowing cars and the like to access the alley as means of a route. He dug into his pocket before fishing out a box of cigarettes, shaking one out of the box, and placing the rest back from where they came. The male then turned to the red-haired girl, "Do ya got a light?"
She stared at him for a second before a smile came to her face and she nodded. Reaching into one of the pockets of her apron, she pulled out a box of matches. "Is a match alright," she asked, holding them up so he could see.
The blond nodded his head before she tossed the matches to him which he caught with ease. Swiping one of the sticks against the card, a fire blazed to life, illuminating the male while he lit his cigarette before waving out the the dancing red and tossing her back her match box.
The two were quiet while they puffed on their tobacco, the air neither being awkward or agitating. The moments of silence was soon dealt with as the female spoke up, "So, do you work at that bar?" She motioned with her chin to the building opposite hers-the one she had been facing-.
He studied her for a moment, debating on whether to answer or not. He choose the former. With a nod of his head, he answered with a simple, "yeah."
Another moment of silence passed before she spoke up again, "What's your name?"
He sighed. He had rather much enjoyed the silence from before rather than the sudden interest in talking. "Shizuo Heiwajima. Yours?"
"Mei Yo. I work at this building here," she threw her thumb over her shoulder, pointing at the building. "It's this sort of restaurant-bar-show kind of thing. Real popular with males mostly, but it is family friendly."
Shizuo took one look at her uniform and instantly knew why it was so popular with guys. A short skirt like hers and a tight-fitting buttoned shirt would most definitely attract the eyes of males.
Mei received her phone from her pocket and flipped it open. Reading the time, she snapped it closed and placed it back into her apron. "Well," she sighed as she slipped back in her boots and zipped them up, "I have to go back to my shift. Break time is over."
She jumped down from her place on the bin, careful not to sprain her ankle or fall over. Re-buttoning her shirt and adjusting her tie, she emptied out her pipe before placing it back in her apron. She swept up her hair and placed it into the neatest bun she could muster before turning to the blond. "It was nice meeting you, Shizuo. I hope that we can talk again."
He nodded his head in reply as he watched her leave the alley and head back to work. He hadn't necessarily hoped they'd talk again, but he knew he wouldn't mind if it ever came down to it.
Returning back to her shift, Mei went back to work, much more at ease than before she had taken a small break. She had just returned to the back area after sitting down a table for two and taking their drink orders when one of the girls she knew, and recognized as the waitress for the sitting area at the rear of the restaurant, furthest from the show area, call Mei towards her.
She made her way towards the other waitress, "What's up, Aiko?"
The black haired girl fiddled with her fingers, "Um, do you see those men at table thirteen?"
Mei looked back and spotted a group of males varying in both age and size. She turned her brown orbs back to the girl in front of her, "What about them?"
"W-Well, they've been very... touchy... since I've sat them down and I've told them to stop, but they just keep d-doing it..."
The red head frowned as she looked back at them. Sighing, she turned to Aiko, "Alright, let's go see if we ask one more time if they'll stop."
The two waitresses made their way to the table, Mei taking the lead while Aiko followed after her. Once there, Mei made sure she had their attention before addressing the problem. "Excuse me, but this is a 'no harassment' zone. We'll kindly ask you to leave if you don't stop messing with our waitresses."
A bald man with a sun-wrinkled face chuckled, "But what if we don't want to leave, cherry?" The man then proceeded to sweep his hands across Mei's skirt.
Frowning, at both the nickname and the move he placed, she stepped out of his grasp, "We are asking you to please stop, otherwise we will have to evict you from the premises."
The group laughed, making no move to apologize or stop. Another figure stepped up to the table, this time it was the manager.
"Is there a problem," he asked. The manager, Ryou, was the owner's son, and like any manager, he had to dress the part. Wearing a nicely pressed, black business suit and dark brown hair slicked back, he looked very much as authoritative as he should.
Mei turned to the manager, "It seems that these gentlemen can't keep their hands off us waitresses."
The manager turned to the group, "Is that true? If it is, I am going to have to ask you to kindly stop harassing anyone here, or leave."
So, like any good manager should be, Ryou had a no tolerance for harassment and/or fighting. For anyone who didn't personally know Ryou like new employees or those who didn't work at the restaurant, they'd think he'd only want things out of benefit for the business. Which wasn't entirely true, nor was it completely false. He did have a very business-y air to him, but as Mei and Aiko knew, he truly did wish well for him fellow employees.
The group of men grumbled something before standing up and taking their leave. There wasn't any point of staying if they couldn't have fun.
Everything had settled down and Mei had apologized to her table for being so late as she handed them their beverages, allowing the refills and desert to be on the house. The rest of her shift until closing went off without a hitch. Tips were well earned and she, along with everyone else in the restaurant, was allowed to go home after dishes were washed, tables and floors cleaned, and goodbyes said.
It was well after midnight when Mei Yo had departed from work, hugging her coat close to her skin to be swallowed in the warmth and protected from the chilly air. It was times like these where the red-head wished she had a car, that way she didn't have to keep her aching feet from walking. She yawned tiredly as she wiped away sleep from her eyes.
She lived quite a ways away from work, but not too far that she'd want to catch the bus or train. Which would have been the smart thing to do seeing as Ikebukuro wasn't the most safe place at night. The thought that she could get hurt or kidnapped didn't occur to her often, only when she had just started working at the restaurant, but as time passed and nothing happened, the idea of something bad happening to her disappeared. Not that she wanted to be reminded of that, anyways.
Mei had been able to return to her complex safely. Jamming her key into the keyhole to her door, she swung the door open before stepping inside and shutting and locking it behind her. She took off her boots and relished by the way her feet were free, then dropped her coat and purse (which she had traded in for her apron) on her couch before shuffling to her bedroom. Unzipping her skirt and unbuttoning her shirt, she slipped out of her uniform and into her pajamas.
As much as she thought she needed a shower, Mei was far too tired to take on, opting for sleeping instead. So sleep is what she got, but not before she received a text. With an exasperated sigh, she heaved herself out of bed and over to the living room where her purse contained her phone. Fishing it out, she padded back over to her bed and got comfy.
Flipping open her phone, eyes squinting from the sudden exposure of light, her fingers worked on retrieving the message. The message was from an unknown number, definitely one she didn't recognize.
She scanned the text:
[RECEIVED- Unknown]
Tick Tock Goes The Clock
Message In A Bottle, Unprotected
What Secrets Lie Inside?
Mei stared perplexed at the message. They must have gotten the wrong number. She didn't have any secrets to hide. She never lied about her identity. There was no reason to As far as she knew, she could be truthful about pretty much everything. Deciding that they had been pranking her, or gotten the number mixed up, she was going to pay no mind to it.
Not until she got another text.
[RECEIVED-Unknown]
A Wolf Afraid Of A Lamb?
Pursuer Afraid Of The Victim?
Mei Yo Afraid Of Children In The Water
But maybe... There was one thing she had kept hidden. One thing not many know, only those who bear witness to would. She'd nearly forgotten, but now it was coming back.
The red-head clenched her teeth as she stared at the phone.
[RECEIVED-Unknown]
E.C.R