Ch 1: And the Jukebox Tolled Twelve
"You know, Yugo, sometimes I wonder why I even stay with you!"
"Yeah, well so do I!"
With that, Yugo slammed the door behind him, got on his motorcycle, and speed away. It wasn't the first time they had argued, but it was one of if not the most heated. "Why can't she just see things my way?" he thought taking a sharp corner. "I just need a drink to clear my head."
He pulled onto a seedy street, full of drug dealers, prostitutes and pimps. He would be tempted to hire one for company, and he'd be lying if he said that before Alice he hadn't, but he was not in the mood. He just wanted a drink, or maybe two or three. He just wanted to be numb.
Veronica's Pub wasn't the most glamorous place. Located in one of the worst parts of town, it was a small, brick building nestled between and abandoned home and a warehouse. The roof was water damaged, the stench of alcohol, urine and vomit filled the air in and out, and bar fights were frequent. But the beer was good, the jukebox worked and the pool table was level, that was all Yugo cared about right now.
He pulled his bike up front, where he could see it from the window, threw the kickstand down and took his helmet off. He walked up, squeezed the handle, and opened the door. Everything was like he remembered it. Veronica, the bartender and owner, still had her jet-black hair, hourglass figure, and tight blue jeans. Her smile had a hint of come-hither trampiness as she locked her viper-green eyes onto Yugo.
"Yugo! It's been forever."
"Yeah. Alice doesn't like me drinking..."
"Bad fight then, eh?" she asked leaning over the bar.
"You guessed it."
"Well, have a seat, I'll pour you a mug of your favorite." Yugo nodded, and scanned the room. It was a pretty good crowd, for a Saturday. All the seats were occupied to watch Benny and Mike put on their weekly show. Benny was a God on the harmonica, and Mike as much so on the piano. They were two old Vietnam Vets who showed up one day and started playing. Veronica was a bit annoyed at first, but they put asses in seat and beer flowing in them, so she didn't mind. In fact, she let them have a free drink every Saturday at closing.
He spotted an open seat, next to a man with a violet vest, shirt and pants, short brown hair a red eyes. He was downing shots of straight Vodka like it was going out of style. Yugo hatefully recognized the man in an instant. "ShenLong..." he muttered.
"Don't worry," the former ZLF leader mumbled, "had I wanted to kill you, I'd have done so already." He downed another shot as Yugo cautiously took a seat. An awkward silence fell over them among the hustle and noise of the bar, broken finally by Veronica with Yugo's beer.
"An Brain Blasta Ale, your favorite. Honestly, you're the only son of a bitch that can stomach the stuff," she said. She shot a glance over at ShenLong. "Shenny, baby, looks like someone finally invaded your space," she said walking away and winking at the half-drunk man.
"That's some strong stuff, the An Brain Blasta Ale," ShenLong said.
"Its good stuff, far better than a beer that's at least 7% alcohol has any business being. Things get hazy after the third one, and you know how tough it is for a Zoanthrope to get wasted." Yugo said, taking a big gulp of the nut-red ale. That was another thing that he liked about Veronica's Pub. Black, White, Asian, Irish, Zoanthrope, nobody cared. Veronica's brother, Mikhail, was a Zoanthrope. Anybody gave him or Yugo trouble; she'd throw them out on the street without a second thought. "I run a bar, not a public forum or a lynch mob," she'd say.
"So, Shenny-baby? You and her?" he asked.
"Nah, she's just a tease. Why? You two?"
"A long time ago," Yugo replied, a little misty...
"Was she good in bed? She keeps up with the flirting, I might have to hit it."
"You try, and I'll tear you limb from limb," Yugo said.
ShenLong chuckled. "You really need to loosen up. You'll live longer." He burst out laughing.
"What is so funny? Yugo asked, befuddled by ShenLong's odd behavior.
"Here I am, a man who cares nothing for life, giving advice on long life. Kinda ironic' isn't it?"
"I guess." Yugo took another gulp of the ale, and shook his head. "Damn, that shit's strong."
"Fight with the bunny-girl, eh?"
"What business is it of yours?"
"I'm just being sociable," ShenLong pointed at Veronica. "She threatened to cut me off if I didn't talk to someone."
Yugo couldn't help but chuckle. ShenLong, once mighty leader of the Zoanthrope Liberation Front, was whipped by a simple bartender at a local dive. How far the mighty had fallen. "Yeah," he answered.
"About what?"
"Stupid shit," Yugo said.
"Ah, women, scourge of mankind," ShenLong chuckled.
"I heard that. Mister!" Veronica yelled from the other side of the bar.
ShenLong sighed, and Yugo laughed. "Maybe she's a Zoanthrope. A hawk, maybe?"
"It'd only be another plus," ShenLong said, downing a shot of Vodka.
Yugo downed the last of his beer, and began to stand. "I gotta go. Hopefully Kenji won't mind me crashing on his couch tonight.
"The boy's living on his own now?"
"Yeah, he and Uriko moved out to be closer to college."
"I see."
Yugo turned to leave, and bumped into a large man wearing blue jeans and an army camouflage t-shirt that barely covered his rotund stomach. "Excuse me," he said as he tried to step by.
The man growled at Yugo. And deliberately stepped in his way. "Where do you think you're going, shrimp?"
ShenLong rose to face the man. "Marty, Marty, Marty, my friend here has had a little too much to drink. You know how it is."
Marty looked as if he was going to leave, but then swung around a punched ShenLong clean in the face. Yugo retaliated with a hard left hook to Marty's face, causing the big man to stumble. The crowd separated, creating an inadvertent ring. Veronica tried to get through to separate the men, but the crowd was too tightly packed.
Marty took a clumsy, off balance swing at Yugo, which he easily ducked and delivered a solid shot to his abdomen. Marty roared and ran at Yugo, but instead met ShenLong's elbow when his intended target sidestepped. Reeling, he staggered over to Yugo, who was waiting with a vicious right hook. He spun around, and into a backhand from ShenLong that sent him flying out the door. Getting to his feet, the fat man ran from the bar.
"That Marty..." ShenLong sighed. "Strong as an ox, and about half as smart."
Veronica walked over to ShenLong and Yugo as the crowd slowly dispersed. "I'm sorry about that." She said.
"Don't be. We took care of it," Yugo walked towards the door.
"Don't be a stranger, Yugo. This place is so dull without you."
Yugo smiled, and looked back and Veronica and ShenLong. "I won't be." He turned around, walked out the door, and sped off to Kenji's apartment. The ride there was uneventful, the change of scenery from a dark and dank side of town to a green, grassy one was nice. He pulled up to a large building, and walked inside. He knocked on Kenji's door, apartment 215. Kenji answered, wearing a violet bathrobe Yugo had given him.
"Me and Alice... had a fight. Can I crash here tonight?"
"Sure, Yugo." Kenji said, a little nervously. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Uriko, in a similar state of undress wearing a blue robe. "Don't worry. I won't tell Alice."
Kenji breathed a sigh of relief, and let Yugo in. He set his wallet and keys on the coffee table, and laid out on the couch as Kenji and Uriko retreated to his bedroom. Yugo let out a light chuckle. They reminded him of himself and Alice, and of himself and Veronica. "Veronica and ShenLong..." he thought. He shook his head, closed his eyes, and tried to get to sleep.
"You know, Yugo, sometimes I wonder why I even stay with you!"
"Yeah, well so do I!"
With that, Yugo slammed the door behind him, got on his motorcycle, and speed away. It wasn't the first time they had argued, but it was one of if not the most heated. "Why can't she just see things my way?" he thought taking a sharp corner. "I just need a drink to clear my head."
He pulled onto a seedy street, full of drug dealers, prostitutes and pimps. He would be tempted to hire one for company, and he'd be lying if he said that before Alice he hadn't, but he was not in the mood. He just wanted a drink, or maybe two or three. He just wanted to be numb.
Veronica's Pub wasn't the most glamorous place. Located in one of the worst parts of town, it was a small, brick building nestled between and abandoned home and a warehouse. The roof was water damaged, the stench of alcohol, urine and vomit filled the air in and out, and bar fights were frequent. But the beer was good, the jukebox worked and the pool table was level, that was all Yugo cared about right now.
He pulled his bike up front, where he could see it from the window, threw the kickstand down and took his helmet off. He walked up, squeezed the handle, and opened the door. Everything was like he remembered it. Veronica, the bartender and owner, still had her jet-black hair, hourglass figure, and tight blue jeans. Her smile had a hint of come-hither trampiness as she locked her viper-green eyes onto Yugo.
"Yugo! It's been forever."
"Yeah. Alice doesn't like me drinking..."
"Bad fight then, eh?" she asked leaning over the bar.
"You guessed it."
"Well, have a seat, I'll pour you a mug of your favorite." Yugo nodded, and scanned the room. It was a pretty good crowd, for a Saturday. All the seats were occupied to watch Benny and Mike put on their weekly show. Benny was a God on the harmonica, and Mike as much so on the piano. They were two old Vietnam Vets who showed up one day and started playing. Veronica was a bit annoyed at first, but they put asses in seat and beer flowing in them, so she didn't mind. In fact, she let them have a free drink every Saturday at closing.
He spotted an open seat, next to a man with a violet vest, shirt and pants, short brown hair a red eyes. He was downing shots of straight Vodka like it was going out of style. Yugo hatefully recognized the man in an instant. "ShenLong..." he muttered.
"Don't worry," the former ZLF leader mumbled, "had I wanted to kill you, I'd have done so already." He downed another shot as Yugo cautiously took a seat. An awkward silence fell over them among the hustle and noise of the bar, broken finally by Veronica with Yugo's beer.
"An Brain Blasta Ale, your favorite. Honestly, you're the only son of a bitch that can stomach the stuff," she said. She shot a glance over at ShenLong. "Shenny, baby, looks like someone finally invaded your space," she said walking away and winking at the half-drunk man.
"That's some strong stuff, the An Brain Blasta Ale," ShenLong said.
"Its good stuff, far better than a beer that's at least 7% alcohol has any business being. Things get hazy after the third one, and you know how tough it is for a Zoanthrope to get wasted." Yugo said, taking a big gulp of the nut-red ale. That was another thing that he liked about Veronica's Pub. Black, White, Asian, Irish, Zoanthrope, nobody cared. Veronica's brother, Mikhail, was a Zoanthrope. Anybody gave him or Yugo trouble; she'd throw them out on the street without a second thought. "I run a bar, not a public forum or a lynch mob," she'd say.
"So, Shenny-baby? You and her?" he asked.
"Nah, she's just a tease. Why? You two?"
"A long time ago," Yugo replied, a little misty...
"Was she good in bed? She keeps up with the flirting, I might have to hit it."
"You try, and I'll tear you limb from limb," Yugo said.
ShenLong chuckled. "You really need to loosen up. You'll live longer." He burst out laughing.
"What is so funny? Yugo asked, befuddled by ShenLong's odd behavior.
"Here I am, a man who cares nothing for life, giving advice on long life. Kinda ironic' isn't it?"
"I guess." Yugo took another gulp of the ale, and shook his head. "Damn, that shit's strong."
"Fight with the bunny-girl, eh?"
"What business is it of yours?"
"I'm just being sociable," ShenLong pointed at Veronica. "She threatened to cut me off if I didn't talk to someone."
Yugo couldn't help but chuckle. ShenLong, once mighty leader of the Zoanthrope Liberation Front, was whipped by a simple bartender at a local dive. How far the mighty had fallen. "Yeah," he answered.
"About what?"
"Stupid shit," Yugo said.
"Ah, women, scourge of mankind," ShenLong chuckled.
"I heard that. Mister!" Veronica yelled from the other side of the bar.
ShenLong sighed, and Yugo laughed. "Maybe she's a Zoanthrope. A hawk, maybe?"
"It'd only be another plus," ShenLong said, downing a shot of Vodka.
Yugo downed the last of his beer, and began to stand. "I gotta go. Hopefully Kenji won't mind me crashing on his couch tonight.
"The boy's living on his own now?"
"Yeah, he and Uriko moved out to be closer to college."
"I see."
Yugo turned to leave, and bumped into a large man wearing blue jeans and an army camouflage t-shirt that barely covered his rotund stomach. "Excuse me," he said as he tried to step by.
The man growled at Yugo. And deliberately stepped in his way. "Where do you think you're going, shrimp?"
ShenLong rose to face the man. "Marty, Marty, Marty, my friend here has had a little too much to drink. You know how it is."
Marty looked as if he was going to leave, but then swung around a punched ShenLong clean in the face. Yugo retaliated with a hard left hook to Marty's face, causing the big man to stumble. The crowd separated, creating an inadvertent ring. Veronica tried to get through to separate the men, but the crowd was too tightly packed.
Marty took a clumsy, off balance swing at Yugo, which he easily ducked and delivered a solid shot to his abdomen. Marty roared and ran at Yugo, but instead met ShenLong's elbow when his intended target sidestepped. Reeling, he staggered over to Yugo, who was waiting with a vicious right hook. He spun around, and into a backhand from ShenLong that sent him flying out the door. Getting to his feet, the fat man ran from the bar.
"That Marty..." ShenLong sighed. "Strong as an ox, and about half as smart."
Veronica walked over to ShenLong and Yugo as the crowd slowly dispersed. "I'm sorry about that." She said.
"Don't be. We took care of it," Yugo walked towards the door.
"Don't be a stranger, Yugo. This place is so dull without you."
Yugo smiled, and looked back and Veronica and ShenLong. "I won't be." He turned around, walked out the door, and sped off to Kenji's apartment. The ride there was uneventful, the change of scenery from a dark and dank side of town to a green, grassy one was nice. He pulled up to a large building, and walked inside. He knocked on Kenji's door, apartment 215. Kenji answered, wearing a violet bathrobe Yugo had given him.
"Me and Alice... had a fight. Can I crash here tonight?"
"Sure, Yugo." Kenji said, a little nervously. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Uriko, in a similar state of undress wearing a blue robe. "Don't worry. I won't tell Alice."
Kenji breathed a sigh of relief, and let Yugo in. He set his wallet and keys on the coffee table, and laid out on the couch as Kenji and Uriko retreated to his bedroom. Yugo let out a light chuckle. They reminded him of himself and Alice, and of himself and Veronica. "Veronica and ShenLong..." he thought. He shook his head, closed his eyes, and tried to get to sleep.