Chapter 2
"A Strawberry Sunrise, please. With lots of ice." replied the woman.
"Coming right up." replied Roman. Such a sweet drink, and not all that boozy either. She must have a sweet tooth and doesn't want to get drunk, either that or she's a lightweight. thought Roman
It wasn't his place to comment on what drinks his customers wanted, so long as they paid for it he didn't really care.
Roman grabbed a highball glass from the underbar and opened the icebox, taking out a large column of clear ice and placing it into the glass. He then reached at the backbar for the strawberry liqueur and grenadine. Roman quickly assembled the drink, pouring the orange juice into a mixing glass, then a measured amount strawberry liqueur which he mixed into the juice before pouring it over the clear ice in the highball glass. Lastly Roman carefully added the grenadine, the deep red liqueur slowly sinking to the bottom of the glass, giving the impression of the rising sun.
"Here's your drink, miss." said Roman, setting the glass down on a coaster in front of the hooded woman.
"Thank you." she replied, then after a pause asked, "Um. . . do you have a straw?"
"One moment." said Roman, A straw? Seriously? It's gonna ruin the entire experience of the drink. he thought.
Reaching to the underbar he took out a straw and gently placed it into her glass.
"Thanks." said the woman, picking up the glass and stirred it before taking a sip. She let out a surprised noise, "It's really good." she said, idly stirring her drink with the straw.
Roman raised an eyebrow, "is this your first time drinking this?" he asked.
The woman shook her head, "No, but the first time I tried one it tasted so bad I spat it back out."
"So why'd you order it?" Roman asked, moving to lean on his elbows resting on the top bar.
The woman hesitated, then quietly mumbled, "I. . . I don't know anything about alcohol and I didn't know what else to order."
"Not much of a drinker, are you?" asked Roman, chuckling.
The woman nodded at this, "Yeah, not so much. But after day like today I felt like I definitely needed one." she said before taking another sip of her drink and hummed in appreciation.
Roman could see the woman's lips curve into a smile while she drank. They were a light pink color. His curiosity was beginning to pique and he wanted to see what lay underneath that hood, but before he could say anything someone called out to him.
"Fawkes, I need another beer over here!" called out another patron.
"Duty calls." said Roman, leaving the woman as he went to refill the man's beer glass.
Roman went about his business, serving other patrons, mixing and pouring out drinks that he nearly forgot about the hooded young woman that sat at the bar.
It wasn't until she raised her hand to try and catch his attention that he noticed that the glass in front of her was now empty.
He walked over towards the woman and asked, "Did you like it?"
"Yeah, it was tasty." replied the woman.
"Would you like another one?" asked Roman, flashing a smile.
"Yes please." answered the woman.
"One more Strawberry Sunrise, coming right up." said Roman, taking the glass away and quickly mixing up a new drink in a clean glass, even going as far as putting in a straw in advance. "Here you go." he said, placing the glass down.
"Thanks." said the woman. After taking a sip and feeling the icy drink flow down her throat and let out a sigh in appreciation she then asked, "So you're name is Fox? I can see why, your hair is just like a fox's fur."
"Oh?" Roman chuckled, "I guess you're right," he said, running a hand through his hair. "but I'm sad to say that I think you misheard."
The woman tilted her head slightly in confusion, "Really? Because I'm pretty sure I heard that guy over there call you "Fox"."
Roman waved a finger in front of her face, "Similar pronunciation, but I think proper introductions are in order." He took a step back and began to say, "My name is Fawkes, spelled F-A-W-K-E-S." Roman put a hand to his chest. "I am the owner and bartender of the humble Torchlit Bar." he finished saying with a small bow.
The woman giggled at his exaggerated display.
"Oi Fawkes you didn't give any of us that sort of introduction when I asked what your name was!" complained one of the men that sat together at one of the tables.
"That's because you're a bunch of rowdy bastards, and besides none of you are as pretty as the young lady here." responded Roman, laughing a little while the group of men laughed as well.
The woman shrunk back a little as she took another sip of her drink. "You think I'm pretty?" she asked.
"Well Yes, and you're easily a damn sight better than the usual crowd that comes here." replied Roman, grinning broadly as he jerked a thumb towards the group of men he had spoken to.
"But you haven't even seen my face yet." said the woman.
"Does it matter? Besides I'm a good judge of people and there are plenty of folks around here that don't want their faces to be seen." said Roman shrugging, "But since I've already introduced myself. It'd only be fair if you introduced yourself to me, and if I can't see your face then can I at least have your name young miss?"
The woman gripped the edge of her hood, "Well for reasons I can't talk about, I'm afraid I can't give you my name." she said.
Roman's grin faltered somewhat at her words.
"But if you keep insisting that I'm pretty, I guess I won't mind showing you my face." continued the woman.
She pulled off her hood to reveal exactly what Roman had hoped. She was more than just pretty, she was gorgeous. Her heart shaped face held delicate features and her wide fern green eyes sparkled, reflecting the light from the back bar. She had small slightly pink lips that ever so slightly seemed to pout. Her long black hair fell past her shoulders where the rest was hidden underneath her cloak. But with the light coming from the backbar Roman could see that her hair faded into a shade of dark red. But tragically, her face wasn't unmarred. a thin scar running from her cheekbones across the bridge of her nose.
Roman's breath caught in his throat as he studied every feature of her face, his eyes lingering on the scar.
The woman looked away embarrassedly, "You still think I'm pretty, Fawkes?" she asked, her smile fading as she took another sip of her drink.
When Roman finally came back to his senses he quickly answered, "Yes, you're prettier than i imagined."
The woman blushed, "No one's ever called me pretty, at least after I got this." she ran a finger along the scar going across her face.
"Scars can be beautiful too, you know." said Roman, once again resting his elbows on the bar, bringing his face closer to the woman. "And I think it suits you."
The woman's face turned pink as she blushed at Roman's compliment. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."
"So I've seen your face and I know you can't tell me your name, but what can I call you at least?" Roman asked. "I still have to call you something. Unless you want me to call you scarface?"
Upon mentioning her scar, the woman immediately pouted, "Now that's just rude, is that how you treat all your lady customers?" she said indignantly, crossing her arms.
"Only if they're as feisty as you." said Roman, a chuckle escaping his lips. "So what can I call you if not scarface?"
"Spinel, you can call me Spinel." said the woman.
"Well then, Spinel. I'm glad to make your acquaintance." said Roman happily as he held out his hand.
"Same here, Fawkes." said Spinel as she took his hand and shook it. When she let go Spinel took her drink, finished it off in one go and set a few bills on the bar. "Thank you for the drinks and keep the change." said Spinel.
"The pleasure was all mine, Spinel." said Roman, taking the bills.
The woman stood from the barstool and wobbled slightly before she regained her footing. "Whoa, I guess I had a bit too much to drink haha." she said, laughter slipping past her lips as she held on to the bar for support.
Roman smiled at how cute she looked as she began to walk swaying a bit.
When she reached the door, she turned back to face Roman. "I'll be sure to come back if I ever feel the need to go drinking again." she said.
"I'll be waiting." replied Roman as Spinel opened the door and exited the bar. He kept staring at the door for several moments even after Spinel had left. That is, until he felt a sharp sting on his buttock accompanied by a loud snap.
"Ow!" he yelped, rubbing his ass as he turned to see Neo holding a wet rag in her hands. "Daiquiri what was that for?!" he yelled.
All of the other patrons of the bar laughed at his reaction as Neo signed to him, Stop staring off into space like some lovestruck schoolboy, Roman and get back to work.
Roman's face erupted into a blush, "Who are you calling a lovestruck schoolboy?!"
The bar filled with even more laughter as Neo walked away from Roman with a grin on her face.
Author's Notes: Well here's chapter 2! The chapters for this story probably aren't gonna be as long as I usually make for my other stories, since this is more of a side project that I really wanted to write. I also felt like this was a good place to stop for the time being. I'm also shocked to see how well this story has been received so far and I'm glad that a all of you are enjoying it! Next update might be a while since I'll be working on the next chapter of Ruby vs The Machines before getting started on chapter 3. So please be patient, and remember
Please Leave A Review!