Eliphas was having no small amount of trouble keeping himself composed. He despised people, although not for their individual faults and follies or even for the stumblings of the human race as a whole. He despised the mass of them, the immensity and difficulty of a crowd. The swanky Vegas-style accoutrements held no joy for him, for wherever he looked there was another knot of human presence obstructing his view and his movement. For a restaurant that was supposedly the most exclusive in the city, he bitterly mused, there seemed to be quite a lot of people packed inside.
It was his sister who had dragged him here, as she was so wont to drag him to whatever new hellish social gathering she discovered. Whether it was a seminar by some know-nothing duelist who just happened to write a book, a local tournament scarcely worth their time, or a promotional event portending the release of new cards, his sister was on the scene. If there had ever been any gravitas or solemnity to the sport of Duel Monsters, it had been lost under a mountain of crass commercialism. A game of strategy and nuance could now be practiced by anyone with a duel disk and some free time, and where KaibaCorp executives rejoiced at the notion of Duel Monsters as a global sensation, it left Eliphas quite cold.
He would admit, to himself if nobody else, that the staff of Top Deck made a passable vodka martini and their bartenders were as skilled as they were snappy about mixing drinks. Eliphas found that everything was somewhat less insufferable with a little liquor, and even the constant murmur of so many voices became a pleasant white noise once his initial distaste had been softened by the vodka. The bartender was a burly fellow who did not seem much for conversation, a trait which Eliphas admired above all else, though the duel disk on his arm drew Eliphas' eye more so than a holstered pistol might have.
When the bartender brought his next drink, Eliphas held up a hand to stop him. Curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he had wanted to inquire about the inner workings of the restaurant for quite some time. "Do you do shifts as a doorman?" Eliphas asked, motioning to the heavy device on the bartender's arm. Top Deck's policy was not duelists-only, but the high prices it commanded for food and service gave it that much-lauded exclusivity. Doormen offered guests the chance to duel, and winning duelists enjoyed an impressive mark-down on prices and the chance to challenge and duel other guests in the arena.
"No," the bartender grunted. "Losers with a tab can pay it off in a duel."
Eliphas' interest was further piqued. "That doesn't seem in your best interests."
"I've got a better deck than the doormen," the bartender explained, "Most of them couldn't beat me with my own cards anyway. Doormen are entry-level, barmen have to earn their spot. So, most of them don't win, but everyone wants to try. Besides," the bartender took on a conspiratorial grin, "After a few drinks, everyone thinks they can duel off their tab, even if they got crushed by the doormen. It keeps people coming in, so we make more than we'll ever lose."
Whenever Eliphas smiled, it was a thin and joyless-looking thing. He never liked to seem as though he was enjoying himself too much, lest those around him become too comfortable with his presence. Nevertheless, he did smile, and gave the bartender an appreciative nod for his time. "Clever," he remarked. "Do you know who runs this place?"
The bartender gave him an apologetic look and shook his head. "Can't say I do. None of the serving staff do, as far as I know."
"Who writes your checks, then?"
"The dealer, Maldonado. He's the only one who gets to talk to the boss." The bartender abruptly turned to take another patron's order, leaving Eliphas to consider this. This Maldonado seemed like an interesting character, one Eliphas thought he might like to meet, given the opportunity. He filed this information away for another, soberer time and returned to his drink.
He didn't get halfway through it before a more familiar voice reached his ears; "Eliphas!" He was being summoned. This did not bode well. "Eliphas, get over here! I've got someone for you to meet."
He stood, surprised at how easily it had come to him in light of the steady stream of liquor he'd been having, and turned to face the voice. There stood his sister, towering over him as she always did, and a smaller, leaner woman beside her. He recognized the latter immediately, the darkly-ringed eyes and cherry-red hair distinct enough to mark her as the newest Duel Monsters World Champion.
"Kim," his sister began, speaking to the redhead as though they'd been friends for years, "This is my brother, Eliphas. Eliphas, this is Kimberly. I don't think I have to tell you how she ended up here."
Kimberly raised a hand in greeting, accompanied by a casual "'Sup?"
Eliphas forced another smile. "Ah, Kimberly O'Leary. You've been all over the news, haven't you? Every analyst with an opinion thinks they know why you won." He paused to look her over, disguising it behind a sip of his drink. She was just as she'd been described, completely out of place in the professional dueling circuit. Scruffy and irreverent, not to mention frustratingly casual. It had been said that she paid more attention to her obscure band t-shirts than her deck, but Eliphas dismissed such baseless criticism. However, it was no wonder to Eliphas why so many people were confused how she had become champion, narrow-minded as they were. "Nobody wants to come outright and say you've cheated, but plenty of them think so."
Kimberly didn't seem fazed. "What do you think?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"I have my own theories," Eliphas replied, "But none of them involve foul play. You beat the most competent player in the world and ended his reign before it even began, and nobody wants to deal with it. Shinichi Kanzaki had a very good PR team."
Bella, perhaps frustrated by Eliphas' usual obtuseness, stepped in to change the subject. "Have you heard about the new dueling academy opening up, Eliphas? Kim was just telling me about it."
"Eclipse Academy," Kim added, "A little before my time, but I heard it was pretty big in its heyday."
Eliphas went quiet, robbed of his promptness in questions of general knowledge. The name was familiar, but only vaguely so. "Yes," he lied, "I've heard talk of it."
"Is it any good?" Kim challenged.
Eliphas was suddenly grateful for the size of his martini, and hid his hesitation behind another long sip. "It's a dueling academy," he answered, with newfound confidence. "The bad ones don't get officiated, and the unofficial ones don't get students. If it gets through the assessment tests, it'll be at least as good as any other." Vague, but it made him sound in the know. In the end, that was all that mattered. "Are you planning on taking up teaching, Kimberly?"
Kim chuckled. "No, I want my sister to carry on the family tradition."
"Is being world champion a family tradition, now?" Bella chuckled, earning a little smirk from Kim.
"It will be, once Claudie gets some schooling. Shit, I'll even send my kids, if I have 'em." Kim's boundless confidence irritated Eliphas in a manner he couldn't easily place.
"You know, Eliphas and I tried for the championship, once," Bella began, making her way over to the bar. When she stood beside Eliphas, it became all the clearer how different they were physically. Bella stood head and shoulders over her brother, was broader and stockier in build, and had a more casual bearing about her. Eliphas was short and weedy, with a carefully-maintained bowl cut and a perpetual air of some vague, toothless condescension. Their only obvious similarity lay in fair skin and black hair, which would hardly be enough for most people to tell they were siblings.
"Yeah? I didn't think they had a tag duel division." Kim urged, following along to flag down the bartender. Drinks were ordered and doled out, and Kimberly was halfway through a glass of whiskey by the time Bella began again.
"They didn't. We entered separately," Bella explained. "Eliphas and I don't have any problem dueling each other. In fact, it's how we train. How I train, anyway. Trying to think around Eliphas is at least as good as any dueling academy course." She turned her head to look at Eliphas after she spoke, seeking a reaction to her praise, to find him shaking his head at her.
"I don't always escape her clutches," Eliphas chuckled. "I might have strategy on my side, but there's something to be said for overwhelming force."
"But, we didn't make it to the title match." Bella paused to thank the bartender, beer slid across the bar into her hand. "We got close, though. I got knocked out before the semifinals, and Eliphas got beaten the round after."
"That's rough," Kim remarked. "Who'd you play?"
"Charles von Zeit," Bella answered. "The whole duel was a blur. He used the strangest monsters, that much I remember. He'd have cards bouncing on and off the field faster than I could keep track of. And Eliphas, you played..." She trailed off, looking to her brother.
"Shinichi Kanzaki," Eliphas muttered. Kim seemed more than a little amused.
"You remember the duel, don't you?" Bella asked.
"Well..." Eliphas trailed off, searching his memories.
"Well, well, well." A new voice, unfamiliar to all of them, broke through the murmur of the crowd. A woman's voice, deep and joyful and slightly-accented. "Eliphas and Bella Nervetti having drinks with our own World Champion, here in lovely Top Deck. I hate to interrupt your meeting of the minds, boys and girls, but I've got a proposition for you two."
Eliphas turned around slowly, set somewhat offguard by the confidence of this new arrival. "And just who are you?"
"Ivana Descoteaux, headmistress of Eclipse Academy."
