Reyna stared down at the handbook she had been given. It was full of information that she would need for her job. Reyna just wished it wasn't in English. She had been born in San Juan, and while some people there spoke English, she was only around them long enough to pick up certain phrases and words that would earn her a slap for repeating them.
Her father strictly spoke Spanish, although he was fluent in English if all the books in his study were to go by. He went out of his way to avoid merchants that spoke English or even reminded him of life in America, like he was trying to run away from something.
Running away from the past. It seemed like her and her father did have something in common after all.
Reyna tossed the handbook in her backpack and glanced around the breakroom of the bar. Chiron had asked her to wait there until Clarisse arrived. Reyna couldn't quell the pit that formed in her gut and widened with every passing second.
A job like this was not something she was used to. Reyna didn't check IDs or break up fights. She started brawls, intimidated people who didn't pay up, and other things that she liked to keep buried in the back of her mind until nightmares tore them back to the surface. To have to be nice to all of the different beasts was going to be weird.
Reyna wouldn't stay here forever, though. Just long enough to save up some money and figure out what the hell she was going to do. Footsteps caused her to glance up, and she saw Jason walk into the room. The half-werewolf smiled at her. Reyna didn't return it.
"Nervous for your first day?" Jason asked. Reyna just shrugged. "I was too. The first thing I did was trip over someone's foot and spill beer everywhere. Everyone will be in your way if you have a tray of drinks in your hand, but bring out a tray of food and they'll part like the Red Sea."
Reyna nodded, unwilling to engage in conversation. She didn't need to get close to these people nor did she want to. This was a job and nothing more. Jason still smiled at her and placed a bag of something in the fridge. He walked out.
Reyna stared down at her uniform: blue jeans and an orange shirt. She felt out of place. Her nose kept twitching from all the smells of the bar. And her stomach felt like she was going to be sick.
"Newbie," a gruff voice called. Reyna slowly turned her head to look at Clarisse. "Come on. Bring your bag."
Reyna slowly stood and grabbed her backpack. She followed Clarisse out of the breakroom and down the hallway. There were four doors: two on each side. Clarisse pointed to the left side and spoke, "Bathrooms for employees."
"That is Chiron's office," Clarisse continued as she moved her finger to the door closest to them on the right. "Second is my… our office. You can take your breaks and lunch here or in the breakroom. I don't care. Just don't touch my fucking cookies."
Reyna nodded as Clarisse opened the door to the office. There was a large desk with a rather comfortable looking chair behind it. A closed laptop rested on the desk along with a stack of paperwork. A jar of cookies sat near it. There were some plastic chairs off to the side near a shelf with a label on it.
"Sometimes, we have to restrain our patrons if they slip a drug in another person's drink. We hold them here while the police come. Or if someone feels intimidated they can sit in here until the cops come or the danger has passed. There's also a first aid kit in case there is a fight," Clarisse explained. "Bag."
Clarisse held her hand out. Reyna hesitated, but she finally handed over her bag. Clarisse gently sat it near the desk, "I lock my office up most of the time, so no one can get in here. I'll leave it unlocked for you, just don't tell anyone."
Reyna nodded, and Clarisse opened her desk. She pulled out a radio and handed it to Reyna, "I've been trying to convince Chiron to let me use these for a year now. Those assholes that fought you helped change his mind. The bar is now going to have a radio, and if they need help, they will call us. If we're both here, I will answer. If it's just you, you pause everything you're doing and respond. Ever use one before?"
Reyna shook her head. She examined the radio. It was about the size of her hand. There was also a mouthpiece that looked like it could be stretched on a chord a few feet. Clarisse hooked the handheld radio to her belt and wrapped the mouthpiece over her shoulder and rested it on her shirt. Reyna followed her example.
"Just press the button when you talk. If there is a green light, it's on," Clarisse explained. "Got it? Good."
"We're going to lay down some ground rules," Clarisse stated. "You will check the ID of everyone who comes into this bar. I do not care if they are a regular, a friend, or even family. If anyone makes it into our bar without the ID being checked, I will kick you out of this bar myself. Got it?"
Reyna nodded, but Clarisse crossed her arms. Reyna slowly spoke as she realized gestures would no longer cut it, "Understood. Do you have a special way of checking the IDs with all the creatures having different drinking ages?"
"We do," Clarisse said. She pulled out her wallet and flashed her own ID. Reyna studied the small card. It had Clarisse's picture, her date of birth, and the expiration date. Her date of birth was highlighted with a yellow bar. "Know anything about IDs?"
Reyna shook her head. Clarisse continued, "You always want to check that the picture matches. If it doesn't, you decline. The date of birth should show the month, day, and year. There will be an expiration date on there. As long as the ID isn't expired, it doesn't matter what the date is, but it has to be on there. Without it, the ID is a fake."
"That yellow bar means they are over the drinking age for their species. Now, anyone can grab a highlighter and throw it on there. We still want to check that it's actually there. If it's not, you decline. Then, we do a few more tests. The first is to wave the ID like this," Clarisse said as she slowly turned the ID to the left then right. Reyna could make out shiny words written all over the ID: New York. Reyna was far from home.
"Without this, the ID is fake," Clarisse said. She grabbed a small flashlight and shined it on the ID. Reyna watched the purple light scan over everything. "If there is red ink, the ID is fake. We will check every single ID like this, and if anything is wrong, we will not let the person in."
"If they give you shit about it, I'll step in. If you're riding solo, you tell them that you cannot accept their ID, and they must leave. Do not let them piss you off or goad you," Clarisse said. "But if they throw a punch, you defend yourself. You disable, but don't kill. Shut them down and call the cops. You have full permission to defend yourself, but again, do not fucking kill them."
"Got all that?" Clarisse asked. Reyna slowly nodded and Clarisse handed her the small flashlight. Reyna took it and placed it into her pocket. "You're real quiet."
Reyna debated nodding or shrugging. Instead, she just kept her mouth shut. Clarisse looked at her and smirked. She spoke, "I get it. No judgment here. If anyone gives you issues, let me know. I'll have a talk with them."
Reyna nodded. She didn't exactly trust Clarisse, mostly because she was an ogress. Clarisse walked towards her desk and opened it. She pulled out a black jacket and tossed it to Reyna. As Reyna caught the jacket, she studied it. The word security was on the back, and it looked rather comfortable. And expensive.
"I can't," Reyna began. Clarisse waved her hand.
"It's part of the job, and it's going to be cold as hell outside. Do you own a hat to cover your ears? What about gloves?" Clarisse questioned. Reyna shook her head. "I'll get you some."
"Thank you," Reyna mumbled after a moment. She hated that everyone was being so nice to her and giving her things. Reyna was used to fighting for bits and scraps. The people she used to associate with would stab anyone in the back if it meant they could get even a centimeter ahead.
"Whatever life you had before, it's done now. You're safe here," Clarisse said softly. Reyna tensed and slowly looked at Clarisse. "I can see it in your eyes. I get it. Just know this is a good place. A safe one to let the past go and look forward to the future. Now, come on. We got a job to do."
Reyna put on the jacket and followed behind Clarisse. They walked out of the back hallway and onto the bar floor. Reyna saw that all of the tables were just about full. The bar was crowded, and there were too many damn people.
"Keep your cool," Clarisse warned softly. Reyna stayed close to Clarisse as they walked towards the door. "The bar opens at ten in the morning, but we usually only serve food then. There are a few graveyard shifters that come in for a drink. The bar will pick up around four or five, and we come in at six to check on anyone who comes in. It's too crazy now for the bar to check IDs, so we can't let anyone underage in. Or anyone already drunk."
Clarisse stepped outside, and Reyna followed behind her. A deep breath left her as she saw the long line that wrapped around the building. A man was standing in front of a red rope. Upon seeing them, he nodded and hurried inside, "That's Frank. He's a server."
Reyna nodded as she felt slightly overwhelmed. They stopped in front of the red rope. Reyna looked at the first man in a line. He looked normal. She didn't smell alcohol rolling off of him, and it didn't look like he was under the influence of drugs. Clarisse spoke, "ID."
The man pulled out his wallet and held out his ID. After a small nudge from Clarisse, Reyna slowly grabbed it. She examined the picture. It matched, other than a different haircut. There was a yellow line over the date of birth, and it had an expiration date. Reyna turned the ID slightly to catch the silver state that the ID was issued in. Then, she checked it with the light.
"You're good. Enjoy your night," Clarisse said. It sounded like she was watching right over Reyna's shoulder. Reyna silently checked over the IDs of the next few patrons, but Clarisse nudged her. "You have a voice."
Reyna gritted her teeth as the next person stepped forward. Reyna spoke softly, "ID."
The ID was handed to her, and she checked over it. Reyna was starting to fall into a routine. As she finished checking over the ID, she handed it back and spoke, "You're clear. Enjoy."
"Doing good," Clarisse said softly. She started to check IDs as well. Reyna noticed that Clarisse would glance to the side every so often. Reyna did as well, and through the windows, she could see that the bar was packed. The dance floor in the middle was in full use, and she could hear the soft thumping of music.
As their line ran out, Clarisse turned to look inside the bar. She grabbed the velvet rope that she had taken down and put it back up. Clarisse spoke, "When we don't have a line, we will check inside the bar. Just for any trouble. Frank usually checks the men's bathroom, and I check the women's. If you see anyone using drugs, they're out of here, and we call the cops."
Reyna nodded. Talking to so many strangers left her tense. She hated interacting with strangers, but she didn't hate this job. In fact, she enjoyed that her mind was able to wander without drifting to bad thoughts but still be focused enough to do the job. It just felt nice to have a job that didn't involve all the bad shit from her past.
"I usually take a break every two hours," Clarisse said. "I have lunch four hours into my shift. If you're not comfortable alone yet, we'll take our breaks together. Otherwise, you'll just stand out here and check IDs."
"I can handle it," Reyna assured bashfully. She zipped up her jacket and stuffed her hands into her pockets. "You just stand here all night?"
"Pretty much," Clarisse answered. "Like I said, I'll also check on the bar. Most people respect the rope. If they don't and try to walk in, I'll know, and I'll have a fun conversation with them. Be grateful for these slow nights. When there's a fight, you're going to earn your pay."
"Does it happen often?" Reyna asked. She shifted slightly.
"There are a few incidents a week. It's mostly a bunch of yelling and posturing between drunk idiots. Pulling them apart and kicking them out is the fun part. If they start fighting in the street, not our problem. Inside or the parking lot is," Clarisse explained. Reyna nodded. "I'm going to check inside. Stay here."
"Understood," Reyna said. She watched Clarisse walk inside. Reyna leaned on the wall and looked around. There had been a pit of nervousness, but it was starting to dissipate as she worked. Reyna heard footsteps and turned her head. She saw a man walking towards the velvet rope. A frown came to her face.
The man was tall and scraggly. His hair was greasy and ragged. Through dirt and grime, his hair looked like ash. His eyes were red, and the clothes that he wore seemed to be made of animal pelts. He walked right past the velvet rope and towards the front door. Reyna stepped in front of him.
"I need to see your ID," Reyna interrupted. The man was a foot taller than her. He looked down at her and then snarled. His teeth almost looked like fangs.
"You don't need to see shit," the man growled. Reyna watched him quietly and blocked him as he tried to walk again. "Get the fuck out of my way."
"ID," Reyna repeated. The man sneered and stepped away.
"I'll remember your face," the man warned as he started to back away.
"Remember it when you finally find your ID," Reyna retorted. The man turned on his heel and stalked away. Reyna slowly relaxed her muscles and leaned back on the wall. She let out a shaky sigh. When Clarisse made it back, Reyna had checked the IDs of a few more people and let them in.
Clarisse was silent as she stood by Reyna. After a few moments, she smirked and spoke, "You're not so bad, kid."
Reyna shrugged and didn't say anything. Clarisse glanced at her and continued, "Sooner or later, you will loosen up and relax. This place will get to you like that, but like I said earlier, it's a place to be safe. Enjoy it."