Imitation I - arrogance is a dish best left unserved

Leo's Weekly Horoscope

Try as you might at keeping things simple, Leo, there will be a few cosmic obstacles coming your way. Do your best to stay clear of crowds and in the meantime, perhaps take a day or two off to focus on yourself. If putting a pause on your career isn't an option, just remember that being the bigger person sometimes can take you a long way! Hang in there, and keep your head up, Leo. Tomorrow will surely be a better day.

Bunkyo, Japan - March 24, 2018

A bit uncomfortable, a little unnerved, with a side of apprehensive was how the girl was currently feeling. All thanks to her horoscope she had been a bit anxious since she clocked in that afternoon. Matter-of-fact, the tense feeling in her core was something that she had been feeling all day; ever since she stepped out of her own house. All morning, the planets were acutely aligned, and she just knew that as soon as the sunset, that alignment was going to askew, leading whatever sort of luck she was having down the rabbit hole. No sort of inner monologue chat could convince her that her light morning reading could be wrong. Her horoscope, interestingly enough, was never wrong and she wasn't sure if that was cool or a curse.

Clicking her tongue, she folded the empty tray under her arm and weaved through the posh, mingling teens. All of which spared her not one glance as she no longer had anything to offer them. They were all preoccupied with their own conversations, thankfully, and, before anyone could start complaining about the lack of drinks circulating in their vicinity, Rina's long strides took her quickly to the kitchen, were another tray was shoved into her hands. Trading the empty tray with the now full one, the girl muttered a quick thank you and returned to the floor.

Ambushed,(maybe a bit of dramatic thinking on her part), she was approached by the mass reaching for their sparkling champagne. More accurately, lightly carbonated grape juice since no one at the function was of legal age to drink. Strong colognes and perfumes tickled her nose, and holding her breath she fought the urge to sneeze. The smell was like the aisle in the grocery store that was designated to detergents and candles; but way more expensive. Not the most pleasant of smells, and she was positive that someone got into their grandmother's scent collection. On the label, it was probably called Eden Paradise, but what it should have said was heavily flowered mothballs with a splash of rubbing alcohol. Right in her mouth was what she liked to call it. If you thought about it, you could probably imagine the taste, too.

Damn. The tray was empty once more and that just meant another long trip to the kitchen, again. All of this juice couldn't be good for them, and she half wondered what would happen if she brought out water in the flutes instead. With as much grace as she could have in her too-tight blouse and black slacks that squeezed at her hips too greedily, she weaved through the crowd collecting emptied glasses on her rounds. With the tray held strategically close and her eyes avoiding all contact, she was able to slip by without a hitch. A little tactic she had picked up since she started working at the restaurant that summer.

"Etsuko, you look very striking tonight. I swear, I could never pull off such a look." A dainty laugh behind an unblemished hand followed, and Rina cringed as she walked around the group of girls chatting with one another. That was definitely a hit at what this Etsuko girl was wearing. She looked like one of those assorted colors popsicle sticks. A too bright, but too dull purple that seemed like it came from a sample palette straight from MSPaint. The shape of the dress itself resembled that of the roaring 20s, and all-in-all, it was a poor match for her straight-lined body shape. To each his own, she supposed, but Rina would never willingly wear that dress. Although, the girl's parents probably spent way too much money on the rectangular bath towel.

Rina swerved, gripping onto the tray tightly when an unknowing, or uncaring was probably a better description, trio of males rushed past her, bumping into her shoulder along the way. She stumbled, catching her footing before glancing back at the boys that passed her. A self-righteous sneer was tossed her way, and she could only sigh before turning the other cheek. Remembering what her horoscope said, she had to be the bigger person. Although, everything that she was seeing and hearing that night would make an entertaining Twitter post because rich people really act like this. First-hand experience from one Morikawa Rina. I'm getting paid either way, so I might as well smile and move on.

"You're makeup is such a statement! You'll have to show me how you do it sometime." Is what a girl said, but what she was was, clown. The girl's makeup was caked and her foundation was entirely ill-matched. After working events like these all summer, Rina had a very easy time deciphering what these compliments disguised as insults meant. And, because of that, she decided to start an account on Twitter documenting these moments. She didn't realize how popular the account would get, but she mostly made it so that she wouldn't forget that these things truly happened in high-class society.

"I haven't seen you all summer. You've lost so much weight. What's your secret?" Shit. Now, that was just rude. The girl in topic was a bit bigger than the friends she surrounded herself with and as the comment was made, she was mid-hors d'oeuvre. She choked on her cube of cheese, dropping the cracker that went along with it to the floor in surprise. Nope, Rina couldn't stay any longer to see how this would play out, because if she didn't leave, she would be compelled to say something. The mighty Leo's horoscope clearly said to banish all crowds, so out of sight, out of mind.

"Man, these upper-class folk are wild. They have more patience than a saint because half of those comments I heard tonight would have already gotten them popped in the mouth a few times if it were me." Safely back in the kitchen, she discarded her tray onto the counter, leaning against it for support as she took the weight off her aching feet. Clearly, speaking a much bigger game than what she was capable of.

"Tell me about it. I swear if I have to ear aother…" Tadashi paused, fumbling over his words before taking a deep breath to regroup again. "If I have to hear another," he spoke slowly, nodding and smiling when he didn't mess up his sentence this time, "There we go. If I have to hear another, We should certainly get together one day to catch up, I think I might just scream. We all know none of them actually means that."

"To be fair, I've done that before, too. Something to say in the moment when you have nothing else in common," Rina laughed, remembering all of the times she ran into old middle school friends that she didn't talk to anymore. The worst thing about those reunions was that they always remembered her name, and she usually never remembered theirs. After a few minutes of talking, it was like something compelled her to offer to meet up at a later date to catch up. As Tadashi said, no one meant it, and the later date never came. Social cues had you looking and sounding like an idiot sometimes. However, in their case, they were just putting on airs.

"You're a monster, Rina. A true monster," the man smiled his classic eye-smile, the corners of his eyes turning into crescents as he gave the gummiest show of teeth. The girl rolled her eyes, not moving from her spot when he collected his refilled hors d'oeuvre tray and bumped his hip with hers. Looking over her shoulder, she took her phone from her pocket and scrolled through the few notifications she had. She was taking her break, so it shouldn't matter if she used her phone, but their manager was a bit notorious for not even wanting to give breaks. So, she had to take her break with caution and make it look like she was still working hard.

Waiters and waitresses flooded in and out of the kitchen, moving around the girl as she gave most of her attention to her screen. As the next year of school quickly approached, she was receiving back-to-school ads in her email. Excited to get her final year of high school finished, she still couldn't deny that she would miss sleeping in. She wasn't ready for her extra early morning commutes again, the ones that took her an hour and sometimes mores to get to her final destination. Some of those ads did look promising, however, and she made a mental note to ask her dad to go shopping with her that weekend.

"Blah Blah, you don't have the luxury to take care of your needs. Wah wah, maybe you want your pay adjusted, Morikawaii." Against her better judgment, Rina jumped as the newcomer all but yelled in her ear. Her phone crashed to the counter, and she swore under her breath as she tried fumbling for it. High-pitched, paper towel on dry glass laughter followed, and Rina let out a deep sigh as she tried to control her startled heart rate.

"Every-damn-time. I can't trust you with my back," Rina snatched her phone from the counter and shoved it back into her pocket.

"You most certainly can trust me with your back, and your front, Kitten," Meisa winked, boldly scratching the girl under her chin. Rina visibly gagged at the nickname before knocking her hand away and hopping up on the counter. Finally turned in a comfortable position, she could see the coy expression on her longtime friend and eternal stress inducers face. She was one of the few, if not her only friend from middle school that she actually caught up with.

"I'm not at all disappointed at how you still startle so easily. But, on to more pressing matters," Meisa saddled up beside her, having the decency not to stand between her legs like she usually would try. "Word on the block is that your shift is almost up." She grinned, and Rina waited for her to elaborate her point, but after a few seconds, she knew Meisa wanted a reaction before she continued.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she nodded, raising a keen dark brow. "Yeah, in exactly one hour. What's your damage?"

"I happen to also be clocking out of this hellhole in about thirty minutes. So, as the night is still young, we could totally go get crazy and drink some strong stuff and scream in our favorite Karaoke bar." Meisa waggled her brows, while Rina thought this over.

"You mean bottles of ramune?" Meisa bit her lip, smile growing. "Mitsuya Cider?" A gasp this time, as her back straightened. "And coke?" A loud moan left Meisa's lips, and Rina slapped the girl against the shoulder, looking around to see the odd looks that some of the servers had thrown their way at the weird sound.

"You know I get excited when you talk junk to me. That's exactly what I want to put inside of my body after this shift. Say yeah, yeah?" Her light, tinkling voice coaxed sweetly. She had a voice that most wouldn't associate with her because of her hard-hitting, in your face personality. It sounded like how Rina assumed a fairy would speak, but with the rest of her package, it seemed odd that her voice was so dainty. Meisa was anything but dainty.

"Yeah, yeah?" Rina copied the inflection in her friend's tone, her own voice a lot huskier. Meisa shoved the girl, gripping onto her arm and rocking her back and forth, a series of pleas coming from her thin lips. "Okay, okay. I'm about to get sick and I'm not even in a car." She pried the girl's hands from her arm and nodded. "Sure, I'm up for a little Red Velvet at our favorite joint."

"True MVP, y'know. And maybe after, when our favorite bakery is closing, we can go get free, they're gonna throw them away anyway, confectionaries."

"You are too good to me," Rina placed her hand against her heart, as she mimicked someone swooning, much like what she had seen a little too often that night. Waiting at the back to school ball hosted by some club was an eye-opener. She had no idea what exactly this club did at their own school, but the girls seemed to appreciate any and everything that they did. So, yes, Rina saw a lot of source material that night.

"Of course, what do you take me for? Anyway, let me get back to work. I've been hiding out in the back for most of my shift. My AMS are tingling and I would sure hate to get caught when I'm almost off my shift." Meisa left the room rather quickly, and not soon after, their angry manager appeared. It was a thing amongst each waiter and waitress to make up acronyms that indicated where their lovable manager was. AMS just meant angry manager senses, and usually, Meisa's senses were never wrong. Before Rina had time to jump down from the counter, Manager Watanaba rounded on her quickly, red in the face and fuming for words. It seems like he lost his words again.

"Morikawa, this isn't your house and you shouldn't treat it like such. Act like you have some class and stop climbing over everything like a monkey," he ground out, drumming his fingers against the counter as he waited for her to get down. He couldn't have chosen another animal. One maybe not historically associated with half of her ethnicity. She slid from the counter, waiting for the man to say more since he still hadn't left yet.

"Since you can sit around and avoid your work, I guess you can also pick up another shift tonight. That dang kid called out again." He seemed to forget that Rina herself was also a dang kid, but she didn't correct him, only stared at him unsympathetically. If she acted like she didn't hear him, it wouldn't be her problem. And yet, he was waiting for her answer. Damn.

"I was taking my 15-minute break that's built into my work contract," was all she said, and he stared at her...like she was stupid. I'll show you stupid and monkey. Bet. Keep playing with me, sir.

"I don't see how that's important and it has nothing to do with my last statement." Maybe he was the dumb one because he surely brought up the break she took, even if he didn't use the term break in his sentence. "I expect my best workers to put in their 110% efforts-" Not plausible, but alright, "This is a large event with many of our country's top class business heirs in one room." This was a back-to-school event with a bunch of rich teenagers, but yes, continue Manager Watanabe.

"I have other obligations after I get off in 40-minutes. So, although I would love to stay," she was learning so much from these rich folk and how they evade a question or comment, "I cannot."

"Who cares about your 'other obligations'? When it comes to our patrons and their needs, yours don't matter-" Rina could feel her face getting hot as her usually chill demeanor was starting to crack. The more Manager Watanabe talked, the further he shoved his small foot inside of his large ass mouth. Another reason why she was ready to go back to school, was that she could finally let this job go and look for another one for the year. It paid well, and she made a lot this summer that she put aside in her savings, but Manager Watabitch was too much to put up with.

"You know what, I'm sick and tired of your rude, arrogant comments. I'm still trying to understand who you think you are. You have the title of manager, but your qualities as one are crap. I don't know how you even got the position with your inability to manage your employee's safety, happiness, and dignity efficiently," The shaggy-haired man stood there, mouth agape as he stumbled for his words, but nothing would come out. A crowd had formed around them and Meisa, who she thought was long gone had appeared, instigating the situation from afar.

"Our needs don't matter? How about you try holding your urine for hours and not being able to use the bathroom. All of our bladders are probably grotesque because none of us want to hear your mouth complaining about how lazy we are. Lazy? That's rich coming from someone who sits in the corner all day and just shouts orders at people." Rina felt like she was glowing, and as her words continued crashing down on Manager Watanabe, he seemed smaller and smaller the more she went on. She had the upper hand and she was definitely going to let it rip.

"You need to check yourself before you call yourself a manager because right now you're just an incompetent toddler playing boss. I'm not here for your little bitch energy, so you can go shove your arrogant behavior up your-"

"-rikawa. Morikawa!" Rina blinked, brain coming back into focus as she regarded the man in front of her. She looked over his head, seeing that there was no crowd and Meisa was certainly nowhere to be found. Instead, she stood over her managers impertinent 5'7" foot a punk frame, with the man having to look up at her, which she could tell intimidated him. The expression on his face said it all; he was tired of her games and was very close to losing his words again. His pale face was already turning cherry red, but Rina remained unbothered, only slightly let down that she thought what happened in her over-active imagination was real.

In her hypothetical call out session, she was speaking nothing but facts and it was too bad he would never hear them...unless. She opened her mouth, but quickly closed it again, shaking her head. There was no way she would say something like that. No matter how much she didn't like him, she still had to be respectful...respectful enough. Mentally patting herself on the back, she complimented her father for raising such an excellent daughter.

"Whatever, Morikawa. You're starting to get on my nerves. I can't rely on anyone in this motley team. You can dismi-" A loud crash echoed from the other side of the kitchen and Manager Watanabe cursed loudly. "If it's not one thing it's another. Who's the idiot who can't carry a damn tray correctly?" He quickly turned around, leaving Rina to her own devices and she let out a relieved sigh. She dodged many bullets with that conversation, and the biggest one was picking up another shift. The ball banquet began at five and it was almost eight. Not to mention, Rina worked the preparation shift and this shift combined. An entire seven-hour school day and he still expected her to stay longer.

"Only 30 minutes left, Ri, then junk food and karaoke are waiting for you."

This school had some interesting, well, interests, and students. Rina could only stare with muted shock at the man on the stage. She knew he couldn't be drunk, as all they'd served that night was sparkling juice, so his behavior just had to be unmistakably him. Despite the loud music playing, his voice had the command of nearly every female occupant in the room. Rina could even see a few of her coworkers stopping to watch the spectacle that was the blonde-haired man on the stage.

"It is such an honor," he spoke, "To be attending school with all of you lovely young ladies. To be able to throw such a lavish welcoming party for you...well, I can find no greater joy in my life!"

Rina felt sick, rolling her eyes at his words. Just as she swung her gaze across the room, she could see Meisa giggling at the man's words. The over-exaggerated actions, Meisa mimicked perfectly. Rina could hardly contain her giggles as she formulated what she would post on her twitter.

It seemed like she and Meisa were the only ones completely unaffected by the blonde's words, as the screams of what could only be the boy's name and shouts of affection nearly drowned out the classy music playing in the background. Rina hoisted her tray a little higher, wishing that she could take her phone out and snap a picture of the dramatics. It was too bad that she made it a habit not to upload pictures of any faces, as she thought that would be a little too risky. Instead, she had to paint the scene to memory so that she could detail in a post later.

She swiveled and swerved around partygoers and strewn about tables with ease. Waitressing was probably one of the easier jobs she'd had, taking to it almost like a fish to water. "Miss! Can I get a drink?" The almost childish voice had Rina stopping mid-stride. She looked around, spotting a man with his hand raised.

He looked nothing like how the voice sounded, and Rina traipsed over, staring at him for a moment. She then noted that the blonde from just a few minutes ago was standing with him, animatedly talking at the black-haired man, who gave no visible sign that he was listening to him. "We're so thirsty!" The voice sounds off again and Rina finally realized she needed to look a little...lower. Standing around the waist of the first man, a small boy holding a stuffed rabbit grinned at her. Rina returned the smile, immediately lowering the tray, but she didn't get very far.

The taller of the trio takes two glasses off of the tray, handing one to the shorter blonde. Rina offered him a smile as well, though he didn't return it. Instead, an intense stare is what she was treated to. "Ehee..." Rina squeaked out, her eyes immediately leaving the man. While his stare wasn't judging, more blank than anything, it was still rather unnerving, almost as if he was staring inside her instead of at her.

"Are you alright, my beautiful serving stewardess?" The taller blonde slicked back his hair, eyes closed as he offers his hand to Rina, "Must you take a rest? Surely we needn't have the staff overworked!"

"N-No," Rina smiled forcedly. She could feel the black-haired man staring at her again, and she didn't like feeling as if she'd been found out, "I just had my break...uh, sir. I'm fine...I-I'm-I'll just be on my way. Enjoy the rest of your function."

Making her quick getaway, Rina was glad to be away from the prying eyes of the man. By the time she made another round, her tray was tucked under her arm, completely empty once more. It was just juice, or...did they not know that? She could see a couple acting rather...unseemly, probably thinking the juice was more than just juice.

Tadano nearly collided with Rina, but she managed to easily sidestep him. Losing his balance, Rina reached out to hold him upright. "Easy there, Tiger." Rina pressed her hand against Tadano's shoulder, "You alright?"

"Y-Yeah... j-just a little tired." He chuckled, though Rina could hear the exhaustion in his voice, "I did two parties back to back yesterday... and now this one tonight...I'm just a little tired."

"Yeah, just a little." Rina reiterated, "Boy, you look like shit. Have you taken your break? You're probably due for one...or two. Maybe six."

"I wish. You know how..." He leaned in, conspiratorially, "Watafuck is." Rina snickered at the nickname. "There's no way I could get a break in with him hovering like an alcoholic at the bar."

"Just take your break," Rina urged, "Fuck that guy but don't do it for real. Go stand in the bathroom, or outside. You really need it."

"Who's gonna take my area, then? Meisa was my area partner, but it seems like she just does whatever she wants." Tadano frowned.

Rina sighed, exasperated about her friend. "Yeah, that was a bust. You really got the short end of the stick...okay, look." She gingerly pulled Tadano's tray from his hand and gave him hers, "I'm taking pity on you, alright? I'll take your area and mine for a bit. Just make sure you come back, or I'm coming after you, alright?"

"I'm forever in your debt, Rina. Thank you so much!" Tadano's eyes sparkled with tears. He quickly made his way through the crowds of people, leaving Rina by herself.

"Sometimes I'm too nice." She shook her head.

Tadano (and Meisa's) area was much busier than Rina's previous area. Even busier now that Meisa was off the clock. A simple, quick check of the message that came through to her phone let Rina know that the shorter girl would be waiting for her until she got off.

The patrons over on this side of the large ballroom were much needier and greedier than her own, demanding a refill of drinks every couple of minutes and more hors'd'vours at every second. She could now see why Tadano was so tired and why Meisa decided hiding out that night was a move.

If Rina didn't love herself, she'd be in the same predicament. "Waitress!" Rina's snapped out of her thoughts by the call of a snooty voice. She turned her head, noting the person waving her over and sauntered towards them, tray offered. "Where's that boy from half an hour ago?"

"He's taking a break." Rina responded evenly, "Did you need something?"

"Ah, we did." The girl's voice betrayed the look on her face. Rina could see the gears turning in her mind, the way her face slowly contorted into a smile. "Fetch that bowl on the table there." She pointed with her fan towards a table not too far from them. The bowl was filled with candies, from what Rina can see, and the feeling in the pit of her stomach made her feel as if she shouldn't. The planets were starting to askew, she could feel it.

She inwardly sighed, "Yes, ma'am." She complied, walking towards the table and snatching up the bowl with her free hand. Walking back over, she unceremoniously held the bowl out to the girl. "Here you go."

"Oh," The girl tittered, "If you could just be a dear and give me only the red candy out of the bowl, I'd love it ever so much." Her smile was like botox, cemented into her face. Although the smile may have seemed charming to most, the girl's intent could be seen heavily swirling in her eyes.

Yeah, and I'd love to punt you across the room ever so much. Rina treated the girl to a mirrored smile, placing the bowl on her tray as she beings pulling out only the red candies from the bowl. Once they were out on the tray, Rina looked to the girl, almost expecting her to say something else.

"Could you unwrap them for me?" She asked. Behind her, Rina could see her friends giggling a bit behind their hands.

"That's going to be a little hard, considering I only have one hard at the moment," Rina informed her, trying her best at staying polite. It was the most cordial way Rina could decline the girl's lazy task, and an easy way to allude she wasn't going to place her tray down just to do that. The girl seemed to understand what she had unspokenly said, but that didn't deter her in away way. If anything, she changed her approach.

"Ah, you're right." The girl took the candies off of the tray, handing a few to her friends, "I have another task for you if you don't mind."

"Of course I mind you absolute walnut. Why would I want to stand here and wait on you hand and foot? No amount of money is worth anything you're about to subject me to." Rina clutched the tray, "And another thing, I-"

"Waitress?" The girl tilted her head, smile tight against her lips.

"Yes, of course." Rina cleared her throat, inner thoughts not betraying her outer appearance. Her gaze swept across the group, "How else may I assist you, ma'am?"

Lips curling into an impish grin, the girl glanced at the two other females in her party before turning her large eyes back on Rina. "Well, for starters-" Rina didn't like how that sounded at all. If there was a starter, in this girl's vocabulary, she didn't think she would be finishing anytime soon. If I didn't love myself, I would be in the same predicament, my ass. I spoke too soon.

"...After you've finished that, would you mind terribly if you just-"

"I apologize," Rina held up her free hand, stopping the needy teen mid-sentence, "But, I can't do that." There was no need for her to voice that she wasn't truly sorry, and Rina was positive that was implied in her firm, but soft tone.

"E-excuse you?" Her demure act halted, brows furrowed in annoyance as the amusement dropped from her whole demeanor, "You can't do that?"

"No," Rina shook her head, I won't do that. "I am aware of my position, but I feel as though you have prioritized my time enough for the night. I have been unable to attend to other guests."

"I...I see." The girl Rina found out was referred to as Lady Ichijyo replied, "You're very bold to speak out against us, however...you aren't incorrect. I do apologize for our behavior." Rina looked over the three girls, unsure of how to respond to their sudden change of heart.

"Thank you." She bowed, missing the looks that the three girls passed along to one another. "I'll be taking my leave now."

"Can I have one more glass before you leave, though?" Ichijyo asked and Rina silently offered the tray to her. As the elegant girl quickly snatched a drink from atop of the tray, she mumbled a thank you before dismissing Rina with a wave of her hand. With the sudden flick of her wrist, the contents in the glass lept and found a home somewhere else. "Oops! Oh, dear, I'm so clumsy." The mock expression of horror was mirrored between the three, and another stood up, reaching for a neglected glass of sparkling water left on the table.

"Here," her voice, although higher in pitch, held the same lack of compassion as her leader, "Let me help with that." As she came forward, she tripped on the chair leg and the carbonated water splashed against her face.

Now wet with room temperature water and stained with grape juice, her airy gasp turned heads, just begging others to survey the scene. Whispers began, and tongue thick, she looked around the ballroom. Rina turned back to the trio, almost expecting the third to do something as well, instead, they settled for cackling amongst each other. Her mind was hazy and she could feel her face hot with anger and embarrassment. Her previous indifference gone with the situation, and in a moment of impulse, Rina took a glass off of her tray and flung the contents of it onto the girls.

The shrill, high-pitched screams did nothing to deter Rina as she slammed her tray on the table. The loud sound silenced the screams momentarily, leaving the three of them whimpering quietly. "How dare you! This is no time to play the victim and tears won't curb my rage, ma'am. " Rina mockingly throws her nose into the air and pretends to fan herself like the girl had been doing for the night. She had their mannerisms to a science and if she had to, she could be just as slimy as they were.

"Can't deal with the repercussions of your own actions? Well, maybe if you had a couple of brain cells to rub together amongst the three of you, you'd have figured out long ago that you picked the wrong bitch to mess with! Massages? Having me play messenger for your two little ginger crushes at the other table? Making me your guard dog? Well, I haven't been fed, so your hand has been bitten, darling."

Lip trembling and eyes filled with tears, the main offender of the night cowered, leaning back into her chair until only two legs were touching the floor. Before Ichijyo could fall to the floor, Rina caught the chair, slamming it back down onto the marble. She towered over the girl's small frame, moving achingly close to her with a snide grimace. "Well, madam, are you ready to deal with your actions?"

Is what she wanted to do, but the utter shock of the cliched moment had her rooted to the spot. Her subconscious was satisfied with how the ending in her head played out, but consciously, she only stood there, looking around the room once more. The two gingers she had unwillingly gotten acquainted with, acquainted as in she played Hermes for the night, made no move to assist. It wasn't like she expected them to. They all fulfilled her expectations of gawking and playing into the bystander effect.

"...you should get yourself cleaned up, dear. This isn't very becoming of a server." Ichijyo tilted her head, her innocent act almost sickening at this point.

Rina blinked, looking down in contemplation for a moment before looking at the tray still in her hands. Decision made, a conscious one this time, she sighed. "Future reference, I'm not sorry," dropping her hand, the tray careened towards the ground, shattering the glass and spilling the drinks on the floor and soaking into the edges of the leader's dress. She squeaked, stumbling backward and falling onto the floor. "You should get yourself cleaned up, dear. This isn't very becoming of someone of your status."

Rina bowed a pleasant smile on her still damp face. She straightened her back once more and took a step in the other two girls' direction, making them move their chair back in fear of what else Rina was capable of. With an easy shrug of her shoulders, she turned away, ignoring Ichijyo's calls and cries. She walked past a table where a glasses-wearing gentleman sat alone, and before she could get by him, he simply handed her a handkerchief. She couldn't quite see his face since he wasn't looking at her, his head still turned towards the commotion ahead of him. There was a notebook laid out in front of him, and with his free hand, he scratched something on the inside of it.

She took the handkerchief gingerly from his hands and wiped her mostly dried face. With a brief murmur of gratitude, the girl walked away, now ignoring the calls of her manager who was obviously not too pleased for many reasons. Rina didn't care, however, because technically her shift was up.

Rina had almost made it to the lounge before Manager Watshisname caught up to her and called himself ripping her a new one. You need to go out there right this instant and beg for forgiveness. No. It was a simple answer, and he obviously didn't like that. Yo- Ungrat- I knew I should have never hired people like you. It was odd how Manager Watanabe thought he was the one that hired her, when in fact, it was another manager that was transferred before him. At that moment, after that night's events, Rina let him know that, ignoring the people like you comment that he spat at her. It wasn't until another server got his attention, that he left her alone and she was finally able to change out of her uniform.

The manager was so upset that he didn't even get a chance to fire her, which was fine by her because she already had her resignation letter ready to throw at his face. One more week and she would be finished with his constant mockery. Slipping her thick heels onto her feet, she buckled the band around her ankle with a sigh. "Turn that frown-" Rina held up her hand to Meisa and shook her head.

"If you even finish that lame idiom, I won't be doing anything but going home tonight." Pulling her curly hair from her bun, she shook it free before pulling a detangling brush from her bag and carefully running it through her hair.

"Aw, c'mon, Ri. Are you gonna be this unfun and lame for the rest of the night? If that's the case, I'll go out there and kick this Ichijyo's girls ass myself." Meisa leaned up from the couch, having enough of the blood rushing to her head. She had her cheer up method all planned out, but she was stopped right before she could point to her frown that was literally upside down as she hung off the couch.

Rina rolled her eyes, stuffing her dirty clothes and brush back into her bag. "And have Manager Watashit com-"

"You two have got to hear this." The door slammed open and Tadashi waltzed in with the largest grin on his face. The two girls looked at him before they both pointed at the sign messily written on the door: Girl's Changing Room.

"We could have been naked."

"Don't you ever knock?" Meisa and Rina spoke at the same time, and Tadashi's smile just got wider as he shrugged his shoulder. He closed the door with his foot, and leaned against it, ignoring their comments.

"This is way more important than knocking. As soon as you left, these guys pretty much embarrassed that girl and her girl gang before asking them to leave. I mean, more glasses have broken tonight than ever and I wonder who's paycheck it's coming out of. It would be funny if it was Manager Watashit righ-"

"The story. The point. Get back to it please." Meisa crossed her legs underneath her body and Tadashi snapped his fingers, remembering that he was indeed in the middle of a story.

"The three of them left in tears and wet. The guys were all like," he shifted his position, acting out whatever it was he was trying to mimic for the two, "You can never attend any more club functions. The girls were so devastated. It was hilarious, man." Tadashi spoke in a rush, stuttered over a few of his words in his excitement to tell the story. Rina glanced at Meisa who only shrugged her shoulders, not knowing about anything except for what she had been told. This was just another piece of the puzzle that didn't make full sense.

"So, the three of them are gone? Because someone asked them to leave? You sure you didn't see it wrong? They didn't seem like the type to leave just because someone asked them to." The sticky patch on her collarbone was proof enough that these girls didn't care. So, it was a mystery as to who could have made them leave, and for a server no less. A server that was expendable to them. Literally, everyone had either avoided eye contact or snickered at the trouble that was caused.

"The hosts of this lil' shindig, to be exact. Seems like there are some good people around us." Rina nodded, unsure of what to do with this information, but she was satisfied that the three got what they deserved. It was too bad that they pretty much got away with their self-righteous behavior for most of the night.

"Anyway," he untied his apron and draped it over his arm, "I know you two are planning somethin' fun tonight and I want in. Lemme go change and I swear, ya'll better not leave me again. I gave you guys some valuable information and…" Tadashi trailed off as he opened the door to be greeted by a man wearing a black suit.

"Oh hey, it's Men in Black International." Tadashi's comment was ignored as the taller male glanced inside the room, making himself welcome. He pushed past the chattering man, eyes locked on Rina. She shifted where she stood, uncomfortable at his arbitrary blank gaze. What was with the people here and their doll-like looks? This is the third person that night that looked at her like they weren't looking at her.

"Um, is there something we can help you with or are you just gonna stand there like a creep?" Ever the poetic one, Meisa spoke as she got up, coming beside Rina and looping her arm around the girls. The man just raised a brow and looked between the two of them.

"Are you perhaps Morikawa Rina?"

"No?"

"Then, I have no business with you." Tadashi choked on his own tongue before pronouncing to the three that Meisa just got burned. The shorter girl in topic glared at him, face hot and flung a pillow from the couch at him.

She knew it. There was no way that what Tadashi said was true. This man was probably here to get rid of Rina for her behavior towards his Lady Ichijyo and she was going to need an escape plan soon. He was pretty close to the door, and she wasn't the most athletic person, so she was sure trying to maneuver past him wasn't going to work. All she wanted was some late-night baked goodies and to scream her favorite songs pitchily into a mic. Not to be interrogated and punished for telling a rotten apple no.

"So, that means you must be Rina. I'll have to ask you to come with me. Lady Ichijyo isn't pleased with how the night turned out and she has suggested you be taught your place." Rina stepped back, looking at Tadashi who took this as his cue to leave and Meisa who had let her arm go limp and moved away from her. Oh, hell no. They're just going to leave me to fend for myself? Around the threshold of the door, more men dressed in finely pressed black suits stepped in, leaving no room for Rina to move out.

Her heart hammered in her chest and she was sure that this would be considered kidnapping if they tried anything. A firm tug against her arm and a soft call of her name had Rina's overzealous imagination pausing her live-action film. There was still only one man dressed in a suit, Tadashi was still at the door, foot half in and foot half out, and Meisa's grip on her arm was firmer than ever. It must have been her who tugged Rina.

"Morikawa Rina?" The man asked, irritation clear in his features. No doubt he had most likely called her name a few times during her little interlude. She nodded, frowning as the man took a step forward, reaching inside his coat pocket and holding out a rectangular piece of paper. She made no move to take it, but upon closer inspection, she could tell that it was a check.

"What's this?" She asked, and the look he gave her spoke volumes. He was aware that she knew what it was, so the question she was really asking was what is this for.

"The hosts of tonight's function would like to offer you compensation for tonight's transgressions. They would like to apologize for a few of their guest's unsightly behavior and hopes that you will accept their expression of regret." The piece of paper was held loosely in her direction, but after hearing what it was for, what little curiosity she had to hold that paper vanished. So, that's what it was for. Rina had worked for enough parties like this that summer to know what a check and an apology meant. That, and she's seen far too many movies and dramas with the same kind of theme.

"Dash, go ahead and get changed and we'll wait for you outside." The three of them carried on like the man wearing black wasn't even there, and that was irksome to him. Tadashi, no longer smiling like a fool sent the man a glare, and a two-finger stare down indicating that he was watching him. He left the room, never taking his eyes off of the man until he could no longer be seen.

"Ready to go, Mimi?" Rina moved around the man as Meisa collected her own things and followed behind her. The messenger, still baring the check and now a grimace caught up to the duo, trying to part with the piece of paper. Rina moved her hand away from it and smiled politely down at the man.

"Miss, please. I know what this may look like, but our Hosts are genuinely apologetic about what happened."

"I hear what you're saying, but if they were genuinely apologetic, I would see them and not you handing me a piece of paper that will change nothing." The man seemed like he was going to try again, but Rina was not having any of it. Before he could speak, Rina beat him to the punch.

"An apology and a check just means keep quiet about what happened. That's not a genuine apology and you can tell your hosts I said as much. Thank you, but no thank you." She bowed, and grabbed Meisa's hand, pulling her down the hall. A long sigh of relief left her lips as she stepped into the cool summer night air. Officially off the clock and able to think clearly again, Rina was ready for a fresh new day. According to her horoscope, tomorrow would be a lot better and she couldn't be more grateful.