Entering the impossible bar had been to serve two purposes. Firstly was her desire to find out more about the latest intruder into her circle of life. The other - and far more pressing reason - was because Akiza had been on the verge of delivering a blistering lecture. She could tell by the veins pounding in her neck, the way her eyes had hardened and the way she disapproved of shooting people. Honestly, this was probably for the best.
"Heeey." Slowly perching herself on a stool, Musume tried to figure out just how real her companions were. During her last visit, she had become so utterly intoxicated on 'mostly apples' that a rainbow elephant with Jack's face would have made perfect sense. That didn't make seeing one of her new friends any easier. "How're things?" Ryan wasn't present but her other two friends were waiting in their seats.
Well enough. There are certain people that everyone should be polite to. Although her list was usually kept brutally short, Musume had taken the time to extend it by a couple of names. Have you recovered from your last visit? I have not known many people who could survive the amount of drinking that you did. When this man(?) said so, she knew that made her a rarity.
"Errr, I don't think that I caught your name?" She wasn't scared, she wasn't scared, he's reaching for a knife, run away, RRUUUUUUNN! Then her brain toned down the terrified voice in her head and she realised it was just a normal piece of cutlery, not the instrument of her doom.
"My friend is called Bill, when he's not working." From the other side of that black robe was the equally dark-clothed storyteller with eyes twinkling as he recognised the look on her face. "And I'm Terry to my friends in this place." Pressing that magnificent hat to his chest, he gave as low a bow as was possible with the counter in the way. "Of which I would be honoured to include you."
"Musume?" Suddenly springing up on the other side of the bar, Himeru seemed surprised to see her new customer. "What are you doing here?" Was that a touch of relief on her face? It couldn't have been.
"What?" Thankful for the distraction from the ominous – yet somehow friendly – aura of 'Bill', she seized on the opportunity to talk about anything else. "I needed to check out a few things. Thought that maybe you could help me." Her first visit to the bar had been fun enough but Himeru had implied that she would be willing to provide answers to questions that might otherwise go unanswered. Maybe she would be able to give an insight into just what Phantom was.
Noting the expression on Musume's face – between nervous glances as Bill began tucking into a heaping bowl of colourful curry – Himeru carefully pulled a cocktail mixer from a shelf and began topping it up with various ingredients. "Pornstar?" Pouring the resulting orange mix into a wide cocktail glass and adding a slice of fruit to float atop the pool, she slid it across the bar to Musume.
"What did you call me?" Of the many morally questionable aspects of her life, she had never even thought about such things. Being called that word was enough to snap her out of the shock at seeing Bill apparently relishing every chomp of his dish.
"Passion fruit purée, pineapple juice, caramel and vanilla syrup with a slice of passion fruit." Tapping the rim of the glass, Himeru actually chuckled at the obvious discomfort. "It is called a fruity pornstar. I thought that you might have had enough alcohol on your last visit."
"And you thought that a," Unable to say the name without her cheeks colouring, she leaned in to give it a tentative sniff. For a mix of various fruits, it had an alluring aroma. "This drink was appropriate?" Blood, gore, apocalypse-level events were all fine but she couldn't bring herself to say that particular word.
"A fruity pornstar usually breaks the ice rather well." Were her cheeks getting warmer or was that just the supernatural energies coursing through her skull? Judging from the way Himeru was biting her lips to keep from laughing, it wasn't the latter. "Was there anything that you wanted to discuss or would you like a different drink first? I am sure that a,"
"NO!" Unable to help herself, Musume actually shouted the refusal as that shaker was taken down from the shelf once more. "I mean," A lot of heads had turned to look at her and she could see in a few reflective surfaces that her face was definitely not its normal colour. She couldn't take another raunchily named drink with everyone watching. "I'm fine with... this one." Just remember that you're here to get answers. Focus on the questions and not on what the drink's called. Which could have been good advice to herself had that tiny part of her that felt the need to screw everything up stepped in and whispered Fruity pornstar in her ear.
"Are you sure?" Folding her arms on the counter, Himeru laid her cheek against them and smiled jovially at her customer. Musume had simply let her embarrassed face hide against the surprisingly clean surface and wrapped her hands atop her hair as the stares continued. She would have normally just punched anyone looking her way until they stopped but a lot of the people in the room gave the impression they could match her. "You look a little peaky. Maybe a glass of warm milk?" For the first time in her life, Musume was dealing with a situation that she couldn't force her way out of.
"Stop teasing the poor lady." Even though he was gallantly coming to her rescue, she would have preferred that Terry not sound so amused. "I'm sure that she only came here to ask a few questions and not to be embarrassed in front of everyone."
"But, Ter-rence, it is so much more fun this way." Giving a bitter sigh and a pout, she pulled up a stool of her own on the far side of the counter. "Okay then, you can sit up. I promise to behave." Staying perfectly still was the only indication that her guest was containing her embarrassment by ignoring everyone else in the room. Many people tried to ignore reality when embarrassed but the bar made that easy. "Or would you like a"
"I'm fine!" Sitting up so fast that her chair actually moved slightly, it was difficult to keep her pride intact when she couldn't retaliate to defend it. "No more drinks!" Terry actually chuckled at her flustered appearance as Himeru pretended to be sorry. She didn't quite sell it.
"So then," Giving a hearty smile, she leaned in slightly. "What can I help you with?"
"I just," A few more heads had turned her way when Musume bolted upright and she was forced to rein her temper in again. "Need to know more about Phantom." For an instant, that smile twisted slightly. Not in a good or bad way but a definite grimace that smoothed away too quickly to be called out. "What is she?" Few people could ever hope to gain Musume's trust and she was extremely careful who she kept company with. Somebody who had been manipulating her family from afar was not welcome in their ranks.
"Brain in a jar." A deadpan look cut through some of the bland sarcasm being spewed Musume's way as the bartender rested in her chair. "Dash of autism, a sprinkle of paranoia, makes a mean omelette." If she let the bartender spout drivel, it would take a long while to get any real answers.
"Look, I'm tired and it's been a long day. Can't you just tell me so I can go home and get some sleep?" When in doubt, play the guilt card. It had earned her bed, board and allowance from no fewer than four people so far. A few answers should be easy enough to extort.
"You are, it has been and you do not plan on sleeping." Spreading out both hands in a 'what of it' gesture, it was apparent that Himeru had a perfect grasp of the situation already. "However, since you refused to order a drink," Would she have to endure this level of nonsense every time she needed answers? Musume hoped not. It was almost worth finding things out the normal way. "I will explain your questions as best I can."
"Okay then. Here's the big one." Lifting the sword onto the counter, she gambled that such a powerful place had no need of the weapon. Either she would get a straight answer or the blade would be as much use as a toothpick to someone who had bumped her forward by two days without any effort. "What happened up on that roof?"
"Ah." Such a noise of satisfaction was almost embarrassing to hear. "There you are." Gently reaching out, she paused as Musume dragged the sheath back away.
"I wouldn't do that." Smiling across the gap came a calming reassurance she could only imagine was born from ignorance. "According to what I've read, only the owner can handle this sword." Although she hadn't got any paperwork when collecting it, Musume was fairly sure that being the last one standing in a fight had given her the right to hold it.
"Yawarakai-Te or the 'Tender Hands', as it is otherwise called." Carefully wrapping her pianist fingers around the top of the sheath, one careful thumb exposed a shining length of the blade under the warm light of the various light sources. "A little faded with age but still good." Letting the blade slid itself back to concealment, she nudged it across the counter for Musume to take back. "Considering what else you have read, what would you say happened?" It was obvious she was going for an angle of leading towards answers instead of sharing.
"Look, the stories say something about cutting bad things and not good ones." Legends surrounding the sword were far from common but they almost unanimously agreed that the blade was a picky weapon. Anything evil was at risk of being cut while innocent beings were reportedly safe. "Nothing about people exploding and coming back as some damn ghost!" A tiny quirk appeared on those perfect lips for a moment. "Just tell me what happened so I can get on with it." All the mystic mumbo-jumbo in the world could be boiled down into simple explanations. Having a god and a devil inside her had taken away a lot of the glamour from anything legendary.
"As you said, that blade does not cut things that are good. But, how do you think that it discerns the difference? If knives are 'bad' then is a scalpel? If people are 'good' then what about murderers? It depends on what the wielder believes. Chasing Yliaster meant a lot of hardships that your friend had not expected. Things happened, some very bad." Musume had guessed that her newest mystery had been through the ring a few times when Jack threatened to move her. Another explosion had been less expected than physical retaliation but she had learned to roll with the crazy punches. "In order to cope, a lot of walls were put up until they became a very different person." A lot of people – including one who was currently sitting in a reinforced cell deep beneath the ground – would have said the result was a bad person. "When that blade stabbed through their heart (literally right through it, I was amazed by that) she was let free from all the bad stuff. For the first time in a long time – maybe their entire life – they are who they are and nothing else." With the burdens she was carrying, Musume wondered what would happen to her if she suddenly returned to normal. It would definitely involve an adjustment period.
"And what was that thing she did?" At the time, it had seemed like a hiccup in the world. Whatever it was, it was weird. And weird things had a habit of being dangerous.
Pausing to consider the question, Himeru was slow to give her answer. "Her autism has always allowed her to perceive a lot more than most people but it is a struggle to control." That certainly tracked with the crash course Musume had taken in the condition. "Now that she is able to interact with the world, she can make tiny changes. Make this place a bit hotter, change that breeze slightly. Make one spot briefly connect to another."
"So she can teleport?" It said a lot about her life that she wasn't particularly excited by the news. She could do it, Luna could do it. Heck, they could move to an entirely different plane of existence. Teleportation was nothing by comparison.
"Not exactly. More like make a door between two nearby places." And then step through. To Musume's understanding, that was not much different. "But she does not know it yet. Try to avoid letting Jack forcing her into a corner. It might not end well next time."
"Okay, I get your point." Which made one out of seven. The others would have to learn it the slower way. "Any pointers on how to approach her?"
"Ha! 'Approach'. I like it." Folded fingers patted against crossed arms as options were weighed. "Explain if she screws up and tell her how to be better. Do not assume that she always understands people. Let her know the truth because she can tell when you lie. But, if really you want my advice," Whatever she was trying to say seemed to be a great burden to the ageless face as the smile vanished. "It would be better for you if you told her to go to the safest place she knows in the city and wait for you."
"For how long?" Not that it needed an answer. An open order like that was one-way: wait there until you get sent for.
"Until she believes the situation is urgent enough." Turning to serve the thin figure beside the old storyteller hid Himeru's face from observation. "I cannot divert events or even change your mind but it would be... easier for you if she was sent away."
"Fine. I'll remember that." But she was quietly promising never to do such a thing. Musume had been sent away herself once. It was a feeling that you could never really shake. To be deemed tainted, faulty, unwanted. "Any other nuggets of information before I go back?"
"... Right now, her mind is in chaos." Apparently sensing the silent vow that had been made, Himeru appeared to take it in stride as she began giving outright helpful information. "It is not your fault, just an unfortunate effect of what happened. Having something to hang onto, a reference point to work from, will greatly speed up the process of putting everything back in place." As she delivered the information, Himeru darted up and down the bar to deliver orders to her other patrons. Just because she was keeping an eye out for Musume did not mean that she was stopping the rest of her business. "It is part of the reason that she keeps speaking so strangely. Keep a close eye on her for a while and she should be right as rain."
"Thanks." Getting the information the normal way would have taken a lot of observation and lengthy research periods. It was almost worth being offered a... that drink. "I'll see you around." Pausing at the far end of the bar, Himeru flickered back to the spot closest to her newest customer.
"Ah, I meant... afterwards." Even through the literally cosmic differences between the bartender and the ginger Duellist, they had the same tone that came with trying to gently break bad news. When Crow had quietly told his young Musume that he was 'under the weather' and that was the reason he needed so much rest lately, it had been in that tone. When he had told her that the oxygen tank would only be needed for 'a little while', it had been in that tone.
"What do you mean by 'afterwards', exactly?"Since Himeru was unlikely to be dying, it was the precursor tone to bad news. Extremely bad news.
"This is going to be difficult to understand." Even the most future-blind person would be able to see Musume about to lose her temper when she heard the news. "But you no longer technically," Holding up a finger on either side of the word, she framed it in an effort to impart that it was a momentary problem which would be fixed in due course. "Exist outside of this place. Technically." Repeating the word did nothing to eliminate the problem.
"What does 'technically' mean," Carefully wrapping her palm about that handle, she slowly pulled it out of the sheath. "Exactly?"
"Well," Taking one step backward, Himeru managed to cover at least two metres. There was a fire in that gaze that unsettled everyone who saw it. "Would it suffice to say that Yusei is to blame?" Being able to pin her predicament on the man she hated most in the world definitely appealed to Musume but not as much as having her freedom restored. "It was really down to your good timing that you came here instead of what would have happened." Considering her relieved surprise when Musume had first shown up, whatever 'would have happened' was probably unpleasant. But it also might have meant that she was closer to her family. Which is why she was about to do something rather rash.
"I'm guessing that you can send me back." As she took two steps forward, Himeru took three steps back until she was nudging against the far end of the impossibly dimensioned bar. "So you'd better get on that before I have to come over there and convince you." With no more room to retreat, the owner carefully tried to minimise her target area into as small a form as she could.
"Can we just talk about this for five seconds?" Drawing back her arm with the handle pinched between thumb and fingers, Musume sent it hurtling down the alleyway as her temper unbalanced the careful mesh of energies seeping through her body.
This is certainly unusual entertainment. Using a Peshwari naan to sweep up the rest of his curry, Bill was enjoying the spectacle with a smile that only he could pull off. But how did you plan on getting back if she is dead? Hunkered down at the far end of the galley, Himeru was looking at the sword gently vibrating an inch from her shoulder. It had been either a close call or a miraculously good shot.
"I cannot believe that you did that." Careful not to cut herself on the gleaming metal, Himeru carefully pulled the sword from where it had wedged between two panels of wood. "I mean, you threw a sword like some sort of Jack." Taking two steps to stand back against Musume, she held out the weapon on two very careful fingers. "Look, just because I cannot help you right now does not mean that you will be stuck here indefinitely. Sit down, have a drink." Smiling slightly as the blade was picked up and instantly held against her throat, she expressed no hint of fear or anxiety. "And let us talk about what happens next."
Non-existence is certainly one way to avoid a scolding. Or leaving a review.