Note: this chapter has spoilers for the movie Trigun: Badlands Rumble.
Arisugawa's Locket
Chapter 99: One Night Waitress
The strange nightclub was loud and busy as Amelia Sakura sipped at a beer, a sense of dread slowly building within her. The bounty hunter from planet Gunsmoke had purchased her beers thinking she had enough to pay for them, but after her order arrived she realized she didn't have enough money.
It was bad enough being a inexperienced gunfighter and bounty hunter, but this was too much! Knowing her luck Amelia would end up beaten within a inch of her life and tossed out into the desert. And honestly, part of herself thought she deserved it. She sipped some more beer for courage, then took a nervous breath.
"Uhm, excuse me?" Amelia waved, and the cyan haired bartender turned towards her.
The tall woman was distinctive looking, her hair starting with a odd blue shade but with streaks of red, dark blue and other colors mixed in. She also had scars on each of her cheeks, giving her a strangely cheerful look. "Yes?" Minagi smiled, "Is the beer not to your taste?"
"No, it's fine," Amelia said, then smiled weakly as she added, "but it turns out I may not have enough to pay for it."
Surprisingly Minagi didn't get angry as she said, "Well, dump what you have on the counter. Might be more than you think."
Glumly Amelia dumped her wallet onto the bar, and after Minagi seemed unfamiliar with her bills they called the money changer over, a woman named Nabiki. The brown haired young woman had the eyes of a banker, weighing the money with a glance, but she moved with the grace of a longtime fighter too.
"Gunsmoke double dollars," Nabiki noted as she shifted the change and few bills, "pretty badly devalued by our standards." She gave Amelia a apologetic glance, "You could maybe cover a beer with what you have here, but that's about it."
"I figured," Amelia said, pushing her money over to Minagi's side of the bar. "I can work off the rest, if you'll let me."
Minagi and Nabiki exchanged a glance as Minagi said, "Well, we're pretty full up for the kitchen, but we could use a waitress. How about it?"
"Get orders, go to the bar or kitchen, pick up the food or booze and bring it back?" Amelia smiled slightly, "I can do that."
"Good," Nabiki said briskly, "let's get you a apron and a nametag."
If felt a little odd putting a apron over her dusty clothes, but honestly she wasn't the strangest dressed woman in the bar. One of the more attractive women, May, wore a full maid's outfit, while others ran around in tight body suits or tuxedos.
Amelia watched curiously as May hurried to greet someone, mentally taking notes. "Welcome to the locket!" the buxom brown haired woman dressed in a maid outfit smiled, "Can I show you to a table?"
"Nah, I'm meeting a friend," the brown haired woman answered.
"I hope you have a good time, Miss Kyoko," May smiled cheerfully.
"Hey!" Kazue Takanashi waved, the divorcee lawyer sitting and having a small drink. She had short brown hair and glasses, giving her a almost boyish look.
"Hi," Kyoko smiled as she sat down. She waved to one of the waitresses and asked, "Could I get a parfait?"
"Coming right up!" Excel Excel said cheerfully, rushing off and nearly plowing several people under her relentless feet.
"That girl scares me," Kazue noted, shaking her head. She looked over at Kyoko, "You're late, Did my idiot brother cause you problems again?"
"He's not that bad," Kyoko chuckled, knowing that the other woman was just concerned about her brother. It was kind of cute, really.
"Yeah, I suppose so," Kazue acknowledged, nodding slightly as the waitress returned with Kyoko's food. "I still can't get over how much you can eat...," she noted, shaking her head.
"You're one to talk," Kyoko chuckled even as the other woman blushed slightly.
After hearing about Wagnaria from her brother Kazue had decided to visit the restaurant, talking with the servers and looking around. The somewhat prickly woman was soothed by meeting the very cute Popura, and found she liked talking to Mahiru. Kyoko introduced herself later, and they hit it off nicely, sensing a kindred spirit.
"Is this place what I think it is?" Kyoko had to ask her friend as they saw two women kissing at a nearby table.
"Yeah, it's a gay bar," Kazue shrugged casually, "I like it because I only get hit on by women here. Besides, some of 'em are cute."
"Isn't that kind of unfair?" Kyoko asked wryly.
"This from the woman leading a employee on," Kazue noted dryly, making Kyoko blush faintly. "You should take that girl home and make a woman out of her."
"She's eight years younger than me," Kyoko said with a soft growl.
"So!" Kazue said, "There are plently of men who have girlfriends much younger than them."
"And they look tacky as hell doing it," Kyoko shot back.
"The difference in age isn't as noticable between two women anyway," Kazue waved that off. "Tell me, what's the real reason you won't go out with her?"
Kyoko looked away, then puffed out a sigh. "I'm not a good person, I've done things I regret," she said flatly, "she could do so much better than me."
"Miss Yankee with a nailbat, she KNOWS all about that," Kazue gave her a skeptical look, "Hell, that's when she first met you!"
Kyoko looked down at her nearly finished parfait. "She's sweet and innocent," she said through clenched teeth, "I don't want to sully that."
"You have issues, woman," Kazue shook her head, waving for a drink. After the waitress arrived she ordered herself a beer and a milkshake, then gave Kyoko a look. "Or is it you're not comfortable being a lesbian?"
"Ack!" Kyoko nearly choked on her drink, coughing. "This from the divorcee?" she growled.
Kazue moved around the table like a shot, giving the other woman noogies while holding her in a headlock. "What did I say about bringing that up?" she growled.
"Uhm, ma'am?" Amelia hurried over from where the cowgirl had been listening in between orders, "Could you please not do that? I'd hate to have the bouncer throw you out."
"Yeah, yeah," Kazue let her go, both women settling into their seat. "So," she said briskly, "you need to get over your issues around being gay."
"I suppose so," Kyoko conceded after a moment, looking more sheepish than usual.
"So sleep with some women!" Kazue declared, nearly making poor Kyoko choke on her drink again. "I volunteer my sisters for experimentation. You can borrow either Izume, Kozue or myself."
"I don't think your sisters will appreciate being volunteered," Kyoko choked, laughing softly.
Kazue leaned forward to study her, "Don't bet on that. I've had my suspicions about Kozue, and frankly Izume NEEDS to get laid."
"You have a strange family," Kyoko sighed, shaking her head.
"Well, yeah," Kazue laughed, grinning.
Amelia had to fight down a chuckle as she left that section, cutting through the women on the dance floor and going by a stage where a woman was singing very off key. She reached the table and smiled, "May I take your order?"
"Sake, please," the black haired woman smiled, the school girl looking sad as she sat with her back to the wall.
"Aren't you a bit young, Miss...?" Amelia had to ask.
"My name's Yomi Isayama, and I'm technically dead," the woman noted wryly, "I don't think the normal rules apply."
"Ah, I'll be right back," Amelia said, slightly unnerved.
Heading up to the bar she talked to Mahoro this time, the black haired and energetic woman nearly bouncing behind the bar. "Ah, Yomi," she said with a hint of regret, "she's a special case. It's fine to serve her."
"Thanks," Amelia nodded as she headed back.
Then Amelia was called over by May to help serve a private party that had taken over a side corner of the club. They were all surprisingly attractive and dressed in strange outfits, including leather mini-skirts, full body suits, capes and other gear.
As Amelia hurried back to the bar to get another pitcher, the green haired waitress smiled. "How are you managing?" Alpha asked gently.
"It's easier then most of my bounty hunting jobs," Amelia shrugged eloquently.
"You're a bounty hunter?" Hyatt asked, the purple haired girl limply hanging onto the bar.
"Well, more accurately I was a bounty hunter," Amelia admitted, "I'm not sure what I'm doing now." She saw another customer waving and hurried off, "Excuse me."
Amelia found herself so caught up in chatting with the customers and rushing about serving that she lost track of time. It wasn't until the manager Juri Arisugawa flagged her down that Amelia realized she had worked right up to closing. The tall, orange haired woman had a strong presence about her, like some of the better bounty hunters she had met.
"I'm sorry if Minagi and Nabiki dragooned you into this," Juri said gently, shaking Amelia's hand, "we'll pay you for the extra hours you worked."
"It's no problem," Amelia shook her hand, noting she was wearing a wedding ring. 'Lucky guy,' she mused silently.
Another figure emerged from the busy women starting to ready the club for closing, a striking figure with long, dark green-black hair and a warm smile. "Juri, I've missed you," she noted, kissing Juri on the cheek and taking her hand.
'Matching rings,' Amelia noted, 'lucky woman, then.'
"Sorry about this," Nabiki Tendo said, also wearing a apron, "it got so busy they asked me to waiter, and I forgot to relieve you." She looked Amelia over as she added, "Though you don't look like you minded too much."
Amelia blinked, but had to admit that she had enjoyed the work, mostly. It had been nice taking to the people and even flirting a bit. "It's not bad," she admitted, "and I only had to stomp on people having grabby hands twice."
Juri bit back a laugh as Nabiki sighed. "Well, we'd prefer if you didn't do that...," she said wryly. She looked at Amelia curiously, "Want a job? We're seemingly always short of staff, and I think you'd fit in well."
Amelia thought a moment then shrugged, "What the hell, why not?"
To be continued...
Our Cast: Arisugawa Juri is from Revolutionary girl Utena, Alpha is from Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, May is from Hand Maid May, Excel Excel and Hyatt are from Excel Saga, Ryouko and Minagi are from Tenchi Muyo, Nabiki Tendo is from Ranma ½, Setsuna is from Sailor Moon.
And joining us is Amelia from the Trigun movie, Badlands Rumble.
Characters: Kyoko Shirafuji and Kazue Takanashi are both from the anime and manga Working! also sold in the US under the title Wagnaria! Yomi Isayama is from Ga Rei and Ga Rei Zero. The table that has the girls in crazy costumes are from the DC Comics universe.
Notes: Part of this was published as Working for Love! I also reference my other story The two dreaded Rs: Retcon and Reboot. I just saw Trigun Badlands Rumble and was rather charmed by Amelia, so I figured I'd toss her in here. She'll likely be a part timer...