Arisugawa's Locket
Chapter 117
A battered Sailor Venus staggered up to the bar.
"Again?" Juri blinked.
"I need a drink," Venus groaned.
Juri sort of swept her gaze over the other woman. She wore a sailor fuku, like the usual Sailor Soldiers, but her's had an odd, shimmery texture. She also had armored bits added, including armor shoulder pieces, boots and gloves. Along with that there was a pouch on her belt, and on the other hip had a odd looking holstered pistol.
"You're the one bouncing around the multiverse, right?" Minagi asked, the multicolored haired space pirate on bar duty that night, with Mahoro.
"Yeah," Venus agreed, "I'm trying to increase my powers, in preperation for the next big threat to hit my Earth."
"You realize that your universe's version of Sailor Pluto is probably having kittens over this?" Juri noted mildly.
"You gonna turn me in?" Venus asked wryly as her uniform self-repaired the rips and tears.
"The Locket's neutral territory," Juri reminded her. "Was just reminding you."
"Sorry," Venus conceded.
"Here, cola to start with," Minagi slid the glass over to her. "Have you eaten anything, lately? You look a bit pinched, honestly."
Venus' stomach gurgled. Loudly.
Mahoro chuckled, "I'll take that as a no. Want us to order up some lunch for you?"
"Please," Venus said sheepishly.
Juri moved off, studying the club as various things went on.
A version of Nanoha and Fate, club regulars, were having their fifteenth anniversary of dating. (They, apparently, figured they started 'dating' when they teamed up to stop Precia, back when they were NINE.) It made Juri feel very, very old. The two twenty somethings were having a fancy dinner, and had booked an upstairs room for later that night.
"Hey, could we get a refill here?" another group of partiers called.
"Coming," Midori hurried over, wearing her usual waitress outfit.
"Don't be rude, Kuroko," Mikoto Misaka scolded her mildly, the twenty-something young woman sitting beside her at a table with several friends.
"Sorry," Kuroko Shirai, second in command of Judgment, apologized.
"It's okay," Midori smiled at the group, "what can we get you?"
"Wine!" Uiharu, the head of Judgment's computer services, beamed cheerfully as she added, "We're celebrating!"
Saten, her girlfriend, nodded cheerfully as she added, "We're engaged."
"Congrats!" Midori smiled.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Up at the door, Cyber Six blinked as two military figures seemed to appear there. The bar sometimes just 'picked up' people from other realities, dumping them into the bar for awhile until it phased back into their home universe.
The tall, slim blonde had the oddest, piercing blue eyes as strode up. "Where are we?" she demanded, her medals and decorations covering the front of her uniform.
"Let me, ma'am," the somewhat more average brown haired woman addressed the other woman. She turned to Cyber Six, "I am Captain Serebryakov, this is Major General Von Degurechaff. May I ask where we are?"
"Captain," Cyber Six nodded, then explained about the bar's crossing realities and such.
"That's crazy," Viktoriya Serebryakov blinked.
The Major General smiled faintly. "We fight rival countries using magic powered computation orbs," Tanya Von Degurechaff noted, "I've heard crazier things."
"Point, ma'am," Viktoriya conceded.
"Let's go in, Visha," Tanya decided.
"Yes ma'am," Visha agreed as they both walked in.
Alpha was on greeter duty, and the green haired android smiled warmly at them. "Welcome to Arisugawa's Locket," she said cheerfully. She looked them over, "You'll need to check in your pistols and those devices at the bar."
"No!" Visha started, but Tanya raised a hand.
"No weapons in the bar?" Tanya asked. When she nodded Tanya just agreed, "Understood."
"Have a fun night," Alpha waved.
"But ma'am!" Visha said worriedly.
The two walked up to the bar as Tanya said, "This clearly isn't a normal bar, Visha. We'll be fine. And if something does happen, I can use some magic on my own."
Visha nodded reluctantly, "Yes, ma'am."
"And just call me Tanya. We're off duty," Tanya added.
"Ma'am!" Visha squeaked.
Tanya ignored that as she smiled at the rainbow haired, facial scarred bartender. "We need to turn in our weapons," she said, unclipping her gun and the computation orb she wore.
"Thanks," Minagi smiled, "we'll keep 'em safe. What can I get you?"
"Vodka, ice?" Visha asked hopefully as she turned in her weapons.
"Sure," Minagi nodded, "and you, ma'am?"
Tanya looked at bit sheepish as she ordered a very girlish cocktail. Visha looked at her in surprise and Tanya shrugged, "I like it."
"Let's get a table... Tanya," Visha said shyly, then added, "the food here has to be better than at base, too."
"You WOULD think of the food," Tanya teased, laughing.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Potentially hostile Device detected Raising Heart noted from around Nanoha's neck.
Raising Heart, along with Fate's Bardiche, were both excluded from the Locket 'weapons ban' as they were considered to be sentient. And, of course, because Fate and Nanoha promised not to use them in the bar.
Confirmed, Bardiche agreed, two individuals near the bar.
'Huh,' Nanoha saw the two women in military uniforms. They did indeed look like they had crude devices, one round, the other square. "Record a image of them," she ordered, "we'll look into them later."
Yes ma'am, Raising Heart responded.
"Bardiche, can you scan which world they are from?" Fate asked.
Not at this distance, Sir, Bardiche apologized.
"Hey! No working," Hitomi scolded them, the brown haired girl teasing mildly as the waitress checked on them. "You're here for your anniversary, remember?"
"Sorry, Hitomi," Nanoha chuckled slightly.
"Refills?" Hitomi asked curiously.
"Please," Fate smiled. "And another snack tray."
"More snacks?" Nanoha asked.
Fate smirked, "You'll need the extra energy later."
Nanoha purred, "Ooooh..."
Hitomi smirked as she headed off.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Evening," the attractive if flaming orange haired woman smiled, wearing a stylish if simple dress. "I'm Arisugawa Juri, I own the place," she introduced herself.
"Ma'am!" Visha bounced up and bowed a bit.
Juri looked at Tanya, "You may not remember, but you were in here earlier. You were just a Captain at the time... how did you jump to Major General?"
Tanya looked at her thoughtfully a moment.
"You shouldn't...," Visha started to defend her, then Tanya held up a hand.
Tanya met Juri's eyes, "I functionally decapitated the civilian leadership of the Empire and purt myself in charge. The Major General title was a compromise."
Juri calmly met Tanya's eyes, "You had no other choice?"
"Putting the blame of the former civilian government enxded a war that was killing a lot of soldiers," Tanya shrugged slightly, "I hate that kind of waste."
"Fair enough," Juri accepted that as she moved on to check on other customers. "Have a good night."
Visha puffed out a breath, "You didn't have to tell her all that."
"Well, I'd like to come here again," Tanya shrugged slightly. And, she had to admit, it was nice to tell the truth about all that.
Visha looked bemused, "I heard there were room to rent upstairs. Is that for if you can't get home or something?"
Tanya looked at Visha a moment, wondering if she had actually noticed there were only women here, and in obvious couples. 'I'm NOT telling her,' Tanya decided. "I guess so," she said aloud.
"Maybe we can share a room," Visha added, and Tanya nearly choked.
To be continued...
Notes: This ties in to Chapter Eight of my fic Sailor Venus and the Quest for Power Ups. It's (roughly) the tenth anniversary of the A Certain Scientific Railgun and the fifteenth anniversary of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. The Tanya the Evil characters are from a Alternate Universe I'm thinking of where Tanya is forced to take over.
Characters: Sailor Venus is from Sailor Moon, Nanoha and Fate are from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Mikoto Misaka, Kuroko Shirai, Saten and Uiharu are from A Certain Scientific Railgun, Tanya Von Degurechaff and Viktoriya 'Visha' Serebryakov are from Sage of Tanya the Evil.
Cast: Arisaugawa Juri is from Utena, Minagi is from Tenchi Muyo, Mahoro is from Mahororomatic, Midori is from Mai Hime, Cyber Six is from Cyber Six, Hitomi is from Escaflowne and Alpha is from Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou.