Chapter 4: Clean cut
After the encounter of his special guest the night had proceeded in a fairly unimpressive manner. Shizuo had continued to serve various cocktails. Some as they were depicted on the card, some with deviating wishes from his customers.
One had been particularly adamant when it came to ordering a glass of wine paired with milk.
At first Shizuo had thought it had been a joke, but apparently it hadn't been.
When his shift came to an end at 4am he had been very much tired both mentally as well as physically. The job was demanding. But running around nine hours straight and wearing a professional attitude while memorizing guests' orders was something Shizuo had learned to commit to when he worked at this club ten years ago.
Stepping outside the early morning sun's rays kissed the pavement in gentle pecks and somehow Shizuo couldn't help but feel a most welcome sensation of peace calm the storm in his mind.
Tranquility.
A kind of relaxed state that no action other than exhaustion could bring to the surface. It was a feeling he had strived for and welcomed with open arms. A cigarette was pulled from his pants pockets, hidden away in a silver container made for cigars, but who would judge?
Smoke traveled in the air and drew quick patterns across the purple sky as Shizuo relished in the sudden silence.
He had not had a second of peace the past few days. Not to mention sleep. The time had been available, but the urge… not so much.
A woman walked by, obviously having stayed way longer and drunken too much on her own part. She seemed quite confused but listening in to a conversation she barely held on the phone Shizuo figured someone would pick her up soon.
A short glance was cast towards his figure and the woman quickly sped up her steps.
He was probably quite the sight.
Standing outside of one of the most dangerous clubs in the city without so much as an ounce of fear probably seemed pretty intimidating.
Tilting his head Shizuo looked up at the mirrored wall of glass that made half the front of the surface.
The colors of the building had changed, just as its owner, and the surrounding people visiting it, but at the core it was still the same. Same outline, same drinks, same reason for people to visit and somehow Shizuo felt the warmth he had craved march into his chest. Comfort of a different kind.
It was the healthy dose of nostalgia Shizuo had been looking for. Everything about this club was. The air, the sounds, the smell. His first customer today came to mind for a short moment and his lips formed an involuntary smile.
He really hoped he would be back. It had been a while since he enjoyed someone else's company as much as his.
The cigarette was extinguished as it neared its end and he trailed over to one of the taxi's leading him home.
Sleep came fairly quickly to Shizuo as soon as his body hit the sheets while his mind spent reminiscing about his first day at work, Evelyn, the special guest he served or the drug ring's actions inside the lounge.
A mix of weird dreams and mashed events formed an even more confusing sensation. Maybe it was because of his dreams, maybe because of that fact that he had barely slept a wink the past few days, but his body certainly pulled a power move on him as it ignored his alarm all the way through.
Thirteen hours. That was the amount of time that had passed when Shizuo opened his eyes and cursed his damned phone.
It was his second day at work, and those dreams the reason why he was currently late.
Honking resounded even though the thick glass of the taxi he was sitting in and his driver cursed in various languages at once while signing a couple indecencies.
"What is she waiting for?! Mutare curba!"
Ah. He knew that one. Curba meant something along the lines of whore if he remembered correctly.
Shizuo had never really bothered to get a driver's license as it hadn't been of interest inside a city connected by various transport networks, but even he noticed that the individual driving in front appeared to be very confused by the crossroad ahead.
He could tell from the side mirror that she was fairly young, a sign pointing out that she was still practicing paired with a teacher on the passenger's seat explained her hesitant driving style, or rather the lack thereof because the car had more than just stopped.
The engine was actually off and judging from her expression she was trying her best to get the car running by herself. But time pressure and embarrassment both stood heavily in her way as she fidgeted in her seat and before long the traffic light in front turned red for the second time.
To Shizuo's driver, waiting here for five more minutes seemed to be a fate worse than death. Curses and groans flew off the taxi driver's lips in quick succession and Shizuo tried his best to ignore the assault to his ears.
Shizuo never quite understood road rage and he doubted he ever would as he pulled his phone from his pants pocket. It had been vibrating for a while.
Annoyance, guilt and a fair share of anger resurfaced quicker from the back of his mind than he liked.
It was still sitting there.
The pure blooded madness.
Despite having decided to ignore the call he picked it up with a deep frown.
"What?"
It was the first he answered. No greeting, no apology for the late reply or dozens of unanswered calls.
The distorted noise of a feminine voice transmitted by a pretty crappy connection resounded inside the taxi for a second as the driver finally cheered.
Glancing ahead Shizuo could see the young woman had finally managed to start her engine again and exited the crossroad to the right.
More interested in her actions and the following lights bypassing the taxi at a kind of speed that no police officer nearby would welcome.
The voice was still going on and on about matters that were no longer of Shizuo's interest and he internally regretted picking up in the first place.
What for even?
He wanted peace.
The entire reason he was working at this club was to get some of that.
And the call was anything but beneficial.
The realization came to light fast and the decision made was executed almost immediately as he realized what it was that he truly had to do if he wanted to retain this peace.
"Don't call me again," he suddenly announced and without any further condolences or will to listen as he shut the call off.
The answer had been harsh, and his glare even harsher as he looked at the cursed device in his palm. Rage of an undefined kind set his hands into motion before he could think twice about his decision the single phone had multiplied.
Snapped in half Shizuo looked at the two broken pieces and a very distinct feeling of delight spread in his mind.
Yeah.
That was the best idea of the day.
Pretty women, tall men and the queue spreading all the way down the road quickly informed Shizuo of the fact that they had arrived. Music thrummed all the way out from the club and Shizuo quickly tossed the driver his payment along with a little extra as he slipped out of the car.
The phone found its way into a garbage can outside the club as Shizuo breezed past the waiting line.
Fuck-
Second day and already late-
Evelyn was going to be anything but delighted about his presence.
With a short click of tongue Shizuo cursed the clock, hanging inside the hall leading to the lounge. Moving relentlessly its arm moved another minute onward, completing half an hour of what should have already been part of his shift.
Chattering, laughter and orders layered upon each other like a freshly made lasagne and upon stepping inside the oval clubroom Shizuo felt his guilt triple.
Hell had broken loose in here.
Compared to the day before, the dancefloor was brimming with life- dozens of guests stacked upon each other like ducks fighting over a breadcrumb being found at the beach.
And Evelyn stood alone amidst them all.
Used cocktail glasses piled in the back of the bar, knives used for cutting fruits and a variety of shakers were scattered like a cat's fur after a fight while the water hose in back kept running to keep the vast amount of orders running.
A strand of hair had become loose and impaired Evelyn's vision as she quickly served tablets filled with a variety of complicated drinks.
Her smile was still perfectly in place but she was most definitely struggling to keep up.
"Bartender! Five mojitos please!" another guest shouted and Evelyn turned with the slightest hint of despair in his eyes. It was then that Shizuo slipped into her sight.
"Coming!" he announced loudly and the woman's expression brightened upon seeing her aid for the night. Not more than a quick nod needed to be exchanged and Shizuo steered right for the bar while she scurried to the table at the back to serve the drinks she already made.
Sleeves were rolled up, the knives and remnants of previously mixed orders cleared and within a hot minute Shizuo was preparing the next round of drinks.
Mint leaves were pulled from the fridge along with slices of lime wedges and a muddler. The tumbler glasses used for whisky were the first that came into sight and not bothering to look further Shizuo made do with what he found as he crushed the ingredients into the bottom. The mint oil and lime juice mixed into an explosive smell as he made a quick job of the ingredients.
Loud music and conversations brimming with life filled the static air. Evelyn was quick to join him at the back and with just a single glance she knew what he was missing and pulled a stack of ice out of the freezer.
"Could you serve us a round of Mai tai?" Another guest suddenly requested and the woman took the order without batting an eyelid.
"Of course, just a second!" A glance was exchanged, the ice bag was tossed and Shizuo caught it in quick reflex.
Mai tai. He knew its ingredients by heart as every cocktail served in this bar, and locating the white rum on the shelf above he quickly pulled it down as he figured Evelyn was a tad too short to reach. An appreciative nod was given as the bottle of alcohol exchanged hands and a new array of glasses was put up at the counter.
Ice filled to the top of Shizuo's mojitos as rum and soda joined the mix paired with a generous sprinkling of brown sugar.
Almost simultaneously Evelyn finished her own set of drinks at an insane speed. The white rum, curacao on the left of the shelf and orgeat had already been shaken and poured into the double rocks glasses. Dark rum floated across the top of the drink and in a moment of artistry she even managed to garnish the drinks with a lime wheel and mint springs.
"Bartender-" another guest called, and as if on cue both of them answered in unison, "Coming!"
Glances met, a quick chuckle escaped Evelyn's lips and the drinks were put onto the tablets. "I'm serving, you mix," she instructed quickly and Shizuo felt himself mimicking the smile she held.
Order after order came in one after the other, but strangely enough Shizuo didn't find himself overwhelmed for even a second. The moment he searched for something Evelyn already had it at hand and the second she looked for help Shizuo was already there to provide it.
"Shizuo," Evelyn called and he caught the pineapple needed for the tenth pina colada that day with a quick smile.
It was funny, he had never met this woman in his life before, but working together they functioned like a finely crafted clockwork as if they had been exchanging these actions for years.
But of course there was a limit to how long Evelyn was able to keep up with the vast orders presented- and luckily the same seemed to apply for the guests present.
Flocking out like soap in the sea the numerous guests started to disperse after an hour and a half.
The music was still going strong, and most people moved their bodies on the dance floor.
A moment of unprecedented peace grazed the bar as the demanding voices shut down and Shizuo used the very welcome break to quickly clear their bar of any superfluous lime peels and cocktail stains.
"Please tell me you will stay for more than a week," Evelyn suddenly laughed, joining Shizuo again behind the bar after having served the last order of one of the tables.
The guilt Shizuo had felt for turning up late had somehow left his consciousness up to this point and suddenly returned with a full blow.
"Sorry, I was so late, I-" he tried to apologize as he hadn't even managed to greet Evelyn in the past hour. But he was interrupted quicker than he was able to finish his sentence as Evelyn laughed. "It's alright, don't worry about it. As long as you don't quit you can run late everyday."
Shizuo blinked in mild surprise and couldn't help but snort.
"That satisfied?"
Eyes glinting as though she had found a rare jewel buried on a lonely beach Evelyn nodded. "Are you kidding? Never had this much fun at rush hour." Reaching for that strand of hair that had come loose during the course of the evening she finally got a chance to fix the clasp that was supposed to keep it out of her face. "Now we relax and enjoy the time we have left."
Mild surprise mirrored in Shizuo's expression as he looked around the clubroom.
"We are done?"
It was hard to believe considering the onslaught of customers they had faced until before. But now that Evelyn mentioned it, Shizuo noticed how most of their guests had settled down. Either at the tables or with their respective partners to chat and laugh.
"For the most part, yes. Entry is only until eleven straight. Anyone arriving past that time frame has special permission and not many do."
So that's why.
Shizuo had wondered why today's club hours had been so much busier compared to the day before. His first shift had started two hours late for that exact reason he expected, because Evelyn had seemed awfully relaxed the day before when he arrived.
It made sense too, that he was only invited after rush hour, since she had had to show him around and everything without distraction.
Warily eyeing the center of everyone's attention down here he checked out the drug dealers sitting at their respective tables. Only one cocktail per guest seemed more than adequate considering the dangers getting stupidly drunk could bring in this kind of environment.
It was just then that the entrance having laid bare and vast of nothingness suddenly revealed a new set of guests. Guests with special permissions it seemed.
A hune of a man with Russian roots emerged from the stairs first, accompanied by a set of fairly familiar faces.
The slightest hint of delight sprouted in Shizuo's mind as he spotted a certain black haired individual in the back.
Nodding over Evelyn leaned in shortly, "Like them," she whispered, pointing to the flock of enigmatic guests.
Special permission, huh?
Following the set of masked smiles and gallant gestures he watched what appeared to be high ranking individuals inside their drug ring accompanying his special guest.
Not a gram of illegal substances was to be found on their bodies for sure as they were wiser than to accumulate lead on themselves.
Laughter encased their meeting as soon as they took their seat at a nearby table.
With a slight hint of pleasant joy, Shizuo noticed that the virgin wave from the day before seemed to recognize him on sight.
A small smile played along his face and a set of short words left his lips before he parted from his designated group.
Who was the guy that was accompanying him? His boss? His assistant?
Shizuo couldn't tell. From the way his special guest behaved he could be anything ranging from a minor dealer to a drug lord.
Shoving his way past the vibrant crowd of good mood and better drinks it took not longer than a few seconds for his guest to appear at the counter.
A set of long earrings added to his charme in today's attire and mischief glinted in his eyes as he brought his elbows to the table wearing a cheshire smile.
"Fancy meeting you here."
to be continued~
I hope this chapter wasn't a let down considering Izaya didn't appear again xD But next one should make up for that C: xD