Once More with Feeling

OOC:

It was a dark and stormy night on the night that everything changed.

Well, certainly a dark night, anyway, as most nights are. Or it would have been without the lightning--which wasn't lightning at all, really, but rather the flashing screen of Nixitra's phone as it reported an incoming call with an undue amount of cheer, considering the hour. (The thunder was quickly discovered to be some combination of her cat purring loudly against her spine and a train on the tracks a few blocks down from her apartment building.) It was 4:37 on a Tuesday morning, and Nix had fallen asleep roughly two hours ago after yet another fruitless day of job hunting. Unsurprisingly, the market had little need for twenty-three-year-olds with a Bachelor's in Psychology so recent that it hadn't yet been framed and no plans for graduate school. Well, no currently attainable plans for graduate school, anyway. Student loan payments were already plenty daunting even though she'd only taken out a couple thousand a year, and her parents weren't exactly rolling in it. So, Nix was taking a gap year (or ten) to see if grad school was even necessary. She would've had to get a more stable job anyway. Delivery driving didn't make the big bucks and cat food doesn't buy itself. At least, that's what she told herself. 

With such a cheerful outlook and a good night's sleep behind her, it was Nix's immediate first impulse to reject the call, silence her phone, and go back to sleep. She was even halfway through step one when she actually registered the name of the caller and groaned, tapping green instead of red and putting the phone sluggishly to her ear. 

"...Hello?"

"PIXIE!!"

Nix winced, yanking the phone away from her ear and startling the cat awake with an irritated noise. She could vaguely hear the caller still chattering excitedly over a background of what was probably nightclub noise, all thrumming bass music, clinking glasses, and loud voices. After turning down the volume on her phone a few clicks, she put it back to her ear.

"Hold on, Lyra, what?"

"Baaaaaaabe, were you not listening to me?" The caller, Lyra, asked with an obvious pout in her voice, which was kind of impressive considering she was still yelling over the background noise. 

Nix rubbed her eyes and yawned, doing her best not to be justifiably grouchy. "Yeah, sorry, you just startled me. Are you okay?"

"Awwwww nooo, did I wake you up?! Shit I'm sorry, I just--" She broke off as though holding the phone away from her, and Nix could barely make out a brief exchange and a giggle before Lyra was back. "Sorry. ANYWAY, I'm back from my business trip and heard you were looking for a job!!"

Nix pinched the bridge of her nose to ward off the beginnings of a headache, pushing the cat unceremoniously off the bed when it tried to play with a wayward strand of her long dark hair. "How could you possibly--"

"WHAT??"

"HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW THAT?" Nix yelled back, further startling the cat, who retreated under the bed with something resembling a groan.

"Ohhhh. Sorry babe you're gonna have to speak up, it's loud in here!!"

"No shit," Nix muttered, apparently too quietly for Lyra to hear before she continued.

"Anyway, Rhysie told me, of course! He gave me a ride back from the airport this afternoon and we caught up."

"Of course he did," Nix sighed, making a mental note to throttle her older brother later for not warning her. "Why is this relevant enough you'd need to call me at four in the morning?"

"Awww come on, is that any way to talk to someone who may have found you a job?"

Nix frowned. "Look, Lyra, I really really appreciate it, but I'm exhausted, so can I call you back in the mor--"

"Nope!!! If you want the job you gotta come over here ay-ess-ay-pee."

Naturally. "What kind of job is this, exactly? And why can't I look into it during business hours?"

Lyra giggled. "Because this IS business hours silly! Look, I know the guy who owns the bar club thingie I'm at right now, it's called the Devil's Tavern, he's looking for some more help with bartending and stuff, and I know you haven't done anything like that for a year or two, BUT the hours are flexible and he pays really well and you gotta be here in like an hour here's the address."

Which, more or less, is why Nix finds herself outside of a "club bar thing" in a sketchier part of town at five-fifteen in the morning, dressed in what she hopes is the proper balance of professional and provocative, staring up at a sign that reads "The Devil's Tavern" and one hundred percent regretting her decision. But damn it, she printed off her resume and got all dressed up and she will meet this dude if it kills her (which it honestly might).

Everything about the tavern filled her senses as soon as the door opened. Music, lights, the hundreds of perfumes and colognes that were floating around the room like a fragrance war--it all hit pretty hard. The building seemed so--dated. Like some one ripped it out of 1600's French setting then made it into a club. Either way, it worked. Somehow it worked.
And the people here were a completely different story. They were all way too gorgeous to be real and in this setting together. For a moment, Nix felt a little inadequate. Or she would if she had time to. The bar was directly to her left, and everyone was turned away from it, swinging drinks and laughing. A few were seen throwing money in the direction they were facing... Nix's eyes following the mess of cash fluttering to the ground. The tables--their seats were filled with asses as they were meant to be, but one table in particular had everyone's attention.
The crowd of people made it almost impossible for Nix to get too close, but she didn't need to. On top of the table was a creature that honestly deserved the attention he was getting and more. With nothing more than a fishnet short and tight pants, tight enough to define the ass in them but loose enough to not suffocate it, he moved his body in such a way that made it nearly impossible to look away. He wasn't facing Nix at the moment, however, so she got the perfect view of the muscles moving under his skin on his back. He moved an arm up and was about to grind on the pole, when some one tried to pull him down. He laughed, and somehow through all the noise, Nix could hear it. He turned to face whoever had a hold of his other arm, and Nix could see gentle features on his face--yet his eyes were sharp and predator-like. The crowd moved about as he hopped down out of sight. Some people booed playfully, others scrambled to move drinks and money.
As they dispersed, the energy calmed to a hum--and Nix felt like she was yanked back into reality. The dancing man was completely out of sight now. No where to be found.
Some one bumped into her, apologized, and stepped back behind the bar. Nix noted that he was the one that pulled the other man off the table by the tattoos and bracelets covering his arm. His hair was a mess with shaved sides, and some kind of dirty blonde. His face was friendly enough under the few piercings he had on his ears, lip, eyebrow, and nose. He quickly got back to work, mixing drinks and starting small talk. A few people gently teased him and booed him for stopping their show.
Either way, his friendly, bright attitude at least gave Nix a slight sense of ease with the assumption that he would be her boss.

Before she could take a step toward the bar, Lyra emerged out of absolutely nowhere, spring-green eyes wide and excited and cheeks a bit pink. She moved through the bodies with a fluid, energetic grace, liquid sloshing precariously inside the martini glass she clutched in one hand. Her bright auburn hair had been braided and gathered into a bun, and she wore a dress that should have been out of place in a club-like environment but somehow wasn't: loose, semi-transparent and forest green, with a low back and a high-low hem from her mid-thigh to the back of her knees. Lyra managed to be curvy while still being unfairly proportionate and meeting every definition of petite: 5'2" and ninety pounds soaking wet, at least three of which was probably just her hair. But what she lacked in size she made up for enthusiasm, almost bowling over Nix with the force of her hug.

"NIXIE PIXIE!!" she gushed, the shrillness and volume of her greeting mercifully muffled by Nix's breasts, which Lyra was currently trying to nuzzle. Nix snorted a laugh and bent down a bit to hug the smaller woman around the shoulders, eyeing the martini glass nervously. 

"Hello to you too," Nix said over the din of the club. "How was your trip?"

"Oh booooo, no grown-up talk," Lyra chided, making a face. 

Nix rolled her eyes briefly but smiled. "Okay, fine. You wanna introduce me to the boss yet?" she asked with a nod in the direction of the blonde behind the bar. 

Confused, Lyra turned to follow Nix's gaze before realization lit her features, and she laughed. "Silly silly Nixie, that's not the boss! That's Clydus, the second in command. He technically is the second owner but he isn't much for business decisions so he mostly leaves that to Kure." She wiggled her eyebrows as Nix raised an eyebrow herself.

"What's that look for?"

Lyra shimmied up against Nix with one shoulder, swaying her hips and showing off her breasts with a purr. "Y'know," she drawled, "Kurrrrrrreeeeee." She giggled, nudging Nix with a hip. "I saw you watching him just like everyone else."

Nix locked up a bit like a deer in the headlights, brain scuttling to catch up. "You--the guy on the table?" she asked, voice a bit higher pitched than she would later be willing to admit.

Lyra grinned, her smile somehow seeming fanged. "Mmmmm-hmmmmm."

In a whoosh, Nix let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Great," she said in a slightly anxious up-pitch. "Awesome. Wonderful. Excellent. Let's go meet the boss-man."

Pulled through a crowd of surprisingly good-smelling people, Nix was lead to the back of the tavern and through a dark hallway--albeit a little unwillingly. There were five doors--two to her left and right, and one at the direct end of the hallway. It was more than obvious that eerie door at the end of this horribly-lit hall was their destination...

Lyra burst in without knocking--but the light that aggressively beamed directly into Nix's eyes made them water--and the moment she spent rubbing them the door closed behind her. Once her vision cleared, a tall figure was standing a few paces in front of them... Lacking a few articles of clothing.

Kure turned his head to eye them with slight aggravation, most likely assuming they were trying to sneak a peak, but once he recognized Lyra, his expression became gentle. He finished pulling his pants up and began buttoning them, the clinging of his belt buckle somehow the only real noise Nix could hear. He ditched the fishnet shirt, and now completely lacked one all together.

Now that he was in proper light, Nix cold finally make out all of his features. A svelte man that stood tall over the two (though that's not hard to do with Lyra) and hair that was as wild as the look in his bright, green eyes. He stood up and huffed, muscular chest and stomach moving as he continued to breathe heavily, sweat rolling down various parts of his skin. Still out of breath from the excitement from earlier, most likely. Unlike Clydus, he sported no tattoos, but had a single, red diamond earring on his right ear.

He put his hand on his face, then dragged it back to push the hair from his face, offering his other hand to shake Nix's. Despite his efforts and the sweat, his hair slowly flopped back into place, framing his face and dangling in front of his eyes. He completely disregarded Lyra's teasing elbow-to-Nix's-ribs and the fact that Nix was staring all together.

"Kure, pleasure to meet you. I apologize for my current appearance and any inconvenience you had coming here at--5:30 in the morning."

He laughed--a sweet and genuine sound. Like his almost completely naive personality contradicted his choice of actions and fashion. It was almost like music--and his voice--ohh his voice. It was smooth, gentle, and with meaning. You could catch a subtle accent in there, but as to what accent it was exactly was too hard to tell.

Nix blinked stupidly for a moment, torn between the response she would normally have given--something playfully sarcastic that adequately conveyed her slight annoyance without ruining job prospects--and slipping him a fifty dollar bill (if she had one) and dragging him either back onto the stage or into one of the other rooms. After an elbow from Lyra, Nix made what she hoped was a smooth recovery, smiling sheepishly and clasping his hand in a firm shake. The contact was enough to feel like she had been shocked, and she made a conscious effort to release his hand at a normal speed. "Nixitra--Nix," she said with a playful smile. "I'm willing to forgive the hour if you're willing to believe that any egregious errors I make are due to sleep deprivation."

He gave her a wide, friendly smile in response, letting his hand drop once she let go. "That's fair!"

Sleep deprivation or not, the fact that the small room smelled like nothing but him made thoughts hazy. He turned to quickly put on a shirt, allowing Nix to eye the room a bit.

Most likely living up to having "tavern" in its name, it generally looked like a room one could buy out and sleep in. There was a desk to her immediate right, with a large mirror, papers, make up, and a bottle of whiskey. Pictures of various people were held to the mirror with magnets. Almost none of them were taken at the tavern. The closest, most visible one was of Kure and Clydus at a carnival.

The rest of the room was simple. A bed, a small table with a lamp on it... Of course the condoms on the bedside table...

He threw his other clothes out of sight and hopped back to them. It was difficult to hold in a slight laugh at the shirt he had chosen--a black t-shirt with a unicorn on it. Classy.

He pulled two more chairs out of seemingly nowhere and offered to let them sit, plopping himself down on the chair next to the desk and mirror. Once they sat, he held out his hand for Nix's resume. A few chain bracelets jingled when he did so. When did he put those on?

"Normally I have Clydus take care of this stuff but he's a little busy at the moment. I hope you can bear with me."

Although initially a bit startled that her interview was apparently going to take place in what looked to be her prospective boss's bedroom away from home (actual home? Christ), Nix recovered after a beat with what she hoped was a gracious smile. She slipped off a tidy black blazer with three-quarter length sleeves, revealing a simple, fitted V-neck t-shirt made of a green jersey fabric that Kure noticed was a couple of shades darker than her own irises.

"Of course," she replied, draping the blazer across the back of the chair and quickly producing the manila envelope containing her resume. Her long, almost-black dark brown hair had been pulled into a ponytail at the crown of her head, and she absently tucked a loose strand behind her ear as she did, showing a simple stud earring in the shape of a small angel wing. Smoothing her black skirt under her as she sat, she crossed one leg tightly over the other and smiled at Kure with just about perfect posture.

Meanwhile, the dark-haired devil was currently sitting back, crossing his own legs in a somewhat sloppy fashion and leaning his arm back on the table behind him, the mess of make up, nail polish, and other various bottles making a bit of a ruckus as they were all pushed out of the way to make room. He opened the envelope and quietly looked things over, his foot swinging rhythmically. He was humming, but not the song playing outside of the room, no... Something else. Every now and then a note could be heard, but he'd fade out as focus painted his features.

His nails were painted a dark, blueish color, and a nail tapped gently on the table. After a small moment, he looked up and lowered a brow, giving Nix's posture a crooked smile.

"Relax--"

The door swung open, letting the sound pollution in. Everyone in the room suddenly appreciated how soundproof the door was. Clydus staggered in smelling like cigarettes, booze, and the various colognes and perfumes used by others. He eyed the group patting the back of Nix's chair.

"You the new victim?"

Kure cleared his throat aggressively at Clydus' joke, in which the blonde waved it off.

"Fiiiine. Recruit. Hey Lyra!"

He shoved his way into the small seat Kure was sitting on, nearly knocking the evident 'big boss' off the chair.

"Lets take a look at this resume."

Kure's noise of aggravation had a strange hint to it. But it could easily disregarded by normal ears. Clydus' gaze snapped up at Nix so suddenly, it was hard not to flinch.

"May I ask why you want this job? Aha--not to sound too rude. Perhaps just to satiate my curiosity. You can be as honest as you want. In fact, it's preferred."

Clydus' eyes had a gleam in his eye that hinted he had some kind of lie detector installed in his brain. Kure moved to sit on the desk, leaning back on both hands.

Nix swallowed a bit nervously, getting the feeling that her being caught off guard would be something of a normal routine here. Perhaps she should start trying to disregard normal expectations. 

Looking carefully between Clydus and Kure, she stole a glance at Lyra (who gave a small, encouraging nod) before looking back to the two balancing precariously on a single chair. After a beat, her posture slumped somewhat, and she leaned back in the chair and exhaled before leaning forward, elbows on knees. The angle threw shadow onto her face and suddenly put the dark circles under her eyes into sharp relief.

"All right, I guess I was mistaken to come in here and play professional. No offense," she added with a wry smile that was starting to show how drained she was. Another sigh, and she scratched her temple and decided bravado and posturing wouldn't get her anywhere. These two could see right through her. Better to be up front, then. 

"Honestly, I just need a job. Any job. I graduated this spring with a Bachelor's in Psychology but my family and I absolutely cannot afford for me to go to graduate school right now. Apparently, we make "too much money" to qualify for enough financial aid, so--" She broke off, clearing her throat with a touch of embarrassment upon realizing the bitterness that had started to permeate her voice. "Ah--anyway, I graduated recently and don't have the funds for grad school right now. Unfortunately, grad school is basically required for anything that would want an undergraduate psychology degree, so getting a job in my career track is basically impossible.

"I was running deliveries for a local company for about two years now, but I need to start paying off student loans and I don't have financial aid to help me make rent anymore. I have a cat," she added emphatically. "A little black asshole named Corvus, but I call her Corie. She eats like a sixteen-year-old boy and I don't know where she puts it all." 

Another pause upon realizing her tangent. A breath. Back on track. "I did bartending for about a year after I turned 21 at this university dive called Rachman's. They were good people, but it got harder and harder to balance a night shift with eight am classes. Put my anxiety through the roof and--" She swallowed, wondering why the hell she was rambling and oversharing to these two people she had just met in the back of a tavern during what was supposed to be a job interview. Oversharing had always been a problem of hers, but it was rarely this bad. Maybe she had been more stressed than she thought.

"Anyway. I have bartending experience, I really, really need a real job, and I actually really dig the atmosphere of this place." 


Please god hire me or Corvus is going to eat my leg and then I'll really be in trouble.

Clydus had his eyes locked on Nix the entire time, gently waving the resume in thought. He looked up at Kure once she was done, who was picking at his nails. Despite that, it was obvious he was listening, in fact he was probably listening much more intently than Clydus. While the blonde visually watched Nix's body language, Kure didn't even bother to look at her. He detected everything in her tone of voice, heartbeat, and general aura.

Clydus rested his head back, looking at Kure for his answer. Kure didn't do much for a moment, eyeing his nails before sharply inhaling to speak. His eyes slowly looked up at Nix.

"As I said before, Clydus usually handles all of this, himself. However, as your were honest with us I will be honest with you... We haven't hired in a very long time."

He pushed his hair out of his face again, still keeping his eyes locked on her's. He made it almost impossible for her to look away now.

"Ah--but I won't put you through the anxiety of waiting for a call or a true answer. You're hired."

Smiling once more, he shook Nix's somewhat confused and dazed hand before giving Clydus a small salute. He swiftly moved passed everyone, his sweet smell despite being a little messy hitting Nix in the face, and headed out the door to get back to work. Clydus was carefully putting everything back in the envelope. He looked at Nix and grinned.

"Well, that was easy. Guess he really likes you. But--you look like you're about to pass out. You don't need to worry about working immediately. There's no way in hell he's going to let you behind the bar with so little sleep," He stood up, putting the envelope under his arm to shake her hand as well. "If you want, you're allowed to take a room here--or this one--uh. It's washed and cleaned every time it's used. Which is rare. The tavern will be closing somewhat soon as well, but you can go home and rest for a while as long as you're back before 1pm."

He didn't move toward the door, of course, in case she still had questions. His entire body language was relaxed despite how fast the room seemed to be spinning...

Nix felt her heart sink when Kure spoke, the familiar anxiety of financial instability starting to prickle under her skin even as she found herself unable to drop his gaze. 

Of course. This has been chaotic right from the beginning, and then you went and gave a performance like that.... There's no way they would--


"You're hired."

Nix blinked, sitting up straight and feeling like someone had splashed a bit of cold water in her face: not enough to bring her fully back to reality, but enough to shake her out of it somewhat. "I--"

Out of pure social conditioning, she shook Kure's hand, doing her best not to be a limp fish, before he was just--gone. Just like that. Without meaning to she found herself staring at the place where he had been, realizing belatedly that Clydus now occupied said space. And speaking. Clydus was talking to her. How long had he been talking to her?

"...you can go home and rest for a while as long as you're back before 1pm."

Home. She suddenly felt her adrenaline rush crashing, and she couldn't remember ever feeling more tired. Was she even okay to drive?

Lyra put a gentle hand on her back, her bubbliness from earlier remarkably toned down. "I'll drive you home if you don't mind my spending the night. I took a cab here, but knowing you, you drove that behemoth of yours."

"She's not fat," Nix muttered, equal parts defending her car and agreeing with Lyra.

Lyra exhaled a laugh and rubbed Nix's back, standing and collecting her friend's purse and jacket and tugging her to her feet. "We'll be back by 1pm," she said to Clydus.

"Thank you so much--" Nix started, but Lyra shushed her and led her out of the tavern. Outside, the dark of night had just barely started to lighten, a rich navy color that promised the sun within the next few hours. 

She didn't even remember falling asleep.

OOC:

OOC:

1pm--or at least, a few minutes before. The tavern was quiet, the cars were gone... The blinds were closed, and it looked a lot more like a classic tavern would. The door was unlocked, and there was no indicator that it was really closed.

Clydus was cleaning off dishes and glasses, wiping them clean while his phone played music from its spot on the bar. Kure came stepping down some stairs that were harder to notice during all the commotion from earlier this morning, vigorously rubbing a towel on his hair to dry it. He just wore a plain, black tank top and dark jeans. No shoes on, padding around the bar to help Clydus. How they managed everything with just them two, Nix had no idea.

When Nix came in, Kure was swiftly putting things away, hips moving to the current song playing. Some kind of--electronic, world fusion song. Clydus had moved into the kitchen out of sight with an armful of alcohol.

It took the dark-haired man a moment to even notice she walked in, in some form of trance. He attempted to hide his embarrassment from her walking in on that with another crooked smile and kind greeting.

Despite the blinds being closed, light still seeped into the room. The tables were all spaced nicely enough for plenty of room to be available, and the the entire place was generally spotless. The couches in the back were very obviously recently cleaned, and the stage to the far end of the wall to the right was sweeped off.

"Nixie, wake up. Psssst. I didn't drag your fat ass in here last night so you could sleep all dayyyyyyy, Niiiiiiixiiiiieeeeee~"

Lyra's cheerful voice threatened to drag Nix out of slumber. She groaned, muttering something akin to "heck off" and rolling over, dragging a pillow over her head.


"Nooooot this time!" Lyra said, yanking the pillow out of Nix's grasp with a flourish, sunlight streaming through the two windows. "You have work in an hour and a half and I'm not gonna let you be late on your first day." Corvus yowled from somewhere in the next room. "Oh, and you gotta feed the cat."

Nix scrubbed her eyes and squinted against the light before her brain was able to process what Lyra was saying, and the events of the wee hours came back to her in a rush.

"...Work," she said carefully, still half-convinced it had all been a stress-induced lucid dream. "At...that bar?"

Lyra, wearing her dress from last night and with her makeup managing to be artfully smudged, rolled her eyes from her seated position at the foot of Nix's bed. "The Tavern? With Kure and Clydus? They hired you?"

Nix stared dumbly at Lyra for a beat, her face splitting open in a yawn before she smiled. "Holy shit I have a job." She sat upright, grinning stupidly. "Lyra! I have a JOB!"

"Yes! You have a JOB!" Lyra laughed. "Fat lot of good it'll do you if you never clock in, though." She tapped her wrist. "Tick, tock."

Nix looked at the clock. 11:58.

Swearing creatively, she scrambled out of bed, shedding clothes as she scurried to the bathroom. Corvus yowled plaintively. "Lyra please feed the cat!" Nix yelled as she closed the door behind her.

Just shy of an hour later, Nix, wearing olive green shorts and a simple black t-shirt, sat down at the bar, smiling at Kure. "Reporting for duty, cap'n. Ready to show me the ropes?" Almost apologetically, she added, "Also, I'm not entirely sure we ever discussed payment this morning...?"

Kure almost dropped the glass he was holding. "Did Clydus not--" He paused, eyeing the door to the kitchen with slight annoyance. The blonde walked through the doorway and had to immediately duck away from a thrown dishtowel. He held up his hands in defense.

"Lyra rushed her home! She looked like she was going to pass out!"

Kure hissed through his teeth, the sound primal, and the only thing that could compare would be the legitimate hiss of a wild animal. He turned back to Nix, his expression soft again. Clydus buzzed about, still cleaning and organizing. Soon enough he disappeared behind the doors once more.

"We'll start off with $10.24 an hour. Judging by how you do, of course, that can rise..." Kure pulled a stool from under the bar and sat down, crossing his legs and resting a head on his hand while keeping his eyes on her. "Your job is lenient and simple," He held up a finger, "We open at 4pm, we close at 4am. However, people are still allowed to rent rooms during 'closed' hours, and no food or drink is served at those hours. Clydus lives upstairs, so there's always some one here--while the doors are closed, we take the time to clean up, rest, et cetera." He sat up and crossed his arms. "Days get busy quite erratically, so there's no sure set time we may need to call you in. We aren't going to work you to death, and your pay all depends on how long you stay and how well you do."

Clydus walked in, wiping his hands with a towel. He threw it over his shoulder and leaned on Kure's leg, almost throwing them both off balance. Pretending he didn't almost bust his head on he bar, he spoke cheerfully. "And tips! We're not asking you to whore yourself out or anything or dance on the table," He shot a glare at Kure, who was suddenly incredibly interested in his nails, "But you're also selling somewhat of an image. You don't need to flirt and you don't need to be fake if you don't want, but you can get a lot of money by befriending many of the people that come here. If they like you, they'll tip you."

"We got almost $200 worth of ones alone when I danced on the table." Kure flicked something out of his nail and into the sink, shaking out his hand. Despite the amount of money--Clydus still didn't seem to like the idea, but it was Kure's tavern, and it was Kure's way of getting money. He'd most likely have to put up with it.

Nix didn't bother trying to hide her shiny-eyed surprise at their hourly wage. Working at Rachman's, she had started at eight an hour, and after a year she had worked her way up to $9.15. Driving delivery had sometimes been a bit better when it was busy; it was a local company that delivered for multiple restaurants and Nix had gotten the job through a friend when it was still small about a year and a half ago, shortly after quitting Rachman's. They'd paid her either $8.75 hourly or $2 a delivery, whichever was more at the end of the day, plus tips. On busy days it could average out to as much as $15 an hour, but that much driving exhausted her and her car. But this--bar tending wasn't glamorous, sure, but she'd done it at a less nice place for a significantly less attractive boss for significantly less money. She wasn't going to complain.

Nix bit her lip to try and hide her smile when Clydus shot a look at Kure for dancing, but hearing that it was not only allowed to perform for tips, but that Kure encouraged it.... She made a mental note to sign up for Zumba classes again. And work on her stomach. Nix wasn't overweight by any stretch of the imagination, but at 5'8" and 155lbs, she had a little extra here and there and wasn't particularly toned. She was well-endowed both in front and behind, and for the most part she knew how to use it. If she could just get her endurance and flexibility back, and brush up on her hip isolation, then.... She stole a glance at Kure before realizing he was speaking. Something about--a ridiculous amount of money. In tips??

Nix smiled a bit shyly. "So we're allowed to serve dinner and the show, huh?" She tilted her head slightly in thought. "In the interest of being blunt, I'm very familiar with befriending customers, but I've never really danced for tips or somesuch before. I love dancing, but realistically I would need to be at least a bit tipsy before I could have the courage to go up in front of people, especially if I were by myself." Her gaze flicked to Kure briefly before looking at Clydus. "I am also still hoping to get into grad school eventually. What's the privacy policy in here? I understand not restricting cell phone usage and whatnot, but...."

Kure sharpened his nails with a nail file pulled out of seemingly nowhere, careful to do it over the sink as to not make a mess. He spoke with a nefarious hint hidden deep in his tone, but it caused his words to sound almost song-like, thus the mischievous nature was not lost between Nix and Clydus. "Noted. If you like, you can even use a fake name. It won't bother us. We'll make sure whatever you don't want found out doesn't get found out."

He blew on his nails and brushed his hand off. Clydus resisted the urge to grimace. Kure was having a lot of fun acting out--he was showing his bad side off a little more than he needed to. If he wasn't careful, something--hellish would escape without his notice. He exhaled slowly and cleared his throat to get Nix's attention, who seemed heavily fixated on the devilish bartender. "The wording seems--a little over the top but the meaning is true. If you want to make sure your information is secure then so be it--" He cut short, gasping sharply and leaning back to avoid a movement Kure's hand made so quickly that it was extremely difficult for Nix to catch. Kure retracted his hand slowly to his side and out of sight, and Clydus took it as a warning and tried to make whatever the hell he was doing look as natural as possible. If he had been slightly off, it was likely he would have lost his head. He rubbed his neck, pressing his lips together and rolling his eyes a bit.

Yes. Kure was acting out.

The devil crossed his legs again, his cheerful, almost childish demeanor returning. The room felt much lighter, and general stress seemed to melt away simply but sitting in the room with him. "And don't worry about getting a bit tipsy. Just know that you're not going to be driving yourself home if that happens."
"Ah!" Clydus inserted himself once more, but kept out of striking distance of the dark-haired demon, "Some nights can get rough. If it gets down to it, you can just use the reserved room. We clean it every day and it--honestly goes unused... But if you think it would be better, you can bring a change of clothes or whatever you need--we have showers and bathrooms that you can use as well."
Kure watched Clydus as he spoke then turned to Nix and nodded gently. He had seen too many people attempt to get themselves home while heavily intoxicated. Humans, no matter the mix, always dropped like flies every time he turned his attention away.

Nix blinked. A fake name? Now that was something that hadn't occurred to her. There hadn't been a need for her to use anything like a stage name at Rachman's, but here.... She entertained the idea briefly before shaking her head, about to politely decline when Kure made a sharp and sudden gesture toward Clydus that was so fast she couldn't begin to figure out what it was. She looked at Kure carefully, searching for some sort of clue, but he was simply filing his nails as before, somehow managing to exude "bad boy" without seeming like an unapproachable jackass. Then, just like that, he leaned back with legs crossed, carefree smile on his face. The sudden change should have been unnerving, but instead Nix felt herself relaxing. Whatever had occurred was obviously past, although there was something to be said for Clydus's subtly increased distance from Kure.

"Of course," she said. "I appreciate it. If that's the case, I'll see how the first few nights go and then bring a small bag with me if needed, if that's all right. Is there a dress code I should know about? Oh, sorry," she added before they could answer, "I meant to say that I don't think the stage name will be necessary--" She paused as something occurred to her. "Unless, you both use fake names here...?"

"Nya ha! No, I'm Kure," He pointed to Clydus, who very nearly dove out of the way out of instinct, "That's Clydus." He let his arm rest on the bar, his nails making a satisfying ticking noise in contact with the stone. Clydus placed the bar between him and Kure, stepping around as if that were the only way to reach something as he spoke up once more.
"And for dress code--not particularly. Just nothing too crazy. Don't show up in just a thong or something, either. We made that rule for Kure but--it applies for everyone."

Kure snorted, showing his gleaming teeth a little, directing it in Clydus' direction. When he was refused a response, he decided Nix was much more interesting anyway, and his expression slowly softened. Whenever they met eyes, it was almost like an intent focus on Nix. She could feel the weight of interest, and how much attention Kure really directed at her. Despite this, it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. It was a rather calmly presence. Albeit a little dangerous-feeling, but it was a good dangerous. A fun dangerous. It peaked curiosity.

"So, a recap. 4pm is the start. You're allowed to rest here and there in the back room during work hours, as long as things aren't too busy. You're free to bring whatever you need--clothes, toiletries, hygienic stuff--there's lockers in the back room. Clydus should have the key..."
"Yeah--somewhere. I'll look for it."
"...Hm. Dress as comfortable as you like, or generally however you like. Theoretically, tonight shouldn't be that busy but--if people find out some one new is working here..." His eyes gleamed. Originally, one might think it's simply because Kure was a business man, and he was thinking of all the money that might come from it. But no, Nix only met him some hours ago and she could already tell that wasn't the reason. It was either something incredibly complicated, or incredibly simple. Or somehow, both.

His cheerful, excited energy felt like another good buzz. An almost intoxicated, carefree buzz.

Clydus hid a smile and turned to look for the locker key.

Nix smiled gently. "In that case it'll probably be a matter of what I feel like wearing, whether I feel like dressing up, something like that. I like having options so it's not unlikely I'll start keeping multiple outfits here--in case something spills, or in case I wind up wanting to dress up or dress down, or dance." This last bit she said with a glint in her eye and a wry tilt to her smile as she looked at Kure. "On that note, no fake identities necessary. Although I appreciate the offer...I think." She laughed a bit. "You guys are a little scary sometimes."

She stretched, looking at the clock. 1:15. "I may pop back to my apartment and get a few things then, if that's all right? I'm only about fifteen minutes away. After that, maybe I can get a tour and you guys can tell me any special drink recipes or somesuch I should know about, and other general responsibilities?" She paused. On second thought, the training sounded more important than her wardrobe, and she felt cute but comfortable in what she was wearing. No sense wearing anything fancy if it was just going to get stained. "Or--we can do that first, actually, since I'm comfortable in what I'm wearing. If there's time left over I can go home then." She smiled brightly, meeting Kure's gaze for a moment before looking back between him and Clydus. "Oh, and what should I expect to do for food? I brought some snacks and a water bottle with me because I wasn't sure what sorts of things you guys offered and whether you'd want me stealing bites of anything."

Kure let out a hardy laugh. "Steal away! The chefs are a little touchy about others, even me, going into their kitchen. But if you feel hungry, we have plenty of food kept here."
He enthusiastically hopped off the stool and pointed a finger straight up. Behind him, above the wall of liquor, was a chalkboard. The handwriting HAD to be Kure's, but the sheer amount of food and drinks available was a little--shocking. As much sense as it made seeing that they were a tavern, it was still fascinating. Of course they had all the main dishes you would expect... Burgers, fried chicken, salads... But there was everything from pork to stews to soups. Obvious pairings were written together as well. Prices went down if you ordered the right beer with the right food and so on. Luckily most of the mixed drinks were ones that Nix already knew, but the special ones all had names that were obviously unique to this facility. When he saw her eyes wander over them, he spoke up again.

"You need not to worry about those. The only reason special drinks are ordered, at this point, is because they want either Clydus or myself to make them. If some one requests one from you, you need to simply let me know. No matter how busy it is." He smiled gently and tapped his fingers on the bar. The click click click of it surprisingly matched Nix's heartbeat.
"If you get hungry, you're allowed to order food. Don't worry about charge, as long as you're not wasting it or getting too gluttonous with it, it's fine. If you feel the need to as well, you can take it to the back to eat."
He blinked a few times as another thought popped into his vision. "Oh! Yes. The chefs. I suppose I should introduce you of course." He waved his hand for her to follow around the bar.

Actually being behind it felt--interesting. The energy was so bright--and comforting. Just by standing there... The liquor bottles were all organized so well, everything was generally spotless... There was a TV shadowed by all the other visual pollution, but it wasn't on. It sat in the middle of the wall of alcohol.

Kure lead her beyond the swinging doors, and the sudden noise from the kitchen that originally seemed so silent hit Nix so suddenly... There were two chefs... Both organizing for the day, calling out things they had, things they didn't have. Where this was, where that was. The kitchen itself was bright, shiny, and clean. Nix could see an array of fresh-as-hell ingredients that made the prices suddenly not seem like enough...

Kure leaned on the wall near the entrance, watching the chefs scamper around with a helpless look in his eye. He leaned toward Nix a little, voice low. "Give them a moment. I don't want to startle them."

So, Nix stood next to Kure, a little close to Kure at that, and watched the two chefs who seemed in a complete trance work around. After what felt like forever but was only a minute, they stopped and looked up. It was like spotting an animal while it hunted. They eyed Nix, confused, then looked at Kure, who saw this as his chance to finally speak.

"Alright. Arsu, Azi. This is Nix. She will be working with us from now on--"
He cut off as the two hustled over, wiping their hands to shake Nix's. Now that they stopped moving and were up close, it was easy for Nix to tell they were twins. Their skin was dark, but their faces and neck, and general visual skin was spotted with vitiligo. Both of them also had heterochromia, which drove Nix's mind in circles. Their dark hair curled slightly, but one had a small patch that was lacking color all together. So... Achromotrichia, too?

Arsu was slightly taller than his brother, Azi. The vitiligo he had was much more spotted, almost like stars, on his face and body. His left eye was dark brown, while his right was a deep blue.
Azi on the other hand, was the one with the patch of discolored hair. The vitiligo covered a good portion of his face and around his left eye. His eyes were similar, but instead of a darker brown, is left eye was a lighter brown.
Their facial features were amazing, much like their boss's. They greeted her kindly, which is a much different image than Nix had imagined considering what Kure previously said about them.

"Alright, back to work." He shooed them off, and they gave Nix another bow before hurrying back to their stations excitedly. Kure gave the dazed Nix a shrug. "They really like to work. You don't need to worry much about the kitchen. Though, those two will let you hang out here if you need to, for whatever reason."

Nix was honestly stunned by their beauty. Vitiligo, heterochromia, and other such conditions had always been so fascinating to her, and especially beautiful, but these two... The part of her that had almost gone into biology wanted to sequence their genomes, but she figured that would probably be invasive. 

"The Tavern--it's so much bigger than I actually thought it was. It feels so...comfortable. Deceptively so." She frowned. "And it doesn't really seem like it should fit on this lot, come to think of it, but I haven't actually been all the way around so it's probably deceiving." She smiled up at Kure, feeling her heart thud stupidly at how fucking gorgeous he was. Everyone in this damn tavern, including every customer she had seen earlier this morning, was stunning, she realized. Not for the first time, Nix fought back the urge to make a self-depreciating joke, worried he would think she was just fishing for compliments. Her mind wandered for a bit as they did, Kure showing her this room or that, here's where to take dirty dishes, the fire extinguisher, the way around the lockers. He did most of the talking, but it was amicable, and for the life of her Nix couldn't quite make herself feel as though Kure were her boss. He seemed so...relaxed. She had to stay on her toes to avoid falling into what was likely a false sense of security. 

Eventually, Kure said something that made her realize she had no idea how old he was. He looked as young as his early twenties, but owning a place like this...she would really expect him to be older than her by at least a couple of years, but she wouldn't have been all that surprised for him to be in his very early thirties. She decided to try broaching the subject carefully, and also maybe find out more about the history of the Tavern (and why she'd never heard of it when it obviously did a ton of business). "So...how long have you and Clydus owned the Tavern?"

Kure was sitting back on the stage, legs swinging without a care. He made a cute little thinking noise, looking up. "I honestly can't remember. Not very long. This is one of my newer buildings and businesses, but one of the first I directly worked at and owned." He shrugged nonchalantly, but decided that answer was as good as any. "Guess I got it when I was about 20... Maybe... A tad younger. Didn't start working at it until I was about 20. So I guess I've owned it for 3 to 4 years now?"
He didn't give two shits that he was rambling, but Clydus was hidden around the corner resisting the urge to kick Kure through the wall. He gritted his teeth a little. The idiot was honestly giving away too much information. His guard was way too low, and Clydus couldn't figure out why. Yes, Nix was pleasant. She was fun and he enjoyed her company, but there wasn't anything out there that made Clydus assume that Kure actually had some form of romantic interest in her. Even if he did, he wouldn't be this relaxed so soon?

His head hurt. He was thinking too far and worrying too much. Playing mother hen for the top inmate of hell was enough to make Clydus want to eat glass. He exhaled and tried to busy himself again. If he openly stopped Kure from speaking, there was a high chance he'd lash out again. As much of a leash Clydus had on his friend, there was still plenty of space and movement allowed for Kure to rip Clydus' head off. Literally and figuratively. He turned away and went back down the hallway.

Meanwhile, Kure continued to chew things over and count things on his well-manicured fingers. All the while his feet swung and he moved side to side rhythmically. His hair swished a little, and his earring would shine in the light creeping through the blinds.

Nix couldn't help but smile at his almost childlike mannerisms, wondering a bit at how they failed to detract from his odd maturity. Oblivious to Clydus' presence, she sat down beside Kure, sitting criss-cross despite wearing a skirt (she always wore spandex shorts or somesuch under her skirts and dresses for exactly this type of reason, so that she didn't have to worry about flashing someone and could move as she liked). She raised her eyebrows. 

"So you're--what, twenty-three? Twenty-four?" She smiled playfully. "Ah, sorry. I know you shouldn't ask a woman her age, but I'm curious." Before he could answer, Nix processed fully what he'd been saying, and she frowned a bit at his wording. "One of the first...? Sorry, stop me if I'm being too nosy, but what do you mean it's one of your newer buildings and businesses? Do you operate other businesses as well? And how can that be if you've worked at it for the longest? How did you--acquire it, anyway? Or any of it, really. From family? Were you in school at the time?" She clammed up, realizing how many questions she had been asking, and blushed a bit as she looked away with a sheepish smile. "Ah, sorry. I can get carried away sometimes, especially with new people. And--you're very easy to talk to."

He stared at her, memorizing everything. Her words, features, emotions, heartbeat. He cracked a smile at her last sentence, then sharply inhaled to answer some questions.
"Devil's Tavern is under my company, I own many businesses. I operate a few others. Shops, clothing lines, et cetera... The age i started is a secret! Acquired it through hard work, really. And the help from some friends. Uhh--I was homeschooled most of my life. But I did a lot of studying on my own since it was all I could really do when I was a kid." He shrugged playfully, still smiling, "I was a sick kid! Never went to college. My brother goes to college, though."

He hopped off the stage but stayed near her, simply walking around in front of Nix a bit, still lost in thought. That answered her questions, right? At least the ones she asked.
...At least the ones he could remember.

A thud from the other room caught his attention for a moment, but it was quickly taken back by Nix. Clydus quickly picked up whatever he dropped, fumbling and cursing. Kure was a complete blabbermouth! Usually, his policy was to tell anyone who asked that it was a secret, that his age was a secret. This and that. But no! He gave all that shit away no problem!

The devil noticed, yes, that he was talking more than he usually did. But it was fun. If things got out of hand, he could take care of it. He had no fear.

Nix listened carefully, doing her best to commit everything he said to memory even as she spun her own theories. If he was homeschooled and never went to college, it made sense that it could be a family thing and, if he was crazy smart (which honestly wouldn't surprise her that much), he could've started in his late teens. Or--oh, if it was a family business and his brother (he had a brother???) was in college, or younger even, and his father or whoever was in charge had fallen ill or passed away, Kure might have had to take over early.

She looked at him carefully, every answer he gave bringing more questions to her mind. She'd always been curious, never afraid of asking questions, usually to a fault, but with him... He was like a puzzle box. Something she just had to solve. And so, almost without realizing, she found herself asking more questions, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands.

"Clothing lines? Damn. Do you design things for them? Oh--Is your brother older or younger? Because I have an older brother and I have to know whether you're the younger sibling like me." She paused, biting her lip. "And, you totally don't have to talk about it if you don't want, but... sick...?" He looked the least sick of about anyone she'd ever met.