“Ah, Boss. You’re back.”
“What were you doing?”
“I had a brief meeting with my BTC regional manager.”
“Oh…everything alright?”
“As alright as it can be, considering that we’re closing eventually.”
“When will that happen?”
“I don’t know.”
“Brian said that we’ll be safe for a few months while the paperwork is filed and everything’s being put in order.”
“Oh…”
“I was also talking to him about you.”
“About me?”
“Yeah. I was telling him to do whatever it takes to ensure you don’t spend too much time without a job.”
“If possible, to reassign you ASAP after closing.”
“…”
“Hey, if it helps, Brian might be the angriest of us all.”
“”They want to close the only bar in the whole area that hasn’t given me any headaches!” he said.”
“Heh…”
“What about Gil?”
“He’s the one that worries me the most, actually.”
“He’s kinda working using the credentials of another guy that was working here before.”
“Who?”
“The one who bought a levitation potion and then threw himself off a building.”
(“Ah yes, the “levitation potion” story.”)
“You use weird euphemisms, Boss.”
“…anyway.”
“I find it hard to believe that Gil will find a job after all this.”
“…just who is Gil?”
“I have an idea of who he is…but I’m still putting pieces together.”
“Anyway, back to work. Imminent closure is no excuse to slack off.”
“…”
“You guys do know I can hear you, right?”
???: “This place looks familiar…”
“It is indeed. Welcome to Valhalla.”
“…oh god, what is Sei planning now?”
“Excuse me?”
“…”
“I want a drink whose name was changed after many women protested. Can you get me that?”
“Sure.”
“Very nice. Thanks a lot.”
“So, you know Sei, miss…?”
“I’m Stella Hoshii. My pleasure.”
“Yeah. I know her. She’s been here before, yes?”
“Yup. In fact, I’m glad you know her because she left this here last time.”
“…oh, god. So she left her helmet behind, again.”
“Not the first time, huh?”
“Her helmets have been picked up by all sorts of people in the last three months.”
“Valets, nurses, morticians, fire jugglers…”
“She’s been lucky enough to always leave it with people who return it, at least.”
“Whoa, quite a few people.”
“Sei’s as much of a sociable girl as she is a total klutz.”
“At least when she’s not being serious. She’s very competent when she puts her mind to it.”
“I see.”
“So did she recommend you this place or…?”
“We’re meeting here today.”
“I can see why she chose this place. It’s the kind of place she likes.”
“…”
“Hm…”
“Say, is that ✩Kira✩ Miki’s autograph on that glass?”
(“Seems like the glass is a conversation starter. Nice.”)
“Yeah, it is.”
“How did you get it?”
“She stopped here yesterday just before the concert.”
“REALLY?!”
“…I mean…”
“She did?”
“Yeah. Nice girl.”
“Can I see it?”
“Sure.”
“Yup, this star-like signature is hers.”
“So your name’s Jill then?”
“Yes.”
“Ain’t this nice?”
“Here you go.”
“Do you like her, Miss Stella?”
“Just call me Stella.”
“I do.”
“Whenever you hear her songs, you’re filled with so much energy and happiness.”
“Too bad I couldn’t purchase tickets for this one.”
“I mean, they were sold out in minutes!”
“Luckily I could secure a couple for the next time she comes around.”
“Oh, excuse me for a second.”
“Car crash?! Oh, you’re helping.”
“Will it take long? Alright.”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry.”
“I take it that was Sei.”
“Will you wait for her?”
“I will.”
“In the meantime, I feel like having another drink.”
“One that was prepared in memory of its creator’s dearest friend.”
“Alright.”
Remember that conversation we had with Kim about the Piano Man? This is where it pays off, somewhat.
“Yes, exactly.”
“Thank you.”
“May I ask you something that might be personal?”
“It isn’t about my eye, is it?”
“No, it’s not…or at least I don’t think so.”
“I don’t get to serve many Cat Boomers, so it’s something I’ve been curious about.”
“Did you go through the procedure because of a disease or because of the fad?”
“Before I was born, I was diagnosed with Nanomachine Rejection.”
“So, it had to be done. Otherwise, I would’ve died shortly after birth.”
“I’m a bit on the weak side because of it, though.”
“I’m sorry if I overstepped.”
“I don’t mind.”
“It’s always nice to dispel the idea that my parents were just into the fad.”
“You seem to know your drinks, Jill.”
“Well, I guess I’ve read a bit more than the recipe book.”
“Do you like alcohol?”
“Yeah, but not in the usual way. I don’t drink that much outside of canned Beer.”
“But their colors, their stories, the way you need to keep them stored, their designs…”
“It sounds a bit silly when I say it out loud.”
“Not at all.”
“Do you collect them or anything like that?”
“Actually, yeah. I started with my grandpa’s collection and have been slowly growing it.”
“It’s been hard because of my debts, but I manage, little by little.”
“Do you like alcohol, Stella?”
“I’m here, right?”
“But I’m normally more of a social drinker.”
“Unless it’s with somebody, I don’t tend to drink much.”
“I see.”
???: “Sorry I’m late!”
“Welcome.”
“Yeah, sorry! Sorry.”
“I got caught in rush hour traffic too and figured walking might be faster.”
“Luckily, there was a building with emergency stairs nearby and I climbed down.”
””Climbed down”?”
“Took an air cab.”
“Oh.”
“I would suggest using ground transportation, but I’m happy to see you put safety first.”
“Safety? No, no…flying cars are just way cooler.”
“I still don’t understand how they don’t give you motion sickness.”
“If I find out how I avoid it, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Anyway, I’ll have whatever she orders next.”
“I’d like a drink that was…”
“You’re at it again? You and your cryptic orders always leaving us with weird stuff.”
“Hey, I expect only the best from whoever serves me.”
“They need to be able to answer these kind of orders.”
“Still, I’m sure you’re wearing out poor Jill here with that kind of stuff.”
“She’s done quite well so far, actually.”
“Really?”
“Thank you.”
“Whatever. Please order something normal, would you?”
“That’ll be two Fringe Weavers, then.”
“You’ll have two drinks at once?”
“No, we’re sharing.”
“What? Like half a glass for each? Isn’t it better if it’s one for each?”
“Don’t worry, you’ll see.”
“So?”
“This one’s for you and this one’s for me. You said you wanted whatever I asked for, right?”
“Oooooh, that way. You could’ve said so earlier.”
“Mm hmm.”
“Oh yeah, here.”
“Hey! So this is where I left my helmet. Thanks!”
“You really need to be more careful with your things.”
“Yeah, but I have spares!”
“Those spares should be saved for when the one you’re using breaks or malfunctions, not when you lose it.”
“Those helmets cost money, you know?”
“Yeah. Sorry…”
(“Should I say that Boss got her head stuck because of a jammed button?”)
“Speaking of money, you still going to that meeting at the bank tomorrow?”
“Yup. You worried?”
(“I’ll refrain for now.”)
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.”
“Don’t be! It’ll be fine. Rumors are just rumors.”
“Rumors?”
“They say something might happen at the bank tomorrow.”
“But with all the tension in the air lately, it’s hard to know if it’s true.”
“As if the fear mongering wasn’t enough, the people have also started spreading baseless rumors.”
“Just yesterday I had to stop a group of rampaging youngsters that heard the city would be leveled by bombs.”
“sigh Everyone’s on edge.”
“…yeah.”
“I know you’re worried, but I have to go there. It’s orders from the higher ups.”
“Tell me something. If somebody came after me, do you think they’d stand a chance?”
“You’re quite strong, but…”
“I’ll take something to protect myself, be prepared for anything.”
“Would that make you feel safer?”
“Maybe…”
“I’ll tell you what, after I come back we’ll get some ice cream. That way you can vent all your frustrations.”
“…alright.”
“Seems my vehicle is here to pick me up. You coming, Sei?”
“Nah, I’ll stay here a bit longer.”
“Bye.”
“That means she cares about you.”
“I’ve never doubted.”
“Say…why does my helmet smell like bacon?”
“Eh…bacon?”
“Not that I mind. I’m just curious.”
“Well, you know how some things absorb the smell of what’s nearby? It must’ve grabbed it from one of the ingredients.”
“I see.”
“Do you believe all that stuff about tensions growing and that anarchist group trying to disband the White Knights?”
“To tell you the truth, I am a bit worried.”
“Even in my division, there’s some shady business going on. But I don’t want to investigate too deeply.”
“What kind of business?”
“From what I understand…things like working with human traffickers or drug dealers, letting them act as they wish.”
“Some even say the ones that do get apprehended are the ones that have failed them in some way.”
“Stella always says “The White Knights are just glorified mall security.””
“She says that if it’s been proven beyond a doubt that some shady business is going on…”
“Zaibatsu Corp’s main branch would separate themselves from the whole White Knight division.”
“Something about the associates’ fear of bad PR resulting in them moving to the BTC.”
“Sounds plausible.”
“Yeah. It kinda worries me, though, because I really like my job.”
“And I guess a similar fear exists among the upper ranks. Lately they seem…restless.”
“Too much politics, huh?”
“It hurts my brain. I just want to rescue people and help them.”
“I just wanna do my job without worries about politics of any kind.”
“What are you doing at the bank tomorrow?”
“My colonel needed to relay some information to the manager, and I was picked because he trusted me.”
“Well, he said “You’re such a simpleton that you’d never give the wrong message”, but it’s his intention that counts.”
“O-Oh…”
???: “FINALLY! THE DOROTHY HAS COME BACK TO VALHALLA!”
Dorothy stuff.
“Oh, come on! You know the audience would’ve gone wild with that one.”
“And besides, you make it sound like you have a full house.”
“ahem”
“It’s uncommon to see you here two days in a row.”
“I wanted to grab something before starting my shift.”
“Grab something before they start grabbing me, you could say.”
“Hey, you having a drink? Can I buy you one?”
“Why yes! Thank you.”
“Honey, you should follow her example and offer me drinks more often.”
“We’ll see.”
“What are you having?”
“I’ll have what she’s having.”
“Then I’ve got the perfect thing. Let’s have a Blue Fairy.”
“One for both?”
“One for each!”
“Alright.”
“Hey, this is pretty good.”
“See?”
“And it’s blue like your hair.”
“It is!”
“So, what’s your name, sweetie?”
“Call me Sei.”
“Alright Sei, I’m Dorothy.”
“Say Sei…”
“Yes yes?”
“Sei say.”
“Yes yes?”
“Say say.”
“Sei Sei.”
“…”
“Sei…why did you just buy me a drink?”
“I just thought you were cute as a button so I wanted to invite you to join me.”
“…”
“Wow, you have to be the first person to offer me a drink without having an ulterior motive.”
“And that includes Fuckboy over there.”
“…”
“What do you mean?”
“Trust me, when you work in my kind of field, you learn to read cues from everything.”
“And this girl is simple to a fault.”
“…”
“How so?”
“You’re the “what you see is what you get” type.”
“That look on your face is of one that simply sees no point in lying.”
“Coupled with the fact that you’re here in what looks like your work attire tells me…”
“That you’re so married to your job that sex is too far down your priority list to notice its existence.”
“So, if you invited me to a drink because you found me cute and that’s the extent of it, I believe you.”
“Thank you!”
“You say she’s the first one, but what about Deal giving you a ticket the other day?”
“Who? Oh yeah! The Lilim with the dogs.”
“No, he doesn’t count. He looked like a humanoid mat.”
“Ouch…”
“You seem very perceptive, Dorothy. But I’m not too far behind!”
“How so?”
“I can tell your body is heavily modded with things you shouldn’t even have.”
: “…”
“Your tongue is a BEB069 with DNA scanning capabilities.”
“Your skin is coated with an anti-radiation finish.”
“Your joints are of the premium, extra-flexible variety.”
“And the most important thing…your hands.”
: “W-What about them?”
“I don’t know how modded your body is under your clothes. The tongue, joints and skin are merely interesting.”
“But your hands are the MIRD113 of Realta Industries…”
“A model designed to shoot Class-5 bullets from its fingertips.”
“S-So?”
“Clause G of article 17 in the Augmentations and Modifications Law on the topic of ballistic augmentations.”
“”Any humanoid or sapient creature under civilian designation that has upgraded any of its person…””
“”…to hold firearms of Class-3 grade or higher will either be commissioned for disarmament or sent to danger zones.””
“…w-what are you gonna do?”
“Nothing.”
“Eh?”
“I’m not in law enforcement. I just do rescue. And even if I was, I’m not on duty right now.”
“O-Oh…”
“I want to know, though. Why go through with that upgrade?”
“A girl’s gotta take care of herself, you know?”
“I wanna be able to deal with things if they get ugly. And this is the most discreet mod I had.”
“…or at least I thought so.”
“Oh! Yeah, yeah.”
“Okay then. Can I give you some advice?”
“I guess…?”
“The reason I could tell it’s not your default hand model is your fingertips.”
“The tips are a little bigger to make the cannons fit.”
“You could get a small mod that changes them into disposable tips.”
“…assuming they’re being used for self-defense and not regular use, of course.”
“I-I see.”
“Well, I’ve gotta go. Ah yes, another thing.”
“If you aim for the arms or legs, once is self defense. Anything more is assault.”
“Y-Yeah…”
“Bye bye.”
“Please come again.”
“They would put my mind on a vacuum cleaner for three years!”
“Two if I behave well.”
“That’s what happens when you underestimate people.”
“Although I’m tempted to ask…”
“About what?”
“DNA-reading tongue?”
“Very prehensile, intuitive. Also, it vibrates!”
“Extra-flexible joints?”
“Do you really need to ask?”
“Anti-radiation coating?”
“Hey! My skin’s my first tool of the trade. I need to take care of it as much as possible.”
“And it makes me feel so soft no matter how much it’s been battered.”
“Alright then…”
“So, you fancy yourself a diviner? Reading people and all.”
“Not really. I’m just quite good at reading people.”
“I guess it’s a byproduct of dealing with so many people on a daily basis.”
(“It’s a bit surreal to hear that from a Lilim.”)
“What can you say about me, then?”
“Let’s see…hm…”
“You’re very, very, VERY sexually frustrated.”
“It’s not the act itself, but rather that your partners can’t seem to satisfy you on a deeper level.”
“There’s an even deeper frustration. Something happened that’s blocking you.”
“Maybe there’s someone you know who won’t return your feelings. Maybe you were hurt in the past.”
“Thus, your demeanor is that of someone who feels like life is playing tricks on her.”
“Like a dog whose owner never really throws the ball.”
“…”
“…”
“Oh boy, did I actually hit the nail on the head? I was making this stuff up on the fly!”
“All of that was just rubbish I say because it’s right 80% of the time.”
“Generic bullshit if you will. You’d be surprised at the amount of sexual frustration people hold.”
“I can’t read you, honey. You’re too good at putting on a professional face.”
“But this definitely gives me more insight into you. Lucky lucky~
“Aren’t you late or something?”
“I am. But if you’d let me satisfy your frustrations, I could stall for some time.”
“Go.”
“Artificial intelligence has come rather far, eh? One wonders how artificial it remains.”
“Shut up, Fuckboy.”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, Boss. This might seem random, but…”
“Do you remember the first time I came to the bar?”
“When you came to submit your contract? Yeah, why?”
“Well, for some reason I’ve been hung up on it since this morning, and I just realized why.”
“The visage that welcomed me back then was…Gil trying to pull your hand out of a jar.”
“Oh yeah! THAT.”
“I can’t remember what exactly, but something fell inside and I tried to retrieve it.”
“I just kinda put my hand in and it got stuck. It was a friend’s jar too so I couldn’t just break it.”
“Hey Gil, how did you get my hand out of that jar?”
“Oh yeah, clever solution.”
“Yeah, and that brings me to the random thought.”
“That incident, the helmet yesterday, the many times your foot got stuck on something for stomping it…”
“Boss…why do you get stuck in so many different things?”
“Huh…”
“Now that you mention it, I remember this one time she tried to eat a big sandwich and her jaw got stuck.”
“Then there was the incident with the TV…”
“I’ll admit my fault with the others, but the TV incident was NOT my fault.”
“The assembly instructions for that stand should have labeled their Z and S better.”
“You saw what happened when I switched the S2 piece with the 5Z one.”
“Still…Jill’s onto something here.”
“ahem Yes, she is.”
“I want to believe.”