[log] Shuuhei, Rangiku, and Yumichika
Title: Booze, Boobs, and a Babe
Characters: Yumichika Ayasegawa (day_eight), Shuuhei Hisagi (ratherbe4gotten), and Rangiku Matsumoto (some_scribbles)
Timeline: September 9th, 1943
Rating: PG-13, for violence.
Summary: Rangiku, Shuuhei, and Yumichika know how to make an impression, kicking back booze and swinging some flimflam to the beat of dumb mugs as they hit the floor. It's just another night in New York City.
Rangiku was in 'no mood to suffer fools,' as the Captain used to say.
She had just spent a long day arguing with contractors. The Double Dip was doing well enough that she was able invest in some much needed improvements-like new booths and tables, clean, white ones that didn’t have any trace of whatever it was that had been on them before Rangiku took the shop over. But those dumb mugs thought that she was some kind of sap just because she was a woman. They were fighting her about every little thing! She had gotten into a huge fight with the foreman that afternoon when he had tried to pass some raw green wood to use as building material.
Her lips thinned into a line and she stared at her cup of corn on the rocks thoughtfully. If the foreman came back with his crew tomorrow, she was certain they would have no more problems. If he didn’t, he wasn’t getting paid, and she would make sure to tell everyone she knew about the grift he had tried to pull.
She sighed and resisted the temptation to rest her head on the bar in front of her. What she needed was to get out, have some fun, and dance until all the frustration flowed out of her. And that was why she had put her best dress on and come to the Lenox Lounge. Spike Jones and His City Slickers were playing in the Zebra Room and the music was drifting out to the bar. She wanted to finish her drink before going in and finding someone to dance with, but she was painfully aware that this drink was the only one she could afford. She probably wouldn’t have any problem getting someone buy her a second, but then she’d have to entertain them, and Ran was just feeling too grumpy for that at the moment.
Someone pulled out the chair beside her, and Rangiku turned her head to see a large man in a cheap suit settle down next to her. He was still wearing his hat, and he tipped it back so she could see him give her a long looking over. Ran fought back the urge to roll her eyes.
“Well, look at the tomato we have here!”
Yumichika was incredibly glad that he had managed to drag Shuuhei out with him. Manhattan's nightlife was much too alluring to be ignored. Jazz and liquor made an intoxicating combination that thrilled the young brunet to his core. He knew that his roommate might have felt differently, but they were too young and too alive to spend their nights holed up in the little room that they called home. The sounds, smells, and the feel of the city was enough to give Yumi a buzz, even without the help of the couple glasses of gin he had already knocked back.
Running his fingers through his nest, he looked out over the club and sighed contentedly. The music was boss, the giggle juice was affordable, and there were plenty of decent looking people to eyeball. He leaned back against the bar and gave Shuuhei a mischievous look. "Come on, don't try to pretend like you're not having a blast."
Tapping his toes in time with the music, he took another sip of his drink and smiled into the cup. He would have to find some way to get Shuuhei to dance - maybe later, once they had both had a bit more to drink. If all else failed, he could always find a pretty dolly to take to the dance floor. He just wouldn't spend the rest of the evening at the bar - not when the tunes wafting through the air made it nearly impossible to sit still.
Speaking of pretty ladies...
His eyes widened a touch when he caught sight of the beautiful woman to his left. She had an interesting expression on her face, almost as if she was deep in thought. Yumi tilted his head and tried to be discreet as he watched her stare into her glass, wondering if it held the answers she was looking for. He glanced at Shuuhei, trying to figure out if the taller man had spotted the attractive lady yet.
Just as he was about to turn back to his own drink, he saw some blockhead sit next to the woman and look at her with an attitude that reeked of sleeze and cocky confidence. Yumi scoffed softly and cursed under his breath. The sucker obviously didn't stand a chance. After appraising the girl for a moment, he decided that she seemed capable of driving the man away on her own. He picked up his glass and brought it to his lips, letting the burning liquid fill his mouth before he swallowed it down. It was much too early to even think about sticking his nose in where it didn't belong.
Shuuhei wasn’t quite sure how he had ended up in the Lenox Lounge. It wasn’t that he minded Jazz, or that he had any objection to going out and tipping a few. It was just that he was sure he had explained to Yumi that the fact they had been given a day to study tomorrow meant that maybe they should, you know, study, rather than spend half the morning pilling up z’s and recovering from a hangover.
He wasn’t sure what it was about the slick brunet that made it so hard to turn him down. Maybe it was because life was a whole lot easier if he did argue with the stubborn cat-he felt a faint smirk tug onto his lips-or maybe it was because they usually ended up having a good time, one way or another. On the other hand, a frosted Yumi wasn’t someone any sane guy would want to be stuck in a room with.
He had to admit the club had a good feel. The band playing weren’t bad, and the beer wasn’t going to blow the bank. Turning back to Yumi, he met his roommate’s mischievous look with a smirk. “It’s not a bad place,” he acknowledged, before putting his empty bottle down. “But I’d be having a better time if I had a drink in my hand. I think it’s your turn to buy.”
When Yumi didn’t reply he looked up to see what had caught his roommate’s attention. His eyes narrowed, as he took in the doll with the class dress sitting at the bar, along with what looked like some sleazy boozehound trying to hit on her. He had to admit he was surprised the confrontation caught Yumi’s attention. It wasn’t that it was unusual for Yumi cast an eyeball over a pretty dame, and the blond was definitely easy enough on the eyes, but it was unlike his roommate to take an interest in anything that wasn’t going to make his own night more enjoyable.
If the loser didn’t back off maybe he would wander over and have a word. He didn’t like to see a pretty doll being bothered by a waste of space like that sap.
“So what’s a dish like you doin’ in a joint like dis? Lookin’ for someone to show you a good time?”
He actually scooted his bar stool closer. He smelled like he’d already been to a few bars and bathed in beer. Unless that was actually piss. Ran wouldn’t be surprised; it had been that kind of day. On any other day, Ran would have no problem getting a free drink from a palooka like this, maybe even exchanging a few words to see if somewhere deep inside was an interesting person. But today, Ran cut to the chase.
“Go climb up your thumb,” she said and took a sip of her giggle juice.
She saw him frown out of the corner of her eye and he shifted closer, planting a meaty hand on the bar in front of her. “What was that, doll?”
Ran set her drink down on the bar with careful precision, and then she turned to face him. “Did I speak too fast? Get lost. I’m not looking for company.”
His beady eyes narrowed and his face distorted into a grimace that was probably supposed to be a pout. “Bet I could change your mind, frail,” and ran his fingers up her arm until his hand was wrapped around her upper arm.
Rangiku glanced down at his hand on her arm and considered her options. She could break her glass over his head, she supposed, but that would be a waste of that beautiful booze. She could break his wrist. She could punch him in the face. She could call out ‘Masher!’ and see what would happen…
So many options. She had to decide soon before his stench worked its way into the fabric of her dress.
The noise in the room was just loud enough to prevent Yumi from hearing the exchange of words that was taking place a few yards away. Whatever was said couldn't have been too pleasant, because the greasy man's expression began to twist into one that was devastatingly ugly. It seemed like Yumichika had been right in his assumption that the lady could handle herself, because her pretty face barely registered any of the disgust that she just had to be feeling. Anyone with half a set of jets could have seen that she wasn't the least bit interested in what this sleazeball had to offer. Some men just couldn't take a hint, even if it hit them square in the face.
Yumi sighed and swirled the last sip of gin around the bottom of his glass. He had to bite back a groan when he saw the idiot grab the girl's arm. The fream had to be a complete dunce if he thought that manhandling her would get him anything more than a drink in the face or a kick to the shin. Men like that were greedy and arrogant, and they made Yumichika sick to his stomach. A part of him felt like teaching the bastard a lesson in manners, but he wasn't sure if he had the energy it would take to kick some sense into the man's thick skull.
Finally tearing his gaze away from the beauty and the beast, he drained his glass and set it down on the counter. He returned his attention to Shuuhei, only to find that the interesting scene had also caught his roommate's attention. A chuckle tickled the back of his throat when he registered the expression on Shuuhei's face. He could tell that the larger man was thinking about going over there to "rescue" the poor girl. Typical Shuuhei - always wanting to do the right thing. It seemed like the night was about to get a little more interesting.
"The guy hasn't done anything that bad," he said, raising his hand to catch the bartender's attention. "I kinda feel bad for cubes who have to annoy women into talking to them."
His eyes darkened a touch as he looked out over the club. "Just remember that our hideous friend didn't come here alone." He caught Shuuhei's eye and nodded towards the far corner of the room.
Shuuhei turned back to his roommate, as he made a comment about feeling bad for the unlucky cat. He bit off a laugh. That was Yumichika all over. His glance followed Yumi’s across the room and he stilled his laughter to something more serious.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to start any trouble.” His eyes narrowed again as the guy continued to paw at the pretty little doll. There was no excuse for that kind of sleazy behaviour. “But even a sap like that should know better.”
Pushing himself away from the bar, he turned to look back at Yumi. “Just grab me another beer when you get your drink will you?” It felt strangely good to know that his roommate would be watching his back. He would never have believed that when he had first met Yumi, but a few months of the academy’s almost brutal training had shown him that there was more to the smaller man than first impressions showed.
Shuuhei wasn’t surprised when he felt a familiar trickle of anticipation that came with the prospect of a confrontation, sinking into his stomach. Not that they could afford to get into a fight now. The academy rules covered them inside and outside of training, and a serious infraction could see them both being kicked out of the door. It was fine though, because he was just going to walk over there and have a quiet word. The gink looked too drunk to put up much of an argument anyway.
He knew how he looked, scars running down his cheek and dark, rough-cut hair. He didn’t want the doll to think he was more trouble knocking at her door, so he turned his attention to the sleazy ball instead. Leaning back on the bar, he balled his hand into fists and let them rest in his pockets, waiting until he had the boozehound's attention. “Hey bo, why don’t you back off and give the lady some space?”
The sleaze ball turned and he caught the stink of stale alcohol on his breath.
“Why don’t cha back off bo… and keep your nose out of my business. Unless you’re lookin’ for trouble?”
By the guys aggressive tone it looked like he wasn’t in the mood to talk, but the attitude just made Shuuhei more sure that he had done the right thing. He cast an eye over to the doll. “The lady clearly doesn’t want your attention.”
The guy half stumbled towards him. “I said back the fuck off.”
Shuuhei let out a sigh, ducking up the guy’s fist as he swung at him. “You’re getting in over your head. Go back to your pals.”
It would only be right to offer the mug a fair warning. Ran flickered her gaze up from his hand on her arm to his face. “You really don’t want to be a part of my bad day, bo. Let go.”
Did she have a sign hanging around her neck or something? ‘All idiots, please apply here?’ Honestly, Rangiku was tired of attracting such palookas and boobs. Why did she have to deal with this? What did a girl have to do to meet a real man, dip herself in chocolate and run naked through the street?
His face contorted into a horrifying approximation of a grin. “Don’t wanna let go. You feel nice and soft.” And then he tugged her closer. His foul breath wafted over her face and she had an extremely unpleasant close-up of his spittle-flecked lips.
Oh, that was it. Rangiku gave him a brilliant smile and reached for the metal napkin holder on the bar.
The man’s wrist was spared an unpleasant fate when they were interrupted. “Hey bo, why don’t you back off and give the lady some space?”
Rangiku used the idiot’s distraction to rip her arm out of his grip and shift back more firmly onto her own bar stool, taking the metal napkin holder with her, before she turned to appraise her knight in shining armor.
Well…he certainly looked like he could handle the situation. Her knight was standing with the quiet confidence of a man who knew how to take care of himself. The three parallel lines running down his cheek were a testimony that he had seen hard times and come through it alive. Rangiku didn’t relax into her chair, but she felt a sudden warm burst of appreciation that she wouldn’t have to deal with this idiot by herself. She really didn’t want to get thrown out of the Lenox Lounge. And she’d be furious if the mug managed to spill something on her and ruin her dress.
Ran could not believe the stupidity of her would-be-admirer when he lurched off the bar stool and tried to get the stranger to back off. Really, she must have been more out of it than she thought. How could she have missed such an interesting young man when she came in? She cast a glance around the room to see what else she might have missed, and noticed a handsome brunet watching the confrontation with marked interest.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Actually, the brunet was loose, almost indolent, his posture contradicting the awareness in his eyes. His attention seemed to be divided as he was also eyeballing a group of…men just as drunk and low class as the mug who had started all the problems.
Rangiku sighed. Just great.
She watched her knight dodge the idiot’s drunken swing with casual grace, his hands still in his pockets. It was only her knight’s mention of the drunk’s friends and the way that other brunet had been eyeing the men in the corner that kept her from smashing the metal napkin holder over the man’s head.
Her instincts were telling her that there was more going on than what she saw, and that she’d be smart to wait it out and see what was going to happen. And that was exactly what she was going to do.
The group of men in the corner jumped up as soon as their friend took the first swing. They were big and loud and ready for action. One of them-the biggest and loudest-actually scrambled over a table, spilling a couple beers in the process. Yumichika cursed under his breath and abandoned all hope of ordering another drink. He could practically smell a fight brewing. Or... maybe that was just the stench of the raunchy idiots wailing through the club.
He was at Shuuhei's side before the other men could even make it halfway across the room. His breathing was steady, but a wave of excitement surged through his veins. As much as he hated getting involved in other people's affairs, he did appreciate a good brawl. Something dark and foreboding glinted in his eyes as he circled around and stood with his back against his roommate's. Despite his friend's calm demeanor, he could feel the tension rippling in Shuuhei's muscles when their backs touched.
Sleazeball had three friends-all of them as ugly as he was. Yumi hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and gave each of them a quick appraisal. They were large, but they were heavy on their feet, and none of them looked very bright. A feral grin tugged at his lips as he alternated his gaze between the three of them.
"You take care of Nosebleed," he said to Shuuhei, keeping his attention on the three leering knobs. "I'll deal with Moe, Larry, and Curly."
Shuuhei heard the sleaze ball’s buddies coming across the room almost at the same moment as Yumi reached his side. Oops, looks like he was going to owe his roommate a drink. He wasn’t too worried though. Yumi might feign irritation, and complain if his shirt got creased, but he enjoyed showing off his fighting skills as much as any other New York native. Maybe even more so when it was with a bunch of goons like these, who were bound to underestimate the smaller man.
He really hadn’t wanted to start a fight, but looked like this one had been waiting for him. He wasn’t going to regret it, the guy had been way too fast to throw a punch, and if he had hit the broad he would have ended up feeling like he needed to do more than just teach the sap a lesson in manners.
He couldn’t help the grin that broke onto his lips at Yumi’s words. It was just like his roommate to want to take on the goons on his own. “Fine,” he threw over his shoulder with a smirk. “Just don’t come complaining to me if you get your glad rags dirty.” He twisted his shoulder to nudge Yumi’s back, a reminder to his roommate that whatever he said, he was there to watch his back too.
Glancing up, he caught the doll’s eye and shrugged in way of an apology, before turning to throw a punch at the newly named nosebleed, catching him on the jaw and sending his back into his stool. Hopefully she would understand that he hadn’t meant to land more trouble at her door.
Yumi barely had time to roll his eyes before he felt Shuuhei step away and heard the sound of his roommate's punch. Luckily enough, he knew how to fight without scuffing up his threads. Dropping his shoulder and bending his knee, he entered a cautious stance and kept his gaze leveled on the men in front of him. He was beginning to wonder which one of the stooges to go for first when the largest of them rushed forward, making his decision for him.
The cube, who was dubbed Larry because of his messy nest, flew at him with fists extended and a nasty look on his face. Yumi raised his eyebrow at the hideous expression and shifted his weight, grabbing the man's wrist and twisting it roughly. Stepping in, he pressed his back against his attacker's side and brought his shoulder under the man's armpit, the movement forcing Larry's arm into an unnatural position. Throwing his weight upwards, he pulled on his assailant's wrist until he heard the sickening pop of the shoulder dislocating. After hearing the Larry scream, he curved his back and put his hand behind the man's knee, using the leverage to throw the injured idiot over his shoulder and onto the ground in front of him.
There was a brief pause as the other two morons stepped back in surprise, their wide eyes fixed on their friend, who was now groaning in pain. Yumi chuckled darkly and straightened his shirt. They weren't the first to misjudge him, and they probably wouldn't be the last. His eyes flashed dangerously as he looked down and rested his foot on Larry's dislocated shoulder. "Didn't think that you'd be on your back so soon, did you?"
He smiled and pushed his toe into the man's shoulder, just for good measure, before stepping forward and eyeballing the other two stooges. "I sure hope you boys put up more of a fight than your buddy, here."
Now that the fight was started, he might as well have a little fun...
Shuuhei felt Yumi moving even as nosebleed rocked back on his stool. Dark eyes looked over the sap, as the guy wiped the back of his hand across his face, smearing blood across his cheek. The name was even more fitting now. He rolled out his shoulders, somewhat surprised when the guy looked like he was going to come back for more. Maybe he was loosing his touch, or maybe all the corn had numbed the boozehound to the pain, but he was willing to bet Yumi would be reminding him about the fact for the next month.
Someone behind him was groaning in pain and he guessed that his roommate was making the most of the situation. He just hoped that Yumi would remember not to break anything. If they got caught out for fighting they might get away with crying self-defence, but not if they did too much damage.
Only a few moments had passed since the first punch had been thrown and the rest of the bar only now seemed to be picking up on what was going on. Someone across the room shouted something, just as he spotted one of Yumi’s three stooges go for a barstool. Time to finish up before things got messy.
The sap might have been coming back for more, but Shuuhei could see the haziness in the man’s unfocused eyes; he wasn’t going anywhere fast. He shifted against Yumi, who was once again at his back, still egging on his opponents.
“Stop playing with your food.” He glanced across the room at doormen who finally seemed to be paying attention. “Or someone is going to take it away from you before you are done.”
Oh, this was just fantastic. She’d gone out for a quiet night to relax and forget her troubles, and what happened? She didn’t even get to finish her drink.
Rangiku’s hand tightened on the napkin holder while she watched the fight in front of her. Her knight and his friend certainly knew how to take care of business. The only problem was that she was trapped at the bar. There was no way to get around the fight which had landed at her feet, she’d have to go through it if she wanted to get away.
But then, she mused as her knight sent her idiot admirer crashing back into his bar stool, this was one entertaining floor show. She could enjoy this. But if anyone messed up her favorite dress, there would be hell to pay.
Her idiot admirer was getting up for more-she knew he was stupid, but really-when there was a loud scraping noise on her other side. Rangiku turned to find that one of the other three mugs had picked up the bar stool next to her and was about to reenter the fight.
Well, that was just not playing fair.
She brought the metal napkin holder down on his head with a resounding thunk. The man fell to the ground, along with the bar stool, in a loud clatter.
Rangiku crossed her legs and leaned back on her chair, casually draping her hand with the napkin holder over her knee.
The resounding thump of a body falling to the floor caught Yumichika's attention. He turned, his eyes widening a touch when he saw that one of the stooges was knocked unconscious. A twinge of admiration flickered across his face when he observed the pretty lady sitting on her barstool, legs crossed like nothing had happened. Now this was a woman who knew how to have some fun.
Before returning his attention to the remaining stooge, he shot Shuuhei a grin and shrugged his shoulders. "No use playing if we can't enjoy ourselves a little, hmm?"
He winked at the lady before heading towards his foe, whom he affectionately dubbed Curly (due to the man's horrible receding hairline). Two steps brought him right next to the fream. Another step put him to the side and slightly behind, giving him the advantage that he needed. Curly reached back to hit him, but Yumi countered and used the momentum of the man's punch to throw him off balance and send him tumbling into the ground. Stepping to the side, he brought his heel down onto the back of the idiot's head-using just enough pressure to render the man unconscious.
Tilting his head to the side, he peered down at Curly and bit back a laugh. It was almost too easy. Two men down and he hadn't even thrown a punch... unlike some people. He chuckled and glanced over to see how Shuuhei was managing.
"You accuse me of playing with my food, but you're the one who can't even knock Nosebleed out with one hit." He smoothed the front of his shirt and put one hand on his slender hips. "Perhaps you're getting rusty."
Shuuhei’s eyes widened as he caught the doll-who up until this point had been sitting pretty on her bar stool-move to hit one of the saps over the head. If he had blinked he would have missed it, in fact it wasn’t until he saw the napkin holder in the broad’s hand that he realised exactly what had happened.
He bit off a laugh and punched nosebleed again. The sleaze bag didn’t know what hit him. He let his hand fall down to his side, shaking out his fingers where Yumi couldn’t see, as the boozehound hit the bar and slid toward the floor.
He glanced over at his roommate with a smirk. “You were saying something?”
He turned back to the doll to make sure she was okay, but his eyes were drawn over her head to the doormen, who typically had decided to do their job now that the saps were on the ground.
Nudging Yumi, he dropped his voice lower. “Looks like we might have outstayed our welcome.” It was a shame, the club was better than a lot that Yumi had dragged him to, but it wasn’t like Manhattan had a shortage of places for night out. Now they just needed a way to get out of there before one of the doormen decided to be a hero and the cops got called in.
Turning back to the doll he held out his hand, before noticing the blood smeared across his knuckles. He grinned and wiped the back of his hand on his jeans, before trying again. “Shuuhei Hisagi, nice to meet you. I hope we haven’t ruined your evening?”
“Hate to interrupt the introductions,” said the bartender-come-lately. “But you might want to save that for later.”
He lifted up a hand and waved and the two bouncers obediently left their post at the door to come and stand by her knight-Shuuhei Hisagi-and his friend.
“You two just wait right there,” the bartender said, frowning. “We’re gonna hafta call the cops.”
Her rescuers tensed. Obviously, they didn’t want the hammers and saws brought in on this, and who could blame them? Well, Ran knew exactly how to handle this. She hadn’t sat through hours of deportment classes for nothing.
She caught her knight’s eye, hoping to convey to leave it to her, before turning to the bartender and lifting her chin, “What an excellent idea. I can’t wait to tell them all about how I was assaulted at your bar while you were busy polishing some imaginary specks off your glasses. And when this young man stepped in to intervene, the thug you had ignored attacked him. I'm sure they'll be interested in hearing how he and his friend succeeded in rescuing me from the unwanted advances of a drunken, violent brute, while you and your bouncers stood by and did nothing.
“Bring me the phone. I want to make the call myself. And while you fetch it, see if you can look up the Times number as well. I bet they’d love a scoop like this, and they’ll want to get here to photograph the scene while it’s still fresh.”
The bartender planted his hands on his bar and leaned forward, “Listen, sister, your two friends here-“
“I’ve never seen them before in my life,” Rangiku cut him off. “And it’s hardly their fault if they were considerably more competent in coming to my defense than your bouncers, or the scoundrels,” she pronounced the word with the same exact inflection the Captain had always used, and was amused to see it still made people flinch, “who were causing such trouble in their imbecilic pursuit of their drunken lusts.”
The edges of her lips tilted up. “‘Drunken lusts’ does have such a nice ring to it. I’m sure the Times will agree. It will go well under the headline 'Mashers Welcome at the Lenox Lounge.' Where is that phone?”
The reality of the consequences of what she was saying finally sunk in to his thick skull. He eased out of his aggressive stance and backed away, holding up his hands in a placating gesture.
Yumichika could hardly contain his amusement. This woman was really something else. She definitely knew how to talk her way (or their way) out of a sticky situation. He tried not to laugh at the bewildered look on the bartender's face.
It seemed like she was actually going to get them off the hook. Having the cops called on them was the very last thing that Yumi wanted. He had to admit that if the bartender had went for the horn, he probably would have hightailed it out of there.
But it seemed as if the pretty lady was going to save their asses.
Glancing over at Shuuhei, he bit his thumbnail to keep from grinning and raised an eyebrow. The corner of his mouth twitched in the slightest hint of a smirk, before he replaced it with a bored expression and turned to face the bartender.
"We didn't mean to cause any trouble," he said. It was partly true, after all. Their intentions had been honorable... to start. The four lumps on the floor might have said differently... but none of them were going to be talking any time soon. To Yumi, a fight wasn't over until his opponents were either unconscious or incapacitated. He glanced down at the stooges and bit the inside of his cheek to keep from chuckling. This fight was definitely over.
Shuuhei resisted the urge to curse as the bartender butted into his introduction. He was already running his darkening eyes over the exits, searching for a way for them to dust out; he knew Yumi would be doing the same.
There wasn’t anyway to overestimate how much of a jam they would be in if they were arrested for fighting, no matter who started the brawl. There was a good chance they would be looking at their marching orders and neither of them could afford something like that. He glanced down at nosebleed, who against all odds was starting to groan; the sap really did seem to have a thick headed. He didn’t exactly like the idea of leaving the doll to deal with the aftermath.
The academy were less likely to kick out their precious star student, than they were his roommate. No matter how well Yumi did, he always seemed to have his own agenda and made no move to hide it.
He was about to turn to Yumi and tell him to drift, when the broad started talking to the bartender. Hs eyes went wide, and after a moment he clicked his jaw shut. It was a struggle to keep the smirk from his lips, as the bartender became increasingly flustered. He tucked his thumbs in his back pockets, as Yumi’s eyes flicked to him, a similar look of amusement warring with his roommate’s attempted stoicism.
He knew better than to open his mouth. There were something that he knew he was better to leave to the smooth talking brunet, although it looked this doll might be able to Yumi a run for his money in that department.
He couldn’t believe the broad was really going to pull it off. Looked like this doll really was something else.
“Yes, well,” the bartender said in response to her knight’s friend, “no real harm done.”
Rangiku’s eyes narrowed. “Are you going to bring me that phone or not?”
“Look, lady,” the bartender said, “there’s no reason make this more than it is. You’re all right. Nothing’s broken. I’ll call the cops to bring away these lugs, but why don’t you and your friends just leave so we can keep this all quiet-like?”
The key to running a good grift was to know when to push and when to back away. Do either too soon, and you would give the game away. Even though a part of her was all too willing to take the offered escape route, the respectable, offended woman Rangiku was playing would never be satisfied to just sweep this mess under the carpet. “I told you. I’ve never seen them before in my life. And I don’t see any reason why I should leave and keep this hush after I’ve been assaulted.”
The bartender held up a hand and moved to tear a receipt off the cash register. He scrawled something on it with a nearby pen. Then he slid it over to Rangiku, “How about this-next time you come in, drinks are on the house?”
That was a better deal than she had been expecting. She took the receipt, read it over, and gave him a long, assessing stare. Ran debated briefly whether or not she should pretend to be offended at his offered bribe, but decided to get while the getting was good. “I will accept this as an apology. But do not think, for a moment, that I will forget this incident if something similar occurs.”
With that, Rangiku downed the remnants of her bourbon in one shot. She slid off her bar stool, nodded to her two rescuers, and made sure to step on her boob of an admirer’s fingers on her way out.
The amusement that Yumichika was feeling promptly turned into sheer disbelief when the bartender not only let them off the hook, but proceeded to offer them free drinks upon their next visit. Free drinks? Next visit? Now that was a bit better than a night in the slammer and being forbidden to ever step foot in the Lenox again. Yumi quickly turned away so that the huge grin on his face wouldn't ruin the doll's stellar performance, and began making his way towards the exit.
This was turning out to be one hell of a night.
The crisp air outside was a welcome change after the tense, almost sticky atmosphere inside the club. Yumi put his hands in his pockets and finally let the chuckle that had been tickling the back of his throat break free. He shot Shuuhei a gleeful look before turning to the woman - their savior.
"That was a pretty boss bit," he said, his voice dripping with admiration. "You were really cookin'." His lips pulled into a graceful smile as he stepped forward and extended his hand. "The name's Yumichika, and I'm forever in your debt."
After a brief pause, he glanced at his roommate and broke out into a mischievous grin. "How about you let us buy you a drink. Maybe we can find a joint without any... drunken lusts."
Ran let out a sigh of relief and felt the tension ease out of her shoulders. Her adrenaline was still pumping, and the cool night air made her senses tingle. Say what you like about a night of relaxation, there was still so something so satisfying about a narrow escape, and Rangiku was justifiably proud herself. Now, if only she had the same luck with the contractors tomorrow…
Shuuhei Hisagi and his friend had followed her out, and she turned to face them with a satisfied smile. She took Yumichika’s hand and gave it a firm shake, “Rangiku Matsumoto. What’s say we call it square, Yumichika? You and my knight over there just restored my hope in the world.”
Not only that, but they were two of the most interesting young men she’d run into in a long time. It took a certain kind of person to step in when it wasn’t their fight. And while a more cynical part of her was chalking them up as rubes, they sure as hell hadn’t fought like ones. And even better, Ran trusted her gut, and it was telling her that their open friendliness was genuine.
She released his hand and grinned at him. “And I don’t know if we could find a joint in this town without drunken lusts, but if you two come along with me I think we can handle it.”
Shuuhei leant against the wall outside the club, hand tucked back in his pockets. He grinned as the doll introduced herself, trying not to cringe as she called him her knight. Damn, Yumi was going to be ribbing him about this night for a month.
So far the evening had been anything but dull, and by the looks of things it wasn’t about to let up anytime soon. A part of him was thinking that maybe it was time for them to call it a night, they’d had a lucky escape thanks to Rangiku’s fast talking and they still needed to study tomorrow, but his mind was still buzzing from the brawl. Besides, by the sounds of things he didn’t think there was much chance of Yumi, or the doll listening to him anyway.
He still couldn’t believe they had managed to lay four guys out and walk away without much more than a grumble from the barman. He was willing to bet the mug was standing in there wondering what the hell had just happened. The cops weren’t going to like the fact he had let them walk away. It was almost a shame they couldn’t stick around to see the show.
Well there was no point in arguing over the inevitable. Pushing himself away from the wall he turned to the others and smirked. “So what are you two doing hanging around. Let’s go find somewhere else to get this drink.”
Characters: Yumichika Ayasegawa (day_eight), Shuuhei Hisagi (ratherbe4gotten), and Rangiku Matsumoto (some_scribbles)
Timeline: September 9th, 1943
Rating: PG-13, for violence.
Summary: Rangiku, Shuuhei, and Yumichika know how to make an impression, kicking back booze and swinging some flimflam to the beat of dumb mugs as they hit the floor. It's just another night in New York City.
Rangiku was in 'no mood to suffer fools,' as the Captain used to say.
She had just spent a long day arguing with contractors. The Double Dip was doing well enough that she was able invest in some much needed improvements-like new booths and tables, clean, white ones that didn’t have any trace of whatever it was that had been on them before Rangiku took the shop over. But those dumb mugs thought that she was some kind of sap just because she was a woman. They were fighting her about every little thing! She had gotten into a huge fight with the foreman that afternoon when he had tried to pass some raw green wood to use as building material.
Her lips thinned into a line and she stared at her cup of corn on the rocks thoughtfully. If the foreman came back with his crew tomorrow, she was certain they would have no more problems. If he didn’t, he wasn’t getting paid, and she would make sure to tell everyone she knew about the grift he had tried to pull.
She sighed and resisted the temptation to rest her head on the bar in front of her. What she needed was to get out, have some fun, and dance until all the frustration flowed out of her. And that was why she had put her best dress on and come to the Lenox Lounge. Spike Jones and His City Slickers were playing in the Zebra Room and the music was drifting out to the bar. She wanted to finish her drink before going in and finding someone to dance with, but she was painfully aware that this drink was the only one she could afford. She probably wouldn’t have any problem getting someone buy her a second, but then she’d have to entertain them, and Ran was just feeling too grumpy for that at the moment.
Someone pulled out the chair beside her, and Rangiku turned her head to see a large man in a cheap suit settle down next to her. He was still wearing his hat, and he tipped it back so she could see him give her a long looking over. Ran fought back the urge to roll her eyes.
“Well, look at the tomato we have here!”
Yumichika was incredibly glad that he had managed to drag Shuuhei out with him. Manhattan's nightlife was much too alluring to be ignored. Jazz and liquor made an intoxicating combination that thrilled the young brunet to his core. He knew that his roommate might have felt differently, but they were too young and too alive to spend their nights holed up in the little room that they called home. The sounds, smells, and the feel of the city was enough to give Yumi a buzz, even without the help of the couple glasses of gin he had already knocked back.
Running his fingers through his nest, he looked out over the club and sighed contentedly. The music was boss, the giggle juice was affordable, and there were plenty of decent looking people to eyeball. He leaned back against the bar and gave Shuuhei a mischievous look. "Come on, don't try to pretend like you're not having a blast."
Tapping his toes in time with the music, he took another sip of his drink and smiled into the cup. He would have to find some way to get Shuuhei to dance - maybe later, once they had both had a bit more to drink. If all else failed, he could always find a pretty dolly to take to the dance floor. He just wouldn't spend the rest of the evening at the bar - not when the tunes wafting through the air made it nearly impossible to sit still.
Speaking of pretty ladies...
His eyes widened a touch when he caught sight of the beautiful woman to his left. She had an interesting expression on her face, almost as if she was deep in thought. Yumi tilted his head and tried to be discreet as he watched her stare into her glass, wondering if it held the answers she was looking for. He glanced at Shuuhei, trying to figure out if the taller man had spotted the attractive lady yet.
Just as he was about to turn back to his own drink, he saw some blockhead sit next to the woman and look at her with an attitude that reeked of sleeze and cocky confidence. Yumi scoffed softly and cursed under his breath. The sucker obviously didn't stand a chance. After appraising the girl for a moment, he decided that she seemed capable of driving the man away on her own. He picked up his glass and brought it to his lips, letting the burning liquid fill his mouth before he swallowed it down. It was much too early to even think about sticking his nose in where it didn't belong.
Shuuhei wasn’t quite sure how he had ended up in the Lenox Lounge. It wasn’t that he minded Jazz, or that he had any objection to going out and tipping a few. It was just that he was sure he had explained to Yumi that the fact they had been given a day to study tomorrow meant that maybe they should, you know, study, rather than spend half the morning pilling up z’s and recovering from a hangover.
He wasn’t sure what it was about the slick brunet that made it so hard to turn him down. Maybe it was because life was a whole lot easier if he did argue with the stubborn cat-he felt a faint smirk tug onto his lips-or maybe it was because they usually ended up having a good time, one way or another. On the other hand, a frosted Yumi wasn’t someone any sane guy would want to be stuck in a room with.
He had to admit the club had a good feel. The band playing weren’t bad, and the beer wasn’t going to blow the bank. Turning back to Yumi, he met his roommate’s mischievous look with a smirk. “It’s not a bad place,” he acknowledged, before putting his empty bottle down. “But I’d be having a better time if I had a drink in my hand. I think it’s your turn to buy.”
When Yumi didn’t reply he looked up to see what had caught his roommate’s attention. His eyes narrowed, as he took in the doll with the class dress sitting at the bar, along with what looked like some sleazy boozehound trying to hit on her. He had to admit he was surprised the confrontation caught Yumi’s attention. It wasn’t that it was unusual for Yumi cast an eyeball over a pretty dame, and the blond was definitely easy enough on the eyes, but it was unlike his roommate to take an interest in anything that wasn’t going to make his own night more enjoyable.
If the loser didn’t back off maybe he would wander over and have a word. He didn’t like to see a pretty doll being bothered by a waste of space like that sap.
“So what’s a dish like you doin’ in a joint like dis? Lookin’ for someone to show you a good time?”
He actually scooted his bar stool closer. He smelled like he’d already been to a few bars and bathed in beer. Unless that was actually piss. Ran wouldn’t be surprised; it had been that kind of day. On any other day, Ran would have no problem getting a free drink from a palooka like this, maybe even exchanging a few words to see if somewhere deep inside was an interesting person. But today, Ran cut to the chase.
“Go climb up your thumb,” she said and took a sip of her giggle juice.
She saw him frown out of the corner of her eye and he shifted closer, planting a meaty hand on the bar in front of her. “What was that, doll?”
Ran set her drink down on the bar with careful precision, and then she turned to face him. “Did I speak too fast? Get lost. I’m not looking for company.”
His beady eyes narrowed and his face distorted into a grimace that was probably supposed to be a pout. “Bet I could change your mind, frail,” and ran his fingers up her arm until his hand was wrapped around her upper arm.
Rangiku glanced down at his hand on her arm and considered her options. She could break her glass over his head, she supposed, but that would be a waste of that beautiful booze. She could break his wrist. She could punch him in the face. She could call out ‘Masher!’ and see what would happen…
So many options. She had to decide soon before his stench worked its way into the fabric of her dress.
The noise in the room was just loud enough to prevent Yumi from hearing the exchange of words that was taking place a few yards away. Whatever was said couldn't have been too pleasant, because the greasy man's expression began to twist into one that was devastatingly ugly. It seemed like Yumichika had been right in his assumption that the lady could handle herself, because her pretty face barely registered any of the disgust that she just had to be feeling. Anyone with half a set of jets could have seen that she wasn't the least bit interested in what this sleazeball had to offer. Some men just couldn't take a hint, even if it hit them square in the face.
Yumi sighed and swirled the last sip of gin around the bottom of his glass. He had to bite back a groan when he saw the idiot grab the girl's arm. The fream had to be a complete dunce if he thought that manhandling her would get him anything more than a drink in the face or a kick to the shin. Men like that were greedy and arrogant, and they made Yumichika sick to his stomach. A part of him felt like teaching the bastard a lesson in manners, but he wasn't sure if he had the energy it would take to kick some sense into the man's thick skull.
Finally tearing his gaze away from the beauty and the beast, he drained his glass and set it down on the counter. He returned his attention to Shuuhei, only to find that the interesting scene had also caught his roommate's attention. A chuckle tickled the back of his throat when he registered the expression on Shuuhei's face. He could tell that the larger man was thinking about going over there to "rescue" the poor girl. Typical Shuuhei - always wanting to do the right thing. It seemed like the night was about to get a little more interesting.
"The guy hasn't done anything that bad," he said, raising his hand to catch the bartender's attention. "I kinda feel bad for cubes who have to annoy women into talking to them."
His eyes darkened a touch as he looked out over the club. "Just remember that our hideous friend didn't come here alone." He caught Shuuhei's eye and nodded towards the far corner of the room.
Shuuhei turned back to his roommate, as he made a comment about feeling bad for the unlucky cat. He bit off a laugh. That was Yumichika all over. His glance followed Yumi’s across the room and he stilled his laughter to something more serious.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to start any trouble.” His eyes narrowed again as the guy continued to paw at the pretty little doll. There was no excuse for that kind of sleazy behaviour. “But even a sap like that should know better.”
Pushing himself away from the bar, he turned to look back at Yumi. “Just grab me another beer when you get your drink will you?” It felt strangely good to know that his roommate would be watching his back. He would never have believed that when he had first met Yumi, but a few months of the academy’s almost brutal training had shown him that there was more to the smaller man than first impressions showed.
Shuuhei wasn’t surprised when he felt a familiar trickle of anticipation that came with the prospect of a confrontation, sinking into his stomach. Not that they could afford to get into a fight now. The academy rules covered them inside and outside of training, and a serious infraction could see them both being kicked out of the door. It was fine though, because he was just going to walk over there and have a quiet word. The gink looked too drunk to put up much of an argument anyway.
He knew how he looked, scars running down his cheek and dark, rough-cut hair. He didn’t want the doll to think he was more trouble knocking at her door, so he turned his attention to the sleazy ball instead. Leaning back on the bar, he balled his hand into fists and let them rest in his pockets, waiting until he had the boozehound's attention. “Hey bo, why don’t you back off and give the lady some space?”
The sleaze ball turned and he caught the stink of stale alcohol on his breath.
“Why don’t cha back off bo… and keep your nose out of my business. Unless you’re lookin’ for trouble?”
By the guys aggressive tone it looked like he wasn’t in the mood to talk, but the attitude just made Shuuhei more sure that he had done the right thing. He cast an eye over to the doll. “The lady clearly doesn’t want your attention.”
The guy half stumbled towards him. “I said back the fuck off.”
Shuuhei let out a sigh, ducking up the guy’s fist as he swung at him. “You’re getting in over your head. Go back to your pals.”
It would only be right to offer the mug a fair warning. Ran flickered her gaze up from his hand on her arm to his face. “You really don’t want to be a part of my bad day, bo. Let go.”
Did she have a sign hanging around her neck or something? ‘All idiots, please apply here?’ Honestly, Rangiku was tired of attracting such palookas and boobs. Why did she have to deal with this? What did a girl have to do to meet a real man, dip herself in chocolate and run naked through the street?
His face contorted into a horrifying approximation of a grin. “Don’t wanna let go. You feel nice and soft.” And then he tugged her closer. His foul breath wafted over her face and she had an extremely unpleasant close-up of his spittle-flecked lips.
Oh, that was it. Rangiku gave him a brilliant smile and reached for the metal napkin holder on the bar.
The man’s wrist was spared an unpleasant fate when they were interrupted. “Hey bo, why don’t you back off and give the lady some space?”
Rangiku used the idiot’s distraction to rip her arm out of his grip and shift back more firmly onto her own bar stool, taking the metal napkin holder with her, before she turned to appraise her knight in shining armor.
Well…he certainly looked like he could handle the situation. Her knight was standing with the quiet confidence of a man who knew how to take care of himself. The three parallel lines running down his cheek were a testimony that he had seen hard times and come through it alive. Rangiku didn’t relax into her chair, but she felt a sudden warm burst of appreciation that she wouldn’t have to deal with this idiot by herself. She really didn’t want to get thrown out of the Lenox Lounge. And she’d be furious if the mug managed to spill something on her and ruin her dress.
Ran could not believe the stupidity of her would-be-admirer when he lurched off the bar stool and tried to get the stranger to back off. Really, she must have been more out of it than she thought. How could she have missed such an interesting young man when she came in? She cast a glance around the room to see what else she might have missed, and noticed a handsome brunet watching the confrontation with marked interest.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Actually, the brunet was loose, almost indolent, his posture contradicting the awareness in his eyes. His attention seemed to be divided as he was also eyeballing a group of…men just as drunk and low class as the mug who had started all the problems.
Rangiku sighed. Just great.
She watched her knight dodge the idiot’s drunken swing with casual grace, his hands still in his pockets. It was only her knight’s mention of the drunk’s friends and the way that other brunet had been eyeing the men in the corner that kept her from smashing the metal napkin holder over the man’s head.
Her instincts were telling her that there was more going on than what she saw, and that she’d be smart to wait it out and see what was going to happen. And that was exactly what she was going to do.
The group of men in the corner jumped up as soon as their friend took the first swing. They were big and loud and ready for action. One of them-the biggest and loudest-actually scrambled over a table, spilling a couple beers in the process. Yumichika cursed under his breath and abandoned all hope of ordering another drink. He could practically smell a fight brewing. Or... maybe that was just the stench of the raunchy idiots wailing through the club.
He was at Shuuhei's side before the other men could even make it halfway across the room. His breathing was steady, but a wave of excitement surged through his veins. As much as he hated getting involved in other people's affairs, he did appreciate a good brawl. Something dark and foreboding glinted in his eyes as he circled around and stood with his back against his roommate's. Despite his friend's calm demeanor, he could feel the tension rippling in Shuuhei's muscles when their backs touched.
Sleazeball had three friends-all of them as ugly as he was. Yumi hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and gave each of them a quick appraisal. They were large, but they were heavy on their feet, and none of them looked very bright. A feral grin tugged at his lips as he alternated his gaze between the three of them.
"You take care of Nosebleed," he said to Shuuhei, keeping his attention on the three leering knobs. "I'll deal with Moe, Larry, and Curly."
Shuuhei heard the sleaze ball’s buddies coming across the room almost at the same moment as Yumi reached his side. Oops, looks like he was going to owe his roommate a drink. He wasn’t too worried though. Yumi might feign irritation, and complain if his shirt got creased, but he enjoyed showing off his fighting skills as much as any other New York native. Maybe even more so when it was with a bunch of goons like these, who were bound to underestimate the smaller man.
He really hadn’t wanted to start a fight, but looked like this one had been waiting for him. He wasn’t going to regret it, the guy had been way too fast to throw a punch, and if he had hit the broad he would have ended up feeling like he needed to do more than just teach the sap a lesson in manners.
He couldn’t help the grin that broke onto his lips at Yumi’s words. It was just like his roommate to want to take on the goons on his own. “Fine,” he threw over his shoulder with a smirk. “Just don’t come complaining to me if you get your glad rags dirty.” He twisted his shoulder to nudge Yumi’s back, a reminder to his roommate that whatever he said, he was there to watch his back too.
Glancing up, he caught the doll’s eye and shrugged in way of an apology, before turning to throw a punch at the newly named nosebleed, catching him on the jaw and sending his back into his stool. Hopefully she would understand that he hadn’t meant to land more trouble at her door.
Yumi barely had time to roll his eyes before he felt Shuuhei step away and heard the sound of his roommate's punch. Luckily enough, he knew how to fight without scuffing up his threads. Dropping his shoulder and bending his knee, he entered a cautious stance and kept his gaze leveled on the men in front of him. He was beginning to wonder which one of the stooges to go for first when the largest of them rushed forward, making his decision for him.
The cube, who was dubbed Larry because of his messy nest, flew at him with fists extended and a nasty look on his face. Yumi raised his eyebrow at the hideous expression and shifted his weight, grabbing the man's wrist and twisting it roughly. Stepping in, he pressed his back against his attacker's side and brought his shoulder under the man's armpit, the movement forcing Larry's arm into an unnatural position. Throwing his weight upwards, he pulled on his assailant's wrist until he heard the sickening pop of the shoulder dislocating. After hearing the Larry scream, he curved his back and put his hand behind the man's knee, using the leverage to throw the injured idiot over his shoulder and onto the ground in front of him.
There was a brief pause as the other two morons stepped back in surprise, their wide eyes fixed on their friend, who was now groaning in pain. Yumi chuckled darkly and straightened his shirt. They weren't the first to misjudge him, and they probably wouldn't be the last. His eyes flashed dangerously as he looked down and rested his foot on Larry's dislocated shoulder. "Didn't think that you'd be on your back so soon, did you?"
He smiled and pushed his toe into the man's shoulder, just for good measure, before stepping forward and eyeballing the other two stooges. "I sure hope you boys put up more of a fight than your buddy, here."
Now that the fight was started, he might as well have a little fun...
Shuuhei felt Yumi moving even as nosebleed rocked back on his stool. Dark eyes looked over the sap, as the guy wiped the back of his hand across his face, smearing blood across his cheek. The name was even more fitting now. He rolled out his shoulders, somewhat surprised when the guy looked like he was going to come back for more. Maybe he was loosing his touch, or maybe all the corn had numbed the boozehound to the pain, but he was willing to bet Yumi would be reminding him about the fact for the next month.
Someone behind him was groaning in pain and he guessed that his roommate was making the most of the situation. He just hoped that Yumi would remember not to break anything. If they got caught out for fighting they might get away with crying self-defence, but not if they did too much damage.
Only a few moments had passed since the first punch had been thrown and the rest of the bar only now seemed to be picking up on what was going on. Someone across the room shouted something, just as he spotted one of Yumi’s three stooges go for a barstool. Time to finish up before things got messy.
The sap might have been coming back for more, but Shuuhei could see the haziness in the man’s unfocused eyes; he wasn’t going anywhere fast. He shifted against Yumi, who was once again at his back, still egging on his opponents.
“Stop playing with your food.” He glanced across the room at doormen who finally seemed to be paying attention. “Or someone is going to take it away from you before you are done.”
Oh, this was just fantastic. She’d gone out for a quiet night to relax and forget her troubles, and what happened? She didn’t even get to finish her drink.
Rangiku’s hand tightened on the napkin holder while she watched the fight in front of her. Her knight and his friend certainly knew how to take care of business. The only problem was that she was trapped at the bar. There was no way to get around the fight which had landed at her feet, she’d have to go through it if she wanted to get away.
But then, she mused as her knight sent her idiot admirer crashing back into his bar stool, this was one entertaining floor show. She could enjoy this. But if anyone messed up her favorite dress, there would be hell to pay.
Her idiot admirer was getting up for more-she knew he was stupid, but really-when there was a loud scraping noise on her other side. Rangiku turned to find that one of the other three mugs had picked up the bar stool next to her and was about to reenter the fight.
Well, that was just not playing fair.
She brought the metal napkin holder down on his head with a resounding thunk. The man fell to the ground, along with the bar stool, in a loud clatter.
Rangiku crossed her legs and leaned back on her chair, casually draping her hand with the napkin holder over her knee.
The resounding thump of a body falling to the floor caught Yumichika's attention. He turned, his eyes widening a touch when he saw that one of the stooges was knocked unconscious. A twinge of admiration flickered across his face when he observed the pretty lady sitting on her barstool, legs crossed like nothing had happened. Now this was a woman who knew how to have some fun.
Before returning his attention to the remaining stooge, he shot Shuuhei a grin and shrugged his shoulders. "No use playing if we can't enjoy ourselves a little, hmm?"
He winked at the lady before heading towards his foe, whom he affectionately dubbed Curly (due to the man's horrible receding hairline). Two steps brought him right next to the fream. Another step put him to the side and slightly behind, giving him the advantage that he needed. Curly reached back to hit him, but Yumi countered and used the momentum of the man's punch to throw him off balance and send him tumbling into the ground. Stepping to the side, he brought his heel down onto the back of the idiot's head-using just enough pressure to render the man unconscious.
Tilting his head to the side, he peered down at Curly and bit back a laugh. It was almost too easy. Two men down and he hadn't even thrown a punch... unlike some people. He chuckled and glanced over to see how Shuuhei was managing.
"You accuse me of playing with my food, but you're the one who can't even knock Nosebleed out with one hit." He smoothed the front of his shirt and put one hand on his slender hips. "Perhaps you're getting rusty."
Shuuhei’s eyes widened as he caught the doll-who up until this point had been sitting pretty on her bar stool-move to hit one of the saps over the head. If he had blinked he would have missed it, in fact it wasn’t until he saw the napkin holder in the broad’s hand that he realised exactly what had happened.
He bit off a laugh and punched nosebleed again. The sleaze bag didn’t know what hit him. He let his hand fall down to his side, shaking out his fingers where Yumi couldn’t see, as the boozehound hit the bar and slid toward the floor.
He glanced over at his roommate with a smirk. “You were saying something?”
He turned back to the doll to make sure she was okay, but his eyes were drawn over her head to the doormen, who typically had decided to do their job now that the saps were on the ground.
Nudging Yumi, he dropped his voice lower. “Looks like we might have outstayed our welcome.” It was a shame, the club was better than a lot that Yumi had dragged him to, but it wasn’t like Manhattan had a shortage of places for night out. Now they just needed a way to get out of there before one of the doormen decided to be a hero and the cops got called in.
Turning back to the doll he held out his hand, before noticing the blood smeared across his knuckles. He grinned and wiped the back of his hand on his jeans, before trying again. “Shuuhei Hisagi, nice to meet you. I hope we haven’t ruined your evening?”
“Hate to interrupt the introductions,” said the bartender-come-lately. “But you might want to save that for later.”
He lifted up a hand and waved and the two bouncers obediently left their post at the door to come and stand by her knight-Shuuhei Hisagi-and his friend.
“You two just wait right there,” the bartender said, frowning. “We’re gonna hafta call the cops.”
Her rescuers tensed. Obviously, they didn’t want the hammers and saws brought in on this, and who could blame them? Well, Ran knew exactly how to handle this. She hadn’t sat through hours of deportment classes for nothing.
She caught her knight’s eye, hoping to convey to leave it to her, before turning to the bartender and lifting her chin, “What an excellent idea. I can’t wait to tell them all about how I was assaulted at your bar while you were busy polishing some imaginary specks off your glasses. And when this young man stepped in to intervene, the thug you had ignored attacked him. I'm sure they'll be interested in hearing how he and his friend succeeded in rescuing me from the unwanted advances of a drunken, violent brute, while you and your bouncers stood by and did nothing.
“Bring me the phone. I want to make the call myself. And while you fetch it, see if you can look up the Times number as well. I bet they’d love a scoop like this, and they’ll want to get here to photograph the scene while it’s still fresh.”
The bartender planted his hands on his bar and leaned forward, “Listen, sister, your two friends here-“
“I’ve never seen them before in my life,” Rangiku cut him off. “And it’s hardly their fault if they were considerably more competent in coming to my defense than your bouncers, or the scoundrels,” she pronounced the word with the same exact inflection the Captain had always used, and was amused to see it still made people flinch, “who were causing such trouble in their imbecilic pursuit of their drunken lusts.”
The edges of her lips tilted up. “‘Drunken lusts’ does have such a nice ring to it. I’m sure the Times will agree. It will go well under the headline 'Mashers Welcome at the Lenox Lounge.' Where is that phone?”
The reality of the consequences of what she was saying finally sunk in to his thick skull. He eased out of his aggressive stance and backed away, holding up his hands in a placating gesture.
Yumichika could hardly contain his amusement. This woman was really something else. She definitely knew how to talk her way (or their way) out of a sticky situation. He tried not to laugh at the bewildered look on the bartender's face.
It seemed like she was actually going to get them off the hook. Having the cops called on them was the very last thing that Yumi wanted. He had to admit that if the bartender had went for the horn, he probably would have hightailed it out of there.
But it seemed as if the pretty lady was going to save their asses.
Glancing over at Shuuhei, he bit his thumbnail to keep from grinning and raised an eyebrow. The corner of his mouth twitched in the slightest hint of a smirk, before he replaced it with a bored expression and turned to face the bartender.
"We didn't mean to cause any trouble," he said. It was partly true, after all. Their intentions had been honorable... to start. The four lumps on the floor might have said differently... but none of them were going to be talking any time soon. To Yumi, a fight wasn't over until his opponents were either unconscious or incapacitated. He glanced down at the stooges and bit the inside of his cheek to keep from chuckling. This fight was definitely over.
Shuuhei resisted the urge to curse as the bartender butted into his introduction. He was already running his darkening eyes over the exits, searching for a way for them to dust out; he knew Yumi would be doing the same.
There wasn’t anyway to overestimate how much of a jam they would be in if they were arrested for fighting, no matter who started the brawl. There was a good chance they would be looking at their marching orders and neither of them could afford something like that. He glanced down at nosebleed, who against all odds was starting to groan; the sap really did seem to have a thick headed. He didn’t exactly like the idea of leaving the doll to deal with the aftermath.
The academy were less likely to kick out their precious star student, than they were his roommate. No matter how well Yumi did, he always seemed to have his own agenda and made no move to hide it.
He was about to turn to Yumi and tell him to drift, when the broad started talking to the bartender. Hs eyes went wide, and after a moment he clicked his jaw shut. It was a struggle to keep the smirk from his lips, as the bartender became increasingly flustered. He tucked his thumbs in his back pockets, as Yumi’s eyes flicked to him, a similar look of amusement warring with his roommate’s attempted stoicism.
He knew better than to open his mouth. There were something that he knew he was better to leave to the smooth talking brunet, although it looked this doll might be able to Yumi a run for his money in that department.
He couldn’t believe the broad was really going to pull it off. Looked like this doll really was something else.
“Yes, well,” the bartender said in response to her knight’s friend, “no real harm done.”
Rangiku’s eyes narrowed. “Are you going to bring me that phone or not?”
“Look, lady,” the bartender said, “there’s no reason make this more than it is. You’re all right. Nothing’s broken. I’ll call the cops to bring away these lugs, but why don’t you and your friends just leave so we can keep this all quiet-like?”
The key to running a good grift was to know when to push and when to back away. Do either too soon, and you would give the game away. Even though a part of her was all too willing to take the offered escape route, the respectable, offended woman Rangiku was playing would never be satisfied to just sweep this mess under the carpet. “I told you. I’ve never seen them before in my life. And I don’t see any reason why I should leave and keep this hush after I’ve been assaulted.”
The bartender held up a hand and moved to tear a receipt off the cash register. He scrawled something on it with a nearby pen. Then he slid it over to Rangiku, “How about this-next time you come in, drinks are on the house?”
That was a better deal than she had been expecting. She took the receipt, read it over, and gave him a long, assessing stare. Ran debated briefly whether or not she should pretend to be offended at his offered bribe, but decided to get while the getting was good. “I will accept this as an apology. But do not think, for a moment, that I will forget this incident if something similar occurs.”
With that, Rangiku downed the remnants of her bourbon in one shot. She slid off her bar stool, nodded to her two rescuers, and made sure to step on her boob of an admirer’s fingers on her way out.
The amusement that Yumichika was feeling promptly turned into sheer disbelief when the bartender not only let them off the hook, but proceeded to offer them free drinks upon their next visit. Free drinks? Next visit? Now that was a bit better than a night in the slammer and being forbidden to ever step foot in the Lenox again. Yumi quickly turned away so that the huge grin on his face wouldn't ruin the doll's stellar performance, and began making his way towards the exit.
This was turning out to be one hell of a night.
The crisp air outside was a welcome change after the tense, almost sticky atmosphere inside the club. Yumi put his hands in his pockets and finally let the chuckle that had been tickling the back of his throat break free. He shot Shuuhei a gleeful look before turning to the woman - their savior.
"That was a pretty boss bit," he said, his voice dripping with admiration. "You were really cookin'." His lips pulled into a graceful smile as he stepped forward and extended his hand. "The name's Yumichika, and I'm forever in your debt."
After a brief pause, he glanced at his roommate and broke out into a mischievous grin. "How about you let us buy you a drink. Maybe we can find a joint without any... drunken lusts."
Ran let out a sigh of relief and felt the tension ease out of her shoulders. Her adrenaline was still pumping, and the cool night air made her senses tingle. Say what you like about a night of relaxation, there was still so something so satisfying about a narrow escape, and Rangiku was justifiably proud herself. Now, if only she had the same luck with the contractors tomorrow…
Shuuhei Hisagi and his friend had followed her out, and she turned to face them with a satisfied smile. She took Yumichika’s hand and gave it a firm shake, “Rangiku Matsumoto. What’s say we call it square, Yumichika? You and my knight over there just restored my hope in the world.”
Not only that, but they were two of the most interesting young men she’d run into in a long time. It took a certain kind of person to step in when it wasn’t their fight. And while a more cynical part of her was chalking them up as rubes, they sure as hell hadn’t fought like ones. And even better, Ran trusted her gut, and it was telling her that their open friendliness was genuine.
She released his hand and grinned at him. “And I don’t know if we could find a joint in this town without drunken lusts, but if you two come along with me I think we can handle it.”
Shuuhei leant against the wall outside the club, hand tucked back in his pockets. He grinned as the doll introduced herself, trying not to cringe as she called him her knight. Damn, Yumi was going to be ribbing him about this night for a month.
So far the evening had been anything but dull, and by the looks of things it wasn’t about to let up anytime soon. A part of him was thinking that maybe it was time for them to call it a night, they’d had a lucky escape thanks to Rangiku’s fast talking and they still needed to study tomorrow, but his mind was still buzzing from the brawl. Besides, by the sounds of things he didn’t think there was much chance of Yumi, or the doll listening to him anyway.
He still couldn’t believe they had managed to lay four guys out and walk away without much more than a grumble from the barman. He was willing to bet the mug was standing in there wondering what the hell had just happened. The cops weren’t going to like the fact he had let them walk away. It was almost a shame they couldn’t stick around to see the show.
Well there was no point in arguing over the inevitable. Pushing himself away from the wall he turned to the others and smirked. “So what are you two doing hanging around. Let’s go find somewhere else to get this drink.”