Day 42: Crossroader's Bar and Casino (evening)

[she_is_ruin]

[Free, no limits.]Grungy establishments like this 'Crossroader's Bar' weren't Yomi's typical style--what she saw in Japan were much different than this. But everything about where she was and what she was doing was out of the ordinary; Yomi had to put oddities behind her

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[damned_town]

The title of customer was reserved for those who could pay. Mathers wasn't the sort of guy to give freebies and he wasn't the sort to appreciate these crazies coming into his bar every week without anything to do but fill up space. It annoyed him. Even more so when he took stock at the end of the day and realized that he was missing things. Damn bastards from up the hill were stealing somehow.

When someone new entered, Mathers moved behind the bar from the back room, the same towel tossed over his shoulder that he always had. Setting a bowl of roasted nuts on the bar in front of the new girl, he regarded her carefully and asked, "Well? You just here to sit?"

[she_is_ruin]

Well? What was she doing here? If this man could tell Yomi that, she’d be ever so grateful.

Yomi considered her hands, folded on the bar, until the bartender returned her attention, and even then she inspected the bowl of nuts put down in front of her before turning her gaze on the man. He seemed so average, predictable, but the amount of weight she could rest on that conclusion was still small. It would be nice to know the “Head Doctor’s” secrets, the secrets to how everything moved like clockwork, in or out of the hospital.

She picked up a nut between forefinger and thumb. “Would that be a problem? I’m open to suggestions,” Yomi inquired innocently, keeping her eyes on the bartender as she popped the nut in her mouth.

It tasted like nothing.

[damned_town]

Great, one of those. Mathers rolled his eyes and went to wipe down some of the glasses from earlier. Why did the bums always end up here? It wasn't like they thought they could weasel something out of him, did they? Anyone in town could tell them that Old Man Mathers didn't give freebies and didn't take to strangers not paying their bills either.

"Do whatever, just don't expect anything for free here. I ain't like those other softies in town." He picked up a glass from the dish drain and started wiping it down, keeping a wary eye on the girl. "Not in business for the charity of it."

[she_is_ruin]

She made a sound of acknowledgement under her breath, picking up another nut from the bowl to roll between her fingers. “Aren’t you taught not to feed the zoo animals?” Yomi questioned rhetorically in much the same vein. After all, giving freebies to the crazy strays could be dangerous, right?

This prison was like no other she could’ve imagined, before or after her transformation. A change in identity could completely alter the rules of engagement. That, she knew.

“It wouldn‘t be smart to give money to a mental patient, anyway,” she continued, objective, like admitting her position was about as moving as the color of his dish rag, “and I’m not much of a drinker, so I guess that settles that.” Yomi stopped toying with the nut, fixing the man with a subtle smile laced with self-mockery. “But I was cute enough to win these out of you for free. That’s something.” She let it drop back into the dish. “I suppose you must be used to that, though. What number do I make today?”

[offduty]

Considering Reno had been kicked out the last time he popped in here, coming back in the second time around probably wasn't the brightest idea, but whatever. Worst that could happen, he got kicked out again.

And dragged Rude with him, which was a bonus if nothing else.

His partner was way too easy to spot so Reno strolled over without even pausing to look for him. Of course the guy would be in here. Where else? In a town full of manicures and little cute grocery stores and ridiculous shit like that, the bar was about the closest that came to their comfort zone. Even it wasn't right up there with what he was used to. There should've been more busty chicks, hookers in the corners. Sleezy drunks.

This?

This was fucking boring.

He flopped down in a seat across from Rude and flicked at the lens of his sunglasses. "You even awake under there or what?"

[offduty]

Reno sat back and propped one foot up on the edge of Rude's chair, not hard enough to tip it or anything, but enough so Rude felt the bump. He waited for his partner to finish meditating or whatever it was he did when he stared like that.

"Nope," he said, falsely cheerful. There was never anything useful in this town. He could go the hardware store, steal a wrench or something, but really? You armed yourself properly or you didn't bother doing it at all. Wrenches and hammers, not worth the effort.

A gun, on the other hand.

"You?"