[1x1] Cel/Johnny - My Evolution Is To Shoot For The Stars

[Ruyail]

It was a normal night in Nomiya. The patrons were currently getting shitfaced, and Cel was getting tipped more and more. All in all, it was a good night. Most of her regulars had crowded her side of the bar. That allowed for less comment on her covered gothic wardrobe and questions about where she was from simply because her accent was so horrible.

Cel was not from Japan. She wasn't even from America. She was a Roma. A gypsy who often just roamed the world, but events in her past lead her to roam away from the people whom she cared about the most. How she found herself in Japan, she didn't really know. It had been a compulsion, and had thus far been fairly permanent. She hadn't found anything to really tie her down so she had been looking at other places to go. She had her regulars, but true friends were rather hard to come by for Cel.

She grinned at one of her more comically drunk regulars and roughly asked him in her horribly accented Japanese if he wanted more to drink. He raised his glass and called for more. Another down the way was asking if he could give Cel private Japanese lessons. She brushed him off as she always did. He didn't mean any harm. He was trapped in a loveless marriage and something as exotic and rare as Cel.. well, who could pass that up when they've had enough drinks to muster the courage.

Cel kept looking towards the door, expecting it to open. Her boss had given her explicit instructions about a package that was going to be delivered. It was a special VIP guest's special ordered liquor. He had rented out the entire bar for some party. It was to be taken to the back immediately and put in the manager's office. She rolled her eyes at the thought of one of the bartenders taking the alcohol, but her boss didn't become her boss by trusting everyone. It seemed that most of the time, she was the only one he trusted.

And she hated it.

She shifted her hips some as she looked towards the door anxiously once more. She wanted to get this over with and drop the manager's key in the deposit box like he had instructed her already. She rubbed her face and looked towards her customers once more. "More?"

 

[bobaTJ]

It wasn't often that packages had to be delivered in the evening, but it was also not all that common for bars to need anything from the postal service. At the very least it was a few extra yen for his troubles and the thanks of the multitude of teenagers who desperately didn't want to spend their night working. He puttered to a stop just outside the bar, perched on a scooter that he rivaled in size and trying to hide it beside the building. It wasn't like anyone was going to steal a mail scooter while sober, but with the people here?

Nothing was too safe.

The box was marked "fragile" and weighed enough to account for something expensive, and Johnny was almost positive that he'd heard it sloshing. What kind of booze was so special that it couldn't be ordered from their normal supplier? It must be damn fancy, and he wished that he could be around to taste it. Instead he would need to leave it all alone and under-appreciated. Pity.

He entered, unsure of who exactly the package was meant to go to. It was a shock of blue that caught his attention and caused him to gravitate toward it. The girl underneath seemed to be tending bar, so if he was going to just drop things off, he imagined she'd be the one accepting it. Grinning, the man approached the bar and sneaked into a gap between two patrons, one of whom seemed to be sizing him up. He didn't notice. Johnny raised his hand to hail the tender and leaned slightly over the bar.
 

[Ruyail]

Cel had noticed the delivery man instantly. He was obviously not from around there, much like her. She smirked at him and waved at him, though she was pretty sure he didn't see her. She smirked at one of her regulars muttering something. "It's okay.. don't worry. I need to talk to him. Be nice.." She leaned against the bar with a smile on her face. She spoke in English so they wouldn't be disturbed "Hey there, good lookin. What can I do for you today? Got something for me?" She leaned over in an almost flirtatious manner and winked at him. Her accent was something akin to a Russian mobster and Dracula love child. If he was caught off guard by her English, he might not understand her.

The men around her attempted to keep up, but most of them weren't strong English speakers and her accent threw them off every time. She motioned to him. "I think you have a package for me that I need to secure immediately. You don't mind if I take it to the back first, right? My manager's being pretty particular about this package. Some high dollar s**t someone's brought in special for some crazy party he's having here next week." She grinned and shrugged.

Cel made a motion at the man sizing him up. "You've had too much. Go on. Go home to your wife!" She sighed as he sullenly stood up and left. She smiled at the man. "Sorry. They're kind of protective of me. They think everyone's going to embaress me." She shrugged some. She opened her arms for the package. "If you don't mind.."  

[bobaTJ]

It wasn't so much the accent that threw him as the fact that it was English. Sure, you got a spot here and there and some people were even fluent, but he hadn't been expecting it. Johnny's expression exploded up, eyebrows raising and eyes widening at the sounds that his brain was telling him were English.

'... secure immediately.'

"Right, right," he replied in English, laughing slightly at himself and gently placing the box on the bar. It wasn't rare that someone wanted to secure a package or check it before signing, and this one in particular was only coming to the establishment, not a particular person. The girl seemed knowledgeable if nothing else, and perhaps it was a failing of his, but he trusted her. "Sorry, you threw me. I didn't hear anything shatter on my way over, so we should be good. If you want to inspect it first that's fine."

He pulled the signature pad from his belt with full intentions to speak more to this woman upon her return. Her accent was foreign, but not by any means American. He was curious. besides, who with bright blue hair wasn't worth speaking with? He had nowhere else to be, either, and while it was generally not acceptable to drink on the job, a jacket and hat were easily removed. He nodded in the direction of the man who was now gone.

"They don't bother me. I think I'll survive."

He was much taller and much broader than most of the patrons... or anyone native, really. Combative drunks were not the worst thing to happen upon.
 

[Ruyail]

Cel looked at the package then at Johnny. She looked back at it for a moment and considered it. "Well, there are no wet spots and.." She put the package to her ear and gave it to firm shakes. "And no broken glass sounds. I think we're good, don't you?" She grinned at him and turned, taking the package to the back and locking it in her manager's office as instructed. She left a note on his desk saying that the shipment had come in and she was well aware that there were indeed FOUR bottles of the liquor in there and not any fewer and that he shouldn't let one find it's way in his desk drawer again. She stood and stretched for a moment, looking over her manager's office. It was a tiny room that smelled like cheap cigars. She shook her head and turned, walking out. She locked the door behind her and dropped his key in the safe before walking about to the front.

"Now that that mess is done with, let's drink shall we? Want me to make you better than the stuffy s**t in that box? I saw you looking at it wantingly~" She teased him, still speaking in English as she went to the bar, not really caring whether he wanted it or not. He'd drink it, just like everyone else. She looked to her regulars, making sure no one was wanting anything and replaced a few empty beers as well as a few mixed drinks before she continued on his. "Sorry, they get first run. They're a lot drunker than you are and Mommy needs to pay her electric bill this month on time~" She laughed and shook her head some as she finished his drink and placed it in front of him.

"They shouldn't. They're all gentle businessmen when they aren't on the sauce. Hell, I'm pretty sure most of these guys are accountants or something like that. Isn't that the stereotype for Japanese? They're good in math?" She grinned some and winked at him, obviously kidding as she poured herself a shot before downing it. That roused a rather loud cheer from her regulars. She waved them to quiet down before looking at Johnny.

"So, what's your name, Slick? Or should I keep coming up with cute nicknames until I get you sauced enough to tell me everything about you?" She grinned and leaned on the bar, looking at him expectantly. She even began tapping her boot behind the bar, though it was rather hard to hear over the dull roar of the crowd around them. She didn't seem to notice anyone but him. Probably a bartender's trick, but she seemed completely intent on him until someone called for more in Japanese and her attention left him for just a moment before returning as if it had never left.  

[bobaTJ]

"Actually, I need you to sign this," Johnny replied as the girl returned. he waited for her to finish and his eyes widened at the notion of a drink. He wasn't allowed to do that... really, really wasn't. She was good at keeping up conversation though, even if it was a bit one-sided in his case. He chuckled and shook his head, meaning to deny the drink and instead finding himself interrupted once again. He accepted his fate with a smile and took a moment to clip the signature reader into his belt again. His fingers tapped the bar as he weighed his options.

"Johnny," he nodded finally, squinting as he spoke almost as if against the noise, "You're very good at this!" In the span of a couple of minutes, the girl had already engaged him in conversation and made him consider sitting down for a drink. He knew the crowd well enough to know that one was never enough and he was bound to sit down for at least an hour, chatting and drinking. He highly doubted that the tender would be able to get anything out of him, though... he wasn't quite her normal crowd, from the looks of it. He moved to speak again, but the girl was suddenly gone and tending to her other patrons who, he reminded himself, she probably treated in the same way.

...a drink. Alright.

With the bartender gone, Johnny left the bar and went out to his scooter, removing his jacket and hat to fold them gently in the back compartment with the signature reader. He stored his wallet in the "trunk" as well and tucked it into his pocket with his keys before returning to the bar and sitting down at an empty stool, entirely ignorant to any unsavory looks he may be getting.
 

[Ruyail]

Cel laughed some at what he said. "It's either be good or be broke. This is a very people person job. You can't just be sullen and mean looking. Even if people are afraid of me at first glance." She lifted her arms and turned. A short black skirt, black tights, blue torn tights over those, sneakers and a hoodie. Not exactly a work-type outfit one would think of for a female bartender. She seemed to be doing pretty well though. She kept her eyes on everyone's drinks, but the majority of her attention was spent on him. It was nice speaking a language she was good at rather than Japanese with it's strange sounds and her utter lack of a Japanese accent.

She watched him leave for a moment as she fiddled with the drinks of her regulars. She kept an eye on them, muttering that if they didn't behave themselves, she'd cut them off and send them all home to their nagging wives. That was a threat she'd follow through on, and ha ddone before. She had called one man's wife on him before. That was an interesting bit of time for Cel and the bar. She shrugged it off as she did everything and went to go make another drink for her new friend.

She considered his name till he got back. Johnny. It was a nice name. She leaned on the bar again, once again making eye contact with him. With a bit of a smirk, she tilted her head. "So, Johnny, you're a delivery man by night.. what do you do during the day? Are you a reverse superhero? You're surely built like one.." She smiled warmly at him and motioned to his arms. A few of her regulars looked at their arms and tried to compare with his. She noticed and stifled a laugh.

"Don't they see that flexing with someone as big as you is never a contest? Hell. You look like you could lift me with just a bicep.." She laughed and shrugged before finding herself another shot. "Shot on me boys!" She pulled what seemed to be her own secret stash and dropped a little in for everyone. "This is real s**t. Romanian s**t. You can't handle Romanian s**t." She taunted them in English, but they got the gist of it. They cursed at her then downed it. She looked at him expectantly. "Well? Are you gonna let them show you up?"  

[bobaTJ]

There was a time when Johnny had considered becoming a bartender, but the hours almost definitely would have affected his education. He wasn't sure how some of these men did it, going home after midnight and waking up at 5 to head to work. He had to respect them for that, at least.

"A-ha, flattering, but no," he laughed in response, shaking his head. Damned if she wasn't trying to charm him into getting drunk. "I'm studying to be a nurse." He leaned over on the bar then and lifted his rolled sleeve a bit further up his arm, giving a good flex to counter the men around him. There was no harm in a little showing-off, and he thought the patrons around him might be at least marginally amused, as well as the pretty bar tender. The lower half of his tattoo peeked out from beneath his shirt, but rapidly disappeared when he pulled his sleeves back down again and was forgotten.

"Romania, eh? I wondered where your accent was from. How long have you-- ah. Well." There had been an era in Johnny's life where he would never have denied a challenge, but he had to be up early for class tomorrow and, although tempted, was not willing to give in to the goading of a woman whose job it was to get him smashed and make him pay. "...I ...think I'll leave it to the professionals." He gave a disappointed little sigh and slid his shot to the man to his left, grinning. Someone on this bar was depressed enough to need the extra boost, and might even pay for it if the tender charged after all. ...she didn't seem the type, though. granted, he didn't really know her yet.

"Anyway! How long have you been in Japan?"
 

[Ruyail]

Cel was interested instantly when she saw the ink. She hopped up on the bar and leaned over. "Oh! I saw a tatt! You can't hide it from me. Can I see?" She turned a bit so she moved with his arm, still peering. "I like seeing other people's tattoos. I think I can learn a lot about you from the tatt on your arm." She wibbled at him and bit her lip. "PLEASE Nurse Johnny please?"

She had hopped down for the shot and saw him passing it on to an already far too gone man. She stole both shots from the man and downed them herself and sllipped him water in a shot glass. "Sorry sorry! I couldn't stand to see someone double fisting my own country's drink!" She laughed some and played it off. No one should of been the wiser to her trick. "Be respectful of the drink and it'll respect you! You keep tossing them back like an abused woman, one day they'll kill you!" She laughed and shook her head.

She laughed and shrugged. "I've been here for a bit. Not necessarily in this spot, but around. It's been a nice place. I've considered staying here, but the road calls every so often. I've tried changing apartments. That tends to help some. I'm Roma.." She hit herself on the chest twice. "We don't stay in the same place for long!" She smirked and thumbed to her regulars. "They aren't professionals. They're lightweights." She nodded seriously. "You wanna see professional see me drink anyone under the table. I, my good man, am a professional drinker."  

[bobaTJ]

"Ah, for the days of professional drinking," Johnny laughed, shaking his head and pushing his sleeve up again. It wouldn't quite rise beyond the banner at the top, but nevertheless it got his point across. There was quite a bit to be learned about him from his tattoos alone, and this one depicting a soldier's grave, a mourning silhouette and American flag was fairly blatant in its approach. "Got a couple more, but you'd have to get me pretty buss to show you those."

An inappropriate eyebrow waggle implied entirely untrue tattoo locations. Still, he wasn't about to bare his chest in the middle of a bar populated by older businessmen. It didn't strike him to show her his wrists.

"You got any? Eye for an eye and whatnot," he nodded, and then pointed and dug a finger into the bartop, "and a decent beer, if you don't mind. Might as well stay for a while, right?" He smiled warmly at the girl, eyes wrinkling slightly.
 

[Ruyail]

Cel leaned down and looked over the tattoo. She ran her finger down it, considering it. It was well done indeed. It would be a place she'd like to go visit for her next tattoo. She looked at him and smirked some. "Don't tempt me, Soldier. I might have to take you up on that. I'd like to see.." She leaned close for a moment before moving away and grabbing more drinks for someone else. "Where did you get your.. well.. hell. It's basically a half sleeve. Where did you get it done? I'd like to visit there some day.."

She laughed and murmured. "I've got a few, but unlike you, most of mine are really in private places that aren't ever revealed in public. I only have one I can show you. She offered her left hand ring finger. There was a bar of black around her wedding finger. "Before you ask, he was both the best idea and worst mistake of my life. He made my life both a living hell and a wonderful fantasy." She shrugged and smirked. "I got wise, though, and left him for Japan." She made a motion around her. "I can't say I got the worst end of the bargain. Japan's set in it's ways, but it 's not a bad place." She nodded seriously.

She laughed and shook her head. "Decent? Watch that filthy tongue, Soldier. Don't stain the virtue of my country with such a foul insinuation! You'll make my poor little heart break!" She laughed some and grabbed a beer for him and pushed it towards him. She grinned in response, her own nose wrinkling. "So, Johnny Boy, what brings YOU to Japan?"
 

[bobaTJ]

It wasn't unusual for someone to try and 'feel' a tattoo and so there was no initial discomfort at the bar tender's touch.

"Massachusetts, unfortunately. Back in the states," Johnny nodded, "It was shortly after my discharge. So shortly after that they suggested I not do it, but hey." He was a bit stunned then to see not only a tattoo but that it was a wedding band. At once he wondered if the woman hadn't been flirting with him by touching his arm. Either way, he was still smiling. He took his beer and popped it open, taking a swig as the bar tender spoke and silently planning to nurse the bottle for the rest of the night.

"Ah! Right. Well. Long story short, my dad was deployed here when I was a kid and I developed a love for it. Not Kanaiishi specifically, but--" he trailed off in the way Americans had, waving a hand slightly, "I got discharged and decided to pick my way back here. I have nothing but good memories of Japan. It's different, but that's what makes it interesting, eh?" he tilted his head then, realizing something that he felt like a bad person for ignoring.

"...I don't think I caught your name..."
 

[Ruyail]

Cel smirked at his eyeing her 'wedding band'. She shrugged and flashed her palm at him. "I had his signature tattooed onto my wedding finger then I realized what a manipulative jerk he was and decided I was better off on my own." She grinned some and tilted her head. "It's really nice. Why did they suggest you not do it? The only way they really do that is if you're stoned out of your head and.." She pulled his shirt down, with a grin. "... well.. you don't know what you're actually doing." She smirked some and patted his arm gently.

She listened and nodded. "It is what makes it interesting. She laughed and shook her head some. She pursed her lips at him and murmured. "Why would you want a silly thing like my name? You've gotten along fine without it thus far. Maybe you should try to guess eh? They've been saying it all night. And asking them straight out isn't allowed!" She grinned and winked at him. "If you win, I'll pay for your beer and the dinner afterwards when I get off. If I win and you don't guess, well, you buy my dinner after I get off work." She grinned and winked at him.

She leaned back and tilted her head to the side. "Maybe, Nurse Johnny, if you're good, I'll show you my other two tattoos." She was flirting fiercely with this one, but he made it interesting, a challenge. It wasn't just the every day normal flirt. This was just plain fun. She crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side. "Well?"  

[bobaTJ]

"I'm not shaking on that!" he laughed, leaning back slightly on his seat. He didn't have the money to pay for a dinner out for himself, let alone with someone else, and the bar tender's proposition sounded a lot like a date. This girl was amusing as hell. He was glad he'd stayed! He went silent then, ears primed for picking any names out of the conversation. Where his new friend lacked conversational skills, he was fluent and reasonably without accent. Someone must say it eventually... or had they all heard her ask? Now all of them seemed rather quiet.

"...do you have psychic powers or something?" he asked, turning back to the girl, "It's a shame they don't make you folks wear name tags. Let's see... Romanian names. ... well, you're not a Vlad. Um. Constanta? Alina? Hah, that's about where my guesses end."
 

[Ruyail]

"Aww. Now you're gonna hurt my feelings, Nurse Johnny.." She smirked at him and leaned back against the back bar. "Am I not pretty enough for you? Not cookie cutter enough?" She was quite obviously teasing, but on some level it still hurt to be rejected even if Cel was a bit worried about what this would turn into. "Let's say you finish that beer and I'll give you another one and then we'll see what you say, huh?" She smirked at him and leaned forward. " She looked at the regulars and winked. They'd say her name. Hell, once they got over the initial shock of her asking in what was only extremely flawed Japanese, they began weaving around her name, calling her 'bartender', 'blue', or 'goth-princess'. She laughed some as they got more creative with the names.

"I don't have psychic powers. They just know me well enough to understand what I'm saying to them." She laughed and pulled up her hoodie a bit to show off a rather nice looking top. "They do. I just get cold really easy on account of being a tiny thing. But you can't seeeeeee it~" She laughed and eyed him as he named the Romanian names he knew.

Cel couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you, for one saying the name we all hate the most now and two, not saying Esmerelda. It's nice NOT to hear that name every time it's mentioned I'm Roma. If it helps you, I'll give you a hint. My name means 'heavenly'. And I am very very heavenly.." She grinned and winked at Johnny, amusing herself all the more with the American.