Heatwaves (11) : An unfortunate dry spell has come over Destiny City, and a heat wave has made it all but unbearable. The heatwave is only projected to last for a week but it’s been rough. Plants are wilting, people are wilting. The city is experiencing blackouts, which isn’t helping. Thankfully, the reservoir is always open. Just, crowded. It might just be the worst part of the summer. People are passing out regularly, and the hospitals are getting too many admissions to keep up with. It’s probably just the heat and not anyone up to anything nefarious, right? Better stay hydrated and try to keep cool, and maybe avoid everyone in weird costumes, just in case.
It was only a couple of blocks from the usual subway station to Scandals, but that was long enough to be a dangerous ordeal in this heat, especially since it was still a while yet before the sun would go down. Julian arrived at the usual time anyway. Since he'd discovered the place near the end of November, it was an automatic destination for the end of the week. He arrived panting and sweat-drenched, with a shiny forehead and a partially unbuttoned shirt, and sauntered on down to a favored seat by the wall.
He really liked this place. It was one of the very few spaces in Destiny City that felt genuinely nice. Like hell he would let anything happen to it. He came here at least once a week to make sure the energy vampires weren't making any appearances. If they ever did, there would be hell to pay. There was plenty else on his mind beyond that today, and he was eager for a drink to smooth it all out for a while.
amorremanet
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:04 pm
Unbeknownst to Julian, one of the senshi he would’ve called “energy vampires” had recently come into something of an artistic residency at Scandals.… Well, the residency had been around for a while, but said drag-artist-in-residence had recently awakened into the Dark Mirror Court, who did require energy to stay fuel Mirrorspace. Or maybe the Black Mirror? Reiki still wasn’t entirely sure of the specifics on who benefited from the energy (which he hadn’t actually drained in a while, but……it was probably better not to think about that too hard……or about the potential for Reiki to get himself Very In Trouble by not doing his actual job, here).
Fortunately for Julian’s intent in coming to Scandals tonight, though, Reiki would’ve agreed with Julian’s opinion about the bar being a safe haven for all—if he’d had even the slightest inkling, as he swanned toward the bar, that the regular he was heading for had anything to do with the White Moon.
Reiki had no such inclinations, though (and frankly, never would’ve guessed that anybody he knew, whether they were a Scandals regular or his own brother, was a member of any non-Dark Mirror faction without being hit upside the head with that information). Since it wasn’t one of Reiki’s hosting nights, he was free to do whatever he liked, as long as he made it to the stage for his numbers. Getting himself a glass of water and sidling up to Julian’s normal spot by the wall sounded more like his actual speed than milling around in the thick of the crowd right now. Even with air conditioning and his “outfit” only being one of his many slutty schoolgirl outfits (with the button-up tied into a crop-top), the bar was so warm that Reiki didn’t want to put a wig on until he had to. At the moment, he had his natural hair braided and pinned up to the sides of his head, ready to be tucked under a wig but not currently smothered by one.
“Hey, stranger,” he said, giving Julian an easy smile. “I’d say ‘Is it hot in here or is that just you,’ but……ugh, the weather’s giving every hottie in town a run for our collective money.”
"Reiki," greeted Julian, in a voice that was raspy from dehydration and vibrating from anxiety, but appreciative of his presence. "Tell me about it. Step out the door for more than ten seconds and your shirt's ruined." He thoroughly hated it, and the gratuitous pit stains he had walked into the bar with. Pulling away some of the colorful fabric of his shirt that had stuck to his chest, he continued, "Thankfully, this one was only two dollars."
It was a vintage polo with bands of loud-colored patterns in lieu of stripes. He had gotten it from the thrift store down the street. Even though it was cheap, he would be devastated to lose it.
He stretched out his back, with his palms pressed against the edge of the table, sighed, and tried to relax. He was in a good place with good company, and his eyes still habitually darted around the area in search of hidden dangers. The return of the Star Festival, and accompanying strange supernatural happenings, were making him grit his teeth harder than usual -- especially given the plans he ended up having for it this year.
"I'm ready for my vision to get blurry," he then declared, retrieving his wallet from his pocket. "Can you set me up?"
amorremanet
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 7:49 pm
“Alas, I cannot,” Reiki told him with an affected, over-dramatic sigh, “at least not directly, on account of not having my official license for mixology.” Not that the State of Virginia required such things of bartenders, but all the bartenders at Scandals had their licenses to serve, and anytime they posted for any vacancies, they always put the part about ‘VALID BARTENDER’S LICENSE REQUIRED’ in bolded all-caps (or the closest available formatting option on any particular site). “That said, I can certainly help……”
Being tall had certain advantages, after all. Made it a lot easier to get noticed when Reiki turned away from Julian to wave down the bar at Ricki and Mercedes, hoping one of them would notice and make it down here, as soon as they were done serving the patrons with whom they were currently occupied. While they waited, though, Reiki turned back to Julian.
“I am going to strongly recommend that you drink some water in between beverages, though,” he said, as gently as possible. “Not that I object to blurring your vision as such, but…” He shook his head. “It’s one thing to hear about all the people passing out from heat stroke and heat exhaustion? Another thing entirely to actually see it happen to one of the regulars around here.… Not meaning you, but…it happened to Gabe a few days ago. I had to get him to the ER……was a mess.”
Not least thanks to the “helpful intervention” of certain snot-nosed, super-aggro, goose-themed teenagers who’d judged Reiki as Guilty Guilty Guilty for no damn reason (or at least any that had been actually related to him, his actions, or anything he’d done to her or Gabriel). On the plus, Gabe had lived and been sent home from the hospital, so that was good. Remained to be seen whether he’d learn anything from this experience and drink his damn water more than getting suckered into some new MLM scheme on Facebook, but that was gonna be on him.
