"You deserve better," Jeff whispered, grabbing one of the freshly washed glasses and began to dry it with a cloth.
"Do I? Even I'm unsure of it at this point in my life. I don't see why I'm even here. Sure, my paintings sell super well and I've established myself in an online community that loves me. But they don't really know who I am. They know me by a pseudonym and nothing more. I could vanish and my paintings would be the only positive memory of my existence. Yet, they wouldn't be identified as mine since I paint under a pseudonym. I can't go out in public and reveal my identity. My sales would crash and I'd likely end up homeless."
I stared blankly at the rows of alcohol displayed to Jeff's left while I continued to ramble.
"My mother cares about me, but doesn't have the courage to defy my father. He doesn't give two shits about me, and James...I don't think he'll ever really accept me as a lover. I'll always be the friends with benefits girl who he seeks out for companionship. I think I just stay because of the same reason, though. Someone to comfort me when I'm ill or sad. Someone to drink with or rant about my troubles to. I guess the sex is nice too." I giggled at the last part.
I lifted the empty shot glass, staring at the thick glass as I moved it up and down for no reason.
"If I let all the people who are negative out of my life, Jeff, I'd be left alone. I have no other friends or family who love me," I whispered.
“What about Hakua?" he reminded.
I laughed, ignoring the tear that rolled down my left cheek. "Hakua is now the instructor of sword dancing in a temple on the outskirts of Homatomashi, which is two and half hours journey and train service ends at ten in the morning, resuming at four in the evening and the last train is at six in the evening. All courtesy of my loving father who thinks the disciplined people up there deserve a sword dancing instructor who is worthy of training the best. She shouldn't be spending her time babying and being friends with little old me. After all, what would a human possibly do with sword dancing?” I explained, as my father's words echoed in my mind.
"What! When does she leave?" he demanded, looking pissed.
"She's gone, Jeff. The contract is already signed," I replied dully.
"But...Hakua cares dearly about your friendship. She would have told you or fought the decision," Jeff argued. He'd known Hakua even before I began coming here. I knew he’d had a tiny crush on her for the longest time and I bet he was rattled at the reality of Hakua being transferred against her will.
"No choice. I know how my father works and his emphasis on privacy. The contract would include a nondisclosure agreement and her training is the family business. Her refusal would spark my father's anger and he'd make sure she wouldn't be able to get employment anywhere else," I revealed.
"But, he's not that powerful. Sure he's a known legend and has done his share of helping out the country and Nokamato itself, but he's not the damn Emperor! He can't have all that power in his grasp," Jeff snarled.
"Unless the Emperor comes down here himself, and announces the new updated laws of leadership, my father and the rest of the Council will sit on their high thrones and continue to treat the people like shit," I vented.
"The Emperor is still ill. I bet he doesn't know what goes down here. The Council has put up a front that masks what really goes on in the dark alleys and the crime rate that continues to rise every day. I'm lucky this bar is in a quiet area and brings business. I've heard of the fights and murders that have been going on in other areas, as well as the multiple robberies and reports of stolen goods," Jeff huffed, setting the glass down and moving on to the next, cleaning it in a rougher manner.
"The Emperor has a son though. I wish he could come down here and see what’s going on."
"Moment he stepped foot on our lands, everyone would just fake it, acting like everything was okay under the Council. He wouldn’t know that the Council bribed or blackmailed everyone," Jeff argued.
I frowned, knowing that would be a tactic my father would use with no remorse. He'd done things like that multiple times to get to where he currently sat on the Council.
"It's such bullshit!" I declared.
"It's only a matter of time. We're already getting backlash from neighboring countries because of the death of Storm Yuna. Your father and the other Council members better watch their next moves because I wouldn't be surprised if the Emperor sends undercover investigators to scout out Nokamato. I heard a rumor that the Council is treating Storm's guards like shit," Jeff revealed.
"Her guards? Wait, you mean the ones who would watch her when she went out and stuff?"
"No, her personal guards, meaning her lovers. Not many people knew about their relationship, but you know us bartenders hear a lot from all the customers we deal with on the daily. One man who worked as a guard for Storm said that the guys had been summoned that night by the Council without Storm Yuna. She went with her normal security to get some fresh air and that's when she was murdered by a member of some criminal organization. They’re still tracking down the thief who took a valuable item with Yuna's magic and familiar locked inside it," Jeff clarified.
I needed a few moments to process the information. "How is her familiar trapped in the watch?" That hadn’t made any sense to me.
"It's not necessarily trapped. Storm Yuna comes from a strong family background of shamans and magic users. They use items to help host their magic because they have way too much. Storm's familiar is basically its own entity, but can shift into any animal it wants. Cat, dog, eagle, anything in animal form," Jeff explained.
I nodded, urging him to continue.
"Whatever was locked in the stolen watch must be extremely powerful, especially since it includes her essence. If it ends up in the wrong hands, they can use her powers, familiar, and any dark secrets that had lingered in her mind. The newspaper said an incident like this happened before and so they had a bunch of predictions of what could occur if that kind of stolen item gets into the wrong hands, but I didn't continue reading. It's all a bunch of fake stuff to pull you in." Jeff sighed, shaking his head in annoyance.
"But why would they treat her lovers poorly? Shouldn't the Council be providing them with the best treatment? I thought she came down on their behalf," I questioned.
"She did. The Council requested her aid for a month and she finally decided to come down to assist with a business deal and a few other magic related deals that needed to be finalized. Now that she's dead and the Council is receiving major backlash, I think they're taking their frustration out on her former lovers rather than dealing with it themselves," Jeff theorized.
"Wouldn't be surprised,” I sighed. My phone vibrated in my jeans pocket. I quickly took it out, squinting to see James' text.
DRUNKEN LOVER:
"I'll be at the lamp post in fifteen. I'm sorry about earlier. Will talk when we get home. <3 u."
I slid the phone back into my pocket, giving Jeff a sad smile. "Guess it's time for me to leave."
"Don't fall for his 'let's have makeup sex' methods. You have to draw the line, Crim," Jeff declared.
I nodded, sliding off the bar stool.
"I know, Jeff. I'll do my best. Thanks for always listening to me. I really appreciate it." I bowed my head in gratitude, pulling out a hundred dollar bill and placing it on the counter.
"Crim—" he began, but I shook my head.
"If I paid for a therapist it would be way more than that and they aren't allowed to give their clients alcohol. You'll just have to do both." I smiled, giving him a wink.
"I'll always make time for you, Crim, and if you need a friend outside of just this place, don't hesitate to call me up. You have my number, right?"
"Yup! You're my emergency contact if I need alcohol or to vent," I joked.