“I’ll make it mine.”
{One Night in Hell | Day 2, Evening }
Collab with @FallenReaper
She spent the cab ride to the shop on her phone, researching what she could about where she was about to be taking over. She knew well enough that what was reported wasn’t always totally the truth, but it always held some degree of the truth within it.
“Miss?” the voice called from the front seat when they had been sat a moment at their destination and she hadn’t gotten out.
Masha looked up over her glasses at the driver, blinking before she realized what was going on. “Oh yes,” she said, sounding distracted as she climbed out of the car, paying before she closed the door.
She headed into the shop she'd bought and got to work. It wasn't much she needed to do. In fact, she hardly had to do anything. The place had only been up for sale because the owner was moving on to other things, otherwise it was a very successful business that only needed to see their new boss.
After making the calls she needed to for her apartment, she headed back to her hotel to finish up the research she started before. Things outwardly seemed to look good for the place. Their website offered a plethora info about hours and prices and glowing pictures that she was sure didn't truly show where things were at now. But she didn't think any place would promote itself as worse for wear. Perhaps an “under new management/construction”. Which was an idea for her. She'd certainly consider that. She had no intention of totally changing things, but letting outsiders know that new people were in control might bring back in old crowds.
After a while though, she decided the best way to get any info that was actually useful was to just go there herself. She just couldn't indulge as much as she normally did. Which was a pity, but a necessary thing to do. So going with an outfit that was less attention grabbing, but still rather enough to turn a few heads, she headed out to what was soon to be her newest place of business.
When she was dropped off out front of the place, she looked it over with a critical eye. The building itself looked okay, but the business seemed...well lacking certainly was the word for it. It was more to what Darius had said it was than what the website had said. So they were putting on a front then. Hoping that things would pick back up and nothing would have to change. There was a bouncer, and a roped line, but no line. There was no one queuing up to get in. She could hear the music from inside, but there was no rushing crowds either.
Walking towards the door, the sounds of her heels clicking on the concrete, she came at the bouncer like she owned the place. Which, she kinda did. Almost. He gave her an approving look over, eyes lingering on the lacy eyelets of her bar that could be seen easily through her sheer blouse. When she didn’t stop him, he spoke more to her breasts than her face. “Well hello there,” he nearly purred in a deep voice. “I know I ain't seen your beautiful...face around these parts before.”
“You haven't,” she smirked, twirling a long strand of black hair around one finger. “But I'm very interested in coming by more often. Especially if you'll let a girl in for free.”
“No can do, sweetheart,” he sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed that he couldn't. Apparently fear of his boss was bigger than his desire for her. Which she supposed was a good thing.
“Fine,” she huffed. “Your loss.” Once she was inside the darkened interior, she stopped being quite so outwardly confident. She still walked with purpose, she still walked like she knew she looked like a million bucks and that she knew very well she was
worth it too.
The place was...well not exactly her taste. Well that wasn’t exactly true. It had a garish, skulls and flames theme. She liked skulls, she liked flames, she liked the
idea of it. But it was so cheap and not in the best of conditions either. It was a place that certainly needed her brand of TLC to it. And it certainly needed more people. The place was almost dead.
Sliding up to the bar, she had to snap her fingers to get someone to pay attention to her.
A punk dressed
woman with pink highlights in her raven dark hair, dotted tattoo near the right side of her head’s hairline and about 2-3 piercings decorating her face rose up from behind the counter. She had been bent over cleaning the alcohol refuse spilled across the floor. Her eyes brushed over to the single customer causing her to frown as she propped the broom shaft against the far counter side and pulled up close to the counter. Her figure leaned over it to address the new client with her arms crossed under her decent sized chest.
“You’re new, trying a new place?” Her tag said Nikki which indicated that was her name, “What can I get you?”
Masha had taken the few moments to look the girl over as she'd answered her summons. She wasn't bad. Not her typically interest, but not outside the norm either. “That I am,” she purred, leaning her arms on the counter some. She was still standing, trying to decide if she wanted to climb up on the stool or not. Her heels would at least make that easier. “I'll take a Bloody Mary, with your best vodka, please.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Apologies, the
owner,” Nikki’s tone emphasized where the fault lied and tried her best to seem apologetic as she lowered down, her eyes studied where the liquor was, “hasn’t bothered to officially restock anything. The delivery truck is unpredictable as usual. You really, as bad as this sounds, picked another place for your first time out.”
Bottles clinked and rapidly moved, her arms shifting for vodka, only find nothing. A soft moan escaped her lips as she popped back up, seeming to brace for the customer wrath, “And we’re out of vodka… I know we keep beer on tap. I think there’s some wine coolers in the back if I strangle my co-workers for it.”
When Nikki popped back up empty handed, and expressing that beer might be her only option her she wrinkled up her nose and shook her head. But she didn't explode on her, didn't show that wrath that Nikki had braced for and that Masha was totally capable of. “Well then,” she sucking on her tongue for a second. “How do you manage to keep a place going if your management can't be bothered to keep the place stocked? Just get me whatever then, whatever is easiest.”
“I…” Her eyes wandered toward one of the local bouncers, a huge and rather heavily tattooed brutish man, then pulled cautiously back up. However her voice lowered to discreetly convey her thoughts, “Personally, I wondered that myself and found out snooping wasn’t a good idea.”
Her hand shifted across the skin as the makeup concealer rubbed away to reveal a deep, purple black bruise on her forearm. She continued to make her now faked smile and said in a cheery fashion, “I’ll see what I can find. I’m pretty sure there’s some wine coolers I stashed away in back.”
With that, she began to move into the connected room where the employees often took their breaks from the customers. A waft of smoke and sounds of grunt, harsh voices were rumbling quietly when the door opened then once more were muffled out when it closed. In less than half an hour, the woman came swaying back in with a peach navel schnapps bottle and some orange juice. She quickly tossed into the clean mixer, stirred it and then drained it into a fancy wine stem glass with a wiggly stem.
“I’m hoping this will do?” Nikki said, trying to once more sound apologetic, as she slide it over.
When the girl walked off, Masha decided it was best to sit. She looked around her as she waited, taking careful notes in her head of those who were there to drink and those who were there for business, whether their own or their employers. Especially taking note of bulky guards. She liked to rough people up, she enjoyed causing pain. But she did not approve of that sort of roughing up. She had schooled her expression well enough though at Nikki’s change in demeanor and the hint of bruises along her arm. She wasn't going to start something just then.
She had just considered pulling out her cigarettes when the girl returned with her drink parts and mixed it up for her. “That'll do,” she said with a little chuckle and a smirk. “Took you a bit longer than I expected back there though…” It wasn't an outright complaint, and it certainly wasn't an angry one. It was much more and open ended inquiry, one that she hoped would be picked up on.
“I had to… work around a few things,” Nikki said, recalling how one of the thugs got a bit too touchy and she barely made out with the cocktail ingredients. Her head looked toward the door, hinting at something unpleasant, as she then turned to Masha. Getting a bit more casual, she once more leaned and continued to talking in a low tone, “Honestly, if it wasn’t for the pay and other things, I wouldn’t be caught dead here. The management has gone to shit since Mr. Cortes took over.”
One of her dark eyebrows raised up some, tilting her head to the side slightly as she considered what she’d said. So people were hands in an unwelcoming sort of way.
She , in general, didn’t mind anyone being handsy with her. But she was a firm believer of handsy only when it was wanted. Or at least not in the workplace, when there was no escaping them. “So you get paid well in both money and other perks, but it seems like you can’t keep customers here.” She said, sounding like she was thinking things through outloud. “I mean, it’s dead. How do you get paid then, if you don’t have the people coming in?”
“Honestly, side money. Mr. Cortes has been using ‘other’ funding to keep this place up and running. I’m a little worried about that honestly because he’s got connections to the Fox, how deep I don’t know because I got a good thrashing for being nosy, and I get the sneaky suspicion Mr. Cortes has been skimming off the top of the ‘benefactor’s’ funds,” Nikki looked up and immediately buttoned up as she noted one of the bouncers looking her way. Her tone became louder, but not enough to sound unusual and addressed Masha, “Are you certain that’s all you want, we got great beer on tap.”
She flashed the brute a smile, fake, then let it curl away when the bouncer looked away. The bartender let out a sigh of relief then continued, “Sorry about that. Mr. Cortes doesn’t like me gossiping or chasing away what little customers we have. He’s made threats that my mouth will end me up in some dark alley if I don’t shut up or stop snooping.”
Nikki bit her lip and scanned the crowd of three or four people, then bent her head down to rub the back of it. Exhaling, she raised upright and tried to remain calm through the panic was clear in her eyes, “Anything you want to know or have I chased you off already?”
Masha listened closely as she spoke. She obviously wasn't very good at being nosy, but she had the gumption for it. Which she supposed was a good thing. It might be something that she could use to her favor in the future. “Upsetting ones possible benefactor and protector is a very dumb idea,” she said more to herself than the girl.
“I agree with you there,” Nikki commented, lifting her head, even when the statement wasn’t toward her. Her nails, decorated with a white background in the center then fading off into black and a skull cut out in the middle, tapped the counter lightly. Her weight leaned toward one side as her other leg circled her straightened one and her eyes darted occasionally to the bouncers to ensure they weren’t spying her giving the customer too much attention.
“Oh there's loads I'd love to know,” she purred, leaning in a little flirty herself. “It takes much more than that to scare me off.”
Nikki immediately jerked her attention fully on Masha at the woman’s words, noting the purr in her tone. Her arms crossed under her chest while she began to curl a long hair strand over her finger and leaned in deeper, “Well, if I’m honest, I have to say you’re the perk of the night. Through you get too curious, it would best to do it outside prying eyes.”
The bartender’s eyes hinted toward someone watching them closer than earlier. A large, horned individual that looked he was part Licenti stared right at the bar. His thick arms were crossed and he tried to give a sloppy air of indifference, but it was obvious he was spying on Nikki.
Masha only glanced over at the brute that was set there to hover over them. Or at least over Nikki. She wondered why they hadn't just fired her if they didn't trust her enough to even work on her own. When Masha looked back to the other woman, she smiled a little slyly. “Well you're very much the perk of my night,” she murmured lowly, though not because she cared if anyone heard.
“A girl always like to hear that. How’s your drink?” Nikki asked as she twisted about, her attention drawn to one of the few patrons in the bar signing for a drink. Her figure moved to fill a mug from the tap as she bounced to the beat, the music starting to pick up. She slid the mug down to the individual who smiled and took a deep draft.
“Wonderful,” she answered, though it was clear by the look on her face that it wasn't the drink she was talking about. She watched her work for a while, still looking around and taking stock of everything while no one knew who she was. It was best that way, to judge what it was they were willing to do when they didn't think they were being watched.
Of course, she called her over now and again for a refill and chat, but her questions were of a far more casual nature. She still wanted to know more, but that wasn't something that she could do now. Or more accurately, wasn't what she was the most interested in doing now. Not when there was a pretty and interesting girl in front of her who seemed to be like Masha in the right ways.
And since she had nothing better to do that evening, and no other exciting prospects at the club, she waited until Nikki was off work. Putting out the last of her cigarette, she smiled at her with a look that was half predator half promise. “Now your place or mine?” she asked with a low, smoky laugh.
