"Noir, it's time for you to clock out," came a familiar, authoritative voice, bringing Asuriel out of her thoughts. "Stop spacing out and get ready to leave."
"Oh-" Asuriel smiled sheepishly as she turned to face her manager, Evie – or 'Sable' – who had approached her while she was dissociating. "Yes, boss."
"Are you coming in tonight, too?" Evie asked. "You don't have to; you seem out of it today, and I'm sure I can find someone to cover for you. Split shifts aren't easy, after all."
Asuriel shook her head. "I'm fine. There's no reason to stay home all night, and having more money is never a bad thing."
"You're still young, but all you do is work," Evie replied with a sigh, putting a hand on her hip. The older woman's commanding height made Asuriel look up slightly to meet her piercing blue gaze. "Your sense of responsibility is admirable, but I can't help but think you should slack off a little. Seeing you behind the bar every single day makes me feel bad for scheduling you so often."
"I take the hours because I want to, not out of obligation," Asuriel answered, then pouted, "but thanks for reminding me I'm a loser with no social life. It's embarrassing when my workaholic, no-nonsense manager tells me I work too much."
Evie didn't grace her with a response and instead clocked Asuriel out as she clocked herself in. The woman's shoulder-length black hair, sleek and tidy as always, swayed behind her as she left Asuriel in the lobby.
Asuriel opened and closed her mouth a few times, surprised Evie had taken such initiative in getting rid of her. Ultimately, she accepted her fate – despite her best efforts, she had to go home. Fortunately, her manager seemed willing to allow her to work the evening shift. That was a small victory, at least.
Lately, weird things had started happening around Asuriel. The events were strange enough to make her anxious about being alone, which never happened – she had always been confident and didn't mind keeping herself company… but not after the last month. The Lounge had become her haven.
Unlike most humans, Asuriel was acutely aware of the supernatural entities that lived alongside them in the mortal realm. Her mother, Elara, came from a long line of human scholars, seers, and oracles who served as record-keepers for the celestial and infernal forces in the world.
Growing up knowing about the creatures who lived and things that happened in the shadows had made Asuriel somewhat superstitious, but she had never believed in fate. It seemed like a ridiculous concept that romanticists made up to feel better about their poor life decisions.
As luck would have it, though, after experiencing her… 'eventful' life lately, Asuriel thought there might be something to fate.
One could only narrowly escape so many car accidents, avoid getting robbed, get approached by intimidating strangers on the street at night, and witness mafia activity so many times before becoming anxious. Now, she could also be a potential victim of stalking!
The only answer was that fate was trying to kill her; that was what Asuriel decided. No one could possibly be so unlucky.
Right?
After grabbing her bag from the locker, Asuriel left the Velvet Lounge through the front door. As she exited, Titan gave her a warm smile that eased her nerves slightly. She gave him a farewell nod, then stopped outside the door and looked suspiciously at her surroundings. It was 2 in the afternoon, so the roads were quite busy, and traffic was bustling.
As far as she could tell, there wasn't anyone suspicious lurking around. Even if there was someone she missed, it was unlikely that they would do anything in broad daylight. She let out an anxious breath she had been holding and steeled herself for the commute back to her apartment. It was about thirty minutes one-way, requiring taking the bus and the subway – breeding grounds for trouble.
Much to her surprise, though, the trip went by without incident – for the first time in weeks. Although it should have been a relief, Asuriel found herself more worried. What if something extra terrible happened on her way back to work later?!
She quickly typed the code to enter her apartment complex and stepped through the threshold, feeling somewhat better only after hearing the doors lock again behind her. The possibility of bad things happening decreased significantly once she was home.
Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't fall down the stairs or get trapped in the elevator – so she remained vigilant on her way to the eleventh floor, where her apartment was. Each step was made with extreme care as she ascended the staircase and slowly reached her front door without perishing.
Apartment number 11, on floor 11.
Asuriel turned the key, opened the door, and rushed inside. She locked it behind her and leaned against the cold wooden entrance, slowly sinking until she sat on the floor.
"Thank the gods," she muttered to herself. After sitting there motionlessly for several long minutes winding down, Asuriel brought herself back to her feet and made to sit on the sofa.
The woman heaved a long sigh. "Maybe I'll take a nap…"
Her phone started vibrating in her pocket, immediately dashing the idea. She smiled when she looked at the screen to see who was calling.
"Mom!" Asuriel greeted warmly as she slid the answer button. "How are you?"
"Awful!" Elara replied quickly, her voice cracking with emotion.
Asuriel's smile faded instantly, "What? Why? What's wrong?"
"My ungrateful daughter hasn't called or texted me in weeks, hasn't sent me any pictures, and hasn't even come to visit me in months," the older woman feigned dismay. "I don't know how long I can live like this."
"Ugh," Asuriel groaned. "I was worried that it was something serious!"
"It is something serious!" Elara huffed. "What if I died while you were neglecting me? I'm getting old, after all."
"Mom!" Asuriel scolded, pinching the bridge of her nose with irritation. "You're only fifty and probably healthier than I am. Don't say shit like that; it makes me sad."
"I miss you, o khara*," Elara's tone turned soft and affectionate as she spoke the nickname she had given Asuriel as a child. "What troubles you?"
"I miss you a lot, Mom," Asuriel said but hesitated to answer her question.
Elara sighed loudly, "You can't hide things from me; just tell your mother what's wrong."
A long silence followed as Asuriel tried to decide how to explain that, literally, everything was wrong. Words continued to elude her so, in the end, she asked a question.
"Mom, do you believe in bad luck?"