Asuriel made it back to the Velvet Lounge safely. As soon as she stepped inside, it started to rain – which proved to her that there might be something to her mother's incense after all.
She hated getting caught in bad weather; rain always made her curly hair frizzy once it was dry. It took a few hours in the morning to apply her oils and keratin treatments to tame the curls, so having it ruined by spending a few minutes in a storm was aggravating.
The bartender heaved a sigh of relief. A playful voice came from behind the counter when she approached the bar.
"Noir, you're finally here!" Rowan (or 'Fox,' at the lounge), her favorite coworker, stood from where he had been crouched, organizing glasses. He greeted her with his signature flirtatious smile.
Asuriel rolled her eyes. "What do you mean, 'finally?' I'm fifteen minutes early, Fox."
"Every minute spent without you behind the bar is devastating," he lamented. "I missed you."
"Whatever, you probably just got here, too," she scoffed. "I missed you, too, idiot."
"So, you're not heartless after all," Rowan teased. His messy, auburn hair fell slightly into his warm golden-brown eyes, hiding some of the mischief in his gaze.
"Of course not," Asuriel frowned, clocking in while they continued their banter.
Rowan chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Who could have guessed you had a heart? Your usual icy expression is kinda off-putting. Maybe if you smiled, you'd be less intimidating."
"I smile all the time," she deadpanned, "but only at people who deserve it."
"Ah," he put a hand over his heart with an exaggerated wounded expression. "I guess that's why I've never seen it."
Asuriel shook her head and served a slight smile in amusement, then went into the backroom to get her nametag. It was a Friday night, so things were going to be busy. That's why she and Rowan were both on the job; they usually had to make a lot of drinks.
"Do you know how many 'meetings' we'll have to deal with tonight?" Asuriel asked as she returned to the bar. "If that one group of thugs comes, I'm not interested in serving them this time."
"We have five groups of 'special guests,' and yes, the Vipers will be here tonight. But do not fret, princess," Rowan spoke confidently, "I'll serve them."
"Thanks," she replied earnestly. The last time the Vipers showed up, they had harassed her relentlessly whenever she brought their drinks; it was irritating and disgusting.
Rowan nodded and gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. "Maybe your admirer will show up again, too."
"Admirer?" Asuriel frowned.
"You know, Mr. Broody?" he answered. "The guy that always sits by himself in a booth with his laptop? I totally saw him checking you out last time."
"Ahh," she nodded, "the one who always orders super obscure drinks. Like, incredibly bizarre drinks."
"Yeah, that's the one. He's pretty good-looking, too," Rowan affirmed. "I think you'd like him if you gave him a look. I bet he's loaded; I'm pretty sure I saw him wearing a Rolex. Scoring with him would be a huge move, Noir."
"He acts so ostentatiously whenever he orders," Asuriel scoffed, busying herself with preparing some liquor bottles. "There's no way I could get along with a guy like that, let alone flirt. It's also impossible that he would check me out; that guy's dead inside."
Rowan, who had been wiping the bar from the other side, leaned forward onto the mahogany countertop, resting his elbows on the surface, and looked at her with a cunning smirk. "Why not? Hasn't he been coming in often? I think it's so he can see you… so I'm sure you could win him over. Maybe you can fix him."
"Have you met me? It would be like oil and water," she rolled her eyes. "And yeah, he often comes kinda late, probably every other night. It's not for me, though. He's always doing work. That's beside the point, though, you sly fox. You're being such a tease; stop bothering me about it. I'm happy being single."
"Fine, fine," Rowan conceded. "It'd be a shame to have the bar's second-hottest bartender to be spoken for; I might get jealous. So would our other patrons."
"Second?" Asuriel narrowed her eyes.
"Naturally, I'm the first," he answered without hesitation. "Second place is always high praise!"
"You and me are the only two bartenders that work here," she stated with an unamused smile.
"I'm opening the doors now," Rowan winked, leaving her behind the bar to turn on the open sign.
Asuriel stretched her arms and waited for the first customers to arrive. Rowan put himself to work opening the private booths and ensuring they were well-lit for the upcoming meetings.
It wasn't long before people started flooding in, leading to Asuriel and Rowan being completely busy. Hours passed without a break in the rush – a typical Friday night.
She felt nervous when she saw the group of Vipers come in, which was about five or six middle-aged guys with snake tattoos up their arms and necks, but her anxiety was relieved when Rowan swooped in as soon as they stepped in the door to lead them to their booth.
"Hey," a guy drinking at the bar for a while caught Asuriel's attention for the fourth time. "Fill me up again, Miss Noir."
"Sure," she answered, pouring the man another shot of whiskey.
'This dude's going to get completely sloshed,' Asuriel thought. 'I'll probably have to get Titan's attention pretty soon.'
Evie had come to help keep the place running since it was so busy. It made things easier to handle; the manager was seasoned, incredibly talented, and knew exactly how to run the Lounge efficiently.
Asuriel was enjoying a few rare quiet moments when the bell signaled the Lounge's door opening, and her decent mood was squashed.
It was the brooding guy!
Rowan manifested it, probably.
His personality was abrasive, but Asuriel had nothing against the patron personally; he was frustrating because the drinks he ordered typically required strange twists – sometimes, even of the supernatural variety.
Asuriel looked around, hoping that Rowan would be around to cater to the irritating, handsome stranger, but it appeared that her luck from the incense had run out. He was nowhere to be seen, which meant he was likely caring for the VIP guests.
She groaned internally but sucked it up. Evie tended to the bar while Asuriel stepped out to take his order. He had gone directly to the corner, where his favorite booth was.
The moment Asuriel reached the table before she managed to say anything, he started his order.
"I'd like an Ember's Kiss. Extra ghost pepper essence."
What a freak!
"I'll be back with your drink," she said curtly, somehow managing to stay somewhat polite despite her inner dialogue.
Naturally, the man didn't say anything else.