Work Text:
The redhead sighed as he peered at the piece of paper again. The clanks and cheers of different people made his heart swell in his chest. The small fairy lights around the edges of the roof made the faint lines and curves on the paper more readable. From the outside, the bar looks snug, delightful, and humble. Large and small stones and huge, stone beams made up most of the building's outer structure.
It's tough to see through the large, velvet curtained windows, but the excited voices from within can be felt outside. The man slightly messed with his silver necklace, small clumps of brown rust sat on the loops of the chain but he didn't want to wipe it off. Its age was what made it so special to him.
‘If you want to see me again, meet me at the Piroline Bar. I may look a little different than what you remember, but I'm sure you'll recognize me when you see me.’ -Charlie
Ryan clicked his tongue, how long has it been since he saw his childhood friend? It's been so long he couldn't seem to recall. The last time he remembered seeing him- ah he meant them, was when they came out to him as non-binary. Even though at the time he was confused, he still accepted them for who they were. Just because they changed genders didn't mean that they stopped being best friends.
The male's freckled and full lips twitched downward slightly, he had asked Charlie to come over to his house that day at the abandoned park they used to always go to. Obviously, Charlie agreed. And after school was over he went and got all the things he could get about androgyny so he could learn more about it with them but... they never came. His face almost fell but he quickly took a breath, slapped his hands across his cheeks, and left out the breath as his body relaxed. He pushed himself to keep the memory away before opening the door to the bar.
When Ryan entered the tavern through the thick, wooden door, he was welcomed by joyful music and the smile of a beautiful woman. The bartender was buried in orders, but still managed to welcome him with a friendly smile and nod. It was as enchanting inside as it is on the outside. Hard wooden beams support the upper floor and the huge lamps attached to them. The walls were decorated with mounted animal heads, hides, and small animals. It's clear the owner was an avid hunter and the smells coming from the kitchen indicated that the animals didn't go to waste.
The tavern itself was packed and the locals seem to be the primary clientele here. Several long tables are occupied by several smaller groups of people. The other, smaller tables are also occupied by people who are indulging in seemingly great food and drinks. While some try to strike a conversation, others can barely speak a word between eating. Even most of the stools at the bar were occupied, though nobody seems to mind more company.
He did hear rumors about this tavern, supposedly it's famous for something, but he couldn't remember what for. Though judging by the amount of men staring at a woman that he was assuming was the manager, it's probably her beauty and charm. The woman’s body was almost a perfect shape of an hourglass and she was pretty small. Her auburn hair was in a fishtail braid that ended at her collar bone and she had a beauty mark by her left eye. It seemed like she had a country accent too by the way she spoke.
“Now y’all don’t get too drunk now, you fellas still gotta go to work and I don’t want to be the reason you get fired. Got it, boys?”
The group of men smiled goofily as they leaned against the table, completely smitten by the girl, “Yes Miss Charleen!”
Ryan managed to find a seat and prepare for what might be a good evening. Is this really where Charlie wanted to meet? The last time he could remember the kid being in a joyful place as this was at a wedding that they snuck into. The groom had a heart attack in the middle of his vows, and while Ryan’s mouth dropped and whole body started shaking out of fear, Charlie was shaking as they tried to keep their laughter down.
The Exousian cleared his throat to notify the bartender as he ran his fingers against the wood. He didn’t want to bother the man by making him bite more than what he could chew, but Ryan didn’t know when Charlie was going to show up and he wanted to at least calm his nerves. “Excuse me, Mx. bartender” Ryan muttered so lowly that he wouldn’t be surprised if the man didn’t hear him.
But luckily he did hear the boy and casually slid over to the redhead like he was riding on the wind. The man had jet black hair that went down to his shoulders and had a chain that connected his bottom lip to his left ear. It was extremely hard to find piercing shops around Exousia so seeing the bartender with a piercing made Ryan feel like the man deserved respect.
The man didn’t look up from his notepad as they ripped a page off and slid it into a window that led to the kitchen. “Welcome to the Piroline Bar, my name is Jamie and I’ll be your…” the bartender’s speech trailed as they finally looked up at Ryan. “Aren’t you a bit too young to be at a bar, kid?”
It was kinda true, even though he was 27, he looked way younger than his age. Many people had confused him for a very tall teenager from the countryside of Exousia. Ryan weakly laughed as he rummaged through his wallet to pull out his identification papers, “Not really, I’m 27 actually.”
Jamie took the paper and scanned it. The paper, indeed, said he was 27 years of age. “Huh, your parents must’ve been feeding you some weird crap. So what makes you so interested in this little bar of ours?” They gave the paper back to the younger male and began making the drinks the other customers had ordered.
“Actually, I’m here to meet up with an old friend of mine. They told me to come here so I hope I don’t get stood up.” Ryan voiced his thoughts as he watched how skillfully the older male poured the syrups and did tricks with the cocktail shakers.
“I’d doubt that you would get stood up. You seem like a cool guy. Number 86!”
A woman at one of the tables raised an arm, “That’s me, kitten!”
Jamie poured the mixture into a martini glass and placed a lemon slice inside. “I’ll be right back,” they winked at Ryan before grabbing a wooden tray and walked over to the lady. Well, more like skated. Jamie was wearing booted Heelys that had chains on the laces, weren’t those made for kids?
Ryan reached over the bar table and grabbed a wooden stirrer and started chewing on it. His fingers fidgeted lightly as he looked around. When was Charlie gonna get here? He can’t stay here too long, he still has to go to work at ten. His small nibbles on the stirrer turned into chomps, he hoped no one stole his horse.
A harsh scrape on the floor caught his attention away from his nervousness. There at the open door was a person in all black. They wore a black make-shift skirt with many chains and belts over leather tights. They wore an off-the-shoulder long-sleeved shirt that clung to their body. It revealed the many muscles on their arms, and Ryan had to admit, it was pretty attractive.
Over the shirt, they wore a sleeveless hoodie that had many zippers adorned on it. They had inky black hair that ended at their neck but their hair was combed back neatly. The odd thing about this person was that they were wearing a full-face mask. Wait no, Ryan looked closer, there was an opening that showed deep red lips that held a scowl.
Oh yeah totally not suspicious.
“Oh hey, Mariah! It’s been a while since you came here.” Jamie greeted the person with a smile as he skated back over to the bar.
As soon as they took a step into the bar the atmosphere changed. There was something about them that made them feel like they were dangerous. The once happy and jolly customers were wary and were glancing at Mariah with suspicion. Determination, rage, the urge to hurt someone. It was like they were out for blood. Mariah had the aura of a cold-blooded killer and it affected everyone in the bar with ease.
Mariah strode over to the bar looking straight ahead. A squeak left from Ryan’s mouth as he kept his head down to the table.
Do not look their way, do not look their way, do not look their way, do not look their-