Arisugawa Juri walked in with confidence, the orange haired woman looking over the people gathered in the main room of the unopened club thoughtfully. Around them tables had just been shipped in, the bar was mostly together but plastic covers and equipment still lingered, the last preperations continuing. Ryouko and Minagi stood together at one side, the twins remarkably alike with their light blue hair and catlike eyes. The facial scars on Minagi marked her as different, that and a clear softness in her eyes. Sasami stood beside Minagi, her own lighter hair tied in twin ponyails, looking childlike despite her advanced age. All three wore the oddly kimono like garb of the alien Jurai, though both Ryouko and Minagi's were much more skin tight. Excel and Hyatt stood together, one of the odder pairings in the group. The blonde haired Excel was almost constantly in motion, bouncing restlessly while the black haired Hyatt was languid, almost lethargic as she leaned up against a chair. Their matching bodysuits were a bit unusual, too, but both carried them off quite well. Keiko looked nervous as she stood to one side, her brown hair in twin ponytails, curls of hair bouncing against her forehead. She looked young, somehow in her achingly formal dress, more due to lack of confidence than age, but she still managed to give Juri a brave smile. May, not far away, had reflexedly pulled a cover from a table and the red and white clad maid was cleaning away thoughtfully. The busty brown haired woman was always sweet and good natured, but Juri still had a hard time getting a reading on her. Part of that might be her sense that May would be just as happy and pleasant cleaning sewage... 'That's not quite fair,' Juri reminded herself guiltily, turning her gaze to the other mysterious lady who was looking over the library. Over the months working on converting the warehouse to a nightclub Juri had gotten to know Hitomi pretty well, but the college student still seemed otherworldly. Her short light brown hair framed a sweet face, her body slim and athletic and having a mind remarkably sharp. Yet as seemingly normal as she seemed to be Hitomi had very unusual gifts; like prophetic visions and most unusually the ability to travel to other dimensions. "Nervous?" the familiar voice asjed as she walked up to Juri. Tendo Nabiki was dressed in business wear, her black suit snug on her body, her black hair falling to the base of her neck. The business manager of the Locket carried a clipboard under her arm, as well as a personal organizer tucked in a pocket. "We're going to be ready to go on schedule, you know," she reminded Juri. "Yes, I'm nervous,' Juri said, "this is a big step." "You started this months ago," Nabiki pointed out to her quietly, "this is just finishing what you began then." "Maybe," Juri admitted, "but after this I'm commited and I've pulled all of them in, too..." "Nobody folowed you here blindly," Nabiki reminded her. She clapped Juri on the shoulder, "They're waiting.. you ready to go?" Juri took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes." Nabiki led the way over to the bar, turning to face everyone as she said, "Welcome to the first staff meeting of Arisugawa's Locket." Juri took a deep breath, following with, "As you can see the last work is being finished, but we'll be open in a few days." She looked over old friends and new as she said, "I thought I should give everyone a rundown of what to expect." "We're going to be working in a lesbian bar," Ryouko said with a impish air, "I think we know what to expect." Juri grinned, glad that her friend was helping break the tension a bit. "Maybe so," she said, "but I thought I should cover all the bases." Calmly Juri spelled out how the bar was to operate, as well as the sort of customers they might end up getting. She also explained the areas of responsibility each staff member would be handling. "So Ryouko and I can bring in any drinks we want to?" Minagi's eyes lit up, "Sweet!" "Just keep our budget in mind," Nabiki warned them both sternly. She looked over at Sasami too, "I'm sorry we won't be able to bring in more than minimal kitchen help for a bit, though I hope other staff can help out." Sasami bowed, ponytails bouncing as she said, "I'll do my best." "Any other questions?' Juri asked as she looked out over the group. "How are we going to handle the transgendered?" Keiko asked a bit hesitantly. Feeling the other's eyes resting on her she blushed, "I did some reading after Juri confirmed I was hired." "A case by case basis, probably," Juri admitted. "It's a complicated issue but I'm going to try to avoid excluding them, if at all possible." "I was pretty impressed by the library," Hitomi looked faintly amused, "where did you get that many lesbian books?" Nabiki looked amused, "The core is Juri'sd own collection, the rest of them we bought online or raiding the bookstores here in Tokyo." "How are we going to keep any undesireables out?" Excel asked, a somewhat dangerous glint in her eyes. "An old friend of mine named Washu claims to have solved that," Juri answered,. "though I'm not quite sure how. I'm also looking around for a bouncer, so if you've got a imposing friend who wants a job let me know." "Anything else?" Nabiki looked around and there was calm silence. "All right," Juri said firmly, "the workers say that we'll be ready to open in a week. We'll be stocking supplies this week, too, so I'd like you all here a few hours before opening to check everythig over a final time. Got it?" "No problem," Ryouko nodded, indicating agreemernt from the rest of the group. Once everyone else left Juri went upstairs, hearing the sound of the construction workers finishing off the last few suites on this level. The bedrooms here were Nabiki's idea, a concept Juri was a bit leery of, but as Nabiki had pointed out it was dangerous for two women to rent a room, so why not offer it here? Opening up the door to her new office Juri went inside, passing a new couch to the desk she and Nabiki would use for paperwork. The leather seat sighed softly as she sat, then Juri sat back, taking a deep relaxing breath. "You make good speeches," Nabiki noted from the doorway, the black haired woman leaning up against the doorway. Juri sat back with a sigh, "Here's hoping I don't have to do this very often." Nabiki went over to a mini-bar up on one wall, taking down a bottle she had put there a few days ago. "You want one?" she asked, holding a clean glass. "Jusr ginger-ale, please," Juri said with a smile. "Seriously?" Nabiki raised a eyebrow while she poured from one of the other bottles. "I don't mind drinking, but around here drinking on the job would be a bad idea," Juri shrugged. As Nabiki sat down Juri flashed her a grin, "Thank you for all your help." "Just paying off my borrowing your couch," Nabiki joked. "How's the new apartment?' Juri asked curiously, sipping her soda. "Pretty good," Nabiki grinned at her, "though I'd love to know how you found a cheap apartment in this city." "Friend of a friend network," Juri explained. "So," Nabiki gave her a searching look, "how does it feel to be at the point where your months of work is going to be paying off?" "A little scary, but good," Juri said after a moment. A slight smile touched her lips, "I guess we'll know more once opening night is here." To be continued... in Arisugawa's Locket. Notes: I'm almost tempted to add this fic on to Arisugawa's locket as a long 'prelude' but I think adding ten more chapters to that already long fic would be a bit much. I hope you enjoyed this introduction to the cast and keep reading my other fics, too. The Staff: The bar’s owner is Arisugawa Juri, from Revolutionary Girl Utena. Minagi, Ryouko and Sasami are from the series Tenchi Muyo. Keiko is also from Utena. Cyberdoll May is from Hand Maid May. Excel and Hyatt are from Excel Saga. Hitomi is from Escaflowne, the movie. And finally, Tendo Nabiki is from Ranma 1/2.
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