"It's too bad that you have to leave here early to go out
with your parents and Mamoru to have Christmas dinner," Rei Hino
leaned over the table to tease her mercilessly, "you'll miss out on
all the good food that Sasami's making everyone."
"Whaa!" Usagi broke into tears. Sniffling loudly she
complained to the others sitting at the table, "Rei, you're always
being so mean to me!" Around her Haruka, Michiru and the other
Senshi all rolled their eyes, quite used to it.
"Do they always do that?" Anita asked her two new friends
quietly as they walked by the table. The three little girl's looked
remarkably cute, Chibi-Usa in pink and Hotaru in black, while Anita
was dressed up in a gray suit altered for her by Maggie.
"Yep," Chibi-Usa nodded mournfully.
"They are really cute, though," Hotaru quietly noted, gently
holding on to her pink haired girlfriend's hand. "Too bad Usagi's
straight," she sighed.
"You don't think Rei's still carrying a torch for her?"
Chibi-Usa asked curiously.
Hotaru actually smirked when she answered, "Haruka-poppa
says that Ami's pretty much put that torch right out."
Anita sweatdropped, then her eyes widened. "Excuse me," she
told the other girls and made her way through the crowd.
"Anita," the black haired little girl beamed happily as
Anita neared.
"Hisa-chan," Anita reached out to gently take Hisami's hand
in hers, all without really thinking about it. Hisami blushed, but
the little redhead didn't seem to notice. "I'm glad that you were
able to come," she added.
"Me, too," the still fiercely blushing Hisami agreed softly,
but she didn't release her firm hold on Anita's hand.
Out in front of the Locket a sports car came to a stop in
the light snow, and a tall black haired young woman got out of the
passenger's side. The car then swung around to the back of the
building and only a few moments later a woman with long orange hair
came from back there to the front. "Sorry," Juri grinned at her.
"It's all right," Setsuna took her arm as the two walked to
the building itself. There was a surprisingly large lineup, but most
of the people recognized Juri and cleared the way. "Good evening,
Bones," Setsuna nodded to the muscular bouncer.
Anticipating her boss' question Bones reported with a
smile, "There's been no emergencies, no serious trouble yet
tonight." She stood guard there in a muscle shirt and black pants,
seemingly oblivious to the bitter cold.
"Take a break and grab something to eat later," Juri
reminded her as they went in, "one of the others will handle things
for a bit."
"Hai," Bones drawled with a little smile.
Hitomi stood at the end of the hallway, cheerfully smiling
up at the customers as she handed out gifts to the new
arrivals. "Hi, Juri," she smiled, "it's been busy!"
"I noticed," Setsuna took in the crowd with a little smile.
She slipped her coat off, revealing a red dress that hugged her slim
body from breasts to ankles, her shoulders bare and long gold
earrings dangling from her ears.
"No problems?" Juri asked as she slipped her long coat off,
showing the black woman's business suit that was beneath it.
"May's been handling things pretty well," Excel popped up
from behind Hitomi, startling her before collecting their coats and
then stowing them away.
"Don't do that," Hitomi blurted, clutching her chest. She
gave Excel an odd look, "And where's Hyatt, anyway?"
"Here," a weak hand waved from the closet behind Excel and
Hitomi.
"Waii," Excel turned and all but jumped in the closet to be
with Hyatt.
"Don't make any closet jokes, Juri," Setsuna quickly spoke
up as Juri was about to open her mouth, "not a one."
"You're no fun," Juri gave her puppydog eyes to no
avail. "See you later," she gave Hitomi as wave as they headed up to
the bar.
The bar teemed with people, both adults and the occasional
kids. Juri had opened the door at Halloween, and some couples with
children had requested to bring the kids along on Christmas. It
didn't effect things too much, though the waitresses were instructed
to keep an eye on the library. A few kids had gotten an education
last time, flipping through the racier books.
Over by the busy bar a tall, brown haired woman wore a
simple white dress as she casually moved through the mob. She
chatted with the customers, made the newcomers comfortable and
generally did a pretty good impersonation of Juri herself. Still her
eyes lit up with happiness when she saw Juri coming towards her.
"Juri-sama," May sighed with relief, "it's good to see you."
"Thanks for opening up for me tonight," Juri gave May a
smile as she patted the cyberdoll on the shoulder, "you did a great
job."
"We really appreciate it," Setsuna added, leaning forward
while still holding Juri's arm.
"Thank you," May blushed faintly.
"Excuse me," Keiko came out of the press of people, her long
brown hair braided down her back. The boy's suit she wore was pure
ebony, going well with the white dress that May was wearing. "Are
you off duty?" Keiko asked May, offering her hand.
"From my hosting duties, yes," May agreed,. taking Keiko's
hand in hers. She gave Juri a look, "Would you mind?"
"Have fun," Juri waved as both women strode towards the
dance floor together. A soft, romantic Christmas song started, and
they began to sway together gently.
Ryouko, Mahoro and Minagi were all standing behind the long
bar, the three women coordinating together as they passed the beer
and other drinks around. "Hey Juri," Minagi poured her a glass of
colored ginger-ale and produced Setsuna's favorite drink as she
nodded towards Mahoro and asked, "can we keep her?"
"What do you think, Mahoro," Juri picked up her drink, "you
want to be relief bartender along with back-up cook?"
"Sure," Mahoro slid a can of beer down the bar to Misato
while she poured a sake for the dark haired stranger who was sitting
at the bar.
"Thank you," Motoko said calmly. She drank the sake down in
a single go, gasping softly when she finished.
"Way to go," Ryouko cheered, but she didn't try to slap her
on the back. There was a dangerous aura around the girl, one she
didn't want to mess with.
"You have the oddest look on your face," Setsuna said to
Juri quietly, noticing how her gaze was fixed on the newcomer, "do
you know her?"
"Yeah," Juri agreed as they moved away from the bar, "I met
Motoko a few years ago." She sighed softly as she admitted, "She
beat me in a duel."
"An unusual occurrence," Setsuna's voice was gently teasing.
Juri laughed, "Maybe." She looked back at where Motoko was
sitting, "I wonder if I could arrange for a rematch.."
"Juri!" Setsuna scolded her before she realized she was
joking.
Tendo Nabiki watched the crowd, smiling to herself slightly
as she drank a cup of rum and eggnog. Black hair was slicked back,
and she moved with an athletic kind of grace. Slim hands came up
from behind her, her eyes were covered and a soft voice said, "Merry
Christmas, baby."
"Merry Christmas," Nabiki turned to smile at the gorgeous
redhead. "I thought you were working tonight, Ayeka?"
"We finished the demon off early," Ayeka Kisaragi smiled up
at her as she relaxed into Nabiki's comforting arms. "And nobody got
hurt, too," she sighed softly.
Nabiki noticed she looked a bit frayed around the edges. Not
too bad, but her red dress was a bit messy, her face weary. "You
look tired," Nabiki noted softly, "are you driving home?"
"I was going to," Ayeka admitted.
"I don't live too far from here," Nabiki admitted to her
girlfriend softly, "why don't I take you there after the party?"
"This is the first time you've invited me to your home,"
Ayeka reached up to gently stroke Nabiki's cheek, "Are you sure?"
"Hey, Maggie," Nenene looked up from where she was sitting
at one of the corner dining tables, "thanks for getting me a drink."
Not far away Michelle was firmly based in the library, reading a
small stack of paperbacks and munching Christmas cookies.
"It's fine, Sensei," Maggie said in her normally quiet way
as she sat down in a chair by Nenene. The woman dressed in white
shirt and black pants was nearly a foot taller than Nenene was, her
short black hair carefully styled.
The light caught Nenene's glasses as she smiled
slightly. "Do you dance, Maggie?" she asked, sitting back in her
chair. Her business suit was a bit scruffy, but it seemed to go well
with the young writer's personal style.
"Well, yes," Maggie blinked.
"Then let's go," Nenene finished off her drink with one
gulp, getting up from her chair to gently tug Maggie to her feet.
"But I can't... Sensei, it wouldn't be..." Maggie stammered.
"I don't have to threaten to smooch you again, do I?" Nenene
asked her pointedly, puckering up in an exaggerated way.
"No," Maggie went beet red.
"Ah, that's better," Nenene murmured, relaxing in Maggie's
arms as the taller woman led them across the dance floor.
"They look cute together, don't they?" Sasami murmured,
dancing with Minagi while transformed to her adult form, Tsunami.
"Not as cute as you," Minagi pulled her close for a gentle
kiss.
Sasami giggled softly before softly scolding, "Stop that."
She offered a grin, "Otherwise, I may have to drag you upstairs.."
"Oh no," Minagi answered in mock horror, and Sasami chuckled
again.
It was getting late as Arisugawa Juri climbed up to stand on
the bar. "Merry Christmas, everybody!" she cried out, raising her
glass in a toast.
"Christmas," the crowd echoes, raising their cups.
"It's been a hell of a year," Juri said with a grin, feeling
the eyes of the crowd and her staff resting on her. Especially she
felt Setsuna's eyes, warming her deep inside. "And next year will be
even better," she said gravely. She grinned, "See you all on New
Years, everybody!"
And with that Juri slid back down as the crowd cheered
happily.
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. Bones is from www.coolcatstudio.com. Mahoro is from
Mahoromatic. And finally, Tendo Nabiki is from Ranma 1/2.
Our Cast This Episode: Usagi, Rei, Hotaru, Setsuna, Ami and Chibi-
Usa are from Sailor Moon. Anita, Maggie, Nenene and Hisami are from
ROD the TV. Motoko is from Love Hina. And finally, Ayeka Kisaragi is
from Phantom Quest Corp.
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