Memories of the past Alpha smiled cheerfully as she collected another order, then the green haired young lady smoothly took off through the crowd, her simple slacks and blouse comfortable on her slim form. She went past the bar, quickly waving to Mahoro then went into the kitchen as she called out, "I've got another order." "Thank you," Ukyo took the note from her, the black haired martial artist smiling slightly, her tunic and pants giving her a boyish air. Nearby Shampoo carefully tended the noodles, the busty cook humming away to herself happily. "Shampoo likes Alpha's notes," she noted, "writes very neatly." "Oh, thank you," Alpha felt herself blush faintly. Makoto Kino chuckled from where the brown haired amazon was grilling burgers. "The orders should be ready in a few minutes," she flipped the paddies, "though Sasami is going to owe us for covering for her tonight." "Sugar, she and Minagi don't go out that often," Ukyo reminded her, "I don't mind working a bit harder than usual for her sake." "Besides which," Alpha added thoughtfully, "everyone likes Sasami." "True," Shampoo chuckled, finishing up the meals. She carefully handed the loaded plates over to Alpha, "Here you go." "Thanks," then Alpha swept out into the noise of the busy bar once again. Arisugawa's Locket was busy for a winter night, a thin layer of snow having already fallen on the city of Tokyo. Alpha had already been out into the snow on a shopping expedition with Juri's business manager Tendo Nabiki, filling a list of items for Miss May as well as taking a bit of time to see the sights. Alpha was used to the quiet world that she came from, a place where the population was in decline and they were surrounded by the remnants of an advanced age, and she wasn't at all sure she liked this busy, almost noisy world. In compensation, Alpha did find she liked the staff of the Locket and looked forward to making friends with them all. A group of young women came in from outside, carrying athletic bags and Hitomi recognized them as part of the local martial arts crowd. "Welcome to Arisugawa's Locket," the brown haired girl bowed with a smile. "Hi," the sleek, black haired young woman smiled back. She was good looking, her short pageboy haircut making her look decidedly butchy, even without the jeans and leather jacket that she was wearing. "Yurie-sama," the little blonde took her hand, tugging her forward gently, "we need to see if we can grab a table." "Right, Ririko," Yurie answered, the two women moving through the crowd towards the tables to one side of the dance floor, nearby the library. Luckily a group was leaving as they arrived, the two claming it for their fellow students at the dojo. Ririko smiled as Yurie held a chair out for her, settling down with a happy sigh. She watched Yurie smoothly sit then quietly said, "I wonder what the odds are, the two of us meeting again in a dojo like this...." Tilting her head to the side Yurie studied her thoughtfully before murmuring, "I suppose it's quite a gift of fate, really." She smiled faintly, "I missed you, when you quit our high school karate club a few years ago." Ririko looked down, blushing faintly. "I'm sorry," she said gently, "I was just so confused.. and with my feelings for you, it made figuring out things even harder." "I thought you were interested in men," Yurie said softly. Ririko shook her head, a blush coloring her cheeks. "When I met Mitsuru it was the first time I was attracted to a man," she confessed, "I just wish I had realized it was because he was dressed as a woman at the time." 'Gee, I would almost think that they were talking about Juri's friend Aoi,' Keiko thought, feeling just a bit guilty over eavesdropping. Approaching the table she bowed, brown braid bouncing as she asked, "Is there anything I can get you?" "Beer," Yurie said crisply, then Ririko ordered a glass of wine. Retrieving them from the bar Keiko bowed again, getting an absent minded thank you from Yurie. "Yurie?" Ririko asked softly as the silence stretched. "Here's where I get to make a confession," Yurie smiled in a self-mocking sort of way, "I actually dated a guy after we broke up." "You're serious," Ririko gazed at her in surprise. Yurie chuckled softly, "It's not quite as bad as you're thinking." She drank a bit of beer as she admitted, "It was Shun Kisaragi." Ririko gaped at her, then they both burst out laughing, "The boy who looks exactly like a girl?" Ririko managed to get past her giggles. "Shun was adorable, too," Yurie remembered, "but I just couldn't get past the fact that he had a... you know." "I guess we were both taken in by the false flowers of Ryokuto," Ririko agreed. They sat there in companionable silence for awhile, listening to the music from the dance floor nearby. "Ririko, I was wondering..." Yurie started. "I wanted to ask you something..." Ririko began. Both woman stopped, looked at each other and then laughed softly. With a smile and a gentlemanly wave of her hand Yurie said, "You first." Taking a breath to calm her nerves Ririko asked, "I know it's been a long time.. but would you like to go out with me?" A smile, "Not really a date, just a chance to catch up with each other." "I'd like that," Yurie smiled, "I've missed you." "Me, too," Ririko agreed. "That's so adorable," May murmured, taking a moment to join her lover Keiko at one of the tables. Both looked tired but oddly content, sitting there with cups of tea. "Just like you are," Keiko agreed, squeezing her lover's hand. She looked up at the slightly taller brown haired woman, "So how do you feel, running the bar tonight?" "Nervous," May admitted. She smiled, her maid uniform as spotlessly clean as always, "I do wonder why Juri didn't ask Nabiki or Hitomi to run things, they've been working with her longer." "You really don't see it, do you?" Keiko looked at May fondly, her eyes twinkling with joy. "Juri trusts you, May, it's not about seniority or anything else," she explained. May looked down, blushing, unable to think of anything to say. Not far away Nenene Sumerigawa smiled as she looked across at her dinner companion. "You know," the brown haired young woman in the nice dress murmured, "I didn't expect you to ask me out." Maggie King blushed faintly, her short black hair neatly styled and black suit crisp. "I've wanted to for awhile," Maggie confessed softly, "but you seemed so down when Yomiko left...." "So this is.. a pity dinner?" Nenene asked flatly. "No," Maggie looked down then continued awkwardly, "I... really care about you." Nenene gave Maggie a searching look, then her lips rose in a slight smile. "Me too," she reached out to squeeze the taller woman's hand. Hesitantly Maggie asked, "Would you like to dance?" Nenene got up, taking Maggie's had to lead her over to the dance floor. Maggie led smoothly, dancing surprisingly well as Nenene almost seemed to melt against her. To be continued.... The Staff: The bar's owner is Arisugawa Juri, from Revolutionary Girl Utena. Alpha is from the anime and manga Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. Minagi,and Sasami are from the series Tenchi Muyo. Keiko is also from Utena. Cyberdoll May is from Hand Maid May. Hitomi is from Escaflowne, the movie. Shampoo and Ukyo are from Ranma 1/2. Makoto Kino is from Sailor Moon and finally Mahoro is from Mahoromantic. Our Cast This Episode: Ririko and Yurie are both from the manga Here is Greenwood Vol #3. And Nenene and Maggie are both from ROD the TV.
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