The building was one of the oldest in Crystal Tokyo, and rumors persisted that it dated back to the twentieth century. A former warehouse that had been greatly converted over the years, it stood on the outskirts of the city. Above the door an animated hologram of a locket opening up to reveal a pretty girl hangs in midair, and just above it the words, Arisugawa's Locket. Erica Tenoh smiled, waving to the red headed woman standing guard at the door, "Hey, Kei, how's the Lovely Angel?" "Still being repaired from our last mission," Kei shrugged, and smiled at Hotaru and Usagi, "It's good to see you, ladies." She waved them in, smiling as she saw the pink haired Usagi reach out to take Hotaru's hand. "I wonder where Yuri is?" Usagi asked Erica quietly. "Welcome to Arisugawa's Locket," the blue haired girl smiled up at the three of them. "Captain Ruri?" Hotaru blinked, her black hair blowing around her gently, "aren't you supposed to be up on the Nadesico-4?" "I've got a few days leave," Ruri smiled slightly and shrugged a bit, "and the Queen doesn't seem to mind my moonlighting." The place was bustling as they went in, filled with women of various ages and types. Erica looked around as they walked towards the bar, noting a few natives of Jurai, a few from the Martian colonies, androids, aliens and even an immortal or two in the mob. "There's Sakura and Tomoyo," Usagi pointed out the two women sitting at one of the tables near the stairs. They looked happy, sipping their drinks as they talked quietly. A tall, black haired woman stood behind the bar, giving them a smile as she said, "Hi, my name's Mahoro, what can I get you?" "Sake," both Usagi and Hotaru ordered, and Mahoro poured them both their first bowls of sake for good luck. "Whisky," Erica decided to try. The golden liquid was poured, and Erica looked at it a bit dubiously. "Well, Haruka-papa likes it," she murmured, and took a drink. There was a long moment of silence, then Erica's eyes got very, very wide. She blinked watery eyes a few times, shaking her head and gasping. "Acquired taste?" Usagi asked impishly. "Oh yeah," Erica wheezed out. Hotaru got up, shaking her head with a smile. "Let's get a table," she suggested. The three found an empty spot by the dance floor, and in a few moments a dark haired girl arrived. "What can I get you?" Yuri beamed, her long black hair reaching the top of her shorts. A battle bikini finished off the outfit, holding her fair-sized breasts in check. "Nachos and cheese," Erica smiled. Usagi and Hotaru exchanged a glance, then Usagi smiled up at Yuri, "Two lunches, please." Yuri bounced off with a wave, "Coming right up!" Across the bar a incredibly perky blonde was taking meal orders before charging across the dance floor at high speed. "I've never quite understood how Excel became immortal," Erica noted. "Cosmic accident," Hotaru drank her sake sparingly, "apparently an avatar of the universe itself granted her and Hyatt eternal life by accident." What looked like a mini-galaxy with female arms flew by them muttering, "Oh, I'm so embarrassed." Everybody decided just to ignore that, and keep drinking. Upstairs, a short way along the upper landing, there was a nicely decorated office. A woman with long brown hair studied a small hand held computer screen intently, not looking up as her door opened then shut. "Hello, Juri," Cyberdoll May smiled. The tall, orange haired woman settled into one of the guest chairs, taking a moment to tug on her military style jacket. May looked over at Arisugawa Juri, taking in the relaxed smile and sense of peace that she seemed to carry with her. A simple golden band glinted on one finger, a symbol of a deep and long lasting partnership. "The place looks great, May," Juri smiled at the woman who she had asked to take over managing the Locket all those years ago. "Thank you," May smiled happily. She smirked slightly, "How's Setsuna?" Juri blushed at the look she was getting from her old friend. "Guess the roof-top story is still circulating," she sighed softly. "You have to admit," May chuckled, "having a intimate moment with the Senshi of Time on a rooftop was not the wisest of ideas." "We got a bit carried away," Juri admitted. May smiled, "You're just lucky that the Puma sisters and Leona's last public exploit pushed you two off of the gossip columns." Deciding to be merciful she changed the subject, "How are Ryouko and Ayeka doing?" "Heh. Last I heard Emperor Tenchi's top diplomats were considering having a baby," Juri chuckled, "but they can't decide who gets to carry the baby to term." May had an very odd look on her face, "I kind of doubt either of them would be all that suited to having a baby." "Well, you'll have a chance to talk to them about it soon. They, along with Sasami and Minagi are coming to this big conference we're organizing up at the palace," Juri smiled. She grinned, "I suspect we'll all come down and take over the Locket one night." May smiled back, "I'll look forward to that!" Juri looked more serious as she said, "This isn't just a social call. May, do you remember a customer of the Locket named Victoria Ceres?" May looked thoughtful, then her eyes widened, "The vampire?" She leaned forward, "What do you want with her?" "Nothing, personally," Juri answered her with a wry smile, "but Ami's been studying vampirism, and she thinks she might have found a partial cure." "The last I heard," May frowned, "she was in what was Britain, but it's been a while." "Thanks," Juri got up, taking a few steps towards the door. She paused there a moment to ask, "Have you been dating?" "No," May answered softly. Juri hesitated, almost as if she was weighing her words carefully, "Keiko wouldn't want you to mourn her forever." "Maybe," May said quietly, not necessarily agreeing or disagreeing with Juri. The Staff of Arisugawa's Locket: Kei and Yuri are from the original Dirty Pair. Ruri is from Martian Successor Nadesico. Excel and Hyatt are from Excel Saga. Mahoro is from Mahoromantic. And finally May is from Hand Maid May.
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