summary:
Rui needs to bring his bar back to life and decides to host a themed party. MC jumps in to help but her performance awakens something else entirely.
Author's note: events, interactions, and impressions are based purely on early vibes rather than canon. I am still only halfway through with season 1. (╥ ω ╥)
Hope you still have fun reading it even if it might not be fully canon.
ฅ/ᐠ˶> ﻌ<˶ᐟ\ฅ
Drawings are done by me. Chat design is inspired and partly used by and from Tokyo Debunker, © ZigZaGame Inc., chat-text is written by me.
FF was inspired by this song.
"Team! Assemble!", Rui called out into the empty bar, his voice full of excitement. We gathered at the corner of the bar counter to look over the papers spread out before him. I slipped onto one of the bar stools, Edward taking the seat beside me. Lyca joined us from behind the counter with a frown and a sigh: "Why do you always have to be so loud? This is annoying." Edward let out a soft chuckle, his elbow resting on the counter, chin propped in his palm. Lyca shot him a glare: "What are you laughing at, Moth-eaten Casanova?" With an amused hint still in his voice, Edward replied: "Ah.. forgive me. It’s just amusing to hear a werewolf complain about noise. You’re usually the loud ones." Lyca muttered: "You're annoying."
"Alright, focus!", Rui clapped his hands. "I had a brilliant idea, and I need your help.", Rui beamed at us. "As you may have noticed, the bar could use a little more life - no offence, Ed. Even our usual regulars have been skipping lately. So I gathered every brain cell not currently occupied with thinking about you... ", he blew me a playful kiss, "...and came up with a plan!" He grinned: "We're going to host a themed event! The theme: Wild West!" Rui looked at each of us expectantly: "Any thoughts?"
"What is a Wild West?", Lyca asked immediately, his eyes widening with genuine curiosity. Rui opened his mouth confidently, but then hesitated: "Ah you know... well... it's... well, you know..." His gaze fell on me with a pleading look. I cleared my throat: "I don't know much either. Mostly pop-culture stuff. I've only seen some old movies and anime based on it. It's set in deserts, people ride on horses and it's about cowboys, sheriffs and outlaws - good vs. bad. Gunfights. Saloons - which are basically bars like this."
Edward let out a long sigh: "Humans do love romanticising fleeting eras. Gunfights, lawlessness, dramatic stares... very theatrical." "How can guns be romantic?", Lyca knitted his brows in confusion. Edward's gaze drifted to me: "Would you care to elaborate? After all, you do spend quite a bit of time around Sinostra." At first a bit puzzled but then heat crept up my face: "I... I don't know. I just... do my job as inspector over at Sinostra. Like I said, I only have a very basic idea about the Wild West." "Perfect", Rui cut in decisively: "Because I want the romantic version."
He clicked his pen and began sketching: "We'll rearrange this space. Moving the tables here. If it gets too crowded, we'll store some away during the event. This open space will become our stage and dance floor. Over here we'll bring down the old player piano from Ed's room - if that's alright?" "It's been gathering dust anyway.", Edward replied. "It has not.", Rui shot back: "I clean it regularly. Anyway... we will also get some of the sound-plants to add a bit more modern tones. So you will make a little band with them, Ed. What else? Decorations behind the bar, and on the counter. Full Wild West vibes." He put a new sheet to the top and noted down: "I need help with the rearranging, of course. But also with organization. Flyer design. Invitations for captains, vice captains and our regular guests. There's a Hotarubi student who can dance cancan - I already contacted her on Wick Chat. She's interested, but wants confirmations for the event first before she wants to meet."
He looked over at Lyca: "Do you think you can draw something for the flyer?" "Sure. Drawing is easy. I just need to know how it looks and I draw it.", Lyca replied with a bored voice - though a proud grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Great! Thanks, Doggo!", Rui grinned. "Don't call me that!", Lyca said angry. "Ed - playing the piano during the event and help me carry it downstairs?", Rui looked to Edward. "It sounds exhausting,", Edward sighed softly: "but I understand your intention. So, yes – I'll do it for you." "But you have to promise not to vanish halfway through. I'm not turning on a YouTube playlist - that doesn’t help the vibe.", Rui warned. Edward regarded him with a calm, flat look. "And you," Rui turned to me, eyes softening: "will you help me draft the invitations?" "I'm not great at writing things like that.", I admitted: "But yes, I'll do my best." "Amazing! We have a plan. I'll create a group chat and send you the details. Thanks so much, everyone!", Rui beamed.
The next day, after classes, I packed my things into my bag and made my way over to Obscuary. I was already used to the sudden transition from daylight to the dorm's perpetual nighttime and walked through the garden with its myriad plants surrounding the path. After opening the big wooden door, I called out: "Rui, I am here." "Good evening, lovely lady", Edward's voice came from behind me. I nearly jumped as he closed the heavy door I just opened. "Is Rui in his room?", I asked, steadying myself. "He is. Shall I accompany you?", his eyes narrowed faintly. Before I could answer, Rui's voice called from the top of the stairs: "No thanks! We don't need your antique taste in invitation design." I gave Edward a polite nod and hurried up the stairs. Rui held his door open for me. "Don't cause trouble, children.", Edward said with a chuckle. Rui rolled his eyes and ushered me inside.
After a deep sigh he put on a charmante smile and offered me a chair at an old-fashioned working table. "Thanks for helping me out here. So... how do we tackle the invitations? Any ideas?", he asked, placing a chair beside me. I was a bit surprised from his unusually serious, almost businesslike side: "Actually, yes. I had some time to think about what we could use and how it might look. We might need Lyca to draw something for it as well." This marked the start of a productive brainstorming session. By the time night had fully fallen (not only visible nighttime), we had a template ready. Rui had already prepared ahead of time: during the day, he had organised an artifact that worked like a printer, able to duplicate documents while customising names and other details.
"Tomorrow I'll get these letters to every house. This was so fast. Didn't expect we'd finish today. But, it's late. Do you want to stay over? We have plenty of empty rooms.", Rui said with a wink. "No thank you. I still need to prepare for tomorrow's classes.", I replied. With that, I got ready and headed back to my dorm.
Some faint sounds followed me through the door of my second office in the backrooms of the casino. Once I closed behind me, silence finally fell. 'About time.', I thought, exhaling sharply. My nerves had been on edge all morning thanks to some dumb apes who couldn't follow simple orders. I'd spent most of the night cleaning up the mess our captain had caused. Two hours of rest had to be enough to get back on track and keep the business running. I walked past two couches and a small coffee table, making my way to the back of the room where my working desk stood. I was about to hang my blazer on the coat stand when something beige caught the corner of my eye. An envelope with my initials lay neatly on the dark green pad. I stepped up to the desk and opened it, reading the letter inside:
"Tch... Mickey overacts again.", I muttered, though he wasn't entirely wrong. I hadn't enjoyed a proper night out in ages. 'Interesting choice of theme.', I thought, scanning the invitation again: 'And cosplaying?' I let the sheet fall to the desk. "Actually...", I grabbed my phone and tapped in a number. "Ciao, Leonardo! It's me.", my tone immediately sharpened: "What do you mean, 'who is me'? Romeo Scorpio Lucci of course! TGA! You should know your best client by now. Stop babbling. I have a new important order. Subito! There's an event in three weeks. The theme is Wild West. You know what I expect. Only the best quality. Yes, yes those colours work perfectly together. Grazie mille. I'll await a quick concept and production. Ciao." I hung up and allowed myself a small, satisfied smirk: 'This could be... fun.'
It was two days before the event and we had nearly finished all the tasks. Rui asked me to come over today to add the final touches to the decorations and to go over our roles for the night. His excitement was contagious and soon we were all looking forward to the event. I went straight to the bar, where everyone was already gathered. Rui made a worried face when I stepped in and joined the others. "What happened?", I asked concerned. Lyca said in a flat untouched tone: "The Hotarubi girl won't be dancing." "What? Why?", shock hitting me. "She decided this isn't a good place to perform.", Rui said broody. He sank into one of the bar seats and buried his face in his hands. "The dress has the same size as our lovely lady's.", Edward said softly, leaning on one hand as he looked me over. "M..Me?", I stuttered. Rui peeked at me through his fingers, eyes wide. ".. wait, wait! No, I can't dance. Especially not something so specific as... Wild West style!" "Can-Can, oh please please please! It doesn't have to be perfect! Just something special, short and simple! Pleeease!", Rui begged. Hope shining in his eyes.
He never put me in awkward positions and defended me. Seeing him like this, desperate and not just thinking solemnly about my wellbeing, made me pause. "I don't know....", I muttered, fidgeting with my fingers. Rui's expression softened: "Oh my... sorry. I didn't mean to put you in that situation. You don't have to. We can think of something else or just skip the performance part. Don't worry." I looked up and he gave me a comforting smile. "No, i..it's fine. I'll try a small performance. Please don't expect too much.", I decided. "Really? OMG, that's amazing! Thank you! But don't push yourself too hard, please?", Rui jumped up from his seat. Then heading to the back to fetch the dress. I held it up - it really looked like it could fit me. "It's beautiful.", I managed to say. When I put the dress away all eyes were on me. A knot built in my stomach. 'Was this really a good decision?'
The rest of the evening was spent decorating the bar. Edward excused himself, claiming he needed to save energy for the event. As I left, I heard Rui ask Edward reproachful how he knew my dress size. Back at my dorm I lay awake the whole night. I kept checking my phone, checking again and again for ideas on YouTube for the performance. The next day when I entered the bar, Edward was practicing the piano. They'd collected plants from the garden, placing them in pots atop the piano. Those plants added various tones and sounds to Edwards play, which gave it the vibes of a full band with a modern twist. "Can I record one or two songs to practice in my room?", I asked after he finished the piece he'd started when I arrived. "You can, but we could also practice all night here?", he reacted with a sly smile. "I think I need to figure out how to dance to these songs first.", I said discouraged. We settled on two songs and once nothing else needed attention, I returned to practice on my own.
Heat pulsed through me in waves. My knees trembled. My hands were sweaty. Panic flooded my system, shortening my breath. I tried to steady myself with deep inhales, holding the air for a second and exhaling slowly. Positive thoughts helped... only for seconds before the anxiety returned. Standing behind the heavy curtain that separated me from the stage, I waited for my cue. Rui had scheduled the show early so I could still enjoy the rest of the evening afterward. 'Depending on how this goes I guess.', I thought. The current song ended, and after a short silence, except for the chattering crowd, the next play started and the spotlights went on, diving the stage in a bright light. Strong enough to make even the curtains glow. My cue.
The piano's melody played the first few notes and I stepped through the curtains. The lights were blinding. Maybe not too bad considering all the people. My legs felt wobbly as I started, making one mistake after another. I tensed more and more, noticing the audience's silence - which could only mean one thing: they were watching.
It felt like a never ending nightmare.
As the final section of the song approached I risked a glance up. A grave error. My eyes had adjusted to the strong light and now I could recognize faces - not just shadows. Students whispered behind hands, some laughing, judging eyes. Rui watched from behind the bar, worry etched on his face, while Lyca scanned the crowd with anger written all over his face. 'I ruined it.', the thought devoured me completely. When the music finally ended, I didn't wait and vanished behind the heavy, comforting curtain, letting the darkness swallow me.
The evening had started decently enough. Too many no-namers, some in costumes, some still in student uniforms. 'Of course nobody could match my outfit.', I thought, brushing along the rim of my hat as I walked to the counter and took my seat. "Romi, there you are, you traitor. Why did I have to organise an event just to drag you back?", Rui complained, sliding my usual drink across the bar. "I'm a busy man. This casino doesn't run itself. Besides, I had to pull a few all-nighters because of that BTH.", I replied, surveying the crowd with detached amusement. I preferred the bar less crowded – calmer, more my pace. I observed Edward and Lyca who were not often part of the bar evenings and a rare sight to watch being busy to keep the event going.
Not long after my arrival, the spotlights hit the dance floor. Guests cleared the stage for the performance. "You definitely don't want to miss this!", Rui's eyes sparkled with expectation. I leaned halfway on my seat, as Edward started playing another song. Then she stepped through the curtains. My head turned automatically and I noticed the dress immediately. Beautiful was an understatement. The fit, the colour - everything was perfect on her. I only realised I was fully turned in my seat when I demanded from Rui, unable to hide my curiosity: "Where did you get that dress." "Can't reveal all my hidden spots in Tokyo, Romi. Don't want you to competing with me when gifting fine things to beautiful women.", he winked. "Tch..", I looked back at MC, finally being able to take my eyes off her beauty and watching her performance.
Regret hit fast. She stumbled almost immediately. Each step grew more out of sync, her nervousness magnifying with every misstep. The performance fell apart quickly. Taking a glance at Rui I could tell he hadn't expected this either. My chest tightened with sympathy - she wasn't the type for the spotlight. Nearby some Frostheim girls cackled: "How pathetic is this? Does she think that she's a dancer now?" "Maybe because Jin danced with her at the celebratory ball, she thinks she's a big deal." "OMG this is so cringe." Anger stirred in my stomach. Before I could snap at them, the song ended. MC fled the stage.
The guests murmured among themselves, some resuming their conversations, some still whispering about the performance. Turning to Rui, I knew instantly he heard the negative comments. Frozen he stood behind the bar, starring at the spot where MC disappeared. "I hope you thought this through before putting her on that stage.", I said, voice low and hard - no sugarcoating. His eyes met mine slowly. "I..I didn't think...", he stammered. "You're damn right. You didn't think, DA.", I downed the rest of my drink. "But, she... she said yes. I was sure she had it in her. I just... just wanted to support her.", he continued desperate. "Maybe you could have done it another way, Mickey.", I judged flatly: "I hope there's nothing else she has to go through tonight." Rui blinked rapidly, as if realising something. He put down the glass he was cleaning before and was about to say something, but a new song started. His eyes widened: "No Ed! Wait!" He stepped toward Edward, but the spotlight behind him ignited once more. Rui whirled around: "Oh, no. Lyca..." The curtains remained still.
The spotlights had gone off and the stage became the open dance floor again. My legs had given out and I sank to the ground. All the impressions consumed me all at once and tears threatened to spill. I could only hope Rui decided that this wasn't worth a second time. And that my performance didn't ruin his carefully planned event.
I heard Edward starting another song. At first, I didn't realise it, but then the spotlight switched on behind me, slicing through the gap where the curtains met. I lifted my head - and horror struck. It was the second song we agreed on. The cue for Lyca to turn on the lights. Shakily I stood, unsure what to do: 'Either way this is just … so painfully awkward.' Edward repeated the opening chords again. "Oh god... he thinks I missed the entry point.", I mumbled close to tears again. 'Okay. You can do this. Tomorrow nobody will remember this anyway. Just go', I thought while making a first step and then stepped out once more.
Carefully, I searched for a way to connect with the music to find a proper entry. When I finally found a move that felt right, the song shifted - same piece, but the tempo and rhythm had changed. The plants adding sounds, gave some modern beat to the piano play. I shot a glance at Edward. He gave me a reassuring smile. 'He did this on purpose!', my stomach twisted at that thought. I somehow had to cover the mismatch between my steps and the music. I closed my eyes, focusing solely on the melody.
At first, my steps were tentative, my movements hesitant and mistakes followed. I heard giggling from the audience. I drew a shaky breath and kept going. Slowly, the flow started to click. 'This might work! I actually can do it!', I thought until I zoned out, thoughts dissolving following only the rhythm. My breath deepened - slowing naturally. A lightness lifted me, my movements floating, effortless. Heat rushed through me - my cheeks burned. I was smiling, savouring the sensation of moving so freely, letting the world fade. Then - a touch on my lower back. My flow broke.
Rui was about to rush the stage to prevent another disaster, but he froze mid-step. MC had come out again. My hope dropped slightly: 'She's really putting herself through all that... again. Remarkable how much she wants to help everyone.' I saw Rui tense, ready to intervene, but I held him back: "Let her. Intervening now would only make it worse. Let her at least feel she tried properly." His shoulders slumped, defeated, as he moved back behind the counter. The song picked up, changing rhythm and flow. MC threw a quick glance at Edward. Something was off. But then her steps adjusted. Suddenly, everything shifted. She was killing it!
Her movements were smooth, precise. She swirled across the stage as if she'd done nothing else her whole life. 'Does she actually have it in her and was just too nervous before?', I thought awestruck. A wide smile spread across her face, pure joy radiating from her. It was... mesmerizing. I tore my eyes away briefly to watch the audience. No whispers, no sneers - only admiration. Glancing back. Rui's face had relaxed, a broad smile stretching across it. 'He might judge people better than I do – I'll give him that.', I thought. Then his expression changed. Eyebrows furrowed. I followed his line of sight back to MC and felt a chill.
Someone, a no-name student, had stepped onto the stage, slinging an arm around her waist - starting to control her steps. MC looked up startled and confused - then forced herself to play along. The boy whispered something, a smirk twisting his face. MC's composure faltered and her smile was stiff. Rui muttered sharply behind me, interrupting my observation: "Romi? What are you doing? Is this gun loaded?" I looked down. My finger was on the trigger guard, the revolver halfway out of its holster. I hadn't even realised I'd drawn it. My gaze snapped back to the dancing pair. MC's discomfort was obvious. Around us whispers rose again and I caught the knowing, devious grins of the two girls from before, clearly orchestrating this setup.
Without another thought, ignoring Rui's protests: "No, Romeo! Wait!", I pushed through the crowd. The intruder's hands had started wandering, pressing against MC's dress. She struggled weakly, trying to push him away politely. Blood pounded in my ears and anger roared in my stomach. I reached the stage, drew my gun fully, and levelled it at him: "Easy there, partner." Annoyed, he spun around, instantly pale at the sight of the barrel. Panic spread through the audience. Some began shouting, others scurried for the exit. I gave a slight motion with the gun.
Rui did his best to calm the crowd, shouting that it had been part of an act. Surprisingly, some guests believed him. The students involved in the setup slunk away, horrified. Finally, Lyca realised the performance was over. He turned off the spotlight, letting the normal stage lights illuminate the floor for dancing again. Edward, as usual, was unshaken, fingers gliding across the piano keys with a soft, knowing grin, as if nothing had happened.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Romeo approaching. The gun was gone - back in its holster on his right leg. Romeo held out a hand. "May I ask for a dance?", he said in a soft, measured tone I never heard from him before. I nodded slowly, still overwhelmed, and placed my hand in his. With a firm but careful pull he drew me close. His other hand rested cautiously, respectful - aware of the earlier intrusion. His gaze searched mine for confirmation. I gave a weak nod. We started to move.
The dance was fast, wild, yet somehow natural. I felt a subtle difference in his step - a faint drag in his right leg - but it blended seamlessly into the rhythm. 'I could go on like that the whole night.', I thought, warmth spreading through my chest, a quiet joy filling me. The world narrowed to the two of us, and the first time since the evening began, I felt completely safe and present - and quietly exhilarated.
thanks to my bf who supported me over the periode of creating it
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