Bar Mingle: Week 5

[latinumsbetter]

Every day a little after noon, (unless, for some reason, Quark is indisposed,) Quark's Bar opens. Located on the third floor down from the main floor, in front of the entrance hangs a banner, proclaiming the place as "QUARK'S" in bold lettering. Once inside, the room, bedecked with grapevines, offers plenty of couches to lounge on. There are bowls of peanuts placed at the arms of the couches for easy snacking. If you'd like something more, on display at the corner of the bar counter is a selection of pastries, fresh-baked by Lebkuchen, who, as the official baker, might also be there. If you're hungry for something more substantial, there's a menu with a list of dishes that Ranma will be happy to cook up.

Quark will be behind the counter most of the time, though he'll certainly come personally deliver drinks now and then to familiar faces. Aside from him, Aoi and Cerejeira are also behind the bar now and then, but also moving around the room as waitresses. Ferdinand joins them on the floor as a waiter, and then also as the bar's sole Dabo Guy, stationed by the dabo table in a corner of the room. In front of one of the couches is the tongo board, occasionally in use by some familiar white fuzzy Winions.

Frequent visitors might note that there's always two drinks made and set on one of the shelves behind the counter.

In the rafters, the Zubats have migrated from the Eatery. They'll either be up there, or outside, and one or two of them might come down to say hello. If they do, Quark is shooing them away again, but they only go back up to the ceiling. Fritz the German Shepherd is lounging either by the counter or perhaps wandering around to visit patrons to recieve pets. Behind him often trails a beige Eye-pod, staring at customers and blinking curiously. Depending on the hour, Critwo will either be strapped into some kind of swaddle on Quark's back, or tucked into a small nest made of blankets behind the counter.

Outside the door to the bar is a sign, handwritten:

Quark's Bar

Hand-mixed drinks
Home-made fresh pasteries
Snacks
Good Company

Come on in and take a load off!
Open Every Evening at Dusk

Tokens accepted as payment
NO RED MURDEROUS ROBOTS ALLOWED
NO STUPID RED ROBOTS ALLOWED
Inside the bar, handwritten menus on parchement are available:

MENU

BEVERGES:
Mocktails: 2 tokens
Glass of Wine: 3 tokens
Carafe of Wine: 10 tokens
Cocktails: 4 tokens
Top-shelf Cocktails: 5 tokens
Coffee: 2 tokens
Tea: 2 tokens

BITES:
Lebkuchen: 1 token/piece, 4 for 3 tokens
Breadroll: 1 token/piece
Lollipops: 1 token/each
Wednesday Special: Homemade Apple Strudel! 3 tokens/slice

DISHES:
Okonomiyaki, Osaka Style: 5 tokens
Okonomiyaki, Hiroshima Style: 6 tokens
Omurice: 6 tokens
Ramen: 8 tokens

Link to Days
Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

Weekly Log

Comments

[murchada]

He's freaking out. I can't even entirely blame him.

The track record here is... bad.

[latinumsbetter]

That doesn't mean you go and lose you're head like that. It doesn't do anything.

[murchada]

Yeah, I know. I didn't say I approve, just...

I don't know. [she sighs.] I thought... I thought maybe things were getting better.

[latinumsbetter]

[Quark sighs, leaning on the bar]

In some ways, they were.

But all it takes is one person freaking out.

[murchada]

[her sleepover idea seems stupid, now. what good was it even?]

Mm. That's how it's been the whole time.

And now all we can do is hope no one goes for the bait. Again.

[latinumsbetter]

...yeah. [he knows. he's known this whole time. And yet, it still frustrates. How do you stop people from falling for an obvious con, even when it's pointed out to them? Why are people's faith so strong when it comes to Typhon? Quark's met some conmen before, and several of them were far more convincing than this guy. And yet...]

1/2

[murchada]

[she's quiet, a moment, just standing there. holding a drink she's not even sure she wants to have.

...]

2/2

[murchada]

...My secret is I got my first friend killed. That's also my biggest regret. And who I would bring back.

I also worry about my biggest regret being the thing I don't even remember having done.

[then she huffs out a breath.]

There.

Now he can't use it.

1/2

[latinumsbetter]

[Quark blinks at that. Before the corner of his mouth curls up just a little]

Yeah. Now he can't use it.

2/2

[latinumsbetter]

[he takes a sip of his drink, and there's a brief hesitation, before:]

My best friend died almost right across the hall from my bar on the station and I didn't even know anything had happened until someone else found her.

But even if that could get fixed, it would kill one of my friends now. So it's useless to think about in the first place.

[murchada]

It's a real miss, huh? Stupid.

[take that typhon that'll. not show him but hey.]

...I'm sorry that happened.

[latinumsbetter]

Real stupid.

[he shifts a bit, looking away as Cerejeira expresses sympathy]

...yeah. Same to you.

[......]

Y'know, the real kicker is, if I'd seen her murderer run out of there, I would've known something was up right away. But I was doing inventory, so I missed him.

[murchada]

Shit. [realistically, Quark would've just been next, if he had seen it. but she knows. that's not how it feels.] That's the worst.

She must've been pretty amazing.

[...]

My--

...Sakura. She was... She was giving up her energy. And I noticed she was sick. I knew she was hurting herself, and I just...

I didn't say anything.

[latinumsbetter]

[Quark leans a little more heavily on the bar]

Why not? [it's not accusatory, just...a question]

[murchada]

...I didn't think it was my business, I guess? Or... ugh, I don't know.

I just... didn't. For no good reason. And now she's gone because she was too good, and I'm still here.

[latinumsbetter]

So you didn't wanna overstep.

...she gave her energy away and now she's gone, is that it?

[murchada]

She's dead, yeah.

[and that one is on her. that's not the guilt speaking. it's just true.]

[latinumsbetter]

And just to be clear, that's because she decided to give her energy away, correct?

[murchada]

To her servant, yeah.

[latinumsbetter]

Did she need to be doing that?

[murchada]

"Need" is... complicated. It isn't like she was forced.

But she wanted to protect her section; Grow.

[latinumsbetter]

And the only way to do that was to give away her energy to this servant, is that it?

[murchada]

If you're trying to get at something...

[latinumsbetter]

Yeah, I am.

You bringing it up was never going to save her.

1/2

[murchada]