Chapter 53: A Glass of Cervati Eau de Vie
When the moon surfaced, a dark, broody atmosphere rose in the Underground. On an alleyway on the southeast, a calm, soul-stirring rhythm echoed, emboldened by a deep, steady voice.
Walking through the dark alleyway, Zeke stopped in front of Solace Bar and took a deep breath. He looked at the door and curled his lips, strangely, he did this action again and again.
When he was finally ready, he went inside the bar.
Ring!
The bell jingled, and a few customers turned their gaze over the door. Seeing that it was Zeke, they glanced at him for a moment before turning their attention back to the singer.
Ever since Zeke’s training started last week, the regulars in the bar took notice of him as the recent, young, and handsome hire of Hullo. They became more and more familiar with his appearance as time passed.
Over the underbar, Hullo raised his head and noticed him, giving a slight nod.
"You’re finally here."
"Do you need me for something?"
Zeke asked, walking up to the underbar. Seeing Hullo’s appearance, his gaze couldn’t help but stay on Hullo for a few seconds. Hullo was wearing a deep charcoal suit, layered on top of a white polo, with a tie hanging loosely below his chin. His lower body was enveloped in a tight-fitting pair of dark slacks, completing his outfit.
Dressed in a refined outfit, Hullo’s battle-hardened face ultimately didn’t change the vibe around him. In fact, he appeared more intimidating than usual, a fact supported by how the customers near him didn’t dare to look at him.
"I’m leaving for something."
Hullo answered vaguely, eliciting a nod from Zeke. He took a fedora and put it on his head before stepping away from the underbar. Before he left, he recalled something important.
"Oh, right, Elisa will be coming back soon. She was supposed to come back today, but she said she had something important tied up on her. Something about a class exam in the academy... aren’t you from the academy as well? Maybe you know about that."
"Elisa studies in the academy?"
Zeke was surprised. Elisa was one of the bartenders in Solace Bar who applied to Hullo for a two-week break. Apparently, she took a break just when he arrived here in Ash City.
He hadn’t seen her even now. He only knew about her through Leon, who told him about the bartenders in the bar.
"Mhm."
Hullo nodded quietly. He swept his gaze over the bar for a few seconds longer, intimidating some of the customers. Seeing nothing unusual, he glanced at Zeke again and gave a slight nod.
"I’m leaving."
"Take care."
Zeke nodded calmly. He went to the staff room and came out within a few seconds, fully dressed. He was already wearing his bartender outfit before coming here to save some time.
Before everything else, he took a pen from the counter and signed his name on the work schedule, clocking in from 7:00 PM to 3:00 AM. This was called a work schedule, and a bartender was required to sign it every time they clocked in for their shift.
Leon explained it to him the other day: work schedules were created at the start of every week, usually by the person with the most experience outside of the boss, who, in this case, was Leon himself.
Leon will take into consideration everyone’s available days in the week to create a schedule. Afterwards, he would submit the work schedule to Hullo, who would approve it.
After signing, he raised his head and looked over the bar, seeing fewer customers than usual.
Most were sitting at the tables, listening to the singer of the evening. The seats in front of the underbar were empty. Having nothing to do, Zeke took the mixer and a wine glass, intending to practice.
Even though his training was already over, he hadn’t mastered all the drinks yet, only enough to be serviceable.
But before he could start, the door opened again, revealing a familiar person.
Zeke stopped his hands and raised his head, staring at the new customer. It was a tall, dark-haired woman with pale skin. Her lips were deep black, and she wore a black, sleeveless shirt that showed her cleavage.
"Welcome, Natalie."
He gave a slight nod.
"Well, if it isn’t my favorite bartender."
Natalie chuckled as she walked leisurely, like a person who couldn’t give a damn about the world around her. She sat in front of him and tapped the surface of the desk quietly, looking up to him.
"Cervati, please."
"Alright."
Zeke took the mixer and a bottle of wine. Suddenly, Natalie noticed something and asked.
"You’re alone today? Hullo isn’t here?"
Zeke raised his head and looked at her. Unsure why she asked that, he nodded.
"Yeah, why?"
"So it’s that time of the month, huh... I hope things go well for them."
Natasha muttered under her breath. Her gaze lowered, seemingly deep in thought.
Zeke quietly mixed in front of her. It was important for a bartender to know when and when not to talk. He didn’t ask nor disrupt her. When the drink was done, he tapped the desk lightly.
"A glass of Cervati Eau de Vie."
"Huh, oh..."
Natalie was startled. She looked up to him, then at the wine glass. Subconsciously, she reached out for the glass and sipped on it. Feeling a cool sensation on her mouth, she was surprised, raising her head and smiling.
"Woah. This is good, kid. Thanks."
"... I’m not a kid."
Zeke clarified, but Natalie only chuckled in response. He shook his head and asked calmly.
"Something in your mind?"
"No, it’s nothing."
Natalie quickly shook her head, then changed the topic.
"Can I smoke?"
Zeke stared at her flatly.
"We’re a proper establishment here, Miss."
Natalie pursed her lips.
"Hullo isn’t here anyway, no one’s going to know..."
Zeke paused, then replied. "The boss told me you’ll say that. But a no is a no."
"Tch."
Natalie clicked her tongue. Zeke shook his head, continuing the conversation.
"Did you just get off work?"
"... Yeah."
Natalie was surprised and gave a slight nod.
"You look more tired than usual," Zeke added, raising a brow.
Hearing that, Natalie sighed.
"If even you can tell, then that’s probably right. I have to pay my bills soon, but I’m having trouble at work lately. It’s because of what’s happening recently but, sigh... I mean, you should know, there’d been fewer customers in the bar lately, right?"
"I guess you could say that. Is there a reason for it?"
Zeke was surprised. He did notice that, but he didn’t think it was strange. Even he knew that businesses could have stretches where there were fewer customers than usual, but it seemed there was something more deeper than that.
Natalie furrowed her brows.
"You don’t know...? Hullo didn’t tell you?"
"Is he supposed to?"
Zeke raised a brow.
"... Maybe he didn’t find the need to,"
Natalie suddenly said, confusing Zeke even more. But before he could ask, she told him the reason directly.
"The Wolves are extending their claws in the other territories. They’re testing out a new weapon, apparently. So they’re using people in the Underground for their twisted test... but there’s no concrete evidence pointing to them, so don’t tell this to anyone. They might kill you."
Natalie stressed the last part, raising alarm bells in Zeke.
Zeke quickly asked. "Why did you tell me then?"
Natalie paused, looking at him. Her hand clenched tightly, seemingly holding on to something.
"I’m only telling you since you work here, and..."
She smiled.
"You’re cute, after all."
Zeke didn’t react for a moment, simply staring at her flatly. Seeing his expression, Natalie laughed briefly before changing the topic.
"Well, how about you? You look like you need a Cervati yourself."
"Huh?"
Zeke was startled, bewildered.
"I’m not sure what you mean by that..."
"You look like something is on your mind," Natalie mused. "Is it a girl? You can tell me. I’m an expert in that kind of stuff."
"Nonsense."
Zeke quickly shook his head, denying her words. He turned around and took another wine glass. Seriously, what was Natalie talking about? But while he was grabbing the wine bottle, prompted by nothing, he answered.
"I’m fine, you’re just imagining things."
