Chapter Text
Everything was dark around Jill. The only thing in sight was the old metal chair she was sitting on. The darkness surrounding her was thick and suffocating like there was nothing but it. Boss came into view, almost as if the darkness created her. The place was dimly lit in a reddish light but Jill couldn’t spot any light sources. Just Jill, Boss, and a metal chair.
“You have disappointed me, Jill,” Boss said.
Jill tried to open her mouth and ask why but she couldn’t say a word. She could feel the darkness restraining her, making her watch Boss.
“I don’t want you around anymore,” Boss said in a monotone voice. “You keep doing things wrong.”
It was all very vague but it still plagued Jill’s mind. She wanted to ask what she had done wrong. How she could fix it. But she wasn’t allowed to do anything. Boss kept saying horrible things about Jill in that annoying monotone voice as if even talking to Jill was a waste of time. Jill’s tears dripped onto the ground but it made no sound at all. The only sound aside from Boss’s voice was a slight rumbling. It slowly grew louder but Jill didn’t notice it until it was deafening. It shook the darkness around her and it was like it cracked. Boss disappeared with it and Jill opened her eyes, bathed in sweat.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Fore was resting on top of Jill's chest, purring loudly. He looked at Jill with his deep blue eyes.
“Did I wake you?” ‘Fore’ asked knowing damn well he did, once Jill had calmed down.
“I think so...” Jill said and bit her lip.
“It’s not like you to have nightmares.” The cat stated and kept purring.
“I know.” She muttered.
“You’re still worried Boss is upset with you?”
“Yeah,” Jill mumbled. “I usually don’t worry about what others think about me.”
“You already said that.” ‘Fore’ said. “Boss is special.”
“I’ll just see what happens before I draw any conclusions.”
“Or you could just ask her.” The cat pointed out. “Since you’re already drawing conclusions.”
“What would I even say?” Jill asked, frustrated.
“Just ask why she was upset yesterday.”
“Maybe...” Jill said and took a deep breath. “I’m gonna take a shower and clear up my head.”
“What makes you think I’ll let you move, human?” ‘Fore’ said teasingly.
He had stopped purring now.
“I can easily put you somewhere else, cat,” Jill said and gently put Fore somewhere else in the bed.
He didn’t seem to like that though. He hopped down from the bed in search of a new spot to sleep that wasn’t chosen by his human friend.
“Silly cat...” Jill mumbled and got up.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The ice-cold shower calmed her mind a bit and eating some breakfast helped even more. She left the house in a hurry, both anxious and excited to get back to the bar. The walk was more pleasant than the day before. The weather had cleared up and it wasn’t freezing cold today. A few lonely clouds surfed lazily over the blue sky and she saw some birds fly by. Looking at it put Jill in a better mood. Seeing some natural color for once was pleasant. Finally, she reached the bar and opened the door with a sigh. The bar was seemingly empty but she knew Boss was somewhere around, probably hiding in her office. Jill put her coat away and took a step towards the bar and stopped. She wanted to ask Boss about what happened yesterday but the thought of it filled her with dread. Ultimately she just went over to the bar and prepared for customers. That seemed easier.
“It’s time to mix drinks and change lives.” Jill sighed.
“Jill?” Boss called in the distance. “Is that you?”
“Yup!” Jill yelled back. “Just me.”
“Good, good,” Boss said as she left her office and came towards Jill.
Were Jill’s eyes deceiving her or did she looked a bit nervous? The emotion looked strange and foreign on Boss. She sat down across from Jill, just like last night, and cleared her throat.
“I’m… Terribly sorry about yesterday.” Boss said apologetically.
“It’s… Okay...” Jill replied hesitantly.
Boss tried to make eye contact but Jill averted her gaze.
“I didn’t mean to get drunk and weird.” She started. “I just...”
She paused and Jill looked up at her, finally allowing their eyes to meet. Boss looked genuinely sorry.
“So, you’re not mad at me?” Jill asked, almost a whisper.
“No!” Boss exclaimed. “Not at all.”
Silence.
“Were you worried I was?” Boss asked, sounding concerned.
“Maybe a little bit,” Jill said.
You’re not just a little worried when you have nightmares about it.
“It won’t happen again,” Boss said with a weak smile.
Jill nodded, unsure of what to say.
“Well, I’ll get back to the office now,” Boss announced, seemingly eager to get away from the awkward tension between them.
Boss closed the door behind her and Jill was alone in the bar again. She sighed. At least Boss wasn’t mad at her. Now there was just this weird and awkward tension between them.
“Better than her being angry with me...” Jill mumbled, absent-minded.
Before she got to think about it more, the door swung open, and in came two unfamiliar faces.
“...and that’s why you’re wrong!” One of them yelled.
“No! You proved nothing with your ramble.” The other one said and shook her head.
“Whatever!”
The two lilims sat down at the bar and they both sighed.
“Welcome to FO-11K Vang-R,” Jill said, a little uneasy. “What can I get you?”
“Two martinis.” The second one said with a sly smile.
“You mean a Brandtini?” Jill corrected.
“I told you!” The first one said triumphantly. “It’s called a Brandtini!”
“Okay!” The second one grumbled and crossed her arms. “You win.”
“You two had a whole argument over what a drink is called?” Jill raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah...” The first lilim blushed. “We rarely argue but when we do, it’s over something as stupid as the name of a drink.”
“I can’t blame you for getting it mixed up,” Jill said and smiled at them.
“Oh well, it doesn’t matter too much.” The second lilim reassured. “We’re done now and we’re very sorry for barging in here like that.”
“No worries,” Jill replied while making their drinks.
“Name’s Nina by the way.” The first lilim said. “And that’s my ex-girlfriend, Jennifer.”
“You gotta stop introducing me like that, dummy,” Jennifer said and shook her head. “I’m her wife.”
She pulled up Nina’s hand and showed a golden ring with a pink rock embedded in it.
“Ah, I see,” Jill said and put down the two Brandtinis in front of the girls. “Makes more sense than going to a bar with your ex.”
“I’ve done that before,” Nina said and nodded.
“Really?” Jennifer asked, seemingly unable to wrap her head around why she would do that.
“I mean, I just ran into her on accident,” Nina admitted and took a sip of her drink.
“That doesn’t count!” Jennifer said and rolled her eyes at her wife.
“Totally does,” Nina said teasingly.
“Are you two gonna argue again?” Jill asked while cleaning some dirty glasses.
“No, no!” Nina assured Jill. “Don’t worry Ms. Bartender.”
“She has a name, dummy,” Jennifer whispered but Jill could still hear it.
“Oh, right!” Nina said and narrowed her eyes, looking after a name tag.
“It’s Jill,” Jill said. “I’m not wearing a name tag by the way.”
“Why not?” Jennifer asked. “Seems convenient.”
“I never really thought about it,” Jill replied. “I guess Boss just doesn’t run things like that.”
“Boss?” Nine perked her head.
“Yeah, I’ve just gotten used to called my boss, Boss,” Jill said and blushed slightly, against her will.
“Do they not like being called their actual name?” Nina asked, genuinely curious.
“I don’t think so. I just started calling her Boss and it stuck.”
“That’s pretty cute.” Nina beamed a smile at Jill who blushed again.
“Don’t tease the poor bartender!” Jennifer told her wife.
“Come ooooon!” Nina protested. “We’re just having fun!”
“Did one Brandtini seriously make you this tipsy?” Jennifer asked.
“Pffffft, no!” Nina said, clearly tipsy.
Jennifer rolled her eyes.
“Well, I gotta get this dummy back home.” She said. “Thanks for the drinks, Jill!”
“Hope you come again,” Jill mumbled but they were already out of earshot.
The whole situation reminded her of Boss getting drunk yesterday. She ignored the thought immediately. Boss already said sorry. There was nothing to worry about. Jill took a deep breath and started cleaning the dirty glasses the girls had left behind. Jennifer hadn’t even finished her drink. They were in and out so fast.
“What a strange couple...” Jill muttered as she cleaned their classes.
Before she was done cleaning, another person entered the bar. This time a familiar face.
“The great Dorothy Haze has entered the bar!” She announced.
“Hey, Dorothy.” Jill couldn’t help but smile at the lilim’s silly entrance.
“How are you doing?” Dorothy hopped up in a bar chair and put her head in her hands, seemingly ready to listen to everything Jill ever had to say.
“You’re real talkative today.” Jill chuckled.
“I’m just in a good mood!”
“I thought you were always in a good mood.”
“Today I’m in an extra good mood then!” Dorothy exclaimed. “I have a day off and I’m going around town, having fun!”
“Ah, I see.” Jill nodded. “Where have you gone to?”
“I got up pretty late so I haven’t done that much yet.” She admitted. “Actually, this is my first stop...”
“Oh,” Jill said. “That’s fair.”
“Now tell me about your day, Jill!” She demanded.
“How about you order something first?” Jill asked. “This is a bar after all.”
“Alright! I would like a blue fairy!” She happily announced. “Now spill the beans, girl!”
“Okay, okay,” Jill said and started making the drink. “Why are you so interested in what I’ve been up to?”
“Jill, we’ve hardly spoken for a year,” Dorothy said, a little more serious. “I just wanna have a talk with my good ol’ friend.”
“Ah...” Jill awkwardly placed the drink in front of the lilim. “Sorry...”
“You already apologized yesterday, Jill. It’s okay.”
“Okay.” Jill nodded and cleared her throat. “What do you wanna know?”
“This isn’t an interrogation.” She chuckled. “Just tell me about anything!”
“Alright, I can do that.” Jill nodded slightly. “Fore woke me up from some dumb dream today.”
“Aw, Fore! I miss that cat. I think he liked me.”
“I’m sure he did,” Jill replied, thinking back to the time Dorothy slept at her old place and how she had chased the poor cat around for a solid ten minutes before giving up.
“What was the dream about?” Dorothy said, pulling Jill out of her thoughts.
“It was just some dumb dream.” She shrugged. “Nothing noteworthy.”
“Do you never have any weird dreams?” She asked.
“I do sometimes,” Jill replied, thinking back. “Not that often though.”
“My dreams are always crazy!”
“That checks out.” Jill chuckled.
“Heheh, yeah.” The lilim laughed. “Anything exciting happened lately?”
“Well, I got this job,” Jill said. “That was pretty life-changing.”
“Life-changing?”
“Yeah...” Jill admitted. “I was in a rough spot before.”
“How rough?”
“Working in the maintenance tunnels and only eating every other day rough.” Jill looked down, ashamed of how bad it had been.
“Okay, that’s pretty rough,” Dorothy said, now full of worry. “Are you okay now?”
“Yeah, don’t worry,” Jill said, reassuringly. “Boss pays me well.”
“That’s good! You deserve better than that...” She pouted, seemingly upset that the world could ever hurt Jill like that.
Dorothy took the last sip of her blue fairy and put down the glass.
“Well, I’m off to do more fun stuff tonight!” She said, now back to her usual excited self.
“Have fun!” Jill said as the lilim got up from her chair.
“Will do! Oh, and Jill?” she said before leaving.
“Yeah?”
“If you need me to spend the night at your place again, just tell me.” She said and gave Jill an honest smile.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jill said and the lilim closed the door behind her.
She sighed. Jill had never really told anyone, except for Fore, about how horrible things really had been. She just kind of blurted it out at Dorothy on accident. At least she didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she even offered to be there for her. Jill smiled. People were there for her. Both Boss and Dorothy. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She was craving a cigarette.
“Hey, Boss?” Jill yelled.
“Yeah?” Boss replied, her voice muffled behind the office door.
“I’m gonna take my break!”
“Alright!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jill stared up at the night sky. She wished she could see the stars but the light pollution blocked her view of the cosmos. Usually, the cigarette would help her feel better. To calm her nerves. But tonight, there was nothing to help her with. She felt at peace after Boss’s apology and Dorothy’s promise to cuddle her if she ever needed it. She closed her eyes and let the cold breeze hit her face. Jill stayed like that for a while. She felt alive. The cigarette had stopped burning and she threw it away. Jill opened the door back into the bar and was met with a customer waiting.
“Oh, there you are.” He said. “I was wondering if anyone was here at all.”
“Oh, you,” Jill said and raised an eyebrow. “Alan, right?”
“Yeah, that’s correct.” He seemed happy that Jill didn’t call him space invader today.
“What can I get you?” Jill asked as she walked behind the counter.
“Hit me with a Gut Punch.”
“Will do.” She replied, mentally laughing at the thought of punching this guy in his guts.
“Has today gone better than yesterday?” Alan asked. “You know, customer-wise?”
“So far you’re the fourth person here today so I would say it’s gone a little better,” Jill said as she mixed his drink.
“I see.” He nodded. “That’s a little better than yesterday.”
His words seemed mocking but his tone didn’t.
“What made you come back today?” Jill asked and put down the finished drink in front of Alan.
“It’s just on the way home from work.” He shrugged and took a sip from the strong drink.
“Ah.” She replied.
“And the drinks here are alright.” He added. “At least compared to so many other bars around these parts.”
“Thank you,” Jill replied, happy that their bar stood out. “What kind of work do you do, Alan?”
“Just boring office crap.” He said and took a rather big sip.
He couldn’t help but grimace as he put the glass down.
“Sounds boring.” Jill nodded.
“You would not believe it.” He continued. “It’s like all the color has been sucked out of the world.”
He paused.
“The only reason I haven’t left is that it’s all we have. My family wouldn’t survive without me working that damn job.” He said bitterly.
“That sounds pretty bad...”
“It is pretty bad.” He nodded slightly and finished his drink. “How about a big beer?”
“That I can do,” Jill said and started mixing it.
“Honestly, getting a bunch of drinks is all that gets me through the day,” Alan admitted and shook his head ever so slightly. “I wish I could have an interesting job, like you.”
“Is there no way you could try to pursue anything else without risking the wellbeing of your family?” Jill asked, a little concerned for the guy.
“I don’t know.” He looked lost. “I wouldn’t know what I would even try to do.”
“Maybe you should start there?” Jill suggested. “Like, just figuring out what you want to do with your life?”
“Perhaps.” He emptied his bear, seemingly deep in thought. “I’m gonna get going.”
“Alright.” She said. “Hope you’ll come again.”
“You can count on it.” He said as he got up. “This is a pretty nice bar.”
“Thanks,” Jill said and smiled.
He put his jacket on and left the bar, seemingly in a hurry. Jill sighed. She should really have taken her own advice when she was in that same situation. There was a good chance she could’ve found another job that was better than working in the horrible maintenance tunnels. She just felt so stuck, unable to move away from it. It was like a black hole, consuming her and sending her beyond the event horizon. She felt bad for Alan, and so many others, who had to stay beyond that barrier, never escaping it.
“Maybe I should ask Boss if she wants to employ another bartender...” Jill thought out loud while cleaning the last classes.
“Another bartender?” Boss asked.
She had just gotten out her office and overheard Jill thinking out loud.
“Huh?” Jill looked up, surprised Boss was suddenly there. “Oh, I was just… There was this guy earlier who is stuck in a horrible job and he seemed kinda into the idea of bartending, I think.”
“Ah, I see.” Boss nodded. “I mean, I could use some extra manpower but I’m not sure I have quite the budget for that..”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Jill replied. “Maybe as the bar grows more popular?”
“That doesn’t seem too far fetched,” Boss said and sat down in the chair across from Jill. “How has today been treating you?”
“Pretty well actually,” Jill said and smiled. “There was this weird lesbian couple here who fought over the name of a drink. They seemed nice but they ended up leaving rather fast because one of them was a bit of a lightweight. I hope they come again...”
She stopped and looked up at Boss. She was totally rambling but Boss was just there, listening to every word Jill said.
“You can keep going if you want to,” Boss said and smiled.
She seemed to have noticed Jill had trailed off.
“O-okay.” Jill stuttered. “Uhm... Then Dorothy came by again. She had a day off and she had lots of plans, so she didn’t stay for long either. But we had a little bit of catching up and she told me she will come by and cuddle me again if need be. That was honestly really nice to hear. So in conclusion, that, coupled with our talk this morning, led to a pretty good day.”
“I’m glad Dorothy is still there for you.” Boss nodded. “And I’m really glad we talked about what happened yesterday. I’m still very sorry about it.”
Boss seemed to tense up a bit.
“Don’t worry, Boss,” Jill said. “You made it pretty clear that you weren’t mad at me.”
“That’s good.” She smiled and relaxed again. “Really good.”
Boss seemed to stare into infinity for a good minute but the silence wasn’t awkward this time.
“So, if I wasn’t the problem, what was?” Jill asked, hoping Boss would open up a bit.
“That’s complicated.” She said, brushing it off. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Boss, it’s never not complicated.”
“That is certainly true.” She admitted. “But still, I’m taking care of it, okay?.”
“After yesterday, I’m starting to think you’re not taking care of whatever it is, as well as you might think,” Jill said, worried about Boss. “You don’t have to do everything on your own, Boss.”
Boss sighed and closed her eyes.
“That’s just how I do it, kiddo.” She said and took a deep breath. “Maybe I’ll tell you another day. Just not right now.”
“That sounds good, Boss,” Jill said, happy that Boss didn’t just push her away like she always did when it became too personal.
“It’s been nice talking to you, Jill,” Boss said. “But I’m afraid we gotta close down for tonight.”
“Yup, that sounds about right.” She said while looking at the clock in the bar.
“I’ll see you tomorrow!” Boss said as she walked back to her office but turned around when she reached the door. “It’s nice to have you around again, Jill.”
“It’s really good to see you around again too, Boss,” Jill said and put on her coat. “See you tomorrow.”
Boss went into her office and Jill went outside, closing the door behind her. The night was dry and cold. Jill had never had much of a problem with cold weather but today she couldn’t wait to get home under her warm blankets with Fore. It occurred to her that she really missed human contact. It was only because of her cat she hadn’t gone insane from touch starvation in all that time. For a brief moment, she considered calling Dorothy but she didn’t wanna seem too desperate. Besides, Dorothy was having a day off today and Jill didn’t want to ruin that for her. Having Fore fall asleep on her was going to have to cut it again tonight.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After Jill made it inside her apartment, she threw the coat on the floor and quickly hopped under the warm blankets in her bed. Fore was already on his way towards her and he hopped up in the bed. The cat quickly found a spot deemed worthy and he snuggled up by her side.
“So, I’m the only reason you haven’t gone crazy from being so touch starved?” ‘Fore’ asked teasingly. “Is that just all I am to you?”
“Totally.” Jill chuckled. “You’re nothing but a piece of ass.”
“I don’t think this is how you’re supposed to talk to your cat.” He replied and started purring.
“I don’t think most people talk to their cat.” Jill sighed. “Or talk for their cat for that matter...”
She listened to Fore purring for a little bit. It was calming to listen to.
“It’s not insane as long as no one overhears it.” ‘Fore’ finally said.
“Boss heard me once,” Jill remembered.
“Oh, yeah.” The cat said. “The day she was here and you got super drunk on bad beer.”
“Mhmm, that was nice.” She smiled at the memory of her and Boss bantering on her balcony while drinking beer.
“You should invite her over again.” ‘Fore’ said.
“That actually sounds pretty nice...” Jill mumbled.
She slipped back into thinking about what Dorothy had said. That she could call her any day and she would come by and spend the night here. Jill imagined snuggling Dorothy but her mind decided to picture Boss instead of the lilim. She blushed hard and quickly shook her head at the thought.
“No, no, no, no… I’m not going back into that.” Jill muttered. “She never opens up to me… There’s no point...”
But Jill couldn’t help but feel a little hope after Boss said she would tell what had been plaguing her so much she would get drunk in front of Jill. Maybe she would do if more after that. Maybe she would…
Jill shook her head again. No use getting any hopes up. She got out of bed and into the bathroom. The person in the mirror looked tired but not unhappy. Things were slowly starting to change for the better, which was a nice realization to have. She started brushing her teeth and thought about how different things were just a week ago.
“No more maintenance tunnels...” Jill mumbled while still brushing her teeth, finally realizing she never had to go back there again. “No more stupid humid tunnels and slippery stairs...”
Fore had joined her in the bathroom, impatiently waiting for her to be back in the bed.
“Are you just gonna talk to yourself all evening?” He said, sounding grumpy.
“Kinda funny coming from you,” Jill said, fully aware of how silly it was to pretend her cat was talking to her.
“It’s more fun to take up half the bed when you’re there.” ‘Fore’ said, still grumpy.
“You always end up sleeping on my chest anyway,” Jill said on her way back to the bed, now in pajamas. “Can’t you just start there instead of shoving me aside for half the night?”
“No.” The cat said in a stern voice. “That’s not how I do it, kiddo.”
“You’re stubborn, cat,” Jill said and got into bed.
“So are you, human.” He replied, trying to find a good spot in the bed.
“Goodnight.” She said and turned off the lights,
“Night.” ‘Fore’ said and they both closed their eyes.