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Clavis had always been the elevator operator. He had heard from Nona that there was one before him, who had served for millennia, and that Clavis was the replacement. He was thrust into the job immediately upon coming into existence, and it was all he had ever known.
It wasn’t so bad a job, compared to being an arbiter or in the Information Processing Bureau. Sure, it got a little boring at times, but someone always needed to go somewhere. Occasionally the chattier arbiters and others would indulge him in conversation, mostly boring small talk. Nona, his superior and friend, had him keep his ear open for whispering and gossip among the floors. Clavis loved to hear gossip, things like who had messed up in the IPB and sent an arbiter the wrong memories, who had thrown a party for someone’s job anniversary a month too late, and which arbiter was judging the most amount of humans the fastest.
After a while, he realized that he was no longer content. After Nona’s experiment with Decim and Ginti, Clavis felt himself thinking more inwardly about what he wanted from this existence. He realized now he had always had doubts, but hadn’t dared question them because what could he do? He was just a doll given life to serve a position that needed to be filled. It seemed like Nona was trying to push the boundary of what it meant to be a living puppet. It weighed heavy on his mind, and on his next break he found himself pressing the button for floor fifteen.
The bell rang as the doors slid open, and he stepped off the elevator with purpose.
“Hello, welcome to Quinndecim.” Decim greeted him with a small smile, his bar void of other guests.
“Hello, Decim. Mind if I have a drink?” Clavis sat down directly in front of the arbiter who nodded.
“What will it be?”
“A mojito, please.”
Decim nodded again and got to work making the drink. Clavis watched him, how efficiently he moved. Decim had always moved gracefully, but Clavis recalled he used to be much stiffer. There was always a certain finesse, but now it was looser. No less skilled than before, but more relaxed. It looked good on him.
Decim placed his drink in front of him with a flourish.
“Enjoy.” He said, turning to put the ingredients back in their proper places.
“Thank you.” Clavis took a small sip, savoring the taste. Decim’s cocktails were always delicious. He really did have a passion for bartending, he studied it endlessly. Always asking Nona for more books from earth with new recipes to try. Clavis knows this because he’s the one who delivers them.
He smiles at the thought, taking another sip. Decim picked up a glass from the sink and started to wash it. Clavis leaned over the bar to watch, placing his chin in his hand.
“Decim you seem different. I mean that in a good way. You’re more open.”
“Oh?” Decim continued to wipe the glass with his rag, despite it being spotless.
“Yes. I’m glad, honestly. You were pretty hard to read. You still are, but now I feel like …” Clavis trailed off, in an uncharacteristic show of shyness, stirring his drink slowly.
“It’s a good change.” He finished lamely.
“I am glad you shared that with me. It is a great effort to be more… open, but I believe it is worth it.”
Clavis hummed, placing his elbow on the counter and leaning onto his hand. He watched Decim work, wiping glass after glass for a few minutes in a comfortable silence. His gaze was eventually drawn to the puppet at the end of the bar, perfectly sat and poised. It was the spitting image of the black haired woman, Chiyuki. How long had it been since she had gone? Time worked differently here than in the human realm. He wondered if Decim still remembered her name. Clavis did not work directly with humans so his memory wasn’t wiped as the artbiters were.
That human woman had really shaken things up around here. The other one too, Mayu, he thought. Ginti has not handled that judgment in a way he agreed with but hey, that wasn’t his choice. He wasn’t an arbiter.
“Do you remember her?” Clavis asked.
Decim stared.
“The one at the end.” He pointed.
“No.”
Clavis was surprised at the disappointment that welled in his chest. Decim noticed his shift and elaborated.
“I don’t remember her. I know I cared for her, as I would not have placed her so close to the other guests.”
Decim paused to glance over at the mannequin, sat up in her chair, two small homemade dolls in her hands. She stood out against the sleek yet detailed decor of the bar floor, as the rest of the mannequins were hidden until he chose to reveal them. She was in plain sight for all to see, almost as if she was helping him greet his guests.
“Do you want to know her name?”
“No.”
Clavis made an amused noise.
“Why not?”
“I would simply forget it again.”
“Can't argue with that.”
Silence fell over the duo. Clavis let his eyes wander, from Decim to the bar to the elaborate fish tank in the corner. Quinndecim truly was one of the nicer floors, he really should visit more often. The company wasn’t half bad either. Decim continued to clean glasses, it seemed like a comforting motion to him. The more he seemed to be thinking, the faster he would scrub.
“May I ask you a question?” Decim asked.
“Of course.”
“Why did you come by today?”
Why today, of all days? Clavis wondered why himself. He didn’t plan on asking Decim all these questions. He knew he didn’t have any of the answers he was seeking. He just wanted…
“Companionship, I guess? I’ve been…lonely, recently I suppose.”
He truly was. Nona has been busy lately, and Ginti has been no fun since his cat abandoned him. Clavis had seen her several times, and he made sure Ginti knew she was safe. Not that the asshole thanked him for his efforts.
Decim cleared his throat at his confession, offering a small smile. Clavis grinned immediately. It was still such a sight to see the arbiter express emotions on his face.
“Ah. I see. You are welcome anytime, Clavis.”
He took the last sip of his drink.
“Thank you, Decim. I think I will visit more often.”