Chapter Text
The bar was bustling with people, conversations in every nook of the building. It sure was lively, but the atmosphere was happy and cozy. The jazz music echoed through the entire building. The man behind the bar cleaned another glass, carefully scanning the crowd in the bar.
“Psst…” a voice sounded near him. He perked up, his ears immediately catching the whisper behind him. He turned his head towards the source.
“Miss Robin,” recognizing who it was, the bartender acknowledged the presence behind him; it was the girl who was about to go on to the stage to sing for everyone, as usual. Today was a big day though, as she was about to sing her newest release for the first time in public. Since her first performance in the bar, Robin’s popularity has been rising and more people in Penacony hear about ‘the girl with the angelic voice’.
“Mr. Gallagher,” the girl smiled warmly. Then, she asked him a question, “How do I look?”
Gallagher fully turned towards her, scanning her up and down. She had a beautiful dress on; a white dress that flowed against her figure beautifully. The skirt of the dress had a high slit on one side with a bow on it, showing her legs and beautiful white heels. Her bodice accentuated her waist with a bow. Her periwinkle colored hair was tied back in a half updo, her dress matching the color of her dress.
“You look stunnin’,” he approved with a nod. The songbird’s smile brightened upon hearing the man’s compliment.
“Thank you, Mr. Gallagher.”
“For the amount of time you’ve known me by now, you can just call me Gallagher. No need for formalities, you’ve helped me out a lot here,” the bartender said, leaning against the bar he was tending. The periwinkle haired girl had in fact helped him a lot; her popularity brought more customers to his bar than before. Nonetheless, even with her risen popularity, the songbird still chose to perform in his bar.
She chuckles lightly, “I’ll see myself off to the stage now.”
Gallagher nods in acknowledgement. He knows this is quite a big moment for the songbird, she has told him countless of times about how excited she was for her performance this day. She had already turned around, preparing to leave the bar to go to the stage. But then, Gallagher said: “You got this, kiddo.”
Robin stopped in her steps, turning her head around and smiling. “I’m not a kid anymore, you know?”
“I know,” Gallagher said as she turned around and walked away, “but in my eyes, you’ll always be a kid.”
The bartender returned to the bar, putting down the glass he had cleaned as he patiently waited for the songbird to step onto the stage. Even though he usually carries a neutral expression on his face, there was a hint of a smile that crept up on his face.
Gallagher loved his job; he had always loved mixing drinks and serving customers, having small talk with returning customers or tourists with stories from other planets.
The door of the bar opened as the bell rang, an unfamiliar face stepped inside the bar with a cautious expression, looking around. The silver-blond haired girl stood still for a moment, before her gaze landed on the bar and she walked over.
“Evenin’, what can I get for ya?” Gallagher immediately asked the girl as she reached the bar.
“Hello… Do you have anything to recommend?” she asked a bit shyly, a nervous smile on her face. By the way she acted, he immediately knew she wasn’t from Penacony. A lot of tourists ask for recommendations in his bar; simply because Penacony’s specialties are way different from other planets.
“That depends on what ya like. I have a wide range of drinks, ranging from sweet to bitter.”
“Uhm… something sweet will do,” the silver-blonde girl said with an awkward smile plastered on her face.
Gallagher looked behind the counter, gathering some ingredients and liquors before skillfully mixing them together, pouring a sunset colored drink into a glass and sliding it over to the girl. The colors of the drink matching her eye color.
“Woah…” she said in awe as she looked at the drink in front of her. As she inspected the drink up close, Gallagher’s gaze fell elsewhere; the stage.
Robin finally stepped onto the stage, the jazz music that was playing before dying out slowly before the small spotlight shines on her. The entire bar’s attention goes to the stage, even the silver-blonde haired girl looked up from the drink she was fixated on a few seconds ago to look at the angel who had stepped on the stage.
She gently tapped on the microphone on the stand in front of her to make sure it was working. The sound filled the bar, before she smiled warmly at everyone.
“Hello everyone! I am very pleased to be performing for all of you today,” she started, her gaze falling everywhere in the room as she held the mic stand with both of her hands, “I hope today will be a performance that will stay in your minds for a long time. First, I’m going to start with a familiar song to most of you that will get your moods up; Sway To My Beat In Cosmos!”
The musicians near her started playing her song and she started singing along, her angelic voice filling the entire bar with melody.
The silver-blonde haired girl listened along in awe as she took a sip from her drink.
“Wow… Not only is this drink beautiful… It also tastes very good,” the girl compliments the bartender’s abilities, making a smile creep up on his face again. Despite his gruff demeanor, he always has had a soft spot for getting compliments.
“Glad to hear it fits your tastes,” Gallagher cleans another glass as he speaks. Captivated by the sweet voice of the angel on the stage, the girl looks over at the stage. Gallagher notices this and watches with her. “Beautiful, huh?”
“Yes… Her voice is exquisite… Like an angel,” the girl takes another sip from her drink, before turning to Gallagher, “Who is she, if I might ask?”
“That girl over there on the stage? That’s Robin. She’s a singer from the Family, a Halovian.”
The silver-blonde haired girl’s gaze fell on the stage again as the songbird sang her lyrics. ‘Welcome to my world~ Renew your definition.’ It was obvious she was singing the chorus of her song now, and the girl listened along as she sang.
“You aren’t from here, are ya?” Gallagher suddenly asked the girl in front of him. She turned to him thought for a moment what she should say. Then, she shook her head.
“I am from here. I’m a local performer at Golden Hour, from the Iris Family,” she said, before continuing her story, “however, I don’t go out often. This is my first time in this bar.”
The bartender looked at her with a skeptical look. How could a local not know about the singer that had been going around like a wildfire? Besides, she had to wait a moment before she answered. Something didn’t add up, yet Gallagher chose to let it slip for now.
“What’s your name?”
“Firefly. My name is Firefly,” she said with a small smile on her face.
The song finished and the songbird hit the last note, the sound of her voice slowly dying down and leaving the room with a silence. The upbeat song was over and was now followed by an applause. Robin made brief eye contact with Gallagher, who was holding a thumb up to her to let her know she was doing great.
“Now, I will perform my newest release for the first time in public! Everyone, get ready for Hope Is The Thing With Feathers!”
Another melody played, this time a melody that sparks up hope. The angel starts singing again, her voice still as melodious as before. Firefly leans her elbow on the counter next to her drink, watching her perform. She could tell that the songbird enjoyed singing; her expression was happy and her voice was full of emotion. By this performance solely, Firefly could tell that she sang to make others happy. She took another sip from her drink as she kept watching the performance closely.
Gallagher was also watching her performance, feeling a mixture of proud and happiness at her performance. He knew how much this song meant to her, since she just wrote it and showed it to him before she performed it. She was insisting that she’d perform it for the first time after it released in his bar.
‘Heads up! The wheels are spinning. Across the plains and valleys deep~’ Robin sung, her voice as clear as ever. She put her left hand up in the air as she held the microphone with her right hand, clearly indulging herself into the song.
“Say, this might be an odd question, but do you happen to have any desserts or sweet food here?” Firefly asked Gallagher. He raised an eyebrow at her question.
“No, why? Lookin’ for anything sweet?”
“I was hoping to try some desserts,” she says, chuckling awkwardly.
“If you want desserts, you should try going to Clock Diner in Golden Hour.” Gallagher suggests, a bit confused as though why a local wouldn’t know the most popular restaurant in Penacony.
She nods and awkwardly rubs her neck, “Right, yeah. I know.”
A bit embarrassed, Firefly turned back to the singer. She hid her flushed cheeks behind her arm that was resting on the counter again. For a moment, she lost herself in the song. She simply smiled as she watched Robin pour her heart out into the song. In that brief moment, she forgot her worries and just… felt alive for the first time in a long time.