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~~Day 17 of VA-11 Hall-A's Main Story~~
The shift for Jill today had only just started, but she was sure that it'd be a normal day. Serving regulars. One or two newcomers. The usual. The thought of talking with Gaby on the 31st kept distracting her, though. It wasn't enough to throw off her bartending, but even so. It couldn't be helped.
No, assuming it was pointless, with it being two days away, the best decision was to just wait, as painful as it was. The constant threat of bills and the like didn't help either, Fore's recent neutering being one example.
However, a rare visit suddenly brightened Jill's mood, raising her eyebrow in the split second of visual confirmation.
"Oh, if it isn't..."
Coming underneath the bar's lights was her. *Kira* Miki.
It was an instantly recognisable look. There wasn't a single person in Glitch City who didn't know what *Kira* Miki looked like - CH1A model Lilims were a rare sight. On occasion, the most people ever saw up close and personal were common DFC-72s like Dorothy.
For some reason tonight, the Lilim looked the slightest bit nervous. Jill was able to tell from all her bartending work.
"Hey Jill!” *Kira* Miki gasped. “Sorry, but could you help me out? There's an unpleasant guy on my trail."
Jill never expected *Kira* Miki to show up again due to the busy life of an idol, and attributed her previous visit to just pure luck. Was this a sign of something?
But that wasn't important, she was clearly being followed and needed a place to hide.
Turning her head, Jill quickly shouted out in order for that to be achieved. "Boss! Stalked woman incoming!"
Despite Dana currently sorting some miscellaneous BTC-related documents, the sudden sound of urgency in Jill's voice prompted an instant response. "The door's open!" Dana yelled out from the back room.
Not needing to do anything else, Dana waited with the door already open. She'd happily accept anyone wishing to hide in her bar. Even if they were shady, Dana could take care of herself.
"Go ahead, the door to the left," Jill said as she pointed towards it. With a smile, *Kira* Miki waved at Jill and moved away from the bar counter.
"Thanks!"
"Hello there!" Rad Shiba let out a bark.
Suddenly, *Kira* Miki encountered an adorable little thing en route to the office.
A Shiba is always a cute sight, especially given a few were always present at her concerts. Passionate ones at that. This Shiba looked pretty cool. Rad, even.
"Oh, hi there!" *Kira* Miki said as she fumbled.
First Mario and now *Kira* Miki, was this bar really that difficult to navigate to a desired room? Clearly Jill had been here for too long.
"The other one! That's the bathroom." Jill corrected her, questioning to herself what the dog was doing in the bathroom.
"Thank you!"
When *Kira* Miki entered the office, Dana was there to greet her. "Hey there. I'll close the door for you."
*Kira* Miki’s eyes widened. Dana Zane? She didn't look a day older than during her fighting days. Must've been a Zane family secret.
“To think the Red Comet would be letting me hide out in her bar.”
The office was a breath of fresh air. The temperature was well moderated. Neither too hot nor too cold, like the streets of Glitch City. AC like this was pretty expensive.
"So even you know who I am? I'm touched," Dana said, locking the door behind them.
"Who wouldn't?” *Kira* Miki gushed with excitement, “You're famous! I followed your fights, back in the day. I loved them!!"
The compliment made Dana blush, She almost wanted to boast for a second but moved on. That'd be rude anyways.
"Well, I've done a lot of things in the past. Wrestling was just one of the more well known ones."
"Though, I could say the same to you. You're a great singer, you know? Your music is great."
“I’m flattered! I'm glad so many like it, especially popular people such as you." *Kira* Miki gleamed visibly. That her fans were nice people, that was the only thing *Kira* Miki really wanted.
"You help a lot of people with your music, you know," Dana said. "Speaking of, do you mind if we take a few photos for my sister?" And for herself too, though she wouldn’t say that part out loud.
“Why don’t we do a video too?”
“If that’s alright, I’d love that.”
The photos started with Dana and *Kira* Miki doing a V hand pose, the next with big smiles all cheerful, and a final friendly one with Dana having her arm over *Kira* Miki's shoulder in an angled view.
As for the video, *Kira* Miki made a simple message to Dana's sister saying, "never lose your touch. You're great!" Dana had given her creative liberty, just to make it feel a bit more personal.
"These look pretty good!” Dana said. “Thank you."
"You're welcome!" So, your sister is a big fan of mine?"
It was never expected that both the Red Comet and her sister were fans of the music. That wasn't meant in a bad way, just unexpected and rare.
"She sure is. Her room’s filled with your merch. I wouldn’t be able to not recognize you if I tried."
"That makes me happy to hear!!"
*Kira* Miki felt the same way. Lilim didn't really *have* family members, but the Collective Source and the Lilim guardian program helped her to understand.
“It gets her through stressful times too,” Dana muttered, thinking of how Glitch City’s economy had dragged even her young sister into the workforce. Another reason this was a city that shouldn’t exist.
"Thinking about how my music helps others every day always makes me cheer up even a bit. But what about you, Dana?? You mentioned you liked my stuff as well."
It was a fair question to ask, but she couldn’t find herself forming an answer like *Kira* Miki probably expected.
"Honestly, music isn't *too* much in my interests, even if I do have a lot of variety in that. Hell, I even took up gardening recently, as hard as it is to believe in this city. I own a song or two of yours, but my sister’s the real fan. I’m more of a casual enjoyer."
"No shame in that. I’m glad you get at least some joy from what I make."
All this small talk seemed meaningless, but it had a purpose, and Dana was happy it was working. She was happy to keep the Lilim’s mind off the stalker, but she needed to keep the topics fresh.
Maybe…
"Are you a fan of chicken wings by any chance? Possibly spicy ones?"
If Jill were here, she would not be surprised by that question at all. Same for Gil.
"On… occasion. Why?"
It was uncommon to ever get questions about food. Most, if not all questions were about her preferences asked by people who wanted to be like her, which was public knowledge via the internet anyway.
"Well, if you're ever in this area of the Neon District, then be sure to look out for a place called Spicy Chicken. It has some of the best chicken in Glitch City, and I think I'd know that more than anyone else."
"I appreciate it, thanks. I'll remember that. I like to try new things."
"Also, I'm not sure if I should be telling you this or not, but I'm pretty sure I can trust you." Dana frowned. “Basically, the bar is at risk of closing."
Afterwards, Dana sighed and simply closed her eyes, remembering the exact time when the BTC message regarding this was received.
...Was she shaking, or was that just her imagination?
Meanwhile *Kira* Miki's eyes widened with shock and became concerned, instantly inquiring.
"Oh no! Really?"
The only response she received was a dejected nod of the head.
"Can I ask why?"
A slight bit of hope? If she ended up knowing the reason, maybe she'd be able to help in one way or another? She was the most popular artist in Glitch City after all.
"To sum it up… you know how I mentioned this bar is a rare visit due to the ones on the main street? The BTC messaged me on the 11th saying that because this bar hasn't been getting much income recently, it might be at risk of closing. You probably know from the Augmented Eye, but money means a lot to the BTC. And that’s an understatement.”
So far, only Jill and Gil knew about this. Neither of them took the news very well, especially Gil.
*Kira* Miki pondered for a moment. "Is there anything that I could do to help?"
Dana had to think for a few seconds. *Kira* Miki probably could do wonders for exposure and sales if she’d asked, but…
"Not that I can think of, no."
Just getting to meet her today was great.
"But at least it'll be safe for a few months while the regional manager and other BTC staff take care of all the paperwork."
Even Dana didn't know the full specifics, only Brian and the people he talked with about this at the start, sadly.
"I'll be sure to visit more often to help out and make the most of it then! This is one of the best bars I've ever been to."
"Well, it’d be nice to have a few more regulars. Especially you, Miss Idol."
Almost every regular that visited the bar was a great one. Alma, Dorothy, etc. *Kira* Miki would be a welcomed addition, or maybe even especially, with the fans that followed.
Behind the door, the two could hear Jill’s voice call out, "the guy left!"
"Oh! Alright!" Turning to Dana, *Kira* Miki gave her a bright, gratuitous smile. "Thanks for sheltering me, Dana. Hope your sister likes the video!" With that, she re-entered the main bar, leaving Dana to continue her work.
The rest of the day would be uneventful, but Dana wouldn’t mind. Dana would be happy ever since, thanks to *Kira* Miki's visit.
It was impossible to resist the charm of Michelle Kingston.