[Hoshi Makise]

'Welcome to the Stingray!' A recorded voice of some vtuber echoed through the sparsely populated bar and restaurant. According to Hoshi's boss, it was some girl named Penny. A regular of theirs's. Only three or so tables were currently occupied as the bar hadn't officially opened for the night. Only the restaurant was open and it was a week day. The bar got more crowded around 7 or 8, depending on the weather. Usually fully of people who work in or around the San'ya area, especially those who are located close to the Stingray. Hoshi was dressed in her usual bar attire, sans the apron as she usually kept that at work. Waving one of the regulars, Hoshi slid behind the bar and went into the kitchen. Grabbing her apron, she scanned her finger and she was officially clocked in.

Another day, another shift. Being the only bartender at the Stingray had its perks. It meant that she got to pick the tunes that played at the bar for one. It really was the only perk, at least according to her boss. Something that wasn't a perk, however, was the 6 PM to 4 AM shift. Yeah, the bar closed at 3 AM but she usually had to help Zane clean up the last few things after they closed. Hard to clean up the bar when you still had people clamoring for a Gut Punch or whatever hero, cop, or someone less savory wanted.

Stretching a little, she stepped out from the employee room and behind the bar. Scanning her hand on a scanner below the bar counter, she officially opened the bar for the night. The music kicked in and the night has started. Pouring herself a water, she settled in for another long night and hopefully good tips.

[Shirayuki Mai]

Mai's social life could be described as inactive at best and nonexistent at worst. With the increasing amount of calamities Tokyo was facing her free time was scarce and best served on self-improvement rather than relaxation. Some of her fellows at the Tranquil Soul agency disagreed however and one 'intervention' later here she was, at a bar she'd never even heard of before much less visited. In fact, she was pretty sure it was Tamaya that had recommended the place. From the outside this looked more like her kind of place. Well, the decor inside at least was more tasteful than the girl's usual haunts and the music was much more to Mai's tastes. Yes, she quite liked the ambiance in here. This was just the kind of relaxation she needed, maybe it'd even energize her enough to get another patrol in afterwards.  "Good evening," Mai greeted the bartender with a short nod. She was starting to get a bit peckish but beginning with a drink was common courtesy at a place like this, right? Yes, patience was a virtue. Trying to be in and out with just a meal would be disrespectful. "May I order a Fluffy Dream?" Remembering the part of her 'intervention' that reeked of Tamaya tacked on but that she'd ended up accepting anyway she continued. "And a mystery shot, please." WORDS 236 TAGS Hoshi Makise NOTES Outfit

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ

[Hoshi Makise]

Hoshi didn't recognise her first customer. That could either be a good or a bad thing. Bad thing if the person ended up being the health inspector. Bad if it was someone looking for Zane. Neither options were preferable but they were rare enough that Hoshi made those thoughts leave her mind. New people come to the Stingray all the time. New customers is who keeps store alive. Or at least, that's what Zane says.Regardless, new person, new order.

Hoshi nodded, letting the bar shaker fly into her hand. "One Fluffy Dream, coming right up!" Hoshi would say, doing her usual drink making theatrics with her shaker. Fluffy Dream was a pleasant drink. Very fruity and generally very approachable. Hoshi would indulge in them from time to time. She preferred less juicy drinks but she doesn't judge for people for liking them. "So, how are you doing tonight? I don't think I recognise ya. New to the area?" Hoshi would ask, shaking the drink as she spoke.

Dropping three limes into a Hurricane glass, she poured the tropical green drink into the glass. Adorning it with a slice of lime on the rim, she placed the drink in front of Mai. Mai would probably like this drink. She definitely would not enjoy the mystery shot. The Mystery shots were on a rotating menu that Zane determined with the "input" of Hoshi. Today's shot was a tapeworm. Grimacing a bit at the thought, she decided to make two so Hoshi could commiserate with Mai.

Combing 1 parts Tabasco, 1 parts Vodka in a shot glass, with a squirt of mayonnaise is evil. Pouring the red fluid into two shot glasses, she placed on one in front of Mai and one in front of herself. She pulled out the bottle of mayonnaise she kept in the small fridge below her before slowly squirting the mayonnaise to create a worm like look in the glass. "You don't have to drink that if you don't want to." Hoshi would say before downing her shot.

Holy fuck, it's awful. Hoshi grimaced a bit before giving a slight cough. Drinking hot sauce is awful.

[Shirayuki Mai]

"T-thank you," Mai responded with a nod. She was far too nervous simply due to being out of her element. If she were here on the job she'd be the picture of confidence but right now- Yeah, far less so.  "I'm fine, thank you." She only narrowly refrained from physically cringing. Six words further into the conversation and she'd already repeated the same reply twice. "How about you?" Was that the wrong thing to ask back to a bartender? Mai assumed it was common courtesy here just like anywhere else but her bar etiquette was sorely lacking. "Sort of. My job takes me through this general vicinity at times but I have yet to have the time to visit any establishments. A colleague of mine recommended this place. Ah, where are my manners. Shirayuki Mai, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."  Was she rambling? She was. She absolutely was. The bartender was likely only listening out of politeness too. Oh kami she was leaving a horrible impression. That wouldn't do. She had to be someone that people could put their trust into. It was crucial. With a grateful nod Mai accepted the Fluffy Dream and took a sip. Her eyes closed for a second as she savored it. A satisfied sigh followed. It was a bit sweeter than her usual preferences but it made it work. Yes, perhaps this was just what she needed. By the time she opened her eyes again the final touches were being put on the mystery shot. Was that mayonnaise? How creative.  Blushing a little at Hoshi's kind offer for her to not drink it Mai felt ashamed. She truly hadn't left the best impression, had she? That wouldn't do. She had to show that she could handle whatever the world may throw at her and stand as a bastion of security in this increasingly dangerous world. Her shot went down at the same time as Hoshi's did.  Mai died a little. The taste hadn't hit instantly but when it did her mouth felt like it was on fire. She couldn't show weakness now, not after she'd sworn to herself to stand tall. Keeping her face as even as possible Mai took a deep breath. The air agitated her throat and her vision went blurry, the deadpan expression staying on her face even as she blinked the moisture out of her eyes. She wasn't crying, that was sweat dripping off her face. The thought that such a thing would be equally embarrassing slipped Mai's mind for the moment. Without so much as a muscle twitching on her face Mai took a sip of her Fluffy Dream. And then another. And one more. She more drank than sipped in truth, the glass tilting up until she'd drained its entire contents. It proved to be but a momentary reprieve.  "May I have another?" Mai said in a voice that was far hoarser than before, one she struggled to keep even throughout her sentence. She was fine, truly. Not struggling at all. So she'd claim at least if anyone asked. The tears streaming down her cheeks proved that a lie. WORDS 533 TAGS Hoshi Makise NOTES ---

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ

[Hoshi Makise]

Yeah. That's the sort of reaction she expected. A tapeworm is one of the least appetizing things she ever had the displeasure of consuming. At least it didn't scare the customer away, so that's a plus. She'd had given shots before that made people flee the bar almost instantly. Almost instantly meaning, they had the manners to pay at least. She didn't want Zane pulling her gun on a customer again. That would be less than ideal. Zane and guns didn't matter at this time though. She had a customer to serve and to chat up.

"Ah, work near by, eh?" Hoshi would remark, taking both empty glasses and putting them into the small tray of dirty glasses she washes throughout the night. Making another Fluffy Dream, Hoshi focused in a little more on her customer. "What type of work you do? Must not pay so well if you end up here." Hoshi laughed a bit, shaking the drink shaker. The Stingray wasn't a expensive place to drink or eat. It served its purpose as a "pillar" of the community. Or at least that's what Zane called it. Not sure it was true with all of the yakuza around but who is she to judge. She works here after all.

"One Fluffy Dream. Can I interest you in some food? These drinks do hit a little harder on a empty stomach." Hoshi would suggest before grabbing the TV remote. A gaggle of locals would come by to watch a baseball game. As she turned on the TV, an ad would play 'The Bank of Hojo-Nakamura. Hojo's and your trusted banking partner!'. "Hope you like baseball. It's Yakult Swallows game day." Hoshi would remark, watching some regulars walk into the bar.

[Shirayuki Mai]

"At times," Mai shrugged, her voice still hoarse as she blinked tears out of her eyes. While she usually operated in the Edogawa district she strived to improve cohesion and cooperation amongst agencies, part of which she took up personally by covering for other heroes when something came up that made them unable to make their scheduled patrols or when certain areas risked being without heroes for too long. San'ya never seemed to have enough personnel. Even if she moved here full time Mai doubted she'd be able to keep up with its needs, not by herself.  "I'm in heroics," she responded with a small smile in a tone that was almost bashful. Like she wasn't sure whether she was deserving of the title of 'Pro Hero'. "One of my colleagues recommended me this place to relax and unwind for a while." She wasn't sure why said colleague, or more likely Tamaya through a proxy, had wanted her to come to this bar specifically but barring the intense pain in her throat she could sort of see the appeal. Actually now that she thought of it the mystery shots might be exactly why Tamaya had wanted her to step out of her comfort zone and come here. She'd been had.  "Oh! Thank you for the advice," Mai said after clearing her throat. That was dangerous. The burning feeling had almost caused her to forget to keep track of her alcohol consumption. Given that she was five foot tall in heels her tolerance still wasn't the best despite how often she went for drinks after-work with colleagues from all over Tokyo to better foster relations. "I'll, uh, I'll have the marinated shrimp please. Ah, baseball is fine. I'm no expert but I do watch at times." Taking slow sips of her second Fluffy Dream she kept the drink in her mouth as much to numb the burning sensation as to enjoy the taste. "If, uh, I might inquire. What exactly does the 'Whatever Zane likes' include?" WORDS 346 TAGS Hoshi Makise NOTES ---

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ

[Hoshi Makise]

Ah, a hero! Or at least related to heroes. Those definitely are not part of the usual clientele at the Stingray. If a hero shows up here, they either are looking for someone who's hiding at the bar or they are not the cleanest hero in the world. Either way, a hero usually meant something annoying was going to happen, especially with the "No arrests" policy the bar has. Zane mostly put in place when one too many heroes broke a chair or two. Regardless, as long as their job did not get into Hoshi's way, she did not care what her clients did.

"Marinated shrimp? Got it." Placing a order in the kitchen via the network, she pushed a button under the bar that would slowly reveal a built in grill in front of Mai. "Heroics you say?" Hoshi would remark, starting another drink for Mai. "Agency work or you teach at that fancy University?" Hoshi would ask, shaking the drink in the mixer, occasionally glancing at the the little order tracker that was displaying across her eye. With a little ping, Hoshi excused herself for a second, grabbing a plate of shrimp, and a couple side dishes (Kimichi, sunomono, bean sprout salad and a miso soup). Placing them in front of Mai, she gave a small bow. Remembering she was still was making a drink for Mai, Hoshi quickly served the Fluffy Dream as well.

"So, Zane, the owner of this bar, has a habit of going to the local markets and just browsing for things she might fancy putting on the menu for a couple days. Usually it's something hyper seasonal or local to where she or I'm from. I think today it's Pacific Oysters? No sure, but I can ask if you are interested." Usually, Hoshi would let newcomers know whatever Zane was cooking up. Didn't want a newbie fall into a super spicy Korean noodle dish when they were thinking they were getting soba or ramen.