Chapter 1
“For one you can do better that Yuza and The Last Drop is the perfect place to meet new people,” Felicia reasoned with her, walking down the pothole ridden road past the old fish market. “And even better…best drinks in all of Zaun.”
“You’re only saying that because the owner guys are your friends. I’ve heard it’s dead as dirt in there,” Sevika raised an eyebrow at her hardly persuasive friend.
Felicia rolled her eyes. “It’s a good crowd for a start up. Mad anyways, you still haven’t met Vander and Silco.”
“Your boyfriends?”
“My friends.”
“Sure…” Sevika smirked. “Friends.”
Felicia laughed and elbowed her hard in the ribs. “Just this once and then I’ll stop asking, I swear!”
And that was how Sevika ended up in the Lqst Drop for the first time.
It was dark too early that day. It wasn’t the season for the sun to set that early either, which was a tad concerning but when you lived in Zaun—or as most called it, the Undercity—you learned to pretend that an early evening and green smoke and cloudy water weren’t so bad. Not bad enough to run your life for you.
The bleak evening worked in Sevika’s favor this time. She could stop by The Last Drop amd satisfy Felicia and still have time to enjoy herself at a real bar without wasting away too much of the night. She had plans to get some strong, fast working substances of various kinds in her and get her hands on a pretty little thing to take home for a night or two. Then, she could have her night of fun and not have Felicia chide her the next day like she had been for the past three weeks.
Sevika walked in with little ado, barely looking at the wood carved sign of the Last Drop. She had picked up Felicia from the place enough times to know it well enough by now.
One brief glance around told her she had been far from wrong about the crowd the bar attracted. There was an easy total of seven customers in the joint, all as stirred up as cesspools. Sevika scanned the area for a glimpse of violet hair when—
Oh, yes, Sevika thought, a corner of her mouth curling upwards.
There was a waitress passing by her, two pints of something coppery and chemical smelling in her hands. She had long raven dark hair pulled in a low ponytail, strands coming out and shrouding parts of her face like a curtain. She had striking green eyes, seemingly cutting through her when she briefly glanced at her. She wore a cheap but silky red shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a knee length pleated skirt that had several chains and buckles dripping across it. She was thin but not unhealthy, tall but not taller than her, and had cheekbones that could cut the tension Sevika knew would inevitably be between them in…oh, give her half an hour to work her magic.
The waitress dropped off the drinks without a word to her customers, denying them a smile before turning and walking back to the bar. The batman smiled at her but her frown stayed in place as she brushed passed him without sparring him a glance.
This was going to be fun, Sevika knew.
She approached the bar.
Settling herself down on a wobbly stool, Sevika planted her elbow on the slightly sticky wood counter and used two fingers to be on over the waitress cooly. When the woman saw Sevika, her bored expression didn’t waver but she approached nevertheless.
The waitress planted both her palms flat on the counter in front of Sevika, leaning forward on them. “What do you want?” She asked in an unexpectedly deep and raspy voice.
“Whiskey, but if you don’t have that then I’ll settle for your name.”
“Good thing we’ve got a full stock.” The waitress yelled to the man behind her. “Vander! Whiskey on the rocks!”
Sevika raised a single eyebrow. “I didn’t ask for ice.”
“You want it on ice,” the waitress deadpanned. “And let it melt a little too or the burn is unbearable. You can thank me later.”
“Oh, I can think of several ways to thank you…” Sevika smirked.
The waitress sighed. “Not interested.”
“What’s wrong?“ Sevika reached across the bar to tap lightly on the woman’s lithe hand. “Too strong for you? Scared to get burnt?”
Those mossy eyes looked her up and down. “Not my type, sorry.”
Sevika felt something inside her stomach twist. She never would have guessed this woman wasn’t queer in some way or another.
“How do you know? You ever been with a real woman?” Sevika positioned her arms in a purposeful but nonchalant pose she knew showed off her muscles.
“…like I said, not my type.”
“Bet I could change your mind if you gave me the chance.”
The bartender approached where the waitress and Sevika were, drink in hand. Pulling some of the hair in her face behind her ear, the woman moved back so the man could have room. Still she kept shooting down Sevika’s advances. “I highly doubt it.”
“Doubt what?” The large man who probably, Sevika guessed based on his sheer mass, had a brain the size of a pea.
The waitress nodded to Sevika pointedly. “She thinks she can straighten me out.”
Sevika opened her mouth to clarify that was quite the opposite of her goal here when a laugh sounded out from behind her. Sevika knew that laugh.
“What?” Felicia dumped herself down on the bench beside Sevika. She gave both persons behind the bar small waves. “Vander,” she smiled at the large man and then at the woman, “Silco.”
“Silco,” Sevika smiled, giving this Silco woman a toothy grin. “I knew I’d get that name eventually, princess.”
The three others around Sevika all looked at her. It took her a few moments to realize this as she finished her first sip of burning whiskey. “What?” She looked at them all in turn, wondering if there was some mine smut left on her face.
The dark head beauty standing behind the bar narrowed their eyes and asked slowly. “Do you…are you under the impression that I,” they pointed at themself, “Am a woman?”
Sevika too froze. Had she assumed wrong? She knew how difficult such mistakes could be for some people. Oh dear, how bad had she fucked this? She stammered for the first time in months. “Well…I…I didn’t mean to…how…how do you identify?”
The burly barkeep, Vander, roared with rather sudden and obnoxious laughter. His large hand slapped Silco’s shoulder hard enough to make them almost fall forward on the counter. Felicia too began to giggle though she had enough awareness to stifle them with her hand.
Silco stood there, their mouth uneven from his wicked half smile. He crossed his arms in front of them and leaned back against the wall behind him. “Hm. Now I just want to make you guess…”
Felicia was shaking her head fervently at Silco. Sevika looked over at her for an explanation. Her friend quickly cleared her throat with a humored “Ahem!” and said, “S-Sevika…Silco is a man. Biological.”
And with that, all of Sevika’s hopes for the night dropped. Because of course the one woman she could find attractive in this shot hole would turn out to be a man. Not only attractive but blessed with designed by Janna chiseled beauty. Just some fucking guy.
It took Sevika awhile to notice that Felicia was speaking.
“…my friends I’ve been telling you about. The ones who own this place?”
Sevika nodded and hoped that her weak, “Oh, yeah,” Was a good enough of an answer to a question she barely heard.
“Pleasure to meet you!” Vander was still laughing.
“Hmm.” Silco uncrossed his arms and picked up a rag to start looking for work to do elsewhere.
Once Silco had gotten back to work and soon dragged Vander away with him. Sevika covered her forehead with both her palms, groaning. Felicia sobered her humor and placed a hand on Sevika’s back.
“Hey, it’s okay. I swear he isn’t offended! Probably flattered, to be honest. Silco likes having his ego fed when he can.” Felicia snorted. “And, to be fair to you, Silco would make a very pretty lady.”
“Fucking unfair. Tell him he needs to share some of whatever drug he’s on to those deserving of it.”
“I’ll be sure to tell him, in solidarity of lesbians, of course.”