Tw: Drinking

"I've heard a rumor that a swatchling runs it?"

"Yeah, yeah, not gonna see her, though." Brittle didn't look back at Chimera as he replied. Orchidacea walked next to him, clinging to their arm.

"Oh, why's that?"

"Well, lun doesn't like people very much."

"But lun runs a bar?"

"Look you can ask Mango, or Cloud, or Sunny-" Brittle looked up in thought, "Well, just Mango, Cloud and Sunny have morning shift only, but you could ask them when we get back home or-." Brittle sighed and waved his hand, "Doesn't matter to me, we're here anyway."

The group stopped in front of some large gray doors, outlined with the neon green lights all along the roof. A large sign, lit up in blue and green, read "The Cyber Star Casino and Bar."

Chimera leaned closer to a plate on one of the doors, "Eddy? Who's Eddy?"

"Just the old owner. Let's not start the night on a sour note,"

He pushed open the door and led them inside. "I'm gonna head for the slots since I don't drink, bars that way, follow me or not."

Chimera decided to head to the bar, with Orchidacea following after faer. The two sat down and were greeted by a purple addison with hair dyed yellow at the bottom.

"Howdy, howdy! Whose this?" Mango gestured to the swatchling.

Orchidacea patted his girlfriend's back, "This is Chimera!"

"Oh, I've heard lots about you!" Mango chuckled before furrowing his brows, deep in thought. She shook herself out of it.

"Anything you'd like to drink?"

"Tequila Sunrise!"

"Planter's Punch, please."

"Coming right up!"

A quick moment later Mango gave them their drinks before disappearing into the back room. Orchidacea finished first.

"I'm gonna go find Brittle, you wanna come?"

Chimera was about to respond when something caught her eyes. A swatchling.

"Um..."

"You okay?"

"Ah- yes, sorry. I'll come in a bit, I don't want to leave an unfinished drink, that'd be rude."

"Alrighty, have fun!"

Chimera tapped her fingers on the counter, turning back to face the bar.

"Hi."

"LIGHTS-" She nearly jumped out of her seat seeing Aquila leaning down to face her. She took a breath and chugged down the rest of her drink. "You...got taller."

"What an amazing choice of first thing to say to me, Chimera!" Aquila clapped her wings together, standing straight, "How many years has it been? We haven't seen each other since we were fledglings!"

"Please don't be sarcastic with me."

Aquila rolled novas eyes, "Ugh, you sound like Swatch. Not the problem though, what the fuck are you doing in my casino."

"My friends wanted me to come, and I didn't know it was yours."

"Brittle and Orchidacea?" Aquila groaned, "Lights, Orchidacea didn't tell you I owned this place? Sounds like important information."

"I don't talk about you much."

Aquila laughed, slamming the table a bit in frustration, "So what, you pretend I don't exist?"

"No, I just don't talk about you."

"Great, great!" Aquila fiddled with a pin on her suit, "How is everyone? I haven't visited the surface web since I came here."

"Fine. Upset you left."

"Oh for fucks sake, it's been years, I doubt their still worked up about it."

"I'm still worked up about it. I can't even talk to Swatch about you because they shut me down. Ollie just cries."

"Yeah, well if they all cared that much they should've come looking for me."

"They did!"

"They didn't look hard enough considering they never found me."

"We didn't expect you to be here."

"YOU-!" Nov stopped fiddling with novas pins, "You didn't think maybe I'd gone through the super close alleyway?"

"W-"

"Whatever, whatever, it doesn't matter. I like it better here."

"I thought you hated working with others."

"I still do. But you know what I do have? People who care about me and the ability to do what I want," Aquila gestured to luna suit, somewhat confirming the statement with how much more personalized it was compared to luna fledging one.

Chimera tensed, "Are you insinuating we didn't care?"

"FUCKING DOI," Aquila leaned down again, close enough for Chimera to feel her breath, "And I don't fucking care if you try and say you did, because it never felt like it." She stood back up.

"Well, I'm sorry that's the way you felt, we were doing our best!"

"No, no, no. You don't get to take their side again instead of listening to me. Look at where I'm working, I don't fucking like this job, just like I didn't like anything at the mansion! And I'm doing wonderful considering I'm the boss."

"I see what you're saying but-"

"OH MY LIGHTS, get it through your fucking skull! I could've been perfectly happy at the mansion and I wouldn't have to have all these fucking terrible thoughts about myself every day! I could've had a similar arrangement, but you guys wouldn't give me a damned chance!"

Many patrons glanced at the argument, but there was so much yelling and fighting going on among drunk customers it wasn't anything to take note of.

Chimera rubbed her eyes, "Why don't you listen to me?"

"Oh you got that mannerism from Swatch didn't you?" Aquila grumbled, before returning to her raised tone, "And I did. All my childhood 'till I left. You understand that right? And you understand that your argument is that I should've found something I enjoyed doing when there's only one thing I enjoy? Too force my happiness? You realize that?"

"Well, maybe if you didn't run away we could've worked out something. But you always complained so we were trying to find something you wanted to do!"

"We? Chimera you were a fucking child. We were children."

"Okay-! Poor choice of wording. Sorry. But I'm still angry."

"At what?"

Chimer shot up, "AT YOU! I don't know Aquila! I've been so bitter about the fact we could never be closer and it's turned into rage at you!" Fae sat back down, "And I know it's dumb because how the fuck was any of that your fault?"

Aquila forcefully grabbed Chimera's collar and pulled her up, "Okay, so how about this. I know what a healthy family and healthy friendships look like now. I had a parental figure that actually let me be myself without chastising. I have friends who actually listen to me and let me talk about the things I like. I bet you know too, because I know Orchidacea is an absolute angel and I know Brittle and his friends are super supportive."

"Don't drag them into this-"

"I'm not going to, dumbass. I don't care if they want to be friends with you, the way you treat them is not how you or Swatch treated me. But that's not the point. The point is, what our little 'family' had was not healthy. Both of us got fucked up by it and no amount of bickering will make either of us think it was okay. I don't care if you apologize or not, we don't have to stop being angry at each other, but if we're not going to agree I don't want to waste energy on it."

Aquila released her collar, letting her fall back onto the stool. "I don't care if you want to keep coming here. I've allowed many customers I don't like to keep coming back because I have rent to pay. But I swear to lights if you ever approach me I'm going to grab your neck again and tighten my grip until you pass out. So, I want to avoid each other like viruses, okay?"

Chimera nodded, standing to leave.

"Good. Make sure to remind Brittle to pay, since he won't get blackout drunk. Mango should be back out in a bit.",

"Okay. Bye."

"Goodbye."