Neon District: Redux

Part Two Chapter Two: Refreshments

       "Glad to know I didn't waste money on you," Zoo joked as he took a swig of whiskey from his glass, the neon green lights reflecting off of the glass. 

       "Was that supposed to be a compliment?" Sam asked, glancing over at his new buddy from the corner of his eye.

       Zoo gave a sly grin. "Did you think you think it was one?"

       "I guess...?" Sam trailed off with a flip of his hand.

       "Then it was a compliment." Zoo sipped his drink.

       Sam slouched over on his bar stool and inspected the brown liquid in his glass, trying to take his mind off of the throbbing pain on his face. It had been a while since he was utterly embarrassed like that after a fight, usually it was him humiliating his opponents. Not the former. It was odd that some random man off the streets would beat him up like that and then go on to offer him a drink like nothing happened. But he guessed Zoo followed the same code everyone else followed down here: "have any questions in the bar, go answer them in the alley."

       "What's with the drink, Zoo?" Sam asked, setting down his glass on the bar's marble counter top.

       "You looked like you needed it-"

       "No no, I don't mean it like that," Sam cut him off, waving his hand to the side. "I mean why bother buying me a drink after you just met me? We barely know each other."

       Zoo turned himself around on his bar stool and rested his bald head on his hand against the counter top. He shut his eyes for a moment as if he was contemplating what he was going to say next before opening them again with a sigh.

       "I know basically everything about you," he started, "Sam Farrow, age twenty-six, previous occupation being a cashier at The Atomic Burger, moved to the Neon District at age nineteen with his new born sister and mother. Said mother then died four years ago due to a conflict with the Watch. There isn't anything I don't know about you."

       Sam scoffed. "You clearly work with Yuka if you knew that much."

       "More like "worked" with. She moved on to bigger things with Mr. Propaganda," Zoo replied, his tone becoming bitter from the mention of Yuka. Sam's trust in Zoo dwindled close to the edge, but after hearing how he spoke of Yuka made him feel a sort of understanding towards Zoo. "I guess it's only fair I tell you something about me now," he continued, "I was born in Russia where it was just me, my mom, and dad. My father worked with the wrong kind of people and it led to my mother being killed in his place. After that day, my father took me away and sent us over to Japan where we could start anew. Soon after, he found a good job in a cybernetics department."

       His eyes rested on the colourful glasses displayed behind the bar. "I was too young to understand why my mother was killed. But once my old man sat me down and told me I vowed to seek some sort of silly revenge despite the perpetrators being thousands of miles away. I got too deep into it and found myself needing to ditch my old name in order to protect my father. I honestly feel selfish thinking I could fix things without having repercussions against my father who only wanted a fresh start. I guess having a gangster for a son would send the wrong message," Zoo finished, motioning for the bartender to pour another round.

       "Now that is way more information than what you had on me," Sam said, gripping his freshly poured glass.

       "It's because I know you more than you think... and I understand you," Zoo replied, turning himself to face the bar, "Yuka told us a lot about what happened to you... who you lost." 

       Sam's voice went deathly quiet as he uttered her name: "Kindy..."

       "I came here to find you because I understand how you feel and I know how something like that changes a person. I just thought I could save someone for once in my life," Zoo explained, twisting his glass along the counter top.