We agree to meet at Bar 66 at five inside The 66 hotel. A quick Google reveals that The 66 is a gorgeous skyscraper nearby. The walk takes me two blocks off campus. I shove my hands in my pockets and wish I brought a hat.
Pink reflects off the west facing windows. The sun is already setting over the concrete jungle of Shiganshina, and night is quickly descending.
I spot Mikasa darting across the street with a bounce in her step and hurry to meet her.
"Hi, Y/n!," she answers brightly. I follow her inside, grateful I don't have to walk in alone. The 66 looks exceedingly luxe. I would be way too nervous to ask where it is.
We take the lift up to the nineteenth flour and exit into an insane bar. Espresso colored carpet runs down the length of it, past dozens of alcoves with pale leather booths nesting inside. Warm bronze light emanates from a tray ceiling that mirrors the walkway to the view at the end of the space.
"Wow," I breathe.
"I know," she says with pride. "It's the best view of the city. Come on, let's get you a better look."
The wall of glass peers out onto the lush green of campus, surrounded by the mix of traditional and modern buildings. Behind it, the River Reiss sparkles like silver spider silk thread through the forest of buildings. From on campus, the city disappears, but here in The 66, suspended far above street level, I am overcome with Shiganshina's vast nervous system of roads. I can feel the pulse of the city thrumming against the glass. I realize I am touching the window with my hand and pull it back sheepishly. A smudge remains.
Mikasa giggles at me. "It never gets old."
"Lovely to see you, Miss Ackerman." A hostess draws our attention away from the view. "Would you and your guest like a seat with a view?" She gestures with an open hand towards a table.
"How about a booth," Mikasa redirects.
"Very good," the hostess shows us back towards the alcoves.
"More private," Mikasa explains once seated like it should be obvious.
She orders a dirty martini. I order an espresso martini to fight a wave of jet lag trying to drag me under.
Above us, a copper lantern casts geometric patterns of lamp light over our faces.
The drinks arrive almost immediately. I order something called a "crazy roll," with tempura shrimp and cream cheese.
"You seem to be in a better mood," I say.
"I'm really sorry about that. I didn't mean to be rude. And it turns out I was stressing over nothing," she titters.
"Everything turned out ok?"
"Yes," she breathes, shaking her head. "I had an audition with a friend. It was for a kind of..." she searches for the right word, "...unusual part."
"Oh?" I can't help myself from prying.
"Have you ever acted?"
I shake my head.
"Well the bane of an actor is being pigeonholed," she explains, sipping her martini. "I keep getting the same role over and over again, Guinevere, Ophelia, Juliet. I'm pretty and delicate like every blushing virgin in theater," she explains bluntly. "but if I'm ever going to be a serious actor, I need to break out of my pigeonhole. My friends are making a film with exactly the kind of role that could change my career trajectory. So, naturally, I was terrified of bombing it. I don't want to let them down, and I don't want to let myself down," she confessed.
"But you aced it, didn't you?" I say confidently, raising my glass.
"Yeah." She clinks my drink and drinks deeply. "I think I did."
"Then cheers to that." I smiled.
She echoes my smile and asks. "So how was your first day of class here?"
I don't remember telling her I was new but Maria College of Art and Design is as small and confined as a Petri dish. "Good," I answer reflexively. Then I remember the experience I had with the contrarian in American Film. "Kinda weird though."
"How so?"
"Some guy in my film class spent five minutes arguing that Frozen is a cinematic masterpiece."
She laughs. "That is just the kind of MCAD welcome I'd expect. You're gonna find that a lot of the kids here are... eccentric."
Excitement bubbles up in my chest. I tip the rest of my espresso martini into my mouth. "I'm glad. I need eccentrics to keep me entertained."
"Then you are gonna love my friends."
"I can't wait to meet them."
YOU ARE READING
Muse.
Fanfiction"You just want to have sex. I want to make art." Erenxfemreader Eren Jaeger already has a muse, but there's something about you he simply can't resist. Studying abroad at the prestigious Maria College of Art and Design, you catch the eye of two gra...
