"Funtime"

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The doors swung wide open, giving way for a breath of fresh air to chase away the stuffy warmth reigning inside. With her hands on her hips, Lemuel proudly stepped inside, beaming  as ever. Andy hesitantly shuffled behind her.

“Heeeelloooo~?” Her voice rang out through the empty space, sure to make a few heads turn. None did. “... Hello?”

Andy took a glance over her shoulder, taking the whole place in. For what was apparently a high-profile giant of the industry, it seemed kind of empty. Entirely empty, actually.

Split into sections, cushy booths sprouting to the sides, a grand stage in the back, some lava lamps sprinkled along the walls, a bar-island in the very middle, surrounded by the many freestanding tables and fancy chairs - they all laid desolate, without a single soul drinking away their sorrows. Except for one, with her back turned towards the two, sitting by the bar, but she did not seem to pay them any mind at all.

“... It’s kinda empty.” He signed off, eyes running along the expensive, gold finishes that wrapped themselves up tight around the walls and furniture.

“Hm? Oh, I know. I’m trying to get Miss Ice Queen’s attention~.” The door slammed shut, as she took her cheery attitude further into the bar, lighting up the interior as she skipped over to the counter. “Woo-hoo, hello~? Got visitors!”

The figure perked up slightly as the angel’s hands tapped her shoulders. Her fluffy Lupo ears, sticking above a waterfall of jet-black hair, shot up, picking out each soundwave carefully, letting them mix with the music blaring through her earbuds. They turned towards the source of the annoying chirping, before the woman plucked the devices out, spinning in place. Her golden eyes rose to meet Lem’s, a cigarette-like stick hanging from her mouth.

“... You’re being loud again.” It was neither an admonishment nor a complaint. Just a simple statement, clad in a coat of indifferent calmness.

“And you’re droning by the bar, all by yourself~!” Her cheery voice tore through the rampage of loud music oozing from the headphones, now lying dormant on the counter.

“It’s five PM on a saturday.” Her words, like a pair of scissors gliding across a fresh sheet of paper. Bland, quiet, almost irritating to the ear. “I don’t need company.”

“...” Lemuel exchanged a quick, awkward glance with her long-lost friend, as if to say “I swear, she’s not like this, usually.

“Weeeeell… Alright. But this is some grade A company, I promise~.”

“Mhm. Sit, then.” She gestured to her side, eyes locked on a wide flatscreen in front. 

With a little nudge, Andy took a seat to the left of the stranger, while Lem took the right. His eyes soared across the endless rainbow laid out in front of him, made entirely of bottles filled with exotic liquors. Finally, they settled on Lem’s, as she shot him an encouraging smile and took in a long breath of the musky, stuffy air.

“Sooo… I’d like to introduce you t-...” Her words were quickly cut off by a flick of the Lupo’s tail.

“You got cut.” The woman interrupted, focused on the meaningless stream of advertisement seeping out of the TV.

“Excuse me?”

“You got cut. You’ve got adhesive tape on your nose.” She turned towards her, leaving Andy confusedly looking at the back of her head. Has she even noticed him at all, or…?

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