The Millimetres In Between Us

Seven - Just Another Night in A Club

Riki worked diligently beside Cal and helped him to put on a few show when Cal was requested special drinks by the patrons. He wasn't finished in training to perform on his own yet for preparing the special drinks, but the patrons have requested time and time again for him to do it. So far, he could only make small tricks for simpler drink mixes.

On one farthest corner by the bar, his guard sat quietly as he watched everything and everyone inside the multiple-floor club, especially the patrons nearest to the bar where Riki's at. A few patrons have tried to chat him up, but his cold indifference made them give up and stayed away from him soon enough. Riki served him a refillable and honest sparkling fruit punch and some finger food because the man couldn't drink on his job.

As he watched the guy from time to time, Riki wondered about the people Iason or rather his mother hired around their estate. They're all beautiful or unique-looking in some way. It made him think that the Minks were highly tasteful and very selective in their choices including the physical attributes of their employees. Jupiter Inc. might as well just be a modelling agency with the models snatched from all kinds of fields of expertise.

And that supposedly, definitely didn't include him in their equation. He knew he's not as much good-looking as everyone surrounding the Mink estate or even have the best of background history, being one of the naughty orphans in his gang in the neighbourhood, but somehow... Iason simply had chosen him to be his life partner in the short span of the few months they've met, and Mrs. Jupiter mercifully never batted an eye at his only son's odd choice. Or, she hid it well, for the sake of Iason.

"Hey sexy, my usual, please."

Riki looked from a patron he just served to the voice. Oh. Kirie again.

"Coming right up." He threw him a small smile and averted his eyes from the unabashed stare of Kirie's as he started to make his drink. His stares were unnerving, to say the least. What did he want from him?

He didn't want to remember this sleaze's name, but Katze had introduced them both on his first day as one of his important friends, so...

"Can you call Katze down here for me?" Kirie asked Riki as he handed him his cocktail. Kirie's fingers touched his lingeringly before he managed to pull away.

"He's usually upstairs around this time, sir. I'm sure as his friend you can just go up to his office."

"But I'm drinking here." Kirie licked his lips non-too subtly as Riki questioned himself why was he still talking to this person.

Another patron called for Riki from a few stools over. Riki mentally sighed in relief, as it was just Daryl.

"Sir, you can bring it with you upstairs now if you so wish. Boss won't mind it." Riki briefly said to Kirie, then went over to his guard without missing a beat.

"What do you need?" Riki asked as soon as he arrived in front of Daryl. Riki saw him glance at where Kirie sat, from behind his shoulder.

"Some more chips, please." Daryl nudged his empty chips bowl to Riki.

Of course Iason have drilled whoever's on his black list into Daryl's knowledge. He's Iason's extended arms and legs. "Do you want more refill for the punch?"

"I'm good, thank you." Daryl shook his head once. Katze had actually instructed for him to not charge the guy for anything he ordered at the bar.

Hmm... What was Katze's relationship with Iason? Surely not just good acquaintances. Old friends? Katze's older by a lot, though.

There's a lot still that he didn't know about this Blondie. No matter how he thought, knew, that they're compatible in both body and heart, mind sometimes, their backgrounds were too different to be ignored. Even their range of social networkings were of two very different levels... but somehow, they still melded together well enough for Riki not to question anything about their odd relationship.

Kirie was still where Riki left him, even if he was supposed to go upstairs since half an hour ago. His stares and his attempt at small talks were met with Riki's equally small answers. There's just no way to avoid this guy tonight, unless there's Iason or Katze himself dragging him away from the bar. And that's not likely to happen anyway. Katze seldom came down during opening hours, and people who came looking for him must go up to see him themselves.

Well.... except for Iason. Sometimes, when Iason's here, Katze would personally come down just to sit with him at the bar, even if only for a drink or two. What was their relationship, really? Riki thought to ask Iason when he got back. He's curious.

Thankfully, tonight there's an influx of rowdy blue collar workers coming in to flood the bar. Cal and Riki worked their ass off to cater to every patrons who kept ordering drinks and food, until Riki totally forgot about Kirie.

It's an informal birthday party for the workers, apparently, so they kind of were conquering a quarter of the club to celebrate with one of their bosses. A few hours later once they were gone, Riki noticed that Kirie was also gone from his stool. Good.

By the end of his shift, just before he stepped outside the club with Daryl, Iason called him.

"Evening." Riki said first.

"Morning, Riki."

"You know, you don't need to call me so soon. Daryl should be able to confirm my safety enough by sending you my candid pictures throughout the night." Riki looked at the poker-faced Daryl as he looked around for signs of danger around the now empty surroundings of the club. There's still Katze inside, though. He lived upstairs on the topmost floor of the four-storey building.

"You noticed. Good eye, Riki." Riki rolled his eyes at hearing the smile in Iason's voice. It wasn't immediately obvious, but Daryl did pretend to play with his phone sometimes as he sat at that corner all night.

"How can I not? And we'll be meeting each other soon enough anyway... I don't need this much security like I'm some kind of a celebrity. Don't waste your money and resources on me, Blondie." Riki put a bit of pressure in his voice, in hopes of Iason getting it. Riki glared at Daryl when he managed to reach his door first and opened it for him. He entered anyway.

The way the man spent his wealth and power just to make things work for Riki... He's still not used to it. The longer he's with Iason, the more he saw how unsparingly he threw his fortune away, especially when it involved him.

Riki's a little pissed off about that, because he came from a background which lacked money by a lot. He grew up with his gang from the orphanage being all-frugal and sparing every single penny they managed to save, until they're big enough to find more rewarding works around the neighbourhood, no matter how trivial or small they were.

"Ignore whatever that doesn't concern you, Riki. I do it for my own benefit."

Riki let out a humourless laugh. "Sure as hell it concerns me. Well, what do I know, right? You never tell me anything anyway."

Iason didn't reply for a few seconds. It made Riki realise that this may be a start of their very first fight.

"... We'll talk when you get back home, alright?" Riki looked at Daryl's reflection through the rearview mirror when he noticed him looking. Daryl refocused his eyes on the road ahead of them. 

"Riki..."

"I'm sleepy, so I'm cutting off. Night, Iason." He didn't wait to hear Iason's reply as he cut him off.

There's classes in the afternoon, so he'd better just rest and focus until Iason contacts him again.