Across the Veil: Open Eyes (Book 1)

Chapter 3: A Hell of a Boss

     If you wanted music, fun, dancing, and a wealth of dynamic shows, then The Blue Shoes was the place to go. Located within the heart of Ottawa, the venue was actually two buildings connected on the lower level. The larger of the two buildings housed a burlesque. The main floor held the stage and seating area, while the upper floor was a combination of office space, rehearsal rooms, and a couple bedrooms for the owners. The smaller building was a bar where patrons could come for a quieter place to relax... Unless it was a big game night.

Vilis, Nina and Blake had applied to The Blue Shoes for theatre experience back in their second year of university. Madame Celeste and Memphis, the owners, had been impressed with how seamlessly they worked together and offered them part time positions once their school year had ended. While the trio's tasks often overlapped, they had their own specialties. Nina usually planned out and helped organize the shows, Vilis acted as the emcee and did stage preparations, and Blake was either on the stage themself or working on costumes.

Bruno and Savio had been hired a short time later when their friends discovered Memphis was going to need extra staff during the summer. It wasn't easy work, but they all enjoyed it. Plus they were guaranteed flexible schedules during the school year, which made it easier for them all.

The Blue Shoes itself was a popular location for Humans and Folk alike. Usually, such venues would be stressful for Folk since they had to blend in with the Humans. Not The Blue Shoes though. The owners of the location had set up their own special enchantments on the buildings to create a sort of illusion for any Human that walked in. To the average Joe or Jane, it was just another bar and burlesque filled with regular Humans.

Bruno had taken his post by the bar's front door. He was one of Memphis' favourite bouncers. While he was a friendly fellow with a kind heart, physically he was built like a weightlifter. Memphis had made a number of jokes when he hired Bruno, commenting that the Elf would never have to deal with a patient giving him trouble or getting violent. If they did, all Bruno would have to do is flex and it would put them in their place. Bruno took the comments as simply being part of Memphis' sense of humor, though he did not indulge in the humor or encourage it himself.

Savio stood behind the bar, watching as patrons came and went between the two buildings. For a shadow Fae, a bar was a welcomed space. It was dim and usually fairly quiet, except on nights when there was a big game. He could just sit back and enjoy the shadows, catch some gossip, and sometimes, if he was lucky, he could watch Bruno toss someone out of the bar. Bruno had a special way about throwing people out. He would first approach the person, speaking in an exceptionally polite manner and acting every bit a gentleman, and then when the person became belligerent, he would simply snatch them up and throw them outside like a half-filled bag from the waste bin.

"Hey, Savio!" a voice boomed behind him, making the shadow Fae jump visibly.

Savio turned and gave his boss a flat look. The man stood behind him having emerged from the kitchen, with a wide, mischievous grin plastered on his face.

"Need something, Memphis?" Savio arched a brow, ignoring his boss' cheeky grin.

"Rayne is pulling security duty for Celeste tonight. That means I'll be helping you out with the bar." Memphis grinned broadly, "Aren't you lucky?"

"The luckiest." Savio said with a roll of his eyes. He could already tell this was going to be a long shift.

"Damn straight." Memphis said as he stepped up to the bar and scanned his gaze over the contents of the bottles. He plucked up a bottle of hard liquor and poured himself a small glass, dropping an ice cube into it with a casual flick of his wrist.