Rainbow Six: November Sun

50: "I'M HERE TO FORGET"

Twenty minutes later found Lera and Natalya in a dimly-lit bar just a short walk from the hotel. The bartender, a ruggedly handsome man with tattoo sleeves on both arms, leaned on the counter. "More shots?" he asked, swiping up the empty shot glasses in one smooth motion.

"Yep." Lera dropped a closed fist to her empty coaster with a thump. "Right here."

Natalya clapped her hands in a celebratory cadence and made a show of cheering on the bartender as he spun a bottle of vodka expertly in the air before tipping it to pour two shots, which he then slid across the counter. "Two shots for the lovely ladies."

Lera and Natalya raised their toasts.

"To old times," Natalya proclaimed, "when things were simple."

"To the times to come," Lera countered with a wink.

Natalya rolled her eyes. "To unemployment. Bastards."

The women shared a laugh before downing another shot, but the bartender's wily smile faded. "Unemployment?" he asked.

"Yup." Natalya raised a hand and pointed down at herself ceremoniously, which she seemed to do quite often. "Just got fired. I'm here to forget."

"You'll be fine," insisted Lera over the rowdy crowd.

The man shook his head and let out a whoosh of air in shared dismay. He poured two more shots. "These are on me. Enjoy."

The women raised their shots in thanks. As they did, the bartender took the rag from his shoulder and began washing other glasses. He had striking green eyes, and he seemed to know it. He caught Lera's gaze and leaned in over the bar counter enough so he could lower his voice.

"I bet you get asked about that scar all the time."

Lera's smile didn't disappear. She stared back into the man's eyes, unwavering. "Yeah. You gonna ask, too?"

The bartender's brilliant eyes were alive with light. He smiled widely, the dimples in his cheeks impossibly pronounced. He and Finka looked into each other's eyes for a long moment before he finally averted his gaze to wait on another customer down the line.

"Nah," he answered at last, back-pedaling away from the two women. "I like the mystery." With that, he turned on his heel and greeted a group of college kids gathered around the bar.

Lera felt a nudge, and she turned to see Natalya grinning cheekily. Oh my god, she mouthed.

"What?" Lera rolled her eyes and snorted dismissively. "Him?"

Natalya gawked at the woman. "Are you kidding right now? He wants you, girl. Bad."

"Shut up."

"Baaaad."

"Whatever."

"He's gotta be like five years younger than us!" Natalya cocked her head sideways and batted her eyelashes obnoxiously. "I like the mystery," she cooed in a comically deep voice. "Let's go to my place."

Lera seized the woman's shot glass and slid it away out of her reach. "You've had enough tonight."

Natalya gasped in protest and made a mad grab for her glass, but she hit Lera's hand and bumped the glass over instead, spilling vodka all over the bar top.

Both women laughed obnoxiously, overcome by simultaneous hilarity and horror as the attention of the other patrons - and the bartender - found them.

A waitress rounded the corner of the bar with a towel. She pressed it to the counter to soak up the spilled vodka. "Refill?" she asked.

"I- oh, shit. N-no," Lera sputtered. "I'm so - we - we are so sorry."

Natalya raised a hand to her mouth as if she was a child who was just caught saying a bad word. "I'm sorry. That was my fault." She steeled herself and sat up straight. "Seriously. Here." She hopped off her stool and recovered from a rather shaky landing with Finka's help before reaching for the towel.

"It's fine," the waitress said.

"No, please." Natalya nudged the girl's hand and took the rag. "I'll clean it up. I can't do that to you."

The waitress grinned gratefully. "You sure?"

"Of course! You're trying to work here and I'm spilling shit." Natalya dabbed at the counter's edge. "I'm sorry. I've got this. You're fine."

"Thanks, hon."

Lera smiled at the waitress as she grabbed some menus and hurried to take care of a table waiting for their bill.

"I'm cutting us off," Natalya announced as she soaked up the last of the spill.

"You? You're cutting us off?"

"Yes. Look at this mess. No more tonight." Natalya broke into laughter, unable to maintain a straight face. She circled back to her stool and sat with a grunt. "What a fucked up day," she mumbled, rummaging through her purse.

Lera reached into her jacket for her wallet. "Nuh uh. I told you, it's on me tonight."

"Oh, yeah." Natalya mumbled absently, and kept looking through her purse. "Stupid wallet is caught on something."

"No, no, no." Lera gently forced her hand over the woman's purse. "I said I'm paying for it."

Natalya froze and managed a grin. "Right. Thank you." Her smile faded, her lips quivered, and she bowed her head to the bar counter and groaned. "Fuck. I'm fucked."

Lera put a hand to her shoulder. "You can tell me about it later. Let's take a walk, Talya. Walk and talk. Come on."

"What about the hot bartender?"

"Nah." Lera left cash on the counter and waved a goodbye to the bartender. "I know a girl who's just as tatted up, but with twice the muscle."