tampered | ongoing; open

When; during the All That Jazz curse
Rating; PG to start; may increase with comments
Characters; OPEN
Summary; Prohibition is for other people, not us.
Log;

You've probably walked by this shop a thousand times before and never taken a look. There's no sign and it hardly looks open, but it is, trust me, and if you were to wander up to the door in curiousity, you'd be able to go inside.

The counter girl is friendly, sweet, and innocent-seeming-- she will smile at you and show you the antiques. But if she isn't there, you might be greeted by the owner-- a tall, dark-haired woman who dresses like she belongs in the caberet, not like a businesswoman.

But if you know her well, or have spoken to the right people, then maybe you can find the back door to this "antique shop." In the speakeasy below, alcohol flows freely (courtesy of the quiet bartender), the atmosphere is smoky, and everyone is happy. Well, everyone is drunk, anyway, which is nearly as good, in Yuuko's opinion.

There is a certain policeman always poking his nose into things, but so far, secrets are safe.

And if you're looking for a good time, this is the place to be.

[ooc: Feel free to start threads in the antique shop, in the bar, doing whatever with the exception of no police raids, please. This post is open to any and all, whether you've met any of the mentioned characters or not. Please mark threads as closed or open; if you want Yuuko specifically please feel free to page her in the subject line of your comment.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Umi, you look almost bored!"

Yuuko is grinning, leaning against the bar as if she owns it (since, well, she does). It's hard to picture the mistress of this establishment as ever being bored. Even when the usual crowd is around, she finds something to do, whether that's cheat blatantly at pool (and who would call her on it?) or drink until sobriety seems like a long-lost dream.

And sometimes, it means teasing her help.

"Try it without the 'almost', boss." Though chatting is as good a solution to that as any.

Umi nods at the barman and comes stand beside the mistress of the establishment, wearing with a little, crooked grin: one that contradicts her prissy girl looks quite strongly.

She's respectful despite her apparent nonchalance: she owes Yuuko the chance to live a life different than the one that truly bores her. "Do you think there'll be any deliveries today that need supervision? I hear Clef and his partner have everything covered on their own."

Yuuko waves a hand lazily. "I sent them out on the early shift. We might have something later if one of my contacts comes through." Her grin is almost feral. "How do you feel about the docks? There's a shipment of "medicinal" alcohol coming in that might benefit from nonmedical use."

And then she throws her head back and laughs. "It will certainly make me feel better!"

"Everyone has a right to their... medicine. Really. I can only only feel like we're doing the city a favor!" Umi laughs along. This is what brought her here in the first place. This desire to laugh off the stupid rules and just seize her own day.

Looks like business won't be as slow today as she feared. Stand here and something may come up, she'd thought. Now here you have it! "Besides the docks sound like my kind of area. You know I feel at ease by the sea."

"Of course we are," Yuuko said cheerfully. "We're making them drunker for a small price increase." Her smile was gleefully exploitative. If Yuuko knew what the rules were, that was so she could carefully skirt and then break them. It was a tendency she looked for in employees, and Umi was one of her best.

"Exactly why I'm sending you," she said, nodding and crossing her arms. "Safer in twos, though, so find someone to go with."

"Huh. I've got just the right person in mind. But I hear he's been booked for the day." Three guesses who she meant. Really, if it depended on her Umi'd say she'd do fine on her own. But the time she'd worked for Yuuko had taught her not to argue the woman's rules. Umi could break all the others around in whatever way she pleased, but these ones she needed to honor to be a worthy employee.

Yuuko considered. She knew who Umi meant, of course; she kept a close eye on all of her employees and their entanglements. And to a degree, she encouraged them. People who had someone to watch out for were less likely to betray her, and more likely to stick around. It was a good investment.

It was also fun to tease them.

She lifted her eyebrows. "Arrangements might be possible. We'll see how it goes when Clef and Presea get back. Should be soon."

"So there's still a chance? Hey, I could be getting my hopes up for nothing, here! There better be." She understood this strategy of her boss, and frankly admired it. It could be said the lady only kept their employees in friendly-to-family terms for her own convenience, but truth be told it was better to work in a safe environment with people to trust than watching out for stabs in the dark. Umi'd been there before. It got boring and tiresome, after a while.

The blue-haired schoolgirl made hitwoman flicked her hair. She had a couple of colleagues in Yuuko's payroll she'd be willing to risk her neck for, after all. "Just as long as he doesn't overwork himself I'll be happy..."

"For your sake," Yuuko said, winking, "I doubt he'd see it as work."

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