Lee's
We drove the Bartender to her condo. It was a nicer looking neighborhood than the one Pauli lived in, but definitely had that "city" feel to it. She invited us to wait inside while she "made herself beautiful".
The living/dining room (so small it could hardly be called a "great" room) was a cozy affair. A couple of papa-san chairs facing a wall mounted flat-screen, and a small café table with only two chairs against the adjacent wall. Her kitchen was visible over a partition wall that looked as though it had unfulfilled aspirations of being a breakfast bar. The real eye-catcher in the room was the opposite wall. It was completely covered in small framed photographs of people and places around the island.
"Wow" he said.
"Looks like someone's been busy" I replied.
She chose that moment to re-appear from the bedroom. Her hair was down, the red sari she wore was perhaps more dramatic than my own dress, but the look fit her!
"Ready?" she asked.
Back down to the car we went and off to a little place called simply "Lee's". The young Asian hostess didn't even blink when I ducked through the door. She merely bowed and led us to a table. After receiving our drink order, she disappeared into the kitchen. While we browsed the menu, our waiter appeared with a tray of drinks and inquired if we were interested in appetizers. I let Pauli order, since he knew the menu better than the bartender or me. After ordering, we sat and chatted amicably. No one would have suspected that we had recently been naked and screwing our brains out.
"So" she said, "how do you keep busy these days Eni?"
"I don't really" I replied, honestly, "I lost my job when I changed, and I've been just muddling along since then."
"No steady income?" she asked, "How'd you afford the plane ticket here?"
I answered evasively "A little of this, a little of that, a couple of security gigs, and some of my abilities from in-game have really helped."
"That and she's got 'rich friends'" Pauli said, grinning.
"Dude, it's rude to brag about your money!" she said, with an edge in her voice.
"Pauli?? Nah girly, you got it all wrong," I quickly corrected her, "my 'rich friends' are who I refer to when I have a sudden windfall. They...ah...they don't really exist."
"And your money?" she pressed.
"Let's just say I have my sources, and that they will remain anonymous." I answered.
I could tell she was not going to let it go, so I turned to her and said very directly "Watch me, don't blink, and don't take your eyes off me." I faded into the shadows in the corner of the booth, my form only faintly visible, and then only if you knew what you were looking for.
The Bartender did not.
Her eyes grew wide, and she kept staring at where I had been seated. "Where'd she go?" she asked in a small voice.
"I'm still here" I whispered in her ear.
She jumped as I broke stealth only inches from her face. "Neat trick, huh?" I said.
"Holy crap, you can be almost anywhere and nobody would know."
"Almost" I agreed, "and that's as much of an answer as you need!"
I let Pauli have the conversation until the food arrived. He chatted with the bartender about our past, with a few references to old high school memories and how I had been in love with his sister. She listened attentively, giggling at some of the dumb things we'd done, and gasping at a few of the scrapes we'd come through, miraculously, without injury.
When the food arrived none of us were interested in carrying the conversation. Everything was delicious, even though I didn't know half of what Pauli'd ordered. I took some of everything, and when the first plate was empty, took some more. The waiter stopped by twice to make sure everything was okay, and to refill our drinks. When the desert came it was perfect, sliced fruit on iced coconut milk with a dark chocolate drizzle over the top.
"Good call, Brother!" I said.
"Mmm...I'm gonna remember this place!" said the Bartender.
Pauli just beamed at the two of us while he finished his drink.
"I wanna go dancing now" said the Bartender.
"Yer kidding, right?" replied Pauli, "I'm stuffed!"
"Aw come on Pauli," I teased, "you telling me you don't wanna go dancing with a couple of pretty girls?"
He burst out laughing, and I chuckled along with.
"Arright," he replied, "but you're big blue ass is going out on the dance floor with her first!"
"Deal!" said the Bartender and I in unison, and then looked at each other and grinned!