Mama Merk's Tavern

Time is a strange thing. From the day that Rika and Sharaku decided to call it quits, life for the demon had been quite rough at first. He was broken hearted and had to go to therapy for more than just anxiety as for a month he lost faith in himself. It took hard work and a firm hand from his therapist to get him back on track, but between therapy, medicine and other things the rather broken demon was able to piece himself back together and in turn he began to gain a confidence within that he never dreamed was possible. He began to believe in himself again and actually step out of his box and do things he always wanted to. Little by little he got better until from a casual viewer’s standpoint, it appeared the demon was always sure footed, playful, and comfortable in his own skin. He never boasted his success keeping his matters to himself as he remained humble, moving from quiet book store worker to a rather social and friendly helper at a tavern known as Mama Merk’s. The owner there was a short plump woman that had no issue showing off her body regardless of time of day. Despite her revealing nature though she was very motherly and open to all that came in. She was a tough little lady, but far from normal. She wore her bunny like ears proudly out in the open complete with a small tail and even nails that people thought were painted to look like claws. The truth of the matter was none of this was true. The woman was a half demon, but was always able to get away with being natural due to humans actually believing that her odd additions were indeed part of some act.

The only person her looks didn’t work on was Rika. While he never called the woman out on anything and just kept to himself every time he visited the bar, perhaps the woman could sense that he wasn’t normal himself for she always seemed to keep a watchful eye on him, like she was watching his back. In turn for her doing him a favor like that the demon unconsciously did the same for her and anyone that gave her hell, would have him to deal with if he happened to be around at the time. It was probably after the third time where he literally threw someone out of her tavern versus beating them to a pulp that the woman decided to offer him a job. He would act a waiter/bartender of a sort. The type that entertained guests and made sure their stay was comfortable; however, he would double up as security, so if someone decided not to play nice he could take out the trash. The pay was good and he liked the lady already, so it was easy for the demon to transition from book store clerk to tavern worker rather easily. He settled in his job about 8 months ago and already both the owner the customers treated as if he already been there the whole time. The funny thing was that the demon didn’t have to hide himself, meaning he could walk in that place just as he was and no one bat eye too much at it. When he was off duty, he remained the dark haired horned demon fox he always been, but when on duty he took to a more colorful pink haired cat persona instead.

It was this more colorful persona that one would find him in today. Though he was dressed in a nice suit, his pink hair, cat like ears and tail, multiple earrings and golden eyes did stand out. While Merk was busy training the new girl she had hired on how to properly man the tables as the vets ran about like ants to keep the folk in the place happy, Rika was stuck with manning the bars and keeping the drink guzzlers from getting out of hand.

Despite it being chilly outside people flocked into the homely joint for mills and drinks packing the place as usual. Unphased by crowds, Rika would handle drink orders and even pause to humor the young girls that seemed be too taken with being served by a cat person. They tried to flirt and one even tried to get his number, but the demon knew how to play his cards well and managed to escape that trap well enough. With busy going along at a good clip the demon would stay busy for the time being as he tended to the bar folk that came and went.

The Look:

Time certainly brought about a lot of things, and perhaps it would do so on this day as well? Frankly, he had never been the one to visit places like this one much, even though he was at the very least familiar with their existence. Sitting around in the company of crowds of strangers was simply not his ideal type of a day, which was probably the main reason why he had never really wandered into this place before. Simply because it wasn’t something he typically did. He’d rather spend his time out on the street if he wanted to hang out outside of home somewhere. This time around, he had his reasons though. The cool winter weather being one of the main ones, seeing as while he liked the scenery…the weather itself wasn’t always so peachy. It was honestly just better to get somewhere inside at times like these. He wasn’t trying to turn into an ice statue out there, and on a more or less impromptu outing nonetheless. That would have been a pretty sour end to the already mildly annoying day. Okay, the day itself wasn’t the annoying thing, but that would be a longer story to tell.

Ah hell. Well, checking out new places was supposed to be fun, right? Perhaps it was at the very least worth a try to stick to it for a while. Even though he had absolutely no idea as to what exactly he was doing as he paused a little bit after entering, taking an observing glance around as he fixed the sleeve of his black trench coat up a little. Honestly, he never knew where to sit in these establishment. Preferably, he’d like a place where he wouldn’t be bothered too much by uninvited random people. Well, assuming that there were customers that would casually bother someone, but he wouldn’t put it past them. There are those types that like to try picking someone up at the bar or whatever. He was aware of that much at least, but he certainly liked to avoid such circumstances in most cases. Nevertheless, he did have a bit of time to think about it during his vs. with his clothes, assuming that no one approached him before he went ahead with the decision making. Who knows. He probably did stand out at least a little bit, standing at just a little short of 6’5’’ feet, which was sure a slight improvement over the 6’2’’ and something from back then. If one would call that an improvement that is. He didn’t particularly need to be even more of a tower, but you can’t quite argue with what your body says at times. How lovely indeed.

The gent that had entered had indeed gained some glances from the various people around that was a mix of regular folk and bar goers alike. Some folk sat at tables with families eating dinner, some alone in corners. Others hung around the bar chatting among themselves are casting a glance here and there around the place on the man that fought with his clothing. Outside being busy and a bit noisy the place wasn't that bad giving off a warm welcoming feel than the typical feel of a pure bar.

Either way the man wouldn't be left alone for long as a voice called out to him. "Come on in honey! We don't got many tables, but we got a nice seat here at the bar if you wanna come sit and get warm!" A strong feminine voice called to him and if the man were to look he would see a plump woman about the height of a child wearing short red dress. Her dark colored skin had golden patterns painted onto it, but what made her stick out even more were here bunny ears and strange green eyes. She seemed to be waving down the taller man that had entered pointing at an available seat at the bar if he wanted it.

Meanwhile the cat behind the bar would be too busy handling multiple drinks to take a glance at whom she waved down. Still he made a mental note to go the new face as soon as he got done with this first task.

Okay, he kind of expected something, but not quite what he got. The sudden booming sure made him stop whatever he was doing as he turned his gaze in whatever direction the voice was coming from. Which kind of took a moment since he had to look down quite a bit. Not that such was news to him, since the majority of people he met were usually shorter than him, but this was a little more than usual? He would give a few blinks at the strange outfit, for a second almost wondering just where did he actually walk into, but opting to shrug it off for the time being. Nope. He wasn’t interested in going out into the cold again. Plus, he needed somewhere to waste a bit of time anyway, so this was currently technically the best bet since he was already here.

In any case, the bar did sound more preferable to tables for the moment, since it would be less awkward that way. He didn’t want to go sit at a table and then have to have a bunch of other people join him. Of course, people would be by the bar too, but at least it was less personal there. So guess he would take that for now and see what happened….

Merk would grin as the taller man approached, not hiding how her eyes looked him up and down. He was quite a bit of work, but being the professional she was she didn't let gawking go too far as she smirked up at him not afraid at all despite him being well over two feet taller than her 4'3" frame.

"Well hello there, honey. Welcome to Mama Merk's Tavern. You just make yourself right at home here and our lovely bar tender will be with ya in a bit. There is a menu on the counter if you want food too." She would say and then moving out of the way so he could sit if he liked she would linger about just to make sure her new guest was comfortable before moving to save the new girl from a bit of a bind with a grumpy customer.

Meanwhile it would the new comer to the bar would have a small issue of his own, the guy next to him who clearly had too much as it was would turn to him with a dazed expression on his face, looking the taller male up and down before leaning forward with a lopsided grin and speaking to him. "Soo kid, ya know about rainbow fish in dah sky?" he would ask rocking dangerously in his spot as he held onto a the counter for support. Apparently he was trying to make conversation of a sort though how well that was a mystery.

Meanwhile Rika was serving the drinks on the other end and would've came right over to the taller male; however, one of the lady's in the group he was serving decided to reach over and grab his arm, trying to pull him closer and give him a kiss. Highly distracted by this, the demon would take a moment to handle this small hang up.

‘’Right.’’ He still wasn’t sure how to feel about this place just yet, but guess only time would tell. He wasn’t here for food though, so he didn’t really bother with going for the menu as he simply rested his arms on the counter for now, choosing to wait. At best he would maybe get something to drink, albeit he didn’t have anything in mind at the moment. He would likely have to get at least something if he wanted to stay around though, so guess some sort of drink it would be…

….after dealing with some unwelcome interruptions, apparently. He would give that guy a somewhat odd look, severely tempted to back away somewhere. Okay, he was so not particularly comfortable right now. He was willing to handle some people, but he was far from partial to having random drunk strangers in his face. That was pretty much unpleasant by default, in his opinion. Mainly when the person didn’t ask for it, and obviously wasn’t on the same level when it came to the amount of alcohol consumed at all. ‘’I don’t know how to fly, so I’ll have to pass on that one.’’, he would at the very least grace that with an answer, resisting the urge to make a displeased face. Please, he didn’t want to have to reconsider his choice of seat this soon. Trying to not get too engaged in that, or look overly interested to make the guy think a lot of chit-chat would be happening, he would turn his gaze in the opposite direction for a while, occupying himself by observing the surroundings a bit. Outside of muttering something under his breath that sounded vaguely akin to a complaint about feeling mildly violated already…well, not that anyone would really hear him unless they had very sharp ears anyhow….

Being grabbed was not uncommon in his line of work, especially during the night time hours where some people just couldn't keep themselves from drinking that umpteenth glass of liquid that made them so crazy...and just plain dumb at times. Seriously common curtesy and sense went right out the window; however, being a pro at dealing with things a lot worse than this, it was rather easy to get the bold chick to release him. While he was never rude about it and gave a smile, a few choice words made her reconsider just what she was doing and sit down with a rather embarassed look. The two girls with her were snickering and picking on her as she just grab her drink to nurse her wounded pride. Sorry, but not sorry. The demon wasn't one to let himself be run over like that.

Free of that mess, he would finally be able to focus on the newcomer that seemed to be having an issue of his own to deal with.

You see...If the young man thought that trying to be nice and pilotely ignore the drunk gent next to him was going to work he had another thing coming as the guy frowned a bit and reached out a hand to grab the kid's arm. Clearly he wanted to say more; however, before he could open his mouth or start trouble a kind, yet firm voice will pierce through his drunken state.

"Mr. Connley, how nice of you to join us again. Do we need to have another conversation about why we do not touch others here?" the demon would ask in harmless tone; however, as the guy looked over at the demon, he would sway as he focused on the other.

"Nah mama. I waz juss finishing and leavin'. We cool," the guy would say before hurrying to finish his drink and then leaving the amount owed on the counter, he would wobble on his seat and hurry out. Rika would watch him go with a shake of his head before collecting the money off the counter and addressing the other.

"I do apologize for that, sir. I hope he didn't disturb you too much," the demon would say placing the money in a safe place on his person for now as he finally got a good look at who he was dealing with. To the face he saw, the demon's jaw could've literally dropped; however, remembering where he was he would hold his act together though his behavior would change just the slightest as he looked over at the other, his eye narrowing slightly as he spoke his next words with a slight smirk that could be considered charming by some; however, he wasn't trying to charm as he observed this pretty face before him. "What can I get for you?" His tone remained calm and that of a professional for the time being, but his eyes seemed to watch the other with familiarity. Though he wondered if the male before him would figure out why.

Well, he was clearly not appreciating the approach, that was for sure. Gods, some people could be seriously annoying in the worst of ways. Another reminder why he did not have a liking for drunk people, unless they knew what they were doing and were preferably someone he already knew. He never really understood the trend of getting shitfaced and then trying to bother other people. You’re not going to get much that way, outside of maybe a couple disgusted looks, depending on what kind of person you happen to pick out of the crowd. It’s honestly not a good tactic if you want to get on someone’s good side, and much less so in public where everyone can see any embarrassment that happens.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to take any more drastic measures himself, as the situation was quite quickly interrupted by another guy. Deciding to go along with it for now, he would let the new face in the mix handle the matter, seeing as it seemed to be going well? He had no real idea what this all was about, but he could guess this guy was one of the workers here. Hmmm. Was wearing animal parts some sort of staff dressing code here or something? Maybe he was just missing something, as this place didn’t really seem like a silly establishment that would focus on too much clowning around. Then again, what did he know? Too many questions would just make his head hurt anyway. Nevertheless, he would sigh faintly, folding his arms on the counter as he glanced at the guy who was now apologizing to him. ‘’Well, that’s the second person to succeed in annoying me in the last 2 hours. Maybe I should start keeping a tally.’’, he would comment, although he seemed more or less lighthearted about the matter despite the wording. ‘’Either way…no, I’m fine.’’ He wasn’t smelling like alcohol yet, right? It would be sad if he caught something from that dude. Ah well. Speaking of which…he was sure catching the unusual looks, but honestly, there was pretty much no way that he would recognize the guy just like that. First of all, not the thing that was on his mind 24/7. Second, he wasn’t really aware of the guy’s powers in this area much…and even if he were, how would he know a get up he has never seen before? It was frankly unlikely he would truly catch onto that without the demon choosing to tell him, or giving hints that were unmistakable enough that he would have no other choice than to think that. More likely the former though, as the latter was still unreliable due to him not being familiar with this form and the gist of it at all.

‘’Do you serve any sort of lemonade here?’’ He wasn’t really feeling alcohol right now, so hopefully he could just grab something…err, normal?

Drunk people were unfortunately a thing to contend with when it came to bars. While they could be unpleasant at times ranging from no sense of space to flat out violent there were a few that were interesting to speak with their minds a bit more stable than the ones that were so wasted they could not function properly. Unfortunately at this time of night the latter bunch existed. A tad bit annoying, but hey it was what it was. The demon would roll with it.

in any case and intrusive people aside, once things were calm enough for the demon to focus on the guy before him, he found himself highly amused by the fact the other didn't recognize him. Granted, he wasn't in a form the other would recognize so he could have fun with this and just keep the other in the dark if he wanted to; however, just how mischievous the fox would be would be a mystery for now as he shook his head lightly and raised a brow at the other the light smirk still in place.

"Heh. A tally, huh? Trying to break a record with gaining the most annoying people within a short time frame?" the demon would say his tones matching that of the other for the time being as he observed him with a casual gaze for the time being. His playful nature would remain rather chilled as he nodded lightly to the rest of what the other said. "Glad to hear it." He would respond back easily enough before pausing to consider the other's request. A hand moving to his ear to rub the ear that was bent in a fashion that too the careful eye would prove it was anything, but fake. Regardless, the small move was habit for the demon when he thought.

"You want lemonade huh? Hmm. Alright wait a tick," he would say before moving to the end of the bar. He would get one of the girls working the floor to take over for him while he went in the back to get said drink. Away from the crowds and the guy at the bar, the demon would find himself grinning quite a bit about seeing the other. Of all the people to wander in. He never would've thought to see the taller male again nor have to contend with the amount of joy it gave him to see the guy again.

As much as he would love to just flat out hug the guy and catch up as long as he was on duty he'd have to keep it within the bounds of his job. No matter, he could deal with that, but first goofy grin no.

Straightening himself out he would get a glass and some ice before feeling it up with the lemonade. With his mission completed, he'd go back out into the noise and place the drink before his customer. "There you go. Is there anything else I can get you?" he would ask remaining as polite as ever.

‘’More like just a note to self….’’ In hopes of not coming across any more until the end of the day, maybe, ‘’…there’s some record though?’’ He didn’t know that was something to be making records in? Okay, he knew that was most likely just a joke. Still….how do you break a record when you don’t know the current high score, hm? In any case, as much as he was watching the other, he wasn’t squinting for any details or anything, thus the ear thing wouldn’t catch his attention much. To be honest however, even if it had….he technically didn’t care. As long as he didn’t get bitten by someone, he wasn’t about to cause a ruckus over that. He was kind of used to that type of thing anyway.

That aside, he would settle for waiting for the while that the guy was gone, going back to his previous observing momentarily. Not like he had anything better to do here by himself, now did he? Well, that was just fine though. He’d prefer the calm over an obnoxious company any day, to be honest. Not to say that he would mind someone who was actually entertaining of course. Just…no one bothersome please.

He would hum under his breath slightly when the other came back and put the drink down. Glancing at it briefly, he would then turn his gaze back to the guy. ‘’No thank you, I’m fine for now.’’ One thing at a time, alright….

"I see," the demon would say the tip of his tail curling a bit as he continued to chat with the other. He would give a faint shrug at the question though. "I'd have to double check, but I would not be surprised if there was one and if not you can always start one yourself." There were world records for everything even hugs and kisses, so he wouldn't be surprise if someone made it there goal to be annoyed by as many people as possible just to be listed in that World Longest Book.

That and lemonade retrieving aside, the demon would meet hazel eyes with calm golden ones as the other looked at him and responded back to his question. To what was said the demon nodded calmly, but then had to look away as a small racket had been caused on the far end of the bar thanks to some guy trying to mess with the girl that was assisting him. He honestly hated having to move, but the job called and this guy unfortunately looked like words were not going to stop him from doing with he was going to do.

Glancing back over at the other, the demon would give the other a gentle and warm smile one that was typically not given by service people to strangers as he spoke. "Alright then. Well, while it was nice talking to you, I am afraid the time is up for now and the job calls. You take care of yourself, Sharaku," he would say giving a light nod before moving to focus on the problem at the other end of the bar. Unless stopped he would proceed to go help the girl.

''I think I'd rather keep my mood intact instead. I don't really believe in that being viable anyway.'' Sounded like a way better option than annoying yourself on purpose. Besides, he would personally say that a record in that was kinda bullshit. It's not something you can fairly count. Someone could just go randomly chatting with strangers here and there and basically claim almost everything was annoying them somehow. How do you prove they aren't just saying so for their own benefit? That stuff is very subjective and everyone has a different tolerance. You honestly cannot measure that fairly enough to announce who's a real victor. It would just become a competition between cheap liars about who can make themselves seem more naturally annoyed by everyone around them.

''?'' Yes, he sure did register that, even though it took him a moment to actually catch onto that, the other already being a few steps away by that point. Honestly though, it wasn't like he would have tried to stop him anyway. Oh sure, he was definitely wondering as to how this guy knew his name, because try as he might he couldn't exactly recall ever meeting a pink haired cat guy. Or just anyone who looked like that in general. Still, he didn't want to make himself an unwanted center of attention by bothering a waiter and not letting them go do their job, because that would be rather unpleasant, and he didn't want to risk getting a bad rap in this place right away in any way. That wouldn't help him at all. What was going on though....? Well, for now he would settle to just watch the other from distance thoughtfully as he swished his drink in the glass a bit.

"Maybe not, but you'd be surprised by the things that people do to get that title." It was true. Annoyance couldn't be judge fairly, but then again some things that had World Records were a bit questionable in how one judged it. The one that baffled him most was probably the longest kiss. Seriously, how did they judge that and prove they did not take a break? Strange world, but apparently that would have become a thing to cook on the back burner along with any further chat as things started to get a little crazy on the other end.

It was a sad thing that the guy had to come in on such a busy day. He would so love to chat and play more, but work was work and honestly the demon couldn’t leave a lady in distress even if he wanted too. Moving away from the taller male, the demon would take to dealing with the male that was harassing the girl trying to man the bar. For a while the corner was quiet as the demon tried to handle the matter in a civil manner; however, when said customer decided he wanted to be a huge ass about the matter and pull a knife out and take a swipe at the girl things changed. The knife never touched the girl as Rika instinctively pushed her back as he moved between her and the dangerous blade. He tried not to get hit himself, but the blade was still able to cut a bit into his chest causing a thin line of red where his skin was exposed in the V of his slightly unbutton shirt a bit under the ribbon collar he wore.

The tavern which was pretty relaxed at first became tense as the folk nearest the guy moved out the way shoving neighbors and kind causing a bit of chaos in the process. The knife guy was standing and leaning over the counter waving the knife dangerously in the direction of Rika and the now frightened girl who was cowering behind the demon and the shelf of liquor she was pressed against; however, Rika did not move as he faced the fuming man off with a calm expression.

“Get the fuck out of the way ya freak! I paid for service and I’m gonna get what I paid for!”the man was yelling as he bared his teeth at Rika.

“No you paid for a drink and nothing more. I advise you put the knife down and leave,” the demon would respond back in calm tones; however, the hostile drunk wasn’t having it. In an effort to get what he wanted by force, the guy hauled himself onto the counter scattering drinks as he leaned outward trying to get at Rika, but that is where the guy made his mistake.

Keeping himself between the girl and the knife, the demon would react with lightning speed that belied his usual laid back and casual manner. His hand would grasp the guy’s knife arm at the wrist as he shifted his body to pull the guy right on over the counter and onto the floor being careful not to get himself cut up any more or the guy stabbed in the process. Once the guy was floored, he would twist the guy’s wrist in a way that forced him to let go of the knife with a grunt of pain. Wrestling with the guy a bit, the demon would eventually get the guy’s arms pinned behind him in such a fashion that he could haul the guy onto his feet and escort the wiggling and cursing man out of the place.  

Once outside in the cold, the guy was released though he did try his hardest to get back in and at even one point tried to fight the demon. It was quite a struggle getting him to back off, but thankfully an officer came by to assist with the issue, so after about 30 minutes of being absent, the demon came back in much to the relief Merk who had taken the girl’s place as bartender. The poor girl had been sent home early due to the incident. She did ask if he was alright and for the most part the demon said yes though his look was much ruffled than before as he disappeared into the men’s bathroom to get cleaned up.

Merk who was standing nearby the taller man would shake her head not being convinced by the answer; however, it was not like she could burst in the bathroom to check on him. She would just have to wait until he came back out then....

‘’People have weird priorities….’’ Honestly. He could maybe understand it if someone indeed had some unusual talent that was worth being recognized for. Otherwise though? It just proved you had nothing better to do with your life than to try one upping everyone by doing something for the longest time and all that whatever stuff. And then someone else would go do that to you later. As for the kissing…well, the one obvious solution to that would be to watch them the entire time? It ought to be obvious enough if they just stopped doing anything. It was still more manageable than monitoring a ‘feeling’ that can hardly be objectively proven.

In any case, he would contend himself with his drink for the time being, seeing as it was the only plausible thing for him to do. Until something happened to change that. And things indeed happened….although, not the kind of things that held much relevance to him. Some people honestly needed to lay off. It made one wonder whether bars shouldn’t start to just implement a limit of how much alcohol they would sell to one person within a given amount of time. Sure, getting drunk was one’s own choice…but doing it to the point where you become aggressive and shit? That’s technically worth getting arrested, so frankly some sort of rule on limits could actually be helpful and reasonable enough. Want to be a danger to people? Go and drink that much at home, not here in public. Problem solved. Besides, even the seller could get in trouble if they just kept letting someone drink to oblivion. If they ended up with alcohol poisoning or something, whose fault would it actually be? It can be hard to decide there, since an already drunk person isn’t exactly in the right mind to make correct decisions all the time, are they now? That’s kind of like knowing someone is really drunk and still letting them go and drive a car. Their choice, yes, but shouldn’t you have stopped them, knowing it was dangerous for them to do it? Hmm. A lot of food for thought there.

Nevertheless, there wasn’t much he could do besides thinking anyway. It would only be more trouble if extra people got themselves involved in the matter, so there was no point in trying to meddle in any way. It wasn’t his place to either way. Although he did kind of wonder what was going to happen now. It was somewhat surprising that this didn’t cause more of a panic in the first place however. A drunk guy with a knife is no joke. That dude could have just snapped and turned around to charge other people with it instead of focusing on his target, and that would have potentially been a lot of chaos. That said, he wouldn’t do anything spectacular for now as he simply waited, watching as usual. Though, if the nearby woman had good ears and paid attention to him for whatever reason, she could maybe hear him muttering something about drunk people and idiots for a moment. Seriously.

Indeed some people did have weird priorities and while the demon would’ve loved to poke further into that subject just to get some more time with the guy, unruly customers and duty had different plans for him. As the events unfolded, the show revealed that the unspoken rules within the place. The staff while trained to take orders and what not were also trained to get people out of harm’s way. While the place didn’t clear out immediately when the knife was brought into the picture, the wait staff had stopped what they were doing preparing for the worse and even one was ready to go get help if their security could not handle the guy. They were well aware of the danger, but to have a place as packed at that running about in a panic was even more dangerous.

The people that walked in here knew the risk whether or not they were with family and knew no one was going to hold your hand when drinking. Did this mean that the folk here would let people drink themselves into a coma. No. There was an unspoken cut off limit and if your ass was too drunk to walk anywhere, the owner had things in place to take care of both her customers and employees. She was no fool and her staff weren’t fools either. They knew the risk that came with their job, but they did it anyway with a smile. Until that random loose canon decided to walk in and just give anyone he saw hell... as was the case with Mr. Angry and Bald Knife Guy.

People like him always destroyed the mood and could give a place a bad rep. Thankfully his kind were few and came about very rarely, but unfortunately the only security she could afford to protect the place currently boiled down to Rika and herself. While she could handle some things a lot of the heavy lifting was left the other. She hated that that was the way it was and worried every time he had to contend with customers that got out of hand even more so when they fought back. He always took the blows and even when in pain, he would continue to come to work and reluctantly submitted to being sent home. Strange maybe, but the half demon understood why the other did what he did…

As she was standing there thinking a bit, her left rabbit ear would twitch as her attention turned to the tall fellow that had come in earlier. To what she heard, she would hum. “Mhm. Unfortunately, his kind crops up even in the most humble of places and the innocent end up suffering. Sometimes I wish I had the ability to see them before they can even settle up in 'ere," ” she would say before looking back towards the bathrooms just as the demon was walking out.

Well he had managed to get himself pulled together pretty well the roughed up look from before hidden nicely and the cut across his chest cleaned up so blood wasn’t everywhere though the fresh wound could still be seen if one looked at him. Even so, he would come back over to the bar, a friendly smile on his face as he looked at the shorter woman.

“Whatcha do with him?” she would ask as she looked him up and down
“The cops have him.”
“Mhm. Serves him right,” she would say with a pleased nod before looking the demon up and down a bit with a serious expression. “And you? You alright?” she would ask, watching him carefully.
Without hesitating, the demon would nod.
“Yeah. I’ll be fine,” he said with a smile; however, the smaller woman wasn’t buying it as she frowned a bit.
“Uh-huh. I am sure you are,” she said as she poked him a bit in the left side...and got a small reaction. Try as he might the poke did sting a bit causing him to pull away slightly from the poke. Merk would give him small smirk as he smiled nervously at her. He knew what was coming.
“I can still --”
“Nope. I ain’t having it. You are going home right now, mister. Even if you want to help out or are as tough as nails, you need to take care of you first. In fact,” she would turn her eyes to the tall man again. “Don’t mean to toss this on ya hun, but can you do me a huge favorite and escort him? Gotta make sure someone keeps him on track.”
The demon looked like he was going to protest to this, but smaller demon held up a hand to sush him as she looked up at the dark skinned man she had decided to randomly select for the job. Reluctantly the demon stayed quiet as he bit his lip a bit and at least waited for the guy to give his answer...

‘’….’’ Well, he wouldn’t say anything back to that as he just frowned a bit. He hadn’t been trying to talk to her in the first place, so he didn’t have a suitable response ready right away and the situation worked against him too since she had something else to focus on moments later. Eh, he probably didn’t need to say anything there anyway. There was no foolproof solution to that, outside on maybe becoming a place that doesn’t sell alcohol, thus not giving people like that a reason to come there at all. On one hand, it would make for a safer environment, on the other they would lose out on a bunch of customers due to that….probably. There were surely people that came here mainly for the alcoholic drinks, or possibly only for that. That’s always how it worked.

That said, he would keep himself out of the conversation as he sipped on his drink. He didn’t plan on interrupting them, and it wasn’t like he totally couldn’t just hear it all from his position anyway. One way or another though, it wasn’t really his business. Well….wasn’t supposed to be, or at least he that’s what he would have thought. When he was suddenly brought into the picture, he would blank for a second. ‘’I…what?’’ What was that supposed to mean? Since when was it a thing to casually ask random people to do favors for you? What did this have to do with him? Well, it wasn’t like he had anywhere he needed to be tonight, but still…He would sigh as he stood up, smoothing his coat down slightly. ‘’Very well…’’ He wasn’t particularly sure how he felt about this, and he was mildly tempted to ask what was he going to get for doing this, but that would probably not matter in the end, would it now….?

The rabbit didn't seem to mind the silence as her focus turned to her employee and then later the tall man again as she made her request. When the other reacted, the demon kept himself from smirking a bit at the expression and reaction given. Yes Merk was indeed odd, but also had a good nose for trustworthy people. She had pulled this trick many times on random folk and most of the time the answer was no or the person was so shocked that the demon would speak up and save them from having to answer. It would take a bit, but the woman typically let him go on his own making him promise to text her when he was home. Yes a mama thing, but the demon didn't mind it. Besides it was kind of nice to have someone check up on you here or there or to even talk to when living alone like he did.

That aside though, the demon was actually on the edge of saying something along the lines that the guy didn't have to come with him if he didn't want to. That he'd go home on his own; however, before he could even get that out, the unexpected happened. The guy agreed to escort him? Wait what?

As he agreed, two things happened at once - Merk would grin like a kid at a candy store as she clapped her hands quietly jumping a bit with joy as she pretty much beamed at the guy with new found respect while the male with her kind of blanked out a bit and blinked a bit stunned at what happened.

“Oh hun thank you! I promise you won’t regret it!” she said and then calming a bit she’d smirk up at Rika as he blinked a bit and shook his head with a faint smile.

“Alright fine. I’ll go get my jacket.” He couldn’t win this round so he’d go with it though inwardly it made him quite glad. It would be nice after all this time though...provided the other ever figured him out that is. Anyway the comment would pass and then moved the demon would move off to the back for a moment before he returned wearing a white trench lined on the inside with black fur a few seconds later. Ready to go, he would move towards the guy that had volunteered to escort him.

“Come on,” he would say gently with a light nod of his head before moving towards the door and back out into the cold.

Riiiight. ‘’I regret my choices often enough for it to not bother me anymore.’’ He certainly didn’t have to go along with this, and he knew that very well. They couldn’t force him to for no reason. Although, he was honestly wondering whether the woman seriously expected that he would agree to that, or was just asking as a means of convincing the guy to actually go home. He kind of couldn’t tell, seeing as the chances of a random person saying no to this were obviously very high from the get go. When you have no obligation to do something like that, and aren’t even being offered anything for the job, it’s probably very tempting and easy to just flat out decline.

In any case, for the time being he would follow the other in silence as there was nothing necessary to say. Though, he did take a brief glance back there before getting out. He didn’t even get to finish his drink. Sad. Ah well, what can you do….

Merk would give the guy a smirk as she heard his words. “Well we are gonna have to change that outlook. You’ll see I am not pulling your tail if ya visit again,” she would say with a wink before leaving the demon in the car of the guy who had volunteered to go with him. To be honest she was thrilled someone actually was kind enough to do this. True it was a stranger she was sending the guy with, but at least she wasn’t worried about the decision. The guy was quiet yes, but seemed nice enough, so unless her gut had finally screwed up she figured that the demon would be fine with the other at his side. She had no idea of the irony of the situation.

As demon and human stepped outside, the demon would pull his jacket closer to him pausing as the other took a look back at the tavern. He would smile a bit sheepishly as he scratched his cheek.

“You know. You could go back in, stay warm, and finish your drink if you want to. You’re not obligated to escort me even if you did say yes,” the demon would say as the tip of his tailed curled slightly. Staying in his spot for a few seconds before shifting and beginning to walk. The air made his body tense a bit and sent a bit of pain through him; however, he would be able to push through and make it home. He always did...

He would just shake his head. ‘’I don’t need anything though.’’ He wasn’t too fond of people making fanfares around what he was doing. Even worse when it earned him a lot of attention somehow. In a case like that, he would rather just not get anything. Sometimes the peace was honestly a better reward than anything fancy could ever be. He technically wasn’t really doing this to get something anyway. Were that the case, he would have asked about it first thing, or at least automatically expected it to be included in the offer.

Blinking, he would turn his eyes back to the guy as he heard the comment. At which he would shrug lightly. ‘’I stand by my decisions. Besides, what kind of a guy would I be to just ditch you for no reason?’’ Okay, he was sure capable of doing that easy, but that’s when the person in question deserved it in some way. He wouldn’t put up with an extremely annoying person just to be nice. Not that it was relevant right now though. Hmm. Well either way…he would move to walk beside the other, watching the guy from the corner of his eye. As much as he could from his height, that is.

"Hmph. Suit yourself." Would be the last reply he would get from Merk before he was out on the streets with the demon.

Meeting the other's hazel gaze, the demon would give a light shrug at the question the small smile remaining. "I guess less kind than you seemed when you said yes," the demon would respond back as the other fell in step with him. "Anyway, don't think I am being unappreciative when I say this, but why are you even bothering with doing this?"

''Well, we can't have that happen, now can we?'' Less kind was probably an understatement there. More like, at least thrice as much of a jerk than he would be for just refusing to do it in the first place. At least the latter would be a honest answer, while this would simply be an asshole move. If you don't want to do it, just say no. Don't agree and then be like nah man, I technically never planned to actually go through with this, bye. He would tilt his head slightly. ''Do I need a reason to be nice?''

"Nah. I don't think it would do much to make ya shine from your everyday just wanna impress the ladies sort," he said with a light chuckle. As for the other question, he would look down at the ground covered in a thin layer of snow and ice that crunched under his boots as he shook his head a bit. "I guess you don't. Still it is a bit odd having a kind hand dealt me out of the blue like that, so...Thank you for taking the time to be that and honest." He would glance up at the other with a genuine smile of appreciation for a few moments before looking away again and refocusing on the path ahead.

''You're not even a lady. On that note though, I think trying hard to be impressive on purpose tends to just come off as fake.'' Bet those guys would only do it at first to get the attention, and once the fish caught the bait they wouldn't be so selfless and helpful every moment anymore. True impressions aren't the ones that happen in the first few minutes or so, as much as they can indeed help to get someone to notice you. Still, if you don't want a horrible crash later, you might want to avoid advertising what is not true. He would hum faintly. ''You needn't thank me. I'm not doing anything too special.'' Well yes, he was potentially wasting his time...but he honestly didn't really have anything planned anyway, so at least now he didn't have to think hard about what to do?

The demon would snort as he looked up at the other with a smirk. "Who said I was referring to myself with that?" He was definitely no lady, but at the same time he didn't seem to mind being referred to as such either. His words were easy going and light. Though he would become serious after a few seconds as he continued. "Mmm. Well I can agree there. It also becomes sickening when you see it all the time too. i am not sure what is so great about those lies, but I've seen some fall pretty hard for them, but what do you do? Can't exactly lecture someone about it. None of my business in the end." Thanks to where he worked he saw plenty a hunter come through the place for young girls or even trying to charm Merk. The difference being is that Merk was no fool and could play the game of manipulation well if one tried her. The tactic wasn't exclusive to men though, women tried too and even tried him once or twice; however, he no interest in the game and so ignored it or brushed it off most of the time. Pretty words were just that words...they could only hide a monster's fangs for so long before the ugly truth spilled forward. A sad matter indeed, but one the demon wouldn't linger on longer than needed.

Drifting from that matter, he would hear the other's response to his thank you. "Nothing special? I think take time to humor a stranger when you could probably find something better to do is special enough. Not too many would go out of their way to do this," he would say and then narrowing his eyes a bit he would add. "Still being humble. Heh. How amusing."