The SongBird's Love

#1 Jazz

"Eden, no. No, no, hun."

"Please," she insisted. "You can't do that to me. You said I'd be working at the tables tonight."

"You'll be working aroun' the tables, just as a hostess," he replied with his strong accent. "Sorry, honey, I ain't letting ya take any customers tonight."

"But I need the money! Jack, please!"

He sighed, and turned around to look at that little piece of woman.

She was already dressed up in her brick-red dress, with her assorted lipstick. Eden was almost ready, clumsily putting on the big jewellery pieces and following him barefoot into the waiting room. She was naturally pretty, but this old-fashioned look and those artificial curls didn't really suit her.

"Eden, listen. I know what I said, and I know you need the cash, honey. But look, tonight's bouncer is that i***t upstairs! What am I supposed to do? You know how bad that dummy is, right? And I got nobody else to take care of security inside, hun, nobody. You're the only one who's got the qualifications. Look at those chicks. Do ya think they'd lose a nail in a fight?"

Eden sighed, helplessly glancing around the room. All of her colleagues were busy getting ready, putting on their dresses, makeup, and jewelry, but she knew they all had an ear out for what was going on. Bella was sending her sorry looks in her mirror, and Xixi had been going around the same eyebrow for five minutes already. Sitting in front of the biggest mirror, Rose sighed loudly.

"Oh, just let it go and be happy, Eden. Be glad you don't have to sell your ass tonight..."

Eden glared back at her, but the two women remained quiet as Jack shook his head. He put a hand on her shoulder, adjusting one of her blonde curls.

"Hun, I'm sorry. I'll look for someone as soon as possible, but you know it's getting harder to hire staff around that block. If their stupid system allowed you to take on both jobs at the same time, swear to god I would totally put you on, honey."

"What about Dally?" Asked Xixi with her chirpy voice.

"That i***t's brother got killed two weeks ago... And how about you chicks mind your own goddamn business!"

"Another murder?" Said Rose, frowning and ignoring Jack's anger. "What the heck?"

The bar owner turned towards the ladies, crossing his big muscular arms. It would have been a bit more impressive if they didn't all know him too well already, and he wasn't wearing a fitted turquoise dress and his pink wig.

"You bunch of little..."

"What is old man Long doing?" Asked Eden, getting a bit worried too.

Jack rolled his eyes. The girls barely got along, except when they were all ganging up against him. He sighed and gave up on his attempt at showing his authority.

"Bella babe, please help Eden do something about that shitty foundation she's got on. Girl, that contouring makes your nose too thin again."

The brunette nodded and jumped on her feet, grabbing one of the brushes on the tables to start sweeping around Eden's cheekbones. Yet, they were all waiting, so Jack started talking, grabbing his lipstick.

"Fine, fine... They say the old man ain't doing too well lately. That's why. Those bastards who already know about this are all leaving the area before it gets ugly, I bet."

All the girls began worrying for real. Next to Xixi, June dropped her khôl, looking panicked. The twins exchanged worried looks too, and even Rose lost a bit of her usual haughty stance. Eden shook her head.

"What will happen, then? Will someone else take over this territory? What about the deals with the Core? The Mayor can't do anything?"

"It's Chicago, babe. You know that the Mayor ain't gonna do nothing! She probably doesn't give a damn what happens outside of the Core. We just gotta hope we're not going to get some worse piece of s**t than the old man Long. Either some young punk takes his place as the new dragon, or..."

"Another one of the Zodiacs could take over?" Asked Xixi, nervously playing with her braids. "If we get under the Russians, I'm leaving now!"

"...Or the Yakuza," whispered her sister Minnie.

"Hey, hey!" Jack exclaimed. "Everybody, calm down. Girls, the old man ain't dead yet. He's still alive, and everything is fine, a'right? We got a business to open, and I need all your pretty faces and booty ready for showtime. So everybody gets ready, now."

He sighed and turned towards Eden, but behind him, all the young women were still whispering, forgetting all about their makeup and preparation. Unlike her colleagues, the young woman was looking more sour than worried. Jack glanced at Bella, who got the message, and nodded before going back to her spot. He then turned to Eden, grabbing her shoulder.

"Come on, honey, come with me upstairs while we let the pretties get ready."

Eden nodded and followed him upstairs.

The bar was already ready to be opened, the pink neon signs all lit up, and the tables dressed up. Jack got behind the bar and took out a little box. It was as if a switch had been turned on once they arrived on that floor. His whole mannerism got more feminine, and his accent disappeared as his voice changed into something more polished and gentle.

"I've got a little something for ya, honey."

Eden frowned, but when he opened the box, her eyes suddenly lit up. She grabbed it, staring at the content with a wide smile.

"Thanks, Jack!"

"It's nothing, honey. To be honest, these probably aren't going to sprout either. You know everything that comes from the Core is f****d up, all genetically modified..."

Eden didn't care. The little lemon seeds in front of her were enough to give her a little hope. Jack loved Eden exactly for this. Unlike him, she was one of those precious souls that still lit up to the tiniest bit of hope they could find. He was happier already just seeing her smile. He sighed and took out his bottle of whisky, pouring two drinks.

"...What's going on, honey?"

Eden's smile disappeared, and she glanced up, knowing exactly what he meant. She and Jack knew each other too well already. She picked one of the stools to sit on, careful about her long dress, and took one of the glasses.

"It's mom," she sighed. "I really need more money, fast."

"Oh no... What about last time?"

Eden shook her head.

"They said they're trying something else, more... costly, of course. I agreed."

Jack sighed, grabbing his whisky and swirling the gold drink around, his lips pouting out with a sorry look.

"Honey... You are the best daughter your old mama could have, but... That's too much, Eden. Too many sacrifices, hun. You're going to tire yourself out, maybe for nothing. You know that old mama of yours wouldn't want that."

"She's all I got left, Jack."

"It's Jacquie on this floor, honey. But, anyway... You got me too, alright?"

Eden smiled, but this one lacked a bit of warmth. Jack was genuinely worried for the young woman. Eden was too young, and she was literally sacrificing herself away to save her poor mother. Kindness was a luxury people living in the Dragon's District couldn't afford these days.

"...Can you give me another shift?"

"No... You're full this week. That goddamn system ain't gonna allow me to add you anymore. Don't even try looking elsewhere, Eden. Your stupid SIN's gonna get all wonky again."

The blonde's expression got darker, and she touched her neck. The little piece of metal was pulsating under her skin, about the size of a coin. Eden scratched her skin nervously, but the device wouldn't suffer for this much. She hated this. The SINs regulated their whole lives. All of their personal data was entered within a system they had no control over. Eden hated having to scan this thing to be reminded of how penniless she was. That same device that wouldn't even let her work more.

"...I'll manage," she whispered.

Jack's black eyes got all worried all of a sudden, and he leaned in closer.

"...You're not going to do the thing I'm not supposed to know about, right?"

Eden smiled a bit bitterly.

"You don't know anything, Jack... Jacquie. Don't worry."

Jack bit his lower lip. He could pretend not to know, but he knew enough to be worried about her, even if he couldn't say anything. He had his principles, and one included the less he knew, the better it was. Which was true for his own safety, but it couldn't prevent him from worrying about the young woman.

The truth was, even if he had agreed to let her work more, Eden wouldn't have won much more than what she did as a hostess and bodyguard. She wasn't popular among their customers, despite her pretty face. Plus, it would create more tension between the girls, as none could afford to share their customers. Every credit won was a little victory these days...

Eden grabbed her glass and finished her whisky in one shot, her hazel eyes shining again.

"Come on, Jacquie, showtime; Let's get ready for those assholes."

Behind the bar, the man smiled and turned on the whole system.

The bar's lights lit up all at once, and the holograms appeared. Copies of all the ladies, appearing to pole-dance or simply move around in short outfits. The digital doppelgangers all looked very real. Jacquie had invested a lot in this. It would have been complicated to know those were fake just from sight. Yet, Eden knew their choreographies by heart. She had seen them dozens of times already. She could tell when Rose would send a wink across the room, or Xixi would split her legs around the pole dancing bar.

She ignored all those fake ladies, there to keep the eye busy and add an illusion of a crowded place, and walked to the little stand where an elegant gramophone was. Eden smiled, her finger dancing between the pieces of vinyl until she picked one and put it on. The jazz song resonated in the gramophone and throughout the bar's speakers.

"Now that's Chicago," said Jacquie with a little smile.

One by one, the girls came up to the floor, dressed up and ready for their customers. Rose sighed, grabbing her favorite bottle over the counter despite Jack's glare.

"Let's get the party started," she sighed, taking it in one shot.

The doors of the bar opened, letting a bunch of gentlemen in.

Most were familiar faces, the patrons that would come often. Immediately, the girls began smiling and chatting, each going towards their targets for the night. They all had their favorite customers, and, moreover, no one liked to share a patron. Slowly, they took their seats in the pink and purple sofas across the floor, all in a half-circle to have them face a table. Putting on her business smile as well, Eden walked towards an older man.

"Evening, Charles," she said, putting her arm around him with a gentle smile.

"Evening, Miss Eden. What shall we drink tonight?"

"Isn't your doctor going to scold you?" She asked, tilting her head.

"What for! I'll order a new liver next week if I need to."

Eden chuckled.

"Alright then, how about your favorite, a good old brandy?"

"Ah, now you know how to make an old man happy. A brandy it is!"

She gently took him to one of the sofas to watch the scene and glanced at Jack for him to start preparing the drinks. Actually, the bar was preparing them as well. Half of what was really being prepared was automatized under the counter, but the customers couldn't see that. It simply looked like Jacquie was incredibly efficient and making some impressive barman moves before putting the final touch and putting it up for the girls to collect. It maintained the illusion of a Jazz Bar stuck back in time, somewhere in the nineteenth century...

Eden left her customer just a minute to go get their glasses and returned just in time to light his cigar. He opened a little box to offer her one.

"Oh, thank you, Charles, but I don't smoke."

"Oh, maybe in a few years then!"

Eden smiled and watched him relax and glance at the fake dancers on stage. She liked Mr. Charles. She didn't know if it was his real name, and she didn't really care. He was a nice customer with a lot of money. From his way of speech and mannerisms, she could tell he was probably older than seventy. Although he didn't look like he was over fifty, as expected from someone who came from the Core...

She kept entertaining the old man quietly until some ruckus caught her attention. A bunch of young men had walked into the bar, and she could tell some weren't sober by any means. She hesitated, but their bouncer shook one's hand and seemed fine with letting them in. She glanced at Jacquie, who had spotted them too, but he shook his head, meaning for her to stay put. Eden saw Rose come from across the room with a large smile. It was her favorite type of customer.

Rich brats looking to brag and spend their money without thinking...

Although she tried to stay focused on Mr. Charles, Eden kept glancing over. Rose seemed to have the situation under control. She wasn't the most popular hostess for nothing... The redhead entertained the little group of four young men with her bright smile and fake laughs. She was truly beautiful. Her cream skin was perfect, and she had recently changed her hair for some gorgeous burgundy curls. Even her dress was one of the few not bought by Jacquie. A customer of hers had gifted her this short, sequined black dress.

Eden returned to chatting with Mr. Charles, thinking Rose had everything under control. Those weren't their first drunkards, and the redheaded hostess looked fine handling them. She already had two bottles of the most expensive gin on the table, which was a good sign, too...

"Hey! I said I want that one!"

She sighed internally before turning her head. She just knew when customers were about to get troublesome. She had been in this field for too long not to recognize them ahead of time.

One of the young men was pointing his finger at one of Bella's holograms, the one that was dancing on the stage in a cute purple outfit. He stood up, staggering, and tried to make his way to the stage. One of his friends grabbed his wrist while laughing.

"It's a fake, you i***t! Come on, man, don't cause a commotion now. It's Justin's night..."

"So what! He's the one getting married! I just wanna play with that pretty slut… Get me a room with her. Now."

Eden took a deep breath in and glanced towards Jacquie. The barman was already making his way across the room with his business smile.

"Sorry, dear guest, Bella is currently busy with another guest. Should I call someone else for you?"

The man grimaced at Jacquie's appearance, checking him out from head to toe.

"You f*****g drag! You're the one who decides here?"

"I'm the owner, yes, dear guest."

Eden knew Jack ought to be boiling inside, but he was doing a great job of hiding it... The man suddenly waved his arms around, a bit weirdly, glaring at Jack.

"I-I want that girl! How much!"

This time, Jack lost his smile, and Rose was the one to stand up, putting her hands on the guest's shoulder with her most charming smile on.

"I'm sorry, dear guest, but Bella is under the age restriction for this kind of service... However, I'll be happy to take care of you if you want."

Despite asserting her words with a sexy wink, it fell completely flat, the man looking at her as if she were an i***t. He started laughing.

"I said I want that one! Age restriction? What age restriction? You are all f*****g outlaws anyway!"

A silence took over the room. Jack glanced at Eden, and she slowly stood up this time, giving a little smile to Mr. Charles. The old man sighed and took his glass, shaking his head. Those arrogant youngsters, he thought...

In the middle of the Jazz bar, the drunk young man was smirking, looking amused by Rose's cold expression. The hostess had dropped her nice smile and was crossing her arms, expressionlessly listening to his rant.

"You think I don't know?" He continued. "I can do whatever I want with you. The Law doesn't apply here! You're just trash, criminals! I can do anything to you, and no one would care! So get me that little b***h here now!"