The SongBird's Love

#2 Part

Rose sighed, not impressed in the slightest. The lack of response from the staff surprised the young man, but no one around was batting an eye. Even worse, some of the guests looked at him as if he was a nuisance. A cold atmosphere fell on the room, and suddenly, Jazz music wasn't giving off such a pleasant ambiance anymore.

"Stop being an i***t, man..." whispered his friend, trying to pull him back. "Don't make a fuss now… We were having fun..."

"Seriously?" Retorted the drunk. "Who cares! This isn't the Core; there's no law here! You can do whatever you want to those people! Isn't that why we came here to have fun?"

He was half-smirking, half-aggressive, which was enough to make everyone uncomfortable. Some of the other customers were glancing towards the door, probably wondering if they should leave before things took a bad turn. Yet, all of the staff seemed extremely calm, as if they were used to those kinds of situations.

"This is not the kind of fun this establishment is offering, Sir," said Jacquie with a stern voice. "I will politely remind you, this Club is open to gentlemen only. We will have to escort you out unless you temper your attitude."

Rose sighed, waving her curls, and went back to sit with some other customers, leaving the group of young men alone at their table. Now, it looked like they were isolated from the other people in the bar, and everyone had turned their glares to them. The previously joyous atmosphere of the bar had somewhat turned a bit scarier and sour, even with the jazz still playing in the background.

However, this only angered the young men more, as they felt isolated. Out of the group of four, two were looking a bit concerned about their position at the moment, but one of them stood to come by the drunkard's side with an aggressive stance.

"Hey, you better show some respect," he said. "My friend is just a bit drunk, but this is a bar; you should handle it. Gentlemen, my ass. Aren't you just prostitutes... and a fag!"

"Those pretty chicks here are hostesses, and I'm a barmaid. And a Drag Queen, darling. The Queen part is important," said Jacquie, with a smile that didn't go up to his eyes.

"You're just a bunch of trash living off others' money," hissed the man. "So now, you're going to take my friend's money and bring that w***e from wherever she is, give us a nice bedroom and close your damn mouths."

This time, Eden stood forward. Unlike Jacquie and Rose, she didn't smile once at those men, simply standing in front of them with an emotionless expression. She knew this wasn't even worth getting mad at. They had heard much worse before, and people from the suburbs were stronger than that.

"This is the first and only warning. Please get out before we have to escort you out."

"What the..."

However, one of the friends who had been silent so far suddenly looked scared, and jumped to his feet, grabbing his friends.

"Hey, hey, seriously, cut it out, let's go."

The other two looked surprised and brushed him off with an angry expression.

"What the f**k! Why should we go? We came here to have fun, and yet they are giving us that shitty attitude!"

"Man, we can't make a fuss here if they call the Mafia..."

"What?"

The man glanced at Eden.

It was clear those young men had come here knowing nothing about the rules here. Just because they belonged to the Core, they thought of themselves as untouchable. They had no idea that because their laws didn't apply here, it didn't mean there weren't other rules going on.

Yet, he didn't feel threatened. Not by the Drag Queen or the young blonde woman staring at him with those cold hazel eyes. She was half a head smaller than he was and looked rather thin, too. He hesitated, his friend pulling on his shirt again.

"Come on, man, let's go back. We're gonna get in trouble..."

"What trouble? What Mafia? They are nobodies! Who cares about those criminals!"

Eden sighed and glanced back at Jack, but the barman was visibly done with them. He rolled his eyes and went back behind the counter, meaning he was leaving that situation to be handled by her.

"...So you're not going to leave?" She asked, her eyes going back to the duo of drunkard friends.

"Call the mafia, my ass! You scum don't..."

He felt the pain before even catching a glimpse of the action. With a perfect rotation, Eden had suddenly raised her leg to come and hit the side of his face. The strength of her kick sent him to the floor, two meters away. The man whimpered loudly in front of all the shocked customers, but she wasn't done.

His friend barely realized their mistake when Eden jumped on her other leg and rotated once more to send another kick right into his flank. The nearby guests heard the horrible sound of several bones cracking, and right after that, he was sent in the same direction as his friend, brutally landing on top of him. Now the two of them were gasping for air with stupid looks on their faces, shocked and in utter pain. Eden calmly walked towards them, and the two men were horrified. Not by that woman, but by the incredible amount of force she had in her legs.

"Y-you... Damn..."

"I had warned you," she said, lifting her leg again.

She didn't need to, however. Both men rushed to get back on their feet, holding their injured body parts, and scampered outside, whining and yelling insults from the street. Inside the Club, the girls were all satisfied with this conclusion. The two other men who had stayed behind awkwardly stood up and silently made their way outside, taking the long way around the tables to carefully avoid Eden.

The other guests had smiles on, not so surprised about the turn of events. Aside from the guys Eden had just kicked out, most of the men there were regulars. They knew perfectly well that the people working there could fend for themselves. And even if they didn't, there were other powers in place.

Eden sighed and put down her leg, turning around and lowering her head.

"Sorry for the commotion," she simply said.

"Alright, dear guests," said Jacquie from behind the bar. "Let's get back to all the fun, shall we? Who wants another drink? Half price on me!"

The Club quickly went back to a joyful and pleasant atmosphere again. Eden walked up to the counter and saw Jacquie's smile diminish while she prepared more drinks.

"What a bunch of assholes..." She muttered.

"It's alright, honey, nothing new."

"Maybe not, but if we lose the protection of the Mafia and those people know..."

"We'll just need to hope someone will take over. ...Someone good."

Eden took the new glasses of brandy with a sour expression on. She knew what Jacquie meant. They were the people of the suburbs and those living and working here. Everyone had a story, and they hadn't landed here by chance nor mistake. There was nowhere else to go, even if things got worse. They were subject to the laws of who was stronger, where they lived. They needed that protection. If someone other than Old Man Long took over the area, they couldn't predict what would happen next.

Trying to hide her concerns, Eden walked back to her customer, chatting with Mr. Charles as usual.

"Those are impressive legs, young lady," chuckled the old man, bringing his drink to his mustache.

"They do get useful from time to time," replied Eden, a bit nervous.

She didn't like talking about her legs. She could feel stares from all over the room, curious guests, or those who had already guessed the truth.

Mr. Charles wasn't duped either, and he gently patted her knee.

"Don't worry, young Lady. Back in my day, those were the norm. Times just change too fast for people to even be respectful of others' circumstances anymore..."

Eden smiled, but she didn't want to talk about that anymore. She quickly shifted the subject to something else, like the music Mr. Charles recognized playing in the background or his grandchildren who were giving him trouble. He was a nice man, just a bit too curious about a nameless hostess at times. This old gentleman was nostalgic about another time than the typical sterile and boring days at The Core. Eden couldn't tell him how he should have considered himself lucky.

"Evening, bitches!"

How much trouble were they going to get tonight? Eden glanced towards the entrance, but this time, no one in the bar felt confident anymore.

A young Asian man was standing there, with the smile of a shark and flashy clothes. Everything about him smelled like trouble, from the large tattoos covering half his face to the guns he was wearing at his belt. By reflex, Eden's eyes went directly on the guns. She knew that model. They were produced by the Core and programmed not to shoot at any vital parts. Like most weapons the Core created, those were made for self-defense, but the bullets were still very real. This time, she got up before Jack said anything. The young man walked in confidently, followed by two Asian men, both as fat as pigs and extremely ugly. They were bald, with even more tattoos covering every inch of their visible skin. Their expression seemed stuck to that of someone who had just bit a sour lemon.

"Young master Kris," said Xixi, jumping on her feet and forcing a smile. "You haven't come in a while..."

"Hello there, cutie," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist as if she were his possession. "Ah, I've been busy. Busy waiting for the old man to make some important decisions if you know what I mean..."

As he said those words, his eyes went up to Jacquie. The barman wasn't forcing himself to smile, staring at Kris with a stern expression. Unlike the previous clients, they couldn't handle that annoying man so easily. He kept pouring drinks and remaining composed, although the situation was significantly more worrying.

"I hope Master Long stays healthy the longest time possible," said Jack.

Those words didn't please Kris. His smirk disappeared, and he walked to the bar, slamming his fist on the counter. Eden didn't move, but she was ready to intervene at any moment. Jack had this under control, for now. They only had to wait until that i***t was done and gone.

"I can't wait to kick you f*****g Parts out of here. I don't need semi-humans to work for me. You guys belong to the junkyard."

"Noted, Master Kris."

Jack's calm was impressive.

If it was anyone else, he might have responded with more spite, but this wasn't anybody. Kris Yang was Master Long's nephew and only blood descendant alive, one of his most probable successors. He could inherit this neighborhood soon. The old man had yet to name his successor, and that wasn't a good sign. Everyone knew being a blood relative wasn't enough to become one of the Mafia Lords around there. They needed someone able to stand among and against the Zodiac, the ten Mafia Lords of the suburbs. Each had its own territory and its own rules, and hence, tensions were bound to arise anytime there was a succession issue.

Moreover, many people, even inside the Dragon's District, were against Kris being chosen. Eden had already heard rumors about at least three other possible successors for the old man. No wonder that brat was acting more and more recklessly every day...

As Jack remained calm and ignored his provocation, the young man turned to Eden, who was standing a few steps away, staring at him. She wasn't doing anything but staring. Yet, Kris put on an annoyed expression, staring at her.

"You too, you f*****g Part b***h. You'll be gone as soon as I get that chair at the Zodiac. ...And stop staring at me!"

He suddenly took out his gun and shot at Eden's left leg.

She didn't move, only frowning and looking down. The bullet had put a hole in her dress, and a little piece of dark grey metal was now visible in that hole. Eden pulled her dress' skirt to hide the hole. That bastard had done this on purpose... This time, she couldn't hold back her glare, but her lips remained resolutely sealed. Kris chuckled.

"That's right, keep your damn mouth shut, you little pest. People like you are just trash..."

He laughed at her and leaned over the counter to grab a bottle. Jack worried for a second, but he only began drinking right from the bottle and walked upstairs, taking Xixi with him. The young woman only had time to give Jack a glance before she was taken upstairs.

Eden hesitated, but Jacquie let out a long sigh and shook her head, getting back to work. Hence, Eden walked back to her client. However, Mr. Charles was already getting up.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Charles. Are you leaving already?"

"Sorry, darling, but that's a lot of excitement for this old man. Don't worry dear, I'll come back sometime soon. Here."

He gave her a little bill, which surprised Eden. No one used those anymore. She had only seen actual bills a couple of times before... The green piece of paper weighed strangely in her hand. Mr. Charles chuckled.

"I know you like old things like these. And me! See you some other time, Miss Eden."

Although she walked him back to the entrance, Eden had a sour feeling about her customer leaving so soon. She turned around, but everywhere else was busy. Two of the girls had already gone upstairs with a customer, and the ones remaining were doing a great job of keeping the atmosphere joyful and busy.

Eden walked up to the bar, and Jack handed her a glass.

"There you go, darling."

"Is Xixi okay?"

"Don't worry, he won't do anything bad while the old man is still alive and kickin'. Plus, he likes her. Xixi always said he never goes further than the usual services."

"What an ass..." Growled Eden, grabbing her drink.

"More like a brat. Goodness, if that guy becomes Zodiac, then we are really in motha-fuckin' trouble ."

Eden nodded.

"I really hope the old man stays around for a while," she sighs.

"Tell me about it. I don't know what's the best option. Half the Zodiac will get rid of parts like you and me. The Yakuza would kill the twins… Let's face it, Eden, half the chicks here could become targets because of their past customers. Girl, we gotta lay real low for a while."

Jacquie shook her head and poured another drink for herself, her bangs swinging sideways with her head's movements.

"Eden, honey, you should leave now before that jerk comes back down. That little piece of s**t enjoys ruining your legs. If the guy shoots at ya again, you're going to have to repair those, and that ain't something you can afford hun."

Eden nodded. She hadn't even dared look at the damages under her skirt, but she was a bit worried about that as well.

"...What about security here? I bet your bouncer ran off after seeing Kris Yang."

"Don't worry, babe, I still got my good old girl under the counter," he said, tapping on the counter. "Those babes from the 21st Century make a mean job, and they don't care which part they're shooting at."

He smiled and gave her a little wink.

"Alright. See ya, Jack. Be careful."

"You too, hun."

Eden finished her drink in one go with a faint smile and walked downstairs.

Their dressing room felt too wide, silent, and messy without all the girls there. Eden walked to one of the seats in front of the mirrors and slowly took off her makeup. The red on her lips disappeared to leave a pale pink, and her skin was whiter than the foundation she had on too. She only left the curls in her hair as it was, only brushing her fingers through it to push it out of her face.

Then, she sighed and spun the chair, her eyes going down the skirt of her red dress. It arrived at mid-length of her hips, a few inches below the hole Kris' bullet had dug in. Eden slowly pulled up the skirt. Surely enough, a piece of the dark grey metal was showing.

The square area around the bullet hole was sticking out on her leg, the metal indented. Eden grimaced and grabbed one of the girls' tweezers to dig that thing out. The little piece of metal fell on the floor, and she glared at it. That part was going to cost a lot to repair. She'd have to cover it with skirts for a while... She took a deep breath.

"SIN, deactivate the camouflage."

Immediately, all the skin on her legs vanished. Instead, she was left with the truth.

Two dark grey robotic legs, without an ounce of flesh.