“Hey, Chinami. Do me a favour and smell me.”

Chinami blinked unsurely from behind her glasses, not taking her vigilant eyes off of the road despite Teru hanging loosely over the driver's seat.

“Um...what? Why?”

“If I don't smell like death and decay, then I want to go out drinking,” Teru explained cheekily, tugging at her popped collar. “C'mon, gimme a sniff. You’re only young once, right?”

Turning her head slightly and pulling her face mask down just enough to free her petit nose, Chinami audibly sniffed the air around Teru.

Ayame balked at the scene playing out before her from the back seat.

“What the hell…? Teru, come on…don’t make the driver do that.”

“You smell of something sweet, and spicy…” Chinami confessed, and even her deadpan tone was tinged with relief. “It's quite pleasant.”

Teru's entire face lit up with genuine glee at the positive affirmation. She sat herself back down next to Ayame with a happy bounce, and jovially threw an arm around her exhausted sister.

“Well, in that case...hang a right here, would you? I wanna go to the Blue Canary and relax.”

“Yes, boss. The Blue Canary...?”

“It's a bar that friends of ours run,” Ayame croaked in explanation, the gravelly sound of her own voice catching her off guard. “I really don’t know how you’ve got so much boundless energy, Teru. Genuinely, I’m impressed.”

“Well, hey. I wasn't the one doing all of the hacking and slashing, so I've still got some midnight oil to burn at both ends,” Teru replied with a chuckle.

“I don't think that's how that saying goes,” Ayame smirked.

“Hey, I never claimed to be a wordsmith.”

Both Tokugawa sisters could have sworn they heard a soft laugh sound from the front of the car, but as Chinami's expression remained ever unchanging and hidden behind her mask, neither of them could be sure. Ayame liked whatever sound that was, anyway.

And so, after what had been a terribly gruesome night, Ayame finally allowed herself to let out a sigh of relief.  A part of her was relieved that she simply didn’t have the energy to go out partying tonight; she wanted nothing more than to collapse into her nice, soft bed, and be dead to the world for a few hours.

The streetlights had been a relaxing sight on the way back. Ayame's arms throbbed all the way down to her fingertips, and her head was pounding from the adrenaline; but the cool night air slipping in through the crack in her backseat window was relieving, and the dull ambience of a summer night outside was a cure-all for any ailment.

After Teru had mumbled a few more directions to Chinami, the car slowed to a crawl between a ramen bar and a run-down pachinko parlour. Tucked snugly between the middle of these two establishments was Teru's favourite place in all the world.

“Don’t wait up,” Teru remarked with a chuckle, and Ayame could do little more than sigh.

“Just be careful not to drink too much, alright? You’re liable to get into enough trouble sober, let alone drunk."

“I’ll be just fine, don’t worry. Riza-san is at the bar tonight with Kuro-san, so they’ll take care of me.”

“As they always do,” Ayame replied with a relieved smirk. “I’m glad…this is the most relieved I’ve felt all night. Maybe it is a good thing you’re going out tonight after all, if they’ll be keeping an eye out.”

“There you go. Now you’re coming around to my way of thinking,” Teru grinned, and Ayame was reminded that she did, in fact, love her sister very much outside of all the stress of the workplace.

The door opened, and Teru stepped outside. Ayame felt a stronger breeze crawl into the car; and with it, brought back more of her sanity. Placing her arm on the roof of the car, Teru leant back in to talk to Ayame one more time before she departed fully.

“You’re sure you don’t wanna come out after you’ve showered? C’mon, lemme buy you a drink. We can find a nice girl to help you unwind, too!”

“No,” Ayame asserted angrily to hide her embarrassment. Chinami cleared her throat. “Just go and have fun. I’m going to bed…I’ve had enough drama for one day.”

“…Alright. Suit yourself.”

A spritely woman’s voice from the bar’s entrance called out Teru’s name, to which Teru’s attention was immediately arrested. Ayame pinched the bridge of her nose, though this time, it was unrelated to her sister’s antics and more to the pounding thud of her head.

“Drive safe,” Teru said into the darkness of the car, and patted the metal frame with a satisfied demeanour. With little more than a silent nod after the car door was shut, Chinami revved the engine, and peeled off into the night.

And, as quickly as they had arrived, Teru Tokugawa was now alone.

Inhaling a hearty helping of the refreshing night air as she looked up at the bar in question, Teru felt immediately rejuvenated. The light of the teal neon sign that adorned the front of the place cut through the darkness; Blue Canary. A small, unassuming building just built for well-mannered thuggish types; what a sight for sore eyes…particularly after everything that had transpired tonight, too.

The moment Teru's weary bones passed the threshold of the bar's entrance, her tense shoulders loosened with an exhale of relief as an immediate wash of comfort overtook her.

The atmosphere of the Blue Canary was always just what she needed after a hard day of shady dealings. Cigarette smoke hung low in the air, and mingled with the ever present scent of hardwood floors and old alcohol. The lighting was dim, save for a pleasantly soft string of lights that helped to illuminate the bartender’s workspace; and endless rows of colourful glass bottles lined the shelves behind the counter, housing all different manners of lavish foreign alcohol - each of which intrigued Teru more than the last.

Approaching the counter with an excitable swagger in her step, Teru saw the very two people that she had been looking forward to seeing stationed at the bar in various states of being. One was sat at the edge of the counter, smoking away; the other was fervently adjusting the bottles behind the counter.

“Welcome to the Blue Canary,” the softer woman behind the counter said as she absentmindedly turned her back to Teru, grabbing a bottle off the shelf. “Can I get you anything?”

“How about a 'welcome back, Teru-chan'?”

Both of the women looked up suddenly, with knowing smiles plastered across their features.

“Here comes trouble,” the gruffer of the two – Kuro – laughed, and exhaled smoke from her lips. “Fancy seein’ you here, kiddo.”

“Seriously, Teru-chan…why do you always end up here after you’ve been in trouble all day? You’ll be bringing all your bad karma to us, you know,” said Riza, the softer one; and despite that her tone was chiding, it was undeniably still laced with maternal affection.

Teru smiled warmly at the women behind the counter and pulled up one of the barstools, a lazy energy clinging to her every move.

“Is that any way to talk to someone you regard as a daughter? C’mon. Fill me up, barkeep.”

Teru tapped the counter playfully, and Riza shook her head as Kuro chuckled besides her.

“Don’t encourage her, Kuro!”

“Why not? Kid’s already got her attitude set in stone, if you ask me.”

“And just whose fault is that, hm?”

Riza and Kuro were two women that worked for the Tokugawa clan, though in totally different methods than the usual standard. Both at the same age of thirty-nine, they were full of worldly experience, and were more than happy with their positions in the world. 

Having made a name for herself as the much beloved proprietress of the Blue Canary for the past seventeen years, Riza had become nothing less than a permanent fixture in this part of Kyoto. Not unfamiliar with dealing with the mob as it was, she had definitely become remarkably good at it over the years, and had always refused to let anyone talk down to her in any capacity.

Her silky blonde locks usually rested over one of her favourite sweaters, which had become a bit of a signature look for her over the years; and one glance into her gentle blue eyes told you that she was an exceedingly kind and nurturing woman, but not without an infamous hot streak when it came to troublemakers wandering into her beloved bar to try and cause a ruckus. Riza always did say that without such a temper, there’s no way she would have survived for this long.

Kuro, on the other hand, was very much Riza's opposite, which was almost certainly why they ended up falling for one another in the first place.

Born and bred in the yakuza, she was a gruff woman who spent a significant chunk of her life clawing her way up the ranks. After some legendary exploits, she had eventually attained the title of First Lieutenant for the Tokugawa syndicate. A little older, wiser and less caring for her status, Kuro was more than content with allowing her life to pass her by, as long as Riza was at her side for the duration of it.

Kuro had a sharp, dark eye that complimented her handsome face; the other eye had long since been lost, and the empty socket was hidden beneath a sleek black eyepatch. The way her long salt-and-pepper hair carelessly tumbled down her back only added to her rugged charm. Her dressy work blouse did a fair job of hiding her muscular frame, though she still looked the part of a mobster, even when she actively tried not to.

Kuro had originally been stationed in Kyoto city, and was asked by a higher up to keep an eye on any new businesses that tried to establish themselves along the entertainment strip. Given that Riza had bought the Blue Canary within the Tokugawa gang’s premises, this meant that the offer of ‘protection’ was extended…but of course, that had only enabled Kuro and Riza to meet.

“Never mix business with pleasure” was the ultimate warning of the Tokugawa syndicate, but needless to say, that rule was frequently broken.

While most turned a blind eye to their relationship, if a higher-up ever caught on that their earnings might be being tampered with – no matter how untrue or untainted they were by a love affair - the consequences could be dire. It often worried the Tokugawa twins in private, as it was no exaggeration to say Riza and Kuro held a significant place in their lives as the motherly figures they never truly had.

Even for Ayame, the loss of these two would be too much to stomach.

“You get into trouble with any of these ladies tonight,” Riza scolded, wagging her finger knowingly, “and I’m not bailing you out again!”

Teru let out a slightly louder laugh as she swirled around the amber liquid in her glass, and downed it in one gulp with a sharp gasp to follow.

“Ayame just said the same thing to me outside, too. Am I really that trouble prone?”

“Yes,” Kuro and Riza replied unanimously. Teru made an unimpressed face.

“What the hell? Screw you guys.”

Kuro chuckled as she sparked up a second cigar, and leant against the counter.

“It’s been quieter since you ain’t been comin’ here as much, y’know. What gives?”

“Sorry…it’s been pretty hectic back at home.”

Kuro raised an eyebrow.

“Things busy back at the house?”

“Oh, yeah. Way busy,” Teru replied as she swept a hand through her hair. “We’ve been swamped with debt collections lately. I’m surprised you’ve not heard about it."

“Haven't heard a peep on this end…” Kuro said with a quiet exhale of her smoke. “Though I guess I already neglect my duties pretty hardcore, anyway. They don't even invite me to the monthly meetings anymore.”

“You’re lucky mom hasn’t come down hard on you, Kuro-san. You could get in deep shit if she finds out,” Teru sighed. “I’ve no idea how it’s been this fucking long and she still doesn’t know you two never stopped seeing each other.”

Kuro took a sip of her drink as Teru sparked up her own cigar, and looked at the woman behind the bar with a smirk.

“Way I see it...of course I was gonna risk it all to see a woman this beautiful.”

“Hey!” Riza huffed, though even she couldn’t entirely repress the blush on her cheeks.

“And besides,” Kuro continued through a puff of smoke. “Ain’t nobody gonna rat us out to Akira, Teru-chan. Don’t worry…I don’t have any snakes in my group. They’re all good girls.”

“I sure hope so,” Teru sighed, though even she knew that Kuro’s gang was definitely one of the nicer groups the Tokugawas had to offer.

“Is that shithead Owner still in second place?”

Teru winced.

“Seriously, Kuro-san…”

“Kuro, keep your voice down, would you…?” Riza mumbled, and whacked Kuro’s shoulder with the dishrag she had over her shoulder. Kuro chuckled.

“Whatever. It’ll just give us that excuse to run off we're always waitin' for. We’ll leave a note for these two twins and that’s that. Right, Riza? How about Iceland?”

“Well, I’d rather not leave behind my bar, if it’s all the same to you!” She replied with an indignant tone; but Teru could tell that love was there. “But…I suppose you’re right.”

“Aww, look at that. Lovebirds, even after all these years. Aren’t you both just adorable?”

Kuro and Teru laughed, whilst Riza turned back to the alcohol shelf with a second blush, looking to serve some other patrons further down the bar.

The bar was alight with night-life sounds, and Teru always felt the most at home in a place like this. An environment full of manageable chaos, as she liked to call it. There was always an exciting electricity to the idea of human connection at night.

“So?” Kuro asked, raising her eyebrows beneath the mess of her dark hair. “What’s today’s intake for you, kid?”

Teru grinned as she puffed out two thick clouds of smoke, and spread out thick wads of cash in between her fingers. Kuro laughed in triumph.

“Wow! I -”

“Teru!” Riza scolded, and whacked her hand with a towel sharply. The money almost slipped from Teru’s grasp; both Teru and Kuro gasped in unison at the display.

“H…Hey! Don’t fuckin’ do that, Riza-san!”

“Then put that away, dumbass! Someone’ll stab you in here for that!”

Teru pouted. Kuro laughed, and heaved herself up from the bar as she pat Teru on the back.

“Alright, I’m gonna meet a few pals of mine in the back room.”

“Oh, that’s right…I forgot it’s poker night. Here.”

Riza slid along a bottle of whiskey across the counter, and right into to Kuro’s grip.

“You’re the best.”

“…Be careful,” Riza said solemnly. Even Teru could tell that tone probably meant that this poker night had gotten out of hand more than a few times.

“Don’t worry…I’ll be fine. I’m always fine, ain’t I?”

“Not always,” Riza said, tapping her own eye to signal Kuro’s missing one beneath her eyepatch. “Be careful. Okay?”

“…I will be.” Kuro replied, and leant over the counter to kiss Riza on the cheek. “Don’t let any no-good yakuza hit on you, now.”

“Gee, I wonder what would happen?”

Kuro grinned warmly.

“See ya soon. Be good, Teru.”

“Hey, now…”

Ruffling Teru’s hair as though she was still just a teenager, both Riza and Teru watched Kuro walk off past the billiards table; and as she slowly opened the door with the drinks in hand, she disappeared into the back.