A little pub.

You and Akiko continue to walk in snow-bound Deadwood with your small talk and chattering. Eventually, you aimlessly wander in different directions while running into closed restaurants. The deep end of the town until you find a little pub or tavern area. The structure, shape, shine, and overall appearance remind you of Tiny’s Tavern. It seems you can’t quite escape your background entirely.

When you bring up the idea of going inside, Akiko seems put off by this request and shakes her head, convinced there would be no food inside. You explain to Akiko that showing her the options would be more enjoyable than talking about it. With some ****, she takes your advice and steps inside with you.

The interior is tight, worn, and loosely populated with some native occupants of the area. They regard you with a glance before returning to their cliches of interest. Behind the counter, the girl maintaining the counter flashes a look at you; she’s probably the same as Delilah, with as much innocence. Her red ginger hair bobs as she smiles at you and Akiko, her eyes the color of the snow-covered pine. The demeanor of her innocence shifts when she notices Akiko’s ethnicity.

“Good evening,” she chirps, drawing all her attention to you before fixating on Akiko. “What occasion brings you into The Tree Tip?”

Akiko waits and then realizes she’s being addressed. “Talk to him,” she points at you with her head while shivering and shaking off the snow from her head and shoulders. He’s brought me here.”

The girl blinks, her freckles almost waving as she snaps towards you. “Well, my name is Molly. I’ll be your server for waitress, server, and mixer. I know, so many titles, right? Pick one, lady.”

She giggles, amusing you and making Akiko laugh with excitement. “Can we have the menus?”

“Of course, madam!” Molly grabs a stick and slides Akiko a menu. “Are we sharing tonight?”

“Sure,” Akiko says, sliding the menu between you and her. “We can share.”

Akiko leans in, her eyes reading the items on the menu with you hovering just barely over her shoulder. You glance around the food items and then see they also have {cocktail]}. Before placing your order, you knock twice on the counter and request one for yourself.

“Can I have one, too?” Akiko looks at Molly.

“Huhuh,” Molly says. “I can make two of them Gold Rush Cocktails…”

You look at Akiko and chuckle slightly. She smiles before she speaks. “I just want to try some of these, too. Is it bad?”

“You’ll have to tell me what you think. I’m quite attached to this drink.”

Akiko nods as her playful smirk widens. “I promise to like it then. I’ll even lie if I don’t.”

You snort slightly, shaking your head at her comment. “You don’t need to lie. I appreciate you even trying it because of me. It’s very flattering.”

You get served first, and Akiko watches the glass slide towards you. Your eyes meet, and your brows knit. “You want to try now?”

She nods gracefully and beams at you with a toothy grin. You inch the glass towards her, and she takes it, bringing it to her lips but takes a smell of it first. Then, as gently as Akiko can, she takes a sip. There’s a slight twinkle in her eyes while her lips smack together. Then it twists. “It’s a little strong.”

“Strong?” You can’t fight the laugh that comes out. “You think so?”

Akiko nods. “I think so.”

Molly slides in. “Have you decided?”

“Um,” Akiko glances down, and her index finger slides to one of the items on the menu as she searches for your gaze. You follow her finger and clear your throat before you answer Molly.

“The pretzels,” you say, double-checking what she’s pointing at to ensure that’s what Akiko wants. Molly nods and disappears into the back, leaving you and the Japanese dancer alone with your drinks.

The follow-up question to your sudden time alone is about Sachio, which you hope doesn’t tarnish the build-up of relation. “So… How’s Sachio doing? Does she seem fine?”

Akiko’s studying her drink when you mention this, and she’s only barely able to look away from it when she answers you. “I think she’s doing fine. Why do you ask?”

“Just curious,” you explain. “I’m just not sure how she reacted to our little adventure yesterday. She mentioned doing something again or at least wanting to do something sooner rather than later. Sounds like we’re gonna have some free time on our hands.”

“Ha?” Akiko is now studying you, her mind catching up. “Oh, the weather. That’s right. We were kind of expecting this to happen anyway. Most of our shows get canceled, and we end up doing private or local events. In Washington, we had to do something similar earlier this year before the heavy rain,” she smiles, recalling the memories you weren’t there to witness. “It was very nice, but there were many more people there to perform for, so our feedback was numerous.”

“I’m sure the environment was drastically different there than here. You’re half across the country… Well, more or less, anyway. Yorkshire or someplace in Maine should be your next point of interest.”

Akiko lets out a little chuckle, her eyes drifting back to the drink before she tries for another small swallow. “I’ve never been to Pre-War New York. I hear Yorkshire is like Tokyo, but stricter, and more crime.”

“I’ve ran contracts there doing some federal work. They’re always battling some kind of network and doing uh… ‘deep cleaning’ efforts in the slums with means that might surprise you,” you say, taking a quick drink.

Her eyes darken, and she leans into the counter space. “I’ve seen what my people do. I don’t think you Americans quite understand what harsh typically means,” Akiko looks away as Molly returns with the pretzels. The small cubed pieces are joined by hot cheese dip. “Enough politics and gossip. Tell me something about yourself.”

“I’m not exactly an open book,” you tell Akiko, watching her delicate fingers pluck the smallest cube and dip it in the dip before bringing it to her mouth to eat. She lights up and covers her mouth.

“Sugoi!!” she exclaims, her eyes twinkling with familiar innocence. Something you’d seen in Delilah before when you still spoke to her. “Try one!”

Following her instructions, you modestly find the next smallest piece and partake of it with the hot cheese. You chew, swallow, and provide feedback that makes Akiko bob her head in agreement. It is good, and the hot cheese pushes out the rest of the cool tension in your body from the winter weather you had to ‘endure’ while finding this little slice of heaven on Earth. Akiko’s smile widens as she lets out another laugh.

“Are there any topics I should avoid while talking to you?” Akiko asks after having another piece, this time without the cheese.

You shake your head. “I suppose you’re free to ask anything you want, but don’t expect immediate answers, or an honest one.”

“Ahhh… You’re a liar?” Akiko teases.

“A contractor without secrets is a policeman, and I’m no cop,” you counter with a slight smirk, delivering the truth with a tone that makes her wonder what you could have hidden in your mind.

Akiko’s mouth bends into a slight frown as she falls into thought. “How long have you known Kenji?”

“Not long,” you begin. “I… found him in a less-than-optimal position. Let’s say that.”

Akiko notices the slight shift in your voice and expression, finding much more between you two. You realize then that Akiko is more intelligent than you had previously thought, and make a mental note not to mention anymore with Sachio unless you find a reason to get her involved directly.

“Sachio and Kenji go way back,” she says as if to entice you to dive more into the subject on your own accord. “Childhood friends. They knew each other before either of them knew who I was.”

Your lips pucker, and the salt of the next bite dries your tongue. “I thought we were finished with gossip.”

“Innocent love isn’t gossip,” she giggles. “I think they’re kind of cute together. The hard war-veteran sweetened by a younger girl with an enduring crush. It’s very romantic!”

“I didn’t take you for someone so involved in relationships,” you chuckle, taking a drink that finishes your glass, the leftover ice waiting to melt as you draw your attention to Akiko, wholly involved with the topic. “Do you have anyone special? Or have you had anyone special?”

Akiko’s expression loosens playfully, and she regards you with a kind of friendly overtones that show the chemistry in your personalities. How ironic her previous statement about Sachio and Kenji was… “No. I’ve never had any boyfriends or flings as some of the other dancers have had. I’m… a little bit of an oddball in terms of Japanese, actually.”

“Okinawan,” you insert softly, gauging how she’ll react. Akiko smirks and nods once.

“Yes. There’s a stigma of us for something my generation was never involved with. You might notice my features aren’t as tightly winded as the others. I look more…” Akiko thinks of the word. “‘American’ than my home island counterparts. On Okinawa, there are generations of American-Japanese because there were military bases there when the war happened. Many soldiers and airmen remained in Okinawa and integrated with our culture. I’m the offspring of one of those distant relationships.”

“Hold on,” you clear your throat. “What’s stigma then?”

“I’m gaijin. Despite not being one.”

“Gaijin?” You ask.

“A foreigner,” she exhales. “Born and raised in Okinawa, but I’m still not entirely accepted because of how I look. The mainland Japanese don’t accept most Okinawans, and even my fellow dancers view me as different.”

You think about it. Finding the subject is relatable. Contractors had a culture of their own. Ironically, they are more accepting of all contractors despite color, race, and gender. It came down to the workloads you generated and the feedback from others.

“Interesting,” you say after a moment, unsure how to respond. “I didn’t you know you had such a… problem, I suppose is the right word. All of you seem so happy with each other. I’m surprised.”

Akiko shrugs. “I’m not much of a people-person, so the less I’m spoke to… The better!” She laughs, looking genuinely happy to be free of the cliches.

A subtle blush washes over your face as you see her laugh. For some reason, you find yourself drawn to her more than you should. You figure befriending Akiko to a more severe degree wouldn’t be so bad if you could keep another tab, Sachio, to make sure Mikka and Zuprik aren’t pulling any strings. That’s what you’ll tell yourself, at least.

However, Akiko is also involved in your mind as a person. You found her more complex than you thought and more interested in her background. You wanted to learn more about her despite it being otherwise unprofessional. Maybe even dangerous.

She finished her drink much later into the night, and you both carried some other small banter to keep you company until you decided it was time to return back to the hotel. It was best if no one found you were out this late anyway, even though you’re pretty sure the hotel staff will gossip until it’s heard by someone else in the RTE or Katana Art employees.

Later that night, you lay in bed. Your mind wanders to different places that always somehow retain Akiko… You fall asleep peacefully.