After Hours

Cleaning up the bar at the end of the night (that was, in the wee hours of the morning) was a bit mind-numbing after a long shift. It was also kind of zen, though. The building was empty except for the person locking up, and that fell to Morgaine today. He whistled a vague tune as he followed the cleaning and closing checklist step by step.

Dishes and glassware were gathered up and loaded into the large dishwasher in the back of the kitchen, then he set to work wiping down the bar itself. When the bar and tables were wiped clean, chairs and stools straightened, and everything else in its place on racks and shelves, all that was left to take out the trash. Heaving up the kitchen trashbags with a grunt, Morgaine hauled them to the back door and out to the alleyway where the dumpster was located. There, he stopped short in surprise at the sight of an unexpected, but not unfamiliar, figure.

“Hey honey,” he said, resting the trashbags on the ground for a moment. “I’m pretty sure my boss said that you’re not supposed to smoke back here.” His tone was light; this wasn’t a particularly unusual occurrence, though it didn’t necessarily involve Jackal every time.

Jackal side-eyed him, scoffing in lieu of a greeting and taking another drag of her cigarette. She exhaled a long stream of smoke before replying. “They’re your boss, not mine. They don’t own the alley.”

“I think they do, actually. It’s technically part of the property.”

Jackal scoffed again and rolled her eyes, but she pushed off of the wall as her cigarette burned down to the end and dropped the butt on the ground to grind it out under her boot. “Well, what’s their problem if somebody smokes back here? It’s outside.”

“The trash is flammable, honey,” Morgaine said, picking up the bags again and walking past her to toss them in the dumpster. They were weighted down with the night’s leavings, and it took a bit more effort than he would have liked with an audience to actually get them up and into the bin. Jackal snorted a little as she watched him struggle.

“A-anyway,” he continued once that was done, taking a moment to catch his breath. “What brings you here so late, h-”

“Call me ‘honey’ one more time and see what happens,” Jackal deadpanned. She hooked her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans and raised her eyebrows at him, daring him to carry on.

She didn’t look angry, but Morgaine decided not to push their luck. They smiled placidly at her. “Miss.”

Jackal rolled her eyes. They decided to take that as a win.

“Was there something you needed?” They prodded instead, when no other answer was forthcoming.

She shrugged. “I just felt like wandering around for a bit. Ducked in here to have a smoke. It’s not illegal.”

“Well that really depends on the owner, actually-”

“It shouldn’t be illegal,” she corrected, scowling. “And I just- felt like it, okay? Don’t you feel like just walking around sometimes?”

They did, yes, but there was an edge in Jackal’s voice that suggested the mood wasn’t one of wanderlust, but rather trying to deal with whatever was on her mind tonight. After considering for a moment, Morgaine inclined their head towards her. “Well look, I’m no snitch, but who knows who else is out at this hour. If you want to hang out for a bit, why not come up to the roof? I’m about done cleaning up, and nobody else is here.”

Jackal raised an eyebrow at him again. “Smoking behind the building’s not allowed, but smoking on the building is?”

“Nope,” Morgaine replied with a grin. “But I’ve got a key, and nobody’s going to check the roof.”

A smile crossed Jackal’s face for the first time that night, mirroring Morgaine’s. “Heh. Alright, sure.”

Morgaine pulled the back door open and gestured Jackal inside, leading her through the kitchen and then to the stairs that led up to a storage room on the upper floor of the building, and then the rooftop exit. “Just don’t tell on me, okay? Nobody but employees is supposed to come through here.”

“Hey, I’m no snitch if you aren’t.”

The roof of the bar was flat and empty save for a water tank and air conditioning unit, leaving plenty of room to sit. The two of them did so, and Jackal pulled a pack of cigarettes from her jacket pocket. She stuck one between her lips before offering the pack to Morgaine.

“Want a smoke? Since you’re hosting and all.”

“Oh, sure. Thanks.” They took one, and Jackal lit her cigarette and then Morgaine’s. They both took deep drags in silence, though Morgaine broke it by coughing on the exhale. Jackal smirked at them and pursed her lips to blow out a perfect smoke ring.

“Show-off,” Morgaine said, blinking several times; their eyes had started watering from the coughing fit.

“Don’t smoke often, huh?”

“Not regularly, no.” They cleared their throat, and the second drag went down smoother, though it still burned in the back of their throat in a way distinct from the burn of strong alcohol.

The comfortable quiet resumed as they both smoked their cigarettes down. Eventually, Jackal spoke up again.

“The city sure looks pretty from up here.” Her voice was uncharacteristically wistful.

“It’s nice,” Morgaine agreed. “I like to come up here on my break sometimes, to sit and have some quiet.” Jackal hummed agreement back, but didn’t say anything more. Morgaine tilted his head in her direction. “So, you never did say- what’s got you out and about so late, Miss Jackal?”

Jackal groaned. “Fucking hell man, cut it out with the ‘miss’ stuff.”

“Not a fan of the formality, hmm?”

“Formality’s dumb anyway,” Jackal said, waving her hand dismissively. “But you don’t talk to Dove like that.”

Morgaine rested their chin on their hand. “Well, they get the sugar and honey treatment, and you weren’t a fan of that either.”

“Then just call me by my name, jackass. I don’t like-” Jackal cut herself off, frowning and looking away.

Morgaine stubbed their cigarette out on the rooftop and then leaned back, bracing themselves on their hands as they regarded her. “What?”

Jackal exhaled, puffing her cheeks out slightly. “Being treated different,” she said finally. “You got a problem with me or something?”

Morgaine blinked at her in surprise. “Not at all. It seemed that way to you?” Being honest, he’d always gotten the impression that it was Jackal who didn’t care for him too much, really only giving him a pass because of the visits he paid to Dove. They moved in different circles, were different kinds of people. 

He took differences like that for granted, he guessed. It was an integral part of life for most of the succubuns living in Burrowgatory; as soon as you met somebody, you knew something fundamental about them just by a glance at the horns. For the envy buns, however…

Jackal looked back and squinted at him for a few moments, as though trying to assess whether he was being truthful. After seemingly coming to a decision, she huffed and withdrew her cigarettes again, sticking it into her mouth and lighting up.

“I dunno. Sorry. My head’s weird right now,” she muttered.

“There’s no need to be sorry. I didn’t realize it bothered you that much.”

Jackal snorted dismissively. “It’s whatever, forget about it.”

“If you say so.” Morgaine considered saying more, but Jackal practically shoved the pack of  cigarettes at them to cut them off. They obligingly took another cigarette, rolling it between their fingers instead of putting it in their mouth right away.

“If something gets on your nerves, it’s alright to say so up front, you know. Bottling your feelings isn’t healthy.”

“Ugh. What are you, my therapist?”

Morgaine smiled. “People do come here to regale me with their highs and lows five nights a week, h- Jackal.”

She shot them a sidelong glance, just to make it clear that she had noticed the near slip-up. Morgaine shrugged apologetically, and she rolled her eyes and let it drop.

“Sometimes I get so pissed off for like… no reason at all,” she said after another couple of minutes, apparently taking their words to heart somewhat. “Living in Burrowgatory’s so much better than it was with Gremory, but I still just get mad at everything sometimes. I dunno why. It’s annoying.”

Morgaine contemplated the cigarette once more. “Well, I’m not actually a therapist, but… you came from a hard situation. Most of us here can’t relate. I’d get frustrated and angry too, if that was the case for me.”

“Yeah, yeah. I feel like I should just fuckin’... get over it, already.”

Morgaine sighed, finally putting the cigarette in their mouth and allowing her to light it. “I can’t give any advice on how to make that go faster, unfortunately. Keep finding ways to enjoy yourself and unwind when you can. And for the record, I think you’re doing good work with the support group and all, so keep that in mind too. For whatever my opinion is worth.” They gave her a lopsided smile.

“Hah.” Jackal blew out another plume of smoke. “Thanks. It’s worth something I guess.”

“I’m honored.”

“You should be.” Jackal stubbed her cigarette out and stood, stretching her arms over her head with a groan. “It’s pretty late, so I’m gonna get going… thanks for letting me hang out.”

Morgaine opened their mouth to respond, but cut off with a squawk when Jackal hooked her arm around their neck as she passed and dug the knuckles of her other hand into the top of their head, subjecting them to a brief noogie. “Hey!!”

Jackal laughed and released them. “Take it easy.” With that, she left them on the roof, waving over her shoulder as she slipped back inside. A couple of minutes later, Morgaine saw her exit back out into the alleyway and then make her way out and down the sidewalk, hands in her pockets.

“Have a good night!” They shouted down over the roof at her, still indignantly smoothing their hair back into place. She stopped in surprise and looked up, then grinned and gave them another wave before disappearing into the night.