Another Bar Day (Diana,Doku)

-Inside a bar, Tokyo, Japan-

The road to Tokyo had not been easy. First Diana had had to get a copy of her birth certificate so that she could get a passport. She could have used Steigen for somewhat fast and free air travel, but without knowing where Tokyo, Japan was in relation to Columbus, Georgia, she would have been heading off into the wind blue yonder with no idea of her destination other than "across the Pacific Ocean." She was also not sure if she could maintain Steigen long enough to cross the vast expanse between the United States and Japan. Then there was the possible issue of how Japanese authorities would react to her being in their country without any identifying information like a passport.

Deciding to take the safe and legal way instead of a shortcut that could get her into a heap of legal trouble, Diana had procured a copy of her birth certificate in Columbus, then applied for a passport. The glacial pace of bureaucracy made that endeavor a waiting game, but slightly over a week after applying for it Diana had gotten the passport. Once she had the document she bought a purple suitcase in which to store her meager wardrobe before heading to Atlanta, Georgia, and going to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to buy a ticket for the first plane to Tokyo. She had never been in an airport before and was astounded by the number of travelers, airport employees, and other people in the place, but she had managed to adapt and find her plane with time to spare.

Almost from the moment the plane's wheels left the runway the flight became a test of patience administered by multiple children doing their best impersonation of the screeching dragon-like creatures used as transport by the Ringwraiths from the Lord Of The Rings movies. The flight had been a long one and there were precious few reprieves from the ceaseless assault on her ears, but Diana eventually arrived in Tokyo, Japan with her sanity mostly intact and with all of her hair still in place. The first thing she did upon disembarking was to exchange the American currency she had brought with her for Japanese currency. The second thing she did was buy some headache medicine to dull the raging headache she had gotten during the flight. The third thing she did was rejoice that she was away from the endless high-pitched noise.

The next time she flew she would have to buy a ticket that was not in the Coach section.

Thanks to the tips of some friendly locals who spoke English Diana had found and checked into a cheap hotel since she needed halfway decent lodging on a budget and did not have the money to stay in anything fancy. After securing a place to stay for awhile and taking a shower in her room before changing into her usual casual outfit the blonde had went into the enormous and bustling city to look for any hidden gems not featured in the brochures... again some friendly locals came to her aid and suggested a bar that was off the beaten path. She was after something no tour guide could give her and that was information on the "Vandenreich." Getting a contact in a foreign land would be a bonus, but she was not banking on achieving that right away.

Dressed in a purple t-shirt, black skirt with pockets, white thighhigh stockings, and white tennis shoes along with the ever-present black hairband in her hair, Diana certainly stood out in the bar, which was a small but serviceable establishment. The lighting was also not the best and here and there were little hints that the structure was past its prime, but aesthetics were of little concern to the blonde. What did concern her was whether or not the bartender had any information that would aid her in her search. Speaking of which, the bartender was a dark-haired young man who was manning a counter behind which sat a respectable selection of drinks proudly displayed on a shelf for any and all patrons to see... he looked like he was ready to sling drinks and perform the other duties of his occupation.

Ready as she would ever be to interact with a stranger in a foreign land, Diana walked up to the counter and faced the young man before addressing him in her usual polite but laconic way.

"Hello there." Diana greeted the bartender.

Diana received the bartender's greeting and gave a friendly wave of her right hand in return while taking note of his appearance. He was a fairly attractive fellow with a personality that seemed decent enough, but the blonde was not here for romance or a casual fling. She was here to advance her personal agenda, which was to learn more about the "Vandenreich" she had been searching for. Diana made eye contact with the young man before speaking.

"I am looking for information on the Vandenreich." Diana stated her reason for visiting the establishment. She was not in Japan for the fun of it... she had something that she hoped to get out of this trip and it was not a bunch of pictures of tourist attractions. What she wanted was information and if the bartender could not give it to her perhaps he could point her towards someone who was willing to discuss the topic she wanted to learn about. Diana thought about it and decided to ask whether the establishment served any drinks that did not have alcohol in them. If it did there was a good chance she would order one as a quid pro quo given in exchange for the conversation and if it did not Diana would wait and go look for a coffee shop once she was finished here.

"Do you serve any drinks that are not alcohol?" Diana asked the bartender. Part of her knew that on some level the question was absurd because one usually visited bars to buy alcohol, but she was going to ask anyway on the chance that this bar served other drinks. The blonde was not a teetotaler or someone who viewed alcohol as a great evil... she just did not want to consume that particular drink and was looking for other beverage options.

"The City of Light." Diana calmly repeated the name of the city back to the bartender, who had given his name as "Doku." The blonde had never heard of such a place... her parents had never mentioned it to her, but at least now she had a lead to go on thanks to Doku. He had also generously given her a lead on transportation that would take her to said city if the urge to visit it ever struck her. It had not been very long since they had met and the young man had already been quite helpful. Therefore it was time for her to give him a quid pro quo in the form of buying a beverage, but before she bought something there was something Diana had to know.

"Is coffee among the list of nonalcoholic drinks you offer?" Diana inquired. In her view coffee was the ruling sovereign of all beverages and nothing could come close to dethroning it. However, should her favorite beverage be unavailable she would gladly take soda or lemonade in its place. When she recalled him asking her how she had found the bar she was quick to offer an answer.

"I went looking for a place that was not in the tourist brochures. Some friendly locals pointed me in your direction." Diana answered the question calmly and truthfully. She was not on a secret mission that was a matter of life or death, so she was free to tell Doku the truth. Besides, she had told him exactly why she was here, so she did not have any reason to hide how she had found the bar. Hopefully she had not stumbled into trouble by coming here without an official invitation or some special token to let him know that she was a trusted visitor.

"My name is Diana." Diana calmly gave her name to the bartender. She was not going to give her last name unless she absolutely had to. As far as she was concerned her first name would be more than enough for Doku.

Once again Doku had been a great help to Diana by obligingly procuring a mug of coffee for her. She was not put off by the fact the beverage came in a mug... she was thankful that he had taken her unusual request seriously. Bars were usually not in the business of serving coffee, so the blonde would just have to take what she could get.

"Thank you for obliging me, Doku." Diana thanked the bartender for his effort before waiting almost a minute to sample the coffee. When that time elapsed she carefully grabbed the handle of the mug with her right hand and lifted it to her lips. She took a careful sip of the brew and found that while it was far from the most expensive one around it was strong enough to be to her liking. Diana did not need a fancy blend to feel like she was drinking good coffee... as long as its strength was satisfactory she would be happy with any coffee put before her.

"This coffee is to my liking. Thank you for making it." Diana praised the beverage she had been offered and assured Doku that he had done well with the unusual request. She drank from it again and felt a sharp taste on her tongue that did nothing to deter her from continuing to drink the brew. When the mug was halfway empty she carefully set it down and made eye contact with her host, who had apologized for the limited offering of beverages that did not contain alcohol.

"And I am not upset that you do not have very many alcohol-free drinks. I appreciate you accommodating me as you have, Doku." Diana assured him that she was not upset by what he had offered that fit the criterion she had laid out. She had gone against the grain by asking for something without alcohol in a place that made its money by selling alcohol. The blonde was fortunate that Doku was so willing to oblige her instead of show her the door.

"I am looking for the Vandenreich because up to this point I have only heard rumors about it and want to learn more about the organization and its purpose." Diana calmly and politely told Doku the reason behind her search for the Vandenreich. Afterwards she took another sip of coffee while waiting for her host to respond.

Diana waited to drink more of her coffee until Doku had finished saying everything he wanted to tell her and he had told her a lot. She did not mind because all of it was informative, especially the last part about him having a contact who was a newly minted member of the Vandenreich. That alone went a long way towards making the trip to Japan worth everything she had spent, but she was far from finished at Doku's establishment. Taking a moment to think before she spoke, Diana wanted to compliment him on doing the best he could with what he had, but she was not sure how he would react to such a trite statement.

Diana drank some of her coffee and thought the matter over before lowering the mug and offering a compliment.

"I know that this might sound trite, especially coming from a stranger, but believe me when I say that you are doing a good job with what you have, Doku. The bar is small but comfortable and I feel welcome here." Diana made an attempt to offer her host a compliment about his establishment without laying it on too thick. While there was no denying that the building had seen better days, the atmosphere was good because Doku put a lot of effort into making the bar welcoming and comfortable to be in despite its flaws. Diana liked the oddly cozy atmosphere and should she ever find herself in Japan again she would be certain to pay Doku's bar another visit.

After making an effort to pay her host a genuine compliment she turned her attention to the topic of Doku's contact in the Vandenreich. Once again the young man had come up with something was looking for, but she did not immediately jump on it. She drank more of her beverage before she brought up that topic.

"I would like the phone number of your contact, please." Diana informed Doku that she would accept that gift should he choose to grant it to her.