Ribs n' Drinks [Rita/Doku]

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD

MASTER OF RESOURCES, MISTRESS OF FATE

The air was cool, and the stars and moon shimmered in the skies. Rita's teal eyes looked up at the clouds above. Taking another swig of her whiskey and coke brought a cool sensation that turned into an intense burning sensation in her chest that numbed her stress and emotions. Mulling over the stresses of maintaining a business, relationships, training, and the future certainly bogged the woman's mind, and she needed a night to silence that strain.

So, here she was, alone on the rooftop of a small mom-and-pop bar that served American food as its novelty. She took full advantage of the menu and scarfed down BBQ ribs and chicken as if they were going out of style. With a gentle, quiet burp; she leaned back in her chair and wiped away her mouth; taking another swig of her drink as she looked around aimlessly.

With a gentle voice, she yawned and spoke aloud:

"Hm....what a quiet place."

It was a rare find, especially in a city as vast and bustling as Tokyo. But there was something comforting about these hidden spots, the ones that offered a little respite from the chaos outside.

Comfort food indeed, God he needed it. The great thing about cities like Tokyo was the pure variety, you could find ANY type of food you wanted. Finding your “spots”, the go-to places. Doku’s go-to American place was one he had been to several times. They had killer burgers. As he entered the atmosphere hit him as it always did. There was just a vibe to restaurants like this, it was hard to explain but it felt homie. Like a place where you’d come after work and catch up with barmates.

Currently, he was trying to figure out what he wanted with life, he didn’t have his sister to worry about anymore, and maybe he’d go back to America., but if he did that, he’d have to shut down his bar. He did love working there, it was how he met so many of his closest contacts.

Waiting at the register he would order his food, his regular, a double bacon cheeseburger. Complete SLOP, but everyone needed a day where they just filled their mouths with all of the unhealthy stuff. After paying he would turn and walk towards an empty table.

Spotting a woman practically inhaling wings whole. He decided to speak up. “I don’t think I’ve ever had the wings here.” This woman reminded him of someone he knew, a special Arrancar…Sipping his beer before sitting at an ununoccupied table, located to the right of Rita, partially due to wanting to meet this unfamiliar face, the second being the sheer size of the restaurant and the limited seating.

“You from around here? You kinda stick out. In a good way of course!” He had to add that last part hoping it would make his conversation starter sound less… weird.

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD

MASTER OF RESOURCES, MISTRESS OF FATE

Despite her looks, Rita was in tune with the area around her. So, as Doku ran up to speak to her, she wasn't too surprised. She continued to munch on her food for a few seconds longer before wiping her mouth to clean herself up.

"Yeah, the wings are to die for. I ain't from around here, but mom-and-pop places like this usually have the best food in my travels."

A loose sigh exited her mouth as she felt relief from the booze and food hitting her body. Her teal eyes relaxed as they glazed over Doku and eyed him up and down before nodding.

"Nope. I'm a foreigner here."

Taking another chug of her drink, Rita leaned back slightly and raised an eyebrow at him, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"How about you? You look like your a local."

Hearing the positive review made him wanna try the wings on his next visit since he was always getting used to something better. “Oh, totally~ Chain restaurants are overrated!” It's a bit of a hypocritical statement given his fast-food track record. Though he had a point, it was typically a whole lot better.

He sipped his beer yet again as the woman asked about him. With a laugh he nodded, setting the glass back onto his own table. “I live here. But I’ve been to a lot of places. I lived in America but moved back here a few years ago, so it depends on what you mean by local”

He finally got his burger, and quickly he thanked the older woman who brought it to him. “I run a bar a few blocks down. I don’t cook, so I try to go out when I can” He explained simply, picking up and taking a big bite of the burger.

There was that familiar flavor! It had been a while since he had this. It felt nice.

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD

MASTER OF RESOURCES, MISTRESS OF FATE

"By local, I mean born, raised or lived long enough to know the ins and out of the town."

After taking a long gulp of her drink, she let out a satisfied sigh, savoring the warmth that spread through her chest. Turning back to Doku, she quirked an eyebrow, curiosity dancing in her eyes.

"You run a bar? How the hell did you get into that? Must be tough since there are so many places here in Tokyo to compete with."

She was curious about how Doku got set up here, but she was also hungry. So, she dug back into her food, chewing more of her ribs and letting the rich flavor flow down her tongue before chuckling.

"Oh, and the name is Rita Gracen by the way. Nice to meet ya."

Her voice remained light and friendly, though her focus remained on the food in front of her for the time being.

“Well. Then no. Not REALLY a local. Been here for about three years? But Tokyo is kinda of the place where you’ll never see everything. I was born in Japan, just outside of Tokyo in a small community” Looking at the can it settled in just how bad this beer was. To be fair to Japan Doku had experienced German and U.S liquor which is famously hard to beat. Which is usually where he imported his booze from. “My dad’s German and my mom was Japanese. So I got some pretty fucking weird genes.”

As he finished up his beer, he would get another, this one a different brand to see if it was any better. “Well it’s a long story but I can cut it down for yah.” Taking another bite from his burger, he used a napkin to wipe his mouth off before speaking up yet again.

“One of my closest friends Helen moved here when she was little, her family is all in the food industry, they own shit in a few different countries, and when I moved back. Helen gave me the lease on some failed bar they had years back. Since I was kind of without a job when I moved back” He didn’t bore Rita will all the nitty gritty, his whole love quest with Helen, his sister, and the reason he OWNED the bar.

“Doku Fischer. My bar is Yatagurasu, it’s a few blocks down” It was in a not-so-great part of town. It attracted the bad crowd, which Doku wasn’t super proud of, but it was what kept a roof over his head, so he couldn’t complain.

"So what's up with you? What's got you in Tokyo?"

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD

MASTER OF RESOURCES, MISTRESS OF FATE

Rita felt there was more to be gained by remaining silent, but her eyes never left him as he explained the situation with the bar. It wasn't always keeping small places like that up and afloat in harder areas of cities like this. Clients can be hard to come by, people can be turned off by the location and the overhead expenses of just trying to keep the lights on can be a pain in the ass. So, she felt for him and nodded her head along as she took another sip from her drink, taking a moment to let the hard liquor burn her chest before speaking.

"oh, so you are keeping the place afloat? How admirable!"

Her tone was relaxed, but she still had some cheer behind it, so she grinned.

"You should take me to the bar. Maybe I could point out some stuff that might help it more lively."

Handing him her card as if on cue, she promptly informed him about Gracen Arms.

"I travel the whole world. My company, Gracen Arms is a massive corporation I founded after the last world war."

The statement hung in the air like a bombshell, but Rita barely blinked as she let it drop, pausing only briefly before continuing, her tone calm and matter-of-fact, as if she were discussing something trivial.

"We handle everything—medicine, food, essential supplies. Our main focus is helping people recover, especially after the mess in Africa. We’ve got land everywhere and a ton of resources. So if you ever need housing, travel, or even medical care, we’ve got you covered—and we pay well, too.”

Her words carried a quiet confidence, the kind that only came from someone who had built something substantial.

Honestly, that sounded… nice. Getting an outside point of view on the bar sounded helpful. He took her card and read it. He couldn't say he had heard of Gracen Arms. “Oh. That’s… humble actually.” He slipped the card into his back pocket.

“The problem with a remodel is the money ascept of it. It’s a fixer-upper and I don’t have money to splurge on a complete design of the interior” He then finished off his burger. “See, the issue is. MY regulars like the grungy vibes they like that it feels less sterile than most” It was a weird thing, but it made sense. If your favorite place changed overnight, is it the same place?

“Well I’ll be sure to keep you in mind” he dug into his wallet and handed Rita his card which wasn’t nearly as fancy and simple, as his name, and number on a white background. “I’ll make you a drink when you come around. What’s your poison? I got a lot of stuff laying around”

Curious about the woman and her tastes. He would pry into her a little bit.

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD

MASTER OF RESOURCES, MISTRESS OF FATE

Rita leaned back, crossing her arms thoughtfully as she seemed amused by the prospect of giving Doku some advice about his bar.

"You know, Doku, I wouldn’t go for a full remodel. Honestly, sounds like your bar’s got a vibe that just works for your regulars. Why change that, right?"

She tapped her fingers on the table, thinking.

"What if you lean into it instead? Market it as a place that’s real, authentic—none of that ‘overly polished’ stuff you see everywhere else. There’s an audience out there that actually craves that kind of raw charm.”

She smiled brightly, an idea sparking as her eyes glazed over with glee.

“Think about little changes that don’t break the bank. Like, maybe swap out a few stools or add some cushions. Just enough to make it a bit more comfortable, but still true to its grungy feel. People notice those small touches, especially when it doesn’t take away from the vibe they love.”

After getting her thoughts out, Rita promptly took a hard swig of her drink, feeling that fiery liquor lightning her soul with life. Glancing down at the table, she took a picture of his card in case she lost it and put it in her chest.

"And don't worry about this~ I'm shit at keeping cards, but I never forget faces, names and images."

With a smug smile, she then pat his shoulder:

"Anything that'll light my chest on fire is a good start. I usually trust locals to show me the good shit."

Well that was reassuring, as much as the vibes of his bar sucked, it was charming in a weird way. Though it was good, Rita could determine that was part of the charm. “I get you. I hate all that sanitized shit. It looks so fake.” That wasn’t to say Doku just let his bar get all rundown and shitty, he tried his hardest to keep the atmosphere.

Doku laughed a little bit at her. “Right. There is this old lady that comes in, she’s always so observant of things I change. So I’m sure she’ll like it!” He would also take a swig to match Rita, they were enjoying themselves, so why not drink as well?

“I’m the opposite, I SUCKKK with names!” The bartender let out a very light chuckle. “Rita? Right?” He repeated her name, making sure he remembered it. “But I’m pretty good with faces!”

“Yeah? Well, what are you looking for? I’m biased towards my bar, but I know a thing or three” He chuckled. “Whatcha plannin' on doing after your dinner?”