Author's note: At this point, I don't intend to touch on the Covid-19 pandemic in this fic. I think most folks are coming here for escapism... saying that, I might do something at one point. I'm not, basically, ruling anything out.

Arisugawa's Locket

Chapter 118

Shiori was up on the kareoke stage, belting out Pink's song 'Walk of Shane.'

"Make the elevator come a little faster
I'm pushing all the buttons but nothing's happening
Please god don't let anybody see me
Please god, I'll do anything you ask of me
I promise no more walks of shame,
So walk this way!

Last night's bubblegum, no more bubbles, no more yum
Where'd I get the wristband? tell me there's no tramp stamp
One two three shoot, no I know this shit ain't cute
But dammit man, it sure is fun
Party 'til the sun wakes up

..."

As she sang she was playing it for laughs, including reaching behind her to see if there was a tramp stamp. It was cute.

At the same time two teens were looking around the bar in awe, one an attractive blonde with a pink streak in her hair, the other a brown haired Pakistani girl. Both were kind of huddled together for protection, amusingly.

Zoe Zimmer quietly asked, "HOW is there a lesbian bar in NEW JERSEY?"

Kamala Khan, also the heroine known as Ms Marvel, shrugged awkwardly. "I have NO idea. And look at the odd outfits... this clearly isn't normal."

"I'm looking," Zoe noted as a lady walked by in leather pants that looked painted on, and wearing a semi-open vest with nothing underneath.

"Zoe!" Kamala scolded.

"What? I'm a hormonally active teenager," Zoe protested mildly.

Kamala just laughed. "Let's find a seat, first... maybe you can ask someone to dance, later," she suggested.

"I... uhm... swell, we'll see," Zoe answered. She added, "Thanks for coming along with me. I don't know if I could have on my own."

Kamala just hugged her.

Tendo Nabiki watched the two covertly as she helped manage the bar, as the owner Juri was taking one of her semi-regular day offs. "Those two look pretty skitish," she quietly noted to the hostess, May, who was standing nearby.

The pretty android maid nodded. "Maybe you could send Alpha over? She's very non-threatening," she suggested.

"Right, good...," Nabiki agreed.

"Are you all right?" May had to ask. Nabiki seemed a bit spacy, tonight.

Nabiki looked sheepish. "Sorry. Nina's asked me to meet her parents..."

"Oh!" May nodded. "I know you two were taking things slow, but I guess it's time for that step. Nervous?" she asked.

"A bit. Or intimidated a little, maybe. Her dad's successful in business... and I'm a bar manager and waitress," she shrugged.

"And kick ass accountant," Mahoro pointed out, the bartender pausing nearby.

"Thanks," Nabiki nodded.

"You'll be fine," May reassured her. She added warmly, "Besides, I imagine Nina would stick up for you even if her family were asses."

Nabiki smiled wryly, "True enough."

"Whoops. More guests," May excused herself as several women came in.

The two women were older than the average for the Locket. The older one looked around in amusement, "I don't remember clubs like this when I was younger, Liv."

"Loosen up, May" Olivia 'Liv' Octavius teased, the younger woman's frizzy hair tied back.

May Parker nodded, "I'm about as loose as I'm going to get."

Liv just laughed.

"Good evening, welcome to Arisugawa's Locket. I'm May, the greeter," the attractive woman in a maid outfit smiled. "Would you like a table, or visit the bar?"

"Table?" Liv looked at May Parker.

"Table," May agreed.

"Take a seat," May lead them over as she continued, "one of our waitresses will be with you shortly to take your order."

"Such an interesting club," Liv noted, taking in the many women and how odd some of them dressed. Tho she wasn't one to talk, considering...

"You wouldn't stand out in your Octopus rig," May teased.

"Howdy," Amelia the waitress tipped her cowboy cat, "what can we get you?"

"She's SO CUTE," someone exclaimed. "Can we take her home with us?"

"NO," was firmly answered.

A visibly pained Amelia just ignored that...

May and Liv looked profoundly amused, but didn't tease the cowgirl, and instead just ordered some beers.

Up at the bar, Minagi was serving drinks along with Mahoro. The alien bartender and the android worked in graceful harmony, moving along the bar smoothly.

"Zero-cal spritzer," Minagi delivered the drink, keeping any judgment off her face. What was the POINT of a flavourless, no calorie drink?

"Thank you," the woman drank, visibly shuddering. But she finished it, even as Minagi blinked at her oddly.

"If you don't like the taste...?" Minagi had to ask.

"I'm on a strict diet," the alternate Rei Ayanami explained.

"I guess that explains it," Minagi conceded.

"Beer me!" Misato Katsuragi ordered, also followed by Asuka Soryu.

Minagi gave her a LOOK.

"Please," Misato added much more politely.

The three chatted with the bartenders, revealing that Asuka and Rei were all models with NERV Talent Agency, managed by Misato. A concept which Mahoro had to fight hard not to giggle at. Alternate universes were CRAZY.

Later that evening Nabiki was dealing with a new and dangerous threat: the media. "You want to do a news story on us?" she frowned at the other woman.

"Well, a piece for a TV Show," the blonde smiled, dressed in a white pants suit. "Olivia Sanderson, Imagine Entertainment." Interestingly, she looked sort of like she was cosplaying Emma Frost, but not closely enough to be sued.

"Uh huh," Nabiki replied dubiously.

"And this is my girlfriend, Victoria, who's also filling in as my cameraperson," Olivia introduced her.

"Yo," Tory Stewart waved. Unlike the stylish Olivia Tory was dressed much more casually in jeans and a t-shirt, her brown hair just pulled back in a ponytail.

"So... what sort of TV show?" Nabiki prompted her.

"It's actually a special on Brigadoon, and someone brought up the mysteriously appearing and disappearing bar...," Olivia admitted.

"Wait a minute," Nabiki remembered, "Imagine does all those b-movie documentaries about Sasquach and the Loch Ness Monster."

"She's got you there," Tory noted.

"Not helping," Olivia sighed to Tory. She looked at Nabiki, "We'd like to do a short, tasteful and non-sensational segment on the bar."

"The fact you have to SAY it will be tasteful honestly concerns me," Nabiki mused.

"If it helps, I met Olivia while filming an Imagine production. We both were nearly eaten by carnivorous mermaids...," Tory remembered fondly.

"NOT HELPING," Olivia repeated.

Nabiki studied them, then nodded slightly. "Well, any publicity is good publicity," she conceded, "but get people's permission before you film them."

"Will do!" Olivia beamed.

As Olivia and Tory headed off, Nabiki had a bad feeling about this...

To be continued!

Characters: Shiori is from Revolutionary Girl Utena, Zoe Zimmer and Kamala Khan are from the Marvel Comic series Ms Marvel, Olivia Octavius and May Parker are from Into the Spider-verse, Rei, Asuka and Misato are from Evangelion and finally Olivia and Tory are from 'Into the Drowning Deep' a novel by Mira Grant.

Cast: Tendo Nabiki is from Ranma 1/2, May is from Hand Maid May, Minagi is from Tenchi Muyo, Mahoro is from Mahororomatic, Amelia is from Trigun, and Alpha is from Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou.

Notes:

It actually is canon that Kamala's friend Zoe is gay. Poor thing had a unrequitted love, so it made sense to me to have Kamala take her out.

It's... MAYBE possible that Liv Octavius and May Parker had a thing. Liv mentions to Peter her Friends call her Liv, and when she showed up at May's place during the fight, May calls her that. In comics canon the original Doc Ock and Aunt May dated, so...

I've tried a few low cal, zero cal drinks and honestly? They tasted horrid.