The bar scene was never very popular on weekdays, but Latitude always seemed to have a steady flow of customers. Its three floors were never empty and, while business was nowhere near what it was on the weekend, there were usually several regulars around to keep the atmosphere alive. These people had worked all day long, were tired and thirsty, and just wanted something to take the edge off. And, as long as they had money in their pockets, Latitude would provide them with what they wanted – a strong drink to weaken their inhibitions and dull their pain
Nyx had discovered that weekday customers were not like the weekend ones. They were a completely different breed – professional drinkers who took their alcohol seriously and their lives for granted. Every night they left work and came here; they didn’t want to go home, but they didn’t have anywhere else to go. So they sat at the bar, drinks in hand, and sipped away their troubles.
Tonight was no different. Nyx was behind the counter, doing her routine beginning-of-the-week inventory and restocking. There was no reason for her to be here – she had plenty of employees who could run the entire place without her help – but she didn’t mind working. She felt at ease here, surrounded by mortals who looked forward to the end of every day. They might not have been worshiping her by name, but these were people who loved the night – who went through the day in a daze and came alive at night. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to keep her coming back.
She was just about to take a trip to the kitchen when a man on the other side of the counter caught her attention. The man himself didn’t seem too out of the ordinary; it was his order that stood out. No one (except people in movies) walked into a bar and ordered ‘a beer’ – they always ordered a specific type of beer. She wandered toward him, dismissing the other bartender with a slight nod.