Know Her Name

♢ ONE;

Harper has had this job for as long as she could remember. Every evening around 6pm, she'd come into one of the more classier clubs of Reno from the back door to avoid customers catching her in her worn out clothes from years ago. She wouldn't get in trouble with her boss for walking into the bar in tattered clothes per say, but it is in her better judgement to enter from the back and wear her uniform in the bathroom.

Her uniform is simple. It's a neat ensemble of a white blouse with a black mini skirt. Because she works primarily at the bar, she wears her uniform with a black apron too. Despite its simplicity, it's the nicest set of clothing she owns.

Harper leaves the bathroom that leads into the back hallway separating the entrance of the bathroom and the entrance of the bar. The shift she has from 6:00 to midnight is the shift where she gets to witness the most change within a single location at one time. Now, it's quite tame, with just a few straggling day drinkers left before the clubbing night crowd comes. It's a Thursday night so the crowd won't be too hectic. If anyone is going to come in, it'll be around 7:45 when most of the executives get off work to enjoy a drink with their work friends, chat up a few of the good looking floor wait staff, and avoid their family life for as long as possible.

To pass time, Harper will wipe down the bar table, or clean the glasses, maybe she'll even talk to a customer or two. How she's been a bartender for a year and not held a conversation other than the standard "Coming right up" is beyond anyone's understanding. There is a certain genre of people who come into this club that she couldn't really relate or talk to. There's the executives, fueling their vices at the end of the work day. On weekends a lot of over privileged college students will come and order the most expensive drinks available only to throw it up on every surface in the bathroom hours later because they still haven't left the club. Harper is immensely grateful she isn't part of the cleaning staff despite how extremely possible it could have been her. Or, members of Decalcomanie would stop by. They never mention they're part of this fearsome mob but the club staff can tell. The college students only know of Decalcomanie through their dealers. The executives through their escorts. Harper and the other kids from the home know because it's a very real fate for people like them. When the members of Decalcomanie arrive, at least one of them always has an arm showing unknowingly, a tattoo band around the top with the card suit symbols around it.

Members of Decalcomanie don't look like you'd expect a mob like them to look like. They're always dressed professionally. A button down shirt and slacks for the men, always an outfit with a skirt for the ladies. For those who don't know of the Decalcomanie mark, it'd be very hard to distinguish a member on the street.

But tonight, there are no college students, there are no executives, and there are no Decalcomanie members. It's just Harper, a dirty cleaning rag, and hopefully Elodie soon.

Elodie comes in 50 minutes after Harper starts her shift. She's always late, but this is still earlier than usual.

"You're late," Harper voices, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed. She still has a smile on her face to let Elodie know she's not completely serious.

"What's new?" Elodie says in reply. Instead of closing the employee's door to the bar behind her, she makes a point of leaving it wide open, checking to make sure it won't swing shut after her. She walks past Harper to get to the drinks cabinet. She pulls out a bottle of Malibu, her drink of choice on the job, and grabs two glasses with one hand. She sets everything down next to Harper on the counter and pours the drink. Picking one up and walking over to Harper's other side, Elodie gently grazes her fingers across Harper's cheek.

"Besides, are you ever going to do anything about it?" Harper closes her eyes and inhales. No, she won't do anything about it. Elodie is the closest thing she has to a friend, no matter how messed up the circumstances. It wouldn't be in her best interest to get Elodie in trouble.