The bartender giggled. "Wow, your entire family sounds interesting. Especially your sisters," she said and prepared a shot of tequila for herself
"Yeah, I have one hell of a family. So, judging by your accent, I want to believe you were born in Britain?" Richard asked, trying to branch the conversation
The bartender shook her head. "Actually, no. I was born in Athens, but I lived most of my life in London. I've only been in Paris for about two years now,"she stated
Richard nodded in understanding. "That's relatable. My siblings and I were also born in Greece, but we lived most of our lives on the Black and Mediterranean seas" he stated
"Really? You were also born in Greece? That's insane," the bartender said with a surprised, but excited expression
"It is. Though now, we each live in different parts of the world. Mostly Europe and North America," he added and raised his glass to her. "Cheers to us, birthed citizens of Greece,"
"Cheers," she picked her glass filled with tequila and clinked it with Richard's.
"But you still haven't answered my question," she asked, taking the shot in one go. "Why are you pretending to be happy, when there's a great deal of rage in you?"
Richard frowned, he clenched the glass cup tightly, making it crack slightly. Luckily, it was already empty. He had really hoped she would forget about it, but now it was even confirmed. She meant what he thought she meant. But how did she know? How could an ordinary human see through emulated emotions?
"Can we not talk about it? Please," he muttered softly and carefully. Which was really astonishing, considering the fact that if it were someone else, he wouldn't spare a single second before ripping out their throats. R.I.P to the unlucky therapists that have come across him.
The bartender eyes widened, she could see how much he was holding back his rage. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have tried to pry into matters that didn't concern me. It's become a huge problem, really. I apologize," she muttered with an apologetic expression
Richard smiled. "It's fine, I just don't like talking about my emotions. But I guess I can tell you why I'm angry but pretending to be happy," he said, his expression getting sombre.
The bartender's eyes brightened with curiosity as she gave Richard her full attention.
He stared into her eyes and sighed. "It's because you remind me a lot of my little sister, and that brings me pain and... guilt,"
"I'm terribly sorry to hear that, I had no idea. When did she... leave us?" the bartender asked, her voice filled with a genuine sadness and pity. It was like she could feel the exact pain and sadness that Richard was trying to feel.
"Oh, no. She's not dead, just far away from us," Richard muttered with a wry smile
"Oh, that's a relief. I hope you see her again soon, and maybe someday, feel true emotions once again," she said with a comforting and soothing voice, before planting a kiss on his cheek. One that instantly calmed Richard down, putting him at ease and removing all the anger, pain and inability to feel for a few seconds.
And just for that slight moment, Richard could feel a heavy burden lift off his chest. A burden that prevented him from feeling emotions of his own for years, but it was gone. He could feel something other than anger, he could feel an happiness of his own, with her. He was happy.
"What was that?" he asked in shock, as the feeling slowly faded, returning him back to his usual self. But he had gotten enough time with that feeling to emulate it, keeping himself happy still.
The bartender giggled. "A little spell of mine, one I call; The kiss of bliss," she muttered with a wink
But Richard was still stunned and confused. "What does she mean by spell? Is she a mage?" he pondered, staring at her in suspicion
"Relax, I didn't actually do anything. You're looking at me like I'm some wizard or something," she chuckled, and began cleaning the drinking glasses, drying and stacking them back in place. It appeared the bar was soon to be closing up.
"But I felt happy, real happiness. I was truly happy," Richard muttered in disbelief. "It's been so long since I was truly felt happy,"
The bartender cocked her head. "Hmm, perhaps I do have an enchanted kiss, fufu," she giggled. "Or maybe the whiskey's finally kicking in, guess you're not so tough afterall,"
Richard chuckled. "No, seriously. I think you're special, like really special. You shouldn't be a bartender, you're better off as a therapist, my therapist," he muttered with a smile
"Woah, slow down, Romeo. I thought we were over the flirts?" she chuckled. "But you're actually right, I should be better off as a therapist. Heck, I've got a degree in it. But, I love being a bartender more. Here, I can listen to people speak out their problems and then help by serving them shots that would take those problems away for a night,"
"Alright then. But don't forget the kisses too, to the cheeks ofcourse," Richard chuckled with a smile
"Yes of course. My enchanted kisses," the bartender winked at Richard. "Now you're getting it, amber eyes," she said
"Actually, it's Richard. My name's Richard," he muttered, staring at her deeply
"Deary me, that's even worse than, amber eyes," she burst into laughter, and Richard followed suite, laughing heartily with his new bartender friend. I mean, it's safe to call them that, right?
"I'm just kidding, it's a cute name. I love it," she added with a smile
"I'm glad you do," Richard said
The bartender smiled. "You're not angry?" she asked
Richard shook his head. "Why would I be?" he replied
"Nothing. Just another successful session with a customer," she muttered. "Though, you might have to work on redeveloping your emotional connections. I think your anger has subsided as well, no?"
"It has," Richard replied with a smile. "I'm truly grateful for your help, you're amazing," he said
"Lovely," she clapped happily, a smug smile drawn on her face. If only she knew it was a lie, his anger hadn't subsided at all. It was only being blocked by another strong emotion; love. But even that wasn't going to last for long, as it was simply an emulation of someone elses emotion. Richard had quickly imitated it so he could convince her that she was actually right, so he could carry on with his plan.