Morningstar,

Shani waited for some time after the human male had gone into the small room for the night before she made her way back up out of the thick straw thatching that worked so well to hide within. Knowing the two females would not be returning for several days this was her chance. Spreading her large white feathered wings she took flight toward the curtained portal the three used most often.

Landing on the stone path in front of the wooden arched structure, Shani began to grow. As she grew her long thick tail became smaller and thinner as I retracted into her body. The rear legs of her feline like body began to straighten and her large feline thighs shank. Her clawed forelegs also began to change as she rose to stand on two legs. At the same time her elongated snout receded and her lengthy neck began to shorten. Finally as her form increased upward reaching five and a half feet tall, her new form became recognizably human in appearance with long straight white hair hanging down past the small of her back partially covering a tattoo like image that bore a striking resemblance of the creature she had been before the transformation. Her wings were the last to change as they wrapped around the nude human female and promptly transformed into an ankle length Grecian style dress.

Walking into the archway, Shani reached out with her now very human hand to pull the curtain to one side. The small room Shani saw on the other side of the curtain was unlike any room she had seen in her life. Two seats covered in heavy woven cloth faced a short wall one side filled with gauges of some sort, the center of the short wall contained rows of buttons and knobs while the opposite side was bare. On the left side between the chair and the gauges was a large circular wheel that put her in mind of the helm’s wheel used to control sailing ships, although positioned at a steep angle instead of vertically as they are on a ship. Above the short wall two large panes of glass separated the small room from the outside, where she could see many long wheeled metal machines. Seeing the helm’s wheel inside and the machines outside Shani determined that the small room must be the control room of one of these machines. While still considered young by others of her kind, Shani having passed her six-hundredth year was now an adult. She had heard the stories of humans and the machines they built but never heard any stories about anything like the machines she saw before her.

Still staring out at the strangeness of the machines before her, Shani spotted one of the machines moving without any animals or sails. ‘The story tellers were wrong, Human do have magic!’ Shani thought to herself, ‘What other stories has she been told about humans that are also untrue?’ Stepping forward, Shani was stopped abruptly from entering the strange control room by an invisible barrier. Nervously glancing around, it appeared that she had not set off any alarms so Shani opened her senses to determine what kind of magic held the portal closed to her.

Feeling the intensity of the magic powering the barrier, Shani could see it was no simple magical ward that could be overpowered, no this felt as if the world itself blocked her from entering. Shani studied the barrier’s magic for several minutes until she felt she had gained as much knowledge of it as she would be able to, she hoped it was at least enough to figure how it could be circumvented. Knowing the longer she remained at the portal the chances of her being discovered grew, Shani changed her form back to that of the small winged creature before flying off to hide within the thatched roof of one of the small homes to begin contemplating her next move.

Their third night back to the same bar both Shiki and Lucy could tell something was bothering Jake as he kept watching the door, it wasn’t much longer when the phone rang. Jake had a worried look on his face when he hung up the phone.

“Problems?” Shiki grinned over at Jake.

Leaning over against the bar toward the two women, “Yeah, Two of my help were late and I just got a call from them. My bartender and her roommate are both sick so I’m down one waitress and my help behind the bar tonight.”

“Shiki is a great bartender,” The darker haired girl saw Shiki glaring at her out of the corner of her eye, “and I can fill in for your waitress.”

A bartender huh?” Jake looked doubtful at the Asian girl, “How do you make a White Russian?”

“Tell him the Chinese have invaded,” Shiki grinned playfully. Seeing the looks on both Jake’s and her friend’s face she sighed, “Get it? Chinese invasion scares the Russian white?” Shiki sighed heavily, “Oh alright, it’s one shot Absolut, one shot Kahlua over a rocks glass full of ice then a splash of cream poured over the back of a spoon.”

Jake had been nodding until she mentioned the spoon, “Back of a spoon?”

Shiki rolled her eyes, “Yeah, that’s how you get that layered effect that you could never figure out how to do.”

“How’d you know I never could get that right?”

Shiki rolled her eyes, “Hello, I’ve been sitting here for the past two nights.”

“Alright girls, your hired.”

“I’m Lucy and this is my friend Shiki,” Lucy held her hand across the bar.

Taking her hand, “Pay sucks but tips are good and I need you to start five minutes ago. Looking over to Shiki, “Get that cute butt of yours on this side of the bar and start helping kid,” Jake ran off to help customers that had come up to the bar while they were talking.

Shiki leaned over whispering to Lucy, “Had I known this was what you planned, I’d never have sneaked into those girls’ rooms like you asked.”

Whispering back, “We needed those two to call in sick. Look at the bright side, you get to play around mixing things together behind the bar.”

“Why do we have to work?” Shiki whined, “It’s not like we need money, not after we took all that money from those drug smugglers.” Shiki got a faraway look in her eyes as smile spread across her face, “Not like they’ll need it or the car anymore.”

“Because I need us both working here right now, don’t worry you’re going to have plenty of fun later.”

A smile spread across Shiki’s face as her eyes opened wide, “You had a vision?”

Lucy smiled, “And you were behind that bar.”

Grabbing the edge of the bar, Shiki did a forward flip over top of the bar landing on her feet behind the bar. After taking a bow to the applause from some of the men sitting at the bar she began taking orders and making drinks.

Several hours later, Lucy had been running back and forth between tables, the bar and the pool tables when one of the group of young men playing pool handed her the cash to pay for refills on several pitchers of beer. What would appear to be a moment’s hesitation to anyone watching Lucy actually seemed like several minutes for the young woman as images appeared in her mind.

Lucy watched as the short brown haired youth looked around nervously right before entering the men’s restroom. Quickly walking into the room he opened the doors to the two stall to make sure he was alone before going back to the door and sliding the bolt, locking himself in. Going over to the counter with the two sinks, he pulled a small zippered case from inside his jacket. Sitting the case on the counter after unzipping it, he opened it and pulled out a small short syringe that had no needle and a larger bottle.

Opening the bottle, he stuck the syringe in and used it to suck some of the fluid into the syringe. Holding the syringe up to the light, he carefully inspected the amount it held before placing the bottle back in it case and putting the case back inside his jacket. Picking up the syringe he palmed it so that no one could see what was in his hand.

The scene flashed forward in her mind, now the young man was squirting the contents of the syringe into a young blond woman’s drink while the woman was talking to one of his friends.

The images flashed again, now Lucy saw the young blond naked lying on a bed unconscious with several young men in the room also naked, one of them on top of her grunting while the rest stood in a crude line waiting their turn.

“Keep the change,” the young man yelled over the noise of the bar, snapping Lucy out of her vision.

“Um, thanks,” Lucy yelled back as she began searching for the blond from her vision. Spotting the girl, Lucy’s scanned the boys playing pool trying to see how many of their faces matched the faces in her vision. Lucy knew without a doubt these young men were what drew her to the bar. Lucy thought about how she would deal with them as she picked up empty bottles and glass and placed them on her tray as she began taking orders from other customers while making her way back to the bar.

Placing her tray up on the end of the bar, Shiki came over and began taking the glasses and stacking them by the sink under the bar, while Lucy tossed bottles into a large trash can for recycling. Catching Shiki’s attention Lucy stated, “I saw something.”

“Vision?” stopping what she was doing, Shiki focused on her friend that stood on the other side of the bar.

Nodding in reply, “Those guys at the pool table.”

Looking across the busy bar at the immaculately dressed guys wearing tailored slacks and shirts surrounding the pool table, Shiki snorted, “Yeah they look like real criminal masterminds. What’d they do, take a spin in Daddy’s Royce Royce without permission?”

Leaning over the bar as close to Shiki as she could, Lucy said as quietly as she could and still be heard over the loud bar, “Gang rape.”

Shiki’s eyes widened, then her expression became cold and deadly, “Should I do them now, or get them as they leave?”

Shaking her head, “No, I’ll deal with them, you stay behind the bar. I’ve got a delightful idea of how to teach them about acceptable and unacceptable behavior.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw the one guy walking towards the short hallway where the restrooms lay. “Got to go,” Lucy spun on her heels and walked quickly through the crowded bar on an intercept course, leaving her tray behind. Giving the young man enough time to be checking if the stalls were empty at the far end of the small restroom, Lucy barged in.

“What the fu…” Will jumped at the sound of the door banging shut, and then relaxed when he saw the beautiful black haired woman in the red mini dress standing with her back against the door. “Hell-looo,” he purred at the vision of beauty.

Lucy turned and bolted the door shut, smiling sweetly at the young man, “That way we’re not disturbed.”

William Linares, Will to his friends, had heard stories from guys about getting it on with some beautiful stranger in the restroom of a bar or restaurant, but up until now he had always thought them to be complete bullshit. But looking at the gorgeous waitress walking toward him he had to wonder now if those stories the upperclassmen told were actually true. ‘Thank you God!’ Will mumbled under his breath as his eyes drank in her heavenly beauty.

Lucy began walking seductively toward him, licking her lips as she approached. Reaching up Lucy wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, “We wouldn’t want anyone to interrupt us would we?”

Unable to speak, Will shook his head as Lucy leaned in and gave him a kiss.