A/N: So uh its been awhile. And a lot of stuff has happened between this chapter and the last. Got dumped, dog died, grandma got cancer, i wrote and rewrote large portions of the next Rose in Winter chapter.

More importantly i uploaded Rose to Ao3 and got a tahmblr finally. You can find me at tumblr slash Kaponoss because someome somehow has my normal username.

Anyway this chapter idea came about after playing Va1-hall-a and a bartender just suits an alchemist like Sucy too well too pass up.

Enjoy!

In a quiet, dingy alley of an otherwise bustling English city, a neon lit door broke up the monotonous grey stones with pink and orange hues. The sign of ionized noble gasses read "Luna" in curly cursive: a bar tucked just out of the way and out of mind.

It was a clean place, with subdued decor and calm lighting, unlike most 'establishments' in the area. Their competitors' organ rupturing music and seizure inducing lights were adequate enough for seeking a quick shag or dancing your life away, but Sucy's boss had a taste for the finer things in life.

Finer things meaning really good booze.

The regulars came for the drinks and the quiet more than anything else; a bartender that knew their usual and what they needed if the usual just wouldn't do.

It was good, honest work that kept Sucy off the street; saving her from slaving away in a factory, a brothel, or god forbid, a Walmart.

There was something cursed about the air in those monolithic super-centres, transforming people into the worst versions of themselves. A fetid hive of scum and villainy found nowhere else on earth.

She would take the drunkards, thank you.

Saying a quick prayer of thanks to whatever entity watched over her, the pale girl returned to wiping down the counter as she did after every wave of patrons, be it one or five; the good people who wandered in deserved not to drag their sleeve in a stranger's fluids.

It was when she turned to rinse the rag in the sink that the bell above the door chimed, announcing another soul that wished to worship at the shrine of inebriation. "Welcome to Luna." She automatically threw over her shoulder, wringing the extra water out of her cleaning cloth. "I'll be right with you."

Hanging the rag on its rung, Sucy turned to greet her latest customer, and was met with a rather bizarre sight.

An enormous white hat, like that of a wizard or witch sat atop a head of chocolate brown, with a matching top that left not a lot to the imagination. The fiery scarlet cape billowing from slim shoulders matched well the bright and shining eyes locked on Sucy's own. She couldn't see much else from the other side of a bar counter, but her mind's eye imagined the colour blue and a slightly too short skirt.

The bartender forced the blood away from her face as quickly as it rushed in, clenching her jaw to stop it from hanging open. Yes this was a very pretty young woman- 'good lord' -and yes her smile was like the sun- 'give me strength' -but this was a customer and this was her job.

And so, Sucy tried to dial it back.

"What the hell are you wearing? You fly in from the circus or something?"

'Too far!'

She coughed, loosening her tie just a little to stop that choking feeling. "Uh, I mean how can I help you?"

The cosplayer? puffed one cheek out, drooping her eyebrows in a slightly offended expression that ended up making her look all the cuter. "No! Not the circus!" She cried, before glancing to the side and muttering. "Not now anyway."

That made the bartender lift an eyebrow, but she decided not to push, as much as she wanted to see that face again. "A performer though? Magic or theatre?"

The sunshine was back, as the girl nodded furiously leaning over the bar and into Sucy's personal space. "Magic, yes! Do you like magic?" Sucy leaned back away from the magician, keeping her eyes locked to the face lest she be tempted to look down at the very open chest presented to her.

"Uh, not really? I've never thought about it." That was a half lie: she had been really obsessed with magic and the occult in school, before growing out it around year 10. Though if you asked her foster mother she would tell you the passion never fully went away.

"What?!" The brunette seemed almost offended again, rearing back out of Sucy's bubble with a horrified gasp. "Magic is everything! It's... it's just magical! You probably just haven't seen any first hand!"

She span around on the barstool before leaping off and twirling in well practiced motions to face her audience again. "But you're in luck! The Great Atsuko Kagari, Ursa Minor, will give you a private show!"

Click.

Like a piece of a puzzle slotting into another by pure trial and error, Sucy finally realized what had been gnawing at the back of her skull this entire time.

"Waitwaitwait, you're Ursa Minor? The magician? Isn't she supposed to be doing a show tonight?"

The performer shifted guiltily in place, the universal behaviour of a child caught in the act. "Well... yes. A-And I still am!" She assured, keeping her hands busy by removing her hat and scrounging around inside. "But it's just so stuffy backstage, y'know? Manager on my back, stagehands running around in a panic."

"I'd rather be here in this little bar, with a charming and mysterious bartender." Seemingly finding exactly what she was looking for, Akko yanked her hand out with a flourish, along with a comically large bouquet of flowers and two live doves. "For you, my favourite audience member."

Sucy broke into a fit of giggles, flushed red; trying and failing to be more angry that this girl had released live animals in the establishment.

"I'm your o-only audience member!" She finally countered, feeling the giggles subside. "And get rid of those things! This is a sanitary environment!"

With a snap and a cheeky wink, the doves dove right back into the hat, vanishing into whatever hammerspace they originated from. "But you'll accept my flowers yes?"

"Fine, fine." The bartender scoffed, turning around to hide her pink cheeks and find a suitable vase. "But sit down already. Don't waste all your magic before the show."

Ursa Minor's flirty attitude continued, even as she obeyed, hat back atop her head of chocolate brown. "If it was to make a pretty girl smile, nothing could be called a waste."

Sucy almost dropped the half filled glass jug, splashing a small amount of water on her apron.

"Are you gonna actually order a drink?" She huffed, placing the absurd bouquet in the makeshift vase. "Or are you just here to mess with me."

A melodic laugh like the song of birds filled the air, followed by a wistful sigh. "I did come here for a drink, yes." She answered, her own face cooling down from a blush Sucy hadn't even realized was there. "What do you recommend, barkeep?"

'Finally' The purple haired woman sighed' emotionally exhausted and grateful for the chance to actually do her job.

"Well, you seem like the sort to like sweet things." She thought aloud. "Not too much alcohol since you need to be on stage in an hour."

Scanning through the drink list she kept in her mind, Sucy filtered away the stronger and more bitter drinks they had on the menu and one by one they fell until she had an answer.

"I know just the thing."

Like a modern day alchemist, Sucy gathered her ingredients, measuring them just so; pouring them into a metal cylinder before sealing it.

Akko was enthralled as the bartender began mixing the drink, shaking the cylinder in various smooth and methodical movements, at one point even flipping the entire thing up into the air and catching it again. It was like she was a little girl again, seeing magic for the first time- the horizons of her little world expanding ever further.

When all was said and done, a fancy glass of cyan liquid sat in front of her, smelling of a mixture of sweet fruit and cleaning fluid. "One Piano Woman."

The brunette was so fascinated by both the drink and the work that went into it that she didn't think to take a sip until Sucy chided her.

"Never seen alcohol before? You're a big girl, you can handle it."

With both hands on the glass, Akko brought it to her lips, tasting the sourness of apples alongside the tang of peaches and limes, all beneath an overlaying sweetness that made her smile brightly. "This is really good!" She cried, causing Sucy to look away bashfully.

"Of course it is, you think we serve slop here?"

The magician didn't respond to that one, instead continuing to happily slurp down the cocktail like it was soda at a middle school birthday. She stopped near the halfway point to sigh contentedly. "Yeah, I really needed this. Just that tiny buzz, enough to take the edge off."

She took the opportunity to look around the small bar, soaking in the atmosphere and the light music.

"This is a nice place. I'm glad I found it."

Suddenly a muffled buzzing sound could be heard from within the girl's hat, which was quickly removed to scrounge around inside yet again.

A phone, very pink and rather offensive to the eyes was retrieved from the void, and the disappointed look told Sucy everything she needed to know. "Duty calls?"

Nodding, Akko put the phone back into her hat, placing it back on her head. "Alas, our time together comes to a close. But I will return!" She leaped off of the barstool, spinning in place to pose with one finger pointing skyward. "To dazzle you again like the stars of a clear night!"

In a choreographed and memorized motion, her finger came down to point at the bartender, fiery red eyes meeting her own dark maroon. "And when I do, I'll need your help once more."

"Because your believing heart is my magic!"

With a wink and a flourish, a burst of smoke and sparkles filled the bar, causing the brunette to vanish into the night.

"Oi!" Sucy coughed, batting the smoke away with her cloth. "You didn't pay!"

When the smoke cleared, the baffled woman found herself proven wrong. A few bills totalling more than enough sat neatly beneath a bombastic business card with a number on it.

"Call me sometime for a more private show - The Great Ursa Minor"

She could do nothing but laugh, blush be damned.

A/N: i mean im not super happy with it but at least its posted. send me feedback on tahmblr, i can respond much faster there.