Asael let a sigh leave his lips as he leaned back against the brick wall in the alleyway behind his bar. His heterochromatic eyes glanced up towards the night sky filled with thousands upon thousands of bright stars. He kept looking until he found the small dipper, a small smile tugging at his lips. He remembered how much his sister loved to come out at night and look up at the stars, trying to find all the constellations. He remembered that as a great time until something terrible came to their village, killing most of the people who lived there, which included his parents and sister.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of the depressing thoughts trying to slip through the cracks that he had put up. He doesn't need to remember that time as it is in the past. He brought his pipe up to his lips, inhaling the smoke and letting it out slowly. He watched as the smoke curled around him like gray mist. He took one more puff before he put his pipe in his pocket. He took one last glance up towards the sky before he turned and opened the door next to him.

As soon as he entered the building, he could hear the music and chattering of the people coming from it. He heard dice rolling on the tables and cards being shuffled about. He passed the people in the kitchen, giving the chef a subtle tilt of his head, receiving the same in return. He grabbed an apple from a burlap sack and took a bite of it, flavors exploding in his mouth instantly. He knows that if he didn't try to eat a little bit of something now, he might not be eating anytime soon due to this time of night being the busiest.

Once he finished his apple, he threw the core into the garbage. He pushed the door open to the main area of the building and was instantly greeted with even louder chattering and music. He slipped his hands into his pockets, his eyes scanning the crowd for any potential threat. He noticed a bunch of regular faces with some new faces in the mix. He's not surprised that he always seems to drag new people in as his bar is the best that is out there. He never thought that when he left the assassin's guild and took the small amount of money that he had left, he would become a successful business owner of Noir Nights. He couldn't be more grateful that it was a popular place to come to at any time of the day.

He moved towards the bar, a hand slipping through his messy medium-length hair. He didn't have the energy to make it look nice today. He put a towel over his shoulder as he glanced at the vast amount of liquor lining the shelves. He wanted to make sure he wasn't low on anything before he started bartending. He didn't need to work here, but it helped him keep his head clear and not worry about things or think about the past. He quickly washed his hands before he turned towards the counter and started taking orders from people, quickly making drinks and dropping them in front of the customers.

Whenever he had a moment, his eyes would always roam around the room, making sure there wasn't anyone trying to cause trouble in his bar. The last thing that he needs is for someone to come into his bar and cause a mess to the point where he would have to slaughter people. He hasn't had any issues with people lately, but there have been some people who are bold enough to try to cheat or steal, so he has to do something about it. He doesn't want people to think that they can come in and steal, thinking that their life would be spared even if they apologize for their crime.

He cleaned down the countertop of his bar as he heard someone sit down in one of the seats. He muttered to give him a second. He wanted to finish cleaning up the mess from the other bartenders working at the counter with him before he took another order. He doesn't remember how many times he has told his workers to clean up after they make a mess. He is going to have to keep reiterating to clean up, or he knows they will never do it if he lets them get away with it. He just wishes that sometimes they would do their job properly, cause then he wouldn't always have a headache when he goes home for the day.

He turned towards the person, a grin spreading across his face as he took in who was sitting at the counter. It was one of his friends from the guild who had always been loyal to him. He doesn't know how he earned that loyalty from his friend, but he is grateful he has him. He came around the counter, and they grabbed one another's forearms, pulling them together as they let out a small laugh.

Asael clapped his friend on the back. "It's been a while since I have seen you." He stated, his voice coming out smoky and rugged. "I thought perhaps your boss might've killed you, and if that was the case, I was going to have to get revenge."

His friend let out a laugh, his head shaking. He had midnight black hair that fell to the top of his shoulders. His hazel colored eyes glistened with mischief. He was probably about as tall as Asael, maybe an inch or two taller. He came a year after Asael entered the guild, and they somehow became fast friends. He still doesn't know to this day how he was able to get past all of his walls.

"I've just been busy lately with missions." Jacks muttered as he glanced around the room, clearly checking to see if there was any trouble lurking. "Stuff has been going on at the guild lately, and it has been bad, Az." His eyes focused back on him, the mischief no longer lingering there. "I feel like a storm is coming, and it isn't going to be a good one either."

Asael let out a sigh as he leaned back against the counter, his gaze flickering around the room. He knew that eventually something bad was going to happen in the guild, but he didn't think it was going to be now. His gaze latched onto a new person coming into the building, a small smile tugging at his lips. He hasn't seen his best friend in a while. He wonders what he has been up to.

"We'll have to talk about this later, Jacks." He muttered as his gaze stayed on his best friend as he made his way over to him. He watched in the corner of his eye as Jacks noticed who he was looking at, his body slightly tensing. Jacks nodded his head as he understood why he said that. "I'll send word when we should talk about what to do." He mumbled to Jacks as he clapped his shoulder to say goodbye.

Asael rounded the counter and grabbed some glasses. He quickly glanced and saw that Jacks quickly slipped out of the building, most likely heading back to the guild to rest for the night before his next mission. He quickly shifted his gaze back to his best friend, a grin on his face as he watched him take a seat at the counter.

"What do I owe the pleasure of your company tonight?"