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"Happy 21st birthday, Arlo! How's it feeling, old man?"
"Kass."
"Alright, alright. I'll stop. You're younger than me, anyway."
Kassandra practically jumped onto her seat next to Arlo, peeling off her work jacket and putting it on the chair. The bar was quiet tonight, a personal selection from Arlo with the help of his older colleague.
"Well, this means today's almost over. I see why you picked this place. Can't believe you didn't take today off, that was stressful."
Arlo just shrugged. "I wouldn't have had anything else to do."
Kassandra looked away and laughed to herself. "Tch, Such a workaholic. No wonder we're still employed, you've been doing enough work for the both of us this whole time." Untying her ponytail and letting her hair loose, she spoke again. "Can't believe it's already been 3 years since you joined the Bureau. Time flies."
She could see a small frown cross his face when she mentioned their employment.
"Hey, no frowning on your birthday. Don't worry too much tonight, just take some time to decompress. I sure will."
Arlo sighed. "I know. I'm just thinking."
"What about, if I may ask?"
"I… ever since we found out about EMBER, I've been a little worried. I've been subconsciously waiting for the day that the rest of the Bureau finds out about us, and we're imprisoned for it. I don't know how many more days like this we'll have." Arlo props his head up in his hand and closes his eyes. "But at this point, there's not much I can do about it."
"Arlo…"
The air around them was almost silent, save from the few other people at the bar chatting their night away or sipping glasses of wine and whiskey.
"Hey, weren't you the one who told me not to worry about it? C'mon, relax. I've never had alcohol before, and I'm somewhat curious.
Those words seemed to wash the glum mood away.
"Pfft, alrighty then. I say, for a first-timer like you, you might wanna go for something simple, like gin or brandy. But if you're feeling adventurous, and knowing your tastes, you might want to try a Black Russian or a Manhattan. If you want more than one, we can put it on a tab. Personally, I'm going for a Daiquiri. I've got a little bit of a sweet tooth, haha."
Arlo looked deep in thought. "Hm. I'm not sure."
"Should I pick for you?"
"I'm fine with that."
Kassandra gave him a nod and signaled to the bartender. After he finished attending to another customer, he hurried over.
"Yo, how can I help you two?"
"Hey, he'll have a gin on the rocks, and I'll take a classic Daiquiri, thanks."
"Two drinks, coming right up." He took a wine glass from the overhead cabinet and poured one part rum. "So, what's the occasion?"
"Oh, this guy right here just turned 21." She patted him on the back. "Though it would be fitting to bring him here. Tonight's a celebration!" Arlo responded by brushing her hand off of him.
The bartender poured in one part citrus juice, stirring the mixture well. "21's a big number, is it really just the two of you here?"
"I'm not that big on birthdays." Arlo replied.
"Guess you just decided to bring your girlfriend, eh? I feel ya." The bartender added one part sugar and continued to mix the drink. Arlo tried to mask his discomfort behind a cough as he felt a blush creep up his face.
"W-We're just c-colleagues, sir. There's nothing between us." Arlo could see the man add a decorative mini umbrella to the glass.
"What a shame. You two would make a good pair." He slid the drink over to Kassandra, then pulled another glass from a different cupboard.
Kassandra cleared her throat. "He's almost a decade younger than I am. I'm not sure that'd be very appropriate."
The bartender finished pouring the gin over the ice, and served it to Arlo. "My bad. Hope you two enjoy your drinks." He then left to go check on another customer, leaving the two alone.
There was a moment of awkward silence between the two as they sipped on their drinks. If it weren't for the other customers, they would have been able to hear a pin drop.
"Doesn't it irritate you?"
"Hm?" Arlo was almost startled by the broken silence.
"When a man and a woman are together, everyone assumes that they're in a relationship. When two men or two women are together, everyone assumes that they're just friends. Doesn't it tick you off?"
Arlo wondered if he'd heard her right. "That's just the way things are. Does it bother you?"
Kassandra sighed. "I don't know why I'm so worked up over this right now, but- I've just been thinking. About a lot of things."
Arlo set his drink on the table, giving his undivided attention.
"It's something like what you said, with the authorities." She held her glass in her hand, swirling it around as she lost herself in thought. "Almost every day, something new comes up that challenges our perspective of what we've been taught. Do you remember that one time, when we had to arrest a low-tier for stealing from a supermarket?"
"I do. I read his file. He said it was because he didn't have enough money to provide for his children."
"And what happened after that?"
"He was sentenced to 3 years in prison, and his children were taken from him and put into the foster system."
Kassandra looked down at her glass, then took a big sip.
"We tried to persuade the others that it was too harsh, yet they all disagreed, and we had to give up, lest we would have exposed ourselves. He was denied work because he was a low-tier, so he was forced into stealing so that his children wouldn't starve. And then he was caught, and they were taken from him and he was left with nothing. He couldn't win."
Arlo looked down at the table.
Victims of a faulty system, a system that only caters to and cares for those with power.
"And another time, when we had to deal with a call from a hospital because of a woman who refused to leave."
Arlo looked over at Kassandra. "The woman who was denied a surgical procedure because she couldn't afford it?"
"Yeah, that one. Remember what happened after that?"
He had to take a minute to respond to that. He could feel the memories of what happened flood his brain.
"We found her in the hospital bathroom after she had locked the door, and…"
He can see her lifeless body dangling from the empty stall, attached to nothing but her belt. Her eyes hold a glazed-over look. It takes everything in him to not retch into the trash can next to him. Another victim of a system that needs to be corrected.
"Sorry for bringing that up. I don't know what came over me." Kassandra put both her hands on the back of her neck. "I need another drink."
He took a sip out of his own glass. "It's alright, you can talk. I don't mind."
"Heh, thanks. Has anyone ever told you that you're mature for your age?"
"I'm 21."
"You get what I mean." She smiled to herself. "What about you? Anything weighing on your mind?"
"I'm fine right now. Just a little tired."
"Oh right, I forgot to ask you? How's the drink? Is it to your expectations?" Her eyes were almost as wide as a puppy's. Was Arlo having his first drink really so entertaining?
"Frankly, it tastes horrible. But people warned me about this before I came here, so it's no less than what I expected."
Those words seemed to deflate the mood faster than you could say "bar".
"Damnit. Look, not all drinks are that bad though. You gotta try something a little better, with more flavor and personality, something professionally brewed!"
"Uh…"
Before Arlo could say another word, Kassandra was already placing another order.
"One Rye Black Manhattan and another Daiquiri, classic please. Oh, and do you have anything strong?"
"One Daiquiri and one Rye Black Manhattan coming up, and we have a selection of strong drinks that you may find to your liking."
Arlo's ears could barely keep up as the bartender quickly listed off drinks, using words and terms he'd never heard in his life. Kassandra eventually picked one out, seemingly able to keep up with all the strange language, and the bartender got to work preparing everything.
The bartender decided to stay silent this time, leaving room for awkwardness to seep in. It felt like a breath of fresh air when their drinks were finally served.
"Alright, here you go. Which one first?"
"Um…" Both drinks were in wine glasses, one a bright lemon-yellow color decorated with a small umbrella, and the other a translucent dark red liquid that almost looked like blood.
He took the dark red one.
"Thought you would pick that one." An indiscernible look crossed her face, which confused Arlo a little bit. He didn't understand what she was doing until she put the yellow glass close to his face.
"Hey, it looks a little like you, doesn't it?"
"Hang on, what do you mean by that-"
She tried to muffle her giggles as he realized what she meant. Yellow hair, yellow drink. Exactly the same color.
"You're hilarious." He said, with a deadpan face.
"Pfft, Hahaha! Oh, you're funny! Crap, I'm gonna spill my drink-"
Arlo could see as she tried her best to reign in her laughter, eventually subsiding a little bit. He could see a few people giving the two some strange looks.
"Are you done yet?"
"Y-Yeah, yeah, all's good." She cleared her throat a few times. "Okay. Come on, take a sip. No more jokes, I swear."
Arlo gave her a look, then he put his lips to the glass and let the flavors mix on his tongue. Surprisingly, despite being an alcoholic drink, it didn't taste outright dry or dusty. It was sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. That flavor mixed with the bitterness created a masterpiece for the tongue to enjoy.
When he swallowed it, it remained as a decent aftertaste that left him wanting more.
"Not bad."
Kassandra almost looked offended. "Not bad? Come on, that can't be all you're gonna say?"
"What else do you want me to say?"
"Just- forget it, never mind." She closed her eyes and took a big swig of her drink. Her face seemed to scrunch up in almost pain. "Right, right. Strong drink."
"If you don't like it, then why drink it?" Arlo asked.
"To get drunk, obviously." She took another gulp. "Loosen up, dude. Live a little."
Did she just call me "dude"? Is she already drunk?
"No thanks. I'm not looking to make this into a habit." Arlo took another sip of the red drink, relishing in the taste.
"Hey, I'm no alcoholic. I can't remember the last time I've been out here like this." She took another big sip before speaking again. "You can't just jam all your emotions inside and expect them to stay there. You need to destress every now and then, you know. But, I wouldn't expect someone as uptight as you to know that." She mumbled that last part to herself.
"I heard that."
"Eh, you got me."
Arlo looked over at his colleague's face, and saw a slight blush adorning her cheeks.
Yep. Probably drunk.
Arlo set his drink on the table. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure thing. Ask away."
"What did you mean by that 'men and women' comment from earlier?"
"Hm? Oh yeah, that. I'm not sure what I meant by that, but…"
Arlo could see a slight furrow forming in her brow.
"We have different families, but we're both high-tiers who were raised to have similar values. You've probably heard your family say things like, 'One day, you'll find a nice, powerful woman to settle down and start a family with.' or 'You just have to find the right person. Everyone does.' haven't you?"
Arlo nods. "I guess so, but how does that have to do with that comment? I'll have you remember, there's still a 10 year age gap between us."
Kassandra's blush almost grew. "No, no, that's not what I'm talking about! I know you're too young, I'm not thinking about that kind of thing." She drew a breath, then took one last drink from her glass, emptying it. "I made another comment, about how everyday, our views are challenged. Views on tiers, power, hierarchy, government, all of it. At this point, I'm questioning everything."
"I see where you're coming from."
She smiled at him. "Thanks. I've been thinking long and hard about this topic, and…"
She paused and took a breath.
"What if, as a society, we explored alternatives not just to hierarchy and government, but to family structures?"
Arlo felt suddenly confused. Where was she going with this?
"We all know what they say. Focus on your work. Find someone strong. Start a family. Everything generic and laid out, simple as that. Yet there's always an unspoken rule that you have to find someone of the opposite sex."
"What are you saying, Kass?"
"Calm down, hear me out." She straightened her posture, looking more serious. "Have you ever heard of 'arranged marriages'?"
"Of course I have. Why are you asking?"
"A lot of arranged marriages are between higher-up families, who arrange their heirs into future marriages to expand their family power. Think about it. People are forced into arrangements that they will be stuck in for the rest of their life, with someone that they possibly don't like, for the sake of this 'system' that favors power."
Kassandra rubs her head, seemingly going deeper and deeper into her train of thought.
"So that begs the question. I know it might seem like a strange question, but I can't help but ask. What is 'love'?"
"I'm not sure how you want me to respond to that." He takes a sip of his drink, still listening intently, although not knowing where she's going with this topic.
"You don't have to. But think of how many relationships aren't out of love, but out of another factor. For a lot of high-tiers, it's strength gain or financial gain. Mid-tiers and some elite-tiers follow slightly different rules. They find someone of the opposite sex, who they can have children to start a family with, just so that they can 'carry on their legacy'. They don't do it out of 'love', they do it out of an unspoken necessity, that you have to start a family. That you're 'strange' if you don't."
An unspoken necessity…
"Yet there's an interesting phenomenon I've witnessed among a few low-tiers. I've seen quite a few that have admitted that they don't want children, despite the pressure, for a few different reasons. I've heard that they don't want to bring children into the world as a low-tier, or that they can barely support themselves as-is. Which means I've seen some interesting family structures."
She takes a moment to catch her breath.
"I've seen plenty of opposite-sex low-tier couples, married and unmarried, who don't have kids. Do you know what I've also seen?"
"What have you seen?"
"I've seen same-sex couples, Arlo. I once interviewed a man, who admitted he loved another man. It was hard to get him to open up about it, as it was an interview with a police officer, but when he did, I saw how much he truly loved him. He didn't want children, or an advanced career. He just wanted to spend time with those he loved."
That certainly grabbed his attention. "Wait, what? How is that-"
"Shush, listen. They spent a lot of time helping out their community, because the local authorities refused to do anything. Then, I once interviewed a woman, who openly admitted she loved another woman. She told me that she had 3 children, who all came from her girlfriend's previous, abusive marriage. She told me that she would give anything to see the day that she could make her girlfriend into her wife. And when I saw that, I felt- it was indescribable, Arlo. I know this might just be the ramblings of a drunk woman. But when I tell you I felt something- no, I know something. Trust me on this."
Arlo could feel himself growing fidgety. Where the hell did this topic come from? That goes against the hier- wait…
"Dad, can a man love another man?"
"What do you mean by that, Arlo? A man can love his brother, is that what you meant?"
"No, not that. Could a man, like, marry another man? Could a man have a husband?"
"Arlo, who put that disgusting idea in your head? A man can only love a woman, a woman can only love a man. Who told you to think like this?"
"Um, nobody told me, I just thought..."
"Don't think like that. If someone tells you that a man can love another man, they're delusional. It goes against society as a whole. Never think like that again."
"O-Okay, Dad."
"How is that… but doesn't that go against everything? You can't reproduce, wouldn't nature itself go against that?"
"If we agreed to what 'nature' said, then would our best alternative be to get rid of all lower tiers? You know how it is in nature, only the strongest survive."
"Get rid of? That just sounds like eugenics."
"Hit the nail on the head, there. Everyone has something to offer, why should we repress low-tiers just because they were born different? Why should we repress people who love someone of the same sex? I told you how those two women created a family of their own, with two parents and three children. They saved 3 children from a potentially abusive childhood. There's benefits to everything. If we're to move on from an old society, why should we leave any old traces left?"
"But still, it just doesn't seem right."
"If you were younger, and I had told you that the hierarchy was ineffective, you would have said that exact same thing."
Arlo couldn't think of a response to any of what he'd just heard. She was right, that times were changing. But something as foreign of an idea as same-sex couples… how did they even think of that?
"I can see the gears in your head turning, Arlo."
Arlo scoffed. "Of course they are. I've never heard of that idea spoken like this. What did you expect?"
"I'm not sure what I expected, I just wanted to plant the idea in your brain."
"Well, it's been planted." He looked down at his glass. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kassandra ordering another drink. Presumably the same type.
He could feel his mind drifting to those two women, who saved the 3 children. He knew that there were plenty of children in foster care and orphanages, usually from low-tier families or less well-off mid-tiers families. If an elite-tier or high-tier child was orphaned, they were adopted pretty quickly into a powerful family.
Yet the low-tiers and mid-tiers were left and forgotten, and were rarely chosen by any families. Occasionally, an infertile family or a family that didn't care too much about status would decide to adopt, but seemingly everyone wanted their own children, so that was rare.
But same-sex couples couldn't have children of their own. They were forced to adopt or never have kids. If that idea were more widely accepted, how many children would be rescued from such a life?
"How are you feeling, Arlo?"
He took a gulp of his drink, finally finishing it off. "I don't know."
"Heh, I don't either." She giggled a little bit to herself. "Y'know, I'm not even 30 yet, but I can still feel the pressure to find someone."
"Hm?"
"A lot of my coworkers have already found husbands and wives, and are planning on having children. Every time they mention their dating life, they ask me, 'Have you found anyone yet?' or something of the sort."
She stares down at the table. The mood feels slightly heavier now.
"And I've tried. I've been on dates with men before, when I get a break from work, and yet nothing 'clicks' and it doesn't feel right, so I just… I don't feel anything for them. So I'll bury myself in my work and try to forget about it. You know the saying, right? A drunk person's words…"
"...are a sober person's thoughts. Are you saying that you regularly think about this kind of thing?"
"Yup, exactly." She takes a big swig out of her glass. "But when I interviewed that woman, it was like something clicked in me. When I heard that it was possible to love a woman, I…"
"What exactly are you suggesting here, Kass?"
She finishes her second drink and almost slams it on the table. "What if I don't have to date a man, Arlo? What if I 'expanded my horizons'?"
"You can't be serious."
"I am being serious. Okay, I might not be, it might just be the liquid courage talking. But there's a woman I know from the Bureau. I greet her every morning when I clock in for work. Sometimes I get to chat with her during lunch break, and I've heard that she's single with not much luck in her dating life, just like me. You've seen us together before, right?"
"I have."
"Yeah, so you know her. I don't know exactly what I do feel for her, but I know that I shouldn't just ignore it. I... I want to give this a shot."
There's no way she's seriously thinking about this, right? Is it even possible to love someone of the same sex?
"Look, we don't even know if she'll be as receptive to your ideas. What if she rejects you and calls you a creep?"
Kassandra puts her hand on his shoulder. "A word of advice from your elder, Arlo. You miss every shot that you don't take."
Arlo just sighs. "There's no convincing you out of this, is there?"
"Nope."
"Figures." He sighs again.
"By the way, are you gonna finish that Daiquiri?"
He pushes it towards Kassandra. "I can feel the cavities forming on my teeth as I look at it."
"Come on, you gotta try it." She holds it up, signaling for him to take it. "You never know until you try it."
After a minute of contemplation, he reluctantly takes the glass.
"Fine." He takes a sip, and… it's not as bad as he thought? It has a pleasant mixture of citrus and sweetness. Not something he'd usually go for, but not bad either.
"Mm, I still prefer the other one."
"Eh, better than you outright hating it. Plus, who knows? You might take a liking to it."
"Maybe." He takes another sip.
She mutters to herself again. "It might just be as fruity as you might be."
He raises an eyebrow at her. "I heard that. What do you mean by 'fruity'?"
She just laughs to herself. "A slang term that one woman taught me."
"Well, what does it mean?"
"You'll figure it out someday, dear junior."
He can't take anymore of her antics. Might as well give in join her in her drunkenness.
"Ugh, what was that one strong drink you ordered?"