Chapter Text
Every time Lillix stepped into The Siren's Soirée for her regular bartending shift, she always held out hope that she'd be able to sing again.
She'd always enjoyed singing, but in this modern day and age there wasn't much chance for an elf like her coming from a small village outside of Baldur's Gate to earn a living from her voice. Sure she could get a busking license, but that wasn't going to be enough to pay for her little one bedroom upstairs flat. While she was trained with a blade, she mostly went along with it to appease her family - they'd hoped Lillix would follow in their path as a warrior, or at least a hired soldier or bodyguard. Unfortunately for them, she found no joy in slicing open misfits and monsters along the roadside, and the gore would often get stuck in her long brown hair anyway. Instead she left her town and mercenary career with every intention of earning a living with her voice, only to get a job as a bartender at a jazz bar in the upper city and working alongside her cocky elven colleague.
He was already at the bar preparing glasses for the evening ahead. As the resident mixologist, Astarion was accustomed to having everything on hand and prepared so he could give proper attention to his guests. His black shirt was well fitted which helped enhance his already fit physique, and his silver tie really gave him the professional upper-class vibe. Whereas Lillix was on the other side of the bar pulling pints and handing bottles and glasses out with a smile, while watching the stage with an unimaginable envy.
"Is today your lucky day darling?" Astarion asked with a cheeky grin, hanging the newly cleaned martini glasses. She rolled her eyes out of habit as she placed her bag in the back room behind the bar and readjusted her silver tie. It wasn't lost on her that while she and Astarion wore the same uniform, he undoubtedly wore it better.
"I'd live in hope but that doesn't really pay the bills," she replied, her own smartarse attitude coming out. If only her regular customers enjoyed her sass as much as they enjoyed her colleague's.
"Oh I imagine we'd all have quite regal lives if hope paid the rent," he smirked, "In the meantime, I'll settle for gold,"
Lillix chuckled and got to work setting up the bar area. The regular tables and chairs in the area around the small stage at the front wasn't her area, but it did end up feeding towards the stools and seats by the bar. Thankfully the wait staff were already beginning to wipe the tables as she made sure no customers would fall off their seats that evening due to faulty furniture. Small tasks like that helped her focus and get acclimated for the future customer service she'd have to provide, but unfortunately she focused so much she hadn't even noticed their manager standing nearby.
"Lillix?" Lakrissa said, and Lillix nearly smacked her head against the bar in shock of being snapped out of the hyperfocus, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes, fine!" she lied, rubbing her head, "What's up boss?"
Somehow the tiefling’s expression gave away that she did not believe her at all, "Uh, right. So unfortunately our third act for tonight has had to cancel, and while we've given the fourth act some extra time, they won't be here to fill a good 30 to 40 minutes in between acts. Would you be able to perform as a filler act again? It'll only be for a max of 20 minutes or so, but you'll still get your break. Of course, I understand if you wouldn’t want to, but the customers have paid tonight to see singers not just the band,"
"Oh! Oh uh, yeah of course, happy to," she replied, doing a terrible job of hiding her excitement, "Do we still have-"
"Scrolls of mirror image? Yes, they're in the locked cabinet in the upstairs staffroom, and there’s space for you to get ready in the green room. I’m incredibly grateful for this Lillix, I don't know how we'd fill the time otherwise, and I’m glad you understand the importance of acting under a pseudonym as well," Lakrissa shook her hand like they'd just completed a lucrative business deal and not like Lillix was doing extra work without hazard pay. Not that it mattered to her at the moment; instead she was thinking of all the songs she'd be able to get their small jazz band to play as she returned to the bar and began wiping the bench down. Maybe wiping it down a little too much.
"I didn't realise the bench was so dirty," Astarion's comment snapped her out of another focus and he nearly chuckled at the sight of her jolting back into reality, "Or is it just that you're annoyed you forgot to ask for extra due to the performance?"
Lillix groaned and rolled her eyes, “Look, I forgot to ask again but it's not like this happens very often, and I'm not exactly the top star on the schedule. Even if I did suggest it, I doubt Lakrissa would entertain the idea,"
"Top star or not, you're providing labour for free," Astarion raised an eyebrow, "It never hurts to ask darling, your time is precious and you need to remember that,"
"Goodness Astarion, are you concerned about someone other than yourself?" she said, performing the most over the top sarcasm she'd done in weeks, "Someone call the Baldur's Mouth Gazette, this is headline news!" Astarion responded by rolling his eyes and returning to his side of the bar but Lillix could swear she saw the faintest hint of a smirk.
Soon the building opened to the public, with a slow entry of return customers followed by a couple of newer ones. It would get busier as the night went on of course, but even during performance times, the crowd was often quiet and speaking in hushed tones, something she was grateful for. Busy bars and clubs might make for good money but she wasn’t one for loud and obnoxious noise. The peaceful nature of her workplace was very unique - she couldn't imagine trying to sing or entertain over groups of people just talking. Admittedly the early evening was reserved for just the band to play, kind of like a warm-up, but later once the singing and entertainment acts began, customers would be quietly asking their servers for their refills of wine and beer, trying their best not to disrespect the artists. It definitely made her feel more comfortable about singing.
As time passed, she spotted a fair few regulars, some of whom seemed to come only to be entertained by Astarion's cocktail 'process'. Her new theory was that he'd specifically picked a shirt size that was ever so slightly smaller so that it would hug his chest and arms as he shook his cocktail shakers, flipped them in the air and caught them in an increasingly dramatic fashion. The man was anything but boring. The way he flashed a toothy grin at his patrons made a lot of them giggle like schoolgirls, and if Lillix was more unprofessional she might've rolled her eyes a little. If there was one thing she could appreciate though, it was his dedication to the act. The amount of bitching they'd done about some of their clientele, you'd think they'd never served a nice patron in their lives. Performing for the more eccentric groups of ladies and men and reportedly made him feel more or less like a fresh steak being eyed up at the butchers than an elf preparing a long island iced tea, and she got the feeling that bitching about it helped him feel a lot better.
Meanwhile, as the second act began their final song, Lillix got the heads up from Lakrissa who was behind the curtain. She turned to Astarion to tell him but he just mouthed 'yes yes I know, go on'. It was almost sweet of him that she had to remember at his heart he was an arsehole who was going to tease her excitement as soon as she returned.
That final song wouldn't be a long one, so she quickened her pace. In the backroom she found the scroll of mirror image, which had already set to do basic tasks like take money and give drinks. Astarion could figure out the complicated things according to the boss so no need to add extras. Scrolls were far too valuable apparently. Second, she gave the band her list of songs, picked from a preapproved list. Third and final, and the most exciting part of it all, get dressed and made up. After setting up her mirror image and sending it out, she sat in the green room, preparing her eyeliner, eyeshadow, and even the little heart drawn on in eyeliner on her right cheekbone. Her brown shoulder length hair was styled with a side parting, brushing her hair over the left of her face and pinning the right behind her ear. Finally, just before her dress, she added a drop of her favourite perfume, scents of rose and sandalwood to entice the crowd’s senses. Sight, sound, smell, everything she needed to keep their attention.
With a final deep breath after getting dressed, she marched forward, living for the butterflies in her chest.
~ A ~
It was a good thing the bar was easy to run, because that mirror image of Lillix was more trouble than it was worth.
Sure it could pull pints easily enough but if it stayed too long with a customer it was more likely to throw a bottle of IPA than it was to carefully place a slice of lime in a drink. Not that some of the guests didn't deserve it sometimes (Astarion could see their sadistic leers a mile away) but it was just bad business when a customer had their suit or dress ruined by alcohol being poured over them, and they did tip well after all. You’d think with Gale’s skills in wizardry he’d be able to create a much better scroll, even if it was just to protect his staff from getting customer complaints. Thankfully he'd come up with a system wherein the mirror image would take drink orders, ready them by the side, then he would jump in and serve said drinks without them barrelling into guests faces.
None of the customers seemed to notice she was acting strange anyway so that was a plus. It was dressed the same as when she’d activated the scroll, black shirt and silver tie as per the uniform they were forced to wear, and her brown hair in a ponytail, and her blue eyes benefiting from some basic mascara. Not that she didn’t put effort into her appearance, but he did wonder if she avoided extra make-up to help protect her identity behind the bar. He knew how much she longed to sing regularly, and while he was sure most customers wouldn’t give a damn that she also worked the bar, he knew their manager Lakrissa wouldn’t appreciate it. She seemed to have some strange idea that the customers would judge her, which Astarion put down to paranoia, which in turn made him more frustrated that Lillix didn’t take advantage of this and ask for extra pay.
As he threw together a mojito-in-progress, he wondered which songs she'd be performing that evening. It was a nice change of pace to see someone's heart light up in their music, though telling her that would ruin any chance of teasing her about it. That ridiculous grumpy attitude she put on was one of the main perks of working together every other evening. The way she bit back at any little comment he made was hilarious - Gods it was a long night when Jenevelle covered her shift.
The bar began to quieten down once the band stopped playing, likely to organise themselves for the next set. Everyone was getting to their tables as the lights dropped low to the stage, and Lillix gently strolled on, gripping the microphone. If she was nervous, she certainly didn’t show it. Her face lit up in the spotlight; the smokey eyeshadow, the black lipstick, the long red velvet gloves and strapless red dress with a split down the side of her legs, showing off her glamourous black boots. The way the light sparkled against her eyes as the double bass kicked in and she held the mic close;
Never know how much I love you
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
You give me fever...
She was a performer through and through, there was no denying that. He could imagine the surprise some of those guests would have at finding out she was a filler act and had spent most of her life slaying monsters in the wilds of the sword coast. And now here she was, living the life she deserved, if only for a short while.
From the moment she took the stage to the way she warmed the room with her sultry voice, a smile crept onto Astarion’s face. Some kind of blend between pride, and something else he couldn’t quite put his finger on. The way she constantly pushed herself to achieve her dream, to put herself out there and still find positives when the downsides came into play - in another life he could see himself getting frustrated and angry at such freedom, and maybe he was when they first met. But here they were a year or so later and he couldn’t help but appreciate her determination.
Sometimes he wondered if she would ever ask why he only worked the nightshift and never met up during the day. Why they never ate lunch at the same time, or why he preferred the closing shift when The Blushing Mermaid was just a few streets away in the lower city, pouring drunks out until the early morning. Sometimes he wondered if he’d tell her the truth.
~ * ~
Her set had been cut short by about 3 songs, but by Lillix's expression you'd think she'd been signed up on a 10 month contract. Every performance felt like a luxury to her, even if the process of cleaning the makeup off afterwards was arduous and time consuming. Lakrissa preferred it if the guests didn't realise a bartender was their filler act, something about it looking cheap. She should've been offended really, but she still had her head in the clouds about being chosen to perform, and the high of being gently cheered for by the crowd was enough to long for it again.
As she dispelled the mirror image and finally got back to her spot behind the bar, Astarion gave her a cheeky wink that made her smile.
"Care to handle that spill by the rum?" he asked, back to business, "And I believe table 13 wanted a new bottle of blush pinot. I'd handle it but I've got a couple of cosmos to knock up,"
"Sure," she said, grabbing a dishcloth. She was more than happy to clean up after what she assumed was her mirror image's mess, and heading to the fridge after having a spotlight in your face was more than refreshing, it was heavenly. She placed the bottle of blush pinot in a bucket of fresh ice and was just about to leave it at the server side when a new customer came up.
"Oh, nice to see you again!" she said, in that well practiced bartender voice, "It's Lorroakan isn't it?"
The gentleman wizard stood with a sly grin at her bar wearing some kind of combination of a black tie suit and robe, slicked back ginger hair, and what Lillix could only describe as an attempt at an intimidating aura. She didn't know it yet, but Astarion was listening intently as he sliced a few more orange peels.
"Yes, that's me; am I becoming that much of a repeat customer?" he replied, standing close to the bar and yet not choosing a stool to sit on.
"Nothing wrong with that," she smiled, "Is there anything I can get for you?"
"Oh no, nothing of the sort, I merely wanted to ask you a couple of questions,"
"Ah I see, is it about the later acts?" She responded. Astarion took a couple steps closer.
"Well," Lorroakan chuckled softly, "It's certainly about an act,"
Lillix began to remember Lorroakan more clearly the more he spoke. Of all the more wealthy regulars she and the waitstaff saw, most were there because of their high standards of care and quality drink selection. Others seemed to be there for specific acts, and soon became diligent in making reservations once they knew their favourite entertainers were booked in. Unfortunately, Lillix only remembered Lorroakan from the days when she performed - specifically her view from the stage.
"Sir, is this about our in-house mystery singer again? I'm afraid she doesn't stay long," Lillix replied. Her smile hid the sinking feeling in her stomach as she tried to think back to how many times she'd seen him before. She only remembered serving him once or twice, but he asked about her act before, and something at the back of her mind seemed to remember seeing him in the crowd when she was on stage.
The wizard leaned across the bar, "I think I remember you saying that last time as well. However, I am nothing if not persistent, and this mystery singer," he took a deep inhale, like he was trying to drink the alcohol through his nose from behind the bar, "She's certainly got my attention,"
Lillix stood, not sure of what to say other than, "I, uh- I'm sorry I can't be of more help,"
He grinned at her. There was something uneasy about it that Lillix just couldn't place, and it wasn't until Astarion placed an Old-Fashioned at the bar loudly in front of the wizard that she broke eye contact with him.
"On the house," the pale elf said, in a somewhat defensive tone. "Apologies that you couldn't get the information you needed, but we hope this will at least dull the pain,"
A sudden tension lay heavy in the air as Lorroakan sipped the drink, and Lillix found herself unable to look away. There was something about the way Astarion and Lorroakan stared each other down; in any other setting, they may as well have tossed drinks at each other, or at least thrown a punch.
"It's not bad," the wizard said, rolling the ice ball around the glass. "Fresh peel?"
"Only just cut," Astarion replied, "Feel free to take it back to your seat. Your server can always bring you another,"
"Hmm," he said, taking another sip. "Unfortunately, I have business elsewhere this evening. Though I would appreciate it if you could leave a message for me to your, 'mystery singer',"
"Of course,"
Lorroakan returned his gaze to Lillix as he put down his half finished drink, "Please let them know that I'd love to meet them later tonight if possible. I'll be in the area, easy to find"
"O-of course," Lillix stuttered a little. She watched as the wizard walked away exiting the building, and finally let out the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, "That's a first,"
"A first?" Astarion scoffed and rolled his eyes, "A first she says,"
"Look I only mean he's never been that forward before. The last few times I remember serving him, he only asked about the mystery singer, and sure he was a little pushy like "oh you must know sooommethingg" but that's all it ever was,"
"You know, I was hoping you weren't an idiot all along but for gods sake-"
"Hey!" They heard a loud whisper server side, and saw a few other waitstaff standing impatiently, "Can we put these orders in or do you two need more time to bicker?"
"Well since you asked so nicely," Astarion snapped quietly and got to work as the next act finally began.
~ * ~
"Darling you can't just keep putting up with that man. Eventually you're going to have to get security involved," Astarion said as they left out the back door of the bar hours later. 3am closers were always going to be rough, especially with only two of them. The establishment technically closed around 2 in the morning, but after cleaning and preparing for the crew the next day, it always ended up being closer to 3.
"He's not done anything to warrant it yet," Lillix replied with a sigh, "He's just a little pushy, and he's a high paying customer, probably just throwing his weight around. I doubt management would want him to be dissuaded by Karlach,"
"He literally leaned across the bar to sniff you to see if you had the same perfume as when you were performing,"
"Oh that's why he did that? I mean, it was creepy but honestly I thought he was sniffing the drinks, I'd forgotten I was wearing perfume. Plus, he didn't find out I was performing though, the mirror image spell was still active!"
"This is Lorroakan we're talking about Lillix," Astarion grumpily began locking the back door, his white curls in a tizzy, "He’s a powerful wizard who can probably quite easily work out the difference between a mirror image conjured by a scroll and the real deal walking about on stage. For all you know he's tracking down your address as we speak,"
"Oh don't be such a worrywart. He can't be as bad as you think, he might just be socially awkward and all this concern is for nothing. What's the worst that can happen?"
Astarion undid the top two buttons of his shirt and loosened his tie like he couldn't breathe for the denial of it all, "One of these days darling, I'm going to turn up to work only to find you mind controlled on the arm of some rich idiot, and I'm not even going to be able to revel in the I Told You So's because you'll be too busy being puppetted around like a doll,"
"Aww, you really do care Astarion," she teased, "I can take care of mysel-"
Lillix froze in her tracks as she turned into the backstreets and then immediately rewound to the door, back to the wall, trying to be as small as possible.
"He's waiting in the street isn't he?" Astarion sighed.
"Yep,"
"Are those his footsteps approaching?"
"Yep,"
"Did he actually see you?"
"I have no idea,"
"Gods Lillix," he groaned, "Well, you're getting no sympathy from me, you should've gotten Karlach involved while she was still here. You're not this dense!"
"You're not helping Astarion!" she hissed, frantically thinking of a way out. The door was locked, the streets were close-quarters, Lorroakan was in the way of the busier main street, and his damnable footsteps were getting closer. She had to think. Think!
"Sounds like he's getting close Lillix, you need to think of something soon," he taunted with raised eyebrows, hand on his hip like he was getting ready to watch a show. Any other time she'd give him a smartarse reply but the sound of brogues on cobbles were giving her heart palpitations. She'd give anything for him to shut his mouth.
Wait.
"Astarion," she said grabbing him by his tie, "Sorry in advance,"
Lillix pulled him into a kiss by the tie, and while initially shocked, he cottoned on to the plan, gently leaning her against the back wall. His hand cradled the side of her face, and without thinking, her hand which was holding his tie slowly explored up his shoulder, while the other hooked around his neck. She wondered if his shoulders had always been as pronounced, and as his other arm leaned on the wall beside her, her fingers slid up and became entangled in his soft silver curls. Her thumb brushed against the side of his ear and his tongue slipped into her mouth in a way she had never experienced. Lillix had almost forgotten about the sound of those brogues until-
"Tch. Elves. Should've known,"
Astarion and Lillix both tensed and as soon as the sound of those shoes were fading they broke apart like someone was about to tell them to leave room for the gods. Not only was she frazzled by the whole Lorroakan thing anyway, she absolutely did not have making out with her colleague on her to-do list and the suddenness of it all seemed to just dawn on her at that moment.
"Seriously?" Astarion scoffed in the direction of the wizard, "Racism? In this day and age?! I was under the impression we lived in Baldur's Gate, not some backwater shithole with ideas like- oh hello..." he stopped his rant halfway after noticing a glint of something between the cobbles the wizard walked away on, "What's this?"
"Did Lorroakan drop a gold piece or something?" Lillix half-heartedly joked, still feeling the anxious flutter in her chest.
"More than that darling," he said, turning back to her with teeth glinting in the moonlight, "if this is what I think it is, we'll not only be able to get back at that arsehole - you may never have to work behind that bar ever again,"