Chapter Text
Underneath the city lights / There is a world few know about / Where rules don't apply, no / And you can't keep a good girl down…
"Name?"
"Peridot Castillo." A pause. A scribble.
"Age?"
"Twenty-three in August."
"Education?"
"I'm eighty percent done with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Empire State." A raised eyebrow.
"Have you ever tended a bar before, Miss Castillo?"
"...no."
Another scribble. Somewhere in the far side of the building, a door opened and shut with a resounding bang.
"Are you a fast learner?"
"Absolutely."
"Personable?"
"I think so?" A low chuckle. For the first time in what felt like hours, the woman before her raised her eyes from the clipboard in her hands and met Peridot's worried gaze. Peridot stared right back at her, transfixed by her multi-colored eyes and darkly painted lips. The corner of the woman's mouth quirked upwards.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes!" Peridot squeaked. Her cheeks went a dark crimson and her eyes widened. "I'm sorry, miss--"
"Garnet," the woman supplied, holding out her hand. "You can call me Garnet."
"Garnet," Peridot responded, taking her hand in her much smaller one. "I'm just... am I still in the running for the job if I say you're just very pretty?" Garnet's smile widened as she let out a low laugh, clicking her nails along the tabletop. She brushed the scarf holding her hair back over her shoulder and flicked an errant curl from her burgundy-red eye.
"Of course you are, Peridot. Now, tell me... what brings you to the Crystal Temple Burlesque Club?" Peridot gulped and fiddled with her fingers on the table, twisting them together. What was she doing there? Her eyes flicked to the light pink flyer she had brought with her, sitting beside Garnet's folded hands on the small table. Bartender wanted. No experience necessary. Must be available nights and weekends. Serious inquiries only.
"Uh," Peridot began, quite inelegantly. "I'm taking some time off from my engineering program due to some, er, difficulties, so I thought I could use this opportunity to pick up a new skill set... while also paying rent?" Peridot raised her eyebrows and gave what she hoped was a half-hearted shrug that implied you know what I mean? But she had no idea if it translated. Garnet's expression remained unchanged.
"There are hundreds, probably thousands of bars all over Empire City," Garnet said in response, burgundy-red and deep-sea-blue eyes fluttering to the flyer and then back to Peridot. "What brought you here, specifically?" Peridot glanced down at her fidgety hands again, then looked up over the grandiose theater. A stately bar lined the back wall of the room, polished, solid wood with fully stocked shelves. Dozens of small round tables with plush seats littered the floor, each one with a small central lamp, all circling a raised stage with a rich magenta-colored curtain dusting it. Garnet followed Peridot's mental tour of the building.
"I... feel a lot more comfortable around.... women," Peridot answered finally as she tore her eyes away from the rose insignia on the center of the curtain. "I know traditional bartending is kind of bogged down in toxic masculinity and general misogyny, so I thought it'd be... nicer here. Since it's, well--"
"A lesbian burlesque club?" Garnet answered, dead-pan. Peridot flushed and said nothing. This club was within the three-block radius known as the Gay Village, after all.
After what felt like hours but was actually thirty seconds, Garnet flashed a brilliant smile.
"I think you'll make a great addition to our staff, Peridot," she said, eyes softening. Peridot blinked in surprise.
"R-really?" she asked as Garnet unhooked a piece of paper from her clipboard. "Just like that?"
"Just like that," Garnet responded, sliding the paper and a pen over to Peridot. "I tend to have a knack for knowing these things. Just fill out this application so it can be all squared away, nice and legal."
"Sure, I guess," Peridot said, pushing her glasses back up her nose. Her nervous sweating was making them slide down more than usual. Garnet didn't reply. Instead, she stood from the small table and walked over to the bar, running her fingers over its wooden surface. She clicked her tongue and pocketed her hands, slowly walking its length.
"Now, there are a few things you should know about the Crystal Temple Club before starting," Garnet started as she looked out across the room, heeled boots clicking against the tile floor. Peridot glanced up from her application, squinting in the dim light.
"First of all, this is a safe space for all of our employees. Dancers, bartenders, musicians, you name it." Garnet stopped at the center of the bar and hopped over to the other side, leaning on her forearms. The mirrored aviators hanging from her shirt hem dragged against the counter. "If at any time a customer makes you feel uncomfortable, or another employee, you let management know. Got it?"
"Yes!" Peridot chirped.
"That leads me to my next point," Garnet continued. "This one is very important. A lot of the girls here have come from places that are... less than savory." Garnet lowered her gaze to the counter, then looked back up at Peridot. "We have some girls who came here without a cent or a family to call their own. Some of the girls might not want to talk to you at first; some might never come around to you. You have to understand it's nothing personal. Also..." Garnet trailed off. "We have a rule about names."
"Names?" Peridot asked, looking up once more from her application. "What do you mean?" Garnet smiled.
"When I introduced myself," the elder woman said, "I said you can call me Garnet." Peridot pursed her lips and stared at her. Garnet just gave her head a tilt, earrings flashing in the dim light.
What does she mean? she wondered. She just said her name was--
Oh.
"...is that not your real name?" Peridot asked. Garnet shook her head.
"The owner was the one who started it," she explained. "She thought it was a fun gimmick; everyone has a gemstone nickname. But it became much more than that -- some people really took it to heart. Some of the girls adopted their gem name as their new name because they were trying to escape from something that their old name implicated. A way to... start over. The rule is: the name you are told is the name you use, no questions asked." Peridot swallowed and looked down at her application, her name written in her strange scrawl across the top. "I'm assuming your given name is actually Peridot?"
"Yeah," Peridot stammered. "I was named that 'cause I was born in August. My parents were not... super creative. Is that why you paused when asking me questions before?"
"Mhm," Garnet offered, fingers curling over her elbows. "Not everyone uses the nicknames, but most do. You're free to use your given name, since it does fit the theme; however, if you want something else, we have a list of unused names you can take, too. Most of the popular gemstones are taken by now but, there are some interesting ones in there."
"I think I'll stick with Peridot," Peridot answered. She shrugged. "No one will know it's my real name, right?"
"True," Garnet said. "Those are the two most important things to know about us here. Are you still interested in joining us?" Peridot bit her lower lip and scanned the room again. It's now or never, she thought to herself. If you actually want to do this, this is definitely going to be the best place.
"Er, yes," Peridot responded, bringing her gaze to face Garnet. Garnet raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"Good," she replied. She glanced down at the watch on her right wrist and clicked her tongue. "It's almost eleven, the dancers should be starting rehearsal soon. Have you finished with that?" She flicked her wrist in Peridot's direction.
"Oh, uh, yeah," Peridot answered, and she stood from her seat and wandered over to the bar. "Here."
"Excellent," Garnet said, folding it up and slipping it into her pocket. "Now, you can leave after meeting with the owner, Rose. She should be here by now but she always meets with the dancers and the band before rehearsal. Of course, if you'd like to stay for rehearsal, you certainly may. I'm going to be working on your training schedule."
"Stay? Wait--really?" Peridot stammered, her face immediately going red once again. Garnet couldn't help but be endeared.
"As long as the girls don't mind, of course. Have you ever seen a burlesque show?" Peridot shook her head.
"I've heard of them," she admitted, face still bright red. "But never seen one. That's kind of... another reason why I came here." Garnet let out a low laugh.
"You wouldn't be the first," she admitted. "Don't worry, you'll have it all memorized in no time at all. Our girls are very talented." She pulled another clipboard out from under the bar just as a rustling came from behind Peridot. She turned to see a large woman with voluminous pink curly hair all pulled back in a white ribbon came bursting through the curtain, followed by a much smaller petite woman who could have easily passed for a teenager, but had a frantic look on her face.
"--and I don't think it's going to work very well, but it's Amethyst, and well, Rose, you know how she is--"
"Pearl," the other woman interrupted in a soft voice, "it will be fine." The petite woman, Pearl, stopped at the edge of the stage, where Peridot noticed she was barefoot. She was wearing running shorts over a pale blue leotard, and carrying a black velvet satchel over her shoulder. Her face was screwed into a frustrated grimace and she hopped down so she was sitting on the edge of the stage, her long legs dangling. She was mumbling to herself as she rummaged through the velvet bag. The larger woman was standing beside Pearl, looking up above the bar into what appeared to be a small sound booth. Peridot followed her gaze and noticed she was staring at the two spotlights situated on either side of the booth.
"Amethyst won't end up doing it, Pearl," Garnet called from behind the bar, still looking down at her clipboard. Peridot jumped in surprise; she'd already forgotten Garnet was still behind her. Pearl peered out into the dark club, squinting.
"Garnet? Are you in here?" she called. Her eyes suddenly widened in alarm as she noticed Peridot. "And who is that?"
"New bartender," Garnet replied. "Pearl, meet Peridot. Peridot, Pearl."
"Oh!" the pink-haired woman said. "A new bartender!" She excitedly hiked up her skirt and ran backstage, only to emerge from a small side door underneath the band platform and run up to Peridot. "Hello, dear. Peridot, was it?"
"Yes, ma'am," Peridot responded, suddenly very intimidated by this woman. She was easily over six feet tall, and it was quite possible she had as much hair as Peridot had body mass. At five-foot-one inch, she didn't exactly cut an imposing figure.
The woman had bright eyes and the kindest smile Peridot had ever seen. She was wearing what appeared to be an old band t-shirt tucked into a high-waisted frilly tulle skirt that reached her ankles. Her feet were also bare, just like Pearl's. She was as beautiful as she was intimidating, and Peridot could feel her cheeks heating up again.
"Oh, you don't have to 'ma'am' me! Please, call me Rose Quartz. You can also just call me Rose, most of the other girls do." She held out her hand and as Peridot took it, she noticed a very shiny ring on her left ring finger. "Welcome to my club. I hope you enjoy working with us here."
"Thank you for having me," Peridot replied. "I, uh, I hope I don't let you down."
"Of course not," Rose said, smiling. She laid a large hand on Peridot's shoulder and squeezed gently in a way that could only be described as motherly. "Would you like to stay for rehearsal?" Peridot glanced back at the stage where Pearl was giving her an odd look. A few others had joined her on stage; a taller woman with long white-blonde hair was sitting beside Pearl, speaking to her quietly, and a somehow even taller woman with rainbow colored highlights and pink leg warmers was standing behind them, fiddling with a microphone stand. It was then that Peridot noticed what was in Pearl's velvet bag - a pair of four-inch platform stiletto heels. They were strapped around Pearl's ankles and were covered in shiny teal satin.
"I think I should probably get back to my apartment," Peridot mumbled, eyes still on the women on stage. Pearl hopped to her feet and strode around the stage as if she were still in bare feet, heels clicking with confidence; Peridot had only seen such strides in movies. "My landlord wanted to see me about something." Rose's face fell but she nodded in understanding.
"You'll certainly see the performances enough over time. Garnet? Do you have Peridot's training schedule finished?" Rose called to the bar. Peridot followed the towering woman over.
"Right here," Garnet declared, handing over a slip of paper to Peridot. "We're going to have a bar tending boot-camp for the first few days, and then we're going to throw you into the ring for our Thursday night crowd." She rummaged around behind the bar and slapped a second piece of paper before Peridot. "And here's the performance schedule and our bar hours. Your shifts will mainly fall within these hours, so make sure you commit these to memory. All time off requests must be made two weeks in advance in writing, and are only requests until approved. When you come back tomorrow, make sure to bring your availability with you. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not actually a mind reader," Garnet finished with a grin. She glanced up over Peridot and gave a small nod to someone on stage. "Rose, it looks like you're needed up there."
"Oh, coming, gems!" Rose called. "It was just lovely to meet you, Peridot," she said, and with that, scurried away to join the dancers on stage. There was a sudden rat-a-tat-tat from Peridot's right and she noticed that the band appeared to be arriving as well. A short dark-skinned girl with a wild mane of lavender hair pulled back into a messy bun was sitting at the drum set, tapping the head of a drumstick against a snare. Her other hand was rotating in circles at her wrist, stopping once in a while for her to shake it out. Rat-a-tat-tat.
"That's Amethyst," Garnet said, following Peridot's gaze. "I'd advise leaving now lest you end up in a never-ending conversation with her."
"Okay," Peridot said, wondering if 'never-ending conversation' was good or bad. "Um, nice to meet you, Garnet." She stuffed the two papers into her bag and turned around to leave, taking one last glance to the stage when--
Her.
Peridot stopped in her tracks, her bag swinging absently against her leg, eyes wide as dinner plates and fixated on the last dancer to emerge from backstage.
A young woman, probably no older than Peridot herself, was standing tentatively upstage, staring inquisitively at a smartphone in her right hand. Her left hand was busy playing with a lock of electric blue hair that swept against her collarbone, somehow accentuating her shapely shoulders all the more for the color. Her skin was a rich copper, warm and sun-kissed, complimenting her toned arms and legs. She looked more like an athlete than a dancer, if Peridot was being honest with herself. She wore very short skin-tight black shorts, and a light blue crop top, which perfectly showed off a shiny belly ring on her navel. As she slowly made her way down stage, Peridot could see the faintest outlines of a tattoo on the top of her shoulder.
Wow, was all Peridot could think. This might be the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. In all her years of being a hopeless lesbian, Peridot wasn't sure she had ever seen someone who appealed to her quite as much as this person. She appeared to be close to six feet in height, and Peridot could only wonder how tall she'd get in her stilettos--
"--dot?" Peridot inhaled sharply as reality slammed into her all at once. Garnet had come up behind her and put her hand on her shoulder, startling Peridot out of her reverie. "Peridot? Are you alright?"
"YesI'mfine," Peridot mumbled, giving what she hoped was a casual smile. She could feel it was more like a grimace. "I was just, um, looking around a bit more! Since some of the lights are on!" she squeaked. Garnet glanced up at the stage where the dancers were standing in a loose circle, listening to Rose speak.
"She goes by Lapis Lazuli," Garnet said in a low voice. "Lapis normally." She gave Peridot's shoulder a squeeze. "Weren't you meeting with your landlord...?" Peridot's eyes bugged behind her glasses.
"Oh, sh-- you're right, I am," she muttered, and she hoisted her messenger bag higher onto her shoulder, momentarily forgetting about her own embarrassment and the fact Garnet noticed her ogling Lapis. "Ten a.m. tomorrow, right?"
"I'll see you then," Garnet said, and she gave a small wave as Peridot high-tailed it out of the club.
What on earth have I gotten myself into? Peridot wondered as she ran the entire five blocks home.
She was so preoccupied with thoughts of the mysterious Lapis Lazuli during her meeting with her landlord she hadn't even noticed that the tiny angry elderly lady had agreed to the two-week rent extension.
"Miss Castillo, are you even listening?" Nanefua asked, glaring upwards at Peridot. Peridot nodded absently, and then remembered she was supposed to be acting very grateful.
"Yes. Yes! I am, and I'm very appreciative," Peridot gleaned. "Once I get my first paycheck, I promise I'll be able to make it in full. And then every month going forward, it'll be completely on-time." Nanefua clicked her tongue but patted Peridot's hand affectionately.
"You're lucky you're such a good girl," she said. "And that your roommate is such a sweet thing. The two of you remind me of my granddaughters so much sometimes!" Peridot gave a weak smile and pulled her hand out of Nanefua's iron grip.
"Thanks, Nanefua, this really means a lot to me," Peridot said as she stood to leave. "Two weeks, in cash." Peridot made her leave and dashed up the narrow flight of stairs to her tiny two-bedroom apartment overlooking the alley. The apartment opened right into a small living room that stretched into a hallway, where her room was on one end, her roommate, Sadie's was on the other, and between the two was the kitchen, the only other shared space. Peridot kicked off her sneakers by the door and flopped down on the chair by the far wall, suddenly exhausted. It was just twelve-thirty now.
"Peridot, is that you?" a voice called, and Sadie appeared at the opening of the living room. She was already in her work uniform and brushing her teeth.
"Hi, Sadie," Peridot said, leaning her head back over the chair. She ran her fingers through her gelled blonde hair, trying to look a little less frazzled than she felt. "I got a job and Nanefua is giving me a two-week rent extension." Sadie beamed through a mouthful of toothpaste, and disappeared for a moment to spit it out.
"That's great!" she called from the bathroom. She reappeared, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "The club on BC Boulevard?"
"Yes, that's the one," Peridot said, cracking her knuckles impulsively. "The, er, burlesque club." Sadie giggled and raised her eyebrows.
"Oh, well. Did you get to take in a show?" she asked as she sat on the semi-broken futon beside Peridot. Peridot's cheeks darkened and she rolled her eyes.
"Of course not, Sadie, it was like, ten a.m. They're open at..." Peridot rummaged in her bag for the papers Garnet had given her. "...seven. They open at seven. On... Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, apparently. Open at six on Saturdays."
"That's it?" Sadie said, leaning over and taking the paper from her hands. "Wow, all the other clubs on BC Boulevard are open way more. No wonder I hadn't heard of this place." Peridot eyed her roommate suspiciously.
"How do you know the schedules of the clubs over there?" she asked as Sadie handed it over. Sadie stood and sidled into the kitchen, filling her water bottle in the sink.
"Oh, Lars," she said simply. "He spent a lot of time at the student center on Ocean Town Ave when he was in high school. Some of the counselors told some lurid tales, I heard." Peridot snickered despite herself but looked back down at the paper in her hands. Now that she thought about it, the other clubs were open a lot more. Seven p.m. to two a.m. Wednesday through Saturday; not open Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. She'd be getting paid through her "boot camp" but then what? Even if she worked every single day they were open at every hour, it still wasn't "full time".
Well, at least it's a good opportunity to learn bartending, she thought to herself. As if reading her mind, Sadie paused in packing up her work bag to look up at her roommate.
"Why do you want to be a bartender, again?" Sadie asked, eyebrows quirked. "Aren't you in school for engineering? Doesn't that pay pretty well?" Peridot quickly averted her gaze back down to the papers in her lap.
"It's.... interesting," she offered. "Besides, it's good to have customer service skills, right? I'm terrible at retail, and every other aspect of food service sounds... unappealing." Besides, bartending is where the real money is, she thought to herself. Since I may never be able to finish my degree anyway. Sadie accepted the answer with a shrug as she tugged on her boots and headed for the door.
"See ya, Peridot," she said, giving a small wave and disappearing. Peridot raised three fingers and watched the door swing shut. She figured she should probably eat something, but instead kept staring at the flyer. The Crystal Temple Burlesque Club. A club catered extensively to women, by women. A place she might feel somewhat comfortable for once.
It also happened to be the home of the first woman Peridot found herself unabashedly attracted to in a long time.
"Well," Peridot said, more to the apartment than herself, "here goes nothing."