Rinko & Nemuri go looking for Maiko, pt. 1

Somnambulist  	God, leave it to Nemuri to be running late the one time she actually needs to be somewhere on time. At least she's good at running long distances in heels. "Excuse me. Excuse—please move," she says, the brunette hurriedly shoving her way past crowds of pedestrians. Hugging her purse close, she continues to make a beeline for the bar while trying not to think about how much easier this would be if she were in full costume. It's not her fault that she's late – not completely, anyway. Her cab had ended up breaking down roughly ten minutes away from her intended destination, and she'd been hoofing it since then. Spying Rinko at the entrance to the bar, she breaks into a seven-second sprint that puts her within earshot of the other woman. "Rinko-chan!" Waving to grab her attention, she slows to a stop and tries very hard not to look too winded (because that would imply that she's getting old, which she IS NOT). "I'm – my cab," she says, a hand propped against her upper thigh. "I'm sorry."

Rinko Kekuchi  	Rinko turns, immediately facing the sound of Nemuri's voice, and brightens. "Ah, Nemuri-chan!" The other heroine, Rinko is pleased to note, is dressed casually. Rinko sweeps her up into a hug. "Aaaa, you're fine! I've only been here a few minutes." A lie, but... not one that needs to be dwelled on— not when stress and worry drove her out of bed so early, in spite of margarita-fueled hangover.
  	When Maiko had failed to show, Risa had tried calling her— to no avail. And when Rinko had failed to pick up, the teen had finally gone home, leaving Haru and Kohaku in favor of... yelling her older sister awake. Rinko, of course, had been less than thrilled — Toyo, too — but after Risa explained... Rinko had sat up as if she'd been shocked. Had it been anyone else, she would have thought maybe, maybe they had just met someone on the way back and spent the night there. But it wasn't. This was Maiko— responsible, Mom of the Year Maiko. She would have never passed up on going home to her kid and brother for a, a— a booty call.
  	They had to find her. Rinko looks to the bar's entrance and steels herself. "Okay. You remember the plan?"

Somnambulist  	Very nearly swept off her feet, Nemuri eagerly reciprocates the woman's embrace. "Ah. Good, that's good. I'm glad I didn't keep you waiting for too long." Absently tucking a few strands of jet-black hair behind her ear, her opposite hand comes to rest against her hip. Slowly, the small smile tugging at her lips would give way to a look of moderate concern as she turns to stare at the bar's exterior. "… I've tried calling her every couple of hours to see if maybe we're just being paranoid." She sighs. "No dice." Fishing her phone out of her purse, she puts it on silent before dropping it back in. "Yep. We're gonna go in, give 'em the old one-two, and we'll be gone before they even realize what's happened." Chuckling softly, she takes in Rinko's appearance and hums in approval before motioning for her to follow along.

Rinko Kekuchi  	With both of them ready, Rinko squares her shoulders, lifts her chin, and follows. As soon as they enter, she takes in the room; like most places tended to, the bar had a different vibe to it during the day— slower, sleepier, a quality contributed by the lower number of patrons around, drinking and minding their own business. Jackets slung over chairs. Glasses half empty. Heads— for the most part— down, unless eyes were turned to the flatscreen behind the bar. Gaze narrowing on the man leaning against the counter, Rinko leans in towards Nemuri. "...The bartender," she finally murmurs. "I think he was working with Toyo last night." Granted, she had been drunk, but... "Let's go over there."

Somnambulist  	Settling a hand against the small of Rinko's back, she leans in and then acknowledges her suggestion with a small, curt nod. Gently nudging her toward the bar, she catches the bartender's eye and gives him a wink. "And the line's been cast," she says, chuckling. Plucking a double-sided menu from one of the nearby tables, she's giving it a contemplative look while settling into the stool next to Rinko's. "Excuse me," she says, waving over the bartender, "My friend and I are having a hard time deciding on what to order." She gently nudges her friend's side. "But we're open to suggestions. Do you have any recommendations?" Being that this is far from her first time doing this, she's able to build a decent rapport with the bartender in a relatively short amount of time.

/me Nemuri isn't wrong; before long, the bartender —a hefty old guy in his late fifties to early sixties, with a bored, craggy face— is easily charmed into a chat that hardly needs any help from Rinko. They broach the subject, posing as two women simply looking for a missing girlfriend. As it turns out, he hadn't seen who had picked up Maiko (she'd left his line of sight as soon as she had exited the bar, he admitted), but he remembered one of the new servers taking their break out front just minutes before; he didn't remember their name, but if they would just let him check last night's roster... Rinko watches him with bated breath.

Rinko Kekuchi  	Nemuri isn't wrong; before long, the bartender —a hefty old guy in his late fifties to early sixties, with a bored, craggy face— is easily charmed into a chat that hardly needs any help from Rinko. They broach the subject, posing as two women simply looking for a missing girlfriend. As it turns out, he hadn't seen who had picked up Maiko (she'd left his line of sight as soon as she had exited the bar, he admitted), but he remembered one of the new servers taking their break out front just minutes before; he didn't remember their name, but if they would just let him check last night's roster... Rinko watches him with bated breath.
  	After a minute, he straightens. "Tanaka! He might know. But he doesn't come in until later tonight, though." Rinko deflates. She exchanges a hesitant look with Nemuri. As much as it pained her to say it... "We could come back later. If that's alright?" It isn't, not really, but at least they had something to follow. It's better than nothing. Luckily, Nemuri agrees. "Looking outside the bar is an option, too," she points out. "We could ask around..." 'See whose security cameras might have filmed whatever happened next after Maiko went outside'. It all went unsaid, but like Nemuri, Rinko wasn't new to this, either; considering how often she's had to do it, looking at footage is almost a hobby for her at this point. Cheering up, Rinko nods.
  	With a bow, they bid the old bartender goodbye. Rinko waits until they're out of earshot to speak; "I could call in a favor and ask to look at nearby traffic cameras, too." She's worked enough with police to have befriended a few. Someone, surely, would let them.