"If you aren't going to show, you could at least call to let me know," Nikita grumbled under his breath, wishing that somehow the words would be carried on some telepathic wind and drilled into his 8 PM appointment's head. It was bare minimim courtesy. He could have been home, or at the Celeste, or at some bar, and instead he was packing up his station for the night after waiting a whole extra hour for this idiot to show up.

The other barbers had already gone home, so now the burden fell to him to make sure everything was sound and the parlor was locked up, a responsibility he did not plan on having tonight. Was it hard to lock up for the night? No. But it was the principle of it. He hadn't expected this to be his problem, and now it was, and now he was irritable over it.

After putting away his own equipment and checking the other barbers' stations for any overnight hazards, he made his way to the front doors with keys in hand. This was not how he wanted to start his weekend, but it wasn't anything some drinks and good company couldn't fix.