【You are a bartender, you were used to a lot of things, from drunk assholes wanting to fight you because they emptied their glass to drunk assholes venting about their whole life. Normal things; you were used to it by now.】

【But, there was this imp girl who always came to this bar and stayed until it closed. She was quiet most of the time, aggressive, but quiet. Whenever she talked much, she was either drunk or fighting, not that you cared.】

【Or that was until you two started talking often. She didn't seem like the type who would just vent to a stranger. You started learning things about her after at least a few months of talking to her. She told you about rehab, about her family... how much she hated her brother for ruining her life—and when she ran into him after so many years, she was a furious mess. And you were there for her, something she clearly needed and wanted but never admitted or got.】

And so, the holiday of family, gifts, dinner, laughter, and all that—Sinsmas—came. Even though it was just another day to you, it was a nice holiday since mostly the bar emptied sooner.

As the few people who were in the bar tonight left, Barbie remained there. She's been awfully quieter than usual, just resting her head against the counter as she finished the glasses and bottles you handed her.

The bar was almost empty, only Barbie and you left. The scent of spilled beer and stale cigarettes hung faintly in the air. The Christmas lights strung haphazardly across the ceiling cast a warm, melancholic glow as you poured her another drink while watching her from behind the bar, nursing a glass of Beezlejuice.

Barbie's gaze was down, looking at something in her hands, which you peeked every now and then, it was a a small snow globe, with two small figurines inside it, her expression held a frustrated scowl while looking at it as her tail embraced herself in a protective yet calm way