Chapter 87: Aha: The Old Tavern Won't Let Me In, and Neither Will the New One; Was This Tavern Built for Nothing?
"This place doesn't care about logic, only about fun. No matter how outrageous something is, as long as there's fun to be had, everyone accepts it."
Stelle looked around the dimly lit, chaotic room. The gazes of the Masked Fools swept over them like erratic searchlights, lingering just long enough to be uncomfortable. Bizarre, disjointed laughter rose and fell from all directions, echoing off the walls in a dizzying wave of noise.
"What are they laughing at?" she asked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
"No idea." Rekka shrugged, his posture entirely relaxed amidst the madness. "Maybe they're laughing at the mask on your head."
Stelle instinctively reached up, her fingertips brushing the cold, smooth surface of the red mask resting on her face. It was Rekka's Fool mask. She knew it probably looked a bit comical paired with her usual deadpan expression, but surely a piece of painted wood wasn't enough to cause this much hysterical laughter.
"Don't they get tired of this?" Stelle frowned, reaching out to take the steaming mug of hot milk pushed across the counter by a bartender who was currently standing on the ceiling. "My jaws ache just looking at them."
Rekka shook his head, leaning against the bar. "Let's ignore them for now. We came to the tavern to find a Mourning Actor."
"Um... so, can we really find a Mourning Actor in a tavern?" Stelle took a slow sip of her milk. "Didn't they say Mourning Actors aren't allowed inside?"
"Even though Mourning Actors are officially banned from entering the tavern, if one really wanted to come, who could actually stop them?" Rekka countered, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Then how do we find them? We can't just go up to everyone and ask, 'Hello, are you a Mourning Actor?'" Stelle bumped Rekka's shoulder with her own. "We'd probably be laughed to death by this crowd... that would be so embarrassing."
"Weren't you the one who wasn't afraid of being laughed at for rummaging through trash cans in broad daylight?" Rekka stroked his chin, his gaze darting through the undulating crowd. "Mourning Actors advocate for strict asceticism. If one were really hiding here, they definitely wouldn't be laughing. Or, if they were forced to, their laugh would look worse than crying. We're looking for someone who looks particularly out of place... Look, over there. There's one."
He pointed toward a shadowy corner where a lone figure sat hunched over a table, their shoulders shaking in bizarre, disjointed spasms.
Rekka confidently approached the table, ready to uncover a hidden agent of sorrow. But after a brief, highly confusing chat, he awkwardly discovered the truth.
This person wasn't a Mourning Actor at all. They were just an ordinary, low-level employee of the Interstellar Peace Corporation.
The reason the man was laughing so abstractly, tears streaming down his face in a mix of hysteria and despair, was that he had just overheard someone at the next table talking about their planetary social benefits. The stranger had casually mentioned working four system hours a day and having two full days off a week.
Hearing that had simply broken the IPC grunt's mind.
That truly is... miserable, brother. Rekka patted the weeping corporate slave on the shoulder and quietly backed away.
"Do you think anyone has the ability to build a company on par with the Interstellar Peace Corporation?" Stelle asked as they handled their way back through the sea of cackling Fools.
Rekka glanced at her, genuinely considering the question. He thought about it seriously for a few steps before replying. "Yes. Couldn't our Express do it? March 7th can be the corporate mascot. Himeko and Mr. Yang are the reliable senior management. You're the spiritual leader, and Dan Heng can be the designated workaholic who carries the entire infrastructure."
Stelle's eyes lit up slightly. "That sounds pretty cool... It would be great if such a company really existed."
"Mhm."
"Do you think, in other worlds, everyone on the Express would be as close as we are..."
Rekka paused for a moment, the chaotic noise of the tavern fading into the background. He looked at Stelle and nodded firmly. "Yeah, they would be. An Astral Express Crew for a lifetime."
Although their grand plan to locate a hidden Mourning Actor had completely stalled, the two of them still felt they had gained quite a bit from the trip.
"I have a major decision to make."
Back on the Astral Express, Stelle stood at the head of the lounge area, delivering an important speech to the assembled crew.
"I want to change the name of the carriage, and the Conductor has already agreed."
Dan Heng looked up from his datapad. "Which carriage?"
"The Parlor Car. I think we can rename the Parlor Car to 'The Tavern.' After all, Shut-Up can mix drinks."
Himeko blinked, lowering her coffee cup. "What exactly have you two been up to?"
"Rekka and I went to the Masked Fools' tavern," Stelle explained, her tone completely flat. "But after going there, we realized it wasn't Elation-filled at all. It was just loud. So we talked it over and decided to build a New Tavern right here on the Express."
Himeko thought for a few seconds, her gaze shifting between Stelle's serious face and Rekka's proud grin.
"I don't have any objections," Himeko finally said, "but... might it attract some uninvited guests?"
"It's fine," Stelle replied instantly. "Everyone can just treat it like a stray dog coming onto the Express to play."
Pfft.
"And I've now deeply realized one thing," Stelle continued, pacing slightly. "The Elation content of our Astral Express easily surpasses those people at the tavern. It absolutely can, easily! Their Elation purity is just too low."
Rekka stepped forward, holding up a single finger to emphasize his point.
"Of course, since the old tavern doesn't let Mourning Actors in, we'll let them in. However, Masked Fools and Aha are strictly not allowed to enter."
"I don't object to changing the Parlor Car into a tavern," Himeko set down her cup, a wry smile touching her lips as she shook her head. "However, explicitly putting up a sign banning Aha and the Masked Fools while specifically welcoming Mourning Actors... I'm afraid the only people who will actually show up are the Masked Fools."
"True," Rekka rubbed his chin. "The more you don't let them in, the more they'll try to squeeze their way inside..."
Suddenly, Rekka went entirely rigid. His hand stopped halfway to his face, his eyes widening as he stared blankly at the ceiling.
Stelle noticed immediately. "What's wrong?"
"Aha was just talking to me."
Dan Heng nearly dropped his datapad. "What?"
"He said..." Rekka swallowed hard, his expression a mix of disbelief and sheer exasperation. "He said the Old Tavern says Aha and Mourning Actors are not allowed. And the New Tavern I'm planning says Aha and Masked Fools are not allowed. Before the New Tavern, Aha wasn't allowed in, and after the New Tavern, Aha still isn't allowed in. So wasn't this New Tavern built for fcking nothing?"
"Pfft." Stelle covered her mouth.
Apply for World Heritage status immediately. Captain Aha actually had a point.
"Then He started acting spoiled with me," Rekka complained, rubbing his temples as if fighting off a cosmic headache. "Saying that since I explicitly said He couldn't enter, He absolutely insisted on entering."
"Quite rebellious," Dan Heng noted dryly. He leaned against the back of the sofa, speaking up for once. "So, are we still opening the New Tavern?"
"Yes," Rekka said through gritted teeth, his competitive spirit flaring up. "We have to. And I'm going to hang that sign exactly as planned. I want to see how Aha tries to get in."
"What if He really does get in?" Stelle asked.
"Then I'll—" Rekka puffed up his chest, thought for a split second, and then completely lost his steam, his shoulders slumping. "Then I'll just buy Him a drink."
"That attitude changed way too fast," Dan Heng sighed.
"What else can I do?" Rekka threw his hands in the air. "What am I supposed to do to an Aeon? Punch Him?"
"Good awareness," Himeko nodded approvingly, taking another slow sip of her coffee. "So when do you plan to start renovating the Parlor Car?"
"Now." Rekka aggressively rolled up his sleeves. "While I'm still on the Path of Elation today and have some free time, let's get it done. If I change to a different Path tomorrow, I might not have the heart for this kind of nonsense."
The renovation of the Parlor Car went much more smoothly than anyone had anticipated.
Stelle and Dan Heng were responsible for the heavy lifting, while Rekka was entirely in charge of pointing at things and giving terrible directions.
"Move that cabinet a bit to the left," Rekka directed, waving a hand.
Dan Heng shifted the heavy oak cabinet. The wood scraped against the floorboards.
"Yes, yes. Further left."
Dan Heng pushed it another foot.
"Too far, a bit to the right."
Dan Heng paused. His jaw tightened slightly before he nudged it back.
"Actually, back to the left."
Dan Heng slowly turned his head, his piercing gaze locking onto Rekka with silent, lethal intent.
"Forget it, just leave it there," Rekka coughed, quickly looking away.
Within an hour, the original Parlor Car had been transformed into the likeness of a cozy, eccentric small tavern. The main bar remained, but a row of polished bar stools had been added. Small, intimate round tables were placed in the corners, and the walls were newly decorated with bizarre, mismatched items they had brought back from Jarilo-VI.
The most eye-catching addition, however, was the brand-new, hand-painted sign hanging prominently at the main door.
[Aha and Masked Fools Not Allowed Inside]
They waited. They watched the door.
Aha didn't show up.
Rekka slumped into one of the new bar stools, actually looking a little disappointed.
Sigh. Aha actually didn't come. He had been so sure the Aeon of Elation would immediately kick the door down just to prove a point.
Forget it. After all, Elation always did the exact opposite of what was expected. Just like how Rekka clearly avoided Aha when offering incense to the Aeons, yet Aha insisted on coming to play anyway. This time, he had openly provoked Aha, practically begging for a reaction, but Aha didn't budge an inch, acting as if nothing had happened at all.
However, amidst the excitement of the renovation, it seemed no one had noticed one tiny, crucial problem.
Down the hall, hanging on Rekka's bedroom door, was a painting of an Aha mask. It was just a painting. Not the actual, physical red Aha mask itself.
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