Celeste Social Link - The Moon 1

Grey Springs Town Center - Bar Luna

You walk into the bar through the heavy oaken door, the stained glass window making it impossible to see inside. The ceiling is low and the air inside is thick, though it smells quite pleasantly of old lacquered wood. The girl behind the bar spots you, and quickly waves you over.

Celeste

“There you are! You’re the new dishwasher, right? Goodness, I was hoping you could pass for 18… Maybe if people squint. Eh, whatever. Most people here are too drunk to notice you’re too young to work here anyways. Welcome on board! My name’s Celeste. You’re Yon, right?”

You nod. You hadn’t expected your new manager to call out the fact she hired someone too young to work at a bar so quickly, but at least it means she’s aware and she won’t fire you just because of that.

She shows you where everything is and puts you to work. You didn’t expect you’d be washing everything by hand, but it turns out that is what you’ll be doing. The sweet smell of liquor makes you feel a little nauseous at first, but you get used to it rather quickly. What you don’t get used to is how many customers try to hit on Celeste. You wonder if it bothers her, though she seems to play each one off effortlessly.

You have some time to talk when the time comes to close up.

Celeste

“So you recently moved here, huh? How are you finding it?”

This is a question you’ve been asked a dozen times at this point, so you give the same response as usual.

Celeste

“I guess there isn’t much to say for Grey Springs. It’s your standard small town. At least we’ve got a decent bus connection to the city.”

Celeste asks you a little bit about where you lived before, and if you’ve been to the city yet. You give her short answers; you’re very tired. It doesn’t take her long to catch on, and she tells you to go home a little early to catch up on some sleep. She advises you to take a nap before your next shift, but that she’s happy you’ve come to help out.

You feel a faint bond forming between you two.

Celeste Social Link - The Moon 2

You walk into the bar and Celeste excitedly waves you over. Once you get behind the bar she holds up a pack of cards, the backs are facing you. They're black, with intricate linework in gold.

Celeste

"Go on, pick one!"

Celeste: "The Fool. Don't be offended, it's actually a good card! Though I suppose all cards are up for interpretation..."

Celeste: "The Moon! What a coincidence, I actually pulled it myself earlier today."

Celeste: "The World, but it's upside down. I actually don't know what that means... The meaning of the card changes when it's inverted, you see."

She stares at the card for a little bit, before putting it on top of the rest of the deck and putting it away. She gives you an apologetic look.

Celeste

"I don't actually know how to read Tarot cards. I just think they look cool. I guess I'm a total poser. But it's still kind of fun to pull a card anyway, don't you think?"

Customers start coming in and you begin work. The card stays on your mind, it seems almost uncanny that you would pull one from the deck that actually means something to you. Ever since making the pact with Abramelin the Arcana have been given new meaning to you (though you have to admit to yourself you didn't think much of it before then), and you can't help but wonder if Celeste picking cards for fun actually influences her life without her knowing.

It's a quiet evening, and clean up doesn't take long. After the last customer has gone home, Celeste turns to you, leaning her elbows on the edge of the bar.

Celeste

"Hey sleepyhead. You look like you've got your head in the clouds, what's on your mind?"

You tell her that you've been thinking about the cards (without mentioning the supernatural aspects, of course).

Celeste

"I didn't take you for a spiritual type!" She picks up the deck again, and studies the cards. "I honestly just picked this deck because I think the illustrations are pretty. I've been meaning to learn what all the cards mean and memorize it, but I haven't found the time to do it." she sighs. "To be fair, I kind of only use them as a neat party trick. Do you think that's disrespectful?"

You say you're not really sure. To your knowledge the cards aren't associated with a specific religion, so it's probably not offensive to use the cards that way. You begin to wonder if you should learn more about them; if that would help you in the Other World.

Celeste

"I think I read somewhere they started of as playing cards for a game. Kind of like ouija boards are originally just a toy, but now people really try to use them to talk to ghosts. Have you ever done that before? I did that once at a party too, but it was a total bust." She rolls her eyes. "People just moved the planchette to spell out nonsense or ask dirty questions. Then again, I don't know what I expected people to do at a party. It's not like anyone would take it seriously in a context like that."

You ask her why she used a ouija board if she knew it's just a toy. It sounded like she thought it might actually work. She gives a slightly awkward chuckle.

Celeste

"I mean... I'm not sure. I guess I don't believe the board itself does anything, but maybe if you try to talk to spirits, they might respond, you know? I've heard things about spirits feeding on your energy to sustain themselves, to stay in our world, so maybe the board doesn't do anything but just trying to talk to a spirit is enough to bring them to you." she turns a little pink. "So... Maybe I believe spirit boards work, just not in the sense people usually think they do."

You say you think it might be fun to try sometime, simply because you never have. You don't know if you believe they work, but the experience might still be exciting.

Celeste

"Oh! I still got mine lying around somewhere in my apartment, I'll try to dig it out! We could do it here after work!" She sounds far more excited than you'd expected. It makes you feel happy about having suggested it.

You both look at the clock and realise it is far later than you expected. You hurriedly say goodbye to Celeste as you make your way home. You wonder if she will bring the board for your next shift.

Celeste Social Link - The Moon 3

You close the door to the bar behind you, feeling kind of excited about the idea of using a spirit board with Celeste after your shift. You don't bring it up with her however, as you don't want her to think you're too excited. You don't want her to think you're a dork. The shift passes as normal, you wash many glasses and Celeste prepares many drinks. About half an hour before closing a young man enters the bar and sits right in front of Celeste. Your station faces away from the bar, so you can't see him, but you hear him occassionally chat to Celeste as she continues to serve other customers. His voice sounds familiar, but you can't place it. (note: this Social Link plays out slightly differently depending on if you also work at the convenience store. I've written this link with the idea that you are, and that you've completed at least the first Social Link associated with working there.) When your shift is over and you've cleaned and put away the last glass, you turn around to talk to Celeste. To your surprise you find the customer at the bar is still there, and it's Gabriel, the manager of the convenience store. He looks at you with slight alarm, before his expression turns to his usual haughtiness. Gabriel "You work here, too? Are you a fan of evening shifts, or something?" Celeste "He's in school, Angelface! When else is he supposed to work?" You fail to supress a snicker. Gabriel is staring daggers at you. Angelface...? Celeste calls Gabriel "Angelface"??? Gabriel "Isn't he too young to work at a bar," he stammers. His face is so red it almost matches the shirt he is wearing. He's not looking at you, or Celeste. You think he would rather disappear, but since he can't, he's trying to steer away from the subject of his embarrassing nickname. Celeste "He is, actually. But I know you won't rat me out to the higher ups, right? All I have him do is wash dishes, he doesn't even touch any of the bottles. Besides, don't you shove your little crony into a closet every time inspection comes around?" Gabriel clears his throat. He seems to be regaining his composure somewhat. Gabriel "That's true, though Julian's sixteen now, so I don't have to hide him anymore. But he's short so I'm worried they might think he's too young, anyway." Celeste laughs. You can tell Gabriel feels a little relieved at that. Celeste "That's mean! You shouldn't do that to him. If they're worried about his age you've got his ID on file, right?" she turns to you. "I'd never shove you into a closet. I'm too nice for that, unlike Gabriel over here." Gabriel "I'm just careful, that's all." He looks at you again. "Isn't his shift over? Shouldn't he go home? Doesn't he have school in the morning?" Every question feels as if he's trying to push you out of the door. It makes you want to stay longer. You ask Celeste about the ouija board. Celeste "Oh yeah! I actually brought it in earlier, because I didn't want to forget about it. Do you want to try it now?" Gabriel rolls his eyes. "Don't tell me you believe in this nonsense." Celeste "Aw, don't be so joyless, it'll be fun!" She takes the board out from under the bar and puts it down on one of the nearby tables. She gestures you to join her. Gabriel does as well, despite his obvious distate for the game. Celeste "Okay, it's pretty simple. You just all put a finger on the planchette, and then you ask a question. Oh, and we gotta say goodbye at the end.