Lily gazed up at the galaxy of fish. “The sky’s my favorite thing about the Lotus.”
“The Lotus?” Raya struggled not to be entranced by the lights swimming in her eyes.
“The Elsewhere Express’s award-winning rice wine bar.” Lily grinned. “It’s one of the most popular cars on the train.”
“We’re at a bar?” Raya tore her eyes from the sky. “You said that we were headed to the passenger orientation.”
“We are, but the welcome drinks are part of our boarding tradition. I didn’t want you to miss out.”
Raya planted her hands on her hips and groaned. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“You’ll love the cocktails here.” Lily picked up a black ceramic rice wine bottle lying on its side on a nearby table. “Let me just put this door back in place first,” she said, righting the bottle. “It’s one of the few on the train that doesn’t wander around. I think it knows that the view of the sky doesn’t get much better than this. This door usually takes the shape of a bottle, but occasionally, it shifts into a vase or bowl depending on its mood.” Lily held the bottle to her ear, nodding to music only she could hear. “And it likes to sing love songs.”
Raya folded her arms over her chest, stopping herself from trying to catch a note. “Look, I really don’t feel like having a drink right now. Since you’ve already found the door, why don’t we just use it and head to wherever we’re supposed to have the orientation?”
“You can’t exit the Lotus through this door.” Lily set the bottle down. “The train’s doors only work in one direction.”
“Of course.” Raya sighed. “How efficient.”
“Good evening, ladies, what can I get you tonight?” A voice, effervescent like a vodka tonic, drifted over Raya’s shoulder.
Raya spun its way.
A smiling spindly young man in a smart dark shirt and matching vest walked up to a long granite counter. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing the host of angels tattooed in black and white over his arms. The tip of a wing curled up on his neck behind his collar. “Welcome to the Lotus.” He rested his palms on the counter. “I’m Aki, your bartender this evening.”
“Aki, this is Ms. Sia,” Lily said. “Our newest passenger.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sia.” Aki poured a milky white liquid from a gold makgeolli kettle into a cocktail shaker with ice. “Please, make yourself comfortable.” He gestured to the red barstools in front of the counter, exposing the golden knot twisting over his palm.
Raya slid onto one of the stools without saying a word. If she had met Aki at any other bar, she would have forgotten him as soon as she had paid her tab. Aki was stylish, but not original; friendly, but not obtrusive; personable, but seamlessly blended into the bar’s décor. He suited his job perfectly. It was always better if you couldn’t remember the face of the person you poured sorrows out to over too many shots of tequila. It was the same reason priests hid behind a confessional box’s screen. But Raya had met Aki inside a giant lotus flower beneath a purple sky, a place where the mundane and forgettable stood out. The utterly ordinary bartender made everything around her feel stranger.
“Can I offer you a makgeolli margarita?” Aki said. “We also have an excellent selection of tapuey, sake, brem, sato, and Shaoxing wine, if you’d like to try something else.”
Lily hopped onto the stool next to Raya’s. “Aki also distills his own spirits. Happiness, melancholy, restlessness. Name it. He won’t tell me what he mixes into his pear-ginger saketini, but whatever it is, it’s incredible. My guess is that it’s a jigger of calm.”
“Sorry, it’s a trade secret.” Aki winked. “But speaking of ginger”—Aki eyed Lily’s hair—“I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen you as a redhead.”
“My choices were rather limited this evening,” Lily said. “But I do love the scent of her shampoo. And her name.”
Aki set a bowl of spicy lotus root crisps on the counter. “What isit?”
“Lily.”
Raya stiffened. “I thought you were Lily.”
“I am. For now.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Raya jumped off the barstool. Names were important. They told you and others who you were. When she called herself “Hiraya,” she had been a dream come true. When she dropped her old name, she had acknowledged her failure to live up to everything she was meant to be. People lied about many things, but those who lied about who they were were the worst of them. You could not trust anyone who did not own their misery. “If you aren’t really Lily, then who are you? What else are you lying about?”
Aki and Lily exchanged small smiles.
Raya glared at them. “Did I say something funny?”
“I’m sorry,” Aki said. “I just remembered that I said exactly the same thing to Lily when I boarded. Lily wasn’t Lily then, of course.” He looked at her, rubbing his chin. “I think you were ‘Felipe’ that evening. Or was it ‘Fred’?”
“I’ve had so many names. I honestly can’t remember.” Lily turned to Raya. “I told you who I am, Ms. Sia. Tonight, my name is Lily. Tomorrow evening, when I welcome the train’s next passenger, it will be something else. What people call me doesn’t matter. I’m the conductor of this train, whatever my name is.” She reaffixed her smile. “Have you decided what you’d like to drink?”
“I don’t want a damn drink.” Raya slammed her fist on the counter, rattling the bowl of lotus crisps. “I want answers.”
