Candy_Kadosame

For most girls in the costumed services, the maid cafe is merely a first step: a highschool gig from which the most talented graduate to high-end clubs and casinos (assuming they aren't "expelled" into the Maru's cafe toilets). Those big-name joints elevate dress-up to an almost respectable profession — and while the costumes may be tight, the customers' pockets sure aren't. A girl can make more money delivering drinks in one night as a casino bunny than they'd make in a whole month as one of Maru's maids. There's a reason no girl worth her frill wears the black-and-white for long.

Candy's career has been unusual in that it seems to be going in reverse. Born to a casino boss and a coked-up showgirl, she was a blackjack bunny as soon as she was old enough to avoid raising eyebrows at CPS. By the time she was 17, she'd made more money from tips than most girls make in their first decade out of college — and that was without getting her tail wet. But with high pay comes high standards, and when teenage Candy hit her rebellious phase, her folks tossed her to the curb like a die at the craps table.

If she was playing poker, Candy would know well enough to fold. She can get by just fine without her parents, and she certainly doesn't need the money. But it's hard to walk away when you're in the hole, and Candy's just as hooked to casino life as any gambler. You can see it in her forlorn expression as she absentmindedly shuffles her lucky card deck on break.

Maru's offered a rickety ladder out of the hole. Here, she works her little tail off, treating customers to highlife sophistication at bargain prices. Maybe, just maybe, one of those customers will ask about her at Daddy's casino...you never know a whale 'til he pulls out his wallet, and the house will do anything to keep the big spenders happy — even hire back an estranged daughter.

It's a long shot, of course — no more likely than a jackpot on the slot floor. Yet people keep pulling the levers, and Candy keeps clocking in.

At Maru's, though, this bunny is putting up her life.