If you're giving credit to someone for an idea, who or what are you debiting?

[Varindar Asyt]

"No, I wasn't using Force-speed this time"

[member="Seo Linn"] probably had another methodology to perform Force-speed on land, but if Varindar was to use Force-speed in the water, the end result would be that she would be swimming even faster than a 15-second lap (assuming backstroke was in use). Perhaps the whole metabolism thing was a result of her reading that magazine that she appeared in when the hotel became hers to run, where they described what made certain meals a better deal for certain types of training regimens or swims in a meet. For Varindar, the tell-tale sign that she was, in fact, using Force-speed was her heartbeat getting louder and unnaturally fast. Maybe for someone else it would be different, but what is for sure is that, regardless of methodology, Force-speed would lead someone to get tired faster because the person's body was using energy unnaturally fast. And yet, she had to tell her what she knew about tapas, which she used once, on Ilum, in an attempt to get her lightsaber crystal. Honestly, it wasn't much, but telling Seo what tapas is to be used for, on top of the how, was a good idea:

"Tapas is about keeping oneself warm in cold environments"

 

[Seo Linn]

"I would think that since water is denser than air, to use the boost of speed wouldn't be worth the price. Within normal standards, of course. It would be a benefit in certain situations for sure."

Without ever over speaking, Seo would say what she meant and further explain if it was needed. When Varindar mentioned the metabolism part of things, she did understand. After using Speed on land, her heart did race fast and she was more tired. Her focus wasn't on intentionally speeding her heart up though. That happened naturally as she expended energy to use Speed.

"It is not often I have found myself in cold locations."

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"I understand, but the peak hours of the restaurant are fast approaching"

Then Varindar proceeded to swim three extra laps, with a different stroke in each of those laps: breaststroke, butterfly and crawl, in that order, with breaststroke being the slowest of the gang and crawl, the fastest of them, but she stopped at that number because it was around that time that the lane divider was removed and the full pool was made available to the pool's guests. To her, that very moment was the signal of the beginning of the restaurant's dinner peak hours, knowing that they will occur about thirty minutes from now, and also that she knew that it would be impossible for her to get laps done, especially since the removal of the lane divider meant that every guest could be anywhere in the pool regardless of what they are in the pool for, knowing, of course, only a minority of guests wanted to swim laps during the pool's rush hour. For now, anyway, she had to give [member="Seo Linn"] enough time to get re-dressed so that she could go to the restaurant and, hopefully, catch the restaurant's rush hour as it occurred. And then she could go meet its patrons.

"I suppose the time has come to eat: it's soon going to be the peak hour in the restaurant"

 

[Seo Linn]

With the short amount of time they had to swim, Seo stayed with what she was comfortable with. The crawl, backstroke and on her side. While that last one was not a formal stroke in any competition it was a fun one for her. When Varindar said one of the peak hours were approaching, she nodded, dried off and gathered her pack from the locker room attendant.

"Let me change and meet you in a few."

Taking a few minutes​ to change, brush her hair out, it really didn't take very long for Seo to finish getting into some clean clothes for the evening. She would have to see about getting the clothes she came in laundered before she moved on again.

Rejoining Varindar, she looked relaxed and ready to eat.

"I'm ready."

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

Perhaps Seo was a small-time competitive swimmer earlier in life for what I know, she thought, while remembering [member="Seo Linn"]'s swim, not having a clue whatsoever as to what Lorrd's swimming scene held. And, she, too, got to shower and then on to redressing, so that she could eat at the restaurant alongside the new guest. It was, well, the seventh time she went at that restaurant: she may as well be a regular customer of the place by now. With Seo being ready to go to the restaurant long before Varindar was, she was ready to take out her restaurant loyalty card hoping that she would be able to cash in a free meal before those extra floors are completed, knowing that it would be a while before those three floors would be finished. She would face the majordomo for the seventh time, with the Lorrdian Jedi in tow, but since the (admittedly last-minute) reservation is in Seo's name, Seo would go to the majordomo's podium first, and then they would be assigned at a table once the majordomo has punched the seventh hole in Varindar's loyalty card.

"Welcome to Bumba's Eatery. You will be assigned a table momentarily" the majordomo told the two of them.

 

[Seo Linn]

If there was a board up or anything Seo would glance on it to read what the daily specials were and almost silently wait for them to be seated.

"Thank you."

It was all she said to the majordomo when he said they would be seated in a few moments. She was a patient person and liked to just people watch as much as possible. Here would be an opportunity to do this.

"What kind of food is offered here?"

She addressed this in a ​whisper to Varindar while they waited to be seated.

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"There is a wide array of different cuisines on the menu" she told [member="Seo Linn"] while the waiter brought the two to a table.

With menus in tow, which was handed to them once they were seated. And today's special had a rather unappetizing name, ants climbing a tree, but she never ate it before. The picture of the special of the day, which wasn't quite a one-day special but it's still a short-term special, typically around for a week, seemed to indicate that it was a spicy meal. They were to order the appetizers and the main course simultaneously, but the gluten-free, whole-wheat bread was already in front of them, so she'd rather not order appetizers beyond what Seo would like. That is, if Seo didn't think of gluten-free, whole-wheat bread as an appetizer she would probably wish to order some. It was time for them to place their orders, with the waiter coming around for a second pass after a few minutes left for them to review the items on the menu, whether or not they would be taking the special of the day for a main course. Oh and she could be made to feel that the restaurant was steadily getting increasingly crowded, so perhaps Seo would be happier now that it was, in fact, time to get to work.

"What will it be for you?"

"Ants climbing a tree"

 

[Seo Linn]

When her question was answered, Seo couldn't help but wonder if there was anything from Lorrd on the menu. Once they were seated, she chose not to order anything for before the meal and looked at the menu. Not seeing anything, she decided to also try the special with Varindar. There was nothing wrong with trying something new even if it sounded unappetizing.

"Same thing, please and some water."

She figured since she wanted to be in top form for being able to people watch and observe things, she needed a clear head.

"What the people like here, usually?"

This was directed to her companion, even if Seo was looking around. The tilt of her head indicated she was listening and paying attention to the answer.

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"They tend to be rather high-heeled, and sometimes they can get some business done while eating food. That's probably why you even wanted to eat during rush hours"

Probably an Atrisian thing: pho was the main sensation among the Atrisian stuff being sold here before the ants climbing a tree were somehow a weekly special, she thought, while [member="Seo Linn"] ordered it, even though it sounded unappetizing to her, and even seemed to anticipate as much. Yet Varindar's question almost sounded as if Seo was potentially another faction's spy or a multi-agent. Oops. She probably was at the limit as to how much info she could have supplied the Lorrdian without compromising the Order on this planet. True, she was a little uncomfortable, but not enough to want to vomit. She braced herself for the case where the ants climbing a tree could actually elicit vomiting reactions, in which case it would be the end of that recipe in the restaurant. But, if the plates of ants climbing a tree, which don't feature actual ants, but ground nerf, were any indication, it wouldn't be overly likely that the meal would cause her to vomit. And, because they arrived at the beginning of the rush hour, the waiter was back with their plates of ants climbing a tree in two separate cloches, and Seo's being opened first, then Varindar's.

"Your ants climbing a tree"

 

[Seo Linn]

"More, Miss Asyt I watch and observe people. So much is given away by body language that most people don't even thing of. See that server over there?"

With the flick of her eyes only in the direction of the person in question she would point out a simple hand tremor. It would indicate that person was likely addicted some narcotic and starting to go through the first signs of withdrawal from its effects.

Seo did not elaborate on why she picked on that poor soul, the signs were obvious to her. Everybody had tells about certain things, that was the most noticeable to her though.

Their food arrived then and was opened for them to eat.

"Thank you."

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

Our waiter is addicted to narcotics? He's one of those waiters that worked there while the Ta'jars still owned the place... poor waiter, but I have to be cautious if I need to bring the issue up to him; I don't want to risk losing an experienced waiter because I was tactless, she thought, while realizing that the waiter ought to get some rehab, paid by the hotel of course. And also that employees are sometimes tempted to bad-mouth employers, past or present, if they are disgruntled at any point. [member="Seo Linn"] was right, but Varindar would rather not complain about the waiter's drug problem while eating. Nevertheless, she dug into these cellophane noodles containing greens and ground nerf meat; it wasn't half as unappetizing as she expected based on the name. Which, if what she knew about it is correct, sounded like an Atrisian impressionist painter coined the name of that recipe. Not that the recipe was not good, just that it was very spicy (and not in the drug sense). Then and only then she would feel comfortable about the true origins of the recipe, and then she would continue eating.

"Do you feel you would like to eat here again in the future? You may as well claim your loyalty card if such is the case"

 

[Seo Linn]

"There are signs all over, different secrets people keep, but give away if you know what yo look for. It is something I learned on Lorrd from my people. Perhaps, if you wanted to learn how to read people better, you could visit. There is the chance you might find some welcome there."

This was the most she spoke all at once to Varindar so far.

"You see my people aren't known so much for speaking out loud. We communicate through a form of sign language. Subtle movements only so it is not seen by outsiders. If you do visit, it might be difficult to be accepted."

Now she started eating her food. This would give Varindar the opportunity to maybe give a thought on her words and how she said them. Looking up when the other woman spoke, she nodded.

"What is a loyalty card?"

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"Here a loyalty card would allow you to get a free meal when you ate ten paying meals beforehand"

Some restaurants had different ways to go around doing this, but the most common schemes ranged from 5 to 10 visits: if the rewards took too long to accrue, customers would feel discouraged, and too quickly would wind up becoming an expensive scheme to run, one that can potentially defeat the financial rewards of increased customer loyalty. [member="Seo Linn"] taught her a few things about Lorrdian culture, which would be helpful to her as a hotelier. Just that long gone are the days where she was mostly doing front desk. Varindar was mostly finished eating the main course by now... and the Lorrdian seemed to like the noodle meal, to the extent it was possible with such an unappetizing name that didn't contain any actual ants. Varindar knew that there was just a question of time until the dessert menu would arrive, with all of six items: choco lava cake à la mode, Skor cake, apple pie à la mode, dessert cubes, ice cream and crème brûlée. Not much but typically five-star restaurants tended to have a more limited dessert menu than lower-rated restaurants.

"What will it be for you?"

"A crème brûlée for me please"

 

[Seo Linn]

She listened to the answer provided and shook her head slightly before speaking.

"I wander around. It is not very likely I would find my way here again. If I did, then so much time would have passed that card might no longer be valid."

It was the truth as she s​aw it. Here and there for a day or two at the most, never making a home and following the flow of the Force. That to her was what a Jedi did. Of course there were times when she needed to listen to the Council and Masters, but no orders had come to her for a very long time.

Looking at the desert menu, she ordered the choco lava cake à la mode, feeling it sounded the most appetizing of all the desserts offered.

"Do you know any issues that might need my attention here?"

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"No, and often local authorities ask for Jedi intervention only if the issues are escalated or they are otherwise unable to get the job done on their own"

While both [member="Seo Linn"] and Varindar placed their orders for desserts, when they came back, they were put in separate, smaller cloches that fit better with the size of the plates in use for serving a crème brûlée or a choco lava cake à la mode. The local authorities know Jedi can't be everywhere at once, even when they are not at war, so they'd rather not rely on Jedi until absolutely necessary. In fact, it was a good thing: even with many among the NFU populace considering the Jedi as little more than Force-using bounty hunters, and having Sith as their priority targets, in that capacity, they simply couldn't go around taking every bounty posting that wasn't specifically targeting Jedi or their direct allies. And yet Varindar wouldn't be running the hotel if Jedi didn't intervene, even though she knew back then that Jedi were unlikely to intervene. She was, in fact, very lucky; she owed her station to the Jedi. She thus dug into the crème brûlée, which was called as such only because of the eponymous cream layer at the top being caramellized. But she also saw Seo's delight in eating that choco lava cake à la mode.

 

[Seo Linn]

"That is the most typical reasoning. A few times I've been called on for investigations that the local authorities could not figure out on their own."

When a murder had happene​d that involved the use of a lightsaber, Seo had been called on to investigate that. Another had been a kidnapping, but she was a witness to that and assisted the authorities with that one.

Leaning back slightly when the server returned with their desserts, she nodded in silent thanks and picked up her fork to eat.

"This is very good. Thank you for keeping me company."

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"The bill, please; it will be placed in Seo's name, to be charged to the Order at check-out"

When Jedi guests stayed here, the billing of meal tabs was made to the guest account in question, and the stay's expenses were then charged to their order at check-out. Most of the time, Jedi tended to be cautious around hotel amenities, and many, even with their orders reimbursing them for travel expenses, would not want to abuse amenities; as a hotelier, she heard tales of Force-users abusing their travel reimbursement plans, and how that made them, in the the centuries between Ruusan and the Clone Wars and also in the era between Darth Krayt and the Gulag Plague, disliked by the population. [member="Seo Linn"], on the other hand, didn't seem to be the kind to abuse amenities the way certain Jedi might be tempted to, especially the kind that perceived Jedi-hood as a passport to travel the galaxy and live the high life in exchange for performing a set of duties to their respective factions - at their faction's expense. Or sometimes at their businesses' expense. Just that this meal must have added about 100 credits to the reimbursement claim for Seo's stay in the Crown Nebula. Once the assignment of the restaurant tab was made, she asked a question to the blonde guest:

"Do you wish to return to your room?"

 

[Seo Linn]

Varindar knew more about staying at hotels than Seo did and spoke up on how to arrange for the dinner to get added to her tab. On top of that then added to the bill to be sent to the Silver's. For once Seo was very thankful to have somebody speak for her and take the lead. She was used to taking the initiative and being on her own. Speaking very few words and just enough to get a message across had gotten her this far.

"Thank you for everything today, Varindar. I appreciate it."

The other woman was right in her thoughts on Seo. She was not going to be one of those that abused the Order's reimbursements on her travels. This was one of the first times she had done it. The other time had been when she requested items to assist in the aide of helping people on Alderaan.

"If you remember, I never actually made it to my room. From check in, to the pool to dinner. But yes, I would like to go to my room now."

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"Follow me, please"

With that said, Varindar guided [member="Seo Linn"] to her room on the third floor, the Golden Chances, by going to the staircase at the end of the hall. Each room had its themes: the Rapture Heaven was about romance, painted white and red, the White Cooler was about ice planets, the Yoshinaka Suite was about Atrisian culture, the Jade Vault was about greenery, and so on, so forth. That's what made the Crown Nebula a different hotel compared to the other grand hotels in Silver Jedi space; most grand hotels in SJ space she knew about differed little between rooms of the same type within the same property although the décor varied greatly from a property to another, and also between room types. But Seo still held the key to that room; once Seo opened the door of the room, she will enter a room where orichalc fixtures abounded in the lighting. And also paintings depicting the many processes of goldsmithing and gold mining, in addition to the making of jewelry. And, of course, all the regular amenities of the place. Holoscreen, hot tub, one king bed, coffee machine, to name the main ones.

"Here it is, the Golden Chances"

 

[Seo Linn]

"Thank you."

Giving Varindar a slight​ nod, she fell into step with her acquaintance. The past few hours with the other Jedi had been very fruitful, entertaining and learning.

When the door opened for her, Seo was in for a surprise. The luxoury provided here was beyond anything she had expected. Hoping the Silver's weren't going to be mad at her for the cost of the lodging, she walked into the room.

Setting her bag down, she turned to Varindar again.

"Thank you again."

[member="Varindar Asyt"]