Love Wedge

[Varindar Asyt]

These days, with the opening of the third floor close at hand, Varindar knew that it would be a hell of a day ahead of her tomorrow and she needed to relax before the third floor could actually receive its first guests. From 29 rooms, the hotel will grow into 52 rooms. That's a lot of new rooms and new revenues, for both the restaurant and the hotel. A refuge of integrity and transparency, all right, and also a refuge of luxury in Trandosha's context. Just that rumors abound about a love triangle between [member="Zavii"], Tanaski Yumi and her, and that perhaps Zavii would like to have an idea of what the hotel is like, or at least the restaurant. For the last night of the 29-room Crown Nebula Hotel, she went off-duty and was even able to get dressed for what she perceived would be a meal at the five-star restaurant. Because she was used to having exposed shoulders, she found it easy to wear sleeveless dresses; however, a kneeskin being skin-tight is one thing, it was quite another to be wearing a purple dress covered with beads as she purchased from a Dathomirian vendor. She just watches the front door patiently even when the no-vacancy flag is triggered in the room tracking system, and the next person coming through the hotel doors is a Zabrak female. Hopefully she won't be asking for a room; the hotel is fully booked tonight, she thought.

 

[Zavii]

Zavii gave a loud, low whistle as she entered the hotel's main lobby, casting her violet eyes over the entire grand entrance room from floor to ceiling. She'd heard some people in the dining hall at the Temple talking about how the place was just about finished with some new renovations and that now would be a perfect time to check it out before they got even busier than before, so the young Zabrak had decided to hitch a ride over to Trandosha with some Rangers who were actually on some other business.

The Padawan hadn't thought to wear anything other than her usual sky-blue Jedi outfit, belt and all, and had her usual ponytail done up in a fashion that seemed almost lazy in it's casual practicality. A few steps past the door, she finally looked at the main counter and noticed a rather attractive woman in a purple dress much fancier than anything she owned standing by the reception desk. "Hello," she trilled in a sing-song voice as she crossed the floor toward the dark-haired beauty. "You must be Varindar, right? I'm Zavii, I called a little while ago." She flashed a friendly smile as she looked the other girl up and down. "I've got to say, this place is even nicer than I imagined... I feel a little under dressed!" The truth was, she rarely cared what she wore, but she had decided as soon as she saw [member="Varindar Asyt"] that she fancied her and thought that a bit of flirting would be a fun way to pass the evening, especially since Tanasuki had been dragged off on some mission and she hadn't been able to talk to him in a few days.

A girl had to keep her skills up, after all.

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"You must have called to book a table at the restaurant because I didn't receive any call from you; the booking system for the restaurant is separate from booking rooms. My shift is ending soon, so just a bit of patience; you have access to the pool for tonight just like any other restaurant guest" Varindar told [member="Zavii"] before fading into the back office.

My guess is that Zavii wanted to book early into the dinner period because she wanted to beat the rush; also there are more items on the menu than ever before, especially with the restaurant expanding to its maximum viable size. Last I ate at this restaurant, it was before the terracing upgrade was made, and I'll be eating a different dish each time. She might want some rare karkan ribene or some other grilled meat dish, she thought, while punching in her payroll reporting card, marking the end of the shift for payroll purposes. In fact, Varindar's fine-dining dress is pretty par for the course at that hotel's restaurant. Now she realized that there was a world of difference between Zavii's body and her own, and not simply because of her hair. As soon as she is back in front of Zavii, she has no idea what to say, but she must make an effort not to question the Zabrak about the rumors surrounding her relationship to one Tanaski Yumi, with whom she flew combat sorties as a reservist and also did a test-run of the hotel's executive suite. But she had a feeling that the topic will come up at some point, either at the table or in the pool.

"I'll gladly eat at the hotel's restaurant tonight"

 

[Zavii]

"I'll wait," Zavii flashed a winning smile at the Human and leaned on the counter. She watched [member="Varindar Asyt"] slip away to some back room and then looked down at an open catalog displaying the decidedly swanky accommodations available. By the time she'd finished skimming the other woman had reappeared. Looking up and down the flashy dress draped over her frame, Zavii stood upright and said "Lead the way! I've never actually been here before but after hearing so much about it I figured I'd swing by for a night and see what all the fuss is about. Are any of the new rooms open? I wanted to check them out for the next time my boyfriend and I get some time to ourselves..."

After saying it out loud the Zabrak took a moment to analyse the sound of the word 'boyfriend' when she spoke about him. This was actually the first time she'd used it and it felt new, exciting and right. A contented smile pulled at her lips as she followed the attractive hostess toward the restaurant....

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"I know that, lately, there has been some construction work around the new rooms but, even if they were ready, in whole or in part, there are no rentable rooms left for tonight, no vacancies if you prefer"

Sure Tanaski may find me attractive, and not only was I an image of athleticism and charisma to the hotelie fans back in the Ta'jar days, to some of the hotelie fans, I was an image of beauty, but, knowing Trandoshans, nearly every human or Near-Human female, pretty much irrespective of complexion or other features, would be either beautiful or ugly. Surely Zavii is not referring to him! she thought, while hearing the word boyfriend from [member="Zavii"], with the Zabrak girl being new to the five-star hotel and needing to find her way to the restaurant. Then again, the only time she even met with Zavii was back on Kashyyyk, where she swam in the lake. Once she arrived at the restaurant's front desk, the maître d'hôtel looked at Varindar a little surprised, whom he knew that she'd rather eat more affordable stuff, and not to abuse her allowance of free meals (despite being entitled to two free meals a week from it), and also drink protein shakes. Yet, Varindar whipped out her restaurant loyalty card with the third meal notched right here by the majordomo, who then asked one thing of them before they could go to their reserved table:

"Do you have a reservation?"

 

[Zavii]

"None, really?" The Zabrak's face fell. She should have planned ahead for this, but she hadn't realized that the Crown Nebula was so in-demand. "I reckon I'll have to find someplace else to stay the night, then. Got any suggestions?" She walked by [member="Varindar Asyt"]'s left side as they made their way to the restaurant, still trying to take in all the opulent details as she talked. After the Human handed the host some card, she stepped up to his podium with her 'Jedi in public' face on and her hands held behind her back politely. Even if she wasn't dressed for such a place, she would at least try to act respectably.

"Yes, under Lightfoot. I called an hour ago." She showed the middle-aged and impeccably dressed man a conservative, tight-lipped smile that was just short of a smirk and unconsciously straightened her posture to match his own. He lead the two women to a booth in the corner of the dining room and informed them that their server would be with them momentarily before marching off to do whatever it is he did when not manning the entrance. Once they were alone again- save the other dining parties who were carrying out their own conversations- Zavii clasped her fingers together on the table and leaned slightly forward with a keen twinkle in her violet eyes.

"So, Varindar, what's it like working at a place like this? Do you like it, or is there something else you'd rather do?"

 

[Varindar Asyt]

Once the Pau'an maître d'hôtel acknowledged that [member="Zavii"] has, in fact, called to the restaurant for getting a reservation, the two of them were, in fact, guided to table number 13 by a Vratix waiter. The restaurant was, in fact, so busy that they couldn't guarantee a specific table, just the number of guests the table can seat. And even when Zavii reserved for the early evening in an attempt to beat the rush, Varindar could feel that the attempt was only partially successful. Before the waiter went off to serve guests on other tables, they gave the two ladies menus as well as time to look through those. Of course, the topic was a little touchy-feely and, for some reason, guests were completely oblivious to the hotel's GM being seated among them. What Zavii does not yet realize is that I'm on a straitjacket for taking out loans for the hotel's capital expenditures because of the former owners of the hotel: I can only get one floor built at a time under the current limits, she thought, while realizing that the rates are back to the Ta'jar-era rates after several rate hikes, but such high rates are actually paying for a real five-star hospitality guest experience. Maybe, if I can actually prove to the bank that I can get good use out of the hotel's rooms will I be able to borrow more next time: the costs per room go up with every extra floor. Might want some fried calamari as an entrée...

"To answer your first question, you have to realize that the Crown Nebula is the only five-star hotel on this planet, so I hope that you can, for tonight, be happy with another property of a lesser standard that will nevertheless get you a decent bang for the credit. Since I ran the hotel, the complaint that I get most often is, well, lack of vacancies. Satisfied guests put a smile on my face; I like my job so long as I'm not gouging my guests and they are happy. Also I get to learn a lot about what makes guests tick. Now I have two questions for you: first, is there something else you would rather do as a Jedi, provided you can actually get the skills to do that? Second, what would you like to eat?"

 

[Zavii]

"Music." Zavii said simply with a little nod. After a beat, she opened her mouth to elaborate. "I lived with my parents until I was six. During that time, they were almost always listening to something or playing their own music. After they realized that I'm Forceful and sent me to the Order, they got even more serious as musicians and now they play in their own band, but they gave me that foundation, that love of the art." A dreamer's grin crept across the Padawan's dark features as her eyes shifted focus from the woman across the table to stare off into the aether. "I'm certain that I'd be playing an instrument of my own if I'd have stayed with them. Hell, If i could find one that I like in a shop somewhere I'd jump on it.

"Don't get me wrong;" she shifted her tone as she returned her gaze to [member="Varindar Asyt"]. "I love what I do now. I've gone places and seen things that few people ever get to, I have a giant extended family spanning a hundred races and names, and at the end of the day, no matter what, I can rest knowing that I've done something good. I can't imagine anything else coming close to the satisfaction I get as a Jedi, but music is still my first love and passion."

"As for your second question," she gave a little laugh as she opened her menu, thinking that she may have gone a little over the top with her answer, "I'm gonna be honest, I'm not used to being in a five-star anything, and these multilingual food-names are way out of my league. I can barely remember any of my Sy Bisti, and I know this isn't Zabraki or Wookiee. Wait, do Wookiees even write? Hmm... Anyway, why don't you pick something for me?"

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"What will it be for you?" the insectoid waiter asked Varindar when it came back to their table.

"For entrées, we would like a calamari platter. Zavii here would probably like medium-rare karkan ribene for the main course, while I take four-cheese lasagna with an extra of pepperoni and mushrooms"

Because she knew Zabrak (and Togruta, too) guests were avid meat consumers, it was natural for Varindar to order karkan ribene for [member="Zavii"], with the calamari platter being rather spicy, if the guests' comments were any indication. These days, she realized only one species still spoke Sy Bisti in this corner of the galaxy, the Lugubraa. And it was only then that the music started playing in the background. I'm sure Zavii has some musical talent. Just that, to ensure that I can actually have the energy to go on a swim of significant length, I would need to eat - sure, not as much as I saw Charlie eat, but still more than a normal girl my size would, she thought. But, if her experience eating at that restaurant with Tanaski for dinner was any indication, they should expect their meals within ten minutes or so, with the entrée before or at the same time as the main course. And probably three candles being lit near the center of the table on a chandelier once the entrée is served; here at this restaurant, called Bumba's Eatery, a candle-lit dinner is not actually candle-lit until there is food on the table.

"I'm not very familiar with Wookiees, and I would think they would still write, but each race has its own script. However, you will realize that here, as with any five-star restaurant, the food will arrive in cloches that the waiter will open in front of you, and that the waiter will come around one more time for dessert" she told Zavii after the waiter left.

 

[Zavii]

"Sounds tasty," Zavii agreed with a nod after [member="Varindar Asyt"] ordered for the both of them. She handed the menu back to the large, insectoid waiter and looked back at the human when it skittered away. After Varindar explained how the restaurant operates she nodded again and started fiddling with the napkin at her side of the table. "That sounds about right. Oh, what about drinks though?" She looked around in hopes of catching eyes with a stray server. "I feel like wine tonight, what about you?"

She absent-mindedly fingered a pouch on her belt, felt the raised symbols on her credit chips and decided that she had probably brought enough. She didn't remember seeing any prices listed on the menu- rarely a good sign for her stash- but she had also recently gotten a considerable boost in her account as an early birthday gift. Having famous musicians for parents definitely had it's perks. "Also, I didn't actually bring any luggage so, if we're going to be swimming I'll need to get a bathing suit. Unless the pool's empty and I can just go in naked, that is..." Zavii grinned and winked at the other woman, wondering how she'd handle her brand of flirtation.

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"You cannot count on the pool actually being empty at this time of the day. However, for the bathing suit, you can always purchase one at a specialty shop underneath the pool's grandstands. As for the wine, I'll drink from the same bottle as you, provided you are ordering a bottle of that wine, or at least two separate glasses"

Even though she only went to the swimming boutique once, and that was to buy the local high school's swimming cap, Varindar knew that swimming enthusiasts from all over the planet came to that place to buy their swimwear, including but not limited to swimsuits. Jammers, trunks (for males) swim caps, goggles, one-pieces (the timeless tanksuit, and also the kneeskin, made fashionable on this planet by Elianne), bikinis were kept in stock. But perhaps the Zabrak girl didn't pay much attention to the menu. The calamari was already 17 credits, and a two-person meal could add up pretty quickly, especially if Zavii ordered a glass or a bottle of expensive wine. What [member="Zavii"] didn't know was that there were separate waiters for the food and the drink, and the Utai wine waitress came and handed them a wine list in ascending per-bottle price order. And also crystal stemware, made of finely cut, leaded glass, is the order of the day, unlike lower-class restaurants, where acid-etched transparisteel is more common. But it was only fair, from the Dathomirian's standpoint, to let Zavii decide on the wine because Varindar also decided on Zavii's main course.

"What will it be for you?" the wine waitress asked Zavii.

 

[Zavii]

"I'm thinking a bottle," Zavii replied, silently wondering weather she wasn't as good at flirting as she'd thought, weather [member="Varindar Asyt"] was totally oblivious to the pass, thinking of it as some throwaway joke, or if perhaps she just wasn't interested in females. Maybe she wasn't interested in other species at all; Humans were widely known to be more inclined to racism, Zavii knew, and while Varindar didn't appear to have any problems with the varied beings she worked alongside, there was a good chance that the woman simply didn't find non-Humans attractive.

Challenge accepted.

When the wine-waitress appeared, the Zabrak accepted the menu, scanned it for a couple of seconds, and looked at the short Utai. "Is there, like, a sampler option? I'm not too familiar with wines and I'd like to try out a few different verities, if I can. And the same for her." She nodded her horned head in reference to her dining partner as she returned the menu. Turning her violet eyes back to the Human, she raised her eyebrows and smirked, saying; "Prepair your Soul; Varindar, this is going to be an adventure."

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"Yes, there is a sampler option: today's wines du jour are, on the white side, a 845 vintage Ithuvask Estate from Kattada and, on the red side, a 842 vintage Château Missouri from Glova" the Utai waitress answered the Zabrak while looking up at the clients. "Coming right up"

"The salt-and-pepper calamari platter" the Vratix waiter announced prior to removing the cloche from the calamari platter. "For Zavii, the medium-rare karkan ribene, and, for Varindar, the four-cheese lasagna with an extra of mushrooms and pepperoni" he pursued, prior to removing the cloches from these platters.

The sampler option? I might want to keep a case of each for all the major occasions of my life, or perhaps a bottle of those pricier wines for my knighthood. I may as well be talking through my hat, but I should buy a bottle of something more upscale than a Château Missouri but definitely red wine, since red wine is purported to be better for one's health than white/emerald wine, she thought, while realizing that she was no more familiar with wines than [member="Zavii"] was: the wine list was the executive chef's doing. Vintages meant that all the base material, usually grapes, came from a single year's crop. Yes, she realized that the 845 vintage Ithuvask Estate was, in fact, entry-level in a 5-star restaurant context, whereby one bottle could easily cost as much as the meal the client usually drank it with, and that buying a case of either vintage would cost her a pretty penny, just that the meals came to them right before the two wines. So those two wine glasses cost, in fact, as much as half the meals proper. Varindar looked at the calamari, hoping that she won't sneeze because of the sheer amount of ground chili and pepper contained in the platter.

"I feel that perhaps we might have had our share of missions with the same person. Regardless of that, try not to sneeze when you're eating the calamari: they're simply loaded with white pepper and ground chili. I've seen a few guests sneeze when eating it" she warned Zavii before eating the first strand of calamari, and then drinking the first sip of the Ithuvask Estate glass given to her.