Be Prepared

Posted on Fri Apr 2nd, 2010 @ 5:26am by Commander Fala Awen & Vice Admiral Iluvar

Mission: Episode 1.2 - "A House Divided"
Location: Orient Express Lounge
Timeline: Day 7, 1515

[[Orient Express Lounge, Day 7, 1915]]

As she had some time on her hands, Kiral (PNPC) decided it was time to stop in at the Orient Express to speak with Yuris (NPC). She knew that the lounge staff was likely to hear some tidbits that she wouldn't. Therefore, building a rapport with them would be beneficial.

The Maran was in civilian clothes - nothing that stood out so that she could blend in better. Most knew her already, but her skills at simply melting into a crowd were still good and that gave her an advantage. Kiral had purposefully chosen this time of day to arrive so that she would miss the busy dinner rush, but there would still be a decent amount of people.

Yuris (NPC) looked up at the sound of the lounge doors opening and smiled when he saw a woman enter the room. Although the evening crowd had hardly begun to arrive, Yuris was happy to see that the ship's crew and civilian passengers were taking advantage of the opportunities that the Orient Express had to offer. Holodecks never offered the same realism as a good, casual conversation between individuals did, which was part of the reason he had been so interested in taking over ownership of the establishment. It was an opportunity, both for him and his guests.

Spotting the Lounge host, Kiral made her way over to him. "Good evening," she said with a brief smile.

"Same to you," Yuris replied, returning the smile, "How are we this evening?"

"Fairly well, thank you," Kiral said. "And you? How are things going in the Lounge?"

"Pleasant, as usual," Yuris responded with a twinkle in his eye. He reached under the counter and brought out a glass. Turning it over, he set it down on the bar between himself and the woman. Being host meant seeing to all the needs of his customers and she seemed like the kind of person interested in a good conversation. The El-Aurian looked the woman directly in the eye and asked, "What can I interest you in?" He tilted his head toward the empty glass and smiled.

Kiral paused and then replied, "Do you have any spring wine?" It was perhaps not her favorite drink, but she had acquired a taste for it after meeting Awen and it sounded good. She actually hadn't had any in awhile.

A look of concentration appeared on Yuris' face as he thought for a moment. "Hmm," he mused aloud, "Certainly not a regular amongst our guests, but I think I might have..." Reaching down, he unkeyed the lock on the cabinet below the counter that contained some of the more rare or specialized inventory. He swung the door open and pulled out a glass bottle. Pushing the door shut, he heard the click of the lock as it automatically resealed itself. With a flourish, he set the bottle on the countertop and smiled. "...a bottle around here somewhere," he finished.

Based on her limited interactions with him thus far, Kiral could tell that Yuris was well suited to the job of Lounge Host. He had a good bit of character and flourish. Smiling she said, "Always prepared, I see."

"Why not," Yuris asked rhetorically, "One should always be prepared for whatever life sends their way." He popped the cork off the bottle and began to pour a little into the glass that sat on the counter between them. The liquid sloshed around as it fell into the glass, settling into position. Once the glass was about half-full, Yuris tilted the bottle back and stopped pouring. He pushed the glass toward the woman and said, "One spring wine."

"Thank you," Kiral said as she delicately picked up the glass. Before taking her first sip, she took a moment to breathe in the aroma of the wine. It was rather good - one of the best she'd tasted in a while, "A good year, it would seem."

"Hmm," Yuris remarked, lifting the bottle so that he could read the label closely. He made a slight show of studying it for a moment, then set it down on the counter and smiled. "Well, I always try to keep the best for my guests," he told her.

Watching him for a moment, Kiral said, "Do you really believe that a person can be prepared for anything? It seems to me that life can send unexpected events at someone that nothing could prepare them for."

The twinkle returned to the El-Aurian's eyes as he pondered the woman's question. "You make a fair point," he conceded, "One can never be prepared for every situation or event that the future holds. However, one can always be prepared to face the future, no matter what it holds." He reached under the counter again, placing his hands where the woman could not see them. Making some noise as he did so, Yuris finally grasped his hand around something soft. "For example, do you have any idea what I have in my hand right now," he asked.

Kiral paused, considering the question. Finally she answered, "I don't know exactly what you have, but based on where you are currently standing, I could make some educated guesses."

With a slight nod, Yuris continued, "Making an educated guess might help you, but you can't be one hundred percent certain, can you?"

"Not unless I had seen what was back there previ-" Kiral began.

Before the woman could finish her sentence, Yuris withdrew his hand and tossed a clean bar rag toward her. The rag spread out so that it sailed through the air like a large parachute toward the woman.

Her instincts kicked in and Kiral deftly caught the bar rag in her right hand before it was able to touch her. Her wrist circled around causing the rag swirled out off to her side quickly before sailing back towards Yuris. The El-Aurian reached out casually and snatched the rag from the air.

"See what I mean," he asked with a smile as he began to lay the rag out on the counter top. He started to fold it, glancing toward the woman with his eyes as he did so. It didn't take him long to finish folding the rag and within a few moments, he had deposited it back beneath the counter. Leaning his hands against the inside of the bar, he looked towards the woman's empty glass. "Could I interest you in another," he asked.

Nodding, she replied, "One more certainly couldn't hurt." Kiral handed Yuris the glass and watched as he poured it.

OFF

A JP by:

Lieutenant Commander Fala Awen
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Pandora

and

Yuris Eldar (NPC)
Orient Express Lounge Host/Owner
USS Pandora
Played by: RAdm Iluvar