Incommunicado – debt of honour
by Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin & Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton
Post Details
::ON::
It was with some trepidation that Yolanthe Ibalin stepped out of the turbo lift and turned onto the East promenade. She was dreading what she might find. The Box of Delights, her dream, could have been closed, ransacked, looted. Her mounting unease was matched by the swampy green hue her skin and hair were taking.
The Box was still there. At least it hadn't been blown up. And yes the shutters were down, but the postern gate for the staff was open, and the lights were on inside. Blue began seeping into her skin, as the relief flooded through her, and she ducked her head and stepped inside. "Hello?"
Edward Stapleton was seated at a gaming table counting chips. He leaned backward, his neck craned, to see who was coming through the employee entrance. He couldn't quite see the doorway without falling over, but he called out, "We don't open for another hour, Miss. If you don't mind coming back...?"
"I am back," Yolanthe walked forward, bright blue and beaming, "I am so glad to see you."
Edward slid off his stool and in long strides ate the distance between them, his smile mirroring her own. "Boss! You've been released!" His hand was out to shake hers in congratulations and hearty greeting.
She took his hand, then pulled him into a bear hug. "Thank you!" She released him after a moment. "I thought you'd have all given up."
"We... ah, well no," he stammered, red-faced. "These kids are loyal to you. And Ahjess kept them all in line. Oh, and Jessica, too. They're all... good kids." He couldn't think of anything else to say. They'd just done their jobs.
"You all are." Yolanthe crossed to the bar, and poured herself a glass of kanar. "What have I missed? Has everything gone well?"
He spoke as he straddled a bar stool, "Mmmm, mostly things have been smooth, but..." he hesitated, not sure how to explain Min's mission. "Okay, so do you remember a group of older women that the kids jokingly dubbed the Granny Brigade? They usually sat at my Dabo table. Well, they've been robbing us. Not blind," he held up both palms to stave off any hint of explosion from his boss, "just enough that they were noticed. We decided to beat them at their own game, and so the new girl, Min - I actually don't know her last name," he interjected with a furrowed brow - "but anyway, she's going to infiltrate their gang and get solid proof of their thefts so we have something to take to security besides conjecture and missing profits."
Yolanthe listened, moving from blue to yellow then blue again as Edward explained their plan. "Good boy, I'm impressed. I'll talk to Min, see if she needs anything else from me." Yolanthe drained her kanar and refilled it. "Damn I missed this stuff. What about you? Are you settling in alright? Getting on with the others?"
His cheeks colored pink under a day's razor stubble, as he recalled the visit to Madam Miaow. "More or less. I'd like to flush Ahjess' head every once in awhile. But other than that, we get along okay."
"Glad to hear it, I don't like my boys squabbling." She put her glass down, looked at it. "I owe you one for keeping this place going. IS there something you'd like?"
He immediately thought of his wife, and the conversation they'd had a day before. "Actually, yeah. I'd like a different job. One without these," he gestured at his shirt and pants. "And I'd like a day shift instead of a night one."
The Bokkai looked at him. He could tell from the tilt of her head she was looking at his chest, and his hips in immense detail. She was also turning a lovely shade of rose pink. Eventually she said, "Well, I think they suit you. But if you insist, I guess I'm going to need a new assistant manager, " the pink took on hints of grey. "Now that Klia's...." she turned back to her drink and finished it hurriedly.
Edward sensed her discomfort. "She was quite a friend, wasn't she," he offered as he seated himself on a bar stool.
Yolanthe nodded. "One of the best. Such a nerd, though." She gave a fond smile as she reminisced. "She'd start talking to me about something technical, I only ever understood one word in three, even with a universal translator."
He gave a commiserating snort. "Its the same way when my wife talks about medical procedures. But sometimes just the sound of her voice is..." he trailed off a second, getting control of himself. "Watching them talk and the animated way they gesture... sometimes you don't need to understand what they were talking about in order to enjoy their company."
"No, You don't." She agreed. "Which reminds me, I'm going to need a tech for the holodecks. They won't fix themselves. " she sighed deeply again. "The show must go on."
"Speaking of the holodecks," Edward gave her a half-smile as he slid off his stool, "I was thinking about them. We could call in a repair team to get them going again, giving you time to hire a new tech. And I wondered if we've got the credit to invest in some new programs to entice our customers to try a new experience. Maybe a bar fight scene or two, a Roman gladiator arena, an espionage nior mystery, or a tropical paradise replete with warm blooded natives?"
"I'd have to check the books, but I'm sure there's something there. If not for a custom job, at least to adapt some of Klia's existing scenarios." She pushed the glass away from her, and stood. "Shall we?"
"Sure." He gestured for her to lead the way, and following in her wake he said, "You know, tonight's going to be a big night. Your triumphal return is going to bring in the crowds."
She laughed, a rich and dirty chuckle. "I doubt that. But I think we can celebrate a little. Happy hour all night long?"
"I'm sure everyone will appreciate that." They climbed the stairs to the second floor holodeck. At this hour of the day, the doors stood empty and the vast hall stood open and grey, waiting for the nights configurations to be activated and the bars stocked. He was watching Yolanthe, trying to decipher the colour changes going on in her skin and hair. "You going to be alright?"
Her colours greyed, then yelllowed, then went orange, before settling down to violet as she leaned on the balcony overlooking the ground floor, and even though her pure white eyes didn't reveal much, it was obvious her thoughts were dwelling a long way off in space and time. "I'll survive," she told him eventually, and her skin greyed once more. "Its what I do."
::OFF::
Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner & Bartender, The Box of Delights
Edward Stapleton
Ex-Dabo Boy, now Assistant Manager, The Box of Delights
by Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin & Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton
Post Details
| Title | debt of honour | |
| Mission | Incommunicado | |
| Author(s) | Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin & Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton | |
| Posted | Sun Mar 11, 2012 @ 10:19pm | |
| Location | Box of Delights | |
| Timeline | SD 50 1100 |
It was with some trepidation that Yolanthe Ibalin stepped out of the turbo lift and turned onto the East promenade. She was dreading what she might find. The Box of Delights, her dream, could have been closed, ransacked, looted. Her mounting unease was matched by the swampy green hue her skin and hair were taking.
The Box was still there. At least it hadn't been blown up. And yes the shutters were down, but the postern gate for the staff was open, and the lights were on inside. Blue began seeping into her skin, as the relief flooded through her, and she ducked her head and stepped inside. "Hello?"
Edward Stapleton was seated at a gaming table counting chips. He leaned backward, his neck craned, to see who was coming through the employee entrance. He couldn't quite see the doorway without falling over, but he called out, "We don't open for another hour, Miss. If you don't mind coming back...?"
"I am back," Yolanthe walked forward, bright blue and beaming, "I am so glad to see you."
Edward slid off his stool and in long strides ate the distance between them, his smile mirroring her own. "Boss! You've been released!" His hand was out to shake hers in congratulations and hearty greeting.
She took his hand, then pulled him into a bear hug. "Thank you!" She released him after a moment. "I thought you'd have all given up."
"We... ah, well no," he stammered, red-faced. "These kids are loyal to you. And Ahjess kept them all in line. Oh, and Jessica, too. They're all... good kids." He couldn't think of anything else to say. They'd just done their jobs.
"You all are." Yolanthe crossed to the bar, and poured herself a glass of kanar. "What have I missed? Has everything gone well?"
He spoke as he straddled a bar stool, "Mmmm, mostly things have been smooth, but..." he hesitated, not sure how to explain Min's mission. "Okay, so do you remember a group of older women that the kids jokingly dubbed the Granny Brigade? They usually sat at my Dabo table. Well, they've been robbing us. Not blind," he held up both palms to stave off any hint of explosion from his boss, "just enough that they were noticed. We decided to beat them at their own game, and so the new girl, Min - I actually don't know her last name," he interjected with a furrowed brow - "but anyway, she's going to infiltrate their gang and get solid proof of their thefts so we have something to take to security besides conjecture and missing profits."
Yolanthe listened, moving from blue to yellow then blue again as Edward explained their plan. "Good boy, I'm impressed. I'll talk to Min, see if she needs anything else from me." Yolanthe drained her kanar and refilled it. "Damn I missed this stuff. What about you? Are you settling in alright? Getting on with the others?"
His cheeks colored pink under a day's razor stubble, as he recalled the visit to Madam Miaow. "More or less. I'd like to flush Ahjess' head every once in awhile. But other than that, we get along okay."
"Glad to hear it, I don't like my boys squabbling." She put her glass down, looked at it. "I owe you one for keeping this place going. IS there something you'd like?"
He immediately thought of his wife, and the conversation they'd had a day before. "Actually, yeah. I'd like a different job. One without these," he gestured at his shirt and pants. "And I'd like a day shift instead of a night one."
The Bokkai looked at him. He could tell from the tilt of her head she was looking at his chest, and his hips in immense detail. She was also turning a lovely shade of rose pink. Eventually she said, "Well, I think they suit you. But if you insist, I guess I'm going to need a new assistant manager, " the pink took on hints of grey. "Now that Klia's...." she turned back to her drink and finished it hurriedly.
Edward sensed her discomfort. "She was quite a friend, wasn't she," he offered as he seated himself on a bar stool.
Yolanthe nodded. "One of the best. Such a nerd, though." She gave a fond smile as she reminisced. "She'd start talking to me about something technical, I only ever understood one word in three, even with a universal translator."
He gave a commiserating snort. "Its the same way when my wife talks about medical procedures. But sometimes just the sound of her voice is..." he trailed off a second, getting control of himself. "Watching them talk and the animated way they gesture... sometimes you don't need to understand what they were talking about in order to enjoy their company."
"No, You don't." She agreed. "Which reminds me, I'm going to need a tech for the holodecks. They won't fix themselves. " she sighed deeply again. "The show must go on."
"Speaking of the holodecks," Edward gave her a half-smile as he slid off his stool, "I was thinking about them. We could call in a repair team to get them going again, giving you time to hire a new tech. And I wondered if we've got the credit to invest in some new programs to entice our customers to try a new experience. Maybe a bar fight scene or two, a Roman gladiator arena, an espionage nior mystery, or a tropical paradise replete with warm blooded natives?"
"I'd have to check the books, but I'm sure there's something there. If not for a custom job, at least to adapt some of Klia's existing scenarios." She pushed the glass away from her, and stood. "Shall we?"
"Sure." He gestured for her to lead the way, and following in her wake he said, "You know, tonight's going to be a big night. Your triumphal return is going to bring in the crowds."
She laughed, a rich and dirty chuckle. "I doubt that. But I think we can celebrate a little. Happy hour all night long?"
"I'm sure everyone will appreciate that." They climbed the stairs to the second floor holodeck. At this hour of the day, the doors stood empty and the vast hall stood open and grey, waiting for the nights configurations to be activated and the bars stocked. He was watching Yolanthe, trying to decipher the colour changes going on in her skin and hair. "You going to be alright?"
Her colours greyed, then yelllowed, then went orange, before settling down to violet as she leaned on the balcony overlooking the ground floor, and even though her pure white eyes didn't reveal much, it was obvious her thoughts were dwelling a long way off in space and time. "I'll survive," she told him eventually, and her skin greyed once more. "Its what I do."
::OFF::
Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner & Bartender, The Box of Delights
Edward Stapleton
Ex-Dabo Boy, now Assistant Manager, The Box of Delights