Unity – I get knocked down, I get back up again
by Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin
Post Details
ON:
The replimat was mostly deserted. A few disaster-tourists were grabbing morning coffee and watching the various engineering teams trying to reassemble the Promenade. Yolanthe gave up on the bowl of fruit salad Klia had made her order for breakfast and massaged her abdomen. The pain killers the doctor had given her the night before were beginning to wear off and she felt uncomfortably full.
Her big opening night had been an almost complete disaster, but she was far from down and out yet. The difference between winning and ending up on the sand was in how you recovered from anything that landed. The Box of Delights' proximity to the second level core had shielded it from the worse of the falling architecture and exploding conduits. Many shops were still without power, others had signs up saying they were closed, either by owner's choice or, in the case of more than a few bars and restaurants, by Admin edict. Some were still open, probably having cut the same deal with CWO Surzchenko that she had. And she suspected that the Klingon bar, Q'uit, wouldn't give a tribble's arse about what Admin thought.
The important thing was to be open, and to be seen to be open. Which meant she should scratch taking her injury back to bed, and should throw up the shutters early. Catch the lunchtime crowd, and tonight, be all singing, all dancing. Perhaps get Madam Meow and her dance troupe into the main lounge, rather than a smaller bar. Or bring the jazz band down. Something, anything, to get bums on seats.
She headed back to The Box of Delights, and went straight to Klia's office by the holosuites. The Orion woman didn't look up from the customizations she was programming into a version of Vulcan Love Slave. "You're supposed to be in bed." Klia told her.
"We're opening up. Now." She grabbed a padd from the many on Klia's desk and started working out what she wanted to say.
"Why?"
"Make sure we're not smothered at birth. Or to at least go out kicking and screaming." Yolanthe told her, tapping away furiously. "You may be able to go home if the Box goes belly up, but I can't, so I'm not going to let a couple of terrorists and a mother-hen walk all over me on day one."
"Why can't you go down to the security office and point out who was in the bar?"
The bokkai gave Klia a look. "They know who was in the bar." She was sure that was true. The Admin's could name more people than she could. "If they were on the side trying to kill us, then they would have been arrested after the 'mysterious gassing'."
"Well.." Klia had to allow it was probable.
"Which leaves me, the admin's and the two Ambassadors. And since that CWO didn't arrest me on sight, and he's not in the brig himself, and the two ambassador's probably have diplomatic immunity or something, there's no one left to turn in." She put the padd down on the desk. "Its just an excuse. Everyone's scared, they don't have a clue what's going on. There's something happening they can't control, so they're dealing with what they can control. Which is us."
"Yes," Klia agreed. "They can. They're in charge."
Yolanthe leaned forward, "I thought it was women in charge on Orion. Are you going to let these men push you around?"
Klia snorted. "One, thats not common knowledge and we don't advertise it. Two, its the animal women in charge, and I have neither the nerve nor the body to pull that stuff off, so three. Yes I am going to let them push me around." She narrowed her eyes. "And so should you. Don't you go getting all Amazon on me. You're not at home, your rules don't apply."
"They're just men."
"Out here think of them as women without breasts, remember?" Klia's voice had a warning tone, and she shook her head. "You have to take them seriously when they get in your face. Adapt and Prosper, remember? New life, new start et cetera et cetera...?"
Yolanthe sighed, "You're right, but I'm not going to get anywhere if I just roll over with every minor set back." She turned the padd towards Klia, "I need you to reprogram the window projectors so they say this."
Klia glanced at it, then did a double take. "Are you insane? Admin will go ape-shit! They'll shut us down permanently! They could put us in the Brig! Deport us both!"
"You're exaggerating. All I promised was no alcohol. Nothing more." She shrugged. "And we're just as shut down if I can't get people in the bar. There are enough other places open that its worth the gamble. This is make or break." Her skin faded from its usual evening violent to a grey dusty one. "I have nothing to lose."
Klia threw up her hands in defeat. "Fine. I'll do it. But don't come crying to me when the yellow-mob turn up and put us down hard."
"I won't." Yolanthe grinned and headed out to admire the new signage.
"And if they shut us down I want my fifteen percent back in cash." Klia shouted after her.
The Bokkai didn't reply as she jogged down the stairs to the ground floor. She flicked the switch on the shutters, and once they were up, she went outside to see the effects she had requested. And there it was, in two foot high lflashing, colour-changing letters.
Don't let the bastards grind you down!
Come party on the Promenade at the Box of Delights
From now until dawn
Gather in style with great music and gorgeous dancers
The bigger the party gets, the cheaper the drinks!
Yolanthe nodded, pleased. Her skin shifted into the blue, even if it was a little grey. She looked around the promenade. Already people were beginning to take notice, and coming over to explore.
Let the good times roll...
OFF
Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner & Bartender, The Box of Delights
by Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin
Post Details
| Title | I get knocked down, I get back up again | |
| Mission | Unity | |
| Author(s) | Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin | |
| Posted | Sun Mar 07, 2010 @ 6:58pm | |
| Location | The Box of Delights | |
| Timeline | SD17, 11.30 |
The replimat was mostly deserted. A few disaster-tourists were grabbing morning coffee and watching the various engineering teams trying to reassemble the Promenade. Yolanthe gave up on the bowl of fruit salad Klia had made her order for breakfast and massaged her abdomen. The pain killers the doctor had given her the night before were beginning to wear off and she felt uncomfortably full.
Her big opening night had been an almost complete disaster, but she was far from down and out yet. The difference between winning and ending up on the sand was in how you recovered from anything that landed. The Box of Delights' proximity to the second level core had shielded it from the worse of the falling architecture and exploding conduits. Many shops were still without power, others had signs up saying they were closed, either by owner's choice or, in the case of more than a few bars and restaurants, by Admin edict. Some were still open, probably having cut the same deal with CWO Surzchenko that she had. And she suspected that the Klingon bar, Q'uit, wouldn't give a tribble's arse about what Admin thought.
The important thing was to be open, and to be seen to be open. Which meant she should scratch taking her injury back to bed, and should throw up the shutters early. Catch the lunchtime crowd, and tonight, be all singing, all dancing. Perhaps get Madam Meow and her dance troupe into the main lounge, rather than a smaller bar. Or bring the jazz band down. Something, anything, to get bums on seats.
She headed back to The Box of Delights, and went straight to Klia's office by the holosuites. The Orion woman didn't look up from the customizations she was programming into a version of Vulcan Love Slave. "You're supposed to be in bed." Klia told her.
"We're opening up. Now." She grabbed a padd from the many on Klia's desk and started working out what she wanted to say.
"Why?"
"Make sure we're not smothered at birth. Or to at least go out kicking and screaming." Yolanthe told her, tapping away furiously. "You may be able to go home if the Box goes belly up, but I can't, so I'm not going to let a couple of terrorists and a mother-hen walk all over me on day one."
"Why can't you go down to the security office and point out who was in the bar?"
The bokkai gave Klia a look. "They know who was in the bar." She was sure that was true. The Admin's could name more people than she could. "If they were on the side trying to kill us, then they would have been arrested after the 'mysterious gassing'."
"Well.." Klia had to allow it was probable.
"Which leaves me, the admin's and the two Ambassadors. And since that CWO didn't arrest me on sight, and he's not in the brig himself, and the two ambassador's probably have diplomatic immunity or something, there's no one left to turn in." She put the padd down on the desk. "Its just an excuse. Everyone's scared, they don't have a clue what's going on. There's something happening they can't control, so they're dealing with what they can control. Which is us."
"Yes," Klia agreed. "They can. They're in charge."
Yolanthe leaned forward, "I thought it was women in charge on Orion. Are you going to let these men push you around?"
Klia snorted. "One, thats not common knowledge and we don't advertise it. Two, its the animal women in charge, and I have neither the nerve nor the body to pull that stuff off, so three. Yes I am going to let them push me around." She narrowed her eyes. "And so should you. Don't you go getting all Amazon on me. You're not at home, your rules don't apply."
"They're just men."
"Out here think of them as women without breasts, remember?" Klia's voice had a warning tone, and she shook her head. "You have to take them seriously when they get in your face. Adapt and Prosper, remember? New life, new start et cetera et cetera...?"
Yolanthe sighed, "You're right, but I'm not going to get anywhere if I just roll over with every minor set back." She turned the padd towards Klia, "I need you to reprogram the window projectors so they say this."
Klia glanced at it, then did a double take. "Are you insane? Admin will go ape-shit! They'll shut us down permanently! They could put us in the Brig! Deport us both!"
"You're exaggerating. All I promised was no alcohol. Nothing more." She shrugged. "And we're just as shut down if I can't get people in the bar. There are enough other places open that its worth the gamble. This is make or break." Her skin faded from its usual evening violent to a grey dusty one. "I have nothing to lose."
Klia threw up her hands in defeat. "Fine. I'll do it. But don't come crying to me when the yellow-mob turn up and put us down hard."
"I won't." Yolanthe grinned and headed out to admire the new signage.
"And if they shut us down I want my fifteen percent back in cash." Klia shouted after her.
The Bokkai didn't reply as she jogged down the stairs to the ground floor. She flicked the switch on the shutters, and once they were up, she went outside to see the effects she had requested. And there it was, in two foot high lflashing, colour-changing letters.
Don't let the bastards grind you down!
Come party on the Promenade at the Box of Delights
From now until dawn
Gather in style with great music and gorgeous dancers
The bigger the party gets, the cheaper the drinks!
Yolanthe nodded, pleased. Her skin shifted into the blue, even if it was a little grey. She looked around the promenade. Already people were beginning to take notice, and coming over to explore.
Let the good times roll...
OFF
Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner & Bartender, The Box of Delights