Yu Yan's Story

There was a new regular at Eat Out. It wasn't unusual for restuarants to have regulars or new ones at that. However the amount of money or favors required for someone to frequent this establishment were extraordinary. Such to the extent that a regular could not show up for a month or so. Yet this newbie was here everywhere day for the last two weeks. And like clockwork she was here again.

A tall, young oriental woman. She was dressed plainly, professionally but she walked with a degree of elegance that was not normally seen even in the higher echelons of the business world. She seemed delicate but the observant of security of Eat Out would have seen the scar on her right shoulder on previous visits. Sufficient to say, there was evidence of mystery. This woman was more than she seemed and her frequent visits meant she was either someone powerful or she had friends in high places. This was enough to get the attention of some, the caution of others, but apparently it was not enough to get Tiegre's.

With every visit, she sat herself down as though she owned the place and when the Host came to her, she charmingly would say.

"I am here to do business with Mr. Di Gun." .

There were explanations, excuses, and many courteous apologies extended to her.

"I am sorry, Miss. Mr. Di Gun is elsewhere today. We cannot say when he will be back. I am certain you understand.".

Was today's excuse. Yet she seemed unphased.
"Of course I understand. Mr Di Gun is a very busy man. I am willing to wait here until he comes. I an certain you are all capable of catering to my needs as I do...for the 14th time, yes?".

The Host kept his composure despite the frustration he felt. Perhaps that dissatisfied her because Yu Yan went on.
"I am sure the staff is delighted! Another opportunity to redeem themselves after so many consecutive disappointments. I look forward to tasting your efforts.".

Conveniently enough, after every visit a review would make it on various sites on Eat Out's service. Needless to say, they were less than favorable and they were obviously from the same little miss that had requested for Tiegre's presence everyday.

"There was a man whom his peers called the Sleeping Dragon. I want something to drink that reminds me of his noble character and genius. Alcoholic of course. I will think of what to eat as I wait.".

The Host bowed and retreated inside where he could vocalize his frustrations and prepare the others to fufill Miss Yu Yan's outlandish requests.

Larc was moving quickly, absolutely floating (literally and figuratively) through the large kitchen. The first kitchen of many inside the restaurant. This was Kitchen 1, and it housed a staff of 26 people including the cooks and head staff members. Waiters of the highest efficiency moved in and out like erratic clockwork. Matching paces of everyone as needed. Orders where flying in through ear pieces and holograms. Making for each section of the kitchen to manage time and cooperation in the best way possible.

This was a kitchen bustling with precision and cleanliness, and the temperature was turned all the way up to 11. There was a concentration of magical energy permeating through the kitchen staff that was palpable and visibly purple. One Sous Chef - Alexer - was cutting a bundle of red chives and sliding the finished ingredients with the 'mise en place' for the table presentation over in Section c4. There was a table in need of some spicy garnish next, and they would have it brought. A spice mix was ground, and then hand mixed within the next 47 seconds.

"Slide to table, SA c4 chives and spice mix is en route." was tersely spoken to a waiter on standby, Alexer was already back in motion taking on a precision cut of veggies for another special garnish finish, since it was to order and needed to be done with temperature and texture in mind. The staff moved without a second's notice. Instantly snapping into motion. It was a 'blink and miss' type situation. The red chives and spice mix disappeared in the blink and would arrive in the back section the fancy elegant restaurant within seconds.

"I have a reoccurring customer for Chef. One miss Creed." was spoken from an expediter. Instantly, everyone froze for half a second, before snapping to attention. The staff waiting for Larc's order.

Larc would turn to the kitchen.

"Area's 2 and 3 focus on the current orders coming in. SA c4 is handled, that was the last big order. I need Sous Chef Alexer to task your team on the Provolov Lamb Rack, with Ah Jus Blue Turt. Uriel, make a veggie medly of the heavens, and Yithurk, start that fricking cocktail RIGHT NOW!" Larc blurted out with energy and a new smile.

He turned on his heels as the staff snapped in to thier new ordering, it was audible even. Every little clang, had purpose, the purple mist that was floating throughout the kitchen turned blue and bright. The staff was motivated, and they wanted to meet Larc's expectation. 8 staff members were rededicated to making a single dish, a special one. It would take a total of 5 minutes, but it was 5 minutes that would utilized everything that the staff knew up until today to make happen.

It was, after all, a dish that Larc himself sourced the ingredients for and invented. A take on traditional Terran cuisine, made to be similar to an off worlder's tastebud. Larc focused for moment. He closed his eyes and began chanting. Within 4 minutes, 60 seconds before the dish was meant to go out, there was a beverage half mixed and prepared in front of him, still in the mixing container. There was no glass. Instead, a beautiful assortment of red sand, green ice, blue ice, and some gold liquid inside of a syrup pouring bottle was placed in front of him.

Larc opened his eyes and moved his hands quickly, swooping over the sand instantly. The red sand melding and shaped from the heat and magic coming off Larc's hands. It would form a beautiful ornate plate, octagonal in shape, about size of a standard plate but with upward curving corners. It would be completely see through, with a red glassy tinge. It would have electricity running throughout the glassy plate. Giving it sparks and hues of blue, gold and green. Larc would move to the next item, the two pairs of ice. He would pic up his favorite knife and go to work, moving so fast and with precision, it would take only 10 seconds to complete, he would infuse the knife with life energy and magic. Each ice block was carved into two halves of a dragon-like structure that would hold the liquid of the drink inside, they would be combined to form one dragon of green and blue. The halves would combine in such a way that it would appear as if the tail of the dragon were holding up the spine of the glass at the bottom, whilst the arms and head were holding a chalice like cone shaped vessel for the liquid. Entire structure was difficult to describe, for it was a dragon from an ancient tribe he knew. It was pure art. Most of all, it was alive. The dragon on the glass would move a little and adjust itself, as if waiting for the liquid.

Larc looked over his shoulder to see the 5 cooks bringing various parts of the dish to the red plate he created. Just as he grabbed the golden ambrosia in the syrup pouring container, he had a green fruit in the shape of an orb placed inside the mouth of the glass dragon. The glass dragon seemed excited by that. It held the orb as Larc finished shaking the cocktail and poured a beautiful frothy red liquid into the glass. The glass dragon began vibrating in more excitement. Now, everything was ready. A waiter staff was at his side before he finished the thought. He waved her off.

"I'll be delivering this myself." Larc said, and turned on his hills to head out into the beautifully ornate restaurant. The interior was bright and filled with gold and lavish styling all around. Larc made a beeline for miss Creed's table, his Staff of Ygg would shift from the corner of the kitchen float/fly to catch up with Larc's feet that were moving fast. Two staff members of the waiting team would be holding the main dishes and the drink on elegant black waiting trays.

A gentle smile greeted Larciegre as his and his waiters approached with her drink. The waiters behind him seemed to also have food with them, which made her ponder.

"I didn't ask for something to eat yet...anticipatingmy tastes perhaps? she thought to herself before speaking to the man who approached.

" I always wondered how could Eat Out cater to their patrons so hastily. So even the Kitchen staff are magicians? There are those who would argue that magic can affect the taste of food. Like how one can tell if a plant was grown in a field or a hydroponic garden.".

She looked at the glass chalice brought to her. It was beautiful. Far too unique for it to be something they had in large quantities or rather she had never seen amother patron drink out one such thing. The little Dragon wrapping around it with a fruit in its mouth seemed real as well. As for the liquid inside...she would preserve judgement for when she tasted it.

"Tell me, sir. What do you know of the Sleeping Dragon, Zhuge Liang? I would assume you must know something profound to conjure all this at the mere mentioning of his nickname." She asked, allowing him to place the drink at her table.

Life for Alexis was a stream of long silences between bursts of endless noise. Her world writ as a single moment as her body followed a line thrown across reality to a destination then lit into motion. The Almanac was what she read in that in-between. Though this silence was broken at the end with an explosion of endless dry chatter pelting the back of her mind. Sometimes it was an obstacle she hadn't planned for like on the way back from the outskirts of wing city after repeatedly hitting tumbleweeds. The conversations among servitors among citizens having conversations made it hard sometimes to remember to avoid landing headfirst.

Now that she'd gotten back into wing city it was hard to pick out one thing to pay attention to. Idly picking out burred seeds from her clothing and brushing off the dust from her hair. Though she'd gotten better at sorting through new happenings around the city and doing other things at the same time. Everything was different all the time here besides the people scheming about something everywhere. A constant undercurrent boiling anger into her thoughts or the faint glyph phasing into language surrounding her from somewhere else in her attention. Other times the Almanac leaked from lies she saw in advertisements on the walls as a faint outpour of paragraphs and translucent visuals.

If she sat still and focused she could listen to the other people heard by servitors that she otherwise couldn't quite pick out. A closing of her red eyes while on a bench in wing city and the world both gained and lost immensity. Amid the relative quiet of her closed eyes conversations near servitors went on undiminished by distance. Near to every table and looking with her mind's eye as memories of incongruent images and text servitors observed pours past. There were always many sobbing stories from the wing city hospital to read but she wanted something cheerful to try and sell to the humans. Some whisper that marked her place among the endless noise. Others passing complaints about ashen or the TNG's failing health. Something for later. Then a conversation among two bosses about some soiree at a new restaurant. New? No, new to them maybe in a recommendation from one to another. Too something? The servitor had passed that source by.

Alexis opened all eyes to the world again as the red eyes squinted at the flood of information. A deep breath reached down to pick up a book in her mind that was not in her life. Though she seemed to others to read and flip through an absent libram while wincing in emotion at some visualized screaming someone she had to push away. It took some time to sift through the almanac to find out which servitor heard what she'd found. A careful examination of potentials surrounding the memory of those voices she heard within the almanac. Climbing between the web of knowledge that tethered itself to branches in her brain.

Though she couldn't use a computer to look through the city for news articles and reviews. Alexis burnt out electronics rapidly and had to find the written word. Critics tended to yell loudly and that's how she found a snippet of an article from some lady. Idle watching between frozen moment between trash cans around newsstands for an hour until finding magazines. A quiet look over someone's shoulder to read a cell phone as they browsed a site. The trips along a single predetermined tether of reality left little but bootprints but left no sound.

The high ranking humankind talked differently than the everyday drone she heard and that sort of information stood out. Though to her several weeks of searching as she walks on thin strands of the basal layer. Alexis bounced from spot to spot across the city over the day searching for the magazine it came from. Though the well-to-do seemed a common thread with the ones looking at that particular blog. Alexis had been picked up and thrown out several times and couldn't well take someone on the basal layer with her. Nearly broke her nose on a forcefield she'd not realized was there trying to follow a thread past it. Instead, she remembered Bristol and that did seem about his sort of company. A turn and a consideration of her path to get there cast a thread to bristol's office. In the middle of dropping his coffee by the time she exits the thread. Bristol seemed a little put-off but answered her questions all the same. Contacts! Alexis would have to get more of those. He knew what she was talking about.

After peppering him with questions for an hour cast a thread in small shards on the way there. Though she had to make a small stop to Sybil's Lamentation Forge. Unfamiliar with either locale the last thing she wanted to do is hit a curb while on the way there then fling herself off a ledge. Just because motes in her body healed her quickly that didn't make a broken leg any less inconvenient. Under market took a bit and Sybil had to guide her there but it was a good stop to make. Everything for the Mada is made by forge master Sybil.

One really couldn't buy anything without credits so Alexis pretty much had to start with Sybil if she wanted something. Even clothes which were nearly worn through after a decade of wear, relative to Alexis's last real week at least, so at least Bristol gave her something new to wear. Other Mada didn't seem to care about joining human society but Sybil had an awareness of it. Probably more as her awareness of big daddy Emperor but that nearly got her hit with a hammer. Alexis didn't give Sybil time for percussive objections before picking up one of the smaller cognizance vaults in her forge and leaving with it. As she left the basal thread having absconded giggles in midair. Hurled forward feet over heels after tripping over a rat outside her labyrinth managed to skid hips first a bit. Then stood up to rub her sore bottom and brush off the dust.

She could hear Sybil from the walls commenting acridly, "It's a good thing you landed on your well-padded end and not your thick skull. Don't break that."

A throng of short stitches later footprints traced into existence from the labyrinth to the door of the restaurant. A small cylinder in her pale hands. They were flexible on payment. What she'd heard said they used some sort of magic cook? Alexis' eyes cooled from electric blue to their normal red as she looked about. The tattoo of her Falx writ in raised black bumps shone by the coat sleeves settling down. The new coat was clean, a nice fur and suede, her pants a robust leather but well assembled. Bristol had style at least though she wasn't sure where he got the women's clothes. Maybe more the rich swarthy boy met more ladies than she knew! Though her thoughts were scattered looking over the interior. All the things she could write an actual missive that humans could read! They one she'd read the reviews of sounded picky. The servitors were so... regular in their construction. This place had style and even artwork. A lot like the Imperial buildings but a little less violent.

"I oughta charge the thing," Said the thin Mada distractedly as she turned the vents of the small grey cylinder of cognizance vault within her hands.

Focused on charging the vault angular mica patterns layered inside served as anchor points as threads pour inside to stitch together. Entirely unaware of a doorman she may have flashed in front of at the front door. Expecting a foyer she'd stopped in the middle of the entrance. The black vault wrapped around her torso humms as the empty vessel fills with a weightless fluid. Amassed raw magical energy climbs in between a growing tangle of potentials anchored to its walls. Stable enough Sybyl said it more resembled a synthetic ley node. Seconds later she figured a mage should recognize what it was for. It held a pretty good quantity though she felt it was like trying to breathe for someone else. The warmth from her body and personal vault poured inside. A faint distortion around her pale hands and arms they vibrated the small vault in place. Her vest replacing the warmth that the small vest removed from her.

Larc strode/floated to the other side of the table and took a seat in a practiced smooth motion. He pulled the seat out and the seat would magically pull back in, perfectly catching him in just the right position. His Staff of Ygg would float over to his right side, changing colors once more to a brighter beige cinderwood color. Clearly intrigued, it would would look as if it was swinging in a small motion from side to side. Larc would look steal a glance at his Staff of Ygg before shifting his gaze back to his guest.

"Hello my esteemed guest - Miss Yan. I can only guess the reason you have been coming here is because you can afford to enjoy our food daily! I would be honored, only except my staff members informed me that they have not managed to satisfy your palate. Disappointing to say the least. I take great bride in my abilities." Larc would began. His waiters would have flanked the table by now, two on each side. One of them would have placed the dragon styled chalice on the table already. The liquid inside would be red, with a layer of froth at the top that would appear to be sprinkled with flecks of gold, upon closer inspection however, one would notice that the entire top level of froth was actually shifting with swirls of lively gold. Like a golden snake in the liquor.

"I decided that I would see for myself all the things I need to know. The truth of my esteemed customers continued presence and request for a Di Grun, the capabilities of judgment towards my food, and whether I need to shut down my services for an intervention. I will not tolerate poor service." He finished. It would be clear through the extremely toothy smile and the measured tone that his expression showed his exact feelings of amusement and pride. A scary expression it would be too. Di Grun's were all born with a mask of darkness over there faces, the only thing visible would be yellow orbs for eyes and sharp pointed teeth that would show when smiling. Through magic, they morphed their fangs to look like normal teeth, but there was one in the family did who not mask his. Larcierge Di Grun was unfiltered among his family and kin.

The little dragon on the chalice, as if on cue, would slither further atop the chalice and aim its snout to the sky. It would blow a 3 foot flame upwards. The flame would be green in color, giving off a very infectiously calming and overwhelmingly invigorating area of effect, instead of the heat of normal. It would surprise everyone, including the waiters.

Larcierge would smile even wider however.

The fruit in its mouth would shine and even brighter green, sparkling and glowing, before being dropped in the drink by the little dragon. To which the dragon would maneuver back down towards the bottom of the chalice. It would inhale once more, then breath a gentle chilling breath of blue mist to cool the bottom of the chalice, keeping the optimum temperature where its supposed to be.

"Before I answer any questions about the famous legendary Sleeping Dragon of Ancient China, nor inquiries of intent/desires any further, please...let us have you drink. I shall indulge with you out of respect. As one should." Tierge said, and one of the waiters will place a chalice made of beautiful black obsidian. It would also look like glass, similar to the one Yu Yan would have. The same waiter will pour a brown liquid that one could assume was a small batch special. Larc would move when Miss Yan moved to sip.

Of course, he and all the staff noticed the man appearing through doors suddenly, but the table had his full attention. Someone would greet the customer withing seconds.

An impeccable dressed staff woman appear next to Alexis, greeting her with a big smile.

"Hello ma'am, how may I seat you today? We have a couple of seats in the common area, we have two in the VIP section and one private room viewing of Kitchen 2 available. The private room comes with a surcharge. But there will be a dedicated team making your food, and you get an exclusive menu of the original dishes curated by the Chef of the Week."

Carmen Dellevon skidded, but managed to stop, the motorbike at one of the Luxxor HQ locations. It was, to her surprise, a quaint house on a street with others in a small town with tree lined streets. There was a high wooden fence surrounding the back of the property-much like all of the neighbors. The houses were far enough apart that kids could likely play screeching and not be more than twinkle of sound to their neighbor.

Shakily, she dismounted the motorbike.

It ain't much but it's home

, said the kid. He reached out to take his helmet back from Carmen. She still wore the pink ensemble and the too-small shoes. As if reading her mind, the kid said,

Spare threads inside.

They climbed the stoop. The kid pressed his thumb into a print reader on the door and it loudly clicked unlocked. It was a high ranch style house, Carmen noted, remembering the residential architecture course she had taken. The kid pointed to the steps leading down.

Bathroom, closet, all that. When you're ready we can talk off-planet,

the kid smiled at Carmen,

That's where you're going, ya?

Carmen smiled sweetly back, reaching up and unhooking her braids from their anchor high on their head. They tumbled down like thick black silk ropes. Without another word she went to find the communal closet and freshen up. The kid grinned all the wider and stomped upstairs, calling out to whoever was up there that they were cashing in that favor once and for all.

Finn Harra came trodding down the stairs. So the Dellevons wanted to cash in on their favor? He didn’t want to know what was up, but if Carmen wanted to get off planet… well shit he could do that.

Carmen Dellevon came out of the bathroom in a cream colored sundress with a large brown shawl. Thankfully they had a cute pair of cowboy style boots in her size. There was a boy standing there. He was certainly younger than her, but not by as much as the last one. She smiled graciously at him and stuck out her hand for a handshake and introduction, and a thanks.

Finn Harra slapped the extended hand in a high five and cracked his lopsided grin at Carmen. He didn't care for small talk, and he wasn't going to give her the honor of telling her she looked nice. She seemed to know that already.

"Good looks," he spoke up to Carmen, talking about the sanctity of their agreement more than how pretty she was. "Heard you had to get elsewhere?"

Carmen Dellevon blinked a few times at the high five. She was expecting a handshake. Carmen kept smiling nonetheless.

Yes,

communicating urgency at this point should come with utmost sensitivity. The last thing she needed was for this gang to call up her cousin and verify anything. She needed them to trust her.

As far as Wing City. The spaceport. Off planet,

she flicked one of her long braids to the back of her shoulder,

I have cash.

Finn Harra nodded at the mention of cash. He liked cash. It was good to the Luxxor gang, so they were good to it. No crumpled bills. The vault itself was filled with the largest papers folded neatly into three leaf clovers- whatever wasn't digital, that is.

Half the cost and be ready in an hour,

Finn waved a hand as if shooing a fly. They'd take Carmen's cash, but too much on this transaction might wind up putting them back in debt. Back into owing a favor. Not that the Dellevons were bad business, Finn just didn't feel like fucking with them much anymore. He was fine to have his people be the people their people came to when in Granpaix for a pick me up or put me down-er. Anything more than that was just a hassle.

No, Finn didn't want shares of a fucking hospitality company.
No, Finn didn't want a fucking space ship.
Fuck No, Finn wasn't interested in meeting Marisa- a divorcee with a kid.

It's more than a hop skip and a jump,

Finn glanced at Carmen's hemline.

You maneuver in that?

Carmen Dellevon smoothed her skirt and looked Finn hard in the eye. Her smile didn't drop, but it hardened.

But of course. I am ready when you are...?

She raised her eyebrows. He still had failed to give his name. He knew hers, it seemed, so it was only proper.

Finn Harra shook his head and dropped his own smile completely.

A hunch tells me it's better off you know my face,

he told her, leaving the hard part unsaid. There was something about her urgency that was off. He didn't care to get involved more than he already was.

An hour,

He said over his shoulder as he tromped back up the stairs,

Have a sit and some limeade. There's Gruul in the 'fridge too if you're into that. Don't get saucy. We don't wanna ride sloppy.

Carmen Dellevon turned cooly and entered the big entertainment room, located the refrigerator, and grabbed a limeade. She settled into a green suede couch, worn more so than the rest in one spot, popped the glass bottle of limeade and took a sip. It was good, not too sweet. A little fizzy- refreshing. She waited there and took in the surroundings, enjoying a little bit of silence before whatever came next.

Finn Harra came back down the stairs with two full coverage helmets under his arms. He tossed one at Carmen.

Carmen Dellevon looked at the shiny black bike as the younger man pulled it around. She popped her helmet on her head and tucked her skirts around her legs and waist. The double handkerchief hemline allowed her to make a pair of pants out of it. Carmen smiled at herself before folding her braids up on her head. Extra cushion for the helmet, which came next.

She tied the shawl around her arms and waist, then put a hand on her hip and struck a cool pose.

Finn Harra grinned inside his helmet and put his leg down to steady the bike. He cued for her to hop on.

Alright hot shot, let's ride.

The black hoverbike carried two helmeted people down the road and out of town limits.