[Invite Only] The Lounge

[SpaceHelicopters]

Souna and Gaius:

 

"That's a close guess, but you're wrong," the Bartender joked in response to Souna's 'horror-story' comment. 

 

"He takes the shift after mine here. We run this place together. Have to say, if it weren't for him, this place wouldn't exist." He smiled fondly, reminiscing about the earlier days of the Lounge.

 

Umbra:

 

"Correction," the apparition of Lysandra said, placing a finger in the center of his helmet. The song had ended, and with no reason to continue their little dance, she was threatening to fade back into the smoke.

 

"You know that, but I don't. Well, at least you don't know that I know." 

[Owlrrex]

"So you do take a break every once in a while." Souna deducts airily, taking a sip from her wine. Following a sudden inspiration, she looked over at the pianist. Feeling like the other man from the picture gazes up to her. With his dark eyes, she imagines. "So... do you share the same taste of music? Or is there a different show on air when he's around?"

 

She feels like threading on very thin ice, but also very close to something very important. Like the conversation ventured into topics uncharted by man. It somehow reminds her of her youth, when she snuck into some area she had no permission for - stuck into some corner at the ceiling, behind some ornaments or in a narrow chute, high-rank Tenno and even some Primes passing by unsuspecting. She had made it that far, but the slightest mistake and it will all be in vain, she'll get thrown back into the boring mediocrity. The only thing is: She is far less familiar with the Lounge and its unusual staff, than she had been with the white-golden halls and hallways. If only the wine would soothe her agitating tension...

[Ghost333]

Umbra:

 

"Correction," the apparition of Lysandra said, placing a finger in the center of his helmet. The song had ended, and with no reason to continue their little dance, she was threatening to fade back into the smoke.

 

"You know that, but I don't. Well, at least you don't know that I know." 

Smoke and mirrors. An aspect of a mind clouded in the shroud of shadows. What is this place?

And why am I only asking this now? Probably the scotch.

 

"Since when did you develop a passion for ambiguity?" Umbra asked. "I thought I was the only one."

[XionicoRX]

Fulgurus looked at Souna, and didn't believe his ears. Did she really ask that in front of Him?

 

"Miss? You know that curiosity killed the cat, right?"

He was absolutely serious and tried to show her to be careful, but who knows if she understood that.

[SpaceHelicopters]

Souna and Fulgurus:

 

"Not really, Toots, I work around the clock." the Bartender corrected as he replaced the photo and returned to polishing his glass. 

 

"As for Larry, he's always playing. Don't get the wrong idea, he likes doing it. In fact, he prefers this to his old job."

 

He then cleared the empty glasses from the counter and placed a fresh wine glass in front of Souna, a madeira to be exact. Turning to face the glass shelves behind him, he grabbed a different wine bottle and popped the cork. As he poured, the ruby liquid swirled about the glass, the soothing, crimson ripples  making for a pleasant view, only amplified by the smoky atmosphere and the glimmering of the dim candlelight as it shone through the glass, casting maroon reflections on nearby surfaces.

 

The design of the glass wafted the sweet scent of the wine past the rim of the glass, inviting Souna's lips to partake of the ruby nectar that rested in it's bowl. The wine itself was sweet, but not overpoweringly so with a moderate alcohol content that would help in relaxing her nerves.

 

​After all, the Lounge wasn't supposed to be a place of fear, but one of peaceful rest and waiting until one was called. 

 

Umbra:

 

"You are," the apparition replied, turning her back on the dapper Ash as she continued to fade.

 

"You're smart, Umbra, you should know what I am. I'm not your sister..." and with that, the specter re-joined the swirling cloud above, leaving the Tenno alone on the dance floor.

[IrishHades1798]

"What was his old job?" Gaius asked him, pouring himself another glass of scotch. He couldn't help but start to feel bad for the Bartender. It seemed like he wasn't all to happy here, behind the smiles and jokes. He wandered if anyone here was actually happy. He says the pianist is happy, but Gaius just didn't buy it.

[Ghost333]

Umbra:

 

"You are," the apparition replied, turning her back on the dapper Ash as she continued to fade.

 

"You're smart, Umbra, you should know what I am. I'm not your sister..." and with that, the specter re-joined the swirling cloud above, leaving the Tenno alone on the dance floor.

The Ash smiled as the smoke disappeared.

"Of course you aren't." He said as he sat at a table somewhere near the back.

"Lyse wouldn't be caught dead in red."

[Owlrrex]

Souna looks at Fulgurus as he seems terrified by her boldness, but her face shows no awareness of danger. Maybe even worse, straightforward disregard of it.

"Come on, my dear, I just asked about the musician. I can hardly walk up the stage and ask him in person." she belittles him. Apparently, having someone to look down upon is an effective way of numbing her nervousness or fear. 

 

As is the wine that the bartender pours for her, yielding him a gratious smile from Souna. "I don't even need to ask. Have I overlooked the sign 'quickest service of all Origin' at the front door?" Souna had learnt from her earlier rejection by the bartender, so this time she didn't straightout flatter him in such an obvious manner, but rather tells it as a casual joke. And as such, of course doesn't expect an answer. 

 

Gaius' question gets nodded at, as she thinks that an interesting thing to know, but instead of voicing her agreement audibly, she just takes a sip from the new wine. 

[XionicoRX]

"I'm just trying to play this safe, no feelings were intended, or how you may call them..."

He smiled and looked to bartender. He was going to say something, but he didn't and pushed mug a little.

Edited August 14, 2015 by XionicoRX

[SpaceHelicopters]

Giaus, Souna, & Fulgurus:

 

"Pretty much the same thing he does now, only he uses a piano. Loves that thing to death, which is understandable, I mean, it cost him an arm and a leg. Well, an arm at least," the Bartender chuckled as he placed Fulgurus's mug under a tap and released an amber wave.

 

Even though it should have been impossible for him to hear from so far away, the Pianist chuckled as well, shaking his head slightly as he brought his glass of water to his lips. He placed the glass down after his drink, the glass refusing to lose an ounce of liquid. Not satisfied with the silence in the room, the Pianist worked his magic and began to tickle the ivory keys yet again.

 

The Bartender placed the glass, mysteriously, yet not unwelcome-ly frosted in front of the misplaced Tenno. Seeing how his stein stacked up against the elegant madeira beside it, he humorously procured a small, tropical umbrella and stabbed it through a chunk of pineapple, an Old World fruit, and dropped it into Fulgurus's ale in order to give it a little flair. The fruit floated, and as odd as the pairing may have seemed, the citrus would complement the bite of the ale quite well.

 

The Bartender balled up his fingers, brought them to his mouth and kissed them as he flicked his wrist back, boasting, "Perfect!" 

[IrishHades1798]

Gaius chuckled at the Bartender's comment. He poured himself another glass, having finished his other drink. He took a sip from his favorite drink, and set it down. "So, Bartender, how exactly did you and that pianist meet? Seems like you two have known eachother since the dawn of time." Gaius wanted to see what he could learn about these men. They seemed friendly enough, and I doubt that they really wanted to harm any of the patrons, but Gaius liked to know all he could on a potential threat such as this.

[XionicoRX]

"That's a surprise..."

He sipped a little and chuckled.

"Beer from tropic islands, never thought it could look like this."

[Owlrrex]

To Souna's delight, Gaius didn't stop asking questions, as she would have done herself, if he were not willingly taking the front line in this little game. She ran her finger along some features of the wooden counter, finickly adjusting her sleeves which wide ends were flowing over the table, small puddles of clean brightness in the dimmed light. 

 

As the bartender 'spiced up' Fulgurus' beer, she chuckled as well. "Is that really a custom? Even in times where it's hard to get any naturally-grown fruit at all? That fruit looks nicer than most grineer able to afford it! " She voiced her suprise as polite disbelief, even though the moment she spoke she remembered that if this place really was that old, virtually eternal, it probably had seen a lot fashions come and go, as well as the people who practiced them. The thought of this room, full of primed Tenno from ages when the Orokin were at their peak gave her chills down her spine - chilly and eager at the same time. 

[XionicoRX]

"Who cares about Grineer? If they can't afford this, then it's their problem they won't enjoy this."

He sipped his beer and smiled.

[SpaceHelicopters]

The three at the bar:

 

"Well, you aren't wrong," the bartender chuckled as he put the polished glass down and leaned against the bar.

 

"We've been around each other so long, it's hard to remember a time when we've been apart."

 

Looking to Souna, the bartender simply smiles. "If you have it, what's the harm in sharing it? Better than letting it go to waste in my opinion."

 

Of course, that wasn't necessarily true, food didn't spoil here, and it was more than abundant. But they didn't need to know that.

[Owlrrex]

Souna lifts her hands defensively, but smiling, as the bartender adressed her.

"I totally agree with you. I was just suprised, after all you said it yourself: It is a very old custom, not from our time. How could I have known?"

It's not as if she's agreeing to sharing everything in general. Her smile is a little shallow, since she can't help but think of the many, many occasions in which she had kept control by carefully adjusting the flow of information: Keeping details back, pointing someone in the wrong direction subtly, without really lying.

 

But what would be the worth of all that if she easily gave away how much of a control-freak she is?

[SpaceHelicopters]

Souna:

 

The Bartender chuckled in response.

 

He then offered, "You've been here a bit, Sweetheart, feelin' peckish? Granted, I can't pull a five-star meal outta thin air, I can probably find something to stave off your appetite."

 

Again, not true, he could, but that wasn't all that important.

[Owlrrex]

Souna looks around, wondering if there is any reason visible why he offers this to her - is someone else talking about it? She's pretty confident that she's not looking particularily hungry.

"Time sure flies by here, does it not?" she muses, stretching the fingers of one hand and inspecting her - of course stil flawless - fingernails. 

 

"That is a very nice offer I will gladly accept, but I have a most strict diet to meet. I can not possibly let myself go if I want to keep my figure as well as my performance on the highest possible level."

It would be a completely honest excuse, if there were not that little, smug tone in her voice. Of course she sometimes misses eating whatever she likes. But a bar of chocolate now and then can not compare to comforting her pride when her dedication and discipline make her feel superior over the more easygoing Tenno.

[IrishHades1798]

"Mind if I get in on that food offer? Haven't eaten in ages." Gaius asked. The mention of food made his stomach rumble violently, and he was not exactly one to pass up a free meal. "Hey uh, Souna, right? You should relax a bit and have a bite, it's not every day that we get a chance to just sit and relax like this, or have someone offer us a free meal." Realizing his statement, Gaius turned to the Bartender. "The meal is free, right?"