"Oh, I'm afraid you won't see a 'Soup of the Day' sign in this establishment, captain," Purina replied coyly to Kokuten, waggling her finger out in front of her in jest. "They'll probably hand us menus when we're actually at our table. I expect their food to be... well... probably a lot more refined that what you've all been accustomed," the pink-haired administrator admitted, most likely referring to either the horrors of Cassefin's standard health-centric menus on her vending machines, or the welcome but bland fruits and vegetables Purina herself was able to sneak the squad from time to time, on days she was sure she wouldn't get caught. Meat of any kind, besides what protein substitutes Cassefin offer them on a daily basis, was always just beyond their reach.
Food on the Cirrus was, after all, a very dangerous game, with palates balancing on the edge of a knife and menus always heavily regulated.
---
"Hello..." Cassefin replied as she tried her best to force out a passable smile of sincerity.
Cassefin gave both Kokuten and Stovaa an incredulous look of disbelief. She was quite sure she knew who was and was not an 'applicant'... after all, she reviews each admission personally and with great scrutiny, and the young ladies' name didn't ring any bells. Instead of lash out at them for their attempts at pulling the wool over their eyes, however, Cassefin simply emitted a short, low laugh through a clenched-shut mouth, tenderly caressing her forehead. "Oh ho ho, is that so? Well, no point in complaining about it now I guess. She's already dressed for it. Let's just see if the front desk will seat us now."
Cassefin led the group over to the gentleman behind the small podium before the entrance to the staircase. The man looked up from his desk at the administrator and her group, looking expectantly towards Cassefin, who cleared her throat and straightened herself up a bit before speaking. "Reservations for Montreal and guests?" The gentleman looked down at the small screen installed into the face of the podium, his eyes moving down the supposed list of reserved slots to find Cassefin's name. His eyes widened a bit and a small smile played across his face as he seemingly found what he was looking for.
"Ah yes, Ms. Montreal. We have you and your party booked for the... presidential table," the man sounded a bit surprised and impressed as he gave her his confirmation. Snapping his fingers towards a small handful of dressed waiters behind the velvety red ropes, one of them approached him and they exchanged a few words. "Just follow our man here, Mr. Vinross Yu has been expecting you all," the fellow began again as he motioned to the younger gentleman.
---
The stairwell, as elaborate as it was, was no comparison to what it actually led to. The spiral steps opened up to the rooftop of the sky-scraping building which had been converted from empty space to a restaurant of unique attributes.
The Whitecrest Cove, as the restaurant would have you believe, followed along with the aquatic motif of the Lady of the Ocean, simulating a coastal inlet. The rooftop restaurant had large sections of private space for each table, sectioned off by ocean-worn rock outcroppings with an occasional tide pool set inside the larger sections of rock which were filled with large varieties of colorful sea life. The floor panels were slightly different from the rest of the ones they had seen in lower parts of the establishment; miniature aquariums had been replaced in favor of simple, sterling white sand to give the appearance of a coastal bay without the coarse problems of the sand itself.
The entire restaurant itself had very sparse lighting; some of the tide pools around the restaurant had lights install beneath the crystal blue water, but much of the light provided in the Whitecrest Cove was through more natural means. Being on the roof of the building gave the patrons of the restaurant the chance to bask in the light from the three moons around Fortuna's orbit, which did more than enough to keep everything illuminated enough to see, yet maintain the absolute atmosphere. Another thing that seemed to stand out was the fact that, despite being a several thousand feet above a roaring city, the restaurants only sounds were the soft instrumental music wafting from a performing band on a raised central platform, as the conversations of other patrons of the establishment... a strange oddity, amongst other things.
The lobby-bound waiter led the group through the establishment, around the chest-high weather-hewn rocks separating many of the tables from each other, heading towards one of the corners of the restaurant. Eventually, they reached a slightly suspended dining area, a short flight of steps leading to a large, ovular dining table. The tables and chairs were, like the others the group had passed, made of elaborately carved dark red wood, polished and set with round accents; the designers of the restaurant spared no expense for extravagance. Upon their approach, four figures who had been seated together across from the table took notice to them and stood up to greet them.
The two on the left were some unexpected faces. Nell Sarahs, the slight-short, silver haired Unique that Squad 35 had met back during the Eco-Eco Summit. The young woman was wearing a cocktail dress made of dark silvery fabric, with her hair pulled up in a simple braided bun at the back of her head. The other figure was a tall, slender woman, with long, wavy, jet black hair falling past her shoulders and a definitive air of elegance around her. She was wearing a long, flowing black dress that ended just above and wrapped tightly around her chest, combined with mid-shoulder length black dress gloves. Although to many of them this woman would be a mystery to most of the group, Kokuten and Blake would quickly recognize the beauty as the one they had met earlier in the night; Odette. The two woman smiled at the group, with Nell holding up an open hand in greeting while Odette gave them all a short, welcoming bow.
The other two on the right were the much more recognizable figures at the table. Marrisa Cranker on the far right, clad in a long, sequined black ensemble, complete with a flowering hairpiece atop a head of branching golden curls. Her bright blue eyes set upon each member of Squad 35, analyzing each patron with her chin tilted slightly upward. The woman CEO of the mega corporation greeted them by crossing her arms beneath her chest on their approach, smiling widely through lazily narrowed eyes.
In between Marrisa and Odette stood the gentleman of the hour; Laj Vinross Yu. The Nepleslian businessman was dressed sharp and clean, an expensive name-branded black suit of slacks and jacket, crested with a deep forest-green tie, patterned subtly in black silk with the four suits of the playing card. Several other hints of green accented the suit; the inner hems of his jacket were the same color, as well as the kerchief in his breast pocket, a single silver chain reaching into his pocket. Laj's short black hair was slicked back, his sharp handsome features laid bare as he held his arms out to the wide in a general welcoming position. The business juggernaut smiled as he saw his guests arrive; what Marrisa had in smugness, Laj made up for with surprising sincerity.
"Ah... Professor Cassefin Montreal. And guests!" Laj spoke up first, clapping his hands together once and holding them together. "Right on time, and I wouldn't expect any less. I'm very happy that you all were able to make it here tonight. Please, sit," Laj motioned towards the table as his three other companions took their own seats at his behest. "Take a load off your feet; I imagine you all have been walking around the Lady for the better part of the day now."
((When your character sits, please note the number in your post so that I can keep this chart accurate))
