RP: YSS Eucharis [Post Mission 20.1] Dinner at the Princess Dunes Restaurant

As the soiree was getting underway Bors entered shortly after Natsumi and Sienna, using the distraction Sienna made to make a beeline for the bar. His first instict was to order the biggest glass of beer that he could get, but seeing as this was a somewhat fancy occasion he thought of something a bit classier.

"Whiskey double on the rocks ma'am" He said to the bartendress as he lent on the bar with his forearms. Once he was served he thanked her and spun around so he could observe the room and figure out what exactly was going on, and maybe see what conversation to jump into he had a bit of time before he had to be somewhere.

The Princess Dunes

Sienna smiled, her cheeks starting to get sore from doing so for so long, at Natsumi saying that the two of them had been having fun. She was almost loathe to admit that she enjoyed indulging in such frivolous nonsense, but the fact was that she did. Perhaps it was the novelty of it, or the realization that up to this point she had been coping with sour grapes, never having been afforded the opportunity in her life to behave like a high-society woman, even if it was only temporary.

She felt herself blush again at Sune's compliment, much to her chagrin. She looked down at the floor for a second, then back up at Sune from beneath her brow with an ear-to-ear grin as she unnecessarily tucked her hair behind her left ear with her fingertips. "Thanks," she said in an involuntarily coy tone, causing her to blush even more at just how irritatingly girlish she realized she sounded. At least he hadn't entered her personal space uninvited, although she wasn't sure that would have been any more or less unsettling to her.

His invitation to the bar made her feel, and no doubt appear, even more off balance, since Hanako had just offered her a drink already. The realization that she was sorely out of her element starting to really sink in, she looked uncertainly back and forth between Hanako and Sune a few times. "Uh, Hanako already, ah, offered me a drink," she stated, her sentence ending in an upward inflection that was halfway between a statement and a question, and stood there dumbly.

She noticed Chieko arrive and raised an eyebrow at her statement. Sure, she wasn't quite as dolled up as the other women present, but she looked nice all the same, and she nodded in agreement with Natsumi's reassurance.

The Princess Dunes

Sune watched Sienna, seeing her in a new light. It was good to see the young woman who until their group came along had to survive on her wits and who knew what else to stay alive. He was glad to see her actually letting down her guard, at least for the moment and enjoy herself.

He laughed warmly, as she seemed briefly puzzled by his offer of drinks from the bar. With a warm smile, "Yes, I heard and that wine she offered is a very good one. the offer was a general offer to everyone. After all as the host I am expected to make sure my guests are taken care of and having a good time. I will leave you in the company of your friends and mingle with some of the new arrivals." he said with a slight nod of his head.

Sune walked over to Bors, "Well, Riko-San. Thank you for coming." he said and then gesturing with his glass of wine at the bar, "I was sure to include a number of Nepleslian spirits. I hope you brought your appetite. We have some lovely beef steaks, and ribs that will be served at dinner." He looked back towards the women. "Such a lovely bouquet of colors our shipmates make in their finery."

Outside

Just outside of the main doors of the Princess Dunes, Takeyu stood on the balcony with his hands on the handrails. Behind him, he could hear the chatter from his two younger siblings as they talked amongst one another and helped each other out with their dresses. He glanced over his shoulder, noting that Layven was helping Sakura with trying to get her dress to fit right - as for her it was a bit tight right now. Layven was wearing a beautiful white ribbon dress while Sakura had gone with something a bit more vintage style.

To Takeyu, who now had his back to the rails as he watched Sakura fuss over the dress, he was just happy to his sisters enjoying themselves. Takeyu had chosen to pull out an old suit that his father used to wear to formal occasions, it was but one of the very few items that somehow survived the attack on the ship. He also had a pair of black sunglasses that went with the suit, although those were currently in the right front pocket right now.

After what seemed like forever, Sakura was finally ready; the dress was no longer 'tight' as she had felt and could more easily move around in it. She turned in place while Layven inspected it and clipped happily when nothing appeared to get stuck or that things seemed to flow easily.

"Shall we?" they heard Takeyu say, the girls looked over at him and smiled. He walked over to the doors and smiled at one of the employees there before walking into the restaurant, his siblings in tow.

Bar

Mitsuko almost giggled when she spotted Riko. Even in a suit, he was easy to pick out, although he'd done his best to sneak in without being noticed. She began to make her way over as Sune joined him, aiming a quick bow towards the pair once she arrived. "H-hello. Thanks for...all of this, Jalen-Chusa." She gestured at the room around them in a sweeping motion, not sure where to begin. "I'm sorry, I didn't know we were supposed to dress up." She glanced at the other women nearby, before managing a weak smile for the men. "Even Bors-Hei is wearing something fancier."

The Princess Dunes

Natsumi grinned, "Well I think starting with the wine is a good idea" Natsumi commented to Sienna. "The Shosho's winery puts out some good stuff" she had tried it before of course.

She smiled at the scientist, "Would you like to get drinks with us, Chieko-san?" she asked. She had wanted to spend some time getting to know Chieko, especially after the incident on the dreamworld where she had caused her to crash and a lot of pain and suffering from the resulting injuries. This Natsumi still felt very guilty about.

The Princess Dunes

Deziarra entered and made her way to the nearest empty seat. She had on a sparkling light blue ankle length dress with a slit going up to slightly above her knee and matching shoes.

"Hey, Chieko-san," said Deziarra. "Thanks for the advice."

She crossed her legs and looked over at the available drinks. This was another decision she wanted to take some time to consider before making a selection.

Princess Dunes Elevator



Kale straightened his collar as he looked out of the glass elevator towards the resort's beach. The sea was tranquil at this time of evening and the little shards of light were, in a kaleidoscopic way, somewhat soothing.

With a ding the Elevator stopped and Kale enterd the restaurant, a pyramidal package in his hands. Motioning a waiter over he handed him the package asking, "Would it be possible to have this unboxed and presented at the conclusion of the meal, its something for our leaving XO to remember us by."

He left it unsaid which crew he was referring to, given that every man and his dog on the resort probably knew of the fact the whole of the Eucharis crew was here. Kale watched as the waiter deposited the box behind the bar. Satisfied the technician ordered himself a rather unusual but strong cocktail known as Eisen's Saggitarius. The dring was a bright neon green and seemed to luminesse slightly.

Drink in hand he made his way over to those already present.

"Heya Zi, Chi. Those look good on you." he complemented as he took a seat nearby. He took a sip of his drink and allowed himself to relax into the luxurious upholstry. He looked puzzled for a second. there seemed to be somthing missing from this picture.

"Zi, have you seen Akane recently? I thought she would be here with you guys."

Princess Dunes

After getting Sienna her promised red wine, Hanako went over to say hello to the new arrivals, taking time to give a hug to Takeyu's sisters. "Hello!" she fawned. "You both look so nice dressed up. Thank you for coming!"

Next Hanako went to Sune, speaking quietly. "Did you know there were going to be children at this party?" she asked, "I worry that everyone will feel less than relaxed because we have to censor ourselves."

Princess Dunes

Sune smiled slightly, "I knew that Layven and Sakura were coming to Hanako's World to spend time with their brother. Emiko brought them to the planet in a ship that I own. I was not aware that he was going to bring them here. However, Takeyu knows the crew, I am sure that no one here will say or do anything that will offend them. It is not like this is going to be a dare party back on the ship. I do not see a reason for folks having to censor themselves because we have young people with us."

The Princess Dunes

Sienna took the offered glass of wine with a thankful nod, although she did so somewhat awkwardly. She had no real idea how she was supposed to hold such a weird-shaped glass; was she expected to hold it by the bowl, or by the stem? Both felt unnatural to her, so she simply cupped the bottom of the bowl in her palm, looking at the deep reddish purple liquid within. The fruity yet deeply mature aroma wafted up to her nostrils, a fragrance unlike anything else she had ever encountered. It smelled of age, but not in the sense of decay or neglect. It was more the sense of maturity and sagacity, the kind of age earned by the enlightened and experienced. And yet, atop the foundation of pungent fermentation sat a lighthearted, sweet tone that made the whole aroma a bafflingly complex one.

Tentatively she sampled it, and immediately her nose crinkled up as the unexpectedly odd taste washed over her tongue. It wasn't unpleasant, but she was ill prepared for it. In a few seconds, however, the initial shock wore off and she tasted fruit juices bursting in her mouth, eliciting a look of pleased surprise and a quiet grunt of approval. No sooner than that, however, her tongue and the insides of her mouth felt as if they were sapped of moisture, even though rubbing the back of her teeth with the tip of her tongue assured her that saliva was indeed flowing. She smacked her lips a little bit, looking with an uncertain frown at the wine in the glass.

Chieko was properly thankful for Natsumi's comment before finally noticing the bottle Hanako had pulled out. It had taken the scientist a minute to put two and two together and realize she was on the world where the wine was made.

"I had forgotten this is where the vineyards are," she smiled with the realization then looked back at the operations Neko, "Of course I would, though I'll need to switch drinks once I'm done this."

The academic had indicated her drink before swirling it some and taking another sip. She was growing happier with each new person arriving, allowing her to not wear any one person down too much with her attention.

Chieko nodded when Deziarra thanked her for the help, "I only wish I had taken my own advice!"

The Minkan's smile soon acquired a touch of evil as she noticed someone whom she would not feel ashamed at all of giving too much attention. She eyed Kale intently as she thanked him for the compliment, though his body language only made Chieko have further regrets on her decision. This prompted the woman to put away half of what she had left in on pull before pulling back the wickedness some and strategize.

"Aye a bit colorful indeed, bit odd seeing them in something other than a uniform though." Bors said before taking a sip of his drink, "But they do look nice none the less, kinda makes me wonder what the person who made them was thinking when he did so."

Mitsuko caught him off guard when she spoke up, he didn't notice her when he had tried to make his covert movement to the bar. "I didn't want to be outclassed by them," Bors finally said motioning to the two other nekos he showed up with with his drink,"Plus I needed something nice can't get away with just a uniform and some casual clothes all the time."

He swirled his drink around in his hand for a brief second, listining to the ice cubes twirling around in the glass before taking another sip. "You see Misato around anywhere? I haven't seen her since the ceremony earlier today. I figured you two zipped off somewhere together right after that."

Hanako raised her eyebrows at Sune's response. "Sorry, somehow I had it in mind mind that this would more of a party than a formal family-friendly dinner. Perhaps we should also have an afterparty, then. Some place where I can drink until I pass out," she grinned for just a moment. "Anyway, I wonder how many of our crew have families. Nekovalkyrja typically don't, you were cloned, and my parents are long dead. So all we have is clan relations. One could say that the crew is our closest family."

The Princess Dunes - Foyer

Kale's brightly colored suit caught Sienna's eye as he walked past, and she tilted her head as she took stock of the more traditional Yamataian clothing. A slight frown crossed her face as he breezed by, apparently not noticing her or Natsumi standing right there next to Chieko and Deziarra in their new finery. Before she allowed herself to sulk for more than a brief passing moment about it, she scolded herself for being so petty. She felt wonderful in her new, if temporary look, and the ones she was most concerned with impressing had already paid her a compliment.

She looked back down at the glass of wine she was idly holding cupped in her hand again, rubbing her tongue on the roof of her mouth. The drink wasn't without its charm, but the weird, dry sensation it left her with as an aftertaste would take some getting used to. She wasn't sure she wanted to finish it, but since it was evidently Hanako's own brand, she figured it would be best to nurse it anyway.

Over at the bar across the gigantic open room, she noticed that Bors had slipped by. When did he get here? she wondered. Slippery little bastard. She raised her eyebrows approvingly at his new suit again, then her brow fell back down when she saw that Mitsuko was standing next to him, still dressed in more or less what she'd seen her in earlier that day. A wry smirk pulled one corner of her lips upwards, but she otherwise did nothing, turning her attention back to the small group she was quietly standing with. She tried not to move more than she had to -- her legs were still a bit wobbly in the high-heeled shoes Natsumi had picked for her and each step practically made her hold her breath in anticipation of her chin suddenly meeting the floor, ruining the finely crafted illusion of class she was shrouded in. She was glad that she had advised her against getting anything with heels any taller than what she had, both because of how tricky it already was to keep her balance in them while walking, and because she now felt like she was positively towering over the majority of the tiny-statured Yamataian cyborg-soldiers.

It was then that she noticed Chieko staring hungrily towards the back of Kale's form seated at the rich wooden table in the center of the room. With a quick back and forth between the two with her eyes, her smirk widened a little into a grin. It didn't take a telepath to know what the Minkan had on her mind.

She leaned a little closer to Chieko. "You're about to start drooling," she said to her in a hushed voice, giving her a raised eyebrow and a toying grin.

Natsumi had aquired her own glass of wine by now and was quietly enjoying it. She smiled and closed her eyes for a long moment as she let the flavor wash over her taste buds and the aroma fill her nose.

"Mmmm" she smiled as she lowered the glass away from her lips. "Yummy" she giggled, opening her eyes once more and smiling at Sienna. "Pretty good, hmm?"

She caught where her friends eyes were going and followed the line to Chieko and then her gaze at Kale. "Ohh" she grinned broadly.

Sienna smirked at Natsumi, watching her reaction to the wine. She nodded in partial agreement with her, shrugging her eyebrows as she looked contemplatively back down at her glass of wine, still having only tried the one sip. "Yeah, pretty good," she replied half-sincerely, swirling it a little, pretending to look for some telltale quality. "I just don't have much to compare it to, this stuff's too nice for my blood. Cheap beer is more my thing." She realized too late that she probably shouldn't have said that, but the words had already escaped. She pursed her lips and looked around tentatively to watch for any reactions that might suggest she was out of line. Perhaps, she thought, she should go back to staying silent and just let her new dress do the talking for her.

Natsumi smiled at Sienna. "Oh no ones expecting you to become accustomed to all this fancy stuff right away," she said, spotting the expression on her friends face. "It's different and will take some getting used to, but no ones judging you, so have fun."

She smiled again, reassuringly and took another sip of her wine.

As conversation washed over the room Kale found himself distracted. His mind occupied already somewhat. With everything as it was he wondered if he might have overstepped his bounds a bit with the entire presentation thing earlier. The item in question was probably being scanned for bombs or traps and the like since it was going anywhere near certain famous royals. Also while he had thought he could have called it a present from the crew he had completely forgotten to tell them beforehand. On top of that it was a bit of a rush job. It hadn't been known until very recently that the XO was leaving the ship and so he had had to rush things a little. He wondered if the crew would mind if he said it was something from everyone.

Taking another sip from his drink the minkan began to feel a slight buzz as the alcohol content finally started to work its way into his mind. while it didn't really help his concentration it did lessen the anxiety somewhat, which was a good thing. He had gotten a reply from his sister earlier in the day, while she wasn't going to be free for a little while her commanding officer had given her leave starting at the end of the coming week. It would be nice to catch up in person.

Kale tipped his glass slightly in a private toast.

'To family and friends and those unable to be here' he thought, mind drifting back to all the logistics changes recently. 'It's a shame really, most of the transfers would have really loved this place.'

Sienna gave Natsumi a dubious, sideways look at the last sentence. "If you say so," she replied with a wry grin. She brought the glass up again, pausing twice all of a sudden in a jerky back and forth motion, as if she couldn't decide whether or not she wanted another taste. Eventually, though, the wine made it to her lips, and she took another hesitant sip. Maybe she was better prepared for it that time, because it wasn't so overwhelming on the second sample.

She surveyed the room once more. "So how do these things usually go?" she asked Natsumi.