Salutations and Invitations

Posted on Mon 6th Feb, 2023 @ 4:58am by Criswell Sandbags & Qaraq & Gary Thirteen & Purulence Addams

903 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: A Fresh Perspective
Location: Qaraq's Casino
Timeline: MD-7, 1030 hours

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Purulence Addams walked into Qaraq's Casino and looked about with a lively interest. The place looked much more finished now than it had the first time she'd visited. Some of the older gaming tables and slot machines had been replaced with newer ones, and the place looked decidedly more upscale. That didn't seem to hinder the clientele, though, and she noticed that there were very few high-stakes games She liked that Qaraq had an awareness of his guests' likely incomes and priced his gaming tables accordingly.

The rotating landscape images she had created and then programmed into dynamic wall panels were functioning well and gave the casino a new look every few minutes as the images dissolved into different scenes. Purulence went immediately to the bar, where Qaraq, the casino's owner, stood serving drinks. Purulence waved to him and smiled.

Qaraq smiled back and came over to her end of the bar. There were two other people at the other end who appeared to have coffee mugs and sat having a lively conversation that Qaraq was clearly not a part of. He'd been concerning himself with a stray - or lost - calico cat that sat on the bar rolling a strange pen-like object with her front paw. Qaraq flicked the pen with his finger and sent it sailing off the bar. The cat immediately jumped off and went to retrieve it.

"Good morning, Purulence!" Qaraq's voice boomed, like the sound of a barge horn passing through a truck factory. The lighting was up a little more for the morning part of the day. Some people had gathered in the sitting area where the buffet was serving interesting breakfast items. "Care for some coffee? Or pancakes, perhaps? Criswell has been frequenting several breakfast places around the station and thought it would be good if we tried our own hand at it. Most people aren't looking for a good ale at this hour!"

"Oh, thank you for the hospitality," Purulence said, smiling, "but I really just came for two reasons." She pulled an envelope from her sleeve and handed it to Qaraq. "First, I'd like to invite you to my wedding, which will take place at the end of this month. Second, I wonder if I could borrow Criswell for perhaps an hour or so? He brought me lunch one day a while back, and I'd like to return the favor."

"A wedding?!!" Qaraq thundered. A few people at the slot machines nearby jerked their heads away for a minute, then returned to their games. "Broots LOVE weddings! My brewery even makes a specific, very special ale for just such an occasion! Please honor me by letting me provide your caterer with some! I can have it here within a week! It isn't a true wedding until Grandma Broot is passed out under the table and black eyes are given to all the groomsmen!"

"...and the tassels are removed from all the bridesmaids!" added Criswell, who had just appeared next to Purulence. "At least, that's how they did weddings back home. I've never been to a hoo-mon wedding..."

The cat jumped off the bar into the arms of Gary Thirteen, who had just appeared. "There usually aren't tassels at human weddings, Criswell," he said. He took the strange pen from the cat's mouth and put it in his inner jacket pocket. "Thank you, Sundae." He looked at Purulence. "Ms. Addams, your wedding will be a very memorable event... I assume."

"Nope, no tassels at this wedding," Purulence agreed. She beamed at Qaraq. "I would be honored if you shared some Broot wedding ale at the reception, Mr. Qaraq. My fiance and I already love your Korfmager, so we would be delighted to share some of your wedding ale with our guests. Thank you very much! We're working with The Hangman's Noose for the catering--except for dessert. That's coming from Orchids & Jazz."

She then turned to Gary Thirteen and his cat. She petted Sundae and then glanced at her with widened eyes before looking back at Gary. "We'll put an Addams Family spin on it, definitely! For instance, I'm not wearing white."

"So," Criswell said, putting his arm on the bar. "Where are we going for lunch?"

"Ha! So you overheard me, did you?" Purulence said to him, her eyes sparkling. "I'd like to take you to brunch at a place in the Tivoli Gardens decks called the Shake and Slake. The food is tasty but not exotic. The milkshakes, though, are to die for. Interested?"

"I've heard of the place," Criswell said, "and I'm very interested! Let me finish my reports and..."

"Bah to reports!" Qaraq rumbled. "It's still early in the day. Go have your lunch."

"Thank you, Mr. Qaraq!" Purulence gave the Broot a careful hug and then turned to Criswell. "Let's go. It's on deck 1552, where the forest and ski slopes are."

"Ski slopes?" Criswell said as he was ushered away from the bar.

Gary Thirteen looked back at Qaraq. "Broots love weddings?"

Qaraq shrugged. "What better time to give your in-laws a good punch in the face?" Gary shook his head in bafflement. Qaraq added, "Plus, an open bar!"

Gary laughed. "Now you're talking!"

"I'm still waiting to find out if I will want to punch my in-laws in the face. My family usually uses subtler methods, though." She turned to Criswell. "Shall we?"

Criswell smiled wide. "Let's go!"

 

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