Competition or Collaboration? Part 3

Posted on Thu 11th May, 2023 @ 2:29am by Criswell Sandbags & Sundae & Qaraq & Gary Thirteen

1,004 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Neither Yours Nor Mine
Location: Qaraq's Game Room
Timeline: MD 7, 2350

Previously ...

"... I'd like to get a feel for sitting at a table with other players. I'm not planning a game room myself, you understand," Jade smiled at the Broot.

Qaraq gave a wave of his hand. "By all means, do as you please! As a special guest, you'll receive a gift of twenty-five credits in chips... to get you started, of course," Qaraq said, then added, "And when you're done there, come over to the bar for a complementary Korfmager!"

And now, the conclusion ....

After a while, Jade thought she had a feeling for the games Qaraq ran in his casino. "So, are you ready to try this strange ale our host seems intent on our experiencing?" she asked Daneel.

"Might as well give it a go," he responded. "I'm not an expert in these things, but it could still be interesting."

Taking his arm again, they meandered back through the tables toward the bar. "There's a different feeling down her than in the Promenade, or at least different from Orchids & Jazz," Lantz commented.

"That difference might be termed ... refinement, perhaps," Daneel told her, leading her to a seat at Qaraq's bar and then taking the one next to her. "You definitely serve a different clientele, neither better nor worse, but different ... different entertainment interests."

"I believe you're right about that," Jade agreed. "But neither better nor worse is also correct." She looked down the distance of the bar and spied Qaraq serving a customer. "An interesting man, and perfect for what he's doing here, I think, though I still am not 100% convinced I know exactly what that is."

The humaniform glanced at the Broot and the nodded. "I don't think with that one, anyone ever will."

Gary Thirteen occupied a bar stool with the cat known as Sundae on his shoulders, and he smiled at Jade as she approached. Criswell was also there at the counter to greet them.

"What do you think of the place?" Criswell asked. Qaraq was finishing serving drinks at the other end and began to approach as well.

"It's not exactly what I expected, but I think that's ... to be expected," Jade smiled. "It isn't run by a human or El Aurian or even a Betazoid or Bajoran. A Broot is a somewhat unknown species to me, to most of us, I suppose. Seeing how he does things is interesting. Listening to his philosophy of the gaming business even more so."

Daneel spoke up, addressing both Criswell and Gary. "Have you known him long? I'm not even sure how long Qaraq has been on 109."

"The casino has been open for about five weeks now. Qaraq has been here for six weeks," Criswell replied. "That's as long as I've known him."

Gary took another gulp of Korfmager and shrugged. "I'm not sure how long I've been here, but I don't remember a time here when I didn't know Qaraq." Just then, Sundae hopped up onto the counter, but Gary picked her up and put her in his lap. "Sundae probably knows more about this place than I do."

What an odd thing to say, Jade thought. Two odd things.

"Because she wanders more than you do?" she guessed. "I've heard that's a cat's nature."

"It's certainly hers," Gary replied.

"I suppose you must have been here about six weeks, then," Daneel added, also finding Thirteen's comments odd. Of course, as a humaniform, he might not understand all the nuances of biological conversation.

As Qaraq approached, he stopped to fill two pints with a dark-looking beverage. "Back so soon?" he rumbled, smiling and setting the drinks in front of Jade and her odd but seemingly nice friend. "I hope you enjoyed yourselves! Here is a pint of my wife's famous Korfmager ale."

Jade smiled her thanks and picked up the mug. She sniffed the ale, then tasted it. Daneel left his sitting in front of him on the bar for the moment.

The drink was bitter at first, like most beer, but smooth as it slid down the tongue, with a thickness like black coffee, finished with a smoky aftereffect that left behind the suggestion of caramel.

"Not bad," Jade remarked, setting the mug back down. "It has a definite aftertaste, but it's quite pleasant. Your wife makes this? I thought you bought it from a supplier."

Qaraq shook his head. "I own a very large brewery on Delavi. My wife crafted the Korfmager, and it's my personal favorite of her inventions. She died almost a year ago."

A look of sorrow passed quickly across Jade's face. She had experience with that kind of grief. "I'm so sorry to hear that. It sounds as if she were a creative influence on your business, and your personal life." She took another sip of the Korfmager, not feeling comfortable saying more when she didn't know him better.

"I wish you could have met her. I've never met a more honorable and beautiful Broot. Of the two of us, she was by far the more," he grinned, and his eyes lit up as he said, "...aggressive! Her horned fists made an impact like none other! I remember buying many rounds of ale while we were dating." He leaned on the bar and looked at Jade. "Every Broot enjoys two things: a good fight, and a good ale. So if you lose a fight, you buy the next round of ale. Many Broot customs also require the victor to lead a song, particularly if the fight is something personal. My wife had the most beautiful voice ...."

Lantz reflected on the differences between the Broot and the El Aurian personalities. She thought of how her opinions about Qaraq kept adjusting to match new discoveries in his personality, and she smiled slightly. Softly, she said, "I have no doubt of it."

Gary, sick of the mushy-mushy, placed his empty beer mug on the bar and said, "I'll have another."

Sundae meowed, seeming to agree. Behind them all, the games continued.

 

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