Tea and Fortune

Posted on Sat 26th Nov, 2016 @ 4:59am by Lieutenant Commander Lanis Dhuro MD

922 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Murder on the Silent Night Express
Location: Pearl With a Chainsaw, Deck 666
Tags: dhurolanis, chlamydiaaddams

The door was red. Beside it, there was a mural of a woman in kimono, the sleeves bound back, wielding a long-bladed tool of some sort. Her hair was white, and her eyes surely exaggerated for artistic purposes. On the door, in subtle gloss red on the matte red background, were the words "Pearl With a Chainsaw," underneath, some Chinese characters... unless they were Japanese. Or perhaps Korean. They were difficult to make out, in the quick glimpse afforded before Chlamydia Addams opened the door and stepped within.

The sound of music in a major pentatonic scale, played on a plucked instrument, poured out. Within, a young woman in a heavily embroidered white Ao Dai bowed. Her hair was almost florescent orange, her eyes exaggeratedly large and pale violet. "Welcome," she said, and then "Konbonwa!"

"Bonsoir, ma chère," Addams answered. "Two, please."

"Of course, madam," the girl said, in slightly accented Terranglo. She led the way to a railing made of red-painted wood. Below, a miniature garden contained a stream and pond, with colorful fish swimming. At the end of the garden, a small stage held two young women with stringed instruments, the source of the music. Both were dressed in hanfu, flowing Chinese robes, and both had white hair. "Would you like to sit by the garden, or near the kitchen?" the hostess asked.

Addams turned to Dhuro with a raised eyebrow. "Doctor?"

Lanis blinked, as all of this was quite new to him. "Ah, the garden, if you wouldn't mind," he said. "It's lovely." And it was. He recognized pink camellias laden with heavy, yellow pollen, and a profusion of cherry blossoms. He had not had exposure to the concept of parks or tranquil, manicured gardens until coming to Earth. Irel might have liked this place, he thought as the young lady with the screamingly orange hair and strange eyes led them. He could imagine the Kai meditating here, or perhaps a vedek.

The hostess led them to the corner of the open area, and then down a flight of steps. As they descended, Addams caught sight of the statue which stood beneath the balcony on which they had been standing. It appeared to be a larger-than-life statue of a gorilla, seated cross-legged on a lotus blossom, one hand held up in benediction, the other outstretched in welcome. Addams paused, regarding it. "I had not noticed this before."

The hostess paused as well. "Enlightened Master Kong," she informed them. "Teacher of ten thousand ages."

"Ah," commented Addams, and after a moment, they began moving down the stairs again. The hostess led them to a small table beside the garden, with a view of both musicians and Master Kong. "Thank you," Addams said, and, "if you could bring a pot of honey with the tea? Dreadful, I know, but I am something of a sweet-tooth."

"Of course," the hostess said, smiling. She bowed, and made her way back toward the stairs.

"Interesting place, with a bizarre name," Lanis said to Chlamydia. "What's the story behind it, if you know?"

"I do not," Addams said, turning to regard the statue of Master Kong again. "I know only that the owners are a Besm...." She was interrupted by the return of the hostess, now bearing a small platter with a clay tea pot, two small cups, and a pot of honey. She was wearing a completely different outfit, an elegant kimono, and had her hair styled differently.

Lanis raised an eyebrow at the young woman. "That was fast. Actress or multiple birth?"

The young woman chuckled. "We're twins," she said. "Identical decuplets, like most of our kind. As your companion was about to observe, we are Besm."

"I wondered, since your eyes are unusually large," Lanis said with a nod. "Thank you for the tea; it smells delicious."

"Gunpowder Oolong," the young lady said, smiling demurely. "Is there anything else I can get you folks?"

"An order of gyoza, please," Addams said.

"Of course, ma'am," the waitress answered. She turned her large eyes to Dhuro. "Sir?"

"I've no idea," Lanis replied. "I'm not familiar with your culture. Surprise me with something that is simple and tastes good. Do you have any kind of finger food that's like that?"

"Gyoza are a good choice," the waitress said with a smile. "They're a small pork sausage dumpling, fried and steamed. Sometimes they're called pot stickers? But if you'd like variety, we do have a good sushi chef. Besm sushi uses chicken eggs, well scrambled and fried paper-thin, instead of seaweed. Do you like fish?"

"I will eat just about anything put before me--except squid," Lanis said. "Tell you what--since Dr. Addams is having the gyoza, I'll try the scrambled-egg sushi."

"One Gyoza, one Sakemaki," the waitress responded with a smile. She bowed slightly, and vanished in the direction of the stage.

"Shall I pour?" Lanis asked, indicating the teapot. He studied it. "I have a cast-iron pot in my quarters that my wife and I used. There's something soothing and meditative about drinking tea. We used to drink it and sit outside at night, looking up at the stars. I still brew tea in it and look out my window." He poured tea into Chlamydia's cup and his own and then set the teapot down. He inhaled the fragrant, steaming liquid before sipping it unsweetened. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this exquisite outing?"

Lt. Commander Chlamydia Addams, MD
Chief Medical Officer

Lt. Dhuro Lanis, MD
Chief of Surgery

 

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