The Direction of the Wind, Part V

Posted on Mon 7th May, 2018 @ 11:59pm by Lieutenant Damion Ildaran & Elizabeth Anderson M.D.

1,163 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Brushfires
Location: Orchids and Jazz
Timeline: Evening of the day that Hermes docks.

"Good god," Damion said as he swallowed his first bite of Black Forest cake. "Every taste bud on my tongue would sigh in ecstasy, if it could." He eyed the two portions--one of Black Forest cake and one of Death By Chocolate on his plate. "I can't possibly eat all of this--but I might burst a seam, trying."

Elizabeth smiled, savoring her own bite. "Now that would certainly give the other patrons something to talk about for a while," she teased. "We'll have to work it off by dancing afterward."

As they ate, Anderson's eyes followed the progress of the woman she now knew was Jade Lantz. When their eyes met, the woman smiled, but returned her attention back to the man in front of her. Elizabeth saw her laugh, throwing her head back slightly, and really laughing, not some pale imitation of laughter which was common among biological forms who employed it.

The counselor moved closer to Damion on the circular bench to give Jade room to sit, should she choose to do so. The shoes on the woman's feet were beautiful, but they might not be all that comfortable. Beautiful shoes seldom were.

"We might still be dancing here into next week, then," Damion said with a laugh. He tried a bite of Death by Chocolate next. "Mmm! I have to say, people from Earth know how to cook." He wiped his lips clean with his napkin, aware that Jade Lantz was approaching their table, though she hadn't reached it quite yet.

Elizabeth put down her fork and waited for the club owner to reach them. When she did, the counselor took the lead, holding out her hand to shake. "Miss Lantz, I'm Dr. Elizabeth Anderson. This is my friend, Lieutenant Damion Ildaron. We're both so pleased to meet you."

Jade smiled, a genuinely happy smile, but with a touch of amusement, too. She took the hand offered and squeezed gently before letting go. "It seems you already know my name, but call me Jade, please. I hope you're enjoying the music."

"We are, very much. Do you have a moment to sit with us?"

Jade nodded and sat on the end of the curved bench. "I hope we haven't disappointed you in some way." She looked from one to the other of the patrons in front of her. "If you felt that anything wasn't up to the highest standard, please let me know how I can fix it for you."

"Everything has been excellent," Damion said, "from the music to the food and service. Very much appreciated, Ma'am."

"Jade, please. Ma'am is far too official."

The man smiled. "Then call me Damion, please."

She observed a very odd thing. The woman, Elizabeth, had only the narrowest margin of aura, while the man's was surrounding his body, but much wider on the side next to the woman. Hers was a thin white underlayer with a slightly thicker tone of a yellow-orange over it. Somewhat confusing and conflicting. White usually meant purity and newness, clear of thought, and the orange signified a scientific mind and tendency toward perfection. It was a puzzling combination of innocence and intellect, but no more unsettling than Damion's.

His was a deep red closer to his body, perhaps signifying someone who was down-to-earth, realistic. On the outer edges, it was blue, a rather beautiful clear medium light blue that might mean he was calm and caring, maybe even intuitive. His manners would certainly affirm that. The interesting part was where the two colors mixed. It produced a red-toned lavender, showing he was capable of imagination and could be a day dreamer. She wanted to know more.

"I haven't seen you here before. Are you new on Vanguard?" she asked both of them, putting the puzzle to the back of her mind.

"We're transferring over from Hermes," Damion said. "We just arrived today, and this restaurant seemed like a good place to visit. People on Hermes told me about it on the way here."

"Our fame is spreading, if ships of the line know us," Jade replied, pleased with the news.

"The most interesting thing to me," Elizabeth told her, "is that as good as the food has been, the music, your playing, was far more appealing. How long have you played?"

Jade smiled slightly, pushing away thoughts of when and where she had learned to love the saxophone. "Many years, longer than the lives of either of you." Though Jade had no way of knowing she was right, Elizabeth had the possibility of outliving even an El-Aurian.

"I'm a few years older than I seem," she said, "and I've used some of those years to ... practice many hours. Still," she shrugged, "I know there are others who are better. They don't happen to be in this place, at this time, giving you a comparison."

Shifting the topic in a different direction, she asked, "Do either of you play an instrument?"

"I sing only," Damion said. "I never learned an instrument, though I can repair a synthesizer. Predominantly, I just listen to others and enjoy. And I agree with Elizabeth--you're quite good on that, er, saxophone. You get into the music, and your playing is expressive. We can tell you love it."

Elizabeth shrugged, "I play the piano, more or less. I'm afraid I'm pretty mechanical at it, but some people don't notice. A musician like you would notice, though."

"So you mostly enjoy music, and don't feel the pressure to make it yourself," Jade summarized. "Without an appreciative audience, most performers wouldn't feel at all happy, so don't sell your enjoyment short."

Elizabeth had a feeling that Jade would be a performer who didn't need an audience, but she didn't say that. Instead, she asked a question of her own. "What made you interested in being a club owner when you play so beautifully?"

Jade laughed, "There's more latinum in food than in music." She let it go at that, and rose to her feet. "Do either of you have a request for Docha? This is her last week before she moves on to another starbase, so if you like her, ask now."

"I wouldn't know what song to ask for," Damion said. "The only one I know the title of is something called 'Take Five,' and it's instrumental." He looked at Elizabeth. "What do you like?"

"I don't know, let me search a minute," she stared down at the table, knowing this could be disconcerting for humans. After a moment, she looked up at Jade, "Does she know 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'?"

Jade was a little surprised by the request, but said, "I'll ask her. I wouldn't be surprised if she does. Enjoy your evening and come visit us again soon." As she walked away, smiling automatically at several regulars, she found herself intrigued by the puzzle the couple presented. She hoped she would see them again before long.

 

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