Sounding Board

Posted on Thu 24th Oct, 2019 @ 5:39pm by Lieutenant Damion Ildaran
Edited on on Thu 24th Oct, 2019 @ 8:32pm

1,200 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Orchids & Jazz
Timeline: MD-11, 1200 hours

For once in his life, Damion found himself not only at Orchids & Jazz at lunchtime, he was also there without Zelda Alegari in tow. Unfortunately, Elizabeth wasn't with him, either. After their previous evening's awkward conversation, he'd decided he wanted to take time to mull things over before seeking her out again. Not that he planned to avoid her for more than the one day, but he wanted to have an evening to himself first.

He greeted Reon at the door and headed to the bar, where Jade Lantz usually presided during the noon rush. He studied the menu for a bit, debating with himself what he wanted for lunch until someone came to take his order.

I shouldn't have come here, Damion told himself. I want to get Jade's take on things with Elizabeth. But I can't; it's the same bloody problem I have talking about her to Graves. It's not as if I could ask advice from Jade. To be completely honest with her I'd have to break confidences with Elizabeth, and I'll not do that. Besides, I'm not even quite sure what to ask.

After giving the lieutenant a few minutes with the menu, and whatever else he was chewing over in his mind, Miss Lantz stepped down to his end of the bar, and asked, "Anything look good to you today?" She plopped some ice into a glass and filled it with lemon Coke, setting it in front of him. "Enjoy this while you decide."

"Hello, Miss Lantz; I've decided," Damion said as he glanced up at her. "I'd like the bacon and tomato sandwich with a bit of the cole slaw, please." He sipped at the drink she offered, and his eyes widened in surprise. "I quite like the citrus in that. Cuts through the sweetness. Thank you. Is it something new you're trying?"

As she sent his order back to the kitchen, she laughed and said, "No, it's something new you're trying. It's always been on the menu. Something a friend shared with me ... years ago now. I've always liked it for exactly that reason. And," she scolded him, "I've told you before to call me Jade. We're well past the point of formalities by now."

"Jade it is, then. I wanted to thank you for your help to me and my department the other day," Damion said. "Your staff were quick to work with an unexpected situation, and they did it so smoothly, no one would have guessed that anything out of the ordinary was happening. For all I know, your other guests might have thought some celebrity needed use of the loft."

"A hint in that direction might have been dropped," Jade said. "Perhaps two. The woman with the bunny ears coming in didn't hurt, either. Actually, I've seen her somewhere," Lantz frowned, then shook her head. "I just can't remember where. The bunny ears reminded me of someone else I used to know." Sadness flitted across her face momentarily, and then was gone. "So how about some of Marin's special apple pie for dessert? Made just like someone's grandma, presumably Marin's, always made it." A smile not quite as broad or genuine as her normal came into play.

"I wondered about her," Damion said. "She was a bit overmuch, and I wondered if that was on purpose or not. She was so overmuch, I took care to study her companion."

"And what did you deduce from that study?" Lantz asked, putting a plate in front of him, along with napkin and eating utensils. When she'd refilled his lemon coke, and pushed the slice of apple pie near him, she leaned on the counter, keeping an eye on the few other customers seated nearby.

"Not a lot," Damion admitted. "I'm no--what's his name?--Sherlock Holmes--to look at someone and know all about him, and I had more important things to think about. But his appearance, especially compared to hers--was so forgettable that I'd not recall him today if I hadn't been paying attention. That could be pure chance or by design; I've no way of knowing. It was just--interesting at the time. They were sitting in the loft when I and my dinner companion arrived, I recall being alarmed, because I didn't want other guests up there. But they stayed out of our way, and we stayed out of theirs, so I guess all's well."

Not for a moment did Jade think that Damion had come in to talk about what had happened in the loft of Orchids & Jazz. There was something he seemed to mentally be circling around, but she had no idea what it was.

"Did your investigation come to nothing, then?" she asked after a few moments of silence as he began to eat. "Or, I suppose you can't really tell me that, so never mind. Perhaps you can tell me how your interesting lunch partner from that day is." She didn't mention that Elizabeth had seemed a little upset. That was none of her business, no matter how she speculated privately.

"Oh, she is no end of interesting," Damion said wryly. "She's a puzzle, wrapped in an enigma, containing a mystery. Unfortunately, by way of conversation, that's really all I can say about her. That, and she's not at all what we expected her to be--for which I'm both glad and saddened."

Lantz moved down the bar and helped other customers for a few minutes, then came back and spoke to Ildaran again. "It sounds like your life is never dull," she remarked as he forked into the pie. "And yet, I wonder ... did you come in today just because you were hungry? If there's something else you need us to do, or you want to ask about, don't hesitate."

Damion chuckled. "I came in here because I wanted to talk to you--because I was looking for romantic or friendship advice. And then I realized I couldn't without breaking a confidence. So I think I'll just have to muddle through it and trust that we'll work things out--because we will. That's the kind of people we are."

Jade smiled at him with sympathy. "The heart goes where it will. Let it go, and go with it. That's the only advice I can offer anyone about romance."

"Already done that," Damion said. "It's far too late for me to turn back now, nor do I want to."

"Then how would you like a gift of Death by Chocolate boxed up as an excuse to stop by Elizabeth's for a chat later?" she asked with a wicked smile.

Damion burst out laughing. "You are terrible!" He pointed at Jade with his fork. "Do you have any idea how many hours I'll have to spend in the gym, once I help Elizabeth eat that?" He shook his head, still laughing. "All right, gladly accepted--but only if I pay for it, please. The Ferengi crew I used to work for would be horrified at your generosity. I can imagine the look on Captain Bose's face now. You are very kind."

Jade grinned, and didn't even tell him his laugh had already paid the bill.

 

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