A Pint for Breakfast - Part 2

Posted on Sun 3rd Jan, 2021 @ 7:42am by Sipov Boros & Mary Elizabeth Gregory
Edited on on Tue 5th Jan, 2021 @ 3:48am

1,191 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Denouement
Location: The Hangman's Noose
Timeline: MD-10, 0730 hours

Continued from Wakeup Call - Part 1

[Deck 686, the Paraloft]

The Bajoran woman stopped for a moment and raised an eyebrow, giving the man a once over. He was cute, confident, and probably had a great smile. If it hadn't been for the fact she was hungover, she would have likely flashed a smile of her own. "Where would we go after dinner?" He surely had to have nice quarters, maybe somewhere she could take a nap at on a bed more comfortable than her own.

"Well," he said "I have a place down on deck 2245, I know it's a ways away, but-"

She interrupted mid sentence "The Brown sector?! I don't think so. I wouldn't be caught dead down there with all those....whatever they are. Hurry up and order so you can eat and get out of here, we don't need the likes of you around keeping more refined customers from entering."

What the heck was her problem? "Hey I just got here, my lodging is only temporary, and I'll have somewhere much better soon." Sipov allowed the annoyance at her comment to be heard in his response.

The Bajoran woman laughed at him "Hahahaha ! You don't even know how it works around here, do you? You're a fool if you think you'll get a place anywhere else beyond that zone. You're there because you're a refugee, you're not even a Federation citizen or you'd have better quarters. No one is going to take care of you. And neither am I." She turned to leave but didn't make it more than a step before she felt a hand latch onto her forearm.

"You have no idea who you're talking to! I won't allow you or anyone else to talk to me that way, I'm an accomplished pilot and have seen and done more than you ever will in your pathetic life, wasting away here as a hostess in some empty establishment." His eyes had narrowed and face scrunched with his now visible anger.

She tried to break away but couldn't. His natural strength wasn't something she could pull herself from "Help!"

A moment later a Ferengi walked out from the back with a Chef's jacket on, a long sharp knife in hand. "Let go of her or I'll call Security!" He began walking towards Sipov.

Not wanting to take any chances, the Vulcan hybrid let go of the woman and stood up, towering over the Ferengi. He wasn't going to be treated like garbage and stabbed this early in the morning. Quickly closing the distance between himself and the Chef, Sipov reached out, grabbing the Ferengi's wrist. With his other hand he placed it in the center of the man's chest and shoved him to the floor. "I don't think so. you're not stabbing me my first day here!"

The Ferengi looked up stunned for a moment before hearing the knife get kicked away by Sipov. "I'm leaving this poor excuse for a restaurant and going somewhere else. Maybe you shouldn't hire drunks to work here." He shot a piercing gaze at the Bajoran woman who had now retreated back behind the bar before turning and walking back into the promenade hallway before going back to a turbolift. "Take me to a bar, a real one," he called out. Hopefully the lift would be able to process his request.


[Deck 650]

The lift began moving upward but didn't take very long before it stopped once more. =^=The Hangman's Noose Tavern and Inn, 50 meters on the left.=^= At least the lift was being helpful ....

He stepped out and made his way along, looking for the bar. In the distance, Sipov saw the name on a sign above what looked like a wooden doorway. It was less than a minute before he stepped through the entrance and took note of a long bar and the large sign on the wall behind it that proclaimed, "All the best adventures start in a tavern!" before placing himself down on a stool farther down. "Give me a beer, something dark."

"Good day to you," Mary Elizabeth said with a brief smile as she looked the new guest over. She didn't come across too many Vulcans who liked to drink alcohol. Maybe this man was a Romulan or some variant.

It was early for her, but there was no telling what his shipboard time might be; for that reason, alcohol could be served 24/7 in the Promenade. "We have a variety of stout beers on draught, but the featured one this week is Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout. It's a rich, dark, thick beer, a bit on the strong side. Or, if you prefer something lighter, we have Guinness Stout. Would you care for some breakfast to go along with that?"

She was a slender human female of average height, with short, wavy brunette hair. As it was early, she wore her daytime 'uniform' of a black t-shirt and slacks, with the Hangman's Noose logo embroidered on the t-shirt in white.

Sipov gave the woman a once over and flashed a grin. "The Imperial Stout, I'd like something with a good kick to it this early in the morning, especially after what I dealt with a few minutes ago. I'm not an early riser typically by any means, but if your beer is any good, I may manage to make an exception once in a while and grace everyone here with my presence bright and early."

The last part of his statement was said with a hint of underlying sarcasm, probably closer to a hidden smugness more than anything else. But there was also truth behind it. Good beer was hard to find and it was something he'd always made exceptions for, proven by his own history of smuggling alcohol and paying staggering fines for doing so. The Breen were very particular on taxes being paid for shipped goods and didn't take very kindly to those they caught smuggling anything.

Tieran looked down the bar toward the newcomer. It wasn't exactly unusual to see a Vulcan in the Noose at breakfast time, but drinking? That was a little less common. It was easy enough to hear the conversation, as only a few bar seats separated the two men.

"One Sam Smith's it is, then, coming right up," Mary Elizabeth said. She pulled a pint of stout from the tap, pouring it down into the middle of the glass to get the best head--which wouldn't be much, because of the high alcohol content. Then she placed the pint glass on a coaster and set it in front of her customer, along with a napkin. "Do you prefer to run a tab or stop there?"

"Well," he paused for a moment to decide, "breakfast would probably be a good idea. So a tab it is." He picked up the glass and took a sip, followed by him taking a much longer drink. After a number of seconds a half-empty glass was returned to its coaster "And a second one of these."

(To be continued)

 

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