A Toe in the Water at Orchids & Jazz

Posted on Sun 27th Oct, 2024 @ 2:12pm by Lieutenant Damion Ildaran & Qaraq

1,442 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Phoenix Gamble
Location: Promenade
Timeline: MD 1, 1900?

The first jarring difference Damion noticed about Orchids & Jazz was that the doorman was no longer Reon Velasquez. He almost turned on his heel and returned to his quarters. It was too much change to take. But ... Rebuild your life, Elizabeth had told him in her final message, and she'd been right; he would have to. So he walked up to the new doorman.

There was a sign close to the door that read, "Grand Re-Opening, Under New Management."

"Table for one, please," Damion said. He paused. "Wait; I've changed my mind. I'd like to sit at the bar." There was no sense taking up an entire table for just him. Besides, at the bar he wouldn't have to look at an empty chair across from him and feel that horrible, empty feeling in the pit of his gut.

The doorman simply nodded and gestured Damion inside. The place was...surprisingly the same! A house band played the blues on the stage, the lights were nicely dim, giving off a moody atmosphere. Restaurant staff moved from table to table, people were quietly talking to each other, or just enjoying a drink while watching the band. The place looked great!

Feeling a bit dazed, Damion walked to the bar and took a seat. Even the bar was the same, or else a very good replica of the one Jade had had, made of solid, polished wood, stained dark.

The bartender, however, was a giant, blue monster with a horned face and a look that would be vicious if it weren't for the very nice suit he wore that blended with the atmosphere and contradicted the rest of him. Already there were horns protruding from the shoulders of the jacket. The Goliath's fierce gaze met Damion's and he smiled.

"Welcome to Orchids and Jazz!" he roared, extending a blue hand. It was hard to tell, but it seemed like Qaraq's face changed color when he walked over. It seemed subtle, but it looked like his face went from a dark blue to a lighter blue. It could have been the lighting at the bar, which illuminated the area a little more than down on the dining floor.

"Qaraq?" It would have been hard to find someone who looked less like Jade Lantz than the Broot casino owner from Brown Sector. Damion shook his hand. "When Ms. Lantz left, I felt sure this space would become something different. I'm glad you decided to keep it the way it was. How long have you been here?"

"About a week," Qaraq replied. "This is our reopening! Ms. Lantz and I were business partners for a short time. She did not want me owning this place when she left, but I was able to purchase it anyway. I decided not to change anything. I feel there is a demand for a place like this. I was able to keep the menu mostly the same, as well. None of the deep-fried items you'd find in my casino."

Damion made a face. "I've never understood why humans from Earth like deep-fried food, but I guess you get used to what you grew up with." He scrolled through the menu. "I'd like the pork chops with a side of green peas and the...George Washington's cherry pie for dessert--and a pint of Korfmager, please."

"Ah, a good choice!," Qaraq replied, marking it down on the PADD and sending the message to the kitchen. He got a large, chilled glass mug from a freezer behind him and poured the Korfmager. He handed the frothing, dark brew to Damion. "I believe you were the first Starfleet officer to drink a Korfmager," he said. "Since then, it's become my wife's most profitable creation!"

"Then I'm pleased to be drinking it again," Damion said. He sniffed his ale and then took a sip. Yes, just as smooth as he remembered, and much better than the rotgut made on his homeworld. "Do you still have the casino open in Brown Sector?"

Qaraq nodded. "Indeed," he said. "I've left that business in the capable hands of my executive assistant, Mr. Sandbags, while I grow more accustomed here. Ms. Lantz had this place a very specific way, and I want to keep it as much the same as I can. I decided to dress like the usual staff here, to try and 'fit in.' How am I doing so far?"

"I think you should wear Delavi clothing, if your people have anything that looks like an Earth formal suit," Damion advised him. "The horns protruding through your shoulder seams might be ...mm... disconcerting to some."

Qaraq started to laugh in his typical booming fashion, but quickly caught himself before he drew any more attention. "I'm glad you said something about that. Perhaps that's the reason for the strange looks I've been getting. But at least I'm in the spirit of the music. Everyone loves a good horn section!"

"They probably just think you don't look much like Ms. Lantz," Damion said blandly and took another sip of his Korfmager while trying not to laugh. "I see you got the Cymbidiums back together. It's good to hear them again. As for a horn section, I've got some recordings I could send you. An old mentor of mine turned me on to an Earth composer named Gabrieli. Gabrieli was all about brass. I was amazed humans could produce music like that."

"I would love to hear it!" Qaraq said. "I've been enjoying this 'blues' music the band is playing tonight. It's..." Qaraq tried to find the right word, "rowdy! I feel like I want to fight and drink at the same time!"

"That would be a fascinating combination." One corner of Damion's mouth quirked upward in a smile. "It's better to drink and then fight, though, so when you start knocking people about the head with beer mugs, you don't spill any beer!"

"Ah! A good point," Qaraq said with a grin. "You know, it is the way of my people to settle a problem with a fight. Custom says that the person who loses the fight must buy the next round of drinks. Only then may an offensive remark or action be forgiven. Needless to say, the customs are very different on a Federation starbase!"

"I'm afraid so," Damion agreed, even as he thought for just an instant that a fight would feel good--but not here in Orchids & Jazz; conduct unbecoming, and all. Elizabeth would be disappointed in him for starting a fight in Orchids & Jazz if she were still alive. His boss would be irate if he did. "What do Broots consider offensive?"

"The worst offense for a Broot is insulting a male Broot's knees," Qaraq said a little more quietly. "It's a little complicated, but we need our knees to procreate. Other than that, it could be as simple as spilling a beer or something worse like criticizing one's facial horns. There are also times when disagreements lead to hostility. There's nothing better than a good, aggressive argument!"

Damion blinked. "The knees. I'll make sure to remember that, because I never would have guessed if you hadn't told me." He took another sip of beer and went silent as a waitress delivered his food. All of Jade's staff had traveled to Earth with her, so this woman was unfamiliar. Damian gave her a polite nod and began cutting into his pork chop. "From what I remember, you like to scrap, not argue."

Qaraq held his hands out wide and with a jolly tone proclaimed, "What better way to start a scrap than with an argument?" He roared with a laugh that caught a few stares from other patrons. Qaraq noticed this and went back to leaning on the bar. "And what is a scrap without a singsong? When the fight is over, it is time to drink and be merry again. What better way than with a shanty befitting a mighty warrior!" Qaraq looked around again and noticed people had gone back to their conversations. "Of course," he added, "such things would not be tolerated in this particular establishment."

"Not a bit," Damion agreed and laughed quietly as he scooped up a forkful of peas.

* * *

Later, after finishing his cherry pie, Damion returned to his quarters and requested a glass of iced water from the replicator. He swallowed some and said, "Computer, out of curiosity, how would a human fight a member of the species Broot hand to hand?"

The computer paused a moment and then replied: "A wise human would not."

"Spoilsport," Damion shot back.

END

 

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