[Nos Astra, Illium] Let's All Go To The Lobby

"Not as much as Eafina," Daia admitted. "But quite a few times myself, yes. Actually..." she thought a moment, the nodded, "the most recent time would've only been ten local years ago - fifteen standard. 'Fina had a family ceremony to attend, and that was actually the first time I'd been on Kahje myself since I had my lungs augmented, so I did a lot of sightseeing, on the reefs around Point Hope." She smiled at the memory, but didn't elaborate - for obvious reasons, extensive reminiscing about immersion in water wasn't something she thought Iryana would really be terribly interested in.

"So now you're a full-fledged science lady," she went on, echoing Linya with a straight face, "what plans for the future? Are you looking at following the Professor to academia, or staying in the private sector?"

In the back of her mind, she made a note to ask Ana whether she particularly enjoyed the rebeq performance afterwards. It had been decades and she was no doubt a little rusty, but she was sure, if the instrument was something her bondmate enjoyed, she would be able to dust off her old skills and stage a private performance for her one day.

"I had been considering... While Academia does have some promise, I believe I feel most comfortable in the laboratory. If I had to give a reason... I suppose I feel best when I can just do things with my education."

There was a small moment before Iryana cleared her throat, speaking a bit faster. "Ah, not to belittle Linya's career path, I mean, it's simply not for me she's just the type of smart that needs to gather information nonstop not that I'm putty myself down at all and oh Enkindlers I should probably just shut up now when's that show going to start again?"

Taleeze couldn’t help but chuckle on Skylar’s whispered remark, focusing on the sensation of the human’s fingertips playing with the skin of her hips. She wondered, where exactly that tattoo might have been placed.

Another small laugh escaped her on Iryana’s reply to Daia.
“Iryana, I admit it is fairly hard to imagine you in a labcoat like that. But someone has to do the thinking and someone has to do the experimenting, I guess. Pharmaceuticals are an important field to work in these days. It looks like the two of you combine the perfect examples of both worlds in science.” She looked up at a holoscreen, it signaled that the show was about to begin soon. Some people were already moving to the entrances of their respective seating areas.

“…And I think, the show is about to start soon,” she added with a smile, wondering in secret, if drell had ears or aurals.

Being as the conversation didn't really involve her anymore, Ana'Therion stayed quiet and held onto Daia.

She was grateful for the lull, since it gave her a chance to focus a little and try to drown out the wave of sensations surrounding her. She'd told herself repeatedly that it was disorienting and kind of overwhelming when she'd first started using the sensors, and that had changed over time. This, though? This was a whole new level of bewildering overstimulation. Ana had no clue how she was supposed to pick out individual 'blips' of feeling in the sea of sensation.

Frankly, given the tactile nature of the suit's input, it was like being continuously groped all over. The feeling was uncomfortable and extremely unnerving, and it had the added effect of making her wonder which parts of the suit's input were real and which just represented the people moving around her. Irrationally, she moved a little closer to Daia, just to make sure she was really holding on to the asari and not just getting feedback from a particularly high-density section of the room.

"I think Taleeze is right, actually. Perhaps we should head in, if we're in the middle of a row. I don't really want to accidentally step on anybody on the way to our seats."

"Sounds good, let's go!"
Linya started off, somehow ignoring the drell she'd attached herself to... and stopped after a single step.
After a few seconds, she started again in a different direction. And stopped again, frowning slightly as her mind quietly presented her with a "data not found" error.
"...which way is it?"

"Yes, we should get going." Iryana smiled gently at Linya, lifting her free hand and pointing across the lobby. "If I had to guess, I would say over there, where it most are heading."

Daia looked around at the holoscreen Taleeze had noticed, and nodded.

"In we go," she agreed, raising her arm slightly for Ana to hold, as she had when they had been moving through the crowd earlier. As luck had it they weren't far from their door - once Iryana had put Linya on the right heading, the general motion of the crowd towards the various theatre entrances bore them along without getting in anybody's way very much.

"I understand the seating here has the option of retracting the armrest between seats," Skylar noted in a low voice to Taleeze, as they fell into step, arm in arm. "If I may be so bold...?"

Daia, whose thoughts were running in a similar direction, rested her free hand on Ana's, clutched around her arm. The unstructured but somehow melodious sounds of the orchestra warming up floated in the air, growing in volume as they passed through the doors into the theatre proper.

"We're all sitting together," she said, as quietly as the general murmur of the crowd permitted. "Us in the middle - I think you'll have Iryana and Linya on your other side, if I read the reservation display right when we came in." She leaned down a little, just enough to brush her cheek against Ana's hood. "Cosy pairs of seats, in the section we're in. Couldn't be better."

"The chorus speaker really stood out," Skylar noted, as the group ambled back out for interval.

"In a good way," Daia said; Skylar 'mm'ed in agreement. "Am I crazy," Daia went on to Ana, on her arm as usual, "or did her counter-solo sound a little like something you'd hear in onslaught, or maybe vanguard? Quite a refreshing take on the music, I wasn't expecting that at all."

"I'll tackle the trip to the bar and back," Skylar offered, doing a quick check of the group. "Ana, you've got your refreshments...? Can I tempt anyone else?" She gave Taleeze a grin that wasn't quite overt enough to solidify the double-entendre, but had the right hint in it.

"If I may be so bold...?"
Like, totally! Taleeze was enjoying the playful flirting of Skylar tonight. The whole evening was developing very nice and the prospect to snuggle up to Skylar into a comfortable doubleseater in the darkened auditorium seemed like the earned reward for the tough weeks of work behind them.

The theater was a massive multi layered terrace structure, with the various levels interlacing and swinging upwards from the lowest stalls. Their own, being fairly high, offered a spectacular view onto the stage.

When the murmur died down and Taleeze was softly leaning into Skylar, feeling her hair brushing her shoulders, a strange wishful imagination of another person next her crept into her mind. It was if she could almost smell the scent of skin and feel a strong hand, resting on her other thigh… but there was none.

The veils covering the stage were swinging away...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Actually, I didn’t have that impression. But maybe Valire was just too mesmerizing for me to notice anything else maybe. The gesture and presence ...” Taleeze chuckled as the group occupied one of the bistro-tables, that had been put up now. “That gown, I just want that gown, goddess.”

When Skylar was offering to bring refreshments and indeed seriously tempted Taleeze, the asari couldn’t let that go just like that.
“You can’t carry all of it, I’ll go with you. So place your orders, ladies.”

She was standing next to the human, her hand slightly below the line of scrimmage on Skylar’s back, but none of the others could see that.

"Ouch, sorry... sorry, sorry, didn't mean to step on oof that was a pointy one, sorry... ooohh I think this is us!"
Flopping back on to the cushioned seat, Linya retracted the armrest and stretched a hand over to Iryana's side of the double-seater. For once, she didn't speak a word; her smile said everything.

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"I know, it was beautiful!"
Linya nodded enthusiastically at the mention of Valire's costume; while she'd never fill it as she was now, she couldn't ignore the little voice squealing want now want now want want want.
"So, did anyone work out why there were hanar doing figures-of-eight towards the end of the act? Maybe a metaphorical... symbolism... thingy?"

Er, drinks. Drinks were happening. There had to be a menu of sorts somewhere... there, an interface in the centre of the table. A tap of Linya's fingers brought up a holographic display filled with pictures of liquids of various colours, garnished with what would have been more at home at the Tayseri Flora Festival.
"I think I'll go for... a Cyone Cyclone. It looks fancy!"

When Linya reached out, Iryana blinked gently before her hand reached out, her fingers curling around the Maiden's hand.

And the show began, and the drell fell into silence.

========

"That was simply GORGEOUS." Iryana seemed much more enthusiastic about this, and much more at ease. "And that dance at the end, Linya? That was a representation of Creative Uplifting. It's often seen in many Kahjean plays, as a finale."

Iryana's hand called up a menu as well, hovering over the drinks. She paused, glancing over at Linya. The drell didn't often see her drink... Not alcohol anyway. But hey, it's a special night!

"I don't think I picked that up, Daia," Ana murmured on her way out. "Then again, I'm not really the go-to person for music."

She wasn't completely sure why she'd left her seat for intermission - it was nice to be with everybody, of course, but as she didn't need to step outside for anything and it was a bit of a hassle for Daia to drag her along through the crowd, it seemed like more trouble than it was worth. Perhaps it was just anxiety over letting her group out of her proverbial sight.

Still, the play had been nice so far, and the atmosphere was refreshingly subdued (albeit jovial), so Ana was feeling pretty good, and so she followed along for the time being.

“One Cyclone, noted - Iryana, Daia, what can we treat you with?” Taleeze asked. In secret she wondered, if there was anything they could do for Ana. The quarian seemed a bit sidelined but at least relaxed at Daia’s side. Daia was her usual self – could she even be anything else?
What drink would fit her tonight… A mysterious Dark Moon or more like a bright Comet’s Tail?

Taleeze herself wasn’t sure yet as on what to drink but just looking forward to the trip to the bar on Skylar’s side.

"More than me, for the genre," Daia laughed - she had quite broad musical tastes, but left to her own devices she tended to gravitate towards sugary pop ballads, which weren't quite Ana's thing. She didn't mind favouring Anova and her more nuanced ilk at home when it was her choice, and saved her Mannovai Maidens collection for solo 'car trips.

The thought prompted an odd (though far from unusual) wave of fondness, and she raised Ana's hand to quickly kiss her palm.

"I'm glad you're here, love," she smiled. She looked around, and raised her voice back above the brief private murmur. "When was the last time we hit up the theatre? ...Earth, was it, the Globe? Historic theatre," she added for Linya and Iryana's benefit. "Well, only a couple of hundred years old - but a recreation of a much older site."

She took a brief glance at the drinks menu.

"Oh, let's be adventurous - Elthanian Star Runner," she grinned at Skylar and Taleeze.

"I guess the Globe would technically be the right answer." Ana'Therion took the opportunity, since they were close and staying put, to rest her head on Daia's shoulder. "We did go to that charity revue, though, a couple years back. The one with the musical. I don't know if that really counts as 'theater', it wasn't really classical or anything."

They hadn't been since then - Ana didn't see much point in going to a show when she'd miss half of it. Daia'd had to talk her into this one ('it'll be good for you to get out and be social', she'd said, which Ana couldn't really argue against in good faith).

Still, now that she was actually here, she didn't mind that much.

"I'm glad too," she murmured, squeezing Daia's hand. "As long as you're with me. And, y'know, you don't ditch me in the crowd."

"Ah... Well, I'm not too used to drinks so... If you know more about them then by all means, surprise me." Iryana smiled gently, still keeping her arm near Linya's, still looking a touch uncomfortable in this setting.

Ana’s affection towards Daia didn’t escape Taleeze. She couldn’t understand what she said but the picture alone was a beautiful sight.

“Alright then,” Taleeze nodded towards the drell, while entangling her arm with Skylar’s

“I just hope the lines at the bar are not that ridiculous. I hate it when places have insufficient staff. But this house seems to be above that.” While they wandered off, Taleeze enjoyed observing the glances in their direction. Human-asari couples weren’t that uncommon but still the two were drawing a bit of attention and the asari maiden liked that. Her body language was all displaying ‘she’s mine!’

The bar was buzzing but the people behind the counter were pros and got everyone served decently quick. After Skylar, Taleeze placed her own order, a Slingshot and a Feirxshan Sky for Iryana. The purple to orange tones seemed a perfect match for the scientist and it was something with only a splash of Tlu’s Liquor on top a bitter fruity base. Somehow Taleeze thought, she shouldn’t go for something exorbitantly sweet. She hoped it would be received well.

Then a thought occurred to her and she waved the asari barwoman back.
“Say, would you happen to have something suitable for a quarian?”
The young asari just blinked at Taleeze.
“You know, quarians? Suits and visors?”

“Uh, Ma’am, I am not sure… I.. don’t think…. Well, maybe we have… let me check.”
The completely baffled asari hurried away. Taleeze was giving Skylar a reassuring glance.
The asari came back and it seemed to Taleeze as if her face was bit more purple. In her hands she held two containers, slightly damp by the condensation on the obviously cold surfaces.

“Well, this is what we have. One is plain water, the other is…” she looked at the markings “Kash’ve, some fruit I have never heard of. I am afraid they are not listed though, see, we usually don’t have quarians…”

“I’ll take it anyway, thank you so very much for your efforts, my dear.”
She took the container and the two cocktails and hurried away, leaving the perplexed bartender behind.

“Hey, look, that is even with some liquor… ‘Rannoch’s finest’” Taleeze read from the label. No idea if Ana would like it but just asking for it was fun enough. And she wasn’t charged anything so no harm was done. The seal was in perfect condition and that was all Taleeze cared for.

“Skylar, I enjoy this evening very much. I am glad you came. Otherwise it would have been two lovely couples and just me…” She looked at the profile of the woman walking next to her.

"Oh yeah, that's right," Daia nodded, recalling the revue. "It was in a classical theatre, but yeah, I wouldn't go further than that either. Fun, though - good singing voices, considering half the 'stars' were executives there to drum up goodwill."

She thought back for a moment, reflecting with the merest hint of sadness at how that night had ended - Ana in a fiesty mood, which she hadn't experienced for quite a time now - but then chuckled at Ana's joke when it came, squeezing her hand in return.

"Never," she murmured, thankful for the unwitting but timely reminder to be grateful that they still had each other in the way that truly mattered.

"So it's a finale?" she asked Iryana after taking a heartbeat to properly savour the moment - she had been curious about the hanar too. "Is it ever used part-way through, or was that just the company here being different? Come to think of it," she said thoughtfully, "Varisa's always been held as one of the prime examples of the recursive narrative school, it has a certain logic to it."

Skylar watched with mixed fondness and amusement as Taleeze quizzed the server on quarian fare. It was just like her to not even think twice before going the extra mile to please a friend - and get a bit of a kick from causing a little stir in the process, all in a good cause. In the course of her legal work she had run into more than enough examples of Illium's oh-so-polite social gamesmanship, manifested in all sorts of subtle and not-so-subtle ways - it was a big factor in her contentment with her life that her social circle, and her other 'working' environment at the club, was cut from a different cloth.

"Thank you my dear," she smiled, as Taleeze placed her share of the group's drinks on the tray she had procured from the bar while her companion had been ordering - Taleeze's Slingshot, Linya's Cyclone, and Daia's Star Runner. Taleeze was carrying the Beach Beauty Skylar herself had chosen, along with the remaining drinks. Normally she would have taken a moment's amusement from the innuendo of 'catering' to the asari members of their group, but tonight her fleeting grin had more to do with the fact that she and Taleeze were carrying each other's drinks.

My, aren't we being all mushy? she mused, without any self-censure.

"'Rannoch's finest'," she repeated, whistling softly under her breath. "Who'd have thought we'd ever see that phrase anywhere but on exorbitantly-priced centuries-old antiques? Definitely worth a toast, even if they do turn out to be self-promoting a bit."

She smiled broadly, and looked across at Taleeze beside her as they wove their way back through the clusters of guests.

"I'm glad you came," she replied. "Or I would've been the 'just me' in that arrangement. Far more agreeable to be 'just us'." She grinned rakishly. "Of course, we're not 'just' us while the others are around - but the night is young. Unless you've got an early shift tomrrow, and have to dash off as soon as the second act closes?" She managed to make the question sound passably like innocent inquiry, but she probably wasn't fooling anyone. They would be back with the group in a moment, and have to keep their flirting to moderately less outrageous levels - Skylar believed in taking opportunities where she could.

I know I'm not the other half you want to be with. But even if it'll be nothing more than pleasant memories once you find her, I'd rather have the memories than not.

Ana'Therion did not actually have anything further to add to the conversation, being as she'd just finished saying her piece and nothing had really come her way since then, but she was pervaded with the strange feeling that mysterious forces on high were impatiently demanding that she say something.

"Yeah, this sure is a thing," she said, glancing around the lobby (which was, in fact, a featureless void with nothing to remark on. You know, because she can't see). "So is Taleeze back yet, or...?"