[R1 evening, Umbida's] Quiet Night [Open]

rillani

Umbida sighed as she cleaned out another coffee cup.  The cup was empty, like her shop.  It was past the unbearable heat of afternoon, and on to the marginally bearable heat of evening.  Coffee never did well on these blazing days, though it did unexpectedly well in the mornings.  Perhaps no one managed to sleep through the sweltering nights.

But it was evening now.  They’d want wine.

Umbida set down the cup and turned to view the collection of bottles behind the bar.  There were plenty.

Sular

"The Good God drown the Continuing Committee," Faraji cursed to himself and he entered the door. It has not been the most pleasant of days, and the eternal and petty machinations of the Committee had forced his own deliberations far later in the evening than was civilized. But the Continuing Committee set the schedule, and there was nothing whatsoever he could do about it. Not tonight at any rate. It was too hot to think.  

 

"Have you anything chilled?" he asked Umbida which mock desperation. "My mind is cooking within my skull."

 

caporushes

Kato had been looking forward to enjoying a quiet evening at Umbida's, with just himself and Richard and maybe a bit of nice hot coffee to take the edge off the day he'd had. He loved his job, he truly did, but sometimes there were an awful lot of people involved in it, and he didn't take to that well at all.

No, he was quite well miserable now. There was sand wedged in his shoes, and under his necklaces, and sweat trickled slowly down his back as he pushed his way through the door. Unfortunately Richard, who was quite a bit larger than your average leira and proportionally stupider as well, decided he wanted to go first. Kato's legs were tangled in the lead line attached to Richard's harness, and Richard went barelling head-first into the nearest unfortunate.

Mochi

Afewerek Obi had been camped at a small table in the corner in an attempt to escape the heat in a shady building for some hours now. He was working on his lesson plans for the next semester, which had proven difficult in the school house in the early summer desert heat. At least at Umbida's, he could purchase copious amounts of iced juices. Speaking of iced juice, he had only just gotten up to get in line and request another refill when a large, energetic liera made a beeline straight for his shins. 

Thankfully, his years spent dealing with small, equally energetic children had taught him exactly how to handle this situation, and that was to brace himself against the nearest solid object which was, thankfully, a fairly solid table. He stared down as the lizard hit his shins, and then, confused, half attempted to climb him.

"Ah! H-hello. Nice lizard. Good lizard, down please," he said, both patting the lizard and trying to push it off himself. Succeeding, he then turned his attention to Kato. "Is, ah, is this yours?"

rillani

"Faraji!"  Umbida waved the politician over before ducking behind the bar.

"I got this out of the cellar just for you," she continued merrily.  "It's a--now where did I put it--a Demogan white--here it is--that's especially fuity."  Holding out the bottle for his inspection, she said, "Cherry notes, with hints of asparagus."

Sular

"You're having me on Umbida," he laughed slyly and smiled, "but I'll take the wine." 

He took the bottle gingerly and as he inspected it with a practiced and approving eye a colossal noise like the migration of a small heard of elephants, caused him to look around. Startled, bemused, and mildly displeased to have his evening disrupted by the reptilian chaos behind him, Faraji turned first to the bottle and then to Umbida. "Friends of your's?" 

caporushes

Kato felt his face grow hot. The incident hadn't resulted in any injuries to anyone, but it had caused quite a commotion. The few faces in the shop had turned to face the spectacle. He wanted to crawl inside a crack in the wall. Instead, he settled for apologizing.

"I'm so sorry! Yes, she's mine." Kato tried to pick her up, but being as she was rather heavy and struggling in his grasp, he quickly gave up. She immediately settled at his feet and started chewing on her harness as best as she was able. "Richard!" Then, again, to both the man Richard had bowled into and the universe in general: "I'm so, so sorry...!"

Mochi

Afe readjusted himself and smoothed down his clothes, trying to seem unruffled by the situation. He gave Kato a smile as he apologized rather profusely and shook his head. After all, he was relatively unscathed. The lizard's claws had thankfully been quite blunt. 

"No harm done," he said, "I teach children, I'm rather used to small creatures lunging for my legs with gusto. It's quite alright, nothing is broken, in the very least!"

He turned his attention to Umbida and the other gentleman, and smiled again. "Sorry for the commotion, Ms. Oba."

rillani

Umbida laughed a low, forgiving laugh.  "No harm done, teacher!"

She gestured to Kato more forcefully.  "But you!  If you let that lizard assault my guests again, you will not hear the end of it!"  Her ginormous smile disproved her sincerity, and she laughed again, shaking her head.

As much as she valued her customers, she was enjoying the chaos.

Sular

"You have a surname?" Faraji asked with mock sincerity. It was new information to him and though it was not entirely surprising, surnames were no uncommon thing, this was singularly strange means of learning the fact. He wondered for a time how the teacher had come to learn it.  A way with people no doubt. The common touch, he'd heard it called. Common as frog's teeth. 

He looked down at the bottle in his hand and realized something vital was missing. "A glass," he said after a moment. "No, make it three. The gentlemen deserve a drink after all that. The God knows I would."

 

caporushes

"Oh-- oh! Of course not! I'd never..." He trailed off, belatedly realizing the proprietor had meant this as something of a jest. Let nobody ever accuse him of being good with social cues. "I'll leave Richard at home, next time." He attempted something of a smile at all involved parties.

"I don't-- ah, that is, wine would be lovely, but..." He clutched Richard's lead line tighter in one fist. He had so been looking forward to coffee alone while he pored over figures. As it was, he could see no graceful, unobtrusive way out of the situation. "I do enjoy wine," he admitted, a touch glumly. 

Mochi

Afe had at some point leaned down to give Richard a scratch under her chin, in an attempt to make nice with his assualter in hopes that she wouldn't ambush him again. He straightened up as Faraji spoke. He looked between Faraji, Kato, and his lesson plans, and considered the offer for a moment before shrugging.

"I suppose my work can wait for a glass of wine," he said politely, "Allow me to introduce myself. Afewerek Eba Obi. I teach language and comprehension at Sethunya Primary."

rillani

"Three glasses for the councilor!"  Umbida collected said items in one hand and swerved out from the bar.  With a flourish, she placed them on the table nearest Afe.  "Is there anything else I can interest you in?  Our special plate today is fried goat cheese nibbles with fresh grapes."

Sular

"Faraji Negash Berhanu, Councilor for Hluun." He tried to smile but it was wan and forced. "At your service."

He stood there at the table, looking a little confused and a little lost but essentially friendly. The fact was that he could use a companionable glass of wine and these two gentlemen seemed to offer the best opportunity. The possible political gains that could be made in sharing wine with constituents barely entered his mind. That was, of course, a lie but he felt no shame at the thought. One had a way of becoming used to the little lies one told oneself, until they were almost comfortable. A tarnished soul was a small price to pay for a clear conscience. 

"Please gentlemen. It would be my pleasure."

    

caporushes

A Councilor? Kato nearly blanched at the thought. That kind of attention he definitely did not need. Nor any, but of someone prominent? Best left to his sister...

"I'll take the special-- and, please, if you gentlemen would like to also...?" He added this last hastily, having originally thought of the nibbles as more a legitimate means of occupying his mouth so that it need not be put to talking. He had teetered quite closely on the precipice of rudeness.

"Ah!" Nearly another gaff, there. "I am Kato Kwabena Kiote. I, er, well I am an actuary." He blinked and resembled nothing so much as a sweaty, startled owl as he took his seat. Richard clawed her way up his leg and he smiled somewhat fondly down at her. "And this is Richard, who knows she isn't allowed up on tables."

Mochi

"Ah, yes, Councilor," Afe said with a polite smile as he sat in the remaining chair. "I thought you looked familiar. You're running for re-election, are you not?"

Making small talk seemed to come easily for the teacher, though if asked he would say he was much more comfortable dealing with little ones under the age of ten. He nodded in agreement when Kato suggested the nibbles, and then smiled again as he introduced himself.

"A pleasure, Kato," he said "Richard is an odd name for a female lizard. She is cute, though. When she isn't attempting to clamber up a person like a tree."