All the comforts of home [NVC Day 5ish] [Open-ish]
Marlena was more surprised, all things considered, than perhaps she ought to have been when she discovered the building, a few blocks over from the bustling thoroughfares of Rau-Nol's tourist district, down what was best described as an alley--the closest such a new city could come to even having alleys. It was poorly-lit in the alien twilight, though not filthy, the way it ought to be--again, it was all too new to have accumulated proper grime.
It was only logical, she rationalized it as she pushed open the unmarked door. The economy must rely a great deal on tourist trade; surely an establishment of this type qualified as such. Still, it was a little unexpected; she wouldn't have batted an eye to find it in her own universe, but she'd thought this one purported to be all sunshine and kittens, completely devoid of dens of sin.
The interior of the building was about as dark as it was outside. She pushed past a heavy velvet curtain into a parlor, lit quite tastefully by simple chandeliers. The establishment's employees lounged on couches scattered around the room. Their eyes flicked over her, only for a moment--they didn't stare. Marlena caught a few murmurs in Vulcan, their tone mildly depreciative. "Another human." "Looking for something exotic, I bet."
"No," she answered them in their own tongue. "If I wanted exotic, I'd have an Andorian." The murmurs quieted, and the atmosphere changed--some of them looked at her now with slight resentment, others with grudging respect. She didn't meet their gazes, just scanned over them, assessing them one by one.
"Him." She indicated the Vulcan with a nod. Pointing would have been obscene; this was, after all, an establishment with a certain level of class. The man rose from his couch. He was tall, slender but not skinny, his hair a bit lighter than hers. His eyes were hazel; not ideal, but acceptable. He wore his hair cut a little shorter than Spock did.
"I am Serik," he told her, falling into step beside her as she moved toward the rear of the room, where stairs led to the private parlors on the building's upper stories.
"Greetings, Serik," she answered in Vulcan. "You may call me Lena." As he opened the door of an unoccupied room, stepping back to allow her to precede him inside, she brushed her fingers lightly across the back of his hand.
It was only logical, she rationalized it as she pushed open the unmarked door. The economy must rely a great deal on tourist trade; surely an establishment of this type qualified as such. Still, it was a little unexpected; she wouldn't have batted an eye to find it in her own universe, but she'd thought this one purported to be all sunshine and kittens, completely devoid of dens of sin.
The interior of the building was about as dark as it was outside. She pushed past a heavy velvet curtain into a parlor, lit quite tastefully by simple chandeliers. The establishment's employees lounged on couches scattered around the room. Their eyes flicked over her, only for a moment--they didn't stare. Marlena caught a few murmurs in Vulcan, their tone mildly depreciative. "Another human." "Looking for something exotic, I bet."
"No," she answered them in their own tongue. "If I wanted exotic, I'd have an Andorian." The murmurs quieted, and the atmosphere changed--some of them looked at her now with slight resentment, others with grudging respect. She didn't meet their gazes, just scanned over them, assessing them one by one.
"Him." She indicated the Vulcan with a nod. Pointing would have been obscene; this was, after all, an establishment with a certain level of class. The man rose from his couch. He was tall, slender but not skinny, his hair a bit lighter than hers. His eyes were hazel; not ideal, but acceptable. He wore his hair cut a little shorter than Spock did.
"I am Serik," he told her, falling into step beside her as she moved toward the rear of the room, where stairs led to the private parlors on the building's upper stories.
"Greetings, Serik," she answered in Vulcan. "You may call me Lena." As he opened the door of an unoccupied room, stepping back to allow her to precede him inside, she brushed her fingers lightly across the back of his hand.