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 Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 12:31 am
Obligingly, Serafima straightened and cut into her own food - chicken francaise with a side of pasta. "It certainly smells delicious," she announced. "I have to admit that I have never been here myself. I mostly suggested it because it was the first to come to mind." She paused and gingerly popped a bit of the steaming chicken in her mouth. Her eyes half-closed as she judged it and then she nodded, swallowing. "It's delicious. Well worth the effort."
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 12:33 am
"I'll have to come here again," said Autry, taking another bite. "Mm. Almost as good as the real Italy. I don't suppose you've been?"
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 12:36 am
"Actually, yes. I have." She cut another piece away and flicked her gaze up at her dinner companion. "Not for long, though. It was more a detour than a proper visit. You, of course, have spent plenty of time there and I should trust your opinion on the food, correct?"
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 4:43 pm
"I have -- had a villa there," Autry corrected himself. "Up in the northern area. So, yes, you can trust me where the food's concerned." He soured somewhat at the thought of his houses, probably all in the hands of new owners who would scratch up his nice floors and drill holes in the walls for their entertainment systems. The quality of the food somewhat consoled him.
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 7:12 pm
"I went through the south part of the country," she answered mildly, cutting another piece of chicken. "So, then... What does the Fleet plan to do if we find the missing feien?"
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 10:48 pm
"Beats me," said Autry between bites. "Rehome them with people who know how to look after them? That's if they're alive." He paused with his fork hovering over his plate. "Have you seen the statistics from the original rehomings? I went over the files when I got this assignment. Something like a dozen homes were found unsuitable." He stated this merely as interesting fact, not with any indignant outrage. He simply did not care about feien except as a subject of work.
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 10:53 pm
"Really?" Her tone was equally neutral, only touched with academic curiosity. "I wonder how that happened. Do you know if the previous shop just sold the blooms to whoever wandered in? I suppose that could account for unfit matches. Owning a feien is rather different than owning a cat or a dog. They are sentient beings, after all."
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 10:57 pm
Autry shrugged. He was more than halfway through his steak now, but had yet to touch the vegetables on teh side. "There weren't any profiling records in the files I saw. If they did do matching, no one bothered to record it. Prettymuch all the records are spotty except for the genetics, and even then, not all the feien are on file." Vaguely, Autry wondered if it was possible to get feien DNA evidence.
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 11:06 pm
"Hm. Piss-poor way of doing things." Serafima looked down at her plate and once more lifted fork to lips. Quiet fell for a few minutes as they both ate and then, suddenly, she frowned down at her fork. "I wonder if feien are susceptible to hypnosis," she mused. "Or if there's a racial memory to tap. I suppose it could be possible. Unless them being magic ******** it all sideways."
The sudden curse word was almost like a flash of a mirror in a dark room, out of place and strange. The way her tongue had shaped the word "magic," too, had been a giveaway.
Serafima glanced up and offered Autry another of her half-inviting smiles. "I'm sure you'll eventually unravel it. There has to be an answer, after all."
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 11:21 pm
"I'll leave it up to the inquisitors," shrugged Autry, and casually resumed eating.
The conversation drifted to Fleet recording technology as they finished their entrees, interludes into the world of fictional films during interruptions by the restaurant personnel, some of whom were starting to look a little dubious of the whole situation. For some reason Autry only began on his vegetables after he was done with his steak, another behavior quirk Serafima consciously let slide. Dessert came: tiramisu. Two forks, one plate. Autry slid around the circular booth, moving next to Serafima so they could more easily share.
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 7:44 pm
Automatically, Serafima shifted to allow him better access to the plate as she picked up her fork. "So, Edward," she asked, returning to the main point once talk of tech slowed, "how long do you think this inspection will draw out?"
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 8:05 pm
Autry hummed indecisively. "I'm really not sure. I've got my reasons for liking this posting, so in a way I hope it goes on a long time, but for the most part it's really boring work. If it were the Fleet, this whole thing would've been done by now with the security logs to fall back on and all. Gunn hasn't made any indication whether this'll go on for weeks or end in a day. Never having done this kind of work I can't say I have a feel for how it's going. My guess would be badly."
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 8:16 pm
"I see." Serafima half-smiled down into their shared dessert. "Very wise of you, that. Nonetheless, if you and the others are stationed here for a while, I would enjoy meeting you again for coffee or something." She flicked an amused glance up at him, almost warning him to not make too much of the statement. "Fleet minds think differently than those around here. I miss it. You can bring your fellow inquisitors as well, if you like."
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 8:43 pm
Autry almost guffawed, but he found himself slightly insulted by the fact Serafima was looking for alternate company and attributing to him a mind suited to the Fleet. He swallowed his emotions well and managed a weak, "Sure." A mouthful of tiramisu stifled anything else he might have felt.
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 8:58 pm
Deliberately, she ignored his flicker of distaste and neatly separated a piece of the dessert with her fork. Before popping it into her mouth, she added lightly, "Tonight is certainly the most enjoyable dinner date I've had in months."
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