Star Trek: Starbase 777

Lli'erhoin's generosity didn't stop at one pair! Was it cliché, to put two Romulans together in the fanciest Romulan establishment on the promenade? Perhaps, but that hopefully won't stop Sseiya and Verelan from enjoying a lovely candle-lit dinner together.

Seiyya, however, was absolutely delighted to be here. A date at the fanciest Romulan establishment on the promenade, for free? When she was fully prepared to pay anyway? Well, that was absolutely generous, and she fully appreciated it. She had plenty of latinum to blow every now and then- but it was nice to have something amazing like this AND not have to pay for it. She had dressed in her best today, to fit the occasion. She was wearing a dark emerald green dress that went down to her mid-thigh, a slit on one side. On top, she had on an even darker green blazer, a rose pinned to the chest. She had thigh-high black boots, and an emerald flower pendant on a silver chain around her neck. She didn’t have all her piercings in today, just some silver and emerald earrings to match the necklace. She had done the best she could with her hair- it was still a little choppy, but it was nicely styled. Even though she didn’t have to pay anything for this, Seiyya couldn’t stop herself from buying flowers anyway. She had bought a bouquet of dark red roses- freshly grown, and matching the one on her chest. She sat at the candle-lit table for two, waiting for her date.

Verelan was always dressed to the nines, mind you, so she fit right in with the vibe of the restaurant. She wondered, as she was led to the table, whether she could convince the restaurant owner to keep a stock of her family's ale, but she put it out of her mind for the time being; that's not what she was here for. She'd exchanged her usual green shirt and black-grey pinstripe for black tuxedo pants, an elegant white poet's shirt with extra ruffles covering her top, cinched at the waist by a black corset that matched the satin stripe down her pants. She wore her usual leather shoes, valuing comfort over form in that regard, and her hair formed a dark halo around her head. She approached Seiyya, an appreciative look on her face. At the very least, she was paired up with someone who understood aesthetics, which pleased her greatly. "Good evening," she greeted, bowing slightly. "I'm Verelan Rhhaein, and I do believe I'll be your date for the night," she introduced herself.

She stood up when she saw Verelan approaching, returning her slight bow. The height difference was definitely noticeable now- Seiyya was a foot taller than Verelan, even more with her heels. She noted the sense of style- she was thankful to be paired with someone who understood how to dress well. A beautiful place like this warranted being dressed to the nines. The tuxedo pants and poet’s shirt were gorgeous, the black corset giving it a rather attractive touch of edge. Her dark hair stood out beautiful against the white shirt!, and her leather shoes looked comfortable, though still beautiful. She held the bouquet of roses out, nodding as Verelan introduced herself. “It’s lovely to meet you, Verelan. I am Seiyya t’Rhaikh, and I am delighted to be your date for the night.”

Verelan's pleased smile only grew as Seiyya straightened to her full height, taking the flowers from Seiyya. She never was one for keeping bouquets herself, but then, Maggie might appreciate the sight if they were coming by soon. She'd take good care of it. "The pleasure is all mine, Seiyya," she said, waving down a waiter quickly to put the bouquet with her coat which she'd left by the entrance, though she plucked out a rose and stuck it in her hair, the mane curly and structured enough that it stuck where she put it. "There, now we match," she said, taking her seat. Once they were both seated, a waiter appeared to wordlessly fill their glasses with a fragrant wine, and Verelan folded her hands in front of her, looking at Seiyya with interest. "So, what brings you here, to an event like this?"

Seiyya herself rather liked flowers- though she usually kept them in pots rather than as cut bouquets- but it was a little hard to bring a pot of dirt around, and she wouldn’t dare bring any dirt into such a fancy place like this. No, Seiyya enjoyed being a little fancy, and there could be no dirt allowed. She watched as Verelan plucked a rose, putting it in her hair. It was the perfect accessory for someone so beautiful, highlighting her gorgeous curls. “Yes, I suppose we do match now. I do like flowers myself, I would have brought you a potted plant instead of a cut one, but I worried about the dirt in such a beautiful restaurant.” She said, sitting back down. The waiter filled their wine glasses- it was fragrant, promising to be smooth and delicious. Seiyya loved wine as much as she loved Romulan Ale- going to San Francisco meant being in California, and the wine there was usually quite good. So, she had been spoiled in the wine department, and what was in her glass now promised not to disappoint. She listed as Verelan asked her question, her own hands folded in her lap. “I’ve always enjoyed dating around, as they say. I like to meet interesting people, flirt a little, and see where it goes from there. Of course, I haven’t gotten to do that on a while- generally, it’s not very advisable to date around while on a small ship in the middle of deep space, considering if things go a little wrong, you are stuck with them until the mission ends. So, I’m enjoying getting back into it now that I’m here.” She said, talking rather nonchalantly about the problems that came with being in uncharted space.

"Yes, a bouquet does seem a little more appropriate to the venue, but I thank you for it anyway. I have a cat, so potted plants don't survive long anyway. The cut flowers suit me just fine," Verelan said to Seiyya, hoping to reassure her that the bouquet was appreciated. She took a brief sip of the wine as she listened to Seiyya's explanation of why she signed up to the blind dates arranged by the station's party committee- sorry, Operations division. She'd drink anything, wasn't picky (how could she be, with an upbringing like hers), but she had enough of a history making and selling alcoholic products that she could tell this was high quality product, and while she hadn't expected differently from a place this esteemed, she was pleased to notice it anyway. "Sounds like coward's talk," she teased. Perhaps it was her own charisma, but she'd hardly had an ex she couldn't get along with; N01D did not count on account of her still letting him buy from her. She was mean to him, but the android got off on that anyway. "You're an officer, then? I thought you guys weren't supposed to let interpersonal relationships get in the way of duty?" She had a cheeky smile on her face, her head tilted sideways to make it clear she wasn't being serious. She just liked bothering officers. Klingons were much less fun about that, but Vialara and Kya both reacted great to it... then again, she loved any reaction she got. All attention is good attention, after all.

“Oh, a cat? I remember them from Earth, very good animals. What is yours like?” Seiyya wanted an epohh, but she also wanted to settle in on the station first before she even thought of adopting a pet. She had seen cats before, though. They tended to like Seiyya, which she always appreciated. There was something special about a thing with little knives in its paws choosing not to stab you with them. “Hm, maybe it is a little bit of a coward’s way out.. but when you’ve been stabbed by an ex for daring to date a new person.. you tend to be a bit more careful after that. Even though I’ll say that Starfleet officers are a fair bit less stab-happy than the people I was dating before I got into Starfleet.” She said with a laugh. She was fine with being bothered a little. It was really all in good fun, and being a little cheeky was kind of attractive if you asked Seiyya. “So, what brings you to events like these, hm?”

"Well, the Risian variant, for myself. He's a menace, but he takes well to training and he's pleasant with guests, so I think I couldn't have asked for a more suitable pet," Verelan said nonchalantly, failing to fully convey the antagonistic relationship she upheld with her cat. "Hmmm, well. I dated a few Klingons, so the threat of stabbing isn't quite unfamiliar to me," nor was it a particular dealbreaker for her, but still. Verelan's tone was still teasing, though the mention of a vengeful ex made her drop the subject. She was here to have fun, not to rehash a stranger's trauma. "Me, I just like meeting new people, seeing what's around. I get to have a little romantic outing, at someone else's expense, and I'll hopefully meet someone new? Sounds like the right scene for me!" A certified social butterfly who was always trying to either sell something or procure her own satisfaction could really not hope for a greater venue, honestly.

“I’ve been thinking of adopting an epohh myself.. I’ve been reading up a bit on them, wonderful animals. I’ve only ever seen Terran cats, though, you have any pictures of yours? He seems like an interesting little guy.” Seiyya loved all animals, honestly. Dogs, cats, she had even met a parrot once. She had encountered all sorts of weird animals out in uncharted space, too, and she couldn’t deny that she had wanted to smuggle a few onboard at some points. She had resisted that impulse, of course- best to leave everything in their natural habitats. “It’s when they don’t threaten you first, that’s what gets you.” She laughed. It was obvious Seiyya really wasn’t too shaken up. She had learned not to date anyone too crazy, and she had a neat scar from it. No harm done in the end. Plus, it was ten years ago, and she had plenty of other things to have trauma about. She’d be damned if she let some guy have the luxury of giving her trauma. “I’ll say.. I don’t think there’s a more romantic atmosphere around the base than in this restaurant. I was secretly hoping I’d get to come here- a beautiful night, for free? Sign me up!”

"I do, but I don't have my PADD on me, so you'll have to trust me when I say he's very cute. He gets stuck under the furniture a lot, and I have to make fun of him a little before getting him unstuck every time," Verelan said, laughing at Ehhae's expense. She had nothing valuable to say to the notion of being stabbed... unsexily, anyway. Maybe she just chose her partners better? At least it seemed Seiyya had learned from the experience. "Oh, you might be even more of an opportunist than me. I'd not hoped for something specific, I just wanted to do something fun," she teased, hoping to fluster Seiyya a little. She just preferred her women a little less smooth every so often, was that such a crime? She didn't think so.

“Hah, you’d think they’d learn after a while though. Suppose they’re just like Terran cats, they’ve not got too many brain cells up there.” She laughed along at the thought of the cute little guy getting stuck under the furniture. The poor little guy- but still, very funny to think of. You’d think he’d learn after getting stuck once, but some animals just seemed to not be in possession of a brain cell very much. Seiyya had once met a cat who had managed to get a yogurt cup stuck on its face- she had pulled it off of the poor thing, but that cat certainly wasn’t in possession of the brain cell that day. “Maybe I am a bit of an opportunist.. I had to scrape by for a good few years before I got into Starfleet- it gets programmed into you to value money a bit more when you’ve not got a lot of it.” She said lightheartedly, with a little laugh. Of course, she had a bit more money now, having spent so long in deep space racking up the little bits of money Starfleet gave for their officers to be able to spend- she had nowhere to spend it, so she had let years of pay rack up that she could spend now. Hence, the flowers she had given Verelan. “Though, ah, I am also very happy with your company, as well. I.. certainly wouldn’t have minded going somewhere else, as long as I was with someone as lovely as you.” She smiled.

"Flatterer," Verelan called out, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. Her own lopsided grin revealed that she was far more pleased by the compliment than her words would normally let on. "I'm the sort that works for what she has, so I get it. If not for my charming visage, I'm not sure I would have ever made it as far as I have. But by now, I've certainly come to appreciate the finer things in life." She didn't particularly carry herself like a farmer's daughter, her less refined skills trained out of her long ago. She devoted herself to the sale now, even if the tough sinew that hadn't filled out even over years of comfort betrayed a history of a different sort. "Where else would you take me, Seiyya? Is there something you'd have in mind?" she asked, her eyes deliberately wide and inquisitive over another sip of wine, savouring it as she tilted her head slightly, a picture of innocence if not for the loaded question, and the eyebrow raised in a silent challenge, as if to say: 'you had better come up with something good'.

“What do you do around here, then?” Seiyya smiled too, her expression good-natured and genuine. Seiyya didn’t exactly carry herself like a space criminal either, even though she had been one for a while. Eleven years in Starfleet tended to do that to someone. Still, there was evidence that she, too, had worked and struggled to get to where she was now- scars dotted across her face, and a couple more gray hairs than a thirty-two year old Romulan should have. Years of running from abuse, the cops, and then years in deep space, didn’t exactly lend to looking youthful. “If I had the time to drop everything for a bit.. when I was in San Francisco for the Academy, I frequented this beautiful vineyard.. on a cliff, this little secluded beach below it. You and I, some expensive wine, and a beautiful sunset looking over the ocean. But considering neither of us can up and leave for enough time to go to Earth just for a date, I suppose I could commission someone to make that scene in the holodeck for us, if you’d ever be interested in a second date.” She said, taking another sip of wine.

"I own and manage Authentic Romulan Affairs, here on the station. Anything that can be found, I can procure. For a price, of course, though everything is negotiable." ARA wasn't the only part of her life where that was the case... anyway. "I've been a travelling merchant for ages, but settling down here has been profitable enough that I plan to continue here for a while." She considered the offer. She'd been to Earth before, briefly, but never to San Francisco, and expensive wine always called her name... but she'd have to see. She had a busy schedule, after all, and it wouldn't do to promise time to someone who wasn't going to be worth her time, in the end. "I don't know, miss Seiyya... I think we'll have to see how this date ends up, before I promise you another," she said cheekily, right as Kono came with the first course; a bite-sized fish dish of some kind, spiced with components native to Mol'Rihan.

“Ah, I’ve seen that shop when I was walking around the station when I first came. It’s.. been a while since I’ve been able to have anything specifically Romulan. I’ve been the only Romulan on a posting for seven years.. it does make me happy to see so many of us here that there’s whole shops and restaurants for us.” She listened as Verelan talked about being a traveling merchant- it seemed like a very interesting life. Seiyya had done cargo shipping (and a bit of smuggling), but she had never sold anything herself. “Traveling merchant, huh? It seems like a very interesting life, you must have plenty of good stories to tell.” Seiyya highly appreciated stories- it was one of the main reasons she dated around. She liked to hear about people’s lives, about the things they’ve done and seen. She also liked to tell the parts of her own story that didn’t count as crimes, but she was happier to hear about someone else than talk about herself. She laughed a little, knowing Verelan was being cheeky more than anything. She took a bite of the first dish- she had always liked fish, and the spices were quite interesting. Having been nowhere near Mol’Rihan before, the spices were new to her, and she loved new things.

Both Verelan and Seiyya seemed happy to indulge in fine food, wine, and one another's company, all the way through the seven courses. (edited)