Dinner For Two

[DrDMatthews 0]

A joint log by Mr. Ajar (Captain FredM) and Deb Smith (Dr. Debbie Matthews)

 

Debbie sat across from Aidan and watched the goings on around the....she wasn't quite sure what to call it....the bar/restaurant....dive was probably a more accurate description. She had to admit one thing. The place may have lacked ambiance but it was certainly busy....very busy.

 

Aidan had already given her a well worn menu he'd picked up from the bartender. She occasionally glanced at it in an effort to keep from looking overly nosey. But wasn't that why they were here....to nose around for information. The important thing was to be discreet.

 

Debbie's interest focused on an older man at the bar. He was sitting three stools to the right of Jontilles Shamor. The bartender called him Ajar and he seemed to be a regular at this particular establishment. Everyone there seemed to know him and, of course, he knew them. He was human...from where, she didn't know...but he was definitely human. Debbie decided Ajar might be a good contact. And she knew just how she would approach him.

 

"I'll be back," she mumbled to Aidan as she picked up the menu and slipped out of the booth. She walked toward the bar with a confident air and stepped up beside Shamor, AKA Vanthros. He was holding a glass of something but it appeared he had yet to order any food.

 

"Don't eat anything, my friend," she said, just loud enough to be heard by those sitting nearby. "Let me find out what's safe before you order off this menu."

 

Debbie was fairly sure Shamor hadn't planned to eat anything, at least not yet. She made the remark so he would know she was now at the bar and about to approach the man called Ajar. Aidan was already watching from the booth across the room. But Jontilles would be the closest to her should a problem arise.

 

Without missing a beat, Debbie strolled down the bar and stopped beside Ajar.

"Excuse me," she said politely.

 

Ajar turned to face her, fork in hand. She could tell he'd had a rough life which made it difficult to estimate his age. She decided he was somewhere between 55 and 65. His face was tanned. There were deep creases in his forehead and a couple of notable scars to go along with them. His hair was dark with a few strands of gray. His eyes were his most outstanding feature. They were an odd shade of blue.....almost aqua. Debbie had never seen an eye color quite like it.

 

Debbie laid the menu on the bar beside Ajar's plate. "My friends and I are new in the area. Could you please tell me what on this menu is safe to eat?"

 

Slowly he surveyed the woman, first up, then down, repeating the gaze several times before looking back at what he had been eating. "Nothing here is safe to eat, that's why it's here, toots," he said with a chuckle. Motioning with his head towards the direction she had come from he laughed, "If you are new to the area, you picked one hell of a time to stop and see the sights."

 

Debbie couldn't help but chuckle. "Then what's that?" she asked, pointing at Ajar's plate. "It must be relatively safe if your eating it." She slipped onto the stool next to him. "Bring me a plate of whatever he's eating," she called to the bartender. "And a beer....any kind of beer."

 

"If this stuff kills me," remarked Debbie, only half jokingly. "My friends will know who to blame." A moment later, her dinner was served. Along with the food came a fork....just a fork....nothing else....not even a paper napkin. And Debbie wasn't about to ask for one. Whatever it was on the plate looked about as appetizing as a Targ's liver but it smelled okay. She picked up the fork and took a small taste of the strange food. It was definitely foreign....an acquired taste for sure. Debbie quickly decided she'd better eat as much of it as she could. Besides, she needed time to ask Mr. Ajar a couple of questions.

 

She leaned a bit closer to Ajar but continued playing with the food in her plate. "So why is it we picked a hell of a time to stop by and see the sights?"

 

His mouth stuffed with food, showing table manners worse than those of a Tellarite, Ajar partially smiled, "You seen the weather lately?" Swallowing what he had, the man sighed and shook his head motioning it forward. "Your friends must have really done something to be stuck in a route that takes you all the way out here. No company ever sends someone here because they volunteered...well, almost nobody," he said taking a sip of his drink. The man yawned slightly, "And yet we have more security than the Romulan Senate."

 

Debbie chuckled. "Actually, my friends and I did volunteer for this job. We very carefully reviewed the company's numbers. We think this will be a very....profitable route. And I'm sure we'll be able to deal with the weather."

 

She took another bite of whatever it was she was eating, making sure it was small enough to swallow without gagging. Looking at Ajar she frowned slightly. "But I don't recall the company mentioning extraordinary security." She glanced around the crowded bar and deepened her frown. "And I sure don't see any reason for it," she added sarcastically. Returning her attention to Ajar, Deb smiled slightly. "Unless you have a latinum mine hidden away somewhere on this planet." She forced herself to giggle as though it was outlandish to think anything of value could be found on this remote world. But she knew all the while there could be something far more valuable than latinum stashed away on Windsor....or whatever this place was called.

 

Unexpectedly, Ajar stopped mid motion and looked at her, "What makes you say that? Not everything of value is a mineral..." The look on his face clearly indicated that he was either so drunk that he failed to comprehend what she had really said or a nerve had been struck. From that point on, despite repeated attempts, Ajar was silent.

 

Debbie glanced at Ajar and raised a brow at his remark. She really wanted to continue their little chat but the expression on Ajar's face suddenly changed. He made it clear he was no longer interested in conversation. But Debbie had to try.

 

She commented that he was right....value was a relative term. Of course there were other things besides minerals that were just as valuable...if not more so. But, despite her valiant attempts, Ajar remained stone faced and silent. So Debbie went quiet while she continued taking small bites of her food. If nothing else, Ajar was right about that....there didn't seem to be anything decent to eat in this place.

 

After about ten minutes of essentially dead air, Ajar rose and adjusted his jacket slightly. "You and your friends should be careful," he said out of the blue, "gossip can be a horrible thing."

 

Debbie watched as Ajar left the bar. He didn't look at or speak to another soul on his way out. She stayed where she was for a few minutes after he departed then pushed her plate away and went back to the booth where Aidan was still sitting. She knew better than to say anything. Instead she looked at the food Aidan had ordered and then glanced at him and shook her head. "I hope that tastes better than what I ate."