by Ryu Gabriev » Wed Jun 18, 2014 8:29 pm
As it turned out, my boss was actually rather understanding about the whole ‘sudden family visit’ I had to deal with. Sadly, that was the only thing easy about this impromptu guided tour, since Iroh, Dax and Yohko were still in the clothes they all showed up in a couple of nights ago. Which first meant one thing: New clothes for the lot of ‘em.
… oh, my aching wallet. Even so, a deal’s a deal, which was why I started the day by borrowing my mom’s tape measure from her old sewing kit before hightailing it out of the house in the direction of the hotel. If it hadn’t set in just yet, YES, I do still live with my parents, but these days it’s more of a in-family apartment setting instead of me living off of their dime.
In any case, along with the needed measuring device so that everyone’s size could be found and shopped for by my lonesome, was my laptop in it’s handy carrying case so that the gang could plan their day during the time I was away. With a speed borne of three years spent at my job, I hopped out of the car once I arrived and made my way up the stairs to their room. Once at the right door, I used the keycard they had provided me so I could enter and leave at leisure.
As I walked in I noticed Iroh fiddling with the complimentary coffee maker and the sound of running water coming from the bathroom, so I made myself known to whomever was in there. “Heyo! It’s Jonathan, ready to receive clothing requests and dropping off fancy technical gadgets!”
The voice of my favorite Devil Hunter rang out from the bathroom door. “Just a sec, Jon! Jadzia and I are still freshening up in here! Go play with Iroh or something till we come out.”
I blinked in confusion. “What’s she expect me to do, play Pai Sho with you?”
The aged firebender sighed wistfully from his position over the beverage maker. “Ah, if only we could. You have the look of a crafty player, my young friend.”
A snort escaped my lips. “Shows what you know, man. I couldn’t win at strategy games even if my life depended on it. Besides, I didn’t think to bring anything to play with me when I drove over here.”
Iroh waved it off with little concern. “Nothing to be concerned about. Come, I would like you to try a little experiment of mine.” With that, the tea connoisseur pulled a full, steaming pot of coffee from the maker as well as two complementary mugs from the counter. He set the items on the table in the corner and motioned for me to sit down on the bed next to the table while he himself took the only chair. “I discovered this ‘caw-fee’ of yours this morning. A rather potent brew, very bitter and stimulating. It’s made from ground up seeds, yes?”
Wow… he really is the master of tea. “Uh, beans actually. After they’re harvested the beans are dried and sometimes roasted to give the brew a particular flavor.” I gave my horsetail a tug before continuing. “It’s too bitter for my taste though, I’m more of a soda/energy drink guy in the mornings, myself.”
The retired general set both mugs on the table and began pouring a cup for himself and I. “So tell me, do you have any suspicions as to the why this ‘Q’ spirit has targeted you, and us, in this manner?”
I shrugged. “Trying to figure out Q is like trying to hit warp speed by running laps, ultimately useless and you exhaust yourself in the process.”
Iroh nodded, accepting my point and took swig from his mug, which prompted me to do the same. Honestly, I expected it to taste like coffee I’d had before at the prompting of one of my friends, creamed and sweetened but still having a detectable bitterness to it.
Almost the very instant the brew passed by my lips, I jerked my head back from my mug. “Wha-? Dude, no way is this coffee. This is like… like! Like Not-Coffee!!”
The aged firebender gave off a roar of laughter just as the bathroom door opened and the two visions of loveliness padded in with towels around their waists and, in Yohko’s case, one wrapped around her head. “Sorry we’re running so late, boys. It’s been an interesting experience having a shower using water instead of sonic waves, so I lost track of time.”
I smirked while discreetly adding the sight of the two girls to my long-term memory. “Null Sweat, Dax. The God of Brewing over here was just showing off his method for putting Folgers out of business.”
That earned me a raised eyebrow from the Trill scientist. “Oh? It’s that good, is it?”
I nodded and passed my mug over to Dax, smirking as she took a hit from it, before her face lit up in a smile. “No way a replicator could make something like this.”
The retired general gave off a grin while I turned away just long enough to put aside my computer bag. When I turned my attention back in the girls’ direction Yohko had just taken my mug from Dax and had a sip of it herself, before giving off a deep shiver in delight. “This is amazing! How’d you do it, Iroh?”
Iroh shrugged nonchalantly. “As I’ve always said to those who have asked, ‘The secret ingredient is Love.’”
My rolled around in my head before I continued speaking. “By the way, Ladies, at which point are the both of you gonna cover up those legs of yours better? Not that I’m not enjoying the view…”
Dax smirked and gave a wink before she turned back towards the bathroom as Yohko tried readjusting her own towel for better coverage. Which in hindsight proved to be a bad idea as the towel suddenly loosened and dropped away from her torso, revealing her feminine curves to all who might look her way at that particular moment. Which I was kinda already doing at the time of the surprise unveiling. Honestly though, it wasn’t my fault that my voice could still work without input from my brain! “Whoa… Some things really do get better with age.”
That was the last thing I knew for a while once Yohko’s mind reset and she decked me into a sudden nap.
*****
Ahh, how I suffer in the name of beauty.
Last edited by
Ryu Gabriev on Thu Jun 19, 2014 2:19 am, edited 1 time in total.