Balancing the books... or cooking them?

[Varindar Asyt]

With the fourth floor now being open in the Crown Nebula Hotel, so is the bar, and also there are four terraced floors outside the bar, with the understanding that the third and fourth floors are reserved for the bar, and the first and second terrace floors are for the restaurant, the latter now holding a total of 210 seats. Also, she staffed the new openings with refugees from GA space, and one of them, [member="Iturizu Yuvie"], seemed to be enamored with the hotel. And not just because he was the one suggesting the bar, complete with jukeboxes and a cluster each of video-pazaak and video-sabacc machines. For some reason, he also wanted to book a night in one of the more regular rooms of the hotel, since all the suites, even the fourth floor ones, are all rented out for the night. Also, the executive chef of the resto-bar took the liberty to name the resto-bar on the fourth floor the Little Green Men. The Mirialan arrived at the front desk, back for a second stay, this time he had a reservation for a room that was directly underneath the bar, with Varindar being ready to hand him the keys to his third-room floor; perhaps he has noticed that the fifth and sixth floors are under construction above the bar.

"Welcome to the Crown Nebula Hotel. What can I do for you today, on the launch day of the bar, the Little Green Men?"

"To serve the bar's customers, ready, I am" the executive chef of the Little Green Men told the Mirialan guest, or perhaps would-be bar manager, realizing that the bar's kitchen is run by a couple of people belonging to Yoda's species.

 

[Iturizu Yuvie]

The GA was broken, he had only just escaped Lothal after the barbaric First Order attack on the temple, their use of poor lower class citizen strapped with explosives if they did not fight, mind controlled Knights or Ren riven by shear rage. In comparison the Galatic Empire and it's methods to control population wage war was child's play to the fanatic and aggressive behavior of the first order, and then they had the audacity to claim they are brining peace to the galaxy.... it was infuriating. To top it all off their government was xenophobic to and where dead set on killing all light siders, they were pretty much on par with the Sith Empire's brutality.

So here, once again the Sith Mirialan found themselves at the Crown Nebula Hotel, his home once again lost, no where to go, falling back on the same Jedi order that had rescued him from the clutches of the Galactic Empire. Today though he was going to book a nigh, he needed the rest, just time alone to relax and think things through, would he join the Jedi? after all Yuvie was now more of less a light side user, and talks of the CIS becoming more aggressive due to their merge with the Ancient Eye was not sitting well with him.

Breaking thought he turned back to [member="Varindar Asyt"] as she greeted him, "Oh, sorry I was just thinking... a room for the nigh if you will and perhaps I will partake in the bar at some point".

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"Here, the keys to the Rapture Heaven on the third floor"

True, [member="Iturizu Yuvie"] would readily feel that many of the newer staffers - bar, housekeeping, conciergerie, restaurant, it didn't matter which department so long as the department has any new employees drawn from refugees - had their teeth against the Sith and/or the First Order. In fact, she could sense it too. To the extent she would feel the population in FO-land would agree less and less with their atrocities, on Lothal, on Skor and in the Metharian Nebula, on Ossus, Kaeshana before that, she knew the dissidents were not in position to actively oppose the FO. She learned a lot about those atrocities because the atrocities were the talk of the town wherever she went. She could even feel it made some Trandoshan mercenaries renege on their contracts with the Sith and the First Order. And those who dealt with the GE found their contracts with the Imps terminated when the Imperial regime on Kamino was dissolved, with their remnants fleeing back to First Order space. But as she handed the keys to the Rapture Heaven, located underneath the bar and she put Iturizu's name in the room tracking system...

"Would you like me to guide you to the Rapture Heaven?"

 

[Iturizu Yuvie]

"Thanks" Yuvie stated reaching over to collect the key, it would be nice to sleep in a comfortable bed for once, not some military grade bunk, not waking up at certain times of the day or night for drills. The constant threat of attack looming overhead, the training day in day out to prepare yourself for those possible attacks, it would be a little strange but over all welcome for the Mirialan. "Ah yes I would not mind a tour to the room, I have a feeling I'll be spending more time here over the next few days". Well that was until he found something else to do with his life. The CIS was a little to dark side, the Fel empire brought back bad memories. Perhaps the ORC, but just getting their may prove difficult with the FO expanding its territories. "Just a question, how long can I rent a room out for anyways? just for future reference".

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"Let's see: you have the option to book it for the next night but the hotel is sold out two nights from now" she answered [member="Iturizu Yuvie"] while he opened the door to that room.

She is grateful that bookings are not for specific rooms within the hotel; it was not often that she could actually have a guest extend their stay. Most of the time, Crown Nebula guests that found out they needed extra days on Trandosha beyond their initial reservation would instead book the remaining nights at the Gaslamp if they wanted, or at other hotels if they instead wanted to go elsewhere on the planet. The Rapture Heaven was the Valentine-themed room, with white and red painting, and also a few paintings, ranging from a S'kytri youngling shooting arrows with heart-shaped heads, a painting of a candle-lit dinner on Abregado-Rae, another one of two Zeltron lovebirds kissing each other in a castle on Barkhesh, being the most prominent ones. Speaking of Barkhesh, she would feel like she would want to learn cooking from that place, but a Jedi travelling in First Order space was a risky proposition even if it was for purposes as benign as cooking lessons. Just that the fixtures were rather expensive: the Mirialan only needed to look at that 4K plasma holoscreen, which also delivered crystal-clear sound, if he wasn't already looking at that bed, which was clearly designed for Wookiee guests.

"One plush, comfortable king bed, one jacuzzi tub, the food conservator, mood lighting, a functional executive desk, one caf machine and, of course, a comlink with direct lines to the main functions of the hotel: housekeeping, room services from the bar and the restaurant, front desk"

 

[Iturizu Yuvie]

"Hmmm okay I understand, I may book for another night and leave for a short trip on the second day, there are a few things that I wish to see", perhaps visit the Jedi Temple and socialize a little. After all it would not be healthy to stay cooped up in a hotel for too long and he did not have unlimited funds, sooner or later the Mirialan would have to seek work somewhere. The room which with Yuvie was greeted to made him jump a little on the inside, the definite romantic atmosphere, the different array's of paintings depicting lovey dovey moments sent his heart beating faster then usual. For some reason he could not help but think this was deliberate somehow, such a room with such decoration defiantly was not for just a casual nights stay. "Well this is a very interesting room I must say, mood lighting hmmm, well I suspect that I will have a nice time here, perhaps I can start off with the hot tub, it has been a while since I've relaxed with such a machine". Warm showers or refreshers being the main form of cleaning that the Mirialan had while in the military. "I'll just quickly unpack before hand, depending on how the night goes I may stay the extra day which you have offered".

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"I believe you would then be in position to go to Silver Rest if so you wished, especially since some of the surviving ex-GA Jedi that didn't betray it seem to come to us because they feel there is nowhere else to go that fit them. That they had... unfinished business for most of them"

Not that Silver Rest was not comfortable, just that the Silvers seemed to treat the Jedi better than the then-GE had its Inquisitors, based on the looks on the Mirialan's face. So while she let [member="Iturizu Yuvie"] unpack his baggage, she began to think of whether there were other Mirialans in SJ service, other than Liuna Ondizi or Kaiza Pawaro. From her only actual stay in a room, she knew that the jacuzzi tubs were guest favorites, and 4K high-definition was also well-appreciated for those guests who wanted to watch video-on-demand. Once the guest is about to enter the hot tub, she may now be wondering whether another one of those refugee Jedi wanted to run its own hotel, Iturizu or not. If such is the case, she might be due to take that Jedi as a padawan if that Jedi is a padawan, or to at least teach that particular Jedi about the hotel industry in a stay at the hotel or over a restaurant meal if that Jedi wasn't a padawan. But if he actually looked at every room in the hotel, he would realize that each room has its own theme: the Yoshinaka Suite was heavy on the Atrisian artwork, the Jade Vault was heavy on the various shades of green, the White Cooler was mostly white and icy blue, with snow and ice planets being the theme.

"Once you're done with the hot tub, you may probably wish to go to the bar"

 

[Iturizu Yuvie]

"Unfinished business hu? well I cannot blame them, the silver Jedi was the Galactic Alliances closest allay". "Those in the southern regions of the galaxy probably went to the Outer Rim Coalition, and those that could may be on the way to the Republic Remanent". "Though for immediate aid and help I could very much see many Jedi that retain themselves seeking refuge at the Silver Rest". More so people with past experience with the order, like himself, even if such was a result of less then less then smooth planning on the Silver Jedi's part, that Draven man was very brash. Tunring back to his bags the Mirialan Sith quickly retried a change of close, using a little assistance from the force in order to stash away the other articles of clothing, along with other personal items. "Will do, is it safe to assume that you will be at the bar area? or have you other tasks to take care of"? He asked slowly walking into the bathroom, turning on the luxury device while waiting for [member="Varindar Asyt"] answer. She did seem like a busy person though she often liked to check out personally the services of her own hotel, so the manager coming to the bar to see how things where going did not seem to unrealistic.

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"Because it's the first day of the bar's operations, I'm going to be at the bar. It's just above your room. Oh and some of the refugee Jedi rented out rooms on the fourth floor; there are still more due to arrive soon, so if you do decide to rent out the next night, you may as well have another refugee Jedi in your room, but I'd rather ask for your permission before letting that Jedi into your reservation. In addition, the next guest after you may as well be asking for your permission to stay after those two nights are up"

Yes, many of those that sought refuge at Silver Rest were, in fact, stationed in northern regions, such as Fondor or Coruscant. And yet one would expect some of the Jedi stationed in locales such as Sullust, Lothal or Susefvi to go to either D'Qar or Teth, where the ORC and Republic Remnant are based. Speaking of those Jedi, it appeared that they rented out the Imperial Suite on the fourth floor as well as the Tribal Charm and Gothic Mansion executive suites, about twenty Jedi total, with their respective stays being billed to the Silvers. And she was a little nervous, upon stepping out of the room, pondering the implications of how [member="Iturizu Yuvie"] reacted to the news of another Jedi refugee, currently at the Gaslamp, that would probably accept to check out one night early if Iturizu accepted to let that Jedi into his room for the second night. She would be led to think that maybe one or two of those new Jedi would be at the Little Green Men, where the eponymous green men were running the kitchen of that place. But none of them knew Varindar in person. She steps into the bar, sitting at a stool by the bar counter, as it starts filling up.

 

[Iturizu Yuvie]

"Oh, grand opening? tis is a good thing I came then, it will be interesting to see the hotel expand, also to see that those fleeing the war have a place to out their feet down and relax". "As for other Jedi, I do not have any immediate problem with it, if someone is in need of a place to sleep and all, I realize that there are many other in worse condition then I am after all". Not every fleeing Jedi had good ties to the SJO or other organizations, many others where probably left homeless to or something in that regard. If push came to shove Yuvie could always find residence back on her home planet, his somewhat Sith past being enough to sneak by, but others simply had nothing left at all.

"Anyways I will see you up there in a few minutes, have fun". Closing the bathroom door the Miralan did not waste time getting undressed and into the warm relaxing water, letting the bubbles take away all the worries, relaxing into a more then merry trance of sleep. After 15 minutes of so the Sith re-emerged, drying himself off with before slipping into the regular black robe like outfit worn by his people, existing the room and asking way to the bar floor. "Things sure have changed a lot here, may as well expect such a place to be a high rose in but a few months". It was already around 4 stories, and Yuvie could easily see it becoming 100 in time. Climbing the ascent Yuvie found himself at the entrance of the bar, laughter, music and the smell of drink being ever present.

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

What [member="Iturizu Yuvie"] didn't realize was that the municipal ordinances limited how high could buildings get in commercial-zoned land, which, in effect, caused the building to be limited to six floors. Good thing that the Mirialan came early: he could sit next to her, with other Jedi being seated elsewhere in the bar. It was clear some of the Jedi were attempting to soak their chagrin in alcohol, even sampling Asobi 95% tihaar and other liquors of variable strengths. And others just whiled away in the clusters of video-pazaak and video-sabacc machines. The menu of the bar was much more rudimentary than was the case in the restaurant several floors below, also sensing the presence of those Jedi huddled together at restaurant tables. However, unlike at the pool, Varindar didn't seem to attract as much attention, with the patrons' attention being directed towards a series of girls of various species: Mirialans, Zeltrons, and of course herself. Before she could even order anything from the bar, there was a bar patron that asked a question of her regarding the Force and beauty:

"There are several Jedi ladies that are too pretty to be true: is that a Force-thing or not?"

"From what I've heard, it requires someone to remain on the light side of the Force and also not to abuse the Force"

"Your order, may I take?" the little green barman asked Varindar, while Iturizu was being seated.

"I would like a combo of six chicken wings with fries please"

 

[Iturizu Yuvie]

It was not hard to see some Galactic Alliance members drowning their sorrows in drink, he could only hope the poor buggers knew a few force powers to handle the coming hangover the next morning. Actually now that Yuvie was a light side user his force healing would be more effective, such being passed onto the Mirialan back when still an Imperial inquisitor. Looking around his eyes caught site Varindar, currently alone near the bar, most people more concentrated on 'other' things in the newly open bar, ordering some sort of quick meal from a Yoda look alike behind the bar. Taking a short stroll the Miralan sat down to the side, browsing the menu while the little green man took care of her order, "I would suspect you'd be sampling the drinks on offer, though it appears the current patrons are doing just a good a job". "Anyways, what would you recommend from the menu, both food and drink, been feeling a little peckish if I do say so myself". He had only explored the restaurant and rooms so far, the bar and other facilities in this place he had not yet used.

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"Unless you drink strong alcohol regularly, the Asobi 95% tihaar, which is to be served by the tablespoon, is not for the faint of heart. Probably lum or mead would be more your alley" she answered [member="Iturizu Yuvie"] on the topic of booze. "As for the food, maybe you would like chicken wings, onion soup, fries, salad or nachos. If you want a hamburger or a pizza, please specify the variety you want"

The Mirialan would realize the bar's food is a lot more basic than in the restaurant he ate in when he last came in that property. But where were the other Jedi? She knew that there weren't 21 Jedi in the bar, Varindar included; there had to be some Jedi in the restaurant three floors below. There are about a dozen items on the bar's food menu, with some customization allowed other than serving size allowed for the hamburger or the pizza. She ought to be sampling the nachos afterward, in a future visit. And the drink list included lum, mead and, of course, wine. The big question is: what would Iturizu order? It's just that, due to the sheer volume of guests on the fourth floor, the food will probably take a while a get to Varindar, Yoda look-a-like or not. Just that the barman would probably be wondering what booze would Varindar be ordering, and also the Mirialan, knowing that lum, mead and also wine were the three most ordered categories of booze in any order. Plus she could tell that some of the other Jedi in the bar were not used to sleeping in a five-star hotel, much less one run by another Jedi; the Yoda look-a-like was back for another questino to ask the two bar patrons, before they could be served any food.

"A drink, do you want?"

"One glass of Ashen Reach mead please"

 

[Iturizu Yuvie]

"Heavy drinking is not my thing, so the mead will be for me, rather not destroy my brain cells and liver after getting away from the First Order", though how Mandos would drink almost pure alcohol was lost to him. Was it some sort of evolutionary thing? or was anyone capable of handling such a high amount of drink with practices? Maybe both, but one thing was sure, Mandos where hard to get drunk. "For food, I'll go for some fries, chicken salt on them if you will, and a glass of lum mead to go along with them if that is not to much to ask for". A somewhat simple meal but often those where nice every now and then, the classic and original taste of everyday food to keep your taste buds active. Though in Yuvie's case just getting something now military rations was nice enough and a plate of freshly cooked chips with a light salting along with some sort mild drink was a fine meal. "Seems like this bar is fairly popular, thought I would not have expected so many Jedi to be here, like at the actual bar". The Mirialan more expecting most to be sulking away in their rooms or passing the time else where, but all in a bar and intoxicated, that was a first if he ever saw one.

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"As much alcohol as in a lum mead glass, a tihaar tablespoon contains" the barman told the two of them.

There were two glasses of Ashen Reach mead being served, one for [member="Iturizu Yuvie"], and the other for Varindar, after that barman went around giving tablespoon-sized servings of tihaar. Also seeing the likenesses of Janick and Griet in all those ads of the Asobi 95% tihaar, of which there was one in a countertop, made her think that, as far as the health hazards are concerned, it was the total volume of alcohol consumed that mattered most, more so than the concentration of what's consumed. One tablespoon of tihaar did contain as much alcohol as a glass of Ashen Reach mead, and she would hold off a little bit before drinking so much as a tablespoon of what Janick referred to as azeotropic goodness. And yet, since the two ordered one common recipe, it was clear that the chicken wings were what caused Varindar to wait this long for the grub. She would feel that the Jedi were sampling what they couldn't eat or drink, and Asobi 95% tihaar was a favorite of the bar; the bar began to smell of rubbing alcohol pretty quickly; also she knew Mandos used tihaar to degrease or disinfect hardware, including but not limited to, engines.

"Ready, your food is" the barman told the two, when their respective plates of food are presented to them.

"As they say on Barkhesh, bon appétit"

 

[Iturizu Yuvie]

Yuive waited patiently as the bar tender went about his job, himself wondering how much business a fully force using bar tender would pull. Using fancy powers while making the drinks, able to serve several people at once, maybe even using some mind powers to know what a customer wanted before they even asked. Though the Yoda look alike was a funny little touch to the bar, one would not really expect a bar tender to be of such species, but never the least was a good choice, long living, funny and able to do certain things with their short stature. Seemed that the where good cooks as well, the smell of freshly cooked chips wafting into the Miralans nose upon the green aliens return. "Bon apatite, that is an interesting saying, I believe my people have an equivalent, Mahlzeit!" A rather odd phrase as it literately just translated to the word meal, but never the least held the same meaning, kind of how like some people just say 'dinner' when food was ready.

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

The eponymous Little Green Men were mostly manning the kitchen, with only one of them being a bartender. The remaining bartenders were refugees from a variety of Alliance worlds: Chandrila, Coruscant, Fondor, to name the main ones. Still she knew that a kitchen of that size had to have line chefs: there were only three of those Little Green Men in the kitchen, and there definitely was enough food demand to require more than 3 cooks to meet it. Varindar was happy to eat those chicken wings, not as inflammatory in the mouth as tihaar would be, but still spicy enough to satisfy her tastes. And she did like the fries, too, as had [member="Iturizu Yuvie"]. Mahlzeit: I suppose that's a Mirialan thing, she thought, while realizing that some of the Jedi around them seem to be drinking a bit too much. And NFU patrons, too. Then again the Yoda look-a-like bartender was telling them the truth about the Asobi 95% tihaar: one of those Jedi drank a whole cup of Asobi 95% tihaar as it was one cup of wine: it was equivalent to drinking 8 cups of wine all at once in terms of drunkenness. So much drunkenness...

"Maybe I could use mead for cooking" she told Ituruzu after sipping the mead.

 

[Iturizu Yuvie]

Yuvie took lights sips from the drink handed around, not wanting to really end up like those around them, the hardy sound of intoxicated people being hard to ignore. Not that he mind, but still it was quite loud, hopefully not every day would be like this, not everyone was as accepting of rowdy customers and fellow patrons, no doubt some sort of scuffle would break out sooner or later. "Cooking, yes mead is quite the additive for a few recipes, give it that extra flavor" after all it was quite the nice drink, hence why he had been sipping it slowly, savoring the bitter liquid. "Do you cook often Varindar? or is it more a hobby thing, or is it a new thing you a looking into"? With Jedi training and running a hotel having time to sit down and cook seemed like a strech, but if anyone could find time to do something it was Varindar, even if it did over burden her sometimes.

[member="Varindar Asyt"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

"In my case, cooking is more of a tool I use to train Jedi in pyro/cryo; it's more about myself on long-duration missions outside the hotel. Sometimes I hear contradictory items as for that sort of use of pyro/cryo: on the one hand I hear about how trivializing the use of the Force could use to the dark side, on the other hand, it makes Jedi more self-reliant, if maybe more dependent on the Force"

Now that [member="Iturizu Yuvie"] mentioned cooking, Varindar began to think as to what to make padawans cook in future sessions in the kitchen. True, the hotelier wasn't anywhere near as good a cook as an executive chef of a five-star restaurant would be, just that recipes that called for honey were the prime targets for using mead in its stead. As for exactly what kind of long-duration missions would make her cook, these are typically sting operations like Jakku was originally, or some other missions where she has no access to restaurants, even fast-food joints. But since so many people seemed to want to drink tihaar, regardless of variety, perhaps Varindar ought to get some tihaar. Especially the Asobi 95% tihaar. She remembered the Yoda look-a-like barman saying something about how much alcohol was there in the tihaar. Now, if the other Jedi that drank it were any indication, she would be expecting some sting in her mouth, inflammation even, even with one tablespoon. But she knew better than to expect him to spoon-feed the tihaar to her.

"One tablespoon of Asobi 95% tihaar, please"

 

[Iturizu Yuvie]

"Yes I have used those type of force powers a lot in the past, mainly pyrokensis, having a light source at your figure tips, water and similar elements are a great way to keep alive in the wilderness". "Though as an inquisitor we where taught other means of survival if the force was not an option, one cannon't always rely on the powers, or technology solely, a good mix between natural skills, equipment and the force make for the best survivalist and tacticians in my mind". "Though when it comes to cooking, though I would not say I am highly skilled there are a few interesting dishes i have on memory that could perk peoples taste buds, perhaps I could cook for you some time".

If he did wind up working at a bar such practice would be useful in the long run, or if not perhaps it he could teach someone else a thing or two about survival and certain imperial methods that the Galactic Empire passed down. Some things may have been questionable but it would be better to have a way out that did not seem right then have no way out at all, though only time would tell. He took another sip from the glass of mead as [member="Varindar Asyt"] ordered the small amount of liquid, supposedly for this cooking she had in mind later on.

"Come to thing about it what meal did you have in mind for that to be used in"?