Dinner And Dancing

[Saraya Arenais]

Lithios​

Ethos City​

Downtown​

​

The bright neon lights of the advertising boards overhead spread fantastic patterns over Alora's face. Despite the slow, steady rainfall she seemed to be completely captivated by grand city and complicated pieces of technology. Never in her life had she seen so many colours in one place. Of course, having next to no purchase history and nothing of a personal record just yet, the signs simply flashed plain rainbow colours. This seemed to attract the attention of some passers by but at this point Alora was more then used to the curious stares.

She made her way along the main street slowly, drinking in as much as she could of the strange culture and the various people that busied themselves running shops or purchasing things. Every few moments she would pause and focus intently on something that had caught her eye. The hollering of shopkeepers did nothing to entice her inside though. She had a basic grasp of Galactic Basic, but not enough to be drawn in by the tempting salesmen.

All of a sudden her stomach gave a distinctive grumble. It carried over the din of the busy street and reached Alora's ears, confirming her suspicions. She was starving. She made her meandering way toward what she could only assume to be a restaurant. There, she stopped, to look at the bright neon board flashing it's menu violently in her eyes.

Not to her surprise, she was stuck. If her grasp of Galactic Basic was poor her reading skills were even more so. Alora stood still, managing to look remarkably helpless and confused at the same time.

[member=Arekk]

 

[Arekk]

​

LITHIOS​

Downtown Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Alora Fae"] ​

The ride to Downtown Ethos City was a dismal one. His only company on the train was an elderly man in a ragged peacoat that spent most of his time muttering to himself. When the train rattled to a stop, he slowly rose from his perch and began to hobble toward the doorway with him following suit.

The station itself isn't much different: an old, broken-down thing at the end of its useful life, feebly tottering toward obsolescence. This area of Lithios has clearly seen better days. A window of light shines down from the surface, and even that looks stale.

Slowly, Ar'ekk began to climb. A plethora of restaurants and shops had to be somewhere ahead, surfacing from the deep and decaying bowels of the city and ascending to seizure inducing billboards, neon lights and loud shopkeepers.

To one side, a fancy restaurant. Truth be told, his stomach had been grumbling from all the way home and picking up a plate or two wouldn't kill anyone. By the entrance stood a particular girl with a look in her eyes that screamed lost and could soon be targeted by the type of people one usually likes to avoid on the streets.

He approached Alora at a calm pace, prodding her shoulder for a moment and eventually speaking out with a collected tone. A warm smile that oozed confidence was given to her too.

"You need help?"

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[Saraya Arenais]

Completely lost in a desperate attempt at translating the confusing shapes flashing on the board, Alora was taken totally by surprise. She turned around sharply on her heel at the gentle prod of his fingers, her arms raised as if ready to fight off whatever horror was behind her. The look on her face could only be described as mute shock.

If it weren't such a noisy, busy street one might have heard her heart thump wildly against her rib cage.

'Kark!' She swore loudly in a thick, unrecognisable accent. Once she realised it was simply a man, with a rather charming smile, she lowered her arms. 'You have nearly made the heart of me jump from my chest.' She pressed her hand against her left breast in a vague attempt to slow her heartbeat. After a few steady breaths to regain her composure she attempted a smile of her own.

You couldn't describe it as charming though. It was more like the smile of someone who had only recently gained use of their facial muscles. Still, awkwardly cute nonetheless.

'Help...yes! If you are pleasing and it is not of too much trouble.' She motioned behind her with a gloved hand, waving vaguely at the board behind her. 'I am not understanding of the way you write and I am ready to eat a full horse.' Her stomach made a rather embarrassing growl, stressing her point.

[member=Arekk]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Downtown Ethos City​

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---

INTERACTING WITH: [member="Alora Fae"] ​

He couldn't help but laugh.

The expression that took over Alora's face was amusing to him and combined with her obviously foreign accent made it even funnier. He couldn't blame the girl though, you don't want to be caught by surprise on a place like this. She was lucky it was him and not someone else.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" He said while resting his right palm against his chest, a black bomber jacket sheltering from the unforgiving rain.

Looking behind Alora was Zaeel's Restaurant, a fancy joint for those with fat pockets and empty stomachs. Its menu consisted of exquisite and luxurious food and headache inducing elixirs that will give you the worst hangover the next morning.

"I was actually heading inside, I am as hungry as a Rancor can be."

He ogled the girl for a brief moment and then back at the front entrance of the restaurant, removing his gloves in the process.

"Definitely not a trouble. You wanna have dinner?"

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[Saraya Arenais]

After a few moments of staring at him dumbly, Alora began to laugh too. It was a wide, high laugh that showed the whites of her teeth.

Having had a few moments to consider how she must have looked, she decided it probably was rather funny. Her cheeks flushed with a red that could only be attributed to embarrassment. 'It is of no worry. I am sorry for jumping and meaning to hurt you.'


She craned her slightly to catch a glimpse of the restaurant behind them. The smell seeping out was terribly tempting and her stomach gave another growl of agreement. Alora turned to face him with a wide, hungry grin. 'Yes, yes please. As long as you are having to pay. I hear it's proper in this place.' She raised a fire coloured eyebrow and let out a low chuckled at her own joke.

Hoping she was not out of line, she reached and clasped his hand in her own to tug him gently into the restaurant.

[member=Arekk]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Downtown Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Alora Fae"] ​

Alora exuded a very outgoing personality and he liked that, it wasn't a common thing to witness on Lithios.

They laughed for a moment until it got a little awkward, silence taking over their conversation briefly before he broke the ice with a grumbly stomach much like hers. Eating was definitely his favorite activity besides sleeping, he wasn't too much of a fan of going out.

At least not lately, considering that a month ago he wasn't able to remember most nights after six.

"Yeah! I will pay, don't worry. You're lucky I'm as hungry as you seem to be."

She wasn't out of line when she reached out to grapple his hand and drag him toward the interior of the fine restaurant. It wasn't nothing out of the ordinary although the design was clearly expensive, patrons were well-spoken and behaved and you were greeted by a young woman at the door.

"Welcome to Zaeel's. Table for two, yes? We have a special date discount tonight!"

Wait. What did she say?

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[Saraya Arenais]

'Thank you. I think this makes you a gentle man?' She spoke the last two words as if she wasn't quite sure they were real.

Alora was more then excited and more then grateful to have some company in the restaurant.

The interior seemed pleasing. This being the first restaurant Alora had stepped foot in, she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It seemed quite fancy. Perhaps it wasn't a place she would have picked herself, especially still dressed in her red mercenary leathers, but nice all the same.

Upon entering her brow furrowed in the direction of the woman. It created delicate creases at their meeting point and gave her a rather frank look. Turning to face Arekk, who's hand was still in hers, she gave him a confused glance. 'What is date?' She cocked her head to the side curiously.

[member=Arekk]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Downtown Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Alora Fae"] ​

"Uhh..."

Yeah. He looked tough in the outside but hidden beneath was the shadow of the soft man he once was, finding it hard to explain what the lady meant in the first place.

Alora did not seem to understand complex Basic as it seemed, she wasn't from here obviously. There was something captivating about that, although quite unclear to him at that moment. Clearing his throat, Ar'ekk tried his best to give a concise and clear answer to his companion, lifting their hands still intertwined with each other.

"She thinks we're together."

He shook his head negatively afterwards, correcting the woman who was attending to them that night. A brief nervous laughter escaped his mouth prior to him speaking, the slurring of his words at the beginning made it clear he felt slightly awkward but not that much.

"Yes, table for two."

The lady bowed and smiled at the duo as they stood rather awkwardly by the entrance, feeling the cold breeze hit their backs until the door eventually closed. Inside was warm and cozy, the scent coming from the kitchen was mouth drooling inducing.

"Cute couple! Please, come. Sit here, best seat. Very nice, hmm?!"

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[Saraya Arenais]

Alora's eyes shifted rapidly between the woman behind the counter and her new found friend. There were so many small facial cues she couldn't understand. Her companion seemed to be displaying some mild form of discomfort, but what exactly? She couldn't tell.

As they were being guided to their table she let his hand fall and returned her own to her side, taking a seat in the opposing chair to his. The chair was comfortable enough, but definitely not designed for people wearing leather outfits. The room was also uncommonly warm, possibly due to the rain outside. So Alora reached up to the high collar of her shirt and unbuttoned the first few clasps.

The smells coming from the kitchen were so foreign and so exciting Alora couldn't help but poke the tip of her tongue out from behind her teeth to lick her rose red lips. Whatever was cooking in there she was absolutely desperate to try. One thing she could say for certain about the Galaxy is that there was always something delicious to eat. There was nothing like home cooking of course, but back home food was simple. Ochata wasn't the best place for growing things and what little they imported from other places was just as plain.

'But we are of being together. Aren't we?' Her spare fingers flicked idly in the space between them, indicating that she meant they were going to be eating together. That was her understanding of the word at least. Two or more people in a group meant they were together.

[member=Arekk]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Downtown Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Alora Fae"] ​

"I don't think she meant it that way. Most likely the other way around."

No matter how hard he tried to explain himself, he'd eventually continue to trouble himself with it. Not necessarily in discomfort or awkwardness but he felt in a tough spot, sort of speak.

Inside was too hot for his own good and apparently Alora's who had taken the initiative to undo the buttons on her shirt. Unlike his companion for the evening, Ar'ekk was wearing a light shirt underneath the vast and exotic bomber jacket that he liked to use. One could think someone like him was crazy to dress like this on Lithios where it rained galore and the freezing cold could kill you in less than a minute.

So he took it off and hung it on his chair, eyes lingering on Alora for a bit with a big grin on his face. The aroma that invaded his nose and made his taste buds go crazy was impressive, whatever was being cooked there it was pretty damn good. It had to be, considering that the place was as luxurious as eating from a sacred shrine or something. Plus paying top credits for a meal in this place was an adcquired taste for most Lithiori.

"Where are my manners? I'm Ar'ekk."

He found the foreign accent rather sweet considering you almost never had the chance to meet somebody from off-world that wasn't either a murderer, bounty-hunter, information broker or worse. Alora's was one he had never heard before which made him excited to ask about a plethora of things.

They'd have time over a delicious bowl of food and a glass of great wine.

---

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[Saraya Arenais]

Alora's expression widened with realisation. She looked briefly between the hostess and Arekk, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. Then her eyes came to rest on the top of the table. 'Oh... I am seeing now.' She finally recognised that the previous look on his face was one of mild embarrassment. She matched it with her own.

The chair creaked awkwardly under her weight as she readjusted herself.

She glanced up just in time too meet his eye and the wide grin he had on his face. Alora matched it with her own, flashing her pearly teeth. Her ears couldn't help but recognise a soothing quality to his voice. It made her relax a little and sink back into a comfortable position. Once again she reminded herself that many women back home were missing out.

'Alora. It my pleasure to have banged into you.' That was something people said, wasn't it? Alora had come to know it as a saying without true meaning. Everyone else simply called it an expression.

'You can surprise me with something nice, yes?' She tapped a long nail against the hard plastic cover of the menu that had been set down in front of them. 'I am willing to test anything.'

[member=Arekk]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Downtown Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Alora Fae"] ​

"It's my pleasure to have bumped into you too."

Her mispronunciation was rather sweet in his eyes and he played along with it, though he did correct it just to avoid any misunderstandings that might arise from such wording. Probably the work of a local who played this poor girl like a fiddle into thinking the expression meant what it really was or simply just a faulty translation. It was amusing and he showed it by smiling even wider.

Fingers flickered and surveyed the menu held in his dominant palm, assessing every single plate available for them tonight. They had a special discount, of course, but the prices continued to be as exhorbitant as they could be in such fine place like this one.

It didn't matter to him one way or the other if it meant making Alora happy and show that Lithios had much more than scumbags roaming the streets and junkies asking for money to ease their spice addiction.

"Surprise you? Hmm. Let's see... We have Melahnese. It's fodu in green fire sauce or perhaps Ashkar with a bottle of Chandrilan Blue '439."

Exotic food for exotic people, not really what he'd eat but much better in contrast to the wet noodles in a bowl that Ar'ekk liked to prepare almost religiously. There was a plethora of dishes and food to pick out, ranging from meats, vegetables to even desserts and whatnot.

"What's on your mind?"

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[Saraya Arenais]

'Is it really blue?' She said with a mildly surprised tone to her voice. If it was really blue she wondered whether or not it was safe to drink. Even so everything was so new and exciting she was willing to give everything a try. Food happened to be the one of the best ways to learn about a culture. How they prepared it, what flavourings they used, what tastes they thought went well together. You could learn a lot about someone from what they liked to eat.

'On home we have only fruits and what we can buy as trader ships go by. Though they are not good trader ships. I think they must get lost going home before they find us... What is best meat?' She leaned forward, resting her chin into the cup her right hand made. By now she had shut her menu, declaring it a lost cause. One day she'd find someone to teach her how to read this confusing language. But for now she relied on the kindness of passing strangers. She had been fortunate in this regard.

'I have tried one thing away from home. It is known as bacon.' She grinned wide at this, remembering the savoury taste it had left on her tongue. It had given her a good impression of the Galaxy's cuisine and instilled a curiosity for what other delicious things it had to offer.

[member=Arekk]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Downtown Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Alora Fae"] ​

"I don't think so. It's a very old alcoholic beverage, finest you can drink."

Most of the options available in the menu were delicately prepared plates for the type of people who catalogued themselves as posh and could afford coming to this type of establishment, signature of rich people with delusions of grandeur. Parasites to most Lithiori. But he didn't judge given that they made good food here.

A waitress approached their table to set up a couple of candles and setting a rose to one side, they were really trying to set a mood for their dinner that evening. Of course, they weren't joking when they offered both Ar'ekk and Alora the "couple" discount that the host at the entrance was talking about.

"Home. Allow me to venture further into getting to know you but I must ask, if you let me. Where are you from?"

She was very interesting and he demonstrated a big interest on getting to know her, considering she wasn't exactly accustomed to whatever was sorrounding them. Every single thing you could consider either mundane or part of your daily life could very well be an impressive life-lasting experience for Alora.

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[Saraya Arenais]

'To the finest then...' She made a show of making an elaborately fake toast. Alora was beginning to enjoy herself immensely. Fine dining and fine company. Even if they were mistaken for a couple the worst that had happened to them was they received a discount. Which was good in her books.

She picked up the rose between two fingers and buried her nose in the soft petals. The scent was intoxicating. Nothing as fine as this grew on Ochota and the colour pleased her the most. Alora stroked the petals lightly and heaved out a great sigh, attempting to shake the daze the flower had left her in. 'What is this called?' Holding the rose forward she stretched her arm out to allow him a closer look.

'And home. You are probably never hearing of it. It is Ochota. Also you, are you living here on this planet?'

[member=Arekk]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Downtown Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Alora Fae"] ​

"To the finest."

The toast was received with a warm smile and a clink between glasses, sipping one of the finest wines could ever taste in life. An exquisite elixir, one could say, that immediately sweetened your taste buds and made your chest feel a sudden rush of heat like you've never experienced before.

His eyes lingered between the rose and Alora's playful smile as she toyed with it, something stunning him for a moment. Could it be the scent emanating either from the rose itself, her captivating expressions or simply the aroma of fresh food hitting his nostrils?

"I'm pretty sure it's a Malreaux rose. Deep red, fits you pretty well."

Trying to play the smooth card now, Ar'ekk? Don't get ahead of yourself.

Body leaning forward and his nose catching the perfume from the rose itself, he couldn't help but just shine a toothy grin of sorts. Almost as if he was enjoying himself with such a mundane thing. The company, the mood set up almost inadvertly by the hosts and their friendly conversation was simply great. Totally not how he'd thought this evening would go.

"Ochota? I can't say I have heard about your homeworld, no. How is it over there? I'm sure it's less rainy."

He laughed mid-way through his awful joke, clearing his throat before speaking out again.

"I live here now, yes. It doesn't seem like much but... The weather and the fact it's a living city gives me peace. Is that weird?"

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[Saraya Arenais]

She sipped the wine shortly after their glasses had made the delicate clink. The second the liquid hit her tongue it created a thousand different sensations that sparked and zapped across her taste buds. It was enough to bring a wide, genuine smile to her face. She licked her lips once, then dove back in for more. This time she took a not so lady like gulp. 'Wow. This is the best thing I have ever been tasting.' The glass was empty a few short seconds after that.

A rose. It was worthy of such a beautiful name. She brought it to her nose again, giving one last sniff of the sweet smelling pollen, before she reached up and tucked the short stem behind his ear. She made a dramatic improvisation of inspecting him now the rose was nestled there. 'Red is a good colour for you also.'

Alora rewarded him with another charming grin. She was more then willing to talk about home. The few people that had asked about it so far had stopped short of it's name. This might be a good chance for her to put her people on the map, though she wasn't quite sure how they would react to that. But the Galaxy was proving to be a vast place with a plethora of useful people and things. Alora had no doubts that it would only be beneficial for them.

Of course Alora was completely oblivious to the joke, save for his laugh at the end of it. She pursed her lips in serious thought for a few moments before answering his question. 'Wind is so strong and mighty whole mountains are blown down to hills. Whole trees are ripped up from their beds. Nothing valuable can be growing there and we must live built into sides of hills or under...' She stopped short, mouth half hanging open as if suddenly lost on what to say. 'I cannot say what we are under but I say we live in the ground.'

Her body lent forward across the table to better hear him. So far he was wealth of knowledge and more then willing to entertain how little she knew of the Galaxy. The best thing she could do in return was concentrate fully on what he had to say. Besides that she couldn't offer him much else. 'It is not...weird.' Whatever that word meant Alora took it to mean something negative. 'Home is different for every man. What makes home for you makes hell for the next man. Insulting a persons home is biggest insult you can be throwing.' She twisted her face as if completely disgusted by the idea that someone would be so cruel as to insult a home, where ever it might be.

'What peace do you know from living here?' She hoped it would come across as a genuine question and not a rebuke on the fact that people seemed to live like mole rats. One top of the other on top of the other. Alora couldn't imagine how it felt to squeeze yourself into a room the size of some she had walked by already.

[member=Arekk]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Downtown Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Alora Fae"] ​

Nothing like some good wine. Sure, he prefered the taste of cheap and generic booze to the finest wine one could find on Lithios, but this bottle shared with Alora wasn't nothing short of perfection and she seemed to have the best opinion about it. He didn't mind her not so lady gulp or the fact that she made audible noises given that witnessing pure enjoyment was nothing but bliss.

"Pretty good, right? Best in the city I think but also very expensive."

Being paid with a comforting smile was what mattered for him the most, rather than focusing on the tag price of a bottle of booze that they'd forget about in an hour. When you start realizing that a simple gesture as a smile could mean so much more than credits, that it could leave a mark on you and you'd remember it forever? That's when you know things are alright and they were worth every single chip spent.

"Sounds like a rather rough place to live in, you must've endured a lot of hardships. But what's life worth without a challlenge?"

He kept the stem of the rose where she originally placed it for a minute, smiling at the gesture. Nestling it behind his ear and exchanging glances Alora, Ar'ekk scooted a bit closer to and made way through a strand of hair with his fingers to huddle the Melraux rose at the back of her own ear.

"Peace of mind. I had reached a level where things were proportionally falling all around him, like I was stepping on the edge of the abyss and I was about to fall down. Everything I knew and did would crumble and disappear in the blink of an eye. But under the rain and the clouds I found serenity and tranquility, it might sound weird but... It's comforting."

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[Saraya Arenais]

Alora let a silence drift over the couple for a moment, though you couldn't really call it a silence. A hundred diners sat around them talking noisily, clinking metal against porcelain and glass against wood. In those short seconds Alora realized she was more than lucky to have ran into Arekk. A million people had gone by the window of the restaurant thus far and none of them looked or sounded as friendly as he was. To accompany this thought she lifted the bottle to top both of their glasses off. She could already feel the tops of her fingers tinlging and her face growing numb. It might have been expensive but it was delicious and clearly doing its job.

'It is very good. What is it being called again? I have already tried one drink from here. Ne'tra gal? It tasted like sweet fruit. But this is different.'

After taking another deep drink she ran her tongue along the length of her mouth, freeing them from any droplets that ran over the curve of her lips. She shook her head lightly at Arekk when he commented on the hardships of her home. Facial expressions were a rather uncommon thing for Ochotans to reward relative strangers, but it seemed with the last sip of wine her inhibitions were slipping. Her brows knitted together and she pursed her lips, giving her a rather thoughtful look.

'Yes, it is being very hard. Nothing that we have not earned though. We brought it on ourselves. And you are right. Living is not living if there is no challenge.'

The rose was nearly lost in the fiery red of her hair, but she smiled at it all the same. One finger reached up to caress the soft petals nestled in the strands of ginger. She'd never seen or smelled such a beautiful piece of fauna before, the only colorful thing that grew back home was a sour tasting purple fruit. Even the trees it grew on had dull brown leaves and looked nothing at all like the trees she'd seen Haseria.

His words slipped into her ears like honey dripping from a spoon. Was it the wine that made her feel like she could listen to him talk forever? The first face she'd met on this strange and unforgiving planet was not only an interesting one but also very pleasing to look at.

'No, it is not weird. It is... What is that word when you mean something someone is saying is being attractive?'

She was looking for the word endearing. Hearing someone talk about their home in such a way made her sorely miss her own. Despite all the complication and challenges it presented there was no place like it and she doubted she would ever find anything remotely similar. Almost the second she had finished asking her question a plate of appetizers were placed between them.

With a not so subtle grin Alora picked up the dainty finger food and placed it into her open mouth. Her face scrunched up slightly the moment it hit her tongue. Not because she didn't enjoy it but because of the sudden, intense flavor it held. She wasn't used to such aggressive tastes all at once. The little morsel was both sour and sweet at the same time, the idea of another one made her brim over with excitement. As she lifted the second entree to her lips she shot Arekk an rather pleased smile.

'Mmm! We have been missing out on all the great tasting things back home.'

Once she had finished Alora picked out a rather appealing looking one in particular and lent forward to offer it to her dining partner.

[member=Arekk]

 

[Arekk]

Downtown Ethos City, Lithios, The Meissa System​

"Throw the rules out the window, odds are you'll go that way too."
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[member="Alora Fae"] ​

​

"Yeah, definitely not black ale. Maybe a different sort of drink, more refined."

The sound of glasses clinking was helpful enough to make him smile, his stomach already feeling full after being deep into their dinner after an hour of enjoying the most delicious delicatessen and plates this fine establishment had to offer. Having some wonderful company just made the entire evening enjoyable enough and the conversation simply became the icing on the cake.

Ar'ekk could see the effects of Alora's alcoholic beverage doing wonders within her, the facial expressions were a clear giveaway. He couldn't help but lightly chuckle.

"Endearing. I think that's the word you are after."

Certainly, the slicer did not miss his homeworld one bit. Losing your family and everything you love and once knew was more than enough to want to forget and never set foot there anymore. Lithios had become the place he definitely could call home from now on despite its dangerous streets and people, nothing made him feel more comfortable than that even if it sounds weird on paper.

Between all that laid the true beauty of things, a diamond in the rough such as Alora. How could someone so pure and sincere like her would be in a city like this? And for what? Ar'ekk couldn't not wrap around that idea in his head but he embraced it, accepted it and liked it. And his stomach showed that warm feeling with a growl, even though he had finished eating, there was always time for round two.

"These things are delicious. I should invite you to these places more often."

Another warm smile found its way to Alora, nodding. He reached with his cybernetic hand to grab the entree and take a small bite from it, degustating its delicious flavour.

"Just great!"

​

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