Unlike in the elevator, once they reached the proper floor, there was nothing sentient or synthetic around. They were the only two on the second floor from the top. The penthouse above them was reserved for the most elaborate guests.
“The hospitality is unrivalled,” Ishida said suddenly, relaxing a little more once they were on her floor.
“The best stay on Coruscant — perhaps even The Core — for those fortunate enough to get a room. A quaint hotel chain that’s reminiscent of another world. Each detail is careful and purposeful.” They passed a few doors, and she turned to walk backward and face Bernard.
To explain her peculiar, unprompted monologue, Ishida gave a small, lopsided smile and sighed:
“Sometimes Aiko forwards me reviews written about the hotel. I think it’s a subtle reminder of how good I have it to keep living here and what a mistake it would be to leave this behind.”
The marble that had been on the floor in the lobby was replaced with a deep-set ruby carpet. It got a little darker with each step the drenched pair took, absorbing droplets of rain that dripped from their hems.
At the corner of the hall, she paused outside one of the three doors – her door — and dug around in her pocket to remove a thin, black card. It took half a second for the panel outside the door frame to register the credentials, and the door cycled open.
Immediately, they were looking out a window. The wall that was part of the outside structure was entirely glass, a giant window that cast the city in a gaussian blur from the rain. The city could be seen through thin stripes from the blinds Ishida’d kept down when she left.
It was more of a suite than a room, and it seemed even larger than it was from the minimal design. Each line, whether it be furniture or a divider, was thin and straight.
“I uh,” the reality that she’d never had anyone in her apartment before suddenly hit her. Her hands became a numb buzz of anticipation, and her cheeks warmed with the embarrassment that came as a first-time hostess. To shake herself from the pending tide of emotion, she forced movement to her muscles and slid open one of the paper doors that concealed the entryway closet.
“Let me take your coat, and then let’s get you dry.”
Bernard