The Bartender and the Singer

Posted on 14 Mar 2014 @ 6:57pm by Crewman Apprentice Sigrid Thelin & Tarel Rilem
Edited on on 14 Mar 2014 @ 6:58pm

1,817 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 05 - Solstice
Location: The Lantern :: San Francisco, California
Timeline: MD 49 :: 2000 Hrs

[ON]

The ticket's alone would have been too expensive for Sigrid to get on her own, let alone the costs of food and booze. When she had heard that the great Tarel Rilem was playing at the Lantern in downtown San Francisco, the only logical step was to find some one to pay for her. While there were different options open to her, she settled on accompanying her new friend Kri'ev, an older Antican she'd met recently. He was old, but he owned a small mining company and seemed to enjoy confident blond humans for...conversation of course. When she mentioned oh so casually that she was attending the Lantern he just insisted on paying for everything. She made a very convincing display of surprise at his offer.

Sitting at one of the best booths in the club Sigrid was able to look down on the slightly raised stage below them. The club was certainly not a Vega colony club; lacking neon lights, strobes and fog machines everywhere. It was upscale without being stuffy and had a very elegant feel to it. Metal railings, dark leather seats and small discreet inlaid lights provided a private atmosphere. She looked down at the tables below waiting for the show to begin and she sat silently planning how to arrange a meeting with the singer about to perform.

The lights dimmed down, focus on the center stage. A soft, melodic tune wafted through the air from the nearby grand piano. As the audience's chatter died down, a single figure sauntered onto the stage, her deep violet, floor-length dress shimmering in the spotlight. She gave a bright smile toward the crowd, flipping her dark hair back behind her. After a curt bow of her head towards one of the balcony booths, she raised her microphone.

"Thank you all for coming, and a special thank you to the Romulan dignitary up in the lofty wings." She winked at the booth, then at the crowd. "I hope you all enjoy the show~" After another nod, a trumpet sounded, and the balladic melody jumped in tempo. The tiny Bajoran woman snapped her hip to one side, smile turning devilish, and soon, was singing right along with the tune.

It did seem odd for the semi-popular Bajoran singer to have a show in the area, but Tarel didn't seem to mind. The request had been a mildly desperate one, as the owner had a few problems with Romluans in the past. But of course, no one wanted to make a bad impression, so the request for the dignitary's favorite entertainer had been made to appease the rather gruff man. The Lantern had been small enough for the Bajoran to put on a more relaxed show, but there had been enough advertisement to nearly fill the house, which came as a delightful surprise. Tarel usually chose a more upbeat set-list for a full house, but she had specifically chosen the more soothing melodies in the hope that there would be few 'problems,' as the Lantern's owner had feared for, but she supposed no one would really mind, so long as she put on a good show.

Her focus was naturally on whether she was going to have to deal with a Romulan or not that she hadn't really thought about others watching in the crowd, not that she would have been able to anticipate the conversation that would follow, but she was usually much more observant.

Sigrid watched the performance with her hands propping her chin up as she leaned against the railing of the balcony. All around her were dignitaries, and other VIPs that normally would have held her attention more had Tarel not sung not just one, but three of Sigrid's favourite songs. When the show ended, Sigrid was one of the more enthusiastic clappers on her side of the balcony. She turned her attention to the Antican at her table, who had been watching Sigrid more than he did the show. "I'm going to get another drink from the bar, do you want anything?" When he shook his head no, she grabbed her purse and made a bee line for the bar.

The Antican had caught the petite Bajoran's eye as she sung, more out of curiosity. Rarely had she seen anyone of such a dark and fuzzy nature at her shows. The last one was a Klingon fresh from a war battle, and Jonis nearly had to pry the warmonger off of her. Traveling through the stars had become quite an adventure for both herself and her manager.

But the singer rarely interacted with the audience after shows such as these. She was supposed to meet the grumpy Romulan at some point too. Maybe she would have time to hit the bar beforehand. Jonis had a gift with words, maybe he would keep the unruly ambassador at bay. The decision to make a trip to the bar was made without consultation with her aforementioned manager-type, and one that she welcomed most readily. Jonis wouldn't have minded if she brought him some of the bar's finest of beverages, she was positive of it.

"Bartender, could you get me two Bajoran ales?"

Sigrid let out a squeal that she stopped short with a bite of her lip. "Oh Golden Furies! You're her!" Sigrid had just finished slamming back the two shots of Denobulan whiskey and had turned just to see Tarel walk up to the bar. "Do you know how long I've been standing here, trying to figure out how to bribe the security guards backstage so I could meet you." Her eyes went large suddenly and she waved her hands in front of her. "I'm not a crazy person, I swear."

Admittedly, Tarel should have seen this coming. Maybe not someone nearly as excited to see her, but she was a difficult face to mistake (unless of course there was some sort of prejudice against Bajorans floating about that she wasn't aware of). It was rare that she would hit the bar after a show, and she found herself rather unaccustomed to interacting with seemingly true fans. Regardless of the blonde's intentions, however, all the Bajoran could do was laugh. "The security guards are near impossible to bribe. They're paid to be stubborn."

She placed her hands on her hips and gave the Bajoran a sly grin, "Stubborn people are just more of a challenge." She looked around but she seemed to be the only one that recognized Tarel off stage. She made eye contact with her Antican companion which made her turn quickly towards the bartender, "I'm going to need another Denobulan whiskey." As she waited for her drink she turned back to Tarel. "Your performance was incredible as always. I sing too, but just in scummy lounges and it's usually more about these," she indicated her cleavage with almost a look of pride, "and a lot of feathers." She ran her manicured nails through her blonde curls nervously. She knew she was blabbering but the Vegan colonist couldn't help it.

The Bajoran woman merely sipped her bubbling beverage as she listened to the blonde ramble. She rarely had time for this sort of conversation, where it seemed less about her and more about those she was conversing with. It was refreshing to hear about someone else's life for a change. Tarel's eyes wandered over to the Antican she had noticed earlier, shaking her head at the sight. "It seems your company isn't all that interested in your voice either." A small smile played at her lips. "They're all fluff anyways."

Sigrid followed her gaze. When she realized who Tarel meant she made a slight gagging noise. She turned back to the bar, was about to order a drink but stopped when she realized she'd done so already and it stood waiting there. She picked it up and gave it a swig. "He was the fine print attached to the tickets I wanted." She turned her attention back to Tarel and smiled brightly, "Totally a very worthwhile investment. I got to hear you sing live. He's not so bad, I guess. He does make some pretty witty observations. Then again, what's that Ferengi acquisition rule? The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife? Wouldn't surprise me if it applied to him."

Sigrid paused enough to take another long sip. Having the nervous urge to keep talking but also keep drinking, she waved her free hand in front of Tarel like she had done earlier. "Not that I think he's going to stab me or anything...I don't think." She paused to think about that but shrugged it off. "Once I leave Earth and start my new job with Starfleet things will be better. I highly doubt I'll be stabbed working the bar on a starship. Being a bartender in Vega colony makes working for Starfleet feel like a meditation retreat." She laughed at her own joke and took another sip of her drink to give Tarel a chance to reply. Sigrid was afraid that if she stopped talking, the Bajoran would get bored and just move on. She did have two drinks, so either she was really thirsty or one of those drinks was for someone else.

"Oh, I don't know if stabbing was what he had in mind." The Bajoran shook her head, mischievous grin playing at her lips. "But, so long as you enjoyed yourself, that's what counts in the end." She took another small sip of the beverage, wondering exactly how long it Timor would take before he lost his temper at the fact that she wasn't around. But she didn't give it much of a thought, as the woman continued her babbling. "It sounds like you're well traveled." Or that was how it seemed. "... I've never been to a bar on Vega before." There were usually reasons for that, and the threat of countless amounts of security detail. "But I'm thinking the boys at Starfleet have a different mentality." She smiled. "Or they tend to while I'm around."

There was a momentary pause, before she frowned at a realization. "... You know... I don't believe I ever got a name out of you, did I? That's rude of me, I should have asked sooner."

Sigrid stifled another squeal. She'd not only managed to not scare her off, but she was actually interested enough to ask for her name. "Mynameissigridthelin." She blurted it out so fast it sounded like one word. "Sorry, I mean, Sigrid Thelin."

"..." Sometimes, fans were adorable. The Bajoran smiled, nodding her head in the direction of her dressing room. "... Sigrid. It's very nice to meet you. Would you like accompany me? I'm very interested in your story."

[OFF]

Tarel Rilem
Lounge Singer
[PNPC Kita]

&

Sigrid Thelin
Bartender
USS Galileo
[PNPC Beaumont]

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