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+---- Thread: Cafe d'Observateur d'Etoile (/showthread.php?tid=42385)
Cafe d'Observateur d'Etoile - Silver.2 - 06-22-2010
Gap was a station of many faces.
It was an historical battlefield, a floating fortress, a center for Police and Navy alike. It had bustling civlian areas, a plethora of venues, a network of government offices - so much that it staggered one just to think about it.
Yet, among these various places, there lied one spot, a quiet, out of the way cafe. It's sign was a bit worn, but one could make out it's name: Cafe d'Observateur d'Etoile
The inside was quite unlike any other place in Gallia - there was antiquated tables and chairs, hewn from cut wood, rather than the metal and synthetic materials which had dominated manufacturing industries. There was a long table towards the back, backed by an array of gleaming refrigerating units, built into the wood, along with minimally decorated pantries, filled with dried goods, and 2 stoves, decorated with wrought iron frames. The only sign of procing was a small wooden tablet, propped up at the counter. The din of the scattered patrons was low, and the coffee quite hot.
Cafe d'Observateur d'Etoile - Silver.2 - 06-22-2010
A tall man walked in through the cafe's enterance, standing a good 6 foot, 6 inches tall. His hair was a dirty, drab black-and-brown color. His features were angular, and nowhere near subtle. In his right hand, he carefully balanced a wooden handle, lavishly decorated, which was hinged by iron fittings to a violin case. It was shaped quite normally for such an instrument's case, but it was of stunning design - it had a blackened copper center, with a slight petina to it, which twisted and curved in a stylish design, and ending with an emulation of the Fleur de Lis at the base. The rest was beautifully carved wood, showing the subtle, graceful signs of age, and fitted with more copper fittings. Every bit of copper had lettering which could be considered ancient inscribed on it, nearly impossible to make out. In fact, there were rumors about the family that it was from days where the people of Old Earth would consider it old. As such, it was passed closely among the family - it was literally the most valuable thing he, or most other people, would ever touch. The other notable thing about his figure was a short swordcover strapped to his side. One could see that it's hilt was only slightly stylized, and rounded - it appeared to be a word resembling a Foil, only shorter. He wasn't nobility, but he enjoyed having the sword, just for the image it made...and the fact that he could pull it out within seconds. Much more convenient than a gun, in his mind.
He was followed by a shorter woman, in a flowing, knee-length, strapless dress, blue in color. She was blonde, herself, and had slightly fuller features than the man, and carried her gait a bit higher, a bit longer. She held a hand onto the man's free hand, carrying it deliberately, yet loosely. She had a slight smirk on her face, and seemed to aimlessly look around as they walked towards the serving bar,
As the man began to pass by the tables, a few sets of eyes turned to him. God, how he hated this part. The Lieutenant was known to be an odd man, both in looks and demeanor, but they didn't need to make a damn spectacle out of it every time he wanted to relax with his wife. As he came upon a chair, lifted higher to meet the serving bar, he tapped a bell, bringing an attendant opposite to him. An odd look came upon the attendant's face, prompting the Lieutenant to sigh a bit, looking over to his wife.
"Leiutenant Perrot...a plea-"
Perrot put up a finger, prompting the attendant to be quiet.
"Please stop, mon ami . A black coffee for me, and and straight black for Lillian."
The attendant glanced around, and then walked away, calling back. "Right away, Lieutenant."
He clenched his hand to Lillian's a bit more. She flipped her eyes up to meet his. "Simon, dont worry." She said, smiling. "It'll be fine."
He nodded, and looked around again. He fingered the violin case, absent-mindedly.
Soon, their coffee came, served in two plain porcelain cups, each with it's own plate to carry it. He carried it in the same way that he carried the violin case, lightly slipping it into his lips. "Well, shall I begin playing?" He asked, in between two sips. Lillian nodded to him, sipping her own coffee.
With that, he opened his case, flipping a set of archaic latches, and revealing a beautiful, polished, darkly-colored violin. , with a bow laid next to it. The violin itslef was hand crafted, beautifully made. There was the same kind of lettering as on the case inscribed into it's wood, forming patterns into it. The bow itself had a decorated, wooden base, formed accurately, with a long wooden piece of the same color as the violin, and a metal tip similar to the handle. You could tell that the strings of the violin, and the fibers of the bow, had long been replaced by synthetic fibers.
he pulled the violin up, resting it on his chin and shoulder, and brought the bow up. He pulled up his hand, and began to play...
Cafe d'Observateur d'Etoile - fencore - 06-22-2010
Silence is all that Lefevre was ever accustomed to in this portion of Gap. Not complete silence, not like the cold blackness of space. It was the mechanical silence of a space station, Gap's own special brand.
That silence was suddenly broken by a subtle hum. A drone. No, not quite. It wasn't constant, but he wasn't yet sure what it was either. Lefevre continued to pace through the corridors toward the Cafe d'Obervateur, his destination after a tireless day at the helm.
As he came closer to the cafe, the hum became louder as well. "That solves that" Lefevre thought to himself. Whatever the noise, it was emanating from the Cafe, and he was soon to find out. It was a familar noise, one that tugged at distant memories.
As soon as Lefevre came to the door, he realized that it was a man playing a violin with a raptuous woman sitting in a chair across the table from him. The Cafe was relatively empty tonight, with the majority of the patrons focused on the musician and his slow tune. Lefevre didn't know why he was playing this particular song, but the Lieutenant was full of emotion and put every ounce of that into his melody. The tune sounded familiar for some reason, but he could not quite place it, still feeling those faint tugs at the back of his mind.
Luc approached the counter, nodded to the attendant, and didn't even have to open his mouth before the man began to prepare his usual - coffee and a croissant. This Cafe was special, it was one of the few places in Gallia where the furnishings had character and the coffee didn't taste of grease. He waited as the attendant prepared his drink and brought it back to the counter. The man, however, looked as if he had swallowed a lemon, and paused a minute before he spoke.
"My apologies, Monsieur Lefevre, but we have had a mishap, and were unable to prepare enough croissants tonight for our usual demand. I so hope this will not inconvenience you too terribly."
Lefevre said nothing, took his drink, and sat at his usual booth back in the shadows. It was nice there, but as the hum of the Lieutenant's violin began to wane on this particular night and his partner - she was the lieutenant's wife, wasn't she - smiled at his serenade, Luc merely mused over how after a day like the one he had, he was not even able to enjoy the taste of a warm croissant.
Cafe d'Observateur d'Etoile - Vogel - 06-22-2010
A Corse shot, a Sirian intercepted, a peasant properly... disciplined.
A fine day's work.
Pierre LeGloan marched into the Cafe triumphantly, as always. He loved this place; the croissants were decidedly good in spite of the setting, as if the bakers knew some sort of ancient technique that had long since been lost on the rest of Gallia. It was about time to settle down, and here was just the place for him.
"Bonjour, mon amis!" the fat man nearly bellowed, "Pleasant day in our fair Gallia, eh?"
The Capitaine made his way over to the counter, a big grin clearly visible beneath his mustache. He opened his arms, as if he was going to embrace the man behind the register, but suddenly froze when he noticed the lack of ready croissants back on the shelves.
His face abruptly turned a shade of red, his lips pursed. They began to split open, a shout fighting to escape, when the soft sounds of a violin began playing. Swearing under his breath, LeGloan rolled his eyes and just snapped at the attendant who quickly produced some coffee. He gave a curt, grating smile before saying, "Merci". Snatching the glass, he turned his back to the counter and made his way through the sea of tables.
The Lieutenant's violin playing was... alright, but it ruined a perfectly good opportunity to haze someone over the lack of his beloved pastry. He was fuming on the inside; a fine day, ruined! The agony!
He sat himself down at a lone table and took a sip from the glass. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. Wondering if his mood had somehow affected his taste buds, LeGloan took a look around the establishment, seeking familiar faces.
Ah, Lefevre...
He caught Lefevre's eye and gave him a little wave and a smile.
He better not try to sweet talk me into paying for that fighter he busted, or I swear by the King I'll...
Cafe d'Observateur d'Etoile - Silver.2 - 06-22-2010
A slight flourish of the bow, and Lieutenant Perrot was done. Lillian smiled again, and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "As wonderful as always, mon amour" She said. He returned the smile - he played it every night, but it was always wonderful to see her smile. She had a beautiful smile - the way her whole face seemed to perk up, the slight sheen of her teeth, the gleam in her blue eyes...
He turned, and notived a few other GRP officers had entered the room. There was Lefevre, a distant look on his face. A bit odd, for him, but it wasn't exactly out of place.
He noticed a man in a Capitaine's uniform sitting at a desk relatively close to Lefevre's. The Capitaine quickly made a glance at Perrot - he was obviosuly mad about something.
He had a vague sense of not caring, and then it just altogether slipped his mind. He grasped Lillian's hand again, and smiled, taking another sip of his coffee.
Cafe d'Observateur d'Etoile - Shagohad - 06-22-2010
Click. Shuffle. Step. That was the routine. Ever since that damn crash, it always had been. Her figure was lean and athletic. No excess curves, no ungainly bulges, and no comically large hips or breasts. She was rather fond of not looking like the stuck up royalty and the wives of the nobility. Useless leeches. Her darkened red hair was cut at military length, the excess tucked behind her head in a neat bun. Her features were sharp, yet not too long or wide. There was an almost a hawkish appearance to her. If it weren't for that limp in her left leg. To counteract her impediment, she held an ornate cane in her left hand. A delicate staff of carved wood, golden runes of Gallic nature, and a silver pointed cap at the base. It clicked each time it hit the ground.
She wore her normal uniform. It wasn't plain, but it wasn't too showy. The garbs were the color of Gallia: Blue, white, and black. The most prominent being the black. Three chevrons sat atop each corner of her collar, gleaming a brilliant gold. Above them sat the Fleur-de-Leis of the Royal Police, clad in an orange and red flicker of flame. Her most defining item of clothing was the ornate coat she wore. It was long like a great coat, but the front of it seemed curved and cut off. The back was the only thing that remained, widening as it got closer to the ground. The fabric was dark blue, the trim was gold with black runic print, and on the back was printed the symbol of the Gallic Royal Police.
She stood before the entrance of the Cafe, listening to the music wafting from it. Reminded her of school. How her mother wanted her to become a stuck-up bride for some snobby prince. Selfish wench.
She limped in, her golden eyes darting back and forth. LeGloan was there, sulking; Lefevre was eyeing Perrot's wife; and Perrot was finishing his sonata. With a heavy sigh, she limped in, the click of her cane seeming obnoxious and loud after the sweet song Perrot had played.
Cafe d'Observateur d'Etoile - Silver.2 - 06-22-2010
The attendant came up to Perrot again.
"Would you like something to eat, Lietenant?" The attendant said, still playing host to that odd, perplexed expression.
"A sugar pastry, if you would..." Simon said, with Lillian looking at the menu beside him. She quietly spoke, in her soft, singsong voice. "Yeah, the same for me..."
The attendant nodded, and started digging around in a pantry.
He looked again, carelessly glancing around the Cafe. He noticed that the Directeur had entered, as she was prone to do around this time of night. Chloe was good for the job - Simon enjoyed working under her. Despite everyone's faults - even her own - the Directeur could handle any situation.
Then he caught Lefevre's eyes slowly gliding in his direction. In a quick instance, he realized he was looking at Lillian.
Lieutenant Perrot was notoriously protective of his wife, after a miscreant had attempted to mug and rape her last year. As such, Lefevre's look set up immediate alarms in his head. Slowly, he made a fist, pointing down, with the knuckles faced towards Lefevre. He mouthed the words "Turn around" at him, over Lillian's shoulder...
...and raised his middle finger
Cafe d'Observateur d'Etoile - fencore - 06-22-2010
Lefevre, continuing to sulk about the lack of his familiar favorite, watched as Capitaine LeGloan walked through the Cafe entrance, followed by Madame Directeur moments later. As Perrot continued to fiddle, he fumed slightly about his day under the Captaine's command.
"The man made me fly into the Privas cluster, for God's sake. And after I kept all those Brigands and Corse off his back, too. It's a good thing the emergency escape system was functional, I'd not had a chance to test it before. Not only does he owe me a ship, but I think some vacation time, too..."
Lefevre knew, however, that LeGloan was Capitaine for a good reason, and that his superior had a lot he could teach him, so like it or not, Luc was going to stay under that mustachioed man's orders.
"It'll pay off eventually." the Sous Brigadier mused. "Men like him had to start somewhere too. Everyone has to pay their dues."
He was snapped out of his reverie by a lewd gesture from Perrot pointed in his direction. It was then that he realized that while daydreaming, he had been gazing in Lillian's direction. He knew how protective the Lieutenant was of his wife and that this would later come back to hurt him. For now, though, he merely blushed and averted his gaze, contemplating whether or not he should get up and join LeGloan at his table. The man was insane, but at least in the Cafe he could be good company.
Lefevre slowly stood up and took his coffee in hand. He paced over to LeGloan's seat. The officer looked up as Lefevre paused shortly and then asked, "Mind if I join you, Capitaine?"
Cafe d'Observateur d'Etoile - Silver.2 - 06-22-2010
Simon heard Lillian chuckling.
She had spotted the rather lewd gesture that Perrot had been making, here eyes darting across it when she leaned back into her chair. She looked up at the Lieutenant, smiling.
"You worry too much, Simon..." She began chuckling again
Perrot smiled back, and copied her gesture of leaning back. God, it had been a long day.
The High Command had him running around everywhere, managing ship registrations for the new gardien stagiaires , looking over any captured prisoners, conducting patrols...
It was a blesing that he could always come here, with Lillian, and relax, for however long.
Soon, the attendant came up to them, holding two plates, each carrying a pastry.
The pastries here were rather like croissants, having the same kind of roll and bread, cooked the same way, but with a hollow part inside. There, they'd put all sorts of fillings and garnishes, depending on the kind of pastry.
The pastries they had ordered - Sugar - used a decadent white filling, based off of sugar and cream, and berry shavings. They were quite refreshing, and hugely popular among the cafe's patrons.
The attendant set them down, and hurried off, catering to the needs of another customer.
Lillian took her pastry first, quickly biting off an end. It spurted a bit on her, and she chuckled as she wiped it off her cheek. Then, Perrot took his, perferring to bite into the center. It didn't spurt, taht way, and he got a bit more of the filling.
They both smiled at each other. This was, hands down, the best part of their day.
Cafe d'Observateur d'Etoile - Shagohad - 06-22-2010
Without even facing the main counter, she made her way to one of the tables in the back corner, currently unoccupied, and inspected it. She didn't know why, it was just routine now. Setting her cane against the wall, she clutched at the sides of her coat and sat down, making sure no fold of fabric was in her way. More often than not, fancy clothing was only a hindrance used by those who had no idea how cramped a fighter cockpit is.
There Chloe sat, staring idly at the table and waiting for her coffee. She never ordered. Everyone knew what she wanted. As if on cue, a short waiter with a lean figure and a much more lean mustache walked up, setting a cup of espresso on her table. Without even giving him a nod of approval, he walked off to tend to the other customers.
Delicately, she plucked the cup it and touched the edge to her lips, sipping lightly. Perfect. It had the shot of liquor. Like that, all the troubles of today were slowly fading.