The Midnight Sun

Madame Naoki registers alarm at Skarlet’s thinly veiled threat. Attempting to prevent the dinner from degrading into a knife fight, Madame Naoki tries to placate Skarlet, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, easy there, Skarlet. I think we’d have something to say to any angry mobs. There’s no need to fear disgruntled and lightly armed members of the general public.”

Hoping that Skarlet has been mollified enough as to not lunge over the table to shank Alden, she removes her hand and addresses Alden, with a more sumptuous tone, for she is to speak of her personal code and policies.

“I am an equal opportunity employer. I always choose the best candidate for the job, irrespective of race, history, gender, or any other superficial factor. I’m aware of the negative social stigma that some races carry, and frankly, I don’t care. As so long as my employees perform their jobs to the quality I expect, and no factor of their being interferes with their ability to be the very best, I couldn’t care less as to what sorts of horns, tails, strange fetishes, or other irregularities they may possess.”

“With this policy, I’ve come across an untapped wealth of talent, that was previously shunned or discarded by society. To provide one example, I once, during the infancy of my management of this establishment, met a man named Desmond. Desmond is, to put it simply, a werewolf. An honest to goodness werewolf, who unwillingly transforms every full moon into a feral beast. This effect, understandably, made it rather difficult for poor Desmond to hold down a job for longer than thirty days. However, the circumstance that brought him to The Sun was far more tragic than just that. In the rampage of the previous night, Desmond had unwittingly mauled his fiancee to death. She was aware of his trouble, and knew the risk, but that didn’t help her much. This misdemeanor was known to the village he inhabited, and they intended to hunt him down for the murder. He ran all the way to Isra, some thirty miles, on foot, and stumbled into The Sun wreaked with the worst sort of guilt. He planned to drown himself in drink before taking his own life.”

She pauses here in her story, to catch a breath, and allow her last words to sink in for the appropriate amount of time.

“However, one of our associates here, Mr. Cresno, had heard of Desmond’s activities, and managed to speak with him before Desmond made any rash decisions. Let it suffice to say, Cresno was able to talk Desmond down, ease some of his guilt, and offer him a job. Today, Demond works with Mr. Cresno, keeping tabs on current events within the city. He has managed to cope with his guilt, and is provided with an alchemical concoction that allows him to retain his full mental facilities during his transformation. As such, he makes for an excellent example in a discussion such as this, as an individual who has found peace and a new beginning within these walls.”

“It’s my belief that an individual’s decisions are is determined solely by that individual. And by their behavior, any individual is free to break the stereotypes associated with their race, and be their own entity. In this respect, Desmond is an imperfect example, as one of his characteristics was such that he was unable to make his own decisions, and in that period of no control, murdered his fiancee, but my point stands.”

“As such, I think it’s rather impudent to assume things about an individual based on something such as their race, especially relating to alignment and personality. I recognize that some characteristics are very common among members of some races, but it’s impertinent to assume, when meeting someone for the first time, that they will carry the same tendencies or temperament as others you may have met before. Though I’ve not known Ulciscor or Skarlet for very long, I find them both to be perfectly polite and individuals worthy of my respect. Ulciscor is one of the most well spoken and outgoing individuals I’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with, and Skarlet seems eager to find her new place in this world, not embracing any of the negative aspects of her condition.”

“Regardless, I hold everyone under my employ to the word of the local law. Not a single one of my employees, to my knowledge, has committed any major infraction of Israsian mandate during the time that they’ve been under my employ. I think that, before we start labeling people as ‘sinister’ and ‘evil’, we should find some basis to warrant those sorts of descriptors.”

Finished with her small speech, Madame Naoki folds her hands in her lap, and tilts her head slightly upwards with a small huff, still a bit indignant about Alden’s labeling.

Alden decides to not bring up the fact that Skarlet had just admitted to being the person who had stabbed someone working for the Midnight Sun earlier. Maybe that was just a thing they did around here, maybe not he didn't know. He simply smiles at Naoki and says.

"Again my apologies like I said wasn't trying to offend you. I killed people because someone else paid money, that is a far more damning indication of evil then simply existing. I also like Mr. Ulicor he makes fantastic sandwich and that is my only judgement of his character, he has done me no harm and I wish him no harm. I also have no particular reason to wish any harm on Skarlet either. She seems pleasant enough and hasn't done anything to me. Like I said I only used the term evil because that is what the term the books used."

Alden stops talking for moment trying to figure out if he is rambling or not then decides he'll finish his thought.

"Honestly I am quite new to the concept of making my own decisions. So while I do accept that I am responsible for my careless words I hope you will forgive me for them."

Karath sat quietly during the discussion, alert and confident. He listened to Alden talk and made mental notes of his own. Seems a bit nervous. Interesting but questionable skillset. He noted how Naoki played with her hair; nonverbal cues said a lot about someone. She's the boss of this table. Cool. Confident. Reyna was, as expected, very silent. Presumably, she would either explain to Madame Naoki her situation in a nutshell or Karath would cover her, how she had fallen from a celestial realm called Eden to the streets of Isra, stripped of her status as an angel and completely new to the socially complex world that was already throwing her formal dinners. Poor girl.

When asked why he had arrived to Isra, Karath explained how he had left Sakand on a secret mission involving the magic city's resurrection, but had been exiled from returning after some smuggling operations he had started during his youth were linked back to him. Karath was very honest and straightforward in suggesting he might not have always been the most law-abiding guy, and then the discussion moved on to Alden's comments.

Quiet ensued afterwards, perfect time to sink his hungry fangs into more delicious salted bear. Madame Naoki then asked about lodging.

"No, I don't believe any of us do," Karath replied with a smile, looking to Alden and Reyna as though considering for a second that they could possibly have an alternative.

Madame Naoki waves over the waitress, who is still standing attentively near their table. Naoki makes a short series of hand signals, and then points to the woman’s notepad. Without hesitation, the waitress proffers the notepad and quill to Naoki, before before returning to her spot by the wall.

Notepad and quill in hand, Naoki beings to write while addressing the group.

“Then, allow me to extend my hospitality further. See, we’ve just finished construction an addition to The Sun here; an Inn. I would like to invite the three of you to stay there.”

Finished writing, Naoki tears her note off of the notepad, folds it neatly in two, and slides it across the table towards them. It reads as follows:

Cecil,

These three are to be provided rooms at the Inn at my expense. Ask them what sort of rooms they’d like, and personally ensure that their stay is pleasant. They are to stay for as long as they’d like.

-Madame Naoki

“Give this note to the fellow at the desk of the Inn. Large, heavily-bearded man by the name of Cecil; can’t miss him. It contains instructions to provide you each with rooms, for however long you require them.”


“I have a single condition, however. Before you leave, whenever that may be, I ask that each of you stop by my office, and let me know how you found the accommodations. It is my task to ensure that our services are the very best, and I have found that asking for the direct feedback of customers is an excellent way to accurately assess quality.”

"Excellent. You have my assurance, I will give you good and accurate feedback about my experience here." He smiled graciously.
"Ah, thank you very much."
Karath received his dinner--salted bear--which drove home to his increasing hunger. He went at it as quickly as socially appropriate, though savoring every bite of the juicy delicacy.

Hasdrubal ducks into the midnight sun, and head straight for Artemis' room. He pokes his head in, and announces,

"it's time to do some upkeep! I'll be waiting in the lab."

He then heads downstairs to his lab.

As Maelik shuffles backwards, still bowing, Madame Naoki chuckles a bit to herself, before beginning to examine the work of art that has been placed before her.

Some sort of dessert, served in a glass cup. Vertical layers of fruit separated by layers of some creamy mixture, topped with assorted shelled nuts. What an interesting dish. She slowly rotates the cup in place with two fingers, as to view the presentation from all angles, craning her neck around to observe each curve of cream, each figure of fruit.

Taking the spoon in one hand, she hesitates. It would be akin to destroying art, to consume this. The dish is almost too good looking to eat. Almost.

She sliver edge of the spoon carves a path through the nutty outer shell, inwards to take a scoop of the fluffy top-cream. Having spoiled the picturesque dish, Madame Naoki pops the loaded spoon into her mouth without any further ceremony. Velvety cream interspersed with small bits of nut. Another bite: a piece of strawberry, and more sweet cream. A third, blueberry and nuts. The expert juxtaposition of fruit, filling, and nuts makes each spoonful a unique combination of taste and texture, each one different from the last. An adventure in eating, the likes of which she has never experienced before.

Indeed, eating that parfait truly was an experience; the cup is empty before Naoki is aware of it. She silently laments her own unawareness, as it rendered her unable to garner the appropriate amount of satisfaction from the last bite.

Glancing around, she notices that for the most part, her dining companions are finished as well. Each of them seems to be satisfied with the meal.

She glances again up at the skylight. The orange hues of sunset have faded since she looked last, leaving the soft, velveteen expanse of the night sky, only just beginning to dimple with stars.

“I think… that a pay raise may be in order for Mr. Ulciscor. That was excellent.”

Skarlet stuffed her face with pancake and washed it down with chocolate milk. She wipes her mouth and looks to Naoki, "Madame? Who am I shadowing tomorrow?"

“Hmm. That’s a good question...”

She thinks for a moment, considering which staff members Skarlet has already spent time with, and who else would be down for that sort of thing.

“Me, I suppose. Tomorrow, I’m going to be rewriting a couple of contracts, and then doing this month’s accounting. You’re welcome to join me, I’ll be happy to explain the ins and outs of the work I do.”

As she’s speaking, Madame Naoki watches Model C3 on the floor below, as he absorbs the chair and exits.

What a dapper little rock man, she thinks to herself.

“Anyway. I think that this about concludes our dinner, here. I won’t be having any dessert. It was excellent to meet you all. I hope that you enjoyed the meal, and hope that you’ll find our accommodations acceptable. If any of you need anything, please, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

"Karath, I've still got the sample you gave me earlier. I'll get Miss Green to appraise it when I meet with her, and we can complete the deal tomorrow morning."

With that, assuming that nobody stops her from leaving, Madame Naoki stands, nods her head to each guest in turn, pushes her chair in, gives another short series of hand signals to the waitress, and exits, up to her office. The note she wrote still sits in the middle of the table.