|| Anneva (Waitress) PoV: ||
When Anneva went to work today, she expected that today will be as usual. She will serve those high paying customers and try her best to cater to their needs. Then at the end of the day go home after helping those lot at the kitchen wash the dishes. This was her usual routine ever since she got promoted to be a VIP waitress.
Right now she is on her way to serve another customer who paid for an exquisite underwater dinner in one of the best rooms. This room is unique amongst all of others as you can clearly see the moving fishes and other oceanic creatures roaming about. In other rooms, the atmosphere was sometimes quite awkward because those fishes sometimes not appear. But this room is an exception in the way that it is near the corals where fishes live. The corals also provides for quite a spectacular view adding it as the finishing touch.
She slowly approached the room with the cart with practiced ease before she opened the door with grace. Quietly looking at the customer while trying not to look obvious, she took a short glance at her and saw that she was covered from head to toe. She wore a large robe with a hood that covered her face. But Anneva didn't mind even if she didn't see her customer's appearance today. Sometimes customers were quite eccentric so she prefers not to ask too much or else she will be in trouble.
After serving her the dishes and placing the small bell on the table, Anneva exited the room with the cart, leaving her customer to enjoy her dinner. But she didn't stay idle and wait for her customer to finish eating. She immediately went to the wine cabinet of the lounge and took a pair of glass anticipating the mysterious customer to ask for wine. And even if she didn't at least she would have been prepared for it. This is a habit she got after years of working as a waitress.
She did not wait for long. Anneva heard the ring of the bell as she anticipated. The bell is something that the Pearl implemented as a way to tell the waiters and waitresses if the customers wanted to be served wine. It was first proposed by a military general 64 years ago before it became a tradition not just for this restaurant but to all Atlanteans.
Anneva entered the room once again with feeling secretly relieved that she prepared the wine in advance. As always, being prepared is better. But just as she was about to make her way unto the table of her customer, halfway through her greeting, she was frozen in shock and stood in her place.
Perhaps due to the inconveniences of eating with the hood up, her customer now lowered her hood and has shown her appearance. Her face was marred with burn marks with one sharp scar that came from what seemed to be a blade that ran from her forehead down to her cheeks. But this did not marr her beauty in anyway. It only gave her the impression of a princess knight who went through countless battles making her heart flutter. She never thought that she would think this way about someone, much less from a lady.
One more thing that she noticed was that she ate with one hand. Her left arm was still as she moved her right hand skillfully to pick up the last bite of the Acia Pie. She cannot imagine the difficulties this young woman in front of her has experienced.
But before Anneva could further contemplate about her customer's situation, she felt her stare bore unto her making her wake up from her stupor. Unnerved by her earlier blunder she continued and placed both the wine and the glass on her customer's table.
Even then it seemed like the customer was not satisfied as a frown showed up between her creased brows. Just as Anneva was thinking about the reason for her dissatisfaction, she heard her customer's voice for the first time.
"Wine?"
Her voice was quiet and soft. As they say, "Looks may be deceiving." You would have expected her to have a rough voice with the reason being a damaged voicebox due to battle or something else. It seems like it was only her fantastical thoughts though. But why is she asking about the wine? Does she want something else?
"Yes, miss. Do you have a specific preference?"
"I didn't order any wine..."
Anneva caught her customer's quiet voice even though what she said was nothing but a whisper. This made her confused though. She did ring the bell for the wine right?
"Oh, miss. Didn't you ring that bell?"
"Ah. I didn't order for 'that' wine, I wanted something stronger tonight."
Anneva nodded and understood what she was saying. It seemed like she did know about the function of the bell, why would she even consider it as she knows it is already common sense. Anneva shook her head and offered to bring one of their proudest wine from their collection.
"I see, miss. I'll bring you one of our finest."
As Anneva made her way out of the private room, she thought about what wine she could offer her distinguished guest. There are many renowned fine wines amongst their collection but looking for the most appropriate bottle to offer her is of utmost importance so that she could give the guest a long lasting impression of their restaurant.
As she browsed through the collection in the wine cabinet reserved for VIP's, Anneva thought about the most appropriate wine for the guest. It was then that one specific bottle catched her attention. Deep Sea Embers. The only bottle left of it to be precise.
The Deep Sea Embers itself is not that famous despite its rarity. But it is among the top with its very own rich aged taste and its colorful history of origin that made it a must amongst Atlantean wine collectors that serves the military or have retired.
It was made in the middle of the infamous Atlantean Red Sea War that happened for a duration of 13 years at this very city. Many people sacrificed themselves to attack the capital of the Annukaz and take it for humanity. People paid blood for it in the form of many suicide attackers that aimed for mutual destruction just to take the Annukazians along with them to the grave.
One of them is the one who made this wine. The 6th Master of Aquarius that was one of the generals of the 12 stargates that humanity managed to occupy in their long years of battle with the Annukaz. The Aquarius is the second Stargate humanity occupied with the major contributor being the Avici Family, the descendants of General Y'nasis Avici.
During the Atlantean Red War amidst explosion and despair, the only thing that the 6th Master could do to numb himself of his loss of his comrades was by drinking alcohol. But he left only 3 barrels of wine that was preserved intact after he offered it to the Annukaz as offering as a sign of his surrender. The reason why he left only three barrels is because those three barrels specifically less than satisfactory according to the 6th Master's preference.
The true purpose of the Deep Sea Embers is a poison. As fast acting poison posing as a delicious beverage. The alcohol percentage itself wasn't above 30% but the wine itself is has a substance poisonous to both humans and Annukazians. In the deciding moment of the battle of wits and schemes, both the 6th general died along with the Annukazian Seraphs (the Royal family). That moment was called Deep Sea's Embers that burned the sky's rulers and from then on the wine itself is called Deep Sea Embers.
Anneva took the exquisite bottle of the wine and went to her way to serve the miss this fine beverage. As she opened the doors of the private room, she saw that the young miss seemed to have her attention at the bottle of wine in her hand so she professionally introduced it to her.
"This here is one of our finest, "Deep Sea Embers" brewed by the 6th Master of Aquarius. Over 103 years."
The young miss just nodded and she served her a glass of wine. Now its up to the miss if she'll like the wine she served or not. She looked expectantly at the young miss hoping that she would like the wine she served.
|| 30 minutes later... ||
It was a mistake. I made a mistake of serving her that wine.
"Why do you look tense, Lady Anneva. Do I scare you?"
The quiet and stoic young miss from earlier was gone and she turned into... this. After a few minutes of drinking wine quietly making her think that she liked it, she agreed upon her request of another bottle. It doesn't matter anyway as she was a distinguished customer.
But after a few more minutes, she suddenly asked her to sit with her and drink too. After she refused a few times she conceded after she stared at her with dead fish eyes that honestly looked scary. It was as if she was staring at a dead man walking. Then it came to this.
"No, miss. It's just that I find it hard to accept your praises."
The young miss just chuckled to herself after hearing her reply. Everything that is currently happening is incomprehensible to her.
"Oh come on! It's true! You definitely look gorgeous, Anneva. Do you mind being my wife?"
Anneva felt her cheeks turn hotter by the second. This is totally unexpected. Never in her life did she expect to be confessed to by anyone, much less from another woman.
"I appreciate your thoughts miss..."
"Call me Sol, wife."
"I appreciate it, miss Sol. But you need to understand that you are..."
She didn't need to complete her sentence as she thinks it was already self explanatory. She cannot understand why a woman would like another woman when there is already a problem of the low population of humans due to the war with Annukazians. Moreover miss Sol is just drunk... probably.
"What's wrong with me liking another woman, huh? I, Major General and Chief Royal Researcher Sol Nostrad Elvict, can do whatever I want."
Anneva just shook her head and filled her glass with wine to placate the drunken young miss. How could someone of such high status be dining here in this restaurant. Although this is one of the top restaurants in this city, she has never seen anyone from the first ring eat in the second ring. According to rumors those that are in the first ring eat food and drink beverages worthy of Annukazian royalty in the past. Surely one wouldn't want to eat common food after such a long time of that life.
"I see, Major Sol. Then I guess I can at least give you a chance to take me on a date at the first ring then?"
"Major General! Well, former, but I can indeed take you to the first ring for a date after I'm done with what I need to do here. Would you want to end our date in my house or in my bed?"
"We haven't even started our date yet, Sol."
Anneva smiled and humored this young miss. She thought that maybe this young woman was betrayed by her loved one after seeing her current state after she came back from the war at the frontline. Anneva shook her head. She really can't stand shallow guys who only looks at outward appearance.
"Aren't we having a very romantic date right now, Lady Anneva? Candle lit dinner, fine wine to share together and the beautiful and exquisite scenery around us. Do you not call this a date?"
She was caught off guard by Sol's words. Indeed if you look at it from a certain angle, logically they do indeed looks like they're on a date together. As soon as Anneva thought about it, her face became even hotter and she felt flustered again.
"W-Well it's not counted. I served the dishes and the wine so..."
"And you looked like my wife whilst you were doing so."
Hearing Sol's smooth reply to her weak retort, she can't help but be more embarrassed. She can't take this anymore. But just as she was about to stand up and leave after saying her goodbye, Sol beat her to it and talked first.
"If you're not satisfied with this though, how about we have our date at the auction, Lady Anneva?"
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