Forever And A Half

Forever And A Half

((SB118 - Commercial Sector - Leopolis Hotel)) ::Brek had found a PADD and was transferring several files onto it. It should have taken only a few seconds, but he had more questions to ask, and no real desire to return to the Diplomatic Corps Building.:: Brek: Tell me Ara, what do you make of the "Beer Gut Inn"? It's in the Dungeon. Ara: I know where it is. It's not a bad place, although some say that the Terran beer they serve tastes like donkeys' piss. Personally, I'd never try anything I haven't previously enjoyed from a replicator, for flavour reference. ::Suddenly, she was on her feet.:: By the Great Continuum, this is taking forever and a half! I need the Ladies' Room. Computer, resume music. ::Soft jazz music filled the room.:: This is to protect my decency. I am an old woman, I don't control everything, anymore. More's the pity. oO Information Overload Alert. Oo ::When his grandmother had left the room. Brek's focus automatically fell back to the bowl of fruits. There was a small white one there that tempted him very much. He was about to take it when he noticed something on the floor that looked like a soft toy. He picked it up and found himself holding a doll. It was Romulan in design, with short black hair and a dark green robe.:: ::Brek stared at it, staggered, then contemplated the lavish décor around him. His mind then put two and two together. What if the old bag was dealing in illegal substances? This would certainly explain how she could afford this suite.:: ::He twisted the head until it came away and pulled out the foam that was inside it. To his regret he discovered nothing, so he decided without remorse to attack the body.:: ::By the time he had finished, there were four limbs on the floor, a broken head with the eyes missing and foam everywhere. And still, he had found nothing untowards.:: ::He sniggered nervously.:: oO And now Magic Brek puts it all back together and no one ever notices anything. Oo ::That made him chuckle some more. He gathered the silly pieces together, with the idea of throwing them under a cushion. But by the time he had collected all the foam and bits, the music had ceased to play and his grandmother was looking down at him, seething.:: Ara: ::Speaking slowly as if she was addressing a five years old.:: What exactly are you doing? Brek: ::Looking at the incriminating evidence collected in his hands. He needed a different approach, and quick.:: Even if you do mind, it's me who is going to ask the questions here. What are you doing with a Romulan toy? The make is too recent, so it can't be a collector's item. Are you gone so soft in the head that you play with toys now? Ara: My grandson possesses the brainpower of a snailosaurus. And we thought the last specimen had been found, fossilised, in the plains of Splort... I am greatly disappointed in you, Brek. ::She sat back in her armchair, glaring at him all the while.:: You are going to go out, find an exact replica of the item that you've just destroyed, and you will bring it to me before 8am. Is that clear enough for you? GO. NOW! Brek: ::Not moving.:: How can a mass produced toy be so important? It's ridiculous... ::And then it all made sense.:: Oh. There is a child. A Romulan child is in this suite... you are hiding fugitives. That's how you've improved your status so fast! You are taking their money to... Ara: ::Interrupting him.:: You know the rule: expand or die. But listen to you talking of fugitives. Are you already eating in the hands of the Klingons? You certainly speak like one. ::Sniffing the air around her.:: Probably starting to smell like one, too! Brek: ::Dropping the toy parts on the floor.:: You have a point. What can I say.... I haven't been myself tonight. Too much stress and too little food I suppose. In these matters, the less I know, the better. So... I will obtain another toy, two even. See it as a form of compensation. ::Getting up and feeling more than a little awkward.:: I'll be on my way, and then back. No need to accompany me to the door. Ara: ... wasn't going to. ::Within seconds Brek was in the hotel's corridor. With its red carpets and wallpapers everywhere, it all looked very much Klingon and he felt compelled to run towards the turbolift. He needed some fresh air, and fast.:: tbc Lt Cmdr Brek Chief Diplomatic Officer SB118/USS Victory also simming as: Ara (Brek's grandmother)