Solo Roses For Company

[Azuridae]

25th of Summer
18th Bell
The Withering Rose

Azuridae had been melancholy for most of the day as she searched for something, she didn't quite know what, and every turn she took she would be greeted with sights of love and affection. The public displays wore on her mind, battering her thoughts about as erratically as a cat would to a ball of yarn until finally it was just a string. There was an air of passion about the residents, their moods as whimsical as the city and its changing architecture. It wasn't until the change of night that her own mood would shift. From the sad thoughts a warm and heavy blanket of comfort was thrown over her changed form. Azuridae should have realized, as she had done any other night, that the little things that had been pulling her down throughout the day were just measly distractions in the grand scheme of things.

Tonight was different, as the melancholic thoughts were still there, and the comfort dissipated as soon as the change had finished. Something was wrong. The birds of love that she had seen earlier flashed in her mind, their sickeningly sweet affection for each other brought about a crestfallen expression and the Ethaefal could only stare out the window of her little abode at the sliver of a moon that was rising in the night sky. Azuridae longed for someone she had difficulty remembering, but she missed this forgotten lover. However it was time to begin making her way towards the Withering Rose, she shrugged her black dress on sluggishly, and with apron in hand she exited her tiny dwellings. Locking it up behind her, the Ethaefal turned around and lo' and behold there it was. The Withering Rose! There was absolutely no time to sort through her thoughts because the city had taken the walk out of her trip.

Tonight was not going to be a good night. Azuridae looked at the building in disbelief, a chant in her mind. 'I don't want to be here tonight.' With a huff, Azuridae made her way into the establishment while tieing her apron around her waist and giving a quick wave at some of the immediate co-workers she saw.

Then there was Raenah, the owner of the Withering Rose. "Glad to see you could make it Azuridae. I almost thought the city had whisked you elsewhere."

"Today? No, today it sent me straight to your doorstep." The Ethaefal replied. It was one of the more common jokes the staff either made, or implied, about Azuridae. For the past two years the Eth still couldn't properly navigate the city, or even negotiate with its unruly fits.

"That's hard to believe." One of the other waitresses interjected with a sarcasm that rolled off the tounge. One of the other girls giggled at the retort as she passed by.

It looked like Raenah wanted to say something but there were a few customers coming in and with a coy smile she was quick to drop the Eth in the middle of it. "Alright, enough chatter. This is your section tonight." She pointed at a piece of paper with a map of the tables, the far corner. Azuridae's soul sank at the sight of red rose emblems on the circles meant to indicate tables. "It's mostly red roses. So try to keep the mood romantic."

Raenah gave her a pat on the shoulder, and leaned to the Eth, whispering. "Your favorite."

[Azuridae]

Red rose tables were not Azuridae's favorite to serve. It was split between the really unhappy couples who bickered, an indifferent set of people who didn't jive that well together, or the intensely love drunk ones. They come into the Withering Rose looking for something different, and more romantic than the small time taverns about the city. Those that were brave enough to enter, that is. Sometimes it ends terribly, others they go by smoothly. Other times some halves come in waiting for their expectant partner to walk through the Withering Rose's doors but the bells pass and they never do. That seemed to be the case with one of the red rose patrons. He was sitting in another waitress section with that same expectant look in his eyes, restless legs, and two glasses of wine. Sipping slowly from his, the other empty.

It was between the roast chicken and ham that she noticed him, his hair a spiky mess of brown, eyes dark, it was hard to tell what color they actually were from afar. His suit jacket was a grey brown, as was his vest, and pants. As Azuridae passed him, she could tell his dress shirt wasn't an illusion, but just a clever use of fabric sewn together with many little patterns. The candles lit at his table were still tall, indicating he had only been there for a little while. Tearing her eyes from the man, she walked up to one of the love sick couples in her section setting the plate of pork down. Then a plate of chicken at one of the more indifferent couple's table, the male looked slim and athletic, a scar on his face spoke of past troubles. His partner was a tiny female, dressed in some of the greater fineries. The male made a face of disgust.

"Oi. This isn't what I ordered. I ordered a prime rib, not this chicken shyke." He pushed the plate away, and his partner rolled her eyes.

Azuridae did a double take on the plate she had set down and glanced back at the kitchen remembering one of the other waitresses grabbing the dish. Internally all she wanted to do was slap her head of all the mistakes she could pull tonight, she should have realized that she had grabbed the wrong plate, but she maintained her composure. "Ah, my mistake sir. I'll fix this right away." She took the plate of chicken and brought it back to the kitchen with an expression that quickly turned into a frown upon the safety of the back of house.

"Chef I grabbed the wrong dish, we'll need another order of prime rib." Azuridae called to the chef and then gestured at the dish of chicken, she looked over at Azuridae. "What do you want done with this?" It always amazed her that Aramia could stay so calm for a human, her patience was a great virtue, and was probably one of the better co-workers she got along with while at the Rose. She was always more understanding of her issue.

Aramia eyed the chicken with a thoughtful expression as Azuridae continued. "The table this was meant for, the--"

"Chef I need a roast chicken! I took the--" Another waitress had walked in on the Ethaefal's sentence, saw Azuridae, and Aramia, and then looked at the chicken plate. "Oh."

"Yes, Tory." Aramia gestured at the chicken dish. "I think this is yours."

The waitress smiled sheepishly, glancing between Azuridae, and Aramia. "Unfortunately they were so impressed with the prime rib, they want to keep it in addition of the chicken." The chef nodded, and the waitress whisked the plate away out of the kitchen. Azuridae watched with weary eyes as the doors swung from the waitresses brisk passing.

"Well, that settles that. Check back in a little later, Blue."