Between the Diner and the Bar

Posted on Tue Nov 11th, 2025 @ 8:45pm by Arcade Coordinator Jaxon Dominie & Business Owner Arianna Mallory

Mission: What Lies In The Darkness
Location: Mallory Diner, Club & Bar
Timeline: 248001.02 1300

Arianna stood just outside of her establishment, looking at the sign that spread itself across three storefronts. In beautifully calligraphed lettering were the words "Mallory Diner, Club & Bar". Beneath that, above each door, the same calligraphy denoted which storefront was which establishment. The windows of each would likely have given that away anyway. The Club's windows were tinted; the Bar's were not tinted, but they bore symbols representing many different of the place's offerings. The Diner, on the other hand, had nothing on the windows, giving a free view of the interior to anyone who passed by. Also, in front of it, a few tables were neatly arrayed for diners to eat "outside" if they wished.

This version of her establishment was arrayed differently than the version on Earth had been, she reflected, but that was a necessity of the design of the surrounding location. A ship, even one this size, had certain size and arrangement constraints that did not necessarily exist on a planet. Oh, yes, there were zoning concerns, but that was not the same thing.

Smiling, she moved to give the front windows of the Diner one more cleaning before heading back inside. As she cleaned, she hummed softly to herself.

Having just walked out of another nearby shop, Jaxon saw her working and headed in that direction. His encounter with Elayna was still on his mind, but he remained focused on his ongoing goal of checking on or at least meeting more shop owners. When he arrived, he paused to admire the view of the three storefronts side by side. "Impressive," he said aloud, the word carrying both admiration and invitation, meant for her to hear. His smile came naturally, confident without trying too hard.

Arianna had been so engrossed in what she was doing that she had not heard him approach. Sneaking up on a half Kestra was a neat feat, but it still elicited the same reaction of a slight jump and a tiny yip from her as it would have from anyone else. She spun around to face him, then looked embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't hear you approach." Fully registering his vocalization then, she smiled. "Thank you. It's a variation on the establishment I ran on Earth for many, many years." She wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing to protect her clothing and then offered him a hand. "Arianna Mallory."

Jaxon's smile had grown, and he nodded at what she had to say. Without hesitation, he took the needed steps forward to accept her hand. "Jaxon Dominie, Arcade Coordinator," he said, his tone easy but assured. As she spoke, he found himself noting the steady confidence in her voice, the kind that came from someone used to running things, not just dreaming them.

She gave his hand a firm shake then released it. "Well, I'm not officially open yet, but come on in," she invited with a wave toward the diner they were standing in front of. As they walked, she asked, "So what can I do for you, Mr. Dominie?" She was not normally so formal, but he had not given her permission to be on a first-name basis, and they didn't know one another for her to assume that kind of familiarity.

"Well, considering the alert, I came by to see how things were going," he replied matter-of-factly. The first thing he noticed as they entered, besides its comfortable atmosphere, was that the place was empty of customers, which was the way it was supposed to be. He smiled again over to her. "And please call me Jaxon."

Arianna chuckled but nodded. "Fair enough. And you can call me Arianna, or just Ari if you like. My family does." She motioned toward the counter. "Would you like anything?"

"I would, thank you," he replied and then took another look at the place as he headed towards his seat, observing, "This room has a very nice, relaxed atmosphere to it, Ari."

Ari smiled at him before moving behind the counter. "Thank you. I've always tried for an air of comfort and, I guess hominess?" She shrugged. "What can I get you then?" She leaned forward on her elbows on the counter, her expression becoming slightly mischievous. "Or should I just... surprise you?"

Slipping into his seat, Jax gave her a sly look in return. There was a touch of humor in his eyes. "Please do," he said, tone rich with amusement. "It’s the sort of surprise I actually look forward to."

Arianna grinned, her eyes glittering. She loved it when customers allowed her to create. Granted, she did not have Vala's gift of looking at a person and knowing exactly the right drink to make for them, but she was pretty good at guessing most of the time. "Non-alcoholic, I presume?" she asked before deciding anything. After all, he might not be that much of a stiff sort. He didn't seem to be so far, but it was always better to make sure than to assume.

"Hmmm..." Jaxon's eyes narrowed as he thought about it, playfully looking tempted before replying with a light-hearted sigh. “Damn,” he said with an amused shake of his head. "You really don’t make it easy to stay professional. But yes, non-alcoholic. I’m still on duty."

Arianna chuckled softly. "Oh, come on!" she playfully coaxed like his bad angel. "What's the worst that could happen?" she asked with a wink. She would, of course, respect his wishes and was, in fact, already mixing a nice collection of juices with a special Marai seltzer to give it some fizz even as she teased him in return.

He inwardly chuckled in return. "Damn..." he said, slightly shaking his head. "You don't make it easy to decline...but I'm going to." All the while, his eyes watched her every move, and she was impressive.

Arianna chuckled. "I wouldn't be much of a businesswoman if I couldn't upsell," she half-joked as she finished adding the ingredients and used a slim instrument to stir them together before adding the seltzer. This, she passed across to him. "But seriously, you should come by sometime when you're off duty. I make a mean Martian Storm," she told him with a wink.

"Alright, I will." He picked up the drink and brought it to his lips. "I'm thinking that when the alert lifts and my wife is off duty, we could have dinner here." He took a sip and then reacted to the tingly sensation on his tongue, causing him to smile. He lifted it, looking pleased. "This is great." And then took another drink.

Arianna grinned, pleased by both his suggestion and the fact that he liked the drink she'd just made for him. "That would be wonderful!" she agreed. "If you want, I can reserve you a table so that when we do actually open, you will not have to fight the crowd," she offered. "And I'm glad you like that. It's just a few juices with a Marai seltzer adder," she informed him. "Though the percentages have to be just right or it gets... odd," she added with a chuckle.

He nodded at that and her prior suggestion. "A reservation would be perfect, and I'll take the information to heart. I'm far from a professional bartender, but I'd love to learn."

Arianna smiled again at him. "Well, I'm not a pro either, but I've learned a few things over my long life." She chuckled softly and took out a tablet. Opening her reservation application, she looked back at him. "Do you have a preferred table?" she asked.

"Well," he turned in his seat to look around, "That depends on the place... Maybe a tour can help me decide." He turned back to her and gave her another smile of his own, "I’ve been hoping for one," he added, a spark of curiosity in his tone that came as naturally as breathing.

Arianna chuckled softly, mostly at her own expense. Putting her tablet back away, she nodded. "Yes, of course you may! I should have offered it. I apologize." She rounded the counter and asked, "Just the Diner which you're currently in? Or the Club and Bar too?" She didn't mind either way. She was proud of her establishment and always happy to show it off.

"All three," he responded cheerfully while getting out of his seat, appearing enthused. He took another swallow of his drink, looking at her expectantly.

Arianna grinned, pleased, but almost giggled at his excitement. She didn't but almost did. Instead, she only gave him that huge grin, took off the apron and laid it on the counter, then rounded that counter to be on his side of it. "Well, the Diner part you can easily see. I don't have any hidden bits, though I do have a couple of private rooms through there." She pointed to two doors that would be easily overlooked off to his left (the right if you had just entered the place). Much of the diner was in front of them as the counter was at the back of the area with only the kitchen behind that. It was not overly small, nor was it overly large, just a moderate-sized diner that could be any other diner on Earth with tables scattered about the center of the space and booths lining the walls. "I'm afraid this is just a classic diner," she said almost apologetically. "Though it can seat approximately 150 people."

Jaxon took a few steps while looking around again. "Well, it's inviting, comfortable, and with some strategically placed seating. So how about a look at those private rooms?"

Arianna grinned and motioned for him to follow her. She led him to the two doors and opened one of them. "This is the larger of the rooms, though they are very similar in design," she told him as she stepped aside to allow him entrance or just a peek if that was his preference.

Beyond the door was a large room that could easily have been mistaken for a conference room at some convention center, though it was not quite that large. Tables were arrayed around the edge of the room with a central open area where could be placed anything from a podium and microphone to a display or even a service table. Currently, the tables were bare, appearing to be made of some dark wood. The chairs behind the tables also appeared to be made of the same dark wood, but they had thick cushions on them, making them comfortable-looking.

"These rooms are soundproofed so that what goes on in them does not leak out to the main diner and vice versa," she informed him with a smile.

Jaxon entered the room, liking it, and gave an appreciative nod to that information. It was clear on his face that he appreciated the space overall. He held out his arms as if to say, "I see this as a nice change for any meeting room on the station."

Arianna's smile never seemed to fade as she responded. "Thank you." She couldn't resist teasing him slightly, though. "It does feel like a station sometimes, doesn't it?" The simple fact was that the ship was huge and sometimes very much felt like it was not a ship at all. Even she had to remind herself from time to time, so his slip was not unexpected or anything to be embarrassed about in her opinion. She just had a small ornery streak inherited from both of her parents.

In fact, she could remember many times when her parents had played with one another, teasing each other. Those were treasured memories because they demonstrated the love and respect each had for the other and the way they could have fun with one another and no one took it badly. Sometimes she missed them -- they were far away back on Earth or on Marai -- like now. But this was her path, and she had chosen it. Besides, she could contact them if she really wanted to.

Jaxon chuckled good-naturedly at her teasing. "Yes, sometimes it does," he admitted, his eyes drifting around the room again. "But places like this remind us we’re still part of a community. People need somewhere that feels like home." He said it with quiet conviction, the kind that came from experience, before turning back to her with another easy smile. "You’ve done a great job with this, Ari. I can’t wait to see what the Club and Bar look like."

Arianna stepped back out of the doorway so that he could exit the room if he wished. "If that is a request, I can show them to you now. But if you have other business to attend to, that's fine too." Her eyes glittered as she added playfully. "After all, you know where to find me."

Jaxon smiled at Arianna's playful comment and stepped out of the room, allowing her to lead the way. "Now is the perfect time."

Arianna nodded. "Then right this way." She led him across the diner to a door that had not been easily visible before. It was not a secret, but it was camouflaged to keep its presence from disrupting the design of the rest of the diner. As she approached, a small panel next to the door slid up, revealing one of those silver-colored plates. She touched it, and the door opened. At the same moment, the cover slid back over the PsiPlate. She motioned him to precede her.

Beyond that door was a bar. In many ways, it resembled a very standard bar on Earth. There were tables arrayed around the outside of the room, leaving the center of the room open for dancing should patrons desire to do so. The dance area was constructed of a polished stone that was iridescent in color and shifted colors based on the lighting. Along the wall to their right ran the bar itself, made of a deep red-brown wood that vaguely resembled mahogany, though it was darker. The tables and the support structure of the chairs were constructed of the same wood. The chairs had comfortable cushions on them, however, in a deep red. The stools along the bar were constructed similarly to the chairs except that they were supported by a red-gold-colored metal -- the chair portion of each was like the chairs in the rest of the place. Between the stools and the bar itself, a slender "shelf" ran along the length of the bar, designed for those sitting on the stools to rest their feet on. Both the bar itself and that "shelf" had a small rim of that red-gold-colored metal running around their edges.

"This is the bar," she indicated unnecessarily. "I can turn up the lighting for now if you like so that you can see it better?" she offered.

Jaxon looked around the bar, taking in the stylish design and comfortable seating. Wow, he thought and then nodded in agreement. "Yes, please. I'd like to see it in full lighting."

Arianna smiled again -- she was pleased to see that he was so taken with her place; it meant that he might actually use it or even recommend it for others to use. Moving into the room slightly, she touched one of the seemingly ever-present PsiPlates. The lights raised to full illumination. Now the place was as well-lit as the diner had been or the Arcade itself was. And now, the full effect of the materials used could be truly seen.

As Arianna turned up the lights, the bar was illuminated invitingly. Jaxon was amazed by the intricate details of the décor that were now visible in the illuminated space. "Wow," he said, looking around in amazement. "This is even better than I imagined it would be." He turned to Arianna with a smile. "You have a real talent for creating an atmosphere that just draws people in."

Arianna chuckled softly. "I'd say thank you, but I'm not the Interior Design Artist. That would be my brother Aidan," she informed him proudly. "I'm the Culinary Artist." Her smile remained, though. She was pleased that he liked the space so much. "I'll tell Aidan what you said though. He'll appreciate the compliment."

Jaxon raised one of his eyebrows and asked, "Is he here on FarVoyager?"

Arianna blinked, caught off guard just a tiny bit by the question. She shouldn't have been, though, she realized. It was a logical thing to ask. She chuckled a bit, mostly at herself, shaking her head at herself. "Yes, actually. He has been helping some of the shop owners with the designs for their shops, and I think a few crew asked him for help with their quarters." Her head tilted slightly. "When we have finished the tour, I could introduce you to him if you like," she offered.

Jaxon’s smile deepened at her offer. “I’d like that,” he said warmly. “From what I’ve seen, your family has a real gift for making spaces feel alive. I’d enjoy meeting the designer behind it.” He glanced around once more, clearly impressed. “Between your touch in the kitchen and his for atmosphere, this place is going to be a favorite aboard FarVoyager.”

Taking another sip of his drink, he set the glass down gently. “Well then,” he added with a hint of anticipation, “we should probably finish the tour; I’d like to meet your brother while the day’s still young.” He offered her a final, appreciative smile before they both casually turned and continued on their way.


~End (to be continued, actually)