Caravanserai [The Lotus Restaurant | Calypso’s Bar]

[Levi]

Name: Lalita Cheema
Date | Time: June 7th 2020,  Late Morning
Wearing: green sari
Location: Breakfast
Tagging: open


Brandon was busy and didn't seem to have time to respond to the dark haired woman's quiet question. Lalita smiled oh well, he seems to have things in hand she thought to herself. Very much used to helping around the house at home a day of rest for the young woman usual meant visting the neighbours and going to prayer. Lilita was a little lost on how to occupy her time so after a light breakfast of fruit and yogurt the female decided a walk around the grounds would keep her occupied a while. She headed out of the breakfast area back towards the lobby and the main entrance.

[Loiosh]

Name: Ryo Kang-Dae
Date | Time: 7 June 2020 | Morning
Wearing: As pictured
Location: Bar
Tagging: Katrina  / Open

Ryo nodded pleasantly as he finished his drink.  Definitely done with this one, he thought.  He would probably be a bit wobbly when he stood up but hopefully not too noticeably.  He shrugged at the mention of cocaine but kept his smile.  Ryo had tried it once back in LA and the feeling had scared the hell out of him.  Greg always called him a prude.

“I wanted to visit Monaco but just didn’t get around to it,” he said.  “I did get a chance to spend a few days in Nice though in passing.  I loved the Mediterranean but everything was so built up for tourists.  Sounds like I didn’t miss much though,” he added with a wink.

Ryo sipped at his drink while waiting for Käti to finish hers.  He was content to just be for a change and accept whatever happened next.

[Jaclyn]

Name: Katrina “Käti” von Roissy
Date | Time: June 7^th, morning
Wearing: This cool outfit.
Location: Bar at breakfast area
Tagging: Bartender Brandon Murphy, Ryo Kang-Dae, Open
‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
… he seems fun … low key … not the usual lotharios who hit on Käti … after he money or her panties or both … nice for a change … she sips her drink as he talks about Nice and the Med …

  “The coast is either nothing fun or built up, as you say. Inland, one can still find tiny towns in wine or olive country where nice rooms and good food can be had for a pittance and enough people speak English top be able to order food. I do that sometimes too when people get too close. You’re nice, Ryo. You don’t lean on me like most guys do, if you know what I mean. Thank you!”

… sip of my drink … notice he’s stopped … perhaps not used to it and that’s fine too …

  “So tell me about Korea. If I wanted to see nature and the ocean, where would I go? I’ve been around Japan and liked the remote villages. There I hired a guide, a Japanese girl. I asked her to show me places she thought were beautiful and that didn’t have many tourists.”

[Loiosh]

Name: Ryo Kang-Dae
Date | Time: 7 June 2020 | Morning
Wearing: As pictured
Location: Bar
Tagging: Katrina  / Open


Ryo blushed a little at the compliment and grinned widely, unsure how to respond.  The alcohol had hit him a bit harder than he was prepared for and he felt like his mind was wading through tapioca.  “I’m having a wonderful time talking with you,” he said awkwardly.  “I’m glad that you are enjoying talking with me.”  He gratefully accepted the change in subject.

“I grew up in Yangcheon-gu in Seoul.  It’s on the southwest side of the Han river.  I spent most of my time in school or studying.  My father was very strict and devoted to my education and we did not take many vacations or pleasure trips.  I never got to see much of the countryside.” 

He shook his head and immediately regretted it; the room started to spin a little.  No need to get maudlin about his childhood, he thought to himself.  “Still, if you are interested in history then Gyeon is worth a visit.   It’s about an hour outside of Busan.   It was the capital of Korea for nearly a thousand years and has a lot of Bhuddist shrines and relics.  There’s also a really nice national park nearby.  My mother and I took a trip there when I was young.” 

He sighed with bittersweet remembrance.  She had died not too long afterward of some wasting illness or another.  Ryo’s father had never really talked about what had happened and started burying himself in business after that.  It was the last time he remembered being happy living at home.

“One of these days I’ll go back and see some of the sights I never got to see when I was living there,” he said and realized with a kind of surprise that he meant it.  “I never really got a chance to explore out of the way places until I got to California.   I think that’s what triggered my wanderlust.”

[Jaclyn]

Name: Katrina “Käti” von Roissy
Date | Time: June 7^th, morning
Wearing: This cool outfit.
Location: Bar at breakfast area
Tagging: Bartender Brandon Murphy, Ryo Kang-Dae, Open
‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
… look around … the bar seems empty … where has everyone gone? … except for sweet Ryo … who seems to be suffering from a bit too much drinkies … he talks of a homeland I sense he never knew … and not ever wanting or needing that myself, I feel his yearning … ‘stop with the feelings, Käti’ … know that going there again will put me back in the place that will kill me … ;move on, Käti”!’ …

  “Maybe if I ever head for that part of the world, I’ll check out this Gyeon place. Too bad your parents couldn’t show you your own country! I can’t imagine not having that in my past! Wow.”

… he seems a bit overwhelmed by the drinks … rest a hand on his hairless arm …

  “Do you need to nap before we take our walk? I do that sometimes after breakfast. I was just thinking getting out before it gets super hot.”

… finish my drink … signal the bartender ‘no more’ …

[Loiosh]

Name: Ryo Kang-Dae
Date | Time: 7 June 2020 | Morning
Wearing: As pictured
Location: Bar
Tagging: Katrina / Closed

Ryo stared at the hand on him arm with a suddenly frozen grin and was troubled by the strange sensation rippling up the skin on his upper arm.  He looked at Käti’s face, all friendly smile and some kind of deeper connection that he felt swirling around beneath the surface.  That sense of potential confused him.  He suddenly felt claustrophobic, like the room was closing in on him.

“I..uh,” he said, stumbling to his feet.  “I think that I do need to lay down” he said.  He tried to stand and stumbled slightly.  His grin changed to one of more genuine embarrassment.  “In fact, I know I do.  I haven’t had alcohol in a while and I might need more than a quick nap.”

Ryo hurriedly signed the check and turned back to Käti, feeling conflicted.  He wanted to stay.  He needed to go.  The room was spinning and he was losing his sense of being anchored to anything.  “Thank you for the lovely company,” he said, meaning it.   “I’m sorry to have to leave so soon.”  He meant that too.

He carefully navigated his way out of the bar and to the elevator.  The hallway was spinning around him as he made his way back to his room and collapsed on the bed.

[Jaclyn]

Name: Katrina “Käti” von Roissy
Date | Time: June 7^th, morning
Wearing: This cool outfit.
Location: Bar at breakfast area
Tagging: Sebastian Wells, Open
‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
…  and finally he’s done … heads my way and asks an easy question …

  “For you if you want company. Needing breakfast? I had some earlier but can always go for another bloody. I’m Katrina von Roissy, and my friends call me Käti.”

… take a step toward the bar end of the restaurant …

[Ciosa]

Name: Sebastian Wells
Date | Time: June 7^th, morning
Wearing: As pictured.
Location: Front Desk
Tagging: Käti

He nodded once, at the prospect there might be some clothes that fit him.  His gratitude showed in his eyes - and he considered dipping over to buy a new shirt before going to see the girl who'd seemed to be ... waiting for him.  But he wasn't one to test impatience, and he was curious what had propelled the guest's curiosity. 

Also, he was twenty years old and starving.  The prospect of food seemed more immediately important than presentability, and he wasn't one to argue with Maslow.   He paused, turning back as Reese offered him a final appreciative gesture.  "Thank you," he said, for what felt like the fifteenth time.  Sadness swam in his eyes for a moment, and the strain of the last few months, and he bit it back to offer her a smile.  "I hope so, too."

"Sebastian," he offered, as Katrina von Roissy offered her introduction.  It might have been a purely American assumption, but the presumption of wealth of anyone with a 'von' in their name went hand in hand.  He extended a hand towards her, and then gave a light chuckle, a hint of a blush at his cheeks.  "Yes.  Breakfast that is.  I'm starving.  Nice to meet you, Katrina."  He settled in at the table or bar she seemed to indicate, unlooping the satchel from his shoulder and dropping it down near his foot.  He looped his ankle through it - old habit from college, from airports, to keep someone from snatch and grabbing his things.  He glanced around for staff, and then went for the next most obvious question.  "So what brings you all the way out here?"

[LocusVonErich]

Name: Joseph Edwards
Date | Time: 7 June 2020, 1:00 PM or thereabouts
Wearing: Black jeans, white t-shirt
Location: Mirage
Tagging: Open


Joseph had spent much of the morning walking the halls of Caravanserai, trying to find himself something to do. But, several of the amenities of the resort had little to no activity in them, the hustle and bustle still seemed to be at the front desk. The rest was at Mirage, and that is where he found himself once more. Enjoying a Dark and Stormy, the desert didn't seem so bad after all. His only regret so far was being too bold towards Miss Reese, and he contemplated how much better it could have gone over a cigarette.

[Jaclyn]

Name: Katrina “Käti” von Roissy
Date | Time: June 7^th, morning
Wearing: This cool outfit.
Location: Back at the bar.
Tagging: Sebastian Wells, Brandon the Bartender, Open
‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
… they sit at the bar … he feels nervous to her … something she’s experienced before when guys seemed to confuse her blonde appearance with inaccessibility … she points the bartender to Sebastian and then orders another Bloody Maria … Sebastian asks what brings her here …

  “I get bored by rich guys – and girls – who think they’re god’s gift to the human race, Sebastian. I came here to get away from that, hoping here wasn’t like that. So far, so good but until I saw you, I was thinking about leaving in the morning. I get bored too easy I guess.”

… Brandon delivers her bloody … she draws it through the straw …

  “So what brings you here Sebastian? Are you running away or running toward something?”

[Ciosa]

Name: Sebastian Wells
Date | Time: June 7^th, morning
Wearing: As pictured.
Location: Front Desk
Tagging: Käti

He leaned against the side of the bar, looking more towards her than towards the bartender.  At his arrival, he glanced up briefly, taking a menu after a quiet request, then looked back towards Käti” as she spoke.  He smiled a little to himself at 'boredom,' trying to remember a time in his life in the last two years he felt ... bored.  Anxious, worried, angry, sad - it was more like a rollercoaster of emotions that he wouldn't mind ... getting off of.  But the idea he was god's gift to the human race made him laugh aloud, an instinctive reaction to the absurdity of the idea.

He ... giggled, a sound he hadn't made in a long while, and he shook his head.  "You don't have to run away from me if that's what you're avoiding."   He was, he supposed, technically rich.  But it didn't feel like his money - it felt like money he was supposed to be doing something with, like he oversaw a grant rather than inherited a fortune.  "So what else bores you?  It sounds like there could be a ... lot."

"Both, I guess?"  He rubbed at the back of his neck, taking another water from the bartender, still certain he'd sweat out half his body's moisture on the way here.  "There's a ... lot I still have to do, but it gets a little overwhelming, so maybe a day or two of a break would be a ... good thing."  He wrinkled his nose.  "I don't know if I can stay much longer than that," he admitted.  He said it like the world might come apart if he took more than a weekend, and for him - it seemed very much like the truth, not a hyperbole.

[Jaclyn]

Name: Katrina “Käti” von Roissy
Date | Time: June 7^th, morning
Wearing: This cool outfit.
Location: Back at the bar.
Tagging: Sebastian Wells, Brandon the Bartender, Open
‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
… does he get it? …

  “I guess boring is all relative Sebastian. My life purpose is to use up my inheritance. And I haven’t found anything fun yet to waste it on. You can only eat and drink so much or tan on only so many beachews before it all just turns into a blur. Maybe I expect more from life than eating and drinking and tanning and screwing.”

… she draws her bloody …

  “So what do you have to do? You said a lot more to do or something? Like what?”

[Ciosa]

Name: Sebastian Wells
Date | Time: June 7^th, morning
Wearing: As pictured.
Location: Front Desk
Tagging: Käti

He could see a certain inquisitive curiosity in his eyes, and he tilted his head a little when she said her life purpose was to use up her inheritance.  It was an odd choice of words - the money that had been willed to him was not something he thought of an inheritance, but all the same his brow furrowed while he considered the exorbitant lengths he'd have to go to in order to ... use it up.  More, the notion was ... anathema to him.  His whole life had been about being of service to other people, and he nodded a little when she said her life needed to be about more than eating, and drinking and ... well, the last one made the hint of blush appear on his cheeks.  There hadn't been time for ... that last one in his own journey to adulthood.    He watched her suckle on the straw, not quite ready with an answer to what she might want to do with her life.

"I have ..."  He frowned, and glanced towards Brandon, then back towards Käti, grateful when the experienced bartender drew a little away to give them some privacy. 
I had an ... inheritance, too.  And it came with a lot of responsibilities.  The man who ... named me his successor, there were a lot of things about his business he wanted to change.  Regrets he had.  And so I'm just trying to ... keep the plates spinning, while I learn all the things I need to know.  Only every time I learn something it feels like there's a thousand more things I need to know, and ... it's a lot easier to look at something from the outside and say 'this needs to be fixed,' than it is to be on the inside and see ... why something is the way it is."  His voice was soft as he chipped away at trying to explain what it was he was doing.  "And right now... I feel like by the time I know everything I need to know to make the best decision... I'll be fifty.  And that's if I don't sleep for the next thirty years."  He toyed with the menu in his hands, looking down at it and then back up to her.  He gave a faint hint of a smile.  "... only worrying about eating and drinking and tanning and ... uhm ... it sounds really nice right now."  He gave a small shake of his head.  "I wish I could."

He folded the menu, and gave a slightly weary look to Brandon.  "Just ... whatever's good," he asked, deciding to let the employee ring in whatever he recommended.  "Thank you."

[Peripherie]

Name: Brielle "Breezy" Garin
Date | Time: after stargazing, before speed dating
Wearing: floral sundress, coral sandals, and floppy hat
Location: Mirage Restaurant and Bar
Tagging: Open


Breezy had spent a long soak in the hot tub in her suite warming up after watching the stars through the night. She had a great catching up with the beautiful Becky, who she had met at the Masquerade party, but it had been just as nice to spend a long night resting up in her overstuffed, feather soft bed. She woke with an excitement for the day that had eluded her in the months prior to coming to the resort and it was refreshing to feel 'joie de vivre' again.

Walking in a beautiful new sundress she had gotten prior in the Bits and Bobs gift shot (which was surprisingly well stocked in all types of modern fashion), she headed down from her room towards the Mirage. There seemed to be quite an influx of new guests around and she was happy to idle and snoop just a little as she made her way towards the restaurant.

She found herself a table on the outside deck and after ordering a small bit of food and large frozen drink from the bar, she settled down to bask in the warm and bright desert sun. Always, always with a big floppy hat to shield her delicate skin - which was already starting to freckle mercilessly no matter what she did. Breezy took a small strip of pictures that came from the photobooth of the event party a few nights ago out of her purse. Fond memories. She hadn't seen the man she had danced with again around the resort. Perhaps he had left? She let her mind wander until her drink came. She thanked the waiter and then put the pictures away. What had caught her eye now was a tented flyer on the center of her table.

Speed Dating! She had remembered signing up for such a thing but hadn't remembered when it started. Her cheeks blushed at the thought of more intimate encounters. But hey, what else was she supposed to do far away from everything she had never known? She re-read the rules and event details when she sipped a very sweet and potent pina colada.

[LocusVonErich]

Name: Joseph Edwards
Date | Time: 7 June 2020, 1:00 PM or thereabouts
Wearing: Black jeans, white t-shirt
Location: Mirage
Tagging: Open


Joseph had finished his drink and contemplated another. Finally looking on the table, he saw an advertisement for speed dating. Wrinkling his nose in distaste, he would lay the card flat. There was a certain essence in his mind, he had tried the speed dating thing before. It felt manufactured to him, almost like an assembly line, moving from stage to stage. Stubbing his cigarette, he entertained the idea of returning to his room.

[Jaclyn]

Name: Katrina “Käti” von Roissy
Date | Time: June 7^th, morning
Wearing: This cool outfit.
Location: Back at the bar.
Tagging: Sebastian Wells, Brandon the Bartender, Open
‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
… she wonders what’s he trying to say? … seems to her he needs support he can trust, that’s for sure … and with something as simple as ordering even! …  Käti looks at Brandon …

  “Brandon, that omelet with the marinated goat and feta maybe? And some of those roasted root veggies?”

…  she turns back to Sebastian …

  “That sound good to you? It looked good on the menu earlier except I stay away from meat most of the time so I didn’t order it for me.”

… the way he tilts his head is … is charming … attractive … cuter and cuter by the minute … and more complex too … Käti finds herself intrigued … rests her elbow on the table and look at him … she likes his eyes …

  “So, um, it might surprise you but I have a Masters in Business from Yale School of Management and I worked in my Daddy’s company until he died and it was sold. The senior managers were all encouraging, but I don’t know how much of that was bullshitting the owner’s daughter. I turned a profit for the parts I touched, I will say that. What I wasn’t able to do because I ran out of time was affect the broken hiring and advancement systems. White males like white males so promote white males. And white males see only part of the business opportunity in front of them. Am I making sense?”

… Käti pauses for a moment and forges ahead …

  “But one thing I learned was that having a team you can trust to help think about the problems together is key. Finding solutions too soon is dangerous because most people won’t admit they’re wrong and keep digging their holes. I team that trusts each other can stop digging a whole lot sooner that a leader lunging ahead alone and expecting everyone to follow and do as they’re told.”

… she pauses to take a sip of her bloody … why is she hinting that she partner with him? … that’s going back to work! … Mother would be mortified … and Daddy rest his soul would be proud of her …

[Ciosa]

Name: Sebastian Wells
Date | Time: June 7^th, morning
Wearing: As pictured.
Location: Front Desk
Tagging: Käti

He glances over when she orders, and gives a small nod.  “Uh… do you have … a vegetarian substitute for the … goat?  And the eggs?”  He wasn’t a vegan – but he’d done his best to be vegetarian, at least.  He’d visited a factory farm on … what he now remembered as the most nightmarish field trip of his life, and ever since he hadn’t really been able to eat meat without his stomach curdling.  He looked apologetic to Käti, and grateful to Brandon when he quietly put in the order, promising it wouldn’t be a problem. 

He gave a small chuckle as she admitted to the business degree, and searched her eyes for a moment, thoughtful.  “That sounds like … it wouldn’t leave much room for tanning and drinking and … having fun.”  But it wasn’t said with any kind of disapproval.  “No, I’d imagine you’d have to replace the people at the top, and … rewrite most of the systems in place to include more recommendations from fellow employees, and give less authority to promote from within,” he frowned as he ran over it in his mind.  It immediately became one more thing on the to do list – but he’d already met with enough boards to know that … white, and male, and old were usually the only faces looking back at him.  “It makes perfect sense.”  He gave her a short nod, thumb running over his fingertips as the wheels in his head turned.  He gave a small smile as she described a leader forging ahead and expecting everyone else to fall in line.  She didn’t know it, but she’d just described Edgar perfectly. 

“I have a … credibility issue,” he explained.  “There’s a business I’m in charge of, and … by any objective measure, I’m not at all qualified for it.  But the person who owned it – he owned enough shares that he could do whatever he wanted.  So there are investors, and stakeholders, and boards – and none of them are really happy that I’m … in charge of things,” he explained.  “So shares are … basically in free fall, and I have to prove that the entire thing isn’t going to … burn down, or a lot of people lose their jobs and … worse.”  The exhaustion in his eyes suggested just how long it had been since he’d actually gotten a good night’s sleep.  “I know about the industry from the bottom … I worked in health care as a hospice nurse, but now I’m seeing everything that goes on at the top, and … a lot of it makes more sense than it did from the bottom.  But I still… know things are broken.  Really broken.  And a lot of the parts of it which are pure business …”  He gestured, slightly, towards his satchel.  “It’s like learning Latin over again.  Only there’s a test every day, and I never get to study for it.”

He nibbled at his lip, looking out over the desert for a moment.  “…do you want a job?”  He put his chin on his hand.  “If you don’t like it, you can always go back to spending your inheritance.  But I wouldn’t mind having a translator.  Finance to English.”  He glanced up, as Brandon returned with an omelet which bore only a hint of what she’d originally ordered – but still smelled savory all the same, as if the chef had taken a personal and invested interest in turning an omelet with a myriad of substitutions into something befitting the Mirage.  He reached for a fork - and though he was starving, he cut carefully with it.  It was partially exhaustion - and partially that he took the time t savor experiences when he could.  He slid the bottle of water Reese had given him onto the table, sipping at it to clear his palate before taking his first bite, his reaction clearly appreciative.

[Jaclyn]

Name: Katrina “Käti” von Roissy
Date | Time: June 7^th, late morning
Wearing: This cool outfit.
Location: Back at the bar.
Tagging: Sebastian Wells, Brandon the Bartender, Open
‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
… she shrugs as the bartender takes his requested adjustments  …

  “Then you’re probably best off with just the roasted vegetables. The few I had were very tasty. Do you avoid cheese?”

…  he explains his situation … explains the look of fear very deep in his eyes … do I want a job? …

  “No Sebastian, I don’t want a job. I don’t need a job and don’t want to go toe to toe with Wall Street or aggressive shareholders either. But …”

… yes, she thinks, there is indeed a ‘but’ here …

  “But let’s explore a partnership. I invest only my time. With my time comes my full attention. And you and I do it together. Consider this a personal proposition. You and me, personal partners. We’ll fight as much as we must in private and forgive each other before we go to bed every night. And I’ll walk away when I choose or when you tell me too. No strings, never any strings.”

… she stares at him …

  “Did I just say what I heard myself say? Oh, I mean it. I mean everything I say. One of my problems. But think about it. It probably won’t work but at least two of us will be thinking about the problem from your and what will become my point of view.”

… she pauses to take a sip of her bloody … will he accept? … it scares her slightly to think he might … and thrills her that if he does she can break her cycle of self-indulgence … work with others … what would she tell her mother? …

[Ciosa]

Name: Sebastian Wells
Date | Time: June 7^th, morning
Wearing: As pictured.
Location: Front Desk
Tagging: Käti

“Oh, I’ll probably have another plate of those, too,” he nodded.  He gave a shake of his head.  “No, not … full vegan.  I just try to be … conscious of where the cheese I buy comes from,” he admitted.

“Not what I was suggesting,” he shook his head, at the mention of going toe to toe with Wall Street or aggressive shareholders.  He quirked his mouth a little at partnership, and as she laid it out, it sounded a little odd.  Not … badly so, but curious.  “Well … “  He tilted his head, listening as she continued.  He gave a soft laugh, digging into the food when she expressed disbelief about what she said. 

“What’s… your investment?”  He gestured to himself.  “I mean, I know my investment.  I know … why I care.  What’s your … stake in it?  I mean, I’d be happy to stake you, but I kinda get the feeling money isn’t what you’re worried about.  If you just want to help… why?”  He tilted his head, studying her face.  “I mean, not that I’m not grateful.  I just … I’ve had a lot of people interested in giving me advice lately, but almost all of them have an angle.”  He frowned, apologetic.  “I don’t mean to be rude, I just… want to know what yours is.”  He didn’t wolf through the food – he ate fairly carefully, but still quickly, as though still not quite used to having the luxury of time where eating was concerned. 

“Have you ever heard of … Compass Health Services?”   He asked.  His eyes searched her face – most people were clueless about the organization that owned their local hospital, and CHS had gotten enough bad press over the years they made a point of keeping the corporate logos in the back, away from the public eye.  But if she’d been in finance…

[Jaclyn]

Name: Katrina “Käti” von Roissy
Date | Time: June 7^th, late morning
Wearing: This cool outfit.
Location: Back at the bar.
Tagging: Sebastian Wells, Brandon the Bartender, Open
‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
… my Investment … quick math …

  “Um, you don’t need my money. Maybe to convince other shareholders to shut up. I can bring a half a Bil I think without raising a sweat but why? I’d rather offer my time and attention, because then you lose nothing when you tell me to fuck off.”

… and he names the company … my heart does a flip …

  “Oh shit Sebastian! Compass? Sell out and run like hell! First world nightmare, that crowd! Daddy pulled out of health care because he saw what was happening at Compass!”

… Compass? … the lure of the insurance alliances … Daddy talked about the changes if and when single payer entered the fray … my college brain was thrilled by the possibilities for people and for profits …

[Ciosa]

Name: Sebastian Wells
Date | Time: June 7^th, morning
Wearing: As pictured.
Location: Front Desk
Tagging: Käti

He ... blinked, a little stupefied when she mentioned investing her own money, and for a moment his mouth fell open - not at the amount of money offered, but at the inversion of what he'd had in mind.  "No, that was ... the opposite of what I was thinking.  I was thinking ... I bring you on, for ... "  He pursed his lips.  "Say a percent of the holdings?  If it goes up, you make more money.  If it goes down, you lose money.  Wasn't yours to start with, but..."  He spread his hands.  "That way you've got an investment.   And what I meant was more ... why does it matter to you?  Why are you ... interested?" 

He wrinkled his nose a little at her reaction to Compass.  "Yeah, I ... know.  I had to work with them and their ... insurance subsidiary when I was a hospice nurse."  He sighed, leaned back, pushing the empty plate away.  "They told me I should set up a GoFundMe for one of my clients, because their insurance wouldn't cover the transplant rejection meds.  And Compass itself wouldn't put them on the transplant list unless they were funded for the rejection meds.  Meanwhile, there was no way for them to work, no way for them to get insurance... "  He shook his head, remembering the frustration well.  "I was begging on the phone when we managed to raise half of it, and it was like talking to a robot."  He paused, then grimaced.  "Actually, I think I might have been talking to a robot." 

[Jaclyn]

Name: Katrina “Käti” von Roissy
Date | Time: June 7^th, late morning
Wearing: This cool outfit.
Location: Back at the bar.
Tagging: Sebastian Wells, Brandon the Bartender, Open
‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
… smile at his reaction …

  “I don’t need more money Sebastian. I need something to do while I spend mine. This partying just isn’t cutting it it for me.”

… he speaks to a contemporary anecdote about a Compass client … my brain is half there but I get it …

  “So what do you have in mind? Or let me say that a little different, what can you and I do – together or separately yet coordinated – to improve the US health care system? That Obamacare ACA thing isn’t working out because it’s not addressing the costs. Plus I’m not convinced many Americans are smart enough to buy something as complicated as insurance. Not their fault, they’re trying to put food on the table and a roof over their heads. So lets see, we could try to fix the insurance part of the equation but the political stream on that is for and against single payer so there we’d have to align with one side or the other unless there’s an alternative not being talked about enough.”

… hold up two fingers …

  “Or we could tackle the provider side of things. I don’t fancy becoming a health care executive beholden to shareholders at the expense of their patients, but maybe taking a big enough health care company private and try to instil a conscience into management. But even Google had to abandon their ‘Do No Wrong’ motto.”

… hold up three fingers …

  “Or start a health care company from scratch in a high need area. Parts of rural America are underserved because there’s no profit to be made. Or run down parts of big cities though I think to be viable a system has to serve a wide demographic, healthy and unhealthy, old and young. I would fancy trying to be the conscience to a health care company. Wuith a hand firmly on the accounting and payroll.”

… four fingers …

  “Or run a charity to pick up the tab like that person you referred to. Or something else. I mean, health care has to be working someplace in America, wouldn’t you think? I heard that in Boston there’s a clinic where the clinicians can write prescriptions to have patients’ heat turned on or for assistance in buying and preparing healthy food. I do fancy riding in on a white horse and saving the day for people. Better than falling asleep drunk every night like I’m close to doing now.”

… push my unfinished drink a bit farther away  …

[Ciosa]

Name: Sebastian Wells
Date | Time: June 7^th, morning
Wearing: As pictured.
Location: Mirage/Front Bar
Tagging: Käti

He spread his hands, not helplessly, but acknowledging her points.  “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  You can’t do any of those things if you’re not alive, and because we’ve got a system that venerates capitalism, then even healthcare is a product to be bought and sold.  But there’s no other product on the market that people need to survive.  The closest are water, and power.  After that… fire and police services.  Yes, you pay for utility services, but utility services are incredibly regulated.  They’re basically fixed based on the cost of expenses and investment, and they’re not allowed to profit beyond that recoup of investment.  Yes, doctors are going to earn more the people maintaining our electrical infrastructure, but …”  He grimaced.  “There’s about a dozen different things which I can spin off into, at this point.  Pharmaceutical price fixing, the abrogation of laws regulating the healthcare industry and the insurance industry, the millions of dollars flowing into politics – just from Compass, not the health industry as a whole.  But the bottom line for me – the bottom line is that whether people live or die can not, should not, never should have been a matter of profit.”

His lips pressed tight, as though … it was the first time he’d really said it aloud.  “Compass has a hundred and eighty eight major hospitals.  Some four hundred clinics.  An insurance company subsidy.  Close to a billion dollars in liquid assets earmarked just for political donations… for 2022.  But I can’t fix the company just to have to sell off the assets to another when our stock price burns to ash, and nothing changes.  We employ a million people who are depending on me to make good choices – and we serve nearly thirty percent of the U.S. population.  If Compass goes up in flames, I don’t know that something better will show up in it’s place.  More like the leaner, hungrier wolf.  And a charity is a bandaid that just … enables the status quo.  I don’t mind a charity.  Hell, I don’t mind going through once a month and paying every medical GoFundMe anonymously until there’s a better system in place.”

He blew out a breath, and glanced to his plate, pulling out his cell phone and drawing money out of the case to slide under the plate.  “I have a conference call coming up,” he offered.  “If you want to come … hear what I’m dealing with before you decide to jump into the frying pan, I understand.”  He rose from the table, then reached down to loop the satchel over his shoulder.  “You didn’t answer me,” he noted.  “About your investment.  I understand if you don’t care about making money – and making or losing money is a pretty terrible investment if you don’t care about it.  But I want to know … what you want out of it.  What drives you.  You have a life that …”  He gestured towards the resort she’d been wiling away time in.  “Most people would kill for.  Why dig into a nasty, knockdown drag out fight?  And why … mine?  It’s not exactly … restful.”  He smiled wanly.  “I mean, it’s probably a good way to avoid becoming an alcoholic.  …maybe not,” he admitted.  “It might be a good way to ensure becoming an alcoholic.”

He kept a thumb tucked into the satchel, as he looked around and started to get his bearings.  "Uh, do you know where ... 252 is?"  I need a shower and a comb and ...    He closed his eyes, and murmured to himself.  "The woods are lovely, dark and deep."  It was just a moment of personal mantra - the conclusion to a poem which had stuck with him since he'd begun to take on the enormity of what Edgar had left to him.  He gave her a smile over his shoulder, and gestured to the bloody she'd been drinking.  "Want me to order one to the room?  It's ... scheduled for about three hours."

[Jaclyn]

Name: Katrina “Käti” von Roissy
Date | Time: June 7^th, toward noon
Wearing: This cool outfit.
Location: Going to room 252.
Tagging: Sebastian Wells, Open
‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
… yes, what Daddy and I often disagreed on when we politely talked politics … for profit health care was the banew … remember asserting that ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness expressly meant that all residents deserve adequate food, clothing, shelter and medical care … Daddy would change the subject to illegal residents … and we’d end when I asked what we were doing in Central America to ensure that the people there didn’t have to look north for a life with less misery …

  “About the GoFundMe? Yeah, let’s do that. Start ourselves and then get a small staff. Credit cards and email address under a corporate shell. Daddy has an attorney friend than would probably advise us on how to do it and stay legal and be a charity that never raised money except what you and me put into it. Have to validate the requests though, that homeless guy and that couple in Philly or wherever I never could figure.”

… he invites me to a conference call …

  “Yeah I’ll listen. Let’s go.”

… signal the bartender to put it all on my tab … head for the lobby … I point to the elevator …

  “252. Upstairs. Only two levels.”

… so what is in it for me? …

  “Really simple at the moment Sebastian. I get to hang out with you and try to figure it out. You didn’t treat me like a blond party girl but like a caring human being, you’re passionate about something besides yourself, you’re cute, and right now that’s enough. Maybe talk more after your call.”

… on two, the signs show where his room is …

  “That way.”

… point and follow along …

[Gannameade]

 

Name: Apollo King
Date | Time: June 10th 2020 | Morning
Wearing: shown
Location: Front Desk
Tagging: Juliet

Apparently, his Daphne wanted very much to be chased.  He was lost for a bit as he wasn't really strong enough to lift a tree and carry her off.  But he did enjoy the teasing.  But since he had been able to work the system and since he knew very well the way things ran.  He couldn't ask for her room number, it would seem like he was a stalker, but he could have something delivered to her so he bought her a lovely bouquet of flowers and had them delivered inside there was a note.  <<Could Daphne come have breakfast with me before she becomes a tree and I can't carry her away?>>  He did his best to make sure she knew he was listening to her and she wanted a southern gentleman and he tried to be despite what he was.  He would fight with feminist and show them that even...semi-intelligent guys knew how to care for them.

He knew what he could make for them and the chance for them to interact and be alone he made sure to get something more English but he also made sure to get some danishes and something practical for them to eat and perhaps share between them.  A few carafes of mimosas, juice, and water.