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She's twenty-three, and this is Audrey's first visit to the Rose Bowers. A two week stay, complimentary through her government job on Arcbright. She's alone.
She's heard stories of the Rose Bowers, of the unrestrained hedonism that's its stock in trade, and its matchmaking, which is reputed to be excellent.
She comes in with trepidation in her heart. Her suitcase rattles as it bumps over the threshold.
"What day are you on, anyway? You said two weeks." Draw, place. "We're really low on tiles now, when did that happen?"
"This is still my first day! It's been, um..." She checks her phone. "Eleven hours and fifteen minutes so far. I had no idea what that was going to say before I checked it. Seems both too short and too long at the same time." Oh right, she should place.
"Okay!" She goes to put away the game, and discovers the tiles all neatly put away in their felt bag already. "Huh."
"Yeah, even the Hotel will surprise you sometimes to give you the best service." Rose grins.
Well. That went... really well, actually.
She's kind of hungry again. What meal is it now, midnight snack? Eat when you're hungry, use Dyne when you're tired.
She goes and orders a whole pizza and a basket of onion rings from the bar and goes and sits in a booth and eats and soaks up the atmosphere a bit.
It's quiet. Nobody is around except the silver-haired woman and her book.
She eats quietly, absently looking over at the silver-haired woman. She's wearing a very nice dress, silk she thinks? The classic single brooch, always in fashion here. The book she's reading is a slim black volume with blue embossing on the cover; she can't quite make out what it says from here.
The silver-haired woman looks up, makes eye contact with Audrey. She smiles.
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