The Bear's Cave - Sedona Station, Baffin (Formerly Freeport 14, Yukon)

[Susan Ward]

Otis got offered some tuna flavored Synth paste by the server but, of course, that generous present was rejected with a swing of his hand. Today was the 'Scrubbie soup' day. Certainly those Zoners wouldn't use real scrubbies to make that soup... At least that's what Otis hoped. He was considering the bowl with moderate trust, but eventually took the grave decision to risk a spoonful when he noticed someone was now standing right near the booth he occupied.

Now that was quite an oddity he was looking at. The woman facing him looked spectacularly ordinary. Her cheap clothes stained with dirt, her bearing and general attitude, along with that stunned expression screamed to whoever would have been bothered to study that specimen that she wasn't in her place. To Otis at least, she looked like one of those destitute squatting the rough-areas in various notorious stations. But Sedona had no such population for all he knew.

Dropping his spoon, Otis cleared his throat as a prelude to an inquiry, but before he could speak, the woman made it inside the booth, ending sat in front of him.

No. That could just not be the person he was waiting for. He was about to express his displeasure to be bothered by a stranger, and that this booth was actually occupied, when the woman extended her arms and pulled the scrubbies soup towards her.
Such an outrage could not be tolerated and Otis felt the need to vigorously express his displeasure about such a despicable act.

But the woman appeared to be too busy enjoying the soup to care about anything else. Otis sighed and made a movement to leave the booth. He'd just find another one. Cursed destitute...
But the woman took the golden statuette and said, with a phrasing in break with the character :
- "Oddly, I was expecting a real flower, whose reason to die would have been this very meeting. Good evening, Mr. ..?"

Quite surprised, Otis leaned back, taking the time to study this person carefully, this time.