Val and Lorelei relax

After Pren, Lorelei had several more customers whose appointments did mot need to be changed around. It was rather a full day, and it's been a while since she socialized with anyone who hadn't paid for it. So when she finished up at the Two Moons, she sent a recorded message to Val's quarters to come over for a drink if he wasn't busy.

Val received the message shortly after the surprise interruption from Vorlem. He smiled, grateful for friends like Lorelei, who thought of him even though their own schedules wee busy. He put on a muted blue robe and scooped Papus into his arms, making his way down the corridor to Lorelei's quarters. He pressed the panel, and the door chirped his arrival.

When he came in, he found Lorelei stretched out in an arm chair, wearing her sheer house robe, resting her feet on an elevated foot stool. "I hope you don't mind my not getting up," she whimpered, "I've had a long day. Papus!!" She outstretched her arm, like a child reaching for a favorite toy. There was a bottle of aerated water and Risan cherry brandy - a gift from an admirer - waiting for them on the table beside her.

Val Etilen grinned at her.
"Somehow I had a feeling the dress code would be Sheer Robes, I'm glad I'm in theme," he let Papus drop to the floor, and the animal sniffed around briefly before hopping up on the footstool and rubbing itself on Lorelei's legs.
Val took up the brandy and inspected the label, recognizing the illustration and pouring himself a glass. "May I?" he asked out of formality.

Lorelei waved her hand at him because the question was ridiculous, and stretched towards the cat to pet him. "When is the dress code not sheer robes, darling? You and I might as well be Betazoid around each other," she replied, making faces at the cat adoringly. "How was your day? Anything exciting?"

"I had my first non-humanoid," Val offered. "It was... strange. I may be allergic to the ejaculate."

"Really!" Lorelei looked up from the cat, "Was it the new groundskeeper? I saw you getting pretty cozy at the Eel."

"That's right," Val swiftly downed a mouthful of brandy, then topped up his glass before curling up by a cushion on the floor beside Lorelei.
"They were quite bold with soliciting me, and I very much enjoyed myself, but.. well, beings without faces.. how do you tell what they're feeling? It's hard enough with your own species sometimes. They may have had their fill of me," Val shrugged. "Which is all right."

Lorelei relaxed back into her chair, putting her hand idly on Val's head. Papus settled down on a cushion beside them, idly flicking the tip of his tail. "That's a tricky one. I've never had a Phylosian client. Quite rare, aren't they? What was it like?"

"Very rare.. endangered, even. I had the doctor do all kinds of tests to make sure I wouldn't pose any harm to them.." He rested his head against Lorelei's chair. "The lovemaking was wonderful for *me*.. they've got this natural lubricant. I thought I'd made it clear I would do whatever they liked, but.. afterwords they didn't seem enthused. One goes through so much effort..."

Lorelei stroked his head. "That's nice at least though, isn't? There are enough clients one has to fake it with!" she mused. "Still, you can't please everyone... Business good otherwise?"

Val shrugged. "I haven't been putting myself out there as much since one died on me, and another tried to kill me within 24 hours. But - there are plenty of ensigns coming aboard soon and they have some time before being shipped out, so..."

"I keep telling you it's not safe to contract independently!" Lorelei chided. "You know I'd put in a good word for you at Two Moons and you could get a position. You'd have to get additional training, but that's easy enough..."

Val smiled at the turn of the conversation - it was one they had often.
"Lorelei, darling.. you know I love the Two Moons. But sometimes a person is in the mood for an elegant 5 course meal, and sometimes they just need a streetside jumja stick. You can't just take away the jumja stick stands, Lorelei."

"Darling, you are so much mores than a jumja stick," Lorelei laughed, "But I might start calling you that."

Val laughed. "Thank you very much. How about you? Anything interesting going on at Two Moons since I had my last skin treatment?"

"Pren, the new lieutenant, had a session today," Lorelei sighed, and poured herself a brandy as well. "Akhil's got his work cut out for him, that's all I can say." She sipped the liquor.

Val sat up, his brows raised.
"Really! You *are* an artist. She brought *me* over to sit with her at the Eel, then went stiff as a board when I touched her shoulder."

"Oh no no, not like that," Lorelei quickly corrected, "Just a spa treatment. The Commander himself asked to switch my appointments around to fit her in - mandated day off apparently. Poor thing needed it too," the Risan added, shaking her head. "I don't think I've ever met anyone that tightly wound."

Val nodded. "Nor I... outside of Cardassian military, anyway."

"Well... might be where she gets it from, considering some of her history..." Lorelei stopped, realizing she might be straying too far into breach of client confidentiality territory. She and Val frequently discussed clients - you had to let it out sometime - but even so, she preferred to be discreet.

"Hmm," Val sipped his brandy, knowing not to push the issue. "Speaking of training.. any new erotic Raisan poetry find its way to you? I'd love to hear more, but none of the computer systems have it as audio recordings."

"Do a lot of people expect poetry out of their jumja sticks these days?" Lorelei asked with a smirk, languidly rising from the chair.

Val shrugged. "No, not lately, but I like them." He placed his hands behind his head and sighed. "I would like to have grown up on Raisa."

"It's very beautiful. It would have suit you," Lorelei replied, picking up a small tablet from her bedside and turning it on. "Do you miss Bajor?" she asked, her finger moving over the screen as she looked for poems to share with Val.