Brianna Winters (winters__breeze) wrote in birthrightrpg, @ 2020-11-14 09:02:00 |
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Entry tags: | brianna winters, ~izzy shaw |
USC Alumni function
Who: Izzy/Brianna
What: Meet
When: Friday 13th Nov
Where: Function - le Breeze
Ratings G
The rush of changes to the arrangements for the function for the USC Engineering School Alumni reminded Brianna why her employer had been insistent on her engaging a new person in the role of assistant manager. The group were visiting for the weekend, and had left a lot of the details of the planning for the function until the last minute, which had made it challenging to ensure all their expectations were going to be met.
Entering the kitchen she saw Ro, completely focused on the final touches to the amazing array of sweet delights she had created to suit the ‘engineers for the future’ theme the client had finally chosen just two days earlier. Brianna wanted to thank her, and the rest of the team for their efforts and willingness to put in the extra hours to make sure the massive changes to the theme were reflected in the food being prepared. Instead she quietly left the hive of activity to continue without any interruptions, and made her way back to the microbrewery, the chief brewer giving his team, and the barstaff, the final run through on the different brews they had on offer that evening, making sure everyone knew the background of what made each of the individual ales as individual as they were.
Out in the cafe bar area the housekeeping staff who sometimes doubled up to help with function set up were finishing up laying out the tables and chairs outside under the market umbrellas, the large gas heaters positioned and ready to be ignited if the evening turned too cold, and the pealighting strung through the umbrellas offering adequate lighting for those choosing to sit outside.
Inside, in the bar area, the dark wood floors were clear of tables other than those lined along the two ends, which were already being loaded with trays of food. There was a lectern located just in front of the glass next to where the connection for the sound system was, the organisers having requested the ability to provide their own playlist of music. Behind the plate glass wall along the end of the cafe bar area the copper and brass of the microbrewery vats, gauges, and lines glowed under the concealed lighting, giving the area its trademark ‘steampunk’ feel.
Thirty minutes later everything was in place, and the first guests, and the organisers started to arrive. Brianna greeted them, showed them around the venue, and introduced them to their function supervisor for the evening. Once she’d handed over she took a few minutes to make her rounds of the dining area, ensuring the usually concealed sliding doors were in place to ensure the two areas could operate without any interference or overlap. After a brief conversation with the band for the restaurant, and making sure they were aware of the function next door, Brianna made her way back through the restaurant and into the entrance foyer.
Attending the Alumni association function was not on the list of things Izzy was enthusiastic about that day. Work had been stressful and all she really wanted to do was put her feet up for a bit, snuggle her cat, and do some reading on Nikola Tesla's later experiments. She was certain that some of his ideas could be applied to her own research on coming up with a way to observe and measure magical energy by technological means But it was good to network with fellow alumni and she did actually have some friends who were planning on attending. So she'd gone home and gotten cleaned up before changing into [description of outfit], more appropriate for a semi-official affair like this instead of the field clothes she'd spent the day in.
And it looked like she'd rushed for nothing, most everyone she knew or needed to see seemed to be operating on the 'fashionably late' time scale. So after making nice with the association officers for a minute she was wondering what to do with herself.
Brianna finished sending a text message, answering Gabe that no, the bar was booked out to a function, but there was a table in the restaurant he could have if he and Ana wanted to have dinner. She slipped her phone back into the concealed pocket in her tailored navy blue trousers, her sapphire blue long sleeved silk blouse draping softly over the waist, adding to the concealing of the pocket. While she was now feeling a little more comfortable wearing short sleeves, when they were hosting a function, especially from a university group, she would revert to the additional protection of the physicality of sleeves on her arms. She surveyed the room, and glanced toward the sudden eruption of noise outside. A large group of guests were arriving together, a bus having just disgorged them outside the entrance. Most were coming through the front door, but some of the more enthusiastic had decided to leap over the hip-wall barriers that separated the outside part of the cafe bar from the pedestrian plaza.
She was about to go out and check with the function supervisor appeared and quickly made their way across to the individuals, checking that they were okay, and inviting them inside. As the three guests made their way inside the supervisor checked the chairs and tables that had been knocked, straightening them and collecting the coasters from the floor where they'd ended up.
With a small sigh of relief Brianna gave the supervisor a nod and moved to stand away from the bar, giving the new arrivals room to order drinks and greet other guests. She noticed the other woman standing to one side close by and wondered momentarily why someone as clearly attractive as she was would be standing by herself. Brianna did something she hadn’t done since she’d returned with her new-found abilities and knowledge of how to control them, and carefully reached out, just a little, to see if the woman was comfortable, or perhaps would appreciate some interaction. She smiled and closed the gap between them and gave her a welcoming smile.
“Hello, welcome to Brasserie le Breeze. I’m Brianna. Is there anything I can get you? Would you like a drink?”
“Hmm?” Izzy had let herself get lost in thought and hadn’t heard the other woman approach. She looked up, though with heels on it wasn’t as stark a difference as it would be otherwise.
“Oh, hello. Isabelle Shaw, Electrical, ‘17.” It came out automatically before her brain reengaged with the outside world, since she hadn’t seen her before and she shook her head. “Sorry, I was a million miles away it seems. I’d love a drink, thanks.” A drink wouldn’t hurt, and she’d make a point to get some food before she had any more.
Brianna signaled and a waiter bearing a selection of drinks on a tray appeared, Brianna’s own drink positioned in front of her, a martini glass with a clear drink and a twist of lemon being selected by the young manageress.
“So you're an electrical engineer?” Brianna asked, observing Izzy as she selected a drink. There were various cocktails and of course the bottles of the microbrewery’s special ales that had been selected by the organisers as part of the drinks package.
"That's right." Izzy glanced over the tray and settled on a rum and coke. It would be strong enough she could taste it and take the edge off, but not enough to make her do anything stupid. It may be a social event but a faux pas here due to too much booze could hurt her career. "I work for the water district." Obviously Brianna worked for the Brasserie, though exactly what she wasn't sure. Some kind of concierge or assistant manager perhaps?
"This is a really nice place." It was much nicer than the sort of places she'd been to as a girl, aside from special occasions.
"Thanks, we like it," Brianna replied, taking a sip from her glass and running her eye across the now filling room.
"Are you located here now?" she asked, having noticed the reference to 'the water district's rather than another town or city water district. "Or just visiting Las Vegas for the weekend?"
“I relocated earlier this year,” Izzy confirmed. “The offer was too good to pass up so here I am.” Of course it wasn’t anywhere near the whole story, but she could hardly tell someone she’d just met she moved out here so she could take advantage of and study the magical energy that moved about the region to the south. The last thing she needed was to get the wrong kind of reputation in professional circles, and ‘believes in magic’ would be a career killer. Let alone ‘is a practicing witch’. “Between work and getting my housing situation settled I haven’t had much free time to get out and be social until recently.”
"Yes, I remember when I first moved here, it was a very busy time," Brianna agreed. For her the hotel had just gone through renovations, the microbrewery was being installed and the restaurant and cafe were still operating. "Where are you living?"
“I bought a cute property in Boulder City, in the historic district. I got really lucky and found it in a tax sale of all things, it needed a little bit of work but nothing I couldn’t get done between myself, family and friends.” Brianna seemed friendly enough and there was no harm sharing that information, even if it was a little strange chatting up an employee of the hotel instead of other alumni, now that things were starting to fill up. Still, there was a little time left to be sociable before diving back into the fray.
She sipped her drink. “What about you? Here in Vegas or out in the burbs?”
"I actually live here, on the premises," Brianna replied. "Makes it easier to keep an eye on everything."
Izzy almost choked on her drink at that statement. All right, maybe Brianna wasn’t a concierge after all. “That’s certainly a convenient commute! What is it you do?”
"I'm the manager," Brianna answered simply. She knew only too well how often that blew people away and Izzy's reaction was fairly standard. "When I graduated the owner offered me to come here from Boston it was an offer too good to refuse, and I've basically been an 'in-house' fixture ever since," she continued, a small tone of wistfulness creeping in. "Until very recently I'd never even really been up to Las Vegas proper. Still haven't been to Boulder City, or anywhere, really." She had no idea why she was admitting this to a complete stranger.
"The manager." Izzy echoed. Of a high end hotel with a restaurant and microbrewery attached. Brianna didn't look any older than herself, so at most was a few years older than her. So yeah, she was impressed and didn't bother hiding it.
Things were picking up and she needed to go, but Brianna seemed interesting and like she could use a friend. And Izzy could use more of those anyway, especially those who were high achievers. So more on spur of the moment she pulled a business card out of her clutch. "Here " handing the card to the other woman Izzy gave her a smile. "It has my cell on there too, so give me a call and we'll get coffee sometime."
Brianna took the card, a little surprised but also a little pleased. "That would be nice," she returned, adding, "of course you know where to find me most of the time!" For a brief moment being at le Breeze all the time seemed a little bit odd, something she wanted to change. She looked at the card in her hand and then smiled at Izzy just as the event supervisor caught her eye, signaling they needed her Her eyes darted in the direction they were indicating, to the group in the entrance, and back again. "And please excuse me, duty calls!"