Boar's Head Restaurants

[Gia Trakana]

Near the center of town, there is a nice restaurant called the Boar's Head Restaurant. It's a good-sized restaurant, fit for families and singles alike. Come in, sit down, and enjoy yourself if you wish for a night out on the town, or simply to not cook for once. The staff will take care of you.

OOC: Feel free to NPC the waiter/waitress serving you.

Boar's Head Restaurant Menu

Soups and Salads

Meats
Come with your choice of two sides & cooked anyway you want. Ask if you want it baked with something - ie, gravy, wine, etc...

Sides

Drinks

Desserts

[Devanus Zeller]

God, Aldeth hated this city. From the shape of the buildings to the attitude of the common rabble, there was little about it that Aldeth didn't loathe. Everyone here was too uptight in all the wrong ways, and it was incredibly difficult to find a decent poker game when every other person seemed to be a soldier. It had gotten to the point where Aldeth didn't even come to town anymore to actually do anything; he had servants for that.

No, the only times Aldeth could be found roaming the streets were when he was on his way to lunch, as he was now, or when he went running. Aldeth prided himself on looking good, and much like being rich, he understood that it was constant work to stay that way. He was working out in one form or another almost every day of the week, either after work or during lunch. Aldeth always made sure he stayed in shape, and he also always made sure he had something to do. Whether it was managing one of his twin companies, dealing with clients, enduring his secretary, gambling, or exercising, Aldeth scarcely left himself time for sleep.

Today it was one of his many business lunches with his secretary, Lara. He had just returned from a trip to Aurora Valley, and needed to catch up on how his deals had progressed here. There was a big military contract dealing with a new kind of steel he had manufactured for the swords, and he had had to trust his board of directors to finalize it in his absence. Realistically, Aldeth knew it was all but sealed, but he still did not want to count on his bumbling set of lackeys that passed for an executive board. Fortunately, he had Lara to spy on them.

Slipping into the restaurant, Aldeth was immediately shown to his usual table and poured a glass of white wine, which he was assured was on the house. There were, after all, certain perks to being him. It was a simple matter of trade; the Boar's Head knew that Aldeth ate expensive and tipped very well, especially when dining with company, and they were inclined to ensure he kept coming back. That was a business model that Aldeth appreciated, and so he did.

Casting his gaze across the common-folk that gathered below, Aldeth reflected that he could find somewhere more expensive to eat regularly, but something about the atmosphere here drew him. He found nothing more in common with his fellow elites than he did with these peasants; aside from all coming from old money, they had little to speak about. These people knew the value of hard work, and that was one of very few things that Aldeth respected. Not enough to look at them with anything but a smirk of contempt, but that was just about the most pleasant facial expression he ever managed.

[Gia Trakana]

Larianna walked from her house in Deproelior down the street. The streets were bustling, as they always were this time of day. The city wasn’t all that bad, but all three had their faults in her opinion. The woman didn’t prefer one over the other. She had seen all three at one point or another, although Laknos she hadn’t been to in years, and that had been only briefly. She lived on the outskirts of town, as it allowed having a larger place. True, her house wasn’t that big, but it did allow for a bit more breathing room than if you lived in the city. It meant a decent walk to the restaurant she was going to today. She didn’t mind that so much, though, despite the fact that she was carrying paperwork.

Larianna was meeting her boss, Aldeth. He had gotten back from one of his business trips to Aurora Valley, and no doubt, he’d want an update on everything that had happened while he was gone. Turning a left, and then another right at the next street, she continued straight again for the time being. Perhaps later she’d go to target practice and blow off some steam. She’d been talked into going to dinner at her parent’s house with her brother and his wife, who announced the coming of their third child. Therefore, she was not in the mood to deal with Aldeth today. The conversation had again come up of why she wasn’t married with children, and it had set her in a really bad mood. It gave the auburn-haired woman a headache simply thinking about it. It was a common topic and one she hated hearing about.

Larianna turned a few more times until she came to the street that the Boar’s Head rested on. Part of her considered walking around for a bit, just to let him wait. That would annoy him, which she almost might enjoy seeing, but then again, he annoyed her enough already. Besides, did she really want to piss him off? Not that it mattered. After all, what was he going to do – fire her? That was a laughable thought. Even if he could bring someone else, no one else would be able to put up with him. Deciding that there was really no putting it off, the woman continued down the street until the restaurant came into view. It was a good thing that she was actually getting rather hungry, or this might almost seem like a pointless waste of time to her. Then again, in his position, she wouldn’t blame him for wanting to know what was going while he was gone. The man should really trust her though, but never mind that…

As soon as she walked in the door, Larianna was ushered to the usual table, were Aldeth was already waiting for her. She wondered if she was late for a moment, and then decided that she didn’t honestly give a damn. Sitting down, she smoothed out the skirt of her lavender dress, a V-necked dress that hugged in her all the right places, as she insisted that anything she wore did. The lavender color blended nicely with the tan on her skin, as well. Her gray eyes fell to the glass of wine, and she turned her gaze to her boss. “Wine, this early? Really…” Their waiter appeared and set down a glass of Raspberry Lemonade, and then asked if they were ready to order. “Not yet,” she muttered, and then he went away. “So, how was the trip?” She deliberately made small talk, knowing that if he wanted to know about anything that went on, he would ask – and ask he most certainly would.

[Devanus Zeller]

Lara - or Larianna, as she insisted on reminding him - was late. This was not unusual, as the two of them had a long history of petty slights. There was certainly no love lost between them, but they were stuck together now. Lara could never quit and he could never fire her, because they were both up to their necks in his scheme to sell to both sides. None of it was illegal, strictly speaking, but to incur the ire of both Aurora Valley and Deproelior at once would be unwise, even if fleeing to Laknos was always an option. Aldeth was not a man who forgot or forgave, and would be sure to irritate Lara in kind; most likely by continuing his tradition of only referring to her by that nickname. It was not much, but it was a start, and the fact that they saw each other nearly every day made it rather exhausting to engage in open warfare, so the little shots did the job.

When she finally did show up, Lara wasted no time commenting on his decision to drink, almost before she sat down. In reaction, Aldeth cupped his glass and leaned back in his chair. "It was a long trip and I knew I was coming back to you. So yes, I think wine this early is eminently appropriate." Again, it was all about the little digs.

Loosening his tie a little, Aldeth took a drink before he answered her question. "The trip was very productive. I found a private buyer; willing to pay nearly double what I was planning to charge the military. Now, of course, we'll be able to anonymously tip off the government that one of their citizens is amassing weapons technology and we'll have yet another sale." There was a small smile on Aldeth's face as he swirled his wine around its glass. "Even so, it is always tiring to travel that distance, and interact with those people. Say what you will about our hometown; at least we're efficient."

He would give her the full briefing at a later date, but for now it was time for him to gain some information. After all, he hadn't brought her here for the pleasure of her company. "What do you have to report? Did the army give us the price we were asking for? And what of the Yagara deal?" If things had gone astray, Aldeth would put them right and punish those responsible, but he needed his information now. Oh, to be omniscient and not have to rely on others. Unfortunately, they were a necessary fact of his existence, and it never ceased to irritate him.

[Gia Trakana]

Larianna glared at Aldeth, her gray eyes appearing cold and lifeless. “Trust me, spending my lunch with you is no picnic,” she said. “Everything was so peaceful… and then you returned.” A smirk crossed her lips. She knew that it wasn’t always in her best interests to have the last word, but most of the time, she couldn’t help herself. It wasn’t as if he didn’t make his own digs at her. That nickname he called her, Lara, annoyed her so much. It shouldn’t, but it did. Of course, he knew how much it annoyed her – that was why he did it, and she knew it. They did spend an awful lot of time together, so it was only natural that they’d get on each other’s nerves frequently. The auburn-haired woman listened as he told her about this trip, just sipping on her Raspberry Lemonade.

“Good, at least it was productive,” she said, “very productive by the sounds of it.” If he was pleased, that meant less crap she had to deal with it. That made her life a whole lot easier, not that he made anything easy for her on purpose. She noticed a small smile on face, and almost made a crack about it but decided against it. “Yes, we are efficient.” Certainly the people of Deproelior had their faults, but she had to agree with him on that point. She wasn’t overly fond of Aurora Valley, though she did love the beach. Of course, Aldeth changed the subject to the two deals that had gone on while he had been absent. Upon sitting down, the woman had set all the information regarding the deals in her lap until he asked for it, at which case, she was prepared. She double checked to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, either, because that would be all that she needed.

“The army deal went through beautifully,” Larianna said, taking another sip of her Raspberry Lemonade. She grabbed the top folder, and set it on the table, sliding it across to her boss. It was the next conversation that she was dreading. “However, as for the Yagara deal....” She quickly took another sip of her drink, but knew that she’d have to talk fast and get out what happened before he jumped to conclusions. “The price that the board finalized on the deal was… decent, just… not quite what you had initially wanted, I’m sure.” She slid the second folder over to them. Truth be told, she was a tad hesitant about how furious he would be regarding it. It wasn’t a bad price, but it was not what he wanted, and that was not the important part. If he wasn’t happy, then no one was happy.

Larianna knew he would take it out on her. It wasn’t her fault, though. She was a secretary! Yes, she was little spy when he was away, but that didn’t mean that she had any power at all over his so-called “executives” that he trusted when he was away on business. “I tried to tell them to try and get more,” she told him, trying to take as much heat off her as possible, “but they were afraid that the deal would fall through before you got back.” That would have been worse, she agreed, but the auburn-haired woman thought for sure that they could have pressed a little hard. Who was she, though, but Aldeth’s secretary? Nothing, that was it… she was just his secretary, so anything she said to them went in one ear and out the other. Now, she was the one that had to take the initial heat, because he would most certainly try and take out his anger and frustration out on her.

[Devanus Zeller]

To say that Aldeth was upset by the news would have been understating things. To say that he was angry would not give the intensity of his emotion enough credit. To say that he was disappointed would be to make it sound tame indeed. Aldeth was livid; he had given those cretins more than enough ammunition to secure both the military deal and the one with the Yagura corporation, and they had managed to foul one of them up. True, the military deal was far more important, but this was still absolutely unacceptable. He almost dreaded opening the file and seeing exactly how bad the figure was, but he did so all the fame, allowing his eyes to scan over the document before alighting on the number at the bottom. Snapping the file shut, Aldeth immediately reached for his wine, downing the rest of it and placing it back down on the table just a little too forcefully.

"Morons and fools. I am surrounded by incompetence. I leave the city for two weeks in your hands and the hands of those buffoons, and I come home to this." He offered a bitter laugh as the waiter came by with another glass of wine and to take their orders. Getting himself the house special, Aldeth raised his glass in Lara's direction. "This is clearly why I have to drink at this hour." Pausing until the waiter departed, he went on, in a deadly whisper. "Remind me again why I'm paying you upwards of ten thousand gold a year if you can't even manage my affairs when I'm gone? We must keep an iron fist of control, and if you can't do that, I will find someone who can." Short of killing her, Aldeth knew he could not simply remove Lara from the corporation; she knew too much. What he could do, however, was relegate her somewhere and bury her in the system. He had done it before.

Barely able to keep his hold on his glass, Aldeth forced himself to breathe. He could make this work; all he had to do was treat it as a favour done to the Yagara corporation and take advantage of that next time they were at the bargaining table. Damnit, though, he did not like being put in this position, and hell was going to come down on those that had forced his hand. Sucking in a deep breath, Aldeth flipped open the other folder. That one held a number much more to his liking, though hardly enough to compensate for the loss on the other. It was not as if he was going to be missing any meals, of course - a lot of deals would have to go a lot worse than these had before that happened - but influence was everything, and Aldeth could not stand the idea that someone acting for him had given even the smallest amount of ground.

Putting his fingers to his temples, Aldeth attempted to get himself under control. He could berate the board the following day, and relax by taking a night off. They did not have anything pressing on the books, and Lara could handle the basic management for a day. Even she could not fuck it up terribly badly in that short a time. "I need a vacation." He declared under his breath. It was a laughable comment; Aldeth had not taken time off in years. No, he would deal with stress as he always had; by working out, indulging his vices, and making even more money.

[Gia Trakana]

Larianna watched carefully as Aldeth looked over the file, but she could already tell he was furious. She had known him long enough to be able to tell by now. When he set the wine glass back down on the table a little harder than he should have, it caused the auburn-haired woman to jump a little in her seat. As the waiter came over to take the order, she muttered, “Chicken with cucumber and strawberries.” She hated when he yelled at her. Understandably, he was upset; she didn’t blame him for that, but he knew that those bastards never listened to her, no matter how much they should have. It didn’t matter what she said to them, and it annoyed her that he knew that, too.

Larianna heard the threat, and she felt her heart rate increase. She knew he wouldn’t fire her, but he didn’t have to fire her to make sure that she didn’t have the power that she held now. The woman liked what he paid her, she liked it a lot, and she liked the power that she held. The last thing that she wanted was to have a pay cut or a demotion. She would have to choose her words carefully, and calm him down before he made a sense – or said something that was not in her best interests. “Sir,” she said, knowing that she needed to be as nice as she could right now, “you know that anything I tell them goes in one ear at out the other. Look underneath that top paper in the folder of the Yagara deal, please.” She hoped he did, because she had put it in there.

“I knew that the Yagara Corporation would try and weasel out of price you wanted, so I wrote them up that and told them that’s how we needed to do it. I was right, and they did try to weasel out of it, but they never let me talk, and ended up backing down to them when they threatened to break the deal.” Larianna hoped he was a bit… less angry with her after this, although she knew that he might not be. Sliding forward in her seat a little, she leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice. “I don’t like disappointing you or angering you, and you know that.” That was true. If he was angry or disappointed then no one was happy. She much preferred him happy because it was more heat off of her, and it made her life a lot simpler, as well. “Perhaps if you make a point of telling them I was right, it’ll make them listen to me next time so they won’t screw up any more deals.”

Larianna leaned back and took another sip of her Raspberry Lemonade. “If you have another suggestion, I’d be happy to hear it,” she told him. “It’s no picnic hearing those morons tell me that I don’t know what I’m talking about because I’m just a woman – nothing more than a pretty, overgrown secretary who doesn’t know the first thing about what to do in a deal like that.” At the last words, she lifted one of her hands from their positions in her lap and flipped back her straight, waist-length auburn hair. She felt a surge of annoyance as she remembered them saying that to her, but quickly pushed them back out of her mind. “It’s rather annoying.” She took another sip of her Raspberry Lemonade. “For now, though, why don’t you try and enjoy lunch. You’ve got wine, and our food will be out soon. The food here is pretty good.” She hoped he took her advice, because she didn’t want to hear another threat.

[Devanus Zeller]

Aldeth knew full well that the board would not willingly listen to Larianna. They knew she acted as his proxy, but she was not forceful enough to take control of a room of power-crazed men. They used his absences to do things as if it was their corporation, even though it was Aldeth's name that was on all the stationary. He did not blame them for that; it was only their nature. He did, however, blame them for their decision on the Yagara deal, just as he blamed Larianna for not forcing them to listen to her. She had been his executive assistant for almost five years; this was really not acceptable anymore.

Mostly uninterested in listening to Lara try and calm him down, Aldeth humoured her insofar as looking at the second page of the Yagara paperwork. There, indeed, was her recommendation, and it was as sound as she had said, but that did not change that it had not gone through. No amount of telling him that she had not intended to anger or disappoint him would change that either. Facts were facts, and this was money out of Aldeth's pocket. "If they don't listen to you, you have to make them listen. You're a woman in a man's world, Lara, and you're just going to have to deal with it, even if that means beating all of them over the head with the deal until it sinks into their phenomenonally thick skulls. I will brook no excuses for this. You are acting on my behalf, and when you sign a deal like this, I may as well have signed it. Remember that."

Aldeth was still seething even as Lara kept talking. Oh, he knew the ignorance and sexism of the board. For the most part, he agreed; women had no business in the boardroom. For Lara, however, there was an exception. As his executive assistant, she represented him, only with breasts. If she could not live up to that standard - if more deals like the Yagara one fell through under her watch - then he would have to replace her with a woman that would, or a man that they might have to find a new reason to prejudice against.

When Lara commented on the quality of the food, Aldeth could only stare at her. It was such a dense sentence that he did not even have an off-hand insult. They had been eating here for years; this was his table for heaven's sake. If she thought his rage had made him forget about the quality of the food, then perhaps she was just a stupid woman after all. Shaking his head, Aldeth closed the folder once more, concluding the topic. "I will deal with the board tomorrow, and I will remind them as I remind you now that you act for me and I will not have your signature on a deal that I would never have signed. I have half a mind to take the loss on the deal out of your salary." Larianna's salary was high, perhaps higher than that of any other woman working in Deproelior, but it was nowhere near high enough to cover that sort of loss with her standard of living, not unless she had a substantial amount saved up. It was a threat made in anger, and Aldeth would likely not do such a thing once he cooled down and had access to his finances, but it certainly sounded good now.

[Gia Trakana]

Larianna mentally braded herself that her effort to calm him down had failed spectacularly. He was still pissed, and she was still the target of his anger. She straightened her back, and took everything he said with a straight face. She hated to admit it, but he was right. What was she supposed to do? She knew the answer that, and Aldeth had given it to her. She would have to make them. She was an aggressive, assertive woman, and she needed to be more so when she was acting on behalf of her boss. She hasn’t hesitated to tell those idiots what she thought of them, but that wasn’t enough, was it? She had to be more forceful, and make sure that from now on, when he wasn’t around, they knew exactly where they stood, and it was doing what she told them.

Larianna nodded when he’d finished talking. “Yes, you’re absolutely right, sir, and I sincerely apologize,” she told him. “From now on, I will make sure that everything you say gets followed to the letter, and I will not disappoint you again.” There was nothing else to say, and she certainly didn’t want to anger him further by pushing her point or seeming like some silly little girl. She was almost thirty years old, and he was her boss. Therefore, if he told her to do something, then she needed to do it. She heard the threat about taking it out of her pay. She sincerely hoped he didn’t, and honestly didn’t think he would once he calmed down. One could never be too sure, though. The loss wasn’t huge for the company, and the deal had been decent, despite the fact that it had been lower than what Aldeth had wanted. However, taking it out of her pay would be considerable.

Larianna didn’t say anything further, something that normally went against her nature. She was, however, far from stupid, and knew better to than to say anything to further anger an already anger Aldeth. She had known him far too long to make that mistake. Luckily for them, the food arrived soon. The waiter her chicken in front of her and then sat the house special down in front of Aldeth. He got her another Raspberry Lemonade, and then left. She ate in silence for a few moments before remembering something from her family dinner the previous night. “Oh, by the way, my brother and my parents all say hello. My father wishes for you to pass that along to your father.” Her boss had, of course, come in conversation before it had gotten steered to her lack of children and husband. Business had come first, of course, today, but it would have been rude of her to forget.[

They ate their meals in silence and left./color]