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Breakfast in Amber: Goran

Index | Time Under Chaos | Game Logs | Breakfast in Amber - Goran

It was daybreak in Amber.

Slightly later than daybreak in point of fact, for the Ramblin' Queen had paddled its way back into harbour as the sun was rising. Now the passengers, some sleepy and others wide awake, were saying their goodbyes and making their way off the vessel. Carriages were drawn up, reading to return the guests to whatever house, embassy or castle they called home.

It was possible, of course, for certain of the visitors to trump their way back to the Castle, but some years ago, Merlin and Morgan had discovered a small café, most frequently used by dockers and crusted sea salts, right on the docks itself which served the best cooked breakfast in all Amber - with thick slabs of bacon*, plump pork sausages, fried tomatoes, fried eggs, mushrooms (cooked in butter and their own delectable juices), fried bread, black pudding, lambs kidneys and similar delights. Here, Merlin declared, was the perfect place to end a night on the Queen, and it had become traditional for the King and his entourage to eat there. Where the King leads, of course, society follows - and much to the bewilderment of old Jack Taroes, the Greasy Spoon had suddenly become *the* place to have breakfast in Amber - much to the displeasure of the aforementioned dockers and crusted sea salts who found themselves rudely displaced.

Jack Taroes, a dour man, showed his appreciation of this sudden influx of high society trade by putting checkered tablecloths on all the tables (and then forgetting to wash them), and little white vases, designed to hold a few flowers (which he forgot to fill). Apart from that, the Greasy Spoon remained exactly the same in all but its clientele.

Now the guests were disembarking. At the head of the gangplank that ran from the main deck to the quayside stood Goran, with Allegra and Vincenzo. Allegra and Goran were on duty to bid polite farewells to the guests. Vincenzo was ostensibly there to do the same, but Goran (like the rest of the staff) suspected that the Head of Security was carrying out a head count to make sure everyone left that arrived the night before.

Goran stood smartly at the gangplank, his uniform unruffled and eyes bright despite being up all night. He had grown accustomed to working nights, though, in truth, he had never been one to need a lot of sleep anyway. Through the smiles and polite greetings, Goran was doing his own headcount to compare notes with Vincenzo later. Two sets of eyes were better than one, even if one of those sets belonged to one of the most meticulous men Goran had ever met. Even the best could use backup once in a while. Particularly when the Prime Minister was aboard. Goran noted that Mandor had not yet disembarked, and from the security chief's darkening expression, he could see that Vincenzo had noted the same. Goran quirked an eyebrow in his direction. "Do you want me to go look?" was the unspoken message.

Vincenzo's lips thinned into a hard line, but he shook his head and then indicated with his eyes the approaching Prime Minister.

Page last modified on April 07, 2007, at 07:28 PM