Genesis 118
Oct. 4th, 2006 01:20 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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yrae
Title~ Table Service
Author~ Annarti
Disclaimer~ Still mine
Notes~ Genesis 118. Somehow, my intended Shizaaqa!fics never end up actually showing Shizaaqa. Buggery. And I still need a Kazin!fics icon. Eventually.
~ ~ ~
Rishkon bowed his head as he entered the throne room, then walked smoothly to the side table where he could set his tray down. Empress Shizaaqa wasn’t in the room at the moment, but it was always better to keep up appearances when she wasn’t there than to forget when she was.
The drinks waiter lifted the stopper from the crystal carafe, repeating the wine’s typically convoluted Llayan name over in his mind. He held one hand behind his back and stood straight as he poured the pungent red liquid into four wine glasses. Making sure the glasses were set just right on the silver platter, he re-stopped the carafe and picked up the tray with practiced ease.
Rishkon paused momentarily outside the door to the empress’s office, his free hand hovering over the handle. The tones of the voices beyond were typically stilted and clipped, as negotiations with the empress tended to be. He straightened his back and pushed the door open, bowing his head as he did so. He kept his chin up, but did not make eye contact with the empress or her guests. The perfect waiter floated in and out like a ghost, so that the guests didn’t know when their drinks had been delivered.
‘A 4021 shiraz cabernet from the Barrossana Valley,’ he said carefully, now able to wash the name from his mind.
He gripped one stem delicately between his fingers and set it on the table in front of the most important of the three guests, the Raykinian king. He looked up with a short smile in thanks, but Rishkon tried not to scold himself. Raykinians were different. They noticed everything, and thought themselves rude not to give acknowledgement for a job well done.
It still made him nervous, and he had to swallow and repeat the wine’s name over in his mind to keep his hand from trembling as he presented the prince and General with their glasses. They gave the same slightly terse smile of thanks, but Riskon knew it was the empress they were annoyed with.
Finally, he took the last glass and set it almost silently on the table in front of his empress.
Empress Shizaaqa glanced up.
Rishkon’s heart skipped a beat and he had to force his eyes not to make contact with hers. Instead they saw the glass on the table, filled with a fine shiraz cabernet.
…Filled.
The glasses were full.
Wine glasses were never filled more than halfway.
Rishkon lost another heartbeat to the abyss of terror. He’d been focussing so much on the name and the correct posture to keep himself calm when he’d been pouring that he’d forgotten the rawest of basics when pouring wine.
He tried not to let his performance slip any further, holding the tray in front of him and bowing his head again. The Raykinians hadn’t noticed, or didn’t care, but they didn’t matter. They couldn’t have him whipped or have his fingers broken. Empress Shizaaqa probably would.
Author~ Annarti
Disclaimer~ Still mine
Notes~ Genesis 118. Somehow, my intended Shizaaqa!fics never end up actually showing Shizaaqa. Buggery. And I still need a Kazin!fics icon. Eventually.
Rishkon bowed his head as he entered the throne room, then walked smoothly to the side table where he could set his tray down. Empress Shizaaqa wasn’t in the room at the moment, but it was always better to keep up appearances when she wasn’t there than to forget when she was.
The drinks waiter lifted the stopper from the crystal carafe, repeating the wine’s typically convoluted Llayan name over in his mind. He held one hand behind his back and stood straight as he poured the pungent red liquid into four wine glasses. Making sure the glasses were set just right on the silver platter, he re-stopped the carafe and picked up the tray with practiced ease.
Rishkon paused momentarily outside the door to the empress’s office, his free hand hovering over the handle. The tones of the voices beyond were typically stilted and clipped, as negotiations with the empress tended to be. He straightened his back and pushed the door open, bowing his head as he did so. He kept his chin up, but did not make eye contact with the empress or her guests. The perfect waiter floated in and out like a ghost, so that the guests didn’t know when their drinks had been delivered.
‘A 4021 shiraz cabernet from the Barrossana Valley,’ he said carefully, now able to wash the name from his mind.
He gripped one stem delicately between his fingers and set it on the table in front of the most important of the three guests, the Raykinian king. He looked up with a short smile in thanks, but Rishkon tried not to scold himself. Raykinians were different. They noticed everything, and thought themselves rude not to give acknowledgement for a job well done.
It still made him nervous, and he had to swallow and repeat the wine’s name over in his mind to keep his hand from trembling as he presented the prince and General with their glasses. They gave the same slightly terse smile of thanks, but Riskon knew it was the empress they were annoyed with.
Finally, he took the last glass and set it almost silently on the table in front of his empress.
Empress Shizaaqa glanced up.
Rishkon’s heart skipped a beat and he had to force his eyes not to make contact with hers. Instead they saw the glass on the table, filled with a fine shiraz cabernet.
…Filled.
The glasses were full.
Wine glasses were never filled more than halfway.
Rishkon lost another heartbeat to the abyss of terror. He’d been focussing so much on the name and the correct posture to keep himself calm when he’d been pouring that he’d forgotten the rawest of basics when pouring wine.
He tried not to let his performance slip any further, holding the tray in front of him and bowing his head again. The Raykinians hadn’t noticed, or didn’t care, but they didn’t matter. They couldn’t have him whipped or have his fingers broken. Empress Shizaaqa probably would.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-03 04:01 pm (UTC)Poor random drinks boy.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-03 04:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-06 06:40 am (UTC)*flops over and cackles* XD Ohhh, you're shameless, you XD
As if the Raykinians would care about extra booze ;) though Shizaaqa obviously does. Poor little waiter!
no subject
Date: 2006-10-06 07:50 am (UTC)And no, the Raykinians couldn't give a stuff. The more booze the better, far as they're concerned, even if they're not exctly the wine types XD Shizaaqa, however, wants it done properly >O
That's something I learnt doing waitressing, never fill a wine glass to the top, unless they're ordering by the glass. Looks better half-full, or something.