Jeremy Tarosi's Story

"Thank you for attending the grand opening of the Tarosi Casino, Pub, and Bar! It is so nice to see you all here! Now please, spend some money and enjoy yourselves!"

Robert Tarosi got off the stage, and walked over to his son. There was a bar stocked with just about every food and drink you could think of, and three bar tenders to serve people. "Well, how did I do?"

"Pretty good. Everyone was focused on you, so that is a good sign".

Robert gave his son a kiss on the cheek. "Daaaaad! Your embarrassing me!"

"I know. I am just glad the grand opening went so well. Now..."

Jeremy sighed, and interupted. "How long will you be gone?"

"Just a week. You know where the weapons are?"

"Shotgun under the counter, Assault rifle I cant aim for my life in the Genetically locked safe, and my Extendable Blade Sword Hilt is in my front right pocket, Your phone number is Speed Dial 2, Keep phone on at all times, call once every morning when I wake up and every night before dinner, and if you don't pick up leave a message. Don't tell anyone I am here alone. Don't let anyone into our Master Suite. No oven, no grill, no skinny dipping in the fountain, just our private pool. Did I cover everything?"

"You forgot no joyrides, but yes, that is fine. Now, I need to go get my stuff so I can leave, so that way I can get back as soon as possible. Try not to get into trouble".

"Me, trouble?" Jeremy said with a humorous voice before going over to the main counter to help deal with some guests in their hotel rooms.

As the bartender got her the wine, Robert came walking back down the stairs. He quickly made his way towards his son. "Now, remember the rules. No staying up past 10PM every night or even most nights. Do not leave the building without a bodyguard. Don't accept anything from strangers. Be nice to guests..."

Jeremy smiled. "I know dad. Now, you need to go around and at least talk to a few people before you go!"

"Right, thanks".

Robert Tarosi went around, greeting people, enjoying the little time he had with them before he had to go, when he came across a young woman alone. "Its a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for coming tonight miss...?" he started, taking a bit of a pause as the waiter put down her drink. "Anyways, I hope you enjoy our quality drinks, games, and rooms. If there is anything you need to know or ask for, my son can handle all and any requests that we can fulfill here, which is quite a lot. It has been a pleasure meeting you".

(Double Post)

Felicity watched a man speaking with a child for a few moments as she waited for her drink. From her distance, and so many people between, she couldn't hear them, nor could she attempt to glean surface thoughts. The male made his way over to her, soon enough, however, the sylph sitting up a little straighter on her perch and making the most of her flatteringly cut dress. She nodded her thanks to the waiter that set down her drink, before turning her full attention, and the full force of her aura upon the man before her.

With an offered hand in a ladylike manner, she smiled,"Xeor, Felicity Xeor. I'm just a representative from an interested client. That doesn't mean I won't be taking my time to enjoy the," she smiled a bit more deeply, leaning forward slightly all in a way meant to suggest something a tough more flirtatious,"facilities. The pleasure is all mine, of course, mister Tarosi."

She glanced back toward the child from earlier, noting that the kid was likely quite capable, if he was being given such responsibilities. Interesting. She would have to speak with him as well. With that thought she brought her glass to her lips, sipping the pink beverage slowly, much like the experienced socialite.

Robert Tarosi felt a slight attraction towards the young woman, though he could only assume it was because she looked brilliant. However, Jeremy did take notice. Now, Jeremy was all fine with his dad dating...but ever since he was eight, he personally vetted each and every one of them. Most of the time they were just dating him for the money.

He came over to his dad. "Dad, remember? Time frame? Don't want to miss your flight?"

"Relax, apparently there was some sort of situation in high orbit. Flights have been delayed for a few minutes they say. I will just make a few more rounds". He turned his attention back towards Felicity. "If you have any questions, feel free to come and ask me if I have not left yet. And if I have, you can ask my son here, Jeremy Tarosi. Jeremy, make sure it doesn't burn down".

"That is one of my specialties".

Jeremy gave the woman a brief look, then left to return to his duties, although he kept an eye on her just in case. I am probably just being paranoid...still...

Felicity, of course, played the part of the pretty blonde social butterfly, with a pretty smile, and a seductive quality to her voice and presence, as she nodded and thanked Robert for being such a generous host. She offered Jeremy a smile as well, but this one was nearly genuine, even showing a little bit of her too-white teeth. Seemed like the kid was the responsible one too? Likely the dad was a single parent, those sorts tend to grow responsible children. Once Jeremy had returned to his duties, with what looked to be a suspicious glance, Felicity turned her attention back to Robert.

"He seems like a very mature young man, you must be very proud of him. These days children grow to be such delinquents with little in the way of a sense of duty or responsibility. And trusting him with an entire casino? He must be quite the prodigy."

Well, she didn't have to pretend to be impressed, as she really was. Human children tended to be so worthless, yet this child seemed to even suspect her? She glanced back at Jeremy as well, as she spoke of him, resisting the urge to poke at his mind and see just was sort of creature he was. She wasn't with her own kind anymore, and any sort of mind invasion was likely to be met with fear and disgust. Besides, human minds proved to be oh so fragile.

She kept the main portion of her attention on Robert, a quiet subtle ability that layered itself upon the victim over time,"So where are you heading then? It must be important if you have to leave on the eve of your grand opening."

"Yes. He took after my looks, and his mother's personality. Strong, independent, bold. And responsible. Jeremy is simply a great leader, and a great people person. I am told that is a rare trait in children who lose a parent early in their life". He realized though he was beginning to get into certain things best not mentioned at a Grand Opening.

"Honestly, I might be concerned he wasnt spending enough time being a kid if I didn't see him have fun myself. Not sure how, but somehow he manages to run a whole Casino and find time for friends and fun at his age. He certainly is a prodigy".

Jeremy didn't like the fact his dad was still sticking around with that one woman. He would have to look into her later.

Robert looked at the woman again. "A business meeting. Some corporation, Aster Corp., is trying to invade on our business. They have tried before, but I keep beating them back. And, besides, the Grand Opening is about the place, not me. Though I am sure Jeremy will give me hell for missing it. He will also probably give me hell if I don't go soon". Robert laughed a little at that.

"I'm sure he'll become quite the lady killer then," Well that confirmed her suspicions. Single father with an independent child. She looked honestly concerned until Robert assured her that Jeremy was in fact well adjusted, though she herself only had an academic knowledge of such things. She left her wine forgotten for the most part, allowing herself to seem open, welcoming, and genuinely friendly.

"Well then, by all means, don't let me keep you from important business," she laughed lightly with a slight shake of her head,"Business before pleasure, they say."

She motioned toward the door, playfully, echoing her tone and body language, all of which said that she wanted him to stay though she knew he must leave. It was a careful balance, everything from the way her glittering eyes met his, to the tilt of her head that poorly hid disappointment. It was why a machine would never be quite as good as the real thing, and why many a woman brought a man to ruin.

Jeremy was looking at his father with this woman. Okay, I should just keep out...no, no, I have to deal with this now. He went over to the table again. "Dad, apparently whatever caused the delays is clearing up. they are also trying to accelerate things to stay on schedule, so you should go now".

Robert smiled at the woman. He knew he had to go, but he wanted to stay to. He quickly came up with a solution though. He took out one of his business cards, and wrote something on the back. "Here. On the back is my cell phone number, including the numbers for the Galactic Directory. It was nice meeting you. I hope we can meet up again later sometime, when I am less busy".

Jeremy gave him a slight glare. "Yes. Less busy, and less late".

"Right, thanks for reminding me Jeremy" Robert said, kissing him on the cheek, then picking him up, putting him upside down over his shoulder, and letting him slowly and safely slide to the floor laughing while he tickled him a little. "Daaaaaad! I said not to do that!"

"All is fair in love and war. I will see you as soon as I can get back". He then looked at Felicity. "It was a real pleasure to meet you. I hope we can talk again soon".

Robert started to walk off, Jeremy stood up again and fixed his clothes, still smiling. Now all his dad had to do was walk through the doors.

In the doors a young man entered he looked to be around 11 or 12 but that was just looks. Being a Pandorian was different and he defiantly got treated like a child on more than one occasion. He was excited to check out this casino though, he had always wanted to try his hands on a slot machine.

He knew he had a few hours to kill before he had to return to the Taskforce HQ, no drinking but he hated to drink anyways it gave him a sour stomach. He strolled across the room and past Robert as he walked by. He recognized the owner from the promo's for the casino.

Smiling he waded through the crowd as he looked for the gambling area. He debated going straight there but opted for the bar to grab a soda first.

"Soda Please." He shouted to a random bartender as he scoped out the crowd.

Alice walked into the bar with a big smile, her short brown wavy hair bounced neatly. She looked around this half empty bar and found a perfect table to sit down on, luckily she brought a book with her to read. Alice sat down and opened her book, she was reading the great expectations by Charles Dickens, it was one of her all time favourite books to read.

After a few pages in she put her book away and began to walk up towards the bar and noticed a kid she thought was behind the bar. Alice was at the bar at first she stared at the selection of beverages before deciding that she wanted some cherry brandy "I know this is such a unusual request but do you perhaps serve Cherry Brandy here?" She asked the boy behind the counter "if not then I am happy with red wine." She stood there smiling politely.

Jeremy soon got back to his duties. First, he went towards the boy and the woman who both went to the bar. He was already in a good mood, so the smile was genuine. it usually as anyways, but this one was bigger. "Hello, and welcome to the Tarosi Casino, Pub, and Bar. We also have a hotel here too, but adding that would have been too lengthy. Anyways, this is our Bartender, Maarat".

Maarat appeared to be a child, but in fact he was a Pandorian, and Maarat was a common Pandorian name. Pandorians just appeared like human children. Their unofficial nickname was "Space hobbits", though quite a few found that offensive. "We have several Casino games available to play too, including Quasar, Texas Holdem, Slots, Roulette, and Batcha, as well as many others. If you need anything, feel free to ask me or any of the attendants".

As he said this, the Bar tender came and served both of them with the drinks of their choice.

Tom listened to the boy with a smile before he took his drink and wander back into the crowd in hopes of finding the slot machine. He knew his time was limited but he hoped that would keep him from spending his entire check on the slots as well. Plus his enhanced senses made the noise here slightly frustraiting though he tried to concentrate on droning it out.

((Gtg for a bit sorry just assume he is spending money on slots XD.))

Alice smiled and replied "Thank you very much, hello Maarat" she gave a small nod to him "Bet a lot of people think you are a child?" She smiled at him and then turned to the other guy "Hello, is it possible that I can rent a room for the night?" She asked him as she needed somewhere to stay before setting off and exploring this area.

As Tom left, Jeremy focused his full attention to Alice. "Yeah. We currently have plenty of open rooms. I just need your name, and either a credit card or something like that, or a check, unless you have the cash on hand. Because its the Grand Opening, we currently have a discount on the rooms. Is there anything else you would like, or something specific about your room?"

Alice thought for a moment then she responded "Any room will happily do for me and I do have money on me" she continued to smile as she took a sip off her cherry brandy which tasted really nice and sweet. "How much will it be for the night though I may stay an extra night depends what crops up" she took another sip of her drink

"Around 180 credits normally, but because its the Grand Opening, its half off the first week. 90 per night. That is pretty good for a Hotel of this quality too. There are places that have far less quality but are more expensive. Here however, we don't try to rip people off. And how do you feel about the second floor? Or would you prefer some elevation? If you really have no preference, I will put you on the second floor so you don't have so far to go when traveling up or down".

Jeremy went into great detail as well as how much money she would be saving for so much quality. He certainly possessed the skills needed to run a Casino/Hotel/Pub/Bar. Though for simplicity's sake, he just said Casino, Hotel, or Tarosi's.

Felicity pocketed the business card with a bright grin toward the departing Robert, and waved cheerfully,"Have a good trip, then."

She let the man go, of course, and even let her aura die down for now, making it almost seem to those affected, that she had completely vanished. She turned to face the bar and sip her wine as she plotted out her next course of action. While it had been a nice exercise to string that man along, she wasn't entirely sure that he was worth the trouble. After all, if she were to attempt to use him, it would force her to be stationary. Her eyes slid over to Jeremy as he now assumed the role of the host, seeming just as charismatic as his father had bragged he was.

She made a note of the younger-looking male that passed her on the way to the bar, raising an eyebrow at the fact they had allowed another child into the casino. Heck, there was one even serving drinks. Maybe children in the workforce was more common than she thought? Tom slipped back into the crowd and out of Felicity's range of attention, as her gaze had already moved on to the young woman that spoke with Jeremy. She seemed honest enough, and quite cheerful, but of little interest to the sylph.

Despite the fact that Alice wasn't all that interesting to Felicity, the sylph moved to sit next to the other woman, waiting until there was a break in the conversation between the two. Once she had a chance, she offered her hand and a warm smile to the other woman, while she gave off an aura of warm friendliness,"Hey there, I'm Felicity. Couldn't help but overhear that you might be staying a few nights. See, I'm traveling alone, and I'd feel a lot better if I had another girl to hang out with. That is, if you don't mind?"

Much like the aura of attraction she gave off earlier, the sunny air of friendliness was a very subtle psionic working. Even powerful telepaths were likely to overlook it, due to how minor an effect it was. Along with this, Felicity smiled, made eye contact, and generally behaved the same way an honest person would. It helped that she was even somewhat truthful in wanting to have another woman to hang around, though her reason was less innocent.

As the newly opened establishment carried on with its grand opening ceremony, cosmic energies began to swirl and converge upon a single point in the middle of the building. Then with a brilliant flash of light and color a portal opened silently, taking the form of a Spiral Galaxy. Out of it walked two humanoid beings who looked... rather normal.

The older of the two stood at a few inches over six feet tall, and wore a very nice black suit with matching shoes, tie, and a white dress shirt to go along with it, making him quite possibly the best dressed there. On the surface, above the breast pocket, a Spiral Galaxy was beautifully embroidered and it seemed to glow dimly. The man's skin was lightly tanned and was flawless. His dark blue, almost purple, eyes scanned the room, and his dark blue hair was brushed neatly to the side.

The second figure was shorter than the first, being only five foot eleven inches tall. Her long flowing golden hair reached to her mid back, and almost seemed to glow. Her eyes were a lighter shade of yellow, and also seemed to glow. Her skin was like the man she appeared with: Lightly tanned with a flawless perfection to it. She wore a long, flowing white dress that had golden-yellow designs on it that swirled to form clocks, hourglasses, and other instruments for telling time. Unlike her companion, who wore shoes, she wore a simple pair of sandals that looked as if they had been taken right out of a painting. Around her wrist was a watch that complemented her beauty with its somewhat dull yet still shining silver color.

"Spiral," the female started as the portal closed behind the two. "Remind your older sister why we're here, will you?" she asked her blue haired companion, who she identified as her younger brother.

"Well, Dori," Spiral said, looking at her gently. "I thought that we needed to take a break from running the universe, if only for a few hours. Being a deity is very stressful you know." he said with a playfully lazy tone.

"Don't take that tone with me here. I swear it's like sometimes you forget that I'm two hundred human years older than you." she said, annoyed.

"Ah, but physically, we don't look like we're however old we are." the blue haired man spoke calmly, and with a smile. "And besides, if I had known that you were going to try and throw a fit for me bringing you somewhere relaxing I would have brought Brian instead." he added.

His gorgeous sister rolled her eyes in disgust. "Enjoy yourself, you fool." she said, reaching up and flicking his forehead before walking off to the bar, where she ordered herself a simple glass of water.

Spiral smirked and let out an amused huff as his sister skulked off to the bar. He let out a small breath. "This is quite a nice place. Not as structurally sound as Gambit's...but...it'll do." he muttered to himself.

The door creaked open once more and the figure opening it had to lower his head to enter. The figure was seven foot tall, his left arm was covered in greek letters and his hair was shaved into a small mohawk which accentuated his rough beard and broken nose quite well.

If it wasn't the large and worn coat dragging across the floor. The gibborim gave the denizens of the newly opened bar a curious gaze, they were talking about the universe like they owned the place, like they were like the one, true god themselves. Heresy, but they looked like children so he would let it pass. Adapt or be outcast, right?

Weeper almost stomped to the bar and took a seat next to Felicity and Alice. The giant had to move slightly to the side and leaned his elbows on the counter. Something nagged him in the back of his head that Felicity would break a promise in the promised land and Alice was a little too plain-looking.


"Two wine bottles. Got anything to anything to go with it?." Weeper asked Jeremy, he looked like a child in the know.

Jeremy looked towards Weeper. "Oh yes. We have a wide variety. My name is Jeremy Tarosi. Maarat, how about two bottles of the Storibian Red?"

"Alright".

"Anyways, you can look at the menu here..." he said, pointing him to a touch screen interface that allowed people to browse all sorts of meals, place orders, make payments, and search or specific things, as well as letting you have the option to see all ingrediants used. "We have some really good steaks. There are also these things called "Tahnas", they are like a pastry. It's an original Pandorian recipe. One of my favorites. Oh, that's actually one of the filters you can access with the search. My favorites, my father's favorites. Oh, if you speak into that little microphone while holding that button, it's all voice command, but you have to speak into it closely. We didn't want the backround conversations to interfere".

Maarat brought back two bottles. "If you need or want anything else, just let me or Maarat know".

With that, Jeremy turned his attention towards the two others who seemed to portal in. As he approached them, he helped four other patrons along the way before reaching them. He was fast, efficient, and smart. "Thank you for coming. My name is Jeremy Tarosi. Would you like anything specific? Room? Game list? Entertainment listings here for tonight? Drinks? Food? All you need to do is ask".

Tom returned to the bar a few hundred bucks richer after playing a lucky hand on the slot machine. Well he would call it a lucky hand but enhanced hearing did help a bit. Tossing his winnings on the counter he said. "Drinks on me!" It was a bit odd to see this young looking man offering free drinks but he was in a good mood and plus giving the cash back to the establishment made him feel like less of a cheapskate.

"Could I get a coke and this should cover the people here's drinks one only though eh I'm not made of money." He said in a bit softer voice. He sipped his coke and glanced around looking for someone to strike up a conversation with.

Dori looked at the man who approached her, and nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jeremy. I'd like to see the entertainment listings for tonight." she said in a well mannered, caring tone. "And do make it quick before my brother over there makes one out of thin air." she added with a small wink and glance towards Spiral, who was amusing himself by mixing various drinks while he had them float in the air in front of them.

If asked what he was planning on making, he would reply that he simply didn't know and wanted to see if he could surprise himself. Though, he would ultimately fail in surprising himself, being the God of Space itself, it makes it difficult to be surprised by anything. He walked over to his sister and sat by her at the bar, holding his strange concoction in his hand.

Dori groaned and looked at the drink. "Please tell me you're not planning on getting drunk tonight?" she said, though it wasn't really a question.

"Who, me? No. It'll take a lot more than...whatever's in this to get me drunk." Spiral replied, taking a sip of it before shrugging.

"It'll take only ten of those to get you drunk." Dori said, not even guessing. "I suggest drinking only five." she added.

"Relax, dear sister. I've got it under control." Spiral responded.

Then down the stairs came someone claiming to want to pay for everything. Spiral raised his eyebrows. "Well, that saves me the tiresome thing where I make real things appear from nothing." he said.

Dori scoffed. "Please, making something as simple as money was never tiring for you. Nor was it for Brian." she said with a roll of her gorgeous yellow eyes.

"You just love to ruin my fun, don't you, sister?"

"Yep."

"Well, we have a famous singer booked, apparently she is one of the best. We also have someone who juggles flaming knives. Later tonight, we will be featuring some singers from this place called Tatoine. Oh, we will also having some Cinima playing in the Cinima Room. Tickets can be bought at the counter, or at the doors outside the rooms. If you need anything else, let me, our bartender Maarat, or any of the attendants know".

He turned his attention towards a few other patrons, before making his way to Tom.

"Alright. Thank you sir. Also, would you like to open a tab here?"

Maarat started serving up another coke for Tom. The entire place seemed efficient, friendly, and nice.

Jeremy quickly came as some more patrons entered. "Hello, my name is Jeremy Tarosi, its a pleasure having you here at our Grand Opening! We have some entertainment scheduled now and for tonight, we have some open rooms not yet reserved or taken, and over there is the Casino floor. We also have a five star restaurant, a bar, and a friendly staff that you can ask them, or me, for anything you might want or need".

He then looked at the woman with the owl. "We allow pets here, but please make sure he doesn't make too much of a mess please".

Jeremy noticed a shady looking man, and he went over to him and talked for about a minute before the man left. He then returned to greeting and helping others as if nothing was wrong.