Non-Con stuff ahead.
Also a weirdly large amount of Star Wars content. I was not expecting this when I sat down to write this one, but what can you do.
Traveling for work is kinda great. I love being on the road, being in a different town every few nights, meeting new people, and being exposed to new cultures and ideas about the world. You legitimately have no idea what you are going to see next and who you might be talking to that night. I dig that, but I also recognize it can be exhausting. Everything is new, you may be sleeping in a situation that means you get shit sleep. Some people don't get excited by the joy of having to deal with new situations every day, I can respect that, but it's definitely not me.
I usually don't stay in hotels, I don't have that kind of money most of the time, but sometimes I do treat myself well, usually in the form of a nice dinner. When you keep the hours I do or travel to smaller cities the best place to get a bite to eat is usually in hotels, a little nicer than your fast casual restaurant but nothing too fancy. Well this was one of those nights. I was in the Mid-Atlantic in one of those towns that is ancillary to DC or Baltimore, the name was something like River Springs or Burton. It was around 11PM or so and I was fucking starving. I just wanted something to eat after a long day of travel. I was in town to see some friends after a conference for work. After looking on google for something that was still open and wasn't gonna make me travel 20 miles out of my way, I fount a Hilton with bar that was still serving food.
I walked in to the restaurant. Clearly displayed at the front was the usual sign you see at one of these places, a bronze placard with black lettering advocating for my patience while I waited for somebody who worked there to see me. I stood there for a few minutes getting caught up on emails or whatever non committal thing I could do on my phone as I waited. As I continued to stand there a voice emerged from the dimly lit dining room from somebody I hadn't noticed before.
"You can wait there all night, but I don't think you are gonna get what you want."
I looked up from my phone to find the source of the voice, looking around the lobby of the hotel and the dining room to try and find its owner.
"At the bar. Come in!"
I slowly swept my eyes over to the bar and saw a single figure sitting on a stool, leaning against the bar casually in their seat, a glass of something bright pink in their hand. They were dressed in pretty formal attire for the hour, some flowy soft pants of an unspecified fabric, a blouse that looked like silk, and a blazer that hung loosely over them. Clearly they had been there for a while, though their voice didn't sound slurred or like they had been imbibing the entire time they had been there. I began walking towards them.
"Did everybody go home or something? I assume the kitchen is closed?"
"Yeah, they decided to close up shop a little early tonight, I guess I wasn't enough of a draw for them to keep people around."
"Huh. A little weird, but I am fucking starving? If the kitchen is closed do you know if there is anything else near by? I am not super picky, I just need food. At this point a fast food place will work, I just need to eat."
"Oh gosh, come help me with this plate of fires. I know it's not a real meal, but at least it's something and you can like take a moment to sit down and figure out where you are actually gonna get food."
This sounded like a plan that was too good to be true.
"Are you sure? Kinda a weird offer to make a stranger?"
She laughed warmly and beckoned me over.
"I promise. I just can't finish it. I will say that they have gone a little cold, if that's a deal breaker, I totally get it."
"I mean it will have to do, besides, I don't think attempting to lead me down the garden path with a plate of half warm fries is really in the creep's playbook. Especially not at a hotel bar at 11 in a fairly suburban area."
"You can never be too careful in a hive of scum and villainy."
I sat down in the stool next to her and idly picked up a handful of fries.
"Are you talking about the DMV generally or are you making a direct comparison of this bar and the Mos Eisley Cantina?"
Her eyes lit up, clearly not expecting to be questioned about Star Wars. I took a moment to eat the cooling fries which were passable. I took another few into my hand and idly munched away.
"I wasn't thinking that far ahead to be honest. I guess this bar is kinda shaped like the cantina. Now all we need is some music, maybe some light jazz"
I snickered at her mention of the music from the cantina.
"Isn't it called Jizz music?!"
She laughed again. This time much louder and fully filling the room with her presence.
"I think you might be right on that one. Gosh I was not expecting this conversation to be this nerdy. I'm gonna need coffee if you are planning on playing like that."
"I'll stop making you engage in Star Wars discourse, I promise. One last question though... Should I be worried about you shooting me?"
"Are you casting me as Greedo?"
I looked at her blankly as long as I could, then cracked a smile and began to laugh myself.
"Maybe."
"I detest that you think of me as some sort of common bounty hunter. I will have you know I am a Sith Lord."
"Whatever, your highness."
She laughed once again and placed her arm on my shoulder gently.
"Be careful calling me that. Don't wanna excite me too much here."
I looked at her and leaned back in my stool.
"Um. Either you are a total fucking cook or super hot right now and I'm not quite sure which it is."
She smiled at that, letting go of my shoulder.
"Which do you think? I am flirting with you, to be clear."
I looked at her out of the corner of my eye, no longer comfortable with eye contact. I swallowed deeply. She looked at me, taking a moment to look me over, up and down, trying to read my body language. A look of concern flashed over their face.
"Did I misread the vibe?"
I looked at her confused.
"Gosh, I am too thick skulled to even have realized that was the vibe. I dig it, just wasn't expecting it. You are after all, um, way too fucking hot.