ArchivedLogs:The Hostess

The Hostess
Dramatis Personae Alexandrine, Alison, Eric, Mel	2013-04-02 Old friends and new friends meet at the Tavern on the Green.
Location Tavern on the Green, Central Park North, New York, NY
One of the most distinctive landmarks in the park, this restaurant has long served as the finish line for the New York City Marathon and is a necessary stop for tourists visiting the city. Any one of its several dining rooms is a choice experience, but its glass-enclosed Crystal Room comes with a view of the restaurant's Central Park gardens. In fine weather, the outdoor patio provides excellent people-watching, as well, right on the park. Ah, Tavern on the Green. Probably one of the more notable places in New York. It is hardly ever /not/ busy, with tourists and New Yorkers alike keeping the tables filled and making it nigh-impossible to find one if you don't have a reservation. Tonight, being early in the week, doesn't seem as crowded, although there aren't any unoccupied tables to be seen, immediately. Most are occupied by couples and groups, talking animatedly or /not/ talking, in the case of those whose dinners have been served. This might explain the problem Alison is having. She stands in front of the host's podium, arms folded over her chest as she GLARES at the girl behind the counter. Dressed in a strappy black dress and accompanied by a wall of a man with thick dark hair that's been slicked back, she does not look like a Satisfied Customer. "What do you mean, it's not there?" she asks, in a dangerously calm voice. "I made that reservation two weeks ago." The hostess sniffs. "I'm sorry, ma'am," she says in a voice that says she could actually give a rat's ass about the whole matter. "But you're not in the book." Alison colors, her lips pressing tight. "Look again," she urges, in that same, calm voice. "Alison Blair." With an exaggerated sigh and a roll of her eyes, the girl bends over her book. As she does, Alison turns to offer an apologetic look to whomever is waiting behind her. "I'm /so/ sorry about this. Don't you hate it when they lose your reservation?" Alexandrine smiles at Alison, blue eyes bright. "It's awful. And if they lost yours, they might have lost mine. That's no good." The redhead is in a pale purple dress with her hair swept in a fall of old school glam waves. There's a wink, before Alex inches around Alison's side to lean to the podium, one pale hand resting on the edge of it. "Excuse me, darlin'." But before there can even be eye contact, Alex is working her powers to try and fuzz what the girl is thinking. There's a point of a well-manicured fingernail to a random spot on the book. "Ah do believe the young lady's name is right there, a couple spaces above my own. Alexandrine Reynaud." Locking the blue bike with a well-practiced motion to the bars along the path up to the Tavern on the Green - right by the 'No Bikes' sign - Eric strides up and into the Tavern on the Green, with a water bottle in each hand. One of the two rises to the microphone clipped to his jacket edge and he murmurs into it for a moment before he turns the volume down low on the radio and strides up towards the hostess. Visible underneath the blue windbreaker - NYPD emblazoned across the back - is biking gear. Not particularly glamorous, and definitely not the kind of dress code that the Tavern seeks. He waits patiently in line just as the two women in front of him sort out the whole booking thing, flashing the hostess a sympathetic look. The hostess, whose name is Margie, is very bored with her job, and would much rather be making out with her heavily pierced boyfriend, Claude. And her thoughts are very much in that vein, only less PG than they're described. She sighs again when Alexandrine chimes in, and with a slow blink, she look at the book. "Huh. I guess I missed it," she says in that same bored tone. "Problem is, we've only got one four-top available. If you both want the slot, you're going to have to share." The big man makes an unhappy noise, but jerks a nod when Alison looks his direction, then back at Alexandrine. "I don't mind sharing," she says with a smile. "Mel is /terrible/ at conversation, so it'd be nice to have the company." She frowns, mildly. "Unless you're on a date." Eric's arrival does not go unnoticed. Alison gives him a good looking-over before she gives him a prime-time smile. "Good evening, Officer. Hasn't the weather been gorgeous?" Alexandrine blinks, having intended on just enjoying a silly little tourist type escape back into the city before she spent the night in her apartment and went back to school in the morning. She hesitates, ready to complain to the hostess that reservations should likely assure more seating, but she doesn't. There's another glance at Alison, something rumbling in the back of her mind like vague recognition, before her head turns. "Ah don't mind sharing... oh." There's a palpable hesitation, cheeks blanching before they flush. "Evenin'. Officer Sutton. " "Indeed, it has, ma'am. Good weather to be outside, s' all I can say." Eric says, politely. His eyebrows furrow slightly as he looks at Alison, then to the man beside her. Confusion shows briefly on his face as the gears in his head grind unpleasantly together. When he's addressed, though, his attention turns quickly to the other woman. His eyes flick up and down Alexandrine, and his smile twists larger, and somewhat beyond mere politeness. "Well, hello there, ma'am." he says, Georgia accent showing brighter in his words. His eyes twinkle and he gives what could be a wink, or merely a blink. "How you doin'?" The hostess seems mollified by the fact that everyone is sharing, and she begins to collect the requisite menu under Mel's watchful eye while Alison's attention is focused on the other two. "You look familiar," she says to Alexandrine, looking her over carefully. "I've seen you somewhere, before." She says this with a fair amount of certainty. "Do you work in the city?" Then, Alex's greeting to Eric gets her attention, and her eyes widen. "Officer Sutton... The officer who was involved in that incident in the park a few weeks back?" Alex drags her gaze from Eric to look at Alison, her usually frantic thoughts slow as molasses in January. "Ah did teach dance here in the city. Ah recently started workin' at a private school north of the city, for gifted kids." There's a swift flash of a smile, before she glances at Eric. "Incident in the park? Ah'm out of the news loop, Ah'm afraid." The smile freezes on Eric's face and fades back to a professional, polite smile. "Yes, that was me." he pauses, eyes flicking again over Alison's face. "And I think I recognize you, too. Alison, right? Morning news?" Even the professional mask twitches slightly at the edges and he gives a little shake of his head. "I'm afraid you'll have to go through 1PP for any quotes, ma'am. I'm not authorized to comment." Alison positively glows at being recognized, and she tosses her hair with a smile as she extends a hand. "It's a talk show, really, but it is on in the morning. Alison Blair." She nods at Alexandrine. "I think that might be where I've seen you," she says, but doesn't elaborate. Instead, turns back to Eric, laughing and waving a hand at his official response. "Officer Sutton, if I was going for a quote, we'd be discussing your appearance on my show. I was just verifying that you were the same man." Alexandrine bites back a slightly harsh retort to Eric. "Well, as a cop, Ah'm sure you have to say no comment a lot." Blue eyes shift to Alison, her smile brightening. "Ah might have seen you there, but Ah /know/ some of the other dancers Ah used to teach with watched your show every day. Alexandrine Reynaud." The return of Eric's smile is a cautious one, creeping slowly back onto his lips. "Well, I'm glad to hear it." he says, flicking his attention back and forth between both of the women. "No offense, ma'am, but I think I've had rather enough of the press for a fair stretch." he says, spreading his hands out in a shrug. "I do, indeed. But it gets tirin' surprisingly quickly." Alison laughs at Alex's comment, and Eric's response, and her earrings sparkle in the low light of the lobby as she shakes her head. "This is why I'm not an actual journalist. If you think it gets old saying it, imagine having to ask the questions when you know that will be the answer." She lifts an eyebrow. "But when you /book/ someone for an appearance, it's a whole different ball game." Her gaze slides back to Alexandrine, and she studies the redhead carefully. "Oh, yes. That's definitely it," she decides. "I'm there /now/ nearly as much as I was when I was a student there." She winks. "Or maybe it's more." "Well, it's a pleasure to actually meet an alumni of the school. " Alexandrine says smoothly as they all exchange polite commentary. A hand lifts to twist one red curl around and around a finger. "Ah feel sorry for both of you. No comment can't be much fun for anyone, not even the lawyers and the like to tell people to say it." Eric raises an eyebrow and the smile looks more genuine as he relaxes. "Not particularly fun, no." He winks at Alexandrine before he steps forward, giving the hostess a warm smile. "D'ya mind if I go get these filled? I've got a couple hours ahead of me left tonight, and I ran clean out." "Oh, lawyers love 'no comment'," Alison says with a scrunch of her nose. "So do P.R. people. I think they get residuals every time someone in their corral says it." She shakes her head, and looks over where Mel...used to be. Apparently, he's gone ahead to secure the table. "How long have you been teaching there?" she asks Alexandrine. "I don't recall you being on the faculty last year." Margie's suddenly unaware of anyone named Claude when Eric steps forward, and her eyes are wide as she reaches out to take the bottles from Eric. "I'll do it," she says in a hurried rush, and flashes him a look that makes her intent clear before she's moving away. "I'll be right back!" "Maybe we should have had /you/ ask about our reservations," Alison remarks wryly. "You do seem to get results." "Ah was just ...brought on board. This semester is my first teaching there, actually. One of the new teachers floating around, that's me." Alex offers a warm smile, chuckling at Alison's remark. "It's that pretty face of his. Ah'm pretty sure it gets him into almost as much trouble as it gets him out of." There's a wink for Eric, she's not being snotty with the remark, just teasing. Eric grins playfully at Margie and gives her a little casual salute. "Thanks, darlin'." he calls after her, as she rushes off. He leans casually against the stand as he tursn to glance back at Alexandrine and flash a row of white teeth. "Guilty as charged, I'm afraid. But she straightened your reservations out in the end, no?" he adds. "I'm just glad she said yes, or I'd have to detour back into the city, and the bike causes tourist traffic jams in crowds." "Oh, I'm sure it's the /bike/," Alison replies, clearly amused by the thought. "Tourists love to look at bicycles." She smiles, and nods at Alexandrine, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Have you met many of the other teachers, yet?" she asks. "It seems like I'm always meeting new people up there. I kind of love that about it." Then she's back to Eric. "I recognize her accent as Lousiana, but I can't place yours. I want to say West Virginia." "Ah've met a couple of them. Everyone's been very nice." She is not naming names, of course, a dart of her gaze towards Eric. There's a blushing nod, at mention of her accent's origin. "Ah'm splitting my time between the school and my place in the city." "It's a very nice bike." Eric points out, modestly. "They do love bikes. And, for some reason, street signs. It's beyond me." he says, brightly. Alison gets a wink as well, and he straightens up to glance back in the direction that Margie had left in, and to the watch at his wrist. Alison smiles widely, and fairly glows at the policeman. "I'm sure it is," she offers playfully. "I bet everyone wants to get on it." If that was intentional, she doesn't show it, offering Eric a small scrunch of her nose before turning her attention back to Alexandrine. "Oh, that's a good idea," she says. "The few times I've stayed up there since graduating, I have been keenly aware of the fact that there are kids there /all the time/." She laughs, and fluffs her fingers through her hair. Margie returns, then, bottles in hand. "Sorry!" she says, handing Eric the bottles with a come-hither sort of smile. Around one, a napkin with something written on it has been wrapped around it. "Come back soon, Officer." It somehow sounds really dirty when she says it. Like porn music should immediately begin playing. Alexandrine chuckles. "Well, Ah have a guy Ah've been seeing here in town. If Ah stayed up at the school all the time, be no time for romance. And yes, kids all the time. But Ah'm a little used to that." Blue eyes roll as the hostess is not at all subtle about coming onto the Officer. "It must be tiring, being the face of public servants, Eric." She does remember his name, even if she's thinking of things other than their run-in when they met. Eric takes the bottles, and the napkin, from the hostess. "Oh, I'll be sure to stop by again, ma'am. Always good to know I can rely on a friendly face." he says, playfully. He pockets the napkin into his jacket pocket, and then takes a few steps away from the counter to let a guest reach it. "It's a burden, ma'am, but I do my best." he says, dipping his head slightly as he smiles, making it almost look shy if not for the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Oh, a guy?" Alison seems intrigued by this wrinkle in the story, and she steps forward. "Kids do tend to put the brakes on those tender moments," she agrees with a shake of her head. "You're a smart lady." She watches Eric and the hostess with a bemused smile and rolls her eyes at the false modesty. "Poor thing," she says with mock-sympathy, her eyes dancing. "I'm sure you find all sorts of ways to deal with the pressure." Her smile slips to something more grin-like. "Men of such resourcefulness and charm usually do." "He has a little girl, though not all the time." Alex shrugs, because she likes kids, after all. "But he's never been up, yet. One of my friends up at the school and he don't get on together so well, so.." There's the shrug of one shoulder, before Alex is looking torn for about ten seconds. She feels like she should warn Alison, but she doesn't know more than a couple tales about Eric... "Shall we take that four top your friend is holdin', Alison?" Eric smile is a bright sparkling thing as he shines it at Alison. "Why, thank'ya ma'am. I 'preciate that. I am quite sure a woman of your elegance has no trouble coping as well, despite your position." he says, brightly. "I should be getting back onto my shift, and I don't want to keep you lovely ladies from your meal." He glances between Alexandrine and Alison for a moment and he nods his head. "Good evenin', ma'am, ma'am." Alison beams at Eric. "Oh, Officer. You have no idea how taxing my position can be," she purrs, and waggles her fingers in his direction. "I hope we meet again, Officer Sutton. Be safe out there." Then she's looping her arm through Alex's and pulling her close, like an old friend. "Oh, Mel's a darling. He'd sit there all night, if need be. But, you're right. Let's go eat, and you can tell me all about your guy and his little girl."