fandomtownies | Sushi Station, Wednesday evening

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Sushi Station, Wednesday evening

Mary got there a little early and picked out spot at the sushi bar, right in the middle of the action. Since this wasn't technically a date, she wanted to avoid anything too cozy. Besides, the fun part was watching the colorful plates sushi going around in circle.

She glanced at her menu and played with her ring as she waited for G'Kar.

[Mary is here for her date, but the restaurant is open for anyone else needing sushi.]

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It certainly wasn't a date. Just friends enjoying a meal out.

He smiled as he took a seat next to her. "Good evening. This looks rather interesting," he nodded toward the conveyer belt. "How precisely does this work?"

Nope, definitely not a date since there was no mention of stunning she looked in her designer dress.

"It's really kind of fun," said Mary. "See how everything is on little different-colored plates? You see something you like and take the plate off the conveyor belt. Each color represents a different price group. When you're done, the waiter just tallies up how many of each plate you have and gives you the bill. They have descriptions of everything on the menu, and you can always order something from the kitchen, if you'd prefer."

"Oh, I see. An amusing idea!"

He snagged a plate of some rice rolls.

"What are you going to try?"

If this were a real date, Mary would probably get soup, or maybe one of those interesting salads that were going past. But it wasn't a date, and Mary felt free to get what she wanted.

"This (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2356/2436823814_30671eaa44.jpg?v=0) looks interesting," she said, picking out a plate with a shrimp tempura rolls. "I don't care if it's fried. I love tempura."

"That does look good," he agreed. "I'll trade you one of mine for one of yours?" he asked with a grin.

"Of course! That's the best part about eating out with someone else," said Mary, carefully picking up one of her tempura rolls with a pair of chopsticks so she could transfer it to G'Kar's plate.

"How is everything at the store, by the way? Was there any fallout from what Turtle did that weekend?" she asked.

"Not that I'm aware. There may be a slight issue with an employee, but I feel that's best left to them to sort out."

Since it wasn't directly a business matter, G'Kar decided it wasn't for him to interfere.

He did likewise with a rice roll, placing it on her plate.

"And yourself? Nothing odd came about over at the hotel?"

"No, just the usual. Gunther is still ranting in German and the rest of the staff just avoid him," said Mary. "I did have to hire some new housekeepers, but that's just the usual turnover."

He nodded, "Good then. Glad to hear business is usual as normal. And you'll have a fair amount of business coming in this weekend as well, won't you?"

"Just the way I like it," said Mary, grinning. "Actually, Turtle & Canary will get to share in it. I like to pick up extra gift baskets and things like that and then have fun passing out complimentary favors to guests."

"Then it is certainly an equitable arrangement," he grinned back.

He started on his rice rolls and add a bit of soy sauce to it.

"This is actually quite different from what they had on the station," he mused.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what they were serving," giggled Mary. "You kind of need access to fresh fish for good sushi. Or, in my case, you need to work at a casino that had private jets flying in fresh fish to the desert every morning."

"Honestly?" he smirked. "I'm afraid to ask myself. Often, it was best not to ask. Cost of interstellar shipping is quite expensive. Particularly if one was trying to keep things fresh."

"That's why I worry sometimes about how Las Vegas can survive," said Mary. "The whole industry is built on providing extravagance, but at some point you've got to reach a point where it goes too far."

"How so?" he asked, curious now. "Is the expenses outweighing the profits or is there some other issue that can cause problems?"

"Well, you've got to imagine that all these resorts in Las Vegas are trying to top each other when it comes to the latest shows, the best comps, the fanciest restaurants, and the best overall experience. They even go as far as to identify gamblers, send a private jet for them, give them the fanciest suite, and expect to recoup all that expense from what the gambler loses," explained Mary. "But you always run the risk of spending all this money to bring people in, and they just don't drop enough money to make it worthwhile."

"Yes," he nodded, "that could be a problem."

He vaguely wondered what Londo would make of a place like Vegas. Or perhaps, what Vegas would make of him.

"Gambling is always a risk," he said before taking another bit of his sushi.

"We had this guy once who was a a statistician. He came sold everything he owned to raise money and then bet it all on the roulette wheel," said Mary. "He said he was doing it just to feel alive for that brief moment before the ball landed on the wheel, because he was risking losing everything."

"And? What happened? Did he win or lose?"

"Oh, that's where the story got more complicated," said Mary, grinning. She leaned forward as she went on with her story.

"This movie producer got hold of him even before he even got to play. They got the filming rights and movie rights and all that stuff, and then they lined up sponsors! They were going to give this guy a luxury condo and a pricey car if he lost. And suddenly, there was no more thrill of risking everything, so the guy wanted to back out."

He laughed. "So the gentleman really didn't care about the money? It was all in the excitement of the moment. I think I would have like to met him."

"He was a very nice guy," said Mary. "He worked for an insurance company and could take your information and calculate how long you would live. But it drove him nuts, which is why he wanted to take a risk. It had a pretty big influence on me, though. I probably would never have left town if it wasn't for him."

This was turning out to be quite a tale. "Really? And how did that influence you?" he asked between bites.

"Because until I talked to him, I never realized how few risks I actually took," said Mary. "I grew up in Las Vegas and I never really left, even though the people I loved all moved on."

"Sometimes risks are worth all," he nodded, but not adding anything to it.

"And so it brought you here. Certainly an interesting location, very risky itself."

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