(Picking up where Fox left off)
William Fagin, known to Interpol, the FBI, and assorted other agencies across the world as the Honest Gentleman, slid open the door to the subdued and
tastefully decorated interrogation room cum sushi kitchen where Lady Nogitsune was ... entertaining the Tsoo representative. He gave the bound, tattooed man
only the briefest of glances before bowing, in a correct and effortless fashion, to the leader of his organization. "Your Ladyship," he said, "I
have chosen what is, in my educated opinion, an appropriate libation for yours and your ... guest's refreshment. With your permission, I will
elaborate."
At the fox demoness' elegant and imperial nod, the Gentleman continued. Turning to one of his men (an dark and intimidating Frenchman named Nikos), he
carefully lifted a small crystal vial from the silver salver that the gangster was carrying. Holding it by the neck and positioning it against the white gloves
that he always wore, he held it into the light, so that the brilliantly crimson liquid glittered. Dressed in his characteristic tuxedo (this one a deep shade
of aubergine), he looked very much the part of a sommelier.
"This is a delightful cordial, which I find makes a perfect amuse bouche for situations just like this. It
dissolves lightly on the palate, with a light and airy approach and only the slightest bitterness at the end that is quite adeptly offset by the euphoric sense
it leaves behind. It can be most diverting, should one wish to dissipate ennui, and I find that it makes interrogation
much easier. I can say, with no small sense of pride, that this batch is quite fresh, as I distilled it myself last night. I have taken the liberty of adding a
small dilution of dimethyl sulfoxide, in case your guest is not thirsty."
"The needs of your company taken care of, I will now turn to your own." With a smooth motion, he replaced the vial on the salver and removed the wine
bottle sitting next to it. "This is a bottle of Chateau Lafitte-Rothschilde 1907. It is reputed to have been a most elegant and impressive vintage, full
of flavor and character. The vineyard where this label was produced did not survive the Second World War intact, and as a result, such bottles are rare and
treasured by devotees of oenology the world over. A bottle of the '07 was opened in 1927, on the twentieth anniversary of the cask being tapped, and it was
proclaimed as being, and I am quoting here, 'an epiphany of taste, that which has not been seen for decades.'" The Gentleman lifted the presented
bottle to review the label. Pursing his lips, he added, "It has, no doubt, fermented all the way to vinegar by now, and would probably be better suited
for a salad dressing than drinking." Brightening, he turned back to Nogitsune, he added, "However, it is currently valued at half a million dollars
by the collectors market, and I suspect the owner will pay more for its return."
He turned and replaced the bottle on the salver. As Nikos handed the salver off to one of Nogitsune's kunoichi, who then brought it to her mistress'
table, the Gentleman indicated a second member of his gang, holding a bucket in which a hot bath was gently warming a squat bottle. "Since the valuable
libation is not drinkable, I have taken the liberty of providing a bottle of White Mountain sake. A uplifting pressing, with elements of spring flowers easily
found in the bouquet and finish. I have taken the liberty of heating this bottle, and we have several more available in the kitchen. Shall I pour?"
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com
"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."
William Fagin, known to Interpol, the FBI, and assorted other agencies across the world as the Honest Gentleman, slid open the door to the subdued and
tastefully decorated interrogation room cum sushi kitchen where Lady Nogitsune was ... entertaining the Tsoo representative. He gave the bound, tattooed man
only the briefest of glances before bowing, in a correct and effortless fashion, to the leader of his organization. "Your Ladyship," he said, "I
have chosen what is, in my educated opinion, an appropriate libation for yours and your ... guest's refreshment. With your permission, I will
elaborate."
At the fox demoness' elegant and imperial nod, the Gentleman continued. Turning to one of his men (an dark and intimidating Frenchman named Nikos), he
carefully lifted a small crystal vial from the silver salver that the gangster was carrying. Holding it by the neck and positioning it against the white gloves
that he always wore, he held it into the light, so that the brilliantly crimson liquid glittered. Dressed in his characteristic tuxedo (this one a deep shade
of aubergine), he looked very much the part of a sommelier.
"This is a delightful cordial, which I find makes a perfect amuse bouche for situations just like this. It
dissolves lightly on the palate, with a light and airy approach and only the slightest bitterness at the end that is quite adeptly offset by the euphoric sense
it leaves behind. It can be most diverting, should one wish to dissipate ennui, and I find that it makes interrogation
much easier. I can say, with no small sense of pride, that this batch is quite fresh, as I distilled it myself last night. I have taken the liberty of adding a
small dilution of dimethyl sulfoxide, in case your guest is not thirsty."
"The needs of your company taken care of, I will now turn to your own." With a smooth motion, he replaced the vial on the salver and removed the wine
bottle sitting next to it. "This is a bottle of Chateau Lafitte-Rothschilde 1907. It is reputed to have been a most elegant and impressive vintage, full
of flavor and character. The vineyard where this label was produced did not survive the Second World War intact, and as a result, such bottles are rare and
treasured by devotees of oenology the world over. A bottle of the '07 was opened in 1927, on the twentieth anniversary of the cask being tapped, and it was
proclaimed as being, and I am quoting here, 'an epiphany of taste, that which has not been seen for decades.'" The Gentleman lifted the presented
bottle to review the label. Pursing his lips, he added, "It has, no doubt, fermented all the way to vinegar by now, and would probably be better suited
for a salad dressing than drinking." Brightening, he turned back to Nogitsune, he added, "However, it is currently valued at half a million dollars
by the collectors market, and I suspect the owner will pay more for its return."
He turned and replaced the bottle on the salver. As Nikos handed the salver off to one of Nogitsune's kunoichi, who then brought it to her mistress'
table, the Gentleman indicated a second member of his gang, holding a bucket in which a hot bath was gently warming a squat bottle. "Since the valuable
libation is not drinkable, I have taken the liberty of providing a bottle of White Mountain sake. A uplifting pressing, with elements of spring flowers easily
found in the bouquet and finish. I have taken the liberty of heating this bottle, and we have several more available in the kitchen. Shall I pour?"
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com
"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."