VII
When they approached the restaurant, you could really see tree trunks under the fluffy marshmallow crowns. Erot parked near ground floor Sakura entrance and helped dazed Gaiya out of the vehicle. She noticed as she looked up that each flor is not a simple circle, but five circles connected to a smaller center circle, which made it look like flower with five petals.
She was guided in to a luxurious lobby, where meticulous staff greeted and showed them to the portal, which was located directly under the flower floors floating above them.
Turns out Erot got top floor reservation, staff member showed them to one of the private round balconies on two sides from the portal there were white flower walls creating privacy screens from other dining areas. The second half of the terrace was open, providing beautiful view of the surrounding scenery. The staff member bowed away, leaving them alone in this magical place.
"This is amazing! Gard got top notch technology, to levitate flors AND have embedded ports in the wobbly thing!" Gaiya was amazed by the place.
"Yeah, this is pretty much underhanded show off place to foreign dignitaries." Erot sounded proud. Was it his idea? She wouldn't be surprised.
"Why do I get a feeling this wasn't a last moment booking?"
"I had it reserved for a while, just in case, perks of being 'top cat.'" He answered grinning.
"Let's order, I'm famished." He reminded her why they were there.
"Get something to for me, I'm too tired to think." She found making decisions exhausting.
"You want meat, fish, or veggies?" Oh, you know me so well my friend, just narrow down categories.
"Fish, but if you think there is something yummy I should try then I want it." She leaned on the balcony railing as Erot pulled out interface and begun ordering.
Pondering a little she begun to relax and observed the view. The mountain had a small steam disappearing into white trees below. The platform slowly rotated, and a distant town appeared across the mountain, lights just begun popping up here and there as twilight got darker.
"Done, and done!" Announced Erot, he apparently ordered instrumental music while he was at it.
He came over to Gaiya and gave her a hug while whispering into her ear: "lets dance," he spun her around and they begun slowly rocking to the music while their meal was prepared. Suddenly three figures appeared in the central portal, the only communal space between the platforms. A gorgeous blonde woman with green eyes and seductively alluring presence, accompanied by a tall, chiseled man with raven black hair and abyssal red eyes, escorted by the same staff member.
"Erot!" She exclaimed in recognition.
"Lady Venera, my Lord Mars, good evening." Erot was surprisingly formal with a little bow.
Oh, yeah, he said Mars stood on the pinnacle of power here. She let out interns sigh, just keep moving people, shoo.
"No need for formalities, it's a pleasure to see you here my friend, and who might that be?" Mars inquired.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Lord Mars, Lady Venera, I'm Gaiya." She answered with a small bow.
"The pleasure is all mine." He didn't look surprised, she'd be surprised if he didn't know who was in the vicinity of the restaurant.
"Oh, my Gaiya! We meet at last! Your work is fascinating! Seeding planets, what a privilege!" Venera sounded so excited, Gaiya got all shy. Perhaps both girls had no idea of the upcoming setup.
"I'm Venera from Devas, you should visit us soon! It's not fair that you are acknowledging Gard first!" The woman was on a roll.
"Lady Venera, Gaiya is on a dinner date with me, this is not an official visit." Erot interjected.
"Oh, so am I, what a coincidence!" Venera replied.
Gaiya did an internal eye roll, you can't be this much of an airhead, she and Erot could be siblings, gorgeous, sexy, and overly dramatic. The staff member melted into the background, she internally tried to remind him to show them to their spot, however no one showed any signs of moving. 'This is bad' she thought, not someone you can shoo away.
"We only just ordered, would you like to join us?" Proposed Erot, while Gaiya internally groaned and gave him a traitor of the century award.
"What a splendid idea!" Exclaimed Venera, those two were cut from the same tree.
"If lady Gaiya doesn't mind." Replied Mars.
"Not at all." She said, thank you friend, but how can I refuse now.
As if on cue, the staff member moved towards the table, adjusted it with a circular motion which expanded the diameter of the circle, allowing it to accommodate more people. Out of seemingly nowhere, he pulled out two more cushy chairs making room for everyone present.
"Bring a bottle of your finest." Ordered Mars while he was scrolling through the menu.
It was understood that all of the food will arrive together. However, within few moments a server arrived with a bottle of vine and four glasses. When everyone was served a drink both servers retreated toward the port and a frosted privacy door closed behind them.
"To new beginnings!"
"Cheers"
"Cheers"
"Cheers"