Akihiro hesitated. It had become very clear that Quinn had found a place among his favorite customers in her short time aboard the Aerie, and thus far things had been friendly between them. He knew her favorite meals, down to the ingredients she liked in some dishes, and others she didn’t. He had on occasion crafted specialties for her, when time and supplies allowed, or had her taste-test potential new additions to the menu. They shared few personal things—though Quinn tended to wear her emotions on her sleeve, and so was not particularly hard to read—but there was an undeniable sense of understanding there. 

Besides, Akihiro had been working on the Aerie for years. He was used to being around pilots, and while the previous lot was gone, he had forged relationships with them as well, ranging from the strictly professional, to the respectfully distant, and, of course, the familiar. 

All of that aside, the difference between him and them was always stark. He was a civilian, after all, and no matter how friendly they were, they were pilots. They outranked him socially, and professionally. When they asked something of him, regardless of how much it sounded like a suggestion, or how much he would rather refuse, he could not. 

So, when Quinn asked him for alcohol, he followed it like an order. He picked a nice, albeit not overly-strong bottle that would mix well with yuzu, and whipped up a glass for her. He didn’t know whether or not she’d eaten today, but she looked ill to his eyes. When he served her the drink, he slid a small bowl of soba noodles along with it. 

Then he bowed, went to fetch another cloth from the kitchen, and before he returned to the front, he sent the Commander a message, informing her of Quinn’s whereabouts. There was no response, of course; Commander Darroh was a busy woman and likely wouldn’t see a message from him for hours. By then he hoped Quinn would be finished, and sleeping, perhaps. She looked like she hadn’t slept. 

These too were thoughts he kept to himself as he emerged back to the bar. 

“Would you like a menu?” he asked, and set one down near her. “Delivery day was this morning, so everything is fresh.”