| abstract
| - This cavernous chamber in the natural rock of the Ungstir planetoid appears to be some kind of converted mining operation facility, with large, rusty ore grinders, separation platforms and storage silos arrayed throughout. Automated ore-hauling bots - still functional despite age - whir and clunk overhead, following tracks set into the ceiling that weave around the antiquated mining equipment. Metal-seated stools border a semicircular bar counter which is about one hundred feet long from end to end. The bartender is usually clad in mining gear - complete with hardhat and overalls - and it doesn't always appear to be just for purposes of keeping in theme. The Rockhopper's Haven has a reputation as a rough spot among rough spots, with fisticuffs and gunfights erupting on a fairly regular basis - thus keeping the civilian constabulary on their toes (when they aren't actually involved in the fights themselves). Lucius is already seated in the Rockhopper's Tavern, laid out in front of him a whiskey sour - he's apparently been smart enough to avoid the common tourist trap of ordering an Ungstiri Sunrise. Even though he doesn't speak Mierznykovy, he can blend in well enough. Lucius A good description of the man before you is wide; his broad shoulders and barrel chest certainly display themselves prominently. He stands about 6' tall, his body covered in large, compact muscle. He has a angular face, albeit with some slight roundness present at the cheeks. His cheekbones are prominently seen under his eyes, he has a large, straight nose except for an aquiline break at the top of it, and finally his chin is distinctly featured on his face, jutting outward a few inches. His hair is kept short, and is the colour of fertile earth; deep dark brown. His eyes are piercing, of ice blue, while his skin is of a uniform medium tan colour. He is cleanshaven, a light grey stubble resting on his face. He wears military BDU trousers, dyed in fractal urban camoflauge (blues, greys). The pants are made of a heavy material, with many pockets up and down the legs without being excessive. On his feet are black military style boots. He wears a grey undershirt, tucked into his BDU trousers, with a subtle bulge underneath. On the belt he wears a holster which is empty, while his leg holster on the opposite side contains some sort of pulse pistol. From the commons, a rather hard-to-miss figure enters the Rockhopper - no mistaking this one for a native. Swiftfoot, the Jackal's Demarian pilot, towers over most of the other clientele as she makes her way straight for the bar. Swiftfoot Swiftfoot is a fairly typical Demarian in both appearance and stature. That is to say, she's a bipedal felinoid, closely resembling the common domestic cat, and is approximately seven feet in height. Her exact build is difficult to ascertain, as she's covered by about eight inches of fluffy cream and white fur. Her dark pink nose is framed on either side with long, white whiskers. Eyes as bright as molten gold are set admist a series of barely-visible pale orange stripes, laid out in a classic tabby pattern -- markings on the forehead, and at the outside corners of the eyes. The rest of the visible orange fur is similarly striped, with her paws, throat and chest being pure white. A thick ruff surrounds her head and shoulders, lending itself to her fluffy appearance. The very tip of her orange-striped tail is just as snow white as her paws and chest. Tailored black pants with more than a few pockets in evidence cover Swiftfoot's legs to the ankle, where they are tucked into a pair of well-worn black boots. Only the collar of a matte black flak jacket is visible, the rest of it concealed under a long, scarlet coat. The coat is fitted through the torso, and flares out dramatically at the waist to create long, flowing folds of red fabric that fall to just below her knees. The coat almost camouflages the bulk of the protective armor underneath. Almost. Around the big cat's waist is not one, but two plain black holsters, complete with Sivadian pistols, one riding easily on each side of her lean hips. The only jewelry evident on the Demarian is a golden bracelet around her left wrist, and a pair of tiny golden earrings dangling from her pointed, feline ears. Lucius isn't looking up from his position at the bar, not yet. Even at this hour in the day, Rockhoppers is still bustling with activity, drunk miners and other workers who refuse to, or don't wish to go away. The Martian, however, continues to nurse his drink quietly, grabbing a handful of peanuts from a tray. One of the Demarian's ears flicks over in the direction of the rustle from the bowl of peanuts, even as she places an order with the bartender. She looks over that way, spotting the Martian, only a couple of seats away from her by mere happenstance. "Evening, Lucius," Swiftoot greets, then looks back to the bar as her drink is delivered. She pays the man behind the counter, picks up her glass, then walks over to stand beside the Martian. "How's it going?" Lucius looks up from his handful of those peanuts, to glance at the Demarian - her voice he must have recognized when she initially spoke, for who could really not pick out that distinct tone of Terran? The Martian smiles. "Can't complain, other than being a bit bored. But I have to bide my time. We might be here for a while while the Faux is in drydock." Solace comes wandering into the bar, hands shoved into her pockets. The bruise on her face is starting to go a lovely shade of green, and she seems to be walking slowly, as if in a bit of pain. Other than that, she doesn't seem in a bad mood, just uncomfortable. Solace This Timonae female has an impassive countenance, despite her obvious youth, casual glance placing her developmentally in her late teens. Her silver eyes are as pale as those of someone without sight, faintly tinged with lilac. Her mid-back length hair has been deep blue-black, silver beads woven into tiny braids here and there. Her lips are wide, more expressive than her eyes, and her nose turns up at the end a bit, almost what one would call cute if not for the stern set of her face. Her skin is deep in colour, even for a Timonae, with a hint of burnished gold, almost as though she's a creature of metal and not flesh. A pair of goggles are on her head, silver and black in colour, apparently serving some sort of purpose, as there's a switch on one side. Her body is long and lean, though somewhat short for a Timonae, a bit less than seven feet tall. She's wearing a long sarong-style wrapped dress that actually manages to hide how undeveloped her body is, the soft fabric patterned in shades of red and gold. It brushes down to mid-thigh, leaving her long legs bare down to the simple gold embroidered red slippers on her feet, matching her dress. Small gold hoops pierce her ears, four in each, with a matching piece of jewellry through her right nostril. Her left arm terminates a bit above the elbow, replaced with a smooth, bare metal prosthetic, no fake skin covering the sight. "Jackal's in drrydock too," Swiftfoot agrees, nodding. "Hrr. What's Ace getting done, d'ya know? I thought Faux alrready had sails." The Demarian shrugs vaguely and sips at her drink. "Think it's supposed to be rready Saturrday, though. Still hoping they'll let Sol in to watch some of the installation, at least. I dunno, though, Torr talked to em himself." She looks up and gives the crowd a once-over, easily spotting the Timonae's brightly colored hair, and offers a flick of her tail in greeting. Lucius nods. "Yeah, I think she's trying to get a little docking area installed in the Faux so it can take a smaller craft in. Maybe some other improvements too, eh?" Lucius shrugs. He does spot Swifty's flick of the tail - in the few months he's known the Demarian, his understanding of their body language has improved. Looking behind him, the Martian smiles at Solace. "'Ey." "Hey." Comes the slightly rough response, then Solace clears her throat and continues. "Didn't know you'd be here mom, Mister Luci." She nods her head to each in turn, then sits down on a barstool next to the Demarian. She winces a little as she sits, but shrugs it off and waves the bartender over. "Gin, please. Double. No ice." Swiftfoot nods at Lucius, one ear laying halfway back. "Thought about getting some otherr upgrrades done to Jackal, but I think she's about as good as she can get, at least without making majorr strructurral changes. A docking bay though? Interresting idea." The felinoid quirks an eyeridge and blinks at Solace. "Err, something wrrong, Sol?" she inquires, head tilting slightly to the side. "Smart about the no ice thing. I seen 'em here, they handle it with their hands. Keep in mind that a miner's hands typically aren't the cleanest in the 'verse." Lucius notes, with a dry chuckle. He oncemore lifts his whiskey sour to his lips, taking a draw. "How ya doin', Sol?" "M'okay." She answers both of their questions at once, then gives a small, slightly chagrined smile. "Better off'n Mal, anyway. We sorta went to this piercin' place on triple niner day before yesterday." A cough, and she takes her drink, sipping at it for a long moment before continuing. "M'better off n'he is, he's gotta get another one in two weeks t'finish his." "Uh," Swiftfoot says, brow furrowing for a moment. "Okay, yeah. I don't wanna know. Orr rratherr, I think I alrready do." She chuckles, shaking her head. "What'd make you do a thing like that? Didn't it hurrt? I thought tattoos werre bad enough. Humanoids arre strrange." The felinoid shrugs pragmatically and takes another sip of her drink - most likely vodka, as anyone that's even a passing acquaintance of the furry privateer would know. "Mal and you got piercings? I can /just/ imagine where. What, did he get his nips pierced or something?" Lucius laughs harshly. Apparently, he does not realize where the piercing was done, or is doing his best to remain oblivious. "Tatoos are markations, though. Shows us where we stand, kinda things, and other people too." "No, he got his penis pierced." Solace says seriously. "An I got pierced down there, too. Dunno. We decided not t'get tattoos. I wanna get a new one, though, since I got my old one removed." She doesn't seem really very worried about who knows that. After all, it's kind of obvious. "I woulda said cock, but for some reason, Captain Jack told me I shouldn't say that. He was actin' kinda weird yesterday, mom. Getting all in my business, tellin' me what I shouldn't do an' stuff. Why's it his business alla sudden? I don't even really know 'im." "Jack's a good guy," the Demarian says, a faint smile coming to her face. "If he was a Demarrian, I'd have claimed him long ago, but alas." Swiftfoot's long, white whiskers bristle as she chuckles. "I'd honestly prrobably have tattoos myself if not forr the whole 'coverred in furr' thing. It's not much use, cause no way am I going to keep myself bald. I could go in forr the furr dyeing thing, though." "Yikes, a Prince Albert." Lucius kind of shudders at the thought, quickly downing the rest of his drink and ordering another one. "Now /that's/ gotta fucking hurt. Although with yours, Sol, it's a bit less obvious. And serious to be honest." He looks at Swifty. "You should dye a section of your fur a different colour. Be rebellious and all." As an afterthought he adds, "Use the word cock at will. It's funnier than penis." "Yessir, Mister Luci sir." Solace says cheerfully, then shakes her head and grins. "I'm glad Captain Jack ain't bringin' his Nallistan with him, s'bad enough a Nall comin' with. I fuckin hate Nallistans. Almost as bad as Mystics." She shudders, and downs half of her gin in one gulp. A pause, and then, "It ain't a prince albert yet, he said, he gotta get a second piercing done in a couple weeks. You should dye yerself, mom. I'll help ya." Solace fingers a strand of her green and yellow hair. Swiftfoot snorts and nearly chokes on her vodka at Lucius' afterthought. "Quit corrupting my daughterr, Luc," She brushes droplets of the Ungstiri specialty out of her whiskers and chuckles. "On second thought, she'll prrobably corrupt you if you hang arround us long enough." The felinoid stifles a giggle and shakes her head. "Man, I'll neverr let Mal hearr the end of this one. Neverr." Lucius boggles at that, quickly taking to his new drink almost as fast as he took to his previous one. "Why anyone would want a hole in one's wanker is a dilemma that I've pondered over many a night. No, I think that I'm quite pleased with my natural manhood!" He quirks his head to the side, though, asking, "Does she worship Nalia or somethin'? I've heard a lot of pre-Sanc Vollistans do. And hey, I wasn't corrupting your daughter.. it's true, the word penis sounds like it belongs in a medical clinic." "I dunno. He just mentioned it. I ain't ever met it." Solace says, shrugging her shoulders. "People need t'fuckin stop depending on bullshit like that an'depend on themselves." She shudders a little, rubbing the back of her neck as her face goes solemn. "Enh...enough thinkin' about that. Don't like thinkin' about bein a kid." She grins a little, attempting to shake off the sudden mood. "I'm already pretty corrupted, mom. Too bad you weren't around yesterday, me an' Mal spent all night stoned. I got this shit, it's in an inhaler. Makes you feel all lightheaded n'stupid. S'fun stuff." "Aw, and you didn't sharre," the Demarian replies, managing a faux-pout. "I'll just have to get myself drrunk to make up forr it." She chuckles, one ear flicking absently. "I dunno... I don't think much of Volaya myself." The felinoid's expression darken considerably, and her eyes narrow just a bit. "But it's Jack's life. I love the man dearrly, but he's still frree to make his own choices without me rragging on him constantly." "Shit, I almost miss the times when I used to do that stuff. And then I remember that I still very much DO smoke. All the time." Lucius shakes his head, chuckling. "True, but going by what Sol told us, he ain't giving that same consideration to others, no?" "I'm sure he just sees it as 'tellin' the kid what to do', just like Torr an' everyone else does." Solace says sourly, then stares into her glass. "I ain't a kid. Just cause I ain't a full adult doesn't make me a kid. Just cause I ain't got tits doesn't make me not an adult either. You know, I bet if I went an' got implants people would stop tryin' to treat me like a kid." Swiftfoot polishes off her vodka and nods at Lucius after a moment, her brow furrowing slightly. "Guess you'rre rright on that count. Eh, could be he's trrying to look out forr herr cause he knows about the impending adoption, I dunno." The Demarian shrugs vaguely. "I don't trreat ya like a kid, I hope. And don't worry about Torr, he trreats me like that too sometimes. Orr at least, he used to. He's just a 'show me' kind of guy, ya know? Once you show him you know yourr shit, he'll prretty much leave you alone about things." "Yeah, Torr's just got that kind of loveable, condescending personality that everyone likes to have around." Laughing, the Martian shrugs. "Twenny six or twenny seven." Solace says promptly. "I think. Probably. I ran away from home when I was old enough to, an I haven't kept count since then." She scratches the end of her nose contemplatively. "So between sixteen an seventeen for a human, sorta. Only I got twice th'experience an junk." She shrugs one shoulder. "Supposta reach physical maturity at thirty, but it's not a sure thing cause of me bein' a mutt n'all." Swiftfoot chuckles. "Torr's just... Torr. You eitherr hate him orr learrn to live with him." She blinks, head tilting to one side. After a moment, she nods, but doesn't reply to Solace, apparently not sure what to say. Instead. she turns Lucius quirks his head to the side. "A mutt?" He asks, curious now. "Am glad you gave me the human equivalent, though, else I mightn't have been able to keep my sanity. No one woulda told me I was a kid at seventeen, else I'd have broken their jaw. Plus, I don't think they'd let kids into the military, eh? It's a frame of mind, anyways." "M'half mystic." The Timmiegirl says grudgingly, and not without a bit of embarassment. It's not her favourite thing to admit. She pushes her empty to the bartender. "Refill please...I'm kinda startin' to get used to Torr, I think." Solace says, then frowns a little. "I jus'wish he would like me already, y'know?" The bartender gets another vodka for the big cat, and another gin for the Timonae. Swiftfoot pays for both, giving a sly wink before turning back to the conversation. "Torr is just like that. I used to think he hated me, but Rrokke pointed something out to me - maybe he's just uncomforrtable with non-humans, ya know? I mean, maybe it's tougherr to rrelate." The felinoid shrugs vaguely, sipping at her new drink. "It's a thought, anyhow. Then again, he's just as abrrasive to otherr humans, so maybe that shoots my theorry out of the waterr." "I think he's just uncomfortable, in general." Relates Lucius, his laugh continuing from before. "That is, until he gets to know people. Maybe, though, Torr just likes to test people's limits before he comes to accept them. Believe me, coming from Mars and serving in the Guardian Fleet I've met my share of xenophobes, and he doesn't have that demeanour." Lucius shrugs, turning to Sol. "Wouldn't a guessed, really, but then I forget that you three" referring to the Kamir races, "can have kids." "Yeah, well, they woulda liked to forget about me too." Solace says sourly, then taps her forehead. "Deadhead. It was pretty embarassin' for em." She shakes off the subject, and smiles a little, a bit more comfortable now that she's not being made fun of for admitting that. Instead, she takes her new drink, leaning against her mom. "So after Mal passed out yesterday, I went through his holopornos. You should see how many girl on girl Timmie vids he's got." Swiftfoot listens carefully, her ears flicking uncertainly. "Nothin wrrong with that, if you ask me. Hrh, I had a sisterr once that was an albino. The otherr kits used to make fun of herr. Same thing, kinda." She shrugs vaguely, pausing to sip at her drink again. At the comment about Mal's vids, she's unfortunately mid-sip. She tries valiantly to contain herself but ultimately fails, and snorts, this time ending up in a fit that's half-coughing and half-laughing. Lucius becomes visibly amused at the notion of Sol watching all of Mal's porns. "Oh yeah, he showed you those? Whenever I come aboard the Jackal and he's got something to do, he always offers to let me browse through his girl on girl Timmie vids." He too, begins to chuckle, especially at Swift's antics. "Nah, he didn't show em to me, I just looked." Solace says, then snickers softly. "I just wanted t'see what else he had. I didn't even know they -made- Zangali pornos, though." She takes another sip of her gin. "Sides, why can't I watch pornos if I want to? Not like I'm gettin any. He shouldn't be wankin off while his piercing is healin' anyway, so I can borrow em if I want." "Wait, Zangali?" Swiftfoot stammers between coughing and laughing, setting her off into a new fit. After a few minutes, she seems to be able to contain herself, but only just barely. "I don't even want to think about Mal wankin off, and you... yeah. I'll leave that alone." The felinoid snorts softly, shaking her head. "Think Mal's the only one of us that's been gettin any, trruthfully, but I guess that's changed now." Lucius can't take it anymore, especially when word of Zangali porno comes up ; in his fits of laughter he nearly falls off his barstool, and certainly attracts gazes from the bevy of Ungstiri miners up late enough. "Ooh.. oh shit, that's too fucking funny. Shit, man shouldn't have gotten his genderhood stabbed anyways. But hey, if you're not getting any, I can set you up with one of my amigos, hmm? You too Swifty. As long as you don't mind humanoids and you're physiology is kinda similar to ours." "A...ah, n-no thanks, Mister Luci." Solace suddenly stammers, face colouring a bit. "I'm okay." She ducks her head, staring studiously into her drink. "But...uh...thanks anyway." She rubs the back of her neck uncomfortably, unsure what to say. Swiftfoot blinks, apparently somewhat nonplussed. "Well, uh... um..." Okay, definitely very much nonplussed. "Honestly? I know it's possible, given the amount of human/Demarrian porrn out therre, but, ah..." The felinoid chuckles, her ears flicking. "Let's just say I'd rratherr not lose my virrginity to a human with a furr fetish." "Suit yourselves. No one said I didn't know how to kill a fun vibe, heh?" Lucius offers, shrugging; his grin remains, though. Evidently, he doesn't feel there's anything wrong with what he's said. "Hey, I thought it was /you/ guys who were supposed to be all sex crazy. Or is that just some stupid stereotype? Anyways, I'm sure you'll find 'Mr Right', soon." He offers Swifty an amused gaze. "Ah, I didn't know! Yeah, that might be a bit awkward, forsure. I don't know many Demarian males, unfortunately." Lucius, Solace and Swiftfoot all sit at the bar, chatting. Solace remains completely silent, just staring into her glass. At the question, she flat out glowers, tossing back the rest of her drink in one gulp. "I'm goin." Is all she says, pulling herself up from the bar and heading for the door, shoulders slumped. "You'd neverr know it frrom the way I talk, would you? I've gotten used to Torr's banterr, I guess," Swiftfoot comments, chuckling. "Well, therre was Rrazorr," she continues, her expression taking a turn towards the wistful. "He wouldn't until we werre Bonded, but now... he's vanished without so much as a fucking trrace." The orange-furred privateer's lip curls slightly, and she sighs. "Prrobably got sick of the lying, even though I neverr lied to him. Just to almost everryone else." At Solace's comment, the Demarian looks up. "Hey, Sol... he didn't mean it that way. S'just joking, meh?" "Well.. I guess I should work on my interpersonal skills." Lucius's expression drops off as Solace rises and leaves, watching the young Timmygirl move to the exit. "Come back, Sol! I was just jokin' around with yas." He agrees with Swifty, nodding. Solace nods her head at Kas, then glances back over her shoulder. "Ain't that." Is all she says, then shakes her head. "I...don't feel so good. I need some fresh air." Never mind that this is Ungstir, and the air is about as far from fresh as possible. "Gonna go outside for a couple minutes." "Hrr... okay..." the Demarian replies, her ears going back for a brief moment. "You want me to come with?" Swiftfoot looks over her shoulder, watching the retreating form of the Timonae. Incidentally, that puts her in a good position to catch a glimpse of Kas, and the felinoid flicks her tail in greeting to the Centauran. Kastaprulyi lingers at the end of the corridor for the moment, floating about four feet in height and seeming to be just watching the barscene. The young Centauran does return a silent greeting to Swiftfoot. Kastaprulyi The young Centauran's bell, a bit more than half the size of an adult's, is pale translucent blue glass infused with splotches of lavender around the crest. Surrounding the top of the trunk and sealed against the lung is a smooth ceramic toroid containing breather gear and vocalizer. (The youthful voice it synthesizes is that of a human girl and carries at least a trace of Terran Standard accent into other languages for which it might be used.) A thick layer of rubbery transparent material, painted here and there with faintly luminescent frost-like patterns, clings to and protects the outside of the bell while allowing sunlight to shine through the glass and internal organs. This layer seems not to have prevented a now mostly healed stress fracture in the crystal. The gel covers a ring of glittering eyes and wraps around the lip of the bell to the inside, where it becomes thinner as it coats the translucent glossy skin of the bell's inner wall. Between the inside of the bell and the trunk, the garment covers the breather with a ceramic ring that has an iridescent sheen to it. A number of loops and pockets made of soft violet fiberglass adorn the covering of the trunk. As the gel material continues down the trunk to the ends of eight drifting tentacles with crystalline skin, it shades into the deep indigo color of an AES uniform. The surface of the garment is broken by several sealed seams for entry and exit, as well as a seam surrounding the mouth and spinneret area. The young Centuran often emanates a faint aura of emotion; its tentacles, though kept to itself, are rarely still entirely. Lucius kinda gives a half wave to the Centauran, in apparent recognition - although there aren't many of them off Centauri, he's never sure which one is which. "Alright.." Lucius replies, simply, picking his whiskey sour up once more to take a sip. His blue eyes remain in the vicinity of the door. "No, mom..." Solace says, and gives a weak smile. Her eyes flick back in Lucius' direction, then she steps outside, already digging to find a cigarette. "Wonderr what that was all about." The felinoid's statement is accompanied by a sigh. "This parrent thing is a pain in the ass. Prrobably easierr if you'rre the same species, but... I dunno, sometimes I just don't get herr." Swiftfoot smiles at the silent greeting, and waves a paw at Kas before turning back to the bar. Kastaprulyi sends Lucius a feeling of greeting at his wave, though seems content to stay in doorway. "I think I was being an insensitive ass. Oh well, that's the word on the street, regularly, anyways." Lucius chuckles lowly a bit, taking his self-insult with a grain of salt. Of course, how else can one take a self-insult, anyways? "I wish I could teach you a thing about parenting, but I can't really. If I /could/, though, I'd ask for sensitivity training in return. Sound good for a mock-deal?" Swiftfoot chuckles softly. "I'll figurre it out eventually. S'kinda funny, I just tell people that she takes afterr herr fatherr. Gets a lot of prriceless starres." The felinoid stifles a giggle with one paw. "I like havin herr as crrew, too. Just think she and Torr need to come to an underrstanding beforre they kill each otherr." Marlan steps into rockhoppers, left hand tucked into the pocket of her purple AES uniform. Marlan Roughtly 5'8", this woman appears to weigh around 130 pounds. She is dressed in ragged gray cloth clothing, swaddling a frame that suggests feminine, without explicitly being so. Pulled over the rest of her atire is a eye-shockingly blue cloak, work boots sticking out of the bottom. From what is visible beneath the shadows of her hood is a pale face, with all the necessary features, minus the eyes. The eyes are covered up by an expansive pair of dark lenses, so opaque it seems almost to soak up the light instead of simply blocking it. Kastaprulyi floats in the corridor, just off to the side of the doorway. The young Centauran sends Marlan a feeling of greeting as she passes. "Since you gave yourself some good advice, I think I'm going to do likewise." Lucius pauses and drains the rest of his drink, then says to himself with a raised finger, "Now Lucius, you need to learn to shut your mouth when talking about the 'lil ones. It'll get you a long way." His gaze returns to Swifty. "How'd I do?" Marlan stops in the doorway, turning towards Kas and replying with a smile, ~A litle early for you, isn't it Kas?~ Solace returns from her jaunt outside, pausing in annoyance as someone blocks the way. "Oi, shove off." She says in irritation, putting out her cigarette end on her prosthetic. "Some people gotta get in, hey?" Swiftfoot chuckles and sips at her vodka again, finishing off her second of the evening. "Yeah, you did g-" The Demarian trails off as she hears Solace's comment at the door, her tail flicking absently as she looks over that way. One eyeridge quirks upward, and the orange-furred Jackal snorts before turning back to the bar and attempting once more to flag down the bartender. Kastaprulyi shifts further off to the side as Solace approaches. "I woke up a little while ago," Kas answers Marlan agreeably. "I'm just watching people relaxing here. Are you coming here for fun too?" Marlan looks back over her shoulder, "Get some hoopin patience, da." Marlan replies as she takes a step to the right, clearing the doorway, "Hoopin offworlder." she says as she turns back to Kas. Lucius is wondering at the cause of the trail off, when he glances where Swiftfoot was looking. Still, he doesn't seem to be prepared to say anything until Sol's back at the bar, so he too orders a third drink. Mmm, booze. "Bitch." Comes the Timmiegirl's response, and she snorts before heading to the bar, hands shoving into her pockets. She sits back down, nodding her head at Luci and her mother. "Sorry 'bout that. I needed t'think on my own for a couple minutes." She bites her bottom lip, then shrugs. Swiftfoot blinks, her tail flicking absently. The Demarian ventures another glance over her shoulder at the Ungstiri woman, then turns back to the bar just in time to see her third drink delivered. She nods, slipping the payment across the counter before picking up the drink and taking a good gulp from it. "I know what you mean. Sometimes you just gotta be alone, meh?" "Solace is Swifty's kid. I didn't find out why they're family yet," Kas mentions helpfully. "I guess that one needs more more relaxing here." "Yeah, I should also probably apologize, Sol. Sometimes I take myself a bit too lightly when other people might not." Lucius offers, grinning and patting Solace on the shoulder amiably as his other hand becomes concerned with making sure his mouth is getting enough alcohol. Which seems to be a lot. He looks at her seriously and asks, tone mock-serious, "Do we declare a truce between our warring states?" "Yeah, I just take some stuff too seriously. I didn't mean t'get out of sorts." Solace says, then sighs and shakes her head. "Anyway, someone gonna get me another drink? Looks like I gotta play catch up to you two, an' fucked if my mom is gonna drink more than me." She gives a little grin, apparently somewhat relaxed. "I'm bigger'n you arre, Sol," the Demarian retorts, chuckling. "I deserrve to drrink morre. Funny parrt is, I'm not all that... no, wait, strrike that. I'm two orr thrree yearrs youngerr than you arre." Swiftfoot laughs at this, shaking her head. "Irrony, I tell you. Irrony." Another sip off the vodka, and she grins at Sol. "Orrderr anotherr, if you like. I'll get it. I'm not gonna harrass you about drrinking when I'm so fond of it." Marlan glances over to where the others are seated around the bar, she stands just to th left of the door, "Around here? Who knows, da. But she better show her some hoopin manners, da. 'fore her time on the rocks are cut short." "I think we should get you a big vat of hundred-proof whiskey. That should be enough to get you good and drunk. And maybe have you forget about the pain of watching Malion get a Prince Albert." Lucius shudders. "Damn, shit makes ME antsy and I wasn't even there." Solace just grins, and orders herself another double gin, accepting it and downing a good half of it. "I didn't think ya were such a big baby, Luci." The Timmiegirl says, forgetting her usual 'mister'. "Besides, they say once it heals it's s'posta feel good, at least." At Marlan's words, the orange-furred Demarian looks over her shoulder, eyes narrowing slightly as she glances back at the Ungstiri woman. After a moment, she simply snorts and turns back to the bar. "Tell me about it," Swiftfoot says, chuckling. "Wonderr what motivated him to go get his... thing pierrced like that." The felinoid snorts, then trails off into a bout of laughter, this one not nearly as uncontrolled as before. Kastaprulyi floats near Marlan at the end of the corridor, off to the side. The young Centauran seems to consider for a moment before offering hopefully, "Maybe just being around Ungstir, seeing how people normally act will help." Marlan catches Swiftfoots glance, "Hope so, da." a pause, "So...how long they been in here?" she asks. Talking about Prince Albert, here comes the (un)lucky recipent of one now. Malion makes his way into the bar, still looking slightly uncomfortable, but walking a lot better than the other day. He makes his way into the semi-familar bar, hands tucked deep inside his pockets. Malion Malion is a human male, in his early twenties. His slender, youthful face is marred by the scarring on the right side of his face - the result of an earlier accident - and piercing green eyes that speak of hardship and inner turmoil, and make him seem older than he is. He has an average build, belying the tensile strength of toned muscle underneath. His hair is a shock of chestnut, ever disobedient to the comb. A grey breasted jacket adorns his upper body. rugged-looking but classy could be the easiest way to describe it. The jacket is currently worn open, revealing a plain black tee shirt underneath with a dark blue flak jacket over the top. A pair of grey slacks adorn his legs, a size too big, but still a reasonable fit. A leather belt, black in colouration, keeps trousers securely in place. A pair of polished black leather shoes, not quite a mirror shine, protect his feet during everyday wear. Dark rimless shades rest on the bridge of his nose, shielding his hawklike gaze, and allowing allowing him to indulge in intense scrutiny should he wish it. "Listen, I seen my fair share of blood and guts in my varied lines of work. But when a man goes and gets.. what was went and gotten, well, fuck, that shit just makes my spine tingle, and not in the good, I'm fucking stoned way." Lucius laughs, polishing off his third whiskey sour and moving to order another one. Damned if he won't get drunk! Upon spotting Malion, Lucius grins ruthlessly. "Speak of the devil. How's it feel, ol' bean?" "Hey Mal," Swiftfoot says, nodding. "How's it hangin?" The Demarian, to her credit, manages to keep a straight face for a couple of moments before putting her head down on the bar and, simply put, howling with laughter, one paw patting erratically on the counter beside her head. Well, -she- seems to find it amusing, anyhow. Solace drains her glass quite quickly, then gives a shudder as the harsh liquor makes its way through her body. "T'each their own." The Timmiegirl says dismissively, then gives her mom a little hug with one arm "Be nice t'Mal, mom." She scolds, though she's grinning herself. "Besides, I got pierced too, an' no one's givin' me a hard time. That ain't fair." Kastaprulyi sends Malion a silent greeting to Malion, continuing to float at the end of the corridor near Marlan, who is just inside the doorway. "I saw the Jackal on the landing pad yesterday," Kas replies. "I didn't see it today. Do you need to talk with Swiftfoot about stuff related to the mission?" the young Centauran inquires curiously. Malion continues towards the rest of the Jackals, still walking slightly bow legged. Lucius gets a nod, well Swifty... She just gets an glare, followed by a sly wink. "Let me guess... Everyone wants to see it? When did I become the most popular guy on board?" Kas gets a bit of wave, and then Mal slowly lowers himself down onto a vacant seat. He glances across to the Timmiegirl, obviously missing her earlier statement. "How ya feeling Sol?" Aleksei heads inside Rockhopper's, being that it's Third Shift and so it's his drinking time. He notices Marlan and Kastaprulyi, and says to them, "Privet!" He also notices Swiftfoot and calls to her. "Ah... Swiftfoot, is it? Would like to talk to you later. Not now, I see you have company, yes?" Al gestures to the other Jackals and Lucius. Aleksei You see an Asian-looking man before you. He stands at a towering 5 feet, 8 inchs. A diagonal slash goes across his face in a permanent scar. He appears to be wearing a red shirt, leather jacket and trousers that are slightly covered with dust. He is also wearing engineer boots that are also slightly covered with dust. Lucius really can't stop himself from bursting into a fresh wave of laughter, mirth, and idiocy as Swiftfoot makes her joke. Afterall, humour's objective and they've been cracking jokes about Mal's new steel partner for a few minutes, now. Once he calms himself, he tells Mal, "No, /no one/ should want to see that. 'Specially a day after it's done, I bet it's all narsty. Dude, what were you thinking? Can I ask you that? I've always wanted to get into the head of a psychopath." He winks at the other Martian. "There may have been alcohol involved." Solace says, then grins over at Malion. "I'm doin' okay, scarce hurts now cept now and again." She says, then pushes her glass back for yet another refill, hiding a slight face as the Kommisar calls out. "Hey mom..." She hisses in a voice just loud enough for the other Jackals and Lucius to hear, "It's yer boyfriend again." Swiftfoot snorts softly. "That figurres" she says, finally getting her laughing fit under control. "Sorry, Mal, it's just... it's bloody funny is all." She looks over as Alek addresses her, the smile seeming to slide right off her face. The felinoid offers a half-hearted wave and nods. "Kinda, yeah. Havin a drrink with the crrew." Marlan nods, "Da...' she glances towards Swiftfoot and the others gathere around her for a moment before turning in their direction, "And there's no time like the present, da." she says, moving towards them. The rural Martian looks out the corner of his eye towards the Kommisar when he hears his call. Well, this gets a snicker from Malion and he says to Solace, in all seriousness, "See... Even the local law wanna look at me piercing. Bet he's gonna talk to Swifty and find out where I got it done." He glances back to Lucius, and shrugs. "Two days actually mate. Always been curious 'bout getting it done... Decided to give it a go." Kastaprulyi silently greets Aleksei as he passes. The young Centauran returns a feeling of interested acknowledgment to Marlan and starts to follow her towards the bar as well, though it pauses just inside the doorway. "Well, we hope for the sake of Mars and the Immortal Gods that it's not one of those massive spiked studs. I shudder to think of you tearing up a poor girl on that count." Lucius says with a laugh, patting the fellow Martian on the shoulder. Aleksei gets an arched eyebrow and a brief look, but it is not him who Lucius is concerned about - instead, he looks to Marlan as she approaches. "This should be fun." He says in a low tone, before rising from his stool with drink in hand. "Hello there! Welcome to Jackal enterprises. How may I be of service?" Marlan quirks a smile before she shifts her glowing blue gaze towards Swiftfoot, "Was hoping to talk to your Captain, da. If she's got a few minutes." "Our captain ain't here." Solace butts in rudely, crossing her arms over her skinny chest. "But as soon as she's around we'll get ahold of you. So, y'know, in a couple months or so." She snorts, and reaches for her gin, taking a sip. Aleksei nods at the t:nods at the tall Demarian and dryly remarks, "Yes, I noticed that." He archs his eyebrow as he overhears the conversation that Malion and Solace are having. To Malion in the same dry tone: "Oh yes, the law's *always* interested in a forinye tourist's piercings. Yes, never mind breaking up riots and solving murders. *This* is more interesting." As he overhears Lucius describe where the piercing's located, Al nods and smirks. "Oh definitely want to see that, sure!" Then Al calls out to the bartender. "Blue Rock, straight up!" Alek goes to the bar now and waits for his drink. "Oh man... that's just... just... wrrong, Luc," the privateering Demarian comments, a new gale of laughter overtaking her for a few moments. She chuckles at Lucius' second comment, then nods at Solace, shifting her eyes to the Ungstiri woman. "I just fly the thing," Swiftfoot agrees, nodding. "Torr's actually the rranking officerr, if you want to be technical about it." She shrugs vaguely, the end of her tail flicking. "But heck, if I got a prromotion maybe my pay would go up too." The felinoid follows the statement up by downing the rest of her vodka, setting the empty glass on the counter. It's quickly replaced by another, the big cat apparently having a tab running by this time. Marlan's head turns, now facing Solace, "Don't be hoopin smart. Doesn't suit you Timonae. 'm talking about your mother there, da." she then turns to Swiftfoot, "Word on the tarmac has it that you're running the Jackal, da. If thats wrong." she shrugs, "Don't really hoopin care, da. Just want the message to get through. The Athena might be interested in joining up on this mission of yours, da. Heading through the nexus anyways...no reason not to give some help to a good cause while we're at it, da." "Oi Marly, watch it... Let mother handle discipline, hey?" Malion says to Marlan, shrugging one shoulder. Though Aleksei's comment causes Malion to stop and look in the Kommisar's direction. He blinks several times, and shakes his head, stiffling a chuckle that threatens to escape his lips. "Fine mate," he says, pivotting on the barstool to face the lawman. His face is deadly serious, and his hand moves towards his fly but he doesn't do anything yet. Kastaprulyi offers a quiet "Hello..." to an enterprising miner bringing her own glass beer mug to the tavern. (That, or she's a regular patron in good with the bartender.) The miner looks over at the Centauran floating by the door and grunts in response. Then she holds up the mug beside Kas and looks at the two speculatively, which apparently gets a chuckle out of the miner, for some reason. Lucius returns in a mechanical and all too friendly voice, "I'm sorry, this machine is currently out of order. Please try again later. Goodbye, and have a nice evening." With that, he turns about and moves oncemore to sit at the bar stool, apparently amused at his and Solace's drunken antics. Once his seat is taken, he glances to Malion. "I think little man over there is looking to pick a fight. And sorry to say, but your weapon, ain't, Mal." Not that Aleksei is really little, or anything, it's just a wonderful term of endearment Lucius likes to use. Nevertheless, Lucius's gaze is now firmly stuck on Aleksei, unmoving. "Es stultor asino, irrumator, ein?" One of the Demarian's eyeridges quirks upward as she looks down at Marlan. "Solace is crrew too, aside frrom being my daughterr. Don't much apprreciate the crrew being talked to like that, much less family, meh?" She pauses for a few moments, long enough to sip at the new glass of vodka. "Worrd on the tarrmac is correct. I've been taking carre of Jackal in the absence of Mika and Torr. Torr's back now though, and Mika... well, she'll be back soon enough. As forr the mission, that's Ace's call. I'm goin along to help herr, not the otherr way arround." Swiftfoot shrugs vaguely, one ear flicking halfway back. "I can tell herr you'rre interrested, though." There's really no doubt that the big cat would be laughing aloud at Mal's gesture or chuckling at Luc's smart-assed comment if she'd noticed either one, but she doesn't, her golden eyes instead intent on the Ungstiri woman. Solace sighs softly at the Ungstir's words, and gets down from her stool. She finishes her gin, and carefully sets down the glass, every movement very deliberate. "Well...I guess, bein' a stupid Timonae, I ain't too good at yer human expressions, but let me try one." She says, in a sweetly innocent voice. She turns her back to Marlan, unbuckles her belt, and pulls down her pants, baring her skinny little rear end. "Kiss my ass." Aleksei gets his drink from the bartender and is about to drink when he see the gunsmith about do his "quickdraw". Al rearches his eyebrow and remarks. "That was *joke*. Please..what is term? Ah, da..'keep it in your pants', yes? Don't need to see that now, especially when I am still in sober state. That said, have seen drunken miners streak though here and on Commons and onto the Landing Pad, on a dare. hich I am not doing because I am still sober, yes?". Then he overhears what Lucius says to him and turns to the tall Martian. "Compared to you, I am, yes?" Al shrugs. Then he listens further and yes: "Uhh..Ok!" Al shrugs at Lucius. Marlan turns as Solace begins speaking, tensing up in preparation. When the woman drops her pants she laughs, "Hoopin great crew you got here, Swift." she turns her back to the woman, turning back to Swiftfoot, "Talk to her and i'll do the same. And get your crew under control, da. Before one of the locals teach 'em a thing or two about manners." Kastaprulyi, after the miner goes on about the business of getting a substantial drink, shifts pink eyes upward by a couple feet for a better view of its captain. The young Centauran continues floating close by the exit. "Think last time I was here, I had a disagreement with the locals 'bout manners," Malion says, as he starts to awkwardly pivot back to the bar. He offers a word, a single word to Aleksei, that being; "Fellator." He snickers and turns back to the bar. "Stupider than an ass? I'd reckon so. Small? Not really." Lucius shrugs, his own interest in Aleksei dropping as the man appears to not agree with the assertation of fight picking. He does, however, pick up this interest in Marlan as she turns about. "Crew under control? And manners? Who the fuck are you to tell anybody else about manners? If my observatory senses have been correct, your blue eyed ass ain't been too polite yourself." Oh yes, a drunk man just itching for a fight. "You'rre damn strraight I got a grreat crrew," the Demarian retorts, barely holding back laughter. "Best damn crrew in the Orrion Arrm, and nobody's gonna convince me otherrwise. In fact, I'm gonna buy em all a drrink now cause they'rre just that damn good." Swiftfoot nods at the bartender then. "One rround forr these guys herre at the barr with me, and hell, one forr the Kommissarr too." The felinoid turns back to Marlan and grins. "You want one too? I'm feelin generrous. Orr maybe I'm feelin a bit drrunk, not quite surre yet." She looks past Marlan toward Kas. "Hey, Kas, wanna drrink?" she calls out, waving a paw. "S'on me." Never mind that whole species thing, Swifty's on a generosity kick here. "In any case, I'd like to see the locals trry it." The Jackal's pilot gives a wicked grin then, baring her canines. Looks like there's a drunk Demarian looking for a fight, too. Solace pulls up her pants before any of those 'locals' decide to try and grab her ass. She belts herself back up, and cheers at the mention of drinks. She apparently isn't in as much of a mood for a fight, instead of bugging Marlan further, she moves around behind Lucius and tackles him from that angle, hopping up for a back ride. She might be tall, but she's not all that heavy. "Don't worry, I gotcher back." She snickers. Marlan straightens a bit, body growing tense as she looks over at Lucius even as she speaks to Swiftfoot, "I think i'll pass on that offer. When it hits the hoopin fan", she turns back to Swiftfoot, "I'd rather not be the one brought up in front of the commitee, da. Which... I might add." she looks back to Lucius and Solace, "Is the only thing keeping this a nice friendly chat, da." before turning her attention back to Swiftfoot, "You pass my message along, da. We may be seeing more of one another lately." Aleksei sneers as Lucius translates. "Speak for yourself, forinye tourist!" He drinks his Blue Rock in 2 gulps and is about to call for another when he overhears Swiftfoot's offer of a round of drinks that includes him. He tells the Demarian "I accept!" Need it right about now, yes?" He grins at her and nods. ~I don't need a drink,~ Kas replies uncertainly to Swiftfoot, waving the end of one violet-clad arm in her direction. "Fellator," Malion repeats once more, motioning towards the Kommisar. "What ya think Luc?" Well Swifty's proposed free drink is gladly accepted. "Vestcya mate," he barks out, trying to get the bartender's attention. To say that Lucius caught unawares when Solace jumps on his back would be an understatement, going by the surprised and shocked expression on his face. Hefting the Timmygirl by her legs, though, he has little problem keeping her in place. To Mal, he says, "Urg... well, what? I don't think it'd be sporting to take a man on, two on one." "Why are you guys talkin' about suckin'?" Solace asks uncertainly, trying to figure out what's going on. "Unless you're plannin on gangbangin' th'Kommissar. In that case, I wanna watch." She tugs on Lucius' ear. "I thought you liked girls, Luci." Swiftfoot snorts softly. "If it hits the hooping fan, as you say, then it'll just be another brrawl at the Rrockhopperr's. Nothing to get excited about. Even Ace says it's a good way to worrk off steam." The felinoid's expression goes dark for a moment, her eyes narrowing. "I'll pass yourr message along, but I'm not surre Ace will be keen to worrk with people that toss arround thrreats so willfully. Therre's no marrgin forr errorr wherre we'rre going, and no rroom for seeking glorry orr infighting. One motherr fuck of a lot of Nall arre unwittingly awaiting ourr arrival, and I'll be damned if I'm going to die overr something petty." The Demarian downs the rest of her drink and nods at the bartender again. He's apparently watching her closely since she's the one running up the tab. Another vodka is put in front of the big cat, and the rural Martian with the oh-so-amusing piercing gets his Vestcya. "Ace knows the game." Marlan replies, "If she's got my back, I'll have hers." a pause, "And yours, da." a snorth and then a small smirk, this one honest, "Hoop...even if you don't have my back I'll likely have yours, da... that whole hero complex, da." The rural Martian with the oh-so-amusing piercing gives what classes as a grin when the Vestcya arrives. "Hero or idiot complex?" Malion queries, as he unscrews the top of the flask. A few moments later he produces a green bendy straw, and not to mention a little straw holder of a cartoonish looking rock rat he got from the Coffee Man Cafe. Aleksei waits for a moment, and then the bartender silently gives him another drink. Al takes a sip..mmm, another Blue Rock. DA! Aleksei smiles and starts to drink, this time more slowly than the previous drink. He stays out of the ongoing fight between the 2 women. "Urf. I /do/!" Asserts Lucius very clearly, and as if to make the point he reaches around to grab Solace's ass briefly. You know, just to make the point. Right. Setting the Timmy down, now, he motions for that free drink that Swifty offered before, same as before: whiskey sour. He takes a seat on the stool, and rolls his eyes at Marlan. "Glad to hear the ego is kept nice and low." "Then how come you were...Oh, never mind." Solace says, distracted a bit by the rump grabbing. After a moment..."Get me a gin!" She calls to the bartender, going back for her bar stool again, though this time she takes the one on the other side of Swifty, away from Marlan. You know, Lucius' seat. "I want two gins. Actually. Gimmie two." "You'rre misunderrstanding," Swiftfoot replies, shaking her head. "If Ace gives the grreen light, then I'll have yourr back just like I would anyone else's - not because I like you orr because I trrust you, but because we'd both be parrt of something biggerr than eitherr of us. That means I do whateverr I can to watch yourr ass. I can put aside perrsonal differences when it's us verrsus the Nall. I hate the Nall morre than anything else in this 'verrse, orr any otherr forr that matterr." The felinoid shrugs, her tail flicking. "I may not trrust you, but I -do- trrust Ace. I trrust herr with my life, and with the lives of my crrew, and if she thinks you'd be good to have along, then I'm not going to arrgue. In fact, I'll supporrt herr decision. If that means worrking with you, then..." The Demarian pauses for a moment, through some effort of will offering a smile that's only slightly strained, "Well, then it'll be good to have you aboarrd, Rranix." Swifty raises her glass, silently toasting the Ungstiri woman with a polite inclination of her head before taking a sip of the glass' contents. Marlan nods, "We'll see another soon then, da." she shoots a sidelong glance at the rest of the Jackals, "Until next time, da." she says, turning to move towards Kas and the door. Malion takes a slurp of his Vestcya through the bendy straw, looking at the collection of bottles that are amassed there. He doesn't say anything, just sitting in quiet contemplation. "Do you guess we can cooperate with them on the mission?" Kas inquires hopefully, shifting to Marlan's side as she nears. Lucius takes a gulp from his newfound whiskey sour, oofing as Solace takes a seat on his lap. Woe, the life of a seat cushion is upon him. "You know, Swifty, I'd like to congratulate you as the newest member of the Orion Arm oratory society. Really, bravo." A mischievous grin plants itself on his face at that. Solace accepts both of her drinks, and double fists it, downing them both in a matter of minutes. Urp. "I think I needa go outside for a few minutes." She mutters, slipping out of Lucius' lap and heading for the door. "I'll be back inna little bit, yeah?" She says before disappearing outside. Aleksei is still drinking his Blue Rock. He overhears Swiftoof and mutters under his breath: "Ah, popular devotchka, Ace!" Then with a shrug, he resumes his slow drinking. Swiftfoot nods wordlessly at Marlan as she turns to go, then turns to grin at Lucius. "Ya think? Them's just the drrunken rramblings of a prrivateerring Demarrian. It sounded good at the time." The felinoid stifles a giggle with one paw. She blinks at Solace then, watching as the Timonae rapidly chugs the two gins down. "Demarr, slow down, girrl, orr we'll be carrying you back to Jackal." A chuckle finds its way out of the furry pilot's throat then and she, hypocritically enough, downs the rest of her vodka. Malion takes a moment to adjust his jacket with his free hand, still continuing to stare at that single point on the wall. Most likely still lost in his silent contemplation. "I'll go spend some time closer to them when we're not in here," Kas answers agreeably. "I hope we can learn about getting along together well while we're in a safer place, so it'll be better when we're going on the trip." The young Centauran then wishes Marlan a "Be well..." Marlan nods to Kas as she heads out the door. Aleksei is still drinking away at his drink, which is almost finished. He glances every now and then at the Jackals and Lucius but says not a word. The rest of the Jackals and their companions seeming to have fallen silent for whatever reason, Swiftfoot turns her attention to Aleksei. "So what'd you need to talk to me about, Kommissarr? Orr is it morre of a prrivate discussion?" The felinoid's head tilts to the side and a couple of her whiskers twitch. Aleksei turns to Swiftfoot, takes a sip. "Ahh, not sure..just a couple things. First, you don't have to worry about my, ahh, 'colleague' Kommissar Barlov harrassing you and your crew anymore. Apparently he noticed that we were closing in on him and resigned from our force. Since then he's disappeared without trace. Also, one more thing. but that is more, ah, private, yes?" Kastaprulyi floats in the tavern with about six feet of total height, just off to the side of the doorway. For the moment, the young Centauran appears to be simply watching the goings-on. Malion still continues staring directly ahead, still holding the flask of vestcya in hand. The flask has a bendy straw with a cartoonish character of a rock rat attached to it. "Barlov..." he mutters, the Kommisar Aleksei's words having some effect on him. "Bastard." Not once does he turn to his companions, nor to any one else, just looking at the same bottle on display. "I've met with him," the Demarian replies, nodding as she sips enough rubles across the counter to cover her tab, and from the look of it, a little extra for the 'tender. "He won't be trroubling us again. Not necessarrily a bad man, as it turrns out. Methods werre questionable, but eh. Made good on his worrd, in any case, but I'd rratherr leave it at that, meh?" Swiftfoot chuckles and flicks an ear, eyeing the Kommissar. "Why, Kommissarr, I had no idea you werre into Demarrians." A battle of wills ensues, Swiftfoot against her need to laugh. The need to laugh wins out, the drunken felinoid nearly falling off the barstool she currently occupies. Solace returns from outside, looking a good bit better than she did when she escaped. Better, but if anything, more drunk, though it's likely something besides alcohol she was engaged in. Lucius wanders back into the bar from the bathroom, his face and hair slick with water as he's apparently splashed his face. Always feels good when one is drinking. The Martian heads back to his seat, plopping down on it wordlessly. Aleksei arches his eyebrow. "Really? Funny way of being friendly to you, from what I heard! And no, not into Demarians. No offense, but you are too tall for me, yes? Anyways, I do hope he doesn't trouble you again. Nyet, maybe I hope he does. Considering what he did to that old man in here, might want excuse to imprison Barlov and then giving him a good taste of the Rock's justice, eh? Ooooh, wait a second... Nyet, that's *not* what I want to talk to you about. More about a... ahh, 'witness' to the fight?" Al indicates the other Jackals and adds: "Sensitive subject that you might not want them to hear, yes?" Callie strides into the bar, the hangout unfamiliar to her. Dark sapphire eyes rove over the room in a slow deliberate fashion, her thumbs hooked into her front pockets as she moves off to the side of the doorway. Callie Light brown hair with bright red streaks running through it often times hang down in this pretty Lunites face, the length in back reaching just below her shoulders. Dark sapphire eyes are trimmed with long, lush eyelashes while her nose is slender, and her lips are full and naturally pouty in appearance. Approximately five foot, two inches tall, she is thin, yet nicely muscled for a female. Sporting tattoos, she's got a cougar on her left shoulder blade, an intricate tribal style tat on her lower back, and between the knuckles of her right hand are the letters P-A-Y, while the left has C-A-L. Callie has a plain sleeveless black t-shirt on and a pair of gray, black, and tan hued camouflage cargo pants. She has black boots on her feet, somewhat similar to military issue in style, and a pair of black leather, fingerless gloves cover the palms of her hands up to just past her wrists and held firmly in place with a velcro closure. An odd looking belt is loosely slung around her waist, one spot worn as if something, possibly a gun holster, is often hung in that place. Swiftfoot chuckles softly. "Like I said, his methods werre questionable." She shrugs vaguely. "The fight the otherr night was just a brrawl in the taverrn. It's nothing new to me, especially on this rrock." The Demarian's golden eyes flick over to Callie ss she enters, then back to the Kommissar. "Aw, too tall, meh? Ah, well. Betterr luck next time, Starrchaserr." Solace meanders back to the bar, doing her best not to stumble over anything. She waves to her mom, then gives Lucius a funny look. "Y'okay?" She inquires of the wet Martian. "Or didja fall in the toilet?" Refraining from another drink, she asks the bartender for a water, instead. Kastaprulyi offers Callie a feeling of greeting as she enters. "Hello..." Kas adds with childlike synthesized voice. "Are you going to talk with people from the Faux some more?" it inquires curiously. "I went for a little drink in the bowl, I'll admit." Says Lucius loudly, eyes spotting Callie, whom he calls over with a grin and a little wave. He looks back at Solace. "How about /you/? You're okay, there, tiger, with your little cup of water?" Malion glances across to Swifty, his former contemplation forgotten. "That's alright Swifty... I still love ya," he says, doing a little bit of faux flirting. Slowly he turns back to regard Aleksei, arching a brow. Aleksei snorts and leers. "Don't sell yourself short, devotchka. Now if you are asking *me* for date, well... that is different. Then again, just as well; your crew here might regard it as the saying goes, 'fraternizing with the enemy', yes? Can't have that, now can we?" Al gives a wink and adds "And besides, you are drunk now. Test will be if you still think this when you are sober, eh?" To Malion: "Want to have private word with your Demarian Kapitan here. Regarding a certain witness that could testify against Ex-Kommissar Barlov. You did call him a bastard, yes? Unless my hearing fails me? Granted, not as good as hers but still not too shabby, yes?" Al points to the drunken cat-pilot. "Hey Sol," the Demarian greets before she turns, blinks at Luc, and chuckles, shaking her head. "Man, even Magnum doesn't drrink frrom the toilet. That often, I mean." She turns and smiles coquettishly at the rural Martian then, a wide grin on her face. "Well that's good, but ya can't do a thing forr me with yourr dick all messed up, anyhows." Swifty stifles a giggle with one paw, eventually trailing off into laughter again. She nods at Alek after her laughing fit is over, and blinks again, rather blearily. "Good thing I'm herre till at least Saturrday. Dun think we'll be able to prroperrly talk now, chief. M'kinda drrunk." Aaaaaand she's laughing again. This is one drunk cat, folks. Callie sees some she recognizes, then catching a wave, she spots Lucius. Weaving through the maze of tables, she walks over to his table. "Hey there, Lucius. How goes it?" "Don't make funna me." Solace says to Lucius, then sticks out her tongue. "I just took a few hits, gotta let it settle fore I have another drink anyway. Hey, can I talk t'ya later, when y'have th'time?" She inquires, plowing through despite the recent arrival. "Anyway...let me know. M'gonna go talk t'mom, you look busy." Kastaprulyi drifts over to the other side of the doorway after another group of tired-looking workers tramp in, still sticking close by the exit. "I'm WASTED. And apparently I just took a drink from the toilet." Lucius quirks his head at Solace's inquiry, but nods silently, confirming the fact that yes, she can talk to him later. He sticks his tongue out at Swifty, then turns back to Callie. "How about you, Cal? You look like you /should/ be wasted." A chuckle. Malion takes a long slurp through his straw, and then looks across to Swifty. He simply shakes his head and chuckles. "Ya know ya wanna see it Swifty," there's that sly wink, followed by a snicker. He then glances back to Aleksei, arching a brow slightly. "Yeah, I called him a bastard. Problem with that, herr Kommisar?" Kastaprulyi slips around the corner, dropping back to its usual four feet of height, and follows some departing patrons back to the commons. Aleksei nods and dryly comments. "Da, I can see. Just as well, what we must discuss requires both of us to be more or less sober. Nevermind, you'll understand soon enough. As for me, it seems that it's about time for me to report for rollcall. Some coffee will make me a bit more sober., eh?" Then he overhears Malion speak to him. He turns and smirks. "Not at all, Gospahdin. That's exactly what he was. Shot a man here in cold blood, yes. Threatened your, ah, kapitan here amongst other people. Was under investigation and he was on verge of being put in front of Kommittee for trial when he resigned from Kommissars and disappeared without trace. You wouldn't happen to know his whereabouts, would you? Is still wanted for questioning. If he is found, he will have taste of the Rock's justice, yes?" Al's face is distorted by the scar as he sneers. "So this is Callie?" Swiftfoot inquires, head tilting to the side. "Pity I ain't got time to meetcha prroperrly now. I hearr you can handle yourrself in a fight." She stifles a giggle with one paw, but it's up in the air whether the compliment was facetious, or she's just that drunk. The Demarian blinks at Mal then, and nods. "I'll give you twenty crred if you pull it out rright now and show the whole barr," she deadpans, the slight bristling of her whiskers belieing her amusement. Callie takes a seat beside Lucius, chuckling at him. "Don't belive I've ever been so messed up that I drink from a toilet... Then again, don't think I wanna be." Her eyes flick over to the Demarian and she gives a solitary nod. "Bit rusty, but I do aight.", she directs to Swiftfoot. Solace snickers quietly, snuggling up to her mother's side. She glances over her shoulder at the Lunite woman, and can't hide a little smirk, which she attempts to turn into a genuine smile. She fails. "Hey, mom. Buy me another drink." She says winningly up to the Demarian, then adds, "An' I'll let you have some of my inhaler, c'mon." "Oh, c'mon Callie, don't be so fuckin' modest. I saw ya take out that wanker on Sivad a few days ago, no problem. Didn'tcha kick him in the nads or something?" Lucius laughs and leans back in the seat, onto the bar. "Don't think I /actually/ drank outta the toilet. More like I splashed water from the sink, but hey, take what we can get, right?" Lucius, now, decides to do something he considers fun. This is bitting up some green substance and rolling it into a vaguely cigarette like structure. He gets started on the task. Ohh... Twenty credits and a chance to annoy the Locals (again). Malion contemplates this for a moment, his hand dropping down to his fly. He loiters there, and then shakes his head. "Nah, on board I will. But -I- ain't drunk enough to be floppin' it out in public... Just yet." He then looks across to Lucius and Callie, mainly after hearing the former comments. "Ya might wanna 'void Sivad. Made the news and shit." Aleksei looks askance at Malion. "Good, don't want to arrest you for indecent behavior. Plus, I have to go report for rollcall now. Let my other colleagues deal with this, da?" Al finishs off his drink, gets off his stool, heads for the door. "Awwwwww," the big cat whines, following it up with a short-lived faux pout in Mal's general direction. "Get my daughterr anotherr gin," Swiftfoot says then, making a grandiose gesture in the bartender's direction. "Yep, my daughterr. She takes afterr herr fatherr, you see." The Demarian seems to find this amusing, trailing off into another giggle. "I'll get yerr drrink, but I think I'll pass on the inhalerr thingy forr now. M'gonna head forr a rroom herre in a few." The Demarian grins and shifts her eyes to Callie, one ear canting to the side thoughtfully. "We've been having sparring prractice of sorrts in the carrgo bay of Jackal. You up forr it when she's out of drrydock?" The big cat offers a wave and a flick of her ears to the departing Kommissar. Callie's eyes squint as she thinks back to the fight. "Think I kneed him, but who the fuck knows." An expressionless gaze is sent Swiftfoot's way. "Sounds like fun. Always said the best way to pick up new tricks is to get down to it." Standing, she heads for the bar to get a drink. Hailing the bartender, she hollers to him. "Take a beer down here." While waiting, she pulls out enough to cover her drink, and puts it on the counter. Solace cheers and accepts her gin from the bartender, apparently feeling better, as the water is forgotten to the side. Instead, she takes a big gulp of the gin, and gives a contented sigh. "You're goin' to bed, mom?" Solace says a bit regretfully. "That's too bad, we don't getta go drinkin' together enough anymore." Aleksei turns to Swiftfoot, nods and returns her wave. "Das Vidanya, devotchka! Will talk to you later, yes?" Another wave, and out the door he goes, on the way to the police station. Lucius is done with his whiskey sours, at least for the moment. He lifts the finished product of his rolling efforts upwards to gaze at it in the low light more properly and smiles at it. "That's prolly the best way to learn, possible." Lucius lifts the joint to his mouth, but doesn't light it yet. "Fuck. Only planet where a policeman can go into the station with no sleep and a hell of a drunkenness and it's considered normal." "I'll wake ya up with it," Malion promises Swifty, as he watches the Kommisar depart. He looks back to the bottle he was staring at earlier before reaching into his pocket for his PDA. Everyone is at the bar. "Yea, Mom's olderr than you arre, subjectively speaking," Swiftfoot says, chuckling. "Got some stuff to do tomorrow while we'rre stuck herre, anyhow, so I think I'm gonna head on out. We'll drrink again soon, I prromise, Sol." She stands up from the bar stool, giving a leisurely stretch, the picture of feline grace... until she staggers and lists heavily to starboard, that is. The big cat chuckles and nods to the Kommissar, offering a wave of a paw. She starts toward the exit then, pausing to look over her shoulder at Callie. "Welp, Jackal's out of drrydock on Saturrday. See us afterr then, meh?" With that, the big cat clomps on out into the commons.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)