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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Jan 28, 2011 15:27:10 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jan 28, 2011 15:27:10 GMT -5
Three years ago Coruscant I think I deserve a break today. Asyr mulled to himself as he walked along the busy streets of Coruscant. He was dressed well enough, if simply. He wore a simple shirt, one that was long-sleeved and fit his slender form well, and his pants were dark and solidly made, as were his boots. For once, he didn't have any weapons visibly on him; restaruants and bars tended to frown on people that carried in swords and guns, though he had his knives hidden up his sleeves as always. And his body was enough of a weapon for any scuffles he might get into anyway, not that he was planning on that. The day was bright, and his mood was decent enough, if the events that led to him being on Coruscant in the first place were taken into account, and if one looked at the fact that we was stranded on a strange world for the second time in his life; that is to say, his shoulders only had a very slight droop to them and his expression was at least neutral. Coruscant, however, was proving to be a much better place than Taris had been--which was saying about as much as claiming to be taller than an Ewok--and this time there was actually some cash in his pockets. No sleeping on the streets or scavenging for food this go 'round. Guess that's one thing to be thankful for, right?Sometimes it was hard to be thankful for anything, especially considering that, if the Galaxy worked in a way that had any semblance of fairness and rightness to it, he wouldn't be stuck on Coruscant. If everything had gone the way it was supposed to, he'd still be with his crew on the Riptide, living life and being happy. If everything had gone the way it was supposed to, he'd still be with Osana. Osana...His expression fell a bit. Pain made itself evident in his pale eyes, but he didn't stop walking; he just kept pushing on, as he had been for the past week and a half. Oh, but it hurt so much to think that she was gone. Losing all of the crew had been bad, but Osana's disappearance hurt more than any other. She'd been special to him. Intelligent, funny, beautiful, great for talking to, among so many other things. They'd spent many a cold night together on the Riptide... And now all of that was gone. Ruined. All because some person he didn't know and probably never would had seen fit to send some hunters after them all. And now she's gone. Asyr turned a corner, sighing sadly. I don't even know if she's still alive."Hey, watch where you're goin', kid!" Asyr looked up as he bumped into a man that was passing by. He'd been so lost in his thoughts he didn't even notice. Irritation flared in him for a moment and his brow wrinkled, and then he let it go, muttering an apology to the fellow and continuing on. He ignored that fact that he was both larger, and if looks were anything to go by, better built than the old grouch, or that he could lay him flat in a heartbeat if he chose to. Starting a fight would be pointless. Today's supposed to be a good day, anyway.Instead he went on, searching for a place to do some drinking and get a bit of food. Something to take his mind off of what'd happened on Metellos. Something to take his mind from Osana. Well, his late-night escapades with the fine female population of the city planet had helped. A bit. Pleasures of the flesh could only do so much to mend a hurting heart. Asyr was putting a band-aid over a bullet wound, and he knew it. He simply didn't care. It was better than nothing. His stomach growled. "Guess I better make a decision on where I'm eating, then," he muttered to himself, glancing around. An establishment not too far down the way caught his attention. Cafferty's Pub, the sign over the doorway said. Stopping just outside, Asyr glanced in. The place looked a bit more upscale than his normal places of choice. But it had a bar with an impressive-looking array of drinks behind it and what hints of smell from the food that drifted out were enticing enough. "Looks like this place'll do." And so he went in to find himself a seat a bar and see how he could do with dulling some of the pain from those old wounds.
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Jan 28, 2011 21:18:32 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jan 28, 2011 21:18:32 GMT -5
So here they were; a rather dreary and quiet party of naval officers in a pub. Not that you could tell by looking at them that they were part of the military. No, they’d been given several weeks of leave as the Admirals decided what to do with them. Well, not just them; an entire frigate crew was needing to be dealt with since the New Dawn was to be decommissioned, and her captain (along with others of the crew) were dead. The damage to the older frigate was simply too great a cost to swallow on repairs. The entire group knew it was true, the Farghul woman seated with them had told them so as soon as she’d heard it herself.
So they waited.
They waited for word on what was to become of them. New ship assignments, obviously, but would they continue working together, or would the crew be separated? They no longer needed to wait for the funerals anyway…those had just taken place earlier today, so the mood was even more somber. In an attempt to get their minds off the situation, or at least allow them to mourn together and take some comfort from the company, she had suggested they meet here later that day. At the time they’d looked at her strangely; going out on the day of a funeral, when ‘going out’ for them had always been a time for celebrations and fun?
The Commander had only nodded; she wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer.
So…here they were; a rather dreary and quiet party of naval officers in a pub. There were a few of them still picking at the remaining food on their plates, or perhaps playing with it (she wasn’t entirely sure at this point which was the truth), while others had moved on to more steady drinking. Like Jost. The zeltron hated the mood they were all in, poor empathic bastard, and she couldn’t say she blamed him. Yes, she missed the Captain as well, had lost quite a few friends on the New Dawn, but she’d learned to move on in her life…more or less. Did it still hurt? Of course it did, but some (like Lily En’vir) acted as if their world was going to crumble around them.
Sighing quietly, she perked her ears to the conversation…something about keeping in contact when the crew was dissolved for good. Those ears flattened once again and she shook her head. ”There’s no certainty that will happen. They may simply give us the new crew members we need and put us all on a different ship.” Pausing a moment, blue-green eyes gazed at her drink as she swirled the last of it around in her glass. ”Besides, there’s no reason to get ahead of ourselves on such dismal topics. Don’t we have enough of that to spare at the moment? Why add more?”
The five people sitting with her gawked for a moment in varying degrees of surprise. Typically the commander was the one to bring sense to their conversations when they were out as a group, but this caught all of them flat-footed. Not only had she, for once, taken a stance that suggested they shouldn’t prepare for the worst eventualities (something the Farghul had never done in their collective recollection), but she seemed far too comfortable talking about such a thing. She didn’t seem to mind their disbelieving looks, instead simply smoothing out the fur along her neck and upper chest with a hand.
“Must you seem so cold today?! How can you be so utterly calm and unemotional about this?!”
Those ears pressed back into her hair and she sighed silently as she gazed at the medical officer. Poor woman looked to be ready to cry…again. Her words hurt, honestly. To think that Lily believed she was unemotional…cold…about this ordeal pained her. Didn’t she know her better than that by now? Apparently not.
”Lily…there is no way that you could be farther from the truth. I'm hurting just as much as any of you, but I'm also older than any of you and have been through enough that…I know it isn’t the end of the galaxy, and that jumping to the worst possible conclusions isn’t necessarily going to help anything.” With that, she finished her drink and went to get a new one, feeling like she needed to get some space away from the table at the moment and let them think on what she’d said. Even as she walked away she could feel them watching her…it made her tail twitch uncomfortably, but what could she do?
Stepping up to the bar itself, she’d lean forward against it as she waited for one of the bartenders. A glance was given to the man beside her, an Echani if she’d ever seen one. Which she had. Quite a few times. After all, one of her companions from the New Dawn was Echani…it was unfortunate that Tieres hadn’t come with them, but that wasn’t something she could change either. As her mind absorbed and filed away the information her swift glance had brought her of the man, she subconsciously readjusted the red-wine colored shirt that clung to her form, the sleeves draping down her arms into bells at the wrist. Classy black slacks, polished black boots, black belt, it all seemed to fit her form very well…but she couldn’t help but smooth the material or adjust it every once in a while as she waited.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Jan 31, 2011 16:11:45 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jan 31, 2011 16:11:45 GMT -5
"So what's your story, kid?"
"Hm?" Asyr looked around as he pulled out one of the stools at the bar. The barkeep, who was busy polishing the countertop a few paces down, had asked the question, but surely he hadn't meant it for Asyr. It didn't even look like he was paying attention to Asyr. The rest of the stools were empty though; most of the patrons seemed to be scattered about at the tables throughout the pub. There was another fellow at the bar, a rough looking member of some species Asyr didn't recognize off the top of his head. Maybe that was who the barkeep was talking to. Whatever. He shrugged and sat down, waiting.
"Yeah, I'm talkin' to you." The barkeep looked up, directly to Asyr. He was an older man, looked to be about middle-aged. Most of his grey hair was gone, leaving only a ring around his head. His build was portly, his face kind, even if his eyes were a bit beady. "Come on kid, what is it? I've seen enough men come in with that look on their face to know when somethin's up."
For a few moments, Asyr simply blinked at the man, confused. Was he that down? He didn't even feel as bummed out as he had in the days immediately after the disaster on Metellos.
"Alright, alright," said the barkeep. "Drinks first. What'll ya have?"
"Ale," Asyr answered after a moment of thought. "Corellian."
"Good choice. I'm Cafferty, by the way." He talked conversationally as he pulled a mug out and, with the ease of a man who'd done it for years, filled it up and slid it smoothly to Asyr.
"Thanks." Asyr looked down at the mug for a moment, thinking. Well, here's to all of you guys. With a sigh, he took the mug up and held it for a moment. Wish we could still do this together.
Cafferty watched quietly as Asyr took a deep swig from the glass. Once it was done he stood there for a moment studying the Echani and went back to his work. "So what's the story, kid? Somethin's botherin' ya, I can tell that much by lookin' at ya."
"Oh, you know..." Asyr's fingers tapped pensively on the side of his mug. "Just the ups and downs of life, I guess." He leaned his weight forward a bit, onto his forearms. "You know how it goes... I'm Asyr, by the way."
"It's a pleasure, Asyr." Cafferty grabbed a few empty glasses from the counter and ducked down below the bar for a moment. When he came back up, they were gone. "And yeah, I know. Been through 'em. Seen others go through 'em. And when I look at you," he paused for a moment, doing just that, "I see a man who's goin' through a 'down.'" He paused again, with a forearm onto the counter to look at Asyr. "Now I know it might not be any of my business, but I've seen fellows like you come in before. Got their fill, left with all that weight still on their shoulders 'n went and did somethin' stupid. I might not be able to do much about it, but sometime's a listenin' ear's enough to help."
Asyr chuckled and took another swig from his mug. "Well, thanks Cafferty, but... not really something I wanna talk about." He grinned a bit, even if it was forced. "Just goin' through a bit of a readjustment. Nothing I haven't been through before." Now when he smiled there was a hint of genuineness to it. "And I won't go doing anything stupid, don't worry. I've had enough of that for a lifetime."
Cafferty was quiet for a moment, still seeming to study Asyr. Then he nodded. "Alright then, kid. If you say so. I ju- Oh, one moment."
Asyr looked as Cafferty moved over to see who'd caught the old bartender's attention. That was when he saw the woman that'd come to lean against the bar beside her. She was... well, certainly attractive, even if he didn't quite recognize her species. Especially the way her clothing fit her form so well. Asyr almost whistled. Almost. Don't even know her yet.
Though he had plans to change that.
As Cafferty took her glass to refill it, Asyr found himself feeling some of those old urges, and desires. Pleasures of the flesh couldn't heal a hurting heart, but they could sure make him forget for a little while.
"Well," he started to her, pushing all of his pained emotions out of the way and bottling them down, "hey there." He looked over to her with a slight, friendly smile. "This is a pretty nice place isn't it? Best Corellian ale I've had in a while. First time I've been here, but I have to say, it won't be the last." He paused to take a swing from his glass. "Name's Asyr by the way." He looked to her and grinned, giving her a slight nod. "Wonderful outfit by the way. Suits you well. You look simply stunning, if I may say so."
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Feb 11, 2011 15:56:53 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Feb 11, 2011 15:56:53 GMT -5
“Back again are you? Hmm…the party that dismal tonight, Zharra?”
Hazel eyes looked up from the spot on the bar she had been studying, her ears perked in the direction of the voice first. Smiling softly, she shrugged a little. ”It’s to be expected really…funeral was today and…they…we’re all taking it hard.” No point in lying about it, she wasn’t doing much better than the rest of the crew, especially not her little group of friends. Cafferty nodded and gave her arm a friendly pat as he took her glass to refill it. Glancing up at the mirrors behind the shelves of bottles, she noticed the echani beside her giving her an appreciative once over and despite everything she managed a slight smirk.
“Well, hey there.”
She’d finally look over at him fully, quirking a half smile that only partially touched her eyes, and raise one ‘eyebrow’ questioningly.
“This is a pretty nice place isn’t it? Best Corellian ale I’ve had in a while. First time I’ve been here, but I have to say, it won’t be the last.”
For some reason that brought a mild huff of a chuckle and a bit more of a smile, slight though it was. ”It is, yes. It’s one of the few haunts my friends and I have around here.” Now, by ‘around here’ she meant the whole of Coruscant, but she had purposefully left the meaning vague. He didn’t need to know she was a military officer, it was likely better if he didn’t…some people didn’t take to kindly to them, and the last thing she needed was more trouble. No, best just to leave how far ‘around here’ spanned as vague as possible.
“Name’s Asyr by the way. Wonderful outfit by the way. Suits you well. You look simply stunning, if I may say so.”
Oh he was laying it on thick, wasn’t he? It earned a more audible chuckle and a bit more of a smile.
”Zharra…and you shouldn’t work so hard to flatter a woman, though I do appreciate the compliment.”
Holding out a hand to shake, she was…uncomfortably aware…of the ‘short’ (yet sharp) claws that tipped her fingers. Inwardly she cringed at some of the possible reactions to the sight, outwardly she was as neutral as ever, only a slight pinning back of her ears and stiffening of her tail for half a moment any real tell as to her thoughts. Typically she would have been more pleased by the prospective reactions…she kept them this way for a reason, after all…but tonight was different. She already felt poorly enough, Zha wasn’t keen on making others uncomfortable because of her anatomy. Ah well, nothing I can do about it now, is there? No point fretting over it. As Cafferty reappeared with her drink, she smiled and gave him a quiet thank you.
“Not a problem, not a problem…” He glanced between the two and chuckled. “Well, if you need me, you know where to find me.” It was a general statement to the two of them as he made his way off again in an attempt to give the two a bit of room to talk. Zha could only shake her head slightly and turn to look at the table with her friends at it and sigh a bit.
”I suppose I should be getting back. Heavens know they’re likely over there seeing gloom in all the shadows and fretting over things out of their control.” It was fairly obvious, however, that she wasn't exactly looking forward to going back.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Feb 16, 2011 16:00:32 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Feb 16, 2011 16:00:32 GMT -5
{Is kinda bleh x.x Sorreh]
”Zharra…and you shouldn’t work so hard to flatter a woman, though I do appreciate the compliment.”
So her name was Zharra, then. Nice name, Asyr though, not hiding his smile at her comment. Sure, he'd struck out a bit hard, but he'd meant to get her attention. At least it worked. "Yeah, well," he said, chuckling as she extended a hand for him to shake, "you know how it goes sometimes." The smile grew a bit and transformed into a boyish grin. "I'll keep that in mind though."
As he reached out with his hand to take hers in a handshake, he noticed something. Each of her fingers was tipped in a short little claw. The sight was a bit unexpected and nearly gave him a moment of pause, but he kept the motion of taking her hand going smoothly. After all, it wasn't too out there, given Zharra's feline visage.
"Pleasure to meet you, Zharra," he said with a broad, friendly smile and nod of his head as he shook her hand. Her claws were noticeable, if only slightly; he could feel them pricking lightly against the flesh of his hand, but they weren't painful. "And it's good to know the area's got some good places to hit up. I'll have to do a bit of looking around before I go." He declined to mention that the sooner he was off Coruscant, the better. Being better than Taris was about as much as an achievement as being the skinniest kid at fat camp (which was something he'd never have a problem doing), and while he liked the great city planet well enough, Asyr wanted to get back to doing what he'd grown accustomed to doing over the past few years.
He nearly said something about her claws but decided to wait. Perhaps he would if he got to talk to her a bit longer. It worked out well enough, as Cafferty came back with Zharra's drink. Asyr nodded to the old barkeeper as he went back off to his business.
”I suppose I should be getting back. Heavens know they’re likely over there seeing gloom in all the shadows and fretting over things out of their control.”
"Hm?" Asyr looked to Zharra and then back over in the direction she was looking. There was a table a little ways off with a few people gathered around it. There was an empty seat as well, one he presumed was hers.
"Maybe they are. Gods know I know that feeling well enough." Asyr cut that line of thinking short. He was here to feel better, not wallow in his own sorrows. He took a drink from his ale, sighing appreciatively at the warmth it sent down his throat. "You don't sound very excited about it, though."
He turned his head a bit to look at her from the corner of a pale eye and offer a warm, if very faint smile. "Maybe you could stay here and chat a bit. I promise it's not so gloomy over here." With another boyish grin, he pointed with his thumb back over his shoulder and up, to a small window built high into the wall near the ceiling above the far end of the bar. "See? We're closer to a window."
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Mar 9, 2011 17:37:52 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Mar 9, 2011 17:37:52 GMT -5
The man’s (Asyr’s) reply to her comment about flattery had her lifting an eyebrow and tilting her head to the side just slightly, one ear flicking slightly and twisting back even as she smirked back at him. ”No, I can’t say I ‘know how it goes sometimes,” she admitted, somewhere between teasing and truthful. ”And likewise, Asyr…always a pleasure meeting a new friendly face.”
While the man didn’t seem to bat a lash at the sight or feel of her claws, she made sure to keep her grip from becoming tight enough to do any damage with them. It was something she had to be constantly aware of after her first experience accidentally puncturing someone’s skin. Luckily the man hadn’t been hurt more than a pinprick, but it had left an impression on her of just how much more fragile the skin of some beings was. She hadn’t wanted a repeat of the incident, ever, so she had learned swiftly to be mindful.
“…I’ll have to do a bit of looking around before I go.”
She nodded slightly and smiled.
”It’s an interesting enough place, but there are other planets I prefer more than this one.”
Her tail flicked and swayed slightly as she eyed the table her friends sat at. It was obvious that some of them were handling the day better than others, even at this range…especially at this range. Lily was sulking, poking at the last of her food dismally, Jost was drinking like he had two livers (well, he did have two livers) and trying to keep up a conversation with Rashgar, the shistavanen male grudgingly conversing back (the security officer never had been one to talk much when something was bothering him), as Rudee and Melina (a male Firrerreo and a female Mirialan, respectively) spoke quietly to each other. Zha could tell by their postures that they weren’t happy either.
“You don’t sound very excited about it, though. Maybe you could stay here and chat a bit. I promise it’s not so gloomy over here. See? We’re closer to a window”
She looked back over to him and smiled slightly, shrugging a bit and chuckling slightly. ”I’m not particularly anxious to, no, but I have a sort of responsibility to be there for them…” One hand lightly brushed some of the fur along her face back into place as she pondered the situation, her eyes turning back to her friends. After a few moments she would speak again, her eyes still trained on the others. ”I doubt they’ll want to stay much longer…especially Lily and Roshgar…maybe we could talk more once they’ve left?” Pressing her ears back once more, she shook her head slightly. ”I could do with some happier company after this…”
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Apr 10, 2011 15:17:53 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Apr 10, 2011 15:17:53 GMT -5
{Not much to do, so short post}
Asyr quietly considered Zharra's words for a few short moments as he drank from his mug of ale. Finish up her business with her friends here, then they could chat a bit more once they'd left. It wasn't an unreasonable thing for her to ask, and the thought of having some company to spend the evening with later on was nice. Though for a moment he wondered what the responsibility toward her friends she mentioned was. Stop it, Asyr. They're her friends, of course she has some sort of responsibility toward them.
"Sure thing," he said, setting his mug down lightly on the counter. A little smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Finish up with your friends. I'm not goin' anywhere anytime soon." There was more than one level of truth to those words; he didn't like some of it.
He cast a glance back over to the table her companions were at. One of them, a Zeltron, could drink, at least. Asyr found some amusement there; he wouldn't mind hanging with a Zeltron, for a number of reasons. But it was neither here nor there.
Leaning forward on to the table, he looked back to Zharra and nodded, giving the faintest of little smiles, one that barely touched his mouth. "Guess I'll see you again in a little while, then."
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May 2, 2011 20:50:38 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on May 2, 2011 20:50:38 GMT -5
”Thank you,” she replied, a slight smile on her face in return. ”I’ll see you again in a little bit.”
With that, she strolled off toward the table, ears perking forward again as their conversation started becoming more audible to her. Their ‘greeting’ of her as she returned mostly questioning about why she’d been gone so long, who she’d been talking to, a mild ‘welcome back’ or two with slightly accusing looks…nothing particularly pleasant. Roshgar, silent creature that he was, actually managed something of a slight smile and a little nod to her upon her return.
“Zha.” After a moment of silence he turned his glass a few times, a sure sign that he was thinking about something (most likely saying something), then downed the rest of it. “It’s ‘bout time I went…but…” His pause gave the others pause, their eyes turning to him curiously. Even (perhaps especially) Zharra was a bit puzzled at his sudden desire to say something. It wasn’t often that she heard his husky and gruff voice, but when he did speak it was normally about something important…either in general, or to him specifically. “I’ll miss the captain, but…I’m glad we made it through this. We’re a good team.” Again he paused, turning the empty glass a bit more as he looked at it. Finally he huffed and stood, moving around the table until he was behind Zharra. Those ears turned back to listen before a heavy hand dropped onto her shoulder, nearly making her jump with surprise.
…There was that cat/dog instinct kicking in again, if only slightly…
“And I consider us lucky to’ve had her around and thinking calmly…so don’t give ‘er too hard a time about how she’s reacting to it all. Would rather have someone with a clear head and quick wits, than someone leashed by emotions around and in charge.” He squeezed her shoulder lightly as she bowed her head just a bit. Those ears had lowered a bit, her tail brushing and curling against his leg lightly a few times as she smiled just a little, her hand coming up to pat his for just a moment. She wondered what had brought this on…or if he knew how much his words meant to her.
“That’s my opinion, anyway…take it or leave it. G’night folks.”
With that he plodded off, leaving behind several very quiet…and partially baffled…crewmates, and one very thankful (and touched) feline. Most of them weren’t quite sure how to take his sudden decision to talk, much less what he said. They could tell there was a subtle layer of chiding behind it all, but it was so subtle they couldn’t really feel insulted by it…only ponder his words and why he’d said them. Roshgar, a mystery to most, but always someone to depend on…always someone you knew would have your back if something came up. Zha could hardly say she knew why the man worked the way he did, why he said some things and not others, or what made him tick, she just knew that she couldn’t have asked for a better security officer and friend.
“I…I suppose that…I should go too…” Lily almost sounded like she didn’t want to leave, almost, but Zha knew better. The woman was an emotional mess right now. Mo’ama had meant a lot to her, and his funeral had been the most difficult for her. No doubt she’d been thinking about leaving for a while, but Jost always somehow managed to talk her into staying a little longer. They were…close…perhaps closer than normal friends, but she hadn’t heard or seen a thing to prove otherwise on or off the Dawn, so she hadn’t said a thing about it at any point. Jost seemed a bit upset at her desire to leave, but grudgingly agreed to see her home safely. If there was a redeeming grace about the lecherous Zeltron, it was that he was quite devoted to making sure that the women he fancied (more than others) were kept safe and happy…if they couldn’t be kept happy, at least they were kept safe.
After they faded away and into city, the three remaining talked quietly a bit. Not about anything particular, but generic chit-chat. It was muted, though…tinted with sadness from recent incidents. Melina was already a bit on the soft spoken side, and Rudee had lost a lot of his close friends in the battle that had scrapped the New Dawn…he was trying to keep an even mood about it, but it was difficult for him. The two were admittedly attracted to each other, but they made sure that whatever happened between them was never heard or seen or known about on the ship, in fact, if it weren’t for the fact that she’d caught them kissing on shore leave one day, Zha might have never known for certain that they were more than just very good friends. So, naturally, what affected one affected the other…and of course, since Melina had worked a lot with the pilots on their fighters, she was feeling some of the same loss.
It was only a matter of time before the two of them excused themselves from her company and the idle chat they’d been having, and slipped from the bar and into the city.
Alone at the table now, Zha ran a hand through her thick hair before resting her head on one hand and staring blankly into her drink for a long moment. A glance at the tab and she sighed, picking it up and heading back to the bar to pay for it. She’d offered, after all. Even as she came up beside Asyr again, she only offered a ghost of a smile before handing the bill, and her credit stick over to one of the people helping work the (now much busier) bar. Those ears were down and back, tail swaying behind her as she finished off her drink and settled the glass down.
”Well, I’m back it seems,” she murmured, glancing over at him and attempting a more solid smile as she got her credit stick back and signed off on the payment. Watching the woman bustle away hurriedly to take care of other business, Zharra sighed again. ”Back and feeling less than in a pleasant mood…heh. I’m afraid I may not be very good company at this point, Asyr.”
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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May 22, 2011 13:06:45 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on May 22, 2011 13:06:45 GMT -5
As the Farghul woman said her farewell for the moment, Asyr nodded and turned back around. He gave a last little glance over his shoulder to watch her go back to where her friends were, then sighed softly. Good to have some kind'a company again. Even if only for a night.
"Friend a' yours?" Cafferty asked as he came back over. He took Asyr's near-empty mug of ale and refilled it for him. "On me."
Asyr smiled a little bit at that. "Thanks. And no, she isn't. Not yet, anyway." If all went well, that would be different by the end of the night. "Hope to change it, though. Gods, Force, whatever hell you believe in, only know I could use a bit of friendship now."
"Yeah." That was all Cafferty said as he wiped the counter. He scowled at the streaks his towel left on the polished wood surface and muttered something about 'gorram stupid frakkin' towels.' With a sigh, he looked up and glanced past Asyr back to where the woman sat. "Well, you're a man of interestin' tastes. Looks like she's a Farghul to me."
"Yeah well," Asyr shrugged, "sex is sex." And right now, he wasn't particularly concerned about what species she was. He wanted so dearly to have something help the pain that plagued his heart. If the Farghul woman helped with that, then he there wouldn't be any complaining from him. "'Sides," he went on, pausing to take a deep swig from his ale, "she looks good. Can't deny that."
Cafferty looked back at the woman. Asyr glanced back as well, from the corner of an eye. She truly did. Her form was slender, her curves tantalizing. And Asyr had a hunch from looking at her that she was in better shape than most women. She reminded him of Osana in that way; his old love had been an Epicanthix, and she'd been muscular, in that good way that women could be without looking like they had more testosterone flowing through them than estrogen.
"Guess you got a point there," Cafferty finally admitted. "Just... the fur is a bit strange to me."
Asyr chuckled. "Well you're not the one trying to land her, so don't worry about it."
"You're an interesting one." Cafferty shook his head. "Now I need to get a towel that won't streak up m'damn counter. Had it for too many years to have it lookin' all streaky."
Asyr grinned and raised his mug a little and gave a "Salut" as Cafferty went off to find a towel. That man was interesting. But he was a good barkeep at least; here that was all that mattered in the end.
He waited in thoughtful silence for a little while. Cafferty came back, properly wiped the counter and moved on to see to another patron. A couple came in and sat a few seats down from him. They were young, with the spark of new love in their eyes. They were happy. Asyr felt a pang of sorrow in his heart, followed by a stab of jealousy. That could've been me and Osana. I wish things hadn't got to sh*t back on Metellos. The loss of all of that crew hurt and hurt him deep; they'd been a damn fine crew, and they saved his life back on Taris. But the pain Osana left....
"Life's a bastard sometimes," he muttered under his breath. Just as he heard the sound of another approaching from behind.
Turning back to look over his shoulder, he saw it was Zharra. As she came to the bar, he gave her a little smile.
”Well, I’m back it seems.”
Asyr nodded slightly, and let her handle her business with paying. "Welcome back, Zharra."
”Back and feeling less than in a pleasant mood…heh. I’m afraid I may not be very good company at this point, Asyr.”
Well that was no good. Asyr sighed softly, looked down to his mug. Come on, Asyr, cheer her up. Make her feel good. At least the alcohol was starting to make him feel a bit bolder. Not that he needed that most of the time around women, but things had been different recently.
"Oh come on, Zharra," he said lightly, companionably, "I don't think you could be bad company. Just need a bit of happy company." He smiled a bit. "I think that would do us both some good.
"Tell you what, I have an idea." He reached into his pocket, dug around for a moment and pulled out a smallish coin. It was silver, worn with age, with the face of some long dead ruler on it. It was an old memento from Eshan. Asyr hadn't a clue how he'd kept up with it through Taris and all his time with the crew, but he still had it. Perhaps fittingly, the game he was about to suggest was an old flirting game from Eshan
"There's a game I used to play when I was younger. See, ya flip the coin, and depending on what side it lands on, on person or the other tells the other something about themselves. It can be something silly, serious, even embarrassing--whatever you want it to be, so long as it's true.
"Even more fun with drinks, but I'll leave that part optional. To you, anyway." He grinned boyishly at her. He wasn't anywhere near drunk yet, and he still had copious amounts of alcohol to ingest before the night was through. "Course, it only works with two people. Though, there is a catch...
"See," he held up three fingers, "if it lands on heads or tails three times, the person that has that side of the coin has to give the other a kiss." He grinned a little at that. "Something an old friend of mine added to give the game a bit of spice. Course, the odds a' that happenin' are pretty low.
"So whaddya say?" He held the smooth coin up between them. "Wanna give it a shot? I'll let you pick heads or tails.
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Jun 17, 2011 23:16:23 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jun 17, 2011 23:16:23 GMT -5
“Oh come on, Zharra, I don’t think you could be bad company. Just need a bit of happy company.”
That earned him a soft chuckle and a slight nod. She most certainly could do with some happy company. As she took another drink from her glass, her ears twisted around, listening to all the sounds around them, her claws tapping lightly against the bar.
“Tell you what, I have an idea.”
She looked over at him, and watched as he pulled out a coin. Now he had her wrapped attention, the Farghul in her more than interested in what his idea was…all because of a coin. Those ears perked forward, tail flicking about behind her as she eyed the coin, then him. As she listened to the game he proposed, her smirk widened into an almost wicked grin, those ears curling into what could easily be likened to horns. As he continued she lost some of that devilish grin, but it was easily replaced with a mischievous glint in her eyes as a plot formulated in her mind.
”Oh I do like the idea of this game…its right up my alley. Though…I worry about your coin being a valid heads/tails coin…as well as your tossing of it. How do I know you won’t rig it to your benefit, hmm?” She gave him an impish smirk and held out a hand, obviously wanting to inspect the coin. Of course, she had reasons for questioning his flipping of the coin…reasons that would benefit her. ”I wasn’t born yesterday, you know…and I wouldn’t put it past you to have some trick up your sleeve to try and get me drunk and vulnerable.”
Of course, she didn’t necessarily have too much of a problem with that. She was planning on clouding the night in a haze of alcohol anyway, and she could use an upbeat drinking partner, but she still had to be a bit careful about how much she said about what. Anyway, she had a plan for her new acquaintance that neither of them would mind. The Farghul part of her mind reveled in the idea of a few pranks as well as gathering lots of information on this new and fun personage.
Assuming he handed over the coin, she’d turn it over in her hands, inspecting the thing…and, more importantly, getting a feel for the weight of it. ”I’ll make you a deal, then…I get to toss the coin and we’ll add in shots…”
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Jun 22, 2011 16:20:04 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jun 22, 2011 16:20:04 GMT -5
Ahhhh, she's interested. Asyr grinned a little bit and drank again from his mug. Good, good. It put him one step closer to his ultimate goal for the night. And if nothing else, it was good to know that Zharra knew how to have a good time.
Now we just have to see how much of a good time she's up for. They had both expressed the desire for company so far. There was only one way to find out...
”Oh I do like the idea of this game…its right up my alley. Though…I worry about your coin being a valid heads/tails coin…as well as your tossing of it. How do I know you won’t rig it to your benefit, hmm? I wasn’t born yesterday, you know…and I wouldn’t put it past you to have some trick up your sleeve to try and get me drunk and vulnerable.””
"My lady," Asyr said, laughing with feigned offense, "I would never!" His pale eyes danced with wry amusement as he took his mug in hand and drank from it again. Sure, he cheated at some games and was no stranger to sleight of hand--couldn't be with the kind of people he worked with--but for this, he'd been planning to play fair. He was planning on getting himself plastered tonight either way.
Just wanted a little company to make it more exciting.
"Besides," he went on as he set his drink back down on the table, "that's not really my style y'see. But if it makes you feel better..." He looked at her hand for a moment. Then his own closed around the weathered old coin in his hand and he flipped it. As it reached its apex, his other hand snapped out and caught it, and then he gently pressed it into her palm without stopping to look.
"Then you can flip it." His palm lingered on hers for just a moment. Withdrawing it, he leaned back in his seat and chuckled, smirking wryly at her. "Though I could say you might be trying the same on me, y'know. I spend a lot of time around some clever people see." He turned to Cafferty, ordered some whiskey and two shot glasses.
"Lucky for you," he said, grinning as he turned to face her again, "I like clever people."
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Jul 20, 2011 18:54:06 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jul 20, 2011 18:54:06 GMT -5
“My lady, I would never! Besides, that’s not really my style y’see. But if it makes you feel better…”
She watched, amused, as he feigned hurt at her accusation, saying it ‘wasn’t his style.’ Oh no, dear…it’s exactly your style; you’re just suave enough that I bet you get away with it most of the time. Those eye watched carefully as he flipped it up, and caught it, taking her hand and pressing the coin into her palm. The lingering touch had her smirking, those ears twisting a bit as her tail swished around innocently. It just so happened to innocently bat against his leg, hooking behind the calf for a moment before sweeping away again.
”Oh, I would never dream of it. I’m a lady of standards. I do think that may be why you decided to speak to me. Call it…like personalities seeking each other out.” Grinning just slightly, she inspected the coin in her hand as he ordered the whiskey and two shot glasses. ”Well then, it seems all our troubles are over. You see, I’m quite clever, so you should enjoy my company immensely. Though, I’m not entirely certain I’m the sort of ‘clever’ you were meaning. Chuckling, she turned a bit on her seat to face him better and settled an elbow on the bar.
So, Asyr…are you going to be heads or tails?” That grin broadened a bit. ”I would think it should make more sense for me to be tails since…well, I have one.” As she waited for his answer, she tossed the coin in her hand a bit, getting a feel for its weight, before turning it in her fingers slowly. It wasn’t unlike some of the coins she’d dealt with back on Farrfin, so it was logical she could get a good enough feel for it to…play around a bit…with the results of the tosses. Of course, she’d have to be smart about it and not make it too obvious that she was cheating.
Still, he was planning on it anyway, so who’d complain? Still, it had been a while since she’d done anything like this. I hope I remember how to do this…heh, maybe I should consider cheating more often, just to keep the skills up. Not exactly a typical thought process for a naval officer, but…well…Zharra had never admitted to being typical.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Aug 1, 2011 16:36:56 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Aug 1, 2011 16:36:56 GMT -5
Oh, she'll be a fun one.
An easy grin colored Asyr's face as Zharra smiled at him. But his brows raised themselves a bit when he felt something teasing against the muscle on the back of his leg. He looked down and saw it was her tail, curled there around the back of his calf but for a moment before slithering away with an easy grace.
"Nice trick there," he said when he looked back up at her, chuckling to himself. Yeah, she'll be a lot of fun. He settled an elbow on the bar and leaned against it lightly as he watched her study the coin he'd proffered. Her smile had been innocent, as had the light playing with her tail, but Asyr wasn't new to this game.
And that being so, he could tell she wasn't either.
All the better for me. Light glinted dully from the coin's surface as she turned it over in her hand. The long-dead ruler's face was replaced by two crossed swords with two separate vines that entwined them both together. Experience only makes things better. Though I wonder... A thin, subtle smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth as his eyes flicked up from Zharra's clawed hand to her feline face. If she's really interested, which one of us will be the hunter here?
The thought set his blood racing through his veins in anticipation.
"Well, guess there's just one way to find out, isn't there?" Cafferty came over and set the whiskey and two shot glasses down near them. Asyr took a moment to thank him and flicked him a credit chit to cover the costs.
"See," Asyr went on, moving the whiskey so that it was centered between the two of them, "I'm the kind of fellow that appreciates all different kinds of clever. And I think that you, being a lady of standards as you are," he picked up one of the shot glasses, held it up to let the light from a bulb hanging over the bar shine through it to be sure it was perfectly clean and set it down near her. "Will possess that certain wonderful sort of clever that you don't come across every day." With an easy grin and a chuckle, he checked his own shot glass and set it before himself. "Or that's the feeling I get from you. Call it a hunch.
"But if my hunch is right, well, I don't think I'll mind your particular brand of clever at all."
To the contrary, he continued silently, I think I'll have a damn good time with it. It was a shame their current dive was a bit too respectful for some things; he figured once the alcohol started flowing they could have a really good time. But it was of little consequence. If his luck was in tonight, they could just move elsewhere to have their fun.
"But like I said, only way to find that out is to see, right?" His eyes caught the light shining of the coin as she bounced it up and down, up and down in her hand a few times to test it.
"So let's find out. Heads."
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Oct 15, 2011 2:30:27 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Oct 15, 2011 2:30:27 GMT -5
“Nice trick there.”
As he looked back up to her from his ‘discovery’ of her tail she grinned impishly, those sharp incisors showing unabashedly. Testing him and his reactions? Oh, certainly she was…there was absolutely no point in being interested in a man who would get jumpy at a tail. Even so, he’d had plenty of time to decide if he was actually interested or not and he was still considerably interested it seemed. It had been a while since she’d bothered to play this particular game (and she didn’t mean the coin game), but that she doubted she was too rusty. After all, she’d been playing this particular sort of game before he was even born.
Those ears perked forward as Cafferty appeared with a bottle and two shot glasses, her impish amusement melting swiftly and skillfully into a placid little smile. Her fingers lightly allowed the coin to flicker between them across the back, then around to the palm side, and back around again idly as Asyr checked the glasses. You haven’t the first idea of my sorts of ‘clever’, my dear boy…but if you impress me you might get an idea or two, she mused, hazel eyes dancing between his as she looked over at him while he spoke. Finally she went back to flipping the coin in her hand, chuckling lightly.
”Oh, you might just…but you’re right. Only one way to find out.” Catching the coin the final time, she settled it on the back of her thumb and flipped it hard enough it almost rang. With a grin she reached out with cat-like reflexes (anyone surprised?) and caught it out of the air, slapping it onto the back of her left hand. Pulling her hand away she chuckled and smirked, nodding to her glass as she held it out for him to see as well. ”Tails. Now let’s see…”
For a moment she considered what she might tell him. ”I actually have no last name.” That ought to do for the purposes of the game, and most of the more human and near human races in the galaxy. It didn’t really surprise her though…they all seemed to have a last name of some sort. It was actually quite handy in some respects, and when she’d been younger she had considered adopting a last name of her own, but in the end it just seemed unnecessary. As he poured some of the whiskey into her glass, she picked it up, lifted the glass to him with a nod and tipped it back, downing the burning liquid swiftly before setting the glass down again.
Some of the silken fur at the back of her neck lifted a bit at the burn from the drink, not that he’d be able to see it…but she could certainly feel it. Straightening her posture a bit to sit rather regally, she could feel the fur lay flat again slowly. Giving Asyr a smirk, she flipped the coin once more, called her ‘tails’, caught it and slapped it lightly against the back of her hand again. Pulling her hand away again she wasn’t surprised to find it as heads. ”Well then…heads it is.”
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Nov 2, 2011 14:29:03 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Nov 2, 2011 14:29:03 GMT -5
A little smile tugged on the corners of Asyr's lips as he watched Zharra prepare to flip the coin. "Oh?" he asked, grinning more broadly, "might I?" He chuckled, leaning some of his weight onto the forearm he propped up on the top of the bar. That might be even better. I don't mind mindin', if you know what I mean.
Zharra flipped the coin and brought it back down in a flip onto the back of her wrist. It came up as tails, the same thing she'd called by virtue of his claiming heads. That meant it was time for a truth. Or what would pass as a truth; he was aware of the chance that either of them could lie and get away none the worse for it. After all, they'd only be together for a night, and then they'd be split apart and off to wherever the wind blew them. Hopefully to a crew...
Either way, he didn't really care. The game was supposed to be fun, and as long as it was that and helped with getting him drunk and her in bed with him, he'd be happy.
”I actually have no last name.”
One of Asyr's snowy brows lifted at that particular revelation. "That so? Cultural thing, I'm assuming. Though I can't say I know much about your people." He chuckled and eyed the whiskey as she poured, seriously contemplating getting some for himself just because he wanted it. He held strong, though; his turn would come soon enough.
"Sure my old etiquette mentor would've despised that," Asyr added with a sly grin and chuckle while Zharra went about adjusting herself. "Poor woman acted like the world was ending whenever I called an adult by first name." Sometimes he did it just to razz her. He'd been rather rebellious as a youth. Still was, in many ways.
By this point, Zharra was ready and flipped the coin again. She called tails once more, but this time the coin came down with the old queen's peering up.
"Alright," he muttered, already reaching for the whiskey. "Guess that means it's time I told you somethin' about myself." And get a drink.
He poured whiskey into his shot glass while he considered. The problem with games like this sometimes was that there so many things he could tell. Some were interesting, others old stories of something he'd done as a kid that had been embarrassing at the time that was funny, looking back. Then there were things that were strictly off-limits, but there wasn't a need to worry about those anyway.
Asyr watched the light brown liquid swirl around in his glass as he toyed with it thoughtfully, and then he knew what he'd do. She'd given him the chance with her own, and it was only fitting. He knew the value of surnames.
"Alright, well here's something," he started, looking up at her. "I don't have one last name. I have two." He chuckled as he adjusted the way he was seating, leaving his elbow propped on the countertop rather than the whole of his forearm.
"One of 'em's Yevor. Can feel free to call me by it if you like. But the other..." A secretive little smile found its way onto his face for a heartbeat before fading away as he shrugged. "Well, it's a secret. But no, I didn't get caught up in some strange marriage and lose my last name." He grinned again and brought the glass up to his lips. "I know you were wonderin'."
With that, he leaned his head back and downed the whiskey in a gulp. It was good. Had a nice, full taste, and it was quite smooth as it burned its way down his throat.
"That's the good stuff," Asyr said, sounding satisfied as he set the cup back down on the counter. "Let's see... Think I'll go tails this time."
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Jan 23, 2012 21:00:11 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jan 23, 2012 21:00:11 GMT -5
“That so?”
She nodded once and shrugged slightly. ”It seems that way, since most of the people I knew back home didn’t have a surname, though some did adopt one for themselves.”
Asyr’s comment about his etiquette teacher earned a bit of a chuckle, as well as some reserved interest. Her falleen masters had paid for an etiquette teacher for their progeny, but she had always gotten the distinct impression that such a thing was more common of those families with money. The fact that he’d had one said something…at least to her. Tieres had mentioned something similar to her during their time serving together. Perhaps she would have to ask if such teachers were common on their planet or if it was a luxury that those with influence had.
Studying the handsome echani as he thought over the truth he was going to tell her, Zharra’s tail twisted small circles in the air and her ears turned and twisted as she listened to the crowd in the bar. The fact that he said he had two last names wasn’t entirely surprising to the woman…until, of course, she realized that he didn’t mean he had two last names hyphenated into one, as some did. One brow lifted slightly, causing the fur of her forehead to ruffle slightly and shift the sleek marking that almost perfectly accented the line of her brow bone.
”Yevor, hmm? Well, Mr. Yevor, I can’t say I was concerned about you having lost your surname in a ‘strange marriage’…though I am surprised you didn’t mean that you had a hyphenated name.” Of course she was now curious about his other last name, but she knew all too well the saying ‘curiosity killed the cat’ and wasn’t incredibly anxious to put herself in that situation. As he called tails she nodded a bit and picked up the coin again, flipping it easily.
The barely audible ring of the spinning coin echoed in her ears as she followed it with her eyes. Subconsciously (well, partially subconsciously anyway) she counted the revolutions before her hand snatched the bit of metal from the air and pinned it to the back of her hand. Lifting her hand she chuckled as if surprised and looked over at him. ”I don’t suppose you’re ready for another drink so soon, are you?” she teased, showing him the tails side of the coin.
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