The Hangover [Resaat]

[Mara]

(((All right, per what we discussed…
I hope this is okay for you... otherwise, I can edit it.)))


[… from Anathema]

Pak awoke from a deep, dreamless sleep and instantly regretted it, moaning in response. His head started to pound dully, his antennapalps buzzing and feeling cloudy, and his whole body ached and shivered. As he gained more consciousness and opened his eyes, the latter was a mystery quickly solved. The Balosar found he was lying in a twisted heap in a corner against some cabinetry, clad only in his shorts. Nearby, he only noticed a couple bottles of Rylothian rum, empty; the rest of his clothes were nowhere to be seen. Though, dark, the room was familiar to him, and he soon recognized it as from the galley on his ship. This realization both reassured him and gave him more questions.

Why hadn’t he made it to his cabin and his bed? What had happened the night before? Was he even still on Prazhi? His short-term memories were a blur, remembering nothing of the last few hours, and this confused him even more. The Balosar’s heavy drinking was something his body had gotten used to, cultivated during his childhood and strengthened throughout the past year’s travels on the fringes of the galaxy. Hangovers were almost nonexistent for him. Pak needed a signification amount of hard liquor in a short amount of time to even make a dent. And even so, it had never affected his mind or his memory, only made him depressed and closed in around himself. Yet, here he was, inexplicably in his galley, almost naked.

With a groan, he slowly unwound himself and peeled himself off the floor, leaning back against a bottom cupboard and hugging his arms around his chest. The bottles skittered away across the floor and towards the doorway with his movement. Pak had to close his eyes again to try to settle the thumping going on in his head which had started up more rigorously after he had gotten up. A few minutes later he started to gather himself to gain his feet and go looking for his clothes and some answers, but halfway through the motion he felt dizzy and gave up, sitting back down.

In a momentary burst of clear-headedness, he wondered if he had been assaulted and robbed. Perhaps another being had followed him aboard and taken him for all he had, including his attire. In limited movements that wouldn’t jostle his head and make it pound harder, he felt around his body carefully. Though he was sore from his awkward sleeping position, he had few bruises. Hardly evidence of a brutal attack. The possibility of being hit with a stun blast entered his mind but was dismissed. Pak was former military and was sure he’d be able to tell the difference between the aftereffects of being stunned or just being hungover, if that was truly what was inhibiting him now.

As his eyes adjusted more to the darkened room, he scanned again for his clothes, hoping he might see them now that he was more awake and aware. But no hopeful telltale lumps appeared around any part of the galley’s floor. Pak was out of luck so far. Instead, he saw an oddly familiar tubular thing laying a few feet from him. Was it…? He had to check to be sure, but an uneasy feeling washed over him. His luck might be getting worse.

Still unable to do much more than sit up, Pak lowered himself to the ground and rolled over onto his stomach. Inching across the cold surface he came up to the cylinder and immediately knew what it was. A syringe lying nearby only aided what he had already suspected and now knew for sure. Death stick. With a hard sigh, he flopped down on the floor, burying his throbbing head in his arms. He knew now why he was suffering so badly. The Balosar wasn’t drunk or hungover; he was in withdrawal from a drug he had tried to avoid for the better part of a decade. How had this happened?


* * * * *


The night before…

It had begun just as most of his evenings had. Pak had landed on the spacers’ paradise of Prazhi that afternoon, having picked up a couple of passengers back on Tatooine who needed a lift there. After they had debarked, he had been paid, and they had parted ways. He had tinkered around his ship a bit while he waited for refueling. This had consisted mostly of him sitting inside, indulging in a bottle of Rylothian rum he had purchased a month or two back. Having discovered earlier that he had enjoyed it immensely, he tried to keep a good stock aboard the Crimson Requiem.

The needed tasks required after a long trip completed, it had been time find a local drinking establishment to spread the rest of his evening and night before eventually stumbling back home to his ship. And in the morning the cycle would continue as he would inevitably gain more passengers who needed to go somewhere fast. But until then, it was time for some rest and relaxation and alcohol, lots of alcohol. As much as he enjoyed staying close to his ship, cantinas had a certain atmosphere that he couldn’t get anywhere else. That and an unusually large selection of beers and liquors from around the galaxy.

He locked up the Requiem nice and secure and left her behind in the spaceport, heading for a place to occupy him for the next few hours. Sometimes he just ducked into the first place he saw, but spaceport bars didn’t always have the varied array he had come to love and enjoy. Prazhi appeared to be no exception, and so he decided to walk a bit into town. It looked like many spaceport-supported towns he had been in around the Outer Rim, but he wasn’t really concentrating on his surroundings, his eyes focused on one thing and one thing only.

Finally the Balosar spied something that would satisfy his tastes. A location and décor to suggest some money but with just enough seediness and desperation that he and others like him wouldn’t look out of place. Pak was wearing his usual: slightly wrinkled dark trousers, lighter tunic, and a blaster belt with an empty holster. The cantina looked about half full, but the evening was only beginning. With a grin, he walked inside, the sound of his boots muffled by the hum of conversation and soft music coming from somewhere. A band or a recording, he wasn’t sure, nor did he care. Almost immediately he honed in on the bar and grabbed one of the few remaining stools for himself, settling in for a night of imbibing bliss.

Quickly he scanned the bottles on the shelves assembled in front of him. When the female Gran tending the bar finally had an open chance to get to him and take his order, Pak was ready for her. He slapped a few credits on the bartop. “I’ll take that bottle there.” The Balosar indicated a tall, thin bottle filled with a light green liquid. It didn’t matter that he was unsure what kind of liquor it was; it looked interesting and intoxicating. “Oh, and don’t bother with a glass. The bottle’s just fine for me.” Skeptical but seeing the credits her new patron was willing to shell out, the Gran complied. Pak nodded his thanks with a smile and took an experimental sip. Tangy and a bit fruity and with a kick, just his type. His next taste was a gulp, and he sighed in enjoyment. This would be a good night…

[Res]

It had been a long trip and it was only half over. Sterina didn't usually come this close to the Core but the job was worth the risk. She was doing a smuggling run, something she usually didn't do either. Renegade was running low on fuel and supplies for the last leg of the trip. The pirate found a planet that she had heard about from people on Nar Shaddaa, Prazhi.

The ship slowly descended through the atmosphere and made its way to the closest port. It was one of the bigger ones she could see from the ship. Getting closer she saw how crowded it was.

"Perfect place for me to lay low until the ship is ready"

She said to no one in particular. Landing the ship and making sure everything was off. Sterina started making her way to the cargo hold. Checking to see of the cargo she was carrying was secured. After letting the two extra crew that she had hired to help her that she be back. The red haired woman made her way down the ramp and out onto the streets.

Her hair for once was pulled back into a ponytail instead of braided. It was still long enough to reach to her buttocks. She wear a shirt that showed of a little more cleavage than she normally but it was just a shirt that was missing a button. The blaster on her hip hung in the holster and slapped against her thigh as she walked sown the street looking for a bar to have a drink.

After several minutes looking at the different establishments. None were sticking her fancy until she found one. It was rundown slightly more then the other but it was better than the ones on Nal Hutta and Nar Shaddaa. The woman stepped inside and looked around. The bar was slightly crowded but she didn't mind. Stepping up to the bar she scanned the bottles.

"I'll have your finest Aldarian Whiskey neat, and keep them comming"

Rina said tossing a large amount of credits on the bar. The Gran bartender scurried and fetched the drink. Propping herself up on the stool she took a sip of her drink after the three eyed bartender gave it to her. She looked down the bar but no one stuck out to her then she turned and watched the people dance to the music.

[Mara]

It didn't take him long to drink his way down through the bottle of the green liquor. He quickly acquired an appreciation for the unusual taste and soon had the bottle emptied except for a few last sips and was no worse the wear for its consumption. His random choice by sight alone had worked out well. But then again, his selections generally did. The Balosar wasn't picky; as long as something had an alcohol content, nothing else mattered in his mind.

Pak used the time he needed to finish off his current bottle to gaze over the assorted array laid out in front of him. Before settling on something he had found tried and true over the years, he generally liked to sample some unknowns, just for pleasure. A squat, squarish decanter-like bottle caught his attention; it was filled with an amber liquid. He could have made generic guesses as to what it contained, but he didn't waste his time with the effort. That took all the fun out of the whole experience.

Setting the now-empty thin and tall bottle back on the bartop and pushing it to the side, he again waited for the Gran to come to his service. Since the female three-eye-stalked being was still attending to a group at the other side of the rough, wooden bar, the Balosar decided to take a glance around his surroundings. Drinking alone was great and all, but sometimes a bit of idle conversation could make the night go by a bit more pleasantly, helped keep the distractions of his past away. To his left sat a ragged-looking Rodian who appeared to be more snoring into his glass than actually enjoying it. Pak briefly wondered how long the blue guy had been at the bar to be that wasted.

But to his right sat a woman facing away from the bar, drink in her hand, eyes facing off to where a few singles were moving to the music whose location he hadn't yet been able to identify. The Balosar's antennapalps were sensing some interesting vibes from the red-haired woman. She could fit the bill for his need to pass the time with some friendly companionship. Though he couldn't see her face, it didn't matter. Pak wasn't even remotely concerned with outward appearances. Honestly, he would have chatted up a boulder if it had spoken to him.

He cleared his throat, still looking at the woman's back and side, hoping to garner her attention. "Hey, careful there. Your face might freeze that way. And that'd be pretty awkward, especially for those folks trying to dance over there." Pak kept his voice light, joking, his normal for when he wasn't sober and depressed. The Balosar hoped this woman wouldn't be one of those in the very small minority who actually took offense to his carefree attitude.

Just then, the Gran noticed he was out and asked if he needed more. With a grin, he pointed out the bottle he had had his eye on a few moments before and popped a couple more credits on the counter. As the bartender turned to pull it off the shelf, he glanced over at the woman beside him. "Buy you a drink?" Pak raised his brows, making them disappear under his mop of unruly brown hair, and gestured to the liquor bottle that was being set in front of him. Without waiting to see what the other customer might say, the Gran quickly placed a couple glasses by the bottle and glided off to her next patron.

[Res]

Sterina sat at the bar watching the band and the people dance. She was quiet enjoying herself taking small sips from her drink. Slightly smiling at the dancers. After a couple of minutes it felt like someone what staring at her. Though in a place like this she knew that there had to be numerous at a time.

Just the time the felling left she heard a voice behind her. The voicewas light and male, she got approached a lot but this one was different. Instead of a repulsive demeaning line this one open up with a joke. The pirate sat for a second stunned at what happened. Taking a sip from her drink she spoke without facing him.

"And how many times has that pick up line worked for you?"

The redheaded woman said downing the feast of her drink before spinning sound and speaking again.

"Yes you may."

[Mara]

(((So sorry for the delay in getting to this…)))


With a confidence born not out of cockiness or his own self-worth but out of plain tried-and-true experience, Pak reached for both of the glasses, not waiting to hear the woman’s answer. If for some reason he had gauged her wrong and she wasn’t interested in conversing and drinking with him, he would have no problem dispelling of both glasses, plus the rest of the decanter. The bottle came uncorked with a soft pop, and he poured a few fingers in each glass, sliding one down in front of his new companion. He had resisted filling his own to the brim (as well as guzzling straight from the neck) out of mere politeness; Pak looked longingly at the container as he set it back down and turned his attention back to the woman.

When she finally spoke, it was with a question. The Balosar thought that it had been meant rhetorically but decided to answer it anyway. He was just in that kind of mood, his drinking having hardly progressed far enough to erase his good-natured side. Plus, Pak didn’t want her to get the wrong idea, needing to establish parameters for any more interaction they might have right from the get-go. If she thought this was the beginning of a romantic encounter, they’d run into problems quickly enough. Anything more than a friendly, platonic chat was off his agenda and had been for the last year or so.

With a wink and a grin, he responded. “First time, actually.” Not able to hold back any longer, he reached for his glass of the amber liquid and took a slow sip, his eyes closing in pleasure. Pak wasn’t quite sure what it was, maybe a kind of whiskey of a brand he hadn’t tried before, which was quite a statement for a being of his recent alcoholic adventures. But when it all came down to it, it didn’t really matter; it served its purpose well enough and was damn good, to boot.

A moment later, he opened his light blue eyes and looked back at the woman, spinning the glass in his hand. He smiled kindly, the jovial slant gone for the moment. “Though, to be honest, I hadn’t expected it to. More of an icebreaker than a pick-up line. Drinking alone is fine and all, but…“ The Balosar shrugged. “If you were expecting this to turn into something more, I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m not looking for that.” A brief sadness flickered across his features, and Pak turned away, staring into his glass before taking another gulp.

Pak mentally shook himself, coming back to the moment, gazing back to his companion with a big smile on his face. “But, hey, where are my manners?” His lighthearted speech had returned, no sign of whatever had made him go quiet for a few seconds. The Balosar self-consciously wiped his hand on his trousers before holding out his hand in greeting. “Cap’n Pak Har’endanno at your service, ma’am. ‘Course, you can just call me Pak.” He grinned, his eyes twinkling in apologetic amusement, well aware at the difficulty of his name and believing that there was no reason for them to be on such formal terms. Then he leaned forward conspiratorially, whispering, “It’s what my friends use.”

[Res]

Sterina looked at the Balosar ans smirked. It was weird to find someone so cheerful in a smugglers bar. Most of the places she's been in had been over ran with slime and scum from the far reaches of the galaxy. Taking a sizable sip from the glass she turns back to Pak as he introduced himself. She wasn't sure if she should give her full name or just her first name or even give her real name at all. After giving it some though she reached out her and and grasped his.

" Name's Sterina Tryten, I used to go by Rina but that was a long time ago…"

Rina trailed off as she finishers the statement. Soaking the feast of the liquid in the glass the bartender refilled her glass..

"Your in luck niether am I."

[Mara]

(((Apologies for the lateness of this post…
Ending's a little flat to me, but I didn't want to get too long-winded, lol.)))


He sat back up straight after his little aside and had to wait a few moments before the woman replied in kind. His antennapalps, along with his past experiences, were telling him that she was weighing her options before picking one; there was an underlying hesitancy that he could feel underneath her neutral exterior that he couldn’t quite yet pinpoint the origin of. Though the Balosar had no reason to be dishonest with strangers himself, Pak had run into individuals here and there who he had been sure had used aliases or just declined to reveal a name at all for various shady purposes. So he didn’t find it odd that she didn’t immediately give out her own name in polite greeting.
 
She eventually did speak, introducing herself in what he sensed was a truthful way, which surprised him a little bit, considering factors like their location and his initial feelings of the woman’s pausing before answering. Taking his hand, they shook in the manner common throughout the galaxy. He admired her strong grip with a smile and nodded at her.  “Well met, Sterina.” His first inclination had been to use the shortened ‘Rina’ that she had mentioned, but that small twinge he had sensed in her aura had stopped him from being too familiar too quickly. Otherwise this might have ended up as the shortest conversation in his history and perhaps even violently.

Reclaiming his hand and resting it on the upper leg of his trousers, Pak reached back to the bar with his other hand and grasped the glass of unknown ‘whiskey.’ In one long draught, he drained the small vessel. He grabbed the bottle and, noticing that his companion’s glass had already been refilled—the busy bartender was apparently still available enough to wiggle out a bigger tip from Pak—turned to his own. This time, he passed on the more conservative pouring of his first serving and let more of the amber liquid out, feeling great satisfaction in stopping only about half an inch from the rim.

Having gotten one of his priorities out of the way, he looked back to Sterina and lifted his glass in front of him. “Well, then, here’s to the start of a relaxing conversation between new friends. Cheers.” The Balosar moved his glass forward against hers with a clink! Afterwards, Pak took a hearty gulp and took pleasure in the liquid tingling as it washed down his throat. When the sensation ended, he set his glass on his knee, and his pale blue eyes returned their focus to Sterina. "So...what brings you to Prazhi?" Though his intention was innocent curiosity, he kept his antennapalps alert and focused, in case he needed to backpedal quickly to a more neutral topic.

[Res]

Watching the man fill up his glass and set the bottle back down on the counter. She sipped her drink as he did this. It was unusual for her to talk to someone so easily but this wasn't the first time. There was that woman on Nar Shaddaa but she was so beautiful Sterina couldn't help it. Though there was just something about Pak that the pirate couldn't understand.

Looking up as the Balosar clinked her glass and made a toast she smiled and took a sizable drink from the tumbler. The amber liquid burned her throat as it slid down. Smacking her lips silently she help the glass in her lap and moved her long fiery red breaded hair over her shoulder, so it too was in her lap. Hearing the man speaking she looked up and responded.

"I'm here just refueling and some other supplies. I am hoping to be gone in the morning."

She was on Parzhi just for fuel and other supplies so she could finish her run. If she didn't get the merchandise to the buyer before the day after tomorrow she would be lunch for their pet rancor. After the chill that ran up her spin from that though had left she added.

"What brings you here? And it can't be because of the atmosphere."

[Mara]

(((Hope I’m not taking too many liberties here with assuming Sterina’s actions… I can always edit.)))


Pak nodded at her answer. “Makes sense.” He had assumed the woman was on the planet for something work-related. She didn’t really seem to be dressed for more ‘for-hire’ professions, and so he had assumed she had a ship or a crew berthed nearby. Prazhi didn’t offer one much in the area of fun, family-friendly recreational activities. And nor had this Sterina appear to be a local. From his own brief time spent there, the majority of the clientele in the establishment they were patronizing appeared to be spacers and others just passing through, not citizens out for a bit of kicking back.

He wasn’t surprised when she asked him about his own business on Prazhi. After all, friendly conversation consisted mainly of give and take. The Balosar smiled at her ‘atmosphere’ comment and lifted up his half-empty glass of whiskey in a jovial salute. “Oh, you don’t think so?” Pak chuckled shortly before replacing the drink back on his knee. “Actually, similar reason as you, it seems. Had a job that brought me here. Now I’m just hangin’ around till I get another paying customer who wants off this rock. It’s nomadic, my life, but it pays the bills. And for the alcohol.” A wide grin. Tilting his head back, he lifted the glass to his mouth and quickly drained it, setting the empty vessel on the bar afterwards.

Shifting on his stool, his eyes quickly perused the nearby bartop with the opened bottle of whiskey and his used glass, then over to the bad, drunken dancers off in the corner, past them and into the other side of the cantina where there were tables and booths. Generally when he was drinking alone, the Balosar would eventually drift from the bar to somewhere more solitary for when his mood inevitably darkened. He looked back to his red-haired companion. “How about continuing somewhere more comfortable? His eyebrows rose to disappear behind his unruly brown hair, his antennapalps on the alert for a change. “If I sit here much longer, my bum’ll be so sore, I won’t be able to fly for a week.” Pak smiled briefly before indicating behind him where there were seating options better suited for more lengthy conversations. “You grab us a booth, I’ll get us some drinks?

Without waiting to see if she was following through and going over to claim a booth for them, Pak jumped off his stool—standing tall at 5’7”—and focused his attention on the bartender. He pushed his used glass to the side and picked up the bottle of whiskey, pushing the odd-shaped contained into the empty blaster holster at his hip. Then he leaned forward and pointed out a few more interesting-looking liquor varieties. While the bartender pulled them down, the Balosar set a more-than-ample stack of credits on the bartop. Gathering the multicolored bottles, two in each hand, Pak nodded his thanks at the slack-jawed barkeep and then made his way past the bar and to where Sterina was now waiting.

The Balosar grinned at her and placed the bottles of indeterminable liquor on the table. There were a couple tall and skinny ones: a blue bottle filled with a clear liquid and the other was made of a light green glass holding dark liquor. In addition, the other two were somewhat squat and bottom-heavy, both opaque glass but filled with yellowish-orange and pale blue respectively. Pak slid into the booth seat across from Sterina, in the same smooth motion removing the whiskey from his holster and setting it in front of him. He held on to it and took a long draught from the neck. Seeing her staring at the arrangement of alcohol he had brought, “Not sure what they are, but we’re bound to have a good time.”

[Res]

The woman sat listening to the Balosar, she was becoming more and more intrigued by the man. She hasn't had a conversation that wasn't all about work in a long time. Sterina drained the last of her class and nodded in aagreement fk Pak suggesting on her getting a booth. Standing, setting the class on the bar made her way over to a booth near theback of the cantina. Sliding in and waited on her companion to join her. Seeing him walking toward her she noticedthe four bottles the pilot held in his hands. Setting up straighter made her chest stick out a little bit. Eyeing the bottles setting in front of her. She was interested in was the contents in the containers held.

"So shall we begin?"

Grabbing the bottle opaque bottle with the pale blue liquor in it. Undoing the stopper, the woman brought the opening to her mouth and took a sip. The liquid was sweet but she knew tthat this was going to be her down fall tonight. Taking another sip from the bottle, this time a bit larger. Setting it down she smiled at the man seated across from her. Placing her hands on the table with her fingers interlaced. The pirate leaned forward speaking in a slight slur but still understandable.

"So, what made join the glamours life of a smuggler?

[Mara]

(((Hope it's all right... had to get back in the groove of this thread, lol...)))


"Yes, ma'am," he answered with a broad smile. Pak was happy to have found a kindred soul, at least in the drinking department. It hadn't been an oversight on his part to not bring any glasses along with all the bottles of alcohol he had gotten from the bar. He had had an inkling that this red-haired woman wouldn't care at all for such formalities, just as he didn't. In his mind, time spent on filling up vessels for polite consumption was time that could be put to use in actually enjoying the liquor in a more expeditious fashion.

As she reached for one of the squat bottles, popped it open, and took a sip, he picked up the half-empty decanter of whiskey that he had recently unholstered. Pak lifted it above the table and saluted her with it before taking another gulp himself. Then, savoring the liquid as it slowly flowed down his throat and warmed his insides, his light blue eyes wandered briefly away from his companion and to his surroundings. Though less of them now, there were still dancers off in the corner, gyrating slowly. The bar had experienced the usual turnaround of patrons, and there was a murmur around them from customers in the other booths and tables.

At the woman's question, the Balosar set down his whiskey and turned to face her once again. He wasn't sure how she had taken him as a smuggler; he certainly hadn't mentioned such. But thinking back, he had been rather vague on why he was on Prazhi. So it was understandable. "Oh, I'm not a smuggler... Used to be, for a short time. It wasn't for me." Pak thought back to that fateful mission that had turned to a simple delivery of benign supplies to smuggling Sith artifacts. Never again would he be played a fool.

Pak leaned back in his seat, and his gaze lifted up towards the ceiling. He thought on his next words, knowing that he hadn't quite answered her and didn't want to be rude. Plus, alcholol tended to loosen him up the more he had. "Well... I had been been in the military, Republic that is. Starfighter division. But over a year ago I resigned my commission and decided to just strike out for my own. I suppose the smuggling had just come easy, with the need for fast pilots. Kind of fell into it. But now..." The Balosar looked back to her, his antennapalps keeping abreast of the situation. "I just look for odd jobs, people needing transport from A to B."

[Res]

The young woman sat sipping the liquor from the bottle listening to the man. His story somewhat interested the pirate. Sterina hadn't been this interested in someones story since she met that woman on Nar Shaddaa. Tryten lifted her head when Pak mentioned that he was in the Republic military. This worried her for a moment, she was some what on the run from anything and anyone connected to the Republic. Her face got a worried look upon it, setting the bottle that she was drinking from back on the table. Staring at the Balosar for a few moments before speaking in the mildly slurd voice.

"Republic, you say? I have no need for them. Or anyone that sides with them. I'm not saying I am a Sith Empire supporter, but there are people in the Republic that I do not wish to see ever again. So i do my best to avoid the planets that are under their control."

The pirate finished speaking and took a sizable gulp out of the bottle. The sweet liquid flowed down j to her stomach and made the effects stronger. She was now feeling tipsy, she hadn't gotten to his stage of inebriation so quickly in for some time. The farther she get the more she will be willing to do and more suggestive she becomes. There was no telling what she would do if she got completely wasted. Looking back at her partner for the evening, Sterina slid around the half circle booth closer to him.

"But anyways, I guess I kinda fell I to this pirate thing as well. Needed to make money since running away from home and my "parents" cut me off to the family fortune."

[Mara]

He hadn't been looking for a political discussion, far from it to say the least. Doing so would have severely dampened his spirits and gotten him off task for what he was hoping to accomplish this night. And with the depression that was always lurking around in his personal shadows, he didn't need anything else bringing him under before the inevitable took over. However, Pak also felt strongly enough that he couldn't just take her comments lying down and needed to get a few things straight regarding her negative comments.

"I can understand your point." In the past couple of years after he had resigned and set out for the outer rim to make his fortune, the Balosar had encountered many beings with a similar outlook on life as this Sterina. "I wouldn't exactly call myself a die-hard patriot; I don't actually go out of my way to fight for them anymore. But I do try to stay on the right side of Republic law as much as I am able to do, in my line of work. Suppose that's partly why I gave up on smuggling so quickly." Not to mention the job that had had working for the Sith unbeknownst to him until it had been too late to turn around.

Pak grabbed the bottle of whiskey he had been nursing and finished it off, setting it down on the table perhaps a bit harder than it warranted. Then he reached for one of the unknown liquors he had brought with him from the bar, picking up the blue one with the clear liquid inside. Working the top off, he looked back to her, all the seriousness gone, and his jolliness having returned."I hope that doesn't mean we cannot still have a good time here, Sterina." He grinned and took a long draught from the thin blue vessel. "If it helps, just think of me of as a regular ol' spacer, drinking in a cantina with a pleasant companion."

The topic of his association with the Republic and Sterina's desire to have nothing to do with it seemed to have been settled, and the conversation moved on. They both savored their particular drinks for a few moments in companionable silence. It was then that Pak's antennapalps sensed something he hadn't felt in quite some time. He glanced around himself, not being too obvious about it, wanting to locate the source of those telltale emotions. A dark desperation that could only mean a being who had been drawn into the tantalizing threads of death sticks and who now could not live without them.

But then she spoke again, and the Balosar had to focus back on her. However, he did make a note of this new information. Sterina, now sitting much closer to him, was explaining how she had gotten into her line of work, similar to how Pak had landed into this pilot-for-hire gig. Being on their own, they had both had to find something to pay the bills, using their own unique set of skills to find something they were good at. He couldn't exactly place himself in her boots, but he did understand having to make do without parents. Oh, did he.

"'Least you had parents who were willing to take care of you." He snorted. Obviously the woman had done something that had made her parents cut ties with her, but before that, he had to imagine her life had been pretty good. But compared to his childhood, any childhood was better. And he found himself telling Sterina about it; it wasn't exactly something he kept secret, but yet very few beings knew about his life pre-military. "I was basically an orphan almost since birth. My mother abandoned me, and I lived on the streets. Got into some bad things. Without seeing that recruitment office..." A shrug "I'd probably be dead. Or worse."

[Res]

By now the bottle she had been drinking was nearly half gone. She tilted it back and filled her out with the sweet liquid again. She was enjoying her time off the ship and talking to someone about things other than work. Though her work wasn't very plentiful since she never were near any of the major trade routes that ran through the heart of tthe Republic. Not wanting to be seen by anyone that knew her "parents" was the main reason she stayed away from the Republic planets. She knew deep down one day she would have to venture into the Core and risk being spotted or picked up by the Republic.

Glancing back to her partner for the evening she could tell he was preoccupied for a brief moment. Then be focused back on the conversation. Taking another small sip and then setting it down on the table in front of her. She smiled at the Balosar, she was finding him kinda cute at the moment. Sterina move a strain of her fiery red hair out of her face. After he was done speaking she spoke, this time slowly trying not to slur.

"Oh.... for sure that means we still can have a good time. We can have a really good time cutie"

She felt her face flush when she finished the sentance. Sitting there for a few moments in silence hoping he would say something. Then she spoke again this time giving him information that she wouldn't in any other situation.

"Parents, if you want to call them that. They weren't every really my birth parents. My real mother gave me up for adoption even before I was born. All my life I was lied to, thinking i was from Corillia all this time. Now j have no idea where I am from."

She finished speaking and drain the last third of the bottle and sat it down. A tear ran down her left cheek. Looking at Pak she mouthed the words "I'm sorry" then before she knew it she kissed the man.

((OOC:Let me know if I pushed to fast and I'll modify it))

[Mara]

As she explained about her parents, Pak nodded his head in sympathy. Not quite the depraved life he had led, not by a long shot, but he could relate. Though she had grown up with a family, and he had been raised by the back alleys of Balosar, they both had had mothers who had given up on them. However, though he didn't know the full story, he thought that Sterina was perhaps being a bit too harsh on the people who had raised her. They must have had a reason to not reveal the truth to her. It was just a bit unfathomable to him to hear someone complain about always having food, clothing, and a roof over her head.

He took another draught of the clear liquid, wincing slightly as it burned going down. And Pak briefly wondered what it would have been like if his mother had had the foresight to find him an actual home, instead of just leaving him on the street. If he had ended up with caring people who wanted a child, wanted him. Really, if he thought it through, he would have been happy enough with parents who had been indifferent to him, as long as he had the modest luxuries of a family home. How much different would his life have been? Or had even that brief contact with his barely aware mother already set him onto the path he was currently on?

Pak thought this could be an interesting topic of discussion and looked back over to Sterina. There was a look in her eyes that he couldn't quite decipher. And he had only a second or two to be cognizant of two things: wetness on her cheek--Was she sad? What about?--and her mouth moving soundlessly in some kind of message--What was she apologizing for? And then it happened, seemingly out of the blue; before he could react, stop her, saying anything, the woman leaned over and planted her lips right on his.

Utterly flabbergasted by this turn of events, it took him a moment or two before his brain caught up to what was happening and jolted him into action. He brought up his hands and pushed her away from him, making sure to be gentle as he pressed his palms on her arms. "Woah, there, lady..." Pak quickly reached for a steadying sip of alcohol before turning his attention back to her, obviously confused and experiencing a whirlwind of emotions. "Sorry, but... like I said, I ain't exactly looking for... that sort of thing. Nothing against you. And I'm flattered, of course. It's just... sorry." The Balosar ended lamely, with a shrug, still feeling a bit out of sorts from the woman's kiss.

Embarrassed about the whole situation and unsure why, he bent back over his bottle, reaching both hands around it, avoiding her gaze. Had he missed the signs? This whole time, despite their original agreement to remain platonic, had Sterina been flirting with him? Pak hadn't thought so, but then again, he was a bit rusty and out of practice with that particular scene. He thought back to their conversation so far: casual chitchat, her moving closer to him, fingering her red hair, telling a personal story. He groaned inwardly. So she had been coming on to him as they continued to talk and drink; he just hadn't noticed the progression. The only saving grace was that perhaps it was just the alcohol, not her true intentions, because he knew how to combat that.

[Res]

After she was pushed away from Pak, Sterina sat there feeling very foolish and utterly embarresed. She had no idea where that came from, it might be that she found the Balosar cute and charming. There was also the plausible fact that she had a lot to drink. Whatever the cause for the kiss was, she knew that he didn't like it. Moving back around to her original spot in the booth. Sitting there silently for what seemed like an eternity she spoke.

"If you would excuse me. I'm going to get some freash air."

The pirate said standing and walking to the back exit of the cantina. Pushing open the door she stepped out and walked to a dumpster kicking it. Was she frustrated with what Pak said, the outcome of the kiss or was it her sheer stupidity that caused her to do it. Leaning against the wall of the cantina in the ally, she slid down it and sat with her knees in her chest. Then she spoke to herself.

"What is wrong with you Sterina? Be probably thinks you're some bimbo trying to score. He's probably in there telling people how bad the kiss was and that you're a loser."

The Pirate finished sitting there wondering when a good time to face the music so to speak.

[Mara]

With a nod, he acknowledged her words without looking at her and accompanied the motion with a husky "All right." Pak was still feeling out of sorts with what had just happened, what she had done, and how he had reacted. His antennapalps should have warned him of her intentions, feeling her emotions, but her move had caught him completely unawares. Maybe the bottle he was currently nursing was filled with a stronger alcohol than he was used to, which was saying a lot, and already started dulling his senses.

He didn't blame her for wanting to leave the table. And part of him didn't expect her to return and rejoin him. Despite all the protocol he had put in place for himself regarding anything sensual, he had still managed to lead her on and give her false hope. The Balosar felt miserable for doing that to a woman he had thought could eventually turn into one of his few friends. Someone he wouldn't mind running into from time to time to share a few drinks with, or maybe even run a job together, if the opportunity ever arose.

Pak gulped down the rest of the clear liquid, enjoying the burning sensation on his throat. He pushed the bottle away and kept staring down at the tabletop. Though the extra drinking and downtime he usually partook in during the evenings generally wore down his mental blocks and genial nature and revealed his raw grief and debilitating depression, it had happened much more quickly this time. Again, he glanced over at the alcohol he had just finished. Wondering if he should just skip out on Sterina and just go back to the Requiem to count his losses, he laid his head down, thinking to just get a brief rest before he stumbled his way over there.

It might have been an hour later, or just a few seconds that had passed, when a gravelly voice whispered over him. "Hey, man... wanna buy some death sticks? Looks like you could use a pick-me-up." Pak blinked against his arms; was he still dreaming? But he lifted his head and turned towards the location of the being who had spoken. A Theelin male with a bright green mohawk looking very much the worse for wear was standing there, yellow-stained teeth grinning at him. The newcomer repeated his question, this time peeling back his jacket to reveal some liquid-filled vials, as well as a couple with powder.

The Balosar was about to hold up his hand to decline, as was his choice nowadays since he had been forced to get clean to join with the Republic military. Even now, away from the regulations, he had mainly stuck to alcohol to help him with his heartache, but the option was always there, ticking the back of his mind. As well, the temptation was generally from afar; it was rare that he was actually approached like this. Prazhi was clearly a different kind of planet. Or maybe it was just this particular cantina. Or maybe he did look that desperate.

But then his light blue eyes focused on the array presented before him.  Maybe the stars had finally aligned, or dis-aligned in this case, in his favor. He was sure  he couldn't feel any worse than he was now. So what would a few death sticks matter? In a decision that would have severe repercussions for his future, but that he could care less about in his current state, Pak held up four fingers to indicate the quantity he wanted. "Your best stuff. Liquid form."

Drugs were exchanged for credits, and soon the Theelin had disappeared into the crowd, looking for his next target. Pak stared at the four vials and the syringe laid out before him on the table, not believing he had actually made the transaction. But then, with a glance around him, he put all but one tube of the hallucingenic cilona extract away in his empty gun holster, and the hypodermic went into his pocket. Out of sight but within easy reach. He grabbed one of the two remaining bottles of liquor, thumbed off the stopper, took a quick sip to steel himself, and then emptied the contents of the death stick into it.

Without giving himself a chance to back down, he lifted the mouth of the vessel to his lips and let the drug-enhanced alcohol slide down slowly. He swallowed and leaned back into his seat, one hand still on the bottle resting on the table. Pak closed his eyes, waiting for the familiar sensations to start working upon his body and mind. Soon enough, a wide smile broke out across his face, and for the next few minutes, he felt as if everything was perfect. How could he ever thought that everything had gone wrong just a half-hour prior? The Balosar sighed contently, lost in his euphoria.

[Res]

After sitting there a few more moments Sterina stood and brushed herself off. Fixing her shirt and holster she wade her way back into the cantina. She wasn't expecting Pak to still be there, she would think after how she acted he would leave and she'd never see him again. Glancing at the booth she was at, a smile crept onto her face. The Balosar had decided to stay and this made Tryten sigh with relief. Gaining her composure she ewalked back to the boothher hip swaying back and forth. She say a couple patrons glance at her as she strolled by them. Her mind was on the pilot.

Sliding back into the booth she reached for anothrr bottle opened it and took a drink from it. This one burned going down, gringing a little as the liquid burned her throat. Taking a second drink this time she was ready for the burn. Setting the container on the table looking up at the man. She noticed that he was acting different my than before she left. The Pirate just thought the alcohol finally got to him. After sitting in silence what seem like an eternity Sterina spoke.

"I'm sorry about the kiss. It was uncalled for. At the beginning we both agreed tokeep this pplatonic and I crossed that line."

The woman leaned back in the booth. Looking around at the cantina, it was starting to thin out a little. Some due to a fight that broke out, some left because they were drunk and was kicked out. Sterina wasnt enjoying herself like she was before the kiss but she was going to try and get back in that mood. She was still upset with herself for doing g that. Crossing her ankles under the tabled she took another swig from the bottle. The third time was a lot smoother than the first two time. With nothing better to talk about she made an inquiry.

"So where are you headed after this?"

[Mara]

Seemingly from a far distance, Pak heard a light noise that could only be the sound of waves lapping on a shore. Or maybe against a boat. In fact, it was Sterina rejoining him in the booth, but in his current state, he saw an ocean, and he was laying back in a small watercraft, rocking gently back and forth on the swells. A strange sensation: the Balosar had never seen a large body of water, let alone enjoyed one. But right now, nothing was impossible for his hallucination-aided imagination. He exhaled contently.

He opened his eyes in order to grab the bottle he was working on, now half-drained of its death stick-enhanced alcohol. There was a colorful halo surrounding everything around him, even the dullest objects standing out brightly, and it was beautiful. Departing from his oceanic relaxation and finding himself in a cantina wasn't a huge surprise; Pak took everything in stride, every wonderful bit. Slowly, he sipped the liquor, the ever-present look of bliss on his face.

A voice came to him, and he squinted slightly to concentrate on it. Pak could almost see the words coming towards him, tendrils or fingers in the air. He followed them back to the source, and there was a woman sitting there with gorgeous red hair, supple body barely disguised under her clothing. His smiled widened as he stared at her, ogled her, really, and part of him was trying hard to remind him of something important but failing. "Hey, babe..." The Balosar hadn't caught what she had said, her speech lost in the rainbow fog of distortion. But as she leaned back, an involuntary and audible gasp left his lips as her assets came more fully in view, and his mind already moved ahead to what he could do with them.

This time, he caught her question. It was a perfect transition for him. Still slouched and feeling a little boneless, he moved closer to the woman to answer her. His eyes momentarily closed in ecstasy as he inhaled the scent of her. Again, Pak couldn't help but that she seemed familiar to him, and that maybe he was missing something significant about her presence. However, right now the majority of his brain power was focused elsewhere. "Hopefully wherever you are, sweets..." So close, she would feel his breath against her cheek.

As she turned to him in reaction, the Balosar had opportunity to study her full-on and up-close. And then something finally clicked deep inside of him. The bright red hair surrounding the pale face... Shenhua. He gulped down a swallow of emotion. She had returned to him! Pak let go off his bottle, setting it on the table unsteadily and it tipped over, its remaining contents dribbling out. Reaching around the woman with both arms, he buried his head into her shoulder, antennapalps quivering. Muffled, "Oh, Shen... I thought I'd lost you...Don't ever leave me again..."

[Res]

Sterina sat there wondering what has gotten into the man tthat was rejecting her moments before. She looked at the bottle she was drinking out of, it had about three-fourth of it left. She tipped the bottle up and drained the contents. It burned her throat like she had never felt before. But she was trying to figure out why the man had such a change in him. Did the alcohol suddenly hit him and this was what he was like wasted. After finishing off the bottle she had setting it back on the table, Sterina heard him call he sweets. Did he change his mind aabout how he wanted take things with her.

"I don't know where I am headed next. I guess wherever there is a job."

She spoke, but her words were very slurred. Suddenly Pak buried his head in her shoulder and started to weep. His words were muffeled but she herd a name but she thought it was hers. She picked his head up and looked him in the eyes and smiled. She was not complete drunk from the rush of a enormous amount so quickly. She gazed in his eyes and smiled. He was handsome and very nice. She had never met a man like that.

"I'm not going anywhere Pak"

She said before kissing him again. This time it was passionate one, she wrapped her arms around him and held him close to her. Running her hand through his hair and down his back.

((Hope this is good enough to work off of.))