Remnants of the Earth
SPACE STATIONS => The Cancer => Topic started by: Wolfie on April 29, 2013, 07:59:50 pm
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Patty was at her wits end. She was still not sure where to turn her friend was just lost. She wasn't sure how this was possible. The hint she got had lead her on a wild goose chase after all. She was figuring it was time to toss in the towel on this one.
She sighed and shook her head. She hadn't expected to end up in this place. She had heard about it, and even checked it out in her database. It was the last place she would ever willingly go without looking for her friend. There was nobody there she knew, and she wished more than anything she wasn't alone again.
She felt betrayed. It was as if her friend was deliberately hiding from her. It was just like when her family had died on her. She wouldn't ever forget that day. Nor would she forget the day she woke up without the bot around to order her about. She had gotten to sleep in for the first time ever. It bothered her greatly. She just wasn't sure what to do about this.
Patty leaned against a wall nearby her eyes closed. She heard someone approach but thought they might pass her by. She was wrong as she heard someone speak.
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It was Ari's goal that day--or night; time was relative in space--to get hammered off his ass. He'd been holed up on Sassy for far too long and while he loved her, sometimes he just needed his space. That was healthy or some shit. Gods, he couldn't even stand his own ship for long stretches before he went crazy; yet another reason on his list of why he avoided relationships.
Anyway, the goal tonight was total blackout, stupid drunkenness, and he'd extended a general invite to his crew before he headed out: anyone who wanted to join him in alcoholic shenanigans (or just plain shenanigans, though it was way more fun when you were stupid drunk) was more than welcome to meet him over at the Rusty Anchor.
He had just reached the place and was about to go inside when he noticed a woman lingering outside, leaning against the wall.
A rather hot woman.
May as well get started on the shenanigans.
"Hey there," he greeted with a grin, leaning his arm against the wall near her. "Goin' inside? I'll buy."
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She sighed not sure how to respond to this. She knew it was a bad idea if one ever hit her in the butt. He was a stranger while she was in a strange new place. There was also the prospect that she didn't know what a drink would do to her.
"Wasn't planning on it. I just had a rough day I don't know," she said hesitating. He was just leaning there with her. She didn't know why he stopped, but had a feeling she might find out if she gave him the chance. Something told her deep down to walk away and fast. She had another thought though.
This man might have connections. If she let him he might be able to help her in her quest. She just wasn't sure she should trust this guy. He might want to get a drink before even letting her talk. She had a feeling that would be a small price to pay. At least in a crowded area someone would hear her scream right? Would they act though?
"I'm thinking one won't hurt. You'll buy?" She said pushing off the wall. She had her guard up though expecting anything to happen.
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<Harassing another human female, Captain?>, Sarah chided openly as she appeared behind her captain, <I'm jealous.>, she added with blatantly obvious sarcasm. She was dressed, as usual, in a pair of red overalls, though the stains that usually adorned them were notably absent. <Don't worry. He's perfectly harmless. Some would even say he's an idiot when he's not working.>, she told the other human privately, <He might try to flirt with you, though.>, she added as an afterthought.
To be honest, the idea of a party didn't really appeal to Sarah. She found drunken aliens to be annoying, and she honestly found being drunk more fun when there weren't a bunch of idiots around trying to grab her tail or pet her like some stray puppy (part of why she found drunken members of other species annoying). It was kind of a buzz-kill. Yet, in spite of her reservations, here she was, about to party with someone guaranteed to hit on her, all because of an invite that may as well have been a mandate, as far as she was concerned. Yay her.
<Try to duck when she slaps you, Captain. I'm not going to be in any condition to conjure up an ice pack for you. And no, I won't be kissing any boo-boos.>, Sarah quipped, this time for all to hear. Situations she didn't like made her a little more prone to taking the mickey out of people.
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Nick was in the engine room, as he usually was. Right now he sported a strange set of goggles that he kept adjusting as he peered intensely at the wires of a panel he had open on the wall, occasionally touching one with the small, precise soldering iron he held deftly in his delicate right hand. It wasn’t exactly essential repairs, just a few worn wires that needed to be replaced soon anyway. For Nick it was mostly busy work, trying to keep himself looking too busy to do anything but work.
It wasn’t true, the Sassy Juice, for all her odd appearance, was in excellent shape. Her engines purred like kittens under his administrations. How long had he been on this ship? Time was so relative in space, day and night seemed irrelevant, and the days quickly passed into weeks and then to months. To be honest he wasn’t even sure how long they had been docked at the Cancer. A few hours? A few days? Didn’t matter, he had no intention of leaving this ship.
Just as he pushed the goggles up on his head and snapped the panel closed, finished with that set of wires, his phone chimed cheerfully in his pocket. Setting the small tool aside after flicking it off, he pulled his phone out wondering who was actually calling him.
“I saw your plug-ugly heap of scrap at the docks. Can’t miss that eyesore. Where’re you guys gonna hit it at tonight?”
Nick’s expression was pretty blank as he shook himself lightly. “Zed? Uh, I dunno. I think the Rusty Anchor? I think that’s where they’re going. Don’t really care, got work to do.”
“Bullshit. There ain’t no work on that ship too important to hit the streets and raise a bit of hell. Live alittle kid, you’re young. For pity’s sake go sow some wild oats or something!”
“I don’t like oats.” Nick insisted sourly.
“If you don’t come out of there in ten minutes, I’m coming in there and dragging you out.”
“What the fuck, are you outside?”
“Ten minutes!”
The call terminated and Nick spent almost a minute of that ten minute ultimatum just staring at his phone in disbelief. With an exasperated scream Nick ran to his room, throwing the goggles on the bed and making record time on changing his clothes. Black cargos, a green t-shirt, his boots, his hat, and finally his jacket was pulled on as he rushed out of his room and to the docking station.
Zed looked to be about to make good on his promise as Nick about ran into him. The asshole had a huge shit-eating grin on his face. “I knew you’d be out, kid! Been a while since you ran out on my shop. Gotta say I hated losing ya, but you look like you’re doing pretty good, all things considered. Now let’s go on out to have some fun! First round’s on me, for old time’s sake.”
And so that’s how Nick came to be half-dragged up to the front of the Rusty Anchor. Zed grinned, one arm around Nick’s shoulders, not letting the kid slip away and hide somewhere. He pointed at Ari and greeted him good-naturedly. “Well if it ain’t the mechanic thief. How you been?”
Nick just looked pissed off, with his shoulders hunched up, eyes flickering from Zed to the two crew members of the Sassy Juice he found himself face-to-face with. He tended to avoid the entire crew as much as possible, so he figured they probably forgot he even existed half the time, or at least he hoped. Maybe if he was lucky he could avoid them here too, and get away from Zed while he was at it.
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"Yup," Ari said with a grin. "Pretty lady like ya should never have to pay--"
That was when Sarah came and Ari felt his shoulders slouch, though he hoped it didn't show in his face. Oh gods. Please, please don't let the lizard cock block him. He'd invited his crew out for a rollickin' good time, not to fuck up his own chances at getting laid by someone outside his ship. Not that Ykan wasn't a fantastic lay, but like most things in his life, he grew bored easily; he needed new sights, new experiences.
He turned his head to smile sweetly at Sarah. "Darlin', who's harassin' anyone? Is it a crime to offer a lovely, lonely lady a drink, now? And as for any slappin', well..." He gave a light shrug and turned back to the woman, waggling his eyebrows. "If she's into that, I'm sure game."
And oh, look who else had showed up! Probably the last person he would have expected. That mechanic kid, Nick--who he did, indeed, forget existed half the time. Kid was quiet. Did his work, though, and that was what mattered. Looked like his old friend had dragged him out, though, by the looks of it; he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
"Hey, looks like we've got a pretty good turn out! So why don't we go and get started, eh?"
To the woman, he offered his tattoo-covered arm. "I'm Ari, by the way. And you're...?"
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She heard his words before the woman came along. He smiled at this woman as if it was an every day thing for him. Patty heard the words this other woman was saying. She sighed not sure what to make of this encounter.
"I hear that could be good for females every once in awhile. Don't worry I can hold my own," she said only loud enough for this woman to hear. She then turned back to the captain shaking her head.
"Sorry, I'm not the slapping kind. Now when offense calls for it a fist does just right," she said smiling sweetly now. She was led in by this group following them as they went.
"You don't look like the kissing kind when it comes to injuries I would think that would harm your captain even more," she said showing she could hold her own with at least words. She saw the kid wondering what he was doing around. The captain seemed surprised that he was around. She wanted to ask, but didn't think it her right to do so.
"I answer to pretty much anything, but some call me Patty."
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Sarah had to bite her tongue in order to keep from laughing at Ari's response. <Since when have I cared if something's legal or not?>, she asked Ari privately, <I think we both know a drink isn't the only thing you had in mind. Just be sure to keep to this side of the fine line, Sixty-Nine, have her home by ten, and watch that right hook.>, she teased, <Oh, and, 'Darlin' has a name. Use it.>, she added, with a slight growl and a flick of her tail blade, meant to add a silent 'I'm not on the menu tonight' to the statement. Not that she really needed to. She hoped. A quick nod indicated that she'd heard Patty. <You two enjoy yourselves.>, she added sweetly and publicly.
A quick check after the remark about a good turnout told Sarah that one of the other mechanics, a shy, quiet fellow named Nick, whose scent she'd managed to not register, had arrived. In fact, had it not been for his friend's, she'd have written it off as Ari deciding to try something hallucinogenic before coming. <If I'd have known there'd be a ghost here, I'd have worn something more formal.>, she 'muttered' half-publicly, grinning in her typical 'my mouth is still not made for this' fashion.
<I thought you'd never ask, Ari.>, Sarah responded as she took the invitation to enter the bar, and made a beeline for the closest empty stool to the bartender, not bothering to move at a human pace, as usual. As she sat down, Sarah quickly wove a spell that would force her immune system to ignore alcohol, then ordered her first shot, a green and rather strong-smelling liquor.
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Nick blinked up at the giant lizard, he knew that she worked with him, she was a mechanic too, and he was pretty sure her name was Sarah. Geez, he barely knew the names of his own co-workers. Still, he wasn’t sure if that had been meant as a joke or a tease or poking fun at him. A ghost? He guessed it was meant to be funny, because Zed started laughing. Nick really didn’t get the joke.
Zed shook his head, grinning at Sarah as he squeezed Nick lightly. “Yep, that’ll be him alright. Little ghost you don’t even know is there. Damn boy, you really need to start making some impression! Even a bad impression is better than none!” Zed chortled again, thinking himself quite funny. Nick wanted to punch him in the face.
He didn’t have a chance though, because Zed was practically hauling him into the bar. Nick immediately regretted leaving the Sassy Juice. Surely Zed couldn’t have really dragged him out of the ship? He honestly wasn’t so sure of that as Zed dragged him to the bar. There were no open stools now, Sarah had taken the last available one, but that didn’t stop Zed from squeezing his way up to order them something. “What’ll it be, Nicky-boy?”
“A virgin cuba libre.” Nick offered. Maybe he was stuck here until Zed got too drunk to stand, but at least he planned on keeping his head. Somebody had to.
“That’s a rum and coke…without the rum.” Zed said dryly.
“No shit.”
“So a coke…” The expression on Zed’s face was pretty priceless.
“Maybe you do still have a few viable brain cells.” Nick smirked, feeling triumphant.
“Bartender! Two extra slutty cuba libres!” Nick covered his face with his palm, shaking his head and wondering how he managed to get himself into these kinds of messes.
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"Patty it is!" Ari said, leading the way inside and trying not to snort at Sarah's mental message. Yeah, yeah. Of course drinking wasn't all he had in mind! He'd been cooped up in a tin can for who knows how long! Of course he wanted to sow his wild oats while he still had oats to sow!
Repressing an eye-roll at Sarah, he entered the bar and headed up to the counter (no sitting space up there, but didn't mean he couldn't squeeze in there to get the bartender's attention), and had been about to ask his new lady friend what she wanted when old Zed called out.
Ari burst out laughing at Nick's mortified expression.
"Hah! Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Slut it up, my friend!" he said with a thumbs up his way. "You're way too old not to have a good time. Now, as for you, darlin'," he said, turning to Patty. "Whatcha want? I said I'd buy. Now me, I'm partial to body shots, myself."
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She watched not sure what to make of this group. They were an interesting lot. She knew what the captain had in mind, and wasn't about to go that far. She wasn't all that friendly any ways. She followed them into the bar and up to the counter. She had heard of a few drink names, but trying them was something completely different.
Patty thought she might have to come to the kids rescue, but it didn't look like he needed it. She was glad for that she wouldn't know how to rescue anyone really. She was already botching up the rescue for her lost friend.
"Considering your company it might be safer if you don't. I'll have a tequila sunrise," she said always wondering what those tasted like. It had to be good considering sunrise was in the title. She was looking over the room seeing all the exits and sizing up any potential trouble. Patty always did this when she went to unknown places. It never hurt to be prepared.
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Sarah laughed at Zed's remark, then quickly silenced herself. This wasn't the type of situation for her kind of laugh, especially with someone around who might not be familiar with it. <We're giving him too much credit. Even a ghost at least tries to make itself known.>, she remarked, grinning, <Nick seems to have made it his life's mission never to be noticed. Great for piracy, lousy for finding mates.>, she added. her tone almost that of a suggestion.
It seemed everyone wanted to be at the counter tonight. Such was a hazard of a party at a bar, but the drink choices so far made her own seem a bit unfitting. <Barkeep. I'd like a Lance Barrage, hold the grape juice.>, she ordered. A brief explanation of the ingredients led to her having to synthesize the liquor required, but, eventually, the almost light-devouringly black drink sat before her in a tall glass. Sarah grinned as she set it alight, then used her tail to douse the flame. <So... Anyone here wanna bet I can't down this without passing out?>, she challenged, as part of the tradition that came with the drink. Sarah had won many times her pay taking that challenge decades ago.
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Nick looked at the tall glass of liquor presented to him sullenly. Already he had the feeling that he was going to be the butt of a lot of jokes tonight. They all seemed intent on poking fun at him. To be fair, mostly it was Zed and Sarah, who he didn’t even know that well. The captain seemed to be more interested in the girl he’d apparently picked up, at least that was something. Of course the teasing was only made worse by the fact that it was true. He did spend a lot of his time avoiding as many people as possible.
Sighing he took a tentative sip of the drink Zed had gotten him and nearly choked. Oh god it burned! Why did people drink this stuff!? He turned away from the bar in a coughing fit. Zed clapped him on the back a couple times with a smirk.
“Good stuff, eh kid?”
“Oh my god, I would use that shit to degrease an engine!” Nick sputtered a few more times as Zed laughed whole-heartedly at him.
“Give it a chance, just chug the first glass. Trust me, after that you won’t feel the burn of the rest!” Zed laughed, before looking over at Sarah and her drink, eyeing her up and down a moment before slapping his hand on the counter. “I’ll take that bet!”
Nick shook his head and lifted his glass again. This time he tried to do as Zed had suggested and managed to choke down a few gulps, only coughing a little as he set the drink down again, making a face. It burned from his mouth all the way to his stomach. Ugh.
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"What? Body shots are the best way to get all friendly and acquainted! Really, ya ain't no friend of mine 'til we've sucked alcohol outta each others' orifices," he told Patty with a wink.
Turning to the bartender, he snapped his fingers. "One tequila sunrise and a round of shots!"
Because dammit, he was going to find someone to do body shots with even if this group didn't want to.
"Who's up for body shots?"
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Patty didn't like seeing the kid drink like that, but knew she wasn't this kid's mother. She was glad of that considering how friendly she would have to be with someone to make that happen. She watched as one bet the other as if they knew each other for years.
"Thanks, but no shot for me," she said wondering if he was trying to get her really drunk on purpose. She had a feeling that the other female had been trying to warn her earlier. She couldn't just come right out and ask about that though. There would be no way he would help her in her own quest.
"Sorry but I don't do things like that. I also don't know you that well."
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<I don't think it'd make all that good a degreaser. It's too watered-down.>, Sarah remarked, having overheard Nick's appraisal of his drink, <You can't find a good human liquor because it doesn't exist. If you want a real drink, go for some Linarian Incinerator Fluid or just about any Ganderian spirit. That Linarian stuff practically lights itself. The Tokamakians have some good stuff, despite being mostly human, but most of it's toxic to the point of lethality to humans, so drink at your own hazard. If you're wanting to forget the party, though, it's Hestari Freeze-Driers or nothing.>, she explained. She'd had to serve a few of those drinks, and had enjoyed many others with Kelly.
Sarah gave Zed a wink, then chugged her drink like a frat boy. As soon as she'd swallowed the last drop, she set the glass upside-down on the counter, then looked at Zed with a raised eyebrow. <I'll go ahead and let you off the hook for paying up on that one. It wouldn't be fair of me to collect when I'm immune to the main poison in this poison. Well, main poison aside from the alcohol.>, she said, licking the tip of her tail to demonstrate.
<No one, Ari. Only you're into that kind of thing.>, Sarah responded as the bartender brought her another Lance Barrage and she added the liquor and the venom to it, <Go back to drinking baby drinks and failing at picking up female humans.>, she added, though her 'tone' was more jovial than hostile.
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Neo had been there for a while and was growing bored, she had made a good sized amount of money pick pocketing that day. So she drank, nothing strong though, though for a human and a girl of her size she could hold her liquor.
Hearing the offer for body shots Neo turned around, "I am up for some body shots as long as you're paying!" She yelled over the sound of the crowd towards the man. She was always up for body shots, they were fun and there was nothing like a man sucking liquor off of you, or at least that was what she thought.
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Nick just kind of stared blankly at Sarah as she started talking about different kinds of alcohol. He really didn’t know the first thing about different drinks. The crap in front of him was the first taste of liquor he had ever sampled. It burned and didn’t taste all that pleasant. Why did people like it? For the mood-altering and mind-altering properties? He despised the idea of not being in complete control of his mind and body.
“I have no clue what you’re talking about.” He honestly didn’t. He cringed as he forced himself to drink down the last bit that was in his glass. Hopefully Zed would leave it at that, maybe he could even slip away and just go back to his room.
The look on Zed’s face as Sarah downed the drink was priceless, though, and Nick snickered. Zed glared at him and turned back to the bartender, ordering another drink for Nick. This time he got a jello shot. “You drink like a girl, kid. Maybe this’ll suit you better.”
Nick gave Zed possibly the most evil glower he had ever given someone in his entire life, he grabbed the glass and downed it in one go. He was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t taste at all as bad as the other crap. Oh god, it was a girly drink, and he had liked it. Okay, he still didn’t like the idea of drinking, but the taste had been bearable!
“What the hell is a body shot?” The words were blurted out before he could stop himself. He could kind of guess, but he really didn’t want to know. Were people that crazy? Come to think of it…yes, yes they were.
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"Aww, babe, it's just some good ol' fashioned fun. Ain't no better ice breaker than this!" Ari told Patty as the bartender brought out the shots.
Though it was looking an awful lot like he'd either wind up taking the shots himself, or he'd just have to find someone else here drunk enough to join him. He shot Sarah a scowl and waved his hand dismissively. "Ah, you're no fun. Fine, fine, looks like I'll just have to enjoy these shots aaaall by myself--ah!"
That was when Neo came over. "Finally, someone willin' to fuckin' live a little!"
Grinning, Ari turned to the bar counter and started sliding peoples' drinks out of the way, whether they wanted him to or not. Then he hopped up onto the counter and stripped off his shirt.
"Me first. And Nick, darlin', this is a body shot," he said, laying back. "Watch and learn, kid. You're next after Neo."
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Neo laughed, she was always up for a good time.
She took a slice of lime and placed in Ari's mouth, "Now don't eat that sweet cheeks," She said lightly slapping him on the cheek as she placed the shot glass in his navel and a line of salt along the top of his pants.
She slowly ran her tongue along the top of his pants, licking up the salt, a light smirk on her face. Or course she knew she wouldn't get much reaction out of Ari, he was a man whore after all and had probably seen and felt all the trips still, she was hoping for something.
She quickly took the shot after licking the salt before moving her mouth to his to retrieve the slice of lime that she had left there, hoping he hadn't eaten it out of spite or anything.
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Patty watched and shook her head enjoying her drink only. There was no way she was signing up for that in any universe. She sighed and looked over at the kid.
"That's why you don't ask those questions, by the way," she said wondering why the kid put up with any of this. He obviously didn't want to be there. She thought of leaving and soon. This group was crazy, and she was on a mission - one that didn't involve too much liquor.
"There's a table over there. I'm going to sit down join me if you like," she said hoping she could get someone to talk to her rather than just want to drink things off of her.
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<Please. Do not insult girls by lumping them with him.>, Sarah told Zed somewhat snippily, <I've met quite a few who could drink your scrawny ass under the table and STILL have room to take me on.>, she added, a note of challenge to her voice.
<Live a little? How rich, coming from a little human male drinking a little human drink consisting entirely of glorified tap water. I'd tell you to try a real drink, but you'd pass out and drown in your own vomit after the first sip.>, Sarah retorted, glaring at Ari with as much challenge in her eyes as was present in her tone, <I'm surprised they don't serve those things in sippy cups, or, better yet, baby bottles.>. Sarah wasn't sure if it was her starting to get buzzed, or if it was just the party thing, but she was having fun railing the captain. The captain's attempt to brush her drink aside resulted in a tail-blade-shaped hole in the counter near her drink, though her tail had not seemed to move even the slightest. Ari would have to be a pervert somewhere where her drink wasn't. <I wouldn't let that foot knock over my drink, Ari. You might have to drink the next one. My tail's coated in the secret ingredient.>, she hissed.
At the human female's mention of sitting a table, Sarah decided that putting up with the one sober human would be preferable to putting up with Ari's antics. <I think I'll take you up on that offer.>, she responded, sitting down almost immediately afterward at the table. Her drink appeared on the table in front of her less than a second later. <Keep them coming, barkeep. Ari's good for it.>, Sarah instructed. Not that she actually intended to make her captain pay for her drinks, she just wanted to see how he'd react. She had little to say to the human female, though her attention was directed at her in a sort of lazy, 'don't expect me to start a conversation, but I'll listen and maybe respond if you talk' sort of way as she drank a little bit more.
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Nick wasn’t even going to acknowledge that one. Was he really that horrible? An insult to even compare his drinking to a girl? Oh well, he didn’t want to be good at drinking. Drinking was for idiots and fools. Just look at all the trouble drunks got themselves into all the time. His line of reasoning really didn’t make him feel better. It might have also had something to do with staring in disbelief as Ari hopped up on the counter to demonstrate exactly what a body shot was.
As Neo performed for her shot a look of abject horror came across Nick’s face. He was next? Oh hell no. These people could do whatever the hell they wanted, Neo and Ari could let every guy in this bar pile drive them for all he cared, but they were not dragging him into it! He hadn’t wanted to come in the first place. Why couldn’t Zed of just left him the hell alone? They weren’t even actually friends!
As quick as Nick tried to flee, Zed managed to grab ahold of him, practically putting Nick in a headlock. “Not so fast mousy. Not even you can say no to a sexy little thing like that licking salt off you.”
“Oh yes I can! Let me the fuck go Zed or I swear to whatever god you believe in that I’ll kick you in the nuts so god damn hard you’ll be puking them.” He squirmed and twisted in Zed’s grip, but he couldn’t exactly escape. Everyone was bigger and stronger than him. It wasn’t fair! “Boss, please, don’t make me, make him let go. Please. Fuck, you can keep my entire next fucking paycheck, just don't make me do that.”
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Not get much of a reaction? Hah! Ari was loving it, and he was bound and determined to enjoy the hell out of it.
Lime between his teeth, Ari laid back, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the sensations as she lapped up the salt. Never one to be shy, he even arched under her tongue and let out a porn star moan. It was half exaggerated, half genuine; he always enjoyed getting his body licked by a hot young number, but he was also curious to see if she'd flinch or embarrass.
Vaguely, he was aware of Nick begging him, begging for him to let him go, and he grinned around the lime and shook his head. Haaah. Yeah. Not happening. Now that the kid was begging and freaking out, it just made him want to do it more. It was bound to turn out entertaining, though he really didn't see what the big deal was. He'd get slobbered on some, then it would be over, but from the way he sounded, he might have been pleading for his life.
With his mouth full, Ari he couldn't give Nick the bad news. The kid would just have to squirm with the uncertainty for a little longer.
Neo was finishing up and had taken the shot, and Ari cracked his eyes open to watch her. Just before she took the lime, however, Ari spat it out to the side, grabbed her by the back of the head, and kissed her full on the mouth.
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If Ari was expecting a flinch or get embarrassed, he had the wrong girl, she was pretty much shameless and had been for the large majority of her young life. If anything Ari made her chuckle, though she rated his moan at about a seven, she could have done better.
Neo was taken off guard a bit as she was pulled into a kiss, but hey what the hell, the man wasn't a bad kisser. She laid the kiss on, adding a little tongue in at the end for added effect. After a bit though she pulled her head back and ended the kiss with a rather loud slap to Ari's face.
"That is for wasting a lime, there are so many more creative things you could have done with it then simply spitting it out, an a for effort though," Neo spouted off, attitude at full blaze.
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Patty observed them still. She just listened as the one female berated those around her. She wasn't sure she wanted anything to do with that one. Unfortunately that was the only one who came to sit with her.
"I didn't catch your name earlier," she said hoping for at least an introduction before spouting things off. She had her drink with her the only one she had so far. It wasn't in her to drink more than one.
"Should we try and rescue the kid?"
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<Didn't throw it earlier.>, Sarah replied, keeping a somewhat disgusted eye on Ari and his new plaything. Honestly, did that guy ever bother getting to know someone before breaking out the sex games? Sarah knew precious little about the culture of her mother, and followed even less, but even she found the idea of bedding someone one barely even met to be unsavory, to put it politely. <Sarah, if you must know. You do not want to mispronounce it.>, she answered as an afterthought. A name would probably help keep the human talking, which, though annoying, gave her a perfect excuse to not join in the body shots.
<No. He'll live, and, if the talsak tries to force it, I'll teach him some respect.>, Sarah growled in response. Truth be told, she just didn't feel like dealing with any of the others at the moment, but, on the other hand, the idea of beating the crap out of someone did appeal to her at the moment, though one could say it was more the alcohol talking and not be far from the mark. <You know, I warned you. You, like most of your species, didn't bother to listen, but I did warn you.>, she added, gulping down her fifth or sixth drink, <You really should have listened...>, her 'tone' slightly off, a result of the alcohol starting to affect her perception of time a little.
-
Ari hissed through his teeth when Neo slapped him but barked a laugh after, sitting up and rubbing at his cheek. "Ooh, baby, ya know what I like. Throw in some hair pullin' next time and I'm yours. As for the lime, fuck it. Ya tasted better," he said, and added with a wink and lick of his lips, "Sweet and salty."
Swinging down from the counter, that was when he turned his attention to Nick. He held up a finger to Neo. "Mind waitin' your turn a little longer, babe? Someone's gettin' awfully squirrelly over there and I'd hate him to feel all left out. What was that again, Nick? Please make ya? Alright, if ya insist! Gosh, never woulda pegged as such a forward sort, ya little ghost."
Striding over to the kid, he took hold of him by the back of the shirt. "I'll take 'im from here, thanks," he told Zed, and started to drag the kid toward the counter. "Just think of it as an initiation, shorty. A manly rite of passage."
Turning back to Neo, he grinned. "So. Who's holdin', who's takin' the shot?" And then, to Nick, added, "Got a preference, kid?"
-
Nick didn’t stop fighting for his life for even a second; twisting and turning and limbs more or less flailing about as he desperately tried to free himself from Zed’s grip. Mother fucker was a lot stronger than he figured. He was kind of wearing himself out trying to escape, but when Ari sat up and asked about skipping to him the kid redoubled his efforts. This was not happening. No way this was actually happening!
Zed let go of Nick when Ari took over the burden of wrangling the squirming mass of growls and attitude. With a squawk, Nick was dragged across the floor towards the counter; he dug his boots in, pulling and resisting the entire way. This was about as undignified as you could get. “I don’t need a manly initiation, you fuckhead, and I sure as shit didn’t say I wanted it. Let me go you rainbow puke gorilla.”
Nick’s eyes about rolled in his head as they tried to decide who was holding him down and who was taking a shot off him. “Neither! I don’t want either of you touching me. I don’t want anyone touching me. This is assault, you asshole. Let go.”
-
Neo laughed at Ari, seeming greatly amused, he must have really thought highly of himself, she wondered how many girls he had gotten with such a cheesy grimy line.
Neo pressed her finger against Ari's chest, her nail digging into him slightly,"The only time I will be yours is in your dreams, so you better get busy drinking yourself to sleep! Oh and you better have enjoyed that taste because that is all you are going to get!"
Placing her hands on her hips Neo stood there watching. Poor kid, for his personality he really did pick the wrong crowd to hang around. Well it wasn't her fault or her problem, he picked his peers. Nick's words did warrant a glare out of Neo.
"Hey, who said I wanted to touch you, you pansy!," She replied raising an eyebrow, looking a bit bitter.
-
"Talsk?" She said never having heard the word before. She wondered if her robotic friend had been hiding words on her all this time. She figured she would learn soon enough. She sipped her beverage careful not to get tipsy from it. She didn't want anything to happen in this place.
"Warned me? I didn't hear a warning earlier?" She said confused. She was watching what Ari was doing and sighed. This wasn't right someone had to do something for that poor boy. Leaving her drink behind she got up and went back to where they stood the boy struggling.
"Aw Ari, wouldn't you rather have a good time with a pretty female rather than this boy? Unless you prefer boys then I was barking up the wrong tree the whole time," she said being bold for once. Patty didn't know what came over her she suspected it was remorse for the boy.
"So how bout it, Ari?"
-
<Talsak. If you're going to parrot a Hestari slur, at least pronounce it correctly. You don't need to know what it means.>, Sarah corrected irritably. Humans. Couldn't they at least try to pronounce things right?
<When I said he'd try to get in your pants. That was a warning. Don't tell me you didn't even notice that...>, Sarah growled, <Don't you humans listen to anything other people say?>, she added irritably as she casually grazed another patron who'd been getting a bit feely with her tail blade. Said patron collapsed like a sack of potatoes, soundlessly crying out in agony. <Next time, keep your hands to yourself.>, she snapped, then stood up. The situation with the ghost and the captain was getting out of hand.
<Ariiii... Remember what I said about keeping things to this side of the fine line?>, Sarah said with unusual sweetness as she appeared next to Ari, <You might want to let him go. I'm feeling a bit... what's that term? Oh, yes. Froggy.>, she added in a venomous tone. It wasn't necessarily that she cared one way or the other about Nick. She didn't. It was that Ari was giving her an excuse to let loose some pent-up aggression, and it was only fair to warn him before letting loose.
-
Ari burst out laughing at Nick's quip. Rainbow puke gorilla?! That was a new one! He'd have to remember it--and hopefully he would, after he got drunk and wasted, though so far he was the only person who hadn't drank yet. How the hell did that work? Oh yeah, 'cause he was busy running this circus.
He was about ready to haul the kid bodily up onto the counter when the girl from earlier, Patty, strode up to him--and then Sarah was there, too.
Well, shit, seems like he'd caused some controversy here!
"Ladies," Ari said, yanking Nick forward as the kid tried to dig in his heels. "Please, please, wait your turn. There's plenty of me to go 'round. Now, first off!"
He turned to Sarah and met her sweet smile with one of his own. "Oh, darlin', you're too gorgeous to be froggy. Those scales! That tail! Ain't like some slimy amphibian, don't sell yourself short. Now hold on a second, alright? Don't get all excited now."
Then he turned to Patty. "Alright, so! Ya wanna negotiate a hostage release, eh?" he said, patting Nick on the head. "Alright then, how 'bout it--you for him. He goes free, ya take his place on the table. Eh? Oh and, for the record..." He gave her a wink. "I swing very freely, if ya know what I mean."
-
By now Nick had pretty well resigned himself to the fact that he was on his own. No one was going to help him, nobody cared. It served him right for not having any friends to watch his back among this freaking circus of jackasses. That didn’t stop him from putting up a huge struggle as the counter inched closer and closer against his will. It really annoyed him that his quite creative insult had been met with nothing more than laughter. That had been pure insult gold!
In what seemed the blink of an eye, everything began to turn upside down. That woman that Ari had been flirting with when he’d first got there was trying to sweet-talk Ari into letting him go. Nick honestly didn’t think that would work at all, but the look he gave her was one of immense gratitude, and hope. Maybe, just maybe, he could wiggle his way out of this mess. With some help, of course. The calvery seemed to have arrived, actually, because a moment later Sarah was there telling the rainbow monkey to let him go.
He hissed as Ari jerked him forward, giving his boss a look that clearly said just how badly Nick wanted to murder him at that moment. When Ari patted him on the head, he jerked his head away, looking rather sullen and still squirming, trying to free himself from Ari’s grip. “Hostage negotiations? What the hell man?”
-
Neo could tell that ignoring or playing hard to get wasn't working with Ari, he had a distraction, Patty. Neo took the time, plotting, planning how she could get Ari's attention. It would be different if Neo had decided to completely ignore him, but now that it was being done to her, well she didn't really like it too much.
-
"Sorry I'll try to pronounce it right in the future. Why don't I need to know what it means?" She said being very curious.
"Oh that one, yes I heard it. Sorry I think the alcohol is taking some affect," she said. When she heard Ari's offer she had to think about it. It was one thing to just let the kid go, but another to ask her to take his place. She didn't much like the offer on the table and sighed.
"How about I make it an even better offer? You let him go, and I'll replace him, but for only you in private instead of with your friends here," she said not sure if he would go for this. It was worth a try though. She had a feeling he wasn't going for that though.
Patty had half an eye on the kid. He seemed grateful to her. She wasn't sure why though nothing had changed yet. Ari still had him and even patted him on the head. She wasn't going to count the kid as a new friend yet knowing he seemed to be more of a loner. Then again so was she mostly.
-
<Because you don't. I doubt anyone is going to call you it, and you've got no reason to use it, so you don't need to know it.>, Sarah responded with the condescending 'patience' of a particularly arrogant adult explaining something to a dull child.
<Because hearing and listening are totally the same thing...>, Sarah's 'tone' was pure sarcasm, not even bothering to hide.
<Ari. You know flattery only pisses me off more.> The words came simultaneously with the six claws of her left hand digging into his shoulder as she was about to throw him to the ground. Only for him to say the words that made such a course of action not quite advisable. Yet. The hand continued its grip, ready to toss him about should the wrong choice be made. As much as she wanted to toss him around, she needed an excuse, after all. The grip tightened. <Well, Ari? You going to go with the one practically throwing herself at you, or do you wanna see just how tough you are?>, she asked upon hearing the human female rephrase her offer. She dug her thumbs further into Ari's shoulder to emphasize her point.
-
"Yeah, 'cause you're a hostage--ah!"
Sarah gripped his shoulder. Hard. And Ari couldn't help but squirm under her hand, wincing, and out of reflex he nearly lost his grip on Nick. Still, rather than admit it hurt like a bitch (because while he enjoyed pain, that was in a very specific context!), he turned his pained sound into yet another erotic moan and arched into her claws.
"Nn, well darlin', ya keep touchin' me like that and we're gonna have ourselves an awkward problem here," he said, voice breathy. Her tightening grip made him wince and hiss in pain, but he managed a very convincing shudder of enjoyment. "But ya don't, mm, gotta worry. Missy over there has me sold."
He released Nick then and held up his hand to show it was empty. Then, still squirming, he looked over at Patty. "Deal," he said, and reached up to pry at Sarah's hand. "Your place or mine?"
-
Nick really didn’t like the idea of being referred to as a hostage. It was far too creepy. Besides, he was Ari’s freaking employee not a hostage! How did the asshole keep workers if he treated them like this? Then again, he kind of couldn’t help but smirk as Sarah had grabbed ahold of Ari now, he couldn’t wait to see how his boss liked being the one held against their will.
Still, he felt kind of bad, Sarah alone could probably have gotten him out of this mess at any time, but he knew she wasn’t doing it for him. No, what really made him feel bad was knowing that this strange lady had just thrown herself to the wolves on his behalf. It made no sense, why would you do that for somebody you didn’t even know? What was it to her? Obviously she was a do-gooder type.
The moment he was let go, Nick jerked away from the giant rainbow monkey. When he’d first agreed to work as part of the Sassy Juice crew, this was definitely not what he was expecting to be going through. Blinking through owlish mocha eyes he looked from Sarah to Patricia. “Thanks Sarah, even if you didn’t do it for me, I owe you one. And you, uh, whatever your name is…I really wasn’t worth it.”
He felt sick, between the alcohol and the stress of being held against his will, his stomach was roiling. As much as he’d have liked to see if Sarah was actually going to pummel Ari, he didn’t want to get grabbed again, so he ducked through the bar and into the men’s room, locking himself in a stall and empting his stomach of what felt like everything he had eaten ever.
-
Neo grabbed a hold of Ari's arm rougher than she originally intended.
"Hey sweet cheeks, you are forgetting something, you owe me a body shot," She said looking up at him with her hand on her hip and her hip popped. She was clearly not playing and didn't seem to plan on letting go of his arm until he gave her what she wanted.
-
Patty heard what was said and was only slightly relieved when the kid was let go. She heard what he asked not sure which she should go for. In her environment she had more control, but it would be easy to disappear if she was in his. This was tough, but she knew what she needed.
"Mine would be better," she said answering him. She also heard what the kid had said. It was a shame when someone couldn't just offer a 'thank you'. He was off the hook and disappeared rather quickly. She didn't watch him go, and didn't have time for anything else either. Neo was right there and didn't seem to like not having any attention.
"I'm in no rush. You owe Neo a body shot," she said knowing she hadn't finished her drink. She wasn't about to either considering what was going down. She had one hope that Neo would sink her claws into him and get more than one body shot. She could slip away easier that way as well. She had a feeling Neo liked being with him.
"I'll jut wait over here," she said going to the table again. She was watching him as she sat back down in her seat to prove a point. She had time, and so did he why rush?
-
<Right answer. I could have done without the flirting, though.>, Sarah somewhat reluctantly acknowledged, briefly tightening her grip to just under what would have been necessary to fracture Ari's shoulder before letting him go, <Maybe next time you'll listen when I warn you about crossing the line. And about crossing me.>, she added privately as she looked around the bar for someone else to vent her aggression on.
<You're acting like quite the paks'kaala for someone who couldn't even take Ari down, girl. Or was that not your blood I smelled in that little cell, all over the cargo bay, and outside my door?>, Sarah sniped at Neo when she clung to Ari like a bloodcrawler. She made a slightly drunk note of the hacker's seeming need to be the center of Ari's attention, in case she needed it again, then went back to her search for another target, with only a <You're right. I didn't do it for you, and you damned well owe me.>, in response to Nick's thanks.
Sarah followed Patty back to the table, if only because it got her away from the others, and, more importantly, allowed her the perfect excuse to toss some poor drunken sod across the bar for trying to slip in ahead of her to deny her the seat. The 'come at me' look she shot to the rest of the bar was mostly met with a sudden, near-universal interest in the design of the floor tiles. Sarah sat down with a growl, disappointed in the lack of takers. <So... What, exactly, is your interest in my idiot of a captain? You don't exactly seem the sort to even be willing to put up with such a blinkin' brakja, let alone have an interest in him. You some kind of cop?>, Sarah asked Patty, not bothering to beat around the bush or even speak privately.
-
Everything went back to normal then--at least, as normal as thinks ever got for them. Nick went back to being a ghost (which was disappointing, because kid needed to loosen up a little!) and Sarah went off to intimidate some other human or whatever it was she did. He didn't have time to ask he what she meant when she said that line about crossing her, though, because then Neo was hanging on his arm (a little rougher than usual, but he wasn't complaining) and telling him he owed her.
Sure did, and that was one thing he didn't mind paying up for.
He glanced over at Patty, then shrugged when she gave him the go-ahead.
Sweet.
"Your wish is my command, mistress," he told Neo with a wink.
Someone got tossed across the bar--Sarah's work, of course--but that just cleared more space on the counter. Tugging Neo over, he snapped his fingers and pointed.
"Alright, hop on up. And since I took off my shirt---" And was still shirtless. "--I think it's only fair ya return the favor, eh?"
-
"Yeah, because I can catch bullets in my teeth," Neo replied to Sarah dryly. If anything she proved she could take a bullet, and not cry about it and hack with her leg bleeding everywhere. She shook her head, writing it off as she was just jealous.
Neo hopped up on the counter, sitting on the edge before leaning over a bit, resting her elbows on her knees as she looked at Ari with a raised eyebrow.
"Sweet cheeks there are three problems with that. First off, you don't have tits, though you would probably enjoy them, and might wish you did have them so you could touch and feel and see them everyday, but well you don't, so it wouldn't be fair. Second thing, I don't get paid no where near enough to be taking my top off for you, and finally, most importantly, third. I am no where near drunk enough," Neo said before laying back on the bar and raising her shirt to just below her ribs.
-
Patty wasn't sure what else was going to go on here. Now she was sitting at a table once again with Sarah. This one seemed to like following her. She wondered what in the universes she had been thinking. She had seen the guy fly across the bar, but didn't say anything. Sarah seemed disappointed she only got to toss one person around.
"Do I look like a cop? I'd ask what that word means, but I have a feeling you'll just tell me I don't need to know again. I'm just some girl roaming space looking for something I lost nobody really important. As for my interest I don't have any my only thought was the boy. I'm now hoping that girl gets him drunk enough he forgets all about me," She said boldly. She had her hands on her glass again even though she was no longer interested in drinking.
"So cops worry you? Don't worry I don't have a soul to spread anything to. The only being I had was stolen from me. I was hoping one of you might have seen him..."
-
<Why not? I don't seem to have much trouble with it. Ari's a pathetically weak, disgustingly slow, soft, squishy human. You're more than just human. You shouldn't have even needed to catch a bullet in your teeth.>, Sarah retorted, <Then again... if you had any brains at all, you'd have seen the trap coming, and if you had reflexes worth anything, you'd have taken him down before he could spring it, so, yeah, slink back into your place and leave the 'tough' act for those of us strong enough to back it up.>, she added, a note of arrogance and superiority in her 'tone'.
<Ari, don't bow to such weak prey. It's beneath even you.>, she chided as Ari made his little remark about Neo being his mistress.
<You look like you'd go great with fish and that blood sauce they make on Hesta. I'd mind my tone if I were you.>, Sarah snapped, eyes narrowed dangerously, <That goes for your language, too. Stop speaking to me like I'm some human hatchling asking about where babies come from.>, she added with a low growl.
<No. Cops do not worry me. I'm more concerned with the more immediate problem of figuring out whether you're referring to a pet or a slave. As to whether or not you'd be 'spreading anything', as you put it, I can guarantee you won't at any time of my choosing by removing your head, puncturing your heart, lungs, kidneys, or liver, or any number of other methods of disposing of those weak, squishy things called humans, so, really, your ability to squeak* is a moot point. It's your willingness to keep your glob** shut that matters here.>, Sarah explained in response to the human's question, <Which brings me to my original question: What is your interest in Ari Maxwell?>, she added, eyes narrowed again.
[*she means 'squeal']
[**she means 'gob']
-
"Sarah? Sarah? Hey." Looking at Sarah, Ari made a "zipping" motion with his fingers. "Zippa your lippa."
Alas, the draconian just wouldn't understand. And anyway, he had a cute young thing on the counter now, so he turned his full attention back on her.
Laughing, Ari pat his chest, motioning to the piercings going through him. "Still got nipples, babe. That's gotta count for somethin'. But naw, ain't as much fun havin' your own when the excitement's all in touchin' what ain't yours. Now."
He grabbed a lime and, teasingly, ran it along the skin of her belly, moistening it so the salt would stick. "Shush. Ya talk too much," he said, right before he placed the lime in her mouth, sprinkled a stripe of salt from her pants to her navel, and placed the shot.
Hands on either side of Neo's body, Ari dipped down and in slow, practiced movements, licked along the salt trail, flicking his tongue against her teasingly. He took his sweet time getting there, even added a few delicate nips and nibbles to spice things up. Then he pounded back the shot, tangled a hand in Neo's hair, and pulled her up so he could take the lime with his teeth.
-
When Neo saw his peircings she couldn't hold back the slight flinch and her hands automatically moving to her own chest. To her that looked painful, and not in the pleasant way either. Her nipples were just two things she would never get pierced.
Neo laughed though, she did talk a lot, she knew that. She took the lime in her mouth and relaxed back. She knew this was about to get interesting, with Ari, it always was.
Neo arched her back some as Ari started, the downfalls of being fae she supposed, super sensitive senses, including your sense of touch. Her skin was tingling, but just the licking only made her smirk and arch slightly. It was the added nips that made her release a breathy moan, of course she would never admit to anyone at the bar she did it because she really liked it. If anyone asked, she was just puting on a show to tease Ari.
She bit into the lime, tearing the skin from the fruit and throwing it to the ground. So when Ari grabbed her hair and pull her up, she pulled and Ari. She laid a big kiss on him, using her hand to grab a hold of him. She let the juice of the lime mingle from her mouth to his as the taste of the alcohol and salt moved to hers.
-
She heard what Sarah said to the others then to her. She wondered how this woman had any friends. She had a feeling though that this woman didn't have any and just morely intimidated everyone. The growl didn't scare her so far this woman was all talk and no bite.
"I'm referring to a robot who means a lot to me. He's the only one I really have in the universe as for keeping my yap shut that's easy. I don't have anyone to share with," she said before sipping a little more of her drink. She was being careful though having a feeling that Ari hadn't forgotten about her.
"My interest? I don't have one. Your captain walked up to me in the hall and invited me for a drink. The rest just happened, and if all goes well I'll be on my way without any incidents and he'll wake up alone tomorrow with that kid not being in any more trouble."
-
Sarah wasted no time in taking advantage of the wording of Ari's order. <Okay. I'll keep my mouth firmly shut, Ari. This is me keeping my mouth shut, and not opening it even to drink. See how obedient I can be, Captain? My lips have not parted even once. Feeling as stupid as you look, or should I continue to talk to you with my mouth firmly shut?> 'Zip your lips' wasn't really the best phrase to use on a half-drunk smartass who could talk with her mouth firmly shut. As to his ignoring her chiding, Sarah shook her head in disgust and left it at that.
The mention of a robot was enough to get Sarah to ignore the fact that she never said she'd refrain from talking if she did find someone to talk to. <A robot? Not one of the Mayleeng C-800 series, I hope. Those things are defective under the best of circumstances. I took one apart once, just to see how someone managed to screw it up so badly. Turns out the power cells were so unstable, they'd either overheat and explode, or be too weak to power a sock.> Machines were one thing Sarah loved. <Not to mention whoever made the servos couldn't put together a one-piece puzzle with detailed instructions, the motherboards were soldered in less securely than the Playbox 1's motherboard, the wiring was all wrong, and about a million other things...> Sarah took a sip of her drink as she spoke. <Now the Izasak BF-30 line, those are some proper machines. The things are so well built, they practically never need maintenance, I hear. My last ma-mechanic instructor wouldn't let me buy one. Apparently, she felt it a waste of money that could be spent on an assembly droid. Oh, well. ...What were we talking about?>.
Sarah laughed that odd roaring laugh she would have tried to avoid while sober. <Yeah, and maybe he'll be able to beat me at arm wrestling, too. That tuhi kahur may be hard to live with, but he does somehow manage to get people into his bed. You'd never know it by his attempts to bed me, but, then again, I think you'd feel the same way about fucking a sandwich as I do about fucking him. Unless, of course, you're into that sort of thing... As for the ghost, don't worry. He'll fly back under the radar, and no one will hear from him again until the next party or crisis.>, Sarah said, her tone dismissive except for the disgust that accompanied the bit about sandwiches and Ari, <Though, I have to admit, he does have some good points, and, ugly as that vomit-smeared tub he calls a ship is, she's got it where it counts, and, when she doesn't, she's got me to fix that. Not to mention that, flirting aside, he's a lot friendlier to his crew than most captains I know of. That's always a plus. And he does tend to remember that I'm not his slave. Some other humans seem to have problems with that. If you have any interest in keeping that hand, you'll rethink that groping attempt.>, she added, the last part intended for a patron who had just sidled up to her. The male's hand went back to his side as he stumbled off in the direction he'd come from. <You know, you'd think the lack of boobs would stop them from doing that...>, she growled indignantly.
-
Ari would have made some snarky comment back to Sarah's smartass remark, but at the moment he was too busy getting his face full of, well, face.
And as she kissed him, he pushed it just a little further, pierced tongue slipping past her lips for a deeper taste. The hog had stolen his lime! But that was alright; this was better, and he rather liked her style--and the fact that she teased back.
He gave her bottom lip a playful tug as he pulled away and licked some of the salt from his lips. Goddamn. Maybe it was all just for show, but she put on a pretty decent one. Ari gave her a lopsided smirk.
"There's more where that came from," he said with a wink, "if ya ever change your mind about sharin' my bed."
-
Neo arched her body, pushing it against Ari's until he pulled away. When he pulled away she looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and a bit of a smirk on her lips.
Neo laughed, "I'm sure there would be," She spoke with a hint of doubt in her voice, "There is a lot more where that came from if you raise my pay."
"Though I am no where near drunk enough to fuck my captain, I mean, I live on a ship with you for weeks on end. I would hate to hurt your pride because you bored me and have to live with that awkwardness for long stretches of time," Neo added after a pause, a thoughtful look on her face.
Neo sat up, "Plus, I think I would feel weird with an audience of fish watching."
-
Patty watched Sarah and Ari for a minute glad for a reprieve. She wasn't sure what the big secret was, but it was crystal clear she wasn't to be trusted with it. They had nothing to worry about really.
"I think it started out as a Mayleeng C-800 but it's more of a little of this and a little of that now. He's had some upgrades since he was first powered up, and I like tinkering with him when he's recharging. He's all I have," she said missing her robot friend again.
"Well he seems oblivious to me right now which is good. Perhaps he'll leave with that other woman," she said wondering if she should sneak out. She had a feeling that Sarah wouldn't let her just leave like that though. A deal was a deal.
"You get them drunk enough they don't care if you have boobs or not."
-
<My condolences. You must have spent an arm and a leg trying to make such a piece of junk into a functional robot. I can't even imagine what it must have taken to get your robot friend up to the point of being precious, unless, of course, by 'upgrades', you meant 'complete rebuilding from the ground up'. That said, I suppose I can keep an eye out for it.>, Sarah responded, <Though I'm not nearly a good enough person to do it for free. I'd like to take a look at the changes you made. He'll be fine, I've never taken something apart I couldn't put back together, and, if you ask nicely, I might add a few upgrades myself. He'll still be the same robot, aside from those upgrades, and all that. I'm really only interested in comparing notes, so to speak.>
<He probably will. The talsak's... Wie das gehen.... balls deep...? in her, and he hasn't even taken off his pants. Someone ought to teach him to fuck within his step on the pecking order.> There was a slight not of disgust in her 'tone'. <Hey, new meat, mind your tone. You don't get to talk to the captain like that until you're higher on the food chain.> The addition was accompanied by a glare at Neo. She'd have to introduce the fae/human thing to the pecking order later.
<Apparently, they don't care if they have limbs or not, either.> Another challenging glare around the room added emphasis to the threat. Unlike the first time, however, one human male, bulky and muscular for his 21 years, got up and headed toward Sarah, fueled by a combination of youthful foolishness, testosterone, and that one too many, intending to put what he saw as an 'uppity female' in 'her place'. Sarah said nothing as she waited for the impossibly slow creature to half-stumble up to a hopeless fight.
-
Still grinning, Ari gave an easy shrug and turned away from Neo. He snagged another two shots from the counter.
"Your loss, sugar," he said as he headed away from the bar to join Patty and Sarah's table. He saw a drunkard ambling his way toward Sarah, aggression in every line of his body, and with a snort, Ari sidled on by him--and kicked the sole of his shoe as he passed. Stupid-drunk as the fool was (and really, you had to be stupid-drunk to try to pick a fight with a lady that looked like she could eat your face), it was enough to throw him off balance and send him tripping into an occupied chair.
While those folks sorted things out, Ari slid into the space between Sarah and Patty, and since there was no chair to take, he knelt there instead, arms resting on the table.
"Hey, ladies," he said, and slid one of the shots over to Patty. "You're not nearly drunk enough, darlin'," he told her, and to Sarah said, "and you're...well, I know ya ain't interested in my sissy human drinks." He winked, then tossed back his own shot.
"Looks like ya got an admirer, too," he added, glimpsing the drunkard out of the corner of his eye as the man struggled to right himself.
"Sooo, whatcha gals chattin' about? Girlish bondin'?"
-
Neo laughed as she watched him walk over to the table.
"More of a loss for you," She said with a giggle, getting a shot of something was was a deep crimson as she sat back on her stool. She wasn't the type to chase after someone. If Ari wanted to chase that piece of tail, well, best wishes though she doubted she would be anywhere near as much fun. If anything the woman looked pretty vanilla.
Her mind then went to the ghost, where had she seen him run off too? She sighed, pulling a small tablet out of her pocket. She had nothing better to do, she didn't enjoy Sarah's company, the girl needed a good lay and some riddanlin or something. So she kept her distance, occupying herself until she was needed or completely bored.
-
"That so called piece of junk is family to me. He's all I care about in the verse," she said careful how she worded what she said. She sighed when hearing that Sarah would keep an eye out for him. It would be very helpful.
"Oh that's alright I'm sure he wouldn't mind a few more upgrades actually," she said kinda shrugging that off. It didn't matter if he was back to her with old stuff, new stuff, or had been pulled apart and put back together. It only mattered that he was returned.
"At least he has enough brains not to seduce you. More than you can say for this room," she said wondering if that was the alcohol talking or her just getting more comfortable with this one. She had the feeling it was the alcohol. It was then that Ari joined them tossing a shot in her direction. She sighed wondering if he would ever realize she wasn't into shots. Patty was staying sober on purpose, but she wouldn't admit that to him.
"Thanks but I'm still working on this one," she said trying to politely refuse the drink. She let it just sit on the table pretending to sip on her drink.
"Sarah was just giving a few horror stories based on men," she said a smirk on her lips. She was wondering if the other woman would rise to the occasion on that.
"Is it a good idea to let the 'new meat' wander off by themselves?" She asked trying to remember to sound a little drunk. It wasn't too hard considering what she had to view around her.
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<Former junk. I'm assuming you at least have the skills to be able to make that distinction.>, Sarah clarified, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
<Then the deal is struck.>, Sarah noted, presenting her hand, palm upward and fingers down, and inclining her head as she spoke. If Sarah were to say she had any bad habits, the gesture would have been one of them, and dated back to the first time she'd been sold, when she was still a hatchling learning about the world, and had seen the slavers strike a bargain using that very gesture. Even the words she spoke were part of the ritual.
<Not for lack of trying. He just knows when to stop, and how much his position allows him to get away with before I remind him which of us is the apex predator here.>, Sarah remarked, <A flash of the teeth and a flick of the tail usually get him back in line after that.>.
<Ari, a 'sissy' drink is a Berilian gem-melter when the rest of the room's ordering Cremation-in-a-Can. A 'sissy' drink is ordering a Tokamakian Birth Serum when your friend's having a Lance Barrage. What you're drinking? There's no words for how weak that stuff is.>, Sarah corrected, looking at Ari as if he were the child at the grown-up table asking for a vodka, <Also, I was planning on venting a bit of aggression on that one.>, she added, looking over to the human, who had begun whaling on the person he'd been tripped into.
The mention of horror stories put a rather predatory grimace-grin on Sarah's face. <Oh, yeah...>, she said, not even missing a beat, <Did I tell you about that one where that male's equipment ended up in his spine?>, she asked, shooting Ari's crotch a meaningful look, <Stupid creature wouldn't stop pestering me. After a while, it got to the point where he'd lost an arm, both ears, an eye, and his nose, and he still tried doing that air-hump thing at me. Bet you can guess how that ended...>. It hadn't actually happened. That way. But Ari didn't necessarily know that, and Sarah had a feeling the question had been asked in the hopes of such a tale to drive him away.
<Don't worry. I can track her down and eat her in a heartbeat if she does anything stupid.>, Sarah said, meaning it to be reassuring.
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Ari raised his eyebrows. "Those don't sound like sissy drinks. Those sound like death," he said, and chuckled. "Now, I'm not gonna pretend my liver's not destined for failure, but I'd at least like to spread it out amongst drinkin' sessions."
And with that said, he grabbed the shot Patty refused to take and took it for himself. Ahhh. Good stuff, and he was feeling it now, the pleasant, giddy tipsiness. Alcohol always put him in a chipper mood--a horny one, too, but that went hand and hand with chipper.
Of course, Sarah just took care of some of that, with that little story of hers. Ari grimaced, and felt the sympathy pains clear down in his own balls. He stared at Sarah, a horrified look on his face, and then looked over at Patty. With a grimace, he got to his feet.
"Well, Sarah my dear, this hardly sounds like an appropriate topic for the little lady here! And besides that, I seem to recall us havin' a hot date planned." He winked at Patty, and held a hand out to her. "So how 'bout we blow this joint, eh? Sarah, I'll get outta your hair--uh, scales?--now. Let ya tear up all the unfortunate drunk bastards ya want, since I keep sabotagin' your fun."
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"That I do," she said agreeing that her friend had needed the once over. He probably needed it now there was no telling what trouble her robotic friend had found himself in. Not understanding the gesture in Sarah's hand there Patty just gave her a low five to seal the deal.
Patty sat quiet listening to Sarah and Ari go back and forth for a minute. She heard the story and wondered if she could get another one more horrifying out of Sarah. She had a feeling that would only sober up Ari instead of scaring him out of the bargain they had made.
"I don't mind such stories. I bet he was asking for it too. If you insist," Patty said taking his hand. She had a feeling she was going to need quick thinking on her part if she didn't want to end up in his bed. She felt ready enough to dodge this.
"Good to meet you Sarah, hopefully I'll see you again soon."
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Sarah was at once relieved and confused by the incorrect response to the gesture, but she made no move to correct the human. Clearly, this one had never done a deal with the slavers that had owned Sarah before.
<That's why humans will never be decent drinking partners. They hold liqour like a fish net holds water.>, Sarah retorted without missing a beat, <Why, I'll bet I could drink you under the table right now with a 50 drink head start.>.
Sarah sat quietly in her seat as the afterimage vanished, appearing behind Ari with her tail blade hovering over his shoulder. <You know, I can't seem to figure out who you're talking about... I see a few females around, but none I'd describe as the weak, helpless creatures known as 'ladies'.>, she warned, caressing Ari's neck with her tail blade to emphasise the correction, <If your mother never taught you manners, I'd be more than happy to take her place.>. To Patty, she merely nodded and said, <He was definitely asking for it, and I've got plenty more where that came from, if you want to hear them. I'm sure Ari won't mind. Will he?>, the last two words spoken for Ari's benefit.
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Ari froze when he felt Sarah's tail against his neck, a little chill going down his spine as the blade caressed his skin. Turning his head only slightly, as he was very aware of how sharp it was, he flashed Sarah a charming smile.
"Aww, darlin', don't tease me. You're gonna get me all excited here," he said with a wink. "Ain't nothin' hotter than getting dommed by a violent woman. But alas! It was Patty here who's got the hot date with me! You'll just have to wait your turn, babe."
He reached up to gingerly push Sarah's tail away. "Now, as completely and totally fascinated I am by your male-evisceratin' stories, I don't wanna be rude to Patty here! So if you'll pardon us..."
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There was just something about a man on a mission that totally turned her off. Patty had no idea how to fully get out of this one just yet, but she would do her darndest to try. She almost had another story out of Sarah and smiled at that.
"Another time I guess. I look forward to our next encounter seems someones a bit eager," she said motioning toward the captain. She wondered if her next move would work. It was the only other thing she could try.
"He says hot date, hmmm.... I was thinking of a tour of my shuttle first before your place," she said wondering just how drunk he was. She thought of making him drink a few more in her shuttle hoping he would black out. She had heard of people doing that, but didn't know how much it took for that to happen.
If only my intelligence was a little more expanded. He's not busy enough for me to do any searches through the database. Maybe I can do that while getting him something else to drink. Shouldn't take me long. Too bad I can't ask for Sarah's assistance with him. I don't know I want to owe her a favor for something like this any ways. It will work out. She thought and another one came to her.
"Too bad I can't see that drinking game between the two of you. Never seen one like that before," she said one last chance at derailing him.
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<You're awefully flippant for someone who's going to be in excruciating pain should my tail blade so much as scratch him.>, Sarah responded, eye ridge raised, <Or did you forget about the venom?>, she added, resisting the temptation to demonstrate her point in a more tactile manner. Ari writhing around on the ground would not be productive at the moment, after all, though she suspected she wouldn't be the only one who found it interesting to see. <Still, I suppose that's as close to an apology as you're capable of giving, though you should be apologising to Patty.>. She decided to ignore his calling her 'babe' for the umpteenth time; She'd gained victory enough for the moment.
<There'd be nothing to see. I'd take my head start, then, once I finish them, and we get started for real, Ari'd pass out in a couple sips. It goes without saying that we'd be using real drinks. Hell, if he even somehow managed to finish this one,>, Sarah responded, indicating her half-finished Lance Barrage, having caught on to Patty's intentions immediately, <I'd be impressed enough to consider seeing if he's as good as he claims to be in other areas.>, she finished, dangling the implied meaning of the last piece like bait for Ari.
[OOC: You couldn't pay me enough to take that bet. Alcohol content aside, one of the ingredients of it is tail blade venom, in this case supplied by Sarah, though it would normally be synthetic.]
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[OOC: Keepin' this goin'!]
"No no no, I'm fully aware of the venom you're packin'," Ari said, still holding her tail out away from him. Once he was sure her blade wouldn't prick him, he ducked out from under her and sidestepped to put some healthy distance between them. He was in no rush to find out what effects her venom had on the human body.
"And as for that, my dear," he continued, pointing at her drink. "Sugar, I'm human, not stupid. That stuff ain't meant for human consumption. I know I can't win that one, and I know that shit'd probably kill me in one swig. No way I'm goin' down that road. I'll stick to my human shit that'll give me a nice drunken buzz, but won't dissolve my liver in one gulp. I like my liver. I wanna keep it so I can keep on drinkin'."
Picking up another shot of the stuff he'd ordered, he smiled pleasantly at Sarah. "And I ain't ashamed of admittin' that. I've got human physiology, babe. Ain't nothin' I can do about that." And then he gulped it down.