Connected [open]

[Tally]

Ah, Cancer.  His home away from Diva.

The noise and life of the Red District pulled at him like gravity and he went directly there after docking.  The crowds soothed him, strange as that might be.  The pulse and rhythm of the collective made him feel a part of something bigger than himself, like a cel of some vast organism.  He insinuated himself into the throng, nodding here and there to people he recognized, peering through shop windows at the wares therein, smiling boyishly and winking at pretty women who caught his eye.

It was a familiar path he traced to a cantina called Spades.  As reputable an establishment as one was likely to find on Cancer, it was half bar, half business place.  Good for connecting captains with crew or clients.  Rough jazz played over the speakers, soft enough to make conversation easy, and the lighting was subdued.  Nathan flashed a smile at the barkeep and palmed some money down.  "What's up, chief?  Give me something on the rocks."

One side of the chief's mouth hitched up under his mustache in what might have been a smile.  Regulars around here called him the chief, but no one was left who remembered why.  The man had been here that long.  "Beaumont," he said, pulling out vodka and orange juice for a Screwdriver.  "You looking for crew?"

"Crew, passengers, whatever I can find."  Nathan slid some extra coin across the counter.  "Pass the word around, will you?"  Money was the truest dialogue in Spades; his money would get Blackbird's name around to whoever might be looking for a starjumper.

No rush, though.  This was was an extended visit and he'd be staying in the Blue District for a few days yet.  Nathan settled onto a bar stool, turning around and resting his elbows on the countertop so he could watch the room and catch conversation.  The bar was alive with gossip and business deals and laughter and for the moment he was a part of it all—connected.

[Anonymous]

"And don't let me see you again!"

Cain stumbled from the push one of the captain's 'crew mates.' He turned back to the ship.
"Ya? Well, don't let me smell you again, you disgusting pig!" He shook his fist at the ship and a few crew members flinched. Those people need to get a shower on that piece of crap Cain thought as he turned away. Then again, he didn't really have any room to talk about bad hygiene. Cain only bathed when he was forced to and his teeth had rotted out long ago. Right now he was more than three-quarters of the way to beating his record of 1,927 days without a shower, and he didn't smell too good. He wondered around the district, walking in his own pocket as people made a space so the smelly, old man wouldn't have to touch them. So where am I anyway? He wondered.

He spent a good hour just walking around, openly eying the human (and not so human) ladies. He got into a few 'fights' that ended with Cain laughing at the guy with his pants...or shirt...hair...shoe s...heck, you name it and Cain set it on fire during his little walk around the District.

Eventually he started to crave a little booze and started to cast about for a bar. Luckily for him, there was one right near by. So he skipped into the bar with the curious name of 'Spades.' He was still giggling from his last 'fight' where he had set his opponent's crotch on fire. The guy was probably still prancing around the street. Cain giggled again.

A few of the patrons tossed some weird looks at the giggling old man, skipping into the bar. He sure was a sight. Since he didn't like showering, washing clothes didn't much interest him either, so his clothes were crusted with dirt. His once white shirt was now yellow and brown and orange from who knows what, one of his pants' legs was torn off...or maybe it fell off, the rest of his pants have holes in them, his robe is battered and full of holes, and he only has one shoe. All-in-all, not really somebody a person would like to talk to. Taking all this in, he walked up to the barkeep and slapped down some money.

"Gemme the strongest stuff you got!" He said. Then giggled. Setting that guy's crotch on fire had been fun.

[Anonymous]

Lyc walked through the busy streets of the Red District, something not all to new to her. She had recently left Earth, having grown tired of watching the forests, jungles, and oceans that she loved so much turn to dust. The rest of her race seemed content to remain on the dying planet and ignore what was befalling it, or at least all the ones she knew. She had set out for the remaining towns and cities...where, though it took her a lot of work, she bought and repaired an old ship. And now she was here, she had heard some where that this place might possibly hold some jobs...whether it be hauling cargo...or taking on a bounty, she didn't care..she just needed some money.  Her black wolf ears twitched at the bustling sounds of this place...keeping her fully aware of almost everything that was going on around her.  Lyc pushed her hands into the pockets of her jacket letting out a bored sigh, as her eyes searched the sections that lay out in front of her. After a few moments of walking around, which she couldn't help but make her feel like a tourist, she came upon a place called 'Spades'. "Why the hell not."

Pulling a hand out of her pocket she pressed her hand against the door until it opened stepping inside, she remained on the lip for a moment letting the door close behind her as she looked about this new place. The smell of the place flooded her nose, especially a rather unpleasant smell that seemed to be coming from the bar...and the dirty old man sitting at it. There were many times that Lyc hated having heightened senses. And this was really one of those times. As she stepped off the lip and onto the main floor of the bar she couldn't help but wonder if any of the people in the place found her appearance strange. After all she wasn't sure how many people in this station had ever seen a Ulrician before....a human looking creature with wolf ears and tail could very well be new to them...her eyes weren't exactly human either...looking more wolf like instead. She didn't care though....let them stare she thought as she walked towards the bar taking a seat at the far end...as far away from the strange smelling man as she could. Her yellow eyes peered out through some black bangs at the bartender.  "Give me the cheapest drink you have." It didn't take him long to slide her a glass of water...she stared at it for a moment as if she were studying it..it looked safe enough. She tossed what she owed to the man and picked up the glass taking a drink. She glanced over her shoulder about the room. "I wonder if I can find any work here." She said softly to herself.

[Anonymous]

She hadn't dared go onto any of the planets in this system. Not like these people had terraformed anymore than two. She assumed one of them had occurred naturally of course, while one of them had been terraformed. So really they only terraformed one planet. How lame was that anyways? Her people had terraformed all the planets in their solar system, which was eleven. Of course only two of them were completely full of people while the others were populated by a sparse few millions.

These Terran however did something strange really.

They made large metal things in the voids of space. Space stations...that's what they were called right? Granted there was three of them...two which you could go to and a third was off limits it seemed. She didn't really feel like trying to sneak onto it, but it /did/ seem so interesting. Whatever they did there, people didn't talk much about it, or maybe they didn't know, it really piqued her interest. Still she couldn't gather any information that was truly relevant. She'd figure it out though.

First though she needed a damn ship.

Hers had...a small accident. She let a Terran man look at it, inspect it and try to repair it. He did...something and it dissipated into space, discharged all the energy. Needless to say she didn't pay the man. Oh no. She stole of course, used the money to get to here. This place was a fantastic apparently when you needed to find a ship. She didn't much like the idea of being some sort of...crew person for a captain but...she was a good actor. She could do this sort of thing. She just had to find the right place...that's all.

With a graceful walk she headed toward a particular establishment that she had heard would be able to help her out. With her brown leather pants, faded and worn, she walked. She moved slowly, her eyes taking in everything as she pushed open the door. Some looked toward her, and for good reason of course. It wasn't very often you'd see a person like her. She was like a walking plasma lamp. Her flesh of light blue with reds and yellows swirling endlessly below the surface. She did remember to wear a simple short sleeved white shirt and her large white trench coat, only buttoning a few of the pearly buttons at the front. Humans were so particular about nudity. Sure she could no doubt engage in the activities that humans referred to as reproduction, but she wasn't really nude, nothing truly worked in her. Her people had gone beyond simple genetic transference when it came to creating young.

Still, she wasn't going to give her people a bad name in the galaxy.

Striding around the tables she came to the main bar counter, taking a seat on one of the stools, wondering just what to get. These people had such exotic foods and drinks, ranging from the completely bland to the incredibly flavourful. Small wonder that they didn't manage to eat themselves to death really. "What'll you have?" The bartender asked her, shooting a friendly smile at her. His eyes said it all of course. She was a strange one to look at. "Zzzzt I'll have any drink that iszzzt spiced, and any information on a ship looking for crew, zzzzt." Her voice crackled like electricity, indeed it practically was really. The bartender got her a small datapad and a large glass filled with an amber coloured liquid.

Or maybe it was a sandy beige.

In any event, she raised the glass to her lips and took a long drink. It was kind of tingly, spicy, but still delicious. She giggled as the drink went down, the bubbles tickling all the way down. One hand was on the datapad, reading it carefully, looking at the few ships available. She wanted to just find a lone captain, or just...someone who had nothing but their self and a ship. She hated the idea of sharing a star cruiser. She wanted a small ship.

That would be the most...logical idea. "Zzzt. Mmm...what's thiszzzt...Nathan.. .zzzt." Her eyes were a light with intrigue and electricity. He had a starjumper class ship. Well then! "Zzzt! Is there a Nathan in here? Ownszzzt a starjumper classzzzt ship?" She spoke up suddenly, standing to gaze around the establishment. Might as well act bold here, she wanted to get on that ship after all.

[Anonymous]

LYC had noticed the strange looking female enter the bar, with the way she looked it was nearly impossible not to notice her...though she didn't really give off any signs that she had. Her eyes had watched her as she sat down at the bar,  it was interesting to hear the  crackle of electricity in the woman's voice. It was true that the only real reason that this woman had caught her attention was because she was of a race that Lyc had never encountered before....she expected that to happen a lot more often now that she was away from Earth. Lyc licked the remain water from her glass before sitting it back down. Had she said something about needing a ship...well Lyc wasn't really looking for any crew...she was more in the look for some type of job...she wondered if this stranger creature might possibly have one. She spun around on her barstool studying the woman carefully her wolf ears and tail twitching with a sense of caution.

She stood up out of her seat and lightly leaned against the bar her tail slowly swaying from side to side. "I don't know any one named Nathan...but I do have a ship."

[Tally]

Like a herald, the odor preceded the old man.  People hovering near the doorway shied away.  From his vantage Nathan got a good look at the old guy and he had to turn his head away and suppress a smile with a long sip at his Screwdriver.  

And in looking away, his attention was arrested by two women at the bar.  One had a tail, and he was immediately jealous, because that seemed like a cool thing to have.  And his ears were plain old human ears, whereas hers were...cat?  Dog?  He wasn't sure.

The other woman was even weirder.  Strange ears and tails he'd seen before, but he'd never seen any creature with skin like that.  His eyes followed the mesmerizing shift of colors across the exposed areas of her body.  She was human shaped but certainly not human and not of any species he'd ever seen or even read about.  It made him intensely curious, but hesitant as well.

Ah!  She was buying her own drink?  And the woman with the tail was drinking...was that water?  That just wasn't right.  What was the universe coming to when ladies such as these had to pay for their own drinks?  Someone had to fix this immediately, so Nathan called the chief over and a few quiet words and a little extra cash later, each lady had a Cosmopolitan set down before her on the bar.

“From the girly lad down the bar,â€? the chief said, jerking his bald head in that direction.  His voice was like sandpaper on concrete, his expression perpetually unimpressed.  â€œHe'd be the Nathan you're looking for.â€?

Nathan's attention—not exactly being known for its intense focus—had already drifted back to the giggling old man.  He just had to ask, even if butting into others' business was never a good idea in places like this.  Hopefully curiosity wouldn't kill the cat.  â€œWhat's funny?â€? he asked.

Among all the...ah, interesting people starting to fill the place up, Nathan was almost conspicuous in his normalcy.  His hair was a natural color, not remarkably short nor remarkably long.  His cloths were broken-in brown synthetic leathers.  They were the clothes of a man who worked for a living.  He was in his mid twenties but looked younger, and he wasn't terribly masculine nor all that feminine either.  Altogether unmemorable, really.  It was a talent of his that he could be right in the middle of something yet blend into the background of it at the same time.

And, for those times when he did attract unwanted attention and couldn't talk his way out of it, there were the two well-used and well-cared for sidearms holstered at his thighs.

[Anonymous]

"Zzzt. Girly lad? Nathan? Thankszzzt bar tender. Zzzt!" The poor bartender looked like he was constantly bored here at his post. The man could have smiled or just looked...interested at SOMETHING{/i} really. She picked up the drink and looked at it carefully. Just what was this Nathan man up to? Buying her a drink. What did that mean in the Terran Culture? It could mean several things, but if she remembered correctly it meant that the person was at least interested in knowing her. Oh this was good. It was even the Nathan fellow who had the ship.

She was just about to head toward the apparent 'girly lad' until someone suddenly spoke to her.

"Zzzt. Have you now? Iszzzt your name listed on the data pad? Zzzt." Whenever a Plasmin talked they had to start the electrical current to talk, which resulted in that charge of electricity at the beginning and end of her sentences. Most people just chalked it up to her being weird. Some found it interesting, annoying, or intriguing. She just knew it as...talking really. "Zzzt. Besideszzzt, that man over there interests me more, he haszzzt his own ship and iszzzt listed on the data pad. Zzzt." She put the data pad down on the bar counter, but still held the cosmopolitan.

It was a gift after all, AND it was free. Hell if she was going to look a...oh the Terran had a saying...something about a four legged animal and their mouth. It never quite made sense to her. Right now she was torn however, be polite and continue to talk to this strange furry tail and eared woman, or proceed to go talk to this...Nathan. She bit her lip for a moment, the blood rushing to it and causing it glow all the brighter. Hrm.

He seemed to be addressing someone however...

"Zzzt. But I don't want to be rude I supposzzzte. Tell me then," She turned her focus right to the strange Terran woman, her back now facing Nathan as she peered carefully at the woman's face. "Why should I choose your ship and your crew instead of Mister Nathan? What do you have to offer that he will not? Zzzt." That's what you had to do there. You have to make them want you. Give them a reason to fight over you. It was simple really, she knew what she was doing here. They were just like a company that wanted your business, and you had to make right sure that they sweetened the deal.

Oh this could be juicy!

If she were smart, she could get a little competitive business happening between the two captains. She was planning to go with Nathan anyway, but still, if she could get the whole predicament to be sweetened just a little bit...well there would be nothing wrong with that, now would there? Heh, she felt so giddy at this idea! She just had to make sure that the bait would hook the two captains. She hated it when one was willing to practically buy a new ship just for her while the other was lethargic and could care less.

Still.

She had a Cosmopolitan.

[Anonymous]

Lyc watched as the strange drink was put in front of her. Her eyes followed the nod of the bald man's head where she found a normal human sitting at a table. Apparently she had caught this man's attention, though she had no idea what she had really done to award this...drink. Her lips sliced a part in a soft smile, perhaps this could be dragged out into a business deal. Maybe this 'girly lad' could give her a lead on a bounty or on some one who needed to have some cargo delivered.  Lyc lifted the glass to her lip slowly taking a drink. She liked how it tasted...mainly because it was free and she had begun to grow tired of always drinking water. Her attention was returned to the strange glowing skinned woman, as she asked her several questions. She wanted to know what she could offer her over Nathan...well she really didn't know what this Nathan person had to offer at all...and even if she did she doubted that she could top it. After all she wasn't really interested in a crew member....she just needed some kind of job. Lyc licked the drink from her lips studying the woman's eyes.  "Well I doubt my ship is as impressive as this Nathan person's ship. Mine is just an old cargo ship that I got from a junkyard on Earth and modified."  

Lyc slipped a finger into the cup careful not to touch the liquid, and slowly twirled it around on the bar.  "I've just recently arrived here from Earth...and am  searching for some kind of work. Whether it be hauling cargo....or bringing in some one who has a bounty on their head. I made the statement to you that I had a ship, because I had hopped that you might have a job that needed to be done."  She pulled her finger out of the cup scooping it up in her hand almost all in one smooth motion. "This is pretty tasty. Not sure I've ever had it before." Lyc took another drink..this one lasting longer. She flashed her eyes back up at the woman, in this light Lyc's eyes looked like the sun. "Do you have such a job?" She starred at the woman, thinking to her self that she must not forget to thank the man for this very tasty drink before she left this bar.

[Anonymous]

If one could see the faint pupils in the strange electric woman's eyes, they would have noted that they became very small for a moment. She shifted, her hands holding the drink carefully as she listened to the woman. She thought she...ah hah hah hah hah! OF course! Sometimes people looking for captains weren't always crew-to-be! They would hire them to work for them! She began to laugh, which sounded like a cross between a feminine giggle and a high voltage electricity line really.

"Zzzt. No I'm afraid that I'm not looking to hire, but to be hired. I waszzzt hoping that this Nathan could give me a job working for him. I apologizzzte if I gave the wrong impression. Zzzt." Her voice was still kind and full of mirth as she spoke. It was a terrible misunderstanding. Perhaps not quite life threatening, but it was still wrong that she had gotten the incorrect impression from the whole thing. "Zzzt. I truly am sorry. I suppose I should have worded it better. If you will...excuse me now. I'll have to see if that man will give me a job. Zzzt." With a polite nod of her head she walked past the woman. Hah!

As if she really had the money to go about paying people for things. While she did feel bad for the woman's predicament, she couldn't spare a single credit. Despite her job from her people, she was still very short handed on cash. It made the whole idea of a lost Plasmin more believable when you didn't have a credit to your name.

"Zzzt. Hello Captain Beaumont, I am Kazzt. I waszzzt hoping that I could speak to you about the crew positionszzzt." She formally introduced herself, finally giving off a name to put with the incredibly strange being that she was. Her people had an actual name for her, but on arrival in this particular solar system a pirate had the ah...gall to call her Kazzt. Said he found her shocking. She kind of liked the name actually so it stuck with her.

[Anonymous]

Lyc sighed, that was disspointing...thou gh it had actually in way pissed her off when the woman laughed at her...though she didn't believe that she was actually laughing at her. With her yellow eyes she watched as the woman pushed passed her and over to the man that had bought them the drinks....She thought about using her heightened hearing abilities to listen in on the conversation...but she was in no need of enemies  at the moment. In stead she slumped back down onto her bar stool. "Damn, I wonder if I'll be able to find any kind of work in this place at all." She sighed and threw back the rest of her drink slamming the glass back onto the counter. Surely some one in this place needed some one with her skills. Her stomach rumbled faintly causing her to grab at it frowning slightly. "Didn't realize that I was getting that hungry."  She skimmed the rest of the bar looking for any one that might look like they had some kind of job...but her eyes ended up falling back on the man at the table...and that strange woman...Lyc had heard her say Kazzt...was that her name? She wasn't sure...and she didn't really care...she just wanted some work. So she would be able to eat.

[Anonymous]

Aberi was used to all sorts of rank smells, but the one lingering in the Spades when she entered was something new. It was like finding a sock hidden under something for several months -only worse. Today she was however here to celebrate and some unpleasant patron wasn't going to stop her. Aberi had found money on the floor of the Red District today!
She wore green baggy pants and a black long sleeved tight sweater that made her look very narrow. When she made her way towards the bar she ducked out of the way of everybody who might possibly be able to bump into her. Aberi liked her personal space very much. She stopped by a rather tall barstool, placed her hands on top of the seat and jumped up onto it in one motion. There were different sorts of barstool for differently sized creatures and this one was very roomy for Aberi.

Excitedly, she waved the money in an attempt to gain the bartenders attention. It didn't bring him any sooner than normal and when he arrived he glared at her almost irritably. "I've got money, I want a Velvet Maskerade." Aberi smiled broadly as the bartender snatched the money from her and left without a word. Feeling like an important customer, she looked around herself at the strange crowd that was present at this time. Actually, it would be more accurate that there was only one truly strange creature present and the rest were fairly normal in comparison. She tried to combine looking important and being subtle as she took a moment to stare at that person with the weird skin. It was even talking and sounded like... like... electricity? Aberi blinked, feeling incredibly curious now that she realised the person was asking about crew positions.

Anxiously trying to follow who was looking for a crew and what sort, she failed to notice the bartender bring her the drink. He slammed it on the table and Aberi jumped and gasped, nearly falling off the chair. It actually made the bartender chuckle and she glared at him and then at the drink. Then she glared even harder at the bartender. "That's not my drink!" It was positively ale, in a large glass and only filling up one fifth of it. Of that, half was froth.
"Cheer up, I believe your debt to us has been paid now. That's what the change bought." he smiled too sweetly, leaving to serve somebody else.

"I don't even like ale," she sulked, staring into the glass.

[Anonymous]

Lyc couldn't help but over hear how the bartender had cheated the girl out of her drink...especially since she had seemed so excited about it. Things like that pissed her off so much, Lyc reached into her pocket...she had been planning on saving all the money she had...but she couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman. She stood up and walked over to her, getting the attention of the bar tender. Lyc slammed down the money glaring at the bartender with her yellow eyes, her ears and tail twitching sending him the signal that she wasn't in the mood to be messed with. "Get this lady the drink she asked for."  The bartender nodded seeming some what a bit unnerved...good that's what she wanted him to feel. She stood there watching until the bartender returned with the right drink, watching as he set down in front of the woman. Lyc then turned her attention to the woman smiling softly. "There you go, no one should be cheated out of a treat." Lyc nodded and went back to her seat at the bar scratching at her ear, feeling proud of herself. She had to find some kind of work, other wise she might be forced to go back to Earth.

[Anonymous]

"Ayieee..." Aberi half-whispered, her gaze shifting between the drink and the person that had bought it. This was awkward. "This is very nice of you, thankyouverymuch. You really did not need to do it..." She touched the glass as if it was crystal, and then smiled a little. Expensive things were nice. The cocktail looked really tasty.

"He sometimes gives me food if I look particularly hungry. The barman that is. He wasn't cheating me per se..." she twitched a little in the chair, wondering if the woman would get angry. "I'm Aberi, if there's any way I can pay you back your generosity let me know, or you can always find me." Aberi tended not to enjoy paying people back, but in experience it was easier that way than need to worry about getting beaten up instead.

[Anonymous]

Lyc smiled and nodded. "Its no problem...you looked like you were really looking forward to that drink, I didn't want you to be disappointed." She swiveled in the bar stool to face the girl. "I'm Lycurgus, but I prefer to go by Lyc." She reached a hand up scratching at the side of her wolf ears. "There's no need to pay me back, consider it a gift. Though I am rather new around here...I just arrived from Earth. If you know of any one looking for some one to haul cargo, or to bring in bounties...let me know. I'm in the need of work." Lyc smiled sweetly at the girl popping a peanut into her mouth. She waved at the bar tender and requested another glass of water, thanking him as he handed it to her. She took a slow sip running her tongue along her lips. While Ulricians enjoyed trying new kinds of drinks, there was nothing they enjoyed more than a good cold class of water. She looked back over at the girl. “So, Aberi was it? Tell me…a little about this place.�

[Anonymous]

Cain chugged his drink down and slammed his empty mug back on the counter. "Bartender! Lemme have another one!" The bartender replied by taking Cain's coin and putting another drink down. Cain didn't know what it was, but it sure did taste good.

He was also getting bored which, of course, meant that mischief needed to be commenced. Unfortunately or, depending on your point of view, fortunately, Cain's fun was interrupted by somebody talking to him.

What's funny?

What was with all the people and the asking of questions? It was all so annoying...but maybe if Cain answered this question, the person would go away...or the guy would prove interesting...or maybe he'd have something to be lit on fire. Yay! Fire was always fun. Wait, what was he concentrating on? Oh ya, the question.

"It's always funny when a guy's crotch catches fire. The 'man' usually runs in a circle screaming like a little girl." Cain giggled for a minute or two before stopping abruptly. He looked intensely into the other man's eyes. "Would you like to see what that's like?" Then he giggled again.

While staring at the other guy, which Cain still needed a name from...he made a note of that. After all, names are very important, without them, nobody would know who would the check be made out to after all the property damage was done? Damn it, he lost his train of thought...Oh ya. While he was staring at the unnamed man, Cain noticed a very...glowy lady, and his attention shifted before an answer was given.

He snickered. "You seem like a very bright woman, aren't ya?" Cain's snickering went into hoarse laughter and he fell to the floor.

[Tally]

“C...Crotch fires?â€?  That...was not what he'd expected to hear.  He wasn't exactly sure what the old man was talking about, and he looked around the bar for signs of some poor guy with his pants ablaze, but everything seemed status quo.  No smoke, no frantic screaming men.  Just business as normal, save for the invisible circle around them past which no one dared step if they wanted to avoid the smell.  Maybe the geezer was senile?

“Oh, uh, me?â€? he said, laughing a little nervously and scratching his head.  Could this guy really set him on fire or was that just the crazy talking?  Better to be safe.  This was Cancer.  â€œNo thanks, I'm good.  I'll take your word for it.â€?

The fluorescent woman he'd seen before stepped into the cloud of stench surrounding them, and she had that look about her.  That business look.  Plus the old guy was on the floor and cackling at that point and the gods only knew when he'd come to his senses again.  It drew attention, and soon the three of them were the focus of multiple pairs of eyes.

“Kazzt,â€? he said, repeating her name to commit it to his memory.  He held his hand out.  â€œNathaniel Beaumont.  You can call me Nathan if you want.â€?  Now she was closer, he could get a better look at her, get a reading deeper than the brief impression he'd taken before.  Her voice sounded electric; she was a living light source.  â€œUh, you're not gonna electrocute me if you shake my hand, are you?â€?  His smile was boyish; he knew it made him look naïve and guileless and encouraged that impression whenever possible.

Even with the old man's laughter in his ear and this distracting, luminous creature before him, he still kept his finger on the pulse of the bar.  So he noticed the girl in the green pants glance Kazzt's way, and when she did he made sure to catch her eye and give her a wink, and he was aware of the exchange between her and the woman with the furry ears and tail.

“I'm taking on crew and passengers,â€? he said to Kazzt.  â€œDiva's a starjumper.  Mostly she makes exploration runs on commission from Libra, but we also do our share shuttling passengers and light cargo.â€?  His glass was empty; he signaled for another.  â€œSo, how about you tell me what you can do and I'll tell you what I need.â€?

[Anonymous]

Kazzt gave the strange giggling man very little attention as he spoke to her. In this galaxy she had heard all those jokes before, they were old news. This old man obviously had no real creativity then, he was just like any other. Tch. Plus he had this air about him, yech. He could do with a good dosing of water and soap perhaps. Humans liked to do that after all, it was a good way for them to get clean after all. Whenever she got into water though, she wasn't so sure about it. Sure she could get dirty of course but she could just become her other form and it would be fine really. No more dirt!

"Zzzt. Nice to meet you Mister..ah...Nathan . Zzzt." Her eyes looked downward to his hand for a moment then back up to him, smiling at him her most friendly smile. She had to be nice, she had to make sure that she didn't give him any reason to not accept her onto his ship. If she could get the job finally, she'd be able to make some money, contact her people, and get a new ship. Once more she gave another one of those electric sounding little giggles as he gave a small shake of her head. Of course, that sent the strange almost plasma looking hair of hers that went down to her shoulders flying and she had to push it back behind her face.

"Zzzt. No Nathan, I promise that you won't, but you'll see something interesting. Zzzt." Kazzt said as she reached out and took his hand. Her body's glow just seemed to go rather dark, except for where their hands were touching where it seemed to glow even brighter, little lightning bolts seeming to shoot from the inside of her hand to her skin. It was just like looking at a plasma sphere, one of those novelty toys. When she let go of his hand however, her body returned to normal once more with the light returning to her body again.

"Zzzt. Well I like to think I'm very verszztatile. I can handle myself in a firefight, a dog fight, I can be a good communicationszzzt officer, I know my way around most engineszzt too. I'm a faszzzt learner aszzt well. Juszzt...probably not good for transzztlator. I've got the whole...accent. Zzzt." She could remember learning the Trader's Tongue, a rather common language in this universe. It was a harsh language for her to learn, more so after her people's natural language was a series of electric sounds that could convey entire pages of dialogue in mere seconds.

THe best part was that humans really couldn't emulate it, and translators had a very difficult time understanding it.

"Zzzt. So Captain, how about it? Do I have the job, or do I need to do something...special . Zzzt." She asked in her most sultry voice, giving him a wink and a lick of her lips. She'd seen many women do this before, she assumed that everyone knew what it meant. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of a sexual escapade just to get onto the ship but...if it secured her spot, it didn't matter. Her orders were to do anything possible to learn about these humans, their ships, individual mercenaries, anything and everything about them. And their more powerful places for that matter. Playing along with a mercenary might be a rather easy gig too, his work didn't sound too hard after all, and he had good relations with Libra...yes, this could work out!

[Anonymous]

"Yus, I was looking forward to it," Aberi confessed, although she left out the part where she had never tasted the drink before. It had better be good enough. "Earning money is tricky here. I don't own anything so it's hard to climb up the ladder."
She moved the drink closer to the edge of the bartable and took a small sip. A very heavy but sweet flavour. Strong. Aberi didn't weight much so she was the very definition of a lightweight. This was a whole lotta drink for her. She licked her lips and smiled at the woman. "And yeah, I'm Aberi." 'Lyc Lyc Lyc,' she repeated the woman's name in her mind to help herself remember. "I moved here from Libra, and I like it. Very busy, all sorts of people needing stuff to be done. A lot of scary people too."

"No one tells me anything but I hear stuff regardless. If you're from Earth many of the business owners like to purchase Earthen goods." She touched the glass and looked over her shoulder in case somebody was listening. "The pay is not impressive -although I would die to get money like that- but you can get upgraded with the right people. Try MegaZillions, it looks tacky but her connections have got very good connections. And don't mention my name at any cost." She grinned a little and downed more of her drink. It was very tasty!

"Do own a ship of your own or something?"

[Anonymous]

Lyc smiled as she watched the girl taste the drink. "Aberi huh, interesting name. Yes I own my own ship, its a cargo ship, modified to be a fighter as well." Lyc looked down slightly adjusting the metal band on her right wrist. "I don't really have many Earthen goods to sell. Either way I'm more interested in using my skills for various jobs. Hauling cargo or bringing in bounties, I can do either one."  She ran her eyes over Aberi.  "MegaZillions? That's a place then where I might find a job?" Lyc shook a few strands of hair out of her face. Perhaps it had been destiny that this girl had happened to take a seat at the bar, or maybe it was something else. Either way she didn't care, just as long as it resulted in a job...or at least a lead on where a job might be found. Lyc needed some money after all...she highly doubted that she could rent a room for too long on the money that she had left.

"If it is such a place, do you think you could take me to it? I'll be happy to pay you for your trouble." She looked at the girl's eyes, her own yellow eyes lightly gleaming with a sense of hope...and of course that flare of adventure that never seemed to leave them.

[Anonymous]

"It's a casino slash bar for losers," Aberi said oh-so casually. She smiled, sort of as an afterthought. "Very bad interior, lots of flashing lights." She took a large sip of her drink from a straw in it, waving her arm at Lyc excitedly to indicate she had more to say. "Don't worry about selling them anything, they just like for you to haul stuff. Do you really do bounties too? Isn't it dangerous?" In her mind she painted herself as some kick ass bounty hunter, armed with a real gun and ton of cool gear, chasing and shooting at random bad guys inside the space station.

"I can show you where the place is, but I can't go in there. The owner once sent her bouncers after me. Well, twice actually. Sort of a third time. I've been avoiding the place since."