From nine to five, then electroglide (kitsy!)

[Anonymous]

He was quite the simple man.  There wasn’t any need for him get any other drink.  If he didn’t feel like getting drunk as quickly as possible, or at least wasting away the hours until he would go home, he would have ordered a simple beer.  The bourbon, when it reached him, had that familiar smell that he liked when he wanted a good strong drink.  And by the looks of her whiskey, Makani wasn’t afraid of a challenge.

This was good and he smiled inwardly at the fact.  Maybe there would be use for such knowledge later.  Right now, he nodded and replied, “That depends on what you mean by ‘lucky’.”

Jhett smiled at the bartender when she marveled at the offer to go to Motorail.  Nodding, he said, “Yup.  And be sure to be there when I make it to the big circuits.  Those are victories you won’t want to miss.”

But he quickly raised a brow when she spoke to him and his face became stone serious.  She wanted to him carry her stuff for her?  Was this what this was all about, now?  Highly unlikely, but possible.  He was sure people, especially well known women like Makani, wouldn’t just call on someone else just to have them do stuff for them.  Especially when they could do it themselves.  She was trying to stroke his ego, he could tell.  But he would do it, if only because it was harmless task.  He shrugged, picked up the pitcher in one hand and his drink in another before crossing over and jerking his head in another direction, “Lead on.”

[Anonymous]

The serpent gave a laugh when he said something about his victories. In a way, if he won though they would be her victories as well. As long as she wasn't racing of course, then she would have to smoke him. Which worked perfectly well for her. After all, just because you lead somebody in doesn't mean you had to go soft on them. She normally did the opposite and raced that much harder against her inductees. How else would they learn anything?

She watched him not allowing the smile to show on her lips when his face went so serious. That little twitch of a brow said so much, she wondered what he was thinking as he did it. She always liked getting people to do little things for her. This time it was actually sort of needed though well in a way. She could have gotten him to just open the door but no matter. She liked it better this way in the long run anyway! She pushed her hair back over her shoulders and lead the way to the back.

Her hands were touching people again on the way through, briefly saying 'Hey,' and anything else that was connected to them.

"Nice race the other day Mack," she wrapped her free arm around a brown haired boys neck loosely. "You should really have Rupi take a look at the bike though, she'll give ya a heads up on that thruster." The boy grinned widely and rubbed her arm before she took off again away from him. Without stopping, at least not that many times, she lead the way back to her normal room. Taking out a wallet attached to a small chain she slid a card out with her fingers, balancing the whiskey bottle in the crook of her arm. Swiping the card the door slid open.

"Welcome to the Maki Suite." She swung a hand presenting it then went inside setting the bottle of whiskey down on the table in the middle. It was the same room she normally arranged the Motorail after parties to be in. Jhett was seeing a piece of Motorail he normally wouldn't get to see yet. She'd have to make sure he was properly thankful. She didn't share this room with a racer unless they had potential...or they were on her 'to bone' list.

The room had a very hookah bar sort of feel. The walls were covered in fabric that hung down in folds in some places. The table in the middle was circular as was the big couch around it the only space was to allow you to walk into the room. Most of it was a dark purple and black color, it felt sort of like you went to get your fortune read, and the lady just told you to go drink, you didn't want to know.

She turned around to see Jhett's reaction hoping for the best. As she did she reached for her cigarette packs and slid them out of her pockets.

[Anonymous]

The owner sure knows how to fix the place up, he thought with an inner smile.  So much so that it was almost too fancy for him.  He grew up on the streets, and sometimes even the streets had its glam.  But even as he grew up, he never saw it; no nightclubs or biker hang outs, no hookah bars or drug joints for him.  Just grime and dirt and sweat and death.  It was one thing to be middle-class and stuck there forever till you were pushing up genetically-enchanced biomechanical daisies when you were old and gray, and quite another to be just barely pushing middle class and kicking the bucket of radioactive waste when you were barely more than thirty.

But the darkness of this place, even for all the semi-fancy fabrics and lighting, it was nice in his mind.  It made him wonder just what kind of person the owner was and just how much synthsense he had to smoke to come up with a club like Gravitation.  It was a great club, without a sense of a doubt, but Jhett was starting to wonder what he was doing here in the first place other than the fact that Makani had practically dragged him here.  He would never come to a place like this on his own that was for sure and he was starting to have serious doubts that he was going to fit in.

His face, however, expressed no shadow of doubt and he grinned sardonically as his eyes swept across the room.  “Nice place,” he said when he stepped in, holding each of the drinks firmly in both hands.  Without being told he set her pitcher down on the round table and stood, clutching his bourbon in hand while he stuffed a hand in one of his pockets.  He made a face slightly when the action caused him some minor discomfort; these pants were a little snugger than he thought.  He’d have to get to remember to get them resized later by a professional since he wasn’t much of a seamstress himself.

He jerked his head in her direction as he spotted her pull out a cigarette.  “Hey, could I get one of those?”

[Anonymous]

She watched him look around the room, there was no real trace of discomfort or disgust. He just looked like he was enjoying himself. Her smile was showing in her eyes as she slid two cigarettes out of the pack and place them between her lips lighting them. The orange flame shone against her face. She moved closer to hand him one.

"I don't mind sharing." She sat down and started to mix herself a drink pulling the Whiskey and Cola towards her. Setting the cup on the table she poured mostly Whiskey and a little bit of Cola. She stirred it with her long finger then looked up at him and sucked the sticky off of it. She lifted the cigarette to her mouth taking a long drag from the cig. She wrapped her fingers around her glass they pushed aside some of the perspiration on the glass and she took a long drink. "Oh that's good.

She grabbed the other pack off of the table this one was a metal looking container. She slid a baggy out of it with two fingers and smiled at Jhett. This was Garrett's prized plant. She was in love with this plant. If it was a person she would...well it shouldn't really be mentioned. It's far too graphic.

"Do you smoke anything else?" She patted next to her and grinned, or tried to with the cigarette hanging from her lips. She took in between two fingers ashed it on the floor then made eye contact with him. "Now, tell me about yourself."

[Anonymous]

Like the serpent that she resembled, Jhett nearly marveled at how snake-like she moved.  Smooth and slithering, as sensuous as she seemed cunning.  To be frank, it was a bit a of turn on.  But for now, he only wanted a drink and a moment to relax.  “Thanks,” he said when he took the cigarette from her hand and then he tossed the bourbon back into his mouth, taking a succulent sip from the container.  He made a pleased face when the warmth of the liquid scorched down his throat, the sting of it indicating it was aged to perfection.  “Damn good,” he agreed and nodded to her.

He let the  cigarette burn in his hand for a bit before taking a seat beside her as indicated.  Then he leaned back, spreading his legs out comfortably and taking a few puffs from the cigarette.  This position was much better than standing.  “Oh, I smoke a bit of synth here and there.  A rare plant.  Looks a bit like that.”  He pointed to her baggy.  “’Cept its got a bluish hue to it.”

He grinned a took another drag, this time letting the sensation relax him.  “But I prefer this—” He waved the bourbon around.  “It’s a great buddy to have after a long day.  Which are most days if you work ten hour shifts like I do.  I’m an Engineer.  I make parts for starships and construction at Iridium Delta Metalworks Co.  The pay ain’t great, surely not for the work I do, but I get by, I guess.

“Sure as hell is better than scrambling around for food in the slums of Aedolis when I was a kid.  My cousin was able to smuggle me through though and I’ve been livin’ here for about fourteen years.  And as you already know, I’m just getting into the circuits.”  He took another sip of the bourbon before asking for himself, “What about you?  What’s your story?”

[Anonymous]

She had taken an amount of the plant, or Kettle as Garrett liked to call it.

What a strange boy. She couldn't help but smile just slightly to herself as she thought about him though. Makani was picking out the seeds and stems from the small pile and moving like a scientist as she did so. The serpent still looked over her shoulder now and then as he spoke still paying attention. He certainly sounded like someone she could get along with very...

From Aedolis?! She shivered just from hearing the name. That may have been the Military training when she was younger, or maybe genuine unease, but it was just a gut reaction she couldn't help. Her eyes were on him and not moving then. It was odd just to know someone had been in both places. There were times she had wondered about what it would be like to live above ground, in a completely different sort of place.

Leaning back and stretching as she stopped her work for a minute, then she ashed on the floor and took a drink. As he asked what her story was a sort of laugh escaped her, but it had no real humor in it, there was only a tired sort of feeling that came with it.

"Well you certainly have a story." an inhale of a cigarette and her hands were busy again. "I don't have much of a history I suppose. At least nothing momentous like that." She grinned at him over her shoulder then looked back at her hands. She was completely focused on what she was doing. Trying hard not to reveal too much as she spoke.

"I'm a waitress during the day and high speed racer at night." She chuckled and slid some papers out of the same container when she finished her excavation. "Sometimes I throw dealing into the mix." She pointed at the small pile on the table and started to put some of the plant on the small paper. "I was on the streets for awhile too." A sort of loaded pause. "It's a hell of a way to learn how to be a kid isn't it?" She didn't look at him when she asked though. Makani having a sentimental moment? It was rather rare and having to make eye contact was out of the question.

When she did turn she was ready to diffuse any deep conversations that might occur before she got lost in the smoke and drink.

"I'm a fan of mixing vices." She held the joint between two fingers looking at him. "What about you?" She arched a brow and ashed her cigarette with the other hand.

Sometimes even she didn't realize when she changed conversation to avoid topics.

[Anonymous]

Jhett was so relaxed now he could hardly care about what he needed to do the following day, having to work ten hour shifts at some gods-forsaken dead-end job that paid the rats more than it paid the engineers.  He was sitting, chilling, and smoking a cigarette in some back room and though the smell of the burning plant was getting to his head (and he wasn’t even smoking it), a hazy fog growing thick into the atmosphere, he couldn’t help but just lay back and reassert his senses.  He couldn’t allow himself to fall asleep just yet, especially not here.  Even though his pants were too tight, that didn’t excuse the fact that he still might get robbed.

Hands down, Jhett had learned not to trust anyone, not even his closest family.  Even though his closest family was still in Aedolis.  Slowly he started to think about his cousin…then his dad…and then other various events and wondered just as to how he ended up here.   Oh yeah, he’d just one a race didn’t he?  Or was that her….  Hm…who was she again?  Oh yeah!  That Oya chick….   Hardly mattered.

Jhett faded in and out and it was apparent that he was loosing it really quick.  He dashed out his cigarette on the table, uncaring if he actually missed the ashtray and merely nodded to her in response to her question.  “Oh yeah.  It is.  Especially when you’re getting your ass kicked left and right.  You ever been in a fight?  I mean like a really good one where you’re gettin’ the shit knocked out of you but you know….inside you know you can win.  So you just wail on the other guy until not even his own mother can recognize his face…  That happened to me not too long ago… last week I think it was.”

“I don’t need more than one vice.  And I got my fixation on racin’.  Ain’t nothing gonna distract me from my one goal, winning.  But if you  mean like smoking, then the answer is still no.  I like my liquor.  None of that fancy business.  Just a few shots, a few smokes and I can sleep just fine.  You gonna smoke all of that, right now?”

[After so long, and it's STILL a fail post! I suck! ><]

[Anonymous]

"Oh God fighting," The way she said it made it sound like she longed for it. She laughed afterwards. "I had to learn to fight the way I grew up." She listened to him talk about beating the pulp out of someone and grinned while taking a long hit from the joint. She remembered so many different situations she had to fight her way out of when she was younger. Teinar may have been better than Aedolis but it still wasn't perfect.

"I love that moment..." She sat up starting to get really excited about what she was going to say "...when the other person realizes that they've lost. Either you've held back to trick them or some sort of moment flips the sides," She placed the cigarette in her mouth and snapped her fingers to represent it, "...and they see that they're going down, probably with a few broken limbs." She smiled letting some smoke out of her mouth.

"Ah well I have my vices and they have me." She said it in a sing song voice, but really it was her way of admitting addiction. She'd never say it out loud. Especially not to someone she had just met but her mind was loaded with those little half truths and outright lies to tell people.

She glanced at the joint when he asked her about it. She shrugged.

"If you're not sharin' I might not finish it, or if we have more exciting things planned. Takes a bit of this stuff to really effect me anymore." She leaned forward snubbing the joint in the ashtray. "Maybe I'll wait a little while. Sounds like a need to keep on my feet around you." She grinned at him and toasted her drink towards him after picking it up. She took a long gulp out of it. The dry feeling in her throat was burned away. That felt much better.

[Anonymous]

Yes, he was very out of it.  Jhett shook his head fiercely, dashing away the lethargy that hung heavy on his eyes.  Damn!  Maybe he needed to get home now.  There was still so much to do tomorrow; rarely did he ever get a day off.  First he needed to deal with that bitch boss of his, maybe smack her around a little, fix up the mods of his bike, then look out for more…Ugh, all this was going to exhaust him if he wasn’t careful.  This small talk was starting become a waste of his time.

Jhett, after rubbing his face and fighting the euphoria hanging heavy on the air, glanced at her and suddenly found her only slightly less attractive than he did at first, which was hardly at all to begin with.  What was he doing here?  Was this a way of getting in to that inner circle and making all the right connections?  What did she have in mind?  He narrowed his eyes at her, curious and simultaneously suspicious.  Along his lips he formed a small snarl, before tossing back the rest of his own drink, the liquor singing his throat in the process and making his hands suddenly steam.

“Speaking of smashing some heads in, I think I’d like to do that on my next race…and maybe a few at work.”  He paused for a moment was about to stand when he suddenly considered what she said.  “Wait a minute, what do you mean ‘you need to keep on your feet around me?’ What are you trying to say?”  He hoped he wouldn’t have to take that personally and then, subsequently, take it out on her face.

[Anonymous]

"Oh whoa sir." Makani's eyes fell into slits as she looked at him. "I didn't mean to offend. Was just a joke." She sighed at the end of her sentence. That was the problem with some people, took everything so personally. She shook her head and leaned forward picking up her drink and knocking a large portion of it back. She rose out of that with a smile on her face looking at him.

"You know, you should maybe try to take things less personally." She lit another cigarette and slid the joint into the pack where the cigarette had been. She took a long hit and leaned back putting her teeth up on the table and let it all out.

"I think it will improve that disposition."

[Anonymous]

He didn’t take it personally at first, but he was starting to become very irritated, by her craftiness in dodging his question.  He vented his anger in various things, mostly in work or out on his bike, or a few people who’d been cross with him on the street.  Jhett narrowed his eyes a little and set his lips, frowning wryly, yet there was something there that hinted at a suppressed smirk.

He hovered over her now, leaning in and placing both of his hands on the back of the couch on either side of her shoulders and looked at her intently.  “I wasn’t offended,” he said coldly.  His hands were growing hotter though whether that was from anger or suppressed bodily urges, he couldn’t tell.

The took the cigarette from her lips and took a great puff of it, blowing the smoke off to the side, before handing it back to her.  “All I wanted to know was what you meant by it.  Why would you have to keep on your toes around me?”

[Anonymous]

She might have twitched a little when his hands came to rest on the couch behind her and then he took her cigarette. Only a little though. It wasn't that he scared her at all. That would just be silly. She was so used to dancing around things with people, flirting without really meaning much of anything that when someone wanted her to be upfront it was one of the hardest things to do. She took a drag on the cigarette when he handed it back.

"You seem to be aggressive, that's all I meant." She played with the cigarette in her hands rolling it up and down her fingers as she looked up at him. Now he had her all twitchy...and kind of excited, most people didn't confront her. They took her word for fact. She liked it that way...but a challenge was a challenge and she loved those.

"You're different than anyone I've met." She said with genuine honesty. "You don't take shit...even mine. I kinda like that."