Zeltros: We do this classy ahaahhaha - 9.145

[Adjerban the Interloper]

9.145
I didn’t quit my job. On the contrary, I left a note stating that that I had gone on vacation. Of course, I wasn’t supposed to have vacations or whatever, but I was going on one anyway. It wasn’t something I had really discussed. I also stated that I would be back in about a month. I didn’t withdraw all of my money, but I did grab a sizeable portion.

After all, I was sitting business class. If you are gonna do it, do it right. First class is for people who pre-game and need that extra bit of pampering, or celebrities. Let me tell you a few things: the true traveler does business, because business people drink but don’t die.

Second, nobody comes crashing into business class. People are working or sleeping, or doing quiet conversation. It’s professional. There are subtle amenities. If you actually want to sit, the seats are great. They go back far enough where you can get some rest. The tray is separate from the seat, so you’re not being a dick to the person behind you.

Most importantly: they treat you like a person. There isn’t any ostentatious bullshit. Also women in business clothing: hot.

I sucked down enough drinks to stay sauced but not get in trouble and read some trade rags. I read a few security rags, some underground casino cheat shit I get from a pro who steers clear of any Black Sun assets. I expense that, of course. I keep up with the slicing hardware with bulletins written by a few in-house guys. Regardless of morals, I want to be clear: crime pays incredibly well, but after a while, you need to get some air.

The bag check went smoothly, and the triple doors opened to a balmy but pleasant afternoon. I walked toward my hotel room and then it hit me. Not the music, not the scantly clad pastel people (and partygoers) but the pheromones. I paused and adjusted my pants. I was overdressed, although I looked, as Sanis would say, “fuckin’ pimp”. I had no jewelry to speak of except for a few simple earrings, 100 credit sunglasses, a good chrono, but the good stuff was the tailored white suit, pink shirt (two buttons down), and comfy but classy leather shoes. I grabbed my luggage again, I let my eyes wander and accidently took a deep breath. Whoops. I ended up chewing my lower lip when namana and wild berry walked by. I couldn’t pick a set of tits to stare at. Thank the universe I could study their asses after they passed.

I made to the hotel without incident. It was, after all, just a mid-level room. I was going to be spending my money elsewhere. I made it through the check-in and upstairs without spending money on the prominently offered services at the other check-in counter.
I changed into a loud t-shirt and plain brown baggy shorts.

Bar time.

[Celleste]

The bar was her playground. Not in some figurative way that the trashy magazines wrote about but in that literal way that meant she called more shots than were typically ordered in a night. Sure her title was bartender but damn near everyone knew that could quickly change to manager, bouncer, and yeah entertainment. It wasn't glamorous, but it was what The Family wanted out of her and she was in no damn position to argue.

Besides... Cell liked it that way.

Tonight thankfully was keeping her behind the bar, flipping bottles and pouring fancy drinks that would put most of the tourists on their asses. It wasn't a secret and it was the challenge of the drinks that kept most coming back for more. The key was to cut them off before they poisoned themselves. A thin line, but experience had taught that a Human could usually handle four or so of the good ones, Zabraks about seven... but truth be told she was having a hard time figuring out how many it would take to down the tall drink of water that was headed her way.

One of those stupid fancy shit little cherries was plunked into the final drink she had made and sent to the over-enthused blond woman who had ordered it before she turned her attention on the new face for the night. Cell gave him a once over glance... well, at least the shirt fit right in.

"So what'll it be?" She left off the typical sweetie, sugar crap that got better tips. Humans ate that shit up but it was always a tossup with other races. Best to play it safe.

[Adjerban the Interloper]

I hemmed and hawwed for a moment. When it came down to it, I liked my alcohol simple.

Now, most people go to Corellia for brandy, but Chandrila had wine. And where there was wine, there was brandy. Even though they'd be doing it just about as long, Chandrilian brandy never gained the cache to mentally unseat Corellia from the layman's thoughts regarding brandy. That suited me fine. For half the price you got twice the brandy.

I gave the bartender a sly smile.

"I'll have an Emita Estates 14, double." It wasn't a good way to test her acumen, but I was too distracted to be creative. I'd only been to Zeltros on 3 other occasions and honestly I'd forgotten how much the pheromones played with your ability to concentrate. They were toying with mine.

I stared down the bartender as she turned away to do her job. My eyes followed down from her hair, to her narrow waist , hips, to dat ass. Sadly there was not enough visual space between the bar and her to see her legs. I bet those were nice too. Being born a Zeltron was winning the genetic lottery of pretty. The worst you could do was 7/10.

[Celleste]

She had avoided raising an eyebrow... But just barely. Truth be told if she hadn't been raised to know better it would have happened. Chandrilian brandy was one of those things people ordered once in a damn-near-never. Didn't sit right. Had to be a test from The Family. Fucks sake, wasn't she passed this bullshit?

No matter. The bar was stocked with the stuff he asked for, of course it was stocked with just damn near about anything anyone could ask for...she might just have to call up the back room sometimes but no one walked away disappointed in this joint. The same held true for most bars on Zeltros... Couldn't exactly become reknown for being a party planet if you couldn't cater to everyone's tastes; no matter how exotic or fucked up that may be.

Cell found the bottle after a bit of diggingand frowned at the thin layer of dust that had taken up residence on the thing. There'd have to be words about that. A quick wipe down solved that problem and it was brought back to the bar and poured just to typical standards...and then a bit more. Might as well.

"Can't say we get a lot of requests for this. Must be your lucky day." Ok so now she put on the flourish, ending with a wink. A girl had to have some fun, after all.

[Adjerban the Interloper]

Her suspicion was thick about something, probably regarding her employers. My absurd ears drooped a little.

"That's because most people don't know their brandy." I said, and gave her a wink, and my ears perked back up.

"Listen, I'm just some brandy lovin' asshole on vacation. Pour yourself some, on my tab." I gave her a big grin and took a sip.

I like this bartender.

[Tamera Beck]

Having never really been to Zeltros, Tamera Beck felt something like a fish out of water. Of course, it wasn't exactly a bad thing, she supposed. There were a lot of planets she'd never been to - though Zeltros seemed to be a world all unto itself.

Even the establishment she now found herself occupying was outside of her normal habits, but she was determined to make some sort of a show of it. Having been told that you were bland and a bore, Tamera was determined to prove all of the naysayers wrong.

Which had led to her drink of choice for the night; some fruity concoction that looked more like art in a cup than anything else.

She took a sip from the straw, making a face at the pungent taste of alcohol sliding over her tongue and blazing an ice-cold trail down her throat.

[Celleste]

Ah, why was it the charming ones always dropped by while she was on the job? Cell still wasn't entirely sure this whole thing wasn't some sort of setup - but sometimes you just had to roll with it and let things be that might be.

Besides, she wasn't about to turn down free brandy. That was one of the nice things about her position, as long as the accounts added up in the wee hours of the morning no one gave a damn if she had a drink or two while on the job. Hell, some nights it was encouraged.

She poured herself a glass and took the lull in patrons as a short opportunity to take stock of everyone nearby, casting a quick sympathetic look to the brunette who was way in over her head with what she'd ordered. Her attention came back to her new favorite patron and she took a sip from the glass of brandy and nodded approvingly.

"Nice." she let the word roll of her tongue carrying the full appreciation for the drink. "So, not to be cliche but what brings you to Zeltros?"

[Adjerban the Interloper]

My ears perked. Either she was a great liar, which was fine by me, or she had some working tastebuds and smell receptors. Or whatever those were called.

"Vacation." Man it was good to be on vacation, although I'd told her twice now, it was possible it was missed in the general din of the bar, which wasn't loud yet, but noise was noise.

"I guess, theoretically, some people do business here, but I'm not really sure how anyone could think clearly in the cloud of pheromones. I know I'm not." I gave Celleste a big smile, but wondered where her sympathetic glance went.

Brunette, cute, little mousey, in over her head three empty seats down. I moved down two seats which left a seat between us.

"Be careful with that thing. If you drink it too fast you'll brainfreeze."

[Tamera Beck]

Not quite expecting anyone to really speak to her, Tamera looked up sharply, angling her gaze to stare at the man who'd spoken. The straw in her mouth poked out at an odd angle, and the girl took her time in realizing the awkward look she was giving him. One hand came up, quickly taking it from her mouth and replacing it firmly in her drink.

"Oh, um... well I'll be fine. I think."

She smiled gingerly, her eyes drawn from his earlobes all the way up to their tips.

[Celleste]

"He's got the right of it." Another smile was offered at the woman before Celleste took another small drink before her eye caught another who had stepped up to the bar.

"You two let me know if you need anything. Just..." She paused and let a playful smirk tug at the corner of her lips for an instant. "Try to stay out of trouble."

Sad realities of working, you meet interesting people and that was pretty much where it ended. Oh sure she could get someone to cover her shift with just a quick call but to what end? Idle chitchat and a few drinks? Ok, so there was appeal in that... No time for self pity, and Cell liked to think she wasn't the type for it anyway. Instead she busied herself with taking the next drink order and setting her mind to making the ridiculously elaborate thing the guy thought he'd be so clever in ordering.

[Adjerban the Interloper]

"Us? Trouble? Well, maybe a little." I said toward the disappearing bartender.

I caught slightly mousey and cute looking at my ears.

"What, those old things?" I twitched my ears, and each moved a good 20 centimeters.

"Tell you what, if your freeze pop bites you, I'll buy your next drink. If you survive your arctic fury, I'll buy your next drink." I wasn't remotely drunk, but I was checking to see if she was.

This could be fun.

[Tamera Beck]

Another sip, and Tamera thought about his proposition. The rational part of her brain screamed that to accept would be stupid, but the other part dared her; it insisted that she take steps to become more adventurous.

Adventure won out.

"That sounds acceptable enough," she answered carefully.

The nagging thought that this was the beginning of a very bad idea tugged at her, but she brushed it to the very back of her mind. Encounters like this often led to good times as well, if the handful of holofilms she'd seen had any say-so.

"Thank you, Mister... " She let the pause linger between them, hoping he'd fill in the blank that was his name.

[Adjerban the Interloper]

"Adj." My own name was a mouthful but I could compress it for ease of use. Hell, according to some systems I didn't quite exist except for my record.

"You've never been to Zeltros before. Where are you from? What do you do in the day to day?"

[Tamera Beck]

She figured it was a bit more than obvious she'd never once set foot on Zeltros, and Tamera instantly discarded any thought to indicate otherwise. Instead, she settled for simply sipping at her fruity concoction and giving the long-eared conversationalist a studious look.

"Spend most of my time out and about in the Outer Rim, close to the border of the Unknown Regions."

It was vague enough, and she offered him a half-smile.

"Nothing glamorous."

Her drink was halfway gone by now.

"And you?"

[Adjerban the Interloper]

Despite my gently lowered inhibitions, I didn't lie, although I considered it, making up some boring bullshit.

"I'm a anti-cheating specialist for a casino." I told her the truth, because my job is actually cool. It's a giant pain in the ass, but it's cool. It would be less of a pain in in the ass if my boss wasn't such an asshole, but eh.

"It's lousier than it sounds." Mmmm delicious lies. Mmm delicious booze.

[Tamera Beck]

Tamera gave a purse of her lips and an almost flippant wave of her hand as she went back to her drink.

"Well, I've certainly not been cheating any of the houses here on Zeltros."

A sip.

"I've really got no mind to count cards or anything like that. Too tiresome, really."

She gave Adj an impish sideways grin.

"Not a lot of challenge in it, either."

[Adjerban the Interloper]

"Counting cards is work." I gave a sly smile. Someone with enough mathematical aptitude would be able to do it fairly easily.

Tamera might well have a desk job, or a surveyor. She was toward the bottom of that frozen monstrosity of hers, and so the lovely Zeltron bartender delivered more drinks. I wasn't about to tell her the evil concoction I ordered for both of us. It was dark brown with intense red veins and smelled like chocolate and cherries.

In short, I was gonna fuck us up. I moved down a stool next to my new friend and clinked glasses.

[Tamera Beck]

One last sip from the rest of her frozen drink, and Tamera pushed the empty glass away. It'd been rather tasty, and she licked her lips to catch the last flavors before...

... the next drink was placed in front of her.

Like an unsuspecting flutterdeer, the brunette stared wide-eyed at the dark monster, and she angled her head down and to the side while reaching out to trace along one of the red veins with a slender finger.

She didn't need to ask who'd ordered it, and turning to look at Adj, Tamera blinked a few times.

"What is this?"

[Adjerban the Interloper]

It was a mix of mid-shelf vodka, chocolate liquor, and dark cherry puree with a dash of cherry liquor.

"Something I came up with several years ago. I'm having one." I gave her a glance that was as much a dare as an invitation.

You know you want it.