A Late Drink...[Open]

[Zara Drecker]

It had been a hectic four months, but finally Zara Drecker was allowed a week off of full time duty. With tired eyes and a saunter slower than a Bantha, the young woman of a stocky build entered Master Yoghurt's Bar and Grill. She flashed no smile at the lesser guards at the door as she showed her badge to them. They merely saluted respectfully as she passed by, not removing her rail gun from her side.

Her dark hair seemed to match her mood as well as the black leather pants and jacket to match. For being a Captain of the NR, she sure did not seem like one on first appearance. Looks were always deceiving, though. Upon finding an empty booth along the wall, the woman sat down with a sigh and glanced quickly at a drink menu. Of course, she made up her mind quickly.

It did not take long for a service droid to roll up to her table and it beeped a few times. "I'll have a flask of Corellian Whiskey -- oh yeah, and make sure it's full this time!" She requested, or rather, demanded. The little machine rolled away as Zara placed an elbow upon the table and placed a hand upon her face. Not only was this going to be a late night drink, but she was also going to have to put up with being surrounded by Jedi for a few hours. "Hopefully I'll actually get smashed and won't know any better."

[Hayes Muirso]

Everyone should do a good deed a day. Hayes was about to do his. Having ordered himself a drink and packet of nuts, he scooped up the flask – flask?! – of Corellian whiskey waiting to be taken by one of the droids. As he walked towards the table where Zara sat, he couldn’t help but gawk at the container in his hands. It seemed someone was hell bent on loosing consciousness tonight!

“I believe this is yours,” he said, offering the flagon out with a small smile.

Opening the small bag in his hands, he paused a moment before saying,

“You look beat. Rough day?” then, offering out the packet, “Peanut?”

[Zara Drecker]

The voice above her startled Zara slightly as she readjusted herself in the seat. Sighing, the woman took the flask from the man's hand, wondering how he had ended up with her drink instead of the service droid. As he offered her a peanut, she nearly declined, but the hunger pangs in her stomach could not ignore the offer. "Sure." She stated in a dry tone.

The man continued to stand there, even after she accepted the peanut and took a sip of her drink. The cool Whiskey burned her throat slightly, but the taste was unbeatable in her eyes. Smiling as much as she could, the woman nodded to the stranger's question but her eyes deceived the answer she gave. "You could say that."

Finally his standing began to irritate her, and Zara motioned to the seat across from her. "Sit if you want." Her mood seemed less than appealing, and truthfully she wanted the company, though she seemed not to.

[Hayes Muirso]

From his work being a bartender, and more so a college professor, Hayes was used to receiving the brush off, or the 'cold shoulder' as it was sometimes called. Life often turned its nose up at you like that; all a guy could do was smile. Hayes took a sip of a drink then asked, "So what's got you all down? You look as tightly wound as a spring, no offense intended," he laughed slightly, fishing himself out a peanut as he watched the woman carefully, as though analysing her body language.

[Zara Drecker]

Zara did not smile, nor did she offer any hint of a laugh as the man spoke. Of course, internally the woman knew that he was not being rude, but her military side would not put up with his insincerity and poor puns. Sitting up a bit straighter, the dark haired NR official took a swig of her Whiskey and sighed. "Wound up? You would be too if you had to be in command of a fleet of lazy, good for nothing drenheads." She shifted her weight slightly and eyed Hayes carefully.

"What a nosey bloke." She concluded, but knew that he was merely making conversation. Deciding that it would be rude of her to not go along with it, the Captain continued. "I've been on duty for the past four months, non stop. I've had no breaks, no free time, nothing. Instead, I've had the pleasure of giving orders, dealing with those who choose to be a pain in my backside, and on top of it -- whatever could and would go wrong, has, and in the end -- it's my fault."

She looked exhausted as she took another sip and shrugged, giving a hint of a smile. "It's what I do, though." Zara paused a moment and again, took a swig off the flask in her hand. Looking at Hayes once again, she analzed his face and attempted to get some feel for his character. "So, what's your excuse?"

[Hayes Muirso]

Hayes sat up a little further, as Zara had done, and looked her square in the eyes, "My excuse? For being wound up?" he quirked a brow, "I was a first-grade teacher for five years, a high school tutor for four and college professor for three. I think that's enough excuse for a lifetime." In spite of his serious tone and stoney expression, there was a twinkle of jest in his eyes.

[Zara Drecker]

Zara met Hayes' look with her own glare. He was a bit defensive, she noted, and a bit touchy about the subject. "An educator." She stated before a smirk began tugging at the corners of her lips. A bit of twisted jest seemed to play in the Captain's eyes as well. "Sounds like you've had a rough life. The sentence was finished with a bit of a snort.

Lifting the flask to her lips once again, Zara gulped down a bit of her Whiskey before setting the draining vessel upon the table. "Sorry I bothered asking." She stated in a bit of retreat, thinking it was best to change the subject. "So what's your name, stanger?" The question was posed in hopes that this was a less sensitive area for the man.

[Hayes Muirso]

He shook his head, stifling a slight laugh. She hadn’t seen that he only meant his words in good humor. He didn’t feel like arguing the point now, though. “I’m Hayes… Hayes Muirso.” He then added, feeling almost obligated to, “I’m a Jedi Padawan… apprentice to Master Evanar… you?”

[Zara Drecker]

Zara smiled to herself. "A Jedi? I should've known." She sighed and shook her head. The Jedi always seemed to be the ones with the most problems. Obviously, he had a few of his own.

"Zara Drecker -- Captain of the New Republic Navy." She then thought of what he had said. "Evanar -- why does that name ring a bell?" She shook the thought from her mind, though and sighed, taking a sip of her Whiskey. "So, what do you do, being a Jedi and all? Sounds like you keep busy, having to train as much as they do."

[Hayes Muirso]

“Me? Not much,” Hayes picked at his snack, eating a couple of peanuts. “I think I must be a Jedi Socialite. I think the Jedi Master in charge of my training is busy now. I just spend my time reading and getting to know people, really. I was reading into data on the New Republic recently, actually. I studied it a lot, and even taught some lessons on it. It’s quite the interesting place… especially the Intelligence bureau. I could read about that all day. Fascinating.”

[Zara Drecker]

Zara was in the middle of taking a gulp of her drink when Hayes went off about the NR and how interesting it was. Just as she was swallowing a moutful of the Whiskey, he mentioned the Intelligence Bureau and she nearly lost it out her nose. Coughing as it went down wrong, the young woman looked at Hayes and gawked. "How did you find out about that? And what do you know?"

The woman demanded the information rather than asked for it. Perhaps it took Hayes by surprise, but she wanted to know if someone was leaking information. "And why does it interest an educationer, like you? Aren't you supposed to be a school boy?"

[Hayes Muirso]

“I like to think of myself as a scholar, Miss Drecker. Knowledge is power, and all that. I like to keep well read, and I’ve studied the databanks here extensively enough to be aware of the various subdivisions of the New Republic,” he replied, coolly, calmly, and with a slight warm smile.

[Zara Drecker]

Zara scoffed to herself and shook her head. She could tell where this conversation was going. "You can't just be book smart kid, you have to be street smart to survive in the NR." The Captain smiled to herself and took a sip of her Whiskey once again, keeping her eyes locked on Hayes's face. He was a curious young man and seemed to have the right attitude about him.

"So why all the interest anyway? You can't tell me you just like to teach about it."

[Hayes Muirso]

“Everyone has to have a hobby? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a thirst for knowledge. Knowledge is power, which you can educate people with. Ignorance leads to the Darkside, and all that,” he replied, with a vague wave of one hand.