Culture Shook

[Ndonsa]

Jovan Station was a bustling place. The bright lights of the promenade flashed and holoads popped up on the walls and above people's heads while people walked and talked, shopped and ate.

At a small table near one of the many food courts a red-furred Kufu sat, shoveling food into her mouth while her ears twitched at every loud noise. Leaning next to her chair was a long spear, the sharp tip encased in a blue plastic substance.

[Joey Rabeak]

At the academy, a day off was a rare thing, and he'd been told to expect few once he got a permanent assignment, either. But life on Jovan Station, as part of Titan Squadron, had afforded Joey more down time than he had anticipated. The gym occupied a good portion of it, as did hanging out with his dad, but in other free time? Well... there was shopping to be done, now wasn't there? And if there was one thing Jovan was becoming known for, it was its shopping district.

What had begun as a ramshackle collection of vendors had grown into a large marketplace attacting some of the best brand names. A trading post so near the border offered excellent retail opportunity, and Joey had delighted in the appearance of higher-end fashion labels opening their doors. It was with two bags in his paw, and an iced mocha kashyykchino in the other, the brown-furred Nehantite looked about and considered his lunch options.

KFN? No, too greasy, and he had abs to think about. Rancor Ribs? Too messy, and he'd used his good fur conditioner that morning. Sushi Naboo? That could work.

A few minutes later, with his designer stimcaff in the same paw which held his bags, and his tray of lunch in the other, he scanned about for a place to sit, and stumbled across a most unexpected sight. There a few meters away, say a Nehantite. But not a normal one, a... Kufu? His pink eyes looked her up and down curiously, taking in her unusual fur pattern, and her garb. Nehantites this far out were a bit uncommon, but a female, and a Kufu? That was unheard of. He simply had to know more!

"Don't go too fast, you won't be able to appreciate the Major's blend of thirteen herbs and spices," Joey said, having drawn close behind the open seat at the other side of the table. "Though the recycled air here does something to the frying process. It's not as crispy as it is back home."

The pilot smiled, his perfectly-cared-for white teeth gleaming in the artificial light, while a polo shirt clung too tightly to his gym-sculpted frame.

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa slowly looked up from the greasy bone she was holding, and found herself looking at another of her species. He was holding a tray of food - perhaps there were no other seats and he wished to join her?

"I have never eaten this before," she said, cracking the bone in half while she maintained eye contact. He was muscular and his brown fur was well groomed. At least it wasn't one of the yellow-furs.

Her tail twitched as he lingered, and she nodded to the chair. "You may sit."

Ndonsa stuck one end of the broken bone into her mouth and delicately sucked the marrow out.

[Joey Rabeak]

The sight of someone sucking the marrow from a nuna thigh bone caused Joey some pause. Were he not so curious about this woman, it might have been enough for him to move along. Though he supposed he'd sucked enough stuff out of other bones, himself, that he couldn't really judge.

"Thank you," he replied. His tray was set down, followed by his stimcaff, while his bags found a home on the floor beside him as he took a seat. "First time off-world, I take it?" he said with a smile. Breaking apart his chopsticks, he worked them into place between his fingers. "I remember my first trip off-world. Though I didn't go near as far as this!" there was a chuckle in his voice - one which died down awkwardly as his eyes crossed a necklace which appeared to be made of teeth. Rubbing his tongue over his own teeth inside his muzzle, they appeared to be very familiar teeth indeed.

Maybe she was a dentist?

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa sat up straighter, her necklaces clinking against each other. She used a napkin on her paws, eyeing the wooden sticks the male was fiddling with.

"This is not my first trip 'off-world.' I traveled this station from Ossus." She smiled, remembering what she had been told about appearing 'grumpy,' and then ran her tongue across her teeth, checking for any pieces of meat that might be stuck.

Satisfied, Ndonsa sat back in her seat, forcing her body into a relaxed position. Her ears continued to twitch as the giant space container they called Jovan seemed to amplify every noise into a sense-deadening cacophony.

[Joey Rabeak]

Joey listened, while popping the first of his pieces of sushi into his mouth using his chopsticks. If this woman came from Ossus, that was even more puzzling, as Nehantites had no business there. There hadn't been a Nehantite Jedi in over a century, to his knowledge. Swallowing, he washed it down with a sip from his iced stimcaff - a terrible combination in hindsight.

"Ah, I ssee," he nodded. "Sorry, it's just... KFN is kind of one of the first things most people try when they wind up off-world, so I guess I presumed."

Another glance over Ndonsa, and Joey's mind still made no better sense of her. If she were a Jedi, she would have one of those laser-swords, right? But this woman had a spear. And a necklace made of teeth, among other beaded necklaces. "I hope I'm not out of line by saying I really didn't expect to see a Kufu female this far from home. Might I ask what brings you out this way?" Another piece of sushi found its way into his muzzle, forcing Ndonsa to reply, or sit in silence for the moment.

[Ndonsa]

"You can ask."

She watched him use the sticks to put food in his mouth with some interest. It seemed a waste of time, but they did not seem to slow him down as he ate. After a moment she realized he expected her to say more.

"I am required to spend time here, to 'ack-liminate.'" Ndonsa frowned slightly. "Ack-clim-ate."

Across the promenade a large group of people suddenly cheered, and she visibly flinched, her hand reaching for her spear.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"I'll have eight fried nuunas and a fizzglug."

Gradoona rocked heel to toe and back as she waited on the cashier at KFN to ring her up.

"Eight?" He asked somewhat incredulously, then thought the better of it once he looked at the Herglic.

"Aand two slices aaf dry white tooast."

The cashier turned to his work, shaking his head at the order. "Two slices of toast..."

"Oh, caan ya maake the pop a diet fizzglug?"

"One *diet* fizzglug..."

While she waited for her order, Gradoona turned around, leaning back against the counter slightly. She scanned the food area of the concourse, looking for a familiar face. Her little eyes widened when she locked onto Joey Rabeak and a lady Nehantite. Huh. She figured his arrow didn't shoot that way. Who knew?

"Joooey!" She waved, closed her mouth, and gave a sharp whistle from her blowhole.

[Joey Rabeak]

Joey's perfectly-sculpted brows crimped. "Acclimate? Acclimate to what?" he asked, then watched her reaction to the crowd before chuckling. "It's cool, big smashball game on, today. They're likely fans of one of the teams."

Another piece of sushi, this one eaten faster than the others, and he returned his attention to Ndonsa. But before he could say anything, he jumped at the loud cry of his name from across the way. Half-choking on fish and rice, he reached for his stimcaff to clear it all in a taste sensation never meant for mortals to endure. Coughing, then looked about to find the source of the call, only to spot Gradoona waiting in the KFN line. Raising a paw, he waved back.

"Hey, Gradoona," he replied, though not nearly so loud. Turning back to Ndonsa, he attempted to salvage the conversation. "She works with my dad, here on the station. Engineering. I'm a pilot, myself."

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa's tail swished with embarrassment and she slowly removed her hand from the shaft of her spear.

"It is a test," she mumbled, looking down at her paws. The whistle of a large fish creature hurt her ears, but she sat stoically, determined not to humiliate herself again. After the quiet of Ossus Jovan Station was like living inside a speaker while someone listened to metallic music.

She looked up with interest as he spoke of his skills. "I also can pilot. I learned... in a dream." Ndonsa frowned, and shook her head. "Does the station have engines?"

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

Four buckets, a pop, and a side of dry toast later, Gradoona paid up and headed on over. She carefully did the Herglic dance, side-stepping and shimmying past patrons and chairs with an auctioneer's stream of "s'cuse me, coming thruu, and pardon me's". That was life with tinies. Sink or swim. Adapt or don't. Chairs screeched out of the way as she pushed forward, eventually finding herself within talking distance instead of shouting distance.

"Heeey, this seat taaken, oor yoou guys haavin' a little exclusive mano-e-mano soorta thing?"

[Joey Rabeak]

"In a dream?" Joey asked, his head cocking in curiosity. "Yeah, the station's got engines. Mostly just to keep us in place, in case something pushes us out of position. Minor correction type stuff, hardly used."

Before he could go into further detail, or ask what Ndonsa meant by test, Gradoona arrived to threaten the structural integrity of one of the food court chairs. But, if they could support Zane, they might be able to support a Herglic, he supposed, so he politely smiled. "Well, I just kinda got here, and miss..." he paused, realizing he didn't actually know this woman's name. "Oh, Garfife, I'm so sorry, I didn't even introduce myself," he said to Ndonsa. "I'm Joey, Joey Rabeak. It's a pleasure to meet you, miss...?" he held out his paw for a cordial shake, hoping she would accept it. His blunt claws were expertly manicured, while the pads of his paws appeared smooth and soft from lotion and conditioning oils.

[Ndonsa]

"Ndonsa," she said, taking his paw. Knight Loki had instructed her thoroughly on the art of being polite, and she held Joey Rabeak's paw for the appropriate amount of time and with the correct pressure. He was soft.

"There is no one else sitting here," Ndonsa said to the large fish person, hoping she would not join them. She had met this one before, which meant that the older Nehantite she had met must be Joey's father.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

Now having a good look at her, a dawning recollection filled Gradoona's features.

"Oohhh yeaaah! Yoou're that Jedi gal fraam a few weeks agoo!"

The Herglic hurriedly found a second chair, and placed her tray on the table as she carefully arranged them side by side behind her. Carefully, Gradoona took a seat on both chairs, which sighed softly under her weight, but held.

"Soo, whaat brings ya baack t' Joovan, eh?"

[Joey Rabeak]

"Sounds like she's on some kind of assignment," Joey smiled. As more of his sushi disappeared, he leaned closer to Ndonsa and spoke quietly. "Is it a mission? It's okay, you can tell us, we're Alliance. We can keep a secret."

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa edged away from the fish person as she sat down and spread out her food on the small table. Joey leaned closer to her to speak softly, and she could smell the scent he had poured on himself. If he were in the jungle she could have tracked him down by his odor alone.

She turned her face toward him, staring into his pink eyes. "Yes... a mission." The Kufu sat back, her tail twitching nervously as the fish person began to eat. She tried not to look at her.

"A private mission."

Not secret. There was a difference.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Ooh geepers, mums the woord then!"

Gradoona mimed the act of zipping her lips, before cleaving a whole fried nuna in half with a bite.

"Soo, whaats that like, eh? Being a Jedi and all? Caan ya reeaally, yaknoo, make stuff flooat in air?"

[Joey Rabeak]

"Wait, you really are a Jedi?" Joey asked, the surprise easily visible on his face. "That's amazing! We haven't had a Jedi in, like, over a century!"

The male's excitement bubbled over into his posture and body language, and he grinned widely. "How come you haven't been all over our news? This is big! More than big, this is huge!"

[Ndonsa]

Joey's excitement was confusing. Ndonsa looked at Gradoona, taking in how easily the fish female's wide mouth snapped her food into pieces. She did not look away.

"It is not news," she said dismissively, her eyes tracking the nuna that Gradoona was picking up and propelling into her jaws.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

The Herglic engineer was just about to chow into the second nuna when she got the distinct feeling she was being watched, and not simply observed as part of a conversation.

"Oh, um..."

She closed her mouth, and offered the nuna in her hand to Ndonsa.

"Ya waant some moore? It's waater oover my back if ya doo. Noo biggie. Heck, I bet Jedi training really woorks up an aappetite, eh?"

[Ndonsa]

"I have already eaten," Ndonsa said, clutching her empty plate on the table with both paws, and forcing her stare from the fish person back to Joey.

She tried out a smile, trying to ignore Gradoona as she destroyed her meal.

[Joey Rabeak]

Joey vanished another piece of sushi while Gradoona was eating, leaving just one piece left on his own plate. The news was a lot to take in, and his mind bounced back and forth between his excitement as a Nehantite, and his duty to the Alliance.

"It... actually is pretty big news," he stated. "There are so few Jedi left, and you're the second ever Nehantite Jedi, and they've trusted you to come out here, to the frontier, to represent the Jedi to the rest of the galaxy? That's massive news!"

The brown-furred gym-rat practically bounced in his seat with excitement. "Have they got you a place lined up? Will you have some sort of official office?"

[Ndonsa]

Caught between the fish person's gaping mouth and Joey Rabeak's increasing questions, Ndonsa felt increasingly uncomfortable. The casual mention of Halajiin made her pause.

"I am not an official representative. Everything I do will reflect on the Jedi," she added, almost a recitation of what she'd been instructed, "But this is more like ...shore leave?"

Ndonsa raised an eyebrow quizzically, hoping they understood the words.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Well heck, why didn't yaa saay soo earlier?!"

Gradoona plonked another half-eaten nuna back in its bucket.

"Tiime's a'waastin', sister! Yaknoo ya gaatta use every minute aaf shoore leave to the fullest! See the siiights get in a little trouble but naat tooo muuuch..."

The Herglic was thinking and thinking fast, her small eyes flicking back and forth as she steepled her meaty fingers together.

"Yaknoo, we coooould throow a heckin' raager pub crawl. Hit every spaat aan the caancourse from the staart aaf the evenin' cycle t' the end. Thaat'll cook yoour penguin for suure!"

[Joey Rabeak]

The pilot's pink eyes widened, as did his smile. Pub crawl? Party night? With the second ever Nehantite Jedi? It had to happen!

"Oh yeah! We could totally do that!" he readily concurred. "It'd really break the ice, get you to know everyone, and have a good time while doing it! Maybe even cap it off with a bit of cross-cultural introductions with a stop at the Cizerack tea house at the end of the night!"

Thoughts about where Ndonsa was going to stay, Jedi propriety, and his early flight run scheduled for the next morning were dashed at the idea if drinking, dancing, and checking out handsome eye-candy with the girls.

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa had no idea what Gradoona was talking about - the words barely sounded like Basic. When Joey agreed with the fish person, Ndonsa nodded slowly. Getting to know people sounded like what she should be doing, and she had experience with the Cizerack already.

Both pairs of eyes turned to look at her, expectantly, and she realized they wanted her to say something.

"Okay, if this is what is done here. I will break the ice with you."

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Yeeeaaaah!" Gradoona drummed her tray energetically with her fingers. She stood up, popped another nuna in her mouth, then wiped the residual grease on her work pants.

"C'maan, we'd better staart aan the loow-key soorta drinkin', yaknoo, soo we set ouur pace. Whoo's joonesin' foor a shaandy?"

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa stood, her spear snapping into her paw and leaning casually on her shoulder. The Cizerack in the red uniforms had 'peace bonded' the spear, after a few long conversations about the implications of allowing a Jedi padawan to carry a giant stick around their metal box in space. She had agreed to leave it in her room, but she had not been to her room yet.

"What is a 'shaandy?'" she asked, her lips curling around the unfamiliar syllables.

[Joey Rabeak]

"A shandy is beer and lemonade, usually in equal mix," Joey chimed in. "Better known as really nasty."

Spotting the side-eye he was getting from Gradoona, the metrosexual mongoose clarified, "At least to our palates. Don't worry, I'll hook you up with something good. C'mon, I know a nice place we can get things going in!"

Sushi finished, Joey stood, picking up his nearly-empty stimcaff cup, and his shopping bags. While he'd have preferred to take them, and their potentially embarrassing contents, home first, he figured he could carry them for a bit, and at least be able to check them once they started hitting the clubs later. While Jovan itself was a large station, most of the good places on the promenade were only a short walk, and it wasn't long before Joey led the trio a small, unassuming, yet respectable casual bar.

"Pitcher of shandy, and two buiberry wine coolers," he grinned as he walked through the door, then turned to the others. "Tab's on me, tonight. All of it."

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa looked curiously around the bar Joey had led them to, and subtly checked his person for whatever this 'tab' was. Perhaps it was a clothing item.

"Cold wine?" She maneuvered so that he stood between her and the Gradoona. "What is a buiberry?"

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Youu haaven't haad a buuiberry? Yaknoo, there abouut the size aaf youur noose and a really louud shaade aaf bluue. There uused to be a buuiberry festival aan Roodia, aand we'd all goo when we were kids and pick 'em. They'd let ya keep haalf aaf what ya picked, soo we'd eat' em till ouur tongues turned tootally bluue and we gaat sick!"

When that didn't elicit any comprehension, the Herglic shrugged.

"Noo? Well, I knoow they've gaat buuiberry muffins at Spunky Dunkers! Buuiberry muffins, buuiberry fritters, buuiberry jam doonuts, buuiberry pie, buuiberry koolaachis, kinda the whoole buuiberry experience, minus the boozy soort!"

The drinks arrived, causing a delighted squee to sound from Gradoona's blowhole. She took up her pitcher of shandy, wrapping one hand around the entire thing.

"Ookay, Ndaansa, youu gaat the tooast since youu're the new gaal and aall. Sooo what's it gaanna be?"

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa had had alcohol before, but only mixed in a glass, never in a bottle like this one. And just the one time. There had been singing involved on the part of her companions then. A lot of singing. And some toasts, which had nothing to do with burnt bread.

She thought for a moment, trying to remember one she'd heard that night, then lifted the bottle in her hand.

"Let us live while we live...any port in a storm."

Satisfied at her memory, she lifted the bottle to her lips and tasted the cold wine. Her eyebrows raised as the liquid bubbled on her tongue, and she pulled the drink away to stare at it.

"It tickles."

[Joey Rabeak]

"That's the carbonation," Joey grinned after a swig from his own bottle. "Love these things. Nice and fruity, feels like a fizzy-drink, but they'll still get you in the mood."

He said nothing about the toast, though it was a thoroughly... unusual one. He'd never met a Jedi before, despite hearing about them at the Academy, and he'd never expected to meet an actual Nehantite Jedi! As far as he was aware, there had only ever been one, before, and that was over a century ago, so this was a special treat. A special treat not to be rushed, but possibly to be taken advantage of.

If he could get in good with a Jedi, that could go a long way with his cred in the Alliance. Playing the race card was the start, but a slow, steadily ramping approach of alcohol and good experiences would engrain him well with this... Ndonsa, right? Yeah, it was Ndonsa.

Taking another swig, he leaned back casually in his seat, and asked, "Is it true that all you Jedi have those neat plasma swords? Lightsabers, I think they're called?"

He knew they were called that. He knew full well, and could probably build one, if given time and a focusing crystal. But there were times it paid to play dumb, and let others talk. Get them talking, and they think you're on for the ride, when they were really on yours. Party Social Dynamics 101.

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa wrinkled her nose against the carbon-nation, taking another sip of her drink.

"It is true that the lightsaber is the weapon of the Jedi, but I have not built mine yet."

Her eyes caught sight of the Gradoona, wide mouth around the pitcher of drink in her hands, and Ndonsa tipped her own bottle back. Her eyes watered as she swallowed the bubbling liquid, and when she set down the empty bottle she coughed.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Oooh yaaah, I've aalwaays waanted to haave a look at a liightsaaber. Yaknoo, aan the insiide and aall. I mean heck, aanytiime ya put a kyyyber crystaal in foor a foocus and poower step, that's some heckin engineeering!"

Gradoona drained the last of her pitcher, careful to let all the dregs out before up-ending the entire receptacle on the table with one hand as she twirled a finger in the air at the waitron droid with her other hand.

"I waander how they doo it, yaknoo? Kyyber's a reeeal tricky penguin. It's naat a lineaar poower step, it's geoometric. Baad refraaction? Naat enoough shiiielding...woooh! Thaaat'll cook youur pieroogi!"

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa shook her head, headfur falling into her eyes before she pushed it back.

“I do not know what any of that means,” she said truthfully. “I am from Kuf. My tribe had no technology at all, so I am learning.”

[Joey Rabeak]

Joey flashed a wide, disarming smile, forgetting what manner of teeth were around Ndonsa's neck. "What she means is that it's not easy to build one. You'll probably need a mentor for that stage, when you get there," he said.

His drink was still half-full, while the ladies had polished theirs off in record time. "Gar, really tippin' em back, huh? Don't have to go so fast. Gotta take a bit of time, enjoy life, and all that."

The brown-furred Nehantite's pink eyes sparkled as he took a long, slow pull from his own drink, before leaning an elbow on the table. "It's an awful long way from Kuf to Ossus. How'd you wind up making that journey? I didn't hear about the government trying to do another talent search, as it were. That's how they found our first Jedi. Hamaljiin Rabeak, I think his name was. No relation, of course." A light chuckle and he tipped back the remainder of his drink, then raised his empty bottle to the bartender for another round.

[Ndonsa]

“Halajiin,” said Ndonsa softly, her ears tipping back as her tail drooped mournfully. “He was a powerful Jedi.”

She looked down, one paw going to the little pouch of bones at her waist. When Hal had been reported missing, and then presumed dead, she had thrown the bones to scry his fate. The Force had not whispered the meaning of the patterns to her, and she feared her talent had finally failed her.

Still, she had not received confirmation of his death from the bones.

”I miss him.”

[Joey Rabeak]

"Miss him?" Joey asked, ears cocking in two different directions in confusion. "He's been dead for like, a century. How could you... ooh, is it some sort of Jedi thing?"

That had to be it. The Force was like magic, so clearly current Jedi could connect to the magic of the old Jedi. Or something. Maybe? Joey really had no clue at that point, as all his understanding of magic came from a competitive card game, fantasy holonovels, or Crypts & Kryats.

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa’s ears twitched, nearly matching Joey’s in their position. “No, he -“

A pink flush crept up the soft skin inside her ears as her mouth snapped shut on what she had been about to say. Was she betraying Hal if she revealed his existence to someone from their planet? She tried to remember if he had said why he had not done so himself, but could not.

”It is a Jedi thing, yes.” Ndonsa looked at Joey and the Gradoona with the unreadable expression she had learned as a shaman on Kuf.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Well...tooo Haaalajiin!"

The tone was getting too somber, and Gradoona decided to perk things up with another toast. She hoisted her second pitcher of shandy up, pressing it to the other Nehantites drinks.

"C'maan, staap with the bird sips guys, geeez! Oover the lips and paast the gums, waatch ouut stomaach here it coomes! Ya caan't staart making baad decisions if ya doon't yaknoo, luubricate 'em a little."

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa frowned, but drank anyway. She did not want to make bad decisions. A bad decision could get someone killed if they were not careful.

Like Hal.

She tipped up her drink again, letting the bubbly liquid fizz down her throat.

[Joey Rabeak]

Joey did not miss the expression upon Ndonsa's face. Many races found Nehantites a bit difficult to read, at times, but as one himself, Joey knew something was troubling her. Perhaps it was being far from home, or perhaps it was not knowing anyone here, but regardless of the reason, the pilot made it his mission to ensure that Ndonsa was going to have an incredible night, though he needed something to kick off the fun.

An idea sparked, and he swigged back half of his current bottle before grinning and leaning in, inviting the others to come close as if he had top secret information to share.

"Hey, you two want to do something fun?" he whispered loudly, pink eyes bouncing between the two of them. "Spire Six is set to open again soon, but right now it's empty. I've got the access codes, and Gradoona here should be able to get the hover-haulers up and running for each of us. Could do some hover-racing while it's empty! Could do a shot per lap. Loser has to take two. Whadda'ya think?"

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa narrowed her pink eyes. “What are we shooting?”

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Yaknoo, boooze!"

Gradoona waited for recollection to dawn. Okay, so that wasn't a part of mongoose slang.

"Howabouut hoooch? Raacket fuel? Raatgut? Liquid coourage? Fiire waater?"

When none of the slang seemed to stick, the Herglic turned an unsure glance to Joey.

"Yaknoo we miiiight waaanna teach this penguin hoow to paaddle in the lagooon befoore we goo ouut to oopen waater."

On a mission, Gradoona relinquished her seat.

"I'm thiiinking naamana vaadka?"

[Joey Rabeak]

"Oooh, that or some vanilla fuzzfruit" Joey grinned, practically bouncing in his seat. He then laughed, adding, "Why not both? It's on me, anyhow."

Turning to Ndonsa, his bright smile didn't fade even the slightest of glimmers. "Trust me, you're gonna love it. I used to get totally wasted on this stuff; it's great!"

[Ndonsa]

"I know how to swim," Ndonsa bristled a little as the Gradoona kept talking and then got up and wandered away saying something about vadka.

"Is getting wasted... good?" Waste was generally a bad thing. In her tribe nothing went to waste. Joey assured her it was, indeed, a good thing, and clinked his bottle to hers which seemed to indicate she should drink what was left in it.

She finished her bottle of bubbly alcohol, and joined the others as they did what was called a 'round of shots.' It was not round, it was a line of small glasses of a clear liquid that burned as it went down and had a vaguely fruity aftertaste on the tongue. The Gradoona bullied them into three rounds, and Ndonsa went along with it.

She would never learn how to integrate into her surroundings if she did not work at it. This was ...enjoyable. Drinking alcohol for pleasure had not been encouraged in her tribe, and as a shaman she had only used it to get into the proper frame of mind for certain rituals. Now the rituals were forbidden and she was drinking as some kind of game with her new companions.

Joey and the Gradoona were talking about going to another bar, and Ndonsa smiled, happy to be included and not being called a savage for once.

Ndonsa stood up, her spear coming upright from where it leaned against the wall into her paw on its own. She flexed her fingers around the smooth haft, considering it for a long moment.

"I should put this in my ...apartment. I do not want to cause alarm." Being apart from her spear was not a good feeling, but she could take care of herself without it.

[Joey Rabeak]

Joey's brain paddled about in its luxurious pool of alcohol, upon a golden inflatable porg, beneath sunny skies, while wearing star-shaped sunglasses. Drinking was good, but drinking with friends was even better. Artificially whitened teeth glittered as he flashed a broad smile.

"Oh yeah, good call! Don't think the club would let us take it in, anyhow," he nodded, his head bobbing a bit further than it would have if he'd not had two wine coolers and three shots of sweet, fruity vodka. "I should probably drop these off, too," he then nodded down toward his shopping bags. "Don't think I'll be getting the chance to use these tonight, anyhow. A boy can hope, though!" It was followed by a laugh, then a mild sway to his posture.

As it happened, Ndonsa's quarters were not far off from Joey's bunk, and the sidetrack took little time, though Joey's tight shirt somehow managed to release another button, showing off more of his toned, glossy-furred chest. His tail swishing behind him playfully, the brown-furred Nehantite did a little dance down the hallway as he imagined the beat in the club he was directing them to. "You girls are gonna love it," he announced with a grin.

Despite proper sound insulation, the trio could feel the beat of speakers before they could hear them, and Joey fished out a few bills from his wallet to pay their cover charge, allowing them into the warm bosom, pulsating rhythm, colorful lights, and sea of moving bodies within. All Joey had to do was wave three fingers to the bartender, and he knew their drinks would join them shortly.

"Isn't it great? Bet you don't have something like this on Ossus!" he said loudly over the pumping music, his body trying to move along with it already.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

Joey was a bit of a spendthrift, and that suited Gradoona just fine. She wasn't a cheap drinker. Not that her tipple was top shelf, but more to the matter that it simply took a lot of alcohol to register with a Herglic. So Gradoona pitched her well drink down, feeling the pulse of the music fill the room. She danced, but Herglics weren't known for their grace. Dancing for a Herglic was more an act of keeping time by shifting your weight from one foot to the other and bobbing your head. She had other moves, but no need to get crazy!

"Hey Nu-daansa, ya wanna daance?" She squee-clacked as she set down another empty drink. Fortunately the barkeep hadn't floated off, so she made a tapping gesture for emphasis.

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa could feel the beat of the music inside her chest. She copied her companions' actions and quickly downed her drink.

Joey's body was moving to the thump of the bass, and she felt her tail beginning to sway as well. Her footpaws and legs felt ...tingly.

"It is loud!" Ndonsa shouted over the noise, her ears flattening against her head. She didn't realize the Gradoona was pulling her toward the mass of bodies dancing in all the colored lights until she was among them.

The music seemed to fill every part of her, from her footpaws to the top of her skull, like the beat of the drum she used during rituals.... so very long ago. The flashing lights were almost too much, and she closed her eyes, letting the drum beat in her heart take over.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Ooh geepers! Youu can reeally cut a rug, eh?"

Gradoona didn't at all feel like competing on Ndonsa's level, so she instead kept time with her traditional Herglic not-quite-dancing, which allowed her to both technically dance and still drink rum and soda.

Still, the rhythm was seductive, and the Herglic made an effort to step up her game a bit. She added waving her arms in the air to her repertoire.

[Joey Rabeak]

Whatever his first drink in the club had been, Joey had poured it down his throat, scarcely tasting it. Other bars were good for proper drinks, masterful cocktails, or selections of craft beer, but this place? It was all about the music, and the dance floor. As Gradoona bobbed and swayed, and Ndonsa found the rhythm, Joey became the rhythm. His body flowed, pulsed, and undulated with the beat as he surrendered himself to the groove. Years of hitting dance clubs in college, or at the Academy, had trained him well, and he moved like liquid, lost in the music. His body ground against others, male or female, and they against him and his tight-fitting clothing, weaving through the masses until coming back to Ndonsa.

No words were exchanged, nor would they be easy to hear above the din if they were. Instead, Joey beckoned Ndonsa to come join him, to dance with him; to show him the way she would have this dance, as the alcohol coursing through their veins warmed and freed them.

[Ndonsa]

After dancing for a time, Ndonsa opened her eyes and saw Joey beckoning her to join him. She pushed her way through the crowd toward him, the noise still thumping like a tribal drum through her whole body.

She hadn't allowed herself to 'let go' in ... in a long time. The buzz that filled her, that took her past her normal caution, also quieted the ever present, judgemental voice of the Jedi Loki. The fear of who she was, her background, her previous training, it all was lost in the dance.

Joey seemed to be a good dancer and she copied what she could of his moves. As their bodies rubbed against each other, her tail began to wave, signalling her willingness to mate. At least, it did until someone stepped on it.

Ndonsa's eyes shot open as pain ran through her body, the daze of moments before washed away. She pulled her hurt tail against her chest, arms across it for extra protection, as she looked around for the person who'd stepped on her.

[Joey Rabeak]

Five drinks in, or was it six? Joey couldn't remember the number, but the day was going well! Ndonsa's dance was unusual, filled with moves and motions he had not performed before, but he adapted to her dance as she did to his, until they were a proper pair upon the dance floor, moving in harmony with each other, and the beat.

And then he saw her tail. There was no mistaking it, she wanted him. His heart lurched when he realized she hadn't figured it out already, but before he could try to let her down softly, someone came down hard on her tail. Joey winced along with her, knowing how painful the sensation was, and he immediately stopped dancing, helping to put an arm around her to lead her from the dance floor, back toward the bar.

"Oh, Garfife, I am so sorry, Ndonsa!" he said, speaking loud enough to be heard over the music. It wasn't his fault, it hadn't been his footpaw, but he'd brought her to the club, so there was inherent guild. His paw waved to the bartender, holding up two fingers for another pair of drinks, before he held out his paw to see if Ndonsa would let him inspect her tail.

"Nothing broken, I hope?" he asked, then looked over at the fresh pair of cocktails. Picking one up, he offered it to his new Jedi friend. "Here, this might take some of the edge off."

[Ndonsa]

Wincing, Ndonsa allowed Joey to take her tail and look it over, his paws running along her fur. She would not usually show so much of her emotions in her face or her body, but the drinks were having an effect.

She frowned a little at the drink, and then accepted it from his paw. "I will be fine."

Ndonsa sipped the colorful liquid, leaning against the bar. She felt comfortably numb, aside from the occasional throb from her tail that would certainly become a bruise. She had never seen anything like what was happening around her now, and the drinks seemed to be keeping her from becoming overwhelmed. Even the presence of the Gradoona did not bother her very much.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Woohoo!"

Gradoona tromped out of the mix, heading back to the bar where her other co-conspirators had returned to replenish and sit one out.

"We-hell boy howdy my daags suure are barkin! Who waants shnaaps?"

Without waiting for consensus, the Herglic turned to the barkeep and went on a maverick course.

"Three shnaaps!"

She eased a chummy arm around Ndonsa's shoulder.

"How's the ol' tail floof, Nuhdaansa? I saw that penguin-headed doofus run ya oover there."

[Ndonsa]

"I will be fine," she said into the Gradoona's side, her pink eyes wide as she was crushed against her large companion. "I need air!"

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Ooh, soorry!"

Gradoona eased off the patented Giju Nice and gave Ndonsa back a little personal space. She then pushed one shot glass into the female Nehantite's paw with one hand, and scooted another further down to Joey.

"Yaknoo if it's a little much we can aalways change venue?"

The Herglic rocked back her own drink without much pause, returning the empty glass to the bar.

[Joey Rabeak]

Joey tossed back the shot Gradoona had offered, then considered the issue at paw. The music was great, and Ndonsa had been seeming to enjoy herself, but an injured tail was a true harsh on the buzz of a night clubbing. Other destinations on the station ran through his mind, or more aptly swam through the alcohol which dulled it, until at last one came out on top for relaxation.

"We could go to the tea house," he suggested. "It's, like, way more chill, and they got the massage tables and stuff."

As Joey's addled mind recalled some parts of the tea house, it neglected to think that others might be an issue to a newcomer, especially a Jedi. Nudity and public sex somehow managed to elude his mental filter for appropriateness, as did how he found jeeta affected Nehantites more... primally... than it seemed to other races. All he could think about was lounging about, drinks, getting a massage, and some good eye candy.

[Ndonsa]

"Tea sounds good," agreed Ndonsa. Her ears could use a break from the noise of the room they were in. "It is cold there?"

[Joey Rabeak]

"Nah, it's actually nice and warm. It's a Cizerack thing," Joey replied. "And they've got these soaking pools kind of like hot tubs, too. It's usually a little on the pricey side, but I got us covered."

Knowing he'd be undressed didn't even faze the male Nehantite, as he usually wound up that way at the end of the night on a night out. The fact that he was wearing more than just his underwear in a club, at the moment, was something of a record for him, lately. Though this wasn't the typical club he went to.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

Gradoona was about to give Ndonsa a chummy conspiratorial elbow jab, but thought better of it. The lady Nehantite valued her personal space hoola hoop.

"It's grrreeat foor people waatchin', haa! Youu'll see!"



* * *

"Ahh..."

Gradoona sighed in relief at the comforting humidity that embraced them the moment they entered the tea house. A male Cizeri greeted them at the atrium.

"Ja irra korra'nai Rrou Grradoona and Arr Rrabeak. Ah, and a new guesst?"

The Herglic squee-whistled, gesturing to the Kufu visitor.

"Ooh this heere's uh, Rrou Nuhdaansa."

The handsome felinoid bowed deeply to the Jedi.

"Welcome to Madame Maillanaarro's Tea Housse, Rrou Nudanssa. Mjy name jiss.."

"Kiirraano, I remember!" Gradoona interjected. "Youu did thaat thing with the haat lootion and the...uh...whadja caall it?

As demure as Gradoona was brassy, Kiirraano answered "Na'aura herrii, rrou'a."

The Herglic gasped, "Thaat's it! Oooh, thaat waas amaaaziiing!"

Kiirraano bowed again, this time to a lesser degree.

"Thank jyou, rrou'a. Can jI make prreparratjionss forr jyourr rrefrresshment whjile jyou and jyourr frrjiendss change?"

"Youu betcha!" Gradoona clacked, deferring to the Nehantites.

"Youu guyss goo aan ahead. I'm gaanna goo and get ouut aaf this monkey suit tootey sweetey!"

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa followed her companions into the tea house, and looked around curiously as the Gradoona and the Cizeri spoke. She was not unfamiliar with the Cizerack and their ways, but she was not sure what to expect. The warmth of the room reminded her of Kuf.

"What do we change to?" she asked Joey quietly, her brow furrowed as the Gradoona click-clacked about monkeys.

[Joey Rabeak]

Joey could already smell the jeeta in the air. Warm, lush, intoxicating; it wouldn't be long before its effects began to kick in, and that's when his inebriated brain began to realize this might be a bad idea.

Unfortunately, that portion his mind couldn't find the correct alarm bell to rung, and he just gave a sheepish smile. "Well, here..." he said, leading the way into the changing room, half-full of naked bodies. "We change into nothing."

His tail flicked, a combination of swagger and insecurity, as the pilot approached a locker stall. "See, it's a Cizerack cultural thing," Joey began to explain as he unbuttoned his shirt. It came off to reveal a perfectly sculpted upper body which would have been at home on either a cover of a fitness magazine, or in an underwear advertisement. "You can soak in the pools, get a massage, enjoy the steam room," he carried on, "and even play with someone, if you want. And if they want, too." Down went his pants, leaving him in a pair of skimpy, painfully fashionable, and likely overpriced designer underwear. There he stopped, waiting for Ndonsa's approval to proceed any further.

And then came the alarm bell. Jeeta affected Nehantites more than most, a natural aphrodisiac with highly potent effects. Well, at least on males, swimming in the alcohol in his brain, his better judgment started to wonder if it would affect females the same way.

[Ndonsa]

“No...’standard of decorum,’” she said slowly, sounding out the words. It seemed a long time ago that Knight Loki had met her on Ossus and demanded she cover her fur.

She had followed Joey to a wall of cupboards and benches, and realized that he had paused his undressing. Ndonsa looked at the length of him, and shrugged. “In my tribe there was never shame in being unclothed. Or clothes, at all.”

Ndonsa could almost hear Knight Loki’s voice in her head, telling her to resist the urge to prove how little she knew of the greater universe, but she ignored it. She took off the restricting top and pants, but hesitated to part with her many necklaces.

She stood still for a moment, her hand on the beads and bones, lost in thought.

[Joey Rabeak]

"Heh, no, no 'standard of decorum' around here," Joey chuckled. "I mean, other than ask before jumping someone's bones, that is."

Hooking his thumbs into his waistband, he shucked off his underwear, then glanced over at Ndonsa. She'd taken to undressing with far less complaint than he'd imagined,and her explanation had made sense. A brief daydream of being able to grow up where everybody was naked filtered through his brain, colored in far naughtier shades than how things really happened in such tribes, before his eyes were taken back to Ndonsa and her necklaces.

"You probably do want to take those off for this," he said. "There's herbs and leaves and stuff in the water, as well as oils for your skin and fur, and fragrances and stuff. Probably don't want those getting permeated into your collection, there."

Not to mention Garfife-knows-how-much jizz is in that water! His mind chuckled.

"I usually get a nice soak for a bit, then get a massage," Joey attempted to keep things on track.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Alriiight, tiime foor a dip!"

Gradoona padded into the pool room, looking around momentarily for her accomplices. Where'd they go?

"Didja guys get laast?" she called back to the changing area. Shrugging she helped herself to a few fish being offered by one of the serving boys making their rounds.

[Ndonsa]

"Thank you." Ndonsa removed the necklaces after Joey's suggestion, hanging them on a hook in the cupboard.

She stretched slowly, her tail straightening as she flexed. Her fur was creased from the clothing, and she scratched her rib cage, fluffing it back up again. As Joey led the way out of the changing room, she had a thought.

"What does it mean to jump bones?"

[Joey Rabeak]

The smile which crossed Joey's smile was juvenile in the extreme, and all he had to do was nod at a couple firmly displaying the meaning of the phrase at the near edge of the grand pool.

A few smaller pools could be seen, along with alcoves for the small massage parlors tucked neatly behind beaded curtains, each with an array of shimmering stones woven along each strand to give the effect of entering through a portal made of magic and wonder.

There was gold trimming nearly everywhere, with an array of greenery all throughout. Etchings in polished wood, inlays of glittering gems, and even marble statuary could be seen beside deep-toned kingwood colonnades. The ceiling was a work of pure art as well, with beautiful carvings of Sanjarra and Nomaani, as well as the rest of the Cizerack pantheon so lovingly depicted. (Description lifted from here. (https://sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?57704-Under-Pressure&p=1072887&viewfull=1#post1072887) Credit to Christin for it!)

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa's eyes traveled across the shiny room, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. In the water a pair of Cizerack were mating vigorously, and other pairs were scattered throughout the large space. But there were groups simply talking, and others on their own enjoying a soak in the water.

Her initial sweep of the room was interrupted by the huge bulk of Gradoona tossing fish into her mouth. The spell of the tea room was broken, and Ndonsa blinked as she took in the grey alien's expanse of uninterrupted skin.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Ya waan't some?"

Gradoona reigned in her momentary selfishness, holding up a handful of three fish.

"The drinks n massaages n stuff aren't cheap, but the food's free? Guess becaause it's saalty, yaknoo, soo ya get thirsty and becaause aall the other stuff can leave ya kiiinda..."

Her rambling was cut short by a brief but vocal release from the coupling at the far end of the pool. The Herglic clacked in what sounded like a giggle.

"...peckish."

She shrugged, jerking her thumb towards one of the back alcoves covered by a curtain.

"Me? I'm abouut to go foor the massaage. Naat suure how much you guys appreciate that soort aaf thing, but ooh, a gal can get used to a life aaf lootion and oil, yaknoo?"

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa nodded, and walked to the edge of the pool. There were pieces of plants floating on the milky white water, and the smell of the room was...

She closed her eyes for a moment, smoothing down the fur on her hips, inhaling the spicy scent. "What is that?" she wondered out loud.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Well, I knoow the big thing they put in there is called jeeta, but dunnoo if thaats what youur'e smellin oor naat."

Gradoona pointed to her beak and its decided lack of a nose.

"Yaknoo, aan accouunt of naat haavin' a sniffer, eh. It's suppoosed to have aall soorts of effects aan the Ciz though."

She shrugged. "Whaatever gets yaa in the mood, huh?"

[Joey Rabeak]

"Yeah, it's jeeta, mostly. Among other things," Joey grinned. He led the way into the pool, wading down in along the steps, before ticking his head for the others to come join him along an empty section of wall.

Once there, he let the waist-high water just soak into his fur for a bit, before sinking down to a seat upon the marble bench which ran around most of the pool's perimeter, his toned arms spread along the back wall, showing off his gymrat physique without intending to. Or perhaps it was intentional, given the male's penchant for flair and tendency to showboat. "Stuff will... get you in the mood all right. Or at least it does for us Nehantites," he chuckled.

Little did he know that Gradoona had already taken another male Nehantite to the tea house - his dad.

[Ndonsa]

"In the mood," repeated Ndonsa, as she joined Joey in the warm water. "Ah. I understand."

Hal had used those words before, prior to mating. It was strange to have so many memories of him that he would never remember... and could never. He would have loved this house of tea.

A stab of grief caught her unexpectedly, and she sank down into the water near Joey's outstretched arms. A few deep breaths of heavily scented air, however, and the moment subsided. Other feelings began to stir deep inside her body, and she turned her head to look at her companions. Gradoona had not entered the pool, and Joey was looking off toward--

--toward where a pair of male Cizeracks were rubbing oil on each other. Her eyes widened slightly in partial understanding, but the surge of desire that was growing inside her body was not listening.

Ndonsa shifted on the underwater bench, turning to face Joey and placing a hand on his arm. "This place is...not like Ossus. I ..." she trailed off, at a loss for words. He was the only other Nehantite there, surely he knew this had seemed like an invitation.