Pit Stop

[Arya Ravenwing]

"Drink up," she told her companion. "Enjoy civilization. Try not to punch anyone." Arya lofted her shot of whiskey toward him and tipped it down her throat, the liquid burning as it went down.

She looked around the bar, something called Cloud 9 she'd been at in the past if memory served, and let the noise and bustle wash over her. Being a smuggler was a profitable business these days, not that that was different than usual, but with the situation between the AoFP and the Empire it meant crossing a border was a little more involved than it used to be. Higher risks meant higher reward. And if you didn't want to work with one of the larger operations, like Black Sun or one of the emerging pirate groups, then there was a little bit more risk.

Arya stared down her dark ale, and then picked it up, determined to stop thinking about work tonight.

[Jaassuuvi Ageerrodarr]

The soft buzz in his head and the stack of empty glasses in the center of the table marked the festivities of the night. There was no occasion, just that they had lived to see another day; which was in itself a blessing. In the mind of the superstitious Cizerack he had expected Traanjirra to long ago claim his soul, but with each passing day he put that dark place further and further behind him. Weary shoulders now peaked and bobbed, the influence of alcohol raising his spirit to heights not explored in years. Not since... No. He wasn't going to let himself fall into that trap. The past was done and there was nothing he could do to change what happened. Brooding helped no one.

"But jyou know how much jI ljike punchjing people." Jaas replied to his stalwart companion as his fingers found the edges of his shot glass and raised it to his mouth, tipping it up so the amber liquour slipped passed his fangs and washed down his throat. His jaw stiffened as the alcohol hit his senses, and the glass was slapped back down on the tabletop. The liquours found out in the rest of the galaxy were very interesting and different than the ones brewed in Carshoulis. The food was also very different. Various trays of now empty bar food were stacked off to the side of the table.

A server passed by and Jaas stopped her, requesting a beer. Between the loud music and his accent it took several tries to get it across, but after several minutes of increasingly loud shouting the Rodian toddled off. As he watched the little green thing disappear his eyes scanned the room again. He was always paranoid that they might run into other Cizerack, and that somehow they would know who he was. It was silly. He was just a lowly male. None of his own species would even feign interest in him. The most he would get is a look of disgust for the company he kept.

"Betterrr drrjrink morrre, Arrrjya. jI'm catchjing up to jyou."

[Arya Ravenwing]

"I'm not falling for that one," she said. "You outweigh me by like a hundred pounds." As a Lupine she could drink more than a human woman of the same size, but a Cizerack's constitution was nothing to sneer at. Jaas would still be upright after she was laid out on the floor from alcohol poisoning. Maybe. She wasn't going to try to find out.

Arya drained her beer and ordered another, winking at an attractive male near the other end of the bar.

[Jaassuuvi Ageerrodarr]

A toothy smile was all she got in reply. Their drinks arrived and Jaas' large hand accepted the bottle that looked like a toy in the leathery mitt. A lime slice had been slipped into the neck, which he plucked free and squeezed into the bottle before raising it to his lips. Beer was a whole new galaxy to him. His mistress had only ever indulged in the finest liquors, and never beer. The journey of new discover was taking him across many beer tours. This one was Black Hole, something locally brewed here on Cloud City. It was all the rage, his server had said earlier. It was delightfully hoppy, but it lacked that dark ale taste he enjoyed so much.

While marveling as the exciting flavors dancing on his tongue, he caught Arya winking over his shoulder, and turned his head to look at the object of her minute affection. "A ljittle ssskjinnjy, eh? He'd sssnap ljike a twjig. Ssstjill, jit'sss betterrr than that Gamorrrrrrean that trrrjied to pjick jyou up lassst tjime." He joked before taking another drink from his bottle. If memory served he also got in a fight with that same Gamorrean's wingman, and had turned that little piggy's face a whole new shade of black and green before getting tossed out by a small army of bouncers.

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

It had not been Rai'faani Meorrrei's week at all.

First had been the Galactic Trade seminar that she'd been asked to attend by the government of Onderon. While not on the government herself, her position on Onderon's board of commerce meant that she acted in liason to their economic interest. She tried to get out of it, as it was clear across the galaxy in Bespin. She'd not been successful.

That led to braving new worlds of regulated travel between the Alliance and the Empire. She'd spent days finalizing her pass chit with Carshoulis Prime, having that chit processed by the ministry at Onderon, having it then sent for approval to Bothawui, which sent official notice to Coruscant, which had in turn informed Bespin of her arrival only minutes before she was supposed to board the charter on Iziz City.

The seminar itself had been unspeakably dull - a conclave of interstellar business interests across both sides of the border who were fixated on broad stroke issues concerning establishing commissions to ease barriers to free trade across political lines. Mostly, it was talk of what lines of business were clearly forbidden to be conducted in this fashion, then the matter of what matters of tariffs or quotas would be exacted on the remainder. Rai'faani did her duty of course, but it never escaped her that all of this drudgery could have been settled via HoloNet and saved her the hassle.

Still, she did find a silver lining in the trip. A visit to the exclusive OKwear boutique on Cloud City allowed her to shop on what little free time she had. Twenty thousand credits later, she had a few cutting-edge wardrobes added to her collection to bring home...except that now she couldn't get home at all.

"What do jyou mean, ssusspended?"

Waiting at the main starport on Cloud City, she blinked dumbfounded at the clerk behind the counter.

"I'm sorry ma'am. It appears your pass chit has been suspended for travel to Alliance territories."

Her ears ticked back as she glowered at the man in the powder-blue uniform of the port authority.

"jI trravelled herre forr the trrade ssemjinarr. jYou can ssee that on jyourr terrmjinal! Whjy would thejy let me trravel to the ssemjinarr and not let me trravel back? jI have to get home!"

Rai'faani's tail switched in increasing signs of anger as the clerk attempted to deescalate the situation.

"I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this, ma'am, and I am sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you. I'd be happy to file a TP-7 report to have the status of your pass chit reviewed. These things do occasionally happen, and we understand that you might feel..."

"Angrrjy? jYou'rre rrou-rrou rrjight jI am! jI'm on the commerrce burreau of Onderron, daughterr of an Alljiance Ssenatorr, and jI'm bejing grrounded becausse of a...paperrworrk anomaljy? Su'taara na'ne tieerra'ai jyou had betterr have me on a fljight home ssoon orr therre wjill be hell to pajy. jI want to know the mjinute jyou get thjiss ssorrted out orr jI wjill rrememberr jyourr name!"

The color had drained from the clerk's face, and Rai'faani's commotion had caused a scene to gather around.

"P-please. Miss Meorrrei, please allow us to cover the expense of your lodging while we look into this matter for you. We do value your patronage."

Already there were a couple of stormtroopers moving close to the scene.

"Is there a problem here?"

Collecting herself, Rai'faani snatched her pass chit back from the kiosk along with her other documents. She looked at the white-armored trooper who addressed her with a sigh and roll of her eyes.

"No."

"Move along, then, ma'am."

The trooper gestured towards the walkway leading from the tarmac. Rai'faani started to leave, feeling heat on her cheeks and ears, as the tuft of her tail puffed in the throes of her simmering anger. Pausing, she turned back to the stormtrooper.

"jIss therre a barr nearrbjy?"

"Cloud Nine. Two levels down and across the walkway."

The Cizerack businesswoman's ears relaxed slightly.

"Thank jyou." She turned to walk away once more.

"It's uh..." The Stormtrooper paused. Normally inscrutable behind their white armor, his body language somehow seemed uneasy. "...probably not the kind of establishment someone like you would want to go."

That was more helpful than usual. Her ears raised. "What do jyou mean?"

"It's a rough crowd, ma'am. Used to be a smuggler's hangout before we pacified the city."

It was advice well given. On any other day she would certainly have steered clear.

"Thank jyou."

And with that, Rai'faani left. No, as long as Cloud Nine was serving drinks, that would do just fine.

[Arya Ravenwing]

"He thought actually picking me up was a good idea," groused Arya, still angry at the memory. "Guess he won't make that mistake again."

She found a rainbow colored drink in front of her, and stirred it absently with the stick it came with, watching the layers mix and separate under her persuasion. Something caught her eye, and she looked up, her face still grumpy from the thought of noxious Gammorreans. A fashionable looking female was entering the bar, and Arya sipped her drink as she watched her pick her way through the tables.

[Jaassuuvi Ageerrodarr]

Clawed fingertips rapped on the tabletop in beat with the synthpop music that was playing throughout the bar; with it's flowing electronica and emphasis on bass it was catchy without being overbearing. It was similar to the kind of music his Mistress used to listen to; but she was hopelessly in love with the culture that existed outside of Carshoulis. The beer in his hand was growing steadily lighter, and he was about to order another so it would arrive by the time this one was finished, but he caught Arya's gaze and turned and cocked his head so he could look behind himself, and striding into the bar like a ship in full sail was a Cizerack female.

Immediately Jaas' ears, shoulders, and tail drooped. All signs of a good time evaporated like spilled water on Tatooine. Turning back around he did his very best to make his bulky frame small and insignificant. If he had a hood on his coat he would have pulled it over his head, but he did not, so instead he opted for trying to make his expressive ears as small as possible.

"Oh bojy..."

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

Her nose wrinkled at the smell of stim smoke and the conflicting aromas of no less than a dozen different species inhabiting the bar. Clicking across the floor in stiletto heels, she headed to the bar for service immediately, rather than waiting on the wait staff.

"Pai Leeha, overr jice."

The Rodian barkeep snerked at her request.

"A 'Pai-what'?"

Typical. Sighing in frustration, she leaned over the bar slightly to look at their offerings. They looked poor.

"Anjy wjine? At all?"

The Rodian reached under the counter, pulling out two nondescript cardboard cartons, with big aurrebesh letters on them denoting the cartons as RED and WHITE wine, respectively. Her ears drooped.

"Rred."

The Rodian poured her 'wine' into what looked to be a beer glass, not bothering to approximate the serving size, so he topped it to a full pint. The Cizerack woman's mouth gaped slightly.

"Two credits, lady. It's on special. Must be your lucky day."

She fished a two piece from her purse and slid it across the table.

"Eh, miss?"

The Rodian eyed his tip jar expectantly. Flicking her ears, Rai'faani retrieved another two piece and dropped it in the bucket on the bar before turning to find a place to sit. It was a packed house in Cloud Nine, so she sipped her wine gingerly to bring it down to a level that felt safe to travel (it was VILE) and passed close to a two-seater table. She waited for the occupants to vacate their chairs, when the person sitting next to her at the bar brushed against her with his...tail? Her surprise caused her incredulously large wine glass to slosh, and only by Saanjarra's grace did she avoid getting any wine on her hideously-expensive bespoke blouse. Unfortunately the tipple she wasn't able to control landed squarely on top of the man's head.

"Kosa!" she hissed, suddenly feeling useless to make right her transgression as she was still without a table and without a napkin to lend to cleanup.

[Arya Ravenwing]

Arya studied Jaas from her increasingly comfortable barstool, wondering what exactly was the matter with him. Then the female she'd noticed earlier sat next to him, wrapped up in her own little world of trust funds and entitlement no doubt, and Arya realized that she was a Cizerack. What were the odds that this was a female familiar to Jaas who would recognize him and try to send them both packing back to Kessel?

Not....nnnot high, she thought. Low even. Jaas looked really uncomfortable, though, and she gave him a friendly and or encouraging elbow to the ribs, causing him to flick out his tail and somehow end up with wine in his hair.

"Kosa!"

Arya stood up, looking stern. "Hey, watch yourself!"

[Jaassuuvi Ageerrodarr]

He knew the Cizerack woman was near. He could hear her arguing with the bartender. She passed by, he knew she was there, he could smell her. The scent filled him equally with nostalgia and dread. It took him up the mountains of fond memories of the smells of his homeworld, the spices and perfumes, the tickle of an ear on your chin, a tail wrapped around your leg; and then it dumped him into the valleys of paranoia. There was no reason to be afraid of this woman. He was literally a faceless cretin that would not even deserve her attention, much less identify him as the Arr'fai of Karrarrai Feirreo; a simple merchant until accusations of contraband and black marketeering changed everything.

Breath held, he was sure he had gotten away without notice completely until an elbow found his ribs, and while he remained as still as possible the surprising jolt caused him to fluff his tail, which connected with a very familiar sensation of another tail, which was followed by an exclamation behind him and a wet sensation on his head. Kosa indeed. Biting his tongue from mirroring the explative, he grabbed for a bar napkin and began dabbing at his forehead, just as it threatened to trickle into his eyes. Turning his head he looked up at the female Cizerack, and then averted his eyes immediately.

"Corr'rreesasso'rroussee'ssiborri'meerror'. Mjy apologjiesss." The words came out better structured than the mumble he intended; an entire childhood of strict training rushing to the forefront of his brain. Once again he was an awkward and gangly teenager, being smacked when he spoke out of line or replied incorrectly. You could take the Cizerack from Carshoulis, but you could not take the Carshoulis out of the Cizerack.

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

A look of surprise crossed her face at the unlikely couple. One glance at the male's averted gaze let her know exactly to whom she should be talking.

"jYourr korrtirr hass an adventurrouss tajil. jI wass sstarrtled."

Seeing that the act of cleaning the mess had been attended, she reached into her purse.

"Let me bujy jyou a drrjink forr jyourr trrouble, Mjisss?"

[Arya Ravenwing]

"My what?" Arya looked confused, and then she slapped Jaas in the shoulder with the back of her hand to try to get him to stop bowing and scraping or whatever the hell it was he was doing. "My friend would probably appreciate a drink as long as it was in a glass."

She stared at Jaas, expecting a witty reply of some kind, but he seemed intent on studying his boots while half heartedly mopping up the wine in his hair. Arya turned back to the Cizerack woman, and just rolled her eyes and scooped up her drink, having a big slurp. The multicolored concoction was terrible, and she couldn't remember ordering it. Had someone else bought it for her?

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

"jYourr..."

Her eyes looked back down to the male, and widened a little.

"Oh. Oh."

Ears flicking in awkwardness, she looked back up at Arya with a strange expression...suddenly remembering she was supposed to be making this right. She reached into her purse for another two piece.

"A drrjink forr jyourr frrjiend."

He still wouldn't look at her. With a coy grin she placed the chit in front of the Cizerack male, looking back up at Arya.

"jI don't rreccomend the wjine."

[Jaassuuvi Ageerrodarr]

His ears fluttered when the woman referred to him as Arya's slave. While he did feel indebted to the woman for giving him a place on her ship and a job that produced mostly reliable credits, he would never think of himself as her property. It was obvious by Arya's response that she did see Jaas' as a friend, and he found the proclamation emboldening. Along with the slap on his meaty shoulder he fell into deeper conflict between obeying the rules of social or racial law. On one hand he was through being trodden on by people, but on the other he did not dare draw the ire of a Cizerack Female, even so far from Carshoulis. Especially one as wealthy and influential as this one appeared. You could judge the power of a Cizerack by the vanity in her appearance.

"Sshe jiss mjy... Captajin." He replied at last, trying to find the right basic term to identify exactly what Arya was to him. Partner would probably be more accurate, but that had all manner of sexual misunderstandings just waiting in the wings. He finally finished moping his hair and tossed the napkin, neatly folded in half, back on the bartop. His hair was mostly dry, but discolored by the wine. He could smell it about himself, and even through scent he could have told you it was not good wine. "Once jyou have Paji Leeha nothjing elsse comparress." This continuation was followed by the rising of his gaze to meet her's. She did have the most striking blue eyes.

[Arya Ravenwing]

Arya studied the pair of them, wondering if Jaas was going to make a run for it or if she should be worried about this expensive looking woman trying to clamp a collar around his neck, when her bladder made a decision for her. "Yep, he's part of my crew, so don't even think about running off with him, sorry, excuse me," she awkwardly squeezed between the two Cizerack nearly upsetting the female's wine again. "I'll be right back Jaas," she called over her shoulder, her tongue feeling thick and the rainbow drink settling strangely in her stomach.

In fact, everything was becoming a little...rainbowy. Arya stumbled to the refreshers, selecting the one for females, hopefully, and trying to lock herself into a stall. Her hand seemed detached from her body, but she made it, and managed to empty her bladder successfully while she stared at the patterns in the tile between her boots. Somethin...ss nod right. She narrowed her eyes and finished up, leaning awkwardly against the stall as she pulled up her pants. She hadn't drunk that much. Dranked. Drink-ed? Her Lupine fiss-fizzology should have something. Something something.

Arya giggled to herself, pushed her way out of the refresher and past a few dolled up ladies who frowned at her when she stumbled heavily against the wall, and then she fell on the ground, very much out of sight from the bar. Druggeds, she thought. Definitely drugg-ed.

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

He knew his wine, at least. That likely ruled him out of being one of those bumpkins from Fey'dann. Certainly didn't look like he came from society, though. His edges were well-worn. Not in a displeasing manner - the distressed look suited him strangely enough. Still, something he said off-handedly had caught her attention. Her ears stood up and she clamped a hand over his.

"jYou ssajid Captajin?! Of a sstarrsshjip?"

Goddess, maybe her fortune wasn't so rotten after all. Her wine forgotten, she faced him fully on her barstool.

"Leavjing anjy tjime ssoon?"

[Jaassuuvi Ageerrodarr]

As Arya departed Jaas gave her that left behind child look that said; no, please don't leave me! In a moment she was gone, lost to the bustling crowd. A coaster was dusted off and set on top of Arya's drink, a universally accepted sign that the owner was coming back. The last time someone took Arya's seat the heated argument had threatened to melt the handles right off the beer taps. Adjusted his position, Jaas turned in his seat to better face the female Cizerack, who surprised him by grabbing him by the hand, in what he then expected to follow with a declaration of his crime and, possibly, personal rights. His eyes studied the hand for a moment, unsure of what was happening. There was a saying he heard a few times outside of Carsoulis; soft as a Cizerack's paw. My she had soft hands.

"We onljy jusst made dock jyessterrdajy, and we'rre not plannjing on leavjing jusst jyet. Maybe in a few days when we run out of credits." Came his reply, trying his very hardest to not divulge any sensitive information. The last thing the populace of Cloud 9 needed to know was the pair of them were smugglers primarily, and odd job workers secondly; and rarely. "jYou look farr too well drressssed forr thjiss place, mjissss...?"

Maybe pushing his luck was not the best idea, but the alcohol told him to do it.

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

"Meorrrei."

Her smile faded somewhat as she withdrew her hand. Damn. Too good to be true after all. Her eyes glanced to Jaassuuvi's neckline, noticing the roguish male's own dress code, in a way.

"And do jyou have a name, arr-ssorr?"

She wasn't going anywhere any time soon, so there wasn't any harm in humoring the scandalous male.

[Arya Ravenwing]

Nope, no, naawp. Arya braced her arms underneath herself, her brain too fuzzy to curse at herself for ...for something. She shoved herself up, then fell immediately into a table. A cloaked figure loomed over her as bar patrons swore and yelled, and she found a supporting arm underneath her as someone made excuses for her behavior.

"Nah," Arya slurred, her feet dragging as she was pulled through the bar along one of the walls toward the door.

[Jaassuuvi Ageerrodarr]

A reply was poised on his lips when a ruckus towards the back of the bar caught his attention. The sound of a table falling over amid a chorus of breaking glass. With ears fluttering he sat up straighter on his barstool, straining to see over the heads of the bar patrons to see just what that crash was. Paranoid delusions roared to life. In his imagination he saw stormtroopers storming in, knocking over tables and patrons to get to him and Arya. Speaking of which, where was that woman?

In the end he was forced to get off the stool and use his height to see across the bar, and despite the flashing lights and moving bodies, he was able to catch a group of people standing around, looking flustered, and just past them was Arya, who was stumbling around with the aid of a man Jaas did not recognize. The sight put his ears on edge, and even before he starting pushing and shoving his way through those unlucky enough to be between him and Arya, he was already apologizing to the Cizerack woman while wrapping his tail around his leg to keep it out of the way. Most saw the lumbering Cizerack and got out of his way. Those who did not got pushed aside. One Rodian even stepped into his way, like he was cashing in on a bet from his buddies, and was promptly slugged in his little green face and his crumpled body stepped over.

When he reached the spot he last saw Arya, evident by the broken glass on the floor a service droid was sweeping up, his partner was no longer there. Glancing toward the door he caught a glimpse of her jacket between bodies, and charged after. Employing his hands like a snowplow he surged through the bodies and reached the door just as Arya did. The humanoid dragging her along turned and saw him, and dropped Arya and tried to make a run for it, but the long legged Cizerack was on top of him in a moment, grabbing him by the very cloak he was hiding underneath and yanking him back into an headlock from hell.

"jYou alrrjight Arrjya?" He called over his shoulder to his partner on the floor, even as a flex of his bicep cut off the shady figure's oxygen supply.