Erinyes

[Q. Samus Dage]

He rolled his eyes at that, giving a light groan that was cut off by another sip from his drink.

"You didn't have to go through school with it," his free hand came up to rest on the counter, putting a small bit of weight on it as his head angled down.

"Mom and Dad thought it was distinguished sounding; they'd heard it on some old holo program that used to be popular ages ago. I guess they figured once I got older, it'd help my chances at a good job or something."

A memory, and he let out a chuckle.

"Poor Kori had it worse; his parents named him after a fish."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Thankfully T'yeellaa dispensed with her mouthful of wine just prior to a snort of laughter.

"A fjissh? Werre thejy mad?"

There was a story to that, no doubt, and T'yeellaa could at least commiserate with Quentin on the struggle of living under a distinguished name.

"Well, at leasst jI can underrsstand havjing to carrrjy a heavjy name on jyourr sshoulderrss. Ourr parrentss rresserrve the rrjight to hold uss hosstage bjy them, jI thjink."

[Q. Samus Dage]

"Either that, or they've got a funny sense of humor."

A finger tapped the counter. Somewhat keen to move on from the woes of parental naming choices, Dage changed the subject to something that was a bit more grounded in the here and now of animal rescue.

"So, about this delivery. What am I buying you for dinner?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Whateverr doessn't gjive me jindjigesstjion orr jyou morral crrjissjiss, jI guesss."

Shrugging, T'yeellaa took a few quick strides to her desk and tapped up a holographic interface for deliverable services. She swiped her hand through the air a few times, moving some obvious non-starters off consideration. Tia'haako was obviously out. Something Ithorian with a vegetarian and vegan menu was vetoed by the K'ohta'rrou in short order.

"We could alwajyss orrderr frrom Djiktat'ss Rroosst agajin. jI djidn't hate jit."

[Q. Samus Dage]

He shook his head, moving to follow after her.

"Naw, no sense in doing that again. Should try something new that neither of us has had... "

Standing just behind her, the blonde leaned down, one arm snaking over her shoulder to rest across her chest. He stared at the list she'd brought up.

"There, what about that?" his off hand gestured to one of the many names. "A Bothan steakhouse. Sounds good, at least."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"The onljy rresstaurrant jyou mjight get jintentjionalljy pojissoned at."

Grim humor aside, T'yeellaa wasn't dismissive of it. The pictures, true to the restaurant's namesake featured generous selections of meat and a minimal amount of fuss - minus the usual tendency to drag it over a fire or whatever it was that aliens usually fancied. A cutaway shot of one steak looked almost sanguine.

The price however caused T'yeellaa's eyes to boggle.

"Kosa, jiss that forr the whole bantha?"

Samus had already offered to cover the tab, but she wasn't about to let him fall on his sword over the bill.

"We sspljit the bjill."

[Q. Samus Dage]

"Well, they'll bring us nerf, bantha, fancy nuna, shaak, even dewback cuts."

That last one wasn't what he was expecting, but Dage was not one to balk at different food.

"I'd expect the price to be on the high side. It's no hardship for me, but if you're dead set on splitting, I won't say no."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Unlesss an Alljiance Commanderr makess that much morre than a Prrjide K'ohtarrou, jI know jyou'rre ljyjing. We chjip jin even."

It was stupid and chivalrous and...exactly what she would have offered if the shoe was on the other foot. T'yeellaa was still getting used to dancing where both partners wanted to lead. She kissed him on the cheek and stood up.

"Okajy, call jit jin. Mentjion mjy name on the orrderr."

Heading back to the kitchenette, T'yeellaa again drifted back to the datapad as if by gravity. She hefted it and scanned a few items, quaffing wine absently as she began to tinker.

[Q. Samus Dage]

Making the actual call was the easy part; placing the order was a bit more difficult as everything on the menu looked so much better than any fancy sort of food he'd ever had. In the end, Dage opted for the full spread; Garlic roasted bantha filets, butter and herp crusted shaak tenderloin, nerf fatcap, a smattering of spit roasted nuna legs, fire grilled dewback cutlets, and a smattering of other meats. Each he was mindful to request as rare, and after a half-hearted few choices of small salad bar items (because honestly; who gets rabbit food from a steakhouse?), he finished the order with a request for two bottles of a Rodian red that he was assured would go best with the veritable feast he'd requested. As she'd asked, he mentioned T'yeellaa's name, and a moment later he was given the total cost. It wasn't astronomical, but it wasn't cheap either, and sending a quick look to his significant other, the blonde turned back quickly, his voice dropping to a hushed whisper before a word of thanks. A moment later, the comm was silenced.

"All done, Kitten."

He grinned disarmingly as he moved to join her in the kitchenette.

"And I made sure to let them know to leave everything as rare as possible," propping himself up on the counter, he leaned forward in a show of purposeful nosiness, angling his head to catch a glimpse of whatever it was she was reading.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"That'ss njice..."

She droned, obviously distracted by the datapad as she scanned through the dozen or so messages a Mrs. Taianarroa had sent to Corban. Innocent queries becoming more detailed and insistent, trying to strong-arm him onto her timetable. The cheek of this woman! T'yeellaa's face began to set again into a scowl as she considered her options. The location stamp suggested the time was currently business hours on Cana'daari, but T'yeellaa would be damned if she was going to let her have it so conveniently. Besides, she was busy with...

"Hejy!"

She pulled away from Dage as he obnoxiously made a show of snooping, and pushed her tail tuft in his face as she got the message he was truly intending to send. She locked the screen and put the pad away. No more distractions. She wouldn't give Mrs. Taianarroa the satisfaction of knowing she'd been inconvenienced.

"Djid thejy jinclude a djisscount?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

"They did."

He smiled, teasingly pulling at a few hairs from her tail tuft. Certainly not hard, but enough to be a nuisance.

"Now. To go with our dinner, what sort of delightfully bad holo did you have in mind?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Well that was an (expected) bit of good news. One pragmatic vendor started issuing discounts to military service personnel within a week of setting up shop. Almost instantly, the entire of the concourse seemed to have fallen in line, and T'yeellaa was happy to have such a perk in her favor. One of the boons of all the forrda on the station, as that sort of preferential treatment was about as foreign as anything back home.

Samus continued to tease at her tail, and T'yeellaa glanced at him testily, almost as a question of if he wanted to continue that course of action. Her hand found his thigh, and she lazily let her claws stretch out, tapping against the thin material of his slacks.

"Everr watch much Taa'riwood?"

The name was a forrda mashup to describe the home-grown Cizeri holo industry, and T'yeellaa never understood what taa'ri (fermented fish roe) had to do with it, but the term became so prevalent galaxy-wide that even Cizerack audiences picked up the name and ran with it.

[Q. Samus Dage]

"Can't say as I have."

Which was the honest truth. While he did enjoy a holo whenever the chance arose to actually watch one, his time was more often than not taken up by other tasks and hobbies. And on those nights when he did find time to put something in the player, he was usually sound asleep within the first ten minutes.

Releasing her tail, the blonde squared his shoulders back as he looked down at her claws. Slowly, his eyes tracked back up to meet her own.

And quick as a whipsnake he reached out, wrapping one arm beneath her shoulders while dipping down with the other to swoop in behind her knees in a swift motion that brought her up into his arms. Not to mention it had the benefit of removing her clawtips from their previous position.

"I may not mind letting you foot half the bill," he stepped from the kitchenette and back into the more spacious living area, carrying her easily enough. The tone in his voice held a very obvious playful bit of gravel.

"... but I'll also not think twice about adding a new uniform to your half if you go putting holes in mine."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Dage's sudden swoop elicited a short mirthful laugh from the Cizerack, who was impressed with how assuredly he'd scooped her up. With a trill in her throat, T'yeella played the part, lazily running extended claws over the material of Samus' coat, just shy of enough to nit the fabric.

"Forrtunateljy forr uss, gai'tou, mjy frrugal habjitss allow me to afforrd occassjional bad behavjiorr."

She smiled, showing some teeth as her tail wandered. It was a big game. Neither of them would want Samus to make the long walk in the morning wearing a bath robe on account of his regulation gear being ribbons.

Noticing he'd let her drift a little from the counter, T'yeellaa reached for her wine glass precariously, eventually returning it to her attention.

"Computerr..."

The three note tone overhead indicative of the Imperial logic system interface sounded in punctuation.

"Load holoprrojectorr. Si'entaa Ree Forrce, Thunderr Poljice Thrree."

The computer took a second of active processing time, then chimed in reply.

Load complete. You may view when ready.

[Q. Samus Dage]

An hour later found Samus nestled comfortably on the sofa, an array of meats layed out on the caf table in various states of having been picked over. T'yeellaa seemed happy enough to burrow up against him, and he'd obliged more than happily with a protective arm around her. The sounds of Thunder Police Three punctuated the air around them with blaster fire, shrieks of pain from whatever criminal was being shot up at the time, and harsh words spoken back and forth between good guy and bad guys alike.

Of course, it was all noise. Barely registering in his brain. His comfortable position had done its' work, and Dage's head had, fifteen minutes previous, fallen back as the meal and the movie both worked to lull him into slumber.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The expensive Bothan repast had definitely hit the mark, and T'yeellaa happily upgraded her woeful wine for the one the restaurant sent along which definitely complemented things. By the time the explosions, woeful dialogue, and ridiculously choreographed song and dance sessions that peppered the action were underway, T'yeellaa was under half-lidded torpor. She purred against Samus' lanky form, warm and comfortable in his embrace.

But even now, she couldn't fully commit. Couldn't simply drop everything and enjoy it, or do as Dage did and let sleep take her. Idle space in her mind let work frustrations creep in, and T'yeellaa was back to thinking about dealing with the threat of Cizerack audits, and her sated purr came to an end. Confronting the fact that she was still thinking about it made her annoyed, and she wished she could just let go like Samus did.

Redoubling her efforts, she lay against her human paramour and wondered about the prudence of a third glass of wine.

[Q. Samus Dage]

It was as a particularly load explosion sounded from the holo that he jerked awake. A sharp intake of breath as he surged forward, very nearly dumping T'yeellaa over in the process. Blinking furiously, Dage lifted a hand up to rub at his eyes as he let out a light groan. As an afterthought, he gave a sideways look to her while carefully pulling his arm up and away so that he could wipe both hands down the length of his face in the hopes of wiping away the ghostly remnants of old memories.

"Sorry, Kitten."

A rueful chuckle despite the low rasp of his voice, and in an effort to pull himself back to the here and now, he reached out to take up his own glass of wine and finishing what was left.

"Maybe something with explosions isn't the best thing to fall asleep to."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Well now she was awake. T'yeellaa stood up as reflexes kicked in from Samus' heavy stirring. Her sudden uprightness elicited a need for a stretch, which no Cizerack ever did in halves. The motion rolled from her shoulders down to arching back, taut legs and buoyed tail in one building release.

"Well afterr that much meat and wjine we prrobabljy could ssleep thrrough a rreal explossjion."

It wasn't as if they'd planned big for the night. It was a tour de force of low key cohabitation. T'yeellaa switched off the holo.

"Do jyou want to go to bed?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

He thought about that, and slowly pushed up to his feet while in the same motion taking up his now empty glass.

"Perhaps," he sidled in close, his off hand half-cupping her jawline as he leaned in to deliver a gentle kiss to her temple, "... but I think I can stay awake for one more glass of wine."

His hand slid across her shoulder and down the length of her upper arm as he slid past her and headed for the kitchenette.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Her ears buoyed at the resumption of playfulness, and T'yeella watched him top off.

"Well that'ss all jyou. One of uss sstjill hass to worrk jin the morrnjing." she winked.

Just then, the wall comm pinged, causing the felinoid's ears to flick. She checked the chrono. It was late, but not criminally so. It wasn't an internal band, which meant it was a comm from outside Jovan. Curiosity skewed her ears, and T'yeellaa padded over to the terminal to engage the hologram, but not before a brief bit of preening to ensure she was presentable.