Futuristic Transsolar

[InsanEleven]

Saami fiddled with the communications a bit until they stabilised again, just in time to hear the full message. "Understood Miss Etrasmus. I will proceed with caution and update you with information if it so happens to be out of place." After that he switched the communications again, back to the full team in the cavern. "To all members of the team, stand by for extraction. I will arrive shortly if everything is correct." Once that was done he fired up the ship, loosening the tethers that had kept it in place. There were still some winds, but he could handle them. Watching the monitors and outside world carefully, he flew back.

 

[Anaxial]

A moment of reflection did wonders for the mind, god knew that Marshall needed it. He held his head against the support in the cockpit of the armor, the torso open and allowing the cool air to blow over his gleaming body. He occasionally wiped sweat from his eyes and let out dissatisfied sighs repeatedly until his body and mind had cooled down enough for him to return. After the stunt he just pulled, he wouldn't be surprised if Woods just shoot him dead the moment he had the chance, have the Captain witness it and simply write it up as a self-defence incident.


The crazy mercenary just attacked us!


He wouldn't be silenced by them, he locked the arms in place and kept the torso open as he forced the legs forward with a mechanical whir. Still to be careful, he turned his communicator back on and listened in on the conversation happening back at the cave, seemed all good to him. It took several steps but eventually he returned to the face the cave. Another sharp breath left his lungs before the legs moved forward and took him towards the cave entrance with some heavy mechanical footfalls.


"Sometimes I hate the rules, especially the one that says we can't kill an entire species." He heard that, he definitely heard that. By the time he was within ear shot, everyone seemed to be stewing in what just happened and Marshall scanned over the survivors.


"There are ways around the rules." Marshall announced suddenly, he kept his eyes locked on the Captain as he took a few more steps to be better heard. "You've got some Grade A scum of the Galaxy here, a killer for hire..." He continued and stuck his arms back into the slots for the power armor. "Honestly, I don't know how much longer I can tolerate you, or how much longer we'll go before you shoot me." He said with a shrug, a very nonchalant face painted on him. The arms of the Tin-Can came alive and the torso closed shut. "If we open the tunnel a little bit more, I'll fuckin' roast the creepy crawlies. Are we really gonna stand by here and say we took our first casualties and then ran like dogs with our tails between our legs? Fuck that." He stated stomped back into the ruins. "Humanity has always proven itself very efficient at killing everything else before it kills us, even if it isn't a 'real' threat." Marshall returned to stand before the cave in and silenced himself for a moment as he took in the task of clearing the debris enough to even REMOTELY be enough to get back in that tunnel. Something told him that he knew it wouldn't work, but he didn't want abandon her. That was the strangest part.


"Fuck... I know it won't work..." He said suddenly with a heavy sigh. The Tin-Can rotated as if to look back at Adira and Woods. "Look I... I didn't mean that... uhh.. What I said. It was heat of the moment, Rea was uhh... I considered her a friend. Probably the only one I had here." He said and went silent once again.


"Next time, I'm going to do what I was hired to do."

 

[Dragongal]

Adira looked at Woods. She had wanted to list the innumerable reasons why they'd had to pull out, to yell at him, to tell him to just hit her and get it over with if it meant some silence from the merc. When he got quiet and apologized though, she found that she didn't want to yell at him. She was a woman who could understand lashing out after something crazy. "If there's anybody who knows about bending and breaking rules, it's me. I once rushed after a crewman I knew was gone. I knew we should have pulled out. We were outnumbered, outgunned, and he was already gone. I have a scar across my stomach to prove it. I'm not making that mistake again, not with the life of anyone under my command."





Once they returned to the ship, Adira went to the navigation section, looking for the little lass who'd seen the storm coming. All she knew was that she had to keep busy, keep herself distracted, the only way she knew how, checking in on her crew. At least, until she could get a drink with Woods, though deep down she knew she shouldn't drink; she fought enough already. "Miss Estramus, right? Good job on catching that storm. Probably saved our lives. There was something about you being yelled at, though? Saami informed me."

 

[BookWyrm]

Woods walked back into the team room on the ship and walked into his cage, stowing his gun before easing out of his chest rig. He checked over his body armor before disengaging it and stowing it as well. All he had on now was his undersuit. Once the cage was locked Woods turned around and braced his arms against the wall of the team room. The rest of the team was elsewhere, so he didn't feel too bad about his next action. Woods drew his right hand back and slammed it into the wall, leaving a deep indention. "Fucking A."

 

[InsanEleven]

Saami sat down and quietly ate his scheduled meal in the mess hall. Everyone seemed oddly quiet, the news about the loss of a crewmember having spread quickly. Rea had been liked, by many if he could go by all the sad faces. Yet, he didn't have the luxury to sit still and mourn, planning and calculating even while eating.


Still, he couldn't help noticing in the numbers passing him by, that there was always a little bit missing. Some weight, some food, some space. It was all her, like a web of numbers taking her figure. A ghost in the code.


When he got back to his room after dinner, he began deconstructing his gun, yet halfway in somehow looked up. What he saw was himself in the mirror, nothing special, but it had always fascinated him hadn't it? From the moment he was pulled out of that artificial womb. Slowly he stood up and looked at himself, before turning around so he could see his back.


There was something about him that he feared, more than being fascinated by. Lifting his hair out of his neck he saw the distinct, clear ink of a barcode, underlined by the numbers 042/13. When he ran his fingers over it he could feel the outline of an electric chip that could further identify him.


They were right to some extend weren't they? For all intends and purposes he was a machine, complete with serial code and electronics. Yet he couldn't stop wondering... no... dreading, if he would die, or simply break. Would those same people be sad about him, or think of it as a tool breaking? Rea... she hadn't been replaceable, that made her death hurt so much.


Not wanting to think about it anymore he just let go of his hair and returned to disassembling his gun. No questions, no emotions. It didn't do anything but make him hurt selfish anyway...

 

[Marianne]

Saundary, being the somewhat introverted optimist that she was, looked upwards in the midst of peeling an orange. It was the last slice as she tucked the delicacy between her folded pink petals, her ruby gems fixed on the woman that was supposed to be her Captain. She regarded the woman quietly before finishing the fruit with patience. Once she was finished, she stood up and met her Captain's eye level by looking up with the one inch difference settling between the two of them. "A pleasure to meet you, Captain, however, no need to worry about the yelling incident. It happened whilst you were gone, merely unimportant as of yet," a small smile kissing her face as her daunting hues, flecked in a lacy color of gold and silver, glittered delightfully. Almost mockingly if not for the cheerful, idle, child-like tone that was evident in her voice. Thus, preventing suspicion for any unnecessary reason as she coolly added, "You're also very welcome, for I was just doing my job, cap'n," with a friendly, mock salute.

 

[Dragongal]

Adira chuckled. "I try to know about any... disputes aboard my ship. helps in future planning. And I also try to give congratulations where due, whether it was just the job or not." She moved over to her chair and sat down, still looking at Saundary. The girl was difficult to read, that was for certain. Was she mocking Adira, being sarcastic, or was she being genuine? She seemed like a peppy girl, but she could have just been using that to her advantage. Didn't matter in the end anyway, after today, the girl probably hated her. "I am sorry we did not get to meet until now. On planet, paperwork was screwed up by people turning tail on us, and I've been adjusting to the new crew onboard these last few days. I wouldn;t doubt, though, that you are one of the many who hate me right now. After everything that happened on planet and all."

 

[Spazzycat101]

In her room rather than one of on-board labs, Lydia had relocated a microscope and several tools with which to sample, analyze, study the precious little bit of web she had stolen. Although she knew that a spider's web wasn't made from cells and therefore had none of the creature's DNA, but it could provide hints, hints to the arachnids' vulnerabilities... Couldn't it?


At this point, Lydia was in more of a distracted haze of work than in her usual focused determination. Even though working in her room was only slightly more inviting than using the laboratory itself, Lydia still remained there and every so often left to retrieve something or another that she only just realized she needed. After only a few hours of being on the ship, back and forth between her room and the lab, she eventually stopped and was sitting with an old-fashioned pencil and lined paper, doing what she could to sketch out the few details she could grasp about the spiders. No eyes, claw-like appendages... anything else? Colour? Of course they had a colour, but she didn't remember what... was it black or brown? Grey? Neither? Lydia began fussing over single small, useless details, leaving layer after layer of eraser lines. She had to draw it properly, though she had no idea why. That though did occur to her, and the most likely solution would be that she was trying to distract herself. Wasn't she? Probably. Why not continue drawing? Yes, why not? One more thing to keep her from thinking much about the loss of their crew member.

 

[Marianne]

Saundary's peculiar optics had softened, along with her smile, as she stared at her Captain. The crew had lost a member and every member is valuable. Lowering her hand above her breast, she said, "I may be. . . spacey, but I am positive that it's not your fault. You just have to prove to others that you aren't just a woman with a gaudy title," glancing around, Saundary watched as more and more of her peers were exiting the Navigation's room. A small laugh escaped her lips as she continued, "Prove to them that you are a woman worthy of respecting, rather than a tough boned woman who likes to have more leisure time rather than do what needs to be done," clarifying her statement, and glancing at the chronometer, Sandy took it upon her best interest to leave the room, heading to the door, and exiting with the rest of the crew. Pausing to add, "Respect is easily given to those who show they are well deserving of it, and forgiving takes patience. Anybody would take the consequences, accept the reactions, and the punishments as a trial for a better person." She left with those finishing words; the slender, cerulean haired, woman stepping out of the Navigation's room - feeling wise, and heading towards a place, that was no where in particular, with the largest windows, and the most marvelous view that pleased her person.


"Time to explore the Lullaby!" She cheered softly, her fists pumped in the air slightly as a genuinely innocent smile flickered with her honey dewed laughter.

 

[Dragongal]

Adira looked after Saundary. Odd lass. She chuckled quietly to herself; young as the girl was, she sounded like one of Adira's old Captains, back when she was a hitch-hiker/ensign. Of course Adira knew it would just take the crew some time to warm up to her, especially after this incident, and Adira just had to prove herself the only way she knew how - be herself. Heck, with her first crew, she hadn't even wanted them calling her Captain. Most of them were actually her mentors from her old ships that she'd recruited onto the Stargazer. They knew her as Adira, not Captain. At the moment, though, she wanted a distraction. Who could she check in on now...? Adira smiled slightly and went to her room.


A few minutes later, she was standing outside of Marshall's door with a small box in her hands. He even tries to sass me I'll smack him across the room. She knocked on the door, casually waiting for the response.


@Anaxial

 

[BookWyrm]

Woods had finally made it back to his room and his shower, though even after getting cleaned up he felt like shit. Most of SIAD operatives didn't care much about losing people, but when you stopped to think about it, most SIAD operatives didn't try to overcome their emotionless state. Or the other thing, Vince thought as he scratched the back of his neck. A sudden twinge caused him to stop. The pain had shot through his head, causing him to brace against the wall. He could feel it now, working it's way into his conscious. He managed to stumble over to his lock box where he kept his sedatives. When he finally felt the pain release and the source die down he lay back on his bed and groaned. "Fucking A."


Vince finally walked out, wearing a pair of black sweats and a grey tee shirt, and headed towards the lounge. He needed a drink.

 

[Marianne]

Sandy spent ten to fifteen minutes walking around the ship, mainly finding herself around the mead hall, and the Quarters, before she decided it was time for her to change. Seeing as she was one of the best, and the few, meteorologists on the ship she took it upon herself to change into something suited for 'chilling'. In the end she ended up in her chambers, changing into a white tee-shirt with a pair of sandy colored cargo pants and a pair of grey marching boots. She felt like a soldier, laughing with the strange comfort the outfit supplied, for she was very comfortable.

​

Walking out, Saundary headed towards the lounge that was just a little ways away from the Chambers Deck. Inside rested a few occupants, the lot chatting mildly to one another as Sandy spotted a man coming in at the same time as her; he was clad in sweats and a dark tee, looking every bit of stressed that the Captain displayed almost a half hour ago. Wondering if he had just returned from the mission, she watched as the male walked past her and straight into the lounge. Typically, ships ordinarily do not contain lounges, but the Lullaby was no ordinary ship. Sweeping her eyes over the occupants in the room, she decided it would be in her best interest to join the man rather than enter a solo conversation with herself as a drink assisted in the entertainment. "Excuse me?" She tapped his shoulder as she stood behind him. "May I join you?" As she asked, she gave the stranger a hopeful set of dancing rubies as she bit down on her hopeful smile. Sandy was not accustomed to the works of conversing, she normally just goes with it, but being the over thinker she was, it was inevitable. This may just be an awkward situation that would leave her flustered and embarrassed majority of the days spent away from home.

​

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince had walked into the lounge and walked straight to the bar. "Whiskey." He scratched at the back of his neck as he sighed. Next thing he knew, though, someone was tapping on his shoulder. Vince turned around, definitely not expecting to see Sandy standing behind him. He looked her over carefully, paying special attention to her strikingly red eyes. She had a strange youthfulness about her. It was....nice.


"Uh...sure. I don't mind." Vince pulled out one of the stools for her to sit on before taking the stool right next to her. "You are Sandy correct? I think I remember seeing your dossier around somewhere." Vince took a sip of his whiskey when it was finally sat down in front of him. He welcomed the all too familiar burn as the first sip slid down his throat.

 

[Anaxial]

Ever since they had returned, Marshall had been unusually reclusive, even for him. He deposited the Tin-Can in the cargo hold and installed the fill line on the flamethrower before leaving the suit by it's lonesome in the hold. In the past, he'd at least skulk in the cargo hold, try to talk to those that came in, played cards with the crew, now he remained locked in his room. A room he'd only spent one night in since their awakening.


In this room, Marshall sat in almost complete darkness, the only light was coming from his desk lamp and it shined on Keltor pistol on the desk. He drummed his fingers rapidly on the desk as he stared off into the void, clearly out of it as he chewed the nails on his free hand, and rapidly tapped his foot. His eyes darted to the pistol then to the last remaining cigar he had from Earth. He stopped chewing on his fingers and suddenly went still, a hand slapping down on the cigar and he quickly snatched up the genuine stogie. It only took a moment for him to cut the cigar and pop that sweet cancer in his mouth, matches were always better for lighting the cigar but it'd been years since he'd ever seen one and the ol' torch would do.


Taking in a deep inhale, Marshall closed his eyes and let the thick smoke out slow, reveling in that taste of his homeworld that he'd missed so dearly. It somehow reminded him of the old days, the days before he became... Marshall. He leaned back in his seat and continued tapping on the table impatiently, holding the cigar in his teeth as he grabbed the pistol off the table and began disassembling the gun, laying the parts neatly across the sheen of the desk. As the cigar burned down slowly, Marshall worked on cleaning the gun, it was an older model and utilized explosive projectiles- it tended to get gunked up pretty easily. It wasn't long before his own personal room was stained with the familiar scent of Cigar smoke, WD40, and gun grease and oil.


He assembled the gun back together and wiped the exterior, looked good as new if he did say so himself. Tilting the cigar upwards with his tongue, he examined the stogie to see he had about half of the thing left and though he hated being wasteful of the things... He knew what came next. Sliding the ashtray closer to him, he dabbed the fat cigar out and grabbed the pistol just as a knock was heard on his door. His head turned towards the door and he gazed at closed gateway, as if he didn't believe it himself that someone had knocked on his door. Setting the pistol back down on his desk, Marshall walked to his door and slid it open.


His eyebrows raised inquisitively, honestly surprised to see the Captain at his door. He was fairly certain she was the only one who hated him more than Woods. He was silent only for a second before he met her gaze and rubbed the back of his neck, a short frown on his face as he seemed almost embarrassed to be facing her.


"Hey."


@Dragongal

 

[Marianne]

Sandy's face lit up as he assisted her into joining him. Once she was clad in the seat, she glanced at his drink before asking for a glass of red wine. Once she got the order out of the way, she turned to him to engage in conversation as he asked her who she was, including that he saw her on the dossier somewhere. "Why, yes. I am Saundary Estrasmus, Sandy if you may like to call me by that name," her smile was genuine along with the small chuckle that followed suite. The moment her glass of wine was placed on an ivory cloth, she plucked it and took a small sip; the liquid slid down her throat like silk. A buzz followed soon after, but she brushed it aside with a quick swipe of her tongue above her lips as she said: "You- hm. You are," her voice trailed off as she turned to look at the male with her eyes squinted some. She began to snap her fingers as she tried to use photographic memory, and once his name came to mind she had accidentally said it too loud as she said, "Vincent!" Her cheeks immediately colored, yet she still smiled despite her embarrassment. Dialing her voice down a bit, she leaned in, but not too close whilst asking: "Am I correct, Vincent Woods?"

​

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince chuckled before taking another sip of his whiskey. After the first sip everything else was smooth. "Yes ma'am." Vince brought the glass to his lips again and downed the rest of the alcohol. "What brings you to the lounge, if you don't mind me asking? You seem a little to chipper to be drinking your woes away."

 

[Dragongal]

Adira watched every move Marshall made carefully. She could smell the WD40 and cigar smoke - but no alcohol. That was a good sign. It was true, they'd never seen quite eye - to - eye, however, she could understand where he came from a lot of the time. Her record showed it. "Hi." She glanced down at the box in her hand, then back up at him. Blunt truth would be best. "I'll be straight up honest with you, I'm not here to give an apology, and I'm not looking for one either. What happened earlier, it does weigh on me, though it may seem like it doesn't. I lie more than I care to admit. Earlier, I noticed it weighed on you too." They were more alike than she cared to admit. "Anyway.... You were close to Rea, though. I thought I ought to give you these. I have no use of them. i was thinking of giving them to you eventually, but... now seemed a good time." Adira walked off to find the lounge after she handed him the box with an Earth cigar and a new deck of cards. She called over her shoulder, "By the way, I'm partial to blackjack." She turned the corner and sighed heavily, her posture relaxing. Now, for that drink....

 

[Marianne]

Sandy looked at Vincent as if what he was saying was ridiculous before she replied. "I may be chipper, but just because I am chipper doesn't mean I can't drink." Straightening her posture, Saundary took another sip out of her glass as she continued, "I heard that we lost a member from Saami; he didn't say who," her voice dropped to a soft tone as she took another sip out of the glass. "I am drinking for that person, as their last drink. It's only appropriate and there is more than one way to mourn over another, yes?" Sighing she joked, "That. . . and I am thirsty." She laughed half-heartedly at her own joke, attempting to liven up the mood. Giving the man a once over, she flashed another smile as she wondered why he was drinking. Possibly drinking his woes away, and so she asked the question without saying much. Instead she nodded her head and implied the question through a small nudge of her hand towards the empty shot glass of whiskey; her chin on the palm of her hand as she fixed her eyes on his own afterwards.

​

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince sighed quietly as he took note of Sandy's implied question. Just thinking about the reason he was drinking made him scratch at the back of his neck. "To forget.", he said after a pause. "The crew mate was named Rea, but I've got more on my mind than just her." When the bartender came back with another whiskey Vince took it gratefully. "I wouldn't advise worrying about me though. I'm just a hired gun keeping people safe."

 

[Anaxial]

Adira watched every move Marshall made carefully. She could smell the WD40 and cigar smoke - but no alcohol. That was a good sign. It was true, they'd never seen quite eye - to - eye, however, she could understand where he came from a lot of the time. Her record showed it. "Hi." She glanced down at the box in her hand, then back up at him. Blunt truth would be best. "I'll be straight up honest with you, I'm not here looking for an apology, and I'm not asking for one either. What happened earlier, it does weigh on me, though it may seem like it doesn't. I lie more than I care to admit. Earlier, I noticed it weighed on you too." They were more alike than she cared to admit. "Anyway.... You were close to Rea, though. I thought I ought to give you these. I have no use of them. i was thinking of giving them to you eventually, but... now seemed a good time." Adira walked off to find the lounge after she handed him the box with an Earth cigar and a new deck of cards. She called over her shoulder, "By the way, I'm partial to blackjack." She turned the corner and sighed heavily, her posture relaxing. Now, for that drink....

He took the box from the dear captain and tapped on the box a few times before eventually flipping the lid. Even despite his attempt to hid his enthusiasm, a wide grin crawled across his face and a chuckle escaped his lips. By the time he'd looked up, the captain had already taken off for the lounge. The thought of warming up to the others seemed more appealing by the minute but he couldn't help but remember; he was the black sheep here.


He took his gift back into the room and grabbed the deck of cards before he closed the lid and pushed the box into the corner of the desk. Grabbing the half stogie, Marshall lit the cigar and pocketed the deck of cards. His eyes drifted to the pistol again and he shuddered, reaching out to the weapon and flipping the safety back on. Rolling the cigar from one side of his mouth to the other, Marshall let out a puff of smoke from his nose and turned away from the desk. This was his chance, he could reinvent himself like he'd planned since he accepted this Damn mission.


Ashing his cigar before he took his first steps from his room. Dressed in some old work jeans and a stained, red, plaid shirt he made his own way into the lounge.


What am I even gonna say? He thought to himself, chuckling at his own thought. He was a grown ass adult, he wasn't looking for someone to sit with a lunch. When he entered in the lounge a few moments after Adira he retrieved the cards from his pocket and took the cigar from his mouth.


"The game, folks... is Blackjack. 21. The ol' pontoon." He announced, a fiendish grin on his lips as found a chair and dragged it to a lounge table and started the process of shuffling cards.

 

[Marianne]

Rea, she thought. She sounded like she was a sweet girl. She looked down as she listened intently to Vincent's words. At the end, she asked: "Is that not a good thing?" The question slipped before she could think of a proper thought; she let the question hang there in the air. Unsure of what else to say; biting on her lip, Sandy calculated whether or not she was allowed to take this glass with her if she were to leave. Probably not, yet she traced the rim of the glass with her index finger, turning around to take a glance at the entrance in time to spot the man who had entered the lounge. Upon entering, he had said the game was 'Blackjack', a small crowd beginning to surround him as he began to deal cards at one of the tables. Sandy had never played any game involving cards except for Speed, and the one game she was interested in learning was Ombre instead of Blackjack. Exhaling softly, Sandy glanced at the entrance to the lounge and then to the half full glass in her hand. She twirled the drink absent-mindedly with a steady hand.

​

 

[Dragongal]

Adira walked into the lounge, quickly noting where Woods and Sandy sat. She walked over and took the open seat on the other side of Woods. After a moment of thought, she ordered some rum - she hated the alcohol burn, but at least that had some flavor without being watered down. When Marshall walked in and announced a game of blackjack, she chuckled. After a moment's thought, she walked over to him and quietly said, "I know what I said, but I don't think I could play at the moment. Not tonight. Another time, but... not tonight." There was just no way she would be able to focus on her cards. She had only come to the lounge to drink. She smiled a bit and nodded toward the people who had gathered for a game. "Hey, you've got some of the crew interested, though. Have a bit of fun." Adira went back to her seat next to Woods. She was having trouble with her mask of indifference ans casualness already, though it'd take a skilled eye to notice. Playing a game wouldn't help. She drank half of her rum then looked to the other two. "Good evening."

 

[InsanEleven]

Saami carefully put the sniper rifle in the shock-proof casing it came with, making sure nothing was off, and the gun was therefore even more impeccable than his appearance. Considering the range on it was a whopping four miles - when he shot it - he made very sure not a single speck of dust or misplaced fingerprint would throw the trajectory of the bullet off. There was no room for mistakes or miscalculations, not even with something as simple as putting it away, so he kept it either with him or in his room at all times.


To make sure it was failsafe, he also kept the specially issued bullets away from the gun. The surprisingly heavy package in his hand held only four, but with guns like these that was akin to four lives... or more if they managed to walk in line. So aside from holding the bullets, the pack was also rigged with an alarm chip, and kept in a special safe in the cargo hold. Some would say that those measures were perhaps a bit over the top, or at least they would have before the assassination of High Senator Stein from Xalve-II and Lower President Aghul from Isakn'dhul. Both were killed with a rifle stolen from an earlier predecessor half a decade ago. So now they took no more chances.


On his way back from the cargo hold to the bridge he passed the lounge, and as expected it was filled with a lot of people needing a night off after what happened on planet. The lounge was an odd part of the ship for him though, and as it was unfathomable for him to ever drink, smoke or gamble, it was warded with an invisible wall of protocols and prohibitions. Better said it was too human a place, and that alone segregated anything mechanical from it.


That didn't mean he couldn't look inside in passing though, just to see what was going on. It seemed like everyone on the ship had congregated inside, even the people of whom he hadn't suspected it. This, however, was just a minor distraction on the way to the bridge, and he quickly returned to his target of getting there.

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince shrugged his shoulders lightly as he looked over at Sandy. "I guess not. It seems to be the only thing I'm good at, so I might as well do it for a good cause." He noticed both Marshall and Adira walk into the lounge, though he chuckled to himself when Marshall started up the game of blackjack. When Adira seated herself in the empty seat next to him Vince turned and raised his glass in salute. "Good evening to you as well. Glad you could make it." Vince cracked his neck before downing his whiskey, turning the glass on top of itself on the cloth it sat on. He was done for a few minutes.

 

[Dragongal]

By the time Adira reached the bottom of her glass, she could already feel the buzz, but she let the bartender refill it. She'd know when to stop. Hopefully. This was one of the rare times she wasn't drinking solely out of spite or in hopes of numbing herself from her thoughts. She wanted a distraction, and perhaps some of that numbness. "I did promise to drink with you, didn't I? Honestly, I need it." She very quietly said, so only he could hear, "Don't... let me get too drunk. Ok?" Better to play it safe than sorry.