A Fist full of Drink (Vrag)

[Blair]

The gang known as the Star Striders were currently celebrating on the planet of Makeb, in small but high quality bar. Only seven of the twelve members were present, including their leader, but even with that amount all of them were apprasing themselves and cheering like men who'd just inherited half a fortune. And in a manner of speaking they had.

The Striders, who worked as an extension of the Red Ravens now, were tasked with protecting a valuabke shipment of metals to be provided by the Ravens to their partners the One Sith. They'd hit a few bumps with attacks from radiers and freedom fighters, but they were dealt with easily thanks to the Striders being present. The windfall from the job was more than they'd ever brought in before, meaning they had to celebrate such a victorious intake.

The group consisted of a chiss, two human men, an aquilish, a zebrak, and two twi'leks. A mutlicultural crew to be sure, and there were still the others who had decided to stay behind at the parked DM Mantis ship at the port. Even though they were all different, some not even speaking basic, they all treated each other as a true team would. They praised each other and joked with each other. It was grand.

But their leader, Deborah Waller, sat alone at a different section of the bar. She always did, no matter what the situation. She prefered it. She wasn't too much of the celebrating type but wouldn't deny her men the chance. She perfered to "fish" as she put it for the local tail of the place. Men, woman. Didn't matter. Only thing was they had to be cute and they had to be what she was in the mood for.

Though given the injured look she had it may have been a turn-off. Around her waist, which was mostly covered by the long-sleeved jacker she wore, were medical bandages. She had a small cut on her lip and seemed to be supporting her left arm oddly. It had only just started to recover after taking a hit to the funny-bone. It had been two weeks since the fight she had with the sith who did this to her, something she was still sore both physically and mentally about.

The thought of it made her guzzle her drink down harder before asking for a double, her owns means of easing the pain.

[member="Vrag"]

 

[Vrag]

"A double?"

The remark came from [member="Deborah Waller"]'s left, delivered with just the right amount of derision to attract the woman's attention. To the ignorant observer, the exchange would seem like any other in the bar, but the participants knew better. Especially Vrag. The Sith in question smirked as she took the seat next to the human's, ordering a stiff drink herself before turning to her unwilling conversation partner again.

"I see you're healing nicely," the firrerreo jibed mercilessly; an unwise decision, perhaps, given their history, but she couldn't bring herself to stop. The opportunity was too good to pass up, and after the day she'd had, Vrag needed something to cheer her up. True to the order she belonged to, she chose to resort to malice as a means of entertainment. Normally, she wasn't cruel without cause, but having to babysit a shipment of metal delivered by some glorified pirates had significantly darkened her mood. The Knight was a woman of action, and sitting idly on a freighter while others had a blast shooting fighters out of the sky wasn't her idea of fun.

Poking at recently trashed opponents, however, certainly was. "I didn't break anything, I hope," the Sith said over the edge of her glass, then downed the shot in one, relishing the burn it left in its way down her throat.

 

[Blair]

Hearing the voice first Deborah tensed. When she looked over to see [member="Vrag"] who's tone only served to annoy Deb further, she tensed even more. She still had her guns strapped to her body holster, currently hidden thanks to her jacket, but didn't want to make a scene. Not unless it was nessecary. By the time her double had arrived Deb had heard the Sith give her little quips about her healing and how she'd "hoped" she didn't break anything.

After a moment Deborah turned back to the counter, seeing her drink, before saying "Few bruises and a fracture. Still, could've been worse I guess. Could've ended up looking like you in the end." before taking a long deep sip to let the burning alcohol make it's way to her gut.

 

[Vrag]

"Oh," the Sith drew out the word, mimicking a hurt tone as she placed an armored hand to her chest. "The cat has claws after all," Vrag dropped her transparent pretense almost immediately and ordered another drink.

"In all seriousness, though," the woman said after a few minutes of silence — well, as silent as it got in an underworld joint, that is — and turned her gaze to the mercenary again. "The clothes don't make the woman, darling," she added wisely, tipping her newly filled glass to [member="Deborah Waller"] before pouring its contents down her gullet. "Besides, you're one to judge," she chuckled with a low voice, shaking her head. "How'd you lose the arm?" Vrag asked before she could stop herself, but glad that the nagging question had finally spilled from her limbs.

 

[Blair]

Hearing her comments Deboah huffed, obviously not convinced on any arguments she made. Not that she was interested in listening to her anyway. Still, not as if she could throw her out. She tried figuring if her men had seen [member="Vrag"] or not, clearly too wrapped up in thier celebrating to notice. However Deborah did give the sith a mean eye when she commented about her looks.

"Says the girl who looks like she should be in some themed resturant." After that she shipped more of her drink before she'd asked about the arm, to which Deborah seemed more tensed about before saying "What do you want? You hear just to rub your little victory in my face or what?" Obviously the arm issue being a thing for her.

 

[Vrag]

The Sith resisted the urge to roll her eyes and turned on the barstool to fully face the mercenary. [member="Deborah Waller"] obviously carried a chip on her shoulder, but Vrag hadn't yet drunk quite enough to continue pushing the subject. She filed the discovery for use at a later date and opted to respond instead.

"Trust me, lady, you're the last thing on my to-do list," Vrag chuckled easily and leaned on the counter, propping up her head with her fist. "Despite what you may think, I'd rather be halfway around the Galaxy right now, believe me." She shrugged her relaxed shoulder and continued, "Alas, we... acquired a shipment recently, and I was the lucky Sith that got elected to guard it while it was in transit. A honor, supposedly," the firrerreo snorted and motioned to the bartender for another refill.

 

[Blair]

It was clear that there was still tnesion between the two. The large wookiee bar tender had started to notice while other were busying themselves with other customers. He didn't say anything now but obviously kept his eye on the two as they talked.

Deborah, hearing [member="Vrag"] explain about the shipment, looked and said "So that was you then? I was wondering what Sith were overlooking this whole shipment. Guess by the sounds of it, they made you into an errand girl." A coy smirk when over her face before sipping down more of her drink, hoping that the right buttons would be pushed.

 

[Vrag]

But the Sith merely smiled, her expression almost ridiculously serene; it was this particular facet of the woman that had made many a Sabacc player green with envy in the past, and Vrag could hardly begrudge them. The game, after all, was in most part won by the player's ability to keep a straight face, and Vrag most certainly excelled at that. If [member="Deborah Waller"] had been hoping to get a raise out of her, she would be severely disappointed.

"Quite," the woman replied, her voice remarkably level. "I take it you are one of those overpaid bandits, then," she said before downing her fourth shot. The firrerreo usually stopped drinking somewhere at this point, but she had something to prove tonight, and damned if she would back down.

"A pleasure meeting you. Vrag," she offered her armored hand to the woman despite knowing full-well that the mercenary's left arm was still injured. How unfortunate, truly.

 

[Blair]

Overpaid was hardley the word. It was the same reason her men were currently on their fifth round of ale and debating about the tab and who'd pay what. Apparently that was something [member="Vrag"] didn't like. All the more reason for Deb to try and push it in her face if given the chance. She looked down when she offered her hand, knowing it was some attempt at reminding her of her arm, which was still a little busted from their fight. She could move if it she wanted but the strain would obviously be the kicker. But Deb didn't give het the satisifaction.

"Deborah..." she responded before sipping down her drink and ordering another. "So you and your sith buddies have a lot of need for friends I take it? Why else would you call on guys like us to make sure your shipments made it in one peice."

 

[Vrag]

Her blue eyes flickered from her proffered hand to [member="Deborah Waller"]'s face, then back again. Oh, well. So much for propriety, with that particular pleasantry done away with, Vrag relaxed back into her chair. At least she had the 'rude' defense to work with if this devolved into a fight. Again. She smothered her snicker with a long sip from her glass, setting it down again only after it was empty once more. She cracked her neck and slid the dram across the counter.

"Maybe because we have better things to do?" she said offhandedly and shrugged again. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately, in retrospective. Maybe she should inform herself a bit more about the goings-on. It could wait until tomorrow, though, Vrag decided, and continued. "It's legwork, honey, and the Sith are beneath that," the woman snorted at that, but it wasn't directed at the mercenary so much as at the statement itself. "You see, most of them are power-drunk jerks with a raging hard-on for their beloved 'superiority'," the firrerreo made air quotations with her fingers and accompanied the gesture with a massive eyeroll.

 

[Blair]

Hearing out her explanation of how it was "legwork" because the sith were basically above it made Deborah roll her eyes. Of course the sith thought they were above everyone. Power was a thing with them. In fact part of the reason the Ravens likely joined was due to the fact they had the power the criminal organization needed. Sharing power, as long as it wasn't direclty their own, was something rlse the sith weren't too keen on unless it just served their own needs.

However after hearing what [member="Vrag"] describe the sith in such a negative way Deborah culdn't help but ask "And what does that make you exaclty? I thought you were part of those power-drunk, supriority jerks."

 

[Vrag]

Vrag laughed, a low, slightly hoarse sound that seemed almost out of place with the woman. In her defense, she'd drunk quite a lot by then. A genuine smile blossomed on her face at [member="Deborah Waller"]'s remark, and she decided to celebrate the occasion with another drink. Nothing beats 'plastered and passed out on a pisshole planet', the Sith smirked inwardly and promptly emptied the glass.

"It makes me an endangered species," she countered the mercenary and leaned forward in her chair. "You know, I used to be a struggling low-life like you," the alcohol had loosened her tongue, and words came liberally before she could stop herself. "But then I took a blaster shot to the kn— " at that point, Vrag couldn't hold back anymore and burst out laughing, a fit that passed as quickly as it came. "Seriously, though. It's a crappy life to lead, so I traded up some of the freedom for dental insurance and cookies."

 

[Blair]

The heck now? Deborah was a little suprised that the drinks had managed to hit her that fast. And she'd only had a few. She couldn't help but oerk a smile at the way she was acting, bursting into laughter before mentioning that she'd taken a shot somewhere. From the sound of it she was about to say the knee, making Deborah realize how much pain that would be. It was a very vulnerable spot, and taking such damage there would cripple anyone if enough force was added. Whatever happened [member="Vrag"] was lucky she was able to move as she did.

After hearing her out Deborah, turning to face her a little better now, had shurgged and said "I guess whatever makes you happy, right?"

At this point the Striders had noticed Varg's presence; not that anyone could miss given how loud she was. They looked ready to move in on her but Deborah, seeing them, gestured not to do anything. Making sure Vrag didn't see, in the hope of her not getting the wrong idea, she indicated for them to sit and wait. If she needed them she'd say so.

 

[Vrag]

"Oh, don't tell me you believed that," the Sith chuckled at the expression that flickered across [member="Deborah Waller"]'s face. "It used to be a running gag for when criminals took up a different line of work," she elaborated on her little joke and wiggled her leg for emphasis. "Knee-shots are bastards for sure, though," she nodded wisely, recalling one particular duel with another Sith back when she was still an Acolyte. Nasty business. Hurt like hell, too.

"Are you saying you like chasing after two-bit merchants for small profit?" Vrag asked incredulously, oblivious of the mercenary's little exchange with the rest of her crew. And even if she had noticed, the woman couldn't had cared less; they were probably far more wasted than she was, and lacked the fast metabolism the firrerreo possessed. The perks of a high regeneration factor were many, but one in particular shone through when Vrag decided to go on a bender. No hangovers. Ever. With that thought in mind the Sith gleefully ordered another drink and settled more comfortably in her chair. It was shaping up to be a half-decent night, after all.

 

[Blair]

When [member="Vrag"] had brought up talk about Deb's business being a bad one she rolled her eyes again, since the sith was just like any others who'd trued to say the life of mercenary work was bad. She'd heard enough talks about that before, but the truth of it was that Deborah knew where most of those same people's issues lied with them. Still she kept it to herself, wondering if the Sith had the same dumb argument to make as others, before mentioning her knee. Deborah nodded, understanding what that was like. She'd never taken a shot to the knee but both her military trainers and those she'd been partners with when she was just another regular member of the Striders had told of how it was an effective shot to make when wounding an enemy.

When she asked about her job life Deborah answered "Not going to lie and say it's honest, but profit is profit. And the one main thing you need in this galaxy is profit. We're just the types who now aren't as freelance as others. Means people don't have to worry about where out loyalties are. You ask us for a job and have the right amunt waiting for us, we get it done. You try screwing us over, not only do you lose whatever you were trying to make but we make it clear never to anyone else that you're dirty. Some of us mercs still look out for each other, ust like my men do for each other."

 

[Vrag]

"No job in this sorry Galaxy is truly honest, anyway," said Vrag with some bitterness bleeding into her tone. She'd tired her hand in numerous endeavors before joining the Sith, but she'd found that none but what 'honest' people like to call scum were brave enough to admit to themselves what they really were. It was a lesson that she had been forced to learn a long time ago, and accepting it as truth turned her into a pessimist in the eyes of many.

"You don't really function much different then us, then," the Sith smiled and set another empty glass on the counter. "Except that you pay better, I guess," a small smile pulled at the edges of her lips at that, but the firrerreo didn't mind. Mercenary life wasn't completely alien to her, but she preferred known dangers that lurked within the Sith than the ever varying perils of foreign associates.

[member="Deborah Waller"]

 

[Blair]

"Hey your preaching to the choir here, okay?" Deborah began in defense of the sith's tone. "You think I got this far by fully trusting people? I used to be that naive because my parents used to think everyone was good deep down. Turth is.....they were the only ones who were. Maybe the Jedi, but they have their own heads up thier asses and while kissing the politcal feet of the senators and the like. But I tried to be like that. I tried to see the good in people and ut my trust in them." She turned, rolling up her sleeve to show of her robotic arm again, before finishing with "That's how I got this."

After that she turned back to her drink and gulped the last bit of it down, shaking her head a bit as it made it's way all the way down. She eemed bitter at first, obviously the fact the arm was inadvertaidly brought up again being an issue for her, before hearing [member="Vrag"] give her little comment. For a minute it looked as though it didn't effect Deborah at all, but she did manage to say "Yeah, well...that's cause you don't charge as much. Maybe, if anything, we're just that cheap." She looked over and smirked a bit, seeing her smile. "Hey, look at that. You're smiling and a part of me doesn't want to smack it off that face of yours."

 

[Vrag]

"Trusting people gets you killed," the Sith concurred, for once true to the code she was supposed to follow. Not that the notion had been born when she'd entered the order; far from it, Vrag had been the incarnation of the sentiment almost from birth. When [member="Deborah Waller"] relayed her story, Vrag was somewhat surprised, but her curiosity egged her on anyway. "Betrayed by a brother?" she inquired, too inebriated to care that she was picking at an old wound.

"Should I be flattered?" Vrag deadpanned, but her smile stayed in place. Her mind finally registered her previous statement, though, and an eyebrow quirked up. "We don't charge anything at all, darling," she laughed. It was true, in a fashion, that the Sith didn't demand 'proper' payment for services rendered. Then again, not many people out there had bounties out for whole planets and sectors. They were playing too grand-scale for anyone to approach them with a contract, though Vrag had heard about some of their members that had taken up bounty hunting. Still, that was a personal matter between the individual and the contractor, and honestly, she couldn't care less whether they did it or not. Truth be told, she'd entertained the thought herself on some occasions.

 

[Blair]

When asked about being flattered Deborah shrugged before saying "Just means I think I'm starting to get over our little bout last time." She called over for another drink, just a regular ale this time. Enough shots and she'd have been out for the night far toon soon before she had a chance to enjoy it. Once the tender had brought it over Deborah was only just about to drink before the question of being betrayed by a brother came up. "Something like that..." she vaugly answered before sipping down her beer.

[member="Vrag"]

 

[Vrag]

"What's there to get over?" asked the Sith, her tone showing no signs of mockery. "It was a brawl in a fight club. Hardly something worth holding a grudge for," she explained before [member="Deborah Waller"] could go and misunderstand her words. She had nothing against a good bar fight, but this was the first week where she wasn't razing some poor planet to the ground, and honestly, she'd had her fill of destruction for a little while. That is to say, she had until the end of the month at most before her trigger finger got twitchy again. Even the annihilation of worlds did little to calm her perennial fury, and knowing herself, she'd be back on murder duty by next week.

"Oh, come on, spill the beans," Vrag chuckled, nudging the mercenary with her elbow as she leaned closer. "We're allies now, remember?"