Ain’t No Party Like a Red Ravens Party (Open, No Fighting)

[Cryax Bane]

To say that the party was getting stranger by the minute would be an understatement. First a blonde lady launched herself at a man who looked oddly like Diego Ticon, although Cryax had thought he was on Ossus, tackling him right on the dance floor and shamelessly making out with him. He absently wondered if he should call security on them, but let it be, figuring he had bigger fish to fry.

Then in front of everyone at his his table and everyone in their general vicinity on the casino floor, [member="Dredge"]'s vessel began to bleed from every orifice as he detailed one of the worst things that Cryax had been made to do as part of his torture. The Chiss choked back the acrid bile rising up in his throat. He had to remind himself that he had merely held the knife as others forced in the blade, but the act left him with guilt just as powerful as if he had killed the boy of his own voltion. The crime boss shook his head vehemently, then inched backwards as the thrall crawled towards him, reminding him of those painful days when he’d been reduced to a mere slave and renamed Wretch for Dredge’s amusement. Thankfully the man promptly died in a goretastic display that ruined Cryax’s taste for Cognac forever.

Gesturing to the limp bloody body slumped on the table, Cryax hissed to his guards, “Take him out back. Chop him up. Piss on him. Chop him up again. And then burn that karking body to the ground. And search the casino for any more like him, dammit.” Thankfully Martin and his Holo crew were nowhere near this PR disaster, but if incidents like this continued, Cryax thought he might have to invest in some Yuuzhan Vong-sniffing dogs. He also pulled up his Datapad and bookmarked a Holo site for shuttles leaving for Wildspace in two weeks where he planned to be with [member="Jalek Sathora"] when Dredge came back for him on Antecedent.

As if that weren’t enough excitement for the evening, a member of his security staff hunched over him, and in a whisper informed the crime boss that someone had been spiking the drinks. Cursing loudly in Cheunh, he snatched up the glass with the bloody eyeball floating around in it and hurled it against the bar with all his might, the sounds of glass shattering turning heads of everyone near. Then he rubbed his temples in an attempt to calm his fraying nerves, and gave his boyfriend's hand another squeeze underneath the table.

Finally, a member of the waitstaff arrived with a drink from someone at another table and Cryax whipped his head around, spying the redheaded woman [member="Amarant"], who was dressed in a garishly loud suit, staring right at him. She looked vaguely familiar, although he couldn't place the face. Probably some crime boss or businesswoman he was supposed to hobnob with tonight. He sent the staff member back to the table with a message to that let her know that he was in a very foul mood, but if she wanted to join him at his table, why the frell not, the more the merrier.

 

[Faye Terrik]

Faye was loosely familiar with the organization that [member="Logan of Little Coruscant"] mentioned. And of course what he said was true. There always is more than meets the eye. She sure as hell knew it was applicable to herself, so how could she know about the skeletons others kept in their closets. The Red Ravens, on the other hand... She had encountered one or two slicers who claimed to have worked jobs for them. On the holonet, of course. It was always hard to verify what some said, especially if it was an obscure slicer in the unregistered parts of the holonet. She took it at face value, and truthfully never even researched the group. But it seems she had stumbled her way into their neck of the woods.

With her glass now idle on the bar, she rested her chin on her hand. "Heard of them," Faye said, but she was more interested in the latter half of his conversation. "You don't happen to be from the undercity, do you?" A brief smile came across her face, but only momentarily. "I grew up in the undercity. In the outskirts of err.. the red light district." Where she came from was certainly nowhere to be proud of, but perhaps Logan had been local to the same area. If anything, maybe he was at least a visitor to that area sometimes, after all. More than meets the eye.

Before answering the man's question, she lifted her head from her hand and rested her elbow on the counter this time. "Faye. You can call me Faye."

 

[Seto du Couteau]

Seto raised an eyebrow as he watch the droid walk off he looked back at Yuuta, his expression darkening. He wasn't exactly thrilled to know that he was out a doubt in danger of risking a bit more than his own blood. His eyes softened as he looked back down at the floor and sighed, he had forgotten his own rule. His eyes turned back to look at Yuuta, "Sorry about your nose," He apologized turned to face the exit as he moved to leave. Stopping short to look at the waiter he looked at the silver and plate and opted for the aid kit, finding actual bandages he quickly removed hit tie and cleaned his hand a bit. Wrapping it up skillfully he appreciated his own work before look back at the waiter and offering a nod of thanks.

"I would had been willingly to try again some time later, but there just some risks I just don't take, and sorry my rude behavior and actions" He said to Yuuta before departing. His shirt was ruined as well as his pants so returning to the casino floor and gambling was out of the question. The night may had been young but it was over for the young Du Couteau, his fingers running through the black dyed part of his hair as mused on the happenings of tonight. A small smile tugged the corners of lips as he remember the kiss. Certainly he wasn't going to forget tonight for a very long time, no matter how much alcohol he would drink.

[Member="Yuuta Namari"]

 

[Blair]

As the droid walked off with her confiscated knife Yuuta only stuck her tounge out at it before looking back to Seto. Despite his apologies she didn't say anything to him. She watched him as he was banagded up while she was dealt with too. She turned her nose up at him as he tried apologizing but it didn't change the fact she was angry with him. Even as he left she just kept her back turned, the medic having finished with her nose sore nose. When Seto was gone Yuuta finally looked to where he'd gone, an actual look of regret in her face. She sighed before picking her thing up and fixing herself before walking out of the booth. She made her way down to the bar, ordering a good hard drink, and then found her way to where [member="Cryax Bane"] was. She'd considered him the closest thing to a friend despite barley knowing him as well as the other Raven members, but she needed some form of comfort after what happened.

She sat down near him, her nose bandaged and her face matching the less than perky tone she was in, she looked to the chiss and only said "Hey..."

[member="Seto Du Couteau"]

 

[Jalek Sathora]

Although he hadn't exactly underestimated what [member="Dredge"] was capable of, Jalek still had to take a moment to compose himself before speaking or even returning any of [member="Cryax Bane"]'s gestures. His comments hadn't swayed the creature, which was, admittedly, what he'd expected, and he had a feeling that his remarks wouldn't have been so well-tolerated had they been on the Vong's own home turf. But for now they were on Antecedent, and the scope of what could be done without alerting security casino-wide was slim, as proven when Cryax was notified of the drinks being spiked by a member of staff. So much for drinking on this particular night, though he hadn't started, and now decided not to. What had begun as a simple break from their usual business was turning into another episode of just that.

Finally returning the hand squeeze he gently rubbed the top of Cryax's hand with his thumb, attempting to calm and reassure him, even if it was just a small amount. Having only been allowed to return to business as usual just weeks before, the Morellian wasn't too keen to part with his boyfriend just yet. If he had his way, there wouldn't be a chance of that happening anytime soon. But that was the last thing either of them wanted or needed to dwell on, so he did his best to steer the conversation in a different direction, however unsuccessful his attempt might have been. Leaning over to press a kiss to Cryax's cheek, he whispered in his ear, "We don't have to stay here any longer if you're uncomfortable, ch'eo ch'acah. Everyone else can wait." Having experienced what post-traumatic stress could do, he knew that it was best to remove the individual afflicted from the environment, if possible. Saving face was well and good, but there were times when it was uncalled for, something even he understood.

Apparently no one understood exactly what a party entailed, as the two incidents showed. It was a given that Dredge wouldn't care either way, and whoever had spiked the drinks was being dealt with, but it was still quite the start to what was supposed to have been a fairly relaxing night. Even to someone whose idea of fun was walking the streets of Taris and causing trouble in any possible manner, the boundaries of certain situations were evident. Sure, at another time he could have just as easily been the instigator of this or that fight, but knowing what the absolute limits were was a skill that he'd finely honed. Not so much for the other partygoers.

 

[Cryax Bane]

[member="Jalek Sathora"] was one of those people who had a way with Cryax. The Morellian not only knew when to put him in his place, but always knew how to talk the Chiss down when his stress had been racheted up to crisis levels. Cryax's shoulders relaxed at the other man's words, and he merely listened, absently watching as the casino's beleaguered janitors cleaned up the broken glass around the bar. Cryax sighed and shook his head. "I can't leave, babe. I'd be sending a message that I'm content to hide my head in the sand. I'm fine. I'll be fine," Cryax lied, trying to reassure his boyfriend even though he knew that the man's Force-sensitivity might tell him otherwise. He started to take a drink from a rolling bar droid and then stopped, not sure how far the contamination spread. This revelation pissed him off anew. He really needed a karking glass of alcohol.

As [member="Yuuta Namari"] forlornly shuffled up to their table, the first thing he said was, "You might want to dump that out Yuuta. Some of the drinks have been spiked." Then the Chiss noticed that her nose was bandaged. "Hey, what happened to your face?" He leaned in closer to her, holding her chin between his thumb and forefinger, inspecting her nose, and then pulled back narrowing his eyes. "Who did this to you?"

 

[Blair]

At his little comment about the drinks being spiked Yuuta huffed before saying "I wish they were. Maybe It'd make me forget this whole stupid night ever happened...." When he reached over to her face she tried pulling away, saying "It's nothing." before she gave in and let him see her nose. When he asked she pulled away and said "It doesn't matter, okay? It's just been....a really dissapointing night." She reached over and took her drink, guzzling a good portion down. Obviously the little event from before had taken a lot out of her to where she was sorrowed beyond usual. At any other time you'd see her as something of a peppy, psychoatic schoolgirl. Now she looked more like the one no one invited to prom. After she'd took another long sip she looked over to both Cryax and [member="Jalek Sathora"] before asking "Hope your night's been better than mine." She waited and listened to whatever either of them had to say before chimming in and saying "Oh yeah, Cryax. You texted me ealier. Said you needed to talk to me about something, right?"

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Aleksandyr Gaillard]

During the commotion Aleksandyr wandered off towards the crowd, presenting himself out there like a prized stallion in hopes of catching anyone's eyes whilst conducting a magnificent and fashionable pose. Okay, he wasn't really posing but he felt like he was in his mind. The modifications done to his eyes and face didn't mess too much with his natural good looks and well-shaven beard. The CEO glanced around the crowd once more, having now lost sight of [member="Keira Ticon"] and keeping the unusual business of [member="Cryax Bane"] behind him -- not wanting to say that he was kind of weirded out by the whole heart exploding nonsense. Regardless the party was still active and everyone was mostly alive.

Taking out a small transceiver he looked over a few messages he got whilst he was away. 137 to be exact. Shrugging he then hit the "mark all as read" button on the touchscreen; little did he know that his stock just fell .7% from that. Continuing he called up the front desk of the Casino. "Yes? Hello? Give me the largest room available: Under Aleksandyr Gaillard." , and hung up -- probably before the transaction could be validated. Nonetheless it was a party and he was looking for a good time.

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

"Holy kark!" exclaimed Diego as he was tackled to the ground by [member="Patricia Susan Garter"], but he didn't have time or the desire to lodge a complaint. The little blonde minx he had been grinding up on was now on top of him kissing him like a demon and shoving her tongue in his mouth. Self-control was not in Diego's repertoire, and without missing a beat, he grinned and immediately returned her kisses ferociously and with the practiced expertise of a man who'd bedded half the galaxy. The young long-haired Jedi let his hands paw all over her body, and then chuckling, flipped her over on her back so that he had more control. He ran his fingers through her silky blonde hair and put numerous hickeys on her neck as he growled with pleasure at their bodies pressed together so tightly.

In the back of his mind, Diego knew he was about to go somewhere before she jumped him, but he couldn't remember where. To get a drink? It didn't matter. His thoughts were eclipsed by the steamy fog of lust and he wanted to do was make out with the blonde on the sticky casino floor until someone came and literally told them to "Get a room."

 

[Miss Blonde]

[member="Diego Ticon"]


Patrica was on top of the man kissing him deeply letting her hands move up to his sides holding him there whilst her tongue explored his mouth. It had a taste of vodka which was more than okay with Patricia. Diego was enjoying himself and returning each and every kiss she was giving him. The woman had only exchanged like less than twenty words with the man and to most people's standards that was kind of low. But that didn't matter, none of what people thought of her mattered. She had buried too many of her friends to care, had seen the destruction of her planet and for all she knew tomorrow she would go to war. So right now she was going to enjoy life with Don or Dan, Diego, whatever his name was. She was in complete control and this man was hers. But when Diego flipped her over took that control from her it was like a thousand Marvin's singing in an angelic choir

http://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=BKPoHgKcqag

Patricia broke the kiss underneath him and yelled two words at him. "CLOSET! NOW!!" Shoving the man off her she grabbed him by his hand and began to stomp past other people on the dance floor who were either getting their grove on or doing their own make out session. But first base was not what Patricia wanted anymore. old habits were getting the best of her tonight.

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax levelled his glowing red eyes at [member="Yuuta Namari"] who seemed to be fine, just a bit pouty, and said, "Our night's been interesting to say the least," was all he would say. He didn't want to dwell on the situation with Dredge as he'd had enough painful flashbacks for one night. Then he got right down to business. "Yes, I have a job for you. Since you did such a good job getting Glyph, there's another bounty I'd like you to track down. I could give it to other Ravens, but I'd like you to have first dibs on it." Desperate to use the man as a bargaining chip with Dredge, Cryax had distributed the bounty far and wide, but Yuuta didn't have to know that. He wanted her to think that she was special to give her more incentive. Datapad in hand, the Chiss crime boss forwarded her the relevant details of the new bounty, a Mandalorian field marshall named [member="Preliat Mantis"]. He smirked at the young Raven assassin. "I know that it might not be as fun for you, Yuuta, but I need him alive."

He was about to announce to [member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"] the good news that he'd gotten them some whiskey from his special reserve when he noticed that the businessman had high-tailed it away from his booth. He couldn't blame the man after the spectacle the night had become. As an executive assistant presented him with the untainted whiskey, he took it and instead of pouring himself a glass, swigged directly from the bottle and passed it to [member="Jalek Sathora"]. "Kark it, babe." he said to his boyfriend with a grin. "Let's just get drunk."

 

[Crucius Sin]

Crucius frowned at the redhead, now, and looked away from her, a little bit forlornly as he watched a sexy little blonde girl drag a ratty-looking guy into a closet. Something was making him want to grab the nearest woman and paw her all over, but he had a tiny bit more self control than that. So, he drank more and more, and more. The room now spun violently around him, despite his Shi'ido constitution. It felt like the time he'd gone to the Red Light Sector on Nar Shaddaa and getting himself pumped with stims until he was delirious.

"Son of a..."

Screw it. He needed somebody. If Yuuthayn had been there, she probably would've found a slightly more... creative place than a closet to play around in. But he was totally alone, except for the drinks he'd emptied on the bar.

[member='Yuuthayn Di'cantos'] (if you want)

 

[Blair]

Hearing that his job was another bounty hunt had put a bit of a damper on Yuuta's already damped mood. She only nodded and said "Yeah....yeah I can do that." When he'd told her it was a bounty on a Mandolorian. However when he mentioned he wanted him alive she goraned and said "Karking take the fun out of everything tonight. Just squeeze some salt on the wound while you're at it." She sipped down the last of her drink and said "Fine. Alive. But you owe me. I've been getting deined all night and I want something back for it. Got that blue boy?" After that she heard him declare on getting drunk to which she simply rasied her glass and sai "Yeah. Ditto to that." She looked over and shouted "Hey, barkeep! More of these and keep them coming."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Apparently [member="Diego Ticon"] was still up to his old tricks, which shouldn't and didn't surprise her in the least. Instead of making him aware of her presence once via telepathy she twitched her fingers near imperceptibly, tugging at his feet with the Force enough to cause him to stumble, though he wouldn't lose his footing completely. In his current state he most likely wouldn't take notice of things, but if he did there was no question that he would know who was responsible for the little wake up call. For now, though, he could have his fun. Keira wasn't the kind of person to interrupt someone when they were busy with other activities, and if she knew her brother at all he wasn't one to be dissuaded once he set his eyes on something. Doubly so something like this.

Reaching a hand inside her jacket she let her fingers, the ones of her right hand that weren't cybernetic, brush across the leather grip. The weapon had been her lifeline with what had been occurring in the past few weeks, and she'd managed to persuade security to allow her to pass armed. It had taken some convincing, but after mentioning that her older brother (no, not Diego, the other one), was one of the top echelons of the Ravens, they'd let her pass. And so it was that she'd ended up at a party where any type of weaponry was prohibited with herself an exception to the rule.

The only thing about the entire occasion that had drawn her attention were the looks cast in her direction by a man who had been sitting by Cryax and was now wandering the crowd. It seemed that he'd lost his interest in her for the time being, but if he wandered over later in the night then she would entertain his conversation for a time. For the moment, however, she stayed put, simply scanning the crowd.

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]

 

[Aleksandyr Gaillard]

Aleksandyr had been looking around the Casino when once again his eyes locked on [member="Keira Ticon"] one of the few individuals next to [member="Cryax Bane"] , [member="Jalek Sathora"] , [member="Diego Ticon"] , [member="Patricia Susan Garter"] , and well pretty much everyone who wasn't [member="Valik"] because of the hair debacle. Walking across the room he took a drink out of someone's hand and swished it, placing the empty glass in another patron's hand and stylishly made his way through the crowd at which point he took off the tie that was around his arm and proceeded to -- successfully -- tie it around his collar into a bow per just about anyone's amazement, probably.

Stopping just within range of a personal conversation he glanced at the woman politely to hide his attempted discreet checking out of her figure. "Gaillard. Aleksandyr Gaillard, you may call me Alek if you like.", he gestured his hand outward to shake as per his introduction. There were few people who he felt were enigmatic to him and for some reason this particular individual had caught his nearly undivided attention and for the first time of the night he had successfully not check out the patrons for the course of exactly 14.33 seconds.

 

[Keira Priest]

If someone was going to observe her from a distance, it was appreciated when they actually made an effort to approach and strike up a conversation. The straightforward introduction was appreciated as well, as it meant he was one to avoid beating around the bush. Though she did catch his eyes wandering more than they should have been, no comment was made for the time being, and instead she shook his hand as it was offered, returning his introduction, "Keira Ticon." Instead of continuing on with something typical, such as 'nice to meet you', she decided to get to the point. Her bluntness probably wasn't her best trait, but it was one of her more prominent ones. "I was wondering when you'd come over here. Something I can help you with?"

Her other arm, the cybernetic one, rested on the bar, and she'd let her right hand fall after they'd shaken hands, which was as formal as things would get, she had a feeling. Running with a crowd like the Ravens had its perks, one of them being that people usually preferred getting right to the heart of things instead of beating around the bush. She could only hope that [member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"] was much of the same, otherwise this would make for an interesting night, or more of one than it already was.

 

[Jalek Sathora]

Now that was more his style. Despite enjoying [member="Cryax Bane"]'s company, which he most certainly did, but before the change of lifestyle that joining the Ravens brought, his life had been a series of him getting into any trouble possible, with or without any old friends or potential allies about. Most of it had been done when he was less than sober, as well. This wouldn't be any different than those situations, though perhaps things would be toned down when it came to the troublemaking aspect, however disappointed that caused him to be. Still, he had better company than he could usually ask for at his usual haunts, and that was enough. Or rather, it would have to be. But with Cryax around, it would be plenty, he had a feeling. After their escapade with spice, it remained to be seen how he would behave under the influence of alcohol instead.

When the bottle was passed to him he took it and only had a sip for the time being, wanting to keep his senses for the moment, though he wasn't sure what for. It seemed that things would be moving along fairly routinely after what had happened mere moments earlier, but he'd learned early on not to get too comfortable with things. In the end, he would probably end up becoming just as inebriated as the rest of them, if not more so, but that was more of an unavoidable fact than anything.

Jalek handed the bottle back, studying the woman that Cryax was speaking to, her being vaguely familiar. He'd seen her somewhere else, that much was obvious, but it didn't come to mind for a moment. Finally, he recalled the other party that had been held a few weeks earlier, though it had been exclusively for any and all Red Ravens. That made sense, considering they seemed to have at the very least some previous knowledge of each other. Still he remained silent, not having nothing to say so much as being distracted, but by what he wasn't sure.

[member="Yuuta Namari"]

 

[Aleksandyr Gaillard]

Aleksandyr took her hand with pleasure and released it in a comfortable moment after they shook hands. "Keira Ticon.", he repeated her name so that it would etch into his mind and also so he could try at it himself, smiling in the act. "I like your attitude.", he then added in response to her straight-forwardness. He too wasn't one to get caught up in formalities; after all he told [member="Cryax Bane"] his entire and very illegal business proposition without building trust first. Not that he trusted others, he frankly just didn't care if someone would come after him. Alek waved a hand to the bartender, gesturing for a drink. "Two of your most expensive drinks! Unless they're not strong, then two of your strongest drinks.", he said to the bartender as they passed by the counter, the fellow nodding and preparing the drinks.

Aleksandyr wasn't trying to come across snobbish, he's just impulsive and has no real care for wealth: It's there, why not spend it? "I'm going to be completely honest with you, Keira. Normally I'd ask you out to dinner but I'm not from around here. So instead, I'd like you and I to find a wonderful room, order a few drinks, and see where that leads. Or just skip to the end. Whatever you wish.", he proposed the thought without a moment's hesitation. He had been trying to find a suitable companion for the whole night and didn't exactly want to miss out before the party ended. Besides, he was intrigued by her and especially so when she didn't brush him off, hit him, or kidnap him and try to ransom him back to his company.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Honesty, that was a new one. Not that Keira had ever been approached by a number of men in her past, but from the attempts she'd witnessed most of them weren't so abrupt with things, and preferred a few clumsy tries at an average conversation before all of the formality when out of the window. That was a quality of his she could appreciate, but considering the events of the past few weeks, she wasn't sure how ready and willing she was to go right along with things. But it would been rude to just brush him off, so she decided to at the very least give him a decent chance. No matter how much she didn't feel like getting into that kind of relationship after she'd only just readjusted to life on Antecedent, it was common courtesy. "I'll be honest with you as well, it's been quite an eventful past week or so, for me at least." Wasn't that an understatement. "But I'll accompany you."

He'd beaten her to his ordering of the drinks, but after listening to his choices she decided she couldn't complain much. It wasn't much different than what she would have asked for. So instead she pondered his request, wondering just what had spurred his taking an interest in her. She'd learned from past experience that it wasn't always a good thing, but if his intention was to try something, than he would have already, most likely. Besides, she had her lightsaber and the skill necessary to use it; that was enough for her to feel comfortable with the situation if something were to go awry. Thus far he seemed to be of the type that simply wanted companionship.

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]

 

[Aleksandyr Gaillard]

The bartender procured two strong drinks -- expensive ones -- and placed them in small brandy glasses filled a third of the way and set them down next to the two. Aleksandyr took a light sip before elaborating, "Excellent.", was his first remark. He seemed quite excited at the idea but then readjusted himself because he just said excellent to her eventful past weeks, "Tell you what. If this drink and my company does not ease your mind then you may open a tab here under my name.", he said a bit playfully as to keep a groove. Truth be told he did want companionship, if she were perceptive she might tell he was not being dishonest with his words. Although well-known for being a bit brash, impulsive, and detached amongst the wealthy on Balmora, he was still quite lonely individual. Not unhappy but not without his flaws. If anything she had just made his day better; not entirely aware of her train-of-thoughts the fact she considered it said something. "Now I just realized the room I rented may not have been rented because I hung up my transceiver before they responded.", he paused in between words, "So we can either stay here and have the drinks for a moment or head to the lobby now and see if I cannot finish my transaction.", he smiled to her as he took another sip.

He also wanted to at least stop by Cryax's private booth before exiting the party and didn't want to just pull away his date either, maybe she wanted to dance or something.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

[member="Cryax Bane"]