Bonding Amidst Chaos

[Darth Duellant]

Meltdown Café

The Meltdown Café is a restaurant and drinking establishment on Level 88 in the Corellian Sector on Nar Shaddaa. And there were little times Zeref could stop to think about his life; his decisions and impulses. But the past was the past, and he had stopped here to relax a bit, drink their special Tatooine Sunburn, oh how he craved for it. A Tatooine Sunburn, also known as a Tatooine Sunrise, is an intoxicating beverage consisting of two Starshine Surprises in the same glass, and is one of the beverages Zered used to love back in more tranquil times.

He entered the café, and nostalgia suddenly hit him like a truck. His friends; all of them, had eventually been there with him, regardless of where they were from or their dark pasts. But friends? That was something of the past. He only cared about the Force and training, admittedly, the only things he could care about, really.

His harsh routine had no space for debaucheries of any sort, and he could not really give his mind a break from all the strenuous exercises and hard work it had been going through. When he sat down at the stool, he felt his age caught up with him, his legs stiff, and his arms roughed up. But he cared little about bodily limitations.

After sitting down, he requested:
"Ey! Can you give me the house special?"

The bartender nodded positively, and was on his way to deliver the beverage. Meanwhile he sat there, contemplating the view that the café offered and sometimes overhearing some bounty hunter conversations go about. This was a haven for bounty hunters, unfortunately. But it never ceased to amuse him in his younger years.

[member="Akabane"]

 

[Akabane Jarvik]

Nar Shaddaa, a place where many shady criminals and slimy slugs typically dwelled. For some reason Akabane hated those oversized worms and he couldn't figure out why. It's not like he ever met one before, or he didn't remember meeting one at least. He even felt sick thinking about one of them coming up to him and leaving a trail of spit as it talked. Disgusting, that's all there was to it. The criminals were the things that bothered him the least compared to everything else. To him, there weren't that many bad things about Nar Shaddaa in the first place. Hell, he was a criminal too so it wasn't like he was different from anyone else around him.

Now, why was he here? Much like everyone else, he had an interest in a particular spot in the Corellian Sector - the Meltdown Café. He had heard of a special drink that was sold at the restaurant, along with a strange pie made out of dianoga meat. Strange because he'd never know such a creature existed on the moon. Akabane had no intention of trying it out. Something about the name made him more nauseous than the thought of seeing an obese slug. Whether he was eating the meat pie or not he planned on grabbing one of those famous drinks. The name given to them sounded easier on the stomach than that dianoga pie.

He located the restaurant rather quickly and entered it casually as he always did when feeling relaxed. Criminals were always around but that didn't seem to bother him much. They came into the Meltdown to relax themselves most likely or to talk business. As long as he kept out of trouble he assumed nothing too terrible would happen. Only time would tell though. Akabane scanned the room, once he saw an older feller sitting at the bar he decided on where to sit himself. He sat near the man, leaving a seat in between them. While he felt relaxed he still didn't trust other people too well. He overheard the man's request and smiled. "I'll take that as well." Akabane reached inside one the pockets on his jet black trench coat and pulled out the sufficient amount of credits. Then, he dropped them onto the bar table.

Akabane could've swore he heard bones crack earlier when the man first sat down. "Long day at work?" He paused to make sure the older man knew he was speaking to him. "Work can take a toll on your body, old owl. Alcohol doesn't help either." He wasn't trying to get punched by saying this but telling someone older than him how to live didn't have any good outcomes.

[member="Darth Duellant"]

 

[Darth Duellant]

Zeref stood there, for a while, until he saw [member="Akabane"] coming in the café, and he reminded him of himself in his younger years; relaxed and relatively joyful.

When he noticed he was talking to him, Zeref responded:
"Long day?" and chuckled a bit - "More like endless days..."

He then said, responding:
"I know it won't. I just feel like relaxing right now, been a while since i haven't stopped to sit down and enjoy a good Sunburn. What about you?"

 

[Akabane Jarvik]

What the man said made sense and Akabane nodded to show that. Everyone deserved to relax at one point in the day. He chose that time to be now and wanted to drink too. That was understandable to Akabane. Older people were easier to relate to when it came to things like this.

Akabane spoke up, "Fair enough. I'm just now getting my hands on one of those drinks. Are they as good as people claim them to be?" He was very curious. Out of all the drinks he'd encountered in his years of living, none of them have truly satisfied him. It was a waste to drink without being satisfied in his mind. So he asked and expected the famous drink to live up to his expectations, as the bartender prepared the drink.

[member="Darth Duellant"]

 

[Darth Duellant]

Zeref laughed sarcastically, and said: "They're as good as you want them to be."

And that was a true response, really. The taste was bitter and the drink was intoxicating, the only thing he could say was that it was up to the drinker to determine it's quality. But he guessed that could be said for about anything. Just a matter of taste.

Zeref noticed the bartender moving at incredible speed, and realized that the bar was a bit crowded today. He hadn't noticed the bar's crowd until he sat on the stool. People here prefer to sit on the tables, as most of them are criminals, plotting operations and villainy. However, that didn't concern him. He also noticed the bartender was almost done with our drinks.

"You have to taste this thing to actually get a feel for yourself... It's bitter - but it's quite nice. Matter of tastes, frankly. So.. how did you end up here? Mister...?"
-He asked, hoping for the young man's name.

[member="Akabane"]

 

[Akabane Jarvik]

Akabane also noticed the bartender's swiftness in making their drinks. The bartender was extremely skilled, or so he believed that was the case. That's the only guy he'd ever saw move that quickly. Perhaps the other bartenders that served him previously wasn't under the pressure of a dozen customers. Whatever the case, it didn't really matter as Akabane's attention fell back onto the man who he was speaking with. "Oh okay. I get that. I guess I'll have to live and learn then." The man asked how he ended up in the restaurant today and he attempted to call his name, only to trail off. He hadn't given this gentleman his name yet. "My names Akabane, old owl. I take it yours is fancier than mine." Akabane never really valued his name that much, always thinking others had cooler names. That's why he made the small joke.

[member="Darth Duellant"]

 

[Darth Duellant]

Zeref then adjusted his postition in the stool, staying a bit more inclined to the side [member="Akabane"] was facing, with the intent to be a bit more social.

"One thing i can tell you, though, is that this specific drink is made out of two Starshine Surprises. Those things aren't ideal for non-human drinkers, 'cause they pack a lot of punch, so i hope you can handle your liquor, boy!"
-He said, almost smiling.

It had been some time since Zeref had quality time with someone, he mostly spent time alone on his older days and found few people which he could relate with and specifically, drink.

"My name's Zeref. You might've heard of me by different names, such as Darth Duellant. Old tales, i'm afraid. But i still carry the nickname."

 

[Akabane Jarvik]

Two Starshines Surprises? He stared at the drink for awhile until he finally grinned. "Me too." Akabane was confident when it came to liquor so he wasn't worried or anything. It was a new challenge if anything to him, and he liked those. He consumed a good amount of alcohol in his early twenties. Hopefully it'd help him not get humiliated. Either way, he dove straight in and filled his mouth with the liquor. It was in fact bitter, but not so much that it couldn't be enjoyed. He drank some more to get a better taste. "I like it." Akabane revealed his opinion on the famous drink.

The man's name was Zeref but he also carried the nickname 'Darth Duellant'. Akabane couldn't recall either of those names... he wondered if the man served any order or faction but he chose not to ask out of respect. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Zeref." Here's where he would usually shake the person's hand. As they were sitting down, he felt it'd be awkward to shake in the moment. He moved on to answer the man's question from earlier. "You asked me how I ended up here a moment ago. I'm currently here on business for my beloved princess." Akabane laughed at his own sarcasm. "I wish I could say I loved her... she's cute but always ruins it by acting tough all the time." He sipped on his drink. "But yeah, I'm here on a business trip I guess."

[member="Darth Duellant"]

 

[Darth Duellant]

"I damn well hope you are!"

-He said, and chuckled.

Once the drink had arrived, Zeref didn't hesitate. He never did when drinking alcohol, but it had been months since he had drunk anything. He took a huge gulp of the beverage, and it felt pretty good tasting it again, after a couple of years. It was something he couldn't get enough of.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. But anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you aswell, Akabane."

"Oh, i know how that feels. Women don't always act the way we expect them to, i suppose." Saying, while taking the glass of Sunburn towards his mouth. "Listen, if you really like her, you should just say it. You love her. If not, you can't lie to yourself, boy."

He said, and immediately took another gulp of the beverage.

"What kind of business do you do? Banker? Smuggler? It's none of my concern if you're a criminal, but i just asked out of curiosity."

[member="Akabane"]

 

[Akabane Jarvik]

Akabane's new friend wasted no time in getting that first drop of the lovely drink. He didn't blame him. It was a great drink and he was glad people spreaded the word of it. If not, he wouldn't have acquired the thing. He'd have to come back one day when he grew older like the man next to him. Share a drink with a newcomer as Zeref was doing with him. It was a great feeling after everything to drink with someone of the older man's age.

Zeref shared his knowledge of women and Akabane laughed because it was the truth. Women were always unpredictable to the young man, and that went for every woman he had ever been with. The old man told Akabane that he should tell the girl about his feelings for her. He chuckled. "She's a noble, my friend. I can't be with someone absorbed in all that." After a gulp, Zeref asked about his business here. "Not any of those I'm afraid. They sound more fun than what I do now... but I'm recruiting members for milady's organization. The one I serve due to some unfortunate events."

[member="Darth Duellant"]

 

[Darth Duellant]

Zeref put his cup down in the counter, and wrapped his hands around it, looking at Akabane. He was legitimately having a good time.

"Hah hah hah...
-He laughed a bit, and said:
"I can't blame you. Nobility is a virtue and a burden at the same time. I perfectly understand that. You get involved into something you're not really sure you're ready for or that you want to, and end up having to make compromises with those people."
-He said, whilst gripping his cup of alcohol.

"Or maybe you just don't care for Nobility, i don't know. Either way, you do you, my friend."

After saying all that, he took a small sip of the beverage, now trying to enjoy it, as it was almost halfway over by now.

"Well, i don't see how one would end up serving someone due to unfortunate events. Heheh... You owe something to these people?"
-He said, after adjusting himself in the stool to sit more comfortably.

[member="Akabane"]

 

[Akabane Jarvik]

Compromises, eh? It was exactly as he said. Akabane had an opportunity to fight his way out of it but for some reason he stayed. If it was worth noting, he decided to give up his dignity by working for the woman and in return received more years of life. The young man never expected to leave that room alive. Giving up after a heavy blow was easier than attempting to leave and dying in the process. So yes, compromises were indeed made. The old man's laughing sent him good vibes despite going through that trauma. He, himself laughed about the most serious of situations so it was nice having another do the same.

Did he owe something to Luna? Nothing at all, other than the life of his that she spared. He didn't count that though. A response didn't form in his head right away but he eventually formed one. Akabane downed the rest of his drink. "Not a damn thing if you ask me. Money was tight though and I guess she bought me for awhile. I'm just a tool in all of this, and much like a tool I will wear out. That's how it goes, right?" It was a harsh reality but also the truth. It happened all the time... people working for various organizations. Slaving for the cause without much choice. "At least death is nicer to us." He laughed. "Ya know, eternal peace and harmony. Nothing us mortals will ever achieve in this thing called life." These claims we're random, popping out of nowhere. He found them relevant to the conversation about work though.

[member="Darth Duellant"]