Private Decent company is damn hard to find.

[Phoenix Edorath]

Tag: Bellam Malhan
Muse Soundtrack: Shinedown "Cut The Cord [Live]"​

Fingers scrolled through the reports on her datapad, skimming through them, stopping on details that caught her attention or needed her to sign off. It wasn't precisely grueling work, but it was necessary. Her unique skills and abilities had her in pretty high demand given the guest list of the recent Coronation and the subsequent ball, but it was the subsequent paperwork and the after-action report from the one incident she'd had to deal with that drove her up the wall. Phoenix dragged her fingers through her loose hair before pulling it back up into a regulation style.​

One more hour, then she was off-duty.​

She sighed, signing off on her reports and transmitting them after what felt like an eternity but was roughly two hours of reality. The captain dropped the datapads into the secure case and activated the biometric lock before calling for it to be picked up. It wasn't a long wait, just a couple of minutes before a lieutenant came by to pick it up. While the reports had been transmitted, they had been the official accounts that would be entered into the records. There was, however, a more detailed report going only to those with the clearance above her in the chain of command and to the Foreign Office.​

Forty five minutes.​

The clock was not moving as fast as she'd prefer. Phoenix went back to her desk and rifled through the rest of her paperwork, but there was nothing that couldn't wait until morning. Glancing at her personal comlink, she picked up her datapad and fired off a message to Bellam. She'd had to leave partway through the ball given her duty for the night, leaving him pretty early on in the evening. Concern flickered across her features as she composed a brief message:​

...::||::>>>>>>
Sorry I had to go...duty called. You know how it goes.
You were good company...drinks on me tonight at The Leviathan? -Nix
<<<<<<::||::...​

He'd been really good company, and as she waited to see if a response came in, she wrapped up the last bits of her work for the day. An hour later, she'd finally left, datapad tucked into the crook of her arm. Since space in the barracks was at a premium, she volunteered to keep her personal apartment instead, ceding her spot to someone who needed it far more than she did. It was a short walk from the official complex to the building her apartment was in, and as such, it was mostly filled with fellow military and government personnel. She grabbed a bite to eat as she changed out of her uniform, opting for a casual t-shirt and pants. Datapad and comlink were tucked into the pockets of her much loved and slightly worn black leather jacket before she headed out.​

Boots carried her tall frame down the street to the small bar tucked away down an alley that had become one of her favorite haunts. The Leviathan was better than the usual sort of dive bar she preferred, and tonight was a relatively quiet night without a live performer, just the music coming through the speakers. She waved to the bartender and Sam called out a greeting, motioning to her usual booth with his head since his hands were full with a tray of glasses. Tucking herself into the side where she could see the door, she tossed her jacket on the seat beside her and left her comlink and datapad on the table.​

 

[Bellam Malhan]

It was hard to expect something from a date that wasn't an actual date. And yet somehow, he'd been disappointed when duty had called her away. Curiosity caused him to spend much of the time pulling apart the feeling as if worrying at the frayed hem of a comfortable, favored shirt. His mind was restless, as too many famous faces to watch had gone about their business of acting like they weren't the true stars in this vast galaxy they called home.

Living on base while the unit was rested and refit with new equipment, he was thankful to have warranted his own private room. It was small, as was to be expected, but not living with another soldier more than made up for the lack of square footage available to him.

Coming out of the shower to a beep from his commlink, he wondered if he'd have to go pick up a drunk tanker somewhere in town. An even like tonight meant anyone not on duty was taking advantage of the focus elsewhere to raise some hell somewhere off the beaten path. Biting his lip as he read the message, his brow furrowed with concentration, and it took him a couple seconds to process she'd actually wanted to speak again.

Blinking rapidly, he got himself dressed hurriedly, throwing on attire remarkably similar to hers - at least in name. Jeans, a leather jacket, and a dark tee. There was no mistaking his combat boots and shaved temples for anything other than the soldier he was, but that wouldn't be a problem so long as he behaved himself.

He doubted that was going to be a problem.

The glow of the neon from the street provided dim illumination down the alley, where a nondescript sign over a battered, chipped-paint door told him he was in the right place. Stepping in, hands in the pockets of his jacket, he panned his dark gaze intently around the room before spying the dark flash of green from the back corner.

Giving the room one last study, he went straight for the booth she was occupying, having to turn nearly sideways to avoid clipping a man swaying towards the refresher. "Surprised you're out and about." He said, easing himself down into the booth.

Phoenix Edorath

 

[Phoenix Edorath]

Stylus flicked across the screen as she absently scrolled through the alerts that had popped up as she'd waited. She reached up with her free hand to pulls the pins out of her hair and then run her fingers through the soft waves as they fell to her shoulders. While pinning it up tightly and neatly was a chore and a half, she refused to trim it short. As such, she dealt with the headaches that came with the tightly pinned hair.

Dipping her head down, she rubbed at the back of her head and sighed with relief. Fingers absently tucked the pins in her pocket as she half-smiled at her datapad, scrawling a response to a friend who was lamenting her lack of evening plans. She would have transmitted a picture of the noisy, semi-bustling bar she was comfortably ensconced in, but the door opened at that moment, to admit someone to the warmly lit interior.

Nix' gaze was greeted with a very pleasant sight as they settled on Bellam's features. She smiled brightly, her features warming as he slid into the booth opposite her. "Reports and paperwork have had me buried. One incident at the ball and everybody needs their own separate set of details. Finally finished earlier and wanted to relax." she replied, clipping her stylus back to her datapad and tucking both that and her comm back into her jacket pockets on the seat beside her.

"Did I miss anything interesting in the ballroom?" she asked, waving to one of the regular servers who acknowledged and soon made their way over to take their order. "Pint of Osskorn Stout, please."

Bellam Malhan ​

 

[Bellam Malhan]

He was surprised by her smile, but unsurprised how attractive it was. Doing his level best to remain the proper sort, he only dropped his eyes enough to recognize the smile before lifting his attention back to her red gaze. "Incidents are like that." He agreed. "Short, obnoxious, and generally not worth the paperwork after."

Looking up to the server, he gave a brief smile. "Jedi Mind Wipe." And it usually did as described. It was rare to find a place that actually made it, but if pressed he could give them the details. Namely a hi-ball glass, Corellian spiced rum, Balmorran lemon rum, citrus juice and a splash of tea. It was meant to be heavy on the rum, though - which usually meant the name.

All you could taste was juice, but when half the glass was rum, well... you didn't need to be a genius. Perfect drink to loosen himself up, and if he made it last, it would keep him buzzed for most of the night. Though he had to acknowledge that it made him look like a drunk. He shook his head to her second question, unzipping his jacket since it was suitably warm in here.

"Nothing of interest, no. Just a bunch of famous folk trying to figure out the pecking order."

 

[Phoenix Edorath]

One brow quirked slightly upward at his drink of choice, but she entirely approved of it. She'd had one made for her once back on Bastion, once, and she lost two days to the most entertaining alcoholic haze. There was something to be said for being Force Dead and challenging a Sith Lord while ragingly out of your senses. That she was alive to tell the tale was something, though her opponent had taken it as entertainment and declined to kill her.

"Ahh...more of the usual, then. Glad I didn't miss anything interesting, but disappointing that I left you to a boring night on your own." Nix added after a moment, fingers absently toying with a paper drink coaster on the table. "Before I ended up here in the First Order, I spent a few years as a bodyguard and general security for an Admiral and her Sith Lord wife. Got to see quite a few parties on Bastion...those were a lot like the ball. Except the people figuring out the pecking order would occasionally murder each other between dinner courses."

Canting her head to the side, she let the coaster fall back into place, knowing the server would be back shortly. Busy and sometimes rowdy as this place got, the service was always quick. Shifting slightly in her seat, a hand lifted to push her hair back over her shoulder. True to her thoughts, the server was back in a few moments, their drinks deposited in front of them, and Nix took the time to drop a cred chit on her tray.

"What should we drink to?" she asked after a minute, watching the cascade the stout created in the glass with appreciation before picking it up and gazing at Bellam with a very similar expression.

Bellam Malhan​

 

[Bellam Malhan]

The quirk of her brow gave him a moment's pause, and he lifted his own in response as he attempted to puzzle out if it was approval in her eyes or simply curiosity. "Please, don't apologize. Duty is important, and I will not begrudge anyone having the right priorities." He said, wanting her to feel comfortable with doing what she needed to: her duty. His attention was on her entirely, though, as she told him of her past work.

"I cannot imagine a party with regular murder but... I also control a metal box with a cannon attached to the front." He gave her a smile, though her was interrupted by the server. Fishing out some credits, he tipped them as well and made sure to verbally thank them immediately. Manners were important, whether he liked it or not.

And when you dealt with drunks every day, some simple politeness was important.

His drink was a pale orange, the tall glass topped with a touch of bubbles that said the mixture had gone well. There was likely plenty of rum in there, and that's what he'd been hoping for.

"Hm..." he pursed his lips, teeth briefly scraping across his lower before he smirked. "Warm company and a stiff drink?"

His eyes were on her, but he was thankful for the view of her high cheekbones. To get through the night without staring would be diffult.

 

[Phoenix Edorath]

That he'd thought to tip the server and say thank you before she managed it was very much a credit to him. She simply gave the woman a smile and turned her attention back to him, fingers gliding along the side of her glass absently. She half hummed the song currently playing through the bar's speakers without realizing it, her smile widening at his comment.

"Honestly, the parties were crazy...I'm sometimes surprised I survived, but given who I worked for at the time, I was probably decently well protected. Frankly, I prefer the military life. It's usually far more straightforward...you get the metal box with a cannon, I get all the fun explosive ordnance." she replied, delight lighting her features with the mention of her favorite part of her job. Granted, she'd been created for the express purpose of being a demolitions and heavy weapons expert, but she still enjoyed it. Had the Dread Guard initiative included behavior and emotional modifications beyond the standard it might well have been a different story.

His expression caught her gaze, crimson orbs tracing the line of his smirk, and deciding that it did the most unfair things to his already handsome features. "To warm company and a stiff drink." Nix echoed, lifting her glass in acknowledgement before taking a long sip, the words and the meaning they first brought to mind not lost on her.

She made a mental note to remember to thank Sevva for the introduction.

A second sip and she sighed softly, savoring the hint of chocolate that swirled between the roasted barley and hops. It was her absolutely favorite beer, and she would never say otherwise. It was hard to come by and depending on the star system it could be pricey, but she didn't care. It was one of the few indulgences she allowed herself, and it was worth it.

"How did you come to serve in the First Order, if I may ask?" Phoenix added after a few pleasant moments of a simply enjoying the view.

Bellam Malhan​

 

[Bellam Malhan]

Her excitement over explosives was almost palpable, but he'd found that just about anyone who worked in the military - even in the rear - tended to have an unnatural love of explosions. They were, he had to admit, entirely exhilarating. It made him ache to get back into his simulator. He'd found a program that recreated the kind of tanks still propelled by liquid fuel and internal combustion, of the kind still in use in the distant Outer Rim.

Lifting his glass when she did, he took a sip, then remembered he'd need to pace himself. When you couldn't taste the alcohol was when you were in trouble, and he was in far over his head with one of these if he didn't stay attentive. Her sigh got his mind turning a moment, before he realized it wasn't a bad thing.

Though, he had to admit her stare did get his mind working over some... interesting possibilities. Taking another sip to distract himself as she spoke again, he found the left corner of his lips pulling up into a smirk.

"Well, I'm from Kuat. And with the Republic becoming the Empire way back when, my family had long held that the Empire was the reason Kuat has remained as prosperous as it is. But, at the time I was able to enlist, the First Order was much the only option available." He shrugged, tensing his shoulder muscles briefly at the apex before dropping them.

"I was moved into armored during training. 'Obvious leadership qualities' or some such."

 

[Phoenix Edorath]

When she was given the gift of shoulders taking and holding tension for even the briefest moments, she admired the view as best she could without outright staring. Which, if she was going to be honest about, she had already been guilty of a handful of times already. She took another long, lingering sip of her stout, savoring the flavor and reaching up to absently brush a way a bit of foam from her lip.

Now would have been the moment to comment on her own family, but bringing up the fact that you had siblings that numbered in the hundreds at one point was not something she ever figured out how to do in conversation. It was easier when it was Fiolette or Ami she was talking to...they understood more than most. Aside from that, she wasn't even certain how many of her siblings were still alive - years had passed since she'd seen or spoken to any of them.

Canting her head to the side, Nix set her glass down and trailed her fingertips around the rim. "Kuat? Beautiful planet. I've been there a handful of times, but only to the shipyards." she replied after a moment, pausing to gather a fleeting thought.

"Well, armored is lucky to have you. Come to think of it, were you on Needan by any chance? I was still a contractor at the time, but I helped with the evac." Nix added, raising her glass for another sip.

 

[Bellam Malhan]

His hand dropped into his jacket, pulling out his commpad. While he didn't use it, he set it on the table. If it was in his pocket any longer he'd be inclined to pull it out specifically to check it. But, if it were on the table, he'd know whether he could ignore it or not without the extra theater of digging into his pocket every time.

"Some would argue it's the most beautiful part of the planet." He replied, a wry, knowing smirk creasing his face. They varied from civilian military enthusiasts, to historians and whole governments. Yet the surface was every bit as beautiful as the shipyards were. When most of the population was confined to said orbital stations it kept the planet far more pristine than most other shipbuilding planets.

"I was, unfortunately." He shook his head. "Damn avalanche. And then the giant... things under the ice. No place for a tank."

"Sensors were karking worthless too. Caz nearly plowed us straight into the side of a transport."

 

[Phoenix Edorath]

"I mean, the shipyards were impressive, but I wouldn't have called them anything near beautiful. Then again, I was trying to tune out the extensive ship building arguments happening around me, so I may not have noticed." she added with a sheepish smile, taking a sip and setting the half-empty glass down for a bit, reminding herself to set a slightly slower pace.

Warmth had settled pleasantly into her veins and onto her cheeks, though the latter, she wasn't entirely certain was the stout's fault. Eyes widened slightly as she nodded in agreement with his assessment that Needan had been no place for tanks in the middle of that century storm. "You ran into a bunch of the Orcinos? Those bastards are tough to take down. Nearly ran through all of my ammo keeping them off of the civilians, and I carry a hell of a lot with me on missions like that."

Nix blinked and her expression changed into one of amusement and surprise. "That was your tank? I actually heard about that. You're right on the sensors though...had a tough time calibrating mine to work at all in that mess. Honestly surprised there weren't more accidents during that evac."

A faint chime came from her datapad, the incoming message popping up on screen at which she lofted a brow for the briefest moment and promptly ignored in favor of returning her gaze to its very comfortable resting place once more. Sevva could damn well wait until later....much later.

 

[Bellam Malhan]

"It's a different kind of beauty," he replied, a lazy smile gracing his lips as he dropped his eyes to the table and took a sip from his glass. "Like the hard edges of a tank, or the gleam on the edge of a serrated blade. It's no different than the beauty of an imperfectly finished table, well worn from family dinners and too many spilled glasses."

"It's the beauty of a well planned factory floor, where every item is given it's place and returned to it after use." Swirling the drink around inside the glass, he gave it a brief sniff, realizing they'd gone a little heavy on the liquor. So much the better. "And no more out of place than brunette hair against green skin, or scars that disappear beneath the scruff of a beard grown after discharge." He shrugged and shook his head, clearly in some kind of a philosophical mood thinking back to the gigantic metal edifices orbiting his homeworld.

"Unfortunately, yes. But thankfully we avoided the collision. Sometimes it's just luck and reflexes that get us out, though you're familiar with that." His eyes dropped to her datapad, but it was clearly unimportant. His own sat, unbothered by incoming notifications, only so lonely and bare as a home is after the family departs.

"I'll definitely drink to there not being more accidents." Lifting a salute, he took a gulp, the first touch of rum tasted as it burned down his throat. Letting out a breath through pursed, slightly parted lips, he settled in while willing the tension to leave his shoulders.

 

[Phoenix Edorath]

The warmth that lingered on her cheeks flourished as he waxed philosophical, and her smile lit her features as she dropped her gaze to focus on her glass, though her attention remained on him. The cascade within the glass persisted, though it grew fainter the more she sipped from it. "Very familiar. Luck and reflex have gotten me out of plenty of tight spots before, and likely will again in the future." she added after a moment.

"I can definitely drink to that." Nix replied, lifting her own glass in a salute of sorts, before taking a long drink from it. She made an absent mental note to find a vendor within the city that could acquire the stout on the regular, a faint sigh of pleasure escaping as she returned her attention to her companion.

There was a decent amount of tension settled into his shoulders, and she caught herself staring, citrine gaze following the lines of his shoulder, draped as it was with the fabric of his tshirt. She wondered what it was that had him so tense, and half thought it might have been something she'd said. Nix briefly bit her lower lip and shifted in her seat, forcing her gaze back down to her glass.

The stout level was dropping considerably and the warmth had settled pleasantly across her senses. Fingertips trailed around the rim of the glass, slowly, giving her something else to stare at for a few moments. There was a fleeting thought of throwing caution to the wind, which she rarely, if ever, did, when it came to men. But fleeting turned into lingering somehow, and she looked back up and spoke before she gave his shoulders anymore rent space in her head.

"And...to new beginnings." she added, voice emerging softer than she'd intended, bearing words that could be interpreted in a number of ways. She'd been thinking them, of course, and there was a flicker in her gaze that gave a faint hint to her thoughts.

Bellam Malhan​

 

[Bellam Malhan]

It wasn't until he turned his attention to her at the mention of new beginnings that his fuzzy thoughts latched onto something. Indistinct as the feeling was, he was compelled to realize there was more on her mind than just a salute to a new friendship. Infantry and tankers usually had a love-hate relationship, so starting out on good terms outside of 'work' was a good thing.

But behind her coral eyes a current was flowing, and he wasn't sure what it was. She seemed preoccupied, and perhaps in spite of himself, he was compelled to at least make the question.

He dare not be specific, because he scarcely knew her well enough to place her thoughts or emotion. Intuition compelled him.

"Is there something on your mind?" He asked, head canting a few degrees to the right. Dark pupils had shifted to the corners of his eyes to take in her face, attempting to complete a puzzle he couldn't see the pieces of.

"You seem... preoccupied." His voice was soft as well, but it was more because if there was something wrong he didn't want to come across too sharply.

 

[Phoenix Edorath]

Nix paused, taking a deep breath and holding it for a moment before exhaling slowly. There were a number of ways she could answer that query, all of them truthful. There were, as usual, a number of things on her mind, but the only thing preoccupying her just then was her companion. There wasn't a good way...or even a witty way to express that. At least, not one that she could think of in her warm and buzzy state.

Holding his gaze, she finished off what remained of her stout and set the glass back down, fingers winding together atop the table after tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I have a bottle of Whyren's Reserve gathering dust back in my apartment. Been waiting to have someone to drink it with." she said quietly, canting her head to the side as she regarded him for a few relatively quiet moments.

"Care to join me?" she finally asked, the words having lingered on the top of her tongue quite long enough. At worst, he declined and they moved on. At best...maybe she could finally put the last of certain memories away for good.

 

[Bellam Malhan]

She seemed to have to consider the question, and he wondered if perhaps she'd been lost in a memory - one he'd brought back to life. When she set the glass down, he felt as if she were about to pose a particularly serious question, or make some sort of firm statement. The immediate anxiety was replaced by a touch of confusion at the offer.

There was little point not reading into it, and yet he was telling himself not to.

"I can't turn down whiskey." He replied, not needing to even pause to consider it. If it was just leaving a crowded bar for more whiskey, great. If more... better still.

 

[Phoenix Edorath]

"Good to know." she said quietly, warmth at his response filtering through her senses.

Lashes lowered as a smile broke across her features, warming them as she allowed herself the time and indulgence of staring this time. Perhaps a bit brazen and decidedly forward, but she didn't care much just then. It took her a moment, maybe a minute or two in reality, to get her mind into gear. The haze was pleasant, but proving a little bit challenging to think through.

She took the time to gather up her datapad and tuck it away in her jacket pocket, before she scooted over to stand up. Nix slid the jacket on and flicked her hair over the back collar, her gaze catching a glint of silver on her seat. Leaning over, it took her a bit to reach the comm that had fallen as she'd retrieved her things. Absently tucking it into another pocket on her jacket, she caught the server's gaze and waved briefly.

"It's a short walk to my building. 'Bout halfway between here and the complex, actually."

 

[Bellam Malhan]

While she got up, he fished out some more credits to leave behind for the drinks. He couldn't remember if they'd paid, but he was sure they had - so if so, it was just more of a tip. Pulling his jacket back on, he moved the wrap-over front into place and secured it with the single button at his sternum. The black leather was indicative of most of the tanker uniform choices he was familiar with.

It just made sense to wear the thing around town anyway - it was stylish.

"I'll follow you then." He replied, nearly forgetting his own comm before tucking it into a pocket. "Wouldn't want to get lost, after all." Stepping out the door first, he held it open for her at his back, and took the moment to scan the alleyway for threats before she joined him.

"All clear. Surprisingly quiet night, given the festivities."

He heard the door shut behind her, taking with it the music of the bar. With most traffic shut down for the party, it was almost eerie how quiet the city became.

 

[Phoenix Edorath]

"Can't have you getting lost before we get to the whiskey." she said brightly, a soft thank you echoing in the air between them as she stepped through the open door. Her own gaze mirrored his own with a quick scan of the alleyway, a bit of the tension in her frame easing as she joined him outside.

He was right...it was almost eerily quiet given the festivities both official and unofficial happening all over the city. Would that it was quiet more often...there was a strange kind of beauty to the flickering lights and the soft hum of the city itself. Reminded her a bit of the way that even Coronet City got a little quiet in the pre-dawn hours the years she'd spent there.

"They rerouted everything important and shut down everything else. Everybody's at one of the parties tonight." Nix added after a moment, remembering the sheer, epic levels of planning that had gone into the evening's festivities. Part of which she'd been privy to and assisted with, but there'd been so much more that had gone into it.

She paused briefly as they emerged back out onto the main street tilting her face up to the sky for a moment. "Still weird that there's no sky traffic, but I don't miss it. You can actually see the sky." she uttered softly, then waited and walked up the street. For it's location, it was mostly residential with a smattering of shops and restaurants on the ground levels. Which gave the neighborhood a quiet ambience on a night like this.

 

[Bellam Malhan]

With his hands in his pockets, he lifted his eyes towards space. Light made it hard to see the stars, but it was blissfully clear of the elongated blurs of passing speeders and the hums of their repulsorlifts. Smiling to himself, he picked his speed up to catch up to her as she was walking, his attention focused ahead and around them rather than on her.

He was listening, of course, but wanted to keep his eyes on where he was going.

"A rarity, except when we're in the field." That was one of the few places you got the sky, mostly undisturbed. They didn't even need to look to cross the intersections between blocks, as there wasn't a single vehicle moving.

Here and there he could spy a person, and lights were on in homes - some even had windows open, parties clearly in full swing. But it almost felt like they were alone; or as alone as they could get in a city.

"I'll take what I can get in that respect. Cities are great. Everything is just around the corner. But they aren't particularly quiet - just constant, constant noise."