Identity Crisis

[Prennis Keeoli]

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:|| Location: Club Kasakar, Level 2685, Coruscant [underworld] ||:​

:|| Tags: [member="Marina DeVoe"] + [member="Mariya Fleischer"] ||:​

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New face of Aes'ona; name change pending​

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Normally, she wouldn't be caught dead in any planet's underworld, but, since first meeting Jul on Empress Teta for the first time and every time successively, Aes'ona had grown significantly less anxious around...less savory characters. Plus, even if she hadn't, she had time to kill.

It was a matter of survival for her. Unfortunately, or perhaps still fortunately, the Lorrdian had not had time to been appraised of the First Order's isolationist mandate since leaving Sullust. It was, therefore, unlikely that her previous employer would track her down so far outside of their space now.

Not that they still couldn't.

A change of face was one thing, but a change of identity was another thing entirely--and one a hologram couldn't accomplish.

So she had come to Coruscant to seek an identity thief and a forger. Lucky her had two in one, a woman with a hole-in-the-wall business nearby. A week ago, she had put in an order for a birth certificate, a bachelor's degree in nursing, and a passport. The woman, Vex, either worked fast or didn't see many customers. Aes'ona, now calling herself Prennis, expected it was the latter.

"Droid!" called Prennis, settling down on a bar stool, and then added, "One Jawa juice." There were a lot of people in the galaxy, she was well aware, but it wouldn't hurt to leave some of her old habits behind: notably, her accent, her verbiage, her alcoholic temperance.

 

[Veronika Fleischer]

"One Jawa juice coming up," the droid serving the bar acknowledged with a flash of blinking lights across his face, pouring [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] a glass of the popular alcoholic beverage. It then took a swipe of her credit chip and deducted a pretty steep amount of eight credits. Coruscant was an expensive place to live in, with high rentals that pushed the prices of alcohols up. Even if the bar was a lousy hole-in-the-wall that looked like it deserved a makeover. The music in the bar was blasting through the hologram speakers illegally, a funky dance tune that was popular among the locals without the necessary licensing fees. Not that the owner really cared about legality. No one would come to such a place to discuss proper business except for shady dealings.

While the music carried on, the big hologram screen located at the dance floor flickered with multiple lights and holographic videos of Twi'leks swaying their hips. Hiring a real dancer meant more costs and was too expensive. Occasionally, the screen would be replaced by one of the many advertisements that were paid by other shops. As the good doctor nursed the bitter beverage, the woman known as Vex was occupied in a discussion just a few tables away. Another common theme when meeting up with rogues or scoundrels, where punctuality sometimes meant a few minutes late to never showing up. At least Vex was around and would handle the doctor's simple request soon after settling the bigger problem in front of her.

"No, I cannot hack into Pucci's servers to find out about their latest fashion designs. It's too dangerous..." Vex looked at the blonde lady in front of her nervously.

"Yes, you will. Because I command you to..." the voice was soft, seductive and lingered in Vex's mind more than necessary. Emerald eyes gazed at the female slicer, letting the Force reached out into her silly mind and mentally made a suggestion. The slicer found herself nodding her head without knowing why. "Yes, I will."

"Very good, then our business is done," the voice ended the conversation curtly and turned her attention to the bottle of whiskey on the table. Veronika casually poured herself a drink while the slicer bowed politely and left, heading over to Aes'ona to handle the easy transaction.

 

[Marina DeVoe]

Streaking along in one of the many countless traffic lanes through the greater part of Coruscant...

The old Trade Federalist shuttle may have seemed out of class, considering whom was piloting it. But a ship was a ship, and for one who's own beloved vessel had been grounded on Alderaan, what choice did she have really?
besides, it wasn't that bad a vessel, despite it was well past it's retirement age...by close to a Millennia.
Then again, Marina could fly anything and the shuttle had come with the Federalist ship they had given her to fly refugee children off Commenor during the system's bout with TSE. And the shuttle was much more suited anyways in this part of Coruscant than the antique federalist ship by which she had come to Coruscant with.

There had been rumors... information of which she had paid for that had come in as the most fruitful. At least the vid downloads which finally the private detective firm had forwarded her. They were for the most part in no means HD. Rather, what partial facial images that could be zoomed in on were quite pixilated... very grainy so to speak.
But the few short clips and frozen imagery begotten from various street levels and location on Coruscant were the only ones so far that had turned up to be definitely her; Mariya.

...or so Marina's heart and mind convinced her.

Marina had docked the old trade Federalist vessel in the better more civil district of Coruscant, and had taken it's shuttle to get to the older part of the city planet; the so called shanty district. This sector of course had many other names; one being the Underworld. And all the better she was descending now through it's lower levels in an old relic. It was in so many ways fitting. Who would bat an eye at her shuttle in these lower levels?

Jagger's Slim Kin... a dirt club among the many other colorful down and dirty round the clock never closing establishments down in these districts.
She settled it down near the club and checked herself over before disembarking. No, she weren't all decked out or in any fashion to indicate she were of any importance. Marina had learned by now how to blend in with the local culture.

It didn't take long for a Rodian to come up to her upon her entering the bar.

"Er..what?
Sorry....I don't speak-" She were about to say when the Rodian blurted out her name among its incoherent language.

"Yes... Yes, Marina. " She nodded confirming her person before looking about the place to see if she could recognize anyone.
"Where's Carru?"

Again, with what she couldn't understand of his tongue, the name Gurru Bass came up, with the Rodian gesturing to the far left of the club. There in one of the more reclusive booths, was the man she recognized as the private detective.

"Alright...yes...y.es.... I got it...yes...." She nodded letting the Rodian know she were heading over there.

"Miss DeVoe... please...sit." the man smiled up at her, before snapping his fingers for a waiter.

"Carru..." She returned the acknowledgement and took the invite to sit down.
"You said she was still in this district?... she here?"

"Ha ha ha, no.
No Miss DeVoe, not in here, no.
But yes, she is still around... last my eyes spotted her."

"So you seen her for yourself?..why not have sent me better pictures then?"

"Oh no, no...my eyes are my informants...my associates so to speak. That's what I call them.
But no, I haven't seen her. Can only say that my sources are impeccable.
So...you have the credits?...that was our arrangement, remember?" his index tapped the table.

"Sigh... yea, I have your credits...
Here.." She slipped him a cortosis debit card across the table.
"it's in the amount we agreed."

The man took the card and drew it upon a device he had on the table. It cleared.
A very cunning and satisfied smile formed on his chubby old face.

"There is another card that can be delivered to your..uhm office for the same amount. That is, if what I just paid for pans out as you promised."

"Ah...but I made no promises...just passed on the information that I acquired, on to you...concerning this ...woman." he stated leaning forward a bit toward her.
"My impression I got of this woman, is that she's not one to toy with. Especially by the likes of you.
You know...for a modest fee, I can arrange for my eyes to take care of the matter for you, Miss DeVoe."

"Matter?....
Wait....you think I want her harmed?"

"I was more thinking on the lines that you may want her...dead."

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

Vex sat herself on the empty stool to the ex-doctor's right side--her certification had been framed in her office on the Malice, but now it had probably been sent to her adoptive family home in Prosperia along with the rest of her things and the announcement of her death on the Omwati moon.

On her approach, Prennis' now dark brown eyes rather than her natural hazel caught the movement and likewise found an only slightly familiar emerald gaze. The seated woman looked like Mariya, but something seemed...off. Maybe it was the distance. Still, the traitor's heart jumped into her throat; she hadn't seen her friend in so long. Of course, she didn't blame Mariya, nor Marina. The First Order was not known for its hospitality to outsiders, and it certainly didn't help when Prennis, still Aes'ona, had cut ties with both blondes after the diplomatic meeting on Atrisia, when she had been caught fraternizing with the enemy by the Grand Admiral.

Obviously, Mariya wouldn't recognize Prennis, but maybe--just maybe--this was a chance to start new, and form an old friendship again in a safer corner of the galaxy.

Prennis thought all this in a moment, before facing forward again.

"Prenn," the criminal began, holding her hand up to the mechanized barkeep to signal she didn't want anything. In response, Prennis slid over her datapad, which Vex inserted a datastick into and began to transfer the documents over. As the process loaded, Prennis also handed over a credit chit, but didn't say anything. Vex then ejected, pocketed her thumbdrive and the chit, and slid the datapad back over the counter. "Should all be there," she muttered as Prennis swiped through her downloads.

And it was. A Coruscanti birth certificate, a BSN from the local medical academy, and a neutral spaceport pass. Beautiful work.

With a silent nod, Prennis confirmed the goods, and then Vex gave one of her own. "Good doin' business," she said as she stood from the bar and meandered off towards the club's exit.

:|| [member="Marina DeVoe"] + [member="Veronika Fleischer"] ||:​

 

[Veronika Fleischer]

She poured the aged liquor into her glass and took a sniff. It was one of the most pricey items on the bar's menu, a bottle of Corellian whiskey that was heavily marked up. Veronika had no qualms about spending though, thanks to her family business which made more than enough from the fashion industry. The blonde nodded her head as the familiar Corellian whiskey scent hit her nostrils, proving it to be an authentic buy. The whiskey was smooth when it first hit her throat, followed by a fiery sensation indicating the high alcohol content. It suited her perfectly.

On the other hand, the bar did not suit her style, The music was acceptable, but the hologram videos were a joke compared to real Twi'lek dancers. The patrons were a bunch of misfits, including some who seemed pretty eager to approach her but were intimidated by an unspeakable aura of dread whenever they started walking over. She was not like her sister, incapable of using the gift of the Force to protect herself. No, Veronika was more than capable of bending the will of most people according to her whims.

"That's right, my child. There are a couple of people who seem interested in you tonight," her thoughts were interrupted by an invisible bird spirit. The spirit of Jart had resided within her ever since undergoing the ritual conducted for all Witches of Ryloth. "One of them wears a mask and the other is an inquisitive child."

"Not very helpful, but thanks." Veronika replied to the spirit mentally, pouring herself a second glass. She knew Jart was giving her advice, but she could never figure out why the spirit had to be so cryptic about his words. The spirit no longer responded, leaving her with nothing much to work on except knowing that there were at least two people whom she should look out for. The witch lifted her glass, taking a sip while expanding her mental thoughts across the bar, probing the minds of people around her. She detected no Force Users, but the unknown woman sitting next to Vex seemed unusually jumpy at the sight of her.

Veronika's curiosity made her extend her listening, trying to see what the slicer was talking about. Unfortunately it seemed like a usual business transaction with no clues about the woman's identity.

Hmm. I am quite sure I don't know her. Never seen her in a club before and certainly not one of my lovers. Perhaps she is just one of my fans who got excited to see me? That's usually the case, but a normal fan won't be doing business with a slicer. Then... Is she the inquisitive child or the mask wearer?

The blonde shuffled her thoughts in the mind, deciding to wait a little longer. She could be patient when she wanted.

 

[Marina DeVoe]

"Hey!...off the antique.
Come on...
It ain't no park bench, so off the wing." She came up to the young street urchin...a boy barely hitting his teen.

The boy slid down the shuttle's short wing and muttered a soft apology, lowering his sorry head.
He wasn't much to look over, now that she sized him up. She had learned to hold up a tough girl appearance in many similar streets. But the poor boy now seemed lost...alone and certainly vulnerable. Marina still keeping up her poise gave another look about the level of the street. It was dirty. Dirty like the boy's clothes.

"It's just that its an old shuttle. Maybe what's left of the paint on it is what's keeping it hermetic...
You look hungry." She then said, approaching the boy. He seemed at first to take a step away, ready to bolt.

"Wait!...don't go running off.
I'm not mad, and certainly not going to hurt you, if that's what you think.
What's your name, by the way?" She asked.

...no answer.

"You hungry?"

"I'm hungry. Yes. " the boy replied.
"Can you spare a credit....mam?"

"Credits, huh?
Sigh....no.
No credits for you....or for whomever you are begging credits for...." Yes, she were well aware of the gypsy-like children about in pretty much all the lower levels. They were indentured somehow to beg, steal or otherwise for some tribe/clan boss. No, giving credits to a starving gypsy-like boy would be the last thing she would do.

"I will give you food though... clean you up a bit..."

"No, I don't eat rat food from these places...and you shouldn't either" He replied, starting to walk away.

"Hey, hey...hold on a minute. I have food in the shuttle. MRE's...rations. Good first class rations."

"You mean like stupid army food?"

"Chuckle...
...yea kinda, but not just any stupid army- " She cut herself short as to not divulge her origin.
"Ahem..lets just say I acquired them from the officer's pantries...first class food. And sterile sealed."

"Well... I am really hungry. Can I have one then?" he replied after thinking it over a few.

"Sure..." She replied giving another look about.
"Stay put and I'll bring you out a few."
Marina then approached the shuttle door and upon sensing her person, it opened.

"I'll bring them out to you...so don't run away ..hear?"

"Ok, sure miss. I'll stay right here."

"Ok, good...be right out." And with that she went inside her antique shuttle, throwing her bag on to her pilot chair before accessing the emergency food locker. The one she had stocked not too long ago, following her return to Alderaan from her last excursion.

And what goodies and variety of entrees she had stoked. Marina pulled several different varieties, enough for the little boy to carry off on his own. She was like that, never denying a hungry child, nor any child of necessities. Food and clothing she could give, even if she had to go without it herself. She had a soft spot for children...

"Huh?..." She turned upon sensing someone entering the shuttle. It was the small boy.

"Oh... good, you're not afraid of me." She beamed him a smile, thinking of maybe cleaning up his face, letting him wash up a bit. But the boy remained by the shuttle door, cautiously eyeing the interior...namely the cockpit.
She could see his comprehensive and she could understand that. After all, she was a stranger and all. It was good that the boy had some street smarts, she figured.
"Ok, well here..." She started to take a step toward him with a handful of MREs.
" I've got a bunch load of-"

But in the blink of an eye..her eye, the boy quickly snatched her bag from the pilot's chair and took off, leaving Marina standing there holding the MRE's and a dropped jaw.

A few null seconds passed before her brain rebooted.

"Damn it..." She simply dropped the handful of rations on the floor, before going to the door and looking as to where the boy had run off too.
Nope.
As she had figured, the boy had vanished.

"FINE!... Hope you're buying FOOD and some FRESH clothes!" She yelled into the street.
"TAKE CARE of yourself... HEAR?!"

She stood out there a moment...her heart bleeding for the poor boy before closing the shuttle door.
"Sigh... you do what you can...
...hope he'll be alright.." she muttered softly before firing up the small drives.

She was headed a few hundred levels or so further down. The destination which Carru Bass had given her was another dive, Club Kasakar .
It was where the current sighting of Mariya, her long lost friend was said to be seen.

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

Don't follow too closely, Vex had told her upon their first meeting.

And so Prennis didn't. She wasn't a career criminal, of course, nor did she have the stomach for it--she had been a pacifist doctor in her 'previous' life, for goodness sake--but both her rigorous schooling and choice (not that it really was one, she had recently found) of citizenship had equip her well to follow orders.

Instead, she remained sat on the bar stool as she powered off her datapad and put it into her tan bantha hide messenger bag. She also kept herself swiveled forward in the chair, as to keep her gaze from migrating to the Mariya-lookalike. She didn't have time to meet with an old friend, especially if it meant starting the friendship over, not to mention that she couldn't afford giving away her newly-acquired identity.

Jul, the witch she had to thank for her new face, wouldn't be pleased. At all.

Or so Prennis choose to believe.

In any case, she couldn't approach the yonder blonde. If she was to come over, however, I'll cross that bridge if I get to it. Secretly, though, she hoped she wouldn't. It was too risky. Yes, it would be wonderful to talk to Mariya again--but as Aes'ona, not Prennis. And she couldn't, not just wouldn't, go back to the former persona now.

:|| [member="Marina DeVoe"] + [member="Veronika Fleischer"] ||:​

[[so sorry for the delay!]]​

 

[Veronika Fleischer]

The blonde emptied the second glass down her throat and sighed. People were continuing to stare at her every now and then, only backing off because of her dread aura that she had casted upon herself. Emerald eyes scanned the surroundings briefly and determined that there was absolutely zero eye candy around. No hot hunks. No sexy ladies, except herself of course. She poured the third glass and stared at the dark liquor for a moment, deciding to leave her seat to seek greener pastures at the dancefloor.

Veronika got up from her seat, picking up her bottle with her left hand. She knew where she was heading to, another zone that belonged to the same club. The lower floor bar area was dingy and lack renovations, but the floor above was a sight to behold. People were queuing up to enter and there was a real DJ playing dance tracks. Most importantly, real Twi'lek dancers would appear on the stage every now and then to sway with the music and charge up the atmosphere. The blonde shot a glare towards the direction of [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"], checking to see if the brunette was still looking at her.

Guess not. Perhaps I was too suspicious?

She turned her gaze away and smoothened her dress that was clearly meant for the club, walking to the lift and went to the next storey. The cloud of dread was casually removed when she stepped into the club, immediately attracting the gaze of several men in the vicinity. Veronika broke into a grin, knowing that she was home. Now all she needed to do was to pick the most charming one for the night. Maybe two, if she felt the mood for it.

Meanwhile, news had spread to the ears of [member="Marina DeVoe"] that her friend was spotted in the club.

 

[Marina DeVoe]

Marina had remained there, still parked a bit away from the normal flow of traffic, if one were to even know what was normal down this level of Coruscant's Bowery. She was in a bit of an en-pass.
She drummed her fingers on the old shuttle's console awhile, contemplating whether or not to try and find the boy. Not for what he had taken from her, as it had no true value to her, but for what had driven him to steal in the first place. It had been for survival, down this level.

This ate at her for a time. And marina knew it wold be futile to try and find him.
No, finding a street boy at these levels where he didn't wish to be found was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Still, the feeling in her gut didn't wish for her to let him go for she were one whom found it difficult to give up on the unfortunates...especially a child.
But what could she really do? She couldn't very well expect to find him if he didn't want to be found. And if she did, what then? Kidnapping him was definitely out of the question... even if she were to give him a good life on Alderaan.

"Damn it.." She looked at the time passing.
Taking another good look and scan of the street levels only revealed the teeming life signs of just about everyone in the district...it was so crowded. Yet it didn't look it from street side as the main populace were all scattered about within the multilevel buildings, which included the dive she just exited and the shady store fronts and apartment dwellings and just about every aspect of city life within the greater city itself and then add layers..levels and then some more.
A needle in a haystack. "Sigh..."

The shuttle lifted off the street and she eased it into the parallel open flight lane, which down this level rarely attended to any coherent flow of traffic. it were for the most part 'fly at your own risk', despite the auto collision avert software in just about every vehicle in the city. Of course it were not one which were mandatory on Coruscant.
But this was Marina piloting and if one didn't know, they'd swear she were Coruscanti born. Diving the shuttle through the narrow alleyways, she headed down a few more levels and across what once were an upper class district...maybe a few thousands years past. Now it were the underworld, buried deep under the ever growing and rising spires of Coruscant..still reaching for the stars.

The coordinated took her through what remained of the former district. Now it were anyone's guess as to the business and residency that overshadowed the obvious...the arm of the underworld. Arm, as it were not the center of this elusive yet ever present organized crime syndicate. But it weren't one of anarchy...it had rules..it's own form of what one could constitute as laws. Only they rarely mimicked that of the upper class levels by which put Coruscant on the civilized galactic map. Even doming it the center of the galaxy.

Marina were not new to this Underworld and was plunging deeper and deeper into it. But she were not only descending down with an old looking shuttle, but were also dressed appropriate...certainly not looking her usual sassy self or of a woman with any stature.
One would think someone of nobility would not even phantom the idea of descending levels this far down below the imaginary line between Coruscanti judicial system and that of the Underworld.
In fact, Marina were on a personal crusade to once more connect with her best friend @Mariya Fleisher who in fact she had met on Nar Shada no less...the other Underworld capital of this chaotic galaxy.

She eased her shuttle in an alleyway close to the said coordinates she had acquired from Carru.
At first it were quite difficult to distinguish which dive it were as there were several bars and cantinas about the neon lit corridors that had once been streets. this lower level was quite older than the one previous.

"Come on...you can do this..." She took a deep breath, powering down the shuttle's drives.
Doing a quick inventory, she restocked her new bag with pretty much with what the boy had taken before.
This time she held on to the credit chips in her jean pockets.
The HUD display which were built into her sunglasses helped Marina home in on the right bar.

"Oh God...really.
This place is a dump..." She muttered finding the club door.
It certainly looked from her vantage point that it was a few scores below what she had just left.

"You're not looking too primed yourself, lady.." A Rodian walking past her and into the establishment double doors said.

"Heh?..what?.....right." She were taken back a bit, before she refocused on her game. her HUD had picked up a concealed blaster on him. Not one she should smart talk, she figured.
"Cool...lets be cool in there..." She again uttered to hesrself much quiter. It were her way of stemming up her courage.
"She could well be in there still...
Come on..ready? 3..2..1" ...and with a deep breath, she entered.

What a freakin difference.
Inside were nowhere anything at all like the outside.
And although she were properly dressed in her slumming outfit, she was actually the only one under dressed.

"Yo...hey waitress..." a burly voice called out as she entered.

"YO!!...You, Blondie!.." Was he talking to her? She nevertheless turned to the man.

"What?..who, me?"

"Yea you, who else, the wall?.... You're late.
You know what Boss Nass said..come dressed or not at all. "

"Oh, no..no, you got me all wrong.." She tried to say, before the bouncer grabbed hold of her forearm.

"Don't have time for this with you girls... come on, into your cocktail suit....lets go"

"But..but...you don't understand..." She were heard trying to explain, as the man ushered her into the side service door and smack into the girl's changing room.
Marina's futile attempt at explaining were only met with indifference. After all, the bouncer thought she were one of the many cocktail waitresses that came and went through these reclusive high end clubs like the alcohol and death sticks themselves.

"Shut it down or I'll shut it for you. Now get into your outfit!...and PRONTO!!"

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

The now-complete-blonde (rather than strawberry-blonde) waved down the bartender to hand over her emptied glass. She then turned to the side she hadn't yet, clutching her bag and getting ready to leave. But just as she glanced up from slinging the cross-body strap over her shoulder, her eyes met those of her bar neighbor.

"Hi," was all the man said at first, undoubtedly feeling the need to say something after their prolonged eye contact.

"Hi," Prennis echoed. "You always stare at women?"

"Only the pretty ones."

That was all it took to send Prennis's imagination into a tail spin and her stomach up into her throat. The Security Bureau had found her already.

He glanced past Prennis, to the sofa that Veronika had been sitting at moments before, then he looked back at her. Suddenly, the confidence pronounced on his handsome face was replaced by fear as he knit his brows. "I'm sorry--are you--?"

Prennis let loose a somewhat uncomfortable laugh at the notion, but it brought her out of her short-lived paranoia. "Oh, uh, no," she began. "I thought I recognized her. A friend I haven't seen in a long time." It was proving challenging to keep the First Order tinge out of her voice, but somehow she managed. It wasn't perfect yet--gone completely--but it was getting there. Hopefully, by the time she got to Commenor...

The man's face fell slightly with sympathy, but then his mouth formed a shy smile. "Well, no time like the present to make new friends," he suggested.

Her next laugh was true--the line was corny, but not unwelcome. In a sense, it was refreshing that a man was being somewhat romantically blunt, and it was unlike the situation that Aes'ona and Cedric had found themselves in months ago, in which they both danced around what they each wanted. "You're right," Prennis said quickly, with a shake of her head. She refused to give any more thought to that specific 'what-if?'. Instead, she extended her hand out to the man who took it. Prennis stood first with a reveal of her new name--but just the first--and the man followed suit on both fronts: standing and introducing himself as Lyman.

: || [member="Marina DeVoe"] + [member="Veronika Fleischer"] || :​

 

[Veronika Fleischer]

The dance floor above was much darker in terms of lightning, creating an ambience that was suitable for people to be more touchy. The DJ blasted his music through the speakers and a couple of Twi'leks were dancing on top of the stage. They put on their cheerful smiles and swayed their hips to hype up the atmosphere, while wolf whistles and shouts came from the crowd.

Simply put, it was a place created for people to forget about their worries and have some fun.

For Veronika, it was a place that she had hung out often since her younger days. She would sneak out at night in her fancy dresses with her school friends and crept back night in the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes, she was caught by her tutor and given a lashing. Other times, she found herself waking up in unfamiliar places.

She pushed the memories away, allowing herself to squeeze through the crowd and walked towards the DJ who was well built. The man waved at Veronika and motioned for her to join him. "Hey Veronika! Stunning as usual," he grinned and gave her a kiss on her cheek. The blonde smiled and merely tossed her bottle of whiskey to him, making him drink. It was a strange sight to see the DJ listening to her, the norm being a DJ generally being the center of attention. But it was Veronika at her seductive best.

"Come on, let's get this party started!"

Veronika pointed to the DJ spot and the DJ made way, standing right behind where his body touched hers. The blonde laughed, pulling the headphones from his head and wore them. The crowd had built up at the dance floor by now, so she switched to a more rapid beat and turned on the broadcast. The face of her plastered across the holo screens throughout the club, from the dance floor to the bar counter where the former [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] was, including the staff area where [member="Marina DeVoe"] had stumbled upon.

The Goddess was on the set and she wanted everyone to know it.

 

[Marina DeVoe]

"In...or out?
I told you I don't have time for this shiet!" The sudden thumping of the music that started to pump out from the main floor reverberated in the back dressing stalls had also raised the level of tone from the bouncer.

Marina's futile attempt at explaining that she wasn't working there was easily drowned out.
"No, no...you don't understand...I don't work here...I'm just looking-"
What the bouncer was hearing was more like 'she didn't want to work.

Ba da Boom Thump thump Boom...techno music and stropes cancelling out all but a few words she were trying to convey.
"Come on then...out you go.!" he went to grab her arm and once more tow her after him. Only this time he were heading her out the back door to the alley, where she supposedly should have entered from.
marina pulled hard enough back for the tank to look back at her and put her against the corridor wall. His heavy breath snarled down on her tiny frame.
"You playin with me!?
Girl, you don't wana go down that road. I'll make you part of this wall!"

"Ok..Ok...I'll do it...
I said I'll do it !
I'll get dressed...I will...promise!...
YES!!!" she did her best to shout over the blasting DJ's music, nodding her head, so the tank size bouncer understood.
Normally this hulk, who's real name was Felix but went as Cherry (shrugs..go figure) would have tossed such a trouble no good ditzy troubled waitress on her fanny the first time they opened their mouth to protest. Just that in reality, they were very short on waitresses tonight and it looked like the club was extra hopping. This equated to lots of thirsty dancing patrons...mulla credits!

The tank let go of her and stood there like a huge mass in the corridor. He wasn't playing around, standing over her like that...or so he projected. Marina knew she had no choice. It was either change into some kind of whatever or get put out in the alley.
She figured even if she came around and tried the front entrance again, that this tank of a bouncer would certainly clock her. It were the way it worked down these levels. if you weren't anyone, you weren't anything. And she certainly had dressed the part of being nobody in her slumming outfit.

Marina peeled herself off the wall trying to avoid coming in contact with the hulk that for the most part really seemed to span the width of the hallway. She slid her back along the wall till she cleared him and went back into the dressing room. a quick glance back confirmed the bouncer was following her. She got the impression he was like a piston, following her. If she even dared stop, he'd compress her.

"Don't go be playin' around in there!
You got 5 minutes or you're out on your tail....
FIVE MINUTES!!" he thundered out at her before turning about and heading back out to the main floor. Marina then heard him barking at some other poor soul, before the club's pounding music drowned him out.

"Frak!" She stammered. There was no door to the dressing room. She peered out the open threshold and was met with piercing eyes from the dance floor checking back at her. It was the tank and he gave her the 'time's coming up' gesture... That is, his fist smashing into his palm, gesture at her. She was running out of time.
"Sigh..." Marina had no recourse but to see what she could fit into.

"Hmm...wow...not bad....kinda cute.
Yea...maybe i can pull it off..." And so she changed into what she managed to mix and match to her taste...all the while, time ticking away. this time, she didn't dare loose track of time and try different combinations. her first pick seemed to work and she had time ...20 or so seconds to admire herself in the reflection of what was once considered a mirror. Only it seemed to have seen better years.

DA DA DUM DUM DA DU DAM pumped up DJ percussion intro to the next beat...followed by techno music mix blasted on the dance floor as marina came out of the back room. The place was buzzing and aside from many life forms bobbing about and swinging whatever they swung and fist pumped about, she could get into it. After all, she herself was kind of a party girl...right?

"EEEek!" She found herself pulled backward by her collar ring.
It was the same bouncer, who literally yanked her off her feet backwards, as she casually made her way past him and onto the floor.
Now what?
Marina gave him a real questioning look.

"Ooof" a silver dura-steel serving tray got smacked into her stomach.
"What the-?
What am I going to need this for?." She puzzlingly looked at it.

"You can't do much waitressing without it..." He then said, as she got hold of it.
he then pushed her gentle enough that she had to scramble a few feet to keep from falling flat on her face.

DA BOOM DA BOOM BOOM... so went the racket accompanied by strobes and laser lights complimenting walls and flat screens live feeds of what Marina perceived as music video flashes. Not what she were at all interested in, as she kind of realized her inexperience at waitressing would most likely get her sailing across the street on her butt.
Yep, she was going to have to do some struttin and serve up some drinks for sure, if she was going to go through the club looking for her bestie.

. . . . . and so she went on to serve...

"What?...
What's that?.." She absolutely had little clue as to most if not all of the exotic drink orders the patrons were trying to have her bring them.

. . . . . and continue blumbering about serving other patrons...

"Never heard of it...is it something like a Bloody Hazle?" Oh Lord, was she the worst of the worst servers there in the history of the club.

. . . . . and so on...

"What say I surprise you?
You now....yea, I'll bring you something special...
Yea?
....yea, you'd like that?" Of cource, most of the coherent communications that were able to get through the loud music were mostly gestures, nods, her pretty pearly whites (which by the way seemed to be the only thing working for her) and the cute little sexy waitress outfit.
Then again, it were difficult to determine if the patron's smiles and nods were for her drink suggestions or something else.

But the blonde nevertheless got to make her way little by little through the crowds, bring this one a wrong drink, the other more credits than given, etc..etc..

As she were getting the hang of serving and miraculously not yet discovered as the worst waitress ever, she had a tray full of her Bloody Hazles and whatever concoction she mixed up, as the majority of liquor was unknown to her, being they were from all over the galaxy, the greatest mishap a waitress could have, naturally found its mark on Marina.

"Yikes!.." yes, those are the words one would yell out as they realize they are no longer moving in an upright position.

CLANG BANG ... splash-spilled all of the bloody red mixes and whatnot not only went flying when she tripped, but mostly landed on who else, but the blond who was doing her best in being innocuous...Aes'ona....or rather.... Ta-Da!... yes, the new and improved version....Prennis Keeoli of all the lifeforms, the gods picked for her to stumble on over.

"OMG.... I...I'm so sorry Miss...." Marina managed to get up and attempt to wipe the sticky concoctions off the soaked , drenched customer with wet and soaked napkins that were once also on her tray...

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

Lyman had began leading Prennis through the crowd towards the dance floor, though evidently they didn't get far until a waitress collided with her.

Well then.

Prennis dropped Lyman's hand instinctively to raise her and step back. "Oh, it's--" she began, cut off by a violent shiver due to the coldness seeping though her clothes and onto her skin. "--it's fine." Gently, she took the napkins from the frantic blonde and gave her a comforting look.

By now, Lyman had noticed that he had left his crush behind, as he hadn't been able to hear the commotion over the blaring bass, and approached the two. "You okay?" he asked, concerned. For a fleeting moment, too, he looked about ready to chide Marina, but he decided not to make a scene since Prennis wasn't. Instead, she was silently mopping at her metallic silver dress.

But soon, her hard-at-work hands suddenly stalled. She looked up and plopped the wet wad of napkins on Marina's now empty tray. Before she could turn on her heels and disappear into the crowd, her exposed skin appeared to shimmer, changing from a natural tan to various shades of blue. It would look stranger, maybe, if she had not been covered in light-catching liquid that could reflect the club's multiple colored strobe lights.

"I'll be right back," she muttered before taking off in search of a bathroom. It took a few minutes to both navigate the crowd and recover from a few wrong turns, but she made it--and just in the nick of time, too. As she closed the door behind her, her the holographic disguise matrix shorted out, revealing her actual appearance. Fortunately, the womens' room was completely empty, but Aes'ona still ran into a stall and locked it behind her.

"Sithspit," she muttered again, this time to herself. With one motion, her dress was over her head and hanging over the side of her stall. She then cast a glance down to her hidden belt, where the hologram generator was secured.

: || [member="Marina DeVoe"] + [member="Veronika Fleischer"] || :​

 

[Marina DeVoe]

"No..no, it's not alright...your dress..." Marina knew the type of dress this poor wealthy woman were wearing.
She had one or two varieties like it. Such a dress were by no means an off the rack design, and although it could well even survive a small low grade blaster bolt, as it were a genuine micro-plate silver weave..it were not water proof.

"It all went through..."
The sticky sugary cocktail mixes had gone through the shimmering weave like that of a juice strainer.
All that managed to bounce off the woman's stylish blaster proof dress were the two maraschino cherries that had topped off the more sweeter drinks on the tray. The rest had no trouble finding their mark, passing through the micro shimmer weave like ice cold water on warm skin.

The club was hopping and the mishap was for the most part hidden from the rest by the mass of bodies. For the most part it were localized. And the clanging and bashing of the tray on person and floor were overshadowed by the clubs ever changing beat from the DJ...or whomever was scratching through the remixes.
The strobe lights were also in sync with the wall to wall flat screens that seemed to dazzle and make everything surreal.

Marina were too concerned about cleaning up her mishap and the poor woman, to even mind what occasionally flashed on the screens.
She knew she blew it.
Any minute now that tank or another such tank was going to haul her butt out and into some alley dumpster. ..she just knew it.
Only no one did. Not even after the woman plopped the soaked napkins on her tray and skipped off. Marina was certain, that whomever that woman might have been with would kindly help shove her off to that alley.
But to her surprise, she weren't.

Lucky for her and everyone else, the cocktail glasses were duracrystal...they bounced off the floor...even rolled somewhat with the help of a kick or two. Nevertheless, she managed to pick them all up, be them afoot or chase them down several meters.
Looking for both her supposed bestie who were said to have been sighted here, Marina looked about to where that poor girl had gone off too. Her guess were the lady's room. only there were several as this were to her surprise a high end club in a low end of the city...several hundred levels low.

'What's this?!" The bartender asked when she plopped down her black cortosis credit card. Not may if any patrons would entrust a waitress with such a card.
"Who handed you a cortosis card?" It were understood that they would pay and tip by cold hard credits or present such a card themselves in person.

"Never mind that, just put that last round on the card!" She had to shout, for whomever was DJ'ing was doing it non-stop.

The man suspiciously took it from her and swiped it. Marina's profile..not her full bio mind you, but her partial metrics came up on register's screen. It was the waitresses, card.
"This is yours?!.." the bartender slid it back across the counter to her.
Marina simply flashed her pearly whites and placed the tray with the empty glasses on the counter before she eyed out that there was one of the lady's restrooms to her right.

"Hey, those clean towels behind the bar...hand me some, will you?" She then asked the bartender...
Maybe, just maybe that poor girl could be in that one? It were a 10:1 shot if anything, but she might as well try it. Marina wasn't one to let a mishap she caused go without trying to make some amend of compensation. If anything, she knew where to acquire some undergarments or even another cocktail waitress uniform, if the girl needed something to leave the club with.

Knock..knock..knock..." Hello...you in there?" Marina called outside the locked door.
"Listen..if you're in there...uhm, I'm sorry.
Yea, this is the klutz who spilled everything on you...sorry!" if anything her voice certainly relayed her remorse.
"Just that I wasn't expecting to get pinched and ..and kinda jumped, then tripped... then...yea....really sorry." She said, keeping her ear close to the door.
A few seconds went by with no response. if there was someone inside and there had to be as the door were locked from the inside, there would have been a reply. Being it were indeed the same girl, it were understandable in not replying.
maybe it were that very girl inside. Marina hopped so.

"Really, I'm so sorry...listen, I've got some clean towels you can use to clean yourself up.
I... I could get you some kind of change of clothes too..." the key was, 'some kind of change' of clothes as the type marina could acquire were something along the lines as to what she had to don on to remain in the club. Marina had dressed as a lower class Coruscanti, as she figured not to look conspicuously. And she had pulled it off...too well. She had tried entering this high end club in low class attire and had gotten mistaken for a late for work waitress.

Knock..knock..knock... "Could you at least unlock the door and let me try to help you?
I can pay for whatever I ruined under that dress..."


[member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"]

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

Oh no, oh no...!

Where would she even go to have such a high tech gadget fixed?

Aes'ona was so caught up in her worried internal monologue that she had totally missed Marina's first few attempts to speak to her. But, she did catch the last one. Shaking her head, she neared the door. "You--" she began.

Can't help, she had meant to finish, but restrained herself with a pragmatic thought and a heavy sigh: she simply needed someone, anyone to help her escape. How would she get out, back up to the surface, and then to her apartment? The ex-doctor had no idea. But she would certainly need help, and plus, she couldn't stand here in the restroom forever. There seemed to be no way out.

Knowing that, she slowly unlocked the bathroom stall door and whispered, "...don't let anyone else in."

: || [member="Marina DeVoe"] || :​

 

[Veronika Fleischer]

While the wannabe waitress and the doctor with a new identity was busy in the Ladies, Veronika was probably having the time of her life. She had the crowd cheering for her, the music she was blasting was her genre and the DJ standing behind her was rather hot. Okay, he was more than just standing stationary behind her, creating enough contact for other women to scream molest at least twice. But that was the whole point of fun to the blonde. A bottle of cognac was somehow handed over to her and she drank from it directly.

"Good job, doll. Maybe you can finally spend the night with me. How about it?"

The blonde put down the bottle and rolled her eyes. If only he kept his mouth shut. Perhaps he would have gotten lucky. Unfortunately, the socialite turned celebrity hated people calling her doll. She was no doll. She might be particular about her looks, be obsessed with fashion, loved makeup and enjoyed company of others at night. But she was a goddess. A living one, to be exact. The DJ might be popular in the club, but he was nothing compared to her fame and yet he dared to call her a doll.

"Screw you. I am done with the set. It's yours."

The blonde pulled out the headphones and slapped them onto his ears to show him who was the boss. His face turned into anger and he wanted to lift his hand, but Veronika rewarded him with a choking gesture at his throat.
"Don't you dare lift a finger on me. Apologise or else..."

"I.... sorry."

"Apology accepted, Mr DJ."

She smirked and squeezed her hand tighter, enjoying the sight of his twisted face of agony before sparing his miserable life. Sighing a little, she decided to wash herself up from the horrible incident and headed down the stage, walking over to the Ladies. She opened the door and found herself staring at a [member="Marina DeVoe"] who was dressed as a waitress, talking to a nervous [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] who was hiding in the cubicle.

"What's this? Look, if you girls just wanna have fun... why don't you just get on with it? I'm just going to wash up and ignore any noises."

 

[Marina DeVoe]

"Hey...you!..." Marina heard that burly voice again, this time coming from the direction of the bar, she had just gotten a handful of clean bar towels from. "...blonde!"

She turned from the bathroom door to see who it was that had drawn her attention. That voice sounded too much like the bounce she had a run it with to ignore.

"Oh shiet..." Yes, she was batting a thousand tonight.
"Ain't gona be able to sing my way out this time..." She muttered to self.
It were the same tanker alright. And wouldn't you know it; he were being directed as to where she was by the bartender no less. His hand and index pointing right at her.

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock...... her rapping on the door got a little desperate as the mass of muscle and gargantuan hands (compared to hers) were now making their way towards.
"Oh come on..... please, please let me in...." Marina's attention were on the hulk and not realizing the girl in the bathroom was opening up.

"Whoa..." The door swung in and so did Marina who was pressing herself against the bathroom door like she could maybe squeeze her molecules past those that made the door. No chance. Both her and the door conformed to physics.
In she nearly stumbled, but managed to get the door locked again.
"Oh my God... I think he was really coming after me to dump in the dumpster...pant...pant..pant..." her heart beat a kilometer a minute.

THUMP...THUMP..THUMP... rattle, rattle, rattle...went the ruckus from outside the door.
THUMP....THUMP....THUMP... "You in there!...
Open this freakin door or...or..."
Rattle, rattle ratttle..."JUST OPEN THIS DOOR!" he were heard shouting and banging at the door..

Marina naturally backed away from the door, expecting it to burst open or come down taking part of the wall with it, he was banging on it so hard.

"Wha?... Gah!....I'll take care of it..." the hunkster outside was heard saying to someone.
"YOU IN THERE, I'LL BE BACK!" was then heard, seemingly something else more urgent he had to take care of in the club.

"Whew... pant..pant..pant..." Oh Marina almost lost it. She were about to pee in her panties, despite the oxymoron of being in the lady's room. But lucky for her, the bouncer went elsewhere.

"Oh my God...how do I get into these predicaments...?" she breathed a sigh of relief, before remembering why she had wanted to come in the lady's room to begin with.
The poor girl! the one she spilled all the drinks on and...and..
where the frak was she?
A quick glance around and 'BINGO' the metallic silver dress hanging over the stall.
marina did a quick dip, peeked from where she stood under the stall.
Feet.
Bare feet getting back into heels, was what marina saw. Yep..she figured the poor girl had maybe gotten the scare of her life with giagantor pounding outside, ready to knock the door in on them.
Well the brute was gone... but for how long? Marina could only guess. Maybe a few minutes at most, before he'd return after whatever he went after for now.

"Hey...Hello...it's me..." Marina approached the stall.
She could hear the girl inside rustling around. Then the dress got snatched back inside the stall and more tussle.
Ok, seemed maybe she were putting it back on.

"Uhm... I ...I brought you some clean hand towels..." Marina raised the bundle over the stall to show the occupant the clean white bar towels.
"I'm gona drop them in...ok?" And she did. Marina let the towels drop inside the stall and took a few steps back to give the poor girl some breathing room. Still, the possibility of the bouncer coming back at any minute was weighing on marina's nerves.

"Listen... I don't think I've much time left. The guy may be coming back for me at any-"
But before she could finish, the stall door slowly creaked open and an eye peered out.

"Hey... hi." Marina gave her a friendly smile, taking another step back so that the girl wouldn't think she would rush her or something.
The door creaked open some more and she could hear the girl taking in a deep breath.

"I'm really sorry for the drinks...really. I don't really work here at all... I was kinda rustled into it.
I mean..like i was looking to find my best friend and...and.. OH MY GOD!!" If there was a time or place for marina to loose her shiet, it was in the lady's room and right at this very moment.

"Aes'ona...Oh My God it is you!..." Yes, Marina rushed over to her friend. A friend she had heard had gotten into some kind of tiff with the First order or something along those lines. The word was that Aes'ona was a wanted woman... a First Order traitor...defector...
The details were all muddled as they had been from different sources and nothing direct. But it was certain that her friend was in some kind of trouble. And here she was now. What were the odds?
Marina just wrapped her arms around her other long lost friend, relieved that she were alright.

"Oh my God... I was so worried about you... You don't know half of the rumors that I came across about you. I thought I'd never see you again..." Marina was rambling on a kilometer a minute, not once letting go of her friend. Aes'ona was safe and well and in her arms. It were such a relief, she almost forgot about her bestie and why she were in this club in the first place.

And... and... was Aes'Ona wearing the same dress as the -
Marina released her bear hug and leaned back while still holding on to her friend's forearms.
Yep...it was the same dress..only it wasn't on the woman she trashed with the drinks.
Marina's eyes went from Aes'ona to the open stalls. Nope, no one but her and Aes'ona in the ladies room.

Click...swish.. the bathroom door opened and marina looked at whom were entering.
The surprise and nervousness on her features were to the fact that she was expecting the bouncer who had somehow managed to open the locked door.
But it was no bouncer who walked in on the two girls. One firmly holding on to the other with the look of shock...like being caught in the headlights of a speeder.
Yes, to someone who didn't know as to why the two were embraced as such, that someone could easily run wild with the imagination.

But the shock and surprise on Marina's features were not of two women being caught embracing, no.
It were of finding her long lost bestie, Mariya Fleischer.

"SHIET!!..." Marina could only shout before she rushed the blonde.

Of course if this was anyone other than her bestie that she were lunging for, that person who had just walked in on the two women would construe the wild woman rushing her as one who didn't appreciate being walked in on.

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

Prennis let out a short sigh of relief when the towels were handed to her over the door. No amount of drying would fix her holographic matrix, but at least she wouldn't have to stay cold and sticky, altogether uncomfortable. In fact, the woman had just started manually drying her dress after unlocking her stall and stepping back as Marina squeezed in. She was admittedly barely listening to the apparent waitress' ramblings, that was, until her concluding exclamation.

She looked up, startled into almost dropping the towel. Quickly, though, her start became raw confusion. She, evidently, hadn't paid enough attention earlier to realize that her accouster had been her friend. "Mari--? H-hi--mphf!" Still reeling as the actual pilot embraced her, Prennis held herself somewhat awkwardly. And when Marina withdrew and began speaking again, Prennis furrowed her brow, more in worry now rather than confusion.

She had expected rumors, of course, but internal ones. For word to travel far outside the bounds of the Order likely spelled some bigger problem for her.

All the more reason to get her matrix repaired as soon as possible.

She was about to open her mouth, then, to speak her mind to her friend, before her blood ran cold. The restroom door swung open and someone's footsteps clanked on the tile floor. Prennis had been extremely lucky that the third person who had yet to see her as Aes'ona since her defection wouldn't give her up.

The same thing couldn't be said on this mystery person.

"Ahhh!" exclaimed Prenn as she step further into her stall, back from Marina, as she ran out of it.

~ † ~​

[member="Marina DeVoe"], [member="Veronika Fleischer"]​

 

[Veronika Fleischer]

"Not another crazy fan..."

She sighed and held her hand up in the air to ask the waitress to stop. She was getting too popular and her privacy was being invaded. Unimaginable. Even in the Ladies. Unfortunately, the universal stop sign seemed to be ignored by [member="Marina DeVoe"] so Veronika stepped out of the way. A sidestep dodge to avoid the incoming traffic helped greatly by the power of her Force. The waitress clumsily continued her assault towards the wall behind her. For a moment, the witch wondered if she should extend a helping hand. At the last moment, she did and made a grab of the waitress outfit.

"Rippp...."

Veronika stopped Marina from getting her face flattered with great success. The waitress found herself hitting the wall against her shoulder instead, while her outfit was redesigned with a big gaping hole behind. The witch glared at the exposed back and the torn fabric in her hand, shrugging her shoulders and giggled.

"Gasp, oh no. I am so sorry I destroyed your uniform..." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm when she did her apology, not really caring about the state which Marina was in. Her eyes darted over to the cubicle where [member="Prennis Keeoli"] was hiding and walked over. The door was half open, inviting her to push it aside and glance at the doctor who looked different from her initial disguise.

"Hmmph. You look drenched, darling. I get it now, the waitress carelessly spilled the drinks on you. No worries, I am sure she had learnt her lesson."

She shot a look back at Marina and sighed, shaking her head and cast another gaze at the brunette again. The dress looked vaguely familiar, but she could not exactly place her finger where she had seen it before. No, it was coming back to her now. The woman who was talking with Vex had the same silver dress. Coincidence? Unlikely.

"Okay, game's up. Who sent you to spy on me? The Sith? The First Order? The Mandalorians? Speak."

Her eyes flared in anger, turning from the brilliant green to yellow while channeling the Force. The toilet paper unrolled and formed into a paper ball, flying through the air to smash the mirror behind the blonde easily.

"You better speak up or I'll rearrange your face!"

 

[Marina DeVoe]

Were it over excitement or an overload of emotions that at times overtake the poor blonde and have her trip over herself?
Only this time, Marina didn't trip....not by her own account.

Nevertheless, it didn't change the fact that she came to contact the wall as if she did. Marina had misjudged her bestie, at best not even considering the fact that the girl would dodge her altogether. As such and with all her excitement and intensity, she hit that wall or could have hit it face first, if for some freak joke, her bestie didn't break her at the last moment. break, as in applying opposing force to an already moving body. This little stint would have worked well if it weren't for a wardrobe malfunction. The brake cable in a sense gave way. In Marina's case, it were the back strap to an already skimpy club outfit that barely could even be called a waitress uniform.

Lucky for her she didn't have much mass and before her back strap gave out it did dissipate much of that kinetic energy..even spinning her about in a good way. Marina simply bumped her shoulder on the wall.
As light as it were, it were shocking none the less.
"Gasp!..." Shocking that Mariya would play around like that after so many months of being MIA.

"What are you doing?!..." Marina blurted out as she managed to reach up to her loose and falling top, less be topless altogether.
And to top it off, she watched that very same strap falling to the floor.
"What the-..." Marina were momentarily is a kind of shock, seeing the remnant of her strap simply being discarded on the floor by her bestie and then plainly dissed her to just go over to Aes'ona's stall. That somehow took precedence over the fact that glass just shattered behind her. But her eyes and attention were too focused on the idea that Mariya had in a way...dismissed her.

"What's up with you?!" This was no longer funny. Actually none of what had taken place today was at all funny. Dis Coruscant emit some kind of crazy gas that made otherwise nice people do strange things and ...and.... and act like crazy people?
Maybe there was actually lack of sufficient oxygen down these lower levels. Maybe that accounted for why it were called the Underworld. Maybe...maybe...maybe Mariya was just plain ol'stupid drunk! Although in her worst of days when they had both gotten plastered under the table, Mariya was never in this kind of mood. Her bestie was a happy drunk like she were.

"MARIYA, stop it! " She stammered, coming up to her bestie. Marina were still clutching to her top as it had no other support but that of her hand. What was that crazy talk of arranging Aes'ona's face all about? Did her bestie have a fight with her bestie? Damn, both her besties have had an argument that she didn't know about? Then again how could she have know if the two were at odds, as both had been AWOL for some time now.
No, whatever was going on, Marina was going to put a stop to it. She wasn't going to allow her two besties to fight. Incidentally, she knew how it would go if the two were really gona go at it. her friend Aes'ona wasn't going to look too pretty for a while.

"What's wrong with you two?! What ever it is that you're fighting about...STOP IT ! "
Yep, she put her hand on Mariya's shoulder to pull her away from domineering over Aes'ona. What ever was up between her two friends, she were going to put a stop to it.