Faction Whistler's Hole [OPA and Friends]

[Aeshi Tillian]

Eliza Steele Phalsi Drynchen Kimiko Taiyou Enlil Eldin Daine

"Well, Tillian Cola is something to drink alright," Aeshi said with half a grin. "Especially for people who look too young to be drinking normal whiskey. Little carbonation, distilled from some specific plants from Imynusoph. Looks like a carbonated beverage." She pulled the ice chairs back away from the table and slung herself into it. She raised her glass as the other woman spoke and shrugged. "You know too much. Been here since the end of the quality inspections. Not exactly a hotspot for things to do unless you like being waist-deep in snow and ice."

As the bottle came her way, she poured in half a glass and raised it in a toast. "To not freezing to death groundside." She took a drink and savored it for several moments before lounging back in the chair. "A cigar? Love to. Appreciate it." She took one of the offered cigars and lit it, savoring the taste of the smoke before exhaling again.

"The Starbird trade spine, eh?" She paused to look around the room for a bit and leaned in closer to the table. "How the markets along there looking? I have the route mapped in my computer, but not made a trade run yet. What's your assessment? I know the Core's still fairly unstable with all the governments jockeying for power. It hurt trade much?" She leaned back again, enjoying the combo of whiskey and cigar smoke. "Got any cargo bound for Kal'Shebbol you're looking to offload?"

When asked about business or pleasure, Aeshi shrugged. "Business. I needed some income streams with higher stability and larger margins than my free trading and trade post. So, I sunk a chunk of credits into this place as an investor." She raised a glass. "Yay for real estate speculation, right? Just have to hope it pays off."

 

[Shae]

Hoth, as planets went, was a moderately picturesque place to be. A shimmering sheet of pure white snow blanketed every inch of it. Dotted across the surface, clear blue oceans frozen mid-wave, sparkling wildly as it caught what little light reached its translucent surface. A spectacle that was, if one concentrated hard enough, visible even from space. It seemed to Shae that Hoth had only one drawback. Being planet side, as opposed to gazing at it from the stars, was quite a different story. Temperatures that threatened to drop beyond what was considered healthy, along with the sharp breeze that stabbed cruelly at any exposed skin, made it quite an unbearable experience.​

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Hands gloved in sapphire velvet drew a coat of ebony fur closer to Shae’s face. Everything about her person seemed to detest the icy conditions of Hoth. From the soft shiver every muscle made under several layers, to the jagged smoke that left her lips with each breath. There could only ever be one reason as to why she subjected herself to such uncomfortable conditions. ​

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Business. ​

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Where better to search for it than the opening of a rather ingenious hotel? ​

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Shae stood at the threshold of the door, forcing herself to brave the weather for one final moment. Her hand dipped into one of the deep pockets in her coat to retrieve a circular object gilded in silver. With little difficulty, despite the gentle jitter of her fingers as she reached for the clasp, the top half of the object flicked open to reveal the tell tale glimmer of a mirror. Her wrist tilted gently, shifting the reflective surface over every inch of her porcelain face. Red painted lips curled into a privately content smile. ​

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A satisfying, sharp snap rang in her ears as the compact resting in her palm clicked shut. Feet sinking into freshly fallen snow, Shae approached the intricately carved iced doors, which swung open to admit her. It was moderately warmer behind the thick walls of the hotel, but still no better than what she was used to. Hopefully, the marvel of such a building would distract her attention from the unwelcome sensation of feeling draining from every appendage. But first… she made headway for the bar. Most people attending the opening would likely be gathered there. ​

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Beyond that, however, it was where she could imbibe in a little Corellian courage.​

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Her gaze did not travel beyond the bar that contained several appealing looking beverages, and it likely wouldn't until she had the comforting weight of a glass in her hand. "Corellian whiskey please." Her melodic voice asked of the bartender in a soft tone. An aged drink meant for aged minds, but something of a habit her recent clientele had impressed upon her. ​

 

[Enlil]

The King held his hand steady for Phalsi Drynchen as she warmed her slicing tool. Though he did not know what it was, it was his unspoken duty to provide what help he could, wherever he could. "Just let me know when you've finished," he told her. Enlil could sustain the flame without much conscious effort once it had ignited, and extinguishing it was a matter of cutting off its oxygen.

He turned his attention back to the bar and listened to the others talk, largely about trade and the effects of foreign governance on the economy. The way the Galaxy worked was a wonder to him, and he was always eager to learn more about it.

While he brought a great deal of gold wherever he went, it always seemed to amaze people. The galactic currencies were all so complex and diverse, he cared little for learning how to utilize them for himself. Every one of them translated easily enough into precious metal. His buying and spending power had never been so unlimited as this.

That worked out well for him when he came to Hoth. They eagerly accepted his contribution, despite his being there chiefly as a Security Officer. Something about how the law don't work the same out here in the Rim, or something like that.

"Zinfandel," he requested as he turned his attention to Eldin Daine , still flirtatious as usual. "A bit lighter, crisper, but it's a cold night. A man should find better ways to warm himself than with drink."

He offered a conspiratorial wink to both the other Judge and to Kimiko Taiyou . "I've decided that's what I'm going to be drinking this evening.'

At that moment, someone new entered the room. He spied her attire and wondered about exactly what her place was in all of this. He raised his voice and greeted her.

"I see you, traveler," he greeted. "Welcome to this place. Please, enjoy your stay."

Aeshi Tillian | Eliza Steele

 

[Shae]

With her order in mind, the bartender shuffled about his business. A heavy, opaque bottle filled with an amber tinted liquid was pulled from one of the shelves and quickly uncorked. Shae watched with some amount of hidden eagerness as he titled the rim to half way fill a crystalline glass. When he passed it across to her, he stuck an expectant hand out to wait for the comforting weight of credits to cross his palm. Instead, Shae placed a thick black business card gilded with gold plated text into his hand. ​

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Money was a sordid business, better left to be handled when one had the privacy to do so. The bartender seemed to understand completely, and slid the obsidian card into one of his many pockets. ​

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“Thank you.” The first of her thanks was directed to the bartender. With the accepting nod of his head, she turned to address a welcoming voice. “And thank you.” She responded in a honied tone to Enlil . “I very much suspect I will.” An emerald gaze trailed over him slowly, drinking in whatever they could of his appearance. Rightly dressed in a thick layer of wool and other hardy materials, Shae found it difficult to tell much about him from the way he dressed. That was ordinarily the most obvious tell, but no matter.​

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Eyes were windows into the soul, and Shae focused her attention on those instead. “Might I ask your name?” The hand that did not clutch her amber filled glass motioned to the bar freely. “And perhaps you would allow me the pleasure of buying you something to drink?” There were others gathered there too. But they were conversing in such a way that Shae felt a little untoward interrupting, still, she smilled and greeted each in turn with a subtle nod of her head.​

Aeshi Tillian | Eldin Daine | Eliza Steele | Kimiko Taiyou | Phalsi Drynchen ​

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

Delighted at the refill of her drink, she took a sip, relishing the smooth flow of the whiskey. It warmed her.

She mused at the small talk, feeling relaxed at it all. This was an opening party after all right? "A Judge? A pleasure and an honor Sheriff." she winked before answering the first question,"You are correct. We were the southern most system until recently."

He questioned about the world and her ears flicked and tails swayed excitedly behind her...alcohol...and she took another sip of her chilled liquor,"I'm just little old me, coming out to enjoy a night out. Why not the opening of a new tourist attraction?" she shrugged to emphasize her meaning.

A chuckle escaped her,"What about yourself Sheriff? Where is it you call home?"

Just then, Enlil approached and offered greetings and playful comment that caused a blush to form. She raised her glass in return as he departed before turning back to her companion.

Eldin Daine | Enlil | Phalsi Drynchen

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

As soon as the device began functioning, she pulled the tool back and nodded thanks. "Appreciate it! I'll let you be to-" She cut herself off as someone(Shae) came to the bar, moving away from the crowding bar to find a nice little spot to work. An alcove, of ice surprisingly, was found and she settled into her task. She accessed the local holo-net link, setting a program to scan the surface level of security while pulling a sleeve up to reveal the second slicing device.

Running another program in the background off her wrist device, she waited for a gentle ping of alert from the data pad before smiling. It wasn't complete access, but it also wasn't something that would alert the hotel staff to her presence. Well, not right away anyway. Having skimmed the surface, there was a variable entry point in the login system for the bartender and the service desk that switched back and forth.

Having caught it between points by a matter of luck, it granted her access to lights, a list of the rooms, and some background functions that she guessed related to the facilities. A slight nod of the head one way as she shrugged had her pushing against a holo-display rotary dial, gently turning counter clockwise as the lights in the room dimmed to a softer tone.

At least softer to her eyes. Bright lights always gave her a headache.

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Eliza Steele | Eldin Daine | Shae | Kimiko Taiyou | Aeshi Tillian | Enlil

 

[Eldin Daine]

Eldin shifted with mild irritation, at Enlil’s words. Can’t a guy have a lovely chat with an attractive woman without be called out for it? Naw, probably not. Phalsi was not much help either, all the two received was a raised brow for their intrusion.

There was a soft glow in his eyes, and a pull on his lips as he watched Kimiko speak. “I’ve a feelin’ there’s more to ya than meets the eye”, I’m just little old me, indeed. As try as he might, and not intending to be rude, but he could help looking down the watch her tail flicking about with excitement. And what is was attached to was very nice.

He was mighty pleased she had decided to join the party. “I certainly hope to see more of ya”. Eldin, up ended his beer and order another for himself and his beautiful company.

“Little old me?”, now he was playfully teasing. “Bespin is home to me, now. Before that Tatoonie, I grew up there”, after that was Nar Shaddaa but a guy can’t give away all his secrets at once.

With the arrival of a newcomer to the bar, space was getting squeezy, forcing Eldin an inch or two closer to his companion, “And please, call me Eldin”, that killer smile again.


Kimiko Taiyou | Shae | Enlil | Phalsi Drynchen | Aeshi Tillian | Eliza Steele

 

[Enlil]

He accepted the Zinfandel and reclined on the counter, his ruby gaze now fully attending Shae as she spoke. Most men might be cowed by a beautiful woman, uneasy about giving her direct eye contact, or even blush. The King gave up nothing. As though he were used to being the the company of beautiful beings, he regarded her simply enough.

His confidence and slight smile set the tempo of the encounter. The way he held his goblet, even the way he sipped the light red drink held a regal air. But for his outlandish dress, one might consider him wholly out of place.

"I am called Enlil," he gave his name when she asked. "And it would be my pleasure to share drinks with you, but I fear it would be most inappropriate for me to accept charity of any kind." He spilled a pair of gilded coins on the ice and the barkeep's eyes bugged. The man collected them greedily, but the King seemed to show no arrogance from the gesture.

It was pure and unabashed sincerity that drove him to do so.

"And so, if you still wish to do me a kindness, I would have your name instead."

He thought the wind might have been affecting the lights, so he didn't even consider Phalsi Drynchen may have had something to do with their dimming.

Shae Eldin Daine Kimiko Taiyou Aeshi Tillian Eliza Steele

 

[Shae]

The telltale flecks of pure gold caught the edge of Shae’s peripheral vision, but beyond that, she did not acknowledge them in any way.

“Charity?” Shae shook her head slowly, shifting the ebony curls that mingled into her fur coat. “I’m afraid you misunderstand.” The young companion did not do charity either. After so many years of living with so little it was understandable that she was defensive and protective over what was rightfully hers, but she didn’t necessarily want the entire room to know that. “But nevertheless, a fair trade.”

He spoke eloquently enough to lead Shae to believe there was more to this man than met the eye. In her line of her work, it was easy to tell between those who were born into wealth, and those who had slowly acquired it. This one had almost assuredly been born into it.

“A pleasure to meet you, Enlil.” A softer smile formed on her face as she rose her glass in his direction, indicating a polite toast. “My name is Shae.”

Enlil ​

 

[Eliza Steele]

"The markets are still pretty individualized to each backwater planet and unorganized even on the bigger ones, though I hear on the grapevine there may be a group of entrepreneurs that may try to change that. The hyperlane itself is a bit tricky to navigate in some places and one really needs to watch themselves if stopping at a refueling station or to do a little business planetside. Pirates are lurking and there's no one to aid ya if you break down out there, though they gladly will," the ship captain answered Aeshi Tillian with a knowing smirk, then after a moment of thought, she continued.

"But all in all, it's a positive development over not having to run the gauntlet deep into CIS space and being able to move product back and forth relatively cleanly coreward, which keeps the pocketbook, well at least mine filled." she nodded, then took another puff from the cigar in one hand followed by a sip from her whiskey glass in the other.

"Oh, and as for Kal'Shebbol, I actually just finished closing down my cantina on Ord Mantell and am in the middle of moving the contents to the Outback's gateway world. Be on the lookout for the grand opening announcement of the Afterburner MK II Cantina in the coming weeks as I've secured a decent location near the spaceport. I aim to grab patrons coming and going," the brunette winked.

"Well if the turnout is any indication, it should do well enough," Eliza smiled, then threw back the rest of the amber liquid in her tumbler before reaching for the whiskey bottle that sat between them on the ice table.

"Care some more?" the Corellisi asked, holding up the bottle of whiskey as she was going to pour herself another glassful. The night was still young.