The Festivities of Fortune

[Ilana Logan]

"Yeah, sure," Ray said, scoffing, doubt obvious in his tone. "Two or three more 'pink sparklys' in ya and you wont even be able to stand."

Ilana made a face at the reference to 'pink sparklies' and, smiling, she said, "I can hold my liquor better than that, thank you."

She took another swig of the drink in her hand, hoping the fuzzy happiness would arrive soon. She was too tense, and she wanted to loosen up, for the sake of her comrades. She pulled her arm away from Ray's, patted his arm gently, and looked over the table of food in front of her. She was a bit hungry, but nothing looked particularly good. She frowned and her eyebrows wrinkled in the middle as they drew together.

Ray's laugh brought her attention back to him and she looked up at him, wondering what had made him laugh. He wasn't looking at anything she could tell. That made her a little uneasy. Crazy people always laugh for no reason, well, no reason that anyone else can see. She looked at him for a moment, and then looked away to the table of food. There were strange little sausage looking things and she picked one up. Rather than smelling it before tasting an unknown food, she took a bite. Whatever it was, it was pretty horrible and she cursed herself for having nowhere to put it. She carefully let the bite she'd taken fall back into her hand and shuddered in disgust.

She dropped it into a trashcan under the table and took a big swig from the glass in her hand and realized that was the last of it. Then she saw Carl stalking toward them. Alone. Weird. He was with Marcus and Jay just a minute ago, she thought.

Carl looked over the table of food and plucked up a tiny orange. As he pulled the orange out of the arrangement on the table, a waiter approached with a tray of drink and asked Carl if he wanted one.

”You wanna get the fuck away from me,” Carl said looking at him right in the eyes, with an aggravated tone.

Carl clearly intimidated the man, and he started away instantly. As he went, Ilana switched out her drinks again and gave the man a sympathetic look. Not that it mattered. The man never even looked at her. Carl began peeling the skin from his orange. As he did, he looked over her and Ray. He looked irritated, really irritated.

”You gotta watch that fuckin’ idiot captin’ a yers,” Carl said. ”He’s up on a balcony fuckin’ some whore. Shit, he’s lucky he aint dead.”

Ilana's mouth fell open a little, but Carl just kept peeling his orange. "He did what!" She said incredulously, making it sound like a question. "That fuckin idiot. I'll kill him."

Ilana was pissed. Mainly because she had been expected to behave a certain way at this place, they all were. That was part of the reason she'd dreaded this night for so long. For Marcus to pull something like this, he was either really stupid, or he was completely disregarding everything they were all supposed to represent, which didn't just make him look bad, it made them all look bad. He was their captain, if he couldn't keep it together, and in his pants, for one night, what would everyone think of them. Ilana's face heated with rage and embarrassment and she fought for control of both.

"Fucking idiot," she repeated, fighting the urge to continue rambling on about her boss's intelligence. "What the fuck could have possessed him to think that was a good idea?"

She took another swig of her drink, suddenly glad she'd decided to get drunk. She was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. She wasn't drunk, or even tipsy yet, but she was starting to feel the creeping fuzziness that alcohol, in large amounts, brought.

[Ray Hudson]

Ilana claimed that she could hold her liquor better than Ray believed and he had a hard time believing it. His face expressed his incredulity before he looked away from her. He was about to find out so he decided not to debate it further. Instead he just went back to looking back out into the crowd. He tried to keep his mind out of dark places and he attempted to distract himself. Given enough silence and he would always make his way towards a sorrowful state.

He watched the guests standing around the large room, dancing, conversing and drinking. He wondered who they all were. The pin-thin woman wearing shoes that cost more than fifteen Logan's, the narcissistic youth who danced like a pro, an grey haired woman with puffy cheeks who was arm in arm with an effeminate looking gentleman. All these people had their own lives. They all went home to their own homes and had problems that they worry about on a daily basis. Re-elections and the second divorce. Ray might even like some of these people if he gave them more than half a second and a third of his attention. They all had their reasons for being at Longstreet's party. An occupation that brought them here, contacts and connections. There was a journey that brought each of them here, some more filled with sweat and blood. Some clawed their way to the top and others were fortunate enough to skate their way there in their business attire, helmet securely strapped on.

It was hard to miss Carl. He was one of the few people he recognized so his eyes drifted towards him. Carl came towards Ray and Ilana and grabbed a fruit from the table. Carl growled at a waiter who offered him a drink and the waiter scampered off. He looked over to Ilana and Ray and advised that they watch Marcus. He said that Marcus was had slept with a whore on one of the balconies and that caught Ray's attention. Carl said that Marcus was lucky that he wasn't dead and Ray just wanted to understand what happened.

Ilana immediately went into a fury, claiming that blood would be spilt. She was cursing frequently and Marcus an idiot. This got on Ray's nerves. Ilana didn't really know what was going on or if what Carl was telling the truth or was being literal. She didn't really understand the situation and she was freaking out without knowing the full story. The hypocrisy was lost on Ray and he was visibly annoyed. Ilana had already lost it over nothing a few minutes ago and now she was losing it again. "Jesus Ilana, relax." Ray said to her, irritation in his voice, trying to keep his audio levels low. He said it without thinking, his patience running out.

"What are you talking about, what happened?" Ray asked Carl in a serious tone. Ray had no reason to think that Carl was lying but this was definitely something that warranted a few details. They might of heard something wrong or maybe he said something wrong. Ray wanted to know what exactly Carl was talking about. This was a 'wait...what?' moment.

If Marcus had slept with a prostitute on a balcony than Ray would get in a similar boat to Ilana's but he wanted to make sure. Ray didn't like or respect Marcus and he didn't even consider him 'Captain'. If what Carl was saying was true than Ray's opinion of him probably wouldn't be shooting up anytime soon.

[Carl Davidson]

Carl continued to peel the orange in his hand. It didn’t take him very long to have the skin completely removed from it. He turned around looking for what to do with it. He found a small hole in the table that would lead down to a waste container below. He dropped the skin down and looked over the orange quickly. He didn’t want to see some big black spot on it and find out it had rot on it.

It wasn’t likely that the fruit would have such a thing, but Carl grew up on a farm where that was something they had to do on a daily basis. The habit had stuck with him and he wasn’t likely to give it up any time soon. That was when he started to hear the reactions of the two that were beside him. When he heard the mechanics response, Carl had a thought rip straight through his mind. It’d save me the trouble. Of course Carl wouldn’t go out of his way to make such a thing happen at the present, but he wasn’t likely to forget what was done.

When Ray tried to get more out of him, he wasn’t sure really what else to say. That was all there really was to it. ”Some a the boys walkin’ the grounds seen him walk on one a the balconies on the west side.” He said bringing the orange up to his mouth. He chomped down with his teeth ripping the orange in half. ”him n’ some cheap and easy, getting’ his offs on her ins.

Carl’s description was crude and very low brow, but it was the way he’d always spoken, as did many that worked with him. It was a bit hard for some people to understand, but it was fairly plain and simple way of going about things. At least he hadn’t gone about making a thrusting motion for emphasis, and he wouldn’t because of present company. Still he thought it was enough to get the point across.

He looked across and saw one of his people walking around looking things over, and Carl decided to get back to work making sure everything was in order and secure. He put the rest of the orange in his mouth, chewed it down, and swallowed it as he walked away. The thought of what had happened went through his mind once more and he shook his head as he stepped away.

[Ilana Logan]

Ilana was angry that Marcus would do something like this. She made an effort to calm herself, and the only reason it worked even a little is because she'd been drinking. Generally once anger got a foothold in her, it was hard for her to get rid of it. When she was drinking, however, anger was a little easier to let go of.

"Jesus Ilana, relax,"Ray said to her, sounding irritated.

Ilana glared at him, her temper flaring again. She balled her empty hand into a fist and dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand to keep from raising that fist. Talkin' to me like I'm a fuckin' idiot. Tellin' me to relax. How is he so fucking calm about this? she thought angrily, literally biting her lip to keep the words from spilling out. Once again, he was talking to her like she was stupid. That pissed her off almost as much as being lied to. She wasn't an idiot, and she hated being treated like one.

"What are you talking about, what happened?" Ray asked in a serious tone.

"I thought he was pretty clear when he said Marcus was fucking a whore on the balcony," Ilana said sarcastically. "Unless you're looking for a diagram or something, he pretty much said it all."

Ilana was pissed off, and she knew it was showing. She was pissed at Marcus for being a fool, pissed at Ray for talking down to her, and pissed at herself for caring what either of them did or thought. She took a swig from her glass and made a visible effort to calm down. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she let it out, she opened her eyes again. It calmed her slightly, but only slightly. Her mind just didn't want to let go of Ray acting like she was stupid. She gave him another glare and shifted her eyes to Carl, just waiting for whatever came next.

I wish I'd pretended to be sick. I knew this was going to be a disaster.

”Some a the boys walkin’ the grounds seen him walk on one a the balconies on the west side,” He said bringing the orange up to his mouth. He chomped down with his teeth ripping the orange in half. ”Him n’ some cheap and easy, getting’hisoffs onherins."


Carl described it very crudely, but Ilana had expected as much. She hadn't expected him to sugar coat anything for them, nor did she want him to. He put the rest of the orange in his mouth, chewed it down, and swallowed it as he walked away. He shook his head as he stepped away from them and Ilana stared after him for a moment, wondering what to do about it.

[Ray Hudson]

Ilana didn't like him telling her to calm down. She glared at him, rage in her eyes but Ray didn't really care at this point. Bad news was just piling up and his patience was dwindling. When he asked Carl what had happened exactly, trying to process the information he was just given, Ilana gave him some attitude. She said that Carl was very clear and unless Ray wanted some visual aid, he had all the information that he was going to get. Her attitude caused his jaw to clench and he stared at her, keeping himself from asking what her problem was. Ray didn't understand how she could respond so angrily without hearing Marcus' side of the story. She was taking the word of this man she barely knew before her 'Captain'. Carl was the head of security but Ray figured that Ilana would want to hear from her 'friend' before getting bloodthirsty.

All it took was a rumor, apparently, to set Ilana off. Ray sighed to himself, irritated with this lesson in her character. Perhaps it was just the atmosphere that was making her act like this but it didn't change Ray's opinion. He didn't even like Marcus but he still didn't like how she was responding.

Once Carl elaborated a little more, Ray turned back to him. Apparently, some of the security guys saw Marcus on a balcony in the west end and he was with a cheap hooker. So Marcus really had sex with someone on the balcony, there was nothing else to it. Ray believed Carl since he didn't really have a lot of reasons to lie.

Ray wondered if he would suddenly get the same rush of fervor like Ilana if he had some more clarity, that he would suddenly feel her indignation. He didn't feel much of anything. He was a bit annoyed that Marcus would do something like that but other than that he didn't really care. The way he saw it, it wasn't his concern. What Marcus did didn't really affect him and Ray didn't care about Marcus' wellbeing. Marcus was an adult and Ray didn't care about his decisions, or his mistakes. Ray knew that it was incredibly stupid of Marcus to do but that didn't make him suddenly jump into anger or concern.

Carl walked away and Ray watched him for a second. "Huh" Ray said, with little care in his voice. It was a 'huh' that someone said when they were listening to a story and expected a bigger payoff. Ray didn't even think how his apathy would make Ilana feel, since she was obviously affected by this news.

"Remember Carla from middle school? Well I saw her at the optometrist the other day."

"...Huh."

It was that kind of 'Huh'.

[Jay Fuller]

"It's not. But when have I been one to take up 'good' ideas?" Marcus replied to Jay. "Glad I brought the cane... Save the chewing out until later, you can even get Ilana in on it if you want."

Jay nodded. "Fair enough," he said. Unsure of what to say next, he turned and looked up the stairs. After a minute, he looked back to Marcus as his captain began to make his way forward. Jay was surprised at how well he hid his pain -- either the man had a very high pain tolerance or he was good at faking. Probably the latter.

"This isn't my scene, Jay. I'm a dirt-rock bar guy, not this diamond-glass stuff." He looked at him. Jay raised a eyebrow. "He give you directions?"


Jay nodded, "Yeah." He walked up past Marcus as he spoke, "Up the stairs and to the right." Jay kept going. From further down, it looked like the hall split off in three different directions once you got to the top. Once he got there, he saw the two passageways on the side only went a little ways before ending at a door. Looks like that's the one, Jay thought, turning to the right.

Jay wondered if Marcus might need a little help up the stairs. Hell, the man went and slept with some prostitute at a high-class party hosted by his boss. Marcus probably deserved the struggle. But since Jay knew Marcus (at least, he sort of knew Marcus) he felt a little sympathy. Since Marcus and the crew were Jay's make-shift, extremely dysfunctional group-of-friends at the moment, Jay thought they should stick together through whatever they went through -- whatever mistakes they made or whatever happened to them. As far as Jay was concerned, besides his family on Paquin, these three were the only ones he had. So in short, in some odd way, he cared for them.

He looked back to Marcus. "You got it alright?" he asked. Jay didn't want to ask if he needed help. It wasn't like there was much Jay could do to help, anyway, unless he thought he could carry the captain. But even if he could, he probably wouldn't. But Jay wanted to make sure he was okay. Getting punched by someone as bulky as Carl couldn't be a very pleasant experience.

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus watched as Jay took the lead. Something inside him relaxed, watching him. Marcus thought for a moment as he tried to understand the feeling. Was it Jay? No, this feeling was familiar. It was a lacking, an absence more than a presence. What was missing?

Confusion, that's what was missing. Jay marked the path, and Marcus knew where to go. The recognition stirred something in Marcus but he had onther things on his mind.

Longstreet. Word would may have gotten to him. He put on a neutral face, and ascended the stairs. Jay asked if he had it. He nodded and followed Jay. He let the medic lead as he followed the directions, and he could see Longstreet and another man speaking.

He needed the cane a bit more now, the pain in his gut a present fire, but it was secondary to the storm going through is head. Whenever he'd done something right in his life, or doing something correctly, someone was leading him: His dad on the ranch, Burts, the scavengers, the war.

He was only ever doing something right when someone set out the course before him. Anytime he did something 'his own way', it blew up.

He was chewing on that when he walked onto the balcony where Longstreet and the other man were standing, talking maybe.

"Sir." Marcus's tone was quiet, lacking the usual feeling he had when he spoke. Right now Longstreet wasn't the first thing on his mind, but he was trying to focus. He looked ahead, but only half-saw the employer he'd just wronged not a half hour ago.

[Lord Reginald Marleque]

”Of course things are always backed up so far, that the idea of getting financial approval on the floor doesn’t happen directly for anything that won’t take at least three years.” Reginald elaborated. He was explaining an issue regarding Federal funding for fuel needs on the rim, which wasn’t looking like it would pass in his lifetime.

Fortunately for him, the sorts of things that he worked on didn’t need actual time on the floor of the parliament. All he really needed was enough people to agree to what he was asking, and it could be added to other proposals. Or he could just work through varying committees, which he preferred. It was more direct, and didn’t require endless hours. Just a few people to say yes and suddenly he got more done then the main chamber did that week.

He turned his head to his left as a new set of people arrived. It had been a few minutes since Longstreet had sent his body guard to go and find the one that had retrieved for him the weapon which was now in his possession. Though the body guard was not with him, the way he moved didn’t suggest that he was among the higher classes. And as all he did was give a statement to reinforce the fact that he was there, it appeared he was one of Longstreet’s subordinates.

That was enough for Reginald, who then smiled at him. ”Sebastion,” Reginald started. ”Is this the fellow that successfully located the artifact in such an expedient manner?” He asked, but presumed he already knew the answer.

[Sebastion Longstreet]

Turning his head to look down at the people as the notion of political lock down was continued Longstreet considered things. In one regard he was glad he fought for the Independents rather then the Alliance even though he supported unification, simply because he would have to be dealing with such things himself if he had. Many who had been commanders in the war were either promoted to be higher commanders, or were starting to pursue careers in the political game.

Longstreet had little time for politics. He knew what it took to have a good negotiation, but he was a business man. He handled all his dealings personally, and the money and people that were at risk were his, just as was the profit that would come in as a result. He didn’t like the idea that he had to follow a large amount of rules with how to go about handling people, when he could just as easily handle things himself.

When Marcus arrived Longstreet turned his head. He did not see him approach as he’d been listening to Marleque. He looked at Marcus who was holding a cain. He presumed it was from his injuries sustained a month earlier, but he didn’t imagine that would be bothering him for much longer. Still it wasn’t Longstreet’s place to judge the pain of others.

”Yes indeed.” Longstreet answered to Reginald’s question. ”This is Marcus O’Terra, leader of the expedition which recovered the item.” Longstreet then turned to Marcus. ”Mr. O’Terra.” He said in a neutral tone. ”This is Lord Marleque, Parliamentarian of the first house, and leader of the of Advocation Coalition.” Longstreet knew full well that Marcus likely had no idea what any of that meant. There were billions of people on the rim and border, and almost none of them could even name a single member of parliament, let alone the things that worked within it. The Advocation Coalition served as the main action group which was led by Marleque which helped a great deal on the Border and Rim, and he hoped Marcus would at least accept that as far things went, this man was higher on the ladder then most conceived a god was.

[Lord Reginald Marleque]

Reginald was glad that he had made the correct assumption of the man was that had approached them. He liked that the man was dressed in a fashion that suited the occasion, but was able to guess that the man typically didn’t dress like that. Reginald liked meeting and seeing people as exactly what they were. He tended to do that, but he understood that the weight of his position made many people less the anxious to meet him dressed in their work clothes.

”Ah.” he said aloud as the man, Marcus, was introduced. Before he could speak, Longstreet began to elaborate on his own identity. Reginald didn’t like the idea of overwhelming people with all of his titles and placements. He thought that Lord was enough, but it wasn’t always so.

Recognizing that the man before him may not know a great deal about Parliament and its politics, Reginald decided that he would explain. ”We speak on behalf of the Border and Rim territories which are desperately in need of assistance.” He explained the purpose of the Coalition. It was one of a dozen groups that he was recognized as a part of, but it was the one which he and Longstreet discussed the most, namely since Reginald was the head of it and it did the most.

Turning his body Reginald nodded his head to the man as a sign of respect. ”It was a fine work you’ve done, recovering the item on Shadow. It will greatly aid our efforts for funding towards several projects on the border moons.” Reginald nodded his head once more, a cultural sign of honor and dignity. ”I wanted to thank you, on behalf of the Coalition, for a job well done.” Marleque finished with a smile.

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus kept his mouth shut while Longstreet explained who the man was. Marcus wasn't the sort to keep on politics, but words like 'first house' and 'head' stood out to him. This man was among the top of those at the top. Neither of them seemed to greet him with any sort of disdain, the foul move hadn't moved this far up the food chain.

Yet.

Marcus nodded when Marleque explained his part. Any other day something about that would have burned him. 'desperatly in need of assistance' yes. With people like Burts running around people needed help.

Of course, this was a man working WITH Longstreet, who put out the bounty for Burts. The chain of cooperation suggested itself it Marcus and he set his usual prejudice aside. "It was certainly an experience, Lord Marleque: seeing Shadow from the ground." He gave a weak smile. "But thank you."

A memory flashed of the audio logs. Marcus wasn't sure if he should bring it up. He kept his mouth shut on it. He was feeling uncomfortable, and wasn't sure how to progress here. Introduce Jay maybe?

[Jay Fuller]

Jay nodded at Marcus and continued to the door. It was open, and Longstreet ad some other man Jay didn't recognize was with him. He glanced back to make sure Marcus was doing okay. He motioned to let Marcus go first. He was, after all, the reason they were up here in the first place. After all, Marcus was the captain and Jay was the lowly medic. Not that he minded -- Jay had no desire to be at a higher rank than he was already.

Jay stepped in after Marcus and nodded to Longstreet and his friend. He instead decided to listen in, and if he was asked to leave so be it. The man Jay didn't recognized mentioned Marcus' exploits -- apparently Longstreet gave him a preface. Afterwards, Longstreet introduced the two. The man was Lord Marleque, something something fancy something.

Marleque explained his Parliament title a bit more. Had Jay paid attention to politics, he probably would be impressed. As it was, Jay wasn't quite sure how to react. Speak up? But that would probably be rude. "OH HEY, GUYS! I'M THE MEDIC, REMEMBER ME?" Instead, Jay folded his hands behind his back and stood in the doorway. A little off to the side, in case someone wanted to get by. He kept a small smile on, just for manners if anything.

[Lord Reginald Marleque]

Nodding at the mention of Shadow Bernard thought about that world. ”I would imagine it being so.” He replied. ”It certainly was for me when I first saw the unending wastes. Speaking there seemed to get my point across to Parliament about the troubles of the border.” Bernard then smiled. ”And awarded me the title Tu Yìzhang” He added, elaborating on why it was he was called the Speaker of the Dirt.

He didn’t mind the nickname, and he didn’t feel the great sense of loss that many people did who lived on the Rim and Border in regards to Shadow. He did feel it was an unnecessary measure taken by the military, which rendered an entire world dead, but the fact was he was on the other side of the line when it happened.

Reginald wasn’t bombarded with it being used as a propaganda tool. He did however use it as one himself after the war for a place in his speech. He did feel bad about what was lost on that planet, but couldn’t feel it as a personal blow that those beyond the core did.

His security officer beside him didn’t quite seem to share Reginald’s sentiments on the matter. He kept his mouth closed and continued to look around to ensure everything was safe around him, but he had served in the war. In his mind no doubt it was a necessary move. He did not however speak in contradiction of what Reginald said, and Reginald did not feel a loss that he did not have the man’s support. It was impossible to win the support of everyone, and Alliance soldiers were as stubborn as the Independents they’d fought against.

[Sebastion Longstreet]

Seeing a slight drop in the very short conversation, Longstreet determined that it was time to move on. The party served as a function for both he and Marleque to shake hands and make small business talk with the powerful people of the Kalidasa system. Longstreet didn’t like politics very much, but he knew that it didn’t serve very well to have more then a moment devoted to Marcus.

”A fine job indeed, Marcus.” Longstreet echoed after Marleque gave him praise for what he’d done. It served as a double point to Marcus, in part congratulating him for what he’d done on Shadow, but also working as an acknowledgment not making Longstreet look bad in front of Marleque.

He hadn’t suspected Marcus would do something that would be a mark on his reputation, but there was always the unknown circumstance that could arise. He still hadn’t known Marcus longer then a few months, and he knew his background well enough that suggested such a meeting could have been problematic. But it was a risk that Longstreet took and it seemed to pay off. He could tell when Marleque liked someone and when he didn’t, and this was far from the latter.

Taking a short breathe in Longstreet gestured down the central stairs. ”It seems the Baron Detrenar wishes to have engage in conversation with us.” Longstreet’s hand led in the direction of a fat older man with a mustache who appeared to be toasting him. ”It may be best to get that out of the way, so he doesn’t complain all night.” Longstreet gave a light smile. Really he was already starting to move.

[Lord Reginald Marleque]

Just as Longstreet stepped in, Marleque could see what was happening. He knew that this was a night of importance for most of them, and that included himself. Longstreet had always been one who did everything with the utmost focus on punctuality. It was a common trait amongst people like them to try and make sure nothing was left undone, and made sure there was time for everything.

He knew that this meeting with Marcus likely wouldn’t go much farther, but Marleque still liked knowing people like him. ”I’d be more worried about his wife.” Marleque replied to Longstreet’s comment about the Barons complaining.

Just as he began to turn he looked at Marcus. ” Hěn hǎo de mǎnzú nín de xiānshēng.” He remarked on how it was good to have met him. ”Always a pleasure to meet one of the unknown heroes of the Rim.” He smiled and bowed his head once more.

Reginald then turned with his security officer moving with him. ”Alright Sebastion, into leeches jaws we go.” Reginald joked. ”Do try to keep him from offering me his frequent offers of food though, that’s all I can remember from our last meeting.” He continued, as he and Longstreet proceeded together to the central stair case towards the man in question.

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus smiled a little at the exchanges between the older men, and held back the naseu from his own growing guilt. Longstreet looked at him, in this moment, with a measure of pride. Respect even.

That's going to vanish by the time he reads the night's security reports. A cold thought ran through his head.

He nodded to the men and wished the a good night, the words coming out automatically as he walked to the edge of the balcony.

He felt physically sick and his face was growing pale. Maybe it was a delayed reaction to being punched in the gut. He'd been pounded there more times than any man right to, yet every time he'd earned the pain prior, or did something that merited after.

"Jay I feel rather sick." He said plainly. "I think I'm done for parties for the evening." He looked to Jay, trying to think of something to say.

His brain was a jumble. What next, where to, would this be his last night in Longstreet's employ? Would this be a dirty secret Longstreet held over him?

"I'm going to take a long walk back to the ship." He stated, as if it were something worth doing. He started toward the stairs, slowly walking with the cane.

[Jay Fuller]

Jay stepped out of the doorway to let the men pass. He didn't nod or anything because, frankly, they didn't acknowledge him anyway. Not really worth it.

Marcus looked to him and said he was done for the evening. "Yeah," Jay said, "I know how you feel." He was actually quite tired. But not quite ready to leave. Then again, maybe leaving wouldn't be too terrible of an idea. The party was sort of ruined, anyway.

He didn't really know why, but after Ray and Ilana got in that stupid fight, Marcus sleeping with the slut just put the cherry on top of a crappy night. Jay was hopeful for the evening, but now he just wanted to crawl into his bed.

When Marcus said he was going to head back to the ship, Jay wondered if he might take along. But then, the ship wasn't exactly across the street. Even though he was a little upset, Jay wasn't quite ready to be left alone yet.

"You want to share a cab?" Jay asked, "Or are you just gonna walk? I sort of like the bed idea."

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus stood beside Jay, who looked a bit miffed to say the least. Clearly this event hadn't restored the confidence he might have had in Marcus. He spoke up and suggested the share a cab. Marcus laughed and tapped his side.

"I've been cleaned out of cash and dignity at the moment. So if you're willing to cover me?" He didn't really smile, it was more of a pull at his cheeks.

All things considered, going home alone seemed a bad idea. "Ray and Ilana can manage themselves." Plus he wasn't sure he wanted Jay talking with them about what'd been discussed by Carl just yet.

[Jay Fuller]

"No worries," Jay said, "I always come prepared." Whenever he had a set amount of money, he made sure to budget it. And he prepared before hand to save a bit extra for a ride home. Luckily, he didn't spend nearly as much in town as he thought he would, so he had extra for the ride.

He began making his way down the stairs. He made sure to go slowly for Marcus.

[Ilana Logan]

Ilana made an effort to tone down her temper again. It simmered a little lower and she let out a sigh. She looked at Ray as she heard a "Huh," come from him. It didn't sound like a question, more like a "well I'm not surprised," kind of huh. This sound came after Carl told them where he had gotten his information, which seemed like a reliable place. He'd heard it from the guards patrolling the grounds.

Ilana let out a sigh. This night had been everything she'd expected it to be: horrible. She hated events like this. She was always uncomfortable, and she tended to make a fool of herself, which she'd already been very successful at. She looked at the food in front of her, decided she didn't want anything after all, and turned to Ray. "I'm gonna go back to the ship, Ray. I want nothing more than a hot shower and to go to bed. Sorry I ruined your evening," she said that last sincerely. She'd meant it all, but she didn't want him to think she was being sarcastic in her apology.

She stood there for a moment, feeling awkward, wanting to say something else, but she had no words. She couldn't think of a single thing to say. She wanted to make Ray laugh as she had before, but she wasn't in much of a humorous mood anymore. After everything, she just wanted to go home. She wanted to shower and sleep, or listen to the ship, or anything but stay at that party for another instant.


She took a deep breath, turned, and walked through the huge room. As she went, she passed the girl in the red dress. The one she'd pointed out for Ray. She stared at the girl as she walked through the room, once again trying to see what Ray had seen. She couldn't do it. The girl was beautiful, but she was just a girl. An uncomfortable girl that didn't want to be there anymore than Ilana did. There was nothing special about her that should have made Ray think she was unattainable.

Ilana shook her head as she walked past the girl and continued on her way. She went down the stairs to the ground floor and walked out into the night.