Ain't No Party Like an Eden Party

[Roman Kline]

Roman sat next to Ilana on the balcony floor, legs dangling over the edge. It was obvious she was still angry. Not angry, and you know it. She's hurt, and her hurt always comes out disguised as anger because then she doesn't have to admit it. "I stopped being angry at you a long time ago, Rome, but it still stings a bit when I think about it." She said. After a pause, she added, "Eight years. Eight years and you never said a word. You knew what I thought, and you let me think it for eight years, and never even bothered to apologize for it."

He decided not to speak right away. Her entire demeanor had changed. She'd appeared somewhat relaxed when he'd first seen her. Now her entire body was singing with tension, and he knew better than to respond immediately. Instead he mulled over her words while he took in the club and gave her time to cool down a little.

He spotted Ivy by the bar. She made awkward eye contact with someone. Roman followed her line of sight, he saw Helios eating something unidentifiable from this distance, flipping Ivy off. Roman rolled his eyes, while Ilana let out a surprised laugh. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and saw she was looking toward Helios. When Roman's attention turned back to Ivy, she was downing a drink and heading out onto the dance floor, appearing entirely unbothered by Helios's rude gesture.

"Eight years…" Ilana's voice echoed in his mind, pulling him back to a little over a year ago when Eden was still Savannah.

"Eight years, Roman! Eight years, and you never thought to mention you were a companion?!"

There were tears in her eyes, but she was fighting them back, stubbornly refusing to let them spill in his presence. "I've been stupidly assuming for eight years that we were in a relationship!" she growled.

"We've never spoken of exclusivity, love. Of course I knew how you felt, but I didn't know you thought we were a couple," he said.

He cringed at the memory, coming back to himself. Even then he had known that was a lie. He hadn't known immediately, and by the time he had, he feared she would leave his ship if he had told her the truth. Selfishly he had kept that from her to keep her on his ship, and only in that moment had he realized how grave that mistake had been.

He spotted Rina and Sam heading toward the bar and mentally noted their arrival. Following their path to the bar, he also spotted Jay. The two women began chatting with a man who at least Sam seemed familiar by her body language. The memory wasn't ready to stop despite his attempt to focus on the present.

"I'm well aware of that, Roman Kline," she said, her voice dangerously low.

His felt a very unfamiliar feeling. His heart raced, breath catching, mouth suddenly dry as a bone, his stomach felt like it was twisting in on itself, and he nearly wanted to be sick. Guilt, he thought. It was also a bit of fear, but he wouldn't admit that to himself then. It was in that moment that he realized he loved her, whether it was a marrying kind of love or a real friend kind of love, he didn't know.

"Get out," she said. "Just… Get. Out," she sighed, sounding exhausted, and it was in [/i]that moment that he realized it was too late, and he'd made what would likely be the greatest mistake of his life.

Roman physically shook himself free of the memory to see Jace enter the club as well. Just a moment after Jace's arrival, Ilana pushed herself back from the railing and stood up. She walked to the raised dais behind them and sat in one of the five chairs arranged on it in a semi-circle. He noticed she was still walking with a very slight limp, likely not noticeable to someone who didn't spend much time with her, but noticeable to him, and likely the rest of the crew. He stood and followed her, taking the chair next to hers on one end of the arc.

They sat in silence for a moment, watching the crowd below, when a woman he didn't know all but exploded through the doors and charged across the floor, her long legs carrying her up the stairs two at a time. The closer she got, the more easily he could see how enraged she was. With every step closer, Roman's body tensed more and more, waiting for her to attack. He could almost feel the fury radiating from her in waves. She threw herself into the center chair, looked to the two of them, and said, "If you're sitting up here, you're either looking for work or you're new here. For your sake, I hope it's the latter."

Ilana, however, didn't flinch. "I wouldn't turn down a job," she said nonchalantly, leaning back into the chair looking to all the world relaxed.

"What about a bounty?" Aria asked.

Ilana's brow rose only slightly, showing interest but not allowing herself to appear eager, she said, "As long as I'm not hauling back an escaped slave for slavers or kidnapped children, then I'm all ears."

Roman gave Ilana a sidelong glance, carefully controlling his expression to hide his surprise. An interesting prospect, that. I imagine I have contacts that could help with that, he thought to himself. [/i]

[Marina Kseniya Sebastien]

Nov 10, 2022 23:16:40 GMT -5 Samantha Greystone said:

Sam figured she let Rina have her say before she commented but was thrown by Rina saying she was like family. The last crew Sam had been with that considered her family was with her actual family and that now seemed like a few lifetimes ago.

So, for a moment, the brunette was speechless with no idea how to respond to Rina's words. She quickly got herself back together and responded with a relatively truthful answer.

"When I was first on my own. Max was one of the first people I met that actually helped me. I won't get into details but he saved my life and I don't mean that figuratively. He's, for the most part, a decent guy.

I would trust to be alone with him. Hell, I've been alone with him more than once but not in the way you think. He slept on the couch and gave me his bed.

So, he's a friend but that's all. I have no interest in making it more and I really doubt he does either. He's just a harmless, incorrigible flirt.

That being said, I'm guessing you noticed something about him or we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. I'll be honest there is more to him but it's not something I can talk about here."

Rina had called her family after all, so, maybe the truth was better.

"We don't need to leave and I don't need to be alone with him for the night but I do need to speak to him in private for a few minutes."

As for Rina saying she was like family, Sam still didn't know what to say. They had spend weeks working on the ship together and if Sam was honest a friendship had formed in that time.

"For what its worth, thanks for looking out for me. I've not been with a tight crew in a long time. I guess I'm still getting used to it," Was the only thing Sam could think of to say but she meant every word.

That was as vulnerable as Sam could allow herself for the time being. She was possibly getting to recognize not being in the outside looking in but it would take more time.

Rina listened intently, taking it all in. She slowly nodded to let Sam know she’d understood, then:

“Okay.” Rina raked her fingers through her hair and said solemnly, “Just wanted to be sure. And I know it’s early days yet, but you are part of the crew, Sam. And you are family. We’re all we’ve got out here and it’s something I take seriously. Because I’ve had to.” Then Rina winked and dispelled the somber mood. Her expression turned mischievous as she pulled an eyeliner pencil from her back pocket and pushed off the wall for the mirror over the sinks.

Hang on… Was this the same woman who’d badmouthed eyeliner a mere hour ago?

Yup.

Didn’t mean she didn’t know how to use it, though. In fact, Rina applied the pencil to her lash line as she spoke, using assured strokes that betrayed considerable practice. A judicious smudge with her pinkie and voila! Her brown eyes looked instantly exotic.

“There … Gotta make good on the ostensible reason I dragged us in here.”She looked at Sam in the mirror and offered the pencil. “Do you want to touch anything up? I’ve got a smoky purple if black doesn’t suit you.” Rina slid a lipstick from her other rear pocket, pulled the cap, and twisted a rich red hue into view. “Only got one shade for this, sorry. But you’re welcome to use it.”

[Samantha Greystone]

It seemed as if Rina understood what Sam was trying to say about Max. It might have been an odd friendship between the hacker and the fixer, after all the brunette would trust the man with her life but not necessarily her scratch but Max had proven himself reliable on more than one occasion.



“Okay.” Rina raked her fingers through her hair and said solemnly, “Just wanted to be sure. And I know it’s early days yet, but are part of the crew Sam. And you are family. We’re all we’ve got out here and it’s something I take seriously. Because I’ve had to.” Then Rina winked and dispelled the somber mood.



Sam watched as the engineer put on the eyeliner, well surprise - a minor surprise - the other woman did own makeup and clearly knew how to use it. Despite what had been said earlier. Sam declined the offer, to borrow some. “Nah, thanks. I’m good.”



As it was Sam had on a little makeup but it was probably more than she usually wore. She wasn’t big on stuff like that but like Rina she knew how to apply it when the occasion called for it. “We should probably get back out there, or I should.”



The woman led the way out of the bathroom and saw Max smile as she approached.

[Maxwell Williams]

The tall man with blonde hair let his gaze fall into different parts of the room. He saw various people at the bar, dancing, and talking. One woman seemed to come in with an agenda and head upstairs but being he only knew Sam, and none of these people seemed to be looking for her or Max, he went back to his drink.



Makeup? Yeah, right. He had a feeling Rina had pulled Sam away to discuss him. Not in a sense that he thought one of them was interested in him but he was a stranger to Rina. Which made Max wonder if Sam had finally landed with a decent crew. The girl had terrible luck with such things. The last one might have been the worst if it wasn’t for that other one.



Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he reached into his pocket and felt the chip there. One job and he’d give Sam this as payment. Something he knew the brunette had been looking for. A start of sorts. Even between friends, however, there was a cost to this kind of thing. She was the best hacker he knew but even Xiao Niao had limits, this had taken more underground connections that the young woman had access to. Still, it would be worth it to her and worth it to Max to help a friend and to get to agree to this one thing.



He watched as the brunette reappeared and a smile danced across his face.

[Marina Kseniya Sebastien]

Her foremost worry dealt with, Rina relaxed enough to let Sam take the lead. She followed the petite woman back out to the main floor and gave her some room for privacy. Rina took up a lounging spot nearby, close enough to get to Sam quickly if something went wrong but far enough that she wouldn’t hear what Sam might say.

Not that the noise from the club itself would allow anyone to hear anything without having to shout.

Nevertheless, Rina gave her crewmate the space she needed. It was a sign of respect and trust. So she leaned on the rail that separated the bar from the dance floor, kept an eye on the exits and entrances, and watched the patrons. She nodded gently to the beat with a bemused half-smile, fingers laced and forearms on the rail, but only those who knew her well could see that under the mask of enjoying herself she was keeping a vigilant surveillance of the club.

Her visual sweep moved upward to the balcony overlooking the club and there she saw Roman and Ilana with a woman she didn’t recognize. Rina let her gaze drift aside before they caught her looking and she watched the mirror ball sparkle and flash …. and kept the corner of her eye on the group on the balcony.

Was the woman with Ilana and Roman friend, business, or foe? There was taut anger drawn in every line of her, subtle but there. Also evident was Ilana’s easy slouch in her chair. Roman seemed content to follow Ilana’s lead. Rina narrowed her eyes as if the mirror ball’s brilliance hurt but in truth, she was surreptitiously watching the trio above. As much as she wanted to go up there and protect Ilana, Rina knew that the last thing her captain needed was a paranoid crewmate messing up what might be a delicate business deal. Or a private matter. Ilana’s body language told Rina that she should just let things play out. Rina tipped her head to the ceiling and closed her eyes for a second, letting her shoulders dump her tension to the floor.

You have a serious problem about relaxing on your downtime. Get a drink. Relax. And for fuck’s sake, stop expecting ninjas to crash through the ceiling. That sort of shit only happens in the movies.

Sighing, Rina opened her eyes and turned for the bar … and nearly froze. Working with the bartender was someone she never expected to see. Rina turned around again before their eyes could meet and she tried to quell the instant yammering of her thoughts. Should she go to the bar and order a drink as she’d intended? Should she keep her distance? Was there something going on that she didn’t know about and should? Was it something she shouldn’t?

And this is why I have a hard time relaxing on my time off. Dammit, why does life have to be so fucking complicated?

[Anton Greene]

Anton arrived on Omega eight days ago. An Interpol marshal reached out to him privately with an assignment. It was not official Alliance business. Anton was employed by the Interpol, but often worked as a free agent. In the past year of his employment he gained a reputation of being a particularly good detective. Not his favorite thing, but it provided income. This assignment involved the unnamed marshal’s family heirloom from Earth-That-Was that had been “stolen.” Truthfully, the forgetful marshal lost it in a bet, but remembered who he lost to. From there, Anton tracked the individual down rather easily.

The item was delivered, the check was cleared, and he decided to stay an extra day before returning to Londinium. Additionally, it was a long trip back. There were a couple friends he had stayed with who worked on the station and tracking down the artifact took time away from visiting. His friend, Thomas, was out with his wife, Jaida, and another couple, invited Anton to join. He did, but quickly remembered why he didn’t often spend time with Thomas – his wife was a chatterbox. Rarely anyone could get a word in edgewise, even in the best of circumstances.

Despite it being 8:30pm, still early in the evening, Anton felt himself dozing from Jaida’s monologues. He began absent-mindedly scanning the room when a younger guy at the bar caught his eye. They met each other’s gaze, and he gave Anton a nod in greeting. Anton returned it, eyeing the man. He was shorter than him, though most people were, with dark hair. Nice smile, too. Not Anton’s usual type, but there was something about the man’s smile he thought was endearing.

He glanced over to his group, she was still talking, this time about some amazing show she had seen years ago – she’d mentioned several times before. Not willing to deal with that torture any longer, he downed the rest of his beer.

“I’m going for another,” he lifted the glass, indicating it, and began walking away before anyone else could ask him for more.

Anton weaved through the crowd. Might as well go say hello to that boy across the bar, anything is better than another story about another musical. He looked directly at the guy as he walked toward him, his one-track mind taking over. As he approached, the guy noticed him and a look of shock was apparent on his face.

“Hello there,” Anton said, “Mind if I grab your next?”

[Jay Fuller]

Jay had taken to people watching – the crowd was surprisingly mixed, and it seemed nearly everyone in the crew had paired off with someone. Ilana and Roman were talking to a very angry looking lady upstairs, Rina and Sam had found a gentleman to chat with. Jace had wandered in as well, Jay gave him a wave but wasn’t sure he noticed.

He turned back to face the bar and immediately noticed the guy he was checking out earlier was headed this way, his eyes trained directly on Jay. It sent a shiver down his spine, and he poorly pretended that he hadn’t noticed, suddenly taken an interest in the bartender flipping their cocktail shaker. It only took a moment before the man was right next to Jay.

He was nearly a head taller than him, and oh boy he was wearing nice cologne too. “Hello there, mind if I grab your next?” he asked. Jay looked up at him, trying not to show his surprise.

Jay’s inner monologue started buzzing, shì de, cāo wǒ, qǐng shì. “Sure,” he smiled, “Old fashioned.”

--

shì de, cāo wǒ, qǐng shì = yes, fuck me, please yes

[Samantha Greystone]

“So, should we go to a table?’ Max nodded to the few tables set up in the bar area, it was still early enough they weren’t taken.

“Sure,” Sam responded and the two walked to one of the tables and sat down. They were close enough that they could hear each other without yelling.

Once they were seated Max spoke up again, “I have a job for you.”

That certainly got the brunette's attention, Max’s jobs could be interesting, at times. “I’m listening,” Sam commented.

“I need access to the cameras on one of the homes on Bellerophon,” Max explained. “There is a job I need to take care of there.” The man didn’t need to explain more and knew Sam wouldn’t ask.

Sam raised a brow and let out a whistle at the request. “That’s going to take some doing, a lot of time on my part. What’s the payment?”

A grin crossed Max’s face, he reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the chip. “This.”

“What exactly is on that?’ The woman had a feeling already what it might be.

“It’s the information you’ve been asking for. As much as I could get,” Max replied. “I’ll be honest though, I can’t guarantee all or really any of it will lead anywhere.”

“I understand that,” Sam mulled over the offer for a few moments. “Alright, it’s a deal but you owe me dinner.”

“Agreed.” Max easily responded. “So, the new crew. Should I ask about them, yet? ”

“I’ve not been with them that long but they seem alright.” Sam shrugged, not really sure what to say about them. “They seem tight but not closed off.”

“That”s an improvement.” The man didn’t mince his words, adding. “Of course, that wouldn’t take much in comparison to some of the others you’ve been with.”

“Yeah, I know.” The young woman turned the conversation towards Max. “Are you going to tell me why you’re here and not on Ariel?” It was good to see him but he wasn’t here just to hire her or because he wanted to take a trip.

“I ran into some - problems,” Max responded. “But nothing I can’t get out of.”

Sam left it at that knowing Max wasn’t going to share more and was telling the truth; the man was well versed in getting out of situations. The two friends stopped business talk at that moment and just caught up for a few minutes before Max mentioned he had to go and take care of some things.

"Will, you be here long?"  He meant the club. "I might swing back."

"Don't know but I'll likely be here a while."  Sam commented, it was better than sitting alone on the ship.

"If I don't get back here tonight, I'll contact you."  Max said and once Sam agreed, the man got up and left.  

Nothing about that interaction surprised Sam, it was typical, Max had a lot of dealings in the work at once and was almost always busy.  As he walked out of the club, the young woman doubted they would see each other again tonight and could only hope, like she usually did, that the man didn't get himself killed before she got to lay eyes on him again.

[Helios Hamilton]

Helios observed more of his crewmates enter the bar as he ate his mango and drank his rum. He saw almost everybody who came was chatting someone up, but Helios made no move to socialize. Not because the men and women in the bar weren't pretty, he just has his eye on someone else.

"Hello my symbiotic friend." Fjord popped up out of nowhere and Helios nearly spilt his rum on himself.

"This isn't symbiotic and if you keep appearing in public your going to make me look crazy." Helios told Fjord and got a laugh in return.

"Have you seen what your wearing?" Fjord jested at him and Helios finished his drink.

"I'm going to turn you into sushi." Fjord shrieked, letting his wings spread wide.

"You already know I can't die or did you forget about shooting me with the crossbow?" Fjord was right, Helios couldn't kill him but he didn't really want to kill illusionary friend. Helios ordered a beer so that he wasn't getting wasted at the club.

[Ilana Logan]

The woman looked very relaxed, which was highly contrasting to Aria's barely contained rage. The woman raised a brow at her, indicating interest. "As long as I'm not hauling back an escaped slave for slavers or kidnapped children, then I'm all ears."

Aria waved a hand dismissively and said, "Nothing like that. You'll be hauling back a woman who just slaughtered 30 people: men, women, and children. You bring her back dead, you'll get a 1000 credits. If you can manage to drag her mangy ass back alive though…" Aria paused both for effect and to make a quick decision. "If she's alive I'll double it. I want to kill her myself. If you have to kill her, so be it, but be a dear and try not to."

The woman whistled low, presumably at the idea of doubling the bounty. She gave a sidelong glance to the man next to her and he gave her an almost imperceptible nod. "We'll do it, and I will try very hard to make sure you're the one to put her down given what she did to your people, Aria. I'm Ilana, captain and owner of Eden, the JoLynn parked in bay 5."

It has Aria's turn to raise a brow, though hers was in surprise. She'd done her homework. She gave Ilana an appraising glance. Small, dressed like half of the people in the club, shorts, fitted t-shirt, sneakers, but she'd added a very loud, floral print short sleeved button up, that she'd left unbuttoned. Despite her size, she was clearly stronger than most would give her credit for, as evidenced in her well-toned arms and legs, Aria thought, giving a slight nod of approval. She decided the woman could most likely handle it, so long as she had a good team with her.

Aria leaned back, relaxing only slightly. "I'll have a cryo-pod sent to the ship along with detailed instructions on how to use it. If you have to kill her, the body won't stink up the ship. You can also sedate her and put her in it alive to avoid having to cage her. You're also welcome to use the station's fuel depot on the house when you depart. You may be in need of the services of a bounty hunter to locate her prior to engaging. Should that be the case, I'll comp that as well."

Aria paused a moment and added, "She will have several people with her, likely armed and dangerous the lot of them. I don't care what you do to them. Just her."

[Samantha Greystone]

Deciding not to take up an entire table and maybe this night might require more than one beer, Sam made her way back over to the bar and took a seat on one of the stools. She spotted Rina but figured the woman would join her when she was ready.



“Hey, can I buy you a drink, little lady?” Sam had noticed the man coming beside her but ignored it until the drunken voice spoke to her.



“Nah, I’m good.” Sam really hated being hit on by drunks. They tended to be obnoxious and didn’t always take the word no as a definitive answer. Yet, she tended to have a habit of attracting them, whether she wanted to or not.



“Ah, come on. Just one little drink won’t hurt nothi’.” The man leaned closer to her as he spoke. “Alright then,” Turning then to speak to the bartender. “I’ll take another - ah just thrown something into a glass - I’ll drink it.”



Sam sipped her beer and ignored the man for a brief moment thinking maybe he would just take his drink and move on as clearly she had no interest in him. Of course it couldn’t be that simple.



The guy continued to lean on the counter but pushed himself back a little, making it easier to see his pitch black hair and chestnut eyes. If Sam had to guess, she would say he was probably about 6’3” or so, athletic build maybe in his late twenties or early thirties. He was placed in the back of her mind as an annoyance.



That was until he spoke again. “So, little lady, ya ever seen the inside of a ship?”



The ridiculousness of that question made Sam practically spit out her beer. “Seriously? Are you trying to pick me up with that? We’re in a gāisǐ (goddamn) spaceport.”



“Oh, right” The man said as if just realizing their location. “Do ya have a name?”



“Yup, and it’s not Little Lady.” Sam though didn’t actually say her name



“What? I don’t mean nothin’ by it.” The dark haired man slurred.



“I’m sure. Look - just go away. I’m not interested." Sam was trying to not be too hard on the guy but he was becoming more than a quick annoyance.



It was then the man reached over and put his hand on her arm. “I bet you’ve never done it in a cockpit.” Placing particular emphasis on the first part of that last word.



“Move your hand,” Sam's voice suddenly turned more menacing.



Usually, that was enough to get guys to leave her alone but not this guy.



“Or what?” He asked but didn’t move his hand.



Sam had few ways to go about this and possibly not end up in a fight. She could play the damsel in distress but that really wasn’t her style or well option two...



“Or I’ll make it so dogs won’t even be able to hear you when you speak.” Her voice had turned low.



“I’m just having a little fun,” He still didn’t move his hand.



Sam tried to slide her arm out, his grip got suddenly stronger. She sighed. This was going to get bad.

[Jay Fuller]

"Name is Jay, by the way," Jay said. He took the Old Fashioned offered to him and took a sip.

"Anton," the man replied. He held out a hand to shake, and Jay took it. He noticed that Anton's hand was a bit larger than his, and very well maintained, it wasn't calloused or rough like many.

"Nice to meet you," Jay replied, smiling. "What brings you onto Omega?"

"Just work, I'm here for a few more days. And yourself?"

"A little R&R, finished up a job with the crew and taking a break."

Anton's eyebrows raised, "Oh? What kind of job?"

"The usual, transport some mushrooms, turns out their spores were psychedelic and fucked the whole crew up for a few hours. It was fun."

A part of Jay wondered how much information he could actually give this stranger, a fake backstory immediately popped into his head about being part of a local environmental company that provides transport of flora and fauna to worlds that they could be considered indigenous to. Jay didn't even know if that was a thing that exists, so fingers crossed there were no follow-up questions.

Anton laughed, "What kind of crew do you ride with?"

"What, you don't casually come across hallucinogenic plants in your day job?" Jay snorted, "What in the Verse do you do?"

"Collection of rare artifacts, bit of a freelancer. I mostly took the job so I could visit some friends and make some money while doing it."

Jay nodded, taking a sip of his drink. Just as vague as his response. That will work.

[Marina Kseniya Sebastien]

Knowing she'd obsess over increasingly improbable scenarios until she actually found out the truth, Rina quit the rail and bellied up to the bar. She watched the assistant bartender and for a second, her heart skipped a beat.

Damn, those eyes …

They were brown, liberally mixed with green, and well suited to the rest of him. He'd grown a small beard, she saw, trimmed neatly to accent his face and the easy smile he gave the customers. His shirt stretched beguilingly over his chest as he expertly flipped a bottle behind his back and over his head to catch it for a precise two second pour. The women at his end of the bar cooed and clapped their appreciation. He called out a short phrase and the main bartender turned and flipped another bottle his way. It spun in a flash of crystal and caramel gold and one could almost hear it sing as it planted itself solidly in his supple-fingered grip.

More coos and applause.

Rina broke off watching and drained her glass. I gotta hand it to you, Mike, you know how to work a crowd. She caught his eye, wagging her empty drink shoulder high, and leaned in when he stopped in front of her. Her breath nearly caught again as the club lights sparked on the droplets of liquor caught in his sandy brown hair.

"Club soda, rocks, lime. Make it a double," she said. And when he leaned in to take her glass, she hissed for his ears alone, "What are you doing here? Do I have to worry about the shit hitting the fan? What are you up to?"

[Mike Carter]

"In order: My job. No. Six feet, last I checked," Mike Carter answered easily. He squirted the requested club soda into her glass, added a lime wedge with a flourish, and slid it across to Rina with a raised brow. "You sure you don't want anything stronger, Miss?"

Because she's got a burr in her saddle over something. He crossed his arms on the bar and gave her a friendly, I'm-here-to-listen look, the kind that only bartenders the 'Verse over could pull off.

[Marina Kseniya Sebastien]

"Don't be a smartass," Rina said, keeping her expression sweet but knowing the general noise would keep her snarl just between the two of them. "I swear to God, Mike, if you're lying to me and your shit hits my crew, I'll make you pay."

[Mike Carter]

"Sweet talker. Stop. You'll turn my head." Mike laughed throatily, tipping back his chin, and gave the bar a swipe with his rag. He pulled a square glass from the rack at his hip and filled it two fingers high from an expensive-looking bottle. He pushed it to her. "On the house. And ...," he leaned in like they were chums and motioned with his eyes to something behind and to Rina's left. "Speaking of crew, you might want to see to one of yours."

[Marina Kseniya Sebastien]

Rina took the drink and followed Mike's eyes, saw what he saw: Sam, getting manhandled by a drunk who clearly didn't understand the meaning of the word no.

Blyad'! Some wingman you are.

"Back me." Rina cut a look over her shoulder at Mike.

"Always," he answered, but she was already moving.

She came up to Sam with a bright expression, from the drunk's blind side, and held out the drink Mike had poured for her. "Hi Sam, there you are! Been looking all over for you. Here's your drink. Who's this?" she added, crowding the drunk just a teeny bit, as if perhaps she wasn't quite as sober as she tried to be.



===HOW TO SPEAK RUSSIAN===
Blyad'! = Блядь! = blee - YAHT = Fuck!

[Mike Carter]

"Here we go," Mike sighed to himself and tossed his rag across his shoulder. He called to the main bartender, "Jake, gotta take my break. Back in fifteen."

A chorus of disappointed female voices rose from the far end of the bar. Mike hiked his shoulders and spread his hands with his most winning smile.

"Sorry, ladies. Union rules."

And under the counter he went, to emerge on the customer side ready to back Rina's play. His bar rag came off his shoulder and twirled into a tight rope almost under its own power, so natural and inevitable did it seem.

[Samantha Greystone]

Rina appeared it seemed out of nowhere but Sam had seen where she was earlier.



“Hi, Sam, there you are! Been looking all over for you. Here’s your drink. Who’s this?” Rina spoke as if she had maybe had one too many. Damn, she’s good. Sam thought, grateful at the sight of the other woman though she didn't notice the man who had come to back up the Engineer.


“Well, I’ll tell this, little lady, my name when she tells me hers.” The man’s slurring seemed somehow worse.



Sam looked like fire was about to shoot from her eyes when he again called her little lady. It was no longer just an annoyance, the man had clearly gone to the side of harassment and was now saying “little lady” just to egg on the young woman.



"Don't call me that," Sam practically hissed, then took a breath and added, “Look, my friend's here. You can leave.”  The young woman took this opportunity to try to escape the man’s grip, but he yanked on her arm.



“Where ya going, Little Lady?” The man asked before turning towards Rina. “Ya know…” Apparently, that was more coordination than the drunk had at the moment and his drink went all over the front of Rina’s shirt.”

[Marina Kseniya Sebastien]

"Hey!" Rina sputtered and spit like a drenched cat, punctuating her outrage with stiff jabs of her first two fingers. "Why'd ya do that, huh? (jab!) What'sa matta wit'choo? (jab!) Ruinin' a gal's night out like that? (jab!) Who d'ya think ya are, y'asshole?!"

Rina drove her jabs smack into the drunk's solar plexus, his throat, and the middle of his forehead. The drunk coughed and sucked air on the first jab, choked on the second, and by the time the third jab landed, his wobbling gut gave an ominous gurgle.

It was all the warning Rina got before the drunk groaned and spewed a stinking shower of puke front and center. Rina jumped out of the way and was only partially successful.

"Hey!" she yelled again. "That was my favorite shirt, you der'mo gǒu shǐ piece'a crap! You owe me laundry—!"

Jab! went her fingers again, only this time she went low. The drunk had just enough awareness to duck and cover his groin, but not enough to realize it was a feint. Rina hooked her fingers in the man's nostrils and dragged him down and to the side, while tripping him with a strategic sweep of her leg.

Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow—!

And smek! Down he went into the puddle of his own sick.

"You little—I oughta—Lookit what'ya did—!" he hollered and struggled to rise in the slippery mess. The club music thumped on, supremely indifferent to his predicament, though titters of laughter sprinkled down from the onlookers who were starting to gather round. Thoroughly embarrassed and drunk enough to ride the wave of his rage, the man roared and swore, his hands clawing the air for Rina. "I'll kill you, you little—!"

===HOW TO SPEAK RUSSIAN===
Dermo, der'mo = дерьмо = DARE - mo = Shit


===HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE===
Gǒu shǐ = 狗屎 = GO - shee = [dog] shit