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RP: ISC Phoenix [Interlude] - Splish Splash

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Luca

The Ultimate Badass
🎖️ Game Master
And then a-splish splash
I jumped back in the bath
Well, how was I to know
There was a party goin' on?

Bobby Darin - Splish Splash

Getting out of the rain and into Lina's place, Luca was quick to order that first beer, just to get the taste out of his mouth. He tapped the table twice and nodded hurriedly before putting some crumpled notes on the bar. "Two please!" He said, cutting right to the heart of the matter.

"So why does the rain not smell like it, but taste like it?" Lina asked before putting a pint down in front of him.

"Science magic." Luca replied before taking the first chug. He wiped the froth off of his lips and continued as the sound of rain kept on pattering against the roof of the bar. "Like most things this is already out of hand - just like any normal job."

Grumbling she sent the kids on their way and returned to the bar looking to get smashed. The day had been freaking stressful. Ordering the piss they called beer on this planet she sat there staring at her communicator. "Bastard... made me look like an idiot and made me taste the piss rain here." As she drank she grew more and more upset at the only contact on the little device. during her second beer she finally had enough and sent a pissed off message to it, <You're an ass...>

The idiot that she was referring to was sitting a couple of chairs down. His communicator beeped and he picked it up a couple of moments after Tani sent the message.

She looked over at the tinkle of the communicator down the way then up at the man it seemed to belong to. "Naw.. can't be..." she took another drink and glared at hers thinking about sending another message. The idea was just too strong not to give in. She quickly typed out and sent, <You made me look like a fool, who the hell are you...>

"I'm sitting right here." Luca said, leaning against the bar and looking at Tani. "You're sticking out like a crow in a bucket of milk."

To her side, Tani saw another customer sit down at the bar, or attempt to with her long, spindly legs. It was Echelon, the Phoenix's resident freespacer. "0N3 PL34S3, 4LL SYNTH3T1C." Lina put a bottle of motor oil on the bar for the Freespacer.

"Between rain that tastes vaguely like pee and rain that makes you forget who you are and go psycho I'd stick with pee rain any day of the week." Luca told Tani from afar. From where she was standing, she could see that he was slick with a layer of moisture too, just like her.

"I do not... I'm incognito." She pointed at her torn jeans and tight tee-shirt. She looked the soggy man over before considering continuing.

Luca pointed to his ears.

"Yeah well... I did have a hat before... nice one a beret it hid them just fine. But I must have lost it during the full air raid drill we all preformed." She took a drink of her beer and thought, "So what was that all about anyways, besides having me have to yell, run about, and scare a few kids."

"Just wanted to get people inside if the psycho rain fell. Fortunately, the psycho rain did not fall - but at least they're indoors from this too; you did good."

"Yeah, she, Karl and I got everyone rounded up and safe." Lina spoke for her.

Mako blushed it wasn't often that she got praise. "Thank you, but who are you? I got this communicator handed to me and told me to contact you if I wanted to party. No offense but that wasn't much in a way of a party." She took a drink of her beer to hide her blush.

"I'm Captain Luca Pavone of the ISC Phoenix." He introduced with a slight drawl. He didn't need to say anything more.

"That is interesting, you get into trouble like crazy piss rain often," She responded before putting her hand out, "Tani Mako... nice to meet you." She wasn't awed or anything, she really didn't know the man. Never was one to watch the news or Television.

"All the time." He replied before accepting the handshake.

"Why?" she squeezed his hand before letting go and putting a hand on her hip.

Luca thought for a few moments. Why did it always happen to him? "Just 'cause." He replied. "I can't really settle down, and the world has an odd habit of not leaving me alone so I'm just rolling with it."

"Funny... Lately the world seems to want to roll on with out me." she smiled before seating back down on the stool and ordering a few shots of something called reactor fluid, she was pretty sure that it was toxic but she really didn't care.

"So you go around letting trouble find you, and you haven't just found a nice hole to hide in?"

"I don't know. Stuff just happens and I'm in the middle of it most of the time." Luca replied. "So, what do you do for a crust anyway? Must be some reason you're here, ears aside."

"Was a PA driver, but my ship went into dry dock and I got bounced from post to post, each time arriving to find out that I wasn't superposed to be there, so I check my orders and head off again... kind of just dropped of the radar at some point." She smiled, "Been partying in strange places since, then I heard of a huge party... Strange message sent anonymously to me." She took a sip of her drink and noticed how sweet and electric green it was.

"So now you're here. Well. Guess you'll fit right in then. Just be careful of the Gart. He thinks with the wrong head when there's something with cat ears nearby."

Her eyes widened at the thought of a creepy Gartagan coming after her. "What do you mean fit in?" She looked over at the strange man, did he just hire her for something or something. What was this universe coming to.

"Fit right in with the rest of my team. We're all a little bit crazy here." Luca said. "I guess you have to be when your enemies are just as crazy.

The freespacer at the bar turned around to look at Tani. "H1!" It said.

She jumped and looked at the cyclopic armored being next to her... "Are... are..are you a," she was whispering at this point. "a psylon?" She eyed the being that reminded her of the bad guys from a show called Bubblestar Galaxites, the girls in her batch watched it religiously. Tani was expecting the thing to fold out a gun from it's hand and shoot her.

"WH4T, SH0ULD 1 C0SPL4Y 4S 0N3?" Echelon responded, leaning in so her faceplate was only inches away from Tani's nose. A holographic smile in red appeared in front of it. "G00D ID34!"

A shiver ran down her spine, if it wasn't the fact she was a neko she would have pissed herself... "Yeah... yeah sure..." As she stared down the smile, she able to gather back her confidence and gently reached forward with a small sliver of plastik. "I bet you would cause a riot at a convention..."

"D1D Y0U G0 T0 4STR0N4B '34? 1 W4S TH3R3!" Echelon replied enthusiastically. Luca and Lina meanwhile rolled their eyes, mumbling something to the effect of 'oh no'. The Echelon nerd-gush train was now rolling and it had no brakes. "D1D Y0U S33 TH3 4W4RD W1NN1NG C0SPL4Y F0R C4PT41N 1RV1NGS0N?"

"No I wasn't there... I was still stuck on ship at that point." she reached into her pants pocket making sure the detonator was still there. "But I was planning trying to make it there this year... I was planning on cosplaying a pilot, maybe Novabuck...." With the fact that she felt that the worry of the creepy psylon thing could be taken out before she would be in danger she was able to enjoy the bit of nerding with it.

"00H! TH4T'D B3 4D0RBS!" Echelon replied. Her faceplate's holograms kept switching between various happy faces, as well as the logo for Bubblestar Galaxites. "1 C4N M4K3 TH3 P1L0T J4CK3T!"

The rain was starting to slow down and it eventually stopped raining altogether, almost as suddenly as it started.

"Alright ladies nerd time over." Luca said. "How about I show you around town... also what's the explosion bit for?"

Echelon looked at the plastic in Mako's hands and a question mark appeared on her faceplate. "4R3 Y0U CH4LL3NG1NG M3 T0 4 B0MB F1GHT?"

Mako frown... "Sorry... She.. You're a bit intimidating... That show scared me when I was young, my sisters love watching it though..." she gently took the bomblet back and dusted off the spot... "I thought you were going to exterminate me..." She smiled trying to look like she truly meant it.

"0H D0N'T W0RRY, H4PP3NS 4LL TH3 T1M3 0N Y4M4T41."
 
A pale ghost of a man gazed skyward for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. The rain had not let up at all since his arrival and he no longer wanted to wait for it to clear up. Frowning to himself he adjusted the strap on the bag he was carrying making sure it was zipped up properly before stepping out into the foul tasting rain. It was not very long before the sweater he wore was soaking wet it was made of a natural fiber so it held water exceedingly well. Pulling up a map for a moment he confirmed his destination. He had a horrid sense of direction and this was his first time in Sargasso. This little adventure was likely to end with every last inch of him soaked in pee water.

After about half an hour of trudging through rain and picking streets at random Phoenix was beginning to become disheartened. this was far more difficult to do than what it should have been. Spying a bar in the distance he decided he would go inside, grab something to eat and get changed in the bathroom before continuing his search for the ISC Phoenix's crew. Running as fast as his short legs could carry him he flung the door open and took shelter inside the room. Reeves leaned up against the wall to catch his breath. Mismatched eyes scanned the group of people inside the bar before dropping back down onto the floor. He wrung out his hair fingers curling tightly about a bundle of it and twisting firmly. He kept to himself near the doorway. A quick glance at his account status told him he couldn't afford a drink or anything else from this place. The rain honestly did not look like it would last much longer so he would have to settle for standing in the back awkwardly hoping no one would notice him.

A trio of the bar's patrons looked as if they were going to venture outside by the time he was done attempting to wring water from his very wet sweater. He lifted a hand and smiled pleasantly hoping to catch their attention. "Uh excuse me! I was just wondering.... if you weren't too busy if you could give me directions to the base location of the ICS Phoenix?" He asked forcing himself to straighten up a bit more to seem taller and less like a drowned rat. Perhaps they would be able to help him, though he wasn't entirely sure. He didn't want to get his hopes dashed. He stood there expectantly holding his breath.

"I just can't seem to find my way." He insisted reaching into his pocket to pull out some wire to tie his very wet hair back with. Practiced fingers pushed it into a bundle before twisting the heavy gauge wire about it.
 
Mako climbed off the stool and drank the last of her reactor juice. "Yeah... well I didn't do it cause of who I or you are... I just have never ran into a nightmare from right after I was created. Those psylons scared me a lot..." she smiled but then held out a hand. "I'm sorry and I really mean it."
 
The door opened and a large rotund Gartagen male stepped into the bar. His dusty armor and thick physique, and the weaponry he had all over his person made it clear he was not one to be messed with.

He was speaking to somebody. Trailing behind him was a smaller robed figure that scrambled to keep up. "Ya, and dats how I got here."

"Oh.' The figure replied as Bronzi pulled up to the bar. "Two whiskeys." He grunted at Lina.

Lina glared at Bronzi and motioned for one whiskey looking at the progeny Bronzi had brought with him into a bar. "Err...kids dun do booze here?"

"Whiskey and a...peache Juice..." Bronzi said grunting in irritation. With the drinks presented, a blue clawed hand reach at peach juice glass and brought it up to a pair of plus lips. "This is...Incredible....more please!"The robed figure said hopping up to the bar stool.

"Yea, dey have all kindsa yummy stuff...an I get to shoot people!" Bronzi said cheerfully. Bronzi looked to see two new patrons.

"Uh. Lina you never have new people...whats this shit?"

Sura sniffed the air and went back to her juice. "I wish it did not smell like urine outside....'

Bronzi's tail smacked the floor. "ya, an why is the rain smellin like piss?"
 
A western song began to play as an average sized man in a chocolate brown duster, ten gallon hat, cowboy boots, and rose-tinted sunglasses strode through the saloon-style swinging doors....

Or at least that was the scene that was playing in Makari Aeron's head as he half sprinted into Lina's bar to get out of the foul smelling rain. "ALRIGHT!" he exclaimed, "Who am I charging for my dry-cleaning bill so I can remove the piss smell from my overcoat! This thing is authentic!" He grumbled out foul curses under his breath as he made his way to a barstool three seats to the left of Bronzi. He glanced at Lina and smiled, "Double shot of the strongest rum you've got followed by a bottle of that really good stuff from last time. I need to get that urine smell outta my lungs." Makari was a bit grumpy as he had just replaced all the ammo he had "wasted" on the giant blue croc. Speedloaders of reds and his special blend of blue tranqs were not cheap.

He downed the two shots of rum and glanced over to Bronzi as Lina brought him the moonshine. "Hey Bronzi, that your kid and why doesn't your kid have some whiskey or something? It's good for 'em! Makes 'em strong." He nodded approvingly at his own comment before sipping on the moonshine. "Or better yet, some of THIS stuff!" he chuckled to himself.

Finally, after taking another half sip from his bottle he realized that there was a new person in the bar. Makari was so singularly irritated at both him ammunition cost and a possible dry-cleaning of his favorite coat (it had avoided blue croc guts thankfully) from the foul smelling rain that he had missed seeing the unfamiliar face. He inwardly cursed at his lack of perception. "Whoa! A new person, how ya doin'?" he slightly, but happily, slurred.
 
Sura's tail curled as she drank another slow savory sip of the peach juice. It was true Bronzi often drank Whiskey, and gin...and occasionally tequila, but the peach juice seemed to be having an intoxicating effect on his progeny...more so then the booze ever did on Bronzi. Sura was gripping the glass firmly with both hands, and she was almost completely focused on it.

Bronzi huffed at Makari's question "Ya, she's one of mine. I don't guess Lina serves kids, so..she will be drinkin the light stuff."

Bronzi nudged Sura with his right hand. "This is Makari."

Sura turned to face the gun fighter on her stool. Makari would see a blue skinned comely face beneath the hood she wore. Sura waved a clawed three digited hand at him. "Im...Ssssura." She slurred.

Bronzi jumped at the slurr. "Eh? Sugers hahaha..."
 
"Nice to meet you Ssssura," Makari chuckled, "Did your dad tell you about the one time we all fought a giant croc? I can recall it just as if it happened a few days go."

Without waiting for a reply Makari bounced off of his stool, alcohol in hand as he began to reenact the croc battle scene. "First, the big, ferocious but friendly Freespacer over there hauled me inside as it came towardss us," he gestured towards Echelon, "then we all open fired on it with gunss and flaminn' hot candy!" Makari danced around the tables pretending to duck and weave for emphasis while taking swigs of the alcohol and slurring a little more.

"Then suddenly your dad, here, gets this crazy idea to wrestle the bad mot--*ahem*", he glanced at Bronzi and continued, "--monsster with hiss barehandss! He wass all like 'grahh grab smassh'! It was awessome," Makari used hand gestures at the right points to emphasis how awesome it was. His tone began saddened but rose to excitement, "but even after I though your dad had the croc where he wanted him, the monster tossed him away. Or wait...I don't remember exactly what happened but in the end your dad wasn't wrestling the croc anymore. I had to plug a couple explosive rounds into the croc kill it dead. It went 'pewpew sssquish KERPLOWIE'!" he nodded in approval of his story and amended in a level tone, "And then it disssssolved in the urine smelling rain and I couldn't make new bootsss or a new hat out of it. If only the croc didn't cheat we would have had awesssome looking new gear....."

Makari sat back on the barstool he previously inhabited and sulked as he drank more of the alcohol. Makari was quite drunk at that point. The moonshine had taken its toll.
 
Fate had always had a strange, interesting way of bringing people together. And in the Kikyo Sector, the highest concentration of fateful meetings was in seedy bars on faraway planets.

In this particular instance of fateful meetings, there was a hulking figure hunched over a booth table in Sargasso; to be precise, the same bar that Luca Pavone had just ambled out of the urine-scented rain to shelter in. The figure was an ID-Sol, a mercenary who had been freelancing for some time now. A couple years, at least. He was massive and scared, his face kissed by fire and blade and his clothes dark, worn and covered with dust and powder burns. He cupped a large beer stein in his rough hands and nursed it slowly, watching the doors with eyes glowing a soft golden color.

He'd been there for a while when mister Pavone ambled in--and then the ID-Sol's posture changed. He leaned forward in his seat, his hands flattening on the table as he stared forward, his face betraying none of the disbelief that was flowing through his mind. Then, suddenly, one thought filled his head as the Captain spoke to a woman at the far end of the bar:

'The Captain is alive.'

Silence. Tense silence. The man waited. The conversation lulled.

At this point the ID-Sol pulled himself to his feet, drained his beer stein, moved across the bar. His feet plonked heavily on the floor as he appeared next to the adventurer, one hand moving up to tap him on the shoulder.

"Captain," Vincent O'Malley rumbled, "Thought you were dead."
 
"1T'S 0K." Echelon chirped happily as a smiling face appeared on her faceplate. "1 M34N, TH3Y JUST C4N'T T4K3 4 H4RML3SS J0K3!" The harmless act in question involved using a hologram to pretend she was a giant robot destroying Kyoto while trashy music played throughout a city block. "S3R10USLY!"

Since Echelon was keeping Mako entertained, Luca looked at the new arrival in the bar. Compared to everyone else he looked pretty small, meek and perhaps clueless. He raised an eyebrow when the kid's back straightened. It seemed like the newcomer was willing to put on a brave face for the crowd.

"Lina, buy this kid a drink." Luca asked Lina, putting more money on the table, getting up off of his chair to walk towards the kid. "You're standing in it," he answered Reeves' question, referring to the city as a whole. "What can I do for you? You look like you have a job request."

There was an empty chair for Reeves, and at it was a bottle of crisp light beer with the cap extracted and a napkin sitting by it. "Take a seat." Luca gestured. He walked to the bar and took the empty seat beside the space for Reeves.

Then Bronzi and Sura showed up, Luca gave the Gartagens a nod of acknowledgement. Makari showed up soon after to strike up a conversation with them. As the self-styled Cowboy was retelling (with some drunken embellishments) the story, complete with giant crocodiles and urine rain he gave it some pause for thought and his eyes looked around the room with some embarrassment.

"Yeah, that's... that's pretty much true." Luca admitted. In retrospect, all of his affairs were ridiculous but each new one shone brighter than the last. What next - do I punch a sun out so a space god older than time itself can finish a game of intergalactic poker? he wondered. "What's your name?" It couldn't be 'You' and 'Kid' forever.

Lina had been keeping an eye on Vincent for a while, but only as another customer with money and a story to tell as she served him alcohol. Then she noticed the ID-SOL's posture change when Luca walked in. It didn't take her long to put two and two together. She then rubbed her chin and got on the phone.

"Karl. It's Lina... Yeah... We're going to invite the badass to our next meeting... Positive. He's magnetic. He's been good for business... I don't care if your range smells like piss. That'll wash out with some vinegar... Okay buh-bye."

"I have a terrible habit of not dying." Luca said as he looked at the mercenary. Time hadn't been so kind to Luca either, as his right eye still hadn't healed entirely since the Delsauria incident. He was walking proof that Yamataians can still scar if you hit them hard enough. "It's made me immensely popular. How're you doing?"

Then a brainwave went through his brain about Vincent's personality - especially in regards to Nekovalkyrja. There was one sitting not that far away from Luca previously. Tani was in mortal danger, or the best bar fight ever was about to get underway. Not that Lina would tolerate that sort of horseplay in her bar.

In Vincent's shadow, Luca could see someone else walk in. Nostrovia. IPG Liaison. No doubt looking for answers on Handler's Reach. He tilted his head just a little and gave her an upwards nod of acknowledgement. He looked up, as if through the roof and at the clouds above them, knowing exactly what she was after. She nodded sternly and gave Luca the eye.

Rain that smelled like pee was still better than having to deal with rain that made you go crazy.
 
Makari was quite drunk at this point. The ceiling acting like helicopter blades was a dead give away. He had just finished his moonshine and signaled for two waters with a hint of lemon when he spotted some new folk entering the bar. His firsts thoughts were Why are the new folk all twins?, but then he reasoned it was probably the alcohol talking. And in walked a babe, albeit a dangerous looking babe. Makari liked them a little dangerous, saving damsels in distress really wasn't his thing. There wasn't that much entertainment in it. In his drunken state, Makari failed to notice the greeting passed from Luca to this new woman and instead of trying to figure out who she is, decided he flirt with her a bit.

He wobbled out of his chair and and gave the newcomer his patented smile. With a tip of a hat and a decent slur he prompted, "How wwould you liike to ssshare a drink or two with mme, ma'aaam? Makari Aeron, ex-bountyy hunter and giiiant blue croc obliiterator extraordinaaire at your ssservice." He made a deep bow and gestured to a stool to his left.

It wasn't that the women on the Phoenix were hard on his eyes, they just really weren't his type. Not dangerous enough, he drunkenly concluded.
 
A certain young inventor strolled into the bar, covered in a gaudily yellow, plastic raincoat and boots, then hung the former on one of the convenient wall-mounted hooks, along with an umbrella. He carried a small metal-coated briefcase.

"Is Enzo around?" he asked nobody in particular, peering around for the familiar big lug. "Hm, I guess not. Jeez, asks me to make a thing for him, and then isn't around. Oh well!"

Seiren strolled over to the bar, asking, "Scotch please! And a glass of something fruity. With an umbrella!"
 
Reeves released the air he had been holding in. A nervous smile spread across his lips. As Luca responded he looked about the bar wondering if this was indeed the base or if the man had meant the city in a general sense. Seeing as there was no means of docking a ship inside a bar he would go with the latter definition. Apparently there weren't often new folk in this place because several patrons had already made note of another new person to the area.

His mismatched eyes darted over to the empty chair that had a beer placed next to it before meeting the stranger's again. "I am indeed in search of employment. If you would have need for someone skilled in the repair and maintenance of starships. " He tucked the remainder of his pale hair out of the way. "I'm P... PH Reeves" He stammered over his first name not really comfortable with sharing a name with the ISC Phoenix. Making his way over to the chair he dropped his heavy bag onto the floor and climbed atop the stool. He took a moment to get comfortable before he sipped at the beer. He didn't drink much and with his size he found he needed to be cautious. The cool drink was well welcomed after his long trip.

Turning in his seat he attempted to puzzle out who the man who greeted him was. He seemed busy... and someone had called him captain. Was it possible that he was the man he was looking for?
 
From his perfect napping position in a booth very, very far away from the door; Vincenzo heard his name. With a snort, he shoved his hand into his coat and fondled the grip of his revolver. When it provided him no reassurance, he shoved the brim of the brush hat he'd donned for the expedition into the forcibly deserted town. With his new-found vision, Enzo located the source of the voice amongst the gathering of newcomers. Moaning haggardly from his sleep, the conman rose and staggered to the bar to take a seat next to Seiren.

"Hoi-oi, little guy." Enzo greeted blearily, "Yous made y'self in a dress to keeps Enzo company t'night? Yous saids yous made som'n fer me, see? Where's it?"
 
The woman in black tried to step past the cowboy, and gave him a firm push backwards with a palm. He stumbled back towards the bar and his fundaments collided with a barstool, sitting him down. She made it look effortless though, just one push without much effort as she walked towards Luca.

"Mr. Pavone, we have to discuss what happened and what is happening." Nostrovia said, eyes steely as she tried to ignore the pink haired, bubbly Neko behind her.

"My contact told me the rain would only last a couple more days then it should be back to normal as it disperses," he replied evenly. "I thought it was an improvement." The air in a place like Funky City was pretty bad, and on the especially hot days, you'd see motes of flame ignite out of nowhere as flammable gasses in the air combusted.

"Speaking of which," She continued, leaning forward into the bar, her arms like those of a mantis. Lina had to take a step back from her bar because of the menace she exuded. "You had contact over not one, but two heavily encrypted lines. We couldn't trace the senders. I need your backers." She was very direct.

Bronzi had diverted to flirting with Peach Tree who as busy pushing out cocktails to the (For Lina's) rush that was occurring. It was Sura who fidgeted. Her half full glass of juice was placed on the bartop with a gentle clash of class to wood. She looked around. First to Lina, then to her dad. Then her eyes landed squarely on the woman.

She sniffed the air, he motions were visible. She then recoiled suddenly. That gartagen nose was sharp. A wondrous tool provided to them by their world during their inception as a sentient hunter gatherer species. She had smelled blood before. Gartagen blood smelled of magnesium. It was a dull metallic scent. But the Nepleslian blood...it was potent. Very noticeable and irritating to her virgin nostrils. She smelled blood on her.

She turned back to the bar and looked down at the collection of liquors behind Lina. Lina was see something she had never seen on Bronzi's face; Fear. Sura was suddenly quite scared.

Bronzi turned about and looked at his spawn, noticing she had shifted from being amicable, yet shy, to damned near panicking. "Eh? Lina beanz...what'd ya say to her?" Lina looked at Sura and shook her head at him, mouthing something along the lines of 'don't know'.

Sura looked up at Lina. "That female smells of blood...fresh blood." She said with a quiver in her voice.

"I can guess who your backer is. Lazarus have attempted to move a shipment of Motiva Negative to Handler's Reach. The learning drug." She leaned in with her hand on top of Luca's left hand. "They have something to do with this, don't lie."

"They do." Luca replied, staring her down. "Might want to let that shipment through, they're cleaning up the mess for you." Lina was starting to back further away from her bar and started to reach underneath it.

Bronzi perked a Brow. and shifted a look to Lina that was pretty much a way of alerting to what he was not saying. "I'm about to start some shit." She nodded.

"Ey!" Bronzi said firmly from behind the Nepleslian woman who was speakin to Luca. He was standing, in full kit, he had not drawn down but was on guard.

'Now the others in this room can't tell it...but I can. Yer up in this bar smellin' like you took a bath in some fellar's blood. So imma say it. Who are ya. An whaddya want?"

"Luca Pavone is here on my grace, as my contact point, ward and responsibility." She stated evenly.

"I ain't asked shit about Luca. I asked about you lady. Yer Lucky Enzo ain't here or you'd be gettin' asked this with a gun to your nose."

"I would like to see Mr. Bortelli try, Ujia Bronzi A'soongao." Luca looked at the Gartagen and frowned, shaking his head, quietly telling him to back off.

Bronzi's gaze was locked on the woman, but he was maintaining his composure. His brutish appearance had often lead to the assumption that Bronzi was a berserker. But he was very controlled, and did not seem rattled that the woman knew his name. "Well, yer walkin' in here smellin' like a fresh corpse. Ya, I work for Luca, but when I catch a wiff like that I...get a little excited," He said with a small, but morbid smile creasing across his face.

"These pinkies in here would do the same if ya walked in covered in guts...which is basically what ya did fer me. If ya know mah name then ya know somethin' of my people. I can smell most of what ya been doin' today..."

Nostrovia then stood up. She was thin, lean, limber, sinister and cunning. And yet, she was on Luca's side, crossing her arms. "And I can tell you what you've done for the month, but let's not let it escalate to that point. I am on your side, covered in blood or not."

Bronzi inhaled. "And yer single....when yer done here...ya wanna go...pretend yer not single?"

Sura damned near tumbled out of her chair. "WHAT THE HELL, DA!"

Bronzi held up a clawed finger "Watch yer mouth, an daddy is tryin to score."

As Bronzi was paying attention to his youngling, a slender hand struck him in the face, not once, but thrice, going for the thinner and more vulnerable parts of the Gartagen anatomy. The nose, the eyes, the ears. This was followed by a strike to his temple and a quick eye gouge with her thumb on the way out. This woman did not fight for honour - she fought for victory.

The stikes landed, but Bronzi did not hit the floor. His head moved with the blows, and he came back locking eyes on the woman. The Bar suddenly erupted with a thunderous report that shook the shanty's walls. The round would fired low. Bronzi's hand had jerked out his pistol and fired into the woman's abdomen indicating he was not aiming to kill her, only to maim.

The round would go clean through her flesh, and exit out of her back...striking the wall and leaving the bar. Behind it was a thin red trail that stretched out across the floor.

The rasp of a blade leaving a sheath could be heard as Bronzi's gun was out. She leapt forward and snatched the heavy calibre revolver out of his hands as he was readjusting from recoil and removed the cylinder with two quick motions, letting the gauss rounds fall to the floor. She then pointed the knife to his neck and rested it against it like a barber's razor. It was coated in something that was assaulting Bronzi's senses. "I've been shot with bigger."

Then Luca stood up and stood between them. "Ladies, please. Calm your tits." He was referring to both parties.

Bronzi did not advance. He merely smirked. and held his hands up. With a soft chuckle. "Ya got meh." Many of the bar's patrons had their weapons leveled at the woman. Sura stood up and the gun was effectively pointing up at the woman's head. "If he dies you die too." She squeaked.

Chacka-CLUNK. That was the bolt being pulled back on some heavy weaponry. Lina was carrying a light machine gun and draping a belt of ammo across her left arm as the weapon's bipod rested on her bar. "Come on. Cut that shit out. My bar." Luca turned around and raised his hands while his eyes were wide with surprise. Nostrovia acknowledged her and took a step back from the Gartagen, knife still in hand.

Sura followed the woman for a few seconds with the revolver levelled at her. The large weapon looked uncomfortable in her shakey hands. Bronzi's hand fluidly reached over and stripped the girl of the gun and he slammed it back into the leather holster across his pelvis. Sura scrambled behind him. "Damn Luca, this is my kinda woman! Where'd ya get her?" Bronzi said loudly, his voice booming in the bar.

"I am Nostrovia. IPG." She introduced herself. The wound in her gut was still there, but she seemed unfased by it. "I work with Mr. Pavone, he works with me. I protect Nepleslia no matter how hard it hurts."

Bronzi smiled but let out a growl. "I look forward to it." He said pointing in his thumb at him self as he leaned in.

Bronzi did not say it. He simply did not need to. Most would have made threats to this woman. But he could see Luca, and Luca could see him. Everybody in the bar could see that though Bronzi spoke no words of it; he fully planned to kill this woman the moment Luca did not need her any more.

"Oh, yer might be fixin' on cleanin' up tha mess ya left in my friend's bar." He said as a cloven finger pointed at the stream of blood his discharged round had left.

Luca sighed. Lina raised her LMG off of the table, but she didn't seem too happy about the outcome either way. "Trust me," Lina said, "that's the least of my floor's worries compared to the Boom times. Looks better that way."

"Tell me Luca, how much longer do you intend on staying here? Everyone knows where you live." That was not a lie or hyperbole. Luca had given it away. It was how Bronzi found him initially. "I hear Prime City is nice this time of year." Her words, whilst supposed to be reassuring, were very sinisterly delivered.

Bronzi tilted his head. All of his intentions aside, she had delivered an interesting question. They have this woman in here, and she is 'On Luca's side' for the moment. But what about when those who wish to settle a grudge want to come and get to it. The Phoenix crew were capable, but many of them were not trained soldiers and murderers. Bronzi never said it, but this sleepy town would not have a prayer if some of Luca's enemies showed up.

"So...workin' with Luca. Whats the job ya need doin'?" He said sitting back in a stool, and dropping his credit chit on Lina's bar to pay for the damages he had caused.

"You seem to be bleeding too..." She observed, noting the scars near Luca's right eye starting to welt. Luca blinked and touched the area and noted that he was bleeding. He hadn't been touched at all during the fight, but those eyes from Delsauria had never healed. "Aren't you Yamataian-bodied? Why isn't it healing?"

Luca frowned, turned away from Nostrovia and Bronzi; and said nothing. Nostrovia's eyes widened. This was news to her. "Has this happened before?" Her tone went from sinister advisory to concern. Bronzi would recall that whenever things got tense or stressful, Luca might start bleeding from the eye scars. She had to look out for him after all.

Bronzi had noticed, but he also noticed Luca did not like to be called out in public. But he said nothing. It was Sura who spoke.

"I thought when a Yamataian ended up with health problems they could just go get a new body, A whole nation of constructs, and the state provides this simple medical care for free. I..." She then got silent noticing her dad was not saying a single thing.

"A delightfully innocent observation, child. He cannot simply go back - Yamatai is a place of false smiles, thin veneers, pretences of glory, subtle assimilation and sharp daggers waiting for open backs." She said. "In essence, it can be much more dangerous than Nepleslia."

"And the fish isn't really fish either," Luca added, priorities seeming somewhat askew.

"Clearly you ain't never never been to my world." Bronzi said reaching over the bar and popping a bottle of wine and drinking it straight from the bottle.

"Went once. Benign place compared to the rotten heart of Yamatai." She replied as Luca seemed to wander further away from the conversation, instead trying to see to the new Ph Reeves. "If they wanted to, they could flip around, burn every bridge and set the universe aflame - but they're weak in the core. Factions and politics fight amongst each other like sharks eating each other."

"Yeah, uh, got a tissue, Reeves?" Luca asked, pointing near his eyes.

Bronzi let out a laugh. "You really bought into tha shit they sold you. Lemme tell you somthin'. I hit the snow on Ether, and while I was busy murderin' half retarded Neko on that icey hell hole, our leaders got together. My leader proposed launchin' an full on joint offensive into Nepleslian space, and it was immediately shut down by your leaders. So don't try ta pretend like Nepleslia is any less vested in another war with tha NMX then the Yamataians are..." Bronzi said with a low growl.

"They dragged us into it, the fucking cats." She said, within earshot of Tani.

"Who gives a shit. Tha NMX were comin' and they are gonna be back kause that's what yer bosses want. Endless war to keep you pinkies afraid...so they can keep in powa."

"That's what the Yamataians want too. Inherent in the system. I can't fathom their rulers without an enemy - they'll tear themselves apart. We'll just turn inwards to internal issues." She grinned. "If they do, popcorn?"

Lina groaned as she leaned in on the two talkers. "I don't give a dick about politics. Wrap it up or leave." The LMG was still in her hands. "Seriously, the sooner you both learn to chill out, roll with it and when it happens deal with it rather than yakking about it, the sooner we can get on with our lives. Got that?"

"Bah. She's right. Lewks. what are ya gonna do bout your health? You are lookin kinda rough."

Luca smiled. "Technically I've still got a citizenship. They never revoked it. By right I can swap at any Yamatai controlled world. SAINT still owes me for Delsauria." Nostrovia rolled her eyes at the mention of them. "The closest place I know that's safest is Dawn Station. Aerin Tatst will look out for me."

"She's been missing for the past couple of months." Nostrovia observed. It was headline news, and no secret, "Haven't you heard?"

"I... did actually." He replied, slight hesitation. It was a complicated situation between him and Ellen and Aerin, one that he needed to solve himself without the others. "Origin will still look after me though, I'm a good customer."

Luca then turned his attention back to Ph Reeves. "Alright, we'll give you a whirl and see how you do." He reached into his pocket and gave the man a Three of Diamonds badge card. "My name is Luca Pavone, and I'm your Captain, Mr. Reeves. I'll introduce you to Seiren and Allison, our other two mechanics." He looked over to Seiren and said: "Hey, someone I want you to meet here."

Nostrovia was still waiting for answers about Handler's Reach from Luca though. Perhaps now as not the best time. "I'll see you in private." She said before putting some money down on the counter and leaving. She was still bleeding from Bronzi's gunshot, but she did not seem to care at all. She'd patch that up later.

A small splatter of red was left near the entrance to Lina's bar, marking her exit. Tani would feel a pinch on her bottom, even though Bronzi was far away and Echelon's hands were on the table. If she looked down, she'd see a sticky note with the words "CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY! -N" written on it with a crude picture of a cross-eyed cat and a gun pointed to its head taking up the remaining space.

Bronzi looked up at Reeves and studied him. Five foot two, small and meek looking compared to those around him with a slightly shaky voice. Bronzi noticed the heterochromia with one eye being red and the other silver, and shoulder length white hair. He was clearly not a fighter, but time would tell if his skills in mechanics would speak for him.

"Eh? Got us another POG?" Bronzi said with a huff. He paid no mind to the Fact that Sura had taken out a small kit and was collecting a blood sample that was on the ground. Bronzi found his child to be...weird, and did his best to ignore it.

"How old are ya kid?"
 
Wouldn't know a decent man if he shot her in the face, Makari thought as he nursed his water after holstering his HHG filled with reds. After seeing what the reds did to a croc, he wasn't sure he wanted to see what they would do to people. But, he had to admit, she was just the right combination of dangerous and crazy. Too bad she threatened his crewmates, that made him strike her off the list posthaste. He wasn't surprised to feel a bit more sobered up, a nice potential bar fight which ended with an LMG being pointed at folks had that effect. Makari was quite impressed that Bronzi's daughter had pointed a gun at the lady in black, he chuckled.

Sensing an upcoming mission, he piped up, "So, where are we off to, boss?"
 
Luckily for Seiren, he got his drinks before Lina got her guns out. He waited until after the mess with the IPG agent was done and over with before addressing the Funky City native beside him.

"That Porta-still you wanted? I finished a prototype," the inventor said, placing the metal case on the table and unbuckling it. Inside, there was something that resembled the bastard child of a martini shaker and a coffee machine, but with a little bit of blender and "My First Science Kit" thrown in for good measure. He slid along the glass of scotch that he got from Lina as he pulled the rig out of the case, stating plainly, "for taste comparison."

Once the small machine was set up, he flipped a switch and watched as it sorted out its components.

"Don't worry, it is no longer going to explode! I made sure of it. . ."

Seiren delivered a halfhearted wave to the new guy, Reeves, too busy waiting for his mystical magical booze maker. Which finished its process with a pleasant "Ding!" and spat liquor into a cup that was attatched.

"Enzo, try it!"
 
Mako had watched the whole performance piece of the gartagan and the IPA member, she had slid her nsp out when the lady attacked the big guy, then got shot. Once the lass left and Mako felt the pinch she looked at the note, "Cute she muttered as she looked back a the large mech-geek. "What a bitch, are folks like her normal around here?" She showed the note to Echelon. "And here I thought I would be good and not just shoot her." She gently placed her pistol on the bar and debated if she could excuse her self and go after her.
 
Vincent had stood silently to the side of the unfolding conflict when Bronzi and Nostrovia got into it. The gunshot didn't even faze him; nor did Nostrovia taking a round to the chest. He briefly considered offering first aid, then thought against it--the shot was a clean puncture and didn't look anywhere near as serious as it could have been. And besides, she was an IPG field agent. Vincent had seen spooks like her take a shotgun blast to the chest and barely even blink.

The altercation faded into the background and the ID-SOL, unaffected, picked up the conversation where it had been dropped.

"I've been." Vincent grunted simply, his arms held at parade-rest behind his back. "After I separated from the Phoenix I freelanced for a while. Spent a lot of time playing strong-arm for some hard types; torched some pirate strongholds, headhunted, a bit of wet work here and there--enough to keep myself sharp. Came here on a contract, had just finished dropping the hammer on a group of deserters hiding out and was stopping for a drink when you rolled in."

He hunched his shoulders, his face impassive. "Wondered if you were still in the Business. Thought we might collaborate again."

He cast a glance over at Echelon. "She got a new frame. Nice to see."
 
Enzo shoved the regular scotch to one side, having already long-memorized the exact flavor of a typical Nepleslian scotch. He picked up the test sample and poured it, literally poured it, into his upturned mouth. After a moment of sitting contemplatively, he lit a cigarette and settled in.

"Tastes like shit." He reported, "I'll takes ten of 'em."
 
Taking a few more careful sips of his drink he found himself left for a short moment to think his situation over. Had he been paying better attention he might have noticed the uneasiness of the barkeep and Bronzi. Violence always seemed to surprise him and catch the clone off guard. It wasn't until voices were raised and Bronzi confronted the woman about smelling like a blood bath that he clued in to anything being strange at all.

Eyes widening he shifted his chair further away from the disagreement that was developing. A few punches and smacks were expected but the sound of a gunshot caused the mechanic to clap his hands over his ears. and drop himself so he was under the bar's ledge. not that that was a difficult feat for someone of his stature. He was more worried about stray bullets than either party's well being.

He watched from below until he was sure he wasn't going to be shot by mistake then very slowly and feeling slightly foolish he climbed back up his stool and took a sizable drink from his bottle. He nearly flinched when Luca asked for a tissue... nearly. "Ah... I've got lens cleaning tissue in my mechanical kit if that will do." Once again he dropped to the floor unsnapping his bag and pulling out a smaller sachet that held some of his lesser used tools. Stuffing a hand into one of the side pockets he pulled out several thin and nonabrasive tissues. "here."


"An honor to meet you Captain Luca. I don't plan on disappointing anyone in the near future if I have a choice about it. " He took the card and tucked it in a dry part of his bag. He didn't want to destroy the card on his first day of having it with pee rain. Giving Seirin a wave in return his shoulders tensed slightly. "they look like they are busy right now." He noted not wishing to bother anyone with introductions. He would meet his comrades soon enough.
 
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