RP: The Fringe [Prologue] (M)Eager Beginnings

"Yeah, I'm alright." Amelia said, having to stifle a smirk after looking at the mess she'd made; Even though the meal had been barely touched, she still thought that it was worth the price. She looked down towards the floor so no one would actually see it, and took that opportunity to place her Datajockey. The woman couldn't help but to grin internally after it was over, watching as the vagrant was taken out of the store, then closing the backpack and slinging it over her shoulder.

As she made to leave, Amelia stopped and turned to the duo who had been caught by the collateral damage of what she did. "Sorry about that." the woman said, raising one hand apologetically towards them while she took a closer look at the duo, her other hand holding onto her backpack's shoulder strap.

Brushing the little bit of splattered soup off of her exposed shoulder, Sienna's annoyed expression rapidly began to cool off and fade. Her eyes raised to the black-haired woman when she heard the apology, and shrugged in response with an accusatory nod and upturned-and-open-palm held out towards the vagrant, making it clear she knew who had caused the mess, and that an apology wasn't necessary. Another uniformed employee scurried over to their tables and, almost pathetically apologetic, handed Oreza a couple of thick towels just before dropping to his hands and knees to mop up the mess on the floor with another.

The drifter threw his hands up in front of him in surrender as the first worker directed him out of the restaurant. "Hey now, sorry'bout all this," he apologized in a non-confrontational, calm tone. "Ain'no need't'push, I got it. I don' wanno trouble." He didn't make much of a visible effort to leave, however, at least not before Oreza subtly threatened him. For some reason, he took it from the big Nepleslian much differently than he took it from the short man in the funny noodle vendor's uniform. The conflict-averse tone and air about him was gone in an instant as he turned to face the source of the voice, glaring at Oreza and Sienna's table. "Wha?" he snapped, as if he were a completely different person yet again. "Whatchu gonna do about it, big guy? This ain'yer house, I got jus'a'much a right to eat here as you."

"You aren't eating here," the employee spoke up. "And you're bothering the other customers, and look at this mess you've made. This is my house, and I'm telling you to get out."

The drifter glowered for a second, but then all of a sudden turned bright and jovial again, staring at Oreza with a creepy smile that seemed to contradict everything that the man should be feeling at that moment. "Right, then," he said out of nowhere, perhaps in response to the employee's second demand that he leave, or perhaps for no conceivable reason at all. It was getting quite difficult to discern what the man might be thinking or feeling at any given moment, his attitude and speech were so inconsistent. The worker (perhaps he was the manager, given the authoritative approach he was taking) stood his ground, pointing out into the concourse in silent demand that the vagrant obey him at once. The drifter's eyelid twitched slightly as his head tilted and rolled to the side, facing Amelia, as if not entirely by his own will, still with that unsettling grin on his face. "Time t'go home, then, baby. Let's go on home, see?"

The man then moved the knapsack in front of him, and with his one fingerless-gloved hand, reached inside as he started to walk, not out of the restaurant, but directly towards Amelia.

Amelia didn't know what was inside the knapsack, but considering the state-of-mind of its owner she really didn't want to be close to it nor see what was inside, so she backpedaled. Her mind was racing, first considering that the worst possible scenario would be that the man actually being armed, but the the possibilities were endless, making her wish that she had brought that gun. Not that she was actually going to shoot the other guy, but more for being able to scare him away due to the coercion that it proportioned her.

Taking two quick steps back, Amelia stopped directly behind and to the right of one of the stores employees, ready to bolt either side depending on how the situation unfolded. She still wasn't sure if the vagrant was just mental or he was actually someone who meant harm, but she wasn't going to take chances either way.

Oreza did not bother with the offered towels, not yet. Whatever this vagrant was up to was not over yet. Despite multiple requests and demands for him to depart, the man seemed incredibly intent on taking the young woman with him against her will. This, the former naval officer just could not let go on anymore. The restaurant was small and it took just a couple of large steps for Oreza to cross the gap and impose himself between Amelia's retreating form at the vagrant.

"The lady does not want your attention." Oreze stated as he grabbed the man firmly by the collar with his left hand, halting the vagrants forward progress, and now that the sleeve of his coat was pulled back a inch or two, showed a hint of metal above at the gap between his worn gloves and sleeve. "The proprietor has asked you to leave. You had best do so. This will be the last time I ask you nicely" he added in a level tone that betrayed no emotion what so ever.

Sienna didn't have time to say anything to stop Oreza before he had stepped in. She didn't know why he felt like it was his business to intervene, but now that he'd already interjected, she could only sigh and cross her arms, leaning back in her seat as she watched what was sure to end in a catastrophic beating for the homeless man. She remembered Oreza as a gentle giant, but she had on a few rare occasions seen what happened to those that crossed him. She didn't know how kind the years had been to him, but with his mechanical augments, she assumed he probably wouldn't have rusted very much.

As Amelia stepped behind the store manager, the short employee took a step forward trying to be valiant, shielding her from the vagrant, although the look on his face betrayed him. He was obviously not sure what to expect, and he was very clearly nervous. When Oreza intervened, the employee looked quite grateful, although he continued to stand defensively between Amelia and the troublemaker.

The homeless man, now partially hung by the lapel of his coat, looked helplessly up at Oreza's stony expression, and swallowed visibly. His eyes, now looking a bit more beady and twitchy than before, darted down to where the big fingers gripped his clothing, then back up at the bearded face just as he flashed a nervous, toothy smile. Slowly, his shaking hand withdrew from the knapsack he carried, clasping a tri-folded piece of paper. Cautiously he brought it up to show Oreza, and although the vagrant's hand was shaking so hard it came within inches of repeatedly slapping against the larger man's beard, a quick examination of it revealed it to be a promotional flyer for a store-wide sale at "Crazy Werclav's Electronics Emporium," over two months expired. It was stained in a few spots by some kind of broth, and a broken piece of discarded cinnamon candy was stuck to one side.

Back at her table, Sienna sputtered slightly, covering her mouth to contain the laughter. The store manager exhaled sharply, looking almost like he deflated a little.

Oreza looked down at the dirty crumpled piece of paper that was an advertizement for some electronics store, maybe his. Slowly he lowered lowered the vagrant back down to his feet. He let out a sigh and pointed at the exit.

"You need to find another way to advertize" he suggested.

Amelia let out a sigh of relief once more, her expression easening as she looked up and rubbed her forehead. The vagrant was probably just too dense -and crazy- for his own good, but what the employee couldn't do was achieved by the more imposing man that was sitting on the table next to her. The woman just hoped the drifter took the hint and went on his merry way already, as she knew no one, the employee or the huge man would have any more patience for those shenanigans.

"People, right?" Amelia said apologetically to the other woman, resting her free hand on her hip as the other went back to the backpack's shoulder strap. She felt the need to apologize, like that was her fault for having indirectly dragged those two into the mess.

The vagrant, rattled and his erratic and uncomprehensible resolve broken, backpedaled away from the big Nepleslian man, nearly tripping over a chair on his way back out to the concourse. Before he could lose his footing, he wheeled on his heels and shuffled out, muttering to himself, and vanished into the crowd.

A small smattering of applause broke out amongst the patrons, and someone in the back even whistled, cheering Oreza's brutish but undeniably effective handling of the situation. The restaurant's workers resumed their cleanup, having frozen in place when it looked like the confrontation was going to turn ugly. The same worker who had offered Oreza some towels before approached him again, offering them with both hands and a deep bow of respect and gratitude. The manager clutched his chest and let out a long breath of relief, smiling up at Oreza as he reached up and clapped him on the shoulder. "Glad you were here, friend," he said. "This kind of thing doesn't happen very often here. Please, can I get you anything else? It's on the house."

Sienna remained in her chair, shaking her head and chuckling at the whole spectacle as she examined Oreza with a smirk. Maybe it was worth considering asking him to join her after all. She wasn't sure what kind of ties he had to this station, but she reasoned he could be useful to have along, as long as she stayed sharp. She still had her reservations, of course; she had a history of bad luck putting her trust in other people, but she knew Oreza, and she was smarter now. A mechanically augmented giant couldn't hurt to have on her payroll.

Her eyes moved to Amelia when she noticed she was speaking to her. Raising an eyebrow and still smirking, she shrugged nonchalantly at the young woman. "Takes all kinds," she replied. "Today woulda been a boring day without him, yeah?"

'Probably just a more awkward one.' Amelia thought as she watched the vagrant leave, and then looking around towards the other patrons in the store. It seemed to her that . On one hand, she was pissed at having lost her meal, and she did hate the notion of wasting food, but on the other it was still worth the show that it proportioned. Her gaze went from the big man, then back at Sienna, examining her closely.

"He's your dad or something?" She asked, nodding with her head towards Oreza.

Sienna wrinkled her nose and forehead, grinning slightly as she glanced in Oreza's direction. "Pah," she scoffed in mock disdain, and winked at Oreza. "He ain't pretty enough, for one. Though he's good for heavy lifting, and apparently for scaring off the riff-raff, evidently." She slid her chair to the side to make room for where another employee was on her hands and knees mopping up the splattered soup, casting a casual look down at her. Glancing back up, she flicked her wrist in the big man's direction, looking back at Amelia, her expression slowly returning to neutrality. "If you're keen on formal thanks, I don't speak for him, if you were wondering. You can tell him yourself," she added with a fading hint of humor.

Oreza accepted the towel, finishing cleaning up the mess on his coat and shirt that the spilled ramen had created. "Thank you, just water would be fine" he replied to the proprietor and settled back into his chair.

He noted that Sienna and the other woman had struck up a conversation, catching the last hints of it and laughing. "I don't have nearly enough grey hair to be a dad" he commented with a chuckle. "Just glad I could be of service ma'am" he stated with a polite nod and a smile to Amelia.

Sienna gave Oreza another wry smirk. "You keep telling yourself that, old man," she jabbed, and rose up from her seat. Ruffling the back of her hair slightly, she took a few steps over to the big man, raising an eyebrow as she examined the mess on his shirt and jacket as he towelled it off. "I could use a comedian aboard my ship," she added as she glanced back up at him. "Like you said, it gets lonely out there."

Amelia didn't say anything, for a while, just watching the duo interact and then looking around the store as the patrons cleaned up the mess. she was about to make ready to leave up until Sienna mentioned a spaceship, which made the raven-haired woman raise an eyebrow both in amusement and curiosity,"You got your own ship?" She asked, suddenly interested, but then realized how herself was sounding. ' Too nosy, Amelia.' She thought to herself.

Oreza raised an eyebrow at Sienna's comment about being a comedian. "That it can" he agreed to her other statement. He was finished cleaning up, as much as he was going to be able to here anyways, and set the towel down on the small table. He would have to return to his small apartment and change into something clean and have his shirt and coat cleaned.

The restaurant manager bowed deeply to Oreza and hurried to the back while the rest of his employees continued to clean up the mess. Sienna folded her arms across her chest, still looking at the big man with a slightly amused expression, obviously having expected more of an answer than the one she was given, but she said nothing further. Her eyes went to Amelia when the dark-haired bystander spoke up, but her head remained fixed in its original position. Though her expression stayed largely unchanged, the look in her eyes gave away the pride she felt in her answer. "Yeah, I got a ship," she replied. "That surprise you or something?"

There wasn't time for Amelia to respond before two blue-and-white uniformed men, outfitted with energy pistols and stun batons at their hip holsters and a cap adorned with the silver emblem of the Amatsu-Nova space station entered the establishment. One of them stood almost as tall as Oreza but significantly leaner, and the other one was just a bit shorter than Sienna but very well built and physically fit. Neither of them looked particularly thrilled to have been called in, particularly since after sweeping over the restaurant with their eyes neither of them noticed anything that justified their presence, only the couple of ransacked tables and the employees scurrying about like ants on cleanup detail.

"Yo, someone call for security in here?" the taller one said in a deep baritone voice over the noise of the crowd.

"Not really, it's just interesting. I work in them, or would be if I was employed." She said casually once the security arrived, unsurprisingly late. It didn't matter how different from Nepleslia the station was, some things like the security or law enforcement taking their time to show up never did really change. The raven-haired woman folded her arms across her chest and watched the security people, then turned her gaze back to Sienna.

"I'm Amelia, by the way." She said to both of them, looking at Oreza and then Sienna.

"Oreza Dakkar" Oreza replied to Amelia with a polite nod. Then the security arrived and he turned his attention to them.

"Missed all the excitement" he said to the security man. "Just a little trouble with a vagabond, did not turn out to be very serious" he reported, stuffing his big hands into his coat pockets.

"Sienna," the auburn-haired young woman replied simply, regarding Amelia with an oddly aloof, yet oddly intrigued once-over, as if sizing her up for some unspoken task. "So you worked in starships," she continued, her eyebrows raising a fraction of an inch as she brought her eyes back up to Amelia's, then over to the side of Oreza's face in silent question.

Meanwhile, the restaurant manager reemerged from the kitchen carrying a wrapped plastic carton of hot ramen and an insulated cup of ice water for Oreza. He noticed the uniformed security officers as the kitchen door swung closed behind him. "Yes, I did," he called across the restaurant floor, and motioned to Oreza. "The gentlemen there is correct, the problem was handled without any legal or physical trouble." The manager weaved quickly through the tables and the few employees cleaning up the last bits of the mess, striding up before the big Nepleslian and offering him the complimentary food and drink with a gracious bow. "You have my sincere thanks, sir. Please come and visit us again anytime you like; I'll happily get you whatever you need."

The security guards, both with a nonplussed expression, exchanged bored glances and exasperated sighs before nodding at the manager. "All right," the tall one replied. "I'll need your official statement anyway, as a formality. You understand."

"Yes, yes, of course," the manager replied, then looked up at Oreza once more. "Thank you again, sir. If you'll excuse me." With another bow, he beckoned the officers to follow him to the back.

'More like grew up in one.' Amelia thought, not wanting to reveal more about herself, which wasn't surprising considering how private she was or how she didn't really saw a need to say that. "Yeah, I navigate." She answered, watching the security officers converse with the manager. The mention that no one got harmed made her smile faintly, 'No one worth mentioning anyway.' She thought, thinking about how someone would have trouble sleeping with those burns, specially the location.

Not wanting to add any more, Amelia just stood there, somewhat out of place. It probably was time for her to go, anyway.

Oreza obsurved the security and manager interacting before they headed off, then turned back to the others. "A navigator, eh?" He smiled at Amelia. Funny how they had just run into someone who would be more than vital to any starship crew.

"The answer to your earlier question is yes by the way" he said to Sienna. He had nothing better to do on this station and station life was just a bit on the dull side for a former sailor like himself. That and he wanted to make sure Sienna had the best chance possible carving her way through the space lanes with her first ship. He owed it to her and knew if there was anyone he could pass on his knowledge and experience to it was her.