[OPEN] So... A Ranger walked into a bar...

[Zay]

Spoiler: OOC

This thread is a simple and fun thread that is open to all Rangers and uh... Rangeretts? I noticed there was a huge influx in members and wanted to flood the Saloon with Open threads allowing our characters to meet, drink, flirt, laugh, cry, and play little rangers games!! Hope to meet some new friends and fellow rangers!

-Zaylos

Zaylos lay in the bunk of his Corellian Freighter tossing and turning, restless. His time in the Waste Rangers had been a whirlwind of activity allowing him to be exposed to the terrifying and beautiful world of Zonju V. He had met a slew of new people here in the waste and most were all right in his book. For the first time in his life he felt like he had a home. With a groan he sat up in his bed and rubbed at the constant stubble on his chin. "Ya know what? I need a drink." Zaylos stood and threw a sleeveless T-shirt on and wrapped his waist with Ole' Trusty.

Exiting his ship he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. It had been a few days since his last mission and he felt antsy. I'm sure a little Devil's cut will ease that." He smirked as the thought crossed his mind. He made his way out of the hanger area nodding at the new comers and smiling at the pretty girls. Winking at the really hot ones. Zaylos reached the entrance to Vince's bar and let out a sigh of relief. "This is what the doctor called for." he said as he pushed the doors to the real saloon open. "Vince my fine friend I will take the usual!" he said with an unusual tone of happiness. Today was a good day. There was air in his lungs and soon to be brandy in his belly. What more could Zaylos ask for?

Zaylos hoped to learn the names of some of the new rangers. He was in the mood to make new friends.

 

[Bee]

For Ava, drinking was a sport of endurance. So many people made it out to be a sprint - a few shots chased with a couple beers, rinse and repeat, until sufficiently wasted - when the best way to do it, she always thought, was to treat it like a marathon. A little water went a long way (especially in the desert) and the trick was to get just drunk enough to feel awesome and happy and warm inside without succumbing to the less fun aspects of inebriation, like throwing up in a dirty bathroom somewhere with no one to hold your hair. Sitting at the bar with her legs stretched out on a stool to her right, the Hapan had laid claim to a nearly empty bottle of grain alcohol, a shot glass, and a glass of ice water, the latter of which she seemed less interested in as she took a long pull straight from the bottle, long past the point of coughing or cringing at the taste. She really had no reason to drink other than boredom, but with her vision slightly blurred and her head swimming, the ass end of the galaxy was somehow a much more tolerable place, even with nothing to do.

Blinking a few times in a feeble attempt to restore some kind of clarity, she turned to Zaylos and tilted her head some, the stranger's chipper tone enough to make her wonder if he was some kind of moron. No one was that happy unless they were really stupid, except maybe if they had just gotten laid. "What's the usual?" She asked, her voice remarkably clear for someone who seemed to make a hobby out of getting as messed up as possible. "A coloring holo and a pack of crayons?"

It was a bad joke. A mean spirited one, even. But Ava couldn't help but laugh, snickering into the lip of the bottle.

 

[Hiro]

Zatch wasn't usually one to drink. Handling the Renegade is usually a full time job between Lilianna, basic maintnence, his misadventures, his normal adventures, of course the cherry on the top is the Rangers. So why wouldn't he drink? A nautolan is not known to be biased on alchohol. Some have better livers, some can't take a single shot. For right now, he seems to be handling himself. With the constant spinning in his very spinny chair as headtails fly around weightless. So he's a little tipsy. It's nothing as a first, but overall he isn't terribly used to it.

He sat in not so much a corner, but out of the way of the bar by at least a few feet in a single table. Just spinning. Wheeee. Looks like the Hapan hasn't noticed him yet. Oh, a hapan! Easily distinguishable because well, they are second to angels. Talk about beer goggles too. Hapans are slightly uncommon, but not as rare as a Nautolan. Nautolans are just an oddity given their usual devotion to water.

He took another swig of some very watered down rum. And then he had a water glass to dip his fingers in because water feels good. "Yeah, that one is lost on me." He intrudes in with a mostly clear tone. The man is here to lessen the tension on his shoulders, not get so horribly drunk he'll lose his holocomm and wallet the day after, after all.

 

[Zay]

Zaylos smiled at the strikingly attractive young lady. Little did she know her soft jab had only increased his enjoyment of the day. It was easy to find a pretty lady it was difficult to find one with the right mix of attitude and intelligence. This one had the attitude but did she have intelligence? "Hmmmm. The game is afoot." He thought. Vince chuckled gruffly as he finished Zaylos's Devil's cut Corillian brandy and slid it to him. Without missing a beat Zaylos looked at the beautiful woman and walked up to the bar turning his back on the sliding drink. He leaned on the bar and as he moved his left arm to rest it in front of her the drink slowly came to a rest where he hand now rested. The motion was slick and with the same charming smirk he raised the drink to his mouth and sipped the delicious taste of the brandy. It burned as it ran down his throat and with that Zaylos examined the female to his left more closely. She was Hapan. She was different though... she was like him. She had the aire of battle upon her.

"I'm so, sorry madam. I had no idea was in the presence of an Ereneda." He gave her a curt bow a slight wink and then faced the bar. "So, what brings ya to the Waste milady?" He said milady with a tone that suggested he was sincere, but he had a feeling she would see through the facade of his tone. He waited for her response. While he waited he notices another new face. "Yeah, that one was lost on me." said the being. Zaylos chuckled and then gave him a nod. "I don't think I've ever seen you around the Saloon either, friend. What's your name?" Zaylos was enjoying every minute of the banter. He stood in between the two at the bar and turned around so that he could see both without turning his back on either. He wondered who else would show up as he sipped his brandy.

 

[Bee]

"Kid stuff," she clarified with a roll of her eyes, wondering if maybe the chipper guy waiting on his brandy wasn't the only idiot running around. The planet appeared to be crawling with people - men, specifically - who seemed to think they were a little too smart for their own good, but that was proving true of the galaxy at large, too. It certainly wasn't unique to Zonju V or even the ranks of the Waste Rangers. For Ava, it was like dealing with someone with chronic body odor: it was offensive at first, and she always felt compelled to say something, but over time it didn't smell like anything at all and ignoring it came easier than she would care to admit. So they were all a little dull. So what? Not everyone was fortunate enough to have her upbringing, strange as it was, nor were they lucky enough to be born a woman. That was the way the galaxy worked sometimes.

Tracing a tip of her finger along the side of her glass, cutting through the thin layer of condensation in a slow, erratic pattern, Ava raised an eyebrow and gave the stranger a quick look from head to toe. "The Erenada would have your tongue for talking to her like that," she offered almost helpfully, patting her pockets as though checking for something that wasn't there. "Shame, seems as though I misplaced my knife." When she smiled, she did so with her eerie blue eyes trained on his. It was definitely time to switch to water. Even if drunk words were often times just sober thoughts, she wasn't looking to make a bunch of enemies so soon.

"Ava. I'm with the Devils." Taking a look over her shoulder at Zatch, sizing him up with the same unimpressed look on her face, she turned back to Zaylos once more. "And who might you two be?"

 

[Hiro]

Zatch was safe to say the oddball in the bar. There was the Hapan, the Zaylos, and any other newcomer. But there was always tipsy and spinny Zatch. Kind of breaks the 'there is always a' phrase. His chair spun on itself as he looked like reaching max velocity and torque. For but a moment he would look up to see the ceiling rapidly turning at rotational speed much more than eye level. Shaking his head, Zatch fixed the mistake and kept his eyes on the same level as the bar.

He slammed a hand gently on the table to stop that infernal spinning to look at the Hapan with bold black eyes. Nautolans aren't cute, but at least they aren't Ughnauts! I hate those things. I am Zatch." The blue man replies with not a dull voice, nor any matter of flirting in it. He stated like it so matter of fact as if it is something she should have learned in school. "And now that my name is in the air, might you throw yours out there as well?" A tipsy and worded Nautolan! No wait, those two adjectives probably are cause and effect.

 

[Gamov]

"Come on ya finicky little bitch. Just. Give. Up!"

Lexi chewed out a few less than elegant curses under her breath as she wrestled with the coiled mess of wiring and circuits in the cockpit of her freighter. Red, blue, yellow, green, white, it had all become a maddening menagerie of colors that she had lost her way in hours ago. But she still plugged away at it, diligent as ever. If she didn't she might never get off this wonderful little dirtball again. There was absolutely nothing wrong with any of the ship's flight capabilities, to be perfectly honest. No, those were all working just fine. She could still fly the hunk of junk if she had to. But it would be infinitely more difficult to navigate anywhere without her Navcomputer working properly. Which was the current bane of her existence, and the reason for her less than agreeable mood.

Fidgeting with another cluster of wires, she tried talking the problem out quietly to herself as she crossed a few wires here and there. At first, things seemed to be going just fine, and for a second she had her hopes up. And then.... those hopes were dashed in a brilliant flash of orange sparks as she was dumb enough to mix up the wrong wires. Lexi jumped back, indiscriminately shouting out every derogatory curse or phrase that crossed her mind as a jolt of energy surged through her fingertips.

”Worthless piece of shit!” She punctuated her words with a firm kick to the console. That probably didn't help her situation much, but right now she was ready to sell this bucket for scrap.

She regarded the tangled sea of cables with a petulant frown before snapping her jacket off the back of her seat and slipping it on. Lexi had decided pretty quickly, and without much hesitation at all, that she needed a drink. That always helped her work through her problems. Shouting an informal “adios” through he ship to Molok, she heard the Dashade grumble in response as she made her way to the nearby saloon. Thank god the bar never closed.

Pushing the door open, she swiftly crossed the floor to the bar, waving off Vince before he could even say a word. ”It's been one of those days so far, Vince. I'll just take my usual.” He nodded politely to her and made good on the drink, bringing her a chilled bottle of Ebla beer.

Muttering to herself, Lexi twisted the cap off, took a healthy swig and let out a deep breath before going for the smokes in her pocket. Alcohol and cigarettes. Her perfect mix for calming the nerves and thinking life's problems out without getting too worked up. Nice. As she lit up and took that first wondrous drag, she noticed the faces sharing the room with her and nodded first and foremost to the one she knew best, Zaylos.

”How's it goin'?”

 

[The Derp of Hooves]

It had been a while since Mire had seen her friends at the saloon which was how she had found herself there talking with Aola as Vince and Nima served up drinks. Mire listened to the conversation down the bar as Aola disappeared into the kitchens to cook up a Gobo steak for her. She fingered the red pearl on her necklace her mind lost in thought as it so often was these days. Ever since she had woken up on the whisper, it was a sort of agony for her not knowing who she was. However, she was also scared to find out as well. After all, she wasn’t sure if she was one of the good guys, or someone like the monster who had stolen her memories from her. She was roughly brought out of her musings however when a rather loud woman entered. Looking up she wondered to herself if she should introduce herself or not.

 

[Zay]

"The Erenada would have your tongue for talking to her like that," he listened as she played his game back to him using a voice that sounded helpful while she gave him the finger with her eyes. "Shame, seems as though I misplaced my knife." Her eyes locked with his and he drank in her bright blue eyes. "My favorite color..." he thought as he leaned away from her ever so slightly just in case she did find her knife. She seemed to mentally check herself since instead of threatening his life she offered her name. "Weird." he thought. "Ava. I'm with the Devils." she said. Ava looked at Zatch then back to Zaylos and asked "And who might you two be?" Zaylos thought for a moment. His reputation on Zonju V had begun to proceed him as of late leading to both good and bad out comes. He allowed Zatch to introduce himself first giving Zaylos just a moment to finalize his decision. "I'm Zaylos Kartan. I'm with the Rangers." the introduction was to both of them, but he wanted to keep the conversation on her regardless of her current attitude. "So, If ya don't mind me askin, how did ya meet Johnny?" he asked. He braced himself for a verbal beating from Ava and for Zatch to fly off his chair. Zaylos wasn't sure why but he was starting to like the little guy.

A few moments later Lexi burst through the door and in a huff ordered her usual beer. Zaylos cocked an eyebrow at her when she nodded to him and he beckoned for her to join them. Maybe Lexi could help ease up Ava. If she chose to walk over here that is. Directly after Lexi came in a blonde blur entered the bar. Zaylos had seen her before at one of the various gatherings the Rangers had every now and then. She was young and he hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her yet, but he hopped to find out who she was today. The young one blew past everyone in the bar and disappeared in the back only reemerging when she had cooked a rather comically large Gobo steak. Zaylos watched her for a moment and chuckled then returned his attention to the task at hand. Figuring out Mrs. Ava.

 

[Minuteman75]

Sei Creel sighed, it was one of those moments of truth. She had arrived to the entrance of the bar, a favored destination of the Waste Rangers within Fort Saloon. In a small way, it felt like she was a rookie again in Corsec and about enter to the favorite drinking hole that the vets hangout at. But considering that the Rangers were more loose when came to ranks, Sei quashed that feeling. Besides she was kriffing thirsty and wanted some of the good stuff that the establishment could have.

Dressed in a lightish wasteland duster and wearing no hat to cover her long twisted curly hair, Sei stepped inside. Once she was Creel saw that quite a good number of folks were already there. Most were women except for a few men, one of them being a blue skinned Nautolan. Almost all of them seemed to be crowding around the bar, not surprising there.

Didn't exactly plan on drinking alone anyway but I don't want to interrupt what they probably got going.

It only took a second for the Corellian woman to decide sit close to them in the end. She was bound to be working with these people might as well get aquatinted with them. Taking a seat close to Lexi, Sei smiled politely in greeting to the group and then said to Vince, the bartender.

"I like a small glass of whiskey please."

Vince then in record time gave Sei her chosen drink and she turn her attention back to her fellow Rangers.

"Name's Sei Creel pleasure to meet all of ya." Those among the group if familiar with Corellians wouldn't mistake her accent that strongly hinted her origins.

 

[Hiro]

The nautolan looked at Creel, smiling. He blinked, which strangely only looked a little weird seeing how much eye it has to cover. It looked as if the blue man had slight trouble keeping on his chair; easier to blame all the spinning. The girl reminded her of a passenger he had once; Corellian, and uh. She was also a female. And. Yeah, that was it. Corellian female. Like they were twins. Drunk vision doesn't need to make sense.

"Lovely to meet you. I'm Zatch." He replied simply, too hurt from a headache to get anything else out. The spinning might have been fun, but now it just hurts his head. Very regretful, and he'll probably start again later on.

 

[Topher Ridge]

Ralo smiled to himself as he watched the friendly banter by the bar. He was sitting in one of the booths against the wall enjoying his Devaronian Rum. He had been there for a few hours just relaxing and wasn't very surprised that he hadn't been noticed. Ralo always had a natural way of blending in to his surroundings. Since joining the Rangers he hadn't had much of a chance to get to know his new comrades, but so far they all seemed like a fun bunch. He swigged down the last of his rum and stood up approaching the bar, throwing back his hood letting his tied back dreads free.

"Hey barkeep..Vince right, mind if I get another?"

As he waited for the drink he nodded to the others and leaned against the bar.

Names Ralo guys. Pleasure to meet you guys.

Vince slid Ralo the rum and he smirked as he took a long sip, savoring the sweet burn.

 

[Gamov]

Well, things were starting to pick up in the bar it seemed. Not surprising considering this was about the only place on this planet that was safe for a Ranger to show their face without having a gun pointed at their head. Of course, it was about the only place in this desert where you could get a free drink, and that was always a big draw. Taking another long pull from her beer, Lexi nodded politely at the woman who had taken the seat closest to her, Corellian by the sounds of her accent as she spoke. Oddly enough, Lexi had only met a few Corellians in her time across the galaxy, probably something that put her among the minority for most. A quick gesture from Zaylos at the other end of the bar caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. As usual, he was busy chatting up another of the female Rangers; though it was clear even from here that she wasn't having any of what he was selling.

Taking another drag on her cigarette, she exhaled the wispy grey/white smoke through her nostrils. "Don't let all that swagger fool ya." She called down to them, tapping the ashes away into an ashtray. "He looks good on the outside, but he's really a lazy, good for nothing cheat."

She spared Zaylos a lingering smirk before taking another measured sip from her beer. She figured the other woman could handle herself against the likes of him, but any opportunity she got to put a crimp in Zay's style was just a bonus. Not that she hated the guy - she had actually grown pretty fond of him - but many of her closest friendships had been formed on the basis of snarky sarcasm and playful antagonism. Whether he had learned to warm up to her particular brand of humor yet though, that was still in the "testing phase", so to speak.

Turning to Sei, Lexi gave her a fairly informal introduction. "Name's Lexi. What happens to bring you to our lovely little corner of the galaxy?" She took another idle breath from her cigarette while she waited for the woman's response.

Her attention shifted briefly to the next new comer as another guy made his way to the bar from his spot in one of the corner booths. She felt a little foolish not having noticed him, but the mood she was in when she first got here, she was lucky to have noticed anything besides the bottle in front of her face. Nodding to Ralo as he introduced himself, Lexi gave him a quick once over. She had him pegged as a Kiffar, if her guess wasn't too far off. She had only seen a few during her travels, but they all seemed to love facial tattoos of some kind. Something to do with their culture or something; she never did pay much attention as most the people she met were either trying to make a pass at her or shoot her. 'Hostile work environment' didn't exactly begin to describe her career as a smuggler before the Rangers.

The calm banter and idle chit chat among the Rangers was interrupted only briefly as the door creaked open again, revealing Mila, who paused ever so briefly in the doorway as she lifted her goggles off of her eyes and took stock of the people in the bar.

"Oh great, crowds." She murmured to herself.

She only recognized a few faces among the Rangers, Lexi being one of them. She offered her a passing glance in silence as her eyes roamed down the bar to Mire sitting at the far end. Ducking her head to try and avoid notice, as if that was even close to possible, she swiftly crossed the floor and took a seat next to Mire. She seemed the least likely to ask questions or pry unnecessarily, so it was the safest bet in the room for a little peace and quiet. Sliding into the seat next to the blond girl, Mila gave her an informal "hey" before Vince sidled over to her and asked if she needed anything. She sent him away quietly by shaking her head.

 

[Bee]

"Cool," Ava replied, a little too abruptly to be genuine as the man both introduced himself and made his involvement with the Raiders known. She was a firm believer in the idea that men were to be seen, never to be heard, and as handsome as the guy was he was kind of ruining his chances - slim as they had been to start with - with every word that came out of his mouth. Even three sheets to the wind, she wasn't buying the suave cowboy act he was trying to sell, and while some part of her was thankful for the attention (the only thing worse would've been if everyone had ignored her) Ava was looking forward to the time when he would grow tired of her somewhat cruel sense of humor and bother another woman with his dubious charm. Hell, maybe they might like it. As it stood the Hapan was just a little too stubborn to be wooed, ironically or otherwise.

Tapping the short, blunt ends of her fingernails on the glass of alcohol, she scratched at the label and didn't bother to meet the man's stare. "We broke out of the same prison." It wasn't the most orthodox way of getting to know someone, but Ava was willing to bet that a lot of the people sitting in the saloon - which had filled up quite rapidly since she last lifted her head - could claim similarly sketchy histories whether they were keen to admit it or not. The Waste Rangers were an organization dedicated to doing good, but they didn't seem to discriminate against those who had turned to a life of crime to get by. Kind of like pirates, but with less pillaging and turning misery into profit. Smartly choosing the remaining water over the booze, Ava took a long drink with her head tipped back, chugging the remainder as she turned her gaze to Lexi, a curious look evident on her face regardless of the fact she was currently indisposed.

Glass back down on the bar, Ava wiped her lips with the back of her hand and smiled, looking between the blue-haired woman and the Ranger in question. "Sounds like someone's got a reputation." And with that, she turned away from Zaylos, focusing her attention on Lexi as she tried to force her eyes to focus. The edges of her vision were already starting to blur, and fatigue was creeping in. "Ava, unless you caught that part already. I'm a friend of Johnny's," the idea was sort of laughable, but hell. They'd escaped a rock on the middle of nowhere together, so that had to count for something, right? "Mostly just looking for work, you know?"

 

[The Derp of Hooves]

While Mire was waiting for her Gobo steak, she was in her usual musings about her past while she fingered the red pearl on her necklace. So deep in thought was she that she didn’t even notice when Mila entered the Saloon and sat next to her, which was kind of odd as she stood out in a crowd.

Looking up she said in a noncommittal way, “Oh, um, hi…”

 

[Minuteman75]

Sei nodded to Zach, the Nautolan when he introduce himself despite his drunk state. That did say a lot about his character in her view. When examining Zaylos she quickly noticed him appear to be doing a unsuccessful flirtation with Ava. Sei her roll her eyes in amusement, some things never change in galaxy. Lexi beside her humorously call out Zaylos, made Sei snicker a little bit, it always get a laugh otherwise life would sucks even more. Sei look to Lexi when the other woman gave her name and then ask what she was doing here.

The Corellian woman answered by drinking down her small whiskey cup to which her throat felt it burn up that in turn cause her cough continently for a few seconds. It had been quite time since she drank something like that especially with colleagues.

"Well apparently to get use to whiskey again. But the simple truth is that my life like the rest of the galaxy was screwed by the kriffing war. I decided to do something useful till things shape up again and I heard some of the work y'all been doing so here I am."

Creel then said a quick hello to the man named Ralo when he brought himself to the bar. The former police officer then watch the green color-themed girl with goggles and sat with without saying much to the rest of them. That was fine with Sei who more focus on on the others.

"So Lexi what got you to ride along with the rangers?"

 

[Zay]

Zaylos nodded as Ava, who was clearly done with him, gave him the grit of how she met Johnny. The thought of the "The Legend" in chains brought his mind back to seeing Johnny chained up on Rutan. It had been an intense development of events but fortunately it worked out for the best. Zaylos had known that Hapans tended to look down on others but Ava almost seemed to just specifically hate him. "Oh well, you win some you lose some." He thought. "Well, I'm in the MOSES division. If your in the Devil's I'm sure we'll see each other around. It was a pleasure, Ava." he said. He meant what he said there was no malice in his words or his face. His attention turned to Lexi and he rolled his eyes at her smiling. He called over to her "What's got you all riled up? You still having problems with your ship?" He picked up his drink and walked toward her.

Lexi loved to tease and embarrass him. He had learned quickly after their first meeting that it was just how she was and he accepted that. "I can't believe you would call me a cheat!? I'm hurt, truely." He gave her a puppy dog face and then laughed "At least I can fix my ship!" he said merely attempting to get a rise out her. He sipped his devil's cut brandy and awaited her verbal berating. Zaylos looked over to female next to Lexi and nodded a greeting to her. "Hey there I'm Zaylos." he nodded at Lexi and said "Don't listen to a word she says, she get's jealous easy." Zaylos slyly looked at Lexi and smiled. He was just teasing her and hopefully she wasn't actually upset with him. They hadn't spoken much lately, but that was because of work not because he didn't enjoy her company.

 

[Ryan Burton]

Hangovers were no fun, especially the kind that never went away. Circumstances birthed coping mechanisms however, and drinking...heavily, happened to be it for Ryan. A hand chased through her short black hair, hoping that the tendrils would reach far enough into her skull to sooth the ache that intensified with each vascular pulse. An irritated sigh exited her lips as she sauntered toward the bar. Perhaps it was the most counterproductive action she could have performed at the moment, but a stiff drink promised pain relief, even if only for the moment.

As the new Ranger pushed the door open and crossed the threshold, her eyes were immediately filled with the faces of several strangers. She supposed that most, if not all of them, were now her comrades. "Fan-frickin-tastic." The word was muttered under the woman's breath as she made her way to the very last seat at the bar. There were several spaces between her and the next drinker, and she liked it that way. As the bartender approached with the question of her poison of choice, Ryan shut her eyes tightly, rested her elbow upon the bar, and placed her aching head in her hand.

"Anything, as long as it isn't pink or have the words 'beach', 'sunrise', or another frilly adjective in the title." The bartender chuckled quietly and promptly placed a tumbler of medium height in front of the woman. It was filled with a golden liquid and as Ryan brought it to her lips, she recognized the smell. "That'll do the trick. Thanks." Her words were curt as she tipped the glass back and nearly inhaled the drink. A few sips remained as the glass was placed back upon the bar. Ryan's dark eyes glanced at a few curious onlookers. She averted her gaze to the nearly empty glass as she rubbed one of her tattooed arms.

Perhaps the white wifebeater was a poor choice of dress as the bar proved to be quite temperature controlled and much cooler than the thick air outside. Small bumps soon formed across her marked skin and she cursed under her breath for having not opted for the black t-shirt that had been left sitting atop her small dresser. The intense studying of multiple sets of eyes did not help Ryan's cause as she grabbed the glass and tilted it back, finishing the rest of the cool elixer. "Another." If anything would warm her up, it would be the liquid warmth of alcohol. The bartender set a second glass in front of the woman, amazed as she gulped it up like a fish gasping for water.

Ryan placed the half finished drink in front of her on the bar, beginning to feel the effects that she so desired. The pain in her head had diminished significantly and her face felt warm to the touch. Her eyes wandered away from the bar top as she exchanged glances with her fellow Rangers. Perhaps talking to one would not be as traumatizing as she had envisioned it to be. Without directing her words to anyone in particular, the socially awkward and clearly androgynous woman introduced herself, if to no one, then simply to the universe. "I'm Ryan Burton - Moses."

 

[Hiro]

Zatch whistled as they just alll poured in. Not something he was used to, he tended to be more shy when crowds came to. Conversations were easy, sure, but try talking over about seven people. That is most likely very off in estimation. But either way, he felt a little squeezed in even though he was in one of the more emptier places in the room. "So many people.." He reiterated to himself before hearing the words "Ryan Burton, moses."

Oh hey, wasn't he moses? Yeah, he was! Ironic that he finds a single comrade in a bar full of them. He waved to Ryan nervously. "Zatch Ultima, moses!" Simple reply to a simple introduction was fitting, innit?

 

[Gamov]

Lexi chuckled lightly at Sei as she practically choked down her swig of whiskey. That right there was exactly why she never drank that stuff. Well that, and her only experience with it years ago left a sour taste in her mouth for the stuff, in more ways than one. Apparently, according to some of the pilots in her squadron, she tended to get belligerent as hell with whiskey in her system and was more abrasive and crass than usual. Kinda the stretch of the imagination given how she behaved on a daily basis, but she supposed there had been some mellowing in her temper over the years. Who knows, when she drank, she usually did it right; as in no memories were good memories. What she did or did not do when she was blitzed out of her mind was pure hearsay and rumor.

"Well apparently to get use to whiskey again. But the simple truth is that my life like the rest of the galaxy was screwed by the kriffing war. I decided to do something useful till things shape up again and I heard some of the work y'all been doing so here I am. So Lexi what got you to ride along with the rangers?"

Before she could answer Sei's question though, Ava introduced herself from the far end of the bar having given Zaylos and his advances the polite brush off. The woman had a slightly glassy look to her eyes, a look that Lexi knew all too well. The alcohol was catching up, and no doubt she was at that wonderful point where she was just starting to verge on seeing double. Probably why she had chosen to park herself firmly in her seat, lest she risk taking an embarrassing tumble should she chance to stand.

"Ava, unless you caught that part already. I'm a friend of Johnny's, mostly just looking for work, you know?"

Well, she had something in common with both of these women, now didn't she? Sei and her life being upended by the war, and Ava in her endless search for quick work and easy money.

Nodding as she took another drink from her beer, Lexi addressed both of them in one shot. ”I know the feeling. After things went south with the Alliance, I kinda just found myself drifting here and there taking odd jobs for whatever money I could get.” Taking a quick hit from her cigarette, she fluttered her hand slightly as if to brush the previous thought aside, ”Course, that all changed when I bumped into Hiro on Eriadu. Got roped into chasing some bounty the Rangers were on and, well, as they say, 'the rest is history'.”

Of course, that was the short, short version of the how and why. But she didn't feel like boring anyone with the gritty details of it all. Not to mention she wasn't one to air her dirty laundry to complete strangers. Which seemed to be a pretty common thread among the Rangers, and part of the reason she settled in with them. In a way, they were a “no questions asked” kinda group, which suited her just fine.

"Don't listen to a word she says, she get's jealous easy."

Her eyes drifted over to Zaylos as he sauntered down to her end of the bar, that same smoldering grin on his face that he always had. He did is best to jab back at her sarcasm with a bit of his own brand of wit, insulting her skills and calling her character into question. She bit back the playful grin teasing at her expression as she quirked an eyebrow and feigned indignation.

”I don't get jealous, I get even.” She let those words stew for a second as she finished off the last of her beer and signaled Vince for another. As soon as he returned and passed her the drink, Lexi uncapped it, took a long refreshing drink and said, ”You guy's will have to forgive Zay, it's not often he gets a chance to talk to women. Poor guy, I think he's confused at which team he plays for, 'cus he certainly doesn't have any game with the ladies.” She finally let that wry little smirk out, giving him a pretty clear “your move” kind of look as she took a confident drag from her cigarette.

The door creaked open again and Lexi shifted slightly in her seat, craning her neck back to catch a look at the new arrival. Her brows furrowed a bit as she watched the woman swiftly cross the floor and plunk herself down in a seat farthest from the rest of the group. She didn't seem to be in much of a hurry to address anyone aside from Vince, who was quick on the uptake as usual in serving up some alcohol to soothe the hangover that was resting fairly obviously on this woman's shoulders. The slumped posture, the vaguely irritated undertones to her words. Lexi had been down that road on many occasions in the past. She knew the signs.

"I'm Ryan Burton – Moses."

There was a brief urge to quote a line from one of her favorite Holovids as Lexi glanced briefly to Zaylos. ”Go get 'er, Zay!”. But she restrained herself and instead decided to just keep quiet as she idly tapped her cigarette in the side of the ashtray in front of her and waited for Zaylos to bite. He would, she knew it. He was like a shark drawn to blood in a room full of women. Except he wasn't nearly as smart or quick as one.