Open Coruscant Dead Men Don't Die

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music IC

Darkness draped over his vision like death’s curtain, black and cold and callous, even as faint twinkles of light crept in and out at the tiniest corners. There was blue and yellow, red and pink, first here then there then all at once together. It was like the lights of a city, blurred and out of focus, and that darkness was just the night sky.

Then the light took over. When it did, when the cold black peeled away like a weighted blanket, he realized his eyes were opened. There was a world waiting for him, walled around him, and it was not a city.

Those ocular orbs embedded in his skull rotated this way, shifted that way, each movement a pang of pain, and took in the lights of a cantina and the sights of its patrons. One of them was looking right at him.

“Hey, you okay?”

The voice was quiet. Or is it loud? He tried to blink himself awake. Am I not already? The Anzat's face that faced him was smiling from an adjacent stool. But why are they falling?

“How much did you drink?”

It was a woman’s voice, calm and comforting, her face no less and certainly not falling. I am... No, I already have... He lifted his head from the bar at the same time as discovering it, pushing himself upright with bare hands where the sleeves of a black leather coat did not cover.

“I…” He began, rubbing vision back into his eyes, blinking away the blur before meeting the woman’s gaze. Who...where...the hell…

“Need a ride home? I can call a cab for you. Wouldn’t be the first fare tonight!” Her lips spread, parting to laugh then sip from a glass, but it was all he could do to stare and blink.

“What’s the name of this place?” What the hell is this place?

“Huh?” It was her turn to blink. “Jondo’s Cantina. Not the best in Uscru but good enough. You really did drank a number, huh? Name's Salrin. What’s yours?”

“My...name?” He frowned. What kind of a fool forgets his own name? “It’s…” A hand slipped beneath the coat, instinct overtaking it while he framed the question in his mind of how he knew where to reach. Then the questions stacked atop one another like a drunkard’s empty glasses.

“Zad…” He was looking down now, away from her face and upon his own, one that smiled back at him from the ID card with the words “Sector Ranger” at the top and one name beneath. “...Zad Ruzed…”

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Red.

It burned through his nostrils, and the body lit up in flame. Fingers twitched, and the man gasped for air. Eyes that were usually a bright aquamarine in an ocean of milky white turned a shade of pink, with blood red veins tearing across that previously undisturbed field. His temples throbbed, and the veins along his arms, neck, all the while his skin continued to burn. He was consumed in flame, barely able to see or feel anything else.

And he was loving it.

--------

The zeltron's back arched as she took a hit. Evidently, she had a weaker tolerance than her human partner. The two moved together, almost in sync. Passionate flare ups baited to sudden and abrupt lack of movement from sensory overload. Gyrating hips were accompanied by genuine shaking. They were on the verge of overdose, but thankfully, there was no spice left. The two could enjoy each other.

Laeonas had been watching from the other side of the ringed sofa around their table. Beside him was a twi'lek boy, probably only a few years younger than he was. For awhile that blue skin was all the man had been able to pay attention to, especially in the places most weren't supposed to look. But the two of them had had their fun, and were content, happy to witness the spice addled strangers got at it with an unnatural drive. Laeonas was still coming off his own high, not ready to start moving around. But he would.

Eventually.

--------

Eyes stared back at him from the mirror. His eyebrows were arched in their normal, near 180 degree angle. His bags were drowned out by blush, and his lashes were strung along with mascara. He'd done a simple, violet shade along the flesh from his bottom eyelid, to just beneath his brows. People found it appealing without being under the influence, but one of the people he'd been dancing with started screeching when they hit a death stick and saw him. It was a jarring experience, and he'd turned down hits like that through the whole of the night.

The time was... very late. So late that Coruscan't sun would be up in a matter of hours. Stepping out of the refresher, he was surprised to see that the cantina was still so packed. The front bar was almost entirely occupied, save for one seat next to another human. The burning sensation was still crawling along his skin, causing the man to shudder a bit. He needed to flush this out of his system.

He sat beside the other human, glancing over at him once. He seemed out of it; probably high on something as well. Laeonas didn't pay him much heed as he ordered a drink; "Somethin' that can get this swill out mae veins." He stated, before massaging his temples. Spice hangovers were much worse than the ones he got from booze.
​

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music IC [Recurring]

The photo. The name. The man. The man… What man? Who was the stranger staring back at him? What did he want? What did he do? What had he seen? That man on the ID. What does it mean?

Contemplate as he attempted, the man might only crumble. Like cookie crumbs in the dust...and how do I know thus?

Blinking it all away was a futile endeavor. Can a hyperdrive blink without a brow? That was ‘cockpit confab’, he knew, but he did not know who Zad Ruzed was.

There was another voice just then and it was not the Anzat’s. As sure as Dixie could sing with whiskey, a hand went on the man’s hip and it was not the woman’s. There’s no...blaster here…

Blink his way out of that one, try as he may, Zad, the man, swiveled to see the patron upon the stool beside his own. He looked like Zad felt; it seemed that feelings were on the counter as the Anzat’s voice called across it.

“Sorry." Her apology flew like a dagger. Zad glanced just quickly enough to catch her glimpsing his ID card. “It’s late. I have to go.”

Before he had a chance to blink, the Anzat woman had taken her leave. And like that...gone…

“Barkeep.” I know what that is but not what I am? “I’ll have…” Hesitating, giving his ears to the piano, Zad gave his gaze to the groaning man beside him. “...Somethin’ that can get this swill out mah veins…”

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

The drink came, and Laeonas took a quick swig. The whiskey burned his throat, but not like how the spice had. With the spice, his skin felt as if he was made of wood. Cracking from heat and flame, it had felt as if he was slowly being turned to a pile of charcoal. This burning was more traditional; a pained burning that ripped through him. His body couldn’t confuse the negative side effects of a poison with pleasure when he drank this. It was straightforward, honest. This was killing him, and it didn’t hide it.

It took a bit of time for him to start noticing that the person sitting next to him was... completely out of it. He'd picked up on the man's confused expression, the uncertainty he'd had while saying his own name. The aura he exuded in the force was a mixture of confusion, unease, and curiosity. Laeonas usually felt that when he dove into the mind of a child, or when he attempted to process information he had no prior knowledge of. All of this came through his normal processes of digesting every bit of information in the room, and nothing really set off any alarm bells...

...except for the woman.

Laeonas had no notions of discrimination in his heart. On Brentaal, all were equally suppressed, regardless of what they looked like. The unease that crept into his heart at the sight of the near humanoid wasn't routed in prejudice. There was just... something that was fundamentally different that separated her from the two men. He demeanor wasn't one of a helpful friend, or someone looking to get lucky. It was the demeanor of someone putting on an act.

He didn't know what her intentions were, but they probably weren't good. In most situations he could care less about what would happen to others, but this girl spooked him. She was probably looking to mug the guy... or ship him off planet to slavers. Or maybe her motivations were simple, and she was trying to take the guy home... to see if she could spot a place to burglarize. Laeonas had seen it all, and in near every one of those cases he'd do nothing to stop it. His line was drawn at slavers, and the less enjoyable kinds of carnal activities.

Fortunately, the man didn't need to act. The humanoid would find her way away from the two men. Internally, Laeonas breathed a sigh of relief, while externally, he glanced at the man beside him once more. The neon contrasted against the man's dark skin well enough, reflecting off surprisingly well. By contrast, the black coated, raven haired, and uncharacteristically pale human's skin looked like a mixture of randomly selected shades on a color wheel.

From the glance he got, it became quite obvious as to why the humanoid had changed their mind so suddenly. The card in the man's hand was distinct, emblazoned with colors and galactic symbols. Laeonas had seen these on ships, on the buildings of governments, and on uniforms. The criminal was sitting next to a space cop.

A very, very out of it space cop.
​

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music IC

Whiskey. That’s what the man beside him ordered. So that’s what this ‘Zad Ruzed’ ordered in turn. The whiskey burned his throat, but not like the slice had. Wh-What..? ‘Slice’? He knew that word. Slice...slicer… Maybe it meant nothing. Maybe my mind is just so sliced that I can’t even comprehend the taste of whiskey...anymore…

Drink he did, however, touching that glass to his lips, spotting the smudges of his own fingerprints; and he might never know who they truly belonged to. What’s it like...to forget..? That was a stupid question. Yeah, what’s it like, ‘Zad Ruzed’?

“Thanks,” he blurted aloud, not so much in tone of voice as misplaced dialogue. “Uh…” He blinked, looking between the man beside him and the bartender. What kind of an idiot forgets who he’s thanking?

“For the drink,” gave to bartender. “And for the drink.” Raised glass to the man beside him. “Or the suggestion if nothing else.” He downed what was left, licked the burn from his lips, tapped the counter for another one. “Another two. Put 'em on my tab.”

Zad, the man, whoever that man was, looked at that other man and somehow knew that he himself would just not take ‘no’ for an answer. I’ll have it no other way. “Name’s…”

How could something so simple, so commonplace, be so hard to simply convey? “...Zad…”

He looked at the coat as black as his own, the face as pale as his own thoughts, and listened to the bar’s music that had changed however many moments ago that Zad had forgotten.

“What’s yours?”

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Laeonas took the thanks without much thought, giving the man a nod and emptying his glass down his throat again. It was obvious that the man beside him was having a problem. It was probably just a very high dose of spice, all things considered. In the red haze he'd been in hours before, everything about himself had fallen away for a few minutes. With the ranger however, the man didn't seem to be dealing with a temporary side effect. His condition seemed to be sustained... which was odd. Laeonas couldn't think of any drugs that caused long term amnesia...

The amnesiac officer asked for his name, and Laeonas sighed. He didn't give his real name to any cop, amnesiac or otherwise. "...Haeo." He replied, using one of the few aliases he actually used more than once. "Haeo Narsos. You shouldn't be in a place laike this, right?" He asked, glancing at the man's ID. "Yer a ranger; rangers only arrive ta places laike this when they're makin' arrests."

Laeonas' eyes narrowed as he looked at the man, glancing down. It could all be an act; a very elaborate one, to be sure. He knew that plenty of rangers embedded themselves into local gangs. They'd gather information, and bring down the entire command structure in a series of massive arrests. Playing the role of an amnesiac could allow the ranger to lure unsuspecting criminals in, like the woman from before.

Ofcourse, he could be lying about the ranger part as well. Still, when Laeonas dipped his proverbial toe into the man's surface thoughts, he found no thoughts of deception. In fact, he didn't find many thoughts at all. There was general confusion, uncertainty, but not a lot of stress. He couldn't definitively say that the man was lying, but based on what he could discern, he seriously doubted it.

"...thanks fer payin' fer mae drink, bye tha way."
​

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music IC [Recurring]

Haeo… Zad recited in his head, one time then a second, again and again in the span of seconds, as though the name ought to sound familiar when it meant nothing at all. He realized, he understood, that it was because he remembered no name at all. Not even my own…

Place...like this..? Haeo had mentioned it, Zad had not understood it. He glanced about, cocking a brow like a pistol, breaking a gaze when the other guy dared to stare back, scoping out the sullen faces in the corners and the skimpily clad figures and the spilled liquor and the server-droid just spat upon.

Place like this… This place was quite a place, with strange music to boot. But...soothing… Had Zad come to places like this before? Had he been to this one before? Had the Anzat known him? Who the kark am I!?

Zad downed his drink, thudded the glass on the counter. “More to come, partner.”

He waved over another round. It didn’t matter if they were shot glasses, if the liquid content was the right size for a shot. All that mattered was that they shot Zad’s gut like a punch to make him forget all over again. Absolutely nothing.

“Sorry,” came a voice across the counter. “About to be closing time, buddy. Music’s the signal. Welcome to sit a while longer but no more booze for you two.”

“Kriff it then.” Zad dismissed. Flipping his ID in frustration, a light flickered behind his eyes. He slid the badge over to Haeo, recalled his words. “You seem to know about rangers… What…” Hesitation, the bane of progress.

“...What do you know about this one..?”

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

The choice to keep buying Laeonas drinks was one the younger man couldn't complain about. Whoever the amnesiac was, the ranger was starting to grow on him. Laeonas didn't receive the next drink, however, when the cantina owner refused them; closing time. "Kark, we really are out late..." The man muttered, glancing back at the ranger. What came next was a rather simple request... if a silly one.

The man seemed to be on to something... and Laeonas thought he could see the thought process. Still, he let his reservations be known. "Ayy, Ai've never met ya before. Ai... feel when Ai've known a person or not, and yer someone new." He explained, not exactly giving the game away about his abilities. "...but if ya think it'll 'elp, I'll do it."

He didn't know the first thing about amnesia, but he knew some very basic things about people. Whenever he'd skim through reading something, it often took another person rereading it to catch smaller details. If this man had completely lost any idea of his identity, perhaps someone else reading off info could help him remember. It was a sound plan, especially coming from someone who'd forgotten the very basics about themselves. Taking the card in hand, Laeonas squinted in the dim light, reading off.

"Yer name... is Zah'd." He began, eyes momentarily flashing as he heard his own words. He usually didn't pay any mind to how he sounded, but this guy couldn't even remember his own name. If the first person he could remember saying his name misspoke it, that would be how he spoke it for quite awhile... at least, until his memories returned. Taking a deep breathe, Laeonas bit his lower lip, and began again.

"Yer name... is.... ZaaaAaaa.... Zaaa.... Zad. Zad... Rauu... Ru... Ruzed. Zad Ruzed." He sounded, finishing after he'd properly enunciated his name. "Fuckin'ell, why does everyone else in tha galaxy talk so odd..." He muttered, before moving on.

"Ya were born in 98 ABY... th'at's after when tha Death star got blown up... yer forty-faive." Laeonas went over, as quick about it as he could be.

"Yer a human... so am I. Most people who look laike us are... human. Others don't, but they're just laike us... in 'ere, not out 'ere." He explained, tapping his head and chest a few times. Laeonas wasn't sure if the man forgot what he was as well as who he was, or if he grasped basic concepts such as special equality. Leaving the man ignorant of what he was, or telling him and leaving him ignorant of basic truths about the universe would be a bad mistake to make.

"Yer... six foot two-point seven-faive inches tall... huh, taller than me." He said, muttering the last part. "Yer eye color's... black." The man went on, "So's yer 'air. Ai mean, ya could learn that by lookin' in a mirror, but Ai'm sayin' it anyway." Laeonas said, trying to make a joke out of how unnecessary what he'd just said was.

"Yer... ah, this is a big one. Yer from Arvala-7. Know where th'at is?" He asked, but he didn't bother waiting for an answer. "Yer a man... Ai mean, I assumed. Wasn't sure." Laeonas went on, finishing, "Yer a ranger of the free world's alliance... yeah."

The man paused for a bit, before letting out a long, drawn out sigh. "'Onestly... Ai don't know what t'tell ya. Yer a pretty run of tha mill guy; humans live all over tha karkin' place. If ya were a wookie, or a Chiss, or Zeltron, Ai could point ya somewhere and say, 'Ayy, ya might find answers there.'" Laeonas sighed again, clutching his temple. "But... Azalah-7? Ai don't even know where that is... and it doesn't matter either. Best bet is gettin' ya t'tha nearest ranger office. Get ya treated, find out what 'appened..."

Laeonas stopped, pausing for a few seconds. The rangers would probably be concerned if they found out one of theirs had lost their memory. It could mean a huge intel breach... and Laeonas had his hands on one. What would they do if he brought him back, alive? He imagined the reward wouldn't be big... but it wouldn't be nothing either.

"Th'at... th'at actually makes sense. They'll know who ya'r." He said, smirk fluttering across his lips. "Ai'll get us a cab. C'mon."
​

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music IC [Recurring]

Haeo read the name from the card. No shit, Sir Gawk. But what does the name mean? His helper proceeded to repeat the name, but not just. He repeatedly repeated it; elongated it; stretched it out like an elastic band wrapped around the skull so tight it might cause the eyeballs to pop out.

In that moment, Zad became aware of two things: the liquor had hit him, hard enough to where the space between his eyes was expanding and constricting all at once; and Haeo was as drunk or drugged as he himself must have been prior to losing his own memory. Or mind.

“Death Star…” Zad stroked his chin, knowing those dreaded words but not pinpointing them. They definitely had not been on the ID. That much Haeo was credited for. The rest was...spiel? Of course I’m Human…

Zad shook his head, though his counterpart would have little idea as to what to. I’m...Human...a Ranger… Drugs… Death… Star… I know these things… So why not other things?

Sighing, he shut up and listened on. In hindsight, everything Haeo was saying, though Zad had already read it from the badge, was special and serviceable, almost surreal in how just hearing someone else confirm what his eyes saw reinforced the truth of it.

If any of that made sense, Zad could not know. But this guy...he’s not making it up...he’s reading it letter for letter, digit for digit...reading...who I am…

Arvala-7… Zad reached for his drink, frowned at not finding one, neither a location in his head. Where the hell is it?

Amid it all, as Haeo spoke on and on, Zad clutching at every drip like each drop meant life or death from thirst, there was something in the man’s strange voice that was...honest? What is honest? The kriff is honest!? The kriff am I!?

Then, out of nowhere, Haeo was offering to call a cab for the nearest Sector Ranger office. That...sounded like a great idea… And a very bad one.

“W-Wait…” Zad fumbled, aware of the bead of sweat on his cheek before he ever felt it on his forehead. “I...I…” He looked at the empty glasses on the bar, the empty faces in the bar, the tired if gentle face of the man beside him whose expression must have been as warped as his own.

Yet the face on the badge is smiling...so perhaps I owe Haeo that much.

So Zad smiled. “Okay.” He nodded, affirmatively, like a man who could never turn back from a definitive ‘Yes’. It was absolute. “All right… You’re going out of your way for this, partner. I won’t forget it. Call the cab and I’ll pay—”

“That you will,” came the bartender’s voice. “Both your tabs, please.”

Zad reached into his coat and...looked toward Haeo. “I...I...uh...must have forgotten my wallet as well…”

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

There was a pause from the ranger as he tried to make a choice. He seemed to fumble, that lack of certainty rearing it's ugly head to a great extent. Part of Laeonas just wanted to help the man because he needed it. An amnesiac ranger this far deep into Coruscant would last a few hours, at best. It wasn't something the man wanted on his conscience... mostly for his own sake. He didn't need another body to be guilty over.

Laeonas waited for what came next, and to his relief, the ranger accepted his offer. Even offered to pay the fair, which was exceedingly generous. When the cantina owner chimed in, Laeonas smirked a bit, relaxing in his seat. He still had some credits on him, ofcourse. How else could he wind up in this cantina for so long? Hell, he had to have pulled an ID out of a wallet. It only made sense.

Yet when the ranger looked back at Laeonas, it wasn't to tell him to leave. It wasn't after he'd handed the bartender payment. Laeonas gave him a look, and mouthed the word "Really?" once. He looked at the bartender, than he looked at the man again, and hissed, "REALLY?!" Cursing a few more times under his breathe, Laeonas fished inot his jacket, pulling out a handful of credit chips. "'Ow much?" He asked, exasperation obvious in his voice. "Sixty." The tender answered. Laeonas' jaw gaped as he looked at the man. Slowly, he turned his head back to the ranger, in a look that represented almost purely distilled hate.

It lasted only for a few seconds, as Laeonas shoved two twenty-five credit chips and one ten to the man. "Goodni-" The bartender began, but Laeonas wouldn't bother waiting for him to finish. He'd grab the ranger by his arm, dragging him off the seat, and out the door.

They stood out on the sidewalk for a bit, but than Laeonas slammed him against the nearest wall. "Listen 'ere, ya bloody lyin', cheapskate son of a-" He began, venom dripping in his voice. for a few seconds, the man looked ready to start beating the ranger, but he held off. He released his grip, gritting his teeth. "Y'know, ya really did 'ave me fooled! Tha fake ID, tha look of confusion, everythin'. Ai 'onestly can't believe Ai fell fer it; Ai eve nreached in yer 'ead and checked, and it all looked real!"

The man threw his arms up in frustration, before sitting back. "It's a nice act ya'v got, but Ai'm not lettin' yer sorry arse get away with it! Ai bet tha office would love ta see this shite; counterfeit cards, used ta get a couple free drinks." He hissed, before grabbing the man again, this time closer to the edge. "Just try anythin' and yer gonna be fallin' fer miles." He snarled, hailing the nearest cab.
​

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music OOC

It was probably a predicament for the man named Zad to have ordered however many drinks only to be unable to pay for them, not least of all a cab’s fare. All in all, this Haeo guy had the right of it to be a bit pissed off.

To both their fortunes (more or less), he moved to pay the tabs anyway; a gesture of good will that would not go overlooked. When the bartender announced the sum of the totals, well, that had taken Zad aback, not just Haeo.

Sixty..? That sounded high. Was it high? That was one more memory of mathematics lost on the ‘Ranger’. How...how much did I drink..? Wait, was that all it was? Was his memory loss merely the result of overindulgence in intoxication? No… Nah… Not likely...right?

Before he had a chance to blink, Zad was off his stool. His first instinct was to wonder what Zad Ruzed would have done, how he would have reacted, like maybe whether he would have right-hooked the first person to yank him off a stool.

Maybe, then, it was that gap in understanding that simply made him comply. Up he got, out he went, Zad and Haeo, and what an uncanny duo they were…

The outside air was cool and crisp, and maybe it would have been cold if not for the coat. Before his heart had a chance to blink, Zad was against the wall.

His first instinct was to wonder what Zad Ruzed would have done, how he would have reacted, like maybe whether he would have headbutted the first person to slam him against a wall.

Bloody...lyin’...cheapskate...son of a… Fragmented speech in his head; words that did little to answer so many questions. Is that what I am? Is that all I am?

There might have been venom in Haeo’s external voice but there was already poison in Zad’s internal voice. Dripping with...absolutely nothing.

“I’m…” Zad began, feebly, barely able to get a word out before Haeo’s many words went on and on like the traffic before them.

Vehicles whizzed by, above and below and beyond, and each one bore a driver or a passenger who knew exactly who they were. Does Haeo?

He thought Zad to be a fraud, accused him as much, and who knew? Is that what I am? Is that all I am? Against his better judgment, he allowed himself to be grabbed and dragged yet again.

As questions formed on his lips in the hopes that Haeo might soothe them, the ceiling of Zad’s mind closed over, his world darkened, and he looked up to find that it was the clouds above Coruscant crawling over the world before opening up to unleash a sudden downpour of rain.

“Get in,” Zad urged; his turn to shove Haeo forward. He didn’t know why but he felt compelled to keep the guy out of the rain. Maybe it was the least he could do.

The driver was content to wait, having pulled up right as the skies pushed down, and Zad would climb in next...though only Haeo knew where to go.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

The change in weather was sudden, as artificial as the durasteel environment around them. It traveled down the dozens of levels they were buried under, into the chasm they were standing next to. The sudden shove from the ranger almost caused Laeo to snap, but the rain helped him remain calm, reminded him that they needed to go. Reminded him that the best revenge against this guy would be what the rangers would do to a fraud.

What was more surprising was that "Zad," which definitely wasn't his real name, got in the cab with him. Surely it would've been a great opportunity to run. It'd give him a few seconds necessary, and the distance required to simply be chased. Why was he wasting such an opportunity? Laeonas' mind, that machine that compulsively analyzed everything, couldn't find an answer.

When the "ranger" had climbed in, Laeonas didn't waste any more time speculating. "Nearest ranger office." He snapped, turning to glare at Zad once more. The cab pilot glanced at them in the mirror, but said nothing. As quickly as he had arrived, he took off. As their ride went on, Laeonas' eyes continued to try and bore holes into the man's soul. He hadn't even slightly mellowed out, even after twenty straight minutes.

"Ai mean, 'ow stupid are ya?" He finally whispered, shaking his head in disgust. "Of all tha things a fake card could 'elp ya get away with... this is it? Swindlin' drinks out'f people?" He asked, shaking his head back and forth. "And... and ta do th'at to a guy... it ain't right, y'know? When ya say you'll pay a man, ya karkin' pay a man. When ya say you'll buy 'im a drink, ya buy 'im a drink. When ya say you'll pay fer a drink, ya pay fer tha bloody drink!" He exclaimed, revealing just how much of a slight he viewed the man's actions as.

"Ai mean, what was yer plan? Did ya think Ai'd just go, 'aww shucks, th'at's fine officer! Let's get ya back t'yer precinct now!" He went on, using the deeper tone of voice that the "ranger" had. "What was even tha point of yer amnesiac act?! 'Ow far did ya think that'd get ya? And who was th'at chick, just some..." He questioned. The cab pilot said nothing during this rant. He had a home to get back to when his shift was over, and sticking his nose into this would only bloody it.

Laeonas continued to question the ranger a little while longer. Most were pointless digs, veiled threats, or just blatant insults. After awhile, he eventually wore himself down, simply mouthing obscenities at the guy. He was as relieved as the pilot when they arrived at the office. Compared to the rest of the buildings on the level, it looked quite polished, and only one of the neon lights denoting it's purpose was out. He paid the man his fair, and than dragged the "Ranger" out.

"Ai'm gonna enjoy whatchin'em book yer arse..."
​

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Nearest Ranger office. Zad let those three words settle on his tongue, tickled them toward the tip, pondered over the bitter taste and the sour tingle on his lips.

The window was awash with rain, twisting rivulets of moisture running down the glass, and as Zad wondered where words like “awash” and “rivulets” came from to creep into his mind a black sea began to swallow him whole.

If I’m a Ranger...if I really am...they’ll prove it...and if I’m not…

The thought was broken by the very vocal words of the passenger beside him. Zad didn't look at him, looked at the lies in the rain, the stories, the uncertainties, and as the raindrops tilted and twisted so did the man’s own thoughts. Bloody...bloody...drink…

On and on, Haeo spoke, or was raved and ranted more applicable? Zad just kept his gaze out the window, digesting each and every morsel that Haeo dissected out of his soulless body. Amnesia… Fake card… Fraud…

It didn’t end there. Haeo had it out for the guy beside him. Zad did not really know why...but he knew why. Idiot… Stupid… Fish-brained bastard… Maybe he was those things and more.

If he was a Ranger he would find out soon enough.

The cab crawled up, the station blinking a bulb like a bastard star, and Haeo climbed out with his partner in tow.

They would make quite a team, this odd pair, and as much as he should be concerned with who the hell he was it was all Zad could do to look up at the Sector Rangers’ station, look at the man beside him, and laugh.

He laughed again.

Laughed some more.

Kept laughing.

Laugh! Laugh! Laugh!

Before he could laugh any more, as his lungs grew wings that threatened to tear his ribs apart, Zad Ruzed fell to his knees...and wept.

@Tom