The Cantina

[Moor Todan]

Somehow, Moor always found himself visiting in some backwater planet's moldy cantina. It had become a nasty habits of his, one that he would consider seeking professional help for when he got back on Coruscant. Nevertheless, the senator's most intriguing adventures at all started in a glass of alcohol in hand.

Around him, smoke twisted in its artistic way, forming curls in the gloom, illuminated only by the age-speckled bar lights. Along the wall was every hue of amber liquid in their inverted bottles; every vice that Moor had been ordered by B-5OP to avoid. He raised a shaky finger to call the server, and when they did not appear he turned his head slowly to his right to watch her scrubbing the glass of the chiller cabinet.

The tinkle of glass on glass as the bartender mixed his cocktail was lost under saxophone notes that jumped and danced in the smoky cavern. Moor allowed his mind to wander first to the patrons of this establishment, then to the cantina itself.

The clientele was very diverse, though most people appear to have low-income. Surprisingly, many of them where dancing. There was something magical about being one of a crowd, an easing to the loneliness within. They acted the same, cheered at the same moment, felt the same emotions together. What I read on one face was also written on the others: they were as close to being one as they would ever be.

The cantina curved into the room, dark in the barely lit room. Through the windows, the diamonds of lead panes, trickled the sallow light of street-lamps. Moor guessed that the smell must have changed over the years. Once it would have been of cigarette smoke only, the perfume that clung to clothing, skin and furniture alike. Now it was stale beer and body odour. There were establishments that are more like restaurants - all clean with waiting staff. Not here. It was a den of debauchery, alcoholism and the great unwashed of the town. No one came here with anything wholesome in mind.

Moor grabbed his drink and brought the alcohol to his lips. The burning sensation pouring down his throat, creating a warm feeling deep inside of his stomach. He would just have to wait for someone more entertaining to arrive.

 

[Mikko Wexler]

How interesting the kinds of meetings that could happen for the most random reasons. Usually Mikko didn't like to drink to excess, today being one of the rare exceptions. He had been sitting at the bar now drinking the night away, having had enough to have started to feel a slight buzz. Looking to his right, he was surprised to see Senator Todan sitting there drinking as well. He had first met the man on the ill-fated ship, the events that had happened there still fresh in the Shistavanen's memory. He turned, his drink still in hand, as he smiled at the other man. "Senator! It's good to see you again. Such a small galaxy, it seems. Come to enjoy a night to yourself, to relax and unwind? I can only imagine the stress you must go through in your position." He hoped to start up a conversation, though if he drank anymore he wondered what else he might do. Apparently the last time he'd gotten completely smashed he sang karaoke naked and had a threesome in the back room. He wished he'd remembered that part, at least.

@Aberforth

 

[Rav Veren]

Rav Veren didn't often find herself traveling into the Inner Rim worlds, but sometimes exceptions had to be made, and it was for precisely this reason that she had kept her bounty hunting permits in order with the legitimate governments. Yes, she was a Cartel member because they put out more business for people like her than anyone else, but there were plenty of systems that considered a bounty hunter to be a proper member of law enforcement. At least, if you kept your paperwork in order.

Still, they didn't usually appreciate illicit pulse blasters, full on vibroswords, or grenades, so she had left those things behind, only carrying a more permitted blaster hidden under the arm of her jacket and one of her vibroknives. She was here to observe and see if any sign of her quarry showed up, and it was difficult to do that in full armor without drawing attention. She'd been tracking down a man wanted throughout the Mid Rim for armed robbery and three cases of murder in the first degree, and her path to finding him had led her to this seedy place. The longer she was out here the more she wondered if the payday was going to be worth the effort.

This bar smelled of sweat and stale liquor and she would have been seriously concerned about the glass she was drinking out of if not for the fact that she was practically drinking rubbing alcohol at this point. It burned horribly on the way down as she pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. The smoke began to waft away as she looked about the bar. She simply kept waiting as others began to come in, hearing one wolf-man address someone else as "Senator."

A Senator in this place? That felt odd and out of place. She didn't know that the wolf man was a Jedi, and she didn't recognize the Senator, but her curiosity was piqued. She saw others dancing nearby and as the alcohol began to dull her senses, she wondered if it wasn't time for her to take a place among them. And bring one of these two with her, perhaps. Do you mind if I join you two? I hate drinking alone, she asked after a moment more. @Aberforth @Insalius

 

[Odin Uriksbane]

He always felt... neutered_here. Not specifically in this_place, or even on this world, but in this part of the galaxy. In the territories of the Republic. Everything was always so regulated, so sterile to him―and it worse the deeper coreward one went. The last time Odin was on Coruscant, he nearly lost his composure until he found some semblance of refuge in the Coruscanti Undercities. It wasn't the Core, but the Inner Rim was nearly as bad―or was he in the Colonies? He really hadn't paid attention to the manifest, the way_back didn't particularly interest him. Still on his way back to Hutt Space, Odin had to leave behind his personal ship in lieu of taking public transports into Republic space for one of his psychological evaulations, hopefully the last of the tedious, annoying and, frankly, invasive sessions. He knew the reasons, but it didn't exactly blunt the impact for him. It just wasn't in his nature.

All the same, if there was one thing Odin Uriksbane could do better than anyone else is the wide, wide galaxy, it was forget his troubles. Leaning back in a one of the chairs, the Republic commando periodically puffed on a cigarra with his left hand while reclining his head back, over the headrest, with a spirits glass in his right. Of course, they didn't serve Rancor's Blood―Odin was fairly certain that the Republic had illegalized_that particular drink―and he knew he wasn't going to find anyone that served Fierfek outside of Hutt Space unless he was on Corellia. But they did have Druidfire, a heavily-spiced whiskey that contained a phosphorescent agent, making it glow. It wasn't his favorite, but it buzzed him the right way.

Even so, there was a slight... twinge_of spite that came when he ordered it. Druids..., he thought to himself, scoffing slightly as his eye shut and his head laid back. Ah, kiffing druids...

Inhaling sharply, Odin brought his head level again, blinking as he finally began to feel the effects of the Druidfire kick in. At least somewhat, it wasn't having the impact on him he was hoping, but it was still better than nothing. Preparing to relax again after letting his neck pop and stretching his shoulders, such as they were, the commando's ears caught the exclaiming that came from what looked like a walking kath hound in dark fur.

A senator?, Odin thought, becoming more alert as he scanned the room. The place was dimly lit, deliberately, so it was no casual task. Besides that, Odin cared little to recognize the face of politicians on his own, but when he finally saw it, recognize him, he did. Senator Todan of Nubia, he believed. His face was easy enough to recognize, even if the particular reason why_he did escaped him. All the same, a notable senator's presence here was somewhat surprising. Given that they generally lived representing their worlds in that Senate building everyone seems to love and loathe so much, Odin has assumed that the people of his ilk spent the majority, if not entirety, of their time in the Core Worlds. That one would venture out was fairly interesting, and that alone seemed to have attracted its own brand of attention, as now too a woman approached. As of yet, Odin had no interest in approaching a man he cared little for and knew even less about, but his curiosity kept his attention focused now.

 

[Max Hithor]

Max walked into the bar. It was one of those dirty unkept bars in the rough part of the city. As Max entered, a wave of awful odor crashed over him. He chose this bar, only because he wanted to find a few contacts that could give information to the whereabouts of Davick Lorso. Also Max wanted a drink and relax. Nodding to the bartender, he chose a booth, and ordered a beer. Exchanging the pile of credits for the mug, Max took a sip, and gagged. The drink tasted terrible. Looking around, he noticed someone say something about a senator. What was a senator doing here? Max thought. Then a woman Max recognized walked into the bar, sitting next to the supposed senator, and the person who identified the senator. This woman he met on a roof top one night, and later they raided a swoop gang's warehouse.

Max finished his beer, got up, and sat next to the woman. "Well, nice day is it?" Max said, not looking at the woman.