The Foxhole Pub

[Tecov Skirata]

Location: The Foxhole Pub, Keldabe, Mandalore
Time: Sunset
Participants: @GABA as @Marcella Wren , @Darasuum as @Tecov Skirata
Theme: No Grey <> The Neighbourhood

It was a clamoring and well worn establishment. The floor was dug into the ground a full half meter into the ground like that of a bunker. There was very little in the way of possible natural light. It was already in the golden hour of the planet and lamps and primitive lights were lit here and there. The bar was well occupied with various rough individuals, most of them mandalorian. The chairs, tables, counters and every other furnishing seemed to be recycled battlefield equipment. It was not trying to look like any sort of aesthetic, it was just originally established as a place of rest and relaxation when tools of war were the most prevalent refuse building material. It was dark, warm, full of people that did not want to be bothered and wouldn't bother him. Tecov liked it like that.

He sat in a corner alone, a single candle on the crate in front of him along with a cup with the majority of his tihaar double still sitting before him. In his other hand he had a cigarette, the ashy tip growing as he had not moved it in a few minutes now. Smoke lazily drifted up, lost in the dark ceiling among the rest of the fumes.

Everyone here was armed and the Regithian-Sephi hybrid was no different. Taking a deep breath he grabbed the glass and took a long sip. He let the liquor burn the insides of his mouth for awhile before swallowing. A moment later his chest felt warmed and he took a drag from his cigarette then proceeded to stab it out in the ash tray made out of smoothed out piece that had probably been some shredded or plasma scored body armor. His eyes drifted to the grav ball screen at one end of the bar. It was perhaps the only non-battle recycled item in the bar.

 

[Marcella Wren]

With her helmet clipped to her belt, Marcella decided she had worked a little too hard this evening and should reward herself with a night of alcohol, her best friend. Unlike people, alcohol was predictable and it never let her down; the establishment she picked was a popular one and she knew they had the drinks she liked so it was hard not to pass it up. The Wren woman walked inside, easily blending with several other Mandalorians, their armor all familiar, except minor detail that distinguished them from each other's clans. Though not many Wrens took to Mandalore, their home was on Krownest, the icy world that no one cared to inhabit except for the first of her clan.

Her dark eyes scanned the room, she didn't expect any threats, but it was always a good idea, Mandalorian men were just as bad as other men in the galaxy with their wooing and insistence that you give them every moment of your day. They were probably more insufferable than the rest. Marci walked up to the bar and rasied her finger, getting the bar tender's attention, who promptly gave her the bottle and the glass as she requested, and dropped some credits down as she now had the task of finding somewhere to sit in peace in order to drink.

The back seemed to be empty, the ones who didn't want to be noticed found the dark corners, they were the best spots to find information brokers or just loners who just wanted to enjoy their drinks in peace also. At a crate turned table, sat a dark haired man of fair skinned who seemed to be doing what she wanted to do. Making her way, she sat in the empty chair across from him and set down the bottle and glass, glancing at him, "Don't worry, I just want to enjoy my drink, not too interested in chit-chat." she spoke before he could say something.

Popping the cork from the bottle she poured some of the potent liquid into her glass and took a drink straight from the bottle before lodging the cork back into the mouth of the bottle. Her eyes found the holo and she then closed them as she enjoyed the burn of the alcohol that met her lips and throat. Her glass was empty within seconds and the Wren woman refilled her glass.

@Darasuum

 

[Tecov Skirata]

__________

His eyes drifted over towards the woman as she approached, settling on her as she found the seat at his table. Tecov's blank expression turned to one with a cocked eyebrow and continued even after the woman assured him she was just there to sit. He was not worried about personal space but instead just suspicious of others. A life spent dealing with the underworld of the galaxy, corrupt governments and dark sides of society made one knowledgeable about how little they actually knew. But he was not a conspiracy theorist or a paranoid shut in, just cautious when it came to strangers and unknown factors even in a setting like a familiar bar.

One thing was for sure, she was pretty. Not the type of pretty that one found with a gal wearing a cocktail dress in some cloud skimming club. The female was a more natural and strong sort of beauty, the type that was admired in mandalorian society. By the way she held herself she had as much confidence in her appearance and overall presence as he ability to act. When it came down to it mandalorian men were only marginally different from other warriors in the galaxy. But mandalorian women, there were no others quite like them. Perhaps that had been one of things that had originally attracted him towards assimilating to the Skirata clan on Vatol.

Tecov would not object to her presence. Part of him did not even care if she was a threat. Every day was a dice roll. If he died or was injured, so be it. All of his friends and family were dead and gone as far as he knew. Such was the price for being in a coma for nearly a century.

The hybrid looked at the bottle the woman had, judging her slightly on the quality of drink she had purchased. He took another sip from his glass, nearly empty now. Looking back over to the bar he thought about going back to the bar to get another drink. He did not need to drive anywhere. Once again his eyes moved over to the grav ball game on the screen as he debated to get one of the same drink or something else.

@GABA ​

 

[Marcella Wren]

She was probably on her third or fourth glass by the time she felt self-conscious about sitting at the table an not making polite conversation. His eyes seemed stuck on the holo screen, skimming the latest grav-ball scores from the inner-rim leagues. She hadn't paid much attention to the sport growing up; her brothers spoke of it often once they were old enough to leave Krownest, but the idea seemed repetitive and pointless to even pay the ridiculous amount of money to see others compete in the sport. Not to mention as she branched off into the galaxy, did she find it was a much popular sport for schools students. She swore she sounded old and stubborn like her father when she gathered this information.

Marci shifted in her seat, rolling the edge of her glass along her lip as she lost herself in thought, focusing not just on the small checklists on her to-do agenda, but more ideas floated through her mind on the grander picture. It wasn't great, look for credits, earn the credits, fix parts of ship and move on. The Mandalorian woman glanced at her table host and decided to pick up conversation.

"So, ever gone to one of those sports competitions before?" she asked nodding to the grav-ball game being aired; he had taken interest either out of being genuine or boredom, but it was a start. She poured herself another glass before topping off his own glass, "I personally feel there isn't enough blood being spilt." she gave a coy grin.

@Darasuum

 

[Tecov Skirata]

__________

There was little to do on a backwater planet like Mandalore. While it was the home world of the famed Mandalorian warrior culture it was still in the outer rim technically and the rest of the planet was not much different than the current locale. The game cut to comercial. It was barely anything worth watching to begin with. Just another reason to sit silently and not go looking for something dumb to do he supposed. If a conversation was boring, patrons would have something to watch. However he was not talking, or even listening for the time being. But that changed.

As he was about to get up he heard the woman near him speak. Following her words the neck of her bottle move over to his empty glass and gave a generous serving of alcohol. He looked over at the female as she spoke, raising the glass to his face and taking a wiff to judge it for himself. It was actually decent though he would not inquire to the cost of the libation. It was not everyday he got a free drink. Taking a sip he appreciated the flavor and nodded in thanks.

"Sports, meant to either build camaraderie as a recreational activity and exercise or it's meant to entertain the masses in times of peace or distract in times of conflict. If it bloodier than it would just be a gladiator match." Which he did not necessarily have a problem with if it were a voluntary affair. There were plenty in the Hutt Cartel that loved that sort of thing. Perhaps the woman was the type of person that enjoyed such displays of violence. To be fair once someone experienced the stimulation of combat and open warefare, like many mandalorians did, there were few things that could make one rise to the same heights of excitement. Everyday entertainment was bland, social meet ups were pedestrian and lackluster, the desire for more was there but it just took more to scratch that itch. For that reason Tecov from time to time took drugs, drank like a quarren on Tatooine, and continued to get into fights whether he wanted to or not. Plus it helped that he could handle himself with all of those things.

@GABA​

 

[Marcella Wren]

Marcella just starred at him as he responded, his indepth analysis of the purpose of sports was not something she was expecting or wanted to really debate. She wondered if he is like this with everyone or just trying to impress her with some brains; regardless of the reason, Marcella was kicking herself for bringing up conversation. She took a long drink from her glass and was silent for a moment, making sure she didn't carry any cheek comment about the man's response. Though she knew she could handle herself in a fight for insulting someone, she really didn't have much energy this evening.

"Are you like that with everyone?" she asked following her draining of her glass. She refilled it and Tecov could tell there was a subtle smirk hooking at the edge of her lip. "I do prefer professional fights...unprofessional fights, those Hutt tourneys that get broadcasted every so often." Marci quirked an eyebrow and leaned back comfortably in her seat with her glass at hand.

"I'm Marcella Wren by the way." she introduced herself finally, figuring she could at least be polite in company; her dark eyes left her acquaintance and caught a holoscreen with a fight happening, "Ah, like that." she pointed out, directing his attention to the screen, "Always makes me wonder if I could take on them in a fight." Marcella grinned, albeit stupidly knowing she could probably get her butt mopped up in an instant with some of the fighters she had seen.

@Darasuum

 

[Tecov Skirata]

__________

Don't be a stick in the mud Tecov. The lady bought you a drink. He took a generous sip of the drink that Marcella had poured for him letting it sit on his tongue for a moment before letting it pass down his throat and warm his chest from the inside out. The hybrid nodded and looked over at the woman after her query. "Would it make you feel better or worse if I said yes?"

After the woman introduced herself the man raised his glass in some appreciation. "Tecov...Skirata." The man turned hiss gaze back to the screen as she pointed out the spectacle that was unfolding. He was a warrior himself, trained and learned to neutralize targets and kill people without a notion of regret. He was, or at least used to be one of the best killers in the galaxy. Still, all that being said he never once went looking for a fight and never really wanted to test his mettle against anyone just to see who would come out on top. "I think I probably get knocked in the head enough as it is." The man followed the statement with another, more reserved sip of the spirit.

"Does this make us designated drinking buddies now?" Asking with a cocked eyebrow. That was actually about as friendly as he got. Tecov thought back wondering if he had ever been the cuddly type. Probably not though he supposed there were times when he was not so grim or gruff with people.

@GABA​

 

[Marcella Wren]

Did it make her feel better if he agreed with her? Marci bobbed her head from side to side and gave her fellow Mandalorian a grin. He then introduced himself and Marcella had to think of the last time she had heard of the Skirata's running around. Not a name she commonly heard, many took on house names instead of their family or clan names. Now more so because of the Empire's occupation of the system. He inquired about them being drinking buddies and the woman grinned, "I think that might be legit." she held up her glass waiting for him to do so also, when he did she gave a clink of the glasses toasting to the idea to never drink alone again.

She finished off her drink and just in time as she heard her comm beep, grabbing her attention quickly. She wasn't one who received direct communications, unless they were worth her time and she knew from the tone, it was something that was not going to be worth the other party's time.

"Well, I'd hate to cut our drinking time short, but it seems like I have some new business that is calling me to attend to quickly." she said reading the message quickly, her grin gone and now she was ready to give someone a piece of her mind. Marcella poured one more drink, emptying the bottle, "Want to ruin someone's day?" she asked Tecov knowing he would probably be interested. The woman finished her drink with one head tilt back and got up, not bothering to see if he would make up his mind. She would know if he followed.

 

[Tecov Skirata]

__________

The man waited a moment for her to respond and when she raised her glass he mirrored the action. He then knocked back the remnants of the glass. If he kept drinking at this rate he was going to be drunk pretty soon even considering his high tolerance and ability to carouse the alcohol. He did not pay her communique any mind. It was not his business. However he looked back over to her as she bid him good bye.

It turned out after she checked her message that she was not very pleased with whatever had been sent to her. He was curious but Tecov did not inquire about it. Then again it seemed that she had a question for him. In response he waited a moment thinking it over. Perhaps it was because of the alcohol, perhaps the woman, most likely his own current lot in life. Either way he eventually nodded. "What the hell."

Standing up from the make shift furniture he put some credits down on the table as a tip. As usual he was ready for almost anything. It was not like he had anything better going on at the moment. The hybrid followed after the warrior woman. He was curious what kind of situation he was about to be led into.

@GABA​

 

[Marcella Wren]

Though there was haste in her step, the woman's overall demeanor was collected and calm. It wasn't unheard of for vandals to mess with ships in certain docks located around the the city and it wasn't unheard of that vandals didn't discriminate, but certain tucked tail when they find out who arrives to stop them. Marci unclipped her helmet from her belt and slid it over her head, preparing herself at most for a fight, but hopefully it would be enough to intimidate. She wasn't surprised that Tecov joined her, the Skiratan seemed like he enjoyed a bit of a good scuffle and hopefully that's what they would get once they reached her ship.

It wouldn't take long to reach the port and as they neared where her ship was docked, they could hear muffled shouts and the clanking of metal against metal. Marci sighed in annoyance as she drew her blaster. Glancing to Tecov, she gave him a nod before entering the dock; it was a small group of vandals, the armor mismatched, unable to determine their clan or house of origin as tried to pry a piece of durasteel off the one of the engines. Marci growled in annoyance that some punks would pick her ship over anyone else. Her ship was her pride and they were literally tearing it, or attempting to, tear it apart.

"Gar jate'shya gotal'ur gar projor nari ti baatir..." hissed the woman from beneath her helmet. Her blaster raised as she walked straight towards her ship. The vandals seemed startled at first but realizing it was possibly just here and depending if Tecov showed face right away or not, they felt fairly confident to overpower this Mandalorian.

"Senar be'chaaj Wren." spoke one of the vandals, with emphasis of disgust on her clan origins. Marcella responded by firing at their feet as a warning shot. However, they didn't take her threat seriously, pulling their own blasters and opened fire on the woman.

Marcella felt the warmth on the plate of her pauldron as she jumped behind a crate for coverage.

@Darasuum

 

[Tecov Skirata]

__________

THEME​

Tecov followed after the woman. She took her helmet and placed it on her head, sealing her armor up. The hybrid only had his hippeus protective kit. Tapping the large collar around his neck it unfolded and extended around his head in an elaborate display more advanced technology though it lacked the full coverage Marcella's armor provided. He spit just before it closed. The helm was of a personal skull design that was intended to look menacing, he had paid a little extra to be tailor made. Then again, doing dirty work for people with deep pockets coupled with few hobbies aside from smoking and drinking meant he had plenty of money to spend on such things.

He walked only a single step behind Marcella and to the side. When they arrived Tecov immediately knew who's ship was who's if not based purely off of the fact that there were three hooligans messing with it. They stuck out like a sore thumb, obviously up to no good. If they had not been there then Tecov may have not expected Marcella to own the ship. But his luck never seemed to be that good either so he knew that if his new found female cohort was the same way then these were definitely going to cause some trouble.

Surprisingly the woman drew her weapon right away. Underneath his macabre helmet he raised his eyebrows a little. Straight to threats and violence then. He became conscious of the shock boxing gloves on his fists. What was more surprising that the woman fired a warning shot. That was definitely not a course of action he would have taken. If it had been him he would have not even drawn the blaster in the first place. Now the scum had reason to defend themselves and in turn he was going to have to use some excessive force to take down the punks.

It was a bad day to be a vandal. Drawing his ankh blaster pistol at the same time as the degenerates he fired four shots in rapid succession, meant more to supress and make the opposition flinch and go for cover as he was about to. Surprisingly three out of the four hit their mark indicating his years of training and no small amount of luck was helping him take down one of the vandals for the time being. As his shots impacted so did the vandals.

Tecov was moving as he shot was still hit in the chest as he made his way to cover. Marcella did not seem to be fast enough either. After he was in cover he unslung his Xiuh blaster rifle. He would not have been able to draw it in time earlier but now he had a moment and he would be putting more rounds into the opposition than with his pistol. She must be great with kids. He said ironically to himself as more rounds impacted the crates the two mandalorians had taken cover behind.

@GABA​

 

[Marcella Wren]

She glanced at Tecov, but didn't say anything beneath her helmet except for a grumble of annoyance from the company that invited themselves to her ship. The woman braced against the crate, feeling it vibrate from the amount of blaster bolts they were unloading into it. She frowned, but was patient as she waited for their weapons to overheat from the rapid firing. They didn't seem too intelligent, a broken group of lost boys trying to play tough guy, but only to fail miserably as their plan to make credits off of scrap crumbled before them. The cursing alerted the woman it would be her time to hit, the blaster fire slowed and keeping cover behind the crate, she popped up, not caring to aim to carefully before squeezing the trigger.

But luck would have it as one shot hit, knocking them down with a painful groan of a blaster wound. The rest of the shots missed as they went for cover, trying to decide to go back for their buddy or to just make a run for it. Marci took out her vibroblade also, igniting the weapon as she moved from behind the crate to the wounded thief.

"Well?" she pointed her sword at the wounded teen and looked to where the rest were hiding, blaster still raised, ready in a moments notice to torch their bodies. One looked up and Marci took a step back, offering their friend to them and one kid ran out to drag their buddy, before the other two decided to flee.

@Darasuum