For the past few days, the entirety of Deck 05 aboard the Voidbreaker II had been filled with the enticing and wonderful smells of wood smoke. The starboard side of the deck, just outside the pool area had been almost completely taken oven with several barbecue grills and - the masterpiece of the collection - a colossal smoker which currently contained an entire side of bantha beef being smoked alongside a countless array of sausages, briskets, puffer pig pork chops, several racks of ribs from a variety of livestock, and at least a dozen different poultry birds. On the grills themselves were more variety of sausages - sometimes you want them grilled rather than smoked - as well as burgers and some additional cuts of poultry. Two of the grills were devoted entirely to vegetables, both on skewers and, where possible with some of the large veggies, being grilled in large slices as vegetable “steaks”. The separation both allowed for better cooking - meat often requires temperatures high enough to cause scorching and blackening of veggies - and also to avoid cross-contamination of the vegetables with meat products for guests who preferred not to eat flesh.
Overseeing all this culinary spectacle was the newly-appointed captain of the ship, Alex Draconis. Dressed in a slick black-with-blue-stripe competition swimsuit worn beneath a loosely-tied pink silk beach robe decorated with a floral pattern, with the ensemble being completed with an apron which read “Don’t Kiss Me, It’s Unhygienic While I’m Cooking”, the supposedly ancient Mandalorian was carefully observing and rapidly adjusting the various items being grilled with the same kind of precision and attention to detail you could expect from someone who had survived countless battlefields across the galaxy by only his wits and willpower.
Just on the other side of the wall, inside the pool area itself, the bar was being busily checked through and organized. Steven, Alex’s KX Enforcer droid valet, was making sure that everything was in an expected place and within easy reach to quickly and efficiently mix, pour, and serve drinks. Several coolers had been arranged along the wall for grab-and-go of a variety of beers, and the bar itself had been freshly restocked to fit the ability to produce the most common “beach” cocktails from around the galaxy. The droid, clad in a pair of tasteful midnight blue board shorts with a matching bow tie, stepped around the front of the bar to readjust some of the decorations - simple fake plants and flowers interspersed with strings of lights to give a more tropical feel, but arranged artfully. Stepping back for a moment to assess the changes, Steven nodded proudly to himself before stepping back behind the bar to await the arrival of the first guests.
At the fore end of the deck, the newly refurbished Conservatory had been done up for the event as well. In contrast to the bright daylight sun simulation in the pool area, the lights here had been set to a beautiful tropical sunset. Simulated fire pits had been set up in a few places around the deck, surrounded by comfortable lounge chairs. The sound system had been loaded up to play both the ambient noises of waves gently lapping at a beach as well as the gentle music of ukuleles accompanied by gourd drums and rattles. Amidst the plants themselves had been transplanted a variety of flowers and ferns native to the tropical regions of several planets, both to enhance the atmosphere for the party itself but also as the newest long-term additions to the conservatory plant collection as well.
Altogether, the entire deck - sans the necessary maintenance and engineering spaces - had been retooled for the party atmosphere: more active and vibrant in the pool area, more chill and relaxed in the conservatory. Now all that remained was for the crew and guests of the Voidbreaker II to arrive.
Zig’s flip flops plopped noisily against the plated floor of the Voidbreaker II deck plating. She had spent the night prior doing extra maintenance on the pools filtration systems. It was a never ending task that the junior engineers had become routine at fixing, but for a big event she liked to make sure things were in working order herself.
Either way, she was pleased by the makeover organized by the new Captain. With Captain Softpaw now upgraded to vice-fearless-leader, she had learned quickly that having a new person as Captain that hadnt’ previously reported to her was a new kind of challenge. So far, she thought it was going well.
“Hey ‘Cappy,” Zig said with a reverse head nod of acknowledgement. The Zygerrian wore a two-piece bathing suite with rainbow coloration, and a denim jacket with homemade embroidery and flare pins on it. She had altered the lenses of her Envoy Glasses to be tinted like sunglasses, even though she knew better than most that the ships artificial lighting was only an approximation of sunlight, and she did not need to wear tinted frames.
This of course in no way deterred her from doing so, because, drip.
“First mate, reporting for duty. Need any extra hands, or can I skip right to slacking off and lounging?”
He did not ask again if his mate was truly certain about this visit. He longed to, but he did not, wanting to respect the attempt at finding footing in their new and unsteady normalcy, even if uncomfortable. Even if his scent was shot through with sour-sweat anxiety and the dread that sat on the back and sides of the tongue, bile as bitter. They had both spent ages in front of the fresher mirror this morning, agonizing over appearance, as if it would make a difference.
“I love you,” he had said for his mate, after I got up today and I am here today, holding his stare in their reflections. And he would keep doing it, until the man could show that love to himself, no matter how far away that day was. It was a small assurance. It did not fix what all was broken, the shattered teacup unable to be put back together.
But he could do as he had done before in the epic of their ardor, and offer his hand and an escape, if it was ever wanted, whichever would be taken.
“I am only the just saying…” Jax drawled with as much casualness as he could muster, betrayed as he always was by the tap of his foot and the twitch of his hips, even though he pointedly looked away from the half-Selenian beside him as the lift doors opened onto the pool deck. “If it gets to be too much, we could always take a tour of the ship, see how much they have changed since last we were aboard. Perhaps, hmm, visit our old room…and make sure it smells like us again.”
He looked back right as he said that last bit, letting his hips shimmy and dip with how his legs wanted to buckle, a bit of a yip in his tone, and winked. Then he took two quick steps out in front of Kobign, his longer legs making distance, twisting around to walk backwards and yipping softly again as if to say, come on, chase me.
<@244244400488710155>
“Ahoy, Zig,” Alex called over his shoulder as he shifted some bratwurst on the grill toward the back so they would cook a bit slower. “I think I have everything well in hand here. Maybe check in with Steven to see if he needs any help with getting the bar in order, though I imagine he has that thoroughly taken care of and may even cuss at you if you get in his way. Other than that, get yourself some R&R. You are a member of this crew just like any other and this day is for you to relax as well. Consider it an order,” Alex grinned at his First Mate as he delivered the last, both of them knowing Alex wasn’t much the type to really give orders any more than Zig was the type to need them.
Zig saluted lazily. “Yes miss-lady-ma'am sir.”
She moved towards Steven, but stopped just short of the droids workstation. Like a gunslinger in the old holo movies, she eyed the tall lanky droid up.
I know sixteen ways to disassemble a KX-series droid, blindfolded and upside down she thought as her eyes narrowed.
Steven just looked at her with the typical neutral expression of a droid.
“As you were, ‘partner,” Zig drawled as she suddenly bowed towards Steven.
With that done, Zig padded over to a lounge chair and made herself comfortable.
There were three things in this Galaxy that drew Vicxa Varis like a moth to a flame, and it transpired that deck 05 of the Voidbreaker II contained two of those things. It felt weird to be dressed for the beach inside a spaceship, but then again, she was no stranger to weird. The diminutive Mirialan had abided the dress code, for once, and sported a one-piece swimsuit in a metallic pastel pink hue, accented triangles of darker mauves and turquoise around the flanks and neckline. With a garish fishing hat on her head, beachbag over her shoulder, and comfy sandals on her feet, she was ready to face the meatpocalypse.
Arriving on deck, she took a moment to observe the amenities and guests, noting the Zygerrian mechanic, Mandalorian captain, and the couple just emerging from the turvolift across the deck. Her cybernetic right arm, its bright red paint resplendent in the artificial sunlight, gripped and flexed in excitement as the scents and smells of the arranged animal proteins assailed her nose, a low growl emanating somewhere midway down her swimsuit. The choice of primacy was easily made.
Fleeting across the deck, the Mirialan parked herself squarely opposite the arranged barbeques.
“Hi, I heard there was food.”
The silence that followed dragged on just a moment too long, the expectation for her to finish or qualify that statement hanging in the air until it became obvious she had said her piece. The Mirialan simply beamed a winning smile from tattooed ear to ear. When food was on the line, she was first in line.
“That there is, and plenty of it,” Alex practically beamed as he began transferring food from the grills to the chafing dishes that had been set up, “and you are just in time for the first batch to be ready. I have got burgers and bratwurst ready to go - buns and condiments on the side table over there - and this one down here is for the barbecue tip-yip drumsticks.”
With a practiced ease, Alex tossed the pair of tongs he was holding, landing them smoothly on the handle of the grill he had just stepped away from. Not even watching their flight, he had already moved to the veggies grills and began pulling from there.
“We have got vegetable skewers over here with a variety, and some grilled root-squash filets. If you wanna go all in on the skewers, there is cubed nerf, kod’yok and - if I may make my personal top recommendation - roba marinated in a sweet and spicy sauce you can mix in with the veggies.” Another quick spin and the tongs he had been removing veggies with were replaced in hand by a spatula, which he used to quickly flip another set of long cuts of the squash, showing a beautiful glistening browning on the side now exposed.
Four long strides brought him to the smoker where he removed a couple of the chains of sausage links, rapidly scored with a blade that seemed to appear in-hand from nowhere in order to let the juices spread evenly without rupturing the skin. They were then placed into a chafing dish of their own while a full-sized brisket was taken off the rack and set on a cutting board to rest.
“If you are looking for any of the brisket or bantha, that is going to be just a short while longer I am afraid. This first brisket coming off the racks needs to rest about 10 minutes before I can slice it and the bantha is going to be,” he reached over and cut a little sliver off the full half of an animal rotating on a spit in the center of the smoker, holding it up to check the color before tossing it into the ‘scraps’ bin that would be used to make stock later, “I would say another 20 minutes by my best estimation before it is fit to eat.”
Finally finding a moment to stop tending to the food itself, he leaned over on one of the serving tables to grin at the Mirialan addressing him. “Just about enough time I would say, to be ready for seconds, Miss…?”
Her eyes were wide as saucers at this stage, most of the finer details of his art blissfully sailing over her head as they held little value to her next to the prized results: a mouth-watering cavalcade of charred, smoked, basted, and glazed brown, the one true colour of food.
“Vixsh!” She finally spoke up, a stray trail of saliva slurped back into her mouth mid-reply. “I’ll have one of each!” She chirped, almost bouncing on the spot.
“Well, help yourself, Vix,” Alex was able to parse that much through the obvious salivating. He waved his hand toward the warming trays the food was in, and their accompanying serving utensils. “And as the captain of the ship, let me welcome you to the Voidbreaker II Pool Party: The food is good but the service stinks!” He laughed and turned back to check on his grills. “I promise, as long as you keep eating it, I will keep cooking it.”
The Shistavanen could not help but feel mild trepidation mixed with anticipation about the social event. They had been spending much of their free time recently with Eleceos, working on reliving their memories. The ones that had returned were still vague, yet it was far more than they had only a year ago.
Completing their last lap, the Shistavanen pulled themself up from the chilly water, feeling it run through their fur to form puddles under them. They focused on the sensation, feeling the tickle against nerve endings. They breathed in to calm the turmoil that made up their jumbled thoughts, then released it in a rush. Not thinking about it, they rose and shook the water from their fur, spattering a couple of crewmen.
“Hey!”
“Oh, apologies.” Mune hurried into the locker room without looking back.
Fifteen minutes later, they padded into the Leisure Pool area. Their swim shorts and fur were still damp, and the Shistavanen scanned the other arrivals uncertainly.
They had not gone on the recent plaza excursion because they had mauled a physician who had dared poke them with a needle without warning… At least they healed the doctor after… so what was the big deal? The result was that it had been a while since they had had the opportunity to be social with everyone. Nerves and the screaming flight instinct in their skull were being pinned down and soothed by the prescribed meds they took before heading up from the training hall.
This is fine. You are fine. Zig is over there… and there is the new captain… umm… whathisname…
They sniffed the air, ears perking. Ooh. Meat. Over by Whathisname. They grinned; this was fine. Everything was fine.
Revs was hit with the smell of delicious food on the grill as soon as he stepped out of the turbo lift. The Miraluka wore a red sleeveless shirt, black swim shorts, and blue flip flops. He had a pair of blacked out swimming goggles over the place where his eyes should be, a cigarette tucked behind his ear and a bottle of scotch in one hand.
He had received the invite to come to the party and had been encouraged to come, but he wasn’t sure that he recognized any of the current guest as of yet.
As more guests began to arrive, Alex assessed the food situation. There were plenty of the general dishes available - a variety of red meats and poultry, both smoked and grilled were already in the warming trays. The first round of veggies were prepared, with some extra sauces next to them to help spice them up for those who preferred. Along the last table were a spread of side dishes and condiments to accompany the main meal. The first brisket he had taken off the rack had been given ample time to rest and was ready to carve. Grabbing a long cleaver from his collection of tools, he began to cut into the hunk of meat at a bias, making sure that the juices ran from it into the trough set up for catching it - again, greatly useful for stock making later on. Once the full brisket - nearly 30 lbs. of meat- had been sliced and put into its own chafing dish, he called out in a voice loud enough to be heard throughout the deck.
“First round of chow is all ready! Come grab yourselves a plate, load it up. There is plenty to go around and more to come later. Just make sure to let your stomach settle after eating before you go for a dip. Would hate to see anyone ruin their day.” He set the cleaver down next to a matching one alongside it. “I am going to take a break for a little bit, and then I will be breaking down that big ol’ side of bantha so folks can dig in.”
Zigs ears twitched as she smelled the food. She put her datapad book down and got up, did a big stretch, and then made her way towards the food.
Revs shrugged his shoulders, figuring why not. He moved to an empty chair pool side and set down his bottle before heading to the where the food was and grabbing a plate.
Mune was already heading towards the food before Alex called to everyone that it was ready. Following their nose towards the delicious smells, they remembered to grab a plate (thanks to Alex’s reminder). They found themself beside Zig.
“Hey,” Mune greeted with a grin.
From what they had understood, she had been a good friend before everything. After everything, they had come to see the woman as something akin to a pack. Who else would have put up with Carr than a packmate?
“Long time no see,” Mune added, though it had been the Shistavanen that had been more scarce than usual.
<@189568236201705472>
Zig turned her shoulder a bit coldly as Mune greeted her. Almost as if she were sticking her nose up into the air and away from them. There might have been a barely audible hmph.
She then stepped forwad boldly, ignoring the Shistavanen. Like a Loth cat. “Hey new cappy, one burger please!”
She noted the new person she hadn’t spoken to yet off to the side. She wondered if that was the former Marick apprentice she had been told about. She made a note to talk to him.
Mune arched a brow. Why was she so grumpy at them? The Shistavanen looked around curiously. Indeed, it had nothing to do with their mauling a physician; they already got a talking-to on that one… Did Carr do something? No… because Zig would totally take that out on Carr, and Carr would try to talk his way out of trouble… or be oblivious to any wrongdoing.
Carr, oblivious to his wrongdoings? Right…
Mune’s ears splayed, concentrating on the problem. She would not be upset at them for something they could not remember, would she? No. That did not seem right…
“Are you upset I have been scarcely around? I am sorry, any free time has been spent with Eleceos, trying to undo the mess in my head.” They tried to explain. Zig had even been invited to a couple of the sessions, with the understanding that those that Mune was close to would help the process by taking part.
Mune frowned, their every instinct driven to fix this. They could not have a packmate unhappy or upset! What would please her? What would cheer her up or make her talk to them?
Zig took her hamburge and went to go grab a drink. She glanced over her shoulder at the Shistavanen. Then idly went to her datapad and typed something out.
A notification ping showed up on Mune’s device.
“` screenshot: REMINDER: Zig Birthday (1 of 3) 4 days ago
”`
“Hey, Steve-Oh,” Zig waved at the droid after she sheathed her datapad. “Got any of them fancy vodka seltzer drinks? It’s High Noooooon,” she said, quoting one of her preferred holovid games and the similarly named drink brand.“
“Did you know it was my birthday the other day!? Zig said, louder than she probably needed to, talking to the droid. "It was pretty chill, everyone said ‘happy birthday Zig, you rock, we appreciate you, here is a new shiny gearshift i found for your collection…good times!”
If it were possible to read disdain in a droid’s expression, it would have been broadcast clear as a bell when Zig asked Steven for a pre-mixed vodka soda drink. He reached for a bottle of vodka and a collins glass, precisely pouring out a double over the ice.
“I wasn’t aware of that, Miss Zig. Unfortunately Alex has not had time to update me with the crew profiles of the Voidbreaker yet,” a long arm reached out and grabbed the soda gun from the far end of the bar, filling the glass nearly the rest of the way before finished off with two pumps of a raspberry syrup and stirring.
“Happy belated birthday,” he set the finished drink on the bartop before her.
“Why thank you Steven! Thank you, kind sir,” she made a quick bow of her head then padded off to the side to hover.
Mune’s ears perked. Seriously? Mune blinked, A birthday?! A BIRTHDAY?! I do not even remember my own birthday!
The Shistavanen stared incredulously, the piece of brisket hanging from their muzzle forgotten for the moment. (Forks? What forks? Paws work fine!) Here they were, thinking they should go hunt for down some animal to offer up and cheer her up! Rude. They finished the meat hanging from their maw and then looked around. They did owe her some gift, though, being it was her birthday, even if she was being a brat about it. Ugh.
Zig waved over at the Miraluka. Fortunately, she’d had enough exposure to Eleceos to be familiar with the species..unique vision. So she made the gesture a bit more intentional in the motion to show her waving. “Yo, new guy, haven’t seen you around yet. First time on the ‘breaker?”
Eleceos left his office on the Voidbreaker II. They had a new Captain now…Doon had moved onto further opportunities. The Miraluka was sad about this, as he would most definitely miss his good friend, but he was also quite happy for him. Still, he had a job to do on this ship, and part of that was.making appearances for ship event, like this barbecue.
Making his way to the open area, Ele began to pick up levels of confusion and hurt from his other close Shistavanen friend, Mune. The two of them had been working hard to put Mune’s mind back together, and he didn’t like that they weren’t feeling great. Entering the barbecue area he searched out his friend, walking up to the White hair/furred Shista.
“Everything ok Mune?”
<@114916641581563913>
While the couple tardying by the turbo lift continued to be gooey, the doors opened again to issue yet another set of individuals forward. And this one came with noise, as Carr, resident Voidbreaker understudy, loudly continued his mile a minute guided tour of his ship and all the upgrades and updated since the pair with him had last been aboard maybe a year ago.
The two Mirialans flanking the Shistavanen teen were of similar age, though they looked just about the same as adults, especially the young man. Noga and Leda were familiar sights to some, if usually distant. The former wore long trunk shorts and a jersey, while his sister was dressed in a bright yellow one-piece swimsuit that looked more like a dress, with a short skirt over shorts and a cute blouse top, flat panels like brocade and a bow in the front. They looked assessingly over those already gathered, exchanging glances, and followed Carr’s lead.
<@114916641581563913>
Mune turned and, without hesitation, responded with as if the Miraluka knew who they were talking about, “I cannot even remember my own birthday; how am I expected to remember hers?”
Mune almost threw their hands up in exasperation but remembered that they were holding a plate of brisket in time. “Pack mates, I tell you, if I did not look at her like a sister, I would maul her…” They blinked, seeming to think over what they had just said. With their ears back, they blushed, “That did not sound how I intended it.”
Clearing their throat, they offered a sheepish grin to the Miraluka. “Anyway, sorry, how are you Ele?”
Carr did as he always did. He talked. He talked about the Voidbreaker II as if he was not living most of the time on Selen and attending school. He just so happened to keep up on EVERYTHING that went on when it came to the ship and loved discussing what work had most recently been completed on the vessel. He was no match for Zig’s technical know-how (yet), but he enjoyed their chats about the ins and outs of the ship and what upgrades she was doing next!
Now, Noga and Leda heard all about it as they toured the halls and entered the Leisure Pool area. He was dressed in swim trunks and a loose-fitting tank top. His fur was freshly clean, and an effort was made to at least attempt to brush it all out.
They stopped talking only for a moment to watch Mune animatedly say something to Eleceos before they carried on talking about the water and air filters.
Revs paused and looked over at the Zygerrian waving her arm in a wide arc. “Uhhhh…..yea.” He said as he looked down at the burger he had just made. Hoping the condiments he had put on it had actually been mayonnaise and mustard, the Miraluka slapped the top bun on and walked over to the bar area to speak with Zig.
“It’s definitely a luxurious ship.” The Miraluka took a bite of his food then quickly swallowed. “Excuse me. I’m Revs by the way.”
Zig grinned. “You can call me Zig. Head of Engineering and first mate. Glad you like her so far,” she gestured vaguely at the air around them, likely indicating the ship.
She glanced down at the Miralukas plate. “That’s…a lot of ketchup. Was that what you had wanted?”
Alex passed by on his way toward the conservatory, carrying a colossal bantha rib almost the size of his entire torso.
“I accept no responsibility in this case,” he took a casual bite of the rib, “I still have no idea how all of that works and what they can or cannot ‘see.’”
And just like that, he was away, off to take up position by one of the “fire” pits.
“Spacist,” Zig murmured in Zygerrian, the irony of using her peoples language not lost on her.
“If you want some of the other condiments I’m going for a second if you want some help.”
Food rarely and to waist on the ship, at least.
As he entered the Conservatory, Alex used a panel by the door to slightly turn up the volume of the music playing in the area, just loud enough that it could be barely heard through into the pool area. Content, he nodded to himself and flopped into one of the deck chairs, beginning to attack in earnest at the rib he was holding.
Meanwhile, in the pool area, Steven was again fastidiously wiping down the bar for the third time, even though nobody but Zig had so far come to him for a drink so it obviously had not gotten dirty. That was no reason to develop bad habits, though, and he was certain that if anyone else approached looking for a cocktail they would receive it over a shiny and perfect bar.
Revs set the burger down on the counter. “No im good…..not a big food fan anyway.” He chuckled. Turning toward Steven he asked for a whiskey and coke to wash away the ketchup taste.
Zae didn’t want to social. But there was free food and the food was guarantee to be better than the one that has been provided on the ship for a while.
Not that she hated it. She lived on ships her entire life and was used to the same old, same old, so when moments like this popped up, it would be moronic to not take advantage of it.
When she made her way to the deck, her ears twitched in annoyance at the different smells but then it perked when there was varieties of food to be had. Her interested was piqued while she made her way over to the table and gave her new boss a blank stare as he plopped onto the deck chairs and started to maul down the rib.
Does that apron really-
No.
Her paw reached out and grabbed a plate. Nope. Nah. She started to pick out food and add to her plate. Once she was done, with two plate fulls of meat, her blue hues glanced around for a nice, quiet, and cozy corner. Once she found an empty corner on the other side of the pool, away from the food, she made her way to the area and sat down as she started to eat.
“Of course, Master Revs,” Steven reached below the counter and retrieved a highball glass. He held it up to the light to inspect it, making sure there were no chips or splotches on it, then delicately placed an ice ball in it which perfectly rested within the diameter of the glass. Pouring out a double of a 6-Year Small Batch Corellian Whiskey - not gutrot by any means, but you wouldn’t want to use anything higher quality for a mix - and then using the soda gun to top the rest of the glass off with Coca-Cola, Steven rapidly and delicately peeled a thin strip from a lemon and gave it a twist before balancing it on the rim of the glass.
“Your drink, sir.”
Zig nodded and resumed chomping on her own burger. Her attention swiveled as she noticed another one of the many Shista’s onboard the ship.
Target aquired, she excused herself from the exchange with Revs and made her way over towards the empty corner Zae had–most likely–moved to for seclusion. Not on the first mates watch, though.
“Hail and well met, my friend!” Zig said loudly as she approached in fluent Shistavanen.
Zae froze mid-bite at the very loud female. Her ears twitched as she looked at her surroundings, hoping there was someone that could magically appear and that knew Shistavanen.
She was sorely wrong.
Zae however, did not respond. Her ears flatten against the base of her skull and she made no movement.
Zig quickly slowed her approach. She dialed back her own typical energy, trying to mute it into a more serene calm demeanor. She took small steps towards Zae. “Sorry, I’m sure you want to be avoid the crowd, but I stupidly grabbed these two extra ‘burgers and can’t finish them by myself and was hoping to find someone to share?”
Zig almost shtly extended her plate like a peace offering.
Zae ears lowered but the idea of having more food was certainly appealing.
And odd. Her left ear twitched in contemplation.
Why in the world would a stranger bother her about this- couldn’t the tall woman just put it back on the table?
“….okay?” Zae spoke, her voice soft and rather puzzled at this moment.
Zig carefully extended one of the burgers to her and flashed her best smile. Her ears were actually more angular and larger than the Shistavnans, making her appearance more unique than perhaps the other humanoids on the crew.
“Sorry, I’m Zig. Head of engineering. Probably mostly have seen me yelling at droids and journeyman engineers. But, Doon and I go back and he spoke fondly of you. Just hadn’t gotten a chance to introduce myself.”
Once the burger was taken, she waited a moment. “Thanks for helping, I can leave you to your meal now if you’d like.” She tried to frame it as a question, not a forced intent.
Revs took his glass and thanked Steven for the drink. He laughed as Zig ran to talk to Shistathat seems to want to be left alone. That’s a strange one he thought as he pulled the cigarette from behind his ear and put it in his mouth. As he started to make his way to the pool he looked back at Steven. “Hey boss. It is cool if we smoke in here right?”
From down the hallway in the Conservatory, Alex’s voice rang out.
“As long as nobody asks you to stop and you do not catch anything on fire, I could not care less. With how much we paid for these air filters to be able to handle all the fur, they damn well better be able to handle a little smoke.”
Zae took the burger as Zig introduced herself. She had heard yelling sometimes but she mostly stay out of it. If it wasn’t her problem, she didn’t care.
Her ears perked at the mention of Doon’s name, he talked about her? Pfft.
At least Zig was giving her the option to leave and let her eat her meal in peace.
“Yes.” But she decided to be nice and introduced herself. “Name’s Zae.” It wasn’t too long until there was more shouting and some mention of costs for air filter cause of the fur, the fur the back of her hair stood for a moment.
“Right on.” Revs walked back to where he had set his stuff down beside the pool and took off his shirt, and lite the cigarette before slipping into the pool being careful to keep his drink and smoke above the water.
“Don’t worry about it,” Zig glanced at the Shistavnan. “We’ve been engineering the filters to compensate for years now. I’ve even invented a few intake valves and redid the ventilation plating myself with a crack-team I hired that we did a few jobs working in the old mines.”
She also gestured at her arms, which were, while lean and muscular from boxing and working with her hands on machinery frequently, were edged with auburn fur. She could blend in slightly better with Humans, but if they spent more than a moment looking at her they could easily tell the Zygerrian’s alien appearence.
“WITH HOW MUCH Y'ALL GET PAID I’D HOPE THE AIR FILTERS ARE GOOD ENOUGH FOR THAT.”
Another voice followed, from down a different part of the ship, distant but.. was whoever it was louder by the end or closer?
“WAIT WE GET PAID?” Zig called out.
Any held breath and trapped tension in his shoulders gave way in a surprised-not-so-surprised chuff at the suggestion. The half-Selenian’s cyberhand, dressed in the clear waterproof sleeve, carded through salt and brown curls before squeezing the back of his neck as he stepped out of the turbolift. Kobign refrained from mentioning how that was probably a bad idea™, but he was too humored and enchanted by it. Instead, he called Canchi to his side in a loose heel and followed after his taller husband. The smell of grilling food wafted down the hall.
“I’ll keep that in my pocket,” Kob patted the breast pocket of his Selenian tropical shirt, a light half-grin dancing on his lips. “But to miss the food? I’m afraid not, Sir.”
This enlisted a small rumbling bark of a laugh from Jax, who pivoted to walk side by side with him now, slightly bumping against Kobign in assurance. It wasn’t long before the pair reached the pool deck, and he only hesitated a couple heartbeats at the threshold. A quick command released the cythraul from his side. The cinnamon and brown-grey lanky canid trotted off to give cursory sniffs to all the things, avoiding the people about save for a quick scratch behind the ears, etc.
Kobign followed Jax’s lead, keeping by him with his thumbs hooked into his pockets and body relaxed. His gaze traversed those gathered. He recognized only a few. Zig, of course, Mune and his younger brother, and the two kids of Ruka’s. The unmistakable nor forgettable voice of Zuza Lottson coming from the hall. Plenty of new faces though that he didn’t waver on. The former soldier leaned over to Jax, “Seemed the place got a bit of fresh blood, the Captain the same?” He frowned slightly, just a flirting thing. He waved in a ‘don’t tell me manner, “I’m sure we’ll find out later.”
Revs took a sip of his drink, then puffed on the cigarette before leaning back on the edge of the pool. He didn’t recognize any of the people here from the old Shadow Gate. It amazed him how much the house hold had grown. From hardly being able to scrape together two old Z-95s to being able to support this beautiful ship. They had came a long way from just back alley meeting on Port Ol’ Val and offing crime lords in the dark.
He took the last drag off his smoke and downed his drink as he got out the pool to head back to the bar. “Hey boss” he said to the droid as he walked up. Another whiskey and coke please.
“Right away, Master Revs,” Steven said, taking the empty glass and setting it in the sink behind the bar before retrieving a fresh glass and making a precise copy of the previous drink. Once that was set on the bar, he looked up, noticed something, and reached for another glass behind the bar.
In the conservatory, Alex stood up from the chair he had been occupying and tossed the nearly-clean rib bone into the grinder bin where it would be processed into fertilizer for the hydroponics system. He strode out of the area, headed to do another sweep to check on everybody, and noticed that a couple new arrivals had made their way from the lifts to the more populated pool deck. Sweeping past the bar and grabbing the glass of abrax Steven had just placed atop it for him as he went, he then approached.
“Hello hello there, welcome to the party. You must be,” one eyebrow cocked for a moment as he recalled the dossier files he had reviewed, “Kob and Jax, then, if I am remembering correctly? I am the freshly appointed captain of the ship, Alex Draconis. Grab yourselves some grub, maybe a drink if you are so inclined, and overall just enjoy yourselves,” he made a sweeping gesture toward the pool and conservatory with glass-in-hand before bringing it to his mouth for a slight sip. “Hopefully the festivities will be enough to take a bit off the sting of the recent unpleasantness you experienced.” His tone carried a definite degree of sympathy, but also had some degree of finality, making it clear that nothing more needed to be said about it if it were not desired. <@244244163002892288> <@244244400488710155>
Mune’s ears perked, and the Shistvanen looked around skittishly. What was with all the yelling?! So loud! They went off to find a table somewhere quieter where they could enjoy the bbq'ed meat.
The very tall hybrid elected to take the social lead, sparing his husband the pressure, especially with such a delicate greeting.
“Ahah, yes, that will be us. A pleasure, Alex Draconis. I am Irian'Jaxerias Erinos Settgré, of Clan Erinos. This is Canchi, our ade, and of course, my husband,” the word was still an adoring, excited yip amidst the rest of his carefully enunciated elocution, “Kobign Settgré. It is good to meet you in person, Captain, and you certainly seem able to throw a feast. Are you finding your new appointment well?”
The furry-mid hybrid was covered today in layers full of surprises for when and if he and his partner ever got into the pool. The outerwear was an open plaid shirt hanging over a tight, light blue T-shirt that said, Guess How Long I Can Hold My Breath with some bubbles and water drops, along with a pair of cut off and frayed shorts that might have been someone’s pants that someone else Canchi had chewed some holes in and now had been stolen by Jax.
Most of it was going over the teens’ heads in the technical jargon arena, but the shouting of the loud cceeqas in and out of the bloody room at least got the message that the filters Carr talked about were apparently expensive…or free? Hard to tell.
There was a lot of food and a lot of people they just didn’t know. It was a bit much.
“So…” Noga broke in at one point when Carr inhaled. “Didja wanna swim or? We shouldn’t eat first, you get cramps.”
“Mhm,” Leda emphasized. She was sticking a little closer to the two, shy in the face of all the strangers and in her swimsuit.
By now, Carr had learned to recognize when he was talking a bit too much—just a bit too much. He nodded in response to Noga’s question, noticing how close Leda was sticking to them both. He switched to Mirialan, “Don’t be shy, Noga and I will be with you.” He reassured her, “Not to mention, you are the prettiest one here.”
Carr took Leda by the hand and led her toward the pool, knowing Noga would be close behind.
Thank ashla that Jax spoke first for Kobign was still processing a spinning holo-wheel beside him. Out of all the possible scenarios of the trial being brought up, it coming straight after introductions with a man dressed in a pink silk beach robe and apron was not one. The juxtaposition alone in his mind neutralized some of the tension and weariness hidden under his habitual casual visage to the point he nearly chuffed aloud involuntarily. And it definitely kept him from second guessing the sympathy in Alex’s voice. Kobign nodded, acknowledging the comment and the invitation to share nothing.
As if on cue to Jax’s introductions, Canchi trotted up beside his master, pressing against the half-Selenian’s knee. A breathed command and shift of Kobign’s stance, and the lanky yet small cythraul circled around and backed up to sit at center of his legs – attention fully upon the man. Kob reached down and roughed up the red-grey fur of the canid’s neck as he himself remained tuned into the conversation.
“Pleasure to meet you, sir,” he added in, pausing momentarily before a thoughtful “and thank you, for, heh, what smells like some top tier food.”
<@102435651189743616>
Leda suddenly turned a deep, brownish mulberry, and Noga’s eyebrows both went up before his eyes narrowed as he followed after them. It seemed like he wasn’t sure how to feel about Carr’s comment.
Leda was much less quiet about it, puffing her cheeks and huffing breath and swatting at the Shistavanen’s arm lightly with the hand that wasn’t holding his right back. “Carr! Shush! Don’t say such t-things.” She dropped to a grumble, looking around, “‘sides, you can only say that cause I’m like one the only girl here and I ain’t old…”
Carr chuckled and grinned that impish grin of his… the one he did so well that screamed troublemaker. He accepted the swats from his friend, catching Noga’s look; he said, grinning firmly in place, “What? If you like, I could call you pretty, too, I suppose? Or… I dunno… cute?”
It may have been painfully apparent that he was trying to distract them from the room full of mostly strangers, but he also made it impossible for them to tell if he was teasing or serious. His grey eyes shone with a mischievous glint.
Noga sputtered somewhat, then scoffed, “I ain’t cute. You’re cute. I’m…I dunno, somethin’ else. Just. Zcepi,” he snapped at last, shut up in Mirialan.
It was a beat before his own cheeks muddied, and then he was scoffing again and trying to stick his hands in pockets he didn’t have in swim trunks.
Caught between figuring out if it bothered him that Carr was calling his little sister pretty or if it bothered him he’d been called pretty AND mistaken as jealous or if he thought Carr was cute or if he was jealous was not something he was doing right now.
Leda seemed no more combobulated watching her brother faceplant like that. In fact her own embarrassment redoubled with the secondhand embarrassment of her friends. She made a high pitched noise and desperately found a pool chair to put her bag on.
Carr’s brain derailed. The impish grin crumbled and their cheeks and ears burned with the ferocity of the blush that threatened to show through their cheek fur. The look that replaced his grin was caught between being pleased with the compliment and confusion at said same compliment. His inner ears were definitely noticeable with how red they turned. Carr’s voice went high pitched as he exclaimed, not so quietly, “So! Swimming! Yes. Let’s do that! All the swimming! I’ll nab us some towels!”
The Shistavanen retrieved three towels from nearby and placed them on the same chair as Leda’s bag. They were desperately trying to smooth down their fur and to stop thinking about being called cute or the fact that he was still blushing.
Revs leaned back and sipped his drink as he listened to the teenagers try and flirt. A box filled with pool toys caught his attention. He went and picked up the box of toys, then walked to the pool.
The shadesworn looked through the box before pulling out two water pistols, a super soaker and a pool noodle. Revs looked around at all the guest as he filled up the water guns and his attention was caught by the massive hybrid that had walked in. this is going to be fun He thought.
When he finished filling up the guns he stuck the water pistols into the pockets of his swim trunks, kicked the box of pool toys over into the pool by the kids, picked up the super soaker and pool noodle and then walked over to where Zig was talking to Zae.
“Hey I just wanted to let you know I’m blaming this on you” the Miraluka told Zig as he fired a shot at Jax. “Catch!” he said as he tossed the super soaker and then started using the pool noodle like a blind man’s walking cane back to the bar.
Alex’s ears perked a little at the casual use of even a simple word in his native tongue, as well as its user identifying themself with their Clan. His smile widened even further as he extended his hand and forearm - still clad in the bracer of his armor despite the otherwise swimwear-oriented outfit, in keeping with the spirit of the Resol’nare - toward Jax.
“Ah, my apologies for not offering you the proper greeting earlier! Olarom, vod! It can be somewhat troublesome these days to identify a fellow Mando’ad, what with the many and sundry ways our cultural norms have splintered, but it is always a pleasure to meet one. I cannot say I am terribly familiar with your Clan, though I have heard mention of their name more than a few times. Seem to be quite prevalent around these parts.”
He bowed his head slightly toward both Kob and Jax in acknowledgement of the commentary on the food.
“Being able to spend time cooking a good meal is a luxury rarely afforded on the battlefield, so I do my best to enjoy indulging in it when the opportunity presents itself. I do not fancy myself to be an expert, by any means, but believe when push comes to shove I can lay out a sufficiently respectable spread.” <@244244400488710155>
Zig, for once, did something cool when it came to manual dexterity saves, and not just caught the thrown water gun, but spun it adroidtly in hand to make a cool flourish. She slide her sunglasses down over her nose and grinned ferally as she pretended to lock-and-load the blaster-shaped water gun.
“Big mistake though, Revs. Bet you never saw this one coming!?”
As she open fired with the water gun in betrayal of the Miraluka who had armed her.
“Strike first, no mercy!”
Jax’s large lupine ears perked forward towards the sound of the Mando'a, a surprised look on his face that quickly transformed to a wolfish smile, the smallest flash of delighted teeth permitted in it thanks to the love of the man beside him. He clasped the proffered arm back, though Alex would find no armor on him, his one arm bare of metal save the band on his finger.
He was just opening his mouth to reply about both the food and their shared culture when a spray of water hit him full on in the face and chest. The hybrid yelped in shock, eyes screwed briefly shut and every instinct up in a flare before he had tempered them. His ears were flicking wildly to disperse the wetness and his face twitched, decades of training himself not to behave naturally undone in ardor and acceptance just as was the baring of his fangs. Such it was that his head full on shook, a wiggle rolling all through his body while both flesh and metal foot planted, spraying Kobign and Alex with a few droplets. As soon as he stilled he was wiping at his eyes, an apology already asserting itself.
“Pflt– gah, my apologies, my love, vod, I did not mean to douse you…”
And then he blinked blue eyes in the direction of the shot to see Zig firing a soaker pistol with a cry of merciless intent. The culprit!
“ZIGARASHE!” he exclaimed, a career drill sergeant’s commanding boom. His voice lowered a moment later, but the tone was no less firm, if much more playful. “My hair! You have accosted my hair! Cad! Heathen! This means war!”
<@189568236201705472> <@244244400488710155>
A yip joined in support to Jax’s war cry as Canchi broke from his heel with Kobign(more a comfort gifted to his master than true obedience). The lanky short cythraul seemed to watch Jax’s gaze, as if attempting to read the tall man’s intent. Another light bark before he launched himself into the pool. Canchi swims to the closest floating object in the pool and grabbed it, paddling back.
Stiffling his own amusement, Kobign approached the edge of the pool and grabbed ahold of the canid’s harness to pull him up, water dripping off of red-grey fur. The half-Selenian realized quickly that wet cythraul equals possibly a shower of shooked off water, rushing as the telltale signs of paws planting occured.
“Canchi. No.”
A pause as brown canid eyes met hazel, a split second passing. And the creature huffed lightly around duraplastic, then padded up to Jax and pressed the water gun at his hand with a muffled bark.
“Hah, alright. Quartermaster Canchi at your service, sir!” A mock salute given and a scritchy of the ears.
When the blast of water hit Revs in his back, he screamed and threw the pool noodle in the air had took an overly exaggerated fall to the ground. He rolled on the ground making cheesy noises of fake paint and anguish before pulling out the two water pistols from his pockets and sent two blast at Zig.
As the water shots began flying, Alex quickly ducked to the side toward the pool chairs to get out of the crossfire. He gestured toward the various chests set up around the pool, as he removed his apron and beach robe and folded them neatly onto the chair itself.
“Water guns and various other toys are available there, help yourselves. Just please be careful running around the pool. This is supposed to be a relaxing day for our medical team as well,” Alex chuckled lightly to himself as he headed for the hot tub and lowered himself slowly into the steaming water to observe the war that was about to break out.
At the bar, Steven reached up and lowered a transparisteel barrier down in front of the bar. There was still a slot for drinks to be passed through but it would suffice to make sure no pool water got into any of the supplies behind the bar, meaning that any further drinks ordered would still be fresh and untainted.
“You’ll never take me alive, ‘coppers!” Zig shouted as she broke for the far edge of the pool and dove into it for…cover.
And so the festivities carried on into the night; the screams, laughter and chatter of the Voidbreaker crew resounding throughout Deck 05. As the lights began to dim and “night” settled in, Alex and Steven remained behind cleaning up after the party. The leftover food was stored in the mess hall to be available to crew who wanted a snack, the pool toys and equipment were cleaned up and returned to storage, and the chairs and “fire” pits were taken from the conservatory restoring it to its standard botanical garden aesthetic. The music slowly lowered into silence, and Alex smiled to himself, content that he had given his crew an enjoyable day - something they well deserved in between all the hard work they did for this ship and for the House.
On the bridge, unnoticed as the crew had already retired for the evening, a single light blinked on a console indicating a message had been received. Once, twice, thrice…and then went black again, to be unseen until somebody checked the comms logs…