Zirrian Liiga's Story

Duren was slightly surprised at Thunder's reaction, and his cheeks turned from its pallid tone to a light shade of pink. He tried to recover quickly, feeling the heat on his face, and pulled at his collar whilst clearing his throat. "Well! I guess the starry sea certainly does have things I do not, however-" He cracked a smirk, "-if you ever find that you want more, I'm always available."

He elbowed Varis a bit, as the man was half cramping his style, as many a Terran had put it when they visited. "You know very well I won't be ordering any alcohol...not as our designated driver. And I don't trust any one of you to drive the Sajeera- that thing we used to get here," Duren explained. When he looked up, he answered Thunder's last question about the waiter.

"...it would seem not," said Duren to Captain Thunder. Just as he spoke, however, another one of the wait staff, a young lady with blue horns curled around her head, the tips of each which brushed her cheeks and curled outward so subtly. She was slender and well-shaped, with round eyes, a pert nose, and full lips.

"Hello," she greeted them, her voice smooth as the polished tabletop where the trio was seated at. She flashed them a bright smile. "My name is Zirrian, and I'll be your server. Is there anything you'd like to drink?" She indicated the holomenu that popped up as she placed her fingers onto the centerline of the table. It scrolled down in a list of a few drinks and their descriptions. "Our special today is the Callavenine Knockout and the new Gargantuan inspired by Aberashian visitors."

Thunder smirked at Duren with a laugh,"Nice save." Almost at the same time, she rapped her knuckles against Varis's head,"Of course I'm a captain! I have my own ship who answers to only me. So far I haven't needed anyone else, but the Artist isn't much for conversation."

She gave a genuine smile again as she watched the two pick at each other. If they were con-artists, they were pretty damn good, or pretty damn bad at it. Either way, she found herself actually wanting to be friends with them, even though they just met. Her thoughts were broken up by a pretty face with blue horns, at which she smiled warmly,"Pleasure to meetcha, Zirrian. What would you suggest that's sweet and fruity? Or perhaps you have a favorite drink here?"

"Yeah, alright rich boy." Varis flashed a smile at the both of them. "I'll take a Callavenine Knockout, Zirrian. I'm Varis." The elf gave her a mock salute and grinned his pointed teeth. "If you need someone to converse with, my boy Kazah' can hook you up an extra crewmate, maybe then I can steal his place as resident richboy."

The elf leaned back and looked smug. He knew how much he hated being referred to as someone rich. "You got any questions for us, Captain?"

"Sarines are a good fruit drink, though I doubt you've ever heard of a sarine, since you look like you're from another world entirely. I've heard it to be described a little bit like a co... a co... a, ah... co... co... nut? In flavor, and something like a ba...nana." She frowned. "English is a strange language that likes to repeat a lot of the same syllables..." She was clearly not pleased with it. "But I've also heard it's got something that they find new, that they can't place. Would you like me to get you one of those?"

She smiled at Varis. "Callavenine Knockout, right up in a moment. Nice to meet you, too, Varis." She wrote something down onto her little notepad.

"...I'm not...rich!" Durza groaned, eyes shooting daggers in Varis' direction. He huffed and turned away from the elf, chin up in the air. "I'll have a...water. For now."

"Alrigh-" began Zirrian, interrupted by a young man who yelled for a writing utensil. She paused, at first, then dipped a hand into her back skirt pocket. She held out a pen to David. "Y-you can use this..."

"Sarines? Cocococonut and bananan? Uh....sounds pretty good...." Thunder smiled to hide the fact that she had absolutely no idea what either of those things where. Actually she wasn't all that sure about English for that matter, as she was relying heavily on a sort of translating magic located in one of her earrings,"I guess if ya recommend it, its gotta be good, yeah?"

She smirked slightly at Duren's aversion to being called a rich boy, wondering if it was some sort of slang she didn't get, and turned her attention to Varis,"So other than slacking off and hitting on pretty girls, what do ya do 'round here? Like what's yer job anyways?" She glanced at Duren,"Guess that question doubles for ya too."

Her eyes wandered toward the window and the world outside of it, though she tried to keep her attention on her companions. What would she even do with a crew around these parts....?

Varis laughed and pointed at Duren. "Kazah's the slacker." The elf laughed and patted his friend on the shoulder. "I'm a bounty hunter, sort of, haven't really hunted any bounties lately." Varis shrugged with a smug smile. "Besides, flirting with pretty girls is a job!"

Varis' teeth glinted from the sunlight coming though the window. "Zirrian, it's pronounced Coconut and Banana, you haven't been to Terra, have you? Hah." The elf laughed and rolled his eyes. "That's so bad, even I've been there! You'd be a hit around there, they love cute aliens!"

Varis hunkered down and whispered to his two companions. "That guy's a bit loopy."

"I am a tour guide and I've been asked by Mayor Impus, himself, to help strangers get introduced to the area!" complained Duren. He snorted. "I'm supposed to make them feel welcome. Like they can be at home." He turned his head to look at Captain Thunder woefully. "Ah, but your only home is in space. Such a shame." He shook his head, but continued on. "So what are you doing without a crew? How long have you even been out here?"

Zirrian tapped her pen onto the writing pad. "No. I've lived in Zanzaria my whole life..." she told him, an embarrassed smile crossing her face. "I've never traveled before."

She turned to Captain Thunder. "I'll get you a Sarine, then. I hope you like it. It's one of my favorites, anyway." There was a light bell sound behind her. "Oh! Your food's ready. I'll get that to you and get your drinks as soon as I can!"

She turned heel and trotted off to get their food.

"I haven't been to Terra either, and really the only food that I've ever had that wasn't diflaecan was rocket noodles. But those are from some backwater planet named dirt or something. But if Terra loves cute aliens, maybe I should visit some time," she grinned at Varis as if daring him to say otherwise.

Thunder smirked at Duren's complaints, and patted him on the shoulder,"Its alright, when I leave planet ya can watch the stars and pine for me. As for a crew? Well. likely the odd job, maybe a bit of privateerin' if there's work innit. The Artist is meant to outmaneuver other ships, and it drinks up energy weapons like a drunk at happy hour. She's the peak of engineerin' ya know."

The diflaecan nodded lightly to Zirrian as she scooted off to get their food,"I haven't been in the area long, though, so I dunno what kinda work is 'round these parts. Since yer buddies with the Mayor, maybe ya can hook me up with somethin'."

Varis shrugged. "Bein' cute and bein' a space privateer might hook you up with a different result." Varis mock saluted again to the waitress as she fetched their drinks. Varis leaned to the side to look at Zirrian as she walked off, making a self-satisfied noise as he leaned back and twitched his eyes back and forth between Duren and Zirrian, hoping he'd get the message.

It was like morse code for womanizers. There goes the next contestant. "Kaza's more than just BFF's with the Mayor, his entire family is! It's not right, that guy won't even see me." Varis grunted and shook his head back and forth. "Lucky, lucky bastard."

Duren got it, alright. He threw a glance over to Zirrian and surveyed her thoroughly. One thing that caught his eye, however, was not the fact that she had a bottom, or a slim waist, but that there was something odd upon her back, pulling at the cloth along her spine. He could barely even make it out, so he left it with a shrug. Ah, so Varis was going to go after that.

Just as he was about to go off on Varis for speaking about his affiliations with the Mayor, then give a soft comeback at Thunder, there was a loud cry. "Oh my God!" Someone pointed out the window, at a swiftly approaching thing from the sky.

There was a boom.

The building that they were in shook and trembled. Glasses and plates fell to the ground and broke, people fell off balance to the ground, and there were screams and hollering and there was crying. The building stilled, and Duren stood up with rattling knees. He looked over to Varis and Captain Thunder. "Are you two alright!?"

One moment everything was giggles and grins, the next, the world shook and glasses broke. Thunder was on her feet in an instant, on hand on the table as she hopped over it. According to her eyepatch, the Escape Artist was still in one piece and unharmed, so that was no worry, but something big had just touched down. Though she had been playing the part of being silly and frivolous, the diflaecan now stood solidly, and pointed to where smoke now billowed,"You two meet me there, I can fly quicker than the float ray, so I'll go ahead. Duren, what's near that anyways? Residential, factories, what?"

As she spoke, she already was shifting around her equipment, taking her coat off and seemingly stuffing it into a hole that she had pulled out of her pocket. She then simply peeled the hole from the air, rolled it up and threw it back into her pocket. Without the jacket, the pistol and cutlass that hung from her hips were more evident. Her wings quivered slightly, their movement causing a soft hum, like that of a dragonfly buzzing its wings.

Varis stumbled to his feet, pushing off the table and shaking his head. "I just wanted to get drunk, just today, please." The elf muttered to himself, putting an arm on Duren in order to help him get rid of the shaky legs. "Careful there, Kazah', gotta look tough."

Varis nodded at Thunder. "Nice, alright, we'll catch you there." The elf delivered a grin. "I told you she would be a handful." Varis couldn't help adding. Varis gave a look around for Zirrian, if he saw her, he'd try and slip her a note with his name on it, where he found the time to write a note, nobody knows for sure.

Varis was a smooth operator, at least he thought he was.

Duren got up and looked out the window, trying to get a hold of exactly what had been hit. His eyes snapped open as wide as they could go.

"That's the City Hall!" he cried. His face paled. "Dallin went there earlier, and was visiting Impus!" He looked toward Captain Thunder. "Be careful! B-but if you can...Dallin is my sister!"

When Varis pat a hand on his shoulder, Duren braced against the table, sucking in a breath. "What in the world is going on?!" he gasped.

The young nunkeian woman had landed flat on her side, a plate of food spread out onto the ground in front of her. She had one hand grasping her shoulder. As Varis slipped her the paper, she took it and looked up to him bewilderingly.

What?

With a quick nod, Thunder darted out and simply jumped off the the restaurant platform, her wings beating the air so quickly that they seemed to become a shimmering blur. The captain then shot off at a breakneck speed, heading toward the city hall...

Warren Aulare departed his private vessel and made his way across the busy port. He didn't look too out of place here. He was always smartly dressed.

As he made his way through baggage and other departments the white haired man tapped at a device on his wrist. It was leading him in a specific direction, having detected a concentration of a specific type of energy. It wasn't too easy to come across, and he wasn't sure it was what he needed, but it was one of his best chances towards success.

After all, he already had the first piece of the puzzle delivered. He just had to go and pick it up.

"Ahhh..." Ara said, taking a long drag on her cigar. "That's the good stuff. They sure roll their tobacco well here in... where the hell are we again, Abra?"
Abraxas paused for a moment to think, stroking his scaly chin with a gloved hand. "I'm pretty ssssure this place is called... Missssrana? Yeah, I'm pretty ssssure it'ssss that." He took an appraising look at the port around him, with its tall chrome spires and geometric patterns. "And wherever thissss issss, they've got ssssome damn good architects."
Looking around, he noticed Janet and Sara approaching them and nudged the teenaged girl next to him. "Yo, they're back. You'd better ssssnuff that out before Sara sees." Ara did what he told her to with a quick, practiced efficiency; neatly dropping it to the floor and crushing it with a large, well-worn leather boot.
"I have rented our ship to be docked here for one week, and we have enough currency to last that amount of time," Sara said as she came over to them. Taking out a large purse, the woman split a large amount of coinage between herself, Abraxas, Ara and Janet. "We will rent a room at a hotel, and then continue on our mission."
"What was our mission again?" Janet asked, hands stuffed in her pockets. "It feels like its been two years since we left Rorian Grand."
Sara gave the urchin an exasperated look. "We had learned that Abraxas' bow was made by the friend of Ara's grandfather, a master artisan and weaponsmith. They had been working on plans for what I presume to be some sort of powerful weapon, but the artisan took the plans with him when he left Blackrock. We are here to retrieve the blueprints and / or get him or someone else to help build it, and then presumably use it to defeat the C.O.R.e. legions who have taken over Blackrock. We are also going to gather information on Abraxas' bow, and its peculiar properties."
Janet shrugged her shoulders, her straight black hair bouncing along to the movement. "I guess we'd better get going then. Lead us onward, oh fair leader!" This last part she said with a sarcastic cry of elation, a sly smirk upon her lips. Abraxas, once more, found himself attracted to the woman's force of personality.
Grumbling under her breath, Sara trudged along through the port as a light drizzle began to dampen the ragtag foursome's clothes - but not their spirits.