Eden
Aegis Settler
Striking sultry poses in the wasteland...
Posts: 17
Character Gender: Female
Character Starting Age: 23
Height / Weight: 1.73 m / 57 kg
Expertise: Propaganda
|
Post by Eden on Jun 8, 2021 17:38:53 GMT
There was nothing like the newfound smell of freedom, Eden thought. Moss green eyes surveyed the Kibo spaceport with surprisingly mild interest but inwardly, the young woman was committing every detail of her new surroundings, to memory. Peripheral gaze registered the blue armband, full lips pursing in dismay. The adornment did -not- match the rest of Eden's accessories but at least it wasn't gaudy. Just then, her throat constricted in a distasteful reminder that it was time to moisten its parched innards.
It had to be five o'clock somewhere...?
She passed several restaurants and souvenir shops before a bar screaming a retro name caught her attention. Suppose it was better than nothing. Patience waning and not wanting to spend the rest of her free time skulking around this off-world transportation hub, Eden turned to the entrance without hesitation. Click-CLACK-Click... high heels marking the floor with a distinct sound of metal echoing against laminate covered concrete announced her arrival with punctuated gusto - although their audible accent was almost drowned out by the ambient noise of patrons and staff within.
Eyes focused forward, Eden approached the bar counter without bothering to find a table. It was always more interesting at the bar, anyway - one tended to run into curious if not amusing specimens of the homo sapiens variety. With her unconventional getup screaming 'plastic Barbie', Eden was bound to draw a comment or a sneer - the latter a reaction she secretly enjoyed.
Let them think her a pointless bimbo - there was nothing more delicious than surprising, bah, even educating certain ignorant, puerile brains. For the time being, however, Eden would claim one of the available swivel stools and lean upon the counter sporting a savagely distracting grin while green gaze tracked down the tender. Once she had, a deceptively sweet, quiet voice came forward. "A glass of house red, please."
By the time any eye contact was made, Eden would already have her money on the counter, as she patiently waited for her highly anticipated future refreshment...
|
|
Xahra Skye
Aegis Settler
Posts: 17
Character Gender: Female
Character Starting Age: 36
Height / Weight: 5'6 / 140lbs
Expertise: Procurement
|
Post by Xahra Skye on Jun 8, 2021 19:35:46 GMT
"I've always been fond of a good Gin and water, when you could get a good one. As long as they mix it right - not too much water, nor too little. Just enough. You know what I mean?" Varis giggled, 'You know what I mean."
Xahra, in fact, did not know what she meant, and had to fight back the natural urge to shove Varis away, or something more violent, but let the girl have her fun. Maybe if she got drink enough they could have a little fun of another variety, she grinned slyly at the though before she waved one of the servers over and placed the drink order, Gin and water, and not too much water.
"So tell me more about New 'stralia," she said, doing her best to copy the way Varis said it. "Only places I've experienced were Berlin growing up and then the Aegis Arcology." Not that she hadn't passed through some other places on the way, or on business, but it was different to pass through somewhere than to experience a place.
|
|
Matthias Jayne
Aegis Settler
Posts: 15
Character Gender: Male
Character Starting Age: 31
Height / Weight: 5'9" / 250lbs
Expertise: Security and Combat
|
Post by Matthias Jayne on Jun 8, 2021 23:18:07 GMT
Matthias gently sipped his beer, not caring about the taste but welcoming the alcohol content. He really wanted something stronger - it helped drown out the visions of the dead, but he didn't want to get dung faced right now. Not a good tactical move, that. So he simply stood there, not sitting on the swivel stool while he sipped his beer.
It was while he was sitting there, that he got the feeling that he was being watched. Standing more alert, he glanced slowly around the room, eyeing every single patron in the bar. It was while he was looking around, that he noticed the red haired, blue armband woman sitting with a Pacha person. His instincts were telling him, she was noticing him. He calmly stood there, his head hidden inside his hood, the blue cybernetic eyes glowing from within the darkness. He took in the fact that she was sitting and spending time with a Pacha person. Something to file away for later...
It was while he was staring at/studying Xahra and her drinking partner that his view was suddenly blocked by what could only be described as some sort of plastic Barbie. Definitely a woman that was used to getting others to do her own bidding. He was about to ignore her when he looked down, taking in the shape of her. Then, he recognized her.
"You're the lady that hip checked me out of the way back at the application booths."
It wasn't a question, simply an observation. Aside from the simple, mechanistic response, he gave no other reaction to the woman, and simply resumed drinking his beer.
|
|
Eden
Aegis Settler
Striking sultry poses in the wasteland...
Posts: 17
Character Gender: Female
Character Starting Age: 23
Height / Weight: 1.73 m / 57 kg
Expertise: Propaganda
|
Post by Eden on Jun 8, 2021 23:39:53 GMT
Being third in line, Eden had to wait a couple of minutes before a glass of vibrant crimson liquid was pushed across to her in a tall wine glass. "Much obliged," she smiled again and then her peripheral gaze registered some mysterious hoodlum that spoke - and to her, no less.
"Do I know you...sir?" A slight swivel in the direction of a masculine voice, the last word receiving subtle stress as if she questioned his social standing. Ah, yes. It was the guy she cut off at the booths, for shits and giggles of it. It killed a few precious seconds of boredom before the video interview and as such, the interaction was mildly useful.
Taking in the standing persona of a man hooded, wearing some kind of jacket that cloaked most of him enough to provoke a closer look. Lifting the glass to her lips, Eden first took a sip and, setting it down, reached out to push back an edge of the stranger's hood. Even now, she could glimpse the brief glow of teal blue irises hidden in the shadows. "Pretty eyes. Where does one get eyes like that?"
No mention of the hip check - no point to echo the obvious.
In the meantime, Eden waited for a response to her inquiry... more so in an attempt to alleviate more boredom by striking up a conversation than resigning herself to a dull drink in an attempt to kill some time prior to departure.
|
|
Matthias Jayne
Aegis Settler
Posts: 15
Character Gender: Male
Character Starting Age: 31
Height / Weight: 5'9" / 250lbs
Expertise: Security and Combat
|
Post by Matthias Jayne on Jun 8, 2021 23:49:01 GMT
Matthias was about to go back to his beer and his solitude, not having expected the woman to actually speak with him. Most people were usually put off by his eyes. She on the other hand, did not. It earned her little more than a grunt from him.
It was then that she decided to invade his personal space. She reached up in an attempt to pull his hood back and check out his eyes. In a heartbeat, his hand was up and around the wrist of the offending hand. He gripped it tightly, thought not tight enough to break the wrist. Regardless, she'd be able to tell that at least this hand was cybernetic. If she was to actually take the time to look at his hand, she'd be able to tell where it would open up and the forearm blades would come out.
No blades this time - just a strong grip.
In a voice that sounded like gravel from breathing in way too many irritants in way too many combat zones, he answered her question, though perhaps not in the way she wanted.
"You have to kill a lot of people for Aegis."
With the question answered, he readjusted his hood so it fully covered his head, and went back to his beer.
|
|
Eden
Aegis Settler
Striking sultry poses in the wasteland...
Posts: 17
Character Gender: Female
Character Starting Age: 23
Height / Weight: 1.73 m / 57 kg
Expertise: Propaganda
|
Post by Eden on Jun 9, 2021 0:06:35 GMT
The stranger's physical reaction was somehow fully expected. With that gruff voice and brusque manner, the man could easily pass for a thug, bodyguard, mercenary - the list of shady paths this one could have taken, was seemingly endless.
The grip, on the other hand, gave away the unnatural strength he possessed. Coupled with those neon-bright eyes, she wondered what else lay enhanced beneath that thick skin of his. Glancing over to the appendage holding her wrist in a vice-like grip, Eden smiled.
"Not the ideal way to make an acquaintance, but I suppose it will have to do."
Once he released her hand, Eden rubbed the wrist against her cheek, then pushed back a stray wave of dark auburn hair. So... he killed a lot of people, and for Aegis, no less. At least their loyalties seemed to fall along the same path - it somehow comforted her to know that she would not have to mix niceties with some Pacha swine.
Before taking another sip, she offered the stranger her right hand to shake - presumably in greeting. She did not expect him to accept it.
"Eden. Hope your backside is as reinforced as your arms - I wouldn't want to be responsible for slowing you down in pursuit of murder and mayhem."
|
|
Matthias Jayne
Aegis Settler
Posts: 15
Character Gender: Male
Character Starting Age: 31
Height / Weight: 5'9" / 250lbs
Expertise: Security and Combat
|
Post by Matthias Jayne on Jun 9, 2021 0:18:53 GMT
He sighed inwardly, as it seemed the woman was not going to leave him alone. He had no plans to make any friends on this trip. Friends were a liability, and when they died it only made things complicated. It was simply smarter to just not have any friends.
When she offered him her hand, he simply looked at it, studied it for a moment, then went back to his beer. Maybe if he was rude, she'd go away?
"Not trying to make any sort of acquaintance lady. And my enhancements are all up to code."
He stood there, seemingly staring at the far wall, but what he was actually doing was surveying the crowd via the wall length mirror behind the alcohol bottles. No one seemed to be following him, and so far only two people had seemed to take an interest in him. Both were Aegis. Someone from the company keeping an eye on company assets?
Maybe...
|
|
Eden
Aegis Settler
Striking sultry poses in the wasteland...
Posts: 17
Character Gender: Female
Character Starting Age: 23
Height / Weight: 1.73 m / 57 kg
Expertise: Propaganda
|
Post by Eden on Jun 9, 2021 0:35:41 GMT
"Suit yourself."
There was no point in pursuing a connection that did not care to interface with the likes of her. Eden expected as much; nowadays everyone seemed to be interested only in their own back end. Friends and family were treated like a nuisance or worse yet - liability, and strangers mattered even less - except if they were a person of interest or a bounty. The guy she just crossed paths with reeked of noxious, antisocial toxicity - precisely the opposite of her own temperament.
And this kind of opposite did NOT attract.
Turning back to her drink, Eden picked up the half-filled glass and tuned out the white noise that made up the kaleidoscopic mosaic of its dubious patronage. Voices, clamor, random movement of people and objects became secondary to her inward focus:
Getting the blue blazes out of here.
|
|
Matthias Jayne
Aegis Settler
Posts: 15
Character Gender: Male
Character Starting Age: 31
Height / Weight: 5'9" / 250lbs
Expertise: Security and Combat
|
Post by Matthias Jayne on Jun 9, 2021 1:01:49 GMT
Matthias was quite content to have the haughty woman next to him finally leave him alone. He was content to just sit there with his beer and the voices in his head. Until the voice of his former Sergeant came through.
Now Matt, is that how I taught you to be civil? She's on your team, according to the armband.
She's a stuck up primadonna who thinks she defecates flowers and sunshine.
And she might be the one giving you orders once you get where you're going. Do you really want to piss off a potential CO?
Grumbling inwardly he decided he better do what his Sergeant said. Taking one more pull from his beer for courage - and to fortify himself for the upcoming conversation, he asked the woman next to him. He poked her wrist with the bottom of his beer bottle to get her attention.
"So..what will you be doing once we get to Astreus?"
There, he had tried to make small talk. His Sergeant can sod off now. He could almost hear the man chuckling at Matthias' discomfort.
|
|
Eden
Aegis Settler
Striking sultry poses in the wasteland...
Posts: 17
Character Gender: Female
Character Starting Age: 23
Height / Weight: 1.73 m / 57 kg
Expertise: Propaganda
|
Post by Eden on Jun 9, 2021 1:33:37 GMT
It took a moment but Eden eventually did come out of her wine-induced 'coma' when the cool edge of the bottle tapped her wrist. The latter was still a sensitive area from the stranger's physical contact from earlier. Still, Eden did body-check the guy so she supposed this was just a way of him balancing the scales or something. Something told her that the clasp she was introduced to was merely the tip of this unidentified iceberg.
Smiling, she spoke without turning to glance his way. There was no point to the latter - he would just continue to hide in those umbral folds of his clothing.
"What everyone does: my job. I'm guessing you'll do the same, Chuck?"
Since the stranger chose not to give his name (or even an alias) and continued to be cantankerous, Eden would have to make up some name for him. It always made her feel better to endow that little personal touch on whomever she was having a conversation with.
Even if he was a total grump.
I've dealt with worse.
|
|
Matthias Jayne
Aegis Settler
Posts: 15
Character Gender: Male
Character Starting Age: 31
Height / Weight: 5'9" / 250lbs
Expertise: Security and Combat
|
Post by Matthias Jayne on Jun 9, 2021 1:40:41 GMT
Chuck? Did she just call him Chuck?
Well, it could have been worse. She could have called him some other sort of stupid pet name. He'd have to correct her though. He'd have to see if he could get access to personnel files once they hit Astreus. He WAS going to be working in Security, regardless of what label they put on him. Mercenary...pfft.
"I'll be doing Security work for the settlement, once we get there. Though they labeled me as a mercenary, I still draw an Aegis paycheck. So you'll be doing your job, which is what exactly? Oh, and the name is Matthias, not Chuck."
He finished off his beer, then switched to water. He had his limit for now.
|
|
Eden
Aegis Settler
Striking sultry poses in the wasteland...
Posts: 17
Character Gender: Female
Character Starting Age: 23
Height / Weight: 1.73 m / 57 kg
Expertise: Propaganda
|
Post by Eden on Jun 9, 2021 2:06:21 GMT
"Ah, security. Can be a tough gig at times but I suppose a man with the right attributes will consider it a walk in the park."
Pausing for a moment, she noted with undisguised pleasure (as reflected in a bright smile on her part), that Chuck had finally introduced himself. Well, then... whether it was an alias or his actual given name, Eden did not care so much. It was the connection she made, that pleased her. And in spite of thinking he was a wasted effort, the hooded stranger just managed to convince her that he was far from it.
"Good to meet you, Matthias. Again, I'm Eden... just like the Biblical garden," she winked. "I don't know what my parents were thinking when they decided to choose that name, but there are worse things out there to identify with, I suppose."
Her own glass flashed bottom at her, but Eden's thirst had been satisfied. Once on board the spacecraft she would probably get some iced water but until then, the young woman was no longer in any danger of losing her voice. It was one of her most important assets, after all.
Noting that her companion was drinking water now, she wondered if he was simply a lightweight or if there was more to his self-restraint.
"I suppose since you told me what you do, it is only fair that I share my vocation. I'm a motivational speaker. I sell inspiration for a living."
She may have looked a tad bit young for the job she just described but Eden figured that Matthias knew better than to judge a book by its cover.
|
|
Matthias Jayne
Aegis Settler
Posts: 15
Character Gender: Male
Character Starting Age: 31
Height / Weight: 5'9" / 250lbs
Expertise: Security and Combat
|
Post by Matthias Jayne on Jun 9, 2021 2:17:42 GMT
He simply shrugged. "I've done okay with it so far. Enough that Aegis thought to reward me with certain...upgrades to my body." He sipped from his bottle of water, trying to dilute the beer in his system. He nonchalantly pulled a few nuts from the bowl between his spot and Eden's.
When she talked about her parents naming her after the mythical garden of Eden, he just frowned, chewing on his cashews. "Don't ever remember my parents calling me by my name. Most of the time it was just 'You little dung' or some such nonsense. At least my mother seemed to love me, when she wasn't in a drug fueled haze. Matthias is what's on my paperwork and birth certificate, so that's what I go by."
He picked up a few more cashews and ate them slowly, he was about to keep talking when he stopped, and turned his head to face her. "Oooh, you're good. I don't normally blather like this. So, you have a talented tongue and can probably get a nun to shuck her habit. I suppose that's useful in the board room or in some form of diplomacy. I'll be there for when your honeyed words fail and more decisive action is required."
He looked distantly at the mirror behind the bar. "Hopefully, your fancy words will always work." He blinked a few times, then resumed eating his cashews and drinking his water.
|
|
Varis Allaria
Pacha Settler
Distilled ethanol with water is (NOT) a girls best friend!
Posts: 14
Character Gender: Female
Character Starting Age: 27
Height / Weight: 160cm / 65kg
Expertise: Lockpicking | Biological Science
|
Post by Varis Allaria on Jun 9, 2021 3:17:03 GMT
The Gin and water was much much smoother than what she was accustomed to drinking. It was slightly fruity and clean, not entirely what she was used to nor what she wanted. Was this the type of swill that she'd have to learn to drink over here? She turned to the server confused, "I thought this would be Gin, not fruit drink. Back in New 'Stralia we wouldn't drink anything quite so..."
There was a sigh, the server looking down at her unapologetically, "Refined. Wait a moment, I'll fix this for you. I know your type."
At the bar the server took a bottle which had a clear label-less liquid in it. She poured a generous amount in, went to the tap, poured some water in it, and brought it back over, dumping it in front of Varis silently, before beginning to walk away to serve someone else. She lifted the glass suspiciously, sniffing it before giving a good taste. She smiled - now this was more like it, "What is this called?"
The server didn't bother turning back to answer, "In your parts this might be considered as Gin, or Vodka, or whatever the locals are want to call it. Here, we call it diluted ethanol. It is mixed with water, as per your request. Please... enjoy."
Varis gave another glug, this was much more like home already. She looked over a Xahra - feeling much more relaxed, "New 'Stralia, its a hole. Not much to say, unless you mined out barren landscapes filled with broken or abandoned machinery that is too expensive to shift to the next mine. The coastal cities are more or less unscathed, if by unscathed you mean over-run with plant-life and feral animals. There's a few hubs left, which have more or less banded together, but resources grow harder and harder to find by the year, especially without rain. When it does rain though... it destroys. Its either too hot, or too cold, and its never consistent. There's nothing left of it worth salving, though Pacha tries."
Small silence, "You have an interesting accent, I'm not familiar with it. Where do you hail from?"
|
|
Eden
Aegis Settler
Striking sultry poses in the wasteland...
Posts: 17
Character Gender: Female
Character Starting Age: 23
Height / Weight: 1.73 m / 57 kg
Expertise: Propaganda
|
Post by Eden on Jun 9, 2021 5:03:36 GMT
"Yeah, I felt those upgrades of yours around my wrist earlier, I believe. Pity the fools that became your bounty. I've considered getting some subtle upgrades to my eyes and hearing in the past... but now that I think about it, I don't know that I trust having strange tech taking over my best senses. They say it would make them better, but how much control do they really exert over one's body?"
Clearly, Eden did not trust cybernetic implants. There was always a price to pay for perfection and it was often a hefty one. Even the fine print didn't always tell you everything you needed to know.
Standing up now, she decided to address him as he did her, and preferably face to... well, hood. To her amusement, Eden saw that Matthias had a penchant for nuts; perhaps some leftover sentiment from a strictly followed keto diet? Part of her mind secretly wanted to know how much of the man beneath all that edgy clothing was still human and how much was actually cybertech. Unlikely that she would ever find out, but idle speculation never hurt anyone.
Well, never hurt her.
Suddenly, Matthias was paying compliments to her 'tongue' and Eden couldn't help but smirk.
"A pen - or in this case - a mouth, can indeed be mightier than the sword. Maybe one day, you'll get lucky and see what it's like to be covered in verbal honey."
She saw the man sneaking a furtive glance to the mirror lining the wall of the bar and pretended not to notice. Then, once again he reached for the cashews and suddenly Eden felt the need to warn him about the danger to his bowels.
"Too many nuts can give you greasy diarrhea and you don't want one of those when in space, trust me."
Green eyes flashed with silent determination as if Eden knew exactly what she was talking about.
Yep. Been there. Done that.
|
|