Open A night as Black as it was Wet.

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Coruscant, level 1925
Y135/M2/W2/D4
Time: 018

It was late.

Very late.

There was a long, enbittered sigh in the dark. The sound of a pipe lighting, and the heavy exhaling that came with it. Ragged, tired. Beaten. "Feels good don't it? Twice the rate of the normal shite, but you just saw it's worth ten times that at least. 40 credits for a whole pack of em- a bargain, I'd say."

"Young and old, rich or poor, that spice s'an allure few endure." he'd hum, his boots clacking against the metal pavement as he'd pass the dealer and his prospective customer. "Fer' in the end when things are done, and the beyond waits for everyone, spice towers and bells, jubilant yells." He sang aloud a bit, before stopping himself. He really couldn't help but chuckle, before letting out another drawn out sigh.

This was one of the less shady areas of level 1925. It was a diamond in the rough when it came to the lower levels. Many had tried to invest in the lower levels over the centuries, seeing untapped potential in the unregistered trillions who lived beneath Coruscant's upper levels. It had worked, to a limited extent, in brackets- they would invest in the low 2010's, the high 1890's. It had been in blocks, but limited economic growth had flourished in certain areas of the lower levels, and it showed especially well on level 1925.

Crime was still a problem, however, and it was undoubtedly a push factor when it came to economic investment. However, 1925's standards made some of the higher up levels look seedy by comparison. Rather than rife with gang violence and constant drug busts, 1925's gangs were tiny, hardly organized, and rarely antagonistic. People actually lived on this level by choice, not necessity. 1925 did have one issue though- it had a serious piping issue which had not been properly addressed in decades. As a result, overhead water pipes, often several thousand feet in diameter, had a tendency to leak on the regular. Long lasting repairs costed the tax paying citizens of 1925 serious credits, so short term fixes were often all that were used. To many though, this was more a feature rather than a bug, as level 1925 was now the only other level on Coruscant with something comparable to rain.

The past dozen or so blocks in all directions had been dealing with exactly that. Laeonas had been walking down the streets and alleyways for an hour now, half soaked to the bone. Strangely enough, he had come out by choice- the sensation of being wet while still clothed was new to him. Brentaal's miles and miles of Arid landscape were nothing like this world of pure metal, that somehow had water falling from above him, while he himself was several hundred miles beneath the top levels.

He wondered where he would go. Some booze would be nice- he had about a hundred credits on him. But he was hungry to. His dillemma would be solved when he spotted a bright red (but steadily flickering) neon sign for what appeared to be a small diner, reading, "Nak Nak's Food Shack and Cantina- the only food edible and the only drink drinkable on this stinkin' rock!"

"Charmin'," he muttered, before finally making up his mind and entering the not at all seedy looking establishment.

 

[Ranier Carolus Stroud]

Stroud was having a wonderful week. He had toured the few notable ecumenopolis planets such as Taris, Denon, Eufornis Major and now finally Coruscant. They were all similar in scale, but the culture and architecture was different everywhere you went. A man could spend his whole life just studying the various levels of these city worlds and all the little differences between them. Though while a part of him wanted to do just that, it just wasn't what he was going to do. This little tour was more to say he had been to these places than to actually learn much about them. He was in a word, sight seeing.

Today he was sat in a quaint little diner, enjoying some greasy food and the sound of false rain against the dirty windows. Growing up he wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this, but that was so long ago and there was nothing stopping him from trying new things. Much like the culture of the levels in all those city worlds, each one held unique cuisine of some kind, and while not a connoisseur of the culinary arts, he wasn't above enjoying some new food.

He was wearing his usual garb of blue and silver clothes with decorative armor-like plates all over him. He had earned quite a few curious glances and he couldn't help but feel good about that. It was fun standing out in a crowd, and who knows, maybe his style would catch on at some point.

There didn't seem to be many folks in the diner which was unfortunate because the food was in fact quite good, but maybe it just wasn't this establishments busy hour. So he made some small talk with the proprietor of Nak Nak's Food shack, Nak Nak himself, as he with excellent form ate his food. The alarm the told everyone the door had opened rang like an old timey bell as someone new walked in, and Stroud glanced behind him to get a look at who it was. It seemed to be a younger man, and honestly thats where his scrutiny ended. The new person was a customer not a robber, so he just gave the kid a polite nod and a gentle smile before returning to his food.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Laeonas ran his hands through his hair, water ringing out and dripping from his fingers as he did so. It felt strange- the water wasn't really warm, but it wasn't freezing cold either. He thought back to the 40-90 second showers he was allotted by his mother, with how high their water bill was. How precious and important saving every tenth of a credit was. That had all change when he started hauling spice and stabbing whoever the gang-boss he was working for that week wanted. "Disgustin' shite." he thought, staring daggers into the red matting that lined the center of the floor.

"Ayy, looks like we got another new face in here!" A booming voice suggested. Laeonas would snap out of his memories and abruptly look up. The source came from an older Toydarian gentleman behind the counter, who hovered over to him in the air with a wry grin. "Welcome to Nak Nak's food shack! You can call me Nak Nak, and I'll call you the customahhh!" The Toydarian explained, outstretching his arms and patting Laeonas on the back.

The ends of Laeonas' lips curled up a bit into a suppressed grin at just how boisterous the proprietor's speech and movements. He had never met more than one or two Toydarians in his entire life- many were business minded individuals, but it seemed like Nak Nak enjoyed what he did. Turning around, Laeonas moved further into the diner while Nak Nak hovered around the bar and into the kitchen.

The outward appearance of the place was quite deceiving- while the old paneling and half worn out neon lighting made the place look like a dump, the inside was actually quite well kept. "Ai, Mr. Nak Nak, I'll be headin' t'tha 'fresher fer a'bout a coupl'a minutes. I'd love some refreshments to, if ya get my meanin'." He would say, the owner chuckling at the response. "From the looks of it you could use a trip- dry up a bit before ya start gettin' your nose wet, right?"

Laeonas shook his head as he entered the refresher. He slung his coat over a stall door. His blaster was swung around his shoulder and over his back, but he payed little attention to it. Reaching out, he'd tap a few settings into the auto drier attached to the walls, entering for a couple of seconds before stepping out. Taking off his hair tie, he'd allow his hair to fall down to his shoulders- after the dry, his hair indicated that he was falling twenty stories a second.

Putting his still wet coat back on, he'd come out of the refresher to find the toydarian restaurant owner mixing up a drink. "I call this cocktail the Nak Nak quench. Doesn't matter the thirst, you'll be satisfied." he'd say with a grin, sliding the thin glass over in Leonas' direction.

Nak Nak wouldn't notice, but Laeonas would reach out his hand a bit, and strangely, the momentum which should've ended a foot or two away continued right into his palm. It was practically unnoticeable.

He'd turn around in his seat, taking a sip of the beverage before he finally took note of the man who had silently greeted him earlier. His clothing was... different. It had an armored center piece that seemed quite ornate, but also antiquated. "Hope ya' don't wear that around hopin' it'll protect ya. I've worn thicker plates of metal- well placed blaster shot will tear through 'at thing la'ike it's tissu' pap'er." Laeonas commented. His Brentaali accent was coming out stronger than usual- taking a gulp of his drink, he'd chuckle. "'Course I'm not tryna insult ya! Can't lie, looks quite fine- just hope ya don't plan on wearin' it for much practical tasks you'd need an armer chestpiece fer'."

Before Laeonas could continue with his practical criticism of what was very clearly mostly worn for ornamental purposes, a booming voice asked, "Soooo, you lookin' ta eat t'night?" Nak Nak suddenly shouted, wings flapping as he reentered the main room. "I've got a menu of some of the most delicious foods you'll find in a hundred- no- a THOUSAND levels from this place! Betcha they don't got any diners like these on Level 1." He'd chuckle, grinning wide. Laeonas maintained a slight smirk as he'd turn around again. "Sounds la'ike Ah'd be missin' out quite a bit than! Get me a menu Nak Nak and I'll see what I want."

@Shax