[Charred Arch] Tattoos Talk

[Koil Solus]

Location: The Charred Arch, Shonruss, Concord Dawn
Time: 1630
Participants: @vamp , @Darasuum
@Kraken
Theme: Confusion ♠ No Wyld

It was still pretty early in terms of drinking hours for a normal place that catered to night life. But people came in to eat and drink at the Charred Arch. The tavern belonged to Burkhart Kelborn and had hosted a few events for Mandalorians in the past. Koil had visited it quite a few times and enjoyed playing a knife throwing game out back. Tonight he was just enjoying a relaxing whiskey and ginger ale beverage.

Koil was wearing his Beskar'gam, fully as usual. His helmet still kept on his head but the straw coming up through his helmet so he could consume the libation. He was having a decent time so far, just relaxing. His Tattoo Parlor on the other side of the city was going to open up in the next week or so which he was looking forward to. He had hired a few different artists over the past couple of months and everything was looking good. The man had to constantly remind himself to not become complacent or let down his guard though.

 

[Drace Solus]

.

Drace stepped into the bar, Dinii in tow, his only weapons being his pistol and beskad. The Supercommando knew better than to bring anything else to a cantina, especially one with such a heavy Mandalorian presence; bar fights could break out any moment, and everyone hated the guy who came fully armed. His weapons were just a precaution, really, should anyone try to disrupt his day out.

The bar itself was owned by Burkhart, and Drace had been telling himself he'll check it out for the past few weeks. Now, finally finding time to have a drink, he'd picked it out to kill two birds with one stone. He walked in and recognized a few familiar armors, one of them being Koil's, the man sitting by himself and sipping something out of a straw. Drace strolled right up and sat down beside the man, waving a waiter over. "Drinking is barely any fun alone," he remarked, then turned to the server. "Shot of kamikaze, straight." With a curt nod, the man walked away, notepad and pencil in hand.

@Kraken @Darasuum

 

[Arturo Solus]

Arturo was mildly impressed as he wandered into the bar, a sly grin creasing the face behind his visor. The Charred Arch belonged to Burkhart Kelborn, he knew, and boy has he done a good job decorating, the tracker thought, making way for a family as they abandoned a table adorned with empty glasses and clean dishes. It was early, way too early to start drinking (heavily) though that didn't stop Arturo making a beeline for the bar. A number of Badgers -and a few non-Solus Mandalorians- had recommended this place to him, and Arturo had finally found the time to check the place out. First impressions meant a lot to the man, and he was pleased to admit that, so far, he was yet to be disappointed.

Dressed in his Beskar'gam, with only his vibroblade and one of his two Strill Blaster Pistols holstered at his hip, he was well-placed amongst the many other customers, most of whom were armored similarly. A few were armed, though, not excessively. Weapons and alcohol always made for a big 'no-no,' and Arturo was glad to see that common sense wasn't in short supply round these parts. It was a good thing booze wasn't either, since he noticed both Koil -still a helmeted enigma- and Drace, people he'd fought with and knew, sitting at the bar. Arturo decided then and there where he was going to sit, and a moment later he had planted himself on a bar stool off to Koil's left, catching the tail-end of Drace's comment as he settled in. He placed his visor on the bar before him.

"Hey now, don't let anyone tell you drinking alone's wrong. They're some of the best times I've had." He said by way of greeting, throwing a half-assed salute Drace's way, which the bartender took as a signal of sorts, for he wound up in front of Arturo a few heartbeats later. "Whiskey, neat. And another of whatever this guy," he tilted his head towards Koil, "is having."

@Darasuum @vamp

 

[Koil Solus]

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Turning his head from facing the back of the bar he caught sight of Drace saddling up next to him. He remembered the last time they had been in a bar together was probably back on Nar Shaddaa when Koil had taken down that big rebel intent on showing Drace what was what. Actually that was not true. The man had come to him playing on Contruum Six after the announcement of Daniel's death. But Koil had grieved and was looking towards new things in the galaxy. The days would come where he would avenge those fallen, but he did that regardless.

Turning his thoughts of darkness away he smirked underneath his helmet. From his left Arturo came up, more good company and took the seat to next to him. "Thanks. He said for Tracker Badger's arguement before turning his head back to Drace. "But who says I'm alone?" as if on queue Archie, Daniel's badger, came trotting around the corner casually. Water dripped from his mouth having taken a generous and sloppy drink from a nearby bowl. He came close to Dinii and sniffed the other dire badger out of curiosity. The creature usualyl disliked other's that wore helmets but had started to become more accustomed to the faceless T visors. Koil thought it was probably because he wore his quite a bit and had been the first mandalorian the animal had been comfortable with while wearing a buy'ce.

Earning himself a drink for free Koil would gladly take it. He sucked the straw until it made the sound customary with the bottom going dry save for droplets among ice. Then pushing it away he would burp slightly, a side affect of the carbonation. "scuse me.". Once the bartender came back he would thank them in turn. Before intaking the libation though he would speak again. "So how have things been with you guys?" His tone was casual. He was on the war council and technically a field marshal and also Al'verde to the clan Solus but at the moment he did not care much about his rank and status. They were all having a day off on Concord Dawn and it was just some comrades having a few drinks together.

 

[Drace Solus]

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Dinii sniffed Archie back, then tentatively pawed at his face softly, as if asking to play. Drace turned from the two badgers and then to Koil. "You been getting Dan's badger drunk?" he joked, grabbing the glass that the waiter had set in front of him. Drace took the shot and finished it in one quick gulp, setting the empty glass back down just in time to catch the tail end of Koil's question. "Good," he replied simply. "Just wrapped up the Kwenn campaign, so I came out for a celebratory drink."

A waiter grabbed the glass off the table and went to refill it, and Drace watched the man go. "What about you guys?"

@Kraken @Darasuum

 

[Arturo Solus]

Arturo nodded at Koil's answer, taking a slow pull of his drink, savoring the moment as Dan's Badger blindsided them. It had been a while since Arturo had even thought of the Field Marshal; Dan had been a good man in life, a good warrior, and by all accounts, he had met his end like a true Mandalorian. Arturo had mourned him, and commended him; not many men had it in them to accept their fate, and face their end unflinching. Nor did many men earn the respect of their enemies. His body and Beskar'gam, along with those of the men and women who'd fallen alongside him had been returned by those who'd slayed them. That didn't happen often...

Blinking, Arturo stretched out one tentative arm, a hand offered in greeting to the dire badger as he tried to take hold of his thoughts. The creature crept close for a moment, its wet muzzle brushing up against his fingers. It must've decided he was alright, for the badger gave his hand an affectionate nip... before trying to take it off in one huge, vicious bite. Arturo recoiled, cat-quick, grinning as the beast stared up at him, slack-jawed and silent as the grave. Eventually, it turned away, and contented itself with chasing a second Dire Badger about the place, ignoring the three men entirely.

Arturo turned back, and listened intently as Koil posed a question and Drace answered him. He took another pull of his drink, ordering another as the amber liquid disappeared down his gullet. He slid the glass away from him, nodding. He, too, had been involved in the Kwenn Campaign. He had hit a space station, apparently of vital import, alongside Brianna Saxon, and paved the way for Team Two. It had been a good fight; Arturo took pride in his work, and knowing it all meant something.

"I'm good." He said, keeping it short and sweet. "Been a-round the place a few times, doing the odd job here and there. Kessel, Hapes, Dathomir... You know how it is." He nodded his thanks as the bartender sent another whiskey his way. "And I...uh, got married." He took a swig, sighing as it burnt its way down his throat.

"You know how it is."

@Darasuum @vamp

 

[Koil Solus]

____________

Dinii's movements made Archie murmur a grumble slightly that was probably the badger equivalent of a what is that? Archie was not too used to playing with other badgers of the most part. Usually he either played with Koil or Dio's children while the former was on missions. But he would paw back and begin to play with his fellow quadruped while the mandalorians socialized with one another and acted towards Arturuo in the typical Archie manner making Koil chuckle slightly.

"Nah, he does not drink that much, I won't let him." He knew that Archie liked lapping up beer if left to bubble from a can or spilled droplets on party room floors but never enough to get him drunk. "Yeah? Kwenn, rough bit of fighting there." He simply commented in response. He had seen the reports on it all. It was possibly a sore subject but he knew that Drace could probably use another drink on top of the one he was already getting. Now was not the time to think about the difficulties of battles fought anyways.

When Arturo spoke he knew exactly what he meant. Koil had stayed busy, partaking in each of those operations at one point or another. When he mentioned getting married the Field Marshal chuckled again. "Yeah, I know. I was there." He responded wondering if the man had forgotten his presence there. Then again, the Silent Badger was used to being overlooked, he had practically preferred it until recently. One time at a Solus clan potluck one of his clan mates had walked right passed him while they waited at the front door and then closed the door in Koil's face because he had thought he was a statue or had not noticed him in the night air or something along those lines. Maybe he just blended so well into the background that it was second nature. Any more unnoticeable and he would have had to possessed light bending camouflage.

"Tell you boys what. I want to play a little bit of cu'bikad. They've got a board here we can use. Loser buys everyone drinks. Winner gets a free tattoo about...yay big He would expand his fingers to show about three centimeters size between them. He of course had practiced significantly at the sport and also used throwing knives in the field. It was actually how he had gotten the Mand'alor to adapt to her cybernetic arm. But that was why he did not benefit from the winning place, he would still get a free drink if he won.

 

[Drace Solus]

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Drace looked down to see the two badgers playing together, and smiled a little. It was nice to see Archie happy and active—he knew how hard Dan's death had hit the little animal. The Marshal glanced back up when Koil spoke, twisting his head a bit to the right into his shoulder in a gesture conveying "well, what can you do?" He was a bit irritated that out of all the Mandalorian campaigns, it had been his that failed—but he chuckled. "You can say that again."

Drace nodded after Arturo spoke. "Ditto," he replied after Koil. Has married life made Arturo so scatterbrained that he'd forgotten the two had attended the wedding? Poor guy.

”You’re on.” Drace was a veteran at cu’bikad, though he knew the other men were as well, most likely. Every Mandalorian knew how to play it, and it was a popular past time among war camps. Hell, he didn’t know a Mandalorian that didn’t play cu’bikad.

@Kraken @Darasuum

 

[Arturo Solus]

"Oh, yeah. You were." Arturo smiled, forgoing the need to berate himself for forgetting that little snippet of information. Of course they were both there, he thought, taking a sip of his whiskey, half the damn clan was. It wasn't his fault. The memory of that fateful day was clear in his mind... well, most of it anyway. He remembered the waiting, bouts of nerves making him shake like a leaf. He remembered the moment Corrine arrived with her entourage- he had never seen her so beautiful. He remembered how happy he'd been that day too, though, he didn't remember much of the after-party. Nor, he reckoned, did many of the guests...

The weeks and months since then had been chaotic, to say the least. Mission upon mission, a few raids here, an assassination there. It felt as if he'd spent most of his waking moments fighting and running, and on the odd occasion flying. He had realized early on that there would be no peace for him anytime soon; his duty to the Clan and Mandalore came first and foremost in this time of war. Moments of relaxation, and chances to gain some respite were few and far between, but he was keen to make the most of them. Like now, for instance.

"Why not?" He said, scooping up his helmet with his left hand before swiveling about on his stool. He rested his elbows on the bar, watching as the badgers chased each other about the place, high-pitched yelps heralding their approach as they cleaved to through the tables and booths, disappearing behind the bar a moment later. Arturo looked about, content to do whatever. "Where's this board you mentioned?"

@Darasuum @vamp

 

[Koil Solus]

____________

dice roll thread​

Finishing his drink he was glad to see that both off the mandalorians were up for a game. He had been coming to Burkhart's bar for some time and mostly just spent time alone, throwing knives at the board to just pass the time while he pondering things and got a buzz going. But tonight he actually had some company. Nodding his head he got up and his head towards the back. There were throwing knives to borrow from behind the bar if they did not have ones of their own but Koil had one on him at at all times. It was well balanced and could be thrown but it was not exactly a throwing knife.

Standing before the board he pulled out his blade. It made the all too familiar sound of the tool exiting its sheath. He smiled underneath his helmet a little. "Do I need to explain the rules? We'll play Di'kut Dalab" He tilted his head to either side. "The middle, is five points. The next ring is three and the rest of the board is one. Best 2 out of 3."

He would then proceed to stand about five meters away. It was a target roughly the size of potluck plate, or the vital area of a human sized target. He stared at the target for a moment. Thunk, the first shot would hit the target in the three area, about halfway between the bullseye and also the one point area. I'm just warming up He said to himself before reading for another shut. The second was worse. It only hit the target in the one point area. Well maybe he was drunk, so perhaps that was what it was. He went to take another shot. Another satisfying sound as the third and final shot hit the target. But again, it was even worse than the second throw and only looked to almost have missed the target entirely. "Sonova-... I think I might be more drunk than I thought I was." He admitted, at least he hoped it was because he was intoxicated and not just loosing his edge. That would be embarrassing.

 

[Drace Solus]

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Drace drew his knife after Koil was done, mentally preparing himself. He hadn't really drank much yet, and the alcohol was only beginning to set in, so he expected to do well. Maybe he'd even win, considering the War Councilor had set a pretty low bar.

He threw the first knife, landing a 3 just like Koil. Stretching his knife arm, he shrugged. "Warming up," Drace remarked, then threw the second knife. Another 3, but better than what Koil had done. Already, he was in first place—at least until Arturo's turn came. Slightly more confident, he threw the 3rd and final knife, surprised to hit another 3. "3's a lucky number I guess," he added, the statement coming out more as a question. He took a step back to give Arturo space for his turn, and watched eagerly as the man threw his knives.

Dice​

@Kraken @Darasuum

 

[Koil Solus]

____________

dice roll thread​

Koil sighed realizing he was going to probably end up giving these two a free tattoo after his lousy attempt at throwing the knives. He watched calmly as the fellow mandalorian took his shot at the board. He did alright, not anything amazing but it was better than what Koil had done. "Alright, zero, one." He said to let the man know he was winning.

It seemed that Arturo was preoccupied watching the badgers play a bit it seemed and enjoying his own beverage. The Al'verde shrugged and took his second turn. Stepping before the board he cracked his knuckles to make sure his joints were not stiff and then shook either hand.

Throwing the first one it hit the board. At first Koil though he had gotten a three but the point of the blade was in both the three point area and the five point. That was much better. He threw his second knife. It would not that far but definitely still in the three zone. His last knife was by far the worst. He did not even get a one pointer as it hit the post behind the board. "Osik. Well, could be worse." Koil said more to himself.

 

[Drace Solus]

Drace was winning, which was good. He tended to get fiercely competitive over anything he participated in, and someone would end up having a knife thrown at them by accident if he were to be blinded by the sentiment now. He watched Koil throw his blades, then stepped forward, and focused. The first slammed solidly into the three area. The second missed completely, and Drace furrowed his brows. He was normally a great marksman, so he had no idea why he had messed up. The third and final knife soared through the air for a moment before it hit the three area, and he stepped back.

Koil's first knife had fallen in between three and five, so it was hard to tell whether this was tied or the Councilor had won. Drace looked to him—he knew the house rules better, probably.

Dice​

@Darasuum

 

[Koil Solus]

____________

dice roll thread​

Koil crossed his arms and stood back, watching with interest as Drace threw knife after knife into the board as best as he could. It was worse than his last throw. Maybe he was overthinking it. Koil knew that was one of the risks he had when he first started throwing. Overthinking was a problem for him in general but throwing knives actually had him usually focus his attention on a simple task. A therapist would probably call it a buffer for causes of stress.

After Drace was finished Koil walked up to the board to get a closer look. "If you are in two areas you pick the higher point area. Pays to sink it in deeper, get more of your blade in the target." While it may have sounded more like a sport related ruling it made sense in a practical point of view as well. If one was trying to throw a knife at an enemy a knife penetrating deep did more damage. Nicking an artery or vital organ could be fatal all the same even if you did not hit it with the full part of one's weapon.

"Next round wins" He said and pulled the blades from the board before going to stand back where he had been before. At least he had redeemed himself somewhat compared to the last throw. Now he just had to not utterly fail. As the blade hit with a thunk Koil made a scoff at his own failure. It was just outside of the minimum point ring. But he would throw his second none the less. His second was near his first but this time actually getting inside the ring this time. Better, but it did not count for much. Surprisingly his last throw though hit the bull's eye. Not dead center but it hit deep and a satisfying sound. The man smiled underneath though at this point, if he had observed someone else do what he just did, he would have guessed it was just a coincidence that he had made a middle shot. Koil had six points this round. All Drace had to do was beat his low score.

@vamp