Ask Nar Shaddaa Float on By

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___Sleek continued scrolling through the information on the datapad as she listened to L'Arra. Her story wasn't unlike Sleek's own. She was exposed to the world of starships like she was, although her expertise went into piloting rather than maintenance.

___Then came the stories about the Empire. Sleek couldn't imagine the awful things she must have witnessed. The Empire wasn't known for its discretion or regard for life, considering its penchant for torture and scorched earth policies. Her heart went out to the other woman, though she imagined L'Arra didn't want her sympathy. In her previous experiences with veterans, they never wanted pity.

___"Oh? One-a those perks bein' meetin' beautiful starship mechanics?" Sleek asked, glancing up from her datapad with a grin. "Y'know, yer makin' it real hard not t'take ya t'the bar right now and fix yer bird later," she laughed. "Not that it needs that much done, t'be honest. She's in great shape, and most-a this Di-Gi can take of 'imself," she concluded, removing the data bank from her data pad. The woman set it on the cart next to her.

___"Update some systems, perform some tunin', li'l other maintenance. T'be honest, feelin' like I overcharged ya," Sleek laughed again.

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

"It wouldn't be Sh'daa if you didn't!" L'Arra chuckled. "Tend to do light maitenence on my own, but I always like to bring 'er in to a professional after a job." She watched the woman work, or rather, figure out there wasn't much work to be done. The droid would be the hardest part, and she was in no rush to leave Nar Shaddaa at the moment.

"Hells, why not? I'm in no rush to dip out. Let's do it," she said. L'Arra got to her feet and stretched. Several bones cracked and popped. "Won't see me turning down a chance to get a drink earlier."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"Still, even if this is Nar Shaddaa, I try t'make sure my prices are reasonable. Y'tend to get more repeat customers that way, and I can pretty confidently say I'd like t'see y'come back again," Sleek responded. When L'Arra expressed she would be willing to go to the bar now, Sleek turned to look at Di-Gi. "Think y'can get the bird all prettied up, li'l guy?"

___The droid whirred his affirmation.

___"Thanks. I'm goin' with Arra here t'the bar. Somethin' goes wrong, y'just ping my holo," Sleek instructed her droid, who once again chirped and beeped in confirmation. "Well, darlin', follow me. We're goin' t'the Blue," she said as she made her way out of the hangar. "Blue's got real nice private booths t'sit at so's we can talk without havin' t'worry 'bout people listenin' in. Also en't gonna have t'worry 'bout Di-Gi bein' there, neither," she explained as they left the shop and her droid locked the doors behind them.

___"Considerin' I feel like I overcharged ya, how's drinks bein' on me sound?" Sleek asked, glancing over at L'Arra with a smile. "And afore we get there and get us a booth, y'prefer t'sit across or next t'each other?"

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

"Lead the way," L'Arra said with a fanged grin. She'd never heard of the Blue, but it sounded like a good joint. Private booths were always a plus. L'Arra had gotten used to just spending time at the bar, shoulder to shoulder with what ever degenerate of the night decided to sit next to her. Half the time they pulled her tail or rubbed her ears without so much as asking. Wasn't uncommon to have to knock the lights out in someone for getting handsy.

"Next to is fine with me," she said. As they walked to the bar they chit-chatted about Fiana and Corellia, some of the more interesting characters they'd met in their journies. Seemed like time flew, and all of a sudden they were walking through the doors of the bar. As far as bars went, L'Arra was impressed.

The private booths lined the walls, while GalaPool tables filled the gaps between the circular bar in the middle of the room and the booths. Some of the booths had curtains pulled around them, other were left open. Speakers, lined up in the four cardinal directions above the bar, played some deep blues that gave the room a chill, smokey feel. Now this was what L'Arra called a bar!

She jerked her chin toward an empty booth, and led Sleek there, sliding in after her. A server droid rolled up, L'Arra didn't know what model exactly, but it had a relatively humanoid body but with a roller ball at the end of the spine instead of hips and legs. "Watcha orderin', darlings?"

"Corellian bourbon on the rocks, for me," L'Arra said.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___Sleek couldn't remember the last time she had spoken with someone at such great lengths, at least about anything unrelated to work. She talked about her job, how she got into the business, and everything related to work. It was a new experience to talk about things outside her profession, and as they walked together, anxiety started setting in. Had L'Arra asked her to take her to the bar, considering this trip a date?

___Sleek had never been on a date, even once in her life. This get-together couldn't be more than two acquaintances choosing to go on a recreational activity to learn more about one another. Though, if it was, why had she agreed in the first place? It was uncharacteristic of Sleek to do things like this.

___The low drone of music filled Sleek's ears as they stepped inside. She had been here many times before but never with anybody else. Familiar sights, smells, and sounds suddenly seemed foreign. She hardly recognised this place. Sleek had only ever invited herself, and now that the social buffer of her workplace and her job was suddenly gone, she felt lost. The Fiani entered the bar with her companion, guided to a booth in the far corner with only one set of seats.

___Sleek slid into the booth, nestling close to the wall on the comfortable leather-covered seats. L'Arra took her place next to her. The mechanic swallowed the lump she suddenly felt caught in her throat, casting a sidelong glance towards the serving droid as it asked its question. She hesitated.

___"Uh, Moogan Tea," she answered after a moment's delay, flashing a brief, awkward smile. "So, uh, whatcha think? Pretty nice place, en't it?" Sleek inquired, looking across the bar as her tails curled around her legs below the table.

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

"More than pretty nice," L'Arra said, flashing a smile at Sleek, before returning to letting her gaze wander around the bar. "It's perfect! Good music, cigarras, bourbon. Hells, I wish every planet had one o' these." She turned back to Sleek. "Bet they have some good fried food too."

L'Arra leaned back in the booth seat, draping her arms on either side of her along the top of the back cushion. She kicked her feet up on the other side, making a make shift recliner just as the server droid returned with their drinks. "Can I interest you in anything else, darlin's?" L'Arra took a sip of the corellian bourbon and sigh contentedly, turning her gaze to the droid.

"Whatever house special ya got goin' on," she said.

"Right away." The droid wheeled away, and L'Arra took another sip of bourbon. She noticed that Sleek had gotten pretty quiet; it was something she'd seen a few times over the years. Good conversation and vibes usually broke them out of the shell.

"That BD-unit back at the shop, he's got a lotta personality," she said, hoping it would lead Sleek to talk about something she enjoyed.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"Oh, good, glad y'like it," Sleek chuckled as L'Arra quickly expressed her fondness for the bar. "The fried food is good, but, uh, I prefer their sandwiches, t'be honest," she murmured, her voice trailing off as her companion leaned back into the seat and draped her arms over the back. Their proximity meant L'Arra's arm was all but around her shoulders, and while the other woman was making herself comfortable, Sleek was trembling like a lost child.

___"N-No, thanks," Sleek declined the droid's offer before it left. Both hands held onto her Moogan Tea. She lifted it to her lips and took a sip as L'Arra spoke about Di-Gi, taking the time to process her response as she drank. "Yep, he's a character," came her reply, punctuated by a quiet laugh. "He's been that way since day one. He tried t'be all proper BD unit at first, but he got used t'me real quick, learned how I talk, what kinda person I am, and he just kinda picked up after me."

___Sleek's stomach growled. She hadn't eaten anything substantial today besides a hasty breakfast before scrambling to the shop to begin working.

___"Maybe I should've gotten somethin' after all," she said. "Prob'ly ask fer a sandwich when the droid gets back with yer food. Uh, feel free t'get whatever y'want, I'll cover the bill since, y'know, I kinda overcharged ya for the work y'needed done t'yer bird."

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

"Well, I got us a house special, whatever that is," L'Arra said. "Don't worry about it. Just got done with a real nice payin' job hunting some drexl on Onderon. It'll get us by." She took another sip of her bourbon. Hells she loved a good Corellian bourbon. Put it on the rocks, let it release the hidden flavor notes, and L'Arra could sit down and sip on them all night if she was so inclined to.

"Must be nice having a lil' buddy around to help you with the shop and all," she said, picking the DiGi conversation back up. "Bet he catches all sorts hidden problems we can't find with normal diagnostics and maintenance routines." The droid returned not long after with a platter of BBQ gizka wings, fashioned in a circle around a house dipping sauce. "Oh hells yeah, thank you," L'Arra said excitedly. She turned to Sleek. "Did you want anything else?"

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"Y'already paid more than y'need to fer yer bird, figured the least I could do's make it up to ya and foot the bill fer the food," Sleek protested, her ears angling back as the other woman insisted she paid for it. She was stubborn, but L'Arra seemed just as adamant as she was. Her resolve about winning this conversation began to wane, but she wouldn't go down without a fight.

___"He's great comp'ny," Sleek confirmed. "Yer right. His ability t'interface with spacecraft 'cause-a his scomp link lets him find problems I en't never would've found with rudimentary diagnostic scans. Y'want an astromech droid? Prob'ly be better comp'ny than that assassin unit-a yers I'll be fixin' up," she scoffed. Her attention switched to the droid as it returned with the plate of food for L'Arra, her hand raising to get its attention and place her order. Before she could speak, the droid rolled away. Sleek blinked.

___"Must... be programmed t'assume no more orders after the first trip," the mechanic sighed. It looked like she would be eating after she got home. "S'fine, I'll just... cook up somethin' later," Sleek said. "Anyway, we keep talkin' 'bout me. What 'bout you? What, uh, what kinda things y'wanna do in the future? Just stay pilotin' that bird?"

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

L'Arra watched with astonishment as the droid picked up and rolled away before Sleek could order. She couldn't think of any reason a company would want to have a droid like that, but then again, this was Nar Shaddaa. Anything goes on Nar Shadda, and you take what you can get. She turned back to Sleek with an apologetic smile. "It's alright, you can take some of mine. I can carve up some wings but this is a lot."

Taking another sip of her bourbon, L'Arra shook her head. "Astromech could fly and maintain the ship, but I need a fightin' partner," she said, picking the droid conversation back up. "With that IG unit, I could have it fly when I'm on the ground, and secure the ship when I'm not around. Besides..." she paused, taking another sip of bourbon. Her glass was almost empty. She could feel the heat of it in her chest. "Always wanted to know if I could outshoot a droid."

With the hand that wasn't behind Sleek, L'Arra picked up a gizka wing and chomped into it. Okay, she forgave the droid for leaving now. It was a sweet, smoky BBQ sauce, and the wings were cooked to perfection. It took everything L'Arra had not carve into it like a cave man. They were definitely going to need some more napkins though.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___

”What? I en’t gonna take yer wings,” Sleek responded. The goal was to treat L’Arra to dinner, not have her order food and take it from her. She returned the meek smile, battling with the internal thoughts of what a mess this ordeal felt like. Not only was Sleek a mess, but she had now missed her opportunity to order, and L’Arra was offering her food. Some casual outing this turned out to be so far.

___”A’ight, no astromech droid, then,” Sleek chuckled, looking down at the drink in her hands. She had been sipping pretty liberally, and although Moogan Tea wasn’t usually made with a lot of alcohol, her head was feeling tingly. Was it her nerves or the alcohol, or maybe a mix of both? “Well, when I get the droid all fixed up, we can let y’two do a bit-a target practice,” she continued. “I’ll make sure not t’set the droid up t’be too easy or too hard, neither. I en’t gonna take away the satisfaction-a winnin’.”

___Sleek slumped back slightly in her seat, lifting her glass to her hands to take another sip of her tea. At least the liquid courage was tempering her nerves somewhat. Too bad it wasn’t helping her figure out more things for the two of them to talk about. She glanced over at L’Arra as she ate, and seeing the quantity of wings and how messy they were, the woman reached a hand into her coveralls to pull out a clean rag.

___”Here,” she said. “This’ll prob’ly be a fair sight better’n those flimsy napkins, honey. You, uh, got some on yer face, too,” Sleek finished with an amused laugh.

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

L'Arra shrugged when Sleek refused the wings and grabbed another, chomping into it like a carnivore. Hells she loved some wings. Every Thursday night was wing night on the Imperial ship she had been stationed on. They weren't as good as these ones, but they were best thing the Navy had on their menu. Navy cooks seemed to be the only people around that could some how fuck up something as simple as wings and rice.

"Nah, give him his all," she said between wings. "If I lose it was meant to be." It took a moment for L'Arra to realize that Sleek was holding a cleaning rag for her. She took it, smiling with BBQ sauce covering the entire lower half of her face and wiped herself down. She had a laundry machine on her ship she could use to wash it for Sleek before returning it. "Thanks," she said, smiling a clean smile this time. L'Arra took another sip from her bourbon, killing the glass.

Luckily for Sleek, the droid saw the glass empty, and rushed over. "Need a refill, honey?"

"Yeah, and my lady here would like to order something," L'Arra said. The last bit had a tone of annoyance in it towards the droid. Sensing this through its audio receptors, it reprioritized ordering.

"Yes, of course, ma'am. What can I get for you?"

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___

Sleek shrugged. If L’Arra wanted her to maximise the droid’s shooting capabilities, she would happily oblige. She nodded as the woman took the rag from her to clear her face. The droid rolled up shortly after, and before Sleek could speak up, her companion spoke up for her. Her face flushed slightly at L’Arra’s statement.

___“Thanks, darlin’,” Sleek answered. “Can I get a Spicy ‘Toine?” she asked, rising up in her seat to adjust herself to be more comfortable. As she lifted, she bumped into L’Arra’s arm, causing it to slip and fall fully around Sleek’s narrow shoulders. Without thinking, the mechanic raised her hand to delicately take L’Arra’s wrist in her calloused hand and hold it there to encourage to keep her arm where it was around her neck, hand over her chest. “Prob’ly some paper towels, too, with the way she’s eatin’ those wings. Some quality ones.”

___Sleek couldn’t help but chuckle again. She felt like her rag wouldn’t last very long with the way L’Arra was working through the wings on her plate. Satisfied, Sleek looked over at the other woman.

___“Y’need anything else?”

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

This was working out pretty well for L'Arra. She had some good wings, some good bourbon, and a relatively happy date. At least, that's how she saw it when Sleek pulled her arm around her and held it there. L'Arra's ears twitched happily, her tail oscillating lazily, just barely brushing against Sleek every time.

She was down to one hand, but that didn't stop L'Arra from carving into another wing. All the meat from the bone was gone in an instant. L'Arra nodded at the mention of more paper towels. They might as well bring the whole roll! Using the rag to wipe her face, she shook her head to Sleek questioning if she needed anything else.

"Right away, darlin's," the droid said, and rolled away. The programmed-in accent was starting to grow on L'Arra.

"Place is a real gem," she said, reiterating that she really liked the place. "So whatcha do for fun down here on the surface?" L'Arra asked. This was the closest L'Arra got to fun on the surface of planets. Everything else in her life was up in the sky or in space. Nothing beat the adrenaline of racing through a canyon in a ship that shouldn't be able to race through a canyon. Her surface activities usually amounted to buying, selling, and picking up alcohol to then later drink in space.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___

The sensation of Arra’s tail lightly brushing against her leg sent Sleek’s heart into a flutter. Between the woman’s arm around her neck, her wrist in her hand, and her tail gently swaying and rubbing against her, the Fiani was on another level of placated joy. Sleek took another sip of her tea as L’Arra expressed her enjoyment of the place.

___”Good t’know I can pick ‘em,” she laughed. The next question caught her off guard. “What do I do fer fun? Well…”
What did she do for fun? Her days were spent in the shop working on droids, ships, and anything else that walked through the door. Being the sole proprietor and only employee, Sleek didn’t have much time for fun and recreation. The question gave her pause.

___”T’be honest, I just spend m’days on the shop. I en’t really go nowhere,” came her hesitant reply. “I come t’bars like this sometimes, but only by myself. Only friend I really got’s Di-Gi, which prob’ly sounds kinda pathetic when I think ‘bout it,” Sleek finished. Of course, the woman had dreams and aspirations for things she wanted to do, but she wasn’t about to share such personal things so early on. Sleek readjusted again, situating Arra’s arm to be more comfortable around her neck.

___”T’be even more honest,” she began, “first time I really done somethin’ like this. Sorry if I’m stoppin’ ya from eatin’ yet wings proper. Feel free t’move yer arm whenever y’fancy.”

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

"Nah, there's nothing pathetic about it. Some of my best friends were astromechs the Navy issued me," L'Arra said. The droid came back with Sleek's food and L'Arra's refill. Of course, a pile of brand new paper towels was dropped off too. The droid hurried off, and L'Arra dropped the finished wing she had been working on to wipe her hand, then washed it down with a sip of bourbon. The heat in her chest ever more apparent.

"In the Navy, I used to play a card game by myself for fun. All my buddies would want to go out, have fun on the libo-port," she explained. "Sometimes I'd go, but most of the time I sat back, played some solo pazaak, and called it a night. Whatever works for you isn't up to someone else to decide or judge."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"Good t'know the woman I'm spendin' time with en't think m'only friend bein' a droid en't pathetic," Sleek chuckled. She released L'Arra's wrist as the droid returned with her food, grabbing her sandwich to raise it to her mouth and take a hefty chunk out of it.

___"Really?" Sleek inquired through a mouthful of food, a hint of surprise in her voice as she looked at L'Arra. She swallowed. "Y'struck me as the kinda gal who'd go out any chance y'got. What made y'wanna stay? Couldn't be 'cause y'just wanted t'play pazaak. Had t'be some other reason ya en't sharin'," the Fiani followed her question up with another, returning to devouring her sandwich after. Sleek was beginning to feel much more comfortable now with food to distract her, and now that she had food, she was drinking her tea faster, too.

___With faster drinking came more substantial side effects. Sleek's vision was becoming slightly fuzzy and disorienting, and her entire body was beginning to feel warm and tingly. She felt like one giant, vibrating being. As she continued eating, her drink disappeared faster, eventually leaving her glass empty by the point she was halfway through with her meal. Sleek paused, taking a moment to breathe and allow the food and drink to process. At the same time, she had started leaning, unintentionally pressing in closer to L'Arra.

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

"Once you've seen one libo-port, you've seen them all," L'Arra said simply, swirling the ice in her bourbon around a couple of times before taking a sip. "Made it a whole lot simpler to just drink on the ship, play some pazaak, hook-up with one of the cooks, and a call it a night."

L'Arra had a warm smile as she remembered her Navy days. "Nothing's really changed now that I'm out, except not having any cooks to hook-up with," she said, glancing at Sleek with a fanged grin. "Prolly for the best though; those boys were the only ones I knew that could fuck up gizka and rice."

She took another sip of her bourbon, her eyes turning to what was left of the wings. She'd have to get a box to go or something for the rest; she was stuffed. The feeling of Sleek beginning to lean on her, thus pressing herself again her, caused L'Arra to focus on Sleek a little more. It was pretty clear that the woman was effectively getting at the very least tipsy. Something that would happen to L'Arra soon too if she didn't slow down. When the heat in her chest became a fuzziness in her head, that's when it was time to either keep going or take a break depending on what she was doing. "You alright? Need some water?"

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___Sleek quietly hummed when L'Arra asked whether or not she was all right. Her head bobbed in a nod as she inhaled deeply through her nostrils, followed by an exhale.

___"I en't really drink all that often," she murmured. "S'pose y'could say I'm a lightweight. Sorry fer leanin' all over ya," Sleek apologised as she moved to sit upright unless L'Arra stopped her. She took another long, drawn-out breath and sighed, lifting her right hand to comb her fingers through her messy tresses. The food offered an excellent distraction to encourage Sleek to talk, but the alcohol was bringing back the uncertain thoughts that were plaguing her earlier. She was walking a fine line.

___"Some water would prob'ly not go amiss," Sleek confessed with a chuckle, glancing down at her legs. "Y'should let me cook fer ya sometime. I'll give ya a proper Fianese dinner that'll blow yer mind," she added, her hand lowering to her lap again. "Y'know, if y'ever ever come back, that is. I know ya prob'ly en't hungry no more. I also know this might be just another quick hook-up fer ya before y'leave and never come back, but... y'know, offer's there," she continued, clearing her throat after speaking.

___What did they do now? Sleek had never been in a situation like this with anyone before, so her knowledge about directing the flow of things could have been better. Did they stay and drink more? Did they draw the privacy curtain? Did they return to her shop? A dozen thoughts raced through her mind, her ears fanning to the sides as she tried to process all of them.

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

L'Arra waved the server droid down, mouthing the word 'water.' It disappeared in the back, returning a moment later with a glass full of water. The moment the droid put it down on the table, L'Arra slid it over to Sleek. She loved to see good people letting loose, but it was always good pace oneself.

"Oh, you're fine," she said. "Drink some water, you'll be bouncin' right back." At least she hoped she would. A good hook-up sounded great, but not if Sleek wasn't coherent by the time the clothes came off. "You've been some good company so far, and you're cheaper that most for repairs, so I'll be coming back regardless," L'Arra said, giving Sleek a fanged grin. She let the hook-up comment slide for now. Though it was a decent boost to her ego that Sleek was already welcoming of it.

She'd appreciate L'Arra not taking advantage of her in this state anyway, L'Arra knew that. "Why don't we get you home after the water. Make that cooked meal breakfast and we can knock out the IG repairs tomorrow." There wasn't an ounce of judgement in L'Arra's voice. It had taken her almost a decade to build the tolerance to alcohol she had now. Besides, being a lightweight just meant you could get drunk cheaper.

@Remileah