[IC thread] In the Black

[Narath]

((... Damn it, you're right. I was getting confused because they had a picture of Nathan Fillion for him. CURSES!!! I was so excited!

But at least it's still someone that contributed to firefly...

Still sad though...))

[Mistress of Whispers]

((Repost))

 

Xiao was duly impressed by Athena's confiscation of the table. It certainly beat the rickety table she had found. She took a moment to speak to the bartender in private as Jake carried the drinks out, then rejoined the group.

 

"I have the name and description of someone selling medical supplies. Black market. She's not in yet, but I'm going to talk to her when she arrives." With that, she selected the drink with the lowest alcohol content - alcohol did not mix well with the variety of uppers and downers Xiao was always on.

[Biologist]

Jay - pilot - content for now

 

Jay took a beer. It was cold and he was thirsty, so he gulped it down with gusto. He put the glass down on the table and smiled broadly. "Just what I needed, Jake. Thanks."

 

Then he grabbed the pool cuestick and gestured to the chairs at the table, inviting the ones who didn't want to play to sit down. When he heard Xiao mention a rendez-vous, he remarked: "Just tell us who, when and where and one of us will go with you. Just to get your back." He gave her a wink and then returned his attention back to the pool table...

Edited August 23, 2014 by Biologist

[XxWaterGaridanxX]

Athena smiled at the assortment of drinks taking one of the smaller glasses and taking a sip of what she had no clue. But she placed it on the table and sat back waiting for the boys to play. She was feeling slightly uneasy from all the sly looks that she was getting but made sure not to let it show. She had simply aquired the two tables because she had wanted to show the rest of the crowd that she wasn't afraid to be here or get what she wanted.

Either way she didn't know what to do with herself in this sort of situation, it had been a long time since she had simply gone to a bar even longer with just friends.

She exited her thoughts just in time to hear Xiao mention she was going to get medical supplies and before she could say anything Jay took it from her lips. She worried about the doctor at times, having become slightly attached to the calm woman.

"Well boys those balls aren't going to break themselves." She said as she stood.

[Mistress of Whispers]

"Will do," Xiao reassured Jay.

 

"Will you be playing?" she asked Athena. Somehow the Companion looked like she might give the men of the ship a run for their money when it came to playing pool.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Mistress of Whispers

[XxWaterGaridanxX]

"I think I'll play for a game." She said with a smile to Xiao, "I haven't played in a couple of years, but we shall see." She wasn't must for competition or focusing on something like pool but she had to keep herself busy as to ignore the people around them.

 

Noting that no one had taken her advise to break the triangular set before them she rolled the que ball in to place and leaned over the table, taking aim and a slow breath before letting her stick hit the battered white ball. The balls broke fairly well, only the red solid one going into the far left pocket. As she straightened back up she noted a couple of dark robed figures entering the bar, they game off a sort of dark vibe and everyone seemed to steer clear of them. She wanted to take a good look at them but refrained and took a step back form the table.

 

"Who's next?"

 

 

((Don't know who the dark figures are, just figured I'd give us something to do.))

 

[Biologist]

Jay - pilot - going for a shot to impress

 

Jay stepped up and surveyed the table. "Nice break." he said grudgingly. "There aint nothing for us to pocket easily."

 

Well, he wasn't a pilot for no reason. His keen spatial awareness should make him a perfect shot. He decided to show off and make an extremely hard shot. He casually took the pool cue and chalked up the tip. He sat on the side of the table and lifted the cue vertically, tip to the cue ball.

 

"Lucky number seven in the middle pocket." he called out and with a sharp downward thrust he hit the white ball. It sped away with some speed, only to curve back around the six and twelve to hit the seven ball... But seven didn't go in the pocket. It bounced on one of the sharp corners of the pocket, knocking the number eight dangerously close to the corner pocket.

 

"Ta ma deu!" he swore under his breath. "I need more beer."

 

He had noticed the newcomers and added them to the watchlist, together with the leery eyed male population of the rest of the bar. "Next."

[Marcus Pheonix]

Nelson chuckled as he watched Jays sad excuse of a shot. He took a sip of his drink and placed it on the table walking up to the table.

"Take a drink and calm yourself there Ace," Nelson mused. He suddenly felt a dark presence over his shoulder. He frowned slightly and gazed at the person opposite him, his eyes focusing in on theres until he could clearly see the group in the eyes reflection.

They didn't look too impressive, if anything they looked like medieval priests of some dark cult.

Nelson then turned his gaze back to the pool table and casually struck at the white. Three balls including the seven Jay had been aiming for fell into the holes. Noticing that he'd left on precariously close to the top-left corner hole he used his extra shot from sinking a ball to move it back out of the way and towards a couple others, the next person would have a difficult shot. Smiling he patted Jay on the shoulder.

"So the loser buys the next round right?"

 

((Ha-ha fear the master pool player!))

[Narath]

Jake - Always on target

 

"Really Nelson?" Jake asked exasperatedly. "I'm already going to have to pay for the rest of Athena's drinks if I lose to her."

Grabbing a pool stick, Jake moved into position to make his own shot; something that would prove difficult due to the shot just taken by the engineer.

"You're really trying to make me lose my bet with her aren't you Nelson?" Said the gunner as he assessed the table.

He couldn't get a straight shot on any of the pool balls. When it came to pool (and pretty much anything else) he could hit anything dead on, but with this shot he'd have to curve or angle something... unless...

Leaning down, he aimed past the one that Nelson had put partially in the way of his shot, drew back, and hit. The tip of the que struck the bottom of the que ball, causing it to leap over Nelson's well placed obstical and striking one past it. The two balls struck evenly, and the collided one rolled right into the corner pocket he was aiming for.

"Yes!" He shouted triumphantly, his fists in the air, and a stupid look of glee upon his face.

 

(Fear the lucky shot

He won't have much more luck, I promise)

Edited September 16, 2014 by Narath

[XxWaterGaridanxX]

Athena- Actually having a bit of fun

 

The companion laughed along with the boys, they were all so different. But she guessed that this would make for a good game if Nelson did not wipe them all out in one swoop. She smiled noting Jake's enthusiasm as she walked up to the table, chalking the tip of her cue stick, "Good shots boys."

She walked around the table to get into a good position, taking her lace shawl off to reveal her bare shoulders, "Xiao could you hold this as I hang the boys out to dry?" She asked teasing the men before she leaned over and, biting her bottom lip she aimed, and struck. The white que ball struck and separated two close standing balls, they separated and landed in two opposing pockets. Seeing as she hadn't thought that that would work she jumped and gave a girlish squeal.

"Ah! Got it!" She truly smiles and looked at her companions, "Jake I like my martinis dry with three olives by the way." She told him with a triumphant smile, as she turned and sat next to Xiao again, "Thank you lovely."

[Mistress of Whispers]

Xiao smiled as she watched her companions play pool, each of them trying to outdo the others. Her smile faded as her gaze fell on the hooded men. Over the top? Check. Menacing? Check. Worse, even the other patrons gave them a wide berth. If it came to blows, there would be no help from the other customers.

 

She was about to suggest they call it a game and leave, when the station's self-proclaimed apothecary strolled in. At least, she thought that was him based on the description from the bartender.

 

"That's my cue," she said to the group as she rose. She was glad to see the apothecary had taken up a table near theirs, so her companions would be at hand if something went wrong. Nevertheless, she took a moment to smoothen her dress and signal to the barkeep to give the man a drink on her.

[Biologist]

Jay - pilot - not seeing any possible shot at all

 

Jay sighed. The table was a mess. There were balls grouped together, close to the cushion or just plain unreachable for the white cue ball. He could give the white a wild strike to see where the rest of the balls landed, but something in him held back. He was better than that.

 

As Xiao went to sit at a different table, he cast another glance around. The patrons were shifty, nervous, the hooded men were ominous and the atmosphere altogether frosty.

 

He shook his head. This place needed something to liven up the mood. He took up position behind the cue ball, gave it a vicious backspin and launched it towards the lone yellow 1-ball. The 1 sped away, making a round trip on the table, knocking several groups loose, while the white came spinning back towards him, stopping snugly against the cushion. Nothing was potted, but Jay hoped Nelson would find some challenge in his next pot.

 

"Your shot, Nelson. I hope you sweat on this one. In the mean time, I gonna liven up this place. It is altogether too quiet."

 

He walked over to the faux-jukebox in the corner, passing Xiao and the hooded men, and put a coin in the machine. It came to life and after selecting the right song, it started playing an old time favourite of the pilot. The sound of howling guitars came out of the jukebox and Jay strolled back towards the table, keeping an eye on Xiao and the room in general, before joining his crewmates.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Biologist

[Narath]

Jake - Feeling undignified and happy

 

"If all my money goes to your drinks, I'll have to go dry." Jake joked after Athena made yet another great shot. "I won't have enough money left for myself!"

After the lovely companion took her seat, which he pulled out for her since he was nearby, he kept an eye out for the other female of the group as she made her way to the man she was meeting. They'd have to keep an eye out for Xiao while she was no longer at their side. Especially since there was some suspicious looking men over that way too. Suddenly aware of the fact that his hand had wandered to the gun holstered on his hip, Jake turned back to the game.

"Hurry up you bloke." He said to Nelson. "I don't want to spend all day staring at a table!"

[Marcus Pheonix]

"Calm down gunner, just cause the classy lady is better at pool then you doesn't mean you need to get all depressed," Nelson mused to the weapons expert.

He then looked over the table, his eyes calculating the angles and the force required to sink the most balls while still making it difficult for the others to follow up.

He had to admit Jay was pretty good at this game, his last shot made it difficult to get a single ball down into a hole. Deciding on his course of action Nelson casually aimed the cue and slid it easily between his fingers, pulling back he let loose. The ball rolled forward and bounced off a corner it then moved forward and sunk the the red ball.

"Next shot," Nelson moved around and quickly sunk another, his final shot then moved the eight ball into a very precarious position, next to the yellow Jay had been aiming at. If anyone were to try and sink it without approaching on a near impossible angle the eight would sink. He smiled as the music began playing and tapped his foot along to the beat as he waited for the next shot.

[XxWaterGaridanxX]

Athena-stumped companion

 

Athena pursed her lips at the board, "By the gods Nelson..." He had left her in a predicament, so she would have to see if she... Her thoughts were distracted as the two hooded figured moved casually down the bar to lean against it and aim their hooded faces in ther direction. She felt nerves shoot down her spine but she kept her eyes on the game as she lined up her stick and jabbed at the que ball, it bounced, unlike her last smooth hits and hit a couple corners before stopping when hitting the solid blue ball. She had a horrible feeling that things might get interesting with the men in a few minutes.

the companion straightened, "Just giving you time to catch up Jake, I wouldn't want to take all your drinking money, just most of it." She told him with a small smile as she finally realized that Jay had put some music on, an it was semi tasteful. But she couldn't help but feel an uncomfortable weight on her as she watched from the corner of her eye was the two men conversed between one another... Or what she assumed were two men.

 

((Anyone seen the episode Objects in Space? ))

Edited October 7, 2014 by XxWaterGaridanxX

[Biologist]

Two hooded strangers

 

As they approached the bar of the little space station cantina, Jack took in the room. Their hoods had drawn attention and he cursed inwardly. Casually he threw it back, revealing a wary face, cleanly shaven, but grimy from travel. Hopefully that would put their potential targets at ease.

 

As if on cue, the other person threw back her hood as well, revealing a face with hard lines, framed by short hair, dyed white. She took on a casual stance, resting one foot on the rail attached to the bar and cracking a smile at the barkeep. "We'll have two shots of gin." she said in a non-descript fringe accent, while putting some coins on the bar.

 

While wearing a hood was common on rides with faulty heating (or cheap captains), they had gone off on a bad start, but their travellers' look put most customers somewhat at ease. Jill hadn't lost her touch.

 

Jack pulled out a small and battered hand-held pad and started to check it as if he was looking for the next ride out of here in the docking manifest. In reality, he was looking at the photo's of their target. They had heen extremely lucky to come here, for here she was on this gods-forsaken space station. He smiled contently. A sign of confirmation for Jill. Now the waiting game would begin...

[Takhesis]

Atlanta - watching the pool game

 

While sipping on one of the drinks, Atlanta occupied herself by watching the on-going pool match.

 

Though the hooded strangers creeped her out. The reaction from the rest of the cantina users didn't help in the slightest.

 

Though it did look like they weren't going to start a brawl - if they were they could have easily done it when Jay walked away from the group to the jukebox.

 

 

Still - there was something about them that made Atlanta nervous. And she couldn't say what it was, not exactly.... It just seemed they had more of a purpose than just a stop-over.

 

I must be paranoid..... Her earlier conversation with the Captain must have shaken her more than she'd thought.

[Narath]

Jake - Rather put off

 

"Riiiiiiiight." Jake said sarcastically. "And I'm the worst looking guy in the verse."

Stepping up to the table, Jake tried to line up a shot, but the blue ball was closer to the que ball than he thought, and sent the white orb rolling off into a pocket.

"Wou Duh Tian Ah!" he half shouted in frustration, kicking a nearby table leg and stubbing his toe in the process. "Gorram it!"

After hopping about on his uninjured foot for a few seconds, the muscular man attempted to regain his usual calm composure and cast a grin at the group.

"Sorry 'bout that." He said. "I guess I'm just having a bit of an off day"

 

((I don't know why but I feel like being cruel to my character today

Sorry Jake))

[Biologist]

Two hooded strangers nursing their drinks at the bar

 

Jack and Jill sat at the bar, talking in low voices about their travel plans. It was a well rehearsed routine they had developed to quell suspicion and let anyone who might be listening in believe they were actually traveling together and this was just a stop on the way. Since they had moved to the waiting game, they didn't even need to use code. All that was required was that one of them kept an eye on their target, figure out her moves, and evaluate her companions' strengths and weaknesses.

 

It was clear to them they needed to get her away from the rest, for they would surely put up a fight. They looked too fidgety, and it could come to a violent encounter if they didn't proceed with extreme caution.

 

But, time was on their side. With the drinking going on, a bathroom break was inevitable...

Edited October 20, 2014 by Biologist

[Mistress of Whispers]

Xiao was not a good negotiator, yet she almost always got a fair price. Her 'skill' lay in preparation - she knew what good were worth, even accounting for the particulars of that specific region, going in. After that, she merely held on to her offer until the other party gave (usually) in or walked away exhausted (sometimes). Hailing from an affluent family on a core world, she did not even consider this 'negotiating'. A good price was a good price, and that was the whole of it. Still, she was happy to see that her trade partner was about to agree too.

 

She was just about to propose a date, when the hairs at the back of her neck rose. Looking up inconspicuously, she scanned to room. Even without meaning to, she felt the conscious part of her mind slowly go into hibernation as her brain began to run an impossibly advanced threat assessment. She hated it when that happened - it made her feel like she was nothing more than a machine. Before she could sink any deeper though, her trade partner spoke up with a time and place for the transfer of goods and cash. Mind snapping back on the task at hand, Xiao felt the calculation slip away...

 

 

 

 

[Narath]

"I'll be back in half a minute guys." Jake said, rubbing his temples. "Just gonna try and see what I can do to wake up a bit."

Yea, that's why he was losing. He was just too tired to concentrate. Of course.

The weapons expert slowly made his way to the bathroom, making a b-line for the sinks once he entered. When he got in front of the basins, he turned on the cold water, cupping some in his hands before splashing some in his face.

[XxWaterGaridanxX]

Athena half heatedly smiled when she saw that he was truly upset for not waking up in time to play a proper game of pool, she really did find him to be a good man even if he was a little obsessive sometimes.

She sat with board straight posture next to Atlanta, using her drink to take a look around the room with every sip she took from the cracked glass and noted that the two figures were no longer hooded and surprisingly enough one of them was female.

"I have a feeling our game is going to get cut short today." She said to no one in particular as she kept the two in her peripheral vision.

[Mistress of Whispers]

Agreeing to the trade drop-off, Xiao rose and rejoined the others. "I have a meeting in six hours. Credits for medicine. I don't expect any complications, but back-up would be appreciated. Plenty of time though." She spoke in a hush voice, even quieter than normally, yet it carried well.

Edited October 29, 2014 by Mistress of Whispers

[Biologist]

Mysterious man and woman, sitting at the bar, 'relaxing'

 

As Jack kept a casual eye on the group surrounding their target, he noticed one of them walking off by himself. Presumably to relieve himself. This presented them with a wonderful opportunity to get some leverage to smoothen the capture. He smiled at their good fortune.

 

A minute later he got up, signalled to his partner to follow him somewhat later and went to the restroom himself. In his pocket he prepared the tranquilizer dart to use against the muscular man. He decided to use the whole dose, just to be sure. He hoped it worked quickly enough, though it was not a fight he was worried about. As long as nobody noticed the sounds of a scuffle coming from the men's room, everything else would be acceptable.

 

He saw the man splash water in his face and look in the mirror. He nodded a silent greeting as he passed and stuck the dart in the man's upper leg. It was enough to take down a tiger.

 

The casual manner in which the bounty hunter had applied the dart, was another calculated move. The longer it would take for the victim to realize what had happened, the longer the tranq had to start working.

 

With a bit of luck, the unsuspecting man would keel over without even knowing what had hit him.

 

With just a little bit of luck indeed...

[Mistress of Whispers]

With a bit of luck, the unsuspecting man would keel over without even knowing what had hit him.

 

With just a little bit of luck indeed...

For once, luck was on Jake's side. Having splashed water on his face, he was already turning toward the urinals when someone tried to pickpocket him. No, not pickpocket he saw as he looked down - something was sticking out of his leg. Pulling it out on reflex, he dropped the still half-full dart to the floor. Not stopping to ask questions, he drew back his fist to uppercut the other man...

 

...Fifteen minutes later...

 

Sporting a fantastic bruise on his face and walking with a distinct limp, Jack carried his unconscious 'drunk friend' from the bathroom. Even accounting for the half dose, the target has excellent stamina - and a mean swing. Sending a message to Jill reading 'package retrieved', he began to make his way over to their ship.

 

((Unless there are objections, I propose we let Jack and Jill get back to their ship, then call the group to prepare an exchange (Jake vs Athena). We've already had a fire fight with pirates, so not-so-diplomatic negotiations and/or setting an ambush of our own, might be a nice change of pace compared to another fight in the bar.

If yes - someone in the group (first interested player to post?) gets the call.

If no - propose alternatives in the OOC?))

Edited January 19, 2015 by Mistress of Whispers