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Cass steps out of the Nearest Moon, his eyes adjusting to the bright lights in the station interior halls. VR's got nothing on the real thing, he considers, catching up with Creed as they return to the Makkuro.
 

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A short time later, Cass steps in the mess hall along with the others. "Smells amazing in here. I'll take a plate." He sighs, slumping into a chair. Ugh, why am I so tired? All I did today was sling stolen whiskey and get blue balls.

"Eridas and I closed a deal on that whiskey. I was thinking of letting go of eighteen boxes, and keeping two of them for the crew. Should make us north of 13 kilo, enough to keep the mess stocked and the oxygen cycling a while longer. How'd shopping go?"

OOC

Pending other PC input, selling 18 boxes of whiskey at 750 per for 13,500 credits, which will join the 2,000 in the Makkuro's Expense Fund for a 15,500 balance.

Cass will spend any remaining days as Fix-2 assistance to speed up the Makkuro repairs.

After some time, Eridas meets up with Cass outside "The Nearest Moon". Though incredibly flustered, Creed very obviously isn't sure how to feel about the experience. After taking a moment to recover, he heads back to the Makkuro with Cass.
 

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After arriving back at the Makkuro Eridas curls up in a sitting position on the floor, finding a nice, comfy corner to settle in. He smiled softly to himself and nodded before Cass' voice pulled him out of his mildly dazed stupor. "Yeah, selling the whiskey went well." He chuckled a bit and looked back down at the floor.

OOC

Eridas will spend his downtime trying to look for small odd jobs around the dock area. Transporting goods around the dock, ship maintenance, pretty much anything - But his primary goal is to try and get in good with some of the mechanics and pilots there to try and talk candidly with them about the issues on the station from their POV. Any credits he earns from it would be secondary.

Pleased with their purchase, Tess heads back to the ship with Hikaru, eager to rest and relax back. Only a few more days until we can wear actually comfortable clothing in this tub, instead of whatever the Idarete navy cheaped out on.
 

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"Fantastic," Tess says excitedly, as the others mention their success selling the whisky and the fresh cooked food. "That will more than cover the uniforms," she continues, before turning to Cass. "It went great! We ordered a dozen of everything. Jumpsuits, new vacc suits, hoodies, shirts, pants and stuff. Enough for everyone here, plus some extra crew down the line. We just need to settle on a logo to send the tailor, and he can include that on each piece. Anyone good at drawing?" she asks, looking around to her friends and their crew. 

OOC/Mechanics

Tess will subtract 2560 credits from the ship fund, once the whiskey is sold, to cover the uniform expenses.

Tess will initially search for work, either as a courtesan or as a guard/muscle of some sort, and then decide what to spend her days doing based on what she finds. Let me know what to roll to look for such jobs.

"Great, thank you," Hikaru says, offering the seamster a pleasant smile with their transaction taken care of. Well that's that, then. Can't wait to try that hoodie on. And see Cass's reaction when he lifts up the hood. With a contented sigh, he follows Tess back to the Makkuro.
 

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The pop star grins as he steps into the mess hall, giving Marko a quick side-hug so as to not impede his cooking. "Damn, good work," Hikaru says to Cass and Creed with a proud nod. "I'm sure this station's rich alcoholics will thank you too." He cracks a smirk, sitting down at the table and releasing a weighty sigh. Nodding to Tess, he adds, "Yeah, got about a dozen sets. That should cover us for awhile, I think." He shrugs. "Worse comes to worse, we can use one of those janky, free logo maker sites."

OOC

Hikaru would seek out respectable clubs/bars/restaurants in need of some kind of live entertainment to have a temp gig at, while also building up connections for the Connected focus.

"Extra crew?" Cass repeats with a nod, testing the words. "Yeah, I guess it's inevitable. Can't run a tub on half-capacity for long before we start burning out."

He looks to Tess, shaking his head. "Nope, can't draw for shit. Too bad I can't get a hold of my kid sister, she'd stencil something in an hour that puts paid designers to shame." The engineer sighs inwardly. Miss her. Miss all of them, even mom. Fucking League.

Eridas thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think I can do much with art. It's hard for me to focus on it."

"Hey," Cass says, recalling their errand. "Guess who we sold that whiskey to?"

He flicks forward on his compad, revealing the name and logo of The Closest Moon — two Os in moon represented by a woman's bare buttocks. "Solid little club, there. You think we were getting robbed, considering they gave us dances on the house. Thought Creed here was going to faint, how red his face was. But no, we held a firm price." The engi grins wide, before an earnest look follows. "We uh, we could all check it out together, actually. Team-building or some shit. If that's cool, at least." He looks between the others, his eyes lingering slightly longer on Tess'.

Hikaru blinks a few times, his eyes moving between the compad screen and Cass's face as he tries to determine if the engineer is serious. "I... you want us to go to a strip club?" the pop star says dumbfoundedly. He buries his face into his palm, chuckling slightly. "Usually, teambuilding is like... trust falls and dumb corporate seminars, not waving holo-creds at a girl named Krystal." He lets out a soft sigh, beginning to recover from his astonishment. Fucking bold to suggest a place like that for teambuilding, I'll give him that.

He shrugs and lets out another quick chuckle. "I'd almost wanna go just to see Creed's reaction. Not like I'd spend a cred anyways when I prefer the male form," he says, eyes lingering on Marko as he wants his beau cook. Guess I lucked out.

 

Creed's face went red as he looks at Cass, embarrassed. "I did not! You're over-emphasizing my reaction..." He blushed and looked away. "I just didn't know what was going on, that's all." He muttered softly.

"I'll go back if you all do." He shrugs.

"Damn," Tess says, as the others mention their lack of artistic talent. "What about you guys?" she continues, turning towards Pia, Martine, and Marko. "Any of you ever dabble in drawing? And know how to draw a cute cat?" She isn't hopeful the answer will be any different, but asks all the same. You never know, maybe one of them secretly aspires to make it big in the illustration world. 

Tess listens, at first with curiosity, and then with amusement, as Cass explains their job and the place they visited. She gets a good chuckle out of Creed's apparent reaction at the club, and his follow-up reaction in person. Oh, Creed. Clearly you need to get out more. Noticing Cass' gaze, she shrugs as the others give their opinions on the outing. "I'm down. Strip clubs are fun, it's nice not to be the one shaking their ass for a change. Though, if they need a new girl for a few days, it might be worth the money," she says, the last words more her thinking aloud than talking to anyone in particular. Certainly more fun than grunt work. Probably more lucrative too. I'll have to ask them if they're taking temporary dancers.

"Oh, you know what was going on," Cass insists, clapping a hand on the pilot's shoulder. He chuckles, before shaking his head. "We're not the best influences, huh? Stealing ships and going to strip clubs. You'll learn quick what it's like away from home. I did."

He turns back to Hikaru. "Teambuilding looks different when you're whatever the fuck we are. Who knows, maybe they've got some young bucks for you? Worth a trip."

"The owner's name is Virdia, by the way," he says to Tess. "I could introduce, if you're serious."

Wow. Would it be weird if I like, paid to watch her dance? he asks himself, unsure of the answer. Does that cross some line? I'm just... I think I'm actually into her. As fucking dangerous as that is.

"Yeah, sure," Tess replies, giving the man a polite smile. "Assuming they pay well, it's a lot better than roaming around this rock looking for people who want, and can afford, a good time," she continues with a chuckle. "What is Virdia like? She seem nice? Or am I gonna have to make my case?" Wonder what her girls make each night. Probably a lot, given that it is mostly sailors here.

TheWalrus42 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 30, 2023 5:11 pm "What about you guys?" she continues, turning towards Pia, Martine, and Marko. "Any of you ever dabble in drawing? And know how to draw a cute cat?"

"I was unfortunately born bereft of any creative ability. My twin got all of that. I was just left with the good looks and the sense of humour," Pia says with a slight smirk. "Oh Martine could do it!" She adds excitedly.

"Ehh - I don't know about that," Martine says hesitantly, putting down her compad.

"You draw stuff all the time."

"I'm not good though to put my art on the side of a ship though," Martine says.

Pia goes to say something again but Marko interjects. "The food is ready, grab a plate people," he says, plating up twos portions himself and making his way over to the table where he sets one plate down in front of Hikaru before taking the seat next to him. "We managed to find real tomatoes for the sauce. The "meat" though - maybe don't ask about that," he says making air quotes with his hands for the word meat. 

"The box contained the words artificially textured, which is personally my favourite," Pia adds grabbing her own plate and taking a seat at the table. "Is this strip club trip going to be a full crew team building activity?" She then asks with a smirk, turning the conversation back to its earlier topic.

"Oh, you draw?" Tess asks Martine, intrigued by the conversation. "Show us your work! I bet you're better than you think. Certainly better than the rest of us, I'd guess." She grabs a plate and goes to sit next to the woman, hoping to see some of her drawings. "What sort of stuff do you like to draw?" A skilled mechanic and a skilled artist, an interesting combo. I wonder what else she can do.

At the mention of the strip club, she turns to face Pia. "Of course! I don't see why anyone should be excluded if they want to come. Though, like, if anyone doesn't want to go, no pressure either. It's not everyone's scene, I know. I might judge you," she continues with a smirk, "but I'd get it," she continues, eyeing her friend and his new lover with the last words. Hikaru and Marko can have their own private strip tease back here if they want. More fun for the rest of us.

Eridas listened to their conversation and then, at the sound of food being done, he hopped up and went to get a plate for himself. After taking a seat at the table he shrugged; "Why isn't it -" He started but trailed off as he heard Tess begin to speak up, and he instantly quieted down. He took a bite of the food, genuinely shocked at how good it tasted, being more than used to his mother's cooking. "Damn, my compliments to the cook - some of the best food I've ever had!" He said enthusiastically, before taking another bite hungrily.

"Yeah, give us a peek," Cass says, egging on Martine. He stands up, grabbing a plate of the pasta. Twirling it with a fork for a moment, he takes a few bites, a studious look on his face. "It's great, actually. The fake meat isn't bad, either. As long as you're not aiming for a steak, the texture and taste can get a pass."

He turns to Pia, nodding along with Tess' words. "It'll be fun. I vote for a round of shots on the ship's expense account after our successes today."

Cass takes another bite, sighing contently as he does. This feels good, the camaraderie. Belonging to something. Didn't realize how much I missed it since I was with the Navy. He looks around the mess hall at the faces of the crew, all people he has reluctantly grown a fondness for in the numbered days together. The thought of growing closer to them scares him, but excites him all the same.

"Free drinks too? Even better," Pia replies to Cass with a smirk.

"Fine. Here," Martine says caving to the peer pressure. Using her compad she navigates its file system before pulling up an album of her work, then handing the device to Tess. "Don't judge me," she adds before you get a chance to take a proper look, her face already starting to go a deep shade of crimson.

The album contains several coloured drawings of three characters from Entrancing Reason, a popular anime show from the entertainment feeds, in several different romantic positions. While the content of her drawings may not be the type you would expect to find in an art gallery on Strocho, it is clear she has some talent.

Tess watches in even more curiosity, and a little amusement, as Martine's embarrassment shows clearly on her face. My my, Martine, whatever could you be drawing to go so red? It must be risque, she thinks, as she takes the phone to view the drawings. She is disappointed to find that they are more tame than that, though her disappointment is outweighed by her appreciation for their crew member's talent. 

"Oh wow, they are good!" Tess exclaims, excited that she got to see the art, even despite the woman's reluctance. "This is, uh... Entrancing Reason, right? I never saw it, but I used to live with a girl who loved it. That one is Kai, right?" she asks, pointing to the blond teenager shown in some of the images. I wonder if this was a childhood favorite show of hers, or if she still watches such things as an adult. I wonder if it is even any good. "That's the only name I can remember."

Hikaru smiles as Marko delivers him a plate, leaning against him playfully as he sits down. "Damn, should get you one of those cheesy Kiss the Cook aprons," he says with a smirk, giving a quick peck on the cheek. He picks at a clump of meat with his fork for a moment, curiously. What the fuck do they even put in this stuff? He picks away at the meal, focusing more on the pasta than the strange protein mimic.

With the group set on going to the strip club, he turns to Marko and says, "We don't have to go if you don't want. Up to you."  Unless he's into that sort of thing? He shrugs at the thought, stretching his head over to look at Martine's compad. "Oh hey, I love that anime!" His eyes widen and he tries to hide a smirk as he seems the actual content of the art. "This is great, and nothing to be ashamed of." 

He thinks back to some of the fanart pieces he'd seen across social media back on Strocho. "Believe me, I've seen things I'll never unsee..." His voice trails as he looks off into the distance, a slight grimace on his face. So much depravity...

Cass blushes when he sees Martine's drawings, eating his pasta in silence as he listens to the others commend her efforts. If this is what she's willing to show us, I wonder what else she has on her drives that she isn't? he wonders, munching contentedly as he watches Tess flick through.

"Logos are simple. Iconography, symbols, text, that sort of thing. Should be evident exactly what your outfit is when somebody sees the logo." He turns to Martine. "You're clearly talented, why not give it a try? We can always hire a studio to make us one if it ends up missing the mark."

"Uh-huh," Martine confirms, nodding in answer to Tess' questions. Her embrassement seems to fade slightly as Hikaru talks, either from the praise or from his admission of watching the show too.

She nods along with Cass' reasoning, as he joins the group in trying to convince her. "I'll give it a try tonight," she says apparently convinced, reaching to take her compad back from Tess, her face starting to return to its usual colour.

"Attagirl," Pia smiles, clearly please with how her suggestion played out.

"Awesome!" Tess says, as she hands the woman her compad back. "Can't wait to see what you come up with," she continues, finally beginning to eat her pasta now that the artwork viewing is over. "We definitely need a cute cat, but apart from that, you should just draw what feels best to you." She gives Martine a quick smile before taking a bite of the food, turning to Marko and Pia. 

"Oh wow, this is good," she says. "So much better than the stuff we had on Idarete. Though I guess most stuff is better than jail food," she says with a chuckle. "Everything freeze-dried, all the time. You'd think they'd never even heard of cooking." We will have to bug them to cook more often, they're clearly good at it. So much talent among these three, it's nice they joined us, she thinks, feeling content to relax and share food with the group she is slowly becoming more fond of. If only they weren't such prudes.

"Not too cute," Cass warns, wondering if agreeing to the Makkuro theme was a mistake. "This is a military warship after all. We can't make it look like a flock of teenagers took it over and threw some paint on it. Give the logo some bite to it, something to make pirates think twice before coming to fuck with us."

 

Eridas is the last one to realize what the show is, but only just barely. He flushed a bit, understanding her embarrassment, but nodded all the same. "Good art, I'd be happy to have a logo drawn by you." He sits back down and continues to eat the food that Marko cooked for everyone. 

Tess shrug when Cass voices his dissent at the idea of a cute logo. "I dunno, I feel like getting shot out of the sky by people with a little happy cat logo would be so much more embarrassing for our enemies than if they were to lose to any old military ship. Might lower their guard when they see us too!" she continues, her optimism a clear sign of her inexperience in such matters. 

Hikaru shrugs as Cass and Tess bicker about the appearance of their logo's cat. After a few more forkfuls of pasta, he chimes in. "I dunno, I think a cat can be badass and cute as the same time. Isn't that how they are anyways?" He smirks, quickly chewing through another bite to finish his thought. "Think about it," he says, leaning back in his chair, stretching his arms back much like a cat might. "They look all cute, showing off their bellies with their big eyes. But then they bring out their claws. And suddenly, you realize they can really fuck you up if they wanted to."

"Pirates aren't worried about embarrassment, they're worried about finding their next easy target," Cass explains, frustrated he only seems to be able to draw from some adjacent experience and not personal anecdotes. Most of his assignments were quiet, but they didn't have to know that. "But I get where you're coming from. A cat with razor claws, I could see the branding choice there. But a happy kitty logo?" He grimaces, shaking his head. "Veto on that."

She clearly has never spent time in space outside of this foray. The engineer sighs softly, trying his best not to hold the others' perceived naivete against them. We'll figure it out. It's not like there's black-and-white answers out here, anyways.

"Okay cute but not too cute, got it," Martine says, combining your suggestions. The conversation soon moves on as you continue to eat together. After the meal you deliver the whiskey to the Closest Moon followed by a couple of hours of downtime until Pia sends a message to your group chat.

"So are we going to this strip club or what?" She asks.

You soon reconvene in the central room of the ship near the airlocks, where you find Pia waiting.

"I'm not coming," Martine says, poking her head out from the crew quarters further along the corridor. "I've got a logo to work on," she explains before retreating back inside.

"What about you five?" Pia asks the rest of you.

"I'll go if you're going to," Marko says to Hikaru. "It's not exactly my scene my it could be fun. If not I'm sure we can have some fun of our own."

OOC

Sold 18 boxes of Apridonia Island Whiskey, Alldis, 3187, 2 remain.

13,500 credits added to the Ship Fund.

"Course I am," Cass says confidently. "I'm the one who suggested it." He cracks a smile, looking expectantly at the others.

Hikaru gives Marko a brief glance and frowns slightly, conflicted. Feels like I should make an appearance if I'm really a captain, but... He lets out a sigh, leaning against his boy and looking up towards him. "Hm. How about we stay for a drink, just to bond a bit as a crew, and then we go do our own thing?" He grabs onto Marko's hand, squeezing it in his own grasp. His eyes sparkle and he lowers his voice into a cute, teasing tone. "Maybe a little dinner date together?"

He looks to the others, trying to gauge their responses. "That work for you all? Can't say a strip club's really my scene anyways. A dance club, maybe, but strip? Nah."

"Suit yourself. Nobody's got a gun to their head over this," Cass says with a shrug. "But if we ever find a karaoke bar, you owe us a song, Glitter."

Not that I want to listen to crudtunes, but I can't deny it'd be priceless to see some of these miner grunts shit themselves a real celebrity's on-station.

Eridas enjoyed the downtime, finally shutting down for a little while... only to suddenly be awoken by the beep of his compad. He rubbed the back of his head gently as he tried to wake up, considering the question. "Y...yeah, yeah, I'll go. Getting out will be good." He says, not really sure he could bring himself to say 'no'.

"Yep, definitely," Tess responds, having spent much of her down time waiting to go. Well Martine's a party pooper, but maybe Pia will be interested in some fun later. When Hikaru mentions his plans, she turns to him. "Surprised you're coming along at all, Mr. 'Innocent One,'" she says with a chuckle as she lightly nudges him. "But will nice to relax together before you two had off all on your own," she continues, giving him and Marko a wink. 

Marko returns Hikaru's hand squeeze. "That works for me."

The six of you then disembark from the Makkuro and head for the elevators, with Cass and Creed leading the way. Reaching the outer commerce and habitation level, you make your way through the tunnels before reaching the nondescript entrance to the Closest Moon. While the entrance lacks any clear signage, the door man, the queue of people - much bigger than Cass and Creed's previous visit - and the muffled thumping of a bassline from within, all make it clear what the venue is.

The doorman is the same one Cass and Creed already dealt with, both in their first visit and the second to drop off the whiskey. He spots your group as you near and waves you over, unclipping the red rope barrier to let you inside, much to the chargrin of those waiting in line.

Stepping inside you find yourself in a dimly lit corridor, following it the music steadily gets louder until it becomes nearly deafening as the corridor opens up into a large room bathed in neon light. The room is furnished with leather chairs and couches, with dark wooden tables and wooden paneled walls. It's an easy assumption to make that both the leather and the wood are fake. With there being no way to produce either in this star system they would both be expensive luxuries if real.

The chairs and tables are mostly oriented to face a stage which protrudes from the back wall of the room. The stage is currently in darkness, with you apparently having just missed a performance - although scantily clad wait staff can still be seen ferrying drinks to tables.

A long bar runs along the left-hand side of the room, above it a large hologram displays the club's name, The Closest Moon, although the two o's in moon are represented by a woman's bare buttocks.

The club is relatively busy compared to earlier in the day, with a large number of different patrons. Glancing around you spot several groups of what you assume are Asteria employees, as well as officers of civilian freighters, and what you're pretty sure are a couple of pirate crews.

"This is an upgrade from the War room," Pia says, referencing the ex-military bar on Idarete where you found her, Marko and Martine before stealing the Furious Midnight. "There's a table," she says, pointing out an empty table near the stage, before making a beeline for it.

Creed follows along with the group to the club once again, though with more people this time. At the acknowledgement from the doorman, Creed seems to shrink, hoping he wouldn't be noticed by any of the other customers waiting in line.

As they walk through the dark corridor into the club, Creed's blush returns, thinking about his earlier experience. He takes a look around the room tentatively, seemingly looking for threats before he noticed Pia rush off to a table. He followed behind quickly, wanting to take a seat as fast as possible.

Hikaru shudders as they step into the club, grimacing as he notices the holographic sign of pure debauchery. So this is what passes for heterosexuality these days. Can't say I'm impressed. Dragging Marko along, he gingerly steps over to the table Pia had laid claim to, sliding into a seat. "Definitely busier than I expected, and cleaner," he says, shifting slightly in his seat. "Just uh... don't pull out a blacklight. Drinks, then?"

Cass smiles to himself as the bouncer lets them pass without paying a cover fee or queueing. Perks of being in the business, I guess.

He peers around at the familiar sights and sounds of the Closest Moon, nodding at Pia's suggestion of a table. He follows the others and sits down. "The owner knows her shit," the engineer adds. "It's better than most of the clubs I went to back in officer school. And yeah, drinks. Maybe we'll get a chance to buy back some of the whiskey we just turned over?"

Hikaru cracks a smirk as Cass mentions ordering that which they just finished offloading. "Can't wait to see how much they charge us for our own product. Just don't go too crazy, yeah?" the pop star says, giving the engineer a stern, responsible look. "We've got a reputation to uphold, in a way. Gotta build and use these connections as best as we can." He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Plus, I'm not sure Pia and Tess wanna carry you back to the ship."

 

"Yeah, yeah, Mom." Cass waves a hand in the air dismissively at Hikaru. "I've got this beautiful chemjack station in my side that gives me enough grief daily. Don't need it from the captain, too." He returns Hikaru's grin.

Sitting down at the table, holographic menus appear on the surface in front of each of you. Scrolling through the listings you find the standard drinks on offer range from simple beers to liquors and cocktails a slightly expensive 4-10 credits each. Another page lists the high end liquors and champagnes, the prices of which start at around one hundred credits and quickly balloon into absurdity, with some bottles going for thousands. The eagle eyed among you spot your Apridonia Island Whiskey, listed at 350 credits a bottle or 20 credits for a single drink.

A minute or so after sitting down, a dark haired waitress arrives, scantily clad in little more than lingerie. "Hey guys, how's everyone doing tonight?" She asks. "Can I grab some drinks for y'all to start off the fun?" Her last question is hard to hear as the stage lights come on and many the crowd begin to cheer and shout in anticipation of the start of an act.

Creed reads the menu quickly, trying to figure out what he wants- only to suddenly be distracted by the waitress. Just... breathe, man. This isn't the first time you've seen a woman. He gulps as he tries to silently calm himself down, his face already a bright red. "Just a whiskey and cola." He says after very clearly struggling to think of what he wanted to drink for another moment or two.

Tess gives a smug grin to the people waiting to get into the club as their group is let in first, finding it hard to resist her old habits from back on Strocho. The familiar long corridor - and the steady build of the music - causes her to start to dance as she walks, the music moving her as it has so many times before. "Who'd have thought a random rock station like this, chock full of pirates and dock workers, would have a half-decent setup like this? It's no Strocho club, but certainly better than what I imagined a strip club on this station would be like."

Nodding to her companion's suggestions, she follows the others to the open table, still dance-walking to the music. As they reach their spot, she grabs a seat next to Pia, giving the woman quick smile as she eases into the seat, still nodding along despite no longer moving her body to the music. "I don't intend to buy any whisky, so you'll have to find out for me," Tess responds, as Hikaru brings up their haul. "We already have some back on the ship, I wanna mix it up before that's the only booze I have," she continues, before scrolling through the menu to browse for a good drink. She pauses at once, and thinks, how appropriate, before turning towards their half-dressed waitress.

"Sex on the beach for me, please," Tess responds to the woman, eyeing her physique as she draws close. I can definitely pull that outfit off, this place should be happy to have me. "Oh, and I guess the cocktail version, too," she continues, offering their waitress a smirk and a wink. I wonder what their hiring process is like. Hopefully quick and easy. I can't imagine they need many aptitude tests for a 'stand around looking sexy' job.

Cass chuckles to himself at Tess' drink of choice. When the waitress turns her attention to him, he nods, looking at the list of drinks. "I'll go with the Temple Red," he says, opting for a beer to start. Can't believe they have this shit out here. Those monks on Strocho must be cranking up their volume these days.

Creed gives a small awkward laugh at Tess' joke, which came slightly delayed - It took him a few extra moments to figure out it was a joke. 

"Better than expected, at least, but we'll have to take these guys to a real club whenever we're back on Strocho," Hikaru says with a smirk to Tess, having fond memories of the nightlife on his home world. Damn, I miss Club Eclipse. Wonder if I'm still on the VIP list. They wouldn't take me off it, right? He shrugs, turning his attention to the waitress, a chortle escaping as he hears Tess's drink order. "You would," he teases, before adding, "I'll have, uh..." He pauses a moment, pondering. "Ah, fuck it. It's one drink and we have cause to celebrate anyways. Could I get a tequila sunrise, please?" Least it's sweet, and not too strong. Got a date I need to stay sober enough for after...

"A beer for me too" Pia says, pointing at Cass as likely unneeded clarification. "And he'll copy him," she adds, quickly moving her finger from Cass to Marko and then to Hikaru.

"Hey!" Marko begins to protest. "Although actually a tequila sunrise does sound good."

"Told ya," Pia says, a smug grin on her face.

"Okay then, two tequila sunrises, two temple reds, a sex on the beach and a whiskey cola, coming right up,"  the waitress says, entering the drinks order into a dataslab she carries with her. She then spins on her heels and heads over to another table. 

As the waitress leaves, the activity on the stage continues as the music changes to significant the start of an act. A pole begins to descend from the ceiling and a woman makes her way on stage. Tall and dark skinned, she appears to be wearing what looks like a vacc suit - however a number of modifications have been made, making it more more revealing and certainly no longer rated for use in a vacuum. She struts up the stage in time to the music grabbing the pole as she reaches it and beginning her routine.

A few minutes into the dance the waitress returns with your drinks, along with a tray of shots.  "Here you are,"  she says distributing the drinks to their respective owners.  "And the shots are on the house,"  she adds looking back over to the bar. Following her gaze over to the bar you spot a woman leant against it. Her hair is a vibrant blue at the roots with transitions to a bubblegum pink at the bottom which sits just past her shoulders. She wears a revealing dress with a plunging neckline and large heels. Both Cass and Creed recognise her as Virdia Barrick the club's owner. Seeing you look over at her she blows a kiss in the direction of your table.

Tess chuckles as the banter plays out between Pia and Marko, turning to watch the performance on the stage while they wait. I've never had to dance on a pole before, but I can't imagine it would be too hard. And if so, I suppose I could always just work as wait staff instead. I wonder what these girls are making each night. Must be a lot with the tips. The real question is, how many of them do extra work on the side?

When the waitress returns with their drinks, Tess gives her a smile and a nod. "Bottoms up!" she says, grabbing one of the shots first, before downing it immediately. Won't say no to a free drink, she thinks, as she wonders where it came from. Her question is soon answered as she spots the other scantily clad woman - far across the room. Seeing her blow a kiss their way, Tess returns one in kind, before turning to Cass and Creed. "Who's she, a waitress one of you sweet-talked?" she asks, eager to learn who their generous patron is. They must have made a real impression on her to get some freebies on the house.

Cass watches the dancers with veiled interest, finding them ultimately to be a distraction to the main event — the crew of the Makkuro there with him. He gingerly takes one of the shot glasses, eyeing it carefully before following Tess' lead and tossing it back.

He looks toward Virdia, a wide smile growing on his face. "She's the owner," the engineer half-shouts over the din of club music. "Virdia's her name. You, uh, wanna meet her? You'd probably get along."

"Oh!" Tess responds, both surprised and excited to find out the identity of the woman. "I expected the owner to be older. And less easy on the eyes," she continues, letting out another chuckle as she takes a sip of her cocktail. "I definitely want to meet her, and I am sure we will. We'll get along very well if she decides to let me work here during our few days of down time." I wonder how someone my age ended up owning a place like this. Maybe she can give me some pointers.

Cass smirks, thoroughly enjoying Tess's surprise. "Guess you know how we felt, trying to haggle up a deal while she's... you know." He trails off, not eager to admit being caught off guard by the attractive owner wearing little more than her own employees.

"C'mon, I'll introduce you," Cass says, less an offer and more a call to action. He turns to Hikaru, Creed, and the others, smiling apologetically. "You guys solid for two minutes? We won't bail on you. I'm good for it."