Posted by Commander Orvos Legen (Executive Officer) in Dark Star Bar - OP42 (Tag Orvos)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Akirel Ros (Chief Engineer) in Dark Star Bar - OP42 (Tag Orvos)

Posted by Civilian Marishka (Lounge Host) in Dark Star Bar - OP42 (Tag Orvos)
Posted by… suppressed (12) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Marishka had been on OP42 for several hours before she made her way to the bar. She knew it had had several names in the past but none of them registered with her at that moment. She had learned, through her network, that an associate had been running it for the last few weeks so she thought she might stop in and remind Cyden that he still owed her a favor and, even though she wasn’t here to collect it just now, he should probably be nice and offer her a free drink. She couldn’t shake the feeling that now might be the time to remain inconspicuous.

Stepping into the dimly lit bar, she glanced around and saw the usual variety of species milling about and several that had probably travelled quite far to be one with those bar stools. Still, her defenses were up more than they should be.

Catching the proprietor’s eye, she simply slid into a seat at the bar and pointed at a random bottle on the top shelf.

“Long time.” she said casually.

• Marishka

OOC: I noticed this was falling off the board, and as it is on OP42 and I have a few chars there, thought I would jump in for a cameo as well as keep it alive. Don’t worry, when Orvos shows I will exit ;)

OOC: Welcome Dave! I don’t mind if you want to jump in here. Catt has some ideas and it can be character development too!

OOC: Lets see how it plays out lol, I don’t mind lingering with Khain at all but at the same time, don’t want to intrude :D

“Weird name for a drink,” the voice came from off to the side of Marishka. Sitting on a stool to her right an arms length or so away was a Klingon, but one that was unlike most. This Klingon had a shaved bald head and wore a neatly trimmed moustache and goatee, as opposed to the long braided works that most wore. His uniform was layered black leather in a style that gave impressions of armor but at the same time looked flexible, and, it was clean. Very clean to the point where although it clearly wasn’t new, the warrior who wore obviously took pride in it. At his side, a Kut’luch dagger rested with a jeweled hilt in a jeweled scabbard, and his House Sash denoted the rank of Captain, Second-born son of his House. His voice was strong and his pronunciation was pointed and proper, different to the run of the mill Klingon meathead.

The bar tender had been wiping down the bottle and eyeing the neatly dressed Klingon as he spoke. It was true he had been serving the man all afternoon but he wouldn’t comment on the man’s judgement regarding the alcohol.

“I believe the lady was referring to the bottle on the shelf. This vintage is quite rare but I wouldn’t expect anyone without a fine eye to know that.” he said pouring slowly into a tall slender glass before sliding it across to Marishka. The last time he had met her, she looked quite different but, who could forget that scent?

“Oh low blow,” the Klingon at the bar said, and then laughed. “Making a joke about the guy with one eye, huh? Touché! I think the word is, yes? Or was it Savage?” Laughing again, the Klingon put his glass down. “Unfortunately, I seem to have lost my fine eye.”

Turning his head towards her the man clearly hadn’t been watching her point to the shelf, as covering his left eye was a metal eye patch that was stapled to his skin rather than worn with a strap. That eye patch was emblazoned with the same symbol as the Sash, a pair of crossed Kut’luch daggers. That same symbol was also borne on the sleek and unique looking Klingon Bird-of-Prey docked to the Stations ring, the one bearing the name Khazad’hea. If Marishka knew her Houses, she might know it as the symbol of House Kholl, a smaller House known for carrying out it’s interests in the shadows and with little time for the more common Klingon concerns about Honour. A small House, but not one that walked away on the losing side very often.

Marishka had observed the Klingon as soon as she entered the bar and wondered if he was the reason for her feeling so tense and quickly realized that wasn’t the case. He was the right species but, the wrong person.

“I recommend the Human whiskey, the Lagavulin,” the Klingon nodded to another bottle. “It’s less watered down than most of the other swill they call alcohol in here, and I wouldn’t trust their bloodwine. It’s a bad vintage.” In front of him on the bar, were a handful of empty shot glasses and a larger whiskey glass that still had an amount of booze in it. “You look tense, if I can make the observation.” Khain took in the woman, she seemed to have a little Orion mixed with her Klingon side. “New here, huh?”

Khain of House Kholl, Captain of the I.K.S. Khazad’hea

Orvos had been sitting inconspicuously at a different table, donning civilian garb with a hood up. It wasn’t uncommon to find someone there wanting to keep low profiles. Something about Marishka caused his curiosity to stir within. Or maybe it was the hormones messing with him? He couldn’t be certain. Things had changed now, however, between he and Janna, so he had to be careful he didn’t easily succumb to her every whim. Knowing that she likely wouldn’t want him spying on her, he was aware she might use her body to her advantage. For now, he kept a curious eye on her.

-Lt. Comamnder Orvos Legen, CE

“Perhaps you mistake attention for alertness Captain. It’s a common flaw in those who don’t know me very well. How long have you been docked here?” she asked in between sips of her delicious beverage.

• Marishka

“I might indeed be making that mistake,” Khain nodded, then waved back to the bartender and pointed to his glass for a refill. “Do many people not know you very well or are you commonly known? Oh, and call me Khain, you aren’t part of my crew. No reason for you to get all official on me.” He told her with a grin, then looked in the mirror on the wall behind the bartender scanning the crowd behind them in the bar.

“I’ve been docked here about a week on this run, but the Outpost has been my home port for about a year now as we, do stuff.” He shrugged lightly and picked up his glass after the bartender had filled it a little more with the whiskey he was drinking. “So what is the fine vintage you’re drinking, educate me, and are you waiting for someone or just passing through?” His voice wasn’t loud enough to carry past Marishka, but his eye checked the mirror on the wall again, glancing over the three figures at different tables who had hardly touched their drinks. Might be nothing.

Khain of House Kholl, Captain of the I.K.S. Khazad’hea

Marishka watched the bar tender pour then silently leave. She knew his habits and wondered how he had ended up here. Her associates hadn’t given her all the details and she was only here to put her face back in his memory.

“Very well then Khain. What I’m drinking doesn’t translate well even with the use of universal translators. He just calls it lightning.” she said pointing at the bar tender, “I’ve decided that that’ll do for now. It goes down quite smooth and lights the fire in your mind and belly. And yet you’re still able to keep your wits about you. At least I am.”

“Hmm,” Khain made a sound of acknowledgement from the back of his throat, “handy thing to have about you, those wits. Sounds like you at least have that fine eye your friend spoke about.” Now Khain waved his hand in the direction of the bartender Marishka had pointed at, not losing the personal address she had used towards the man in naming the drink. She hadn’t answered what she was doing here but she had expressed familiarity with, if not this bar, the bartender.

She had only drank about half the glass being mindful of her surroundings all the while.

“So, what kind of, stuff. do you do?”

Marishka didn’t expect a truthful answer but was curious as to what kind of story he could spin.

• Marishka

Now he swung on the barstool to face her but leaned on the bar with his elbow, striking a relaxed pose as he drank the whiskey and took her in for a moment as if taking her measure. He didn’t hide it, on the contrary he let her see that he was obviously doing what he was doing. “You’re not a tax collector are you.” When he spoke his voice was deeper but the light smirk at the corner of his mouth and raise of one eyebrow conveyed the joke.

“The Khazad’hea works out of this station as a pirate hunter,” Khain told her. “I have a writ from the Counsel authorizing operations in the old Romulan Star Empire territory and Federation space. It seems piracy has grown in leaps and bounds since the old Empire went down. We hunt pirates, collect bounties and visit worlds that used to belong to the Romulans and, well,” here he shrugged and grinned at her, and for just a moment that grin was dangerous and showed a purpose that his friendly nature hadn’t revealed, “see what we can find out there.” He seemed to deliberately and playfully hide that last statement behind his glass as he took a drink.

The way that this woman held herself and spoke, together with the air of confidence she held that was more than just that of her Orion side led him to feel that she would have an idea of what he meant. He could feel no point to hiding what he did, she was intelligent enough and seemed familiar enough with the way things worked to deserve better than a lie. “Now, you know about me and even know my name. Do I get the honour of at least knowing yours?”

Khain of House Kholl, Captain of the I.K.S. Khazad’hea

Marishka turned slightly to face him. Leaning back a bit and relaxing, this opened her body up a bit revealing sensuous curves and lots of skin. Her dark hair was swept back and tied with leather. The large opal hung on a black strand of pearls at her throat and she wondered if this intelligent man would know what it meant. Only one person had seen the writing on the underside of the framework that held the stone though. Her silvery eyes took him in.

“Taxes are definitely not what I collect. If I’m ever in the mood to collect that is. My name is Marishka. I claim no house and no house claims me. We like it that way. So, have you found anything interesting? I do know that there are lots of interesting things to be found.” she said with another smile.

Khain returned the smile, and nodded as she told him her name. Before he answered, his foot reached forward and took a resting position on one of the horizontal supports of her stool. The small motion wasn’t needed but the symbolism of the motion was more important at that moment. Khains’ eyes passed over the necklace lightly and noted the gems. The motion of his foot might in some cases have symbolized a connection of sorts, but here it was more that his attention was on her directly. His eye made no pass over the curves and skin that her movement had revealed more to him, instead, his eye rose from the necklace and found hers. He wasn’t a man that was immune to those charms, far from it, but he was a man that took more of an interest in a persons eyes and what lay behind them.

“Marishka,” he said the name slowly, as much sounding it out around his whiskey as committing it to memory. “It suits you,” his smile turned mischievous for a moment, and he raised his glass to her. “A small drink, in greeting and meeting a very interesting woman.” He made a play on her phrase of interesting things he had found, “And a drink to knowledge, wisdom, independence and freedom.” Sipping his drink again, he placed it down and licked the drink from his lips.

Marishka set her glass down on the bar and used that moment to glance at the mirrors that had been strategically placed on the back wall. They offered a broad view of the room. She had a feeling that one of the tables was occupied by someone she wanted to keep up her sleeve as it were.

• Marishka

“Now, I’m no expert on valuable stones,” Khain said to her, “but I heard a story once about how an ancient Human culture believed that black pearls were created in a dragons brain. Fantastic creatures they were, even in Myth. Now, I know that opals have a few other meanings but I was also told once that pearls and opals worn together, bring bad luck. That is a beautiful piece though.”

Setting his drink down, he followed her eyes to the mirror. “The lone person at the table in the far corner is one of my guys,” he told her. That person had a hood over his head and a drink that was visibly untouched. If one was to look carefully, the bulk of shoulder armor could be seen under the cloak. “Can never be too careful out here, apparently. The one in the middle came in with a face looking like the love of his life just left him, that’s his seventh Kanaar.” Now he tilted his head and looked at her closer, the light smile still on his lips. “I have found some interesting things out there, yes,” he admitted. “It’s a barely touched paradise of sorts for people in search of,” his eye flicked to her necklace and back to her again, “freedom, knowledge and independence. And wealth and adventure, of course,” he shrugged now, “if you are into that kind of thing.”

Khain of House Kholl, Captain of the I.K.S. Khazad’hea

With waiters and waitresses milling about, getting orders and handing out drinks, Orvos was able to disappear for a brief bit. Having had a brief encounter with one of the waiters, he very quickly switched coats with him and took his empty plate ofdrinks. Orvos whispered to the man to just take a seat and that the rest was on him tonight. And very smoothly, very subtly, he made his way to the bar to obtain more drinks. Keeping his head down and unseen, Orvos listened to the rest of the conversation the two were having.

Marishka paid attention to his movements. If Khain were a different man she would have taken the placement of his foot as him staking some type of claim on her but that was her Orion side coming to the forefront. Perhaps the lightning was talking just a little bit as well. She listened closely to the way he said her name and followed the movement of his eyes until they rested on hers again.

“I’m certain that if you so much as gave the wrong look, that man would find his way out of his 7th Kanaar and slit my throat. Trust me Captain… Khain… I know where I’m at. I understand why someone like you would trouble with security, it’s a very wise precaution. As for dragons and opals and pearls, I haven’t been digging around in dragon brains for quite some time but, that’s a fascinating legend.”

“Yes, it is quite fascinating,” Khain answered, “along with others, but those are talk for a different time.” He glanced at the man she had mentioned and then back to her, smiled and leaned in slightly closer, his voice dropping a little lower. “Yes, you do know where you are at, and you have a confidence and calmness about you that tells me he would have trouble slitting your throat. A very interesting woman indeed, Marishka.”

Behind the bar she could hear Cyden talking to a woman. A few seconds later the woman walked out from behind the bar looking tired and flustered. She made a round of the tables attempting to take drink orders and passing Khain and Marishka at the bar, seeming to know better.

• Marishka

Orvos took the moment to swap places with Cyden. He was aware of Orvos’s antics and simply let him at it. Coming between Orvos and his goals never turned out well for anyone.

Picking up his drink, he poured the last of it down his throat and his eye trailed the woman for a moment, then the glass returned to the bar and he waved away the bartenders move to refill it.

Orvos took the drink back and let the man continue.

“It seems the night is going poorly for your friend,” he said, then laughed lightly. “Maybe he needs a little music to lighten the mood in here, or maybe it’s that more than one table has eyes on the pair of us tonight. Normally, I’d blame my Kut’luch,” Khain ran his fingers slowly, almost tenderly over the jeweled hilt of the assassins dagger at his waist. That hilt was embedded with black pearls similar to what Marishka had around her neck, but a fine cut ruby was set into the center of the hilt. On the end of the hilt, a Denevan crystal served as the pommel. “But tonight, I don’t think it’s me that is drawing any attention.” His eye never left hers as he spoke.

Khain of House Kholl, Captain of the I.K.S. Khazad’hea

With his back to them, Orvos put the bottle back where it had originally been, and very subtly reprogrammed his shield device for kinetic impact.

Then, Orvos spun about and injected himself into the conversation. “Well, if you ask me, I think you both might be drawing attention, hah! Look at her, of course she’s beautiful, and you happen to be the only male interacting with her…sooo…who’s really drawing the attention then, hmm? Eyes were already on her, but now…perhaps they see something more?” He drummed his fingers on the bar counter as he glanced between the two of them, awaiting a reply. He knew, after all, that now he too had attention on him.

-Commander Orvos Legen, XO

“Perhaps?” Khain chuckled, “Well considering there are now three in the conversation if those eyes can’t see more, they don’t deserve to have them.” Khain had been watching Marishka’s eyes when the newcomer had spoken, and when her eyes showed no honest surprise at the interruption his fingers slid away from the dagger hilt and came to rest on his thigh. There had to be recognition and familiarity there and while that didn’t mean no danger, Khain was willing to bet there was no immediate threat to the woman he had just met from this stranger. Still, there was a reason he had waved away the refill of his glass and he made a note to reward his man in the corner for being observant.

Marishka couldn’t say she was surprised at what Orvos had done or why he had done it. He was always doing things like this. His nature suited him and they seemed to be quite complimentary in a very archaic way.

“The bar tender didn’t tell me he was training any new puppies but, thank you for the compliment. So let’s see how good the old man has trained you. Can you make a scorpion’s kiss?” she asked this apparent stranger.

“Absolutely!” replied Orvos as he turned and set to making the beverage according to what Marishka had shared one night with him.

She remembered teaching Orvos how to make that very drink but they had drank so much that night, who knew if he remembered quite how to do it.

Settling back in her seat, she turned to her newest ‘friend’.

“No. It doesn’t look like I want my throat cut tonight does it? And why does your man prefer Kardassian alcohol?: she asked.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught a movement from outside and wondered if that was the fourth or fifth time that particular pair of Klingons had passed by the bar.

• Marishka

Khain raised his eyebrow at her in question, and looked over at the drunk man hunched over the Kanaar glass. “You think that one is mine?” Khain laughed and slapped his thigh, “Why the hell would I bother with drunks and derelicts? You think that fool is one of mine and I’m casing you?” He laughed again and took his foot from her barstool, turning now towards the bar itself and leaning both his arms on it.

Orvos continued listening as he whipped up the requested drink. He turned slightly when he sensed the man directing his speaking towards his direction.

“So here I am having a friendly conversation with a beautiful, charming and interesting woman,” Khain said to the stranger as if he was a genuine bartender, “One that is quite unlike the regular women you meet out here, by the way, and seems worth talking to, and suddenly I’m involved in an intrigue,” He looked back to Marishka now and smiled, with a light sigh. “I may have said that he would have trouble cutting your throat, sure, but that was a damn compliment, not a threat. Are you two always this suspicious or can a guy like me not make an honest living on the frontier these days without being accused of being a thug?”

Khain of House Kholl, Captain of the I.K.S. Khazad’hea

Orvos set the drink down as Khain finished speaking. Two? he thought to himself as he happened to peer around Marishka as though somebody might have been near her. Two???

Orvos waved a hand in front of Khain. “Oy! If you’re seeing 2 of her, then it may be time to call it a night. Either that or I get medical test you. Make sure you’re truly ok still, you know?” he said, hoping to seem sympathetic.

-Lt. Commander Orvos Legen, CE

Orvos’ contribution to the conversation gave Marishka a second to think. Certainly she hadn’t intended to call Khain a thug. Perhaps she should make nice with the man. Orvos would certainly make her pay for calling him a puppy but that was all in a days friendship between the two of them.

“I certainly wouldn’t want there to be two of me. No thank you.” Marishka began.

As she was about to continue speaking there was a slight commotion at the entrance to the bar and several people moved aside so that two others might enter.

• Marishka