40 oz to Freedom

[Anastasia Rade]

After setting the amount owed on the table Ana headed back to her hotel room to change. It wasn't often that she got dressed up and went out on the town. Actually, she never did and it was rare to see her out of her armor. This was a nice change though and she looked forward to getting to wear one of her dresses. It would also be nice to let her hair down, relax for the evening and have some fun. She had brought several things to wear so she knew she wouldn't have trouble finding something appropriate.

Wrinkling her noses Ana sighed placing her hands on her hips as she looked from dress to dress. The trip here had not helped her any in making up her mind. She could make a good case for wearing any of them. Lowering her hands Ana sighed again as she went to go take a shower knowing she didn't have time to waste just standing around. The last thing she wanted was to be late and keep him waiting.

Once she was showered up and had dried her hair she went back to the dresses and chose the most casual of the dresses. She didn't want to get too dressed up as she wasn't sure what they were going to be doing. After placing on the dress she chose Ana slipped into a pair of black heels before heading out the door.

Reaching the reception area she saw that [member="Orick T'ane"] had yet to arrive which was ok. She knew that she was a little early so there was no need to panic. He was going to show up after all he was trying to make nice with the Mandalorians.

 

[Orick T'ane]

Orick strolled through the corridors at an even pace, his hands in his pockets. He smiled and nodded at the few people that he passed along the way. He knew he had plenty of time to get to the meeting point. And she was a girl so she would likely still be in her room trying on dresses. His thought process came to a crashing halt as he turned the corner and saw her standing there, waiting for him. He blinked and almost turned around, not only was she waiting for him, but she was stunning. His jaw dropped and he ducked back around the corner for a second, remember to breath. She's a warrior and won't put up with you backing out now, on top of the good faith you would be breaking with her as the Mando's representative.

He took a deep breath and stepped soundly around the corer, a smile on his face as he approached her, " Excuse me miss. I was wondering if you have seen a Mandolorian warrior recently. She looks remarkably like you, but nowhere near as beautiful as you." He was hoping that his humor and compliment didn't seem too cheesy or forward. He had no idea of she was single or married or whatever it was that mandolorian customs were. He sure didn't want to start a blood feud with her clan family.

[member="Anastasia Rade"]

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Ana could only smile and shake her head as he approached her. As cheesy as his line was it was sweet and Ana could feel her checks getting warm. Hopefully he didn't notice, that would be embarrassing. She was used to compliments from back home but she had always been in her armor surrounded by clan members. Ana couldn't understand why compliments in a dress was different but they were. Thanks," she smiled spinning a little in the dress mostly for fun but to also better face him. "You clean up rather well yourself," she winked.

"Ready to go? Where are we going by the way?" Ana would have grabbed his arm but she didn't want to make things awkward on the chance he was seeing someone. Asking also seemed a little awkward as well so she wouldn't for now. Perhaps it would come up later. She herself was very much single after having broken up with her boyfriend a few years ago she focused on work. Now a days she focused on work which was probably part of the reason she was so excited about this. Ana had a feeling he knew where to go to have fun.

[member="Orick T'ane"]

 

[Orick T'ane]

He smiled and nodded politely to her, " Why thank you, I feel a bit better about having changed." He tried to maintain a professional approach to his night out with her. He wasn't sure if she was involved or not and he wasn't ready to find out the hard way, at least not yet. He smiled as she asked about where they were going for the evening.

" You will just have to trust me, Ana. You asked for a bit of fun and a no frills look at the Republic. I can give it to you all in one stop." He motioned with his arm to guide her towards the door, making sure to open it for her. Outside there was a line of hovercars lined up along the wall. Orick walked over to one of them and tapped in a clearance code that would unlock it for him to use. As an officer he had access to the hovercars as long as no one else was using for official business. I am using it for official business tonight, I'm showing the mandolorian representative around Alderaan. The two doors on either side of the hovercar opened wide for them and he held his hand out so that he could help her into the hovercar.

" This will be fun times."

[member="Anastasia Rade"]

 

[Anastasia Rade]

"I trust you, I'm just curious to see what Captain Orick does for fun." She smiled taking his arm as she walked out to where the hovercars were waiting to take them anywhere they wished to go. After a few buttons were pushed Ana took his hand as she stepped inside the car. Once she was seated the door would close and he would go to the other side.

"I have no doubt that I will have a good time," she turned to smile at him as they pulled away to wherever he was taking her. Ana was an independent take charge type of girl whom was treated like one of the guys so this was different. In a good way different.

As they rode along she watched as they left the military base and went out into the city. Most of her tour had been in the military sector so she was interested in seeing what was out here. Ana would have ended up coming out here eventually for a self tour. Why do that though when you can have a guided tour?

"Are you from Alderaan?" She questioned turning her attention from the view back to him. The planet had a big military presence but there were homes too. Ana was curious and at the same time hopeful for a chance to get to know him better.


[member="Orick T'ane"]

 

[Orick T'ane]

He watched her as he drove. The base was huge but it was only a matter of time before the walls were behind them and they entered the small town around the military base. Every major base always had a town built near it. The people always seemed to feel safer living next to soldiers. There was a small break in the bustling cityscape and then they were in an all together different part of the city. The lights seemed a bit dimmer, the streets a bit dirtier. there were more people on the streets, some of them seemed like they were out for more than a leisurely stroll.

" I'm not, my family is originally from Corellia, but I haven't been there in a long time. I don't have much in the way of family left. " It wasn't long before that changed, the streets were just as dirty, but there seemed to be more lighting and there were obviously guards roaming the streets. their quasi uniforms standing out against the background of the various beings that were out and about. The large set of buildings that he was guiding them to was lite so brightly that it made the area around it seem as if it was midday. There were many people standing around the entrance to the buildings. Neon lights strobe and flash in every color in the spectrum and the words " Ruuto's" was flashing from a sign at the top of the building. Orick pulled the hover car towards the entrance, there were several armed guards standing by the doors. " Ruuto's Casino." Orick said to her as he brought the hover car to a stop. " A Hutt casino that's not run by a Hutt, well not officially. Ruuto doesn't like to leave Nar Shaddaa. So he has others run it for him." A pair of small Twi'leks stepped up and opened the doors for them, the one next to Orick stepping in to park the hovercar for him.

Orick smiled at [member="Anastasia Rade"] and held out his arm for her, " Shall we my dear?" He nodded to the guard at the door while he waited for his date for the evening.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Her head turned to face the neon flashing lights as they stopped in front of the casino. It seemed to be popular place by the look of all the people standing around waiting to get in.

Ana had been to a casino a few times in her life due in part to a certain slicer. She had learned a little gambling from him but mostly the inside workings of the casino. It had all been a front for a criminal organization and she wouldn't be surprised if this was one too. Even so that didn't mean she wasn't going to have fun and enjoy herself this evening.

Mandalore itself didn't have what one would call a casino but instead there were many different pubs and cantinas scattered about. There was plenty of gambling and boozing it up that happened inside. Only difference really was there wasn't all these flashy lights and amenities.

As the Twi'leks's opened the door Ana stepped out and readjusted her skirt as she looked up at the lights. "Yes," she smiled turning her attention back on [member="Orick T'ane"] as she took his arm to walk into the casino.

The inside of the Casino was even flashier than the outside with all of the gambling tables and machines enticing you to come and try your hand. She could see off to the side a huge bar with tables, chairs and couches littered nearby for guests to sit and enjoy their drinks on. It also looked like further off in the back there was even a restaurant attached as well. It wouldn't surprise her if there was even more behind the machines that she couldn't see.

The casino itself was beautifully decorated. It was clear the Hutt spared no expense when it came to decorating up his casino to make it a place people wanted to go and stay. Ana wouldn't be surprised if there was a hotel within the casino.

"How fancy," she commented as they walked along the rows of machines and tables. Ana wondered how often he actually came here. It looked like a nice place to come for even just a drink. "So," she smiled pulling him closer to her. "What should we do first?"

 

[Orick T'ane]

One of the things that Orick did like about Ruuto's Casino is that they turned down the noises that all of the gambling machine made, that made spending an evening inside not an unbearable affair. They made up for it by adding more flashing lights, but at least you could have a conversation without having to yell. " Well my dear, There's a lot more than just what you see, upstairs there is a pretty nice restaurant and a large dance floor, if you are into that. Downstairs there are screens showing all of the galaxies Pod races and, if you are aware of how to ask, a private area where they have a violent collection of cage fights. This place very much mirror's the Republic in my opinion. there's lots of flash and show, a whole lot of noise, and if you know where to look, every kind of debauchery is readily available. All while hiding the fact that a good portion of the people that leave here are miserable because they are fed false dreams of being rich and powerful enough to escape the lives they currently live."

He was well aware of how close she now was to him, something he was intent on making seem as casual as possible. it had been a long time since he had taken anyone else out, let alone a someone as beautiful as she was. He hadn't been to Ruuto's in a while, his trips to Alderaan were few and far between, there wasn't really ever a a big desire to smuggle items there because the cartels handled most of that. He had spent years avoiding the cartels solely on the notion that eventually of you smuggles with them, you were going to end up running spice. He vowed never to run drugs for anyone, regardless of his personal situation.

He looked over at [member="Anastasia Rade"] and smiled, " What strikes your fancy, dinner, drinks and dancing, or do you feel like losing some of your credits to the casino? This is your unfiltered tour of Alderran, and that means it's 'ladies preference' tonight."

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Ana could only smile and shake her head at how he compared this place to the Republic as a whole. It was rather sad thinking that most people were to compensate for something they didn't have but felt they needed. She was not apart of that statistic but instead just here for a good time.

As much as she enjoyed a good fight she was hoping for something less violent. War would be here soon enough. She didn't need to watch people fight for money or fame.

"I have a few credits to blow so why don't you show me how to gamble, I show you how to dance later and maybe I'll even let you buy me dinner," she grinned. Ana was taking a stab in the dark that he wasn't the dancing type. She knew a little bit of gambling with cards that the guys had taught her but mostly she just watched. She found that she enjoyed the art of dancing after a class at the order. Ana had even begun classes on her own. The fact that she didn't really dance with a partner was a minor detail.

Dinner would be nice just because they would be able to talk, relax, get to know each other and Ana could only assume that after dancing they would be hungry. Though they may eat and than dance. It didn't matter either way as she was determined to have fun.

"Sound good?"

[member="Orick T'ane"]

 

[Orick T'ane]

"That sounds perfect, although I must warn you, I only know a few formal dances. " He smiles at her and guides her a bit farther into the casino, there were banks of small computers in neat rows throughout the main room. There were also several small card tables with dealers and players placign cred chips and cards down with several players grumbling and yelling.

" Well there's Pazaak, which is a card game. It's more about bluffing than the cards that you have. I think that's probably a bad idea for you to try that here. Maybe playing that with friends is a better place to start.." He guided her over to one of the many rows of computers, " This is Lugjack, it's a fun game of chance as long as the house hasn't disrupted the computer. what you do is stick in a cred stick here." He points to a small slot near the top of the machine. " And the three wheels spin and when they stop, if you get a specific set of symbols you win, usually around the same amount of credits that you bet, but sometimes you can walk away with a pretty good amount. Chance plays a big part of this game."

He watched her for a second, hoping that he wasn't boring her with his descriptions of the games in the casino. " And here is the Jubilee Wheel" He says guiding her over to a small table with a round top, several beings were standing around it, cheering on and shouting out numbers as the lights spun on the wheel. " It's really a basic game. You bet on the a number from 1 to 100. If it lands on that number you win the pot. If no one guess the number then the closest person within 5 numbers wins half the pot and the rest goes to the casino. If no one is close, well the casino gets all of the money." He pulled her back a second as the group of players erupted over the outcome of the spin, the wild motions of their arms making the circle mush wider than it as.

"Take your pick, Rally Master. and once you have exhausted your thirst for losing your money, I will gladly treat you to dinner and dancing."

[member="Anastasia Rade"]

 

[Anastasia Rade]

"I have played Pazaak before with the clan. I'm pretty good and one night I managed to win myself a flamethrower." She smiled as they passed a table. Ana was quite proud of the loot that she had won and used it too. She had gotten good over the years at deceiving people because she felt she had no other option. Now it was just fun doing so at card games and winning some fun toys.

The other two games that he mentioned were ones that she had never heard of but they looked to be all based on luck and easy enough to play. Those standing around the Jubilee Wheel looked to be having quite a bit of fun so she led him over in that direction. "Let's go press our luck," she turned to him with a smile as she stopped at one of the tables that was taking bets. There was no way of knowing which number the ball would land on which was all apart of the thrill itself she figured.

As she glanced down to the board she saw that a few of the numbers were already taken. Reaching into her purse she pulled out a few credits and placed them down on the number 20. Ana didn't have a real good reason for doing so, just a hunch that it was a winner. Now she just had to wait for the dealer to get the ball rolling so to speak but it would be a few minutes as he waited for her players to show up. This was alright with Ana because the more players there were the bigger the payout.

"Pick a number and I'll place a bet on that one too." she stated slightly waving her hand over the table. It would be more fun with him playing as well and since this was her idea Ana figured she would pay for him. She didn't want [member="Orick T'ane"] to lose all his credits. He was after all buying her dinner later tonight.

 

[Orick T'ane]

He tilted his head when she mentioned winning a flamethrower in a card game. I need to remember to not underestimate this one, she's much more than she seems. That pretty face is all a distraction. He thought about the many myths surrounding cards games, it was told that someone had won an entire city playing cards once, and that the legendary Han Solo had won his ship in a card game as well. That's the things about myths and legends, it's been so long now that it's probably been blown up so much that it makes sense for him to have won that ship playing cards. Most likely he stole it and lied about it.

He saw her step closer to the Jubilee table and he shook his head, the most random game in the casino had drawn her attention. But the smile on her face was worth letting her throw money at it. He always likes to see people have a good time, even if he didn't always show it. It was one of the few things he had taken away from his time with his Zeltros partner. If someone is having a good time, then let them enjoy their time, or something like that.

He studied the table and frowned a bit, contemplating which random number had the best chance of a hit. Jubilee really didn't have a better or worse place to put your money so he figured that he would show off a bit. " How about 6. I have learned recently that 6 is a good number, so maybe it'll be lucky too." He grinned at [member="Anastasia Rade"] and hoped that she picked up on the reference to her Resol'nare or six actions.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Nice, he had been listening to her chatter on about the Resol'nare. He definitely got brownie points for that one if she was handing out points. Ana knew that sometimes she could talk too much and bore people though she tried not to. The young woman really was just that passionate about the culture, her culture. Despite not being brought up in it Ana had made it her own and didn't look for anything else. There had been a time once when she had looked for her biological brothers which turned out to be a colossal mess. Since than she had learned the Mandalorians were the only family she truly needed.

"Lets find out," she smiled back at him. "It certainly is an important number if nothing else." Before they could find out, they had to wait a few minutes for others to cast their bets. Once the time was up the dealer set the red ball down in the center of the wheel and spun it. Whomever's number it landed on would be the winner of the round.

Ana watched almost memorized as the ball spun round and round in circles for what seemed forever. The whole table began to watch as the dice slowed down and made it's final stop on the 54 which of course was neither of their numbers. She frowned a little at the result but she quickly turned it around. "Oh well, perhaps I would do better at a card game. What do you think?" [member="Orick T'ane"] had stated it was ladies night out but she still wanted him to have fun too. If he had an idea she wanted to hear it.

 

[Orick T'ane]

He nodded and watched her place the bet for his number. the spinning table and the bouncing ball were enthralling, mostly because it was so random it was mildly exciting to see what was going to happen. He frowned as the wheel began to slow, the ball bouncing much less than it had when the wheel first started. The ball finally stopped well away from either number that they had chosen. " I guess it's just not our luck with the wheel tonight. Perhaps we should try a game of cards." He shrugged and took her arms in his again, he didn't need to but he was enjoying the looks he was getting from everyone else in the casino. If they knew who she really was, I would be the envy of everyone on Alderaan tomorrow. but he wasn't worried about that, he had told her that he was going to show her a fun time, and that meant they would do whatever would keep the smile on her face.

The card tables were in a large box formation on across from the computer games. there were several groups of tables clustered together to form squares, with the dealers on the inside facing out. Several of the tables were half empty and as they walked up one cleared out completely, leaving a totally empty table just for them. " How about this table, it'll be just you and me and the dealer. Or does the idea of losing to me not interest you?" He grinned as he pulled out one of the chairs for her. " Deal both of us in" He says to the Mol Cal dealer behind the table.

[member="Anastasia Rade"]

 

[Anastasia Rade]

"Your on! Fair warning though you'll be the one losing to me," she winked with a smile. Soon he would see just how well Ana was at cards and if he wasn't careful would lose all his stuff to her. [member="Orick T'ane"] was lucky though as Ana would never let it go that far.

Before picking up the four cards that were dealt to her Ana glanced to him. "What do you say we do a deal of our own. If I win I want to see you dressed up in your uniform," she grinned at him. Ana had gone for something fun and maybe rather flirty. She didn't know what that was really and never did that on purpose it kind of just happened.

As she waited to see what he thought and his bet Ana picked up her hand to see what she had to work with. She wanted to win of course, Ana was a competitive sort of person. She maybe willing to lose though pending on his bet. Ana would of course still give him a run for his money. It was only fair and fun to give it her all anyway.

Keeping her eyes on the cards for now Ana did the best she could to keep her face neutral. She didn't want him being able to detect what type of hand she was holding.

 

[Orick T'ane]

He chuckled as she agreed to playing cards with him, " Somehow I think you may be overestimating your skills." He slowly took his cards off of the table and flipped through them. His eyes looked up at her, down at the cards before looking back up at her.

He smiled at the offer of the side bet and he glanced over at the dealer, who just laughed and shrugged at him. " Well, that seems fair enough for you at least. I've already seen you in your armor and now I've seen you when you've gotten the chance to dress up. I'm not sure anything I can think of would be fair of me to ask, however, I would love if it you let me take you out on a proper date. So that's what I would ask for if I won. A date with [member="Anastasia Rade"]. just you as yourself, and me as myself, ranks and titles and obligations aside."

he leaned back in his chair and flipped through his cards again, his eyes staying firmly on her, waiting to gauge her reaction to his side of the bet. He wasn't worried about losing, what she didn't know was that he would bring the uniform with him to Mandolore regardless, military protocol stated that he had to do the formal introduction at least once. And if he won, well, that would certainly be a good thing.

He pulled the first card off of the deck and waited for her to draw hers before he relieved what he had.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

"Deal," she nodded with a bright smile. Admittedly she was taken back by his request and once again she could feel her cheeks getting warm again as she wondered what a real honest to goodness date with him would look like. She was rather excited of the prospects of such. She had been a bit curious as to if he was seeing someone. It would seem that he wasn't and was interested in her. What he may not know was that regardless of the outcome of the game Ana was interested in going on a date with him. This was a worthy bet to lose to but if she happened to win she would just ask him out.

The Rally Master didn't date much after the slicer broke her heart. It wasn't that she didn't want someone just that she was focused on the clan and her responsibilities. Ana felt it was easier this way and found happiness in helping train the next generation. One Vode even joked that she was married to her job.

She wasn't sure sure if her face showed her excitement but she really was about the side bet. It seemed to her a win-win situation no matter if she won or lost. Taking a card from the main deck she placed it down in front of her to reveal an 8. If his was higher than he would get to go first.

"So, let's say you win. Where would you take me on a date?" Ana wondered if he would answer just tell her it was a surprise. She was alright either way.

[member="Orick T'ane"]

 

[Orick T'ane]

"Deal"

Her response to his reward for winning was much quicker than he had figured it would be. He was very excited about the fact that she had agreed and now he was very intent on winning the game. He looked at the card again and frowned a bit, he placed it face up on the table and revealed that it was a 6. She would be playing first, but he had a relatively good hand and was confident that he would reach 20 without going over. He put his game face back on and flipped through the four cards in his hand again. glancing down at them and back up at here several times.

He could see the slight blushing of her cheeks and knew that she was as excited about the date idea as he was. He smirked slightly, giving away his excitement as well, hoping she missed how his eyes kept glancing back up at her while he played.

" Honestly, I know this wonderful hotel on Onderon that has an amazing restaurant inside of it. You would get another chance to wear a fantastic dress, and we could dance all night. If that interests you that is. I figures that you spend so much of your time wearing your armor that you might enjoy the chance to get out of it for a little while." He was hoping that the prospect of getting to dress all fancy again was something she would like. He hoped anyway. He didn't know Mandolorian space well enough to pick out a more local spot for a date with her. And the ability to travel to the Republic's capital was always a plus.

[member="Anastasia Rade"]

 

[Anastasia Rade]

"I would like that, it sounds lovely." She smiled as she pulled a 4 from the deck which she was happy with. Ana didn't want to use up one of the four cards in her hand yet. It was still too early for that so instead she would end her turn for now. "Your turn," she stated as she placed her cards face down in front of her as she turned slightly to see what he was going to do.

During his turn Ana was going to do the best she could to play attention and not daydream about a date with him and dancing the night away. It sounded really nice and she loved getting dressed up and having a reason to do so was just icing on the cake. "I would of course need to go shopping for the perfect dress." The ones she had were nice but she had bought them on a whim. She would want to get something special for the evening.

Picking up her cards she glanced at them for a second before looking back at [member="Orick T'ane"] . Ana would play to win even though she really wanted to lose this game so she could go on this dream date. Dress up like a princess to go meet prince charming and have a lovely evening. Yes, even warriors at times wanted to be pampered.

 

[Orick T'ane]

He smiled as she commented on his choice of date ideas, he had worried that she would want something a bit more laid back and private, which he wouldn't mind one bit. But he saw how she seemed to enjoy the chance to dress like she was now, and he wanted to give her the chance to do that again. He also pulled a card from the deck and frowned a bit, he placed a 2 down on the table and glanced at his cards again. he still had his full four cards and decided it would be in his best interest to just wait on her before he made any moves. He flipped through his cards again, his pointer finger tapping the tops of the cards when he was finished.

" I'm sure that Onderon has a shop or two that might carry something you like, it is the Republic capital after all. And if you don't find anything you like, we'll just try another planet, or you can just wear your battle armor to the restaurant. THAT would sure be a night everyone would remember. " He was teasing her a bit and he hoped that she had the sense of humor to take it in stride. The last thing I need is to piss her off before I have even finished this fun night out for her.

He nodded in her direction and smiled, "You're turn." He had dropped his cards on the table and glanced again at the dealer who just shook his head in reply. Apparently this guy has no sense of fun. He must be stuck here all night listening to people chatter away. His gaze returned to [member="Anastasia Rade"], his eyes studying her intently for any sign of a tell or a chink in her facade. He wasn't all that worried about losing this game, He would wear his dress uniform for her if he lost, and as soon as he did, he would promptly ask her out on a date. He had heard that a man in uniform was hard to refuse, and he figured it would be fun to find out.