Another Day, Another Brother

[Aver Brand]

A small breath crawled out between her teeth. She said nothing.

Instead she focused on the bottles on the countered. Now separated from the patchwork background of various auras and presences in the Force, the stench of the dark side that clung to them became all the more pronounced. All alchemy was given to it in one way or another; one degree or another.

If her ring was a gentle coastal breeze, these were a frakking blizzard on Hoth.

A pleasant distraction, then. She stuck her thumb at the flasks of liquid fire. “What’re those?”

 

[Dissero]

Clink clink as he counted out the bottles.

"Oh, just something I've developed in my spare time."

He liked that line, it made people think he had spare time when really it was stolen.

"It's cologne that enhances one's connection to the darkside and brings out the bull rancor in any qualifying man ... or woman, I suppose I shouldn't limit the field."

 

[Aver Brand]

Had to wonder – if there wasn’t a way to rankle his feathers in turn. Didn’t seem like a man to be rankled by much of anything, but then Aver’d never backed down from a fun challenge.

Well. Almost never. (There was self-preservation to consider. This wasn’t it.)

“The bull rancor, huh?” The arched eyebrow seeped straight into her drawl. “Should make a fine anniversary gift. You got anything for, mm…” she let the punchline hang, leaning in over the counter, “morning after?”

 

[Dissero]

The other brow lifted to join the first.

"I do not," he blinked, a small smirk creeping into his beard, "pharmaceuticals have that pretty well covered."

 

[Aver Brand]

They were so frakking related.

She leaned forward, grin split wider. “Pharmaceuticals for bull rancors?” Snort. “I’ll take two.”

Two anniversaries, no?

 

[Dissero]

The man passed his pinky over his brow, shaking his head with a chuckle. He didn't want to think about what kinds of people this woman made relations with, but he sure hoped the armor came off at some point with them.

Two bottles of RAGE found their way across the counter, "On the house."

 

[Aver Brand]

“On the house.”

Two eyebrows skirted the edge of a red hairline. “Don’t tell me you got a soft spot for me, Alchemist.”

 

[Dissero]

Suddenly he was reminded of his days as the Prince of Kuat.

"Noh," the glasses in the box clinked as he closed the lid, "just a man with two extra bottles."

 

[Aver Brand]

Her tongue skirted the back of her teeth; worried the point of a sharp fang. She tilted her head aside, measuring the man a few long beats.

“Alright.” Aver tucked the flasks into her belt (alchemized), right next to her blade (also alchemized). “Say… you ever find that sentient cactus?”

 

[Dissero]

He turned from the counter and stepped around the side of it, moving towards the Apothecary portion of the shoppe where he unlocked a glass display case with a wave of his hand and began to carefully set the bottles inside next to other bottles of curious nature.

"Only just told you about it today didn't I?"

 

[Aver Brand]

Aver made a face somewhere between a scowl and a pout. Never before had the helmet earned its keep more than in this moment.

Like it was her fault time flowed so inconsistently in this thread— er, shoppe.

“Figured my angelic playing might’ve brought it back.” She drummed her fingers on the counter. “Y’know – prickly song for a prickly plant.”

 

[Dissero]

Another chuckle, "Why didn't I think of that?"

He didn't think that this particular creature...plant, whatever it was, would be the sort to be tamed by music. He gave the armored woman a short glance while straightening the bottles and brushing some dust off the shelves, "You want me to let you know when we catch it? Seem pretty interested."

 

[Aver Brand]

For lack of an exposed nose, Aver tapped the side of her helmet instead.

“If you catch it… well, you know how to reach me.” She spread her arms in the universal gesture of magnanimity. “Schuttas love flowers, don’t they?”

 

[Dissero]

"Have some faith," the case slowly closed with a creak, locks sliding into place by the whim of a hand gesture through the air, "I once taught a mercenary to play the drums. Real tough sort, never out of her armor, carries a big dagger. You know the type..."

Hands moving to the pockets of his pants he turned with a mild grin to head back down towards the Opera House, "I'll pack up the kit for ya. Meet me outside."

 

[Aver Brand]

“I might,” she conceded, gamely, leaning back against the counter as he meandered back down.

“Outside?” Her brows arched as she yelled after him. “We’re in the frakking sewers, Alchemist!”

 

[Dissero]

The man began to hum as he walked, a tune growing stronger and louder until he waxed loquacious. Voice echoing up from the hall in a smooth, deep baratone.

"Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away!
If you can use some exotic booze,
there's a bar in Llon Nebulae,
come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away."

Fading as he traversed deeper, the man persisted.

"Come fly with me, let's float down to Xolu,
In yahk-tosh land there's a one-man band,
and he'll play a tune for you,
come fly with me, let's take off in the bluuuueeee-"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmQq6yLe2ww