Half-Off Drinks

[Janick Beauchamp]

Since the events on Kal'shebbol, something wasn't right about Janick: she still remembers that day where she failed to intercept that rogue freighter. In addition, ugly memories resurfaced and she now remembers that the captain of the Verdict also failed to intercept what could turn out to be the Sovereign, or the Devastator, which also reflected on her. Granted, her memories are a little incomplete, but she did not have access to more information about it; what she remembers about that ugly memory is limited to what her sensor data returned back then. That is, a swarm of fighters, and the then-unknown enemy flagship was 1500m, as opposed to the Verdict's 3000. Not even the happy stuff that came afterward would alleviate that lingering feeling: not even the return on investment she got on those songsteel futures, and the 1/7 royalties she would be getting on the profits from the sales of the Elite Neimoidian Yacht, or the Utai Pilot Seats, much less the revenue stream opening up by the sale of Utai Drill Bits, would help; cash truly didn't make her happier. Once the Verdict stopped at Zonju V, Janick and Griet both rode their Elite Neimoidian Yacht down to the surface, where they rented a speeder to get to the nearest Pizza Hutt location, which advertized a special: half-off drinks all day.

"Welcome to Pizza Hutt: to celebrate the expansion of this location, all alcoholic beverages in stock are half-off for today!" the manager of the location recorded for a PA commercial to be broadcast planet-wide.

[member="Leo Vandermolen"] [member="MacTavish"]

 

[Leo Vandermolen]

Half off drinks? Leo was already there, blowing his hard earned credits as he drank himself into a coma at the family establishment. His thoughts jumped clumsily through his mind as he sat, reclining in a booth, his past rushing to the forefront, reminding him off who he really was. Yet, he continued to drink, hazily considering if he'd made the right choice coming here today.

Leo watched as the door opened and closed, herding groups of people, on after the other, always in pairs or groups of families or friends, looking to enjoy themselves. But Leo had no family, well, no family that he knew were alive, and his friends, his friends led one of the major factions throughout the galaxy, and relied upon him to be there as well, aiding in the cause. It was all very thirsty work, and he needed some time off.

And so here he was, wasting his time...

| [member="Janick Beauchamp"] |

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"May I have a look at the alcohol list please?" she asked the Sephi barman when she took a seat at the bar section of the establishment.

Janick was probably familiar with [member="Leo Vandermolen"] because he was at the ForceCon with her, too. And alcohol seemed to conjure a variety of memories in her: these Charon suffering from delirium tremens back on Aing-Tii, the very first time she alchemized drinks in public, all those nights spent alchemizing lum, mead, and, of course, Utai Safe Bottles, and finally, those drill bits, thanks to Griet... with the drill bits being used to mine what will ultimately become tihaar. But when the alcohol list is handed to Janick, she also realizes that pizza features prominently on the non-alcoholic menu. In addition, the alcohol list takes two pages, with a half-page for lum, a half-page for mead, a half-page for wine and the final half-page for spirits. Absinthe, tihaar, vodka, scotch being the mainstays of the place. The whole alcohol menu was printed in pretty small print. Another copy of the restaurant menu was handed to Leo as well, and hopefully both people will have plenty of alcohol to choose from and drink.

"Ah I remember you, Leo. What will it be for you? Any grub will also be included in the tab, and it's on me. Probably best to ask about why I'm paying for this bar encounter later"

 

[MacTavish]

Smoke slithered out of Mac’s nostrils and mouth as he took another drag of his deathstick before throwing it on the sandy ground and stomping on it. He never cared for sandy planets, or watery planets, hell, even grassy planets were too itchy. He preferred the scenery of neon lights and buildings taller than trees. His personal preferences didn’t mean anything to his employers, however, and when they asked you to travel to a sandy death trap, you did it. Equipped with his favorite blaster rifle hidden beneath his lumbering jacket, a few vibroblades scattered about his person, and a hollowed out slugthrower bullet filled with a half gram of spice and a tiny little spoon, he was ready to face whatever ugly aliens this side of wild space had to offer.

MacTavish was here for one thing and one thing only, howeer, he had been tasked to watch the bar and enjoy as many free drinks as he liked while his boss did business in the back. The owner of this particular speck of durasteel slapped against the shifting brown background the planet provided was renowned for its cheap drinks and barely adequate food, but before he could take two more steps into the building he heard over the intercom that all drinks were half off.

“Color me drunk." Tav growled under his breath. With an endless bartab from his boss and a fresh pack of ‘sticks, the six foot two mercenary was ready to start the party. Hopefully the owners didn’t try to pull one over on his boss, because when MacTavish was drunk and in a fight, what he lost in accuracy, he gained in brutality.

“I’ll have three shots of Corellian whiskey.” He sat his black credit chip on the bar. “No chaser.”

“Sir we can’t sell you shots, you have to order a drink.” Tav could tell the bartender was rattled, he likely hadn’t seen someone Mac’s size and in the shape he was in in quite some time.

“Look, do you see this card?” A weathered and leathery hand picked up the credit chit, everyone in the galaxy knew what a black credit chit meant, unlimited credit. “This means I can damn well do whatever I want, doesn’t it?” The mercenary slapped the chit back on the counter, not breaking eye contact with the now noticeably scared bartender.

“Now, why don’t you pour those shots for me? Pour yourself one too, you look like you’re about to piss yourself.” He let out a menacing smile, bearing his yellowed teeth.

So far there weren’t any people here that seemed like they were going to cause any trouble, it was an intergalactic pizza chain for families. No matter, if there was a need for MacTavish to be there for protection this place wasn’t as innocent as the waving Hutt on the beer menu suggested.

[member="Janick Beauchamp"] [member="Leo Vandermolen"]

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"One serving of Asop tihaar, one basket of five Gardulla breadsticks, please"

Understandably [member="Leo Vandermolen"] was going to take his sweet time, and [member="MacTavish"] already got down to business. She was there to have a good time drinking alcohol, and a meal to go along with it; the main advantage of the bar section of the joint is that one can stagger-order food, unlike the main dining room, nevermind the takeout section. Meanwhile she sensed the approaching presence of one [member="Kami Meran"], apparently eager to showcase the Asop tihaar. It was a testament to the functionality of the Utai Drill Bit if they were able to put but one well in service this fast; Griet would tell anybody that in the best of cases, assuming duranium drill bits, it would take a week to drill a borehole to that depth, and another couple of days to install the pumping jack. Once the barman began filling Janick's glass with the very first shipment of Asop tihaar that Pizza Hutt location ever received, he was quick to comment on that particular serving. The glass was then poured and served to her.

"You're the first client that want a drink of Asop tihaar; I hope you don't mind drinking such strong drinks" the Sephi barman commented. "There you go"

 

[Kami Meran]

( yaay it's alive.)

there was a weird song running through Kami's head as she watched the serving droid poured the drinks.
" there 's an opportunity in this very community... " she started as [member="Janick Beauchamp"] drew her attention.
she made her way over to the woman.
" free sample? the Firebud flavor is one of the favorites i'm told i like the Pika my self " she offeed

 

[Leo Vandermolen]

Leo smirked as a familiar face approached, "Janick, is it? I believe we've worked together before." he replied, "and thanks for the offer, by the way." Leo gestured for her to have a seat before calling for some more alcohol from a nearby waitress. He stopped midway through, however, and canceled the order after noticing none other than Kami Meran walking through the doors and approaching them.

"Well feth me, how's it been Kami?" Leo asked casually, forgetting his surroundings. "You here for the cheap alcohol too?" Their dealings had been frequent, with Kami manufacturing a lot of Leo's equipment, armor and vehicles for him, she was his go-to procurer of goodies.

| [member="Kami Meran"] | [member="Janick Beauchamp"] | [member="MacTavish"] |

 

[Kami Meran]

Kami smiled.. well tried to. to be honest at [member="Leo Vandermolen"]. " i belave we have. though i think it was more you and Lyth. " kami joked.
oggering the incewdably strong drinks.
Asopi Tithaar. we are a new brewery. " [member="Janick Beauchamp"] helped a lot. honestly whan you have a planet with alcohol oceans and no brewing skills. " she laughed.
" Hear free samples this Asopi it is 98% proof quadruple filtered . smooth as a twt'lek's head. "

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"I'll take both firebud and pika, thank you"

[member="Kami Meran"] acknowledged that Janick was instrumental in getting whatever tihaar there is. Two flavors of the Asopi tihaar are made available for free: firebud and pika, to the tune of 20 ml apiece. These were served by those three barmen: one Sephi, one non-Sephi female and one droid. This abv proportion suggests that the result of the final filtering is an azeotrope with mostly water-based flavor content, she thought. As Janick drank the first two glasses of tihaar of the day, yes, these were as smooth as a Twi'lek's lekku, Griet also started to get those two flavors for herself. Jane, you acknoledge the credit I have for the role in the tihaar drilling process, I would certainly want a taste of my own labor's proverbial fruits, Griet thought, while under the effect of the alcoholic buzz generated by drinking two shots of tihaar in very short succession. And yet, [member="Leo Vandermolen"] was given an opportunity to meet with Kami before Janick was given the two servings. The Asopi tihaar just feels so... good to Janick, and Griet, too: their respective brains start relaxing as the alcohol flows into their bloodstreams. Poof, their headaches start to fade.

 

[Kami Meran]

" Yes we are looking in to other flavors Lyth has a few fruits from her home planet i like these Bananas that she has shown me. " she admitted s approaching [member="Leo Vandermolen"] and [member="Janick Beauchamp"]
" ahh nice to see that two of mu asociates have met saves on introdictions eh?"

 

[MacTavish]

Shortly after his outburst, Tav received his three shots of whiskey. He made sure to watch whether or not it was the top shelf bottle. The bartender raised his glass to cheers the mercenary in a show of good faith, and mostly likely for his life. MacTavish raised one of his own shots to meet him. “Nostrovia.” He tapped the shotglass back on the bar for good luck then threw it back while simultaneously signing the tab off to his boss. Of course he added a good tip, he wasn’t a complete nerf herder.

After sliding back the bar tab, the mercenary turned and winced a little. It seemed no matter how aromatic or ‘spiced’ a whiskey claimed to be, it was still alcohol. No one enjoyed it for the taste, least of all MacTavish. It reminded him of all of the sour things he had tasted in his past, yet it eased his present being. Without making another expression, he threw the other two shots back like they were water. There was no place for weakness in his line of work. Those shots would settle his stomach and his mind for the next few minutes at least.

He left his barstool and as if the bar were made of liquid, his space was filled by the next patron ready to order a drink. The gun-for-hire drew his attention to the closet bathroom for a little drug break. His boss hadn’t even tried to contact him over the commlink, which usually meant everything was going fine…or it was so bad it didn’t matter what happened. Which meant it was time for a little bump of spice.

It took a lot to get MacTavish inebriated, especially with an unlimited tab. He planned to make the most of tonight, however, “family fun was for everyone” as the restaurant claimed. Mac’s giant bantha hide boots, weathered from travel and combat, stomped against the durasteel floor. You could easily hear him coming, seing as his boots stuck to the soda and grease that lined the restaurant’s floor.

He bumped shoulders with a guy on his way to the bathroom, knocking Mac into [member="Janick Beauchamp"]s ‘s table. “Watch where you’re going.” His grizzly palm sprawled across their table for support.

[member="Kami Meran"] [member="Janick Beauchamp"] [member="Leo Vandermolen"]

 

[Kami Meran]

Kami pointed to [member="MacTavish"]' with a giggle. " That's why i don't drink. "
she shrugged to [member="Janick Beauchamp"][member="Leo Vandermolen"].
" well hpw dose it taste?"

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

The first of the two servings, the firebud-flavored one, was drunk before she started eating any of the Gardulla breadsticks, which arrived after the azeotropic tihaar was served. While she was drinking the second serving, the pika one, [member="MacTavish"] knocked the table, causing both glasses to be turned over. Thank the Force for transparisteel, she thought, while being grateful for the Pizza Hutt owner having so graciously provided transparisteel glasses, which did not chip like glass would. As a result of the table being knocked, she lost over half the pika tihaar; she feels a little disappointed, and she would probably want another glass of the pika-flavored tihaar. Meanwhile, Griet just kept eating the bread but she was a little different in her methods: she drank both her tihaar glasses prior to eating any of the breadsticks. How much do you know about chemistry anyway? Griet thought, while she struggled with the concept of azeotropes, thanks to her brain not being as active. I started reading more in-depth about chemistry as well as metallurgy when I began learning alchemy; I know about metallurgy just about as much as you do, or perhaps different aspects, Janick answered back using telepathy.

"One small pepperoni pizza, please" Griet ordered while hiccuping under the effects of alcohol.

"I prefer the pika flavor myself, even though the table got knocked over when I was drinking it" she told [member="Kami Meran"] when asked. "Another pika-flavored tihaar glass please"

 

[Kami Meran]

kami smiled at [member="Janick Beauchamp"] " yup. makes a smooth drink and industrial ship hull thinner " she joked looking to [member="MacTavish"] and [member="Leo Vandermolen"] for a review or sugestion.
" soo any takes on the drinks? flavor sugestiond or drink sizes?
"

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"It's more than just a paint thinner, it's also an industrial degreaser and electronics cleaner, although I would prefer acetone to thin paint. As for tihaar flavor, I would like a serving of banana-flavored tihaar. Also, I think one-ounce servings would be just right" Janick said, hiccuping due to the sheer amount of alcohol she just drank, while still being mostly functional mentally.

"It's amazing just how much you know about chemistry... more than I know myself" Griet blurted out, with something really off in her voice.

Acetone was preferrable to alcohol when it came to thin hull paints, she thought, while realizing that Griet is mentally unresponsive after the blonde just chucked a serving of banana-flavored tihaar, even though Janick knows that her wingwoman isn't brain-dead. Plus one-ounce servings of tihaar would, by human/Near-Human standards, count for two servings for the purposes of blood alcohol in a law enforcement context. So, for the purposes of PUI, she is edging dangerously close, because she drank five alcohol units, after drinking the banana-flavored tihaar. [member="Kami Meran"] would probably be happy to see that Janick's help extended beyond simply alchemizing the drill bits that made the tihaar possible. Now, would [member="Leo Vandermolen"] or [member="MacTavish"] be willing to drink more tihaar? Did Janick have enough mental functionality left to use Detoxify Poison on Griet or herself? She knew that, if her brain was too relaxed, or if she was otherwise not functioning well enough mentally, her ability to use the Force was impaired.

 

[Kami Meran]

" pint glass it id then [member="Janick Beauchamp"]. "

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"Are you sure? I don't necessarily know more about chemistry than I do: I only know different stuff about it than you do, beyond the basics, mother-frakker" Janick told Griet with more and more anger in her voice.

"I can't drink much... more!" Griet hiccuped.

"Holy moly! That's a poodoo-load of banana-flavored tihaar! Must... drink... it!"

Oh, of course Janick was going to use Detoxify Poison to get both Griet and herself back with some mental functionality, if only a rather nominal amount. Yet Griet was reeling in from drinking far too much alcohol for her own good. Meanwhile, [member="Kami Meran"] gave her an extra pint glass of banana-flavored tihaar? No amount of Detoxify Poison would allow her to survive this unscathed. That, even though she knew that Detoxify Poison could make the difference between life and death here. She heard of only a handful of non-Zeltrons capable of drinking that much tihaar, but was [member="Leo Vandermolen"] or [member="MacTavish"] capable of drinking that much? Or was the Mando pint a smaller pint than was the case for other drinks? She started gulping it, while her body temperature steadily began to drop with each drop of tihaar she absorbed, and her own mental functionality decreasing as well. So she had to stop for a while, making sure she could use the Force to metabolize the alcohol at every step before continuing on, oblivious of the stranglehold the drink was exerting on her. But at some point she had to stop drinking. It was far too late when she dropped on the ground, unconscious, with the other patrons looking at Janick crazy after having gulped all that tihaar, while still being alive. Griet was glad neither her, nor her commanding officer would be in, say, First Order service, otherwise acute alcoholism cases would embarrass them both.

"Someone get an ambulance!" a patron shouted upon seeing Janick laying unconsciously on the ground and having drunk too much.