Private Sixteen Candles

[Daiya]

S E V E R A L • H O U R S • B E F O R E • M I D N I G H T • O N • D E N O N​

Her apartment still smelled of the rank clothes she had traveled in. She should have taken the day before to launder the sweat-stained outfit that had gotten the teen through her visit to Tatooine, but Daiya was too busy making plans and arranging a treat for herself. Music played loud in her apartment as the teen danced, rhythm pulsing through her giddy veins. Every act of donning another clothing item was timed and adapted to the music, layering up the outfit she had picked out in her mind for weeks while her body swayed to the song.

"Denon wears her neon like a crown..."​

A smile seemed like a permanent fixture on the teen's face, fading only slightly as she pulled at the bandage on her left wrist. The design lived in her head for weeks, winding up on the margins of notes and doodles in her holojournal, earning her more than a few glares from Luminous Sun or an eyeroll from another Z-Runner. Not even they could dampen her spirits, or the urge to get the stylized blue flame as her second tattoo. The bandage came off without protest, even though the instructions told her to leave it on for at least another day, revealing the design underneath. It was still a little red, but no longer the raw and puffy gore she had peeked at this morning. It redoubled her grin as Daiya cleaned her wrist and the adhesive marks, twirling in feet covered in textured leggings while she fetched her discarded towel from the bed.

Deeming herself decent enough for the call, Daiya leaned over to fetch her datapad. She pulled up Brie's contact, tapping in to start a call to her best friend. The teen spun away as it connected, still swaying to the music as she lowered the chain necklace over her head. The holo of her scrapper friend appeared, saying something the young shadowrunner couldn't make out. "What?" Daiya asked, before realizing and turning down the music. She grinned at Brie, giggling at the error in giddy euphoria that she was almost certain would have annoyed Brie if they were together in person already. "You're coming tonight, right?"

Of course she was. Daiya knew Brie had just gotten back in to Denon, that's why she had been so frantic to get off Belazura. Zenie understood, even if the little heiress should have been the second on the barely-still-fifteen year old's invite list. The Belazuran girl's birthday gift to her was a cover mission that would keep Sun occupied long enough not to miss Daiya for a few days. "We're gonna meet at the Blue Flame, and then we paint this town PINK!"

"Blue Flame? You kidding?! I will be there! If you promise to not order Port in a Storm again!"

Daiya gaped at the blonde's comment, looking very blue in the haze of the hologram. She placed her hand on her chest, drawing a gasp in mock offense to the accusation. "Oh my stars, Brie, that was one time!" She grinned, dropping the pretense along with her arm, revealing half of the outfit she wore tonight. "Fine. Dress to impress, I'm inviting someone you need to meet."

"Wait! What? No you don't!"

Laughter followed the teen as she danced away from the holo, still moving to the beat of absent music, to grab the jacket hanging behind the refresher door. It was plain, business-y, and with any other clothes Daiya would have gagged at how drab it looked. Paired with her other choices, though... "Yep! It's gonna be fuuuuuuuuuuun. You'll see."

"Hm, you haven't invited Ahxel, have you?"

The former infiltration partner to that Cabral party rolled her eyes, leaning over the bed to glare into the datapad's holorecorder. "Nope! He's totally new to you, and cute. But I'm not telling any more, you'll just have to wait and see."

Daiya enjoyed teasing her friend, deriving splendid pleasure from the older teen's deep sigh. "Alright... Because it's you then!"

"Exactly." The teen beamed at Brie from across the comms. She stood up to don the jacket, completing most of her outfit for the night. Daiya stood back, tossing her arms out in a Yirt pose with one hand tipped down, showing off all of herself to the holorecorder. "Incredible me. See you there."

She waved at the holo, then moved close again to shut it off but not before Brie had a chance to get the last word in. "You are hopeless!"

Daiya just stuck her tongue out at the older girl, and punched the holo-comm off. The seventeen-year-old wouldn't be able to hold onto her lead for much longer, one more night and Daiya would be hot on her heels. The teen danced into the refresher again, using the mirror to finish up her hair and makeup, ensuring that she'd be as hot as she felt tonight.

Tomorrow she turned sixteen, and Daiya was only hours away!

B L U E • F L A M E
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT​

"What the feth is that supposed to mean?"

The sign she passed was explicit enough in its laconic wording. Its implication swirled in the birthday girl's head from the moment she walked into the Blue Flame, a tavern that had become as much of a home as a favorite haunt to her. Unfamiliar beings stalked by, crossing rooms with purpose unknown but acting like the bar's staff did. Her eyes scoured the room, panic encroaching her earlier excitement as she sought the comfort of a familiar face or a friendly wave. Daiya could see none of her attendees for the evening yet, and aside from the regulars, it was hard to spot anyone who didn't make her feel as if she'd just walked into the wrong neighborhood.

At last! Daiya spied the long face of Meeno, looking longer than usual. Without any alternatives, the teen made her way over to the usually-taciturn Muun, barely avoiding collision with a Nikto taking long strides toward a rear booth. She was surprised not to see him behind the bar, he looked out of place, and his body overlong without the wooden counter taking up half. He barely noticed her as she approached, taking a long time to turn away from the menial tasks he could usually do without looking. Concern drew itself on Daiya's face at the distressing scene. "What's going on, Meeno? Did Shenn hire a new staff and manager?"

The Muun just tipped his long head toward the kitchen, where a Weequay man was having a boistrous conversation with Odri. Any satisfaction the teen might have felt at seeing the acerbic woman squirm was lost in her own stomach clenching. Daiya squeezed in around the gesticulating stranger, only managing a few words out once the attention turned to her. "Are you the—"

"Welcome, welcome! You seem a little young to be in here, but everyone seems a little young to these eyes. Ha Ha! You've come for drinks? Food? Some companionship? Ha Ha! Tycho doesn't judge, he just wants what we all want. To get paid...now, tell me young miss, what is your pleasure?"

"Where's Shenn?" The blessed words were out of her mouth the moment the Weequay's closed, sparing her from too much thought. The man was too much of a rambler, and not the good kind. Daiya didn't need Force magic or a vision to feel the slime oozing from his pores. Whatever it was about Tycho, it instantly put the teen on guard.

"Shenn? Shenn? Everybody asks about Shenn. What about Tycho Ohnaka, when does he get his due? I will tell you, young miss, right now!" The Weequay stamped his foot, his gravely voice grinding against Daiya's ears as he over-emphasized the point. Her placid face turned slightly inward, the implications of the man's ramblings starting to form a picture of dread in her mind. "It's been sixteen years and that old Chandy still won't pay up what's mine. He's like a, a, what'cha call 'em around here? A Corpo. Corpo! Greedy kark with a stick up his ass, but always telling you that you're 'like family to him'! Weeeeell, I decided I was done waiting for my inheritance, it was time to seize my moment."

The teen swallowed hard.

"And I did! Ha Ha."

Chit. Daiya felt the bile rising in her throat, her fingers curling in against themselves. She had practically grown up in the Blue Flame, and Shenn was practically a grandfather. Everything the man said sounded like a perversion of what the teen knew to be true. Shenn Rosham was like family to everyone he met, and this tavern was his home he gladly opened to all. To cross Shenn was excessively hard, Daiya couldn't fathom what would possess the jolly, old proprieter to become the kind of demon described by Tycho.

She decided she didn't like Tycho. At all.

"It's his now," Odri clarified, finally speaking. Daiya could have sworn she heard an explosion, but it was only the sound of Tycho starting up again.

"Every. Square. Meter of it! Ha Ha!" The Weequay's smirk could have thrown planets out of alignment. "And soon, a new name! Stick around, watch me glow, and enjoy Tychoon's, young miss!"

Tycho wandered off, and after a pained look so did Odri, leaving a hard pit in the bottom of Daiya's lonely stomach. She wandered aimlessly back out into the barroom, contemplating the worst gift she could have received tonight. The Blue Flame was conquered. Shenn was gone, and she hoped unharmed. But worst of all?

Her birthday was ruined.

Brie Jaxx Cassus Akovin Doc Painless Yula Perl Cartri Keswoll
(Joint dialogue adorably provided by Brie Jaxx )

Spoiler: OOC

It's Daiya's Birthday, and plans have fallen apart when the meeting spot of the Blue Flame is taken over with a mostly new staff and owner: Tycho Ohnaka. Only Odri and Meeno are left.

Obviously this isn't going to sit well with our birthday girl. She's quite distraught that Shenn might be dead, or worse, and that her favorite watering hole is now in the possession of a smug, new owner. Whatever leverage Tycho used to get the Blue Flame, it can't be all that legit or defensible. There's probably plenty of dirt to dig up, or palms to be greased, to get someone to help oust this new boss.

The Blue Flame needs help if it's going to survive. All it has is you six.

Good luck!

(Feel free to use Hondo Tycho Ohnaka as you like, and the Blue Flame staff as NPCs. There's no plan for how this ends.)

 

[Doc Painless]

It seemed to be the season of birthdays for Darkwire's young shadowrunners.

The difference between Cartri's and Daiya's, of course, was that Daiya was actually going out. The Doc had agonized over whether he should put in an appearance. Daiya had explicitly invited him - he still had the glitter that had spilled all over his mechanical arms when he'd opened her invitation to prove it - but he was a little worried he'd kill the vibe. He was by far the oldest person on the guest list, considerably over twice the birthday girl's age, and not really the party type. He didn't drink for fun anymore; he drank to forget, and at this point he had to drink hard to reach that point. Besides, he was busy. There were always people who needed his clinic's services.

But he liked Daiya. They'd been through a lot together, from earthquakes to prison breaks and beyond, and that had forged a friendship where age mattered far less than shared trauma. The Doc felt protective of the girl - no, the young woman at this point, forced to grow up far too fast - though he knew she would resent that if she knew about it. He wanted to see her safe and happy, and since he couldn't talk her out of doing the kind of work that made the former impossible, he could at least try to contribute to the latter. So he cleaned himself up, actually combed his hair and trimmed his beard for once, pulled on the most festive clothes he had. They were still pretty plain.

The Doc figured he would put in a quick appearance to wish Daiya a happy birthday, then dip out, letting the actual teenagers have fun without lugging an old man around. Of course, that whole plan might be dead on arrival, because the birthday girl had picked the Blue Flame as her party venue. It wasn't that the Doc disliked the bar, or didn't want to be there - he absolutely did. The problem was that, the last couple of times he'd shown up there, everything had gone horribly wrong. Last Enterprise Day he'd lost his temper with a bunch of Corpo bootlickers, starting a massive brawl that had gotten him banned from the place. As far as he knew, that ban was still in effect.

He'd only been back once since then, during the crackdown after Xopsaloff's death. That visit had turned his life upside down.

So the Doc was understandably apprehensive as he approached the place, one of his rare visits back to Seven Corners since he'd had to flee the district that very night. He wore a hooded jacket as he traversed the streets, as he was still a wanted man. But a hood could slip, or be caught at just the wrong angle, so he'd taken other precautions. His facial implants projected a cam-scrambling aura, making his features appear as a blur on any surveillance footage. It was suspicious, of course, but there were a lot of suspicious people moving around Seven Corners. It wouldn't bring CorpSec down on him right away, and he didn't plan to stay in the area too long.

The Doc was prepared to chat with the bouncers, to explain that he didn't plan to stay, just to wish Daiya a happy birthday and head out. He knew Isqi, Dreva, and Galaté reasonably well, having spent a lot of time in the bar before his ban, and he was pretty sure he could talk them into letting him get away with that much. But when he made it up to the doors, he didn't spot any familiar faces. The bouncers were all people he'd never glimpsed before, let alone met, and they didn't look twice at him despite his spot on the banned list. That was when he spotted the sign, a sign that sent his heart sinking down into his guts. Under New Management, it said. And it raised a vital question:

What the feth had happened to Shenn and his staff?

The Doc's first, terrifying thought was that they'd been arrested, nabbed in the aftermath of the CorpSec raid on the bar. Plenty of people had been, and he hadn't been back to check since the night he'd fled. He needed to find someone who knew what was going on. Moving through a mass of unfamiliar beings, he let his cybernetic eyes quite literally scan the crowd, looking for someone he knew. Finally, in a gap between a pair of soused patrons, he caught sight of the very person he'd come to see. Daiya was looking distinctly unhappy for someone who was here to celebrate a birthday, which told him right away that she also knew that something was very wrong here.

Slipping through the crowd, the street medic made his way over to her, offering her a quick wave. "Hey," he called out, offering her a strained smile. "What's going on?" There was a bleak look on her young features, something that made his heart twist; she knew what had happened, he could tell, and it was bad news all around. Suddenly he remembered why he'd come here in the first place. "Oh, uh, happy birthday," he followed up awkwardly, holding out a wrapped gift box about the size of his fist. The wrapping paper was perfectly folded, its surface smooth, the creases sharp. Inside was a handheld medscanner, the kind he used for quick field evaluations.

He knew it'd be useful for her, and a vote of confidence in her developing street medic skills... but it wouldn't salvage her day.

Daiya | Brie Jaxx | Cassus Akovin
Cartri Keswoll | Yula Perl​

 

[Yula Perl]

Yula burst into The Blue Flame to the jubilant sound of a cheap party horn. She'd scored a whole bag at the 10 UCks or less store on the way here, and you bet she'd pass them out to anyone else Daiya had invited. Was it really your birthday if your own guests didn't harass you?

But the mood of the tavern was off, way off. That much she picked up on after trumpeting her way through the door. Daiya had been excited about celebrating her birthday with friends, and Yula was excited to gift her with a set of eyeliners. She knew how much the kid enjoyed Heartbeat's cosmetics.

"Did someone die?" Bewildered, she looked between Daiya, the cybernetics Doc, and the empty spot behind the bar. Then it struck her. "Wait, where's Shenn?"

"Oh my god, did Shenn die??"

Daiya Doc Painless Brie Jaxx Cassus Akovin Cartri Keswoll

 

[Brie Jaxx]

Someone she needed to meet? Who in the galaxy would that possibly be?

Brie thought of the mysterious lines Daiya had delivered over the holotransmitter earlier today. Sometimes, the little gamine also known as her best friend was impossible to deal with. Still, it brought a smile upon her lips as the open air taxi carried her along the speeder lanes and toward their favorite place to meet. The Blue Flame were always a safe card to spend your credits at, with simply the best food in the block. Modestly speaking!

It was also the place where Brie and Daiya first met. Brie had fond memories of that night and looked forward to celebrate her fellow shadowrunners birthday at the place. However, as the air taxi pulled up and dropped her off in front of the enterance, something felt instantly off. She sensed no particular danger, though. She didn't need the abilities that Jax Thio had explained to her to feel and understand that something major had happened the place when she spotted the large sign saying ''Under New Management''. With a slightly anxious look to her face, Brie let her gaze off the sign and were let in by the bouncers. Folks she had never seen before.

Brie had even went out to buy some new clothes for her friends birthday. Daiya had reminded Brie more than once that her wardrobe needed a serious update. So, without going overly fancy, and after getting her friends solid approval through message conversation from the store, Brie had decided for a knitted sweater and plaid skirt. Her hair was also tended to, but let out free in thick blonde waves falling over her shoulders.

She spotted Daiya along with Doc and Yula and made her way over to them, hiding the present behind her in the most non-secret manner. Hearing Yula's suggestion that Shenn had died brought an instant pit in her stomach. No?! It couldn't be, right?!

Daiya , Yula Perl , Cartri Keswoll , Doc Painless , Cassus Akovin​

 

[Cassus Akovin]

It felt good to be back on a Swoop again. Podracing had been a neat and exciting departure from his usual pastime, and it did generate a little revenue for him. But there were a few close calls, and he was pretty sure he probably freaked Daiya out at some point with the possibility of a fiery end. It also felt good to be back "home" on Denon.

After enjoying himself a bit back behind controls he understood, he flew through a few dangerous corners to get to the Blue Flame. He had left early for the party but only just now arrived in the parking garage. He'd used it a few times before, but something felt different this time. Sure there were newcomers and new employees from time to time, but Cassus was sure there had never been a valet before. What did Shenn think this was? The young Bounty Hunter told them in no uncertain terms that if they so much as touched his Swoop, he'd be finding a new occupation as a Hutt's wall decoration.

With that settled, he walked his way to the barroom. Bits of glitter fell from his leather jacket, not bothering to change out. He figured it was the standard uniform to a Daiya gathering, and there was no point in trying to avoid it. Though, he wished a little less of it had gotten on his face, especially without a mask to cover it (Daiya never seemed to care for the mask anyway). He garnered a few strange looks, which was unusual for the Blue Flame. Before the raid, his reputation preceded him. Tonight, it felt like it was nothing but fresh eyes.

Speaking of eyes, who's were those, and why did she look so terribly concerned next to Daiya?

"Is this a bad time? I can come back later...?" He said, gesturing with the Yula-provided party horn back to where he came from. His gaze divided between the party guests with some unequal measure.

Doc Painless Yula Perl Brie Jaxx Cartri Keswoll

 

[Daiya]

(Post Soundtrack: "Hurricane" by Thirty Seconds to Mars)

Her world spun.

Emotion swirled around the birthday girl, stuck still in the middle of the tavern room. Her chest heaved, her lungs clawing at the unseen force holding them back from drawing a full breath. Eyeliner ran as the first tear blazed a trail down her freckled cheek, her vision blurring from the army of reinforcements ready to follow. Beings moved around her, jostled her as they went past, yet the girl felt it as if happening to someone else. The sensation became a desire, she wished she could be someone else right now. Anyone else.

Anywhere else.

Losing friends was bad enough, losing her partner had been devastating. The loss of the Blue Flame, maybe even of Shenn too, was tearing up the last part of her, dragging it down with her sinking heart as realization set in. Her return to Denon, to the comforts and familiarity of home, had been the worst decision she could have ever made. Now, on what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, Daiya had nothing left.

Daiya sank down, her hands falling into the arms of someone else. Her knees missed the floor, buoyed by the stranger. Her heart skipped a beat, forlorn eyes looking up into the cybernetic pair set in the face of Doc Painless. The teen let out a breath, the surreal affair shattered by his anchoring presence. She blinked, her mind slowly playing catch up, before throwing her arms around the steadfast physician. Her head settled into the crook of his shoulder, and she stopped holding everything inside.

"Oh Doc, it's horrible!" Daiya sobbed into his shoulder, a river of her tears falling upon his shirt. She held onto him, her only relief in a home turned inhospitable. Her blubbering words strung together as it all came out with her tears, "That Weequay took over the Blue Flame, and it's not like he bought it or something. I think he pushed Shenn out, or maybe he hurt Shenn, I don't know. It's awful, he's awful, please fix it!"

It took Daiya that long to realize again why Doc had come. For her, upon her invite. He still wore the glitter on his arms, the teen spied it through bleary eyes, and what might have been a laugh came out as another sob. Her stomach was sore, clenched so tight inside her, that even that effort made her want to cry even more. As her eyes traced his arms down to what had been a perfectly wrapped gift in his hands, crumpled now by her embrace, the teen sobbed once more.

"Oh my stars, Doc, I fethed everything up. I just had to come back, I had to, and now look. I ruined it!" Daiya wailed into his shoulder, unable to stop herself. It all came crashing down upon her, every expectation she'd built up for the night, the anticipation, her euphoria, all flooding out of her in a well of tears that was surely going to make Doc mad at her for ruining his shirt. "You even brought a gift and I had to feth that up, too!"

She pulled back, wiping at her face. It was a futile gesture, only serving to smear new paths for the tears to follow. The sobs racked her chest, starting anew when Yula approached with the question Daiya hadn't dared to ask herself. Her stomach twisted like a hand was inside of her, wrenching her gut into the same ruin she'd wrought upon the party tonight. All because of her audacity to come back to her favorite place in the galaxy. Daiya swore and cried out at Yula, "I don't know. I don't fething know!"

More joined them, and now Daiya was just a wreck. It was bad enough she'd brought her curse down upon the Blue Flame, now her friends were here to bear witness. And she'd invited them, the architect of her own demise!

"Oh my stars, Brie!" Daiya called out to her best friend, reaching out to the scrapper girl. Her face made a plaintive request, the teen felt in desperate need of a savior. She wiped away a stain of tears, another burst following them, sapping the moisture from her throat. Daiya managed a weak greeting to her friend anyway, "And you look so cute in that outfit. I'm such a fething mess now."

Daiya felt so small, so stupid. Her knees wobbled as she tried to stay upright, her thready breaths came in gasps. She felt what was left of her control slipping away, drowning in a sea of misery threatening to swallow her.

"It's a bad everything!" Cassus had asked her, but she couldn't seem to find him through the tears anymore. Or anyone really, all blurring together in one smeared canvas to illustrate her life at the moment.

Daiya's masterpiece.

Brie Jaxx Cassus Akovin Doc Painless Yula Perl Cartri Keswoll​

 

[Doc Painless]

Internal confession time: the Doc had never been to medical school.

Well, not the kind that most people assumed he had, anyway. Not the kind that came after four years of university and led to a years-long residency. Not the kind that was full of high-tech simulators and sedate professors, attached to a local hospital for senior students to get real-life experience once they were ready. Not the kind that taught its students a holistic approach to medicine, teaching foundational knowledge and skills in every field. And definitely not the kind that taught him how to treat the mind as well as the body. The Doc's medical school had been a faraway battlefield, and what he had learned there was triage. Everything else he'd taught himself.

He had no training in comforting people, but he did have some experience. Some.

And he wasn't about to let his friend fall, literally or figuratively.

With the aid of augmented reflexes, the Doc's cybernetic arms shot out to catch Daiya as she dropped, keeping her knees from hitting the floor. It wasn't even a conscious decision, just an automatic reaction the instant he saw her distress. She looked up at him, and he felt his heart twist at the hollow, broken look in her eyes. He could tell before she ever spoke that she blamed herself for this, rational or not. He was about to say something, some gentle question, when she threw her arms around him and held tight. She cried into his shoulder, heaving sobs that wracked her whole body. The Doc felt his present crumple as one arm got caught between them.

He decided it wasn't the time to worry about that. He raised his other arm around her back, gently supporting her.

Daiya didn't need him to talk right then; she needed him to listen, to just be there, a nonjudgemental pillar of support. So he did. He stood there and listened, though her words were sometimes hard to make out through the tears - tears that, mixed with her carefully-applied mascara, were rapidly leaving a wet stain on his shoulder and chest. Well, that didn't really matter; his nicest clothes weren't much different from his everyday ones anyway. Please fix it! she begged him, and he felt a jolt run through his heart. He was starting to work out what had happened here, or at least the basics of it... and it was going to be harder to fix than crushed ribs or lost limbs.

And she blamed herself. It wasn't rational, but in that moment, it was true to her.

Before the Doc could say anything, to try to talk through it with her, others arrived. He held his tongue a little longer, let them talk... but he could see poor Daiya spinning out of control, sinking further and further into the whirlpool of despair she'd whipped up around herself. Her knees were wobbling again, and he worried she might fall. He wasn't going to let that happen, before or now. The street medic quickly reached out, catching her by the shoulder, and gently turned her to face him. "Hey," he said softly, his tone warm but firm, "do you remember when we talked about panic attacks? We're going to help Shenn, but we need to take a breath. A slow, deep breath."

They'd treated some patients together after the earthquake, the start of Daiya's informal medic training, and that had included some people left hysterical in the wake of the disaster. He'd shown her how to get them to slow down and regain control of their breathing, to deescalate from the counterproductive hyperventilation that was spiking their pulses and flooding their brains with fight or flight chemicals. The Doc demonstrated again, gently placing his forehead against hers while looking down, gradually slowing his own breathing. The moment passed, hopefully a helpful one, and he leaned back. If she wasn't ready to find her calm, if she pushed him away, he'd let her.

"Let's not generalize," the Doc told her gently. "We've had a bad thing happen, that's true. But you didn't cause it, and it's one bad thing." He tucked away the squashed, slightly damp gift box in one of his belt pouches, smiling to show that he was not upset. "Nothing else is ruined. Presents will keep. Clothes will wash. We have one problem to solve, and we're going to figure it out. Together." Turning to face the rest of the group, he spoke a little louder, so that everyone could hear him. "I'd like to start with what's most important: Shenn's safety. Has anyone heard anything about where he might be right now? Are any old employees left to ask?"

Odri and Meeno were, of course, though whether they knew where to find Shenn was an open question...

Daiya | Brie Jaxx | Cassus Akovin
Yula Perl | Cartri Keswoll​

 

[Brie Jaxx]

To say the least, Brie was devestated to see her best friend in such a heart-broken state. She had witnessed something similar after their night out at the Verdoz Jatz Club, but then it had been more muted. Now, it erupted out of Daiya like an earthquake and Brie herself begun to feel the same - it felt like they had been robbed of their history. They could not possibly go here ever again to remember and relive the day their paths crossed. As Daiya fell into the arms of Doc and expressed her feels and worries, the thoughts and guesses what had happened to Shenn gathered in Brie's mind and troubled her further more.

Doc said some well choosen words to comfort the still young, but now slightly older shadowrunner. Brie were glad that they had an older and more experienced shadowrunner with them right now in the shape of Doc. If only Ruby had been here too, even though she probably would have gone nuts on the weequay. Soon, Daiya left Doc's arms and looked around at them all gathered to celebrate her birthday, but now were looking at another mission - to save their friends birthday. Brie tried desperately to put on a comforting smile for Daiya, and was not late to extend her arm as Daiya reached for it, tears smearing the makeup she certainly put hours into before she got here. They ended up in a tight hug while Brie held onto the present behind her friends back.

''That is all thanks to you, Daiya. You look incredible!'' Brie said in response to the compliment of her outfit. ''Hey now, listen to Doc. We're going to fix this for you!'' she reassured and looked up at Doc standing behind them, with a pleading face silently mimicing ''Please, fix it!''. She didn't care how he and they did it, only that they did.

Brie then noticed the boy in the leather jacket arriving. There was something familiar over him but she could not figure it out. Right now, it sure was a bad time for introductions. Though, she managed to give him a soft yet brief smile and a greeting nod before the Doc spoke again, thank the stars beginning to get this sinking ship repaired.

''Meeno's over there, and I think I saw Odri go out to the kitchen...'' Brie said and nodded over to the bar, before she carefully let go of Daiya, keeping a hand on her arm for comfort. ''We will find out what happened here... if not, I will kiss a wookiee.'' she said with a slightly more steady smile on her lips, trying her best at putting a bit of humor into the terrible situation they had found themselves in.

Daiya , Doc Painless , Cassus Akovin , Yula Perl , Cartri Keswoll , Ruby Jaxx ​

 

[Yula Perl]

Internally, Yula cringed. Her exuberant entrance, though festive, was ill-timed. Fortunately, Doc had the patience and emotional intelligence to talk her away from a spiral. The blonde teenager flanking her seemed to be a source of comfort, too.

Drawing in a breath, Yula pressed her hand to the counter and concentrated on what she could feel. Shenn's presence had practically been imbued into the wood, so often did he spend his time here. It lingered on every bar stool, between every crack and crevice of The Blue Flame. Through it, she could get the barest of confirmations—life. No sense of how alive or where, but alive. Yula pushed away from the bar, joining Daiya, Doc and Brie. A pink hand draped over Daiya's shoulder.

"Don't worry, kid. Something tells me he's still alive."

She couldn't speak to his welfare, only that his life still lingered somewhere.

Turning to the blonde, a wry smile tilted her lips. "Don't go looking up the Wookie personal holoads too soon."

At the mention of Meeno and Odri, Yula's gaze tilted to the former, then the latter. "We might be able to get more out of Odri, so long as no one else is in the kitchen." The chef was the younger of the two, and might be more amenable to telling them what she could instead of the straight-laced Muun.

"Meeno…he might know more, though. We should talk to them both."

Dagon was rubbing off on her a bit too much.

Daiya Doc Painless Cassus Akovin Brie Jaxx

 

[Cassus Akovin]

"It's a bad everything!"

Cassus was smacking himself in his head, regretting his choice of words. Daiya was distraught, and he hated to see that. Offering to leave was about the stupidest thing he could have suggested, but sometimes she confused him making such an option seem viable. He had no excuse this time, he just couldn't handle seeing her this upset. It was often his prerogative in life to suppress any display of emotion, and he considered himself to be pretty good at it, but he could already feel his furrowed brow tightening his face.

"I'd like to start with what's most important: Shenn's safety. Has anyone heard anything about where he might be right now? Are any old employees left to ask?"

Shenn wasn't someone Cassus had gotten particularly close with emotionally, but professionally he had been a reliable source of information for Cassus when it came to hunting down marks. It was hard to imagine the old man with any enemies, but he supposed a lifetime in the underworld would garner a few, especially for spilling secrets. It certainly didn't help to narrow down who Shenn could have pissed off enough to have him removed. On reflection, it could almost be anybody.

''Meeno's over there, and I think I saw Odri go out to the kitchen...''

"Don't worry, kid. Something tells me he's still alive."
"Meeno…he might know more, though. We should talk to them both."

"We should split up, cover more ground. We shouldn't ask about Shenn, they are likely on gag orders, possibly blackmailed. It might be better to ask about their co-workers, especially the ones they were close with. Act like you're inquiring about the new staff and how they compare to avoid suspicion. Read between the lines." Cassus distributed his advice based on his experience finding marks. There were certainly adults here with more life experience, but a child didn't become a renowned bounty hunter without learning the trade. Direct questions never got you anywhere, that was the first lesson he learned in this wider galaxy.

"I'm headed to the kitchen, but if anyone goes to Meeno, good luck. I recommend asking about Namnenil. Just a hunch." Cassus started moving, leaving Doc Painless to tend to Daiya, and allowing the other guests to decide where to go.

Yula Perl Brie Jaxx

 

[Daiya]

(Post Soundtrack: "Blood Filled Tears" by Maisy Kay)

With every tear, every sob, every beat of her heart, the girl felt herself drowning in the murky basin of her own design. One last gasp left her reaching out, flailing to save what little piece of herself she still cared for. She might tumble, she might fall, she might splatter against some bottom of her endless pit of sorrows. But if just a piece of herself survived, maybe that would be enough.

Her blurry world had barely any form left to it, the words of her friends muffled against her ears. Waves and waves, that's all it was. The weeping came in waves behind it all, and with them all her worries. If eternity itself came crashing along after, the girl would not have felt more than a ripple more. She couldn't hold on in the face of such onslaught.

She nearly let go.

Something pulled at her, someone reached down to her. Doc, his never-failing arms tugging her back from the brink. She could feel the warmth of him against her forehead, the soft weight of his words cascading into the small folds she had wrapped herself up inside. She tried to pull away, tried to let go, back to the comfort within that fortress of emptiness at her core. Yet his words, his breath, they had a pull about them. A magnet drawn across the space between them, it could have been worlds away at this point, dragging her back to a reality she wanted so desperately to escape.

Daiya breathed.

It hurt, it hurt so badly, yet she did it again without even wanting to. Heaving, gasping, breathing, she went bit by bit, step by step until her lungs stopped hurting and her eyes stopped leaking and her world stopped spinning.

"Let's not generalize. We've had a bad thing happen, that's true. But you didn't cause it, and it's one bad thing. Nothing else is ruined. Presents will keep. Clothes will wash. We have one problem to solve, and we're going to figure it out. Together."

His words meant something to her at last. Drawing yet another heady breath, Daiya nodded, able to stand on her own at last. The teen swallowed over a lump in her throat, wiping back the mess she had made of her face. Looking around to the friends who'd gathered to this place, for her, made her almost want to start crying again. Almost.

She swallowed instead, easier this time, forcing what might have been called the smallest smile to ever exist onto her face. Her voice barely louder than a whisper, she offered Doc all the effort she could muster at the moment, "Thanks."

Brie was next to wrap her in a tight hug, and Daiya could have melted all over again. The teen just closed her eyes for the moment, enjoying the soft comfort of her best friend's embrace while she had it. Brie's words of comfort, even if they sounded just like Doc's, knocked louder on the wall she'd built around her mind. Daiya pulled back just as Brie cracked the best joke she could have imagined coming from the scrapper girl's mouth. The teen nearly grinned at her friend for it.

Daiya wiped her face some more, nodding much more eagerly at the scrapper girl. "I know, I know. What kind of birthday would it be if I couldn't look incredible? But you, you'd look adorable with a Wookiee on your lips."

Daiya's mirth surprised even herself, coughing up something that was halfway towards a giggle. It threatened the floodgates of her sobs once more, forcing her to breathe while the others formulated a plan among themselves. She caught bits and pieces; talk to Meeno if the taciturn bartender would entertain such a thing, ask around the question of Shenn. If it hurt to hear their clinical discussion of the beings Daiya considered akin to her family, that was quickly forgotten as the young shadowrunner watched her friends take on yet another job.

Fixing the Blue Flame was nothing short of the best task for their group of shadowrunners.

A real smile grew upon Daiya's face now, lending her the moment's reprieve to glance for an open booth nearby. Her favorite one was taken, though the teen quickly found one that looked inviting enough. She gestured over to it, confident of her friends' ability to get a head start on the evening's new plan, but spared one finger to summon Yula. "Yula, would you..." she wanted to hug the woman for her reassurance of Shenn's health, but kept her hands down, "I need a drink, do you mind?"

She watched their group depart, her eyes lingering on the form of Cassus entering the kitchen, before taking a seat at her chosen booth. Maybe someone would sit with her, but even for a few moments Daiya felt she could stomach being alone. All she needed was a little time, and maybe a good drink or two, to catch herself back up.

When it came to the Blue Flame, she promised herself never to be on the sidelines again.

Doc Painless Brie Jaxx Yula Perl Cassus Akovin Cartri Keswoll​

 

[Brie Jaxx]

Obviously, it was a joke! She would not find herself with a wookiee on her lips anytime soon, right? Right?

Brie gave the older zeltron girl an uncomfortable smile, while trying to quell an inside shudder caused by the thought of having to kiss such a hairy and lipless mouth. Despite her devastated mood, Daiya were quick to fill in with how adorable it would look. Brie was not so sure about it, and suddenly the pressure of getting to the bottom of this became considerably more prominent. Especially as Yula seemed to know about certain sites with holoadds.

The newly arrived boy hooked onto Doc's track and plan for their next step. He immediately made an impression of being one of the more clever ones of the opposite gender. That was more than she could say about a certain ginger boy, although Brie would admit that Cartri was alright when he did not tease her and Daiya all the time. His birthday had been fun and hopefully left a slightly deeper understanding for each other. If this boy were going to talk to Odri, he might need a familiar female face with him, thought Brie and took his side.

''No Port in a Storm, Daiya! Anything but a Port in a Storm!'' Brie turned around to face Daiya and Yula, while following Cassus out to the kitchen. She spared Yula a pleading gaze and slight shake to her head, as she remembered what happened last time Daiya enjoyed one of those dreadful cocktails.

''So... What do you make out of this? You... you think Shenn is alive?'' she asked, curious of what the boys assumptions was.

Daiya , Doc Painless , Cassus Akovin , Yula Perl , Cartri Keswoll ​

 

[Doc Painless]

Please fix this, Brie's expression told him, and he offered her a strained - but hopefully reassuring - smile. He was going to do his best. In spite of the drama that had unfolded here, some of the lowest points in a life pretty full of low points, he cared about this place... and about the people who made it what it was. He wanted Shenn, and all the people Shenn had brought in - like family as much as coworkers - to be safe. He wanted things to be back to the way they were, in so many ways, and this was the only one he might actually be able to put back. So he was going to do his damndest, both for Daiya and for himself, to restore the Blue Flame to some kind of normalcy.

Thankfully, what he'd tried with Daiya - even without the benefit of actual counseling training - seemed to have helped bring her back to herself. She was still understandably devastated, but she'd at least pulled out of her total nosedive. The Doc offered Yula a grateful nod, glad to hear the reassurance that only she could offer. He didn't even pretend to understand the Force, the idea that someone could feel another person's life signs from feth knew how far away being among the least of the powers it offered, but he was glad for it when it was on his side. Right now it was giving them all a little hope to cling to, and that was what they needed most in this situation.

Thanks, Daiya told him, and the Doc offered her a gentle smile and a nod. The girl beckoned Yula over, headed for the bar, and his smile got a little more strained. No use trying to prevent it, he supposed. It'd be hypocritical, for one, and Daiya definitely wasn't in the mood for a lecture, no matter how reasonable. But if anyone knew the dangers of getting into the bad habit of trying to drink one's problems away, it was the Doc. So he shot Yula a look that managed to be both pleading and severe, held up a finger, and mouthed ONE. And yeah, he was with Brie: maybe not a Port in a Storm, no matter how appropriate the name might seem for the current situation.

A strong drink at the wrong time could easily go from being the port to fueling the winds of the storm.

Cassus and Brie were off to the kitchens, and Yula seemed ready to sit with Daiya and keep an eye on her, so the Doc took on the remaining task: a chat with Meeno. That... wasn't ideal. The Muun was the last person he'd spoken with before fleeing the bar after the fight he'd started on Enterprise Day, and he hadn't been able to so much as meet the guy's eyes then. But he owed it to his friends to make an effort here, no matter how personally uncomfortable it was going to be. Honestly, he owed it to the staff, too. The credits he'd slapped down after the brawl hadn't nearly made up for the damage he'd caused, after all. He needed to try to put this right.

So he sidled over to the bar and caught the Muun's eye. "Hey, Meeno," he said, mouth dry. "New guy upholding old bans?"

All he needed was an in, a way to start talking about what had happened.

Hopefully this one wouldn't get him thrown out.

Daiya | Cassus Akovin | Yula Perl | Brie Jaxx​

 

[Yula Perl]

The Shadowrunners were a capable bunch. After debriefing what little information they had, they'd each split off for their respective tasks— Brie and Cassus off to the kitchen, Doc tried to work Meeno, and Yula slid into the seat opposite of Daiya.

As she picked at the flat cushion of the booth, Yula's gaze lingered on the kitchen doors where Cassus and Brie were heading. She didn't like what she couldn't see.

"I need a drink, do you mind?"

"You got it, kid.”

The pleading and stern looks she received from both Brie and Doc saw her to raise both hands in a yielding gesture, as if to say Alright, alright! No Port in a Storm, eh? Must have been a story there. A good one, if their reactions had been any indication.

Yula waved over the Ithorian waitress, an unfamiliar face. "Red Dwarf for me, and a Photon Fizzle for the birthday girl." It wasn't the fanciest drink, but the sweet, carbonated cocktail would likely align with Daiya's tastes.

While the server made her way back to the bar, Yula leaned back and took in Daiya. The girl had her world rocked in the worst way, and on her birthday if all days. The sight sent a pang of sympathy and indignation straight to her heart. What a chitty way to turn sixteen.

"Want me to fix your makeup? Your eyeliner…" Yula brushed underneath her own eye with the tip of her finger, as if to say girl you're smudged. "I think I've got something you'll like, too."

Daiya Doc Painless Cassus Akovin Brie Jaxx

 

[Daiya]

(Post Soundtrack: "Freakshow" by The Nearly Deads)

Giving time to herself was one of her worst habits. Memories of feeling replayed again and again in her head, finding the teen with her arms wrapped around herself. Tears were farther from her eyes this time, though her twisted stomach made up for it in spades. Daiya at least managed to fix up her jacket and the necklace that had come flaring out where it wasn't supposed to.

Daiya looked up to see Yula sitting across her. How long had the Zeltron woman been there now? The night was already turning into a blur, a night that the birthday girl had been determined to etch into her memory. It was one more thing that she could mourn for, on a long pile of regrets starting at the top of the night.

"Want me to fix your makeup? Your eyeliner... I think I've got something you'll like, too."

"Oh," the teen touched her face, grimacing as the dampness of her cheek stamped an imprint of her runny makeup on a finger. Another one for the pile. "Yeah...feth, this is really turning into a night."

Daiya swapped sides of the booth, grateful to have a reason to shift her body around. A part of her missed the promised action the teen had been planning for the evening, a tour of at least two nightclubs, longing for the excuse to throw up her arms and dance to a rhythm that commanded her every move. She had no urge for it now, nor would the music oblige, just the tingle of a fleeting desire itching down her limbs.

"I swear I didn't plan any of this, except for maybe the drink part. We were going to go dancing, and partying, and maybe even hit one of the late night auctions at the Freeport Club." The teen felt her pile grow bigger as the list grew, shaking her head at the enormity of it. Her eyes followed a searching hand she had set on the table, reaching for one of the cocktail napkins the waitress left for them. "Stars, it all sounds stupid now, y'know. Like, 'my perfect birthday' kinda thing, I shoulda known. Only Corpos get everything perfect..."

She dabbed at her eyes with the napkin, coming away with only what hadn't yet dried.

The wistful teen rolled her eyes, letting a breath out between her teeth. "Have you ever met Shenn? You'd know if did, he's like the grandpa you never had." Daiya turned to the pink woman, realizing something for the first time. "Actually, I don't know if you had any grandpas, but Shenn would have been another one then. I don't know mine, so he's basically it, and if anything happened to him..."

Daiya was saved from having to make any more promises in that moment, as a very green glass of Photon Fizz was set in front of her on the table. She barely bothered to eye it or smell the fruity drink, grabbing it to quickly tip back against her mouth instead. The cool liquid felt like a relief, holding the promise of something even she couldn't screw up tonight.

Pulling the glass from her lips after a large gulp, the teen exhaled with a loud, "Ahhh!" She set down the glass and swallowed again, enjoying the sugary memory still dancing over her tongue. At last, Daiya felt confident enough to prompt Yula, "You said you got something I'll like? Hit me, I think I'm ready now."

Doc Painless Brie Jaxx Yula Perl Cassus Akovin Cartri Keswoll​

 

[Doc Painless]

"Hey, Meeno. New guy upholding old bans?"

It was a lame opener, one that the Doc regretted as soon as it left his mouth. You could take it as disregard for Shenn and his welfare, or even hope that the prior owner was gone, for purely selfish reasons. But this wasn't really the Doc's forte, and he hadn't been able to think of anything else on the spot. He hung out with a lot of Shadowrunners, and had been on a few runs himself, but he wasn't really one of them. Bedside manner was no problem for him, but pumping people for information or wielding deception to get what he wanted? Well, he was pretty chit at that stuff. He'd just have to hope that his reputation for being good-natured, helpful, and kind would see him through.

Meeno, predictably, did not say anything; the Muun was famously taciturn, never offering up a word where a small gesture might do the trick. So when the bartender's thin mouth stayed shut, and his attention remained fixed on the (already clean) glass he was polishing with a soft cloth, the Doc watched closer for the response he knew was coming. Meeno shook his head. Well, turned it, really; it was such a small shake you could've mistaken it for him just turning to look at something. But the Doc had spent a lot of time drinking at the Blue Flame before he'd gotten himself banned, and he knew what to look for. Honestly, it felt great just to sit at the bar again. But whenever he started to enjoy it...

... he remembered why he was there, and his heart sank back down into his boots.

Okay, contact established, and he wasn't getting thrown out. That was a good start, the Doc supposed. Now all he had to do was get the near-mute Muun to tell him something about an ex-employer he was almost certainly forbidden to talk about. "In that case," he said, "I'll have a Ruby Bliel, please." Meeno nodded, the gesture again so small you could almost miss it, and put down the glass he was polishing. With practiced hands he poured the ingredients into a cocktail shaker, gave it a few machine-precise twists and twirls, and poured the drink out into a fresh glass, which he set in front of the Doc. "Thanks," the street medic said, offering him a smile. Another tiny nod.

And then Meeno turned away, looking for more glasses to polish, and the Doc started to panic.

Well, now what?! He'd made the approach, and that had gone fine, but he had no idea what to do next. Daiya's happiness - and quite possibly Shenn's safety and wellbeing - were riding on him getting some kind of hint out of the taciturn barkeep, but he was not the man for the job. He nervously grabbed at his drink, nearly tipping it over when he knocked into it with his fingertips, and started sipping it. The minute that fizz and fire started going down his throat, he felt himself relax a bit. Yeah, he could do this. He just needed a few more drinks to get into the talking zone, smooth out his nerves, and he'd know exactly what to say. He lifted the Ruby Bliels, ready to pound it back...

... and stopped himself. That was an addict talking. He had to hold that off today, while Daiya needed him.

With difficulty he put the drink back down, setting it carefully on the coaster. Nerves leapt up inside him again, telling him he needed this to even himself out, and he forced himself to breathe slowly. Okay, new plan. What had Cassus said? Ask about Namnenil. The Doc wasn't the best at these talking games, but he was pretty good at reading people, and he'd known there was something between the two staffers - a tenderness, a quiet affection. They were opposites, Meeno painfully introverted, Namnenil bubbly and outgoing, but somehow it worked for them. Without her, Meeno would surely sink even further into himself. Maybe that was what was happening here.

"Might take this upstairs for some food," the Doc finally said, the little wheels in his brain turning frantically. "Is Namnenil still running dinner?" He watched Meeno stiffen, like someone had touched something ice-cold to his back, and knew that he'd hit a nerve. He just wasn't sure whether that was a good thing. "Laid off," Meeno said, the first words out of his mouth that night. "Argued with Mister Ohnaka." Given the outspoken loyalty the long-time waitress had shown for Shenn, the Doc could guess what they'd argued about. He was getting closer... as long as he managed to stick the landing, so to speak. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, and it was true. He was sorry for all of it.

He wasn't going to get Meeno to open up, probably ever, let alone in public at his workplace while his boss roamed around. But maybe Meeno could steer him towards someone who would, and who might know where Shenn had gone. "I actually have an appointment with her," the Doc lied, manufacturing some bullchit on his datapad. "Six month follow-up from our last general health checkup. I don't have her holofrequency, so I was hoping I could catch her here. Do you know how I could reach her?" Meeno turned and stared at him. Stared hard. Bartenders are good at seeing right through liars and drunks, and the Doc had a feeling he hadn't fooled the Muun at all.

But that was where his reputation came in. If he wanted to find someone, it was because he wanted to help.

After a moment's thought, Meeno pulled a comlink out of his pocket and slid it across the bar. The Doc glanced at it and copied the listed holofrequency, then quietly slid it back. Meeno might know this wasn't a checkup, but the new owner, Ohnaka? It'd probably be good enough to keep him from realizing what was going on. "I appreciate it," the street medic said. He slapped down a credstick on the bar, transferring the cost of his ruby bliels, and stood, taking the glass with him. "Thanks for the drink, Meeno." Then he turned away and carefully navigated the crowd, maneuvering his glass to avoid having flailing dancers and drunks slam into it and end up wearing its contents.

He went straight toward Daiya and Yula. With their help, it was time to make a call.

A call to someone who loved to talk.

Daiya | Brie Jaxx | Yula Perl | Cassus Akovin | Cartri Keswoll​

 

[Cassus Akovin]

"I think Shenn is worth more alive, at least in the short term. As a leverage point and/or an unwilling source of information." Cassus probably sounded cold and clinical, which might not be the best impression for a girl in his peer group he was just meeting. He didn't let the fact that she chose to follow him despite never meeting him before get to his head. Bounty Hunters often worked with total strangers co-operatively, which was also true of Darkwire. Shadowrunners often heard about each other through reputation before ever coming face to face. This was a little different in the context of sharing a mutual friend, but even then, it was similar to a referral from a Fixer.

Nonetheless, he appreciated the backup. He walked casually near the kitchen entrance, in a place where direct visibility on him by those coming out wouldn't seem out of the ordinary. He motioned for Brie to follow, standing in front of him with his back to the kitchen entrance. Leaning against a wall, he gave the appearance of casual conversation.

"Since you're here, I have an idea of how to get Odri alone; one of us needs to be furious over a dish served to us and accuse it on the new guy, then the other can be reasonable and ask the most senior chef - Odri - to take a look at it. Sound good?" He presented the idea with a hand gesture, feeling out how the other party wanted to take it.

"I'm Cassus, by the way." He offered as he listened for the door to open. When it did, he'd slip in behind the wait-staff going through into the kitchen.

Inside the kitchen, the atmosphere felt different, even if it looked standard and ordinary. An island of stressed-out familiarity radiated from the young chef Odri, they locked eyes for a moment before the pair of teens put up their act. As Brie engaged in her faux-fury, Cassus would seem to try to calm her down. He'd let the outburst attract some attention before he tried to interject and bring the encounter to a "reasonable" level.

"Listen, I'm sure this was all just a simple misunderstanding. If we could have a word with the senior chef, I'm sure she can put us at ease that the quality here isn't any different from before." Cassus put emphasis on Odri's gender and nodded to her, on the off chance that she didn't maintain seniority in the takeover. That coupled with mentioning the previous kitchen would make it abundantly clear.

The stink eye from the other chef was impressive, and hard to ignore being the prominent feature of the Abyssin's face, dwarfed only by massive greased muttonchops on the side of his head.

"Wats wit dis rabble, Odri? Gettim out gettim out!" The alien man swung around a mallet in the teens direction.

"Go poke your eye out Linca." Odri set down a dish and started to walk out towards the back exit of the kitchen, "You kids got 5 minutes while I smoke, come on."

Somehow, Cassus got the impression neither of them really bought the ruse but were tired of each other enough they welcomed the reprieve anyway. Hopefully all the screaming got Brie Jaxx 's nerves out because his plan was taking a turn he wasn't expecting, and needed time to adjust fire...

Daiya Doc Painless Yula Perl Cartri Keswoll

 

[Brie Jaxx]

Brie tried to understand what the boy meant by his statement. It did sound a bit too cold for a boy his age, and he spoke in a whole different way than say Cartri Keswoll . Brie was unsure wether she liked it or not, but it was definitely a relief hooking up with someone that seemed to take things way more seriously than the ginger boy.

She nodded agreeingly at the fellow shadowrunners proposal on how to carry on with their mission; getting to the bottom where Shenn was.

''I'm Brie.'' she introduced herself in the same short but effective manner, after she had followed him into the kitchen and checked that they went in undetected by the rest of the new staff.

He had not said it straight out, but judging by the boys hand gesture and the way he laid out his plan, Brie would be the one getting all furious about the food and that was a trick she had never pulled before. As they found their way deeper into the kitchen and the moment where she eventually would have to put her theatrical side to the test, Brie felt her pulse go up a notch. It was an easy task, at least for kids like Daiya , she would have pulled it off without a fuzz, but the pressure were building up in the scrapper girl with each step they took. The group counted on her. Daiya counted on her. The boy, who she had followed for reasons even she didn't know, counted on her. She had to perform on this one!

They approached Odri and the abyssin next to her, and Brie were on the verge of getting tongue-tied before she finally opened her mouth.

''No... No, it's not like the last time! It was bland, like...'' Brie cried and gave Cassus a push to the shoulder to put emphasis on her claims, and her false discontent with him not agreeing with her. ''You- you get better stuff at a cantina in Mos Eisley...!'' she added, getting terrified inside for a second when the abyssin brandished a mallet at them. Hopefully, he was not the one that had done tonights main course.

As Odri let go of what she were doing and invited them to follow her outside, Brie exchanged glances with Cassus and shrugged lightly at him when their target of conversation turned her back to them and left for the back door. That was easier than expected.

Cassus Akovin , Doc Painless , Yula Perl​

 

[Yula Perl]

Grandpa Shenn?

The last thing Yula needed was another grandfather, and she only had the one. Zef Halo had been her idol in a certain light. The cool, grizzled smuggler often told her stories of his underworld exploits; perhaps he was an unintentional influence of own rebel path. Perhaps it wasn't that unnational, after all.

You only get to be an old smuggler by being a clever smuggler.

Now that she thought about it, Yula would be beside herself if anything happened to grandpa Zef. It illuminated Daiya's situation in a new light. Shenn was family.

The drinks arrived, and for once the Zeltron took her time—pleased to see Daiya throw back the fizzy drink with a satisfied gasp. "Ooh, yeah. Hang on-" Taking a cursory gulp from the Red Dwarf, Yula reached into the flank of her jacket. "Think you'll like thiiiiis~" After swallowing a gulp of the crimson fizzwater, she placed an unwrapped box on the table. A set of sithliners, wrapped in elegant packaging.

"Figured now would be as good a time as any. Go on, pick out the one you want me to use—gift comes with a free Perl makeup application." She grinned toothily while beckoning Daiya into the booth beside her, just in time to spy Doc's approach from the corner of her eye.

"Tell us something good, Mr. Painless."

Daiya Doc Painless Cassus Akovin Brie Jaxx

 

[Daiya]

(Post Soundtrack: "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler)

After everything already that night, the birthday girl had been expecting the Zeltron woman to pull out eyeliner from her own makeup kit. For as good as Yula always looked, Daiya reasoned, she must have one to bring along. She was hardly expecting anything close to what the sly woman suggested with her toothy grin, presenting Daiya with the box of wrapped Sithliners, a top of the line set from Yula's family business.

Daiya's mouth fell to the floor, her hands coming together in a soundless squeal of joy. "Yula!" She threw her hands around the woman, squeezing tightly before drawing back to oblige with the gift's accompanying request. Forgotten for the moment was the heartbreak and tears, her eyes evaded even the napkin with her smudged makeup, dazzled by the array of colors in front of her. "Oh my stars, thank you! Now, let's see..."

Yula greeted someone as the teen inspected her new quarry, yet she hardly paused her search for them. It was only when Daiya looked up at the woman again did she spot the newcomer, still ignoring him for the moment to make a point to the Heartbeat House heiress. "But there's no pink! Isn't there some Zeltron Sith you can lionize in eyeliner?"

The teen giggled at her own joke, pulling out a consolation prize for her selection. The tube read ORCUS, and when she uncapped it, a deep navy blue colored the brush she revealed. Not her usual color, but the idea of the touch-up coursed through her body, thrilling her like nothing had for the past hour.

It was worth the indulgence of the moment, spotting Doc hovering nearby brought it all back to her. Past her vision in the booth, the bar she knew as home was in utter turmoil, and that twisted knot in her stomach reared its head. The teen tried to stuff it down as best she could, putting on her bravest —and still smudged— face to the man, "Oh hi, Doc, you see what Yula got me?"

Daiya held the chosen tube of eyeliner up to Doc. It helped for a moment, a distraction of something small she could fix. Beyond the tube of sithliner, beyond the booth, maybe even beyond the Blue Flame itself, Shenn was lying somewhere; abducted, exiled, or worse. It stole her breath to consider even how she was supposed to fix that, and the teen was determined to do so! The makeup, that she could handle for the moment.

She turned back to submit herself to Yula's ministrations, letting the woman fix her makeup with the expertise of a professional. She glanced over, keeping her face still, to the man who had joined them. At last, a warmth spread through her chest, a feeling of comfort and safety at Doc's presence nearby again. If he was back from talking to Meeno already, he either knew something or he had utterly failed to draw blood from the stony Muun. "What's up, Doc?"

She grinned, letting her face drift a little too far away from Yula's handiwork. Daiya was rewarded by a firm hand on her chin, snapping her back into position. With more stilted words, the teen giggled behind the restraint, adding in a more somber tone, "I hope you found something that'll help."

Doc Painless Brie Jaxx Yula Perl Cassus Akovin Cartri Keswoll​