Faction The Dark Water Sushi Bar

[Batch]

Denon
District 12
Evening
Rain

Denon. A world of neon heartbeats and syndicated dreams.

District 12 was nice enough on the surface, not overly corporate but a gem in the rough. It hummed with traffic, trade, and the presence of a steady city's ebb and flow. The better future society skyscraper ominously loomed in the background everywhere you looked. There were big buildings here but that symbol dwarfed all of them.

Under the pretty shine, there was a war for control on the streets. Since the Black Tie Syndicate had gone to ground. Two gangs were fighting old feuds, with neither apparently getting the edge, maybe someone wanted it that way. The Shadow Syndicate and the Zann Consortium were the faces of the struggle, but they weren't really who was pulling the strings. That sort of information didn't exactly come cheap or easily, unless you ate the right meal in the right place.

Pools of water formed along the well-worn grooves of the streets, steam rising from small vents below to meet it. Down one of many alleyways, there were places ready to do business into the evening or nighttime hours, on a planet that never slept. First, a small bar with old Rodian offering drinks that all came in at least four different colors, A rundown place selling holopets that were once a fad with the richer half of Denon. A cluttered store selling second-hand slicer decks or parts. Where you could sometimes get a bargain or be ripped off depending on if you knew your decks. Opposite that was....

The Dark Water Sushi Bar.

Rain hit the very edges of the open Sushi bar. It had a covering with stools outside, and a bar that looped around to go inside to an open doorway on the right. There was a tall GONK droid in the left corner outside with its own section on both sides. Best avoided because it was a noodle hustler, who played a prerecorded line to offer noodles, and only took yes or GONK for an answer. In the center of the bar was an Atrisian with a heavily tattooed face, and if you got close enough to see, several shining metal teeth.

Chopping away in the open kitchen, his knife hit the deck faster than the eye. Beside him, a large and varied menu was displayed, which occasionally cycled its pages. Inside it was cozier, as well as stools, large red seating was in comfortable booths, and dark brown tables were on a matching floor. A neo glow from the outside and artistic displays on the walls gave it a unique dim neon tone depending on where you sat. The names of each artist were displayed below, with a few displays sliding to reveal a new piece every few minutes. They were small names most people had never heard of, either there for exposure, to give a message through art, or just for the hell of it.

Stairs at the back of the bar led up to a second floor but at the moment it was closed. Like most nights it was a quiet night with just one or two regulars in the bar.

 

[Blake Araxis]

"Drop me off somewhere with good food" The Arkanian repeated their ill thought out and vague request to the cab driver, the smells of the noodles was good, but this had to be a gang bar right? They looked at the others around, the large tattooed man with a mouth full of metal looked fresh out of some kind of atrisian gang warfare game. Blake nervously realised they had spent a few seconds looking and hurriedly returned to the menu before a glance turned from a look into a stare.

"Ikite iru umi no ashi no otoko no 1-tsu no sanpuru o onegaishimasu" Blake asked in less than fluent atrisian. The server just stared at the young white haired guest before turning and shouting to the kitchen "One octopus, still kicking" and then too Blake's credits for the food. It wouldn't be long before it arrived so Blake helped themselves to a little of the complementary fermented rice drink on the table. It was nice, they hoped it wasn't as strong as it tasted at they needed their wits about them in a place like this, especially when they had just picked up pay on a recent slicing job and the warm credits were right here, force knew if Globex would let them off this month if they said they were robbed?

Once the playe arrived, Blake looked down at the little creature, they had been told once that this was a delicacy, but if anything, it just looked angry.​

Batch Vess Sadragen

 

[Vess Sadragen]

​

Wearing: [X]
Tag: Blake Araxis Batch / OPEN

​

The shuttle from the core worlds was an exercise in patience, unfortunately for Vess when it came to people she didn’t have any to spare. At least she had a window seat? The brunette leaned against the bulkhead of the shuttle and peered out as they broke the atmosphere, she didn’t exactly know where she was going to be sure but she had to do something. On the net everything said denon was the place to be for work, of course she knew of darkwire, anybody half a brain cell would, especially if they had the skill set she did. As they broke the cloudcover rain began to pelt the poor shuttle mercilessly and a soft sigh escaped the Kheshian’s lips.​

​

“Fething figures” she muttered out loud the next few minutes consisted of her gathering her things and pulling the hood of her jacket up, because of the weather? Yea that was part of it. She surmised there were probably more than a few people still searching for her after Druckenwell. Stealing a few million credits worth of research data and selling to a competitor really didn’t win you any popularity contests, sure as hell made the bank account look good though.​

​

As she exited the shuttle the rain began pelting her and she was instantly drenched. Another sigh escaped her lips as she threw her bag over her shoulder and latched in front of her chest, further helping to keep her jacket closed. Vess started walking at a good clip, the first step was to get out of the rain. She watched the path ahead of her, there were tons of people moving about, even in the rain she never did like crowds. As she walked she picked up a few pieces of information about where she was, something called District 12, it seemed a little bit nicer than she was expecting but not by much.​

​

She deftly dodged the standing puddles and weaved in and out of the flow of people, a hand keeping a tight grip on the bag’s strap in case anybody tried to make a play at it. She passed a few stalls but nothing worth mentioning at best she would call them tourist traps, if tourists actually came here. Vess paused when she came upon a restaurant. She looked quickly and saw a droid at one door. It looked well lit and nice, and didn't strike her as expensive either. A quick shrug and she started toward it eager to get out of the rain, as she stepped through the door and drew back her hood, happy to not have the rain pelting her.​

​

She was soaked to the bone though with her hair flat against her head, she sighed once more and looked around for a hostess or something, regardless she looked for a spot where she could watch both doors and headed towards it.​

​

​

 

[Ria the Cat]

KNOCK STUFF DOWN​

Tag: Vess Sadragen | Blake Araxis | Batch | Open to Interaction

Humans. Ria saw them as predictable whenever she took this form. A small orange and white feline usually went about unnoticed in most districts. Often the cat observed rather than participated in Darkwire's struggles against the CAD. Yet on nights like this, the felinoid decided to join the masses. District 12 was better than most, but only on the surface, and much like the rest of Denon it reeked of corruption. At least the food was better, moderately so anyway. If she were to really say, the food was best anywhere but here. Still, it would be worth observing the sushi place for reasons of food quality, and to see if she could replicate it. ​

​

The cat slipped into the bar unnoticed.​

​

It was busy, or busier than Ria expected it to be. Wouldn't stop the cat from making her way around tables and chairs, sliding through places that most could not. The aim here was to inspect, taste and inspect again. Couldn't necessarily do so if you weren't close to the source. It didn't bother the cat that this was not exactly an open bar for felines. Absent its typical IG droids, the cat would just have to make do with choosing a host and then a backup. The orange and white ball of fur managed its way to the back of the bar, climbing rather haphazardly up to the top of it. The bartender merely moved the cat down to the ground, the cat jumped back up. ​

​

 

[Batch]

Tag: Blake Araxis | Vess Sadragen | Ria the Cat

Blake Araxis

Artwork continued to rotate in interesting designs and symbols for those with an eye. The Atrisian teenager went between the tables, offering some Sushi Meshi rice, to go with Blake's meal for free. It was a traditional Atrisian dish. Cooked lightly vinegared rice with a few vegetables and a delicious rolled Marlello omelet. Often going well with Octopus. There were several formal bows as if apologizing for not doing so before. Having got an earful from the grumpy old Kage chef handling the side dishes.

There was a curious single tattoo on the young man's wrist, which Blake might notice wasn't there the first time he'd come just a minute ago. From behind the bar, "your Atrisian's very good." Batch lied but smiled, it was a sign of respect someone tried. Maybe that's why the freebie was insisted upon. Tattoos and symbols one day here, the next day gone. "Vi nroto, okhumah-ni" he said which Blake probably didn't understand, meaning the gift of language is more than the words. It was a long journey to learn them, the understanding that came, and the respect you brought to another culture for doing so. Maybe another day Blake would come across the old saying and know it was a compliment.

Vess Sadragen

Preparing a caterpillar Roll, which was cooked delicious Fleek eel and cucumber wrapped in nori Raxan seaweed topped with avocado slices. "Welcome. Welcome. Sit and come out of the rain!" Batch smiled a mouth full of metal to Vess. "Menu's on the table or bar. Free rice drink to warm your bones." Thwap Thwap Thwap continued the knife. The older Kage beside him said something heatedly in Atrisian as if the two were arguing over something important. Really it was just about getting more rice from uptown next week from a special supplier. A call was made for the server and off he ran from Blake's table.

There were booths with heaters here and others without, different species needed different temperatures to be comfortable. The open bar was decorated with all kinds of cuts of seafood, and you could see everything where it was prepared, and how it was handled. If she sat at the bar Batch would take her order, if she sat at a table or near Blake their server would be over when she was ready. Soon with two small tattoos, one now on either wrist.

Ria the Cat

A standoff with a cat! The old Kage bartender was foiled. The cat could not easily be overcome. Batch took an especially juicy-looking piece of simple sliced Sashimi. A tender cut raw Burra fish and held it up on a chopstick. Also known as grubsticks to the regulars or eating sticks to the locals. Watching the cat as if bargaining and looking into Ria's eyes. There was a belly chuckle, then he placed it away from the cooking food.

In Atrisian "Ki-yoki ashmoto huremi-ya" Do you want delicious Noodles? The boxy-looking Gonk droid repeated to the cat if she got close enough to eat the Sashimi. Then GONK'd because that was his thing. Every so often he'd change languages at random but most people knew to avoid him so he didn't say much.

@All
Two Atrisians with shade and a visor on, long coats, and plenty of tech entered the bar. The pair sat quietly at a far table, looking over the menu. One seemed to be taking a short recording of Batch oddly enough. They tried to actively avoid looking at anybody else though.

 

[Vess Sadragen]

​

Vess stopped as the large man at the bar called out to her and, she considered that he could be something of a resource so she gave a quick nod and turned heading towards the bar and found herself a place on. She watched as the food was being prepared and without warning became acutely aware of how hungry she was. She reached up and unclasped her bag and slipped it from her soggy shoulders. She slid it under the bar in front of her and looped a leg through the straps before planting her foot on the ground.​

​

Clearly whatever was in the bag was important to her. After this she directed her attention back to Batch and gave him a smile in return. She was not the trusting sort but no reason to return hospitality with hostility. “Thanks. I don’t know what it is but something smells good.” She tried to figure out which item was the aeromatic one that she was picking up on but she quickly gave up and took hold of the menu already starting to read over the items.​

​

A small bit of movement around caught her eye, there was a small cat meandering around the place and successfully it seemed begging for food. Well, she was at least certain this place wasn’t up to health code, but then she had eaten at much worse places. “So what do you recommend?” as she spoke movement behind made her glance over her shoulder to spot the two teched up guys, she frowned slightly before turning back to Batch more than happy to have her back to them, she remembered the small holdout blaster in her bag, if it came to it anyways she couldn't be sure if they were after her or not..​

​

 

[Blake Araxis]

As much as Ria the Cat on the bar made Blake's skin crawl, the service was nice and they offered a polite "Arigatō" to the gentleman who brought him the free accompaniment to the octopus. Blake was starting to relax a little until the big man in the corner spoke and grabbed Blake's attention.

Blake laughed nervously, "Thanks, It's really not, I just like to eat out." Blake had no idea what the last atrisian comment from Batch meant but nodded politely at the cordially delivered sentiment before beginning to eat. The food was delightful, the taxi driver knew what he was doing after all.

Blake watched the cat making itself known again and wrinkled their nose a little, did it wish to be dish of the day? The thought brought a little grin to Blake's face as they continued to enjoy the ambience. Vess Sadragen , another seemingly out of place patron was asking for recommendations and blake tried to catch their eye and with a mouth full tapped chopsticks on the bowl to indicate their own recommendation. A small piece of tentacle decided to attach itself to the Arkanian's chin and it whipped around casting sesame oils onto Blake's white suite. Blake smirked and looked back at the octopus, "We'll call that even, I am eating you."

Blake looked at the newcomers, denon mods by the looks, in shades and brandishing their tech proudly, nothing too out of the ordinary, but they were taking images of the big man, was he someone? It would be just Blake's luck to end up chatting to a celebrity and being completely oblivious. There couldn't be any other reason they were randomly taking pictures right?
​

Batch Ria the Cat Vess Sadragen

 

[Brie Jaxx]

The dark vintage leather jacket served as temporary protection from the rain pouring over Disctrict 12 tonight. The sound of thousands of raindrops hitting the pavement were mixed with that of dense airspeeder traffic high above, as she ran across the street and towards The Dark Water Sushi Bar. Brie had not left The Tombs and gone out in the open without a reason, not without a very good reason, and it wasn't because the place and its supposedly delicious sushi had good reputation on the HoloNet social media. That reason had a name. A male one. One which begun with Cass and ended with Us. Enjoying a good time with the handsome bounty hunter were priceless.

After all, Darkwire wasn't the only organisation that kept the Corpos busy with work. The Zann Consortium and Shadow Syndicate had stayed on the surface and continued to cause trouble while Darkwire were laying low for a while.

Brie approached the outside seating around the bar, came out of the rain and put her jacket back on. Considering the setting and the fact that Cassus wouldn't come in his Corpo suit again, she had kept things simple and ordinary for her. She did leave her usual old and trusty spacesuit aboard her ship, though. Duh, she wasn't totally oblivious to her looks, having been taught by the best; Daiya . A pair of black boots and black denim trousers had to do the trick, along with a purple and black striped top and the dark leather jacket. Some extra eyeliner, courtesy of her bestie.

The metal box on two legs, commonly known as gonk droid, caught her attention as it seemingly were to greet the customers and present an assortment of alternatives to order. It was probably the most common droid in the galaxy, not holding a very large vocabulary or intelligence chip, but it was always interesting to see how the individual gonk droid responded to replies according to their masters programming. Curious as she were, Brie walked over to a chair close to it, and let it play the prerecorded messages before she tried this.

''Gonk...?'' she replied to the droid, squinting and tilting her head to the side a bit. She would then hail the server for a rice drink while waiting for her... well, was it a... date for the night?

Cassus Akovin​

 

[Batch]

Tag: Vess Sadragen | Blake Araxis | Brie Jaxx

Vess Sadragen | Blake Araxis

Whap Whap Whap with a knife, quiet sizzle of the pots. Constantly cooking, an aroma of sushi goodness helped to bring customers in, especially out of the rain. Blake had some modesty, it "means a lot that you try." Blake Araxis, Batch said finishing his Caterpillar-looking fish dish for the men at the back of the room, seemingly affronted that they'd wanted it cooking at all, definitely not regulars. They were really trying hard not to look at Blake, or anyone else, almost too hard.

Vess Sadragen As well as Blake's recommendation, "Octopus is a specialty!" His grin broadened to Blake. The Kage beside him grumbled, "everything's your specialty", to which a brief "Hiycama da!" angry retort was made, and probably best not translated.

Turning back…. "This. One of my favorite's, very simple," almost every piece of sushi was prepared raw, some were lightly flash cooked depending on the fish. This one was "a Gungan Maki," showing the design, shaped seasoned seaweed into several small bowls or boat-like displays. Rice topped with raw lines of perfectly cut raw "crab meat with", on top of that a nice cut of "raw silver Mael fish." The rice was perfectly cooked and had a special blend of his own seasoning that he wouldn't share even if the Sith Emperor came through the door. A distinct spice smell. "Very special." It of course came with extra rice and vegetables as a side.

Behind the bar, he couldn't see her bag or not so it was safe from his gaze. The menu was to her side if she wanted another selection, a screen rotating every minute or so. There were most fishes you'd commonly see in a dish across it. Blobfish, Eel, and Glowfish seemed to be exotic choices. Burra fish, Mael Fish and Moon fish were more common. Rice was a very common base, with noodles as an option.

The bar was doing well tonight, Batch was in great spirits. "Another drink?" He asked Blake Araxis, making sure everyone was attended to. Washing his hands clean so he could begin again. Everything obvious was in the open, cooking, cleanliness, it was just the non-obvious things that could catch your eye. The younger server free of any markings, soon walked between the tables again to see if anyone wanted anything. While the old grumpy Kage did some grumbling about young'uns in the corner. Young'uns meaning Batch, the waiter, and just about every member of staff given he looked about eighty!

Nobody asked one question about where either had been or were going. Intentionally so.

Brie Jaxx

Rice wine was soon brought over by the old Kage bartender assisting Batch, he didn't have as many tattoos as Batch but curiously he'd got a new one on his forearm too. He was about to offer a slightly gruffer welcome or a warning about the noodle droid to Brie, when he was beaten to the punch…..

"GONK!" answered the Gonk when he was Gonk'd.

A chute opened up above Brie. A small delicious-looking packet of tasty Negamo noodles, hinted with red Ithorian Saffron and lightly balanced with salt, was deployed from right above the droid. Along the bar it came to Brie with a small bill. If opened up, still hot it came with two Greel-Wood chopsticks. Almost but not quite as nice smelling as the rumored Sakhet's Denon noodles, but don't tell Batch that! It was a simple snack to eat in or out. For those who got too close to the infamous noodle hustler.

A few moments later if she lingered in the corner....

"Ki-yoki ashmoto huremi-ya" Do you want delicious Noodles? The droid would ask again.

"GONK?" Gonk'd the GONK in question. The Kage bartender raised a finger to the droid, not that it made any difference, and he went off in a defeated huff.

@All

Focusing on Batch, a device registered a bleep. The Atrisian men taking the picture, turned the camera to the nearby artwork on the wall for the second piece of information they needed. The serving waiter went to their table, and they took a look at him. Then he headed to the back room, his temporary tattoos now gone when he finally exited.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

​

Working as an anti-corporate Bounty Hunter was a challenging gig, especially since he cut ties with the Guild. Cassus had a lot of reputation to work with, especially in District 7. However, with the Seven Corners on lockdown, his usual clients dried up or fled the scene like him. People were getting gunshy about rocking the boat too much, or else another lockdown might happen. Lockdowns were bad for business, all business, and it was the nuclear option everyone was avoiding.

District 12, on the surface, seemed like an island of stability compared to District 7, but the deeper he dug, the more familiar it all was. It gave him a weird sense of hope. The Consortium, and the Syndicates, all operating an entire section of Denon almost uncontested as long as appearances were maintained. For a long while, it felt like Darkwire was getting close to something like that. It might have been why they responded so aggressively, or perhaps the Darkfire sect of the Shadowrunner network played their hand too soon, too aggressively.

While Cassus reviewed the consequences of his choices and continued formulating his personal ideology of violence, he walked the streets to find the movers and shakers. He was looking for people amenable to his particular brand of justice. Yatta Yadda had fled the Seven Corners, too. With his bar never fully restored to its former glory, it was for the little alien to move on, so despite the barkeep's misfortune, Cassus was glad to have him around as a contact still. As a bonus, he even recommended a good Sushi place. Naturally, his first thought was Brie Jaxx .

Cassus was running late, however. Conversations with Yatta Yadda tended to do that sometimes. As he was arriving, he saw his girl "accosted" by a noodle-wielding Gonk droid. Cassus witnessed stranger Gonks, but it was still a notably interesting configuration. Briefly, Cassus wondered if this Gonk knew the Gonk he knew...

"Sorry I'm a little late. Yatta Yadda said he had a lead, but he just wanted to show off his latest concoction again. I brought it with me if you wanted to try it?" Cassus sat beside her and offered a bizarre but sweet-smelling alcoholic drink.

 

[Brie Jaxx]

​

"GONK!" answered the Gonk when he was Gonk'd.

It was a funny and peculiar kind of binary language that the GNK droids were gifted with, and hard to translate for any human who wasn't a master to one. Even so, the level of success could differ because of the different programmings made post production. It seemed like a happy and confirmative gonk, though. As a chute opened up and delivered her a hot and delicious smelling meal in a box, Brie understood that the gonk droid had taken it as an order, which was perfectly fine as she weren't here to just look at all the pretty pictures and names on the menu. It all elicited an amused smile on the shadowrunners lips, which she offered to the droid along with a nod, accepting the meal and gave the kage bartender the credits according to the bill.

Brie gathered the box and the mug of rice drink, and were just about to take a peak into the box, before a familiar male voice reached her ears and stopped her. That particular voice could stop her from doing a lot.

"Sorry I'm a little late. Yatta Yadda said he had a lead, but he just wanted to show off his latest concoction again. I brought it with me if you wanted to try it?" Cassus sat beside her and offered a bizarre but sweet-smelling alcoholic drink.

''It's okay! I'm sorry, apparently I ordered some kind of a starter... speaking to the gonk droid over there.'' Brie excused herself for having a meal in front of her already, and pointed over at the droid. ''I wasn't about to try it yet, though! I promise!'' she denied, partially in a sly and jokingly manner. Brie might have taken just a little bite, if Cassus had been more late. A light giggle left her and she nodded at the offer, blushing somewhat in his presence while she gently rotated back and forth on the bar stool.

The more Brie glanced upon the fellow shadowrunner, the one she had a... thing with, as Ruby had described it, the more her green orbs twinkled and shone brilliantly. It was like that every time. In those moments, she almost completely forgot about the depths of The Tombs and their hidden life from the Corpos. His blue eyes and protective arms was a sanctuary from all that chaos. She found herself drawn to him, leaning in towards him and bracing herself with the hands on his thighs. Leaning closer until it remained merely a few inches between them. His scent was as pleasant as it had been that night at Daiya's and Hex's party.

''Hey there, handsome.'' she said gently, wearing a soft smile as she studied his face for a moment. Her green gaze found his blue one, before she closed the last distance between them, closed her eyes and gave him a kiss. The sort you would only give to the other half of that thing.

Cassus Akovin , Batch ​

 

[Drifter]

Denon
District 12
Evening | Rain
The Dark Water Sushi Bar.
[ To the Chef Batch | Open to interaction! Come at me folks! ]

Denon. New place, new folks, same search. It was a rinse and repeat of the last several years. Weariness was felt in his bones, and it had been a while since he had had a good meal. The meager amount of credits he'd acquired from odd jobs meant that when he was in city worlds like this, he had to use the old standard credit chip to get fed. He was pretty sure it was either that or another freeze-dried meal pouch that was well past its expiration date.

Had he been in a terrestrial world with lax hunting laws, he'd be able to catch his own diner. For now, with a lack of hunting prey in a city, the Bounty Hunter had to settle for - a mirrored visor helm glanced up at the colorful Aurabesh food joint sign - The Dark Water Sushi Bar.

Do I really want to risk this? He mused, wondering how fresh the catch would be in a city plant like this. A grimace would hide behind the anonymity of his helm. From his attire, he would give off a mercenary appearance. Standard armor, nothing fancy. Oh, one arm. Just the right. Missing the left. One armed boyo. Totally not a sore subject.

[ You eat here, I will not hold back on telling you I told you so when you start hurling your guts into the lav ] the sweet dulcet, provocative tone of Alex, the A.I. of his childhood droid would mock in his ears through the helm.

Of course, the provocation only cemented his decision on the sushi joint. He wasn't one to let Alex get the upper hand.

[ You gotta live a little, Alex. You know, enjoy the galaxy's cuisine. Maybe if you had a little adventurous side -- and tasting sensors - you'd be apt to follow my lead. ] he shot back, crossing the threshold into the establishment. Standard fare, nothing too crazy. By all accounts, just a couple of spacers and local folk.

Whap! Whap! WHAP!

The bounty hunter gave a start at the loud whaps of a knife from behind the sushi bar. Okay, soooo really into their craft. I can respect that.