Out of the Pan

Posted on Sun Apr 10th, 2022 @ 12:00am by Captain Natalya Markova & Lieutenant JG Faith Vianelli

Mission: Pirates! (Or Yo Ho Ho And A Bottle Of Yum)
Location: Starbase 614

OOC: In this, I'm thinking Nat has found the divest dive bar she can on the station, a haunt for the civilian traders, privateers, and Han Solo types. One of whom she might be able to sweet talk into giving her a lift to Medron, 3 days away

ON

The Crow's Nest.

Nat had to shake her head at the irony. At the deepest of levels in the station, the underbelly was far from the glitz and sparkle of the main areas. Here was barely lit, unfinished metal, a contrast to what she knew of Starfleet. That was perfect.

Nat stepped through the doors, both her duffel bags in hand. She was dressed in a black, sleeve-less turtle neck, black leather pants, spiked leather cuffs, solid combat boots, and eye-liner to complete the look. She was as far from Starfleet as she could get.

She walked up to the bar, dropped her bags, and sat down on a stool, looking at the bartender with her best flirtatious smile. "Hi. What ya got that's interesting?"

There was a snort of sorts from the stool next to Nat as the occupant of the stool managed to supress the laugh and maintained a smirk instead. "It's all interesting, the question you should be asking is what won't kill you." She pushed a glass forward with fingertips, the hand resting against the edge of the bar otherwise not moving. She also didn't move to make eye contact, or even look at Nat, instead her gaze remained intently fixed on another seating section across the room, one that appeared empty.

"Now where's the fun in that?" Nat asked with a raised eyebrow. "A drink without danger is just... boring."

Her eyes flicked over Nat to the bartender, then straight back to the empty seats. "In that case, I suggest the purple stuff." One hand closed around the shot glass of deep purple liquid that shimmered with a gold coloured swirl through it. In one fluid movement the shot glass was raised to her lips, emptied and then returned to the bar, pushed back toward the bartender with a flick of her fingers. "He found it in an abandoned freighter. Tastes like purple. Might be dead tomorrow." She shrugged. "At least it'll be fun."

"Fun is what I'm after." Nat confirmed, and when the shot-glass was set down, lifted it, offered the woman a small toast, and knocked it back. "Oh... my." She blinked a couple of times, and grinned. "I see what you mean. Taste like purple... and sunlight?"

That last word did get her attention. The blonde haired woman turned toward Nat, blue eyes roving slowly over the form of the stranger occupying the stool next to her before she shook her head. "Sunlight is not something many around here know about," she said as she turned her attention back to the empty seats. "We tend to prefer the shadows."

"Lived in them myself." Nat replied with a nod. "You can get far more accomplished in the dark than in the light. The Federation's obsession with the latter be damned."

"I wouldn't speak too loudly if I were you, words like that might get you keelhauled." This time the shot glass was picked up, but instead of taking the shot, she instead swirled the liquid, her gaze turning to the gold fleck that shimmered through the small glass. "You're not from around here, that much is obvious, so what are you in the market for?"

Nat tried to hold back a laugh at the caution. "They can't keelhaul me, I'm already out." She glanced sideways at the blonde. "I'm looking for transport. I'm willing to trade work, or..." she let her gaze rove over the woman. "Anything else. I want away from this place, away from anything Starfleet."

"Destination?"

"I hear Medron is a good place to get away from Starfleet." Nat didn't even blink as she gave the answer.

"Brave answer," she responded. "Few want to head in that direction, even fewer make it. What makes you think you've got what it takes?"

"Because what I have is inside information, valuable, and profitable." Nat replied, trying not to play her hand too hard. She wasn't trained for this, and was starting to feel unsure of herself.

She stood up, finishing her refilled shot glass and setting it back on the bar. She took a step or two before she turned toward Nat, leaning in closer and closer until finally her lips were against Nat's, one hand sliding down along her back, sliding into her back pocket and leaving a passcard against the curve of her ass. Her lips moved to Nat's ear, blonde hair that smelled like sunkissed flowers brushing against Nat's face. "Docking port twenty nine, two hours."

Finally, her hand moved to the bar, fingers closing around Nat's full shot glass, picking it up as she straightened, she winked at Nat and downed the purple shimmery shot. "Call me Bex," she added as she set the shot glass back onto the bar, turned on a heeled boot and sashayed away, disappearing into the crowd of people.

Nat watched the woman leave, and let out a long breath. She cleared her throat, and tried to collect herself. She could feel the passcard the woman had left in her pocket, could still feel the hand that had left it there. She could have done with a little more time to grab a cold shower before leaving. She did have time for one more drink. "Another?" She asked the bartender.