From the Portalocity Station to Somewhere Not Very Nice, GFFA, Monday

[suitably_heroic]

Atton had gotten his blaster from the weapons' locker, filled up his backpack with some provisions in case he had to sleep on the floor and/or got hungry, and he had... well, he hadn't showered. But he'd at least washed his hands, which counted. Somewhere.

Anyway.

Nothing else to do now but wait for the kid to show up. Or leave without him if he didn't show up on time. Atton could be nice, but not that nice - he needed this break. Especially after the weekend.

[ for the kid. ]

Comments

[myownface]

"Right, okay. Since I don't really make it a habit of killing people, that shouldn't be too hard." So, there had been that one time. But he had been a vampire.

He was resolutely not thinking about that.

"... Is there shit that can be stolen that won't make people angry?"

[suitably_heroic]

"If they don't catch you, sure."

But Atton's attention was being drawn to something else-- something very noisy. A Hutt on a transport with an entourage all around it, making its way past just a couple of hundred feet away.

"Huh," he said. "They don't usually come all the way down to the refugee camps..."

[myownface]

"They don- thefuckisthat."

Judging by the smell, Sparkle could probably figure that one out all on his own.

[suitably_heroic]

"That would explain why it stinks worse out here than usual," Atton said. "Must have some dealings with the local gangs squeezing the refu-- hey!"

The redhead with the green shirt and the leather jacket shot him a foul look. "Hey, you want to watch where you're going?" she snapped. "Space, Nar Shaddaa these days--"

"You're the one who bumped into me!" Atton hollered after her, but she was already moving away.

[myownface]

Sparkle had already taken a few good steps backwards, so that he was well out of the way of the people passing by. Half behind the crates again? Worked for him.

"Real pleasant people hanging around here," he noted, raising an eyebrow at Atton. "Might wanna take a couple more steps off the road so you don't get trampled, at this rate."

Plus, farther back meant maybe less smell? Worth a shot.

[suitably_heroic]

"Schutta," Atton muttered, but he obligingly took a few steps back. "As soon as this circus has passed, we're getting a drink. I'm not dealing with Nar Shaddaa sober."

[myownface]

"Please tell me the booze here is good, at least?"

Sparkle could deal with giant, rank slug-dudes if the booze was good. Probably.

[suitably_heroic]

"Yeah, don't worry about that," Atton said, glancing towards Sparkle. "I haven't had a good juma juice since... well, since I left. It'll knock you off your feet."

[myownface]

"So far, the impressive selection of crates hasn't managed to do that. If the drinks manage it, this trip'll all be worthwhile already."

Sparkle was easy to please, that way. Funny, that.

[suitably_heroic]

"I think the procession or whatever that was is almost past," Atton said, nodding at the last few straggling humans and assorted species running after the Hutt looking Very Very Important.

"C'mon, the Entertainment Promenade shouldn't be too far from here." He was already taking off, in fact.

[myownface]

And Sparkle, not wanting to be left behind on a planet he knew nothing about, was all but scrabbling to keep up behind him.

And, to his credit, he was doing his damnedest to keep from staring. Aliens were distracting when you were surrounded by them. Who knew?

[suitably_heroic]

It really wasn't all that far - just into the complex, through a bunch of corridors, and there they were.

"Home sweet home," Atton drawled. "Well, maybe not, but it'll do for the next couple of days."

[myownface]

"Okay, this is totally a step up in the world," Sparkle decided, peering around. "I mean, it beats the crates."

He totally could have claimed a crate for himself. Cozy.

"Has that 'good place to get hammered' feel to it."

[suitably_heroic]

"It is a good place to get hammered," Atton said, stalking up to the bar and leaning on it. "Two juma juice."

Because they were getting hammered.

[myownface]

"So, I don't suppose I'll even understand the ingredient list if I ask what goes into these things you like so much, will I?"

That was a fair assumption, Sparks.

[suitably_heroic]

"Not in the slightest," Atton said cheerfully, paying the being behind the bar with some credits. "Enjoy it. By the way, you now owe me a few dollars."

[myownface]

"I'll buy you some drinks when we get back to the island," Sparkle replied, waiting for a moment and then reaching for the one that the bartender was pushing his way. "Looks drinkable enough, anyhow. Remarkably like a drink. Imagine that?"

And then, with a shrug of his shoulders, he took a mouthful.

...

"Whoof."

It definitely had a kick to it, didn't it? Which was not, it should be noted, stopping Sparkle from having a second mouthful, just to be sure.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton slammed back a not insignificant amount of his own drink. "Space! I missed that," he said. "Drinks back on your planet are fine, but it's not really the same."

[myownface]

"No kidding," Sparkle agreed, with one eye half-squinted and a bit of a wheeze in his voice. He'd done some hard drinking in his life, sure, but this was something new and exciting, definitely. "How many of these things does it take to kill a guy, do you think?"

Because he could see it happening. Yep.

[suitably_heroic]

"You pound back five and you're going to be out on the floor," Atton said. "I'm not sure if you can drink them fast enough to hit the death part before you pass out."

[myownface]

"... Atton, I think you've just introduced me to my new favourite drink."

Sparkle was going to be drinking a lot of these while on Nar Shaddaa.

[suitably_heroic]

So was Atton! So that worked out perfectly well.

"I say we drink a couple of these and then see if we can't rustle up a game of pazaak," Atton said. "If I have to be on Nar Shaddaa, I'm going to try to forget that I'm on Nar Shaddaa."

[myownface]

"I like that one," Sparkle noted, grinning. "That was the one I mostly didn't suck at."

A beat.

"You just got lucky, is all."

Well! It was true!

"I'm thinking even if there are giant fucking slug-guys, this still beats the island. Good break, man. Good break."

[suitably_heroic]

"It's a couple of days - week, whatever-- without waking up in the morning to find you're somewhere else. Or somebody else."

Atton held up his glass. "I'll drink to that," he said. "And to not being anywhere near the Skywalkers... or Sia... or anyone else. Oh, and to Cade missing this trip, the stoopa."

... Look, juma juice kicked hard.

[myownface]

"Heh. Stoopa."

Indeed it did.

"Drinking to all of that," Sparkle decided, lifting his own glass, "and to more drinking. To a whole crapload of drinking. Friggin' cheers."

[suitably_heroic]

"And remember," Atton said, slamming back another mouthful, "It's not a good trip to Nar Shaddaa without waking up surrounded by dancers on a transport to Ord Mantell with no idea how you got there."