Luau on Demaria

Beach (Blackpoint Harbor: Demaria)
 * On calm days, the roar of the surf is a muted whisper as it laps at a narrow strip of sand edging the bottom of a series of cliffs. Here, it's evident how the harbor got its name from the peculiar, obsidian shade of the rocks scattered among the fine white sands of the beach. From the water-smoothed, hollowed out bottoms of the cliffs and the debris deposited there, though, it's apparent that high tide reaches far above the available beach, crashing against the cliffs themselves and eroding them. Other than a brisk wind and a few nesting birds who'd managed to find niches in the cliff faces, there is no other company to be had on the small strand. Facing the south, the sunrise might be glimpsed at dawn to the left as a creep of pastel shadings across the water surface, and the sunset a fiery display to the right.

Sat Feb 04 21:57:24 3006

The scattered moons of Demaria gleam brightly in the starry sky.

Transformed from just a bare stretch of beach surrounded by rocks, the area has been set up with tables laden with food, a temporary stage and dancefloor to one side, the outdoor kitchen and bar on the other. The hostess is standing ready to greet any newcomers, arms laden with the necklaces of flowers that everyone else seems to be wearing.

Daniel makes his way onto the beach, in Masquerade uniform, he doesn't do much right away, looking over the tables, stage, and the arrivals already on the beach.

Karlan looks around, searching for the captain in the crowd for a while before approaching her with a faint smile on her face. "Ah, 'ello cap'n. So this is a luau, eh? Never been to one before."

David arrives from Ocean View Walk . David has arrived.

Martine is running back and forth, and trying very hard not to look stressed. She pauses by the bar to ask the young male bartender. "Have you seen Rish? Rish is supposed to be here...she's not back yet?" and then pauses when Karlan speaks to her, offering a bright smile. "Yes, yes it is."

Silvereye steps down onto the beach, his paws tucked into the pockets of his jacket. The Battleclaw surveys the scene, his nose tasting the air while his eyes take in the Luau. The sand crunches beneath his footpaws as he makes his way towards the tables.

It's not long after the Battleclaw arrives, that the priestly figure of Ares arrives. Unlike most of the people attending the Luau he doesn't look up as he arrives, at first missing the party-atmosphere the crew of the Masquerade have worked to set up. Instead the man looks lost in his own thoughts until the sound of the waves, then the chatter of people slowly trumbles throw his otherwise occupied head.

Daniel makes his way off towards one of the tables first, walking towards the outside of them, generally looking inward. More specifically, to those who might notice, it looks like he's examining the final setup.

Karlan sighs at the captain, shaking his head. "No, I don't think I've seen her... And that's too bad, really." He looks over the tables, inspecting the guests thoughtfully.

The cheerful hostess with the flowers in hand throws a bright pink necklace of them around the apparently misplaced Lunite, and exclaims brightly, "Welcome to the Masquerade's luau celebration!"

"She must have gotten waylaid." The captain says. "Ah well, the show must go on!" She nods politely to Karlan, then goes to the stage to speak briefly with the people setting up there, all the while keeping an eye on everything else.

Silvereye pauses, holding back from the celebration as his commlink starts to beep. He pulls it out, turning away from the luau. "Paintedheart here." He speaks, then falls into a conversation in Demarese.

Jazzima comes a-wandering down to the beach, carefully picking her way over sand and stones on bare feet. She carries her sandals in one hand, and a small bag in another, as she makes her way towards the party area.

David looks startled for a moment after the flowers are thrown over his neck, but the lunite quickly recovers himself and gives a smile and a small bow, inclining his head a little, "Thank you." He asks his hostess, "What's the occassion?" The lunite's voice is unique, far deeper than usual, but strong, reverberating artificially like a centauran synthesiser.

Daniel continues wandering the outside of the tables for now, occassionally looking towards the entry point where most of the guests are coming in from. He doesn't seem too terribly interested immediately. Then a couple guests come up to him ask him something, which is responded to by pointing in the general direction of the food tables.

Karlan sighs and manages to get himself a drink from one of the overwhelmed waiters. He sips it thoughtfully, almost sadly, watching the party.

The bar seems to be doing brisk business, mostly with drinks containing small paper umbrellas and the like. The kitchen likewise is busy, under the strict guidance of the Odarite chef, the servers running back and forth with empty platters to be filled. The hostess rattles off a prepared speech to the curious lunite, "The Masquerade is celebrating their arrival on Demaria by introducing their guests to the locals and anyone else wanting to have a good time." She manages to catch Jazzima with a practiced throw, this time purple flowers. "Welcome to the Masquerade's luau celebration!"

The band manages to finish setting up, launching into some sort of music that is probably conceptually hawaiian, but suits the purpose just fine despite lack of authenticity. Martine manages to find a moment for herself, and makes up a sandwich from the food tables, catching Daniel's eye and nodding to him.

The lunite nods at that still smiling, he looks as though he's about to say something else when the captain turns her attention to Jazzima. He looks after her for a moment then shrugs and begins to 'mingle'. Amongst the strangeness of the party itself, the lunite's getup is just one more novelty.

Jazzima laughs delightedly as her head is abused as a throwing target for the flower necklace. "Thank you, precious!" she calls out to the greeter, and strolls on over to the tables, where she takes up a plate and goes about picking her way through the buffet.

Aisrya arrives from Ocean View Walk . Aisrya has arrived.

Karlan walks into the party, getting into a confusing conversation with a tall, green-eyed, white-haired woman, smiling formally at her and nodding.

Daniel looks inward once again, towards the tables with food, then other tables. For the most part his job seems to be pointing people to where the lines for food start and the location of the lavatory is, from where his hand motions somewhat frequently when he's approached.

Mara arrives from Ocean View Walk . Mara has arrived.

The captain is cornered by a little old lady in a floral mumu, who asks very loudly where 'Bailey' is. She begs off and escapes after a brief moment of assuring her that he'll be here, and makes her way over to the kitchen to make sure the chef hasn't killed anyone yet.

David finds his way to the bar and asks the barman to fix him a juice. Leaning back on the bar he takes in a the surroundings, he spots Aisrya and his eyebrows raise in recognition. He quickly turns his attention back to his drink.

Jazzima ladles a sufficient amount of food onto her plate, and leaves the buffet behind in search of somewhere safe to consume her delicious quarry. As there are no tables or chairs around, she decides to take the simple approach, and sits down on the warm sand to begin gnawing on a slice of melon.

The bartender makes up the lunite's juice, one of the little paper umbrellas making its way into it. He pauses for a moment in his duties as Lydia makes her way over, checking in and pointing out a few people that need to be cut off. He nods in understanding, then goes back to serving.

Aisrya strides onto the beach a bit like a supermodel. Her eyes instantly zero-in on the food tables, and she vectors off in their direction.

Mara walks on the beach with a wave in karlan's direction

The hostess, surprised by the female Timonae's abrupt appearance, chases after her. "Hey, wait! I'm supposed to give you...!" she hits something buried just out of sight, probably a rock, loses her balance, and falls over face-first into the sand.

Karlan snaps into action, taking the opportunity to deliberately ignore the Timonae woman, and extends a hand to the hostess, pulling the sand-covered woman upright.

Daniel looks as Martine falls over, but then watches as Karlan approaches her as well, not walking in that direction, seeing that matters seem to be taken care of.

In a crowd of humans and Demarians, Timonae stand out like palm trees in a cactus grove, so it's really not surprising for Jazz to zero in on Aisrya the way Aisrya zeros in on the food. She attempts to call out, but is foiled by way of having a face full of fruit at the moment, so she utters something slurred by melon, and waves her hands over her head. Then the greeter flomps over into the sand, and the melon that was before in her mouth is now spit onto the beach in a fit of laughter.

An old woman probably one of the passengers of the Masquerade starts to engage the lunite in conversation. He replies to whatever her original question was and then listens intently as she begins to tell him her life story. He does a good job of convincing her he's interested. Perhaps too good a job, as perhaps thinking he /is/ a priest she begins to tell the stranger the woes of her life. The lunite can't help but glance over in Rya's direction occasionally, brow furrowing in thought for a second before turning his attention back on the old woman.

Mara endeavors to keep a straight face as she walks over the hostess and says "just in times" she pulls out a medkit with antiseptic and a band aid "you ok?

Aisrya isn't fast enough to not realize that she's missed some part of the ceremony and starts to turn around the hostess as she hits the sand. Between the quick action of the hostess' knight in shining armor and an intriguing sound, Rya turns to face the beach. Her face lights up as she spots her compatriot in species. "Hon!" she says as she hurries over.

The hostess looks a bit chagrined, but lets Karlan help her up. "Thank you." she says ruefully, then thrusts a necklace of flowers at him. "Can you go give this to her? I have to watch the entrance." then as the doctor approaches, "I'm fine, I think I just scraped my elbow."

Lydia steps back from the bar after one last nod to the 'tender, who's making a few flaming drinks for the entertainment value of a group of younger people. She eyes the problem with the hostess, but writes it off after noting that she's well taken care of, then starts to move back over towards the stage.

Karlan shrugs, grinning at the hostess and taking the flower collar with a nod. He slings it over the woman's neck, almost pulling it back suddenly as he tries to walk off unoticed. Failing that, he finds himself engaged in another conversation with her.

Jazzima wipes at her face with the back of her hand as Aisrya approaches, still snorting with giggles over the mishap that floored the hostess. "Lady keeps, darling!" she manages to get out between two snickering fits. "Fancy running into you in this of all places. And in partner look, too!"

Mara nods and hands over an anteseptic wipe "well wipe it out just in case. I haven't missed any other injuries have I?"

"I don't believe so. Captain says you're offduty, and to just enjoy yourself." The hostess reports dutifully. She seems to have quite the memory. With that, she re-takes her post, brushing the sand from her flowers.

Aisrya drops to her knees next to Jazz. "Lady smile," she says with a grin as she leans in for a quick hug. She lets out a quick laugh at the other woman's mention of their matching outfits, "Well, great minds do think alike."

Silvereye flips off his commlink, stowing it back inside his jacket. The Battleclaw smooths back his headfur before finally heading to the Luau.

David nods to the old woman as she continues telling him about the man she met on Sivad when she was 'just a lass' and the heartache that followed. He wears his sympathising face, not that it would have to be very good to convince her to continue.

Ares takes a sip of his drink, lifting the umbrella out of the glass and carefully settling it back in.

Jazzima returns the hug with the hand that's not sticky with melon juice, grinning widely as is her wont. "Oh, I wouldn't know how thinking enters into it, darling," she says. "I just randomly grabbed around for something to wear when I got up this morning, and this just happened to be not part of the laundry pile."

Taking the stage as the song ends, Lydia clears her throat and speaks briefly. "As the captain of the Masquerade, I'd like to thank all of you for coming this evening. Please enjoy yourselves, and karaoke will be beginning just as soon as we get the system set up. The kitchen informs me that the cakes will be out in about ten minutes, so eat up so we have room for them! Thank you." With that, she gives a wave and heads back down the stairs, waving the band back into place.

Mara grins "a doctor is never off duty but i'll endeavor to do the latter" she makes her way over to the bar keeping a wary eye on the flaming drinks lest something unplanned bursts into flame

Karlan applauds half-heartedly, excusing himself and mingling with the crowd, sitting at an empty table and watching Lydia with relative interest.

Aisrya chuckles a little and shrugs. "Okay, great bodies work alike," she amends with a wink as she sits down on her bottom. "So how are you? It's been ages."

Silvereye glances up at the Captain as she speaks, listening with a casual air and flick of his tail before heading to where he can get some food and drink.

Daniel looks over towards Lydia for a moment as she speaks. Once again looking elsewhere for the most part. He begins walking towards the other side of the luau.

David politely makes his excuses to the old woman even patting her gently on the arm and pointing to Mara. Thankful for an escape route he approaches the good Doctor with a somewhat sheepish smile.

"No, I don't think I'll be singing for you tonight." Lydia says to one of the guests, laughing brightly at a retort and approaching the kitchen. Instead of clearing off the food tables, the harried servers are setting up another one in anticipation of the cakes.

"I've been good!" Jazz says with conviction, offering Rya one of the melon slices she absconded with from the buffet. "Got steady arrangements, nothing too pushy, really quite relaxed sort of thing. Kept to myself for a spell, but I got bored, so here I am again! You?"

Mara winces and laughs as lydia mentions karaoke "If they expect me to sing. i'd best have a drink first...a beer flameless if you please' she smiles and nods to david as he approaches looking a tad self-conscious

Karlan clumsily stumbles around the party, finding Aisrya and half-heartedly handing her a lei. "The hostess asked me to give you this," he says with an apologetic smile.

The stage is quickly transformed, a screen and a projector being set up, as well as a few standing mics for the more traditionally minded. A few drunk patrons are already getting in line, looking through the song catalog. Jens, the bartender, nods to the doctor and pours her a glass, sliding it down to her before addressing a plump little woman who demands a whiskey, and to know where 'Bailey' is.

Aisrya grins and nods to the other woman before Karlan comes in. "Oh, thanks," she says with a sweet smile to him as she accepts the lei and puts it on. She then goes back to Jazz. "Lately has been great," she says with another grin, "Just got a house and a hangar on a beach on New Luna, and I'm going to be running a ship customization shop out of it."

The tall handsome man that is David approaches the Doctor and raises his fruit juice in greeting. His robes blowing slightly in the warm night air and he lowers his voice conspiratorially, "Sorry, not sure how much more of that I could have borne. Five minutes with her was worse than five months on Kora. Can we just pretend we know each other?"

Karlan glances at Aisrya and Jazz, giving them a mild grin before walking away again, shrugging and looking fora drink.

Silvereye picks up some fruit for himself from the bar, staying away from the heavier fare for the moment. He glances towards the stage with a doubtful glance, shrugging and walking off to mingle with his fruit.

Jazzima looks up at Karlan as he bends down to hand Rya her customary necklace of flowers, and can't help but grin. "Hallo there handsome," she offers him, letting her eyes linger on him before winking and focussing her attention back on Rya. "Lin's Grin, darling!" she exlaims with a playful punch to the other woman's shoulder, "Looks like we're one step ahead of Maza's gaze so far, doesn't it? Let's get something to drink!"

The set-up is complete, and the first singers, a drunk Demarian and his human friend get up on stage to mangle their way through one of the latest pop songs. The captain makes her way through the crowd, greeting people here and there. "No, we won't be doing this all night. There'll be dancing once interest in this starts to peter out."

Mara blinks a bit "sure though i've got to warn you not much of a churchgoer these days so we'll have to stick to taking bets on how many cases of food poisoning i'll have in the morning...this feels so wierd

Aisrya's eyes linger on the departing Timonae male for a moment before Jazz gets her attention again. "Ooh, I like that idea, hon," she says with a chuckle, "I've feeling dangerous tonight..."

Karlan shudders with each off key line sung, sipping his drink slowly and drifting away from the crowd, sighing. The lunite laughs, the sound strange coming through the synthesiser, but it's clear from the grin, "I'm not a priest, just the uniform of my organisation."

Silvereye wanders towards David and Mara, though apparently not out of any conscious attempt to mingle with them. The Battleclaw just seems to be carried by the current of the crowd as he munches on his fruit. "The guy gives Demarian singing a bad name." He comments lightly. "We're villified enough already."

Jazzima gets to her feet, brushing sand from her bum with her free hand before picking up her bag with it. Slipping into her sandals, she cocks her head at Aisrya. "Dangerous, presh? Looking to wear someone out later?" She pushes up her gullwing brows, offering her impishly lopsided grin.

Mara peers "your a member of a cult" she chuckles slightly nervously "now there's the odd life i'm accustommed t"

Daniel looks up at the stage, once again, just momentarily as with about everything else. He shakes his head slightly, but eventually begins looking in from the opposite side.

Aisrya stands up with Jazz and chuckles as she uses both hands to get what sand she can off of her rear and thighs. "I've been a bit too good of a girl lately," she confides with a dramatic sigh. "Haven't gotten around to taking the new bed out for a full test drive."

The Masquerade's captain seems to be everywhere, aiding at the kitchen for a moment as the huge cakes come out, decorated with candied fruit. Each one is a work of art, but the assistant chefs quickly disassemble them, cutting slices to be laid out for consumption. The singers are cheerfully booed offstage, and a slightly less intoxicated human comes on to diva her way through the next selection.

Karlan glances at the cake, shrugging and stoically standing just outside the actual party, watching with the new singer with very little interest.

Ares nods towards Silvereye, chuckling at the Demarian's comment. He shakes his head at Mara, "Perhaps some will look on us that way, but we're more warriors than religious, though we do have some different ideas as to how the universe works." He offers his hand to the good Doctor, "Captain Ares of the Watchers' vessel Saviour's Haste." As he finishes the introduction he turns his head to the Battleclaw, "Don't worry, we've left our spy activities behind us, we know we were... discouraged about any activity on Demaria. I'm not here to cause trouble." . "Ah, you're on a virgin cruise." Jazz laughs lightly as she leads the way to the bar. "Oooo!" she then adds excitedly, pointing. "They're getting out the cake! Mmmmm." She looks from where the cakes are sliced to the bar. "Cake... Drink. Cake? Drink? Mazes, I can't decide. Rya, honey, help me out here."

"Why doesn't one of you get the drinks, one get the cake?" The bartender wearing the nametag 'Jens' suggests with a smile. "What can I get you ladies today? The special's two for one beers or half price on mixed drinks if you go sign up to sing."

Silvereye quirks a brow at Ares, popping a grap into his mouth. "Watchers? There's a name I haven't heard in a while." The Battleclaw remarks sedately with a shrug. "None of my business as the moment, you don't need to sound so defensive about yourself. We're all here to have a good time." The Demarian replies, glancing at Mara. "Evening."

Aisrya flashes a winning smile to Jens. "You hold down the fort and I'll forage some cakes for us," she says to Jazz before looking back to a bartender. "A Dryad for me, hon," she says with a wink before heading off on her fateful voyage.

Karlan wades through the intoxicated crowd, spotting the captain and walking towards her slowly. "Quite... interesting party, cap'n. I hope you're not working too much?"

Mara feigns disappointment "That's too bad. don't know how much longer I could stand normal. always wanted to meet a watcher face-to-face, listen for awhile, tell em they were batshit crazy but that's ok.. i served with a crazy bunch...zeker been right there with you that's for sure, crazy sob of a brother o' mine

"Always working, Karlan. Keeping out of trouble?" Lydia says pleasantly, watching the stage for a moment before turning to the Masque's engineer with a smile. "Thanks for helping Maureen there. I'm afraid she's a bit...overzealous at times. Takes her job rather seriously."

"Gotcha! Just get something with chocolate and/or mint for me!" Jazz calls after her friend. She turns to Jens with a light grin. "You heard her. Make that two Dryads for us happy happy party girls." Then suddenly, making a face like she is remembering something awfully important, she whirls around again to shout, "And cherries! I want cherries!"

Karlan grins at the captain, his hands clasped behind his back. "Yes, cap'n. I fail to see the significance of the flowery things, but I suppose one has to take one's work seriously, yes."

"Two Happy Dryads for the happy girls, then!" Jens repeats dutifully, plunking down two glasses on his workspace and making a show of it, handling the bottles like a juggler. "You know, I always wanted to be in the circus." he remarks conversationally, well aware that he's being watched by a few of the bar patrons. "But they told me my feet were too big to be a clown."

The lunite rebel nods to Silvereye, "I apologise, but we've not had the most welcome of welcomes on most worlds. I am aquainted with a certain Firemane who was part of your government before the..." he searches for the right word, "troubles. We worked together briefly during the Parallax War." He grins, "But yes, we're here to have a good time." He takes a drink from the juice. This time leaving the umbrella in the glass before addressing Mara, "We're definitely outside the normal, though perhaps not as strange as our reputation suggests, even before our reorganisation."

"Oh really?" Jazz remarks as she languidly melts against the counter, giving Jens a treatment of the old demure eyelash routine complete with resplendent smile. "My family runs a circus."

Aisrya spends a few minutes winding through tables and people until she's secured two pieces of matching cake, chocolate with plently of cherries on one of them. The tall woman slices her way back through the crowd until she returns victoriously to the bar. "For you, m'lady," she says dutifully to Jazz as she places the cherry-laden slide infront of the other woman.

"Firemane Stormrider is a good Demarian." Silvereye replies, eyeing David carefully. "There's no doubt about that. And I've got respect for anyone who fought in that war has my respect." The Battleclaw comments, though his words are somewhat...brittle in how he presents that sentiment. He glances at Mara. "I've had my share of crazy. Are you enjoying yourself?"

"It's part of the tradition." the captain responds cheerfully. "They're called 'leis'." She nods to a passing guest, one of the Masque's most likely, seeing as she's wearing a Quaquan souvineer t-shirt.

Karlan shrugs, surveying the crowd warily. "Considering some guests look like they'll soon be wearing nothing but the leis, I suppose they do serve some purpose." He sighs, tapping his foot on the sand idly.

The last bottle is tossed up in the air and caught behind his back, and he finishes pouring with a flourish, adding two of the little paper umbrellas before sliding the drinks on over. "Two Dryads. Don't be drinking them too fast, I'm afraid no one here would be able to resist two such lovely ladies." He winks, then moves on to serve an elderly lady with just as much attention, flirting with her outrageously.

Daniel continues looking over the event, over a few groups of people talking, the stage. He then looks over towards the bar and towards the monk-appearing Lunite and those near him. After all that he's distracted once more by a question by a guest.

Jazzima squees over the slice of cake Aisrya slides in front of her, and then take the drink from Jens with a laugh. "He's a good one," she notes aside to the other Timonae as she picks the umbrella out of her dryad for her first sip of the notorious cocktail.

"I would hope so," Rya says with a grin as she looks over him for a few moments. She lifts her drink up a little in a quick toast before taking a careful sip herself. "Up for singing eventually?"

"People are being cut off as they need to be. Don't worry too much. There's enough food here to soak up even the most alcohol-laden of them." The captain responds optimistically, with a bright smile and a laugh. "Ooh, they're pulling out the oldies now. I love classical music."

Mara nods to silver "more or less. Not used to so much relaxing. might kill me after a bit, but I tend not to buy what media says about people by and large. i seen terrorism back when i was doc on ungstir. some organized crime syndicate. no if you folks started out on luna that's fighting for what's yours

Karlan grins, shuddering with a particularly high-pitched lign. "I love classical music too, when it's sung rather than shrieked," he says in a medium tone of voice that is promptly hushed by the crowd's noise."

"That's the nice thing about being in charge of one of these things. You're always too busy to get onstage and make an ass out of yourself." Lydia says cheerfully, catching Daniel's eye and nodding to two humans that seem to be gearing up to fight, pushing eachother and starting to shout. Hopefully it'll be quelled before the guests start to notice.

Jazzima laughs around a piece of chocolate cherry cake. "I don't have the voice for that, presh. When I'm made to sing, Maza gets out her heavy artillery. No, I'll leave that to you. But I wanna get in some dancing to burn off the food later, once they retake the stage and dancefloor from the karaoke-crazed people."

Ares looks as though he'd like to say something else, meeting the demarian's eyes for a second before Silvereyes turns to Mara, but lets it go, this /is/ a party after all. The lunite turns to Mara and nods, "Sadly we can't even say that, most of what we were accused of were sheer acts of destruction, though I know our Founder /did/ start off in the Lunite Rebellion. He'd never have approved of that, I knew him well enough to know that." The lunite shrugs before grinning and addressing the Battleclaw, "So if we're not to talk business what sort of things should we discuss at a party?"

Karlan grins at Lydia, rolling his eyes. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm always too busy to make a fool out of myself, yes? I fail to see the appeal of singing off-key."

Daniel sighs slightly as he sees the two humans, he moves himself in the direction, trying to place himself in range, watching the two humans. Merely a precautionary measure for now.

Silvereye smirks at Mara, but in an amused sort of way. "I know how you feel. I've been working myself to the bone for the last couple weeks. It's good to unwind." The Battleclaw finishes off his fruit and shrugs at Ares. "I met Jeff Ryan once. There's not much to say about him that hasn't already been said. And, if you have a home life I'd assume that's what you'd talk about." The Demarian catches the two humans fighting, tailtip flicking quickly as he keeps an eye on them.

The captain excuses herself for the moment from the engineer, and approaches the altercation. She attempts to quell the fight, which for the moment is just namecalling and the like, making sure Daniel is nearby before she attempts it. They grudgingly listen to her, but still seem likely to fight again if provoked.

Karlan sighs and watches the two men for a while, rolling his eyes and shrugging before sitting down on a table again, tapping a finger on it absently.

Aisrya flashes Jazz a grin and shrugs a little as she works on a bite of her cake. "I might be too good for karaoke, though," she muses before taking a sip of her lady.

Mara hms "well sometime you'll have to explan what the purpose was and now is and all that, but.." she sighs "looks like i've used my relaxation time nursing old old wounds and pretty soon i'll be nursing theirs" she looks towards the fight

Ares glances over in the direction of the scuffle, he appears relaxed still, following the Demarian's gaze for a moment and then following his suggestion offers, "Well... the air conditioning on the Haste is quite comfortable." At first it might seem he's serious but the twinkle in his eye followed by the slowly spreading smile, "Only damned home I know."

"They should be fine now." Dan comments to Martine, "At most they might drunkenly throw a couple punches suddenly."

Lightpaw arrives from Ocean View Walk . Lightpaw has arrived.

"What, you saying you're too modest to go up there and kick ass?" Jazz reaches out and puts a hand to Aisrya's forehead. "Are you sick? That's not like you at all!" With a laugh, she digs into her chocolate cake again.

Silvereye shakes his head at Mara. "Nah. Looks under control. Just a little bit of trouble with that much drink being around here." The Battleclaw shrugs, glancing at Ares. "As long as you've got one, I suppose. And air conditioning is quite the luxury, I don't know what I'd do without it."

Striding into the area comes a little gray Demarian kit. She pauses and listens gravely to the greeter, then points to the flowers. "I want the blue one, not that one. Give me the blue one." She fairly snatches the lei from the woman, then strides out into the party, tail twitching curiously.

Aisrya sticks her tongue out at Jazz and takes a quick bite of her cake, followed by another small sip of her drink. She then stands up, tugs at the top of her dress a little, and heads for the stage.

"At most. I just don't want it escalating." The captain responds with a smile, nodding to the security officer. "You should get yourself something to eat, things have gone pretty smoothly so far." She nods her head as the quarrelers part ways, one going to the food, the other going back to his friends.

Karlan lets out an exaggerated sigh, peering at the little Demarian for a second, and shuddering.

Jazzima grins to herself as Aisrya heads up for the stage, finishing up the rest of her cake so that she can turn round and watch her friend try her hand, or one should rather say, her vocal chords, at karaoke.

"Guess I better." Dan says, "I'm sure someone else can fill in for a bit." As he walks off towards the food tables.

Lightpaw stands at the bar, and eyes the man behind it. "I want juice." she says imperiously, slapping a paw down on the surface. "...I don't know what kind. I just want juice. With one of them things." she points to the little tub of paper umbrellas.

Mara sighs "well my real home doesn't exist anymore and i haven't been on masquerade long enough to consider it that just yet. beautiful ship she is though. nice fitness center

Martine follows her own advice and gets a piece of cake with coconut and candied pineapple, eating thoughtfully as she's chatted up by a Demarian guest. The stage is cleared by the last singer, a man who stumbled his way through a painfully earnest love song to his girlfriend, who seems rather embarassed by the whole thing.

Ares nods in reply to Silvereye but perhaps Mara's accent perhaps is niggling at his brain, "Where you from anyway?" He asks her.

Karlan stands up, adjusts his uniform, and walks with extreme dignity through the intoxicated crowd, his head moving high above the humans as he walks past.

Karlan heads into Ocean View Walk . Karlan has left.

Silvereye nods to Mara. "I ate there a few nights ago, it's a very impressive ship." He pauses, "Excuse me for a moment, I'm going to go get something to drink." The Battleclaw turns, heading for the bar.

Aisrya winds her way to the base of the stage and spends a few moments flipping through the song book. After she selects one, she waits for the act on stage to finish up before stepping up to the mike. She clears her throat a little and raises the mike to her level while waiting for the song to start.

The little Demarian takes a sip of the offered drink, then hands it back. "That's gross." she proclaims disgustedly. "I want red juice, not yellow juice." Too polite to point out that she asked for any juice, the bartender obediently makes her something else.

Mara smiles "luna the before the first wave hit. it's the same planet now only not" she muses

Creighton arrives from Ocean View Walk . Creighton has arrived.

Creighton walks onto the beach, glancing at his wristwatch and then at the assembled guests. With a resigned sort of sigh, he puts on a smile and heads toward the tables.

Jazzima raises her hand to pump her fist a couple times in cheering for her fellow Timmiegirl, sipping her Dryad every now and then.

"I'm from what people here refer to as Alt-Luna," offers Ares. "Same place Ryan was from Darwin's Village, I'm even further from home than you are, my world isn't even in this universe anymore." He looks up to the sky, the closest thing anyone can come to to 'Out There', "I hope Cliff and the rest of them made it work when they got back." He glances back at the demanding demarian child a small smile now playing on his lips.

The Timonae's song starts up with a simple low guitar riff -- with simply drum beat -- that's repeated for a few measures before a crash of cymbals ushers in a crescendo of string instruments. Rya lends her, obviouslly practiced, voice to the crescendo, a light and airy sound that manages to come off strong as she matches the pitch of the instruments with a series of drawn out 'ah's and 'oh's.

"Might want to tell 'em a flavor next time, kit." Silvereye remarks to Lightpaw with that tone that adults reserve for younger children, an upbeat but condescending tone. Patronizing is the word. The Battleclaw glances at the bartender. "Demarian Red, if you've got it."

Martine eats her cake while listening to the woman next to her chatter, making polite little observations when necessary. Her companion suddenly perks up, waving her whiskey glass. "There he is! Bailey, my dear fellow! I was wondering when you would show up!"

"Of course, sir." Jens says to Silvereye, pouring his drink. Lightpaw glances up at the taller Demarian, and makes a face. "Don't talk to me like that, I'm not stupid. It's not my fault that the juice was gross. They shouldn't serve gross things to people, anyway."

"Mrs. Archer," Creighton answers, smile gaining a bit more of a plasticky aspect. "You're well, I trust." The concierge looks to Martine. His eyes plead.

Mara nods "i just wish everyone could be at peace but for what it's woth i hope they got back ok too

"Quite well." the plump little lady in the flowery mumu says to the concierge, waving her whiskey glass. Her cheeks are a bit flushed, probably from the drinks she's been downing like a sailor. "I was told you'd be here, and I was quite concerned when I didn't see you. Are you on duty, Bailey?"

"Don't we all," offers Ares. "It's sort of one of the guiding tenents of our organisation in a strange way. We believe in peace, but sometimes we believe you have to fight, distasteful as that is to keep the peace." The rebel finishes off the juice, "And sometimes peace is just another word for surrender."

"No stupid about it." Silvereye replies calmly, offering Jens his thanks and sipping on the drink. "Just if you want to get what you want..." The Battleclaw shrugs. "Might as well be specific. Anyway, hope the red's better. Altheor knows what it is."

"I'm afraid he is." Martine interrupts smoothly, a smile on her face. "You know I can't spare him, Margera. You know how I depend on him." She leaves the opening for Creighton, though her expression is neutrally bland.

"It's red." the child says with all the authority of her age, taking a drink. "It's okay, I guess. I like milkshakes better." She glances up at the older Demarian, then asks demandingly, "Who are you?"

"Yes, quite," Creighton answers. "I've some guests to check up on--ones I haven't heard from in the past hour or so." He shrugs and moves off.

The crescendo lasts for a few seconds before it dies down and returns to the guitar riff from the start. Rya has lyrics to sing this time, though, which she does at a casual pace, never more than a syllable or two per measure. This is obviously a song that she knows well since she's doing it with her eyes closed.

Jazzima patiently waits for Aisrya to finish, smiling to herself more or less the entire time. Whether that's because she's in an exceptionally good mood, or the onsetting effect of her drink, is anyone's guess.

"Silvereye Paintedheart." The Demarian of the same name replies to Lightpaw, taking a longer drink from his glass. "The Battleclaw. And I agree. Milkshakes are pretty good, if you know where to get 'em. Glimmercoats, I mean." He pauses. "And who're you?"

Mara sighs "that's only what the winning government calls peace

Lydia takes the brunt of the woman's interest as Creighton escapes, and after a minute she ruefully excuses herself, going to the stage to make sure the sound system is all up.

Creighton slowly makes his way toward Silvereye and Lightpaw, the nearest few people he doesn't recognize, stopping to exchange a few words and a smile with the guests along the way. "Beg pardon," the Sivadian says, looking between the two Demarians, "but I don't recognize you. I'm Creighton Bailey, the Masquerade's resident concierge. Are you passengers, or just guests for the night? And either way, is there anything I can do to make your stay more pleasant?"

David winks, though his expression is still serious, "Exactly."

"Lightpaw. I don't have a last name because I don't want my uncle's so I'm gonna wait until I get older and get my own, only I don't like deserts because sand gets in between my toes." The little gray Demarian explains seriously, sipping her drink, copying the mannerisms of some of the older people. At the concierge's approach, she eyes him up and down. "I'm on the ship with my Nanny, only Nanny's sleeping so I came by myself."

"A guest." Silvereye replies to Creighton with a slight nod and a polite grin. He quirks a brow at Lightpaw. "Don't like the desert? Where'd you live before?" The Battleclaw asks, examining the smaller Demarian with a critical eye. "Besides. You could wear something on your feet, but it's just sand." He shrugs. "You're a noble, then, if you're worried about the trial?"

Anyone that knows the song could tell the captain that the sound system's just fine. Rya's way of doing that is the repeat of the opening crescendo, although this time she's more powerful than light and airy. This crescendo does not fall off like the last one, though, but is instead joined by a similar section in which Rya sings held-out words for a number of measures before it gradually fades back into the guitar part. A couple measures later and it's over. Rya takes a quick bow and heads off back to the bar.

As the captain was checking to make sure they'd gotten everything properly set up for the dance music, she wasn't listening to the singing. When the Timonae leaves the stage, the music fades in, loud enough to drown conversation near the stage, but quiet enough that people can still converse further back.

Mara amends "not that i support wholesale overthrow of governments on a regular basis you understand. i always consider myself healer first even if i was militia. i seen too many men including my brother die for what the believed in to go looking for extra fights

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma'am--pardon, I believe I missed your name--and please don't hesitate to contact me at the courtesy desk should you find yourself in want of anything," the concierge answers. "And a pleasure to meet you, too, sir--if there's anything I can do for you while you're here, feel free to track me down." His smile widens for a moment, and then he nods and walks off toward the bar.

Jazzima applauds her friend all the way until she retakes her places by the bar. "Deeeeee-LIGHT-ful," she decrees in a fakedly Sivadian tone, which causes her to laugh at herself as he hands Aisrya her drink back. "So much better than the one before it, ugh. But I'll still take dancing over singing any day!"

"Lightpaw." the Demarian child says with a touch of asperity, then shrugs at the older Demarian. "I guess so. My uncle's not, but he's my mama's brother, and my papa was. My uncle just takes care of the money and Nanny takes care of me. I have fourty eight pets, you know."

"I sympathise with that point of view more than you might think," offers Ares. He breaks off to applaud for Rya, along with the rest of the audience before continuing, "Anyone who's lived through fighting gets tired of it after a while." He fingers the now empty glass, the umbrella looking less 'fun' than it did before all alone in the glass, "So what do you do anyway? Part of the Masquerade crew?"

It's a real Sivadian tone that hails Jazzima and Rya a moment later. "Good evening, ladies; I don't believe we've met, and as the Masquerade's concierge it is my duty to meet everybody. Are you passengers aboard the ship or our guests for the evening?"

Aisrya smirks a bit at Jazz as she accepts her drink and sits back. "Could have used a little warming up," she says, a little sheepishly as she playfully pokes Jazz's side for the sake of poking her, "But, yes, dancing good." She takes a sip of her Dryad as the man approaches and she gives him a sweet, yet vaguely demure, smile. "We're guests, hon," she replies.

Silvereye quirks a brow at Lightpaw with amusement. "Forty eight pets?" The Battleclaw replies with a small degree of awe. "And you live on the ship?" He seems to be getting into it. "Altheor's Teeth, Lightpaw, where do you keep them all? Must be quite a zoo."

Jazzima nods in tune with Aisrya. "We're here for the food, drinks and dancing! Whoo-hee!" Yep, that'll be the Dryad taking its toll. Thankfully, so far its influence seems to be limited to giggling fits and general inanity, as opposed to unexpectedly coming on to random strangers.

Mara nods "yep. ship's doctor. Just signed on. Dr mara williams. don't believe i caught your name

"No, I'm VISITING on the ship." the child says in the patient tone one would use for an idiot, or in this case, an adult. "I couldn't bring any of my pets with me, not even one of my kilters. Have you ever seen a mud kilter? They're like lizards, but they scream really really loud if you bother them. They spit stuff, too." she seems to warm up to her subject, smiling brightly. "I put mine in Nanny's bed all the time."

"Ares," offers the lunite again. "Not my real name of course, which isn't nearly as intimidating when you're hanging around Tomin Kora."

The much-abused lei girl is getting a much-needed break, replaced by an assitant chef hiding from the wrath of the Odarite cook. The captain, having been captured by Mrs. Archer again, is chatting amiably with her, all the while looking for something that needs her attention.

Silvereye can't help but chuckle at the child's antics a little bit. "No, I don't think I've ever heard of a kilter. Where did you fine 'em?" The Battleclaw asks, grinning as he sips on his drink and listens to the story.

"Capital," says Creighton, nodding. "If there's anything I can do for you while you're here, please feel free to find me. I'll be wandering." He nods and moves off.

Mara smirks and rolls her eyes a bit "a god of war who hangs out on tomin kora. nope not looking for a fight at all"

"I don't remember. I have a book about it. I have a felis domesticus, too, and a real python, and some mice, and lots of different kinds of birds, and three Sivadian spider crabs, and lots of other stuff. Someone told me that they have little squirrel things on New Luna, and I want to get one when we go there." Lightpaw rambles, then takes another sip of her drink. "I got a new dress today."

David grins a little himself but has the decency to look sheepish about it in civilised company, he becomes very engrossed in his feet all of a sudden.

Aisrya waves to the Sivadian as he departs and looks back at Jazz. "Your lady is already getting to you?" she asks with a grin.

Silvereye pauses for a moment. "Felis domesticus..." The Battleclaw murmurs and then nods. "You've got a cat. The things the humans call us." He seems to get it, "You wearing the new dress?" He asks casually, sliding his glass towards the bartender for a refill. "And that's a lot of pets...Do you live in New Alhira when you're not visiting on the ship?"

Mara laughs "you really do remind me of ezekiel...so what is it you actually do as a watcher

Jazzima gives Aisrya a look that is supposed to be dirty. "Hey, /you/ went up there to sing. I got a headstart on mine! You're behind by what, five minutes of sipping?" She crosses her arms. "It's not fair, you know? You got me at a disadvantage here, presh. Gotta catch up to level the playing field here!"

"I was going to wear my new dress, but I forgot. I dressed myself because Nanny fell asleep and I didn't want to wake her." The glass is deftly refilled and slid back towards Silvereye, as Lightpaw chatters. "I do, but I like to go to lots of places. Sometimes they say I can't, so I run away until they let me." she takes out the little umbrella and plays with it.

Creighton pauses for a moment, surveying the crowd and noting David and Mara, the last two people who he hasn't met. He strolls through the crowd toward them. People are starting to drift towards the dance floor, the more intoxicated ones simply watching from the sand. The buffet is starting to dwindle, and more desserts are brought out, including a peach brandy dessert that's lit on fire for a few seconds, a brief flare.

"Train, meditate, learn to fight better," he says looking up again after a beat. "After the reshuffle I'm in charge of 'The Active Arm', which means I pretty much run what's left of the organisation. Mainly recruiting, catching up with some people who still want to join us and training them." He shrugs a little matter-of-factly, "The day-to-day is basically your standard merc outfit, the difference is in the philosophy/meditation side of it." David breaks off and offers his hand to Mara, "Care to dance if that's not too undignified for a Ship's Doctor."

Aisrya laughs at Jazz before taking a quick sip. "Well, it's not my fault that I can hold my booze, hon," she replies with a wink.

Mara nods but hesitates as creighton approaches giviving him likewise a nod and a smile

Silvereye nods slowly to Lightpaw, picking up his glass with thanks to the bartender. He sips at it. "That's not a real good way to get what you want but I'm sure you've heard that about a hundred times by now." The Battleclaw replies with a slight chuckle. "Where do you wanna go? There's some places ain't worth goin' to even if you want, like Tomin Kora. I hope you don't wanna go there."

David likewise gives a nod to Creighton as he begins to lead the Doctor to dance with the others.

"Before you do," Creighton says, "allow me to interject the same spiel I've been giving all night; that is, that I'm the Masquerade's concierge and please don't hesitate to ask me for anything you need." He moves on.

Mara grins sheepishly at creighton "yet another crewmate tha i haven't met,dr mara williams

"I want to go everywhere." The Demarian kit proclaims firmly. "I want to get one of every kind of animal ever, even the really gross ones. Did you know that my snake eats its food whole? It opens its mouth really really wide and goes GULP."

Jazzima snorts a giggle. "I can hold my booze," she counters, "but the problem is, the problem is, that the booze holds me, too!" She laughs and, perhaps unintentionally, takes a bigger gulp of her Dryad than usual.

David with that takes Mara onto the 'floor'.

Lydia finally extricates herself from the drunken old lady, who heads off back to the ship to sleep, thankfully. She makes the rounds, helping the servers clean up discards, making herself another sandwich when she gets the chance.

Aisrya laughs again at the other Timonae and she sets her drink down. "Let's go dance, hon," she says with a grin.

Creighton walks back over toward the Demarians, pausing along the way. "Good evening again, Ms. Lightpaw, Mr. ... I'm sorry, I don't believe I have your name, either," the concierge says a bit sheepishly.

"Kind of like a little Sand Eel." Silvereye replies to the kit with a slight nod. "I've seen snakes before, never really thought of owning one." The Battleclaw glances at Creighton. "Silvereye." He replies, turning back to Lightpaw. "Maybe when you're older, then? Get to see the rest of the galaxy? I know I felt that way."

The little Demarian nods gravely to the concierge, then sets her drink down on the bar. "More juice!" she calls demandingly. "I want red juice again!" She returns her steady green gaze to the older Demarian. "I'm plenty old now. I'm taller then some grown-up humans."

"Nuh uh!" Jazzima shakes her head, and picks up Aisrya's drink to hold it out to her. "I say, we gotta finish drinking first! You're not getting away to that dancefloor with me in tow when I'm getting high and happy on a Dryad, and you're not even tickled by it." She pushes the drink at Aisrya. "Gulp up. C'mon! Gulp it down!"

"Nuh uh!" Jazzima shakes her head, and picks up Aisrya's drink to hold it out to her. "I say, we gotta finish drinking first! You're not getting away to that dancefloor with me in tow when I'm getting high and happy on a Dryad, and you're not even tickled by it." She pushes the drink at Aisrya. "Gulp up. C'mon! Gulp it down!"

"You're staying aboard the Masquerade, are you not?" the concierge says, looking at Lightpaw. "If you are, then it's my job to ask if, as of now, your accomdations and such are to your satisfaction, and, if possible, make any necessary corrections."

Aisrya grins demurely at Jazz as she picks her drink back up and quickly downs the rest of it. She pauses a moment as she steadies herself on the bar before giggling a little bit. She reaches over to poke Jazz's side again. "C'mon," she says with a grin as she stands up.

Pakmeq arrives from Ocean View Walk . Pakmeq has arrived.

Mara groans as a fast song comes on "how do you dance to this?" I should get back to the ship anyways

Silvereye taps the side of his head with a claw, the gesture intended for Lightpaw. "Doesn't matter how tall you are, or how sharp your claws are. It's all in the mind, kit. All the advantages you've got over a human, which are a lot, don't count for anything if you don't have the mind to back it up. A lot of Demarians have learned that the hardway. You're a smart girl, you'll be fine a in a few years. Just stick to exploring the interesting but not so interesting they'll kill ya kinda places."

Arizhel arrives from Ocean View Walk . Arizhel has arrived.

David chuckles and smiles, "To tell the truth me too. Let's head back."

Mara nods "ok"

"Everything is okay." Lightpaw tells the concierge. "But my milkshake didn't have enough chocolate in it this morning, that was bad. You should fix that, okay?" she nods her head once, not really paying attention to Silvereye's speech. "Do you have a gun?" she asks him instead.

"More chocolate in milkshakes, right," the concierge says. He waits a beat or two, nods, and walks over to the bar. He sits and gets himself a glass of water.

"That's an odd question." Silvereye replies to Lightpaw, sipping at his drink slowly. "Do you mean if I own one or if I've got one on me?" The Battleclaw shrugs. "I have my choice of guns, but I'm not carrying one now. It's a Luau."

Jazzima nods satisfiedly, and mimics Aisrya in emptying her drink. "Right!" she announces. "Now, there will be DANCING." She giggles at her friend's poke, swats her hand away, and then hooks herself into the other Timonae's arm. "Let's go, darling, before the Dryads kick in completely."

"Oh, lady help us if they do, hon," Rya giggles as she holds her arm out to be hooked. She then leads the two of them to an empty spot on the dance floor.

Pakmeq glides down the cliffside trail from tbe road, approaching the hostess. A warm-colored source of illumination is affixed to the top of its bell, casting cooler-colored light down through the crystal. ~Greetings to you,~ the Centauran addresses her in silence, adding a slight curtsey and a spoken "Lydia Martine. Have you a place for myself, a visitor?"

Arizhel walks swiftly in from the road, obviously in a hurry, straightening her clothes as she goes. She approaches Martine, doing her best to catch her breath. "Lydia, I am so, so, so sorry. You have no idea. I was -supposed- to spend a couple of hours on Sivad this morning with my parents, but it turned into... a disaster." She sighs, and rubs at her temple. "I can take over now, if you still need the help, though, now that I finally got here..."

"Everyone's welcome here." The captain assures the Centauran politely, then gestures expansively. "Please, be welcome." She turns to the bartender, blinking in surprise. "I was worried about you. Mars! It's a good thing you're all right, but next time, please get ahold of me so I know what's going on. Jens has the bar, he's doing fine, and we're already on to the dancing, so everything's all right. Get yourself something to eat."

"Oh..." the child says, vaguely disappointed. "I wanted to see it. I've never gotten to shoot a gun before." She thinks about that. "Maybe I can buy a gun."

Daniel continues to look about the luau, though he's mostly just using his presence now as deterrent.

Jazzima moves towards the dancefloor, always on the verge of another giggling fit. She dislodges from Aisrya's arm, which takes a moment, and listens to the music to get a feel for it before braving the floor.

K'raktic arrives from Ocean View Walk . K'raktic has arrived.

Silvereye shakes his head at Lightpaw. "Not in New Alhira, you can't. Or Sivad, for that matter." The Battleclaw shrugs. "Though if you want to learn I'm sure there's someone who could teach you. There's worse things in the world than learning how to fire a gun."

"Really?" Lightpaw perks up, ears going forward, whiskers bristling in excitement. "I want to learn. C'mon, let's go right now, okay? It'll be really fun. Can I shoot it at someone?"

"Well, I would have gotten ahold of you if I could have," Rish notes, in mildly exasperated tones. "My bag was stolen in the shuttleport, if you can believe that, and my PDA along with it. Just one of a long list of things that went completely awry..." She snorts. "I'll have to tell you all about it later. Stars above, it was supposed to be a simple visit, but I should have learned by now nothing's simple where my mother is concerned, no?"

The mutilated insectoid cook of the Masquerade scuttles down the road, followed by a couple of white-clad humanoids carrying trays of fresh desserts. Moving past guests and employees alike, he goes behind the buffet table and begins questioning the cooks who were sent out when the event started.

Creighton remains at the bar, slowly draining his glass of water.

Silvereye blinks at Lightpaw, chuckling nervously. "No, no shooting anyone." The Battleclaw replies. "And I can't teach you, I'm the /Battleclaw/. Battleclaws don't teach little girls to shoot guns on their off time." He pauses. "Off time is for worrying a lot."

Aisrya starts the dancing off for her by putting her hands behind her head and starting to fluidly sway her hips around in a bellydancing-like manner -- another thing she seems to be practiced in. She flashes a grin at Jazz as the other woman catches up on the floor.

This statement only seems to infuriate the little Demarian. "You will too! My uncle will MAKE you! You said you would!" she slaps a paw down on the bar, almost upsetting a few drinks...and drunks. "You're a LIAR."

"Excuse me, is there something wrong?" Creighton asks, looking up and raising an eyebrow.

Pakmeq picks up a lei from the hostess with a slight dip toward her, then lightly settles the garland around its bell. After waiting for Mars to reply to her, "You may refer to me as Pakmeq, if you please," the Centauran remarks to the captain, gliding to a conversational distance from her with a short swoop in time to the music. "I am also in the business of comfort and entertainment, and thought it wise to discover how your organization was accomplishing this, as well as to make your acquaintence for possible collboration in the future."

As Jazzima begins to accustom to the rhythm and beat of the music, she joins the dancers already on the floor, matching Aisrya in style, though she also uses her arms in intricately time gestures in tune with the music. Her dancing, at least, in unimpaired by her drinking.

Silvereye quirks a brow at Lightpaw, any amusement he was getting out of this draining from his features. "Right." He sets his drink down. "There's nothing wrong, sir. She just doesn't know what she's talking about." The Battleclaw pauses, just to be sure. "Who's your uncle?"

"I'm sorry to hear that, Rish." the captain says sympathtically. "At least it was only a day trip, so you can't of had that much baggage." she turns to the Centauran. "That's fascinating...could you tell me a bit more?" Her voice is polite, though she's obviously intrigued. "I admit I've had some interest in Centauri, but it's not the easiest place to take people."

After a long, attempted dignified silence which just manages to make her look sulky, the Demarian kit says calmly to Silvereye, "You're stupid." with that, she leaves the bar, stomping off to get something to eat.

K'raktic sends a glare at the disturbance created by the kit and continues to harass his staff, busily chittering as he puts out more deserts.

Arizhel starts as the kit's paw slaps down on the counter, then chuckles and shakes her head, leaving the captain to her conversation with the Centauran. She makes her way over to the buffet, picking a few dessert items seemingly at random, then heading back to the bar area, where she nibbles absently and watches the dancers.

Aisrya seems to be more interested, at the moment, in movements of the whole torso, which she is able to pull off with remarkable fluidity. So she leaves Jazz to do her arm stuff as she plays with independently rotating and swaying the two halves of her torso.

Silvereye shrugs at Lightpaw walks off. He picks up his drink again and shrugs apologetically to the concierge. "Sorry for that, the kit still has some growing up to do."

"Well, so long as she's not shooting anybody, I suppose things are alright, hmm?" the Sivadian answers, setting down his now-empty water glass. "I do hope she's less trouble aboard the ship."

Daniel heads towards the bar once more, watching those around it momentarily. He doesn't really find it fit to do anything about it. Though he does make not of Rish, commenting to her, "Didn't see you here earlier."

Lightpaw walks over to the people setting up the desserts, to a cake being portioned out by an assistant chef. She ignores the already plated pieces, and points to one in the middle of the pan. "I want that piece. Get it for me."

Someone's got real training here! It's not Jazz, though, but she keeps the pace with Aisrya. She's not a /bad/ dancer, mind, just not on par with the breathtaking example set by her friend's skill. But that doesn't stop her having lots of fun doing her own thing!

Arizhel flashes a bright smile at Dan. "Well, that's because I wasn't here earlier. I got... I guess you could say detained. It's a long story. Let's just say a short trip turned into a fiasco of stellar proportions." She sighs. "I feel awful for being late, and I couldn't even let Lydia know."

Pakmeq bobs slightly in response to Arizhel before gesturing to Martine with a pair of spread limbs. "~Indeed~ your usual clientele would have a slightly limited experience of the outdoors in Centauri's natural environment. However, the spaceport makes available environment suits for visitors to experience Shalyaris in person, and the resort at which I work is well-suited to oxygen-breathers of a variety of species," the Centauran responds.

Aisrya grins slyly at Jazz as she uses the motion in her hips to bring her closer to the other Timonae, close enough to even cause the occasional hip-bumping between the two.

Silvereye nods slightly to the Creighton. "That's the way I see it. Anyway I've really enjoyed the part here but I think I need to head off for a little while, I might be back around." The Battleclaw shrugs, finishing off his drink and paying off his tab.

"Thank you for attending," the Sivadian answers, nodding. "We at Carnivalis hope we've provided you with an entertaining evening."

"Our first run will be ending in three weeks, and then we will be starting advertising for the second." Lydia says, obviously intrigued. "What sort of amenities does the resort have?" She appears to be listening closely, possibly making mental notes for later.

Daniel looks up at Pakmeq a moment, not saying anything. "Ship trouble? It seems everything's been going more or less alright." he answers to Arizhel.

Silvereye heads into Ocean View Walk . Silvereye has left.

Arizhel nods at Dan in agreement. "Thank God that we have more than one bartender on staff. You wouldn't -believe- the day I've had," she notes sourly, then nibbles absently at a cookie.

"Are you bumping into me?" laughs Jazz, returning the gyrating hip-bump with enthusiam. "Are /you/ bumping into /me/? You want close dancing, you gotta be better than that!" Flashing a devious grin, she spins out of reach.

Aisrya flashes Jazz a winning smile and winks, "Then show me how to do it right, then."

The assailed assistant chef looks down at the kit, takes a deep breath, then proceeds to deftly slice across the cake in order to retrieve the requested slice.

"It ended up alright if no one died." Dan mentions simply. "Just inconvenient as..." before cutting himself off.

"Hurry up." Lightpaw says a bit impatiently, reaching for a fork, then holding out her hand expectantly for the plate. "You're really slow. How do you get a job, being so slow?"

The assistance chef is undeterred, well used to dealing with petulant aliens by now. He gives Lightpaw an obviously plastic smile as he finally retrieves the slice of cake and hands it to her. "Enjoy...." he says mechanically.

Creighton stands up, straightens his cuffs, and walks toward the road again, pausing to tell Martine, "I think I'll go back to the ship. The passengers are starting to leave."

Pakmeq makes a slight motion of one limb in response to Daniel. "Perhaps you customers may visit the resort at some time," Pakmeq observes. "My group supports three major areas," it begins, laying out three directions in its limbs. "A buffet restaurant containing a great variety of dishes and holographic semi-intelligent constructs is the first..."

"You're stupid, too." The Demarian child tells the chef, obviously still in a bad mood. She takes her cake and stomps off to find a place to sit, curling her tail around her as she does.

Jazzima laughs with a taunting shake of her head as she, again twirling, moves past Aisrya. "But presh, that'd give you what you want! That's not the point of the game at all. I'm high on a Dryad, not stupid!"

Arizhel blinks as Daniel abruptly ends his statement, then covers her mouth with the back of one hand to stifle a giggle. "You're probably right. That kind of puts it into perspective, actually. It was an awful day, but I made it here, and everything's okay now. Or at least, it will be."

The captain nods to the concierge with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Bailey. You've been a great help this evening." She then turns her attention back to the Centauran, listening intently. "...That sounds like quite an experience."

Creighton heads into Ocean View Walk . Creighton has left.

"Well fine, then," Rya says with a smirk as she goes back to focusing on her dancing. She turns around -- making it look like the inertia of her hips causes the turn in her whole body -- so that her back is facing Jazz, and she makes her movements a little more suggestive than they were initally.

"I keep sayin', you seem alright." Daniel mentions, watching the dance floor partially now. "Nothin' happened you can't fix, right?" he asks.

K'raktic seems to be keeping to his own little domain, well-insulated (for good reason), from the guests present.

Jazzima laughs again and, unable to resist, abandons her dance routine to give Aisrya a firm smack on the rump that the latter advertises so unabashedly. Giggling maniacally, she then scarpers to the food tables.

Arizhel chuckles and shakes her head. "Nah. I have to replace a few of my belongings, but that's minor." She goes back to watching the dancers absently, chuckling to herself as one Timonae slaps the other on the rear. "Well, at least the guests are having fun."

"You little cheat," Rya calls out over her shoulder at the retreating Jazz. She spends a few moments swaying before heading over there herself.

"Hasn't been too bad." Dan says, "Bit of trouble, but that's just a couple people and too much drink."

Having finished her cake, the little Demarian looks up guiltily as an older female Demarian enters, a long-suffering expression on her face. "Uh oh..." the kit mutters, but unabashedly gets up and walks over to her. "Hello, Nanny!" she says cheerfully, with a cheeky little grin.

"I've been looking all over for you!" 'Nanny' says in exasperation, grabbing the kit by the paw. "It's time for bed. You know I don't like it when you sneak off."

"Many of the guests have been quite pleased with the experience," Pakmeq responds, "While a few, less so. We can only guide guests to enriching their minds, not satisfy every fleeting desire." It continues, motioning up in the air a bit, "A second area is dedicated to sporting activities, providing a track of greatly lowered gravity and a wide space in which to practice zero-gravity sports. In all of this, of course, we have endeavored to ensure that no guest becomes injured."

Arizhel nods absently at Dan. "There's always one or two, but that's how it goes, yes?" She breaks small pieces off of a cookie, eating them one at a time.

"Of course." Lydia allows. The evening is starting to slow down, though quite a few guests are left, more locals than visitors. Most are taking a break from dancing, drinking, chatting and snacking. The captain tilts her head to the side, 'hmm'ing softly under her breath as she waits for the rest of the Centauran's speech.

Jazzima has gone to pick out more assorted pieces of fruit from the proffered arrangements, piling them high onto a plate. She grins over her shoulder as Aisrya comes over, and sticks out her tongue. "Nyan!" she exclaims nonsensically, accompanying the raspberry.

"You get used to it. A boring night's a good one." Dan says, sounding more like he's quoting something.

Aisrya will not be defeated so easily. She comes up behind Jazz and puts her hands on the sides of the woman's waist to launch a tactical tickle strike.

Lightpaw is dragged off to bed, muttering under her breath, balking every step of the way. She makes a face at the hostess as they pass her, and proclaims loudly, "Your flowers are STUPID!"

Lightpaw heads into Ocean View Walk . Lightpaw has left.

Arizhel quirks one eyebrow upward, and glances sidewise at Dan with a mischevious smile. "And where did you hear that one?" She winks. "I'm just kidding with you. You're right, quiet is good." She edges toward him slightly as a Demarian guest brushes past her, but it seems to be more a matter of making room for the felinoid than anything else.

There goes the food! Topsy-turvy into the sand. Why? Well, there's really no way Jazzima could withstand such a vicious terrorist strike against her unprotected flank. She convulses and goes down under laughter.

Pakmeq pauses in its speech for a time, allowing verbal space for the child's tantrum, before continuing. "And the third is an area designated for both outdoor activities and as the hotel rooms. Areas of the simulated outdoor environments of many worlds can be partitioned off with energy fields for use as sleeping quarters."

Aisrya goes down with Jazz, not being able to help but to laugh as well. "Teach you to smack my ass and run away," she says with a big grin. K'raktic watches his creations get knocked unceremoniously to the ground and hisses quietly before shaking his head and returning to his work.

"Military axiom." Dan answers. "There's a whole lot of boredom followed by action. And I don't care to die." but he laughs slightly, but in the gravelly way rather than exactly jovial.

Arizhel's brows knit together briefly. "I think I'll skip on dying, too, if you don't mind," she agrees with a wry smile, before going back to eating little broken-up cookie bits one by one.

"It sounds fascinating. Perhaps in the time between our outings, I will have to take a shuttle to Centauri and see it for myself. We could discuss it more at such a time, don't you agree?" she asks Pakmeq, her smile friendly and easy.

"Okay! Okay!" Jazzima shouts, still helpless with laughter. "Next time I hit your ass, I make sure you're properly tied down first. Mazes! Let go of me, presh, I can't breathe!"

Aisrya grins and stops the tickling but she doesn't let go until giving Jazz a quick hug. "That was fun," she says as she stands up.

"I think I'm gonna check to see if there's much food left, things seem to be dyin' down at least." Dan adds, looking towards the food tables.

Jazzima stays down for a few moments longer before heaving herself up to her feet. Then she nearly goes down on her knees again when she sees her precious quarry from earlier strewn all about in the sand. "Awwww Maza's capital-A ass! I wanted to /eat/ those!"

Arizhel nods absently. "Not a whole lot left except for desserts, but there's nothing wrong with that, no?" she inquires, with a grin.

Aisrya frowns a little at Jazz before looking at the table. "There any more of it?" she asks, scanning what's left.

Fortunately, K'raktic's timely reinforcement of the dessert table has brought it to an almost fully stocked level.

~I do agree,~ the Centauran responds, gracefully motioning a few limbs out to the side before dropping them. "And perhaps I will have the time to experience more of your enterainments in the future as well. This one, from what I have seen, seems well-organized."

Jazzima swivels on Aisrya, forefinger stabbing at the other's ribcage. "You treat me to a visit to the baths for that, darling, just so you know! Now let's get some more of the cake and stuff before they take it all away."

Aisrya acks at the sudden counter-attack and giggles a bit beofre sighing dramatically. "Alright..." she says.

"We try, but you can only plan to a certain degree. Everything's gone quite smoothly." The captain admits. The luau, as with most parties, is simply starting to slow, not really stopping until the food is gone and the music turned off. "We're heading to New Luna in a week or so."

"It'll work." Dan says, walking towards the table to load up on some dessert. Picking up a piece of cake and utensils.

Jazzima wanders off in search of more chocolate cake, but turns around halfway there to shout, "And no! This isn't just so I get you to strip naked! This is so I get to drown you!" She laughs and goes to pick up a plate.

"Like enough people haven't already tried to do that," Rya says with a grin as she follows the other Timonae along. She idly picks at some of the stuff, but doesn't seem as intent on the food as her companion.

Arizhel finishes picking at her desserts and sets the plate aside, leaning back on the bar and watching the guests absently.

It's amazing to see the amounts of dessert Jazz is placing on her plate; you wouldn't think that she has the figure of someone so enamoured with food, but she must be one of those despised people whose metabolism simply shifts up a gear and burns the stuff instead of hoarding it. She eventually separates from the buffet and squats down in the sand, her plate laden with cake and fruit.

"Have enough there, hon?" Rya says as she sits down next to Jazz and stretches out.

K'raktic is busily trying to rescue a multi-layer cake as it threatens to slide off of its base.

Daniel takes his food, moving back towards the bar now, eating a bit of it on his way.

Jazzima nods an affirmative as she bites into a particularly juice fruit of indistinct nature, probably something native to the jungles of Demaria. She grins, and wipes her mouth. "Sorry. It's a holdout from those times when Maza /really/ got my ass. You kow how those times are."

Jens is already cleaning up the bar, singing under his breath as he does. He mixes up a drink for his 'boss', Rish, and leaves it next to her hand. He continues his little mixture of singing and humming, "When the work-in day is done, oh girls, they want to have fu-un."

"Yeah," Rya says with a chuckle as she reaches in to try to snag a bite-sized piece of fruit on the fringes.

Arizhel turns and looks over her shoulder, one eyebrow quirked upward at Jens. With a chuckle, she shakes her head and takes the drink. "Thanks," she says, sipping at it absently.

~Yes?~ Pakmeq remarks to the Captain. "Now, although I should like to see more of your gathering," it motions off toward downtown New Alhira, "I will shortly need to attend to business elsewhere. I do hope that we well meet again in due time."

"I shall make sure of it." The captain promises to the Centaurian, then smiles brightly. "It was a great pleasure to make your acquaintance, I will contact you when I wish to visit. Good evening."

Snagging a discarded lei from the bar, Jens drapes it around his neck and says proudly, "Look, I'm a tropical fruit!" he laughs at his own joke, then goes back to working.

Daniel takes a bite of his cake, now next to the bar again, seeming to approve. Then he looks over at Jens a moment, then back, shaking his head somewhat.

Jazzima wolves down her food and eventually stretches out in the sand with a sigh. "Phew! That was good. I think I needed that, for some reason." She lies still for a few seconds, then sits up with sudden alarm. "FUCK. My bag?! Darling, have you seen my bag?"

Aisrya frowns a little. "You brought a bag?"

K'raktic somehow manages to save the tower cake and proceeds to patch up the frosting before nodding for his minions to set it back on the table it came from.

Jazzima gets to her feet, staggering just a little under the still-lasting influence of her drink. "Yeah, just a small one. Got my pads and keys and shit in it. Mazes! I knew this was too much fun to last. Help me look, please? It's a small, purplish cloth bag with shoulder strap."

Arizhel looks over her shoulder again at the bartender, and blinks owlishly, then chuckles and goes back to sipping her drink absently.

Aisrya nods and stands up, spending a few moments wiping sand off her butt again. "Where have you been tonight?"

The bartender notes the distress of the two Timonae from earlier, and calls out to them. "Did you lose something? I've a few purses and wallets and things back here that people kept forgetting. And a hat."

"Well, I had it when I got here, so--" Jazz catches the bartender's words and looks over. "That'll probably be where I lost it. Before we went dancing. I think. Maza, after the Dryad, I didn't pay attention anymore. Let's check what they've found by the bar."

Aisrya chuckles a bit and nods, letting Jazz lead.

Pakmeq bobs politely with loosely spread limbs. "I thank you, and I or my collagues at Sunlight Integral would appreciate the contact." It leaves the Captain with ~May you and your guests have a productive evening as well,~ before proceeding to glide off toward the trail. It leaves the garland with the hostess on the way out.

Jens retrieves a little plas box that holds the 'lost and found'. "Go for it, gals." He says, then starts packing up the liquor bottles. "We went through a lot of whiskey tonight. If I'd know Mrs. Archer was coming, I would have brought extra." he says to no one in particular.

Martine starts helping clean-up again, stopping by the bar to smile apologetically at Rish. "Sorry for being so short with you, dear. I got pulled aside, you know how it is."

K'raktic and his crew are apparently already starting to pack up the more difficult-to-move items that have been brought from the ship.

"You'd better get your purses now, or Jens will keep them," Rish quips, with a grin and a wink at the aforementioned bartender. She then turns to the captain. "No problem, I know how it goes. I just wish I could have been here earlier." The woman shakes her head, and sips absently at her drink. "I'll have to tell you about it later. I've got a shift in the morning, and I don't want to be late for -that-, so I should probably get some sleep soon."

Pakmeq heads into Ocean View Walk . Pakmeq has left.

"No problem at all. I'll come chat at you in the slow hours, you can tell me the story." Lydia says with a nod and a smile, reaching up to actually unbutton the top button of her collar.

Jazzima frowns as she digs into the box, rummaging around in it for her bag. "Lady!" she exclaims and throws her hands up. "This can't be happening!" She retries, and hey, whaddayaknow, this time, she is successful. Seems invoking the Lady help her case. She sighs with relief. "Thanks be to Lin! That would have really, really sucked."

"Yay," Rya says with a smile after success, giving the woman a good ass-smack of her own in celebration.

Arizhel nods and grins at Martine. "It's quite a story. In retrospect, it's almost funny..." She chuckles, and finishes off her drink, setting the glass on the bar, and heading back toward the road.

Arizhel heads into Ocean View Walk . Arizhel has left.

Jazzima squeals a little and smothers Aisrya with a rather obviously fake dark look. "Ooh, so this is how you'll have it? Off to the baths with you! Off!" She pushes her finger into Rya's belly, then points off the beach, back to the city.

The whole thing seems to be winding down, and a few people are taking small carryaway boxes with the leftover desserts, getting them out of the way for the crew as they clean up. Jens takes back his box, smiling at the Timmiegirls. "There you go, then. I knew I was good for something!" he quips, handing off the boxes of bottles to a crewmember waiting.

Aisrya giggles and squirms a little bit before nodding solemnly. "Yes Miss Izzanxea," she says before turning to march off the beach.

Jazzima presents Jens with a radiant smile before heading off herself, trailing behind Aisrya as she puts her sandals back on, and then hurrying to catch up.

Aisrya heads into Ocean View Walk . Aisrya has left.

Jazzima heads into Ocean View Walk . Jazzima has left.

The crew continues their work, and everything is quickly cleaned up, the workmen coming in to take down the stage, kitchen, and bar. All the extra food disappears, and the tables are folded up and hauled away.