An Inauspicious Beginning

Volesset steps in, radiating cool green light as he takes a seat at the bar. "Good day to you. All well around here?"

A few scattered guests take up a few of the tables, and one of the booths. A lone figure sits at the bar, that of a silver-haired human. A few empty shot glasses sit in front of her. She looks up at the inquiry, and chuckles. "Yeah, just felt like a drink, I suppose. It's nighttime outside, so I'm justifying it to myself that way."

Volesset smirks openly, nodding his understanding. "I suppose I shall join you, and if any say a thing about it, we shall lay that as condoning argument.

Larin enters the restaurant wearing his civvies. That is to say he is wearing a black windbreaker, zippered up as far as it will go up his barrel chest, and a pair of jeans. Scuffed up boots and a muddled hair style complete the look. All the same he looks to be in grand spirits, his hands shoved in the pockets of the jacket and a charming smile plastered across his lips.

Volesset shifts his stance slightly, taking up a glass of his own, and, retrieving a bottle, filling it with some random liquor. "Alcohol doesn't much impact me, though, so the effect is wasted, sadly. Yet, methinks you don't just drink so truly early on, and alone, because you felt like it... may the customer elicit the barkeep's troubles, and thus reverse the normal way of things?" Raising an arched eyebrow toward Arizhel, he knocks back his shot with a seemingly practiced ease, his eyes watering at the rather sour nature of the liquor in question. Coughing slightly, he declares: "Oof... spoke too soon, not strong, but the taste... guess I'm too used to "fru fru drinks". Raising his eyes to wave at Larin's entry, Volesset then turns his attention back to Rish, questioning expression still remaining.

"Some of those 'fru fru drinks' pack an awful lot of liquor," Rish observes, chuckling faintly. "In any case, I'm not on duty right now. Just felt like a drink, like I said before. Not really sure why, to tell the truth." She yawns and rubs at her eyes with the back of one hand, then quirks a brow at the Vollistan. "Huh. Tequila, that's why. Pour me one of what he had, would ya, Jens? A double, actually." If the silver-haired bartendress notices Larin as of yet, she doesn't make any indication.

Larin walks just a bit slower as he notices Rish hasn't spotted him just yet. A slightly mischievous grin comes to his face as he approaches from behind ... ready to strike. His hands spring out to her shoulders in an attempt to startle her.

Volesset laughs cheerfully at Rish. He waggles his finger at the approaching Larin, though to no avail, nodding and setting down his glass, he stands. "Well, I was just popping in for a quick one, in any case." Rising, he smiles broadly and inclines his head, lightly patting Rish on the shoulder with one long-fingered hand as he moves to leave. "Be well... I wish you all the best, may your day hold more pleasantries, and more drink. Oh, and if you ever need something truly strong, I've found a place on the planet that sold real Vollistan drinks... and sometimes one needs to, as a friend said: "Get soused out of their head." They do the trick." Inclining his head in greeting to Larin, Volesset begins walking out of the bar, yawning slightly as he goes. A whispered telepathic voice echoes back: "As I've said before... behave." His voice takes on a vague purr as it continues: "Like I would if I were here, which probably isn't good."

"Well, it was good to see you in any-" Rish starts, never finishing the thought on account of Larin sneaking up behind her. Instead, the sentence is punctuated by a flinch and an outraged shriek, after which she looks back over her shoulder. "Jee-zus," she says, taking a playful punch at the Lunite's shoulder. "You scared the hell out of me."

Larin breaks into a chuckle as he takes the hit, holding up his hands in a gesture for 'no more!'. "Sorry. Heh. Sorry.", Larin apologizes in mid-laugh. "It's not everyday a big oaf a Lunite gets to sneak up upon an unsuspecting lady." He gives a full-faced grin at that and slides down onto a seat next to Rish. "I thought I may aswell take you up on your offer now that I'm not such depressing company."

Arizhel quirks a brow, her head tilted slightly to the side. "You're in a good mood today. I take it your talk with Anelie went well?" she inquires, a faint smile on her lips. She holds up a finger as her drink arrives, knocking back the tequila in one fell swoop and setting the glass down on the counter. A few stray tendrils of hair fall across her face as she shakes her head afterward. "Phew. Okay. Don't worry about it, by the way. I'll get you back, someday."

"It didn't go poor-", Larin begins but is broken off in midsentence by a chirp from his pda. He opens it up and reads it with a fair bit of interest before stifles a sigh. "Son of a ... I've gotta take this. You'll be around a bit later? Who am I kidding? You'll be on the floor and I'll have to search in vain for which crew quarters to carry you back to." He gives a wink and moves to stand up. "Get a helix ready for me. I shouldn't be long-"

Arizhel snorts softly. "I won't be on the floor. I'll be slumped over the bar. Get -that- part right, at least." She chuckles, shaking her head. "I'll be here, in any case." Rish holds up a hand in a wave, a wry smile sneaking across her face.

<****Some time later****>

The Harlequin is mostly empty, a few scattered guests taking up tables around the room, and one of the booths. At the bar is one human female, several empty shot glasses sitting in front of her. Behind the bar, a man with a nametag that identifies him as 'Jens' is busying himself with inventorying the liquor supply.

Andrew Long walks into the Harlequin, the Sivadian's head tilted slightly downwards. He begins towards the bar, the only noise he's making is with his steps.

Arizhel doesn't seem to notice the approaching footsteps of the man, instead waving the bartender over. "Ey, Jens, can I get another tequila? Just a single this time," she says, a faint smile on her lips. For his part, Jens eyes her warily, but pours the drink nonetheless, setting it in front of her.

Long takes a seat a couple away from Arizhel. He looks over at the empty shot glasses, but still doesn't say anything right away.

Arizhel looks up as the Sivadian sits a couple of stools down from her, and nods. "Afternoon, Mr. Long," she says, smiling faintly. "Or evening, if you came in from outside, I suppose." She chuckles, and stacks the empty shot glasses neatly in front of her. The full glass sits in the counter, and she shifts her gaze there, staring into it idly.

"Vodka, single." Long says towards Jens, before looking over at Arizhel once more. "Good day." he greets.

Jens nods and pours the drink, setting it in front of the Sivadian and going back to idly taking inventory. The silver-haired woman runs an idle finger around the rim of her shot glass. "Hm, looks like you're in the same kind of mood I am this afternoon," Rish says, chuckling dryly and looking over at the Sivadian again. "Just felt like a drink, I guess. How does today find you, Mr. Long?"

"Well enough." Andrew answers, "Merely need some time to do something else is all, as you understand." as he takes the drink into his right hand.

Arizhel tilts her head to the side, her expression puzzled. "Er... I suppose. Heh, you'd think with the amount of time I spend here working, I'd spend my spare time elsewhere, but here I am." She chuckles, shaking her head, and looking down at the glass of tequila again.

"Normally I would not be a fan of such a place, but, as you put it, perhaps I need a drink." Andrew comments before he begins on the vodka.

Arizhel falls silent, nodding and staring into her tequila for a moment before picking the glass up quite deliberately and tossing it back in one go. She shakes her head once, and sets the empty glass on the counter. "Hm... so, what's your story? Where are you from, what do you do, that kind of thing. I don't think we had much time to talk when last we met."

"I was Sivadian once." Andrew answers her. "Hell, I have the money to still be Sivadian if I wasn't here helping a good friend of mine. But my stories? They would probably bore you to pieces, there's not much exciting about seeing councillors and other officials."

"Helping a friend out sounds like a good enough motivation," Rish observes with a faint smile. "And I doubt it's as boring as all that. I listen to the same stories from the same people every day, working here. It comes with the territory, I suppose."

Long finishes his vodka before going on. "Dating a councillor is one of those things that is so depressing. Of course, it becomes overly dramatic when you have another one trying as well." then he laughs slightly, "Let us just say it did not end well."

Arizhel tilts her head slightly to the side, one brow quirked. "Ah. Those kind of problems. No wonder you need a drink," she says, a faint smile on her lips. "Women are difficult, or so I've been told."

"Another." Long says over towards Jens. Then back to Arizhel, "Arise is all right though. On the other side of the ocean, sure, but she's good to talk to about various problems going on. Keep telling her she'd make a decent governor, but I don't think she's interested."

"What's an ocean these days?" Rish inquires, with a faint shrug. "We can travel between the stars. An ocean is just water." She tilts her head to the side then, tapping her fingers absently against the bar as Jens pours a second vodka for the Sivadian.

Long smiles slightly as the last comment is made, "An ocean..." he begins, "Is an extra hour of inconvenience for me to get somewhere that lacks landing facilities."

Arizhel nods, still tapping her fingernails on the countertop. "An hour's just an hour, though. Well, I guess to some people, time is money, money is time, et cetera." She chuckles, offering a faint smile. "S'just time to me, you know?"

"I tire of wasting time." Long says, now working on the second drink. "Dammit, I keep telling people things aren't like they were five years ago. Or even three years ago. Always get asked the same question though, 'what was it from back then that made my life so miserable?' like I'm an oracle." but he laughs with this, seeming to find at least some amusement from the idea.

Arizhel blinks mildly at his reply, and nods after a moment. "Well, I won't ask that question, then," she says simply, shrugging. "But what's funny about the idea of being an oracle? If you don't mind me asking that question, I mean."

"Because I hate oracles, just because people think you have some kind of gift for it does not obligate you to use it." Andrew explains, finishing the second drink.

"I dunno. It seems like kind of a waste not to do something you're good at," Rish replies, tilting her head to the side. "Then again, I'm doing the same kind of thing, thus putting us firmly in the same boat. It's not a bad boat, all things considered. No leaks. Yet." She chuckles, smiling despite herself.

Long laughs at this as well, seeming to agree. "It does help... the first time you look through the eyes of the dead. You gain a level of fearlessness. Don't worry, the boat doesn't leak, you merely go overboard if you fail."

"The eyes of the dead? That's kind of creepy..." Rish notes, trailing off as one brow quirks upward. "I dunno, maybe it's not so similar after all. I'm just plain old me, a girl with no home, and a love for music."

Long stands, "If you're going to be here a while, find me on La Terre sometime. You have my name, I'm sure you can look me up." then he pauses a moment with a bit of a smile. "I'll see if I can ease whatever curiosity you have about what I do."

"I'll do that," Rish agrees, nodding. "I'm here till the ship leaves, which is at the end of the week if I remember correctly." She brushes a few stray strands of silver out of her face, and offers a smile. "It was good to talk to you again, Mr. Long. I'll make sure to drop you a message if I get a moment away."

"Very well, good day." Andrew says.

<****Some time later****>

Rish sits where last we left her, two additional shot glasses having made an appearance. She clinks one absently against another one for a couple of moments, then stacks them up and pushes them across the bar towards Jens. "Ay, here, I'll leave my little collection to you if you get me another one, cutie," she says, chuckling.

Larin makes his way back into the restaurant, a light frown over his face. This time he doesn't attempt to sneak up on the inebriated human ... it would be too easy. Instead he sinks onto a barstool next to her, "Sorry about that. Had to take that." He looks over with an amused expression at the glasses in front of her. "But I'm glad you didn't wait." He looks up to Jens, "Hum. I'll try another Helix."

"Y'know what? Make mine a Helix too," Rish says after a moment, chuckling and shifting her gaze over to Larin. "Well, I waited for a while, but a nice Sivadian gent came in. Had a couple with him. You just missed him, actually. Andrew Long, dunno if you've met him." Jens starts on the preparations for both drinks, leaving the two to converse for now.

"It was probably best that I missed him.", Larin remarks with a smirk. "My last venture onto Sivad left something to be desired. I'm not even sure if they'd let me back." He looks up at her. "Not that I would ever want to go back." He pauses for a moment. "How'd the pool lessons go?"

Arizhel chuckles faintly. "Pretty good, actually. He managed to sink one, with a little help." She shrugs, looking over at the Lunite. "I'm not even really sure he wants to learn. I think he's just humoring me sometimes, but that's okay." The silver-haired woman quirks a brow then, her expression bemused. "I did tell you that I grew up on Sivad, right?"

"You might have mentioned it.", Larin replies with an honest shrug. "Nice place. Too many Sivadians." He smirks a bit at that.

Arizhel stifles a giggle with one hand, leaning just a bit to the right. "Hmm... that... wasn't that funny. Or it wouldn't be, if not for my five friends here," she says, gesturing to... the empty counter. Right. Jens took those glasses away only a few minutes ago. Speaking of the bartender on duty, he returns with a pair of Double Helixes, setting one in front of Rish, and one in front of Larin.

Larin blinks at Rish. "You're sure you are good for another?", Larin asks with a smirk. He then takes a sip of the drink murmuring, "At least I thought it was pretty funny."

"I suppose it'd be funnier if my mom didn't act just like a damn Sivadian," she replies, chuckling. "Only she's even less forgiving. She can't stand that I'm working on this ship. Associating with aliens, God forbid." Rish snorts, shaking her head. "Naw, I'm not sure at all, but we'll find out, right? Though, I suppose I'll have to stop after this one and give you time to catch up." She takes the drink in her hand, studying it for a moment before raising the glass to her lips.

"My mother would cringe to see what I turned into. Fine upstanding police officer into ... well ...", Larin remarks, downing a good protion of the helix. "Shouldn't take too long for me to catch up. Just as long as Jens keeps them coming."

Arizhel quirks a brow. "A police officer, even. So... what are you now? I think that was part of what we were going to talk about over drinks, hm?" She chuckles, and downs half of the drink that remains, studying it again. "Hm... looks pretty. Gotta drink em fast, though. That's what gets you."

Larin offers a nod at her advice, polishing off the rest of his own drink. "I uhm ... I really don't know to tell you the truth. What do I look like to you?", Larin muses with a smirk. "My days back on the force were some of the best if not shortest memories. The middle part was the worse ... though I do think things are finally looking up."

"Look like? A guy. Not bad lookin. Dresses a little funny, maybe," Rish replies, chuckling and downing the rest of her own drink, setting the empty glass aside. "I think that's going to be the last one for me, by the way. Hold me to that, okay, Jens?"

Larin shakes his head lightly, looking into his own glass for a moment though he doesn't lose his smirk. "Well unfortunately, its the uniform. We don't get to play with the toys unless we wear it.", Larin remarks. "Something tells me that you wouldn't pick the uniform you wear while on shift as a first choice." He gives her current choice of attire a quick perusal before he shakes his head and returns to looking at his empty glass.

Arizhel chuckles and shakes her head. "No, no, I walk around half naked most of the time, as Karlan puts it." She quirks a brow and studies the Lunite for a moment before motioning for Jens to get him another drink. His glance doesn't go unnoticed, however, and she smiles wryly. "Like what you see?"

"How to word this delicately ... ", Larin muses to himself as he gives Jens an acknowledging nod. He then offers a light shrug and a laugh. "Who wouldn't?". Verbal sidestep to be certain but not insulting in the least bit. He drums his fingers along the bar idly as he regards her with his typical smirk.

Arizhel chuckles and leans closer, studying Larin for a moment. "Hrm. I've gone and forgotten my next line. Is this where I jump into your arms, and we go running off into the sunset together?" She gives a wry smile, and tilts her head to the side. "Sorry, that's my sense of humor surfacing. I do try to keep it under lock and key, but occasionally it slips out through the bars. It should be subdued again shortly."

Larin shifts in his seat with only slightly less comfort than before. He eventually gets it together and with a grin quips right back, "It might be dangerous attempting such a feat of acrobatics in your current condition." He doesn't even move to retreat a bit. "It's alright. Falls right in long with my own type of humor actually. I at least know it is /just/ humor."

"What, you're psychic, too?" Rish inquires, grinning. "Like I said, you're not bad lookin. Interesting, and a gentleman besides. Well, mostly, anyway." She chuckles, quirking a brow and leaning her head to the side just a bit, but whatever comment she was about to make is interrupted by Jens bringing another drink for the Lunite. None for Rish, as promised.

Larin recieves the drink but holds off just a moment on drinking it to respond to Rish. "I bet you say that to all the lonely Lunites.", he replies with a grin. "I guess I should thank you but I have this sudden feeling that your engineer friend should spring from the floor and let me have it with a spanner should I be at all receptive." With a wink at that he begins to work on his Helix.

Arizhel snorts softly, and shakes her head. "Naw, I don't say it unless I mean it, Larin. Well, not these days, anyhow. Since I took this job, I'm trying to get away from that sort of thing." She chuckles at the mention of the engineer, smiling faintly. "Karlan's at work as far as I know. Probably stuffing another engineering trainee into a generator leak, I dunno. He's... well, a bit strange. I'm finding out that Timonae have weird views on relationships."

"Maybe it isn't Timonae.", Larin muses, as he finishes nursing his drink "It may just be men in general." He smirks lightly at that and looks away for a moment to clear his throat. Soon his emerald gaze is back on her. "Shortly after my divorce I launched my whole 'Women are death campaign'. That, needless to say, degraded into a 'Women are alright' and then completely fizzled. Complicated relationship after that and now in all likelihood we'd be past words." He gives a genuine frown at that and shrugs lightly. "It can't be helped. She was in love with a man that had died a long time ago and never was. I was always playing second string it seemed." A final sip of his drink and a shrug. "And now of course I'm on the bloody love ship. Grand isn't it?" The smirk is back despite the subject of conversation.

"Sounds complicated..." Rish ventures after a moment, her eyes searching his. "Mmh, you've caught me at a strange time as well, but we're not here to talk about me, no?" She tilts her head to the side then, still seemingly lost in the eye contact. After a moment, she chuckles and shifts her gaze down, looking at the counter instead. "Sorry," she says, but doesn't offer any further explanation.

"Nothing wrong with talking.", Larin remarks with a light smirk. He then chuckles at Rish's comment about a 'strange time'. "I can't remember the last time there /was/ a normal time." He quirks an eyebrow at Rish. "Sorry for what?"

"Bein a little weird is all," Rish replies, shrugging. "The staring, I mean. Ah... yeah." She chuckles, and shifts her gaze back over to him, smiling faintly. "You do have nice eyes, though. Don't think I've ever seen quite that color before."

"Like I said. They're my mother's.", Larin replies back with a weak smile. He taps the edge of his glass with his index fingers as he watches her for a fair bit of time. "If you're expecting a return compliment ... I don't think I'd know where to begin." A wry grin. "Sorry to disappoint."

Arizhel blushes faintly, and looks over at his tapping fingers, pointing at the glass. "You gotta watch out with leaving those sit. They get pretty yucky after the first minute or so," she says, completely changing the subject.

Larin can't help but blush a bit himself as he looks back to the drink. "Oh right. I think I can manage just one more.", Larin remarks. "Any more and I might start laying on those compliments hard and heavy." He chuckles a bit at that in half-jest. He motions for Jens, his finger indicating that he'll only have one more.

"I wouldn't mind," Rish retorts, chuckling softly as she looks up at Larin again. "Ah... I should stop coming on so strong, though. You might get the wrong idea." She clears her throat and shifts her eyes back down to the counter, fingernails tapping against the top of the bar rhythmically. While she does that, another Double Helix is mixed and put in front of the Lunite, and Jens wanders off further down the bar once more.

As the drink is placed down in front of him, Larin is apparently becoming slightly more foolhardy. "What sort of idea would that be?", he asks innocently. He sips the drink lightly as he awaits a response, blinking once as apparently the drinks start to catch up with him.

"Mmmh. If you're sure you want to know... Well, you asked for it, in any case. I'm not to blame," Rish observes, putting one hand against Larin's cheek to tip his head towards her, and leaning close to lightly brush her lips against his.

Larin's breath is pretty heavy with liquor but he certainly isn't a stranger to a kiss. Either it’s the alcohol or just his own intentions that prevent him from really breaking away from the kiss and not becoming an active participant. Caught up in the moment, his own hand comes up to rest against hers.

Arizhel kisses him for a few moments before pulling away, biting at her lower lip as she looks into his eyes. "I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I've had too much to drink..." She blushes, nearly falling off of the barstool in her efforts to back away. "I... ah... yeah. I'm sorry. I really am. I think I'm going to go back to my quarters and sleep this off..." She shakes her head and turns away, heading for the exit.

Larin blinks as he comes out of the kiss and instantly looks guilty for it. "Uh no it uhm... just as much your fault as mine.", Larin murmurs. "Have a good evening." As he watches her leave he wets his lips and looks back to the full drink still in front of him with a betrayed look. "I sincerely hope it was just the drinks. Otherwise here we go again...". He places his head down on the bar as the headache starts to set in.