| Bar Flies |
| Summary: | Keenan and the O'Keefe brothers enjoy the lovely sights of Colonial Pete's. Solstice comes looking for something. |
| Date: | 23 Apr 2042 AE |
| Related Logs: | None |
| Players: |
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| Colonial Pete's - MV Elpis |
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| Colonial Pete's is the long-awaited successor to Kythera's Aquarian Pete's, though this version is more bar than strip club. Not that there aren't any strippers here, in fact there's even a raised platform complete with pole built just for them. The majority of the room, however, is dominated by mis-matched tables and chairs and a long bar. Lighting is haphazard, the harsh fluorescents that came with the place usually left off in favor of lower lighting from scavenged lamps and even a bit of neon rustled up from somewhere and hung behind the bar. There's a pretty decent sound-system playing a wide variety of music, and a couple of low-tech bar games, like a mini pyramid arena. There are always a few burly-looking guys around to keep an eye on rowdy patrons, and especially to guard the doors to the back rooms, where the stills are kept along with (rumors say) a few private alcoves for those willing to pay extra for one-on-one time with the girls. A large black chalkboard that once adorned Cerberus' Ready Room hangs behind the bar. Scrawled on its surface beneath a crude picture of a steaming bowl are the words 'SOUP OF THE DAY: MOONSHINE.' |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #421 |
The music at Colonial Pete's is pounding and throbbing just as it always does, causing a slight rumble to be felt from the hard, grated floor with each boom of the bass music. As always, there are a few scattered women in various stages of undress around the room, entertaining the clientele. Relaxing at the edge of the bar in an old, beaten-up pyramid jersey is Keenan Raios, one of the Cerberus' pilots, sipping from a glass of ambrosia. A stripper, clad in a pair of obscenely small black shorts and a bra walks over to him, chatting quietly. It's a short conversation, for she smiles and leaves when Keenan declines whatever she was offering as politely as possible.
Iosif makes his way into the bar. He's dressed in a mix of civilian and Navy threads. Military-issue trousers along with a obviously non-military shirt in beaten yellow and blue flannel. He makes his way bar-wards, scouting out the best view of the stage he can manage to get, which puts him at the edge of the bar and not far from Keenan. He's just in time to see the stripper pass by, and his neck turns to attentively watch her walk away. "Bloody hell, mate. I'd buy whatever she was selling, you don't mind me saying." The comment to Keenan, though he's still watching the girl.
There's the scratch of a cigarette lighter flaring, touching the end of the cigarette in Keenan's mouth. "Yeah she's easy on the eyes, ain't she?" Taking a drag off of the cigarette, Keenan glances over his shoulder as if he's looking for someone in the crowd, pausing a moment before the conversation continues. "She's a nice girl too, from what I understand she's been helping the girls put together their dancing outfits, whatever they're called." Another pause. "You're O'Keefe, right? I've seen you on the deck."
"Yeah, she's got lots of nice qualities…" Iosif mutters. But he does manage to take his eyes off the stripper with some difficulty, and extend a hand over to Keenan. "One of 'em, aye. Iosif O'Keefe. I'm an aircraft handler. And you're one of them flyboys, yeah? What do they call you? I ain't got much of a head for names, sorry to say. And I ain't been down there long. Just joined up a fair few months ago."
"Me too, actually, I came from over here and went over there, but disappeared into flight school for a while." Keenan takes the man's hand and gives it a firm shake. Letting go, he plucks the cigarette from his mouth and taps it over the ashtray. "I'm the poor bastard that got stuck with Pom-Poms. I fly with Shakes over on the Raptor crews. You might know my bird as that lucky Raptor that wasn't completely shot to shit after that fight with the Areion."
Iosif is sitting at the edge of the bar, talking with Keenan and watching the strippers as the music pounds and throbs some club beat that was popular on Aquaria before the end of the worlds. A crooked grin on his face as one of the girls does a particularly acrobatic trick around the pole on the stage. "Can I get a glass of moonshine, guv?" he orders from the bartender, forking over a voucher. "Pom-Poms?" He gets a laugh out of that. "Oh, one of them nicknames you flyboy lot have for each other. They don't do that with the knuckledraggers, I ain't sorry to say. What's it mean, anyhow?"
"It means I couldn't keep my fool mouth from cheering on the Areion when that big-ass gun disabled that basestar." Keenan's reply comes with a shake of his head, setting the stage for the story. "We were holding the line, basically staring into the face of a bunch of Raiders trying to kill us all, and that gun saved our lives. Unfortunately I was on the open channel when we were celebrating. That…and I think Cheerleader was taken."
Iszak wanders in from the corridor, a gymbag slung over one shoulder and thwacking against his hip as he walks. It's a meandering route he takes up to the bar, detouring to greet a couple people and do a semi-circle around the front of the catwalk, offering an approving whistle for the dancer's latest trick. He makes it up eventually, to knock shoulders with Iosif in apparently greeting and drop his bag on a stool, digging a voucher out of his pocket and slapping it down while grinning, "Hey there, bruv. What're you up to now, y'lazy bastard? Annoying this poor fellow here?" He claps Keenan on the shoulder in a familiar fashion.
Iosif gets another laugh out of that, smirking into his moonshine glass. "Ra-ra-ra, eh? Heh. Bloody hell, had reason to cheer just then, like I recall. I remember them Raiders floating out dead in space like broken toys. That was some freaky shite. Not the freakiest thing saw that day, though. That was right before they boarded us into that frakking weird basestar…" He gulps more of his drink, though he's fortunately put it down when Iszak knocks him. He jabs the man - his lookalike - with an elbow in return. Likewise in greeting. "Who you calling lazy, you sod? Nah, just came to have a drink, and enjoy the scenery, before I looked in on Mari. This is Keenan. Or Pom-Poms, or whatever you prefer. He flies 'em for us to fix 'em."
"Yeah what was I supposed to do? Be quiet? Frak that man I just watched a whole wave of shit that was trying to kill me get turned off like a bunch of toys." Turning to greet the newcomer with an extended hand, Keenan blinks and glances between the two of them. Recognition dawns. "Frak no wonder I thought you were always running all over the place. This is starting to make a whole lot more sense." Turning on his stool so that he's facing a little bit more in their direction. "Poms for short is fine, that seems to be what's taking on around the berthings."
"I'm calling you lazy, Mister 'Nah I Don't Feel Like Working Out Right Now, Maybe Later'. Puss." He elbows his brother in the side a couple times saying, "Can you even feel that? You've got so much cushion there now I bet you can't, innit?" He takes his drink when it arrives and downs it, grinning at Keenan, "Nice t'meet ya, mate. All that running about you saw was me working, this one's always off hiding in a closet reciting poetry or sommat."
"Frak you and your little dog, too. There's your poetry, sod," Iosif retorts to Iszak. With good humor. He gulps some more moonshine, nodding more serious. "But aye. We're twins. Which you might not've realized, as he's the ugly one, but there it is. Zak works in Engineering, so the next time something big on the battlestar breaks down, you'll know who it is to blame for it. We were both of us plucked off Aerilon, when the battlestar was getting folks off there. Poms here says he just joined up as well."
"Well…months ago, but I'm a pretty fresh face behind the flight controls. I just got my wings a few months ago." Keenan salutes them with his glass of ambrosia. Turning his attention to his cigarette, he takes another long pull, glancing over Zak's shoulder again towards the crowd. Not seeing what he's looking for, he focuses on them once more. "So what's the operational way of telling you two apart?" Keenan asks, exhaling a cloud of smoke towards the ceiling. One of the strippers heads behind the bar to get some drinks, topless. "Engineering or not I'll kick both of your asses if you pull some sort of switch and switch jobs."
"All that time practicin' and you're not even any good at it!" Iszak scoffs at Iosif, shaking his head in sad disappointment. He nods, "Aye, any ugliness I got's from him, he was the first one out. I do what I can with it, but, y'know. Bad material, right?" He cuffs his brother upside the head, but not very hard, shrugging at Keenan, "This one's got glasses, that's the way. And he's usually in orange and I'm in green. Don't worry, if we ever swap you'll know it. Your boats'll be flyin' better than ever, eh?"
"I'm the smarter, better-looking one, and Iszak's…well, you can see for yourself, poor sod." Iosif smirks, pushing his glasses up on the brim of his nose. "Aye. The one better quality I missed out on was twenty-twenty vision. And don't worry, Poms. We have a bit of fun sometimes, but never 'round work. Wouldn't want this one to muck something up in the controls and crash a plane or nothing. Besides, no time for them kind of jokes now." His smirk fades. "We got enough to manage, getting them planes patched up after what them Areion wankers did to 'em."
"Oh yeah, I was just joking. You'd have to be crazy to mess around with that, especially during wartime." Keenan ashes his cigarette, taking another pull from it. Exhaling the stream of smoke to the side, he raises his glass at Iosif's mention of the Areion. "Yeah, that was a mess. I was pretty surprised that my bird came back in the shape that it did. We ran through a flak screen and aside from a few shots we took the worst we had were scratches to the paint that the shrapnel took off." He shrugs. "So you guys were civilians too? How are you liking your postings so far? It's different getting used to actually having shit to do around here, isn't it?"
Iszak snorts, "Yeah, the smarter, better-looking one who can't see three feet in front of his face or pick up a bird t'save his life," he retorts. "Besides," he points out, "Our little Apprentice here," he pats Iosif's shoulder, "Isn't allowed to do much more than help pull the planes around the deck, like a bloody mule, the sorry bastard. Be a waste of my time and skills taking his job, innit? And nah, I did a couple tours before the attacks," he explains, gesturing with his drink, "Discharged a couple years ago, signed back up when we was rescued. My bruv here decided he couldn't resist trying t'be me a moment longer and signed right up his own self. You were a civvie, then?"
"I picked up more birds in my time than you, chav," Iosif quips, eyeing the stripper who's still spinning 'round the pole. "Anyway, shut it. We all got more to do than that nowadays. I finished basic training and all just before the Swarms hit." To Keenan he replies, "Zak was in for a bit before everything went to shite. Not me, though. I never figured the service was for me. All the 'Yes, sir, no, sir,' somebody else running your whole life bosh. Still don't quite fancy that part of it, but it's good work that needs be done, y'know? And this is the way to do it."
"Yeah, I was civilian stock until I enlisted well into the campaign, actually." Keenan admits, pausing for another sip from his drink. Setting the glass down, he scratches the bridge of his nose with his thumbnail. "I actually worked at this bar when it was on Leonis and did a little bit of work here after it opened initially, but I couldn't take it anymore and decided to let someone around here know that I had some flight time. They didn't need any more pilots for the Elpis so it was off to the Cerberus I went." He nudges Iosif's shoulder with his elbow. "So if you want to meet any of the girls I could put in a good word for you. There's a few new faces but I survived warday with half of these girls."
"Sweet Goddess is that bullshit," Iszak laughs at Iosif, "Want to start listing? Yeah? Shall we? That'd just be sad for you, you wouldn't even have to put your drink down to have enough fingers for the counting, I reckon. Sad case like you." He sips again and then shrugs, "Yeah, the 'sir'ing stuff y'get used to, I find. Plus some aren't as keen on it as others, that's always nice. And anyway, yeah, job t'be done, innit? Can't just sit on our arses over here all day and watch. You worked here?" Dark brows tic up at Keenan's factoid and he nods, "Not a bad gig, all in all." At the offer he laughs, "Oh, do it, I'm begging ya, it'll take more than an intro, but if you could get my dear sweet brother here laid he'll be your friend forever."
"Your fingers are the only thing that's ever called you back the next day," Iosif says with a snorted laugh. Keenan gets an eager nod. "Serious? Thanks, mate. You know that dark-haired one? The one with them rose tattoos all up and down her legs? Them's some vines I wouldn't mind climbing, you know what I'm saying. This must've been one hell of a place to work. We just ran about on our family's freighter. Grew up on it. Practically been working the ships since we were old enough to lift a wrench, so Raptors and big boats ain't so much of a change to tinker with."
"April? Yeah I know her. Gimme a few minutes and I'll try to get her attention, she looks a little busy right now." Keenan replies, motioning to a man that's currently trying to secure her business. Motioning to the bartender for a refill, he again scans the room before returning to the conversation. "Well…here's how bartending here works. At first it's insane. You're surrounded by naked women all of the time, and then -slowly- over time the mystique wears off and everyone ends up being a coworker. Still, I will say, the coworkers here are a lot more interesting than some of the folks back at the Cerb, am I right?" He snorts, sliding his glass to the bartender.
"And thank gods for that," Iszak replies to Iosif with a laugh, "I don't need some chick weighing me down, not like you, with all your 'romance' and girly shite like that, yeah?" He scoffs and then casts his mind back to the dark-haired one with the rose tattoos and laughs, shaking his head, "And you with no ink? Not a chance. Unless you let her put some roses on you, petal," he teases with a grin. He leans against the bar, nodding along with the description of their childhood, "Yeah, we've been tinkerin' and fixin' shite since we could walk, took all hands t'keep that bucket in the air. Gimme a sack of old bits of wire, a wrench, and a few spare odds and ends, we can fix anything there is." He punctuates that statement with a drink and then nods, looking around as Keenan speaks, "Wouldn't mind be coworkers with a bunch of hot chicks who don't mind getting their kit off," he says, "Beats the knuckledraggers and the stiffs up in snipe-land. Not all bad," he allows, "Couple I wouldn't mind having a go at, but… yeah, scenery's nicer here."
"Dunno. There are a few girls on the Deck I wouldn't mind seeing in fishnets." Iosif grins. "Not that I'd say so, of course. Pretty sure some of 'em wouldn't take kind to it. April, eh? There a reason they call her that? Like a callsign?" Another gulp. "I suppose. How'd you wind up with a gig like this, anyhow? I figured when you said you got into piloting, you was into driving taxis or shuttles or some such, back in the real world." Iszak just earns a, "Shut it, wanker. Have you know I been thinking about getting some ink. Got to have some way to 'em to tell me apart from you, else your reputation'll drag me down."
"Oh man, April actually doesn't really go for tattooed guys. I think you got a fair shot, man." Keenan sidelongs to Zak. "She's one of those girls that wasn't to be the exotic one, but has dealt with enough biker assholes in her day tha she seems to write them off. See how that guy she approached to dance for's got a button-up shirt on?" He nudges. "Work at a place like this you'll start to notice ahead of time who the girls are gonna go after."
Stubbing out his cigarette, he then tilts his head to Iosif. "I worked at Pete's back home to pay for flight school but the bills didn't work out so right. My old man was a Taxi-Service pilot and I was gonna follow in his steps, but that didn't end up happening."
"You're thinking about getting ink?" Iszak laughs at Iosif, standing beside his twin and Keenan up at the bar, "Seriously? Of what? Pink and puple dolphins jumping past a full moon on your back? Maybe a pony over your heart?" He snickers, and drinks, before looking over to watch April along with the others, nodding, "Well, if she likes 'em dull, 'Sif here's her man," he grins, "Not an exotic bone in this one's body, I'll tell ya that. 's it fun, being a pilot?" He asks Keenan curiously, "I mean, we can fly big old things like our family's boat, but nothing like you guys. Always wondered how the little ones handle."
"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking of getting. A big pink dolphin on my arse," Iosif snorts. "Birds'll love it. Girls, that is. I don't think the planes care much one way or another what you've got drawn on your hindparts." His eyes remain on April, a stripper with dark hair and roses tattooed down the length of her long legs, during his conversation. He's sitting at the bar jawing with Keenan and Iszak, and taking in the show. Pete's is hopping tonight, and music loud, dancers on the stage.
"Well, look at it this way. Commercial craft are designed to not really have to worry about collisions, right, so you can take the time to turn them. Raptors are touchy as anything. The slightest nudge moves you some three, four times more than commercial craft. It takes a lot of getting used to." Keenan brings his re-filled glass to his lip. Leaning back slightly, he turns his head again to the assembled crowd, scanning the tables. It could appear that he's looking for one of the dancers. He continues speaking as he rubber-necks. "So then do either of you have some flight experience? We're always looking for pilots. If you've got a passion for it you could probably transfer easily."
Reluctant to return to the Elpis after the previous night, Solstice had found Keenan missing and the log had given rise to the fact that he had returned. With her day free of duty because of a recent double CAP, the ECO has dressed in a new blouse, red - that wraps in front and ties at her sides. Pairing it with a pair of white pants, she wears it now as she steps into Pete's, her dark curls drawn back away from her face. Her amber eyes hunt through the crowd, searching before she feels eyes on her and shivers, turning about with worry etched in her brow. Slowly she starts to weave her way through the humming crowd, brushing past others in order to begin the slow sweep of the room.
"I knew it," Iszak replies to Iosif, shaking his head, "I've seen you doodlin' that shite all over your notebooks since we was lads, all them dolphins and unicorns and pretty ponies or whatever the frak they're called. Just waitin' for your chance to get them inked on your arse. Surprised y'never bothered before, ye'd look lovely with a big old dove or some shit on your chest, with big sad eyes just like yours. Saddo." He shakes his head, watching April, "Nah, she'll never go for you. Look at that bloke, he's got that button up shirt like some sort of exec or sommat. Y'might not be a biker, but you're far from a banker, bruv." To Keenan he shakes his head, shrugging, "Eh, not that signifies. We're better at fixing birds than flyin' 'em and here I mean the planes not the lasses."
"Nah, Da did the flying himself, or hired folks that knew how," Iosif says. "Most I did was sit co-pilot sometimes with my Da in the freighter. You just need somebody else to watch the controls when you're on those long hitches between Colonies, make sure your brain don't turn to rot. But big ships're a different matter. When I signed up the guv in Personnel said I might be able to get a post in CIC, doing nav tech work and what-not after some training, but I had a better touch for repair. Plus, just seemed like a better job, y'know? You're using your hands all day, not just stuck behind a console. Besides…" He pauses, tapping his glasses. "Ain't got the eyes for it. I ain't broken up. They need mechanics as much as they need jocks, I figure. You blokes seem to break them things pretty regular." He grins, to make it clear it's a joke, and orders another drink. Eyes go to Solstice as she makes her way through the crowd, and he offers her a crooked half-smile. Not that he seems to be what she's looking for.
"Yeah there is that whole twenty-twenty vision thing. We've got to have really keen eyes sometimes to see incoming Raiders against a field of black. They can get really tricky, hiding behind stuff." Keenan replies, turning to the pack of cigarettes before him. Another sip from the ambrosia is taken, and the glass is set down on the bartop. Unlit cigarette between his lips, he glances towards the crowd and spots Solstice in her red blouse. "Damnit." He says, sliding the cigarette into the pack before him. It's only going to be a moment before he's spotted at the edge of the bar. He lifts his head, scanning the area behind Solstice, a concerned look on his face.
Solstice's scanning gaze is looking over each face with disinterest and passing consideration. But it is when Iosif is caught in her gaze and that cock-eyed grin is lingered on. The ECO blinks, recognition at least in passing with the man fires up and she starts his way. She has to push past a group, hung up there and Keenan is safe for the moment. She says an excuse me and her nose wrinkles, having to slide past a taller man and smoothing her shirt after, shrinking from the physical contact. As she emerges on the other side of the bodies in the way. It is then Keenan is spotted and the cigarettes considered in his hand before she frowns as well. Clearing her throat, she manages a smile to the twins as she motions to the pilot. "I didn't think you would come back here." She says. Probably meaning to say more but holding back in the presence of the other two.
"Mine's not quite twenty-twenty," Iszak confesses, "I got a bit of this rotter's eyeblight, just enough t'make wires and shite a smarter choice than Vipers, yeah?" He shrugs, "Least I don't need glasses like this speccy git." He drinks deeply and then adds, "An' I like fixing things, me. Bloody good at it, and it's fun being bloody good at things, innit?" As Solstice appears, he grins, "Hey there." He glances between the ECO and Keenan and asks, "Goin' t'introduce the rest of us, mate?"
"Go spec yourself, wanker," Iosif retorts in a jolly sort of way to Iszak. The insulting banter is clearly second-nature to the twins. Though his nod to Solstice is something resembling decent manners. "Evening." He squints a bit harder at her, though it's with vague recognition rather than casual leering. "You fly with Poms, aye? Pull up a stool. I'll get you a drink. I got some vouchers I ain't gonna use tonight. Still spending my stock from that damn month we all spent on Condition Two."
"I'm here for the conversation, nothing more." Keenan replies to Solstice, speaking in some sort of cryptic inside-story manner. Sliding off of his stool, he makes some room for Solstice and his half-full (yes, half full) glass of ambrosia.
"Gentlemen this is Shakes, yeah we fly together. I got into a little spat here last night and was looking for the guy, but he doesn't seem to be coming anywhere around here." Strength in numbers, perhaps? Seeing twins fight in a fight is always a fun thing.
Stepping in closer to Solstice, he whispers something to her before pressing his hand to the small of her back. "These are Iszak and Iosif. Iosif works the deck, Zak works with engineering."
The salutations garner a warmer smile from her but it's obvious the ECO is uncomfortable in the rather colorful setting that is Pete's. "Hello." She intones, her faint accent sounding out and marking her from Sagittaron. The offer fo a drink causes her to lift a hand as if to forestall him. "No..please..I am still feeling my licorice shots from last night. I should probably refrain.." Probably.
Keenan gets a glance as he moves towards her and the mention of conversation causes her brow to rise. "Solstice Vasco.." She offers after her callsign. The woman shifts some and as he settles close to her, she tilts her head, looking between the two as who exactly is who is not really given to her. "Ummm…well Iszak..Iosif, it is a pleasure but I fear I do not know who is who." She says, looking between then before she shoots Keenan a meaningful look of 'we need to talk;.
"He wouldn't have so many left," Iszak tags on the end of Iosif's offer of swarm-leftover vouchers, "But every time he offers one to a girl she turns him dow— haha!" He laughs as Solstice does the same, pointing at his brother as he laughs and laughs. He grins at Keenan and Solstice and offers his hand, "I'm Iszak. Four-eyes here's Iosif. Pleasure t'meet you, Miss Vasco." He smiles widely, his own accent (and Iosif's as well, of course) is difficult to place, something like Aerilonian but not always.
Iosif's accent is a weird hodge-podge of influences, for his part, though like Iszak it's got more traces of Aerilon than any place else. "Iosif O'Keefe is what I'm called, aye." The way he says it, the names rhyme. "Solstice? Aye. You're one of them that the Chief's okay'd to do some light mechanical work on your own birds, if I recall correct. How'd you pick up that sort of thing, anyhow?" Iszak earns a glare for his comment, and cheeky snort. "Don't mind my brother. He's just jealous. Why, last time we came in here the strippers was paying *him* to stay away."
Busted, it seems. Keenan notes look on Solstice's face and quickly downs the last few sips of ambrosia in the glass. He turns to the bartender, motioning towards one of the dancers, a raven-haired girl with a vine of roses tattoed on her leg. The bartender nods and heads down to the other end of the bar. "Alright, twins, he's gonna call April over. Just tell her you're a friend of Keenan's and that'll give you a table conversation. Shakes and I have to go over a few details before CAP tomorrow." He says, starting to disconnect himself from the bar. The cigarettes are left behind.
Clearing her throat, Solstice smiles and takes the hand Iszak offers, giving it a firm shake. "It is a pleasure.." Her gaze slips over towards Iosif, a nod offered, "Yes…well.." She intones, "I took electrical engineering in college..besides. It's something to do other than fly, eat, or sleep. I enjoy being down on the deck when I get the opportunity, perhaps you can help me out a little bit in learning some more of the systems." She says and then looks to Keenan as he speaks. She presses her lips together and nods a moment. "I will join you in a second..rude to run so swiftly." She looks back to the twins. "It seems that I am breaking up your little party, do forgive me."
"Will do at that," Iosif says with a wider crooked grin to Keenan. "Thanks, mate. This goes well, I'll owe you a favor and then some. Zak…have fun with your fingers tonight, bro." Solstice earns a more polite, "Pleasure, Solstice. Nah. You lot should come out with us again sometime. Darts get fun here after a few rounds." And off he goes, to make April's acquaintance. She doesn't immediately shoo him away, so that's something. He's probably not coming back anytime soon.