| The Walk of Shame |
| Summary: | It starts as a girl's night out for two women and devolves fast when two familiar faces show. Its the women of Rifles versus the guys of MP's and Pete's will never be the same. |
| Date: | 10 Dec 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | Elpis Ascendant |
| Players: |
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| Colonial Pete's |
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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 hoop. 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. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #287 |
NOTE: There is a version of this log with selected OOC commentary. To access it, use the 'History' button on the bottom of the page and look at the first posted version using 'Compare Versions'.
Natalie has already been here for a bit. And it shows. Her hair looks like its been thrown around a bit with dancing and its no surprise - the place is pretty damned busy. Its Friday and the christening ceremony is hours behind them. The music is just loud enough to have a solid dancefloor. There's the obvious trove of men up by the strippers and more at the bar but its a significant change of pace from the last time they were in here. The Lieutenant has shed her dress grays for those jeans, the creame colored V-neck, and a pair of designer boots - no telling where she got the footwear, though. With her makeup and hair done, she does not look much like the same woman who sports a GMAR and combat gear through most of her day. Woman looks years younger, too. She's ten miles of smiles, leaning against the bar and sipping a pink drink.
Luckily for a certain Ensign Ida, she didn't have to wear drab greys…just drab military blues and greens. She, unfortunately, was working during the christening, but she's all fun and games now that her shift is actually over and there's a bar to go to. On the quick ride over to the Elpis, the Ensign was very quick to change out of her military clothing and into the beige skirt that she'd found and the white t-shirt with the multicoloured words saying: 'Shhh…That is the sound of nobody caring what you think'. On her feet, a pair of high heels, her hair is done up and there's a bit of make up on her face as well. Where did she find the make up? Well…perhaps she snuck into Vandenberg's stash. Though she'll never tell. One way or another though, she certainly made herself up for a girls night. There's no doubt about it!
Natalie is still holding the bar up with a hip when Ida walks in. If it weren't for the shirt, she probably wouldn't have recognized the Ensign. Van pops off the bar and saunters her way over to Ida, swaying her hips with the music and a big grin on her face. An arm outstretches to Robinson to interlock. "Welllllcome. Love that damn skirt and frak you for lookin' so good in it." She preens. Yep, Natalie has already had a drink or two. "Come. Find the bar with me. We shall spot targets of male opportunity and work our magic while you quickly down a drink or two." Or three. She waves to a guy and his friend at the other side of the dance floor. "The taller chap is Derek. His friend is Eddie. I've been talking to Eddie. Talked you up to Derek for a bit. He- does /not/ look disappointed." She continues to guide Ida towards the bar, though.
Well, if the music ain't groovin'…Ida doesn't know what is. This is gonna be a fun night. It's gotta be! Right? At the sight of Natalie heading her way, Ida smile widely. "Well, if it ain't Lieutenant Hottie here to escort me." She gives the woman a playful wink. "I might have to down a couple drinks at once to catch up with you, my dear. But I think I'm up for the challenge!" She chirps happily. "And may I say, I'm liking your look for the evening. It is super hot chic. I don't know if I should be worried about you being competition for getting guys or not." She giggles. But then Derek and Eddie are pointed out. "Derek…yeah, he's cute." She grins as they continue on to the bar.
"PLEASE," Natalie sighs, laughing. She leans in close to her friend as they approach the bar. "I'm telling people I'm thirty-one. So far I'm getting away with it." She snorts a chuckle out and takes up her drink again. "Thank you, though. I feel frakkin great. I seriously have not had a chance to blow off steam like this in ten months. I don't think many have. But you know what? You can tell. Damned near everyone here is looking for a Good Time." She shadows a 'look' and the appropriate smile for the last two words. Uh huh. She then spins and leans her rear against the bar and lifts a hand to lazily point at Eddie and Derek. "Mister Derek is a marathon runner from your home colony. By day he owned a chain of upscale restaurants in the capital. Eddie? Well..Eddie is a chef. Worked for Derek. Claims he can cut n cook anything. Very good with his hands." She gives Robinson a reassuring nod. For now the two men just watch them talking. They're probably debating about trying to get Nat and Ida to come to them or just biting the bullet and walking over to join the ladies.
Constin has arrived.
Robinson goes wide eyed. "You're thirty-one?! I could've sworn you were like…twenty-five or twenty-six!" She winks and waves down the bartender. "Get me two…no, three shots of your best whiskey, and hurry! Don't got all night!" She turns her attention back to Natalie at that point. "Hey, it's been a rough time. We all needed something to just help us relax and unwind. We need to party!" She raises an eyebrow. "Oh, I see what you're doing here. You're trying to set me up with a rich guy from my colony so that I can will be comfy with the hottie Virgonite. Ah. You're a tricky one, Miss Natalie…I like it." She says with a smirk as her shots arrive. Downing all three of them in short order, she smiles widely. "Whooooo! Let's get this party started!"
"Hush! Enough protests from you, young one." Natalie tsktsk's Robinson, grinning like an idiot. She watches Ida down the shots and sips at her own drink. "Well..yeah. You think I'm gonna set you up with a pool boy? Pshaw!" The Lieutenant looks almost indignant - that is, if Constin recognizes her. She made out like a criminal from the raids on Knossos. Jeans, v-neck shirt, boots.. the boots especially help. Van can really use the extra inch or two. "So here's what I'm thinking. We sit around the bar, people watch, spend our time deciding, and then move in for the kill. No sense to rush on in like some of those brash-ass Viper sticks. We're Marines, Miss Ida. Tactics, my dearest Ensign." Gee, its almost like Vandenberg has done this before. Someone is well on their way to Cougar status.
Robinson is with Natalie at the bar, wearing a white t-shirt that says, in multicolored letters, 'Shhh… That's the sound of nobody caring what you think', and a beige skirt and high heels, as well she has her hair up. Definitely not like the Ensign most would recognize. "I'm not protesting. In fact, I'm quite happy! Just remember…all's well that ends with us getting our party on tonight." Did she just say that? Really? She couldn't think of something better? Apparently not. "Yeah, we're Marines. But I'm also a PA-C. That means…absolutely nothing right now." She beams happily.
Corrath has arrived.
Constin stands out like.. well, like a big marine Sergeant in a room full of civilians. Elf, not having looted any civilian population centers recently, is in his service tank, trousers, tags and boots as he walks in, and takes a short survey of the place. There it is: the bar. Vandenberg and Robinson don;t get a second look, and the first look was brief, drawn by the declaration of a starting party. No recognition sparks in his narrow eyes.
"Get our party on," Van repeats, laughing. "Ida? Sometimes I think you never left high school." The drink gets another sip and she reaches into a back pocket for her pack of smokes. She lights one up with a grin and nods to Robinson. "Daaaamned right. I ain't a Marine tonight. Though your ass better believe I will be in the morning when I need a saline drip." When the Sergeant enters, though, the Man In Green catches her eye and she lifts a hand to him. "Oh Mister Constin?" She waves him over. "Come hither. Lemme buy you a drink." Because money has so much meaning these days.
Robinson gives a timid little shrug. "Hey, sometimes high school students know how to party hearty!" She snorts. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'll stop now. Honest I will. I just need more booze." She says as she flags down the bartender to order a beer. She winks to Van. "I'll be sure to book a private room for you tomorrow where you can get that drip. Trust me. If I know anything, I'm gonna be needing it tomorrow morning." She grins as Van waves down Constin. "Well…it's turning into a lil Marines party!"
Constin hears his name, and that draws narrow eyes back to Vandenberg. His stare ticks a bit more narrow in scrutiny before recognition finally boards at the station. "Huh. That you, El-Tee?" Belatedly, the big man realizes he's never called Vandenberg by anything other than her rank or sir, before.
And into the club comes the S2, though Corrath is entirely out of uniform. Having managed to bring aboard a pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt, that's what he's chosen to wear, though there's a small bag slung over one shoulder, no doubt containing his uniform. Eyes play about the room and as he looks things over, his lips curve upwards into the faintest of smiles. "Well … this is certainly quite the change from the rec room." It's obviously said to no one, for he's angling his way through the crowd, heading towards the bar.
"I'm just lucky I got the afternoon to evening shift tomorrow. I don't have to be anywhere until eleven." Natalie fistpumps once with a sharp intake of air. "Yesss. And hey, no Marines tonight. Just..well, okay. We're officers. I guess that does kind of matter. Damnit." Vandenberg takes a quick drag of her smoke and beams a grin at Constin. "Shore is, Sergeant. Tonight, though, you can call me Natalie. I sure as hell ain't gonna be touting rank in here. Like I'm in any state of mind to be giving orders anyway! Ha!" And hey, its her fellow Lieutenant. "O'Hare! Buy Ida a drink! On the double!" She waggles her brow at Robinson before looking back to Elf. "Decided to come check out the big party, eh? You, my good man, need to stop by supply and get yourself some off duty duds before they send the rest off to the civilians."
Robinson shakes her head. "You lucky gal. I've got a double tomorrow. Starting in the morning. It's icky, but someone has to do it. Although…I may be a bit grumpier than usual." She grins. She gives a little wave to Constin. "Hey there. Good of ya to drop by for a lil while. We all need a lil time to relax, right?" And that's that. Her beer is here. Her attention is caught by her drinking said beer.
"Yeah, that's gonna take some getting used to," Constin mutters to Vandenberg's declaration of 'Natalie'. Ida's greeting is met with a short nod, relaxation not looking like the most honed of Elf's skills. "Robinson, right?" he tries to place the face, before a bone-dry regard is shifted to read the woman's shirt. "Huh." As Vandenberg greets Corrath, the sergeant turns an eye toward the door, only to see… another officer in civvie attire. "Shit, this is just getting creepy," he mutters, before belatedly answering Vandy, "Yeah, had an itch for a drink, before the civvies gulp it all down."
Corrath's movements to the bar are halted by the familiar voice of his fellow Lieutenant and it only takes a moment for him to locate the table in which Van and Robinson have claimed. A hand lifts upwards, giving a little wave before indicating he'll be along in a moment. It's then back over the bar, where he's no doubt placing an order for a drink. And sure enough, a glass of amber liquid arrives a moment later. It's then that he's turning, angling over in the direction of his cohort's table and once he draws close enough, he's offering up a quick nod to the three. "What the heck were you yelling? Hard to hear ya over the music." Wait. Did he just see service clothing here. Eyes slide over in the direction of Constin, to whom the S2 simply -peers- at for a moment, "You need real clothes." 'nough said, apparently.
Vandenberg laughs, shrugging it off. "Well whatever works for ya, Constin. Just puh-leeeeeze don't call me 'sir' tonight. I can do without the titles for a few hours like.. a thirsty Marine needs a desert." She dismisses the analogy with a wave of her hand. "Well if you need a drink? They got aplenty. Hey Cheryl!" Apparently Natalie has been here long enough to already know the bartender. "Get this man something hard and probably straight up." A glance back at Constin. "With two ice cubes." Its decided with a nod. There's a quick chuckle to Corrath's question, too. "I said to buy Ida a drink." The female of the Lieutenants isn't so shy about nudging him towards the PA-C with her elbow.
Robinson smiles widely and nods to Constin. "Got that right. You don't have to call me by my first name, though. Ida is purely optional." She says happily. She sips on her beer as she stands at the bar with the group. "C'mon, Natalie! He can get me something to drink when I'm done this beer! Then again…I might be able to handle multiple drinks at one time. I've never really tried it before!" She shrugs a little. She looks at Corrath and smiles. "You're not planning on going by rank tonight, are you? Or am I going to be calling you 'sir' all night?"
"Whiskey," Constin prompts, before eyeing Vandenberg sidelong, with the addition of, "With two ice cubes, apparently." Belatedly, he grunts a wordless thanks to Ida's relaxation of Vandy's enforced relaxation policy, "They even taking cubits?" he wonders idly. But then Corrath wanders up, and is treated to the singularly awkward sight of Constin in off duty service attire, trying to figure out what to call Corrath, without using either rank or the word 'sir'. "…Shit." A short snort and something like amusement, and the drawled words, "Yeah, so I hear," in regard to 'real clothes'.
There's a faint smirk towards Vandenberg, followed by a quick shake of Corrath's head at her nudging, "S'what I thought you said, actually." Eyes flit to Robinson, flashing her a quick smile now, "If anyone calls me sir or Lieutenant or anything other then Corrath or O'Hare, they're gonna be cleaning the head with a toothbrush for the next week." That about settles that, for he's looking over towards Constin, the smile still on his lips, "That's your first order of business when you get back to the Cerberus. Clothing." He's then lifting a hand to wave over towards .. Cheryl before he's calling, "Another beer over here and I may as well take another whiskey, too!" Can never hurt to have -two- drinks.
"Multitasking, Miss Robinson. Key." Van lifts her cigarette and drink as if to indicate that it takes some kind of skill to do this. At her BAC, it very well might. "Yeah, Constin. Get yourself some jeans a t-shirt or something. I could see you rockin some biker boots with it. Maybe a jaunty hat to round it out." She waves a finger in the direction of his head. "The discerning Marine this season must stay in fashion. Blend in with the surroundings." She indicates the dance floor. "And the first ass to reference blending in with strippers gets a boot in the shin." She waggles a threatening finger between the three of them. "So Corrath, what's the deal? Didn't wanna show up to the party? Pewter said about five words. Ibbhanas said some good stuff. The food was pretty much the best shit I've had in ages. Bell peppers and tomatoes? They had some algae paste which was actually better than it looked. Worked well as a dip for the peppers."
Robinson shakes her head, a little smile on her face. "You won't find me calling you si….those words. Nope. Not at all. Not tonight!" She smiles to Corrath, giving a sidelong nod to Constin. There's understanding. Some people prefer a bit more…you know, structure like that. It keeps things in order. She smiles at Corrath. "Well, thank you." She says in response to him ordering another beer. She gives Van a little raised eyebrow look. "Hey, there ain't nothing wrong with blending with the stripper every now and then, Miss Natalie." She snorts and then tilts her head, glancing at Van once more before actually moving a little closer to Corrath. "So, si…" She catches herself again. "Corrath. Where are you from?"
"Well, there goes half my vocabulary," Constin mutters under his breath at the forbidding of rank for the night. Vandenberg's litany of his potential next wardrobe with met with a skeptical look. "Don't think I've worn anything on my feet apart from service boots in a solid five years. No shit," he notes with a snicker. "And I would fight somebody for a pair of jeans that fit," he says, without much fire behind the words. The kind of thing you say because people seem to expect you to say it. Talk of strippers tugs his eye in that direction and- amidst watching gyrations- he wonders idly, "What the frak do they even get tipped with?"
There's a quirk of Corrath's lips into a smirk as he moves to claim a seat, followed by a soft chuckle to Robinson, "Good enough and your welcome." Like Constin, the mention of strippers has his eyes sliding in that direction, resting there for only for a moment before he's looking back to Vandenberg, "I happened to be onduty at the time of the party, so I got to sit back and enjoy the endless filling out of reports and the like. You know how it is." There's a quick blink at something said and he's casting a look back to Robinson, his brow lifting ever so slightly, "You saying your going to go blend in with the strippers, then?" The words are said to clearly tease and he's lifting the glass of whiskey to his lips to hide the smile. When it lowers, though, the smile is still there. "Picon, actually. How about yourself?"
Van concedes the point to Robinson. "Okay, truth. Sometimes you've gotta do what you've gotta do. Even if it involves tossing clothing into places in the room you'll never find them in." Natalie nods along apologetically. She then turns a lofted brow at Constin and laughs. "Seriously? Cons- What the hell is your first name? Anyway, you've gotta unwind. Shed those damned boots for a few days and wear in something else. I tell you what, if I can find you a pair of jeans that fit, will you bring your hide down here a few more times and get some drinks in ya? Doesn't have to be with me or Ida, here. Deal?" Its almost worded like a dare. She then turns her focus to the strippers, one of which is hanging from a pole with one leg. "Hell if I know. Probably drinks at this point. They might even just do it for fun. Some women are just born with an exhibitionist streak, ya know?"
Robinson grins a little bit. "Maybe they get tipped in…compliments?" Yes, cheesy. She knows. She shakes her head and looks at the others, each in turn. "Having civvi clothing isn't a bad thing. Sure, we can only technically wear it when we're over here, and not on the Cerberus…but it's fun!" She certainly seems to be enjoying herself. She smiles at Corrath. "Picon. I liked in there, while I spent time there when I joined the CMC and studied to be a PA-C." She says with a shrug. "I'm from Virgon myself."
Constin sniffs dryly at Vandenberg's 'what the hell is your first name?' line. "Eleftherios. Most folks settle for Elf," he drawls. "And I ain't had another pair of shoes since I enlisted. Threw away the beat up pieces of trash I wore into Boot the same day they issued the service standards. "Think I just might. Assuming the drinks ever get here-" he mutters glancing up the bar. Robinson's naming of Virgon perks his ear and draws an easy smile to the big man's battered face. "Yeah, you got a deal," he agrees formally to Natalie.
There's a faint chuckle at Van's line of questioning to Constin and when he's giving his first name, Corrath simply shakes his head, "Make some of the other MP's come with you, Elf. It'll be good for them to get off the Cerberus." Eyes flit over in the direction of Robinson again, so that he can give her a quick nod of his head, "Picon wasn't a bad place. 'cept for all the Navy brats running around." The glass is lifted back to his lips, a quick sip taken before it's lowered and the whiskey is swirled within the glass with a small movement of his wrist, "Never made it out to Virgon, unfortunately."
Natalie looks back to Robinson at her remarks about civvie clothing. Her eyes drop to what she's wearing and then she looks back up to Ida. "The last thing my ass is going to do is complain! Even if I have to change back before jumping on a Raptor. Fine by me!!" Its about that time that Elf's whiskey gets delivered by one of the non-dancing strippers. The brunette winks at him, giving the bulky Marine a once-over before heading back to the bar. "Alright Elf. Good. Its settled. But no complaints if they're a little tight around the ass." She waggles a finger at him, daring the man to contest it. "And I'll grab you some boots or sneakers if I can find them. There's a shit-ton of stuff up there. Shouldn't be too much trouble." She downs the drink and signals for another from the bartender, tilting the glass side to side in the air over her head. "So Elf, I heard a dirty rumor that you're from the same locale I am. Ever heard of Kirtland City?"
Robinson shrugs at Constin. "Virgon wasn't a bad place…except for all the rich, touristy wanna be brats running around." She says, offering Corrath a little wink. Granted, she was one of those touristy wanna be brats. But she's not about to go and say that! "Where about on Picon did you grow up? Maybe I've heard of the place. I did study there for a few years."
Corrath slides another look towards Vandenberg, keeping an ear open on that conversation and giving a soft chuckle at the mention of how the jeans might fit. Then, it's back over towards Robinson so that he can offer a warm laugh, "Hey, sounds somewhat like Caprica, then." There's a flash of a wink before he's giving another chuckle, "Actually grew up on the main base there. My old man was stationed at the JAG office, so we lived in one of the military housing units."
Natalie's drink is slid onto the table by the same stripper, though Van doesn't seem too concerned with not getting a once over. She lifts the straw to her lips and looks around the room happily, swaying side to side a little with the music and cocking her head with the beat. She is clearly enjoying herself immensely! Hard to believe this is the same feisty little woman who will chuck a fist at the drop of a hat. This might have been exactly what she needed to level her head.
Robinson shakes her head. "I couldn't imagine having a parent in the military…but what can I say? I partly followed my dad's footsteps. He was a doctor." She smiles. "But that must've been a shoe in for the military, eh? Got a head start on it all." She grins. "To be honest, I would've preferred that base to my first assignment." She grins, glancing over to Natalie. "How's it goin' over there, Miss Natalie?"
"Hey, I've heard some damned good things about Virgon," Constin drawls to Ida, before nodding once to the stripper who delivers his drink. A brief look at the ass as she walks away, before his eye goes back to Vandenberg at the mention of Kirtland City. "No shit? I worked eighteen months out of Arcadia Landing, from twenty twenty-nine. What you do in that part of the World?" he wonders, peering at Natalie anew.
There's another lift of Corrath's brow as he gives a shake of his head, "It was a fight between my parents to see where I was going to go. Mother was a doctor. I, unfortunately, partially followed in my old man's footsteps. Ended up in the CMC, but still managed to complete my bar certification and law school classes." He's pausing long enough to claim another drink. "But, it certainly didn't hinder me that my old man was military and well respected on Picon." Like Robinson, he's looking back over to Natalie and then to Constin.
Nat is off in her own little world, making eye contact with a few guys while Constin remembers to reply while the strippers do their best to distract. "I'm doin faaaan-tastic, Ida. Don't you worry that pretty little head about me." The Lieutenant preens a bit and looks back to Elf. "Yes, shit." She leans an elbow onto the table and taps the glass to it with a grin. "Born 'n bred. I grew up there. Didn't ever work the mines, myself. Parents were part of management. But the people I ran with in high school? Wouldn't be here without 'em. Some of the finest folks I've ever known. Taught me to chew nails and rain bullets. So the next time you wonder why I'm in someone's face for something you can chalk it up someplace recognizable." She lifts the glass to tap his. "You live there your whole life?"
Robinson bows her head to Constin ever so slightly. "It's where I'm from! Gods know I love it! But there were some brats running about!" She giggles a little She would know, she really was one of the brats. She had a tendency to take animals and 'pretty them up' a bit. And by a bit, she really would do it a lot. She'd even dress them up! It was fun! She nods to Corrath. "Well, I know who to run to now if I ever have legal questions…or if I get into trouble. Not that I plan on getting into too much trouble." She says with a sly grin.
Constin cracks a proper grin for the first time since wandering in, as he clinks his glass to Natalie's. "Nah, spent the first fifteen in Hades City, before shipping up north to Centralia. Apart from that run in Arcadia, that was me before the Corp." A short chuckle. "Yanno, that explains a lot," he notes dryly, regarding Vandy. Robinson's cheer draws his eye back, and, with a shrug, Constin wonders, "You ever hear of a little backwoods middle of nowhere place called Yarnell, by chance?"
Watching Constin and Vandenberg for a moment, Corrath can't help but give another soft chuckle, his head canting to the side as he does. Then, he's flitting a look back to Robinson, motioning to the other two with a slight gesture of his head, "Ain't that cute?" There's a laugh at her words, followed by a lift of his glass to his lips so that he can drain the last of whiskey #1. Once the glass is set down, he's immediately claiming the second. "Hey, just so you know in advance, I charge extra for answering legal questions." There's a flash of a wink before he leans back abit in his seat.
"Oh please, Ida. Not that you plan? I kinda figured that was part of your daily plan!" Van snickers towards Robinson and lifts the drink for another sip. "Ha! No kiddin. Centralia was a rough place." She's visibly impressed. "Still was the last time I was back home about four years back. Now -that- makes a lot of sense. Why's that make sense for me? You tryin to say I'm a feisty bitch, Elf?" she laughs. "Its okay. I wore my big girl panties." The woman takes a drag of her smoke and waves it towards Corrath. "Frakker," she chuckles. "You wanna start somethin with a pair of Cancerians, you go right ahead, Mister O'Hare. We can get scrappy but remember I can still run from the MP in these boots." Natalie is just allll grins tonight.
Robinson smiles a little bit at Constin. "Yarnell? Maybe…sometimes my father made special trips to those types of places to help the medical services there. I would go along on occasion. Mostly because I drove my mom mad sometimes." She giggles and shakes her head. "Why do you ask?" She's curious now. She giggles at Corrath and nods. "Oh yes. Very cute. Maybe they'd care for some privacy." She grins. "Well, I'm sure we'd be able to come to some sort of an agreement." She says saucily. At Natalie's little comment about Cancerians, she smirks. "Hey Corrath…that sounds like a challenge to me. Think she should be taken up on it?"
"I mean," Constin grins back at Vandenberg, "I was damn near ready to break your face, and you looked stubborn enough to get it broke, to spite me." Yeah. 'Cute'. As Natalie invokes the 'big girl panties', Constin snickers and asides to Corrath, "You getting the notion all of this is gonna end with their drunk asses stripping on the bar?" Ida is answered with a crooked grin that narrows one eye more than the other, "Know somebody from out that way. S'a small little set of Worlds sometimes, yeah?"
There's a quirk of his lips in a smirk to Vandenberg, though he's not answering her right away. Rather, he simply turns his attention to Robinson so that he can offer a quick laugh, "Ya, I think they do need some privacy." Then, there's a waggle of his brows, followed by a wink, "Agreements are always a good thing to have." The words are spoken teasingly and when they are finished, he's flashing a look between the three, eyes coming to rest on Constin, to whom he gives a smile and a nod, "I'm wiling to bet there's a good chance of it. Probably should order another round to help secure the chances." Then, he's looking back to Vandenberg and then to Robinson, "Nah, no challenge. Plus, I don't feel like chasing anyone. Left my handcuffs in my other pants and that takes -all- the fun out of it."
"Oh I see how it is, Ida. You wanna frak with the crab?" Vandenberg sauces her glass back and forth with a daring grin. She snaps her hand open and closed like a pincer a few times and laughs. "I can make mah own damned privacy if I need it." Snapping her fingers, Nat grins and looks back to Constin. "Psh. Like it'd be the first time. Had some fat bruiser named Kelley my sophomore year of high school get fresh with me. I took a knee to his groin and threw an arm around his neck, shoving him backwards into the ground. I put a boot on his neck to bring the point home. Two days later the sunuvabitch suckerpunched me in the parking lot. Broke my nose." Natalie's big ole grin turns a bit feral. The remarks from Constin and Corrath are only caught at the tail ends and she raises a brow. "We puttin bets down on who strips on the bar first? Gotta make it a sportin' game." Thurr be trifflin in this bar and Van seems ALLL about it.
Ida nods a little bit to Constin. "I hear that." She says with a firm nod. She laughs at Corrath. "Yes. Agreements are good. I'm glad we can agree on that!" She giggles and winks at him. She shakes her head. "Oh, there's other ways to tie people up that can be just as fun…so I hear." 'Cause she's never tried those other ways out! Nope. Never. Never never. Wiggling her nose, she smirks at Vandenberg. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. But that's for me to know and you to find out." She laughs. "As for stripping on the bar? Gods, I'm not nearly drunk enough to do that yet." She says as she finishes off her second beer. Yes…she was a little fast. "But get me another beer and we'll talk!"
"That's my whole damn point," Constin returns to Natalie with a snicker as she answers him with having her face busted up previously. "See- this took me some time to figure out, but folks from offworld don't seem to think that kinda shit's NORMAL. Can you believe such a thing?" The 'threat' of 'frak with the crab' and the pincer miming provokes a sharp, barked laugh. Corrath's half jest earns a sidelong look. When Vandenberg next looks away, the big sergeant will eye Corrath and point at Vandenberg, placing his bet silently."
There's a slide of his attention to Vandenberg as that smirk once more dances upon Corrath's lips, "Bets are always a good thing. At least in my book." Then, he's looking back to Robinson, a quick, warm laugh escaping as he cants his head to the side, "So you hear? Sure ……" The glass is lifted back to his lips, the contents drained in a single larger gulp before he's settling the glass back down, "Hey, we can solve that easy enough. It's called … drink more." Eyes flit in Constin's direction and when he makes that silent gesture, a murmured chuckle is offered before he inclines his head just a touch in Robinson's direction.
Natalie laughs at Constin. "I frakkin know, right?? Buncha slackjawed whiners runnin around the other colonies! It is not physically possible to make it out of northern Canceron without at least half a dozen fights under your belt. Man, woman, child." She sips at her drink and something occurs to her. "You know who else is from our part of the worlds? And this won't surprise you, probably, because she's sittin in the brig. One Captain Khloe Vakos." She tilts her drink towards the MaA and settles back in the chair, crossing her legs with a nod. "Uh huh. Her and I damned near went to blows last week on the firing range." Those eyes then turret on Corrath as he motions to Robinson and Constin is pointing to her. "My bets on the Sergeant losin his tanks on the bar before the night is done." She tips the drink back at Corrath's prompting, though. Yep, she's well on her way to tanked.
Robinson wags a finger at Natalie. "Hey now! You'd better watch who you're callin' a slackjawed whiner! I'll have you know that I haven't been a slackjawed whiner since I joined the Marines. Fact!" She nods her head firmly, as if the set that fact in stone. "So, I think I'm gonna get myself another drink." She didn't quite have to state that, but she does wave down a waitress and gets herself a beer ordered.
Constin chuckles and nods, first at Corrath's small motion, and again at Vandenberg's naming of Khloe. "Yeah, I'd heard that. Don't surprise me none. And the two of you ready to throw down surprises me LESS than none. And you're crazier than a fuse setter if you think I'm gonna haul my ass up on any damn bar without a Jump scheduled in forty-eight hours." Ida's unneccesary declaration earns the suggestion, "Hell, just make it another round."
"Well frak, that explains everything about Vakos then. You outta seen how she went to town on that knuckledragger." Pushing the two empty glasses to to the side, Corrath nods his head in agreement to Constin, "I agree. Another round must be mandatory by now. I appear to be running on empty." He's then looking over to Robinson before shifting his attention back to Vandenberg, "I have faith that the good Sergeant will not stand up on that bar. We are men, after all, and are in control at all times." Yaaaaa, right. But it sounds good.
"Well you're a Marine, Ida. There's a few of those types runnin around the Corps but they are by far the exception, not the rule. Find me a recruit who made it through basic without gettin' their ass handed to them at least once. If not in the hand to hand, then the DI throwin a punch when nobody is lookin. I got socked good a few times." Gee, I wonder whose fault THAT was. She finishes off the drink and noddles to Elf's recommendation for another round. "Actually, Elf? I *am* a fuse setter. Seven years tunnel ratting on Sag and Tauron? I lost track of how many tunnels I'd blown at two hundred. That was halfway through my fifth year. So yeah. I guess that means you are haulin your ass up on a bar. With or without the jump." There's a face to be made at Corrath then. "Oh really? So those swingin cods sittin up there in front of the bouncing silicone," she begins, working the sailor slang. A thumb is chucked over her shoulder towards the strippers. "They're in full control. Yep. Damn. Ya got me. I've seen guys grab a pole on a dare for less than a beer and a copped feel. How about you? Seen many women do that, Corrath?" Oh yes, this is shaping up into a full blown dare.
Robinson giggles. "Well ya…I went through training after all! I mean…I went from being a sissy girl to being a sissy girl who can throw a punch and beat people up…and then patch them up again!" She laughs and shakes her head. But then she quiets down. This conversation is getting good. She wants to know where it's going. And should things get…interesting…well, she'll have Van's back.
That gaze returns to Vandeberg and the smirk once more plays across Corrath's lips before he takes a quick look over towards the strippers and then back again, "'course they're in full control. That's what they -wanted- to do. Yep." Here's a losing battle if you've ever seen one. "As a matter of fact, I have seen it. Wait .." He's lifting a brow, almost playfully, as he casts a look back towards the poles and then to Vandenberg once more, " .. you trying to say you'll do it for less then a beer, then? Cause that would make this bet -really- easy .. though it wouldn't be much of a challenge then." Leaning forward, he's settling his arms on the table, "But why don't we put some real stakes on the playing field. See who actually comes out on the losing end."
Constin hears out the banter with nothing more than a snicker. First because his mouth was full of whiskey, next because he was following Vandenberg's thumb toward the aforementioned bouncing silicone for several moments, and lastly as he caught back up on the conversation. "Shit nah, every recruit we've had on this boat has had their ass handed to them at least twice." Another pause, before he adds, "Also, I said *crazier* than a fuse setter. So, I'm still right." About whatever it was he'd claimed.
"Damnit, no! I'm saying I've seen your..type," she gestures a hand down lower on him. "Get up on a stage for a copped feel and a beer. What am I gonna do? Grab some jeans and a brew for throwing my top around? Psh." Natalie dismisses it with a drunken wave and a laugh. "Sure. You got stakes, lets hear them and how these shall be resolved to winners and losers." Annnnd Vandenberg is making it a team effort. "Us two or you two. Play these stakes?" The feisty Cancerian flashes another grin. She sidelong glances to Constin at his last and shrugs. "You wait. I shall prove you wrong. Remember who plans your ops. You got no idea the insanity that kicks around this cranial cavity."
Robinson glances around at the three others. Well, this is certainly turning into an interesting night. But hey, it's better than sitting around, reading a book you've already read like…five million times. Van seems to be doing a good job at leading the crusade of getting this wager out in the open, so she remains silent until something is arranged.
"Yes I do," Constin rebuts. An empty shot glass is pointed at Vandy, "Kirtland City," and then indicating himself. "Centralia. I know zactly how stuffed full of crazy your skull is." With a sniff, he notes to Robinson while Corrath and Vandy spar over details, "This is the real tragedy of the worlds ending: when drinks are free, they ain't worth as much in the 'doing of stupid shit' effort. Am I right?"
"Pfft. You've seen a type, not my type, darling." Two fingers lift to tick off a mock salute to Vandenberg as Corrath flashes a quick smirk in her direction, "Hey, I've known women who'd throw around their top for the prospect of being bought a beer. It happens." Eyes slide over towards Robinson, resting there for a moment before he's shifting his attention over towards Constin, "Whatcha say, Elf? Interested in joining in the fun and proving the crazy one here …" He motions to Vandenberg with his head, " .. that we're the better of the bunch?" There's a pause and when Constin speaks again, he's giving a low laugh.
"Shit. Okay, yeah. True." Natalie chuckles it out to Constin, but lulls her head back in a laugh at the last. "Just means more stupid stuff is gonna happen. Fortunately SOMEONE here will be entertained. Its either gonna be you two or us." Looking back at Corrath, she lifts her beer and tilts it towards him. "Touche." She sips at the beer and looks to Robinson and back to the men. "We're ready to hear what's up. Or you guys afraid of who might lose?" She's probably going to make clucking noises any second.
Robinson chuckles and shakes her head. "You know what this is sounding like to me, Natalie? This is sounding to me like the guys here are scared of getting up on the bar and struttin' their stuff. Maybe they'll just be the losers of the night. I mean, there's no shame in losing, really. It's probably a statistical thing that men lose more often than women." She shrugs. "But, as I say. No shame in that. Just means women are superior. But you and me, Natalie, I'm sure we knew that already." She grins.
"Did I miss the point when somebody set what the game was?" Constin returns dryly Natalie's taunt of being afraid of loss. Turning an eye to Corrath, he drawls, "Nothing to dread over here-" he almost visibly bites off adding a 'sir' to the end of his words. Then Robinson pipes up. "Wait a tic- you can't win before you've done anything," the sergeant claims with a laugh.
There's a lifted finger towards Natalie, an indication that she should wait a moment, for Corrath's eyes are flitting in the direction of Robinson, a smirk dancing upon the man's lips, "Superior? Pfft. Keep believing that, though, if it helps you sleep." There's another wink before he's looking back over towards Constin, "Same. So, Elf, whatcha willing to 'bet' for this, hmm? Think we should pass off grunt work to the losers. Some of those boring duty shifts?"
Vandenberg nods along with Robinson. "Of course. Its a stated fact of life." She leans a bit closer to Robinson before turning her gaze to the men. "That twue? Afwaid of wosing to a couple of widdle wimmenz wike us? It scary? Need a bwankie?" She then chuckles to Elf and shrugs. "Hey. Waiting for Corrath to throw down. Though there is one easy way to settle this.."
Constin turns a bone-dry look on O'Hare, with the words, "Grunt work is all I got, Corie." there, at least he finally got over that 'what the hell do I call him?' problem. Vandenberg gets a finger and a grin while he continues to address Corrath.
<FS3> Constin rolls 5: Good Success.
Robinson giggles at Van and shakes her head in amusement.
<FS3> Corrath rolls 5: Success.
<FS3> Vandenberg rolls 5: Good Success.
<FS3> Robinson rolls 5: Great Success.
The first round of the game is set off and while it starts to look good for the guys, the wimmenz seem to come out of no where to blow them away. This earns a grunt from Corrath, followed by a shake of his head as he takes a moment to look to Constin, "Suppose we need to give them a chance, right? Wouldn't wanna whoop their asses and make them feel bad." It's only then that he bends enough so that he can remove his … shoes. Yep. "Huh. Wonder if the bartender is gonna object to this."
At seeing the win, Natalie nearly throws her beer into the air with how fast her hands come up! "Oh FRAK YEAH!!" She turns to Robinson and goes to slap a double high five over their heads. "HELL yeah!! Give us a chance, my ass! Better believe we'd be goin up there if we'd lost!" Vandenberg looks positively golden at this win. "Go! Shoo! Let's see some barechested goodness!" She picks up her beer and takes a looooong swig. She will probably only have vague memories of this in the morning, anyway.
"Hey. We were ahead until you went," Constin points out to Corrath, with thinly affected annoyance at his superior officer. "I call foul on the grounds of Virgon ghosts conspiring with HER to make your two win," Elf accuses Ida with a chuckle. Shifting his tags so that they fall inside his double layered service tanks, the sergeant hauls off the garment, and holy hell does he have a lot of bullet wounds.
"Hey! We won fair and square! Say whatever you want to make yourselves feel better, but we won, you lost. Women are once more the victors!" Ida seems to be in her brat phase now. But she doesn't care. She's too happy! This is shaping out to be a really fun night. One she may or may not remember.
<FS3> Corrath rolls Athletic: Failure.
<FS3> Corrath rolls Dancing: Success.
When Constin simply removes his top right at the table, Corrath is giving a faint chuckle, "Sorry, Elf, but ya gotta be up on stage, buddy." He's casting a look to Vandenberg, the smirk returning to his lips, "If we get arrested by the MP's, I'm blaming you." He's then heading off to where those poles are, though he does detour to murmer something to one of the burly looking guys. There's a quiet exchange, motionign towards the table, then the pole, then back to the table. After a moment, the man nods and Corrath hops up onto the raised dias, rather ungracefully .. not doubt from the booze and once he's settled, he gives a little dance as he removes shirt, before finally flinging it at Robinson and Vandenberg. Then, he's hoping down and returning towards the table.
Van looks over Elf's body and nods. "Godsdamn, Elf. You look like me just without tits. And I'm like one quarter your size!" She chuckles a bit and motions to the stage. "Go! I wanna see at least one turn around that pole and a swingin set of shirts! Up with ya!" She then levels a finger at Corrath. "You too, buster! The deal was for teams!" The little S3 is bouncing so much she might just pop out of her chair and fall to the floor. "Bah! The two lead MP's are here. What're you gonna do? Lay charges on yourself for removing a shirt in public?" As Corrath goes up, she lifts from the barstool and lets out a loud whistle and a catcall, clapping her hands over her head. "THATS WHAT I WANNA SEE!!!" Assuming Constin goes up to, its only going ot get worse.
<FS3> Constin rolls Dancing: Terrible Failure.
Pause. Blink. "Oh HELLS no," Constin drawls in disbelief as Corrath stalks right up to the pole on the stage. A bemused snort as Vandenberg starts with the chatter. "Shit." A smirking glare is turned toward the room's ceiling, as he grudgingly hauls himself to his feet and starts after Corrath. Marines can't let a man go in alone, after all. "Shit, probably gonna break the damn thing.." he mutters. some things should never be said aloud…
Robinson starts clapping and whistling. "That's how you do it, boys!" She laughs. "Gods, I never thought that this is how my night would turn out. But I ain't gonna complain none. This is priceless. Just plain priceless!"
Corrath simply makes his way back over towards the table, reclaiming his seat and immediately lifting his whiskey to his lips. Unlike Constin, he's not marred by hordes of bullet wounds. In fact, he only has three, just an inch or two above his heart. When Constin makes his way towards the stage, the S2 simply turns to watch the man, choosing to ignore the wimmenz.
Constin keeps right on grumbling through chuckles, as he gives the dancing Corrath a skeptical look, setting hands on his hips, with the shirt hanging from his grip. "Deal's a deal," he mutters, shaking his head after a couple false starts of climbing up on the stage. They didn't cover this in Centralia. Finally, lest the jeering build too much, he just wills himself forward onto the stage. He might be a damn fine soldier, but Eleftherios Constin has no rhythm. He even pauses halfway around the thing, to break down into red faced chuckles, before trying to get this mess over with. By the end he tries to do a simple little pirouette, and- off all the luck- slips on a paper cubit note some stripper's g-string lost grip of, and the motion turns into a catastrophe of falling, flailing, and a crash of an overturned table.
Its a bit like watching a trainwreck. One leaves Caprica City travelling at FTL. Another leaves Delphi at FTL on the same track heading right for each other. Where will they collide? On stage at Colonial Pete's. You don't know its going to happen until that blink of an eye. The look on Natalie's face goes from pure hilarity to something like abject terror and RIGHT BACK in under a second. She rocks back on her heels, almost falling across the floor herself. A quick steady of her hand and she's running over to help Constin up off the floor. "Holy Shit!! You're my hero!!" No names. No more. Never again with names. This much is evident. Though the laughing cannot be helped no matter what. "We should probably evac on the doubletime!!"
When Constin gets up there and begins to do his thing, only to them slip into a flailing fall that results in the crash of an overturned table, Corrath is offering a soft groan, "Oh gods .." His shirt is reclaimed, though, and quickly slipped back on before he's rising from his seat, moving rather hurridly in the direction of the downed MaA, "Come on there, buddy, I think it's time that we take our leave and high tail it home." Yep, it's probably a good time to do that.
Ida nearly blanches at the sight of Constin's attempt at…dancing. And soon, she's just laughing. "Oh man…that's horrible…but soooo good." She giggles some more. "Is he okay? Is…is everyone okay?" And then she hears Natalie say something about 'evac' and 'doubletime'. "Oh…yeah…yeah…yeah…." And that's that! Anyone care to book it with her? On her way out, she luckily remember that she has to pick up the off duty uniform that she hid away. And then, zoom! Off to Cerberus!
For a few seconds upon sitting up, Constin has a cocktail napkin stuck to his forehead. A rueful grin is given to the ceiling, and the muttered words, "Try to keep it down, up there." Then Vandy is offering a hand up, and sage words of rapid evacuation. "Yeah, let's get gone-" he mutters, hurrying toward the door- he'll put the shirt back on later.