[Day 7 - ME] Hey, hey it's the Monkey-Lizards!

[Djanik]

"Ah."

He glanced at the man's glass - he must've been at this a while...

"So what's the occasion?"

[Ria'la Tu'roth]

"Why does there have to be an occasion? It's Tue . . . Wed . . . what day is it again?"

Dray beeped angry binary again and hovered over to place itself between Ria'la and the bottle of Wild Acklay.

"Whoa there Dray, who made you a nanny-bot?"

[Dapper Dog]

The band finished their set and the sound system kicked in with some chill music.

[Djanik]

Djanik slipped the bottle away, making a show of reading the label.

"Well, normally one doesn't drink so thoroughly every day - otherwise, your mornings must be rough... hard to imagine taking care of such impressive hair with a hangover, every morning."

[Ria'la Tu'roth]

Ria's eyes narrowed. He was far too short to reach the bottle now. Which meant he'd have to get up to go get it and as he had reached the 'i'm drunk enough I might fall over and I know it' but not the 'drunk enough to fall over but not care' stage he sat put.

"I've gotten used to it. It's better than waking up from nightmares of The Razing."

There was an alarmed beep from Dray, while Binky just softly nudged Ria's thigh, gaining an absent minded pat on the camera in return.

[Vaya Mer'darrow]

Maxxy looks at everything going on and sips her water like a pro unsure of just what is happening.

Vaya leaned over to her and Floats, but spoke mostly to her. "I can explain, but before I get into it, on a scale of one to six, how much are you comfortable with me making fun of your CO?"

[Dapper Dog]

"Can we just make fun of imps or nerfs or something? People that kick little fluffer pups?" she asked unsure of that line of discussion.

[Djanik]

Ria's eyes narrowed. He was far too short to reach the bottle now. Which meant he'd have to get up to go get it and as he had reached the 'i'm drunk enough I might fall over and I know it' but not the 'drunk enough to fall over but not care' stage he sat put.

"I've gotten used to it. It's better than waking up from nightmares of The Razing."

There was an alarmed beep from Dray, while Binky just softly nudged Ria's thigh, gaining an absent minded pat on the camera in return.

"Well..."

Djanik set the drink down, and said, softly, "If you can't sleep, you aren't doing yourself any favors with this. You drink it all away... it comes back worse."

Shaking his head, he added, conversationally, "Not that I have any right to stop you - I just hate to see someone giving up control to a bottle."

He set the bottle down by Binky with a soft thump.

"Now, I know I don't have any authority, but I'm suggesting you listen to the droids - after all, you're their beloved master."

[Ria'la Tu'roth]

He shook his head.

"It can't be any worse than it was."

Eyes dropped to the floor for a moment before his face came up again with a carefully crafted cheerful expression back on it.

"You say all the same things Rayne says. He was army though not navy like you. You like the same things Handsome does, Flyboy?"

[Djanik]

"I uh..."

He looked confused.

"I mean, I uh... like my work?"

Absolutely baffled, he looked at his drink.

The change had left him behind.

[Vaya Mer'darrow]

"Can we just make fun of imps or nerfs or something? People that kick little fluffer pups?" she asked unsure of that line of discussion.

"I'll take that as, like, a three," said Vaya confidently, and continued in a low tone. "So, Djanik's a veteran, right, and an officer, right, so he views most of the people here who aren't veterans as, well, little fluffer pups. Half the time he's mad at them for widdling on the carpet or picking fights with bigger fluffers, the other half of the time he just can't stand the idea of anyone kicking them, so he wants to take care of them and train them up to be big, strong fluffers.

"You with me so far?"

[Ria'la Tu'roth]

"I uh..."

He looked confused.

"I mean, I uh... like my work?"

Absolutely baffled, he looked at his drink.

The change had left him behind.

"Uh huh. Everyone says that, no one really means it. I mean you might like some parts of it, but all of it." He waved a finger. "Nah, no one likes their work that much."

Fortunately it seemed the baffled reaction had slowed down whatever attempt Ria'la had been about to make.

"Now Handsome . . . I mean Rayne didn't much like his last job at all. I don't think he's super pleased with the current one either but I don't go see him to discuss work all night if you know what I mean? He'll get things done and I trust him to get those things done and . . . "

He raised his glass to take a drink before realising it was still empty. Which confused him, so he looked around for the bottle.

Binky tried to push out his repulsorlifts and transmission vanes to be bigger than the bottle of Wild Acklay behind him.

[Dapper Dog]

She nodded following along.

[Djanik]

"Uh huh. Everyone says that, no one really means it. I mean you might like some parts of it, but all of it." He waved a finger. "Nah, no one likes their work that much."

Fortunately it seemed the baffled reaction had slowed down whatever attempt Ria'la had been about to make.

"Now Handsome . . . I mean Rayne didn't much like his last job at all. I don't think he's super pleased with the current one either but I don't go see him to discuss work all night if you know what I mean? He'll get things done and I trust him to get those things done and . . . "

He raised his glass to take a drink before realising it was still empty. Which confused him, so he looked around for the bottle.

Binky tried to push out his repulsorlifts and transmission vanes to be bigger than the bottle of Wild Acklay behind him.

"Well, you're right about one thing - I don't love my work necessarily... but I believe in it."

Taking another sip, he added, "When I remember what's happened... I've seen a lot of scenes like the ones keeping you up... I learned that I couldn't make them go away. The dead deserve better - I decided to make something of those memories. To remember who they were, make it so nobody can erase them... you've got a better talent for that than anyone here. I use those memories as drive - you could use them as a message. Not about dead people, but about people who once lived."

A faint shrug. "You're a good guy, Ria'la... you care. That's going to make it hard - but that also means you're here, doing this, for the right reasons. Try and remember that."

[Daunt]

"Then let's worry about that later." He looked back to where they came from. "Looks like the party's over for us for tonight. Let's make sure to have reasons to celebrate the next time we have a chance to dance the night out."

[Ria'la Tu'roth]

'Huh . . . Rayne told me most of you Flyboys were dense and only cared about flying their big . . . extensions around.' His hand gesture filled in for the blank. He carried on with a big grin, not at all faked, honest.

"But you've got some useful intel in there as well as being cute, Flyboy."

[Djanik]

Djanik laughed, taking it in stride. "Well, we do live for the thrill of the flight, I can't lie."

Shaking his head, he added, "You should try it some time, it makes about everything else seem tame, when the world rips past your cockpit at a few hundred kilometers an hour... I guess we all have our talents, however. I sometimes wish mine was a little less reliant on an entire team of support crew, but here we are."

Glancing at the bottle, he poured a small portion for both of them, and then raised his glass, offering, in a somber tone, "How about a last drink, to put old memories to rest - to promise to see the living that came before the dying, come morning? Let the galaxy know what is good, what is worth fighting for."

[Vaya Mer'darrow]

She nodded following along.

"And the one with the good hair he's talking to, the one from the holovids? He's like the lil'-est fluffer pup of them all. So, the good Captain has gone to see to the morale of his men. Except..."

He shook his head.

...

Eyes dropped to the floor for a moment before his face came up again with a carefully crafted cheerful expression back on it.

"There it is." Vaya nodded. They were too far away to catch any of the words of the conversation, but gestures and expression were clear. "Good-hair-from-the-holovids is an entirely different kind of fluffer than Djanik thought, you see."

He looked confused.

...

Absolutely baffled, he looked at his drink.

"But the Captain isn't licensed on that class of vessel, unless I miss my guess," she continued.

... He waved a finger. ...

Fortunately it seemed the baffled reaction had slowed down whatever attempt Ria'la had been about to make.

...

He raised his glass to take a drink before realising it was still empty. Which confused him, so he looked around for the bottle.

"So now they're both flying around the conversation trying to home in on a nav beacon that wasn't for the port they thought it was." She looked at Maxxy. "You still with me?"

[Ria'la Tu'roth]

Djanik laughed, taking it in stride. "Well, we do live for the thrill of the flight, I can't lie."

Shaking his head, he added, "You should try it some time, it makes about everything else seem tame, when the world rips past your cockpit at a few hundred kilometers an hour... I guess we all have our talents, however. I sometimes wish mine was a little less reliant on an entire team of support crew, but here we are."

Glancing at the bottle, he poured a small portion for both of them, and then raised his glass, offering, in a somber tone, "How about a last drink, to put old memories to rest - to promise to see the living that came before the dying, come morning? Let the galaxy know what is good, what is worth fighting for."

Dray beeped something fairly offensive in binary but Binky replied to calm his counterpart down. Ria just took the drink, looking thoughtful.

"I think you play for a different team to me, Flyboy. Pity cos you're cute and I think we'd have fun."

There was no way he was going to turn down a drink though. He was too far gone for that.

"What was it? Living before dying?"

[Djanik]

Djanik finally cottoned on, at least partially to the comment. His face turned an odd shade of indigo, and he coughed.

"Yes, I might. Flattered, all the same."

Raising his own glass, he said, with a strong emphasis. "A drink for putting down old memories - and a drink for turning our attention to the future - the lives that go on - the new stories yet to be told."

You have to let go eventually - don't destroy yourself...

[Vaya Mer'darrow]

Vaya leaned a little closer to Maxxy and Floats. "Five credits at even odds says they get touchy before this is over. Something deniable, like a masculine hug or a hand on the shoulder that lingers."

[Fathynyu Kurrek]

Vaya leaned a little closer to Maxxy and Floats. "Five credits at even odds says they get touchy before this is over. Something deniable, like a masculine hug or a hand on the shoulder that lingers."

"You're on! I know someone who's true love is for their crafts when I see 'em."

[Dapper Dog]

Maxxy shouted at the dynamic duo of the reporter and captain, "Just kiss already!"

"That's what you meant right?"

[Ria'la Tu'roth]

"Let old memories fade. Let life go on. Never give in, never surrender. Even if only one is left standing there is still hope as long as we believe."

You'd have almost thought he had sobered up until he downed the drink in one go, stared at Djanik and started giggling.

"You've gone a funny colour, Flyboy!"

At which point the two droids intervened once more, hovering up on either side of Ria'la.

<Master has appointment in the morning. Master should rest now.>

As per usual Dray was less diplomatic.

And then Maxxy intervened

Maxxy shouted at the dynamic duo of the reporter and captain, "Just kiss already!"

"That's what you meant right?"

"Oh we have fans!"

[Vaya Mer'darrow]

Vaya looked at Maxxy, impressed.

"Wow, you went from a three to a six like that," and she snapped her fingers. "I think we have to call the bet on account of intereference, Floats, but the next round's on me so there's no hard feelings."