The Best Star Pilot in the Galaxy

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Relieved of Sanis' weight, s'Il looked at her shoulder and its' new blood splatter. Mixed with spit. And drool. She heaved a sigh, looked away, and lifted a hand to massage her temple.

No longer hungry, the Lupine forlornly lowered herself into the nearest seat.

[Ben Merasska]

Ben poked his head up over the edge of the table the Jedi-lady with one eye was sitting at.

“Is it safe now?” he asked, his eyes flitting back and forth in search of danger. Most of his body was still hidden underneath the table. He caught sight of s’Ilancy, and smiled; though she looked intimidating, she wasn’t all that scary.

“You’ve got blood on you,” Ben said, trying to be helpful.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

His observation was met with a kind smile, and s'Il shifted in her seat so that she faced him more fully.

"Sadly," she chuckled lightly.

A hand went up to unsuccessfully wipe away the blood on her shoulder.

Her efforts wasted, the Lupine gave up and rested her elbows on the table.

"It's safe enough to come out now I think."

[Ben Merasska]

Ben nodded, moving out from underneath the table and standing. He dusted his hands off, and sat down, sighing in relief.

“Thanks for stopping all that. It was pretty scary. I’m not much for excitement anymore.”

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her smile continued as she watched him.

"Oh, I would consider it more an annoyance than anything else."

Strange, how she wasn't truly angry at what had just happened, simply more frustrated at having lost her appetite.

Her fingers wove together, and she said nothing for a few more moments - almost lost in a distant thought - before dipping her head.

"Apologies; I am Loklorien s'Ilancy. And you are... ?"

[Carré Inirial]

I need another drink.

Carré turned, emerald eyes passing over the two pilots and lingering on the woman - Loklorien s'Ilancy, she'd said - before she found a small smile for Ben. She made her way over to the bar and hopped up onto one of the stools this time, and passed another tiny cred-chip over to the bartender.

"Can you make me a Borealis, please?"

"Single or double?"

Carré rested her chin in her hand and winced as her ribs ached something awful. "A double, thank you."

[Ben Merasska]

Ben grinned widely.

"Ben Merasska. Nice to meetcha."

He brought his hand up to shake hers in greeting.

"Annoyance, eh? Well, you're tougher than I am then. They all seem to listen to you. You must be important."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A cryptic grin of her own, and the Lupine looked away briefly, at the woman who'd wandered her way to the bar for no doubt more drink. The way she walked, it was apparent that Sanis had done a bit of a number on her ribs, and s'Il gave an inward wince.

"Oh, no one of consequence," she answered finally, her voice airy, almost wistful.

Her broken gaze once more returning to Ben, she allowed her body to relax, her arms resting on the table.

"So then, Mr. Merasska. What is it you do?"

Surely he wasn't a pilot in Rogue Squadron...

[Henry McDonnaught]

Henry turned his head, following Carre`s retreating form with an appreciative eye, but then his line of sight crossed to s'Ilancy and...who was that schmoe she was now talking to?

He turned to ask Jamo, but decided a drink was much needed instead. Donut, distractedly, took a seat at the bar all the while scowling darkly across at Ben as he did so.

"They just let anyone in here now, do they?" he asked Carre`.

[Carré Inirial]

Carré smiled at the bartender by way of thanks, fingers lifting the glowing blue concoction to her lips. A sip was followed by a soft sigh of satisfaction - it had been made perfectly, both sweet and tart all at once. Another sip followed that one, and by the time Henry sat beside her, half the drink was gone.

Arching a brow at his words, she glanced back over her shoulder to Ben and shook her head. "Actually, yes...including recent Imperial pilots like me." She smiled and motioned to the bartender to fetch the man a drink.

"We haven't met. I'm Carré...and you are?"

[Henry McDonnaught]

"Im Henry, Donut to my friends" he said geniallly. He accepted the beer with a nod. "So, former Imp pilot, eh?" he tipped his bottle in the direction of the colourful drink, observing, "still haven't broken the habit of drinking like a nancy Imperial though, I see. We'll have to straighten you out on that one, wont we"

His words, along with a gleam in his eye, held a friendly challenge.

[Carré Inirial]

Oohh...a challenge. Equally as intriguing as her first fight.

Downing the rest of her drink, Carré set the glass on the bartop and turned in her seat slightly. A friendly grin curled her lips, and answer to his, in spite of the ache in her jaw. She motioned the bartender over and flipped a second credit chip over to the man.

"Apparently he's decided I need straightening out, and I've never backed down from a challenge...so Henry, where should my re-education start?"

[Henry McDonnaught]

The barman met Henry's eyes and the pair of them exhcanged twin rueful shakes of their heads. Too easy.

"Carre' luv, it wouldn't be right for me to take advantage of you since you've already downed the two beers that belonged to me (I did notice, yes), one of those puff drinks and who knows what else. Maybe you should pace yourself, work up to it, like before taking me on"

Both men were looking at her and doing a poor job of hiding their amusement.

"Why dont you come back when you've built up to things a bit?"

[Carré Inirial]

Carré arched a brow and toyed with her empty glass, turning back to contemplate it. A fingertip swept across the rim, catching a lingering drop and a bit of the sugar that was left. Licking it away, she tilted her head briefly to regard the matching smirks being cast at her.

"Its adorable that you think you'd be a challenge." she said evenly, her Alderaanian accent more prominent than usual. Managing to mostly stifle her wince, she gingerly pressed a hand against her ribs. She'd really need to have them looked at before too long...she felt as if she'd been dropped off the side of cliff.

Fingers reached out to take back her credit chip as she slid off of her barstool.

[Henry McDonnaught]

Henry got quickly to his feet, the manner in which Carre' favored her side suddenly registering with him, chasing the grin from his face.

"Hey, are you hurt bad?"

[Carré Inirial]

"Actually, I've had worse. Six brothers and the Empire saw to that."

Carré replied honestly, tucking the credit chip into her pocket once more. A smile crossed her lips as she shrugged slightly, her left arm held close to her side. "Sanis packs a solid punch though, and I think I've got a cracked rib amidst the bruised ones."

[Henry McDonnaught]

"Well, lets get you checked out shall we?" Henry moved a chair out of the way, obviously set on assisting her to med-bay.

"Six brothers, that explains the attitude" he said with a warm grin.

[Carré Inirial]

"Thanks." Carré replied, gratefully accepting his assistance. She had a two-fold reason, really, one, she didn't think she could make it all the way to the med-bay on her own, and two, in this state, she wasn't even sure she remembered where it was supposed to be.

Her pride was already shot to hell for the evening...this wasn't going to make it any worse.

She uttered a short laugh at his next comment and nodded, a grin curling her lips. "It really does, doesn't it? My mother gave up early on, trying to make me a lady."

[Henry McDonnaught]

"Oh, I wouldn't go as far to say that" Henry said with sincerity, "There's more to bein a lady than a girl who has fainting spells and needs smelling salts y'know. Besides, good manners and primness are useless in life and death situations right? Better a girl who can handle herself, I always say. Um..this way I think" he steered Carre' out of the bar and to the right down the corridor. "I been to med-bay a few times myself, get a bit clumsy with the laser torch from time to time"

She shuffled along beside him, it took effort to talk he realised, so prattled on himself, "This Wheel gig is a strange one eh? I find myself feelin all revved up with no where to go. You?"