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Thread: Under Pressure

  1. #21
    Flattening against his head at the sudden noise from across the way, Freddie's ears then slowly lifted from his immediate display of cowardice. It was only Gantuhar, the slightly smelly Trianii who had saved him the night before.

    Easing up from where he sat, Freddie took a long step over a sleeping form beside him, out to a place he could properly stretch, himself, and nodded. "Yeah, I gotta go, too," he replied, trying to sound nonchalant. What his day would hold after this, he didn't know, but as Gantuhar closed in, he confirmed one thing - Yes, the big cat did stink.

    Freddie said nothing, simply trying to smile politely. "Not too far, is it?"

  2. #22
    "It is not a distance at all," he rumbled in a still halfway sleepy voice. His ragged trousers at least preserved the modesty of his lower half, but other than that, he was a disheveled as the day he'd come into the galaxy.

    "Come, follow This One, and we will make as nature intended, yes?"

    The rest of the inhabitants of the small office community were still blissfully asleep, except for Aine who was - of course - awake and tending to her own needs. There was the firepit to lite, the meager breakfast portions to cook, and the much more mundane task of waking everyone else.

    These things were her domain, and Gantuhar only needed to make sure that his own self was taken care of. Mainly, making water and combing out the night's sleep-knots from the longer portions of his headfurs.

    Leading the way out the door, the hulking Trianii shuffled his way down the corridor, making sure that the timid Nehantite was close to his side.

    "Fred-dee Greyfurrrr," he half-way purred out, still in the post-euphoria of last night's dream, "... You should come with This One to the Tea House later today, yes?"

    He'd come into a spot of credits by selling some charms the other day, and had decided that another visit to the Cizerack spa was how he wanted to spend his gains.

    "It will be most... relaxing."

  3. #23
    "Tea house?" Freddie asked, quirking an eyebrow. It then fell, his face trying to hide a grimace. "I don't really like tea. I'm more of a stimcaff guy."

    Stimcaff guy. Said like he were some adult on a work site. It made him feel like an adult, yet walking alongside the lumbering Trianii behemoth reminded him that he was still a kid, no matter how independent he wished to be.

    "Do you, um, do you mind if I ask how you wound up here, sir?" Freddie then asked. His stay on Jovan was temporary, a holdover until fortune smiled, or until he would move along. But Gantuhar and the others appeared to live on the station, having made it their home, some motley manner of family. To find strength in numbers was a concept not foreign to the boy, yet to remain in such danger did not register as a wise idea, as he had escaped his own danger as soon as he was able.

    Or were they merely biding their time, waiting until their own escape? Would they leave him, if that time came while he was among them? Would he be cast aside, or was he valuable enough to keep?

  4. #24
    "This One? Being here?"

    Still shambling his way to the communal fresher rooms, Gantuhar paused only a fraction of a moment before pushing his way through the swinging door. The fresher was a strange place, both clean and filthy all wrapped into one. The dirty bodies of other denizens of Jovan's underbelly shifted past one another, but each one seemed to part ways before the towering Trianii.

    "Come Little One," Gantuhar moved to one of the open urinals, and without ceremony he pulled on the drawstring of his thin, second-hand sleeping trousers.

    "Make your water," with one hand bracing against the durasteel wall, the sound of a bladder emptying began.

    "... and listen to This One's tale of how there is no desire to leave."

    Without waiting for Freddie Greyfur to begin his own fresher rituals, Gantuhar went on.

    "This One has been to the End of the Stars. This One has loved only one female. And now, here, This One has found the sort of peace that many can never find."

  5. #25
    Freddie's nose wrinkled the moment the fresher door opened, and he was careful about where he stepped on his way to the urinals. It was a busy morning, so most were taken, leaving him stuck using the one next to Gantuhar, where he typically would have liked to be away from anyone at all.

    His trousers took a bit more work to undo, and even then it took a moment for him to lose his nerves before he could actually go. "I've... never had a girlfriend," he admitted in response to his new friend's mention of only one love. And then Freddie made the mistake of a brief glance over.

    He didn't mean to do it. No one ever means to, it just sort of happens, but just as quick as his eyes had gone that way, they went back, suddenly feeling smaller than the huge cat in more ways than one. "I thought I found peace," he said, finally feeling his own flow begin. "But now I'm in limbo until I hear back on whether or not I'm gonna be hired on full-time."

  6. #26
    The notion of being... 'hired' was foreign to him, but the thought that this station was a limbo was something he could understand.

    "For some it is a holding place," he replied lazily before giving a grunt as his water sputtered to a stop. Another few splashes and he was finished. With a gentle few shakes, the felinoid rolled a shoulder before leaning back so that he could stretch the other.

    His trousers were refastened, and he stepped back.

    "We are all of us here for some reason or another."

    Looking away to where might be an open sonic shower, he was momentarily disappointed that all were currently occupied.

    "This One came for a quiet place to live out life. But you, Fred-dee Greyfur... you are here because you have to be, yes?"

  7. #27
    Zipping up his fly, Freddie turned around, then tried to avert his eyes from all the naked bodies in the sonic showers. Though, a shower would help, and he was tempted to wait for one to free up, even if that meant others might see him.

    No, he'd follow Gantuhar's lead, and if the big Trianii passed, he would too. Even if Gantuhar really could use a shower, from the smell of him.

    "Yeah, I, uh, don't really have anywhere else to go," he replied. "I'm just kind of waiting it out for now. "I was the engine tech on a racing ship. It was great, I think I did well, but it's up to them to decide my future."

  8. #28
    An Ithorian was gently pushed out of the way as Gantuhar eased himself up to a sink. Actual water flowed from the faucet, and he scrubbed his thick hands under the stream for a few minutes before stepping to the side and gesturing for the young Nehantite to do the same.

    "A mechanic is a noble profession, This One thinks. And if Fred-dee Greyfur needs to, he can stay with This One and the others for as long as he needs."

    The task of washing their hands complete, the Trianii ambled to the side, beckoning for Freddie to follow.

    "Come now. We must return for breakfast, and then we will make ourselves ready for the Teahouse, yes?"

    He led the way from the communal fresher, happy to be relieved of the pressure on his bladder. Even his step seemed less lumbering, and Gantuhar ran meaty fingers through his wild mane of uncombed hair.

    "This One will have to get Aine to brush his headfurs, and possibly put in some jangles and ribbons," he gave a sideways wink and a gentle elbow to the much shorter Nehantite's shoulder, "... the Madame, she likes This One to be pretty."

  9. #29
    The Madame? Be pretty? Freddie turned the words over in his mind, trying to make sense of them at all in conjunction with a place which apparently sold tea. Maybe the owner was referred to as the Madame, and there was a dress code?

    Immediatley he looked down over his clothing, the same as he'd worn the day before. They were as clean as they could be, though his shirt was a bit wrinkled, and his work pants had a few oil stains on them. "I don't have to dress up, do I?" he asked. If there was a dress code, and Gantuhar was going to meet it, Freddie imagined that the big Trianii likely had a change of clothes back at his home. Technically Freddie did as well, though they looked much the same, only different colors. "I can at least handle my own headfur," he added, pulling a comb from his pocket. Immediately he realized he should have used one of the mirrors in the 'fresher.

  10. #30
    * * *


    Thirty minutes later found the small group sitting around the small bed of coals, in various stages of finishing a scrounged breakfast of canned nolo peas, another mynock carcass, and some cheap pre-boiled instant gejji noodles with a thick orange sauce that'd come from a packet. Each portion had been spooned out on cleaned repulsor pod caps that had probably started life on some child's play-speeder, but were now used as plates. Utensils had been taken from a few of the local eateries, and cups were plasteel jars that had probably held preserved namana berries or pickled Ithorian greens. There was no telling, and it truly didn't matter as they were serviceable as drinking glasses in their new life.

    Aine had of course positioned herself behind Gantuhar, her slender fingers working through his tangled tresses, working out the knots and pulling out the matted clumps that'd begun to form. For his part, the large felinoid sat contented, a deep rumble quietly sounding from somewhere in his chest. He felt her begin to thread leather ties into separated locks, and he gave a toothy grin as he speared a piece of mynock with an extended claw before popping it into his mouth.

    "This One will enjoy the baths," he spoke while chewing, "And Fred-dee will too, This One thinks."

    Swallowing, he grinned wide.

    "It is a treat, and This One will also enjoy the... tea."

  11. #31
    The combination of foods, and the... questionable safety of mynock meat gave Freddie's appetite some pause, but as he reflected on his situation, he tucked in. It wasn't the worst meal he'd ever had, and in some ways it reminded him of life at home, getting by on whatever he could throw together at home, and on weekends when there was no free school lunch. There was being poor, and there was being poor and happy, and the young Nehantite was certainly among the latter group. Still, he'd taken the smallest portion of mynock he could get, just in case.

    Looking up as Aine tended to Gantuhar's wild fur, he sighed and fished out his comb again. With practiced movements, Freddie swept all his headfur forward, then carefully tried to part it and shape it as he liked, by feel. In the end, it wound up exactly the same as it had been before he combed it.

    "Baths?" he asked. Confusion rang in his voice. Since when did tea go with baths? Or was it one of those fancy day spa things, where you bathe in tea? This tea house had to be some kind of luxury, from the way Gantuhar spoke of it, yet if it was luxury, and Gantuhar and the others still lived like this, it couldn't be truly excessive luxury, could it?

  12. #32
    "Oh yes. This One loves the baths. Perfect for thinking about life and everything else in the whole, wide galaxy."

    The rest of his meal was quickly downed, and as he felt Aine finishing up her work, the Trianii rolled his shoulders. He could already almost feel the wondrous, soothing waters.

    "This One saves his credits for when they are enough to afford time there. It is like being loved, when This One is in the waters."

    His 'plate' was set aside, and swiping a hand over his chest, he pulled away from the Arkanian woman to gather himself and whatever he wished to take with him. A thin leather slip-of-a-pouch that held his credit chits, a large blue overshirt that had a frilled neckline that he had fallen in love with, and a necklace that he'd made for the Madame. He'd fashioned the thing from glass beads and random trinkets that looked as though they came from a scavaenged mouse droid; small, delicate gears, metal circuit board connectors, and even a few small bones from last week's voorpak dinner.

    His shirt was shrugged on, and as an afterthought, Gantuhar made sure that his trousers were indeed buttoned. Satisfied, he drew up to his full height, chest puffing out while stepping past the others and gesturing for Freddie to follow.

    "Come Fred-dee, let us enjoy this day with tea!"

  13. #33
    In the time it took Gantuhar to preen and prep for the trip to this curious house of baths and tea, Freddie changed his shirt to his... other shirt. The one that didn't have an oil stain on one shoulder and sleeve. After all, from what holovision had taught him, tea was typically a fancy occasion, meaning he should look his best. And he'd heard somewhere that the clothes make the man, so being as well-dressed as possible was sure to help his chances at not being totally awkward at whatever this place was.

    "Uh, yeah, sure," he nodded. Climbing up from where he sat, the boy brushed any dust off the seat of his pants, and hurried to catch up to his large, imposing, potentially bully-shielding new friend. Though all the while he kept his eye out for a certain Trandoshan and his gang, just in case.

    No sign of him, or them, and Freddie breathed a sigh of relief as the turbolift doors shut. Then there was silence, followed by the hum of the lift as it accelerated, combined with the mild static field of the inertial dampers, and... humming? Yep, the big cat was humming. Out of tune, but happy. Peculiarity seemed to be his new friend's forte, so the young Nehantite said nothing, until at last the turbolift opened onto an access hallway to the main promenade level. Gantuhar had spoken of saving his credits for this, and had made it sound luxurious, yet clearly the Triani was not a man of great means. Did Gantuhar expect something of him in return? Was that the sensation of 'being loved' in the waters? Suspicion fueled by experience gave way to paranoia, Freddie's heart beating faster in his chest. He should run. He could lose Gantuhar in the crowd, find somewhere new to stay for the rest of the week. He had options.

    Instead he found himself simply following Gantuhar, not knowing what lay ahead, fearful that it might spark a debt to the big cat - a debt larger than the one already owed for saving him from the Trandoshan and his gang. Swallowing, Freddie looked up as they walked. "If it's expensive, I can pay for myself," he offered. "I have some money."

  14. #34
    "Keep you credits," he rumbled happily.

    'The Madame knows This One, and will understand. This One has been saving for quite some time, to have a lovely day with tea and the waters. Sharing it with another will be allowed."

    Weaving his large form through the sea of bodies, he let his lungs pull in a long, deep breath. The scents and tastes of so many al around... it was wondrous and distasteful all at once. But, at the Teahouse, it was nothing but lovely!

    Slowing his pace, Gantuhar came to a stop as he stood before the glittering, beaded entrance to Madame Maillanaarro's Teahouse. He stood tall, with his clean shirt and pressed trousers. He was the vision of propriety and male handsomeness.

    He turned on his heel only a small bit, to afford Fred-dee a stern look.

    "We are the Madame's guests, and we will be gentlemen, yes?"

  15. #35
    Gentlemen. The word had many meanings, many implications. Most of the ones Freddie knew came from holovision, or pulp stories. Visions came to him of landed gentry, in their greatcoats, or silken robes, turbans set with gems, each vying for more graces at the Sultan's court. By comparison, his own shirt and work pants would have not even afforded himself entry into their presence as one of them, let alone one of their servants. Swallowing, the meek lad felt his head dip as he nodded in submissive agreement.

    "Y-yeah, as best I know how," he replied. The fear of elaborating upon just how little he did know prevented him from voicing any such concern, his eyes drawn back to the sparkling, shimmering, gem-like beads. This was an expensive place, that much was certain, and he was clearly getting further into Gantuhar's debt. Still, the instinctive curiosity of his race drove him to learn what lay inside, despite the later consequences he feared.

  16. #36
    The looming Trianii nodded almost sagely, as he took the young Nehantite's words to heart.

    "This One believes that you will," he rumbled.

    A wide, toothy smile spread across his face then, and his broad hand reached out to give his companion a pat to the shoulder as his other went to pull aside a section of shimmering beads. The sounds coming from beyond were... music to Gantuhar's ears.

    "Let us go in then, Fred-dee. And enjoy our tea, yes?"

  17. #37
    As the huge mitt of a paw came down, Freddie's shoulder attempted to escape its path, though sadly the rest of his body didn't react quickly enough to give it room. So instead it came across as simply an awkward flinch instead of the phobia it truly was, and he tried to cover for it with a nervous smile. "Y-yeah, tea," he nodded.

    A glimpse through the curtain revealed a well-crafted, highly respectable lobby area, with plenty of quality wood paneling, sculpted metalwork, and gilding. Stepping in, the young Nehantite found himself surrounded by a form of design and opulence he'd only seen on holovision sceens, and he took a moment to appreciate it. Old, yet modern. Foreign, yet approachable. His bare footpaws padded quietly across the smooth, cool marble floor as he drew closer to inspect, while Gantuhar approached the front desk. A well-dressed Cizerack gentleman was there to handle business while Freddie's mind became lost in wondering just what he was about to experience.

    A tea house, with baths. The combination didn't make sense. That was like having a salad while roller-skating, or bowling on a trampoline. Unless it was like one of those super-hipster things, where you sit in an old-style claw-foot tub, while you're served tea in fancy cups with saucers. Was that it? Some strange spa-like thing? He glanced at Gantuhar, trying to imagine him sitting in a white tub, sipping tea, pinky up. No, that didn't work at all. So what was it? And what was that strange smell in the air?

    His attention found itself stolen away by the sight of an attractive Cizerack female emerging from the female's changing room into the lobby. Well-dressed, and dressed in a way which left little of her shape to the imagination. Freddie's pink eyes seemed unable to leave her, until she passed through the beaded curtain with a swishing tinkle of crystal beads. Only then did he blink and realize he had been staring.

    No. Gentleman. You're supposed to be a gentleman. He reminded himself. Why were you even looking, anyway? She's waaaaaaay out of your league, and you know it!

  18. #38
    Gantuhar was all smiles as he tended to the business aspect of trading credits for his currently most favorite pastime. The front attendant, a handsome Cizerack that the Trianii knew as Loahaaio, matched the expression easily.

    "Two then, Mr. Gantuhar?"

    "Mmmm, yesssss," he rumbled, his voice already lowering an octave in anticipation.

    "Very good then."

    Loahaaio was more than aware that Gantuhar knew the ritual, and that he would help the younger looking one to prepare himself. The lithe Cizerack gave roll of his shoulders, and reached up to brush an errant strand of hair behind one ear while his other hand returned the Trianii's chit to him.

    "The Madame hopes that you enjoy your stay, Sir."

    The mere mention of the Madame was enough to cause a fluttering in his stomach, and Gantuhar nodded, another purring rumble beginning in his chest.

    "She is the most best of hosts."

    Seconds later, and he was moving toward the doorway that led to the male's changing room.

    "Come Fred-dee, we must ready ourselves."

  19. #39
    It was so understood, so practiced, that Freddie gleaned nothing from the interaction which would prepare him for the shock he was about to receive. Nodding to Loahaaio, he simply tried to smile before hurrying to follow the big, gray, fuzzy lump that was his host and benefactor.

    He should have figured it out sooner. Pieced together that missing section of the puzzle when the word "baths" was used. A door clearly marked "Changing Room" should have also been a red flag, yet there was something so distracting about the air in the tea house that Freddie did not notice until it was too late: If there were baths, and a changing room, what was he supposed to change into?

    The answer came to him in full frontal mercilessness as he rounded the corner into the changing room, finding several males of various races in different degrees of clothing - almost all of whom were speeding toward full nudity. Something had clearly gone wrong in translation. When Gantuhar said "tea," he must have meant "bath." That was the only way to explain it. This was a bath house! Freddie glanced around, trying not to stare as the hulking Trianii led them to a pair of lockers. His tail starting to tuck between his legs, the young Nehantite paused to look back at the door. He could clear it and use the crowd to lose Gantuhar, he was sure of it. He could escape and find somewhere else to hide out for the remainder of the week. This could have all just been a bad dream.

    He told himself other lies as well, as he found himself grasping the hem of his shirt, not ready to pull it off while others around him stripped, seemingly without any hesitation. "You, uh... you really have to be naked, here?" he asked, finally looking over at his generous, big, slightly odorous friend. The answer was clear, yet he remained there, still fully dressed.

  20. #40
    His beautiful shirt had been slid from his broad shoulders in one smooth motion as he moved to stand before a marbled counter trimmed in gold. In the corners of the changing room were luxurious, green topiaries that'd been trimmed into abstract shapes, their large pots ornate and etched with graceful lines and inlaid with precious stones.

    Trousers soon followed the shirt, and both were placed into a lovely basket held by an attendant, and with an owlish blink at Fred-dee's question, Gantuhar looked to his Nehantite friend.

    "It is the preferred way to enjoy tea, Fred-dee."

    Both meaty hands came up to rub the combed fur of his chest, and he could already almost smell the wonderful concoction of herbal niceties that were in the baths.

    "This One recommends it. It is... freeing."

    The Trianii smiled in encouragement, then.

    "No one will hurt Fred-dee Greyfur here. The Madame would never allow it."

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