Log Date: 2/1/97 Log Cast: Kuxli, Shenner Log Intro: It's been quite easy for Shenner to settle into a pattern of watch, wait, busk -- and party -- on the streets of Etti IV, waiting for her employer, Grathix, to finally give her the details on the mysterious job for which he's hired her and brought her to this planet. In the meantime, Shenner's befriended a Horansi, Kuxli, who has been drawn to her music... and the two of them have begun to run into one another with more and more frequency, especially in the Free-Flight Dance Dome.... ---------- Kuxli comes in from the street. Kuxli has arrived. Off across the thronged, smoke-and-vapor-filled stretch of the Dome, Shenner and a crowd of young beings of assorted races have claimed a table, and in the midst of shouted conversation and more than a few exchanges of credits, they appear to be headlong in the middle of a game of some sort, involving stacks of tiles before them all on the table. Kuxli pads into the dance dome, a toothy grin on his feline face.. he glances around quickly, pausing to sniff the air deeply. He glances around once more, then heads for an empty table near the dance floor, his tail swaying gently behind him. Shenner gesticulates vigorously at the being across the table from her, who lets out an indignant squeal; the others clustered around the table cheer and laugh, some in support of the young human, some for the other sentient. Grudgingly, Shenner sweeps a handful of tiles back to the middle of the pile that claims the table's center, and forks over a handful of money to the other player. Kuxli pulls a chair out at the empty table for himself, hopping into the chair.. he glances in the direction of the band, then the dance floor.. he frowns slightly then motions to a passing waiter, ordering a drink from him before leaning back in his chair, crossing his furred arms over his chest. "Alright, alright, I'm out, next!" Shenner's voice rings out. Disengaging from the game, the young human wriggles a path out of the knot of gamblers, nose wrinkled, brow furrowed, and starts loping towards the bar. Kuxli rolls a 21 for his PERCEPTION skill. An Excellent roll! Kuxli's gaze wonders about, his ears still perked and picking up the surrounding noise.. the waiter arrives with a glass bottle, placing it on the horansi's table before heading off to another table.. Kuxli sips from it, glancing around once more. His eyes widen slightly, and he waves one furry hand into the air, standing from his seat as he calls out, "Hey Shenner!" Shenner's head comes up, and the human's face quirks in a lopsided grin. "Kux!" The youngster swaggers over, amiably. "You vanished, pal, just when things were getting fun in here last night!" Kuxli grins toothly, lowering his hand back down to his side, he shrugs faintly, "Got real tired from all that leapin around in the field.. nice singing up there, from the bit I heard." his ears lay back down, and he gestures towards a seat at the table, "Wanna seat?" he asks, ears perking back up. Shenner's smile abruptly widens, and the human's shoulders roll backwards in an airy shrug. "I _knew_ I liked you, and I know why -- you like a good song just like I do." Green eyes twinkle, and Shenner takes the offered seat. Kuxli smiles, ears laying back again in embarressment as he takes his seat again, "Er, thanks." he replies, he glances at his drink, then back at you, "Hey, you want somethin to drink?" ears perking back up to hear the response. Shenner bobs that short-cropped head cheerfully. "The mah jongg game back there drained me, credits and ale both. Still haven't managed to work my way through all the stuff they serve here -- what'll you get?" Kuxli pauses a moment to think, lifting a bottle of blue colored liquid slightly, a grin playing on his face, "Well, this drink ain't that bad, though it's known to dye your tongue blue for a short while." his grin widening some. "Hells, I'll try anything once," replies Shenner promptly, leaning forward to eye the stuff. Kuxli sets the bottle down on the table, then motions for the waiter again, ears perked up excitidly.. "Another Mutanda Blue" nodding sideways in Shenner's direction.. the waiter turns and heads for the bar, "You ever heard of Mutanda?" he asks, leaning back in his chair. Shenner's head, as the musician awaits the other vial of blue stuff, shakes in the negative. "Not a bit. What's there besides blue beer?" Kuxli grins, his mouth opening sharply to show the front most of his fangs, "Ah, well it's where horansi are from..." he leans back forward in his chair, pausing for some unknown reason as he frowns, a few moments later he says, "I've never been there though, heh all I got is a postcard this guy gave me once of it.. " he looks down, searching through some of his pockets before finnaly finding it.. he pulls it out, and sets it on the table, sliding it across. The postcard is of a vast, blue ocean, with only two main landmasses. "There it is.." he says in a quieter tone, glancing up as the waiter approaches, setting the drink down in front of Shenner before heading off again. Shenner flashes a grin at the arrival of the drink, sweeps it up deftly in one hand, and sips at it inquiringly while leaning over to see the card. The human gives one stifled cough at the taste of the liquor, grins crookedly a bit, then peers back first at the card and then at its owner. "Horansi. That what you are, then?" Kuxli nods quickly in response to the question, "Yup.." sratching behind one ear, before setting the hand back down on the edge of his table, "Actually, TREKA-Horansi.. theres a few different types of us." Shenner chuckles a bit, takes another swig of the blue stuff, experimentally swishing it from cheek to cheek before swallowing it. "That a fact?" Shen leans back, looking amused and attentive. "Tell me more." Kuxli grins almost embarresdly, taking his bottle in one hand and drinking from it.. nodding slowly, "Yup, thats a fact... more? Well, I dont know to much.. though, from what other horansi tell me, they have stupid customs.. can't stand 'em myself." he turns his head slightly to show the left side of his face, tracing one of the fading scars with a finger, "See those?" he asks in a soft tone, "A KASA gave those to me.. didn't like who I was hangin out with." Shenner utters a harsh little bark of laughter, even as one green eye squints in a sympathetic grimace. "Ow. I'll have to remember to practice my charm around any -- KASA, you say? -- I see." Kuxli smiles slightly, looking down at the table as he nods his head, "Yeah, type of horansi.. sometimes taller then Wookiee's.. even heard trained ones can kill a Wookiee, /unarmed/.. they got black stripes in their fur, not these spots like I got." he frowns some, then sips from his drink again. The human smirks, amiably. "Okay, Wookiees and KASA on the list of Big Furry Beings Not to Piss Off, got it...." Kuxli nods slowly, allowing a smile to form as he sips from his bottle again, "Ah well, enough of that... hmm, how'd it go with that singing last night after I left?" batting one of his ears as he speaks. Shenner laughs, the smirk on that lean young face taking on what might, just _might_, be a bit of a sheepish softening. "Let's just say there were a few more music lovers around here than I'd been led to believe." Kuxli rowr-chuckles, nodding his furry head as you speak, "Good.." he says, setting the bottle of blue-beer on the table.. he tilts his head to the side, then asks curiously, "Think I should get another ring or somethin in my ear?" Shenner's eyebrows crook, and then Shenner laughs out loud. "I dunno, pal, you tell me... you wanna look ornamented? Catch yourself whatever gender Horansi strikes your fancy?" Kuxli grins sheepishly, lifting his shoulders into a shrug, "I dunno.. just though another one whould look nice ya know? Ah well... you dont like earrings and stuff?" Shenner snorts a bit, and drowns the sound with another slug. "Ain't exactly ever been flush enough to blow money on decorating myself," the human observes, but the green gaze has turned considering. Kuxli heh's, nodding slowly before he speaks, "Ya, ain't had these forever myself.. was pretty short on credits for a while. Had a job that paid decent for a while though.." he shrugs, "If ya got the credits to spend.. then why not?" Shenner bursts out laughing, then toasts you with the tankard of blue alcohol. "Why not!" Kuxli growls happly, grining fiercly, "Cool, they have lotsa earrings and things like that out at those booths I think." finishing the rest of his blue drink after toasting. Shenner goes on merrily, "Me, well, I'm a a street rat, see; put baubles on a street rat and you got yourself a karkin' silly lookin' street rat. You, though, well, hells, they go with your fur." Kuxli pauses a moment, then his grin widens and he roar/chuckles again, "Aw, to bad... can hurt if they get pulled to." he shrugs to himself, "Ya should try gettin a job though if ya live on the street.. thats what I did. Though, can't say my job ended that greatly." his grin lessening some. "Who knows, maybe I could sweet-talk my way into playing every night with the band..." Shenner gives another sardonic chuckle that broadcasts a clear opinion of the likelihood of _that_, then peers at you. "Hard luck?" Kuxli grins toothily, shrugging slightly at the firest suggestion, "Could try it.." he ears lay back some at the question, "Ya could say that.. mainly disagreements on.. 'policy' I guess.." Shenner takes down another fairly hefty mouthful of the blue stuff, then immediately after, sucks in a hefty lungful of air, as though needing to catch breath while drinking this particular brew. Perhaps it's the Mutanda Blue, and perhaps sympathy for someone else who appreciates music, but the young human's expression seems to relax a bit towards more open kindness. "Hope you told 'em to take a long walk out a short airlock!" Kuxli chuckles quietly, as if such an idea can only be dreamed about.. "Nah, couldn't do that.. ain't the types ya go insulting to their faces.." he shrugs, "Ah well...." he smiles slightly, trying to brighten the gloomy mood he's made. Shenner smirkles, in grim camaraderie. "Been there done that. Ah well. So." Kuxli bristles his whiskers, nodding his furry head once more.. he starts to pick up his bottle, then remembers it's empty, giving the empty bottle a dirty look. Shenner tsks, offers, "Kuxli, my large furry pal, what say I buy the next round!" Even before you have a chance to respond, the human lifts a slim hand, and waves down the next waiter that passes, to demand, "Cider! The good hard stuff!" Kuxli's grin returns, "Sounds good!" he exclaims, his ears perking back up, "Thanks again." Cider arrives, and Shenner blithely presents a share of it for you. "Always had a soft spot for cider. Here, lemme pour." Kuxli nods his head eagerly, then leans forward slightly, sniffing it testingly before licking his lips with his blue-stained tounge, "Smells good.." he says. "They make it," Shenner says expansively, "with apples. Or at least, they did back on... er, um, back home. Hope you ain't allergic to apples." Kuxli grins widely, "Dont think so.." he says, as he takes the cup in one furred hand, sipping a little from it, pausing to consider the taste of it before taking another drink from it, "I'll be pissed if im allergic to something so good!" he exlaims in a rumbling voice. Shenner whoops in approval, encouraging, "That's the spirits... Hah! Nah, _this_ is the spirits...!" The human toasts you again before putting down a fair quantity of the cider. For a slim little human, Shenner seems to have a great capacity for consuming liquid intoxicants. Kuxli giggle-growls, then downs as much of the cider as he can at once, quite a large amount. "Top that!" he says, the blue drink from before making him louder then normal. Shenner's face lights in fierce glee, and with that, the human proceeds to slowly but steadily chug down that share of the cider. One breath, two, three, and on the fourth Shenner's green gaze get a little glassy, but at last, the musician triumphantly slams down the empty glass. "Hah!" Kuxli laughs out loud, slapping one furred hand on his leg.. he settles down some, shaking his head slowly, "Where'd ya learn to drink like that?" he asks with an intense grin. Shenner grabs at the table with ever so slightly unsteady hands, but the human's voice is unblurred as the human says grandly, "The utter netherhole of the galaxy, pal, the netherhole of the galaxy. Even a street rat like me knows it." A green wink, and Shen leans forward to whisper confidingly, "Mos Eisley." Kuxli ah's, the grin still on his furred face, "Shoulda guessed so, been there more then I care to remember." twitching his whiskers before taking a long gulp from his cider, wiping his mouth with the back of his furry arm. Shenner snickers again, and _that_ noise is slightly slurred. "Ah, then you _know_ it's the netherhole of the galaxy, huh? Nothin' but hot an' sand an' fine upstanding representatives of every single species in the stars." The red head shakes as though mournfully. Kuxli growl/laughs, nodding once more his agreement, "Ayuuup... ran into trouble while I was there.. both times in fact." almost seeming proud of the fact, "Seem to get into trouble every place I visit, know what I mean?" grinning crookedly. Shenner thumps the table by way of vigorous assent. "Trouble and I are _intimate_ travelling companions," the human rejoins, then abruptly giggles, darkly. "Hanging out with it every day since That Damned Corellian dropped me on Tatooine!" Kuxli's ears remained perked as he listens, giggling and nodding as you speak, "Yup, if it ain't a KASA clawing me, the CSA blasting at me, or a price on my head it's somethin else!" pausing to sip from his cider, "Jeez... surprised I still got my hide intact.. er most of it anyways." grinning wickedly as he finishes. Shenner's green eyes go a trifle wide. "Well, pal, you got me beat, so far all I can claim is the local cops on my backside back home!" The human lifts a hand and jauntily salutes you with it, off the side of the forehead where that short little lock of red hair dangles. Kuxli grins toothly, then shrugs the gesture away, "Thanks, though I'd probably be better of if none of that ever happened." he shrugs again, "Want some more cider?" he asks, his voice slurring slightly. Shenner's usually cynical expression has relaxed a trifle more, and the human beams. "Best idea I heard all night, pal!" Kuxli calls out for a waiter, waving his hands over-expansivly, "Hey, some'ore cider over here!" he calls out, grinning as the waiter approaches with two more glasses of cider, "Thanks man.." the horansi says to the waiter, then nods quickly to Shenner with a grin, "On me this time." "You," says Shenner beamingly, "are reading me like a book. Never had a better drinkin' partner. Hells, never _had_ a drinking partner!" Kuxli roar-laughs, eyes wide and gleaming, "Same here!" picking his glass and taking a large drink from it, lowering it back down with a gasp for breath, "Drink up!" he exclaims. Readily, Shenner obliges, expression growing progressively sunnier the more cider the human puts away. "Bright suns... I could get to almost _like_ this place!" Kuxli growls happly, drinking again from his cider before reply, "I know whatcha mean." raising his glass slightly in your direction, "Just gotta be careful to not let the credits run out." Shenner hoots in sharp agreement, still leaning companionably close along the table. "Damn sure, damn sure, I do _not_ want to have to be muggin' Jawas again..." And to punctuate the point, another throatful of cider is put to a merciful end. Kuxli growl-giggles, ears perked straight up, "Yeah.. to credits!" he calls out, raising his glass into a toast. "Credits, trouble, and song! I'll drink to that!" And Shenner does, with vigor. The horansi downs almost all his cider, setting the glass down on the table heavly with an audible sigh, "Ah... that stuff sure fills ya up." His ears laying back for a few moments, then perking back up, "Heh, must be late.. feels like i've been in here all night." Voice ever so slightly drawn out, now, Shenner blinks owlishly, then giggles. "Night's young till the sun comes up, Kux ol' pal...!" Grinning toothily, Kuxli says with the tilt of his head, "Yeah, though im gettin tired.. walkin around all day can be tirin ya know? Well, ain't like im gonna just crash here all of sudden, I'll stick around a bit longer." he winks then adds, "Though no more cider, to full already." Shenner grins radiantly, swigs down the last of that half of the cider, and pipes amiably, voice pitched slightly higher than usual, "'Kay.... so, we got song, trouble, cider, and fashion tips covered... now what?" Kuxli pauses to think, the toothy grin still on the feline's face, "I dunno.. uhm.. Hey, you ever been to Caspar?" "Nope, never been...." The human kid chuckles. "What color's the beer there?" Kuxli rowr-chuckles, shaking his furry head slowly, "Dunno, my boss wouldn't let me have any." a cheerful grin on his face, "Nice ocean though.." Shenner's expression starts shifting a bit towards the wistful. "Oceans. Ain't never seen oceans...." The human slumps back a bit, lean frame resting against the back of the seat. Kuxli frowns, hint of sorrow? appearing on his face, "Aw, ain't that great.. just a bunch of water that does nothing but get your fur all wet.." Shenner smirks, lopsidedly, and protests in an affectionate drawl, "Ain't got any fur, you silly prehensile-tail point-ears..." A hand lifts, then, to scrub across those green eyes. Kuxli growl-giggles, "Just jealous.." he says playfully, nodding in your direction, raking a claw over the fur atop his head, "Well, you'll see one someday.. with that singing talent of yours.. your bound to get somewhere." The human kid's wistful smirk turns a little more so, a hint of yearning visible behind the cider-glaze in Shenner's eyes. "That's the thing, ain't it, though? Gotta _get_ somewhere, to get somewhere.... tried it, and it got me to Tatooine." A disgruntled snort. "Then it got me here, and damned if I know where it's gonna get me next..." Kuxli's grin turns into a thoughtful frown, "Well, anyplace is better then Tatooine at least.. just gotta go where life leads ya, enjoying the ride." Shenner gives a slurry little laugh, and a mischievous glint sparkles across the green eyes. "I'd drink to that, but I'm outta cider!" Kuxli's toothy grin returns and he nods his agreement, "Did ya like that drink from Mutanda?" he asks, batting one of his ears. Shenner gives you a sudden wide, groggy grin. "Yeah... yeah..." Just as suddenly, and in an expression that sheds several years off Shenner's face, the human sticks out a blue-tinged tongue and gets with some difficulty to booted feet. "Sendin' me t' dreamland. I better get back to my bunk, Kux." Kuxli chuckles as he see's what the drink did to the human's tounge.. he nods as she speaks, "A'right, just dont get lost on your way eh?" adding in a quick wink. "I," Shenner proclaims in a cocky drawl that'd do a Corellian proud, "_never_ get lost." Tossing off another loose salute, the kid waves, then strides, fog-eyed but still moving assuredly, off into the still vigorous nocturnal clamor of the Dome... and through it, out into the night. [End log.]