Log Date: 5/27/99 Log Cast: Jairen, Draegar (NPC), Kathrine, Shenner, Aa'leet (NPC), Ariani (NPC), Emma (NPC), Karm (NPC), Tethra (NPC), Loren (NPC), Avy, Athena Log Intro: With Caspar in general and Plaxton City in particular on the mend, Shenner's life has settled back down again, more or less. Waiting for the University of Caspar to reopen its doors so she can resume her education, the young musician is in the meantime now leading the Sandbar's band -- the newly dubbed Womprats -- and has (much to her continued surprise ever since the battle that liberated the city) begun learning the art of swordplay from her elusive friend Jairen Windchaser. She's even begun to learn a few more things about the swordsman, feeding her continually growing interest in him, but as of yet she hasn't been introduced to his rare streak of mischief... ---------- The Sandbar A large, comfortable room creates the main part of Plaxton City's infamous Sandbar, survivor of no less than three rounds of destruction, once more back on its feet. Refurbished to much the same state it had enjoyed prior to the invasion of Caspar at Imperial hands, the place boasts dark wood panelling on its walls, and myriad booths and tables of occasionally battered but sturdy lighter wood, and a number of both old and brand new holoposters hung here and there on the walls. Several deep blue glass windows allow light in from outside, while keeping the ambient light level fairly low. The marble bar that survived the recent war still remains, more battered than before, but once again serving as the domain of Ariani; the loft, too, has been restored, providing yet more seating and an excellent view of the low stage towards the back of the room, where the local band called the Womprats play each night. ----For help with tables, type "PLACE HELP" ----For help with drinks, type "BAR HELP" ----For a closer look at the room's details, type "DETAIL LIST" Contents: Jairen The Sandbar's Band: The Womprats(#5983) Emma Ariani Obvious exits: leads to Fountain Square - Plaxton City. Jairen strides confidently into the tavern, glancing back and forth as he heads for the bar. Draegar walks out of the Sandbar and the door closes automatically. Draegar has left. Kathrine enters the Sandbar. Kathrine has arrived. Kathrine walks out of the Sandbar and the door closes automatically. Kathrine has left. The Womprats are in their places on the stage, close to the end of their set, and the song of the moment is a gentler one than many the five musicians put out. A gently flowing melody put out by Shenner's guitar and Aa'leet's keyboard, with the voices of the group blending in multilayered harmony over the instrumentals, fills the bar. And in the middle of it all is Shenner's alto, flowing clear and sweet like wine: I'll remember you Long after this endless summer Is gone I'll be lonely, oh so lonely Living only.... To remember you... Jairen leans against the bar, nodding to Ari for his usual drink, and turns to listen to the band that is, for once, not playing a song that is painful for him to listen too much to. Ariani catches sight of the silver-haired swordsman, and his preferred chilled wine is not long in coming. Emma scurries past, en route to someone's table, but she too spies Jairen and calls a cheerful greeting in his direction as she breezes past, tinged with just a touch of awe -- the young waitress is rather easily impressed, after all. And up on the stage, her face uplifted, her expression unusually vivid as her clear, full voice rings out in her lower range, Shenner delivers the next verse. The voices of Karm and Tethra, so rarely heard since the two horn-playing siblings are so often occupied with their instruments, provide a rich thrumming vocal foundation beneath her: I'll remember too Your voice as soft As the warm summer breeze Your sweet laughter, mornings after Ever after new I'll remember you... Jairen continues to listen, sipping now on his wine. His eyes reguard each of the members of the band carefully as they do their parts. Loren Jarnes looks fairly low-key for once as he's abandoned his usual full drum set for a single hand drum, on which he beats out a simple percussion to keep the time. Still, there's a slight crooked smile on his face, and a slight wry glint to his lazy blue eyes; even when participating in a gentle love song, this boy's undoubtedly thinking of sex. His gaze is roving around the room, looking for someone young and pretty and female with whom to make eye contact. The band's one non-human member, the Twi'lek Aa'leet, sings a sweet wordless descant over the top of Shenner's simple lyrics, striking liquid chords on the middle level of her keyboards. Her head-tails are wrapped round in silken black ribbons tonight, and her head sways gently back and forth as she carries out her part in the song. Karm and Tethra, both tall, both muscular, both pictures of dark formidable beauty, are neither wry like the drummer nor caught up in the spirit of the song like the dainty Twi'lek across from them on the stage. Every so often, Karm gestures gracefully in accent to a sung syllable, and as seems to be the way between them, Tethra will mirror her, for all that he towers over his sister to the same extent that she towers over Shen. And then there's Shenner. Something usually shielded behind her emerald eyes is unveiled for the span of this sweet plaintive melody, while her voice takes wing up into its higher registers for the bridge of the song: To your arms someday I'll return to stay Till then... Jairen smiles at the young waitress as she moves by him again, turning back to listen to the band. His expression isn't as one listening to music, but one regarding or sizing someone up, only this time it seems to be several someones at once. And then, the last verse, all five voices massed together in exquisite harmony with the barest backup of instrumentals to keep their pace and rhythm, the words drawn out for a few measures for the segue between bridge and verse: I will remember too Every bright star We made wishes upon Love me always Promise always Oo oo oo oo oo You'll remember too... Jairen's eyes come to rest on Shenner the last and longest as the song concludes and he reguards this young woman. His student, adopted clanswoman, and rather egnimatic to him as he is to her... well, almost. Behind her, her four bandmates chorus out a full-throated, soft and subdued "Re-mem-ber..." And as they hold that last syllable, Shenner's hand comes up for a moment, fingers fleetingly touching that pendant of brass and silver that hangs on its chain round her throat. And she sings the song's closing line, gazing out into and somewhere past her audience: I'll remember you...! The last chord is held, with keyboard and drum putting out two more measures before all five musicians glide down into silence. Jairen's eyes now become distant as he removes something from one of his pouches: a small leaf-like fleck of something, like a piece of metal, only more flexible. It glistens in the light like it is laced with some metal such as gold or platinum, but has veins and folds over like a fresh leaf. Even in the Sandbar, where half the clientele tend to be inebriated by this hour of the evening -- this is, after all, a bar -- a piece of music with much more art than noise can go over well. This one does, perhaps because of its simplicity. There's a few breaths of appreciative silence... followed by a wave of applause that does a circuit around the room. "Mmm, good one," Ariani can be heard to murmur very softly to no one in particular, and the young drummer actually does make eye contact -- with Ariani's sister Emma. The two of them beam rather fatuously at one another. Shenner, with that, seems to come back from where her music had taken her, and a lopsided smile curls her mouth. "Thank you," she says simply, her voice carrying out clear over the miniature microphone pinned to her collar. "Thank you. That's the set, folks; we'll be back in 15. Till then, please enjoy yourselves." Jairen politely claps with the rest of the croud for a moment, then goes back to looking a the leaf thing. The applause continues as the band begins to disperse, with only Aa'leet remaining up on the stage to provide some background music while her compatriots take the time to rest their throats and their fingers. Loren jumps off the stage, to several delighted squeals from the young females at surrounding tables, but it's Emma he goes to. Karm and Tethra go to claim themselves the band's usual table, stopping to talk to a pair of customers. And the band's recently voted-in lead singer makes her way for the bar. Jairen puts the leaf away, sipping his wine again, watching the young woman approach. He's fairly easy to spot, with his distinctive silver hair and his sword. And so, when she draws near enough, Shenner does indeed spot Jairen. She pauses for a moment, long enough to smile a little oddly and seem to shake herself before she steps up nearby, waving Ariani down for a glass of something cool and light to coddle her voice through the rest of the evening. As she does, she flicks a slight grin to Jairen, speaking up just loudly enough to be heard, "Glad to see ya tonight. Keep this up, you might make a habit." Jairen hmmms a yes. "You sing well tonight..." he compliments, also speaking quietly, his voice and eyes still a little distant. "What was the inspiration of the last song, might I ask?" "Siddown, Shen!" the customer on the nearest stool cries, beaming expansively, and lurching up off the stool to yield it to her. "Gee, thanks," Shenner drawls at the spacer as she staggers off for another nearby seat. And as she sits, the musician settles herself to look more or less at Jairen, that odd smile once more tugging at one end of her mouth. She supposes she could claim that the song wasn't hers, and so she couldn't really speak to the inspiration of the songster who wrote it -- but that wouldn't quite be the truth, since there is inspiration in the decision to sing a particular song as well as to actually craft it. As Ariani presents her with a lightly flavored soda water, Shenner murmurs dryly by way of reply, "Ah. That... old history I mentioned." Jairen ahs, sipping his wine. "Understood." quickly scans Shenner's choice of drink. "If you are planning on singing again soon, plain water with a slight bit of citris in it is better for the voice than a carbinated beverage." he states. This raises Shen's eyebrows for a moment, and she pauses for a moment, not having yet actually drunk any of what Ariani's brought her. "Thanks," she drawls, not unkindly, and she turns again to wave down the bartender. "Yo! 'Ani! Changed my mind--" "Yeah, Shen?" The young singer jerks a thumb sideways at Jairen, saying with deliberate lightness, "Plain water. Touch of citrus in it. Trade me, will ya?" Ariani's eyebrows go up, too, but she takes this readily enough, ferrying off the glass to put the contents to other use. If someone else doesn't want to drink it she can always feed it into the beverage synthesizer, as far as she's concerned. With that, then, Shenner glances back at the slim-framed swordsman. "I got about six dozen things I wanna ask you, pal," she proclaims, "but seein' as I gotta be back on stage in about twelve more minutes..." Jairen grins, a rather uncharacteristic thing for him to do. "Well, perhaps you can ask me one or two of those things." Somewhere across the bar, a burst of laughter rings out in seven different voices, as someone tells a particularly witty joke. For the most part, though, the level of conversation in the place is low, with Aa'leet's keyboard music threading itself in and out of the background noise. Over by the bar, Shenner can speak without raising her voice, and she turns around on her stool to lean back against the bar behind her. Seeing Jairen grin provokes a broader grin on her countenance. "Well, for starters, I been wonderin' what to do if I have to get in touch with you, since you ain't exactly got a number on the comm nets. At least not that I found, so far. What do you want me to do if oh, hells, I dunno, I get run over by a skimmer or something? Make it kinda karkin' hard to gimme my next lesson, y'know?" On her last sentence the citrus-flavored water arrives at Shen's elbow, courtesy of Ariani, and the redheaded human girl reaches round for the cold glass. Jairen chuckles slightly. "Indeed... indeed it would." Hmms as he puzzles on this question. "I usually am in the woods somewhere when not in town. Send a messenger. One of the band members perhaps." "Well... _where_ in the woods, or where in town, that's the thing, y'know?" Shenner sips at her water with rather more care than she usually exhibits when tossing back something alcoholic, like her favored Corellian brandy. "If _I_ couldn't find you in the woods, I'm kinda thinkin' the rest of the Womprats couldn't either." Abruptly, she snickers, glancing across the room to where Loren's hauled Emma out into an impromptu slow dance in front of the stage, while Aa'leet provides them something to dance to. "Loren doesn't exactly get along well with trees and trails, that's for sure." Jairen looks over at Loren with an amused grin. "No, he obviously would not." Turns back to Shenner. "But, people like that are much easier for me to locate as well. But, hmmm, if something that desperate happens, you can also leave a note with Ariani. I am afraid I am at a lost as to what to do in such a situation. It has never crossed my mind." Jairen's glance goes back to the pair dancing as an odd, amused look crosses his eyes and a rather mean thought crosses his mind. "That'll do for a start." Shenner takes down another swallow of her water, holding it for a moment to let the chill soak through her throat, and then grinning in relief; she's been singing a while tonight, and she's got a whole set to go through before her night is over... at least as far as the Sandbar is concerned. Then she follows Jairen's gaze, and her eyebrows climb up again. "What?" Jairen stands up, an almost evil smirk on his face. "Excuse me... I need to try something, if nothing else but for entertainment value..." turns and heads towards the dancing pair. _What the kark--?_ Shenner blinks, six or seven times, and casts a puzzled glance at Ariani even as the bartender peers at the slim silver-haired male weaving his way through tables and patrons to where Loren and Emma are claiming the Sandbar's tiny dance floor. Ariani, too, looks rather puzzled, and the older woman's brows have gone up. But if it means razzing Loren, Shenner's game enoug, and she straightens up on her stool to try to get a better look at what her oft-bemusing friend has in mind. As only a Corellian can, Loren has taken command of the Sandbar's tiny dance floor, and is exuding the sort of young male animal charisma guaranteed to fire off the hormones of practically every human female in the place, along with several of the non-human ones. Emma's utterly delighted, her arms entwined around the drummer, the two of them pressed up close in the middle of the floor and writhing suggestively to the music. Jairen strides up to the pair, bowing very formally and very low. "Pardon me, m'lord," he starts as he straightens up. "But I wish to enquire if I may enjoy the lady's company by dancing with her for a number, hmmm?" His words and tone are about as elequent and musical as anyone's ever heard him say. And, as only a Corellian can, Loren looks up with more than a little annoyance that someone's actually daring to ask him for _his_ dance partner. Curling an arm rather possessively around the young waitress, the drummer grumbles, "Hey, pal, get your own girl! This one's taken!" OooooooOOOooo! Emma's eyes go round and delighted at _this_ turn of events; she's never had two males competing for her attention before. She smiles radiantly at Jairen, quite charmed by his courtly manners, and blushing prettily; at the same time, though, she baps Loren lightly on his muscled chest. "But he's asked so _nice_. You can have me right back, Lorrie...!" she coos. "Why doncha dance with _Shen_?" Loren growls petulantly, glancing off at the bar at his now decidedly amused lead singer, who's trying not to choke on her drink. "She ain't taken!" Avy enters the Sandbar. Avy has arrived. Jairen is all calm and practically oozing ancient courtierish charm as he states, "Yes, true. However, I see Shenner quite often. However, I do not have the oportunity to socialize with this young lady very often and would like to do so if I may." His hands are clasped politely behind his back. The door to the SandBar slides open at this late hour, allowing a gust of wind and rain in, along with a particularly damp cloaked female. As the door shuts behind her, the blue hood is pushed away from a mass of damp red curls, to reveal a pale Sarian face. Immediately she notices Shenner nearby the bar and waves, edging her way through what's left of the crowd. Conversation begins to die down around the bar as all eyes focus on this fascinating little tableau in the middle of the small dance floor. There sounds an abrupt bark of laughter in a voice that's probably Karm's, and Shenner is now visibly twitching with something half giddy amusement and half horror that Jairen might actually consider taking Loren up on his suggestion. The Womprats' lead singer catches sight of that incoming Sarian, manages to toss off a wave in the middle of choking back her laughter, and she points quickly towards Jairen, Emma, and Loren. "Plllleeeeeeease, Lorrie?" Emma coos again, rubbing her hand up and down the front of the black shirt clinging tightly to Loren's athletic form. If Loren were five years older, with a bit more maturity and weathering to his handsome visage, the expression he's taking on could legitimately be called thunderous. Right now, though, it's mostly sulky. He glowers daggers at Jairen, and then gives in, fumingly, at Emma's pleading. "Don't be long," he barks at the swordsman, as he stalks off. Jairen smiles amiably at Loren, then turns to Emma, bowing very deeply indeed. "M'lady." he says, offering his hands to her, striking up a very Ball-roomish like dancing pose. It is very obvious he's done things like this before. Glancing at the lone player on the stage, he merely says, "Something formal, if you please." Offering a mildly bemused glance towards the dancefloor and the current situation, Avy chuckles as she finally glides wetly up to the bar, and positions herself on a stool. "A Chakla, if you will, Ariani." she says with a slight shiver, and a look towards Shenner. "What's up with *that*?" She asks, thumbing towards the trompled Corellian ego, and the swordsman gliding onto the dancefloor with said Corellian's girl. Formal; Aa'leet can do formal. Her lovely alien face twitches into her own version of a smile, as she graciously inclines her bi-tailed, beribboned head down to the silver-haired male who's ousted the drummer. She begins to strike up the opening measures of one of the pieces of music she and her compatriots had performed at the Imperial ball some months ago, recognizable as a classical waltz from one of the Core Worlds. Trompled Corellian ego, indeed. As the music begins, Loren doesn't go very far; he backs off only as far as the edge of the stage, arms crossed along his chest and his boyish features set into an impassioned scowl. Shenner, at the sight of him, isn't quite sure whether to feel sorry for him or laugh some more, or both. "Looks like Jairen wants to dance," she answers her boss. Curiosity is filling her eyes, though. She's seen Jairen Windchaser's dazzling grace in combat; how, she can't help but wonder, is it going to translate to dance? Jairen smiles to Emma, right hand resting on the young woman's waist, left hand holding her right hand while her left hand rests on his shoulder. As the music starts, so does the dance, in rather perfect time to the music. And the grace he exibits in combat translates quite well to dance. He's probably been doing this as long as he's been wearing that sword of his. He leads the young woman in tight circles around the dance floor, twirling and stepping with the beat of the music. "He's awefully handsome - I can see poor ol' Loren's issues with this." Avy winks as Ariani slips a large steaming mug in front of the wilted President. "What's been rattling around in this old cage tonight?" she asks, taking a long sip, and motioning towards the bar. "Us, mostly, till Jair walked in," Shenner says absently, her gaze fixed on the swordsman as he leads Emma around the small dance floor with as much freedom of motion as if they were in an expansive ballroom. Loren's bruised ego and glowering gaze are forgotten, as the redheaded singer adds as an afterthought, "Yeah... he is. Handsome." "He better be careful," Ariani puts in, "if he doesn't want my little sister swooning into his arms." Shenner snorts. "Yeah, that'll _really_ tork Loren off...!" Jairen continues to dance with the young waitress, every so often twirling her when the music suits. His movements are so natural to the tune that one might think that he planned to be dancing to this song at this particular time. He also doesn't seem to be paying attention to Loren at all at the side of the dancefloor, perhaps to agrivate him some more. All his rather focusable attention is centered on the young woman before him. Avy Laarken is an extremely busy woman through practically every waking hour of her existence, and so, the shakla Ariani gets her is gone not very long after it's been gotten. The cloaked President vanishes out again into the night and her guards surreptitiously waiting outside, and as she goes it's with considerable amusmement. Emma's positively glowing; hey, in half her favorite holovids, don't the heroines get to be twirled around by an impeccably mannered, impeccably beautiful courtier? Loren, though, is positively fuming, his scowl taking on strength with each seemingly effortless move Jairen makes with the girl he's guiding to the music. And Shenner, along with everyone else in the bar, watches the impromptu show. She and Loren are the only two beings in the bar not smiling or engaged in appropriate species equivalents; unlike Loren, though, Shenner isn't scowling. Her eyes merely take on a distant gaze, her hand reaching up as it had done earlier that night for the necklace at her throat. At the end of the song, Jairen releases his grip on Emma, takes a step back, and bows quite formally again. "Thank you my lady, it was quite an honor..." takes her hand again and leads the young woman to the waiting, very annoyed Corellian. Handing her off, literally, to the young human, he bows again. "Thank you m'lord for your patience." He bows to Emma again, not quite so low, then turns and walks noiselessly off the dancefloor, hands resting lightly on his sword hilt. A burst of applause and delighted cheers runs round the bar, and Emma gushes her grateful reply to Jairen as he hands her off to her beau. Loren, pulling himself up to his full height and taking obvious advantage of the fact that he's got at least four inches on the swordsman, does his best to loom as he growls out, "You're. Welcome." "Oooooh, Lorrie, don't be jealous," Emma squeals, moving to curl her arms around the youth's broad shoulders. Then she adds coyly, glancing back to bat her eyelashes after Jairen, "Well... not _too_ jealous!" Shenner, there at the bar, lets herself smirk as Jairen makes his way back, though the smirk modulates into a half-smile when he gets nearer. "Not bad," she speaks up in deliberate understatement when he's within earshot. Jairen lets his usually expressionless visage sneak into a smirk as he gets to his place next to Shenner again. He doesn't really look back at Emma as she bats her lashes at him, but he's probably aware of it, and he didn't seem one bit intimidated by Loren's 'Looming' over him. "That was quite enjoyable." is his first comment, sitting down and ordering another wine, since his is now warm and nearly empty anyways. "I feel sorry for angering the young drummer so much, but his ego and self-righteousness were starting to bother me a little." "He's like that," Shenner drawls. She's emptied her glass, and she gets to her feet; it's more than time to begin the final set of the evening. "He can't really help it; he's Corellian. They grow 'em that way where he comes from." She smiles narrowly, though. "Rekkie ain't around to keep a leash on him anymore, but Emma's doin' a pretty good job of it these days. Means he doesn't try to pull that banthadung on _me_." Jairen chuckles quietly, now sitting on the stool. "Yes. I remember once or twice when he attempted to do so. However, you are well equipped to handle such a one as he. Very much talk, very little substance. I pity him when he grows older and his charm fades. He will be an empty, hollow, and bitter man." Shenner pauses, glancing off at the black-haired boy who's grudgingly settling down under the full force of Emma's doe-eyed admiration. "Depends," the redheaded singer murmurs, the oddness still lingering in her own eyes. "Hell, if Emma loves him, he loves her..." She returns her attention to the swordsman, then, tossing off a shrug. "Love does a lot. Even if you're Corellian." Jairen shakes his head slightly, still watching the room. "Affection merely returned is not love. Love is something given even if it is not returned. If he loves her only if she loves him, he does not truely love her." Rhetorical, perhaps. Philisophical, definately. Evidently Emma's managed to mollify the drummer, for he abruptly wraps his arms around her, tugs her close, and claims her mouth with his own in a melting, passionate kiss. If there's not love there, there are at the very least mutual hormones, and Emma and Loren between them give the patrons of the Sandbar something else to cheer about. When Loren finally comes up for air he's wearing a rakish lopsided grin, and his spirits are visibly climbing again, enough that he leaps nimbly back up onto the stage to take his place at his drums. A conversation that involves a) love and b) Corellians is just a little bit too close to home for Shenner's own comfort. She starts to speak, thinks better of it, and starts then to turn towards the stage to go and claim her own place with the band. Then she catches herself again, and says back to -- _how do I think of him?_ she wonders. _Clansman? Tribesmate?_ Nothing quite sounds right, not yet. She settles for the time being for simply _Jairen_ -- Jairen, "Listen, we gotta play one more set. You gonna be here?" Jairen smiles reassuringly. "I shall stay for at least part of it." Athena enters the Sandbar. Athena has arrived. To this, Shenner nods, grinning now. "Good." Once more, she turns herself towards the stage, to rejoin the rest of the Womprats; half-time's over, time for the real show to begin anew. But before she goes, she tosses off gruffly, "Like your dancing." And with that, she strides off for the stage. Jairen chuckles his melodic chuckle. "My thanks." he says to Shenner as she tromps back to the stage. Finally receives his drink and sips it, watching the band again. Athena opens the door of the sandbar and quickly hurries inside escaping the "again" rainstorm outside. She curses soe typical Coruscantians words and removes her heavy raincoat as she looks around friendly smiling at the persons she know. Jairen still leans against the bar comfortably, seeming rather amused at some thing or another. The energy of the crowd has changed -- how could it not, what with Jairen's elegant display and Loren and Emma's unbridled youthful embrace for everyone to see? Aware of this as a good bard ought to be, Shenner has gauged her audience once she leaps up to take over the stage. And when the Womprats begin to play, their second set kicks off with music to answer this stronger, more primal mood in the bar. The first song, "Down in the Alley", pounds into life with -- no surprises here -- pounded out eighth notes on Loren's tom-toms. (Jonny, Jonny, Jonny, Jonny, Jonny) (Jonny, Jonny, Jonny, Jonny, Jonny) Down in the alley, just you and me We're goin' ballin' till half past three Just rockin' and reelin', we'll get that feelin' Down in the alley Oh baby gee... Jairen winces slightly at the loud music that suddenly is there. He blinks a couple of times, then sips his drink and looks around. Spying Athena he smile and bows to her slightly. "Good eve m'lady." Athena nods and blushes even to the warrior as she move closer the man, listening the time to Shenners singing, but not distracting her with any call or wave. She steps beside Jairen and orders a hot chocolate from Ariani, "Greetings Sir." she says polite to the man. Loren Jarnes is not the only member of the Womprats who can exude sex. Shenneret Veery, in command of this song, growls out each word as if in challenge, her green eyes sparking, her hands brandishing her guitar as if it were a weapon. Only on stage does Shenner turn such an expression on _anyone_, but her audience takes it in with unabashed glee, multiple pairs of hands beginning to clap out the beat. Loren gets to kiss Emma... Shenner, well, Shenner gets to _sing_. Jairen is actually not paying much attention to the music. Some of it hurts his ears, so he tunes it out. "How are you this night, Lady Athena?" He asks the woman who just came to the bar next to him. Athena blinks at her title she was just called and shakes her head, "No Lady... "she explains slowly as her eyes move carefully over the male, before she continues, "As long you aren't an imperial citizen." she frowns and expects already an outburst by the man. Jairen's eyes go a tad distant at that for a moment before returning to normal. Shakes his head. "No, m'lady, I am no Imperial citizen...." The clock is strikin' a mournful sound This time of evenin' my love comes down That's when I'm missin' your kind of kissin' Down in the alley That's where I'll be It hasn't helped much that Paul's been on her mind a lot lately... and on top of it, oh, aye, Jairen looked more than handsome, swinging Emma about the floor as if the two of them had been born to do nothing else. After several months of practice, though, Shen's gotten very good at channeling her frustrations into one of three things at any given time: drinking, vigorous exercise (preferably with swords involved) and song. Song is her available option now, and if frustrated hormones of her own are the reason for the extra growl in her vocals, well, nobody needs to know that but her. Athena smirks and returns her face to Jairen, from which she just looked at Emma, smiling at her but frowning at Loren's kiss. She smirks at Jairen, "you see, no Lady then..." she sighs and extends her hand to the man, "But still my pleasure." she says being somehow in a good mood even toward Jairen. She waits for Jairen's answer before she turns around on her barstool , listening to Shenner, sighing deeply suddenly. Jairen takes a sip of his drink. "Particularly not since the Imperials were forced to leave this planet am I not an Imperial citizen." takes another drink. "My appologies. It is simply the custom of my people to call women as such. I merely do so out of respect and habit." Athena hmmms and looks back at Jairen, "Out of respect?" she asks carefully and raises even an eyebrow, "_Respect_ is to call a person by its right title..." she mentions slowly and sips on her hot drink, before looking back at the not usual show onthe stage. Jairen says, "However, I am unaware of any title you bear, m'lady. Therefore, I use the polite default of my culture. If it offends, I am truely sorry." Down in the alley we sure have fun We just get started 'bout half past one So if you're round, just drop on down Down in the alley And you will see Loren might have spent a good chunk of the last several months getting alternately punched and drunk under the nearest table by Shen, but one has to admit, his singing voice blends in quite well with the redheaded girl's, as he warbles out a tenor harmony over the top of her gravelly alto. Karm and Tethra have taken up their horns again, though, so it's up to Loren and Aa'leet to provide the backups as the band finishes off "Down in the Alley", once more belting out the name of the otherwise unidentified "Jonny" and pounding down to a sultry closing chord on "Jon". Athena laughs out loudly suddenly looking back at Jairen, "Geee, insulted me? No no, no way, just feeling honored by you." she smiles and even for a short part of a moment there was a wicked grin on her lips. Athena must be really in some good mood, she suddenly even puts two fingers of each hand in her mouth and whistles sharply in a high pitched soung, stating her agreement to the message of the song. Jairen arches a brow slightly at Athena's remarks, then gives a light clapping to the band as well. This seems to be about as much acknowledgement as they usually get from him after playing a song. "I am pleased I have not offended then, m'lady." As the bar in general sounds out its approval, Shenner flings out a feral crooked grin into the room. She barks off a four-count, and the Womprats are off again, with well-practiced ease, into something less raucous but with a faster, more upbeat tempo... and a lot more guitar work from the redheaded woman leading the band. Well I quit my job down in the droid shop Left my momma a goodbye note By sundown I was spacebound with my guitar under my coat I hitchhiked all the way out to Bespin Touched down on the very next day For the next three weeks I went a'huntin' through the nightclubs Lookin' for a place to play Well I thought my pickin' would set 'em on fire But nobody wanted to hire a guitar girl Jairen turns to watch the band again, his conversational partner having left. He goes through a lot of those, really. The horns and the keyboards and the drums are keeping up their rhythms, but it's the guitar that owns this song, without a doubt. And Shenner talk-sings her way through the lyrics even as her slender fingers pluck out a complex melody line beneath them: So I camped on transport freighters Roamed to the Rim and back Till I found myself touchin' down on Caspar At a club they called Big Jack's A little four-piece band was jammin' So I took my guitar and gave it a whirl I showed 'em what a band could sound like With a swingin' little guitar girl (show 'em hon!) And with that, Shenner flies off into a solo, fast-paced and furious, but each note clear and ringing, the guitar responding under her hands like a ship's engine for the finest of pilots. At this, a small smile touches Jairen's lips. This is part of the reason he respects this girl so much. Though she is far from the 'greatest' musician he has ever heard in her life, she loves what she does, and does what she loves with the greatest ferver and cautious abandon that any warrior would be jelous of in a battle. No, not the most stellar musician in the galaxy, not even in her own species -- but she's got skill, she's got passion, and tonight, Shenneret Veery's got the attention of people who have trudged through Plaxton City's torrential rainy season to come and listen to her sing. For Shen, it's enough to bring out fire in her eyes, a grin to her lips, and reason to unleash into music emotion those who know her off her stage never see her express. Tonight, as the Womprat's final set of the evening progresses, she takes her compatriots and their audience through a full gamut of those emotions, too. "Guitar Girl" leads into "Corellian's Bane" -- and the obvious irony of her song selection is lost neither upon the audience, who holler in delight, nor on Loren, who looks quite put out even as he begins the slicing snare rhythm that undercuts this new song. A hungry kid from Plawal's dome Wants off her forsaken home And a smuggler man's the first to come With a tale of his freighter's frame To journey into Rebel space Her credits and her trust she'll place In a dashing grin and a beautiful face And a ride upon the _Corell's Flame_ But while they're stopped on Tatooine He gets more drunk than she ever has seen Tries to blast in where no man has been.... That's the way of a Corellian swain! Jairen is obviously rather amused at the choice of songs, seeing as tonight, he is the Corellian's Bane... sortof. At least a certain Corellian's bane. The song continues. This one seems to have particular punch for Shenner, for something kindles behind her eyes as she sings it, something somewhere past just the jibe of poking fun at the handsome young drummer behind her. As the girl in the song smacks her faithless lover over the head with her blaster, and as he in turn abandons her beneath Tatooine's desert suns, the girl undergoes a transformation... Her hair is like the setting sun Her grace and voice, they are rivalled by none But you soon shall rue the deed you have done If you cross the Corellian's Bane! Her face is fair and her breath is sweet But do not fall for her cunning deceit For she'll slice ya wide from your head to your feet 'Tis the way of the Corellian's Bane! Jairen's eyes narrow slightly, observing Shenner's reactions to the song more than the song itself. "Intriguing," he comments to himself. A song of revenge sought, a song of betrayed affection -- and a song of harsh advice, for the final chorus -- "Corellian men, you'd best be true / And faithful in the loving you do / Or else let gods have pity on you / If you cross the Corellian's Bane!" -- is unmistakably and blatant warning. Every girl in the audience cheers wildly, and Loren visibly sulks a moment or two, though he plasters on a dry lopsided smile that wins him a few cheers of his own. Onward goes the set. "Corellian's Bane" leads into a few more of the Womprat's familiar repetoire... "Faerie Queen", with Shenner singing the part of the human maiden who challenges the Queen of Faerie for her stolen lover, and Karm in her rich deep contralto singing the part of the queen, and Shen with two guitar solos. The first is a work of precision, showing off the speed and dexterity with which she can call forth explosions of notes from her guitar strings. The second, with its leading verse of "My head was filled with mortal dreams of love beneath the moon / Of sun and rain and seasons' change, and so began my tune," is a work of very real human passion, and as she sends it pealing out into the room, half the crowd is on its feet to dance. Jairen listens to the song, wincing ever so slihglty at overtones in the music, some of them painful physically to him. "Elf Glade": Wild, fey, and uncontained, Loren's drums pulse out like pounding heartbeats beneath the melody line. Even more than "Faerie Queen", this song's chorus of "Lords of earth and lords of fire, life the love that they desire" has the Sandbar's patrons dancing, a number of them even dancing _well_ as the exertion burns out the alcohol in their systems and lends energy to their movements. More songs... a handful more. Until at last, the band begins to wind down, Shenner giving a single small gesture that cues them to flow into the opening bars of the song with which she's started closing every single one of the Womprat's shows: "Tomorrow We Leave for Mandalore." The harmony of that last song, not unlike that of "I'll Remember You", flows out into the bar... and by the final chorus, practically everyone has fallen silent enough for Shenner's voice to ring out clear and alone on the lowly sung "Come tomorrow, we leave for Mandalore...." Minutes later, to enthusiastic applause, the Womprats call it a night. Tired, deeply satisfied -- even Loren, who's had reason to be fairly cranky for most of the evening -- they stand to take their bows. And soon after, equally tired, equally satisfied, the Sandbar's customers start wending their way back to their homes. In the midst of it all, once her instruments are safely stowed away, Shenner appears near Jairen out of the crowd, that slight smile of hers tugging at her mouth. "Glad you stayed," she says by way of resumed greeting. "See ya 'round soon?" Jairen smiles at the young woman. "Indeed. It was well played if not a little loud. I look forward to your next performance I can attend." Pauses for a moment, then continues. "Please inform your drummer of my appologies. However, you and I both require rest at this time. We shall see each other soon." Bows slightly with a smile. "Good eve to you Shenner." Emma might have been veritably swooning at Jairen's courtly manners; to Shenner, they're mostly an excuse for her to get a little more gruff. Still, though, she's grinning a little. "Yeah... you too, Jairen." She pronounces the name a trifle unsurely; it sits oddly on her tongue. Before she vanishes out into the night, she tosses off a glance at Loren, who's managed to pull Emma right back into his arms. And she promises: "I'll tell him." For the briefest of instants, mischief twinkles in her green eyes as she concludes, ".... tomorrow." [End log.]