[D1EE] The Real Thing

[Cal Arcton]

Cal smirked. "Well, I'm retired. Sorta. I try not to worry about things as much as I used to."

He took a drink of his beer, sighing. "Like I said, I think they're good people. But if it looks like things are going that way again, well, least I know what the right thing to do is."

He grinned, flashing her a wink. "And if anyone tries to restart the Galactic Civil War with you in here, I'll shoot 'em myself. You've got my word on that, Miss."

[Cefey Raneth]

"Hah, such a chevalier attitude," she flashed a pearly-white grin. "What if I shoot them first, hm?"

[Cal Arcton]

"Well then, I'd help you carry them out to the street." Cal said, straight-faced, nodding. "Call me old-fashioned, but where I come from, a lady shouldn't have to carry bodies by herself."

He smiled. "See? You get the best service here at Twelve Parsecs. We always go the extra mile for regulars and friends."

[Cefey Raneth]

She chuckled warmly. "Lifting is not mon job anyway." That was Darling's.

"Friend, huh..." Fey took a deep drink from her beer. "I'm... flattered, that tu would say so so quickly."

[Cal Arcton]

"Yeah, well..." Cal scratched at his stubble. "Depending on how I was feeling, maybe I'd have Kor do it, anyway. Put all those muscles he's got to good use." Not that he didn't have any muscle... Cal did his best to covertly glance down.

Cal smirked. "Is that what I'm saying? Maybe I was just hopin' you'd become a regular." He let the smirk linger a moment longer before giving her a nod. "I don't know. Seems to me another friend's never a bad thing to have. For some people, adding friends is as easy as that. For others, it takes longer." He narrowed his eyes, studying her thoughtfully. "I could take a guess as to which sort you are."

[Cefey Raneth]

"Becoming a regular would be très bon..." she sighed wistfully before regarding him with a smirk in return. "But, je wonder which type you would guess I am."

[Cal Arcton]

"Yeah?" Cal smiled. "Well, all it takes to become a regular is to come in enough times that the bartender recognizes you. I've got a feeling that's not gonna take very long." He said.

"Hmmm..." Leaning on the bar, Cal rubbed his stubbly chin with one hand. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "You know, actually, I keep changin' my mind on that. First I'd have said the former, than the latter..." After a moment, he nodded. "But now I'm gonna guess that you're closer to the former." He let his eyebrows go up in unspoken question.

[Cefey Raneth]

Fey chuckled and let the silence reign for a moment as she finished off her beer. "Ah, well, I can't disappoint you then, monsieur. It would be sad, non?" And that would be her answer to that question.

"But I am keeping tu from business?" she gestured to his decked out attire.

[Cal Arcton]

Cal waited, smiling, his eyes narrowed. "I see." He said. "Well then, by all means, let us avoid disappointment."

He nodded. "You're right." Cal rose easily to his feet. His lips parted as though to speak, but instead he leaned way out, over the bar. His arm dipped down, briefly searching, and then came back up. When it did, it was holding a hat. Dark brown leather, well-worn, but clearly also well-made.

With a smirk and a flourish, Cal twirled the hat up onto his head. "There we go." He said, smoothing the brim with one hand. And then he tipped it to her, nodding. "Miss Fey. Won't be too long, I hope." He said.

[Cefey Raneth]

She giggled as she watched him don his hat. It looked old and worn, having maybe seen quite the number of adventures on its own. "Au revoire, monsieur. Good hunting!"

[Cal Arcton]

Still smirking, Cal gave the gorgeous twi'lek one last wave as he walked to the door. He was pretty sure he cut a rather fine figure as he walked away, boots pounding authoritatively on the ground, duster trailing dramatically behind him. It still fit him pretty well, even if he didn't need to tighten it as much as he used to.

The door swung open, and he was off.

...

The light above his stool began to flicker.



The translucent red figure appeared between one moment and the next, so fast you'd miss it if you blinked. She, if a creature of light and shadow could be called she, stood just to the side of the stool Cal had occupied. Her pose was alluring, one hand on curving hip, but something about the shadows made her limbs look uncannily long, ruining the effect. Ghostly feminine laughter seemed to echo all around.

"Well hello." The figure said, lips moving not quite in time with the words. "It's a pleasure to see a new face..." The last word seemed to trail on and on, although whether that was program error or unusual emphasis was hard to tell.

[Cefey Raneth]

He seems nice, she thought as she stretched on her stool. Right now, she was relaxed and carefree, so the appearance of the red silhouette caught her completely off-guard - which resulted in a brief shriek and the stool becoming unbalanced as she jolted away, causing her to fall over on her side.

"Qu'est-ce qu'il fait, là?!"

[Cal Arcton]

It was hard to tell through the electronic distortion, but it almost sounded as though the soft laughter took on a mocking edge. The image bent forward, smiling. "Oh, poor thing." She cooed. The light flickered, and she disappeared, appearing in the same instant behind Fey. "I hope you didn't hurt yourself..."

The image laughed again, bending forward to blow the fallen twi'lek a kiss. "Be seeing you..." And just as suddenly as she appeared, she vanished, although her laughter lingered on.

No one else in the bar seemed to have noticed.