Not so Cinderella Story [Day 3, EE, Open]

[Hin'biki]

The Codpiece was bustling as ever, with the usual crowd, and idly wiping the bar, Hin'biki stared blankly at one of the projection displays as he idly listened to the band. He sighed and continued his work, but his mind was on the party happening uptown. Just like everyone else, he knew Vida's was hosting a gala, or what passed for a gala in P-town.

He stopped his scrubbing and just lost himself in thoughts of what it must be like to go to a fancy party like that, whorehouse or no. Really classy he bet. Maybe not like the parties his owner used to throw, but probably a whole lot more enjoyable. Thought of his former master snapped him out of it and he furrowed his brow in a half scowl going back to cleaning the bar.

Stupid....what would he even do there anyway.

[Honorordeath]

"Whatcha dooooin'?" came the voice of a young Mirialan girl, face absent of tattoo's and lovingly referred to as Rat by most of those around lower Providencetown. Having snuck her way through the crowds of people she hunched over so that she could hide a bit behind the bar. Looking up to Hin'biki where he stood leaning the bar.

[Hin'biki]

Hin wasn't above being startled, and he jerked in a reflexive defense. His lekku wrapped up close to his body and he could feel his breath hitch. When he looked down and saw Rat, he breathed a soft sigh of relief, though his heart still pounded for a few minutes more.

"My job," he fired back with mild irritation. "I see you live up to your name. Follow the other rats in? Maybe you can show me how to stop them."

[Honorordeath]

"Seems boring, why don't you do something more... I dunno, fun?" she asked innocently as she slipped back further behind the bar. Checking out how things were back here. Examining the bottles, the glasses, everything she could find and see. "And no, rats gotta look out for each other. We all need to find what food everyone else leaves behind," she said confidently.

[Hin'biki]

"Fine," he said with a certain exasperation.

"But no fun! I have stuff I need to do, and frankly, this, here" he gestured out to the floor with the patrons walking, standing, sitting, and drinking, "this keeps me from having to go back to doing what you're doing."

"So I work. Keeps food in my belly, a roof over my head, and the bou-," he stopped abruptly. "A roof over my head," he repeated ending his statement.

"A lot better than having to go back to the streets. I didn't like it."

He poured a drink into a tall, skinny glass and passed it over to a duros, collecting his payment as he did. He gave the young girl a nonplus look as his fingers, by muscle memory, punched in the drink, inserted the credit stick, and transferred the credits to the till.

"See that? I just made 1 credit from that drink. And guess how many drinks I make in a night?"

[Honorordeath]

"Booooooring," she said, lifting a glass from the lower cabinet and examining it a bit closer. "Skills like yours you could make a lot more than I do. I've seen it. Big guys upstairs give jobs to the best of us here on the streets. Even this little guy, brat I knew when I was younger. He sold out to some Houk who has him runnin' around deliverin' messages and the like. See him runnin' around in really nice clothes. Doesn't stop to talk to anybody."

"Anyway," she turned the glass over in her hands and looked into it at the liquid from behind. "You were gonna say something about Bounty Hunters, weren't ya? Only thing that makes sense. So, what'd you do?"

[Hin'biki]

"Nothing," he said with mild irritation. "There aren't any bounty hunters."

It wasn't a total lie, he really didn't know if there were. He hadn't seen any in a year. And it had been four since he escaped. Maybe the Kors finally gave up. Hin mentally sighed, not likely.

"I remember taking messages around. Then that turned into packages, then it turned into smuggling, then it turned into real, bad crime. Your friend is part of the life now. Only way to get out is to run and run for the rest of your life."

[Honorordeath]

Rat gained a little scowl on her expression as she stared down into the bottle. Keeping silent for a moment before she turned her thoughts back a step. "Bou-- bounty? Bouquet? Bou- Bou- bounce? B-o-u..."

[Hin'biki]

Hin just rolled his eyes, "Here, you want to be useful, take this drink to that Caldanian over there," he pointed at a figured draped in a heavy hood and goggles, looking every bit the mysterious figure trying way too hard not to draw attention to itself.

"And collect 5 credits for the drink." A tall earthen cup with some sort of liquid was handed Rat's way. "Do some honest work for once."

[Honorordeath]

Sliding the bottle she held in her hands back on the bottom shelf the young girl looked up, peeked over the counter and found the guest he was talking about. "You want me to deliver a drink to them?" she asked, indignantly. Pulling herself up at the counter so she had a clearer view.

[Hin'biki]

"There's a credit in it for you," he replied smoothly, pouring out several more drinks as a light overhead started to flash. It rested below one of the many screens behind the bar. Hin pushed the tray aside and began mixing another, more elaborate drink, requiring layers and multiple bottles.

He held them at awkward angles as he poured, but his movements were smooth, practiced. Even as he balance one over his shoulder and poured some of its contents in a long stream into a glass on the rail. All this was done to increase his efficiency. The way he moved meant he didn't bend, or stoop, or turn without necessity, instead moving the bottles around his person. It might have seemed a delightful performance of mixology if it weren't for the bland look of fatigue that wore on his face.

[Honorordeath]

"Showoff," Rat said, rolling her eyes as she took the drink in hand and spun about. Seeking her way over toward the one who had made the order. Stopping, smiling, and talking to him a little while.

[Roll a Perception, Hard Check]
[Spotting something Rat is doing]

[Hin'biki]

Hin was sometimes a naive sort, willing to, every so often, give people a benefit of a doubt. They were few and far between, and so, as Rat went off to deliver the drink, he just continued to prep the set of drinks that had to go to one of the back rooms. Rather than keeping an eye on the girl, he flipped a switch and the blinking light beneath the monitor stopped and he hoisted the tray to his shoulder, set on making his own delivery.

He maneuvered deftly through the crowd, oblivious to the possible trouble that may have been brewing.

Perception (Cunning) = 0 Successes, 3 Threats

[Honorordeath]

Right at the opportune moment Hin'biki might have noticed something had it not been for the crossing of a few patrons chatting, completely obscuring the scene. On the other side of the patrons the drink was delivered and Rat, and the patron, seemed content with the experience. Rat returned to the counter and slid behind it once more. Following over to Hin'biki with the five credits in hand.

[Hin'biki]

Finished with his delivery to the back, he returned to the bar, to find the young Rat. With his tray tucked under his arm, he extended his hand for the credit chip.

[Honorordeath]

Rat flashed a grin and handed over the credits, all five. "See, I'm almost better at this than you are," she said with a cocky grin.

[Hin'biki]

Hin deadpanned, inserting the credit stick into the datapad, then handing it back to the orphan. "Okay, you managed to take a drink to a drunk, don't pat yourself on the back too hard. Also....this job's not that hard."

He feigned a sigh, "But it was worth a tip. So, here's the remaining credit from the drink."

[Honorordeath]

"Thaaaank you!" she said, accepting the credit back happily. "So!" she said, "you said you wanna hear what I been hearing around town, right? Anything interesting? I have a few things, maybe, might be something you wanna know."

[Hin'biki]

His lekku perked up ever so slightly as an exaggeration of his interest, "Always good to keep an ear to the ground. So, what have ya got?"

[Honorordeath]

"Welllll, One Horn doesn't seem to popular these days. Much less than normal," she said, with a shrug to show off some indifference. "That Houk, the one my friend works for, he's been sayin' some things. Don't really know what, but he doesn't seem happy with how things are."