Galaxy's Edge Space Bar

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Rathien's eyes light up at Merc's display.  "Very nice!  Seems my first glance underestimated you."  He runs the finger over his lower lip...perhaps this human would be able to take him in a fight.  "Can't say I have any innate power.  Just my weapons...but..."  He picks up his Entroper in one swift move and fires it straight up at the ceiling.  The weapon hums as it fires and the shot hisses as it passes, followed by a trail of fire.  No debris falls from the ceiling as everything in the shot's path seems to have disintegrated.  "...this little puppy will take care of about anything.  I call it an Entroper.  See, the projectile works by breaking all compound chemical bonds in its path, which breaks everything but pure elements into baser elements and releases a fair amount of heat in the process."  He grins wide.

"And if that's not enough..."  He sets the Entroper down, oblivious to the ceiling healing itself shut, and grabs his fighting blades, drawing them while still seated on the stool.  He flourishes one of them magnificently as he brings the other one down to rest on the stool between Merc's legs, tip first.  "...I can get up close and personal."  He smirks again, the flat part of the blade's edge barely rubbing against Merc's clothed 'region'.  "Very personal."

[guitarhero01234]

"Holy ****," Merc utters. He slowly moves back in his seat, visibly uncomfortable with the blade being so dangerously close to his groin. This guy isn't playing around. "Look," he stammers, "I'm not exactly hurting for a fight here. Especially when, uh . . ." He pauses, trying to find the right words. "Y'know, I've said before that I'd put my balls on the line, but I never exactly meant that literally. Cool gun though," he says just a little too quickly. "Definitely never seen anything like that where I'm from."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Rathien pulls the blade back and sheathes them both, still grinning.  "Well, we don't have to fight just this instant.  There are other options after all."  He winks at Merc again before picking his flute back up and sipping.  "There are many things I might do to them, but you don't have to worry about me injuring them.  I don't like dealing low blows..." he pauses, chuckling.  "Well...you know what I mean.  I'd never hurt a man's boys...just isn't fair play."  He looks behind the bar, surreptitiously swirling his finger around in the flute and then bringing it to his mouth, stripping the liquor slowly off with his lips and then taking another sip before looking back at Merc, affecting ignorance to his actions.

"It is cool.  Nothing compared to the rifle I keep stowed in my ship, but she's a lot easier to carry around, and she gets the job done.  I save the rifle for those extra-special jobs."  He smirks.

[guitarhero01234]

Merc holds up a shaky hand. "Hey man, I really can't tell if you're just messing around or what, but if you're not, I'm sorry, I really don't think I'm interested. It's a long story, and one that I don't even know if I want to get into." He sighs, wiping his forehead. The hell is going on? This guy is freaking me out, but something about him . . .

"But what do you mean, 'extra-special jobs?' People putting hits out on mastodons or something? Because far as I can tell, that pistol there looks like it can blow a hole through damn near anything."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Rathien smiles a bit.  "Messing around?  I think you'd know if I was messing around, terran."  The Ildari takes another sip, still smiling and not giving Merc a straightforward answer.  "I suppose I could if you really want me to..."  He chuckles.  "But that could get dangerous."  He licks his lips, leaning against the bar counter again.

He waves his hand a bit dismissively.  "Oh...the types of job where it might just be better to kill my target from ten kilometers away.  Or just to add that special touch.  See, the rifle has the ability to charge anti-protons into a contained blast.  In essence, it can shoot a contained but rampant matter-antimatter explosion in a linear progression.  The amount of destruction is...satisfying.  Though perhaps not quite as satisfying as certain other activities."

[guitarhero01234]

"Okay," Merc mumbles, "I understood about half of that. Anti-protons, linear progression . . . yeah, you kind of lost me there." He twists his mouth into a half-smile, which is not exactly an easy task, considering his current discomfort. "But destruction? I think that got through well enough."

He sighs, tired of dancing around the topic that is obviously on Rathien's mind. "Alright. I'm just gonna make it clear right now. I'm really not interested in screwing. Sorry, but it's just not something I do. I would never bring the topic up around my wife - again, long story - so I wouldn't even know the first thing to do." He picks up the cigarette that was placed on the bar. Again, he didn't remember asking for one, but at this point, he's long past caring. "Hell, you're from a different planet. No offense, but I don't even know what, er, differences there would be between us."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Rathien only smiles a bit wider.  "Screwing?  That's an interesting word for it."  He chuckles.  "You terrans all seem to jump to the same conclusion.  The dance is much like a hunt, dear Merc.  Do I know I'm keeping you off-balance?  Of course.  But you have to admit that some part of you enjoys it.  Somewhere, deep in that big brain, you like being off-kilter.  Will it lead to where you went?  I would be a liar if I didn't say that the idea entertains me, but that isn't always where it leads.  But for the record..."  Rathien arms his active camouflage and disappears from sight, silently moving next to Merc and whispering softly into his ear.  "...if it did, you could pretend I'm not even there." 

He runs a hand gently up and down Merc's spine for a brief moment before taking his seat again and disarming his active camo, leaning his head against his hand, elbow resting on the bar-top.  "You may not know, but I do.  Anatomically, we are the same."  He shrugs, taking another sip of liquor, still wearing his winning grin.

"I suppose you wouldn't be familiar with the typical method in which a starship generates energy.  Matter and anti-matter react explosively when they come into contact with each other.  The energy release is enormous, larger than a..."  He thinks for a moment. "Larger than a Hydrogen fusion bomb in equal fuel quantities.  My rifle can cause a similar explosion, but contain and direct it in a cylindrical formation."

[guitarhero01234]

Merc shudders at Rathien's touch. He was confused, and as much as he'd hate to admit it, scared, but something about Rathien made Mercer want to pry into his head. He didn't seem to be antagonistic, but as he knew all too well, people can be masters of deception. "Nice trick," he says, regarding the camouflage. Why were words escaping him!? Was this guy just playing with him in his grief? No, of course not. There was no way he could know.

"So tell me," he finally says. "Why are you focusing on me here? There's a lot of other people in this room, and I don't think I'm very much of a looker, to be frank." He takes a look around the room, and at that moment he realizes that he had barely even noticed anyone else since he started talking to Rathien. "You practically admitted that you're toying with me. 'Keeping me off-balance,' or whatever. And I happen to be going through a lot right now. I'm not saying some part of me doesn't want to see where this is gonna go, but . . . ****, what am I saying!?"

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Rathien smiles a bit more genuinely.  "The truth?  You spoke with me first, and jokingly.  From there, overhearing your other conversations, I learned that you kill for pay, something that I also do.  So we have that in common.  And finally, you looked a tad lonely and forlorn.  Hate to see sad faces at a bar, so i thought you could use a little cheering up."

"I'll admit, my company probably isn't the kind of company you want, especially since you had a wife, but I'm not the worst sort."  He drinks his Miruvin deeply.  "We're both outcasts.  I'm all but banished from my planet.  I don't really mind it, they're a bunch of stiffs.  But not having a home to return to..."  He lets the comment hang, getting a tad uncomfortable about himself.  He'd thought he'd found a home again with Tobias, but he counted himself a fool for believing that even for a minute.

[guitarhero01234]

Mercer nods, every word that Rathien says hitting home. "I appreciate it," he says, still not entirely convinced that there's no ulterior motive. He momentarily brushes this notion aside as his own skepticism getting the better of him. "I already told everyone else here, but last night, my wife, Dani, was gunned down. When I got here, all I cared about was finding my way back home co I could find the bastard that did it." He sets the unlit cigarette down, no longer wanting it. "But you know what? I think we're kind of in the same boat there. If I do get back, then what? She's still gone, I have nobody to call a friend, and revenge would only satisfy me for a little while." He shakes his head. "Then what," he echoes bitterly.

Merc shivers, shaking himself out of his funk. "Sorry, got a little lost there. But you know what? You're probably the most genuine company I've had here so far, dead-ass serious. I don't feel like you're trying to bull**** me or anything, and I appreciate that."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

"So recent...I can see why you might not appreciate my advances."  He chuckles.  "Even though I promise I'd be able take your mind off of it for a short while, given the opportunity.  I know a few very enjoyable tricks..."  He lets that suggestion hang a moment before shrugging. 

"There's joy in the hunt and in the kill, but you'll need to hunt again and again to remain satisfied.  In my experience, attachments hold you back...at least they've held me back."  His mind wanders to Tobias shaking his head and telling himself once again that he wasn't upset about being dumped on a random planet.  "Attachments can be used against you.  Used to manipulate you or hurt you.  They're a shackle that can only end in pain."

He places his free hand on the back of Mercer's, squeezing it supportively.  "Glad to be of service, Merc.  I find that honesty is often the most efficacious path to take.  I reach my goals with it well."  He pauses, sipping his flute once more.  "Though that's not to say I haven't lied through my teeth in the past.  I had a contract on a guy once...well, let's just say he thought I was a...well a male entertainer.  That was a fun contract, in more ways than one."

[guitarhero01234]

Merc chuckles at the last part of the story. "I'm sure that was interesting, to say the least." He blushes slightly at the contact between Rathien's hand and his. Why the hell am I enjoying this? "But no, I can tell you're not lying. Part of being a con man is reading people, after all. And everyone else here is either lying through their teeth, hiding something, or is just freaky. Except maybe Jeffrey and Ossanlin." He gestures over to them with his head. "And Verdana over there, I suppose, but I can't get a read on him to save my life."

"As for attachments . . . well, I thought the same thing for the longest time. Then I met Dani. I'm not gonna bore you with the details, but she very well could have saved my life, and hell if I wasn't gonna repay her for that." He sighs, secretly savoring the contact with the Ildari. "Then again, look how that ended up."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Rathien chuckles richly.  "You're saying you don't find the Andalite, as you put it, freaky?  You, a terran who's apparently having his first non-terran encounter?  You have a very broad perspective, my friend." He rubs his thumb gently along the back of Merc's fingers."  He glances sidewise at the skeleton child thing and slides a bit closer to speak in a lower tone.  "Really, you're having trouble reading the weird animated skeleton goat child?  How could you possibly have any problems there?"  He smirks sarcastically.

"I can't speak on attachments.  Except those on the short-term.  Every long-term relationship I've had, and I can tell you it hasn't been many, has ended up blowing up in my face somehow."  He grimaces a bit.  "When you let someone in, when you truly trust them, they can really hurt you.  Granted in your case your wife wasn't trying to hurt you, but they used her to hurt you.  In my case, I guess those I have long-term relationships with just don't seem to deserve my trust in the end.  The leave or take off in the middle of a mission on some random gods-forsaken lump of rock in the middle of space..."

He sighs.  "And I never hear from them again, though I suppose the original betrayal was the one that came from my parents and the rest of my race.  So now I do what makes me happy, I suppose.  The hunt."  He continues to rub his thumb over Merc's fingers gently.

[guitarhero01234]

"Well, obviously, I've never seen anything like him before," Merc says. "Andalite, you said? But I don't know, he seems to me like a decent guy. Not actively trying to screw anyone's life up, at least."

He winces slightly when Rathien talks about his relationships. "That sounds rough, man. Seems like everyone's out to **** you over. But you really can't let a few bad experiences turn you off from others, you know?" He shakes his head. "Then again, I'm certainly one to speak.

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

"That's because everyone is.  It's a lot easier to just be concerned about yourself."  He takes another deep swig of his miruvin.  "Watch out for number one and the rest be damned."

"I suppose...I've met him before.  Idealistic and not nearly as prickish as the rest of his people.  Most of 'em look down at you like you're not even worth stepping on.  Real superior-like."