Out of Place [Open]

[Samus Aran]

It was a good night for Chora's Den. The usual crowd was present along with an influx of travelers and tourists and whatever sad sops needed to drink their lives away. The place was neatly packed, but not so full where the staff couldn't manage it. The thump of electronic club music was loud, but not so loud where people couldn't hear their conversations with one another over the din of other voices. Most were enjoying themselves, drinking and chatting and laughing and flirting with other patrons and staff.

However, that most did not include Samus Aran.

She sat at the end of the bar that was mostly unoccupied, legs folded as she stared at the brightly pigmented drink in her hand, both arms resting on the bar. Blue eyes tinted with green occasionally drifted across the crowd, her expression neutral and calm despite how displeased the bounty hunter really was. For a moment she was grateful that she was not here in her suit; the bright, flashy powered armor had been ditched for a more casual outfit, but her zerosuit was equipped underneath so she could always equip her powersuit when she needed to. The powersuit was too iconic; most didn't know her appearance, but they'd easily be able to identify her by the large shoulder pads and giant arm cannon.

Sighing, she took another sip of her drink, scanning the crowd again before rosy lips twitched downward slightly. Her target was supposed to be here an hour ago. Which meant that the tip she had gotten was poor quality, or she had gotten it from the wrong person. For all she knew, her bounty could have been informed and fled the Citadel already. The thought of tracking down his associates, getting the information from them, and then going and hunting her target across a few systems made the idea of sitting here in this crowd seem more and more appealing, despite her preference for solitude.

"Just great," She muttered herself, motioning to the bartender to refill her glass. Today was going to be a long day.

[nightarcher]

Everyone needed some shore leave now and then, especially the captain of a warship. They would be in dock for a few weeks now for resupply and waiting for the rest of the patrol group. A Frigate and a pair of corvettes were supposed to join him before they went out on the safe zone of space Citadel and Human space. It would be one of his first actual patrol as captain of a ship and in command of a patrol group. All he had done so far was test flights of the newly refitted, repaired and upgraded Thermopylae.

So what better way to wait for the rest of his patrol group and the rest of his crew than spend it relaxing at bars on the citadel. He had hears some interesting rumors about Chora’s den, and the interesting entertainment. He walked into the bar, and was immediately surrounded by the thump of the electric music banging against his ears. Multiple Asari seemed to be up on stages dancing for some patrons around them. And there were even some patrons dancing to the music on a dance stage.

The bar even was mostly full, though a few people seemed to stand out among those enjoying a drink. Including a tall blonde at one end of the bar. At least he assumed she was tall by looking at the size of the stools. One of the few actually open bar stools was just around the corner from her. He knew enough about himself that he was likely about to get his ass kicked by a tall leggy blonde.

Making his way over, Darion moved to the stool close to her, and actually looked at the woman. “Do you mind if I sit here. I don’t know if this seat is taken or not.” He asked, though he did not really wait as the bartender did bring her drink over, and was thus close enough for him to get his order. “Excuse me. Whiskey Sour please.” He ordered as he pulled the stool out and took a seat.



Outfit

[Joshua Bookman]

   Joshua Bookman walked out of his room for the first time in at least a week. He had lost track while lost inside of his books; lost inside the folds of an invisible universe. He decided that for the night he was going to go out for once. As the door shut behind him and he entered the PIN for the lock he frowned as he remembered what had happened last time he went to a bar. He had been assaulted by asinine questions by a bunch drunks who thought he had been a professor at a local school. He looked down and rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. He had high hopes that tonight would be much better than the last, and that he might meet some interesting company that can keep their head straight in the company of an intellectual.
   He headed for the bar and when he reached it he grabbed at the knot in his tie, adjusting it so it lay symmetrical across his white button down shirt. He then grabbed at the opening to his black blazer and lay it correctly across his lean body. He looked up, took a deep breath, and walked into the bar. As he walked around he saw all of the patrons dancing around to the blaring techno music. He had no idea why this was his bar of choice, considering he hated this type of music, but it seemed to be all the rage since not to many people still remember rock and roll.
   As he approached the bar he surveyed it for any empty spots that he could sit down and read in his former friend's journal. He noticed that the center was filled, and that the two sides were clearer of the crowd, but that one was only occupied by two people, a blonde woman, and a brunette man. They didn't seem to be chatting, so Joshua decided that he would head over there, as where he assumed it should be quieter.
   He got to the bar and grabbed a seat on the empty side of blonde, not wanting to sit next to the man, in case he was looking for conversation. As Joshua sat at the bar, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a dark brown leather bound book. He placed the book onto the bar and flipped open to the bookmarked page. He began reading, but not before ordering a soda, with no ice and a lemon. Joshua had little taste for alcohol and didn't wish to start trying when he was far into some research he was able to steal off of his former mentor.
   After a minute he realized his lack of manners. He looked up from his book and glanced over towards the two patrons he was nearest. "I'm deeply sorry. Is this stool occupied?" The question aimed at either of them.

[Samus Aran]

She could feel the man approach, but didn't react until he spoke, turning her head, blond hair flipping as a polite smile grew on her lips. "Not at all." Samus' replied evenly with a dip of her head in greeting. It was a little early for the drunks to start hitting her, but she could smell no alcohol off this man, nor did he show any signs of being intoxicated. Clean cut, clean shaven, straight posture that was relaxed due to shore leave but you could still see he was military in the set of his shoulders. He moved with pride, not something as bold and ugly as arrogance, but something more subtle, the kind of pride that came from captains and commanders and general. It was a subconscious, necessary demand for respect required for such a position. It was the pride of a leader.

The blond bounty hunter picked up her glass with fluid grace, taking a healthy sip before looking the man once more. A military man, then. And judging by the way his eyes often went to gaze around the bar, a newer customer to Chora's Den. Samus' smile became a bit more relaxed as the bartender arrived with his drink, placing the glass in front of the captain. "I'm Sam," She introduced herself with a shortened version of her name, an easy alias of sorts that would often be connected to the name Samantha. She was about to extend a slender hand to shake, the typical human gesture of greeting that admittedly taken her a few months to get used to, when she noticed another person approach.

Her eyes glittered like pacific opals in the lights on the bar as she watched the man sit, absorbed in his own affairs. She honestly wouldn't have cared if not for the leather bound book he was reading. Books were more collectables than everyday items these days; most things were read off screens or omni-tools or datapads. There was something off about this new stranger, some energy about him that reminded her of the Chozo Ghosts. How curious. She smiled at his apology, shaking her head. "Not at all, rather the two of you have saved me from being forced to interact with unsavory individuals. I'm Sam." She glanced around the bar again, seeming to look out for drunks but instead checking to see if her target had arrived. Not yet. Probably not ever, actually.

"So," She began, looking between the two with a smile. "What brings respectable people such as yourselves to Chora's Den?" Samus was not one for interaction with others when it could at all be avoided; she had grown up in an alien environment and even know some habits and customs were still foreign to her. But engaging in conversation meant it would be easier to blend in, harder to notice when her target, or any of his known associates would enter. Because at least one of them would have to show up sometime, either for a drink or to check if she was still here. And she'd be waiting for them.

[nightarcher]

Even with him scanning the crowd in the club, he couldn't miss the woman actually studying him. Just seeing the look, he labeled her as indeed the type who could kick his ass with ease. Watching her as her eyes looked over him then the room, he could identify what she was easily. Even through that pleasant smile she had on her face. The look in her eyes was one he saw in the marine sergeants, especially the Gunny. All warriors who had seen and survived a great deal of battles. She was a predator, a warrior, that was how the look had been explained for him.

That little bit was enough to get him interested. He liked to flirt with danger sometimes. But first, his drink came, and he could relax a bit with the numbing liquor. Spending most of his time on a ship that didn't have it’s full crew, and all the paperwork that went through reviewing the crew that was coming. Most didn't realize how frustrating looking over hundreds of service records could be for hours while everyone else on the ship was actually working.

Darion smiled a bit when he was actually given her name. “Darion, it’s a pleasure…” like her he was about to reach out for the handshake when another person spoke up and took the seat at the other side of Sam. As he watched, it was obvious this new man was not paying much attention. In fact, even with a tall beautiful blonde next to him, he seemed more interested in the book he had… Wait, that was an actual book? Who actually used those for more than just collectibles? Odd.

But after that little bit, Sam spoke up, and he couldn't help the grin and raise his glass to her. “Well, it’s a pleasure to help keep the drunk riff-raff away.” With that he took a drink of his whiskey, watched Sam and the man, and listened to what they were asking. He just shrugged at her question. “I was looking mostly for somewhere to drink and burn off some frustration. One of the guys at the dock recommended the place. I don’t know anything about this club beyond that.” Well, it had been a suggestion of his new marine officer, he had been sure to mention the sexy Asari dancers, and that had been enough for Darion.

[Joshua Bookman]

Joshua Bookman was pleased when his question was returned with the 'no' he was hoping for. He smiled and replied, "Thank you. I wouldn't have wanted to steal a spot from a companion of yours." He motioned towards them with a nod of his head. He heard the man introduce himself to the woman he sat next to and he figured that everyone was introducing themselves. Too bad he missed the woman's name. It would have been nice to learn it for future reference. He sat up a bit straighter and turned towards the two, "My name is Mr. Bookman." He looked back down at the book and muttered a few curses under his breath before looking back up, "I'm glad that I was able to prevent a couple people from the stupidity of drunks."
He became only slightly oblivious to the two he sat next to, keeping a sensing eye of any movement they happened to do. He stayed in a this state until the bar tender had set down his drink. The loud thumb of the glass hit the counter broke his concentration of his work and he could no longer feel what the two were up to. He looked up again and thanked the man. He looked at his soda and watched as the bubbles of carbonation fizzed around inside of his glass.
Joshua was snapped out of his observations by a question the blonde asked the patron, Darion, and himself. "I'm here because I needed to get out of my-" his voice caught as he realized that he didn't want to let people know that he collected books, or enough books to have a library of different subject. His mind wandered and he took a drink from the brown glass as to look for the correct wording, "Room. I've been in there for a couple days, and I needed a night out." He smiled politely to them again. "I only know of the place because of a recommendation from an associate." Not entirely a lie, but not really the truth.
"Why are you here? I mean, this place is popular for 'going out' with 'friends'" Bookman used air quotes around the words, because he detested the idea of hanging around other people simply for company. The only reason he bothered was for sanity reasons.

[Samus Aran]

Darion, then. She would have to look into his name later. There shouldn't be too many Darions in the military, and she liked him in that way people find some new acquaintances amicable. He was clearly interested in her, but he didn't go about it in such a manner that made her feel like breaking his bones. A rather interesting contrast to the other, more preoccupied man sitting next to her. Given his preference for "Mr. Bookman" rather than a first name, he wasn't too interested in conversation. Not that Samus was offended, as he was more than polite and she would respect his wish to be left alone to his own affairs. She found no personal pleasure in forcing her company on others. However, that did not mean she wasn't curious as to what made him stand out, or that she didn't hear the foreign words that he muttered quietly to himself. She would have to remember the words to research later.

"Ah, so both of you are new here, then? Then welcome, though I must admit I'm hardly a regular. I just tend to come here on those rare occasions I stop by the Citadel." She drank again before chuckling softly at Bookman's question. "You mean why am I here alone, not 'hanging out' with my 'friends?'" Samus air-quoted as he did in playful jest as a relaxed grin grew on her lips. "I'm waiting for someone, actually. An acquaintance of mine that is, unfortunately, running rather late." Her gaze went to Darion for a moment before down to her drink, which she swirled casually. "I guess you could say that I've been stood up in a way." It wasn't a total lie, she had indeed been waiting for someone and they hadn't shown up, but the terms 'acquaintance' and 'stood up' flowed better in casual conversation than 'bounty' and 'he got tipped off and ran for it' in Samus' opinion.

"So I figured I'm already here, why not enjoy a few drinks?" That, and wait for her bounty's backup to arrive. "Chora's Den is a decent place. Bearable music, good drinks, and an overall nice atmosphere, save for the fights." 

[AurixValen]

Aurix had gotten off the shuttle outside of Chora's den and walked his way to the entrance when a bouncer had stopped him. He felt the steps go as his armor moved with him. It was quiet loud as he moved and he placed his hand on a railing. It was almost as if he never touched it and his hand was on air sometimes.

"Sorry, no armor or weapons allowed."

Aurix took off his helm and looked the man in the eyes.

"I won't be staying long, just a drink or two.. Maybe three."

He bouncer rubbed his eyes as Aurix was watching. He gripped the helmet and was ready to almost hit him with it when the door opened. He looked into the bar and noted some of the people in it. He gave a quick glance to some people sitting down and thanked the bouncer.

"Remember... N7, no one cares."

Aurix blinked and looked at his chest plate. He put an open hand on his forehead rubbed whispering to himself 'Yeah, I'll remember that when you are on the ground..'. Crowe had walked into the Den wearing his armor with his gun holstered on his back, he took off his helm and ordered a shot of whiskey, though some of the bouncers did try to stop him Aurix didn't really care as he took the drink and drank it as he sighed and ordered another. It was really hard missing a guy in black armor with some writing on the Chest plate. He moved his shoulders around. He had just returned to the citadel and just wanted some peace and quiet when he over heard a conversation brewing from where he was. As he drank the one, payed for two and listened.

'Save for the fights.'

He chuckled a bit and spoke. "Well, you can get all the fighting you want over at Armex Arena. Best place to let off some steam..." He looked back at his empty drink and ordered another to calm his nerves as he pointed at the drink almost offering one to the group who he had just spoken too. He just wanted to chat with a few friendlies... and not get shot in the mean time.

He looked at everyone who was in somewhat casual wear and he scratched his head. "Well, guess I didn't get the memo it was casual day at Chora's." He said with a hearty chuckle. He was used to cracking jokes sometimes. Calmed his old team down, but they were gone. Maybe he needed something new. A new team? Who knows. He just needed some form of friends to hang out and do something with. He awaited to see if anyone ordered a drink if they did, someone would have brought it over for them.. Hopefully.

[nightarcher]

“Pretty much yeah, I haven’t been back to the Citadel in a while.” He replied to her statements about them being new. “I never really had heard much about this bar. At least not before I asked a marine on the ship I am stationed on. he recommended it for some place to relay.” Not once did he mention it was his ship as the captain. He didn’t want to mention being a captain of a ship in a bar. He may have not heard much about it before, but as soon as he knew he was going to be docked here for a while… he had read up on some of the bars with a bad reputation. He had to protect his crew.

When she mentioned being stood up by an ‘acquaintance’ he sipped his drink again. The sour burning liquid felt good and delicious all the way down. He let it sit for a moment before looking over at Sam and admiring her relaxed grin. He couldn’t really read her much at all passed that grin. He wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or not about that ‘acquaintance’ or not. He thought she looked a bit like she was, but he couldn’t be sure. That was something he would need to work on as a captain now.

He just shrugged a bit and grinned before saluting her with his glass while leaning forward to rest his elbows on the bar. “Well, good thing for us all then. We can keep you company and enjoy drinks with you.” He agreed and only grinned a bit wider at her last remarks. “And if a fight does break out, at least you got one person on your side that can fight.” He wasn’t afraid of a fight, and he had his pistol under his cloths at the small of his back, and his knife against his thigh. He wouldn’t come to a place with this reputation without a way to defend himself.

Of course someone spoke up loudly approaching them at the mention of the fighting, and Darion turned to look at him. And the pleasant look on his face slowly disappeared at his eyes met the look of someone wearing full armor in a bar. Even carrying his helmet with him. Even worse was the N7 designation on the man’s armor. His mind immediately labeled the armored soldier as an ‘attention whore.’ “And I guess you never heard that bars are where casual is the norm for people trying to relax. People walking around in full armor is just begging to start a fignt.”

[Joshua Bookman]

Joshua Bookman listen to what the soldier had to say. He became extremely intrigued when the man started talking about working for the army. Bookman kept his head down a little bit, just absorbing the information, keeping it his head for later. After the marine stopped talking Bookman looked at the blonde with a small grin, "Oh no, I've been in Citadel for more than a couple of months now."

He gripped his glass and took a drink from it. "I rarely leave my room, I have too much research I need to keep working on." Bookman let out a snort, "An asshole ditched me in an old tomb in Rome, and I had to dig my way out. When I got out all of my books and scrolls had disappeared, but the guy left behind his journal, so I've been using it to try and regain and advance my work," Joshua lied. He told the story in the place of the other guy, but to make himself seem innocent and explain the reason why he had the book; maybe score some sympathy points on the way.

Bookman got sucked out of his little world when the other two mentioned fighting. The marine made a remark about at least one person being able to fight, "Hey now, don't take the suit and the book as a sign of weakness. I can do somethings that would make even a battle hardened marine raise an eyebrow." He remarked, just a bit of tense bitterness towards the military came out, but he bit his attitude back. He shook his head with a laugh, "Sorry, I get a bit defensive about my combat abilities. Especially around soldiers," Bookman admitted.

A voice behind Bookman made him jump. He wasn't expecting a third person to join into the mix. He didn't bother to turn around, and just started back to his introverted reading ways. Until Darion said something about this character wearing armor, the thought of it made his skin crawl. Bookman could summon armor at any second, but he hated wearing something so constricting as armor, which is why he preferred his
professor look. No one expects him to be a mage.

He turned his head ever so slightly and got a glimpse of the figure. "You've got to be kidding me!" Bitterness returning to his voice, but this time Bookman would not hide his displeasure, "Are you serious right now? Wearing bloody armor to a techno club!" Bookman stood from the bar stool and pointed a finger at the chest plate of this character, "You military types are always like this! You think you own the god-damn place!" Joshua was right in front of the man, damn near pushing him. He had had it with people like this guy.

[Samus Aran]

She raised a brow at Darion, though the look in her eyes were more amused than anything. "So you're a soldier?" Samus already knew that, of course, but it was often helpful to present herself in a manner that caused people to underestimate her. For a moment she broke her gaze with the marine to stare out into space, a wistful smile on her face. "I was in the military for a bit, once." It was over thirty years ago now, wasn't it? Her old friends were either dead, or were old commanders and generals by now. She hoped they had risen the ranks like they wanted to rather than suffer an untimely death, but life in the military was a dangerous one. Maybe she'd get around to looking them all up sometime, see how they were doing. "Wasn't for that long, though. I guess I wasn't cut out for that kind of life." She was never good at following orders, especially ones she didn't agree with from people she didn't respect. That was one of the reasons life as a bounty hunter held appeal to her.

Samus turned to Bookman, curious smile on her face. Something about his words struck her as odd, almost like the energy she felt coming from him, but everyone had their own reasons to hide truths. He seemed like a decent fellow and she had no interest in judging him. "I wish you luck on your research, then," She said with a smile, dipping her head slightly and pausing to laugh as both males assured her of their ability in combat. "It's no problem, really," She said to Bookman, still clearly amused by the both of them for her own reasons. "Most people who dislike the military are a bit more open in voicing their opinions, honestly" She did not, however, mention that in the case of an actual firefight, she hardly required either of them to 'cover her' or protect her in any manner. If she was younger, her temper would have flared at her abilities in combat being doubted, but the Chozo Warrior had grown past that phase. Besides, she may not be armed (save for her paralyzer,) but her powersuit was never more than a few seconds away. Samus did hope she wouldn't have to use it, though. It attracted too much attention.

Speaking of attention, actually, there was a newcomer in their conversation. Samus leaned against the bar to get a good look at the man, eyes travelling to the N7 label on his armor. One of humanity's greatest warriors, then? She had heard of the N7 program, and her superiors had often pressured her to join it, but it wasn't for her. It was designed to bring out the best and brightest in humanity, and given that her abilities were naturally beyond that which was natural for humans, it would be a waste for her to rob a slot in the place of someone who could use it more. "I'm sure it must be entertaining," Samus replied coolly, finishing off her drink before smiling pleasantly at the stranger. 

Samus blinked at Bookman's and Darion's reactions to the man in armor, though she wasn't surprised. When she first walked into a bar in her full powersuit she had generally grabbed a lot of attention and ended up in a barfight. But that was due to her own inexperience, not realizing that people didn't normally walk into bars in full armor. "No need to get aggressive," She chided, her voice smooth as she tapped Bookman's shoulder, a wry smirk on her face. "The last thing I need right now is a fight." Really, if they started arguing then there was a chance her target wouldn't come in.

"My new acquaintances here do have a point, though," She spoke up, looking Aurix over. It was convenient of him to come in his armor, though. Made it easier to asses how much of a threat he could be. "Wearing a full suit of armor, a new prototype no less, often leads people to assume you've come here looking for a fight." As if to prove her point she gestured to the crowd of other customers, who were still engaged in their own private conversations, but were now occasionally glancing and pointing over to their corner. She fought the grimace that tugged at the ends of her lips. Last thing she needed was attention in her direction. "So what business brings you to this area of the Citadel, N7?" The concept that he was on other business and merely stopped in for a quick drink seemed like the most plausible reason for him wearing such bulky armor, as it would be rather annoying to have to run all the way back to your ship and change into a some casual clothes just for two or three drinks. "That is, if it isn't classified, of course." 

[AurixValen]

“And I guess you never heard that bars are where casual is the norm for people trying to relax. People walking around in full armor is just begging to start a fight.”

He had listened to one of them talk. He glanced at him, wearing a leather jacket and blue jeans as well as what he thought was the N7 patch on it and chuckled a bit as he spoke. It was the truth yes, but he wasn't going to mind. "Well, that depends on what side you want me on. I didn't mean to cause such a ruckus. I just got back to the citadel wh-" He over heard the other male get up.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

The outburst caused some form of unwanted attention at the bar while people who looked over at the ground he shrugged as he kept going, not even skipping a beat.

"Are you serious right now? Wearing bloody armor to a techno club! You military types are always like this! You think you own the god-damn place!"

He decided to open his own mouth to talk to man who was wearing a button up shirt and a tie. Techno Club? It was an average bar at best. He preferred coming here on his own, but maybe talking to people wasn't the best idea.

"Look, I came here to have a drink.. or two.. Maybe three of four." He went on "I am not asking you to LIKE me, just be civil and I will return that same civility."

He had tried to defuse the situation. He was interrupted before he had a chance to even talk. He wasn't rushed, he just didn't want to do anything unnecessary for the rest of the night, plus at Chora's almost anything can happen. Fights, people kicking and screaming the whole nine yards. So he watched the girl get up and talk to the out bursting character.

"Thank you."


"My new acquaintances here do have a point, though,"

She was right, but that doesn't mean that he had come by for a fight, a day of being in the field.

"Wearing a full suit of armor, a new prototype no less, often leads people to assume you've come here looking for a fight."

His eyes opened as he blinked a few times and was astounded about how she knew about the armor. So he thought it would be a good idea to ask "How did you guess? Well.. The bulkyness probably IS a hint as is." he said with a smile on his face. "but yes, this is a prototype. People can think what they wish. I come to Chora's for the drinks, not the brawls."

"So what business brings you to this area of the Citadel, N7?"

He listened in again to the girl talk. "Please, Call me Aurix. Before I was interrupted I was going to say I just got back from a mission and just wanted to find a place to sit down, talk to someone-" He looked around at the group he was with. "I mean some people, before going home, bit too much to ask?"

"That is, if it isn't classified, of course."

He rubbed his eyes and didn't want to give out any more information than he wanted. The mission he went on was top secret but now that he is here he wanted to just let go of the stress from the day. "Well, I am on Shore leave for the time being.. Till the Admiral needs me again."

After taking some time to recollect himself over the last of his drink he coughed a bit as he placed his hand over his mouth and turned away from the group. He looked back and went to talk to the others. "What about you three? Or is that 'Classified'" He said as a bit of a joke, though with the air between the others he thinks that he may have not gotten anywhere with it. Moving his head between all three to get some form of idea on either who they were or what they did for the most part.

Wasn't going well since he couldn't get such a good start. With the group, but at the end he at least wanted to leave on good terms as he strapped his helm to the side of  his waist while he was listening to the three talk.

[nightarcher]

(Just ignore the N7 patch on the jacket please. I forgot to mention the patch wasn't on his jacket.)



“Well, not exactly, I am a Navy officer. Close, but not as much of a ground pounder as a soldier.” He said with a shrug before listening to both Bookman and her statements as he finished his drink. Taking a moment while they were talking, and he was listening to every word, he signaled the bartender over and ordered another whiskey sour. After he got another drink he looked back at Sam. “I guessed as much. You at least used to be some type of soldier by the way you held yourself. Like you seemed to peg me for a military man in an instant.” He paused thinking a bit before grinning a little. “Of course my haircut was a dead giveaway.” His hair was cut in a medium skin fade style. Definite military.

The other man that was somewhat friendly spoke up about what he did, and it sounded like he was or is an archaeologist. Well, he couldn’t say anything wrong with that, but the man was not a soldier if a fight broke. Darion would feel obligated to protect him. Though he was curious about the abilities he was claiming to have were. But the bitterness he could notice in the voice as well. Great, someone who hated military.

To the armored man that joined them, he heard his statements. Especially about wanting a drink after a mission. He could completely understand that. He had wanted a whole bar of drinks after the mission that had gotten him assigned this ship… where most of the crew had dies, along with another ship that had quite a few friends on. but he still had taken the time to change out of his uniform. “Oh, I can be civil. But you really couldn’t take the 10 minutes to change into something more appropriate? The bar still would have been here and open.” He stated as his new whiskey sour came and he shrugged while taking a drink. “Which makes me think you want the attention or a fight along with the drinks.”

“For an N7, if I remember the regulations, your armor is like a uniform. It is against regulations to go to a bar in uniform, I know that for certain. For anyone.” And he himself had looked that up once or twice just to make sure since he had gotten in trouble for that once as a junior officer.

Of course the horrid joke came, and Darion just looked at the man for a bit. “After-duty hours for me. A day of looking over paperwork from hundreds of new crew deserves a drink… or three.”

[Joshua Bookman]

(Sorry for not posting in the last three days, school's been kicking my ass.)
   
   The fact that everyone completely ignored his disrespectful outburst, or that they tried to defuse it took Mr. Bookman off guard. His hands lowered a bit, as well as his guard. He was completely taken aback. He was expecting everyone to jump on him from his spew of hatred. He took a step back and nodded his head in utter embarrassment. He couldn't even think of words to say, sarcastic, smart-ass, or otherwise. He was at a loss. He took a few more steps back to his seat and quietly sat back down. He could feel that his face was bright red, burning with the embarrassment of letting his anger, and his hatred, to get the best of him.

   He let everyone talk, and do their own thing. The situation defused and everyone started talking to one another casually. His own thoughts clouding his sense of hearing, and he blocked out what the two soldiers and the blonde had to say to one another. It wasn't until there was a moment of silence that Bookman finally squeaked out a sentence. "I'm so terribly sorry." He took a breath and opened his mouth to say more, but shook his head in disgust at himself and grabbed his drink and took a long drink from it. "I let my anger get the better of me, and..." His voice trailed off. "That won't happen again. Please, let me have a redo on that," he thought of the correct word to use, "horrid first impression."

   He looked down at his left shoe as he dragged it unimportantly across the dirty floor of the bar. He took the opportunity to apologize to the other two with a small drop the head. He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh, "I'm Mr. Bookman, just came to the bar to leave my study for a couple of hours," he spoke as though the incident never happened, wanting to forget everything that happened.

   He would allow the other person to introduce himself before Bookman would go back to studying the text.