[IC] Aieth - The World Between

_Theme

The Queen of Hearts Bar sits at the heart of Sraefin (Sray-fin), a city that is littered with the downtrodden, hopeless, and the greedy. A city that is always alive, bustling in the day as much as the clubs and bars are full at night - a city that never sleeps and the sirens of the police echo across it's metal surface consistently, like a familiar songbird. All races live in this metropolis, from small halflings to tall half-giants, and where magic ebbs and flows in the streets like some illegal drug. One of the few places that exist as a safe haven, Queen of Hearts Bar employs powerful magic to keep it a mostly violence-free zone, keeping most weapons out via dimensional magic, though brawls can exist here like anywhere else. Where the magic does not protect the patrons, there are plenty of guards paroling to keep the peace.

Welcome to the Queen of Hearts Bar!

---

[Lyla]

Time & Date Stamp: Jan 1st, 8:09 P.M.
Weather: Snowy
Location: Queen of Hearts Bar

The bar was alive as usual, the patrons laughing, cussing, clanking glasses and yelling as per usual. A retro, though pleasant and upbeat song was blasting through the bar's speakers, making it so it was difficult for some to hear more than ten feet away from them, but not many of them seemed to mind. There were all sorts, from a drunk dwarf to a gentleman-looking lizard humanoid. This city was bad enough without racism, so at least most of the people here that grew up in Sraefin didn't care to waste their time, though there was always a few. The bartender was busy busing drinks across the large bar while cooks on the second floor made sure any paid food was ready and hot for those within.

On the first floor, among many of the several off-shoots of rooms was a plainly dressed girl serving drinks to some men, though rumors had circulated recently of the strangely disciplined woman. "Hey babe, got a question for you." A man in a uniform of sorts, perhaps one of many gangs that existed in the city, pointed to her with his drink while a couple of his friends snickered and looked on with interest. "Heard rumor you were one of them robot girls or somethin', yeah? What kind of robot are you? Do you like - y'know - do stuff in the bedroom and all that?"

The girl paused, looking at him with an expression that spoke politeness, though there was a hint of annoyance at the man's question. "There's no use in hiding that I'm indeed an android, however my apologizes sir, for I'm not comfortable giving out such delicate information to those who I do not know." Just as politely as she said it, she bowed her head a little, giving a basic respect to the man despite his likely motivation.

"Aw, c'mon, don't be like that! It was just a question, yeah? You can trust me." He nearly dropped the glass of brandy, indicating he was clearly tipsy if not drunk and reached out to grab Ardella's wrist, attempting to pull her in. Much to his surprise, she did not budge, not even an inch. As if she were threatening his manhood, her brows furrowed and he pulled harder, grunting in annoyance. "Ugh, fine bitch, whatever! Just fuck off then!" Grumbling, he waved her off and started to drink, trying his best to ignore her presence.

"Very well sir," was her only response, turning promptly as she went back to the bar for further instructions. Patiently she stood at the bar, waiting for the tender to finally notice her, walking over. "Sam, table eleven has their drinks. Can this one be of further service?"

The man, middle-aged, his hair starting to grey, but definitely very handsome and well-fit leaned over the bar and chuckled as he glanced to the table. "Yeah? Saw that punk giving you trouble. Should know not to bother with an android like you, huh?" he smirked amusingly and stood back up, wiping the bar off and shrugging. "Nah, unless someone calls you over, just wait here, okay? Take a break - uh, well, not that you need one, but take it anyways." Just then another person at the bar called over, giving a slight wave to Ardella and leaving her alone, standing at the bar as she turned, simply to watch all the people interact.

OOC note

Just do intros for characters and stuff and let the role-play start! Ardella is just chilling at the bar and will come if anyone calls for her to bring them a drink/food.

[ineffably]

It was difficult to concentrate amidst the hustling, loud-mouthed patrons of the Queen of Hearts Bar. It wasn't usually the type of setting Effie found herself in, but most things in her life were different lately. Namely, she was alone. For the first time in her life Effie was the one calling the shots. This sort of autonomy, although something she had always dreamed of, was turning out to be something she wasn't sure she liked. With her right hand she scribbled almost incoherent words into a worn notebook, her eyes scanned the pages of an old book furiously. A soft whirring filled her left ear as her mechanical eye translated and decoded the old text. It wasn't anything important, something that her professor had been working on before. The words washed over her as she mindlessly worked. Usually this sort of thing helped her feel calm, but not today. Today, Effie felt restless.

She was sitting in a corner booth on the main floor of the bar. When she had arrived a few hours prior it had been the quietest section in the place. Until, of course, a group of obnoxious gangsters decided to settle into the tables near by. She had mostly managed to ignore their obscene chatter about women and violence in favour of her work. That is until the biggest man made a loud show of harassing the waitress. Effie sneered in the direction of the drunks as they laughed at their leader's provocative jokes. The automaton kept a pleasant look as she was subjected to the men's rude and violent behaviour. Effie slowly placed her mechanical quill down on her notepad, it twitched and whirred slightly before coming to rest limping on the pad. She found herself silently rooting for the waitress who stood her ground politely and went quickly back to work. Effie certainly would have lost her cool, but she supposed that was both the best and worst part of being human. Having the ability to feel was of course the human condition.

Although, it had always interested her. Robots. There hadn't been much chance during her years of study to actually work one on one with the beings. The philosophy of the church was that droids should be silent and keep out of the way. Do your job, don't be seen by humans. Effie had always felt that this sort of philosophy was unfortunate. Gently she reached up to touch her own eye, technology very much benefited humanity.

Effie turned back to her books, a mass of which were stacked haphazardly on the table. In a few hours she had managed to translate three and a half books. Usually she would have been able to get more done. But her brain felt heavy and behind her eyes ached with fatigue. Effie reached towards her drink, a fruity cocktail that she had picked hastily and ended up really enjoying, and sucked deeply through the straw. Disappointment flooded her as she realized that she had already finished the drink, along with four others. She supposed that one more drink wouldn't hurt, and perhaps something to eat. Her stomach rumbled painfully as she realized just how hungry she was. Besides, it was a good excuse to chat with the android waitress a bit and sate her curiosity on the beings.

Catching eyes with the woman, Effie beckoned her over.

[Lumiere]

Black and blues with the occasional streak of silvers and brown from the crate wall whenever a streetlight passed by the small window of the door leading to the cab of the truck. The cargo hold of the delivery craft was unfortunately left unheated as its contents mainly consisted of meticulously packed bottles of clear liquid and locked cooler-like containers. The icing on the cake was the analogue variant made for short range travel and road on wheels. All together, Kaïte was relieved when it finally came to a stop, the shadows of the back of heads joking about something in an outrageous accent as they got out.
Wasting no time, Kaïte maneuvered himself in the box of fresh towels to place his feet to a corner of the lid. With a bit of effort, the small creaked out of place, but just when he'd thought himself free of his confines, the latch to the rear of the truck disengaged.

"--So then I says to Maybel, I says- Awh! What happened 'ere?" One of the delivery people started before stopping abruptly as if having noticed something. Kaïte held his breath and froze, certain his work on the crate had been noticed. What sounded like the figure that spoke up climbed into the truck and over to the crate. He proceeded to stomp down on the corner, knocking the lid back into place with a "Nah, crappy crates" before picking up a different crate and handing it down to the first who stacked it on a dolley. They soon disappeared back inside the building, their conversation resuming, "-- Anyways, so as I says I was saying to Maybel-" being cut off by the door closing and automatically locking behind them.
In tense silence, Kaïte felt like an idiot, honestly unsure what he was expecting. With a heave-ho, he was free, success! However, it was quickly apparent how the outside climate had changed. Contrast to the nest he fashioned out of the linins, the sting of winter wind on exposed skin made him wish he could just stay in the box or fashion a way to take it with him, though by the distant sounds of the delivery people offloading it was clear there was no such option available. The lid clearly removed, there was no point returning to it as a hiding spot, so Kaïte settled on testing the reflexes of the two if need be.

Anywhere was better than the cold, dark back of the truck, even if it was somewhere down the equally cold, dark alleyway which said back of the truck overlooked. Deep in the recesses of the stone and steelwork that built the labyrinthine backstreets of the city, Kaïte's ears perked to the sound of a soft groan. Faintly, from the shadows came a faint white shape which shuddered its way into view. Oddly, the thing was not registering on thermals, though what the keener eye caught was the glint of an eye which stared back, aware as the five others. It lifted what could be considered a hand from underneath itself in the Aylv's direction and trembled before emitting a pleading grunt, the hand glinting scarlet with blood.
A ringing shot through Kaïte's ears from the sound, every fiber of his being pleading for him to run. It gently scooted forward, still some distance off but now definitely moving towards the truck. With no other direction to escape in, the rabbit could only watch in growing panic as it edged into the shadow of a dumpster. In the darkness, it could almost be mistaken as someone hunched over, even down to how it wretched and belted out another asserting groan, vying for Kaïte's attention, causing him to flinch and cringe with dread.

Just then, light poured into the scene from the door to the building reopening and the shadows of the delivery dudes re-emerged. From how the first one reacted, it seemed as though he also heard the sound, holding up a hand to pause his associate in the middle of what could potentially be described as a joke. Regardless, they had a job to do and continued walking, though the first one reached into his vest to draw a wand.
Seeing this as his only opportunity, Kaïte leapt up, darting for the light and whispering a gentle "Lo'qhaise" as he was about to round the corner of the truck.
Snowflakes slowed nearly to a standstill until being brushed aside by Kaïte's mad dash, sliding between the legs of the man at the door and twirling around the corner before they could even notice what looked like a smudge on their passing shadows. The unarmed man was apparently more invested in whatever his coworker was looking towards and cast 'light' just as the door shut behind Kaïte.

Knowing the two could be back at any moment, Kaïte didn't waste time in locating another door out of the storeroom. Opening the door a crack, he peered out into a vast room with all manners of intriguing lighting as well as stiflingly loud music, making his ears fold back. A resounding thump of magic echoing from the doorway from whence he came spelled out the state of affairs in that direction; only one, though.
Unsure what that meant for him, Kaïte insisted on fleeing the scene.

Awkwardly sidling into The Queen of Hearts via a door clearly marked 'employees only', he would certainly look out of place to anyone paying attention or caring. Regardless, he casually distanced himself from the door and had a seat at an empty table near the human woman who appeared to be enjoying the company of glassware.
Kaïte on the other hand was more focused on warming up and stretching after being confined for nearly half a day. Plans can wait, decompressing from what he'd just been through seemed like a proper course of action for the time being.
Looking around, he couldn't help but notice humans and other races mingling on a backdrop of colorful lights that briefly stunned him with the brilliance of what just 'green' could be. Truly, this new world was a peculiar yet fascinating one~

[LordofthePies]

Norix had entered the bar a few minutes ago and already had a drink and a meal. She was amazed. She basked in the lights and the noise, something that she had never experienced back home. In her hometown, things were always quiet. There were no places like this where she came from, everything was entirely new. Nori flipped through a notebook she had recently bought and had written down some notes. She wanted to remember this place, with its new colors, sounds, and people. She had drawn some of the things she thought interesting, things like the android that served food. Norix wondered how many creatures in this bar were not made of flesh and bone, but instead were made of metal.

As Nori strolled through her noteboo as she ate small bits of her meal. It was leg of... something. Whatever it was, it was delicious. She tore off chunks with her left hand and scribbled down notes with her right. She wanted to know more about these creatures. She wanted to know everything. Where they came from, their culture, their names. She wanted to remember their faces and their stories. The only trouble was, she didn't want to talk.

Norix sat nibbling on her dinner, brow furrowed. The most talking she did today was order her food. She put her book away and took a drink of a familiar ale. Even if her town didn't have bars and the like, they still had parties. One of their exports was alcohol made from the desert fruits. For most it would be abhorrently sweet, but to Nori it was perfect. It was labeled Bekilk Naushindcal ale, a rather uncreative name. But then again, the desert lizards weren't known for their creativity. They took most things literally, making puns and other wordplay difficult. Nori had picked up the habit of taking things literally and it had already scorned her a few times. It seemed most creatures were fond of hyperbole and odd sayings. On the boat here, one of the men talked about capturing a giant fish. A story Nori took seriously and, in turn, made a fool of herself. The Dracons did have one saying, "Embellished stories are just decorated lies."

Norix was remembering the fish story. It was an embarrassment she wouldn't forget. She tried hard to fit in with these creatures, but the Dracons were a secluded race. The Dracons were completely different from anything she had seen so far. Even the desert nagas of her homeland were entirely unlike her kind. Nori felt like she would never understand. She came from something too different, too strange.

Another thing that bothered her about this place is that it seemed next to no one had magic. For her, magic was a part of everyday life. For these people, magic was an oddity. A blessing or curse, either way it was something no one really wanted. On her way to The Queen of Hearts, she heard children pretending to be witches and wizards. She knew it was a joke. Norix was more than an oddity here, everything about her was alien. She had magic when they didn't, she had different customs, and to top it all off she was a completely different race. The people here poked fun at her race, comparing her to small lizards that ate bugs. She was not a gecko, nor was she an iguana. She was a dragon, pure and simple, even if it was only half of her.

[Leotamer]

Alexander slowly stumbled down the street exhausted, still in his work clothes. He called it his work clothes, though it was really just a very tough leather jacket over a t-shirt, and some particular sturdy pair of jeans. They were almost closer to armor than street clothes, but clearly not something that you use in a fight. He took off his leather gloves and attached them to a loop on his belt, and then brushed off some dust and dirt that got on his jacket before entering the bar.

Alex has been travelling for a few months now, but this is the first day he was in Sraefin, and his day has been chaotic. First, his transport was late and he had to rush to where he was called to work. It was a bit awkward when he had to change into his work clothes in the bathroom of the person who hired him. Some person with more money then he apparently knew what to do with decided to buy a pet direwolf, and didn't bother to get someone to train it until it was already in his apartment. By the end of the day, the owner made the wise decision and sold it. Though that now means he is now out of a job.

He walked into the Queen of Hearts Bar as he remembered someone recommending it to him. He sat down on one of the nearest seats, not even paying attention if anyone was already sitting there. By time he raised his head up, he seen a dracon sitting on the other side of the table. He stumbled a bit, Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there. Mind if I sit here?"

Alex had been to many places across Duiland. He was use to seeing all sorts of different races, as tourism is a big thing in Duiland, though this time he was the foreigner.

[sntabe]

Zeke sat quietly in the Queen of Hearts Bar, an espresso in one hand, a book in the other. He was reviewing his Linear Algebra, a subject he'd learned years ago. It was useful, but unbelievably tedious, which was why he'd been avoiding using it for so long.

Now that he was once again staring at pages and pages of matrices and cluttered vector graphs, he wanted any excuse to do anything else. After forcing himself through another chapter, Zeke ordered a second coffee and a biscotti and pulled out his stack of empty cards. He was dimly aware of the commotion around him, but within his bubble of blissful sound-cancellation, it was all muted somewhat. He worked on replacing the magic circle he'd used to cast it, a bit annoyed that in order to enjoy himself he had to use one every time he came here. It only took fifteen minutes to draw, but still.

At least it was on the easier side of the spectrum when it came to magic circles. In order to cancel sound, he had to first set a boundary, and in this case he made it a radius of one meter. He liked to think of this boundary as something of an event horizon, even though that wasn't exactly true. Along the "event horizon," the spell detected all incoming sound waves and noted their respective wavelengths, amplitudes, and periods or frequencies. It was easier to measure period, but measuring frequency would save an extra step. Ignoring frequencies that humans couldn't hear, the spell would then generate an anti-wave for each relevant datum.

As he drew, Zeke watched the encounter between the android waitress and rowdy drunks. Though he couldn't hear it, it was very clear what was going on. That raised a whole lot of questions for him. For one thing, would an android even have the appropriate parts for that? If they did, firstly: why, and secondly: who would even want to do it? He didn't imagine that it would be even the least bit enjoyable, but then again, he didn't even like girls to begin with, so he had difficulty understanding the situation at all.

Rolling his eyes and focusing back on his work, Zeke took a bite of biscotti, appreciating how the bitterness of the coffee tempered the sweetness of the biscuit. Truly a pair made for each other.

His mind continued to wander as he drew, pondering various concepts and ideas. Suddenly another man sat down right next to Zeke, startling him so badly that he dropped his whole biscotti into the cup of espresso, splashing liquid onto his nearly-finished circle. He looked to his right, where the stranger sat - inside the noise-cancellation bubble.

[Lord of Evil]

Garret Kilroy, a name not widely known, but it describes a man of formidable character, feared as a well-performing and efficient mercenary. Well, maybe not feared. Acknowledged might've been a better word. And perhaps less "well-performing" and "efficient" as "moderately performing" and "I only wanted the mice out of the cellar, you didn't have to burn the house down". But that was just the one time, and he was certain they hadn't planned to pay him anyway. His reputation was spotty indeed but if you wanted a job done by someone who didn't ask many questions then there was no one better. Not around here, anyway, and certainly no one with such a low hiring fee, even if low in this case was quite relative. He'd done almost every job in the book; assassinations, body disposal, baby sitting, even helping someone perform at a talent show. That one had been disastrous but he'd gotten paid for it anyway, so Garret called it a success in his book. He was a man who had built up a reputation for being willing to do just about anything. And yet, tonight he was doing nothing.

Garret sat in a shaded corner of the queen of hearts bar, an annoyed scowl plastered on his face. Every so often he'd bring the mug in his hands to his frowning face and sip the pungent liquid inside. It was almost tasteless and its smell left much to be desired. But it was cheap, and that was all that mattered to Garret. Things weren't going too well for him at the moment, though with life on the run that was more often the rule than the exception. He always had to be careful to never take jobs associated with gangs, and he took pains to avoid high publicity jobs (which unfortunately usually had the most money). There were usually no end to odd jobs that needed a down-low kind of guy, but they'd been sparser by the day, and they were getting more and more involved in the gangs of Aieth. He didn't want to risk a confrontation, and they just weren't paying as well as they used to. All of these factors combined meant that his rent was late, and his fat whale of a landlord had been quick to remind him.

Garret downed the last of his drink as the music swelled before slamming his mug down with a weighty thunk.
"I need another!" He yelled gruffly, hopefully loud enough to be heard by serving staff.
He could feel the warm tinge of intoxication set into his cheeks. Cheap or no, it was alcohol, one of the many drugs of the poor. Of use to people with little else to comfort them, and Garret was most definitely in a bad mood. He should probably have been looking for a job instead, but really, who would have a job for him at this time in the evening?

[Lyla]

Time & Date Stamp: Jan 1st, 8:13 P.M.
Weather: Snowy
Location: Queen of Hearts Bar
Interacting with: Effie (@ineffably)

Ardella paused as she caught the eye of the silver-haired woman, however she held up a single finger, indicating that she had noticed and was apparently about to do something. Staring for just what seemed a moment, she turned to the bar and got Sam's attention. Quickly he made a drink, which Ardella grabbed, gave him a polite bow of her head and briskly made her way over. Though the yelling of a drunk man caught her attention, one of the many other waitresses was already on her way. Quickly turning her attention back to her current customer, Ardella did a very light curtsey and set the drink on the table - which happened to be the exact fruity cocktail that she had already ordered several times.

With a gentle smile, "May I be of further service, miss?" she asked. Now that she was up close however, Effie could easily tell the android looked far more human than the normal variety. Almost so much so that it would be difficult to tell the different in many cases. Even her expressions seemed wholly genuine, polite though reserved in nature. Ardella even did something that an android would not likely do, indicating curiosity as her eyes flicked over the small pile of books in mild interest. She didn't say anything though, showing she had good manners in not prying upon customers business. She stood perfectly still though, hands folded in front of her like some formally trained servant girl.

[LordofthePies]

@Leotamer

Norix was sipping on her drink, lost in thought when someone sat at her table. At first, she was caught off guard. She had tried the tactic of sitting at someone else's table before and was shooed away. Well, not exactly shooed. They cursed at her until she left. Norix sniffed the air, a habit she picked up from members of her group, and smelled the pleasant scent of human. She liked the way they smelled. They always seemed cleaner than the rest of the races. Dracon's didn't have much of a smell, they smelled like dirt and dry skin. Her father taught her that if someone smelled like garbage, that was their personality. Someone who is well-groomed tends to be nicer than those that aren't.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there. Mind if I sit here?"

Nori blinked a few times. It took a moment for her to register that someone was talking to her.

"Oh, why yes!" Norix stuttered through newfound excitement. No one here really wanted to talk to her, and she didn't want to talk to them. This bar was full of disreputable characters, but this man didn't seem to play the part of a hooligan. He seemed nice.

"Here, let me buy you some dinner," Nori gave a warm smile, her sharp teeth slightly ruining it. Her teeth were clean, or at least she thought. She was suddenly very self-conscious about it. If she had food in her teeth, it would ruin the entire meeting. Lucky for her, she didn't.

Nori waved down a waitress, her toothy smile still on her face. She was being a bit of a doof, but she didn't really get the chance to prepare. She was happy to have the company, even if all they did was eat at the same table.

"You can order anything you like!" Nori was slightly shaking as she talked.

She wasn't used to this and she was anxious to make a good first impression. Humans were difficult and it seemed the simplest thing would change how they looked at you. This man seemed nice, and Nori wanted a friend. Maybe, if she was lucky, he would give her some information about this place. Norix felt like she was getting ahead of herself, but she was too giddy to care. It could've been her anxiety, or it could've been the drinks. Either way, it was too late now.

[Leotamer]

@LordofthePies @sntabe

Alexander noticed that he was quieter than he expected to be, but apparently the dracon heard him just fine. He turned and looked and seen the human sitting near him and noticed the magic circle on the table. He thought it was a bit tackless to be using magic in such a way that it could inconvenient others, but he didn't say anything, instead just holding his finger up to the dracon. and got up and walked away from it, snapping his fingers to find the range of the aura.

Once he was outside of the magical field, he first turned to the dracon and spoke, "Oh no, I am fine. I just got payed." . He paused, and motioned towards his jacket, which was covered in various scratch marks, and in one area looked like it melted a bit "It can be rough at times, but it pays well." he said smiling.

He then turned his head over to the human, speaking up a bit, "Sorry if I had scared you. Um, do you need another biscuit or coffee? I can pay for it. . He then paused for a second and turned to look at both them "Oh, where are my manners. I didn't ask either of you for your names. My name is Alex Crann." . He said bowing and said a short sentence in the Rutan language.

[sntabe]

Zeke looked into his cup of coffee. The biscotti bobbed at the surface, starting to dissociate into several pieces. "Oh, no, it's fine," he brushed crumbs and liquid off the card. He would have to throw it away. "The biscotti will just be a little soggy, that's all."

Putting away his cards and drawing pen to avoid further damage, he introduced himself, glancing between the two. "I'm Zeke, by the way." He appreciated that Alex spoke a bit louder, so he didn't have to dispel the circle. This place was unbearable without some kind of noise suppression.

He took a sip of his biscuit-espresso, looking toward the dracon. She seemed unbearably anxious, so he gave her a polite smile. Zeke hadn't really paid attention before, what with his all-absorbing black hole of a math textbook, but she seemed nice enough. When the waitress she'd flagged arrived at their table, he requested a napkin for his spilt coffee to save the poor dracon the embarrassment of explaining that she would no longer be ordering a meal. Why did she offer to buy an entrée for a stranger? That was a bit excessive.

He turned to Alex, nodding at his lightly charred jacket. "What do you do for a living?"

[LordofthePies]

Norix fidgeted with the sleeves of her robes, a nervous habit she developed as soon as she left home. She overstepped her bounds, she knew it. Gone too far. Although, it didn't seem to deter to pair. They both introduced themselves, and she supposed it was her turn.

"I'm Norix," Nori closed her mouth, smile gone. She had no reason to draw them in now, they were already here.

It was odd that she didn't see the magic circle before, or the person that made it. It was an interesting thing, something she hadn't seen before. She would have to ask Zeke what it was for after Alex answered his question. Norix took a sip of her drink, the sweetness turning bitter in her mouth. She was still worried, over what she wasn't sure. Her nerves always got the best of her, probably the main reason not many people wanted to talk to her. When she got the chance she would blabber on, and if she wasn't the one to say hello first she was a bundle of anxiety. Norix didn't know where she got it from, everyone in her town were always so calm. She blamed the jumping beetles. She felt like one at the moment, so tightly wound that the slightest thing would make her jump from her chair.

Nori nibbled on her food, trying to distract herself from her anxiety. She couldn't help but feel like she ruined any possibility of friendship. Her mother always told her she was over-eager. Norix supposed her mother was right. It was a miracle she made out of town, let alone this far. Although, she didn't want to go home. She came to learn and to explore, and the nerves was just a part of that. It was definitely something she needed to work on.

[Camey]

Alya "Nez" Nunez

Nez hardly ever visited bars. She had no reason to. She couldn’t drink - at least not in what humans would call the real world -, and if she did, she probably would ruin her circuits. Of course, there would be safety precautions, but she wasn’t going to try. Even though she was practically waterproof, one droplet in the wrong place could cause major problems. The only juice she needed was the occasional oil change, but there were mechanic shops for that. Still, she ordered a drink, if only to seem like a normal human and not to get kicked out for holding up a seat.

She sat at the far end of the room in a dimly lit corner booth with all sort of techy stuff littering the table. She knew exactly what each part did and what it was for, but for others it may seem like junk. She fiddled around with some of the parts a little bit and softly cursed when a few sparks erupted from one of them. “Damn!” She knew she didn’t have the right tools with her – those were back at her workplace -, but she didn’t really want to be there right now. It was in one of the more remote parts of the city, a quiet place where no one really came. The bar felt homelier, more alive. The people who came here weren’t the best representatives of the human race, but they were people who talked.

“I need another!” Yelled a man loudly. He seemed drunk, but she couldn’t tell from where she was sitting. Her optic was damaged and her enhanced vision was more like ‘slightly better vision than a human but still crappy as hell’ than anything substantial. She knew she needed to fix it, but she didn’t have the right tools at her disposal, not even in her storage unit. Besides, it was fine. She’d gotten used to it and she rarely needed it. Not seeing everything could even be considered an advantage. Less data to store and keep track of. Nevertheless, she did plan on fixing it one day. Her life-span could be considered infinite – if nothing happened to the servers -, so there was no rush.

Looking back at the man - which was hard given her optic didn’t work properly -, she considered his rudeness. He was clearly drunk, or at least getting there, but his behaviour was not appropriate. At least not to the waitress who treated everyone with the upmost respect, even the jackasses who ‘hit’ on her were treated with respect. Granted, she may have just acted on code instead of actual consciousness and feelings. Nez didn’t know. If it was her being talked down to, she would’ve just kicked them right where it hurts and shouted at them, although she had to admit that it was badass of the waitress to just stand there like a cinder block and not giving it any attention. Again, that could be code, but Nez liked to believe otherwise.

She redirected her attention to the bolts and bits lying on top of the table before her before roughly putting them back in her handbag. She would work on her projects later. Right now, she just wanted to sit in her booth, stirring the beverage she wasn’t going to consume and listening at the chatter around her. Maybe she could even have a conversation with someone. With that thought she made a hand gesture to wave over the android waitress.

[ineffably]

@Lyla

Effie sneered in the direction of yet another obnoxious patron who yelled drunkenly at the serving staff. She couldn't quite grasp the nerve of some people. She tucked a piece of her stark hair behind her ear and averted her attention back to the waitress who had acknowledged her with a polite finger. Effie nodded towards her to show she understood and turned back to her notes, using the time to scan over the translations with dim interest. She wanted to study something exciting, not this archaic prose with it's staunch opinions and questionable theories. She became so immersed in thought that she didn't realize the waitress was standing over her table, balancing a fruity cocktail on her tray. Effie smirked, almost embarrassed, as the android set the drink down on her table. "That obvious huh?". She felt the tips of her ears turn pink, it must be pretty pathetic. She'd been sitting alone with her books for hours.

"May I be of further service, miss?" Up close Effie was blown away by the accuracy gone into the androids design, really if the men hadn't of pointed it out Effie wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

"Your design, it's just brilliant. I-" She paused with a look of absolute horror, or close to as she realized just how unmannerly her comment was. "Oh! I am so sorry. That was really rude of me. You probably don't want anyone commenting on that. I'm no better than that thug from earlier." She felt the pink starting to light up her cheeks, it was really involuntary with her pale complexion, but Effie couldn't help her innate curiosity. The drive to learn was literally built into her. "Forgive me. And I am fine for now, thank-you." She went to turn back to her books as another patron beckoned towards the waitress. However, Effie couldn't quite hold her tongue, she just needed to know more. She quickly turned back to the waitress. "Listen, I know you have some work to do but I would love to pick your uh, brain, so to say." She smiled sheepishly, "I would like to start writing a series of theoretical essays on the use of technology in the human body and well..." Effie trailed off and fiddled idly with the straw in her drink. "Just when you have some time, I think it would benefit my research to get a better understanding of artificial life, uh so to speak."

[Lumiere]

@Lyla
@ineffably

The majesty of the setting quickly died off as it seemed everywhere Kaïte looked, there were humans of a sort. It was not so much a problem with the race as it was their association with the only people he'd ever known. Lacking experience with 'normal people', all he had to base his prejudice on was the past. Sure, every one of them was a unique individual...all with the capability of murdering their fellow man, no doubt. There probably wasn't much weight to that qualm without being a hypocrite, though, so Kaïte took a deep breath and tried to ignore his urge to leave. There was no telling how many other places were essentially the same, anyway, and with the cold, wandering around was out of the question.

A considerable amount of talking suddenly came from his neighbor's table, the woman having found another friend by the look of it. She seemed very interested in the serving-lady, though over the music and her accent, Kaïte could only mostly pick out an expression of thanks. There was something...off about the waitress, like their skeleton was in control of their actions as their muscles seemed to barely move when she did, if at all.
The corners of the establishment appeared occupied and without anywhere else to imagine receding into, fitting in was his next best option. All he'd managed to swipe before leaving was a small collection of coins from a jar on Jericho's desk and one of those pocketknife multitools.

"Ehm...miss? Iz zehr someszink I could get for...zeis?" Kaïte awkwardly chirped to Ardella, since she was within earshot, serving one table over. He quickly dug though the pockets of his attire to retrieve roughly [monetary denominator that the world runs on, about six bucks worth]. The thought that going through the options would also keep her there to conclude her business with the woman and her glass.

[Leotamer]

Alex nodded, "Well, hello Zeke. hello Norix. As for what I do, I am an animal handler. This right here." he said, motioning to where it looked like the surface layer of the leather had melted, This was caused by acid. I was holding a gead snake and some of its venom dripped on my jacket. Gead snake venom can be really nasty if gets on you, but it also really useful."

He then started to take off the jacket and throw it over his shoulder, revealing a very plain blue t-shirt underneath. Contrasting the wear and tear of the jacket and pants, it didn't look like he had a scratch or bruise on him. His skin looked a bit calloused in some areas, but no more than you would except from someone who did a lot of physical labor.

He then looked over to Norix, who looked like she was shaking a bit. He thought to himself it was winter, and she is reptilian. He wasn't that versed in dragons or dracons, but they are elemental beings, and he thought he heard something about ice dragons, but it didn't look she herself was one. Though he didn't really know what an ice dracon would look like, only that he imaged that they would be white. He looked over to her and asked, Hey, are you cold? If you want, you can put on my jacket. It is a bit beat up, but it is warm. I am not sure where you are from, but I am going to take a wild guess that isn't cold there."

[LordofthePies]

Norix looked from the table and towards Alex. She gave him a small smile, one that was still full of teeth since she didn't really have lips.

"Oh no, I'm sure I'll warm up shortly, thank you for the offer. I came from the desert of Sikstavurbilaes. It's a land of constant summer. Snow is a new thing. Even though it's so cold, it's such a beautiful experience. I almost like it as much as the sand, but I can't be out there for too long. It's the opposite for snow Dracons, they can't really be in weather any warmer than 65. That must truly be miserable."

When Nori talked about her home and the snow her eyes shined with memory. Even though she wasn't home, she was still having a wonderful time. The snow was refreshing, but her clip couldn't warm her. On the way to the bar she was scared she'd freeze to death. She wasn't shaking anymore. She wasn't afraid. Norix spoke, memories of home fresh in her mind.

"I hear Gead Snakes are from the tropics. Where did you find one here?"

She had many questions, both about the animals Zeke worked with and the rune on the table. She wanted to learn from both, but she could only hold one topic of conversation at a time.

[Lyla]

Time & Date Stamp: Jan 1st, 8:15 P.M.
Weather: Snowy
Location: Queen of Hearts Bar
Interacting with: Effie (@ineffably), Ayla (@Camey), Kaïte (@Lumiere)

Despite that Effie found her comment to be rude, it in fact seemed to make the android beam with pride, smiling and almost standing just a little taller. However as she seemingly dismissed her waitress, Ardella did a small curtsy and turned, seeing Ayla waving her over. However before she could make a move, Effie caught her off-guard by wanting to speak with her further. There were several times a person would be interested in her design, surely, though this was the first she had experience with such passion since leaving her manor house. Ardella smiled once more, happily so and bowed her head just a bit. "Of course miss - I would be happy to be of assistance, truly." Despite being an android, even her voice modulation perfectly mimicked the tone of a full-blooded human, giving off a warm feeling.

Again, though, she was interrupted by another voice breaking the silence, causing her to blink. Usually not so many people were so forward in interacting with her - most found androids to be nothing than things, which she did not mind so much, as most did not grasp the level of complexity her programming was coded with. Still, it caused her pause as she clearly considered and then quickly turned toward Ayla, offering a polite wave, trying to indicate for her to be patient with the new customer. "Might I suggest a simple beef stew. It will not be much more than beef, potatoes, onions and seasoning, but it shall allow you enough left over to choose perhaps a simple water, giving you plenty of energy." Though it was far too rude to say as much, it did indeed look like the poor creature needed it. "If you're willing, there is a screen at your table where you can order it. I shall endeavor to make it my task to bring you the requested food when it is ready. However, if you would please excuse me - I am being beckoned by another customer as well." Having fully turned towards Kaïte by now, she gives another gentle curtsy and smiles politely before taking her leave.

Having politely left the previous two tables, she finally found herself in front of Ayla's table, giving a small bow of her head in greetings. Though she paused for a moment, glancing to the woman's full glass and giving a soft smile. "Good evening miss, how may I be of assistance?" She stood there, just like she did with the others, formal and polite with her handed folded in front of her.

[Camey]

Alya "Nez" Nunez

Ayla nodded quickly yet firmly when the waitress ‘told’ her to be a little patient with her. She wouldn’t admit it, but she would never take on a job as a waitress herself. Too many rude customers and everyone demanding her attention at once. In all fairness, she asked for the waitress to come over too, so maybe she wasn’t much better than any other customer. Heck, she probably would get annoyed if she herself was said customer and waitress. Not having even mentioned the constant walking around and always being polite to everyone – even the bottom-of-the-barrel types -. Even if it was only code for the waitress, she would still be impressed.

Suddenly the waitress stood before her table. ”Good evening miss, how may I be of assistance?” For a few moments Nez just looked at her, not really sure what to say. She waved her over for conversation, seeing if she was just code or more than that, but having the woman stand in front of her, she hesitated to ask her. Instead she opted to ask her something else entirely. ”Good evening.” she began and gave a warm smile to the android. ”I was wondering if ehrm.. If…If I could get the bill. For my drink.” She knew that wasn’t the complete truth. Of course she had to pay for it - she was going to pay for it -, but she didn’t ask the waitress what she wanted to ask. First of all it would seem rude, and secondly if she ever got asked that question, she would kick that person right where it hurts the most. The waitress didn’t seem like the type and would probably either deny or answer it politely – if she had the time -, but Nez kept quiet. Hypocrisy wasn’t what she wanted to be known for. She’d find out eventually. Not that it mattered much, but it was always one of those things that came into her mind every time she spotted an android.

”I like to pay upfront in case I suddenly have to leave. I won’t be having more drinks anyways so I’d like to pay right away.” She gave the waitress another warm smile and stirred her beverage once more. ”Thank you. She quickly added after a moment and looked around a little. The waitress had just visited another table with 3 ‘people’ in it. You’re excused, by the way. she said, not really knowing if the waitress was still there or not, her eyes wandering around the bar.

Her eyes landed on a booth with a familiar face. She tried to focus on the shape and sure enough, she could see who it was. It was Effie. She had spoken with such enthusiasm towards the waitress that Ayla really wondered what made her act that way. Unfortunately, the bar was so crowded and the music was so loud that she couldn’t pick up on what the blonde was saying. Suddenly, as if hit with a wave of curiosity, she stood up, grabbed the beverage and made her way over to where Effie was sitting.
“Hey.” She began and sat down across from her. “Saw you speaking to the waitress just then. What was that all about? It seemed like you were about to explode with enthusiasm.” She asked the lady. “And embarrassment.” She quickly added.

[ineffably]

@Lumiere @Lyla @Camey

Beaming, Effie couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement as the android accepted her request. Now this, this was the sort of information she wanted to digest. Not the old, sermonized literature her predecessor had been teaching her. She flipped a page in her notebook and immediately started scribbling a few things down. "Awesome. Looking forward to it!". Effie was giddy with excitement as her brain worked through a few simple theories she could explore. It was nice to finally have another real subject she could examine. Suddenly a small, chirping voice cut through their conversation. A creature Effie had never seen before was holding out a handful of coins to the waitress. It was small and animalistic, yet strangely humanoid.

The whirring and clicking that could often be heard silently around Effie intensified as she searched her database for some indication of what the creature could be. Bunny x Human. Humanoid Animals. Animal/Human Splicing. She couldn't come up with anything other than a few superficial articles about genetically spliced animals using trace sources of human dna and one article that cried about conspiracies to create animal/human hybrids for military purposes. She read one paragraph of that article before dismissing it as complete insanity. By the time she had finished her frantic, internal search the waitress has left to attend to another customer leaving Effie alone with the creature. "Hello. My name is Effie. Would you care to sit down?" Part of her request was mannerly however most was due to her intense need to know more.

At the same time she was gesturing to the creature, another humanoid caught her attention. "Nez!" She exclaimed happily as the familiar face seated herself across from her. "I didn't know you were here.". Effie chuckled a bit, habitually tucking her hair behind her ear as Nez pointed out the conversation she had just had with the waitress. "You saw that huh? That's embarrassing I hope too many people didn't notice.". She looked around but it seemed like the rest of the bar was not as observant as Nez. "Well, the waitress is an android too! I mean, you probably noticed, but she agreed to have an interview later for my essays. I would like to learn more about how AI works. And how we can use the physicality of androids to aid humanity well sort of like me." Often Effie rambled when she was discussing her work, especially when it made her as excited as this. Her skin was covered in goosebumps and her heart hammered a little faster as she thought. "Sorry, I'm rambling. I met this, uh, person just a few minutes ago. Sorry," she addressed the humanoid again, "What is your name?"