[Character RP] Off Duty Conversations

[venndaai]

 [Time: ambiguous enough that hopefully it'll fit between moves. Setting: a common area in the moth. Ashari and Sulen are sitting together on a couch, attempting idle chat, though they're clearly having trouble relaxing. Istradez is standing at the entrance to the room.]

 

[It's a large ambiguously shaped common area with space for more than one conversation at a time and centrally located so people can go in and out often, joining or leaving conversations as they please.]

Comments

[mercuryhatter]

Istradez crosses the room to sit on the arm of the couch, closest to Sulen. He brushes Sulen's shoulder as he sits down, casually enough that it might have been an accident, and waits politely for the conversation to come to a lull.

[venndaai]

Sulen notices, and tilts their head up to slightly raise one eyebrow at him. "Vauhan Imsayed, correct?" they say. A sharp, handsome face, fluid motions, and a Kniferose Unsheathed, Sulen remembers from earlier. They try not to scry right up close like this outside of interrogations because they can never shake the suspicion that it makes them go cross-eyed and it almost certainly does give them an glassy, vacant look, whatever Ashari says. Knifrerose Unsheathed is one of Ashari's signifiers, but Sulen isn't sure they can count on that giving them any insight into this absurdly tall stranger. "Please, sit down." The couch is just about big enough for three people who know each other very well, or there's a cushion on the floor.

[mercuryhatter]

Istradez slips right in to the open space on the couch, appearing quite at ease with the close quarters. He's been intrigued by the idea of rebellious Rahal since he first spotted them, and Sulen is especially interesting given their Andan friend. Not to mention, very attractive, and Istradez could use a distraction. He smiles at both of them as he settles into the couch. It's a bit warmer than his natural smile, but it reaches his eyes and usually has a helpful effect on people for this sort of thing.

"That's right," he says. "Sulen, if I'm remembering correctly? And Ashari? It's good to catch you here. I was hoping someone else would be up-- it would have been less than ideal to start on this alone." He produces a flask from his loose sleeve, and his smile quirks into a more mischievous cast.

[smokedetective]

Ashari looks carefully at the man through half-lidded eyes and smiles indulgently, seeing his glance at Sulen. A thousand thoughts run through their head, and they're about to politely excuse themself, but then Imsayed speaks and the flask comes out and...

Their usual sweet smile spreads across their face before they have the chance to consciously plaster it on. Briefly, they wonder if maybe they smile too much, but quickly push the thought aside.

"Well, your company is certainly a pleasure," they say, and lean forward, reaching across Sulen for the flask. "And with this, doubly so. What's in here?"

[venndaai]

It's a very bad idea to let down your guard around dangerous strangers, but it sounds like exactly the kind of thing reckless rebel pirates do in their spare time. And Wolf's mercy, Sulen needs a drink.

Drinking with a decadent former Andan and a beautiful mysterious rebel stranger with an Andan signifier... Sulen's teachers would not be pleased. This is not what you're supposed to do. Sulen bites the inside of their cheek, hoping Ashari and Imsayed don't notice. Maybe that's the best reason of all to do it.

"You remember correctly," they say to Imsayed, and catch his gaze, holding it. The smile in his eyes is infectious, and Sulen feels their own mouth turn up just slightly. If he's a former- or current- Andan, this is risky behavior, but he's unlikely to enthrall an ally in a public space right next to Ashari.

[mercuryhatter]

Istradez's own smile becomes a little more genuine to see Sulen's slight change in expression-- perhaps this won't be as difficult as he thought. He looks away from Sulen only briefly as he speaks to Ashari, naming a space whiskey that's on the more expensive side of the spectrum, but not absurdly so. (In any case, he hadn't bought it: it had been in the debris that followed him through the rift, and he sort of viewed it as the least the universe could do to make up for that particular experience.)

"Shall I get glasses?" he asks, floating across the room and bringing back three without waiting for an answer. "I would love to hear about how you two came to be here, together." He doesn't mean to add the slight emphasis to "together," but it is an atypical pairing, and surely they already know that. He hopes the topic isn't too fraught to discuss over drinks, because he's terribly curious, but he is prepared to change the subject if it is.

[smokedetective]

Really, with the way the man's looking at Sulen, they should be leaving, but... He's smooth enough to be former Andan, and as much as Ashari thinks this could be good for Sulen, there's never such a thing as being too careful. Not to mention that Imsayed is rather attractive, though the deciding factor really is the liquor.

"Glasses would be lovely," they say instead of the hundred other things passing through their head. They take a swig out of the flask before passing it back to Imsayed. It's not poisoned, or at least not quick-acting, and Ashari generally prides themself in being able to sense the ones that take longer to kick in. Either way, there's very little that Imsayed could gain from killing them now, while they're traveling.

Ashari sprawls out and keeps their body posture open. They're not leaning on Sulen anymore, but theyre still very close. "And I'm afraid us being here isn't much of a story. Sulen came through first, on purpose. I fell in a little later, on accident. We knew each other before, and miraculously ended up on the same mission. It's pure luck, I suppose.."

...They might need to stop attributing so many things to luck. At least part of them being placed with Sulen consisted of a quiet and intense monologue to their friend's supervisor in the rebellion, listing Ashari's experience, qualifications, ability to work well with Sulen, and twenty ways to kill someone with a hairpin (Ashari knew more, but they were trying to keep it brief). It probably wasn't what has gotten either of them this particular mission, but it had resulted in a change in quarters (to those next door to Sulen's) during their nebulous waiting period there, and quite possibly a concerned report to the higher ups.

[mercuryhatter]

"Good luck indeed, especially where holes in the universe are concerned," Istradez says, his curiosity overtaking his original objective. He didn't think anyone on this moth could say truthfully that how they got there wasn't much of a story.

He leans across Sulen to take the flask back and pour it into the glasses; the knowing look in his eyes says he knows exactly why Ashari drank first, and that he isn't offended. He passes glasses to each of them and takes a sip of his own. "So how did you meet, before the luck that brought you here?"

[OOC: pour one out for the alternate universe in which Istradez became a dashing Andan diplomat, instead of becoming dead]

[smokedetective]

Ashari's polite smile spreads into a grin. "A little how we're meeting now. Except there was significantly more alcohol involved, a rogue swan, some nice jewelry, a bathrobe, or lack thereof, and a long conversation about, mm, what was it? The latest agricultural legislature?"

[venndaai]

"You always misremember that," Sulen complains. Their fingers tingle a little where Imsayed brushed them, handing over the glass. They take a large swallow of the whiskey, enjoying the burn. "It was about harvest festivals, not harvests themselves. I'm pretty sure grains are calendrically null. Unless you've got fertility cults involved, which are a whole different problem." They turn back to Imsayed. "Andan," they say, casually dismissive. "No memory for anything that's not fashion trends or stock values." They keep their voice relaxed, but they're focused on reading his face, looking for a reaction. "Although there really was a rogue swan."

[mercuryhatter]

Istradez affects amused offense, because that was a fishing comment if he ever heard one, and if Sulen thought he had some connection with the Andan, then why not play along? It wasn't like he'd had time to come up with his own story.

"I'm sure that's not all they remember," he says with a laugh. He catches Sulen's gaze with his own. "Why don't you tell me how it really happened, then? Maybe start with what exactly a swan has to go rogue from."

[smokedetective]

"Well, my assistant misheard a request and acquired live swans instead of fake ones, then promptly got wasted so she wouldn't have to deal with them. It wasn't a problem until one of them took offense at and then attacked an alien ambassador's shoes. I was also more than a little intoxicated by that point, and Sulen helped me apprehend the damn bird. We managed to chase it out, but it kept coming back and terrorizing guests. Thankfully, the ambassador thought it was a comedy routine, as they'd heard of our factions and had never seen a Rahal and Andan work together. Finally, my wasted assistant decided to show up and proclaim that the swan was under her protection. Someone from the ambassador's entourage apparently found that attractive and the two wandered off with the swan, which was mostly the end of it. So mostly, it wasn't so much that ithe swan went rogue as much as it was the epitome of havoc and cruelty."

[zuhrovet]

[How big is the moth, anyway? Do people have separate rooms? Alternatively, is it small enough that we need some sort of bunk rotation for different shifts? Is there a gym?]

[venndaai]

[Move 2 might be on the moth and have more description, we just wanted to go ahead and mess around with our characters so yay, ambiguously shaped/sized room.]

[zuhrovet]

[Oh, absolutely, don't mind me. Sasha persuaded the matter printer to make a bunch of little glasses; they're in a cupboard over there if y'all want to do a round of toasting.]

[venndaai]

[How thoughtful of her! Much appreciated.]

[ursula]

[These glasses are from Sasha's second bout with the matter printer, so if you look very closely, you notice glittery text saying things like 'What even is cerulean?']

[yhlee]

[Move 2 will have more on the moth but the ambiguous room is fine. I'll try to get move 2 out later today---we're in the middle of the last of moving things into the new house.]