Summary: After getting dressed up the crew heads to Lady Katherine's Halloween ball. The conversation between Quinn and the hostess goes well enough to hold promise for a job in the future, and despite an awkward run-in with one of Shai's brothers, everything goes smoothly... until shots are fired. A stray bullet hits Quinn while Ori takes charge and injures the shooter... but before he can be questioned he commits suicide. Kasai and Nar manage to steal a taxi and Shai flies the crew to safety.
(Continuing straight from the forum) The woman met Kasai's greeting with a look of surprise. The majority of the guests could care less about her once she'd checked them in. Score one for Kasai. She actually almost smiled as he took her hand. “My name is Amelia....and oh yes.” The small device she held 'pinged' again. “It looks like you're indeed on the VIP list Mr. Cordova. Feel free to enjoy whatever you wish.” She winked, catching his gaze just a little too long before she sauntered away. Meanwhile Lady Katherine was enjoying being the center of attention as she always did. As Quinn and Shai first walked up she regaured them with a look of almost disdain. She didn't recognise the pair, and she hated wasting her time on strangers. Her thin hands gripped the egde of her throne a bit tighter when the name 'Inas' was dropped. Her wrinkled lips curled into a wicked smile. “Oh! Well, he'll just have to be punished for not taking the time to see me. Is he well?” She leaned forward, sharp eyes burrowing into the pilot as she sought to figure out just why he rang familiar. Shai shifted uncomfortably, unconsciously shifting to stand just slightly behind Quinn. “He's not sent you two before has he? Please refresh my memory of your names if he has...it's been so long, the bastard.” She chuckled loudly to herself. Shai tried not to wince. During this whole meeting Ori was left at the buffet table with the loud crowd of women, Javan waiting for her answer as he continued to ignore the rude blond still begging for his attention.
Oriana , flustered by Javan’s appearance, thanked him for the compliment on her costume. “I’d like that,” she said in response to his offer to play a song more appropriate for cowgirls. “I can’t stand this core music anyway.” Glancing at Nar for a moment, she informed the man that no, she had not tried the food he was indicating. Peering at it suspiciously, she lifted one onto her plate… And was promptly knocked over by the blonde in the mermaid costume in attempt to get Javan’s attention. With a slight grimace, Ori kicked the fallen finger food under the table and selected another one. Looking around at all the star-struck women, Ori commented in an amused tone, “Does this happen a lot?” She shot a quick glance over at Shai and Quinn at the throne, aware that she should pay attention to their going-ons but also desiring to talk to the young man before her and Nar. Ori made a face to herself and Left the conversation at that, resolving to speak only when spoken to. Work before play, Oriana Scott, she thought
Kasai smiled seductively when Amelia looked at him, winking slyly just before she turned away. "Do try to enjoy your own evening, Amelia. I'll be checking back on you later to make sure you did." The smile faded slightly as the woman walked away and Kas started to scan the crowd. He wondered if Garrek was booked again this year, or if he was even present at all. Those thoughts soon faded as he strode into the thick of the party, random guests greeting him warmly as he returned the favor. He made note of where Katherine was, knowing he'd have to make his way over to her at some point during the evening. He slowly made his way over to the buffet table, fighting his way through male and female admirers both. He had forgotten just how popular Aleck had been when he was alive, and how much more popular he had become when taken as Kas's alias. He shot a wink at Oriana and Nar from the other side of the table, almost laughing aloud at the congregation of young women around the musician. He never had understood why <c>
19:08:12 [Kasai] women pined so hard for the musician type, and none of his acquaintances had ever been able to enlighten him as to why either. He kept to himself for the moment, not wanting to interrupt Oriana and her new admirer. He glanced away, training his peripheral on Quinn and Shai at the throne. He hoped he wouldn't need to help them any in that matter, prefering to stay under the radar... As much as he could as one of the most popular guests at the party. <e>
Quinn ‘s skin began to crawl as she stood in Lady Katherine’s presence. She could tell by how Shai fidgeted that he was less than happy about the situation as well, which annoyed her a little, considering how eager he was to initiate this damn thing. The captain kept her cool, nodding once in regards to the woman’s question and motioning toward the pilot. “Shaiyat is Inas’ nephew, and I work for the man. He was injured a few months back – s’why he couldn’ make it tonight, but he is on the mend. He did request I talk business with you ‘fore the night’s out,” Quinn added, skeptical if the woman would agree. Coming to meet with her tomorrow was the last thing she wanted to do. Quinn smiled. “Won’ be but a minute of your time.”
Javan's brow raised a little when Ori gave her opinion on 'core' music. He'd of course assumed she was from one of those very planets, or somewhere where a more 'folksy' style of music wasn't quite so popular. Luckily for her Javan felt the same and didn't grow suspicious over it. “Have'ta agree with you miss. It's rather sad that no one appreciates the classics anymore.” He shot her a winning smile, moving closer to Ori much to the blonde 'mermaid's' dismay. She stomped off to complain to her gaggles of friends, mumbling something about Ori's costume being plain as she did so. Javan ignored them all, chuckling a little at Ori' observation. “Unforunatly this seems to be the price of fame. I used to play to half-empty bars night after night. Never thought I'd miss it ya know?” He paused, glancing over in Kasai's direction as his previous gaggle of woman suddenly flocked around him instead. Javan looked rather relieved. The blonde mermaid all but threw herself over Kasai's shoulder, giggling in her half-drunk state. “What's your name mister? You look lonely...” Meanwhile, back at the throne Lady Katherine gasped at Quinn's words. The fake worry in her tone was sickening. “Injuried? Oh how terrible. You'll have to send him my best wishes...” She smiled at Shai. “That's why you look familiar. Got your uncle's good looks did you...shouldn't have covered it with that gaudy patch though dear.” Shaiyat tried to smile back. “Can't be'a pirate without'a patch ma'am.” He tried to joke his way out of his discomfort. “Would like'ta bring back some good news ta Inas though. Might raise his spirits some.” Lady Katherine laughed again, seeming to find something rather funny. “You have your minute then but make it quick. I see someone who needs my attention before my granddaughter takes all my fun.”
Oriana blushed slightly as Javan moved closer, but didn’t complain. She was uncomfortably aware of the blonde girl’s comments about her costume—she’d worked hard on it and was disappointed at the reaction—but she ignored the drunken girl and focused back on the band member. “So you’re pretty well known?” Cursing herself for her moment of ignorance, she hastily tried to recover, remembering she wasn’t supposed to be Ori tonight. “I mean, I don’t listen to the airwaves much,” she amended. Her blush deepend. Looking for a way to distract herself from the potentially embarrassing situation, Ori looked over to Kasai as the blonde flung herself at him. She grinned and winked at her fellow merc, motioning that she felt sympathetic. Turning back to Javan, she tried the morsel he had indicated before, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing. “Tastes like everything else they’re serving here,” she muttered decisively.
Kasai twitched under his mask, as this was not part of his plan at all. His attention turned almost immediately to the blonde mermaid. He himself wasn't too fond of the floozies, but Aleck was. His voice was full of light jest, playing up his part as he spoke. "Oh my, my. You certainly are a perceptive mermaid. I'm surprised you couldn't see right through my mask and know who I am!" While talking he maneuvered himself and the woman so he kept the rest of the crew within his sights. "Aleck Cordova is my name, miss." He took the girl's hand, knowing she'd be willing to let him. "Might I know the name of this enchanting mermaid who's spotted such a lonely soul as I?" There was a smile on his lips, but from the way their host was looking in his direction he had an inkling of who he was talking too. At least she's actually attractive. He shuddered slightly when he thought about his last visit with the lady Katherine. As the musician moved closer to Ori he expected Nar to intervene, and certainly hoped he <c>
19:45:14 [Kasai] would. He knew a certain musician all too well to trust any others.
Quinn had hoped Katherine would have the wit to realize the sort of business Inas wanted to chat about would necessitate privacy. With no such luck, the captain simply nodded, moving closer to the woman’s perch and kneeling next to it. She spoke in hushed tones while keeping the woman’s gaze. “Inas wanted me to express his apologies for backing out of any work you need done. I’m seein’ over his business affairs till he’s better – so if there’s anything you need, just contact his ship.” Grey eyes briefly left the woman to follow the direction she had looked earlier – and, naturally, that brought her to her crew. She resisted the urge to frown and returned her attention to Katherine.
“You haven't heard of me?” Javan placed a hand to his chest in pretend act of surprise, though the laugh that came after made it clear he was joking. “My name is Javan Oth'fyrr, managed to get my name in the right circles I guess. I'm more of a...up and coming artist if ya will.” He shifted the guitar under his arm, tapping his foot a little to the jazz band's next tune as he silent timed out just how long he had before he was to play again. “I'll be sure and play that song for ya like I promised.” He chuckled a little at her reaction to the food. “Well, that either means it's all bad or all good...can't say I can tell which by your face miss.” He moved to pick up one of the appetizers himself, turning to glance in Lady Katherine's direction as he caught her eye. Great...he figured he should go entertain her but he was reluctant to leave Ori behind. Something about her and Nar came off more genuine than most of those here. “Say, would you like to dan-” He started to ask, his attention still turned though his mouth dropped open suddenly. “Can't be...” He seemed distracted by someone near the throne. Kasai's new 'friend' was easily flattered by the man and she tried as hard as she could to rub her new found attention in Javan's face. “Oh are you sweet! Aleck is a handsome name. Mine is Julia!” She giggled. “Don't you just love my costume? I've seen so many bad ones tonight, like cowgirls who have no taste...isn't that sad?” She sneered at Ori. Meanwhile, back at the throne Lady Katherine reached out to brush Quinn's arm as she moved closer, her voice going low as well. She was smart enough to not go into details, though brash enough to talk about such things at her party with little reservations. “I'm sure he is sorry. And poor to boot.” She looked Quinn over for a moment, and then Shai. “But he's always done good work for me and if he trusts you...I may have a job for you in the coming weeks.” She sat back up, regaining her wide grin. “Now shoo. And tell Inas not to be shy, it's been too long that I've seen him.” Shai had moved closer as well, and having heard what Katherine had to say he seemed largely relieved...that is until he turned around. He froze, glancing back into the crowd like he'd spotted a ghost. “We should go...” He mumbled before he shook it off. “We should go enjoy the party.” He tried a smile, taking Katherine's hint and grabbing at Quinn's arm...all but pulling her away and moving towards the buffet table.
Oriana ’s eyes widened at the mention of Javan’s last name, a flicker of recognition on her face. Before she could stop herself, she glanced over at Shai. It wasn’t exactly the most common last name, and now that she was looking closer at the two men, she could see some resemblance. Blinking fast,her mind whirring, Ori returned her attention wholly to Javan. “Yes, please play that song,” she said distantly, obviously distracted. She was startled at the beginning of Javan’s question, not having danced much since she left her home planet, and was almost hopeful until he cut himself off upon seeing Shai. There was no doubt now; they had to be related. “Javan?” she asked timidly, hoping to break his gaze on the throne area. “Is everything okay?” Her curiosity was quelled for the moment by the blonde’s comment about her costume, and she sneered back in her direction. Leaning over to Nar, she whispered in a low tone, “At least I’m not throwing myself at every guy at this party.”
Kasai looked Julia up and down, raising his arm and motioning for her to twirl about so he could get a good look at all of her as she went on about her costume. "It is quite a fine costume, Miss Julia." He paused for a moment, glancing at Ori for a moment. His smile turned into a genuine smirk for a second before he looked back to the girl whose hand he was holding. "Oh, I don't know. I think there's a certain charm to cowgirls from the ranch," A glance and a wink were shot towards the other merc before he broke back into the compliments. "But how could one, no. How could even five of the most alluring cowgirls match a mystical creature such as yourself?" His attention was averted for a moment, the musician having given his name. Kasai glanced to the thrown, then watched the across the room interaction between Javan and Shaiyat. Obviously they didn't expect to see each other. His attitude changed for a split second, and he made a quick decision. "You'll have to excuse me, miss Julia. I just saw an important <c>
20:29:43 [Kasai] friend on the other side of the room. I must take my leave for a moment, but I trust that I will be unable to resist such a siren as yourself." He pulled her hand in and gave it a small kiss before moving away. "Oh, don't sing to loudly. For if you do my ship will certainly be smashed against the rocky shores." Hopefully that would be enough to facilitate a quick exit for the time being. He silently moved through the other guests, headed towards the duo at the throne. He had pleasantries to share with the host, and questions for the captain and pilot.
[Quinn] “I will, Lady,” Quinn smiled before she backed away. It wasn’t promising but perhaps they could glean some coin from the old hag in the future. The blonde came to stand by Shai, eyeing the crowd and gaining a look at Kasai and his entourage when the sea of people parted for a moment. She had noticed the man’s grand entrance and attention it generated. “That boy’s gunna drive me insane,” she commented under her breath. Of course, leave it to Kasai to be the life of the party where they were supposed to be undercover. Before she could comment further Shai was suddenly pulling her toward the buffet table. “The hell’s gotten into you?” she asked quietly, pulling her arm away with a little yank and generating a glare… or, would be glare, as she had forgotten about the cumbersome hat, the rim of which shielded her look as it bumped into Shai. Quinn sighed, picking up the pace. “You see everyone?” she asked, too short to see above the heads of the other guests, though she figured they were headed in the <c>
20:33:39 [Quinn] direction of the others. Her question was answered as the table, Nar and Ori came into view, a brief glance shot Javan’s way before Quinn turned to scan for Xin. She paused then, blinking as she turned back to give the stranger another, longer look. Why the hell did he look so familiar?
Javan picked up on Ori's sudden change in mood, though the reason for it was lost on him of course. He figured perhaps he'd going too far, asking for a dance with her 'date' obviously standing right there. A quick look of apology was sent Nar's way before he sent an easy smile back to Ori. “Oh. Nothing's wrong, just thought I say someone I knew...” He shrugged it off, figuring he'd been mistaken. “I'm afraid I do need to play my set soon, hopfully I'll bump into you again before the party's end miss.” He lingered, waiting for an answer and also hoped to avoid Julia's attention once he noticed Kasai moving away from her. Smart man. Julia meanwhile took in all his words like wine, giggling and promising to find him if he lingered to long. Kasai would probably pass Quinn and Shai on their way from the throne, though with his get-up the pilot didn't even notice him. He walked right on by, releasing Quinn's arm though he didn't look any less worried now that he could do so. “Think I saw someone familiar...someone who'd recognize me. Ain't have no idea he'd be here.” He blurted almost apologetically. He tried to catch Ori and Nar's eye as they got closer, motioning for her to keep Javan's attention if they could.
20:53:50 Oriana , before she could answer, saw Shai and Quinn come into view. Shai’s motioning for her to keep Javan there caused her to reach out and grasp Javan’s arm, light but firm. “Can you spare a moment longer?” she asked, smiling up at him. She glanced over at Nar before dropping her hand from the man’s arm. “I wanted to ask which folk songs you knew,” she said, thinking on her feet. If Javan ever looked away from her, she would glance over at Shai, gesturing for him to hurry. She didn’t think she could hold the young man’s attention for long. Ori’s curiosity spiked when she saw Shai, wondering if he wanted to talk to the man or simply get far enough away so he wouldn’t be recognized. She started humming a tune to the band member, hoping he’d recognize it.
21:00:57 Kasai would have pulled Shai aside for a moment, but he was satisfied with what he overheard the pilot admit to Quinn. His attitude switched again as he put Aleck back on, once again jovial and all smiles. He was just about ready to weather a visit with the queen of the party. "Now, I was just having a conversation with a captivating mermaid about the devil, and to my surprise here she is at this very party, sitting atop a throne!" He spoke in jest as he approached the seated Katherine. He bowed a few steps down from the Lady, making sure he could see the buffet table in his peripheral before rising. "Now this party certainly is one of the most extravagant I've seen in years, milady. I wouldn't expect any less from you." He smiled lightly, hoping the old witch wouldn't want much from him. He would be surprised if she wasn't surprised at his appearance, because Aleck had skipped out on the last year's party and had forgotten to RSVP for this one. Kasai was lucky that she had kept him on the VIP list, he had <c>
21:00:58 [Kasai] staked the entirety of the night on that fact. Fortunately for him it appeared she was still fond enough of the man he played to give him full access even though he hadn't spoken to her in a year. He'd get an earful about that, for sure.
21:02:50 Quinn looked between Javan and Shai, settling on the latter. She'd only met a couple of the pilot's brothers but knew the stranger must be one of them, since they all looked strikingly alike. “Can't we go anywhere without runnin' into yer kin?” she asked somewhat jokingly, unsure as to why Shai was so worried. He was here as himself, after all. Quinn missed the opportunity to signal to Kasai as he wandered past, but did try to catch Ori and Nar's eye... until Ori suddenly became busy with Javan, due to Shai. The blonde quirked a brow at the pilot. “Okay... you 'n Nar escape 'n find Xin on yer way out, I'll get Kasai.” Quinn didn't know Shai to be the type to avoid family, especially since she was unaware of any bad blood... but decided now was not the time to start asking questions.
21:19:04 Shaiyat glanced Quinn's way, an awkward smile coming despite his discomfort over the whole situation. “Ain't my fault I gotta lot of 'em.” The pilot tried to calm down, more worried about trying to explain just why he was at a fancy Alliance party than over anything else. He seem relieved by Quinn's plan. “I'll go find Xin then, you send Nar my way.” He reached out to squeeze her shoulder briefly before he moved away, trying to avoid seeing Javan. Javan meanwhile was distracted by Ori, leaning closer to hear just what tune she was humming and pleasantly surprised that she was trying to keep him around. Meanwhile Lady Katherine was all but thrilled to see 'Aleck.' “Oh, don't come to me with flattery boy. You're the devilish one.” She winked, slowly moving to stand and holding out her hand or Kasai's attention. “You've not come to see me in so long Aleck.” She pouted. It'd be hard to hear, as the party was filled with all sorts of sounds. Jazz music, people laughing, shouting and the like. Those accustomed to a more <
21:19:18 [Shaiyat] dangerous lifestyle may recognize the sudden loud 'bang' for what it was however. The gunshot rang out through the crowd, the bullet just missing Javan and Ori and hitting a plate of appetizers that exploded in a shower of glass and food pieces. Those nearest to the table screamed, the panic radiating outward from the scene as what had happened sinked into the crowd. A second shot came, this one hitting a near-by table leg and ricocheting to hit Quinn's backside as she made her way to the table. The shooter would be hard to spot in the crowd at first, but the figure dressed all in black would be rather obvious to Ori, as he was in her view crouched just behind one of the fake tombstones decorating the room. His gun was trained in her direction...though by his first two attempts it'd be hard to tell just what he was trying to shoot at. He certainly wasn't the best shot.
21:30:14 Oriana continued to hum and smile at Javan, keeping an eye on the others as they scattered. Yep, they were going to get out of here. She pondered what excuse she could use to get away from the young man… But then the shot rang out, and glass and food suddenly exploded behind her. Bessie was in her hand before the second shot was fired, but she couldn’t see the shooter until he fired again, mainly due to the chaos that had ensued with people running around like headless chickens. Ignoring where the bullet went, she focused on where the sound came from, and her eyes focused on the tombstones. She tilted her head to the side slightly and, thinking quickly, decided just to wound the shooter. Raising Bessie, Ori shot two shots in rapid succession around the chaotic guests, one aimed to force the gun from the shooter’s hand and one aimed at his thigh. He’d either be unable to flee or would have great difficulty in running. Hoping most of the guests were too busy screaming and trying to save themselves, Ori hid Bessie (c)
21:30:17 [Oriana] back in its holster and made her way to the shooter, hoping on of the others would follow to help her secure him.(e)
21:50:28 Nar had simply been standing there, doing the whole stoic thing and not really saying much. This was mostly out of the fear that he would blow his whole cover story in five seconds, so he just let Ori and the man Javan talk. Though as shots were fired his head snapped around, and he looked back in time to see Ori going for her gun. He slid his arm free of hers to let her take aim and turned to Javan, shouting over the noise. "Can you help get people out of here?" He roared, then with a glance at Ori he barged off through the milling crowd in an effort to give chase and tackle the shooter directly, gun or no gun. He wasn't sure where the man's bullets had gone, but he wasn't as skilled as Ori.
21:55:08 [Quinn] It was true, Quinn hadn't liked the idea of this job, nor was she enjoying her time here. But she had at least counted her lucky stars that it'd probably be the least dangerous one they'd accomplished all year, what with the no one knowing them bit and the fact that Katherine's place crawled with body guards. So the last thing Quinn was expecting was to get shot... in the ass. The captain fell forward with a startled grasp, her mind spinning as to why she had gone down in the first place. The screaming around her clued her in and she tried to get up, only to have the bullet twinge badly where it lodged. “Ah! Damn it!” she cursed, turning slightly and reaching down, confirming the injury when her hand came back red. The bullet lodged in the tissue surrounding her pelvic bone above her left femur, but thankfully didn't break anything – the ricocheting had slowed the bullet's progress enough. The stampede of people made it nearly impossible to stand, and Quinn was kicked and buffeted until Ori shot back and <c>
21:55:36 [Quinn] those around the buffet table finally vacated. The woman army crawled to the nearest decoration and hoisted herself up to sit behind it, leaning out a moment later to get an idea of what was going on. Quinn's pistol was left in its holster once she saw Oriana advancing toward a downed man, though her hand stayed on it in case there was more than one shooter. She smiled a little, though it looked more like a grimace due to the stinging in her rear end. Nice shot, Ori. After a couple deep breaths Quinn got to her feet, limping badly as she moved toward the exit. “Time to go!” she called, though she knew it wouldn't do much good over the noise.
22:10:23 Shaiyat hadn't gotten far by the time the chaos rang out, and suddenly found himself surrounded by the mass of costumed maniacs. By the time Ori's shots were fired the party's security was trying to make their way over to the scene but weren't having much luck. No one knew what was going on, and the pilot found himself in that same boat. His first reaction was to try and find Quinn, his height usually a help with that though with her crawling he'd have no chance. He stuck with simply getting back near the buffet table and once there spotted the captain's big red hat. He'd no idea she'd been shot at this point, running over but not before Javan grabbed at his arm. He'd stuck by Ori before she'd run off, surprised by her return shots and too shocked to move until he'd seen the pilot run past. “Shaiyat?” Javan blurted, still surprised. Shai only nodded, letting his brother follow as he met up with Quinn just as she yelled out. “Yeah...good time ta go...” He looked around worriedly in hopes of spotting Xin...and then <
22:10:41 [Shaiyat] noticed his friend was limping worse than normal. “Quinn?!” He'd offer he support if she'd take it, keeping an eye out for Ori and Nar as well to wave them along as well. Lady Katherine was a mess after the first shot, crumpling with a scream to hide behind Kasai if he stayed there long enough to be a human shield. “Where is that coming from?” She called out angrily. Meanwhile Ori shots had hit the man in black, keeping him in his hiding spot as he yelled out. The gun left his hand for only a moment, his other one reaching out grab it quickly. He gave the two one look of pure terror before turning it on himself just as they both got close. He pulled the trigger. It wasn't a pretty scene. And by this time a few of those body guards got close, one eyeing the two suspiciously from a few feet away.
22:21:26 Kasai 's immediate reaction was to protect Katherine, but it wasn't long before it was obvious that she wasn't the target. He had pulled her close and shielded her from the direction of the shots, but now he gently pushed her aside as he spun around. "Stay down, ma'am." His act was dropped, and his words came across coldly. His jacket, vest, and shirt were all opened in a single motion as he pulled out his pistol and scanned through the area for other possible shooters. He saw Oriana moving towards the would be shooter, but was uncertain how succesful she would be if they turned out to be better with their fists than they were with a gun. He then noticed that Quinn had been hit by a stray shot, and his mind got caught up in the frantic motion of the whole scene. He took a deep breath and calmed himself, highlighting the important things in his mind. Quinn. Shai. Nar. Xin. Oriana. Target. Exits. Taxi Shuttle. He silently moved towards the captain, his gaze traveling as he made his approach. He spoke above the <c>
22:21:29 [Kasai] ruckus when he was close behind her. "Lean on me, Captain." He moved to her injured side and slipped under her arm, not even waiting for her permission. "There are some abandoned taxi shuttles over there," he motioned towards the cab he had spotted, "If you want to leave I can get one open and started." He saw the guards approaching Ori and Nar and shook his head. "It'd probably be a good idea to get going, too. The brass won't be taking kindly to those of us carrying weapons." He paused for a moment, hesitant to reveal to much but deciding it was somewhat necessary at the time. "If someone needs to stay back to cover us from the feds I'll do it. I've got some pull in their ranks. Doctor's got to see you fit again at the ship." He hoped his help wouldn't be brushed aside, but half expected her to get mad at him for helping her walk and offering to cover the rest of them as they made a break for the Vega.
22:28:54 Oriana uttered a string of curses as the man turned his gun on himself, very aware of the guards nearby and the way they were looking at her and Nar. Scarcely a second had gone by before she had grabbed Nar’s elbow and tugged him away from the scene. “Let’s get out of here,” she muttered. She walked briskly towards the others, her eyes glancing back at the guards every once in awhile to see if they were following the pair. She reached the crew just as Kasai mentioned that he would stay back and cover if they needed to be covered. She peered at the merc for a moment, but made no comment. Silently, she gestured that she should take Kasai’s place in helping the captain; leaning on a shorter person would be easier, and Ori was stronger than she looked. If Kasai complied, she would place Quinn’s arms around her shoulders. “Didn’t get a word out of him, nor a proper look at his face,” she said, trying not to think of the way the man looked after he’d shot himself. Her stomach flipped over, but she stilled it with a (c)
22:28:59 [Oriana] look at the captain. “Whoever he was, he was definitely after us.” (e)
22:37:21 Nar pushed through the crowd after Ori, ready to back her up however he could as they got closer to the shooter. However he reached out to grab her arm again when he saw the man was holding his gun in his other hand. "Ori!" He shouted, and then the shooter put the bullet into his own head. Nar winced and covered his eyes for a moment, turning away from the scene. He'd seen people shot before, but he'd never been so close to someone so frightened that he'd end his own life like that. It left him feeling rattled. Before he could recover, Ori was towing him away from the messy scene. He uttered a curse in Chinese and hurried with her. "Is everyone alright?" He asked as he joined the others. "Let's get out of here." He saw now that Quinn was hurt, but she was being helped already. So, feeling rather useless he followed the crew, checking behind him to see if they were being followed. Though as they reached the cab, Nar had evidently had similar ideas to Kasai, though he'd missed the man's suggestion. He fiddled >
22:37:40 [Nar] > a couple of bits of metal from the hem of his cloak and immediately set upon the door to get it open. "Get the Cap'n in the back." He said as the lock clicked. "Can anyone drive this thing...?" HE asked, after peering inside. "This has got way more gears and things than a mining truck."
22:46:04 [Quinn] “I'm fine,” Quinn said moodily, continuing toward the exit with Shai and his brother. The initial confusion had worn off some and it was beginning to dawn on her just where she had been shot. She was pretty sure she'd never hear the end of it and was already dreading her trip to the sickbay. She really did need the support least she risk falling again, and just as she reached out to snatch a hold of Shai, Kasai slipped under her arm. She didn't hesitate, nodding as he spoke. “Get one started. No one stays. Shai, get the others.” It was then Ori and Nar showed up and she let go of Kasai so he could get a taxi, the little merc replacing him as Quinn's crutch. She was tentative about putting too much weight on Ori during the first couple steps, but quickly learned she needn't be so careful and gladly used the merc as support. She nodded somewhat belatedly to the report, an annoyed look crossing her features. “Bastard should'a been after that old hag... but you did great, sweetheart,” Quinn mumbled <c>
22:46:10 [Quinn] everything through chattering teeth – she was definitely going into shock. By the time they reached the outside of the shuttle she had caught sight of Javan, whom she directed a glare. “What the hell are you?” Chances are she meant 'who.'
22:54:37 Shaiyat certainly wasn't the shortest one to be helping Quinn along, by the time the captain was passed to Ori the pilot was trying his best not to panic. “We ain't got no enemies in these parts...” Shai mumbled, mostly to himself at Oriana's suggestion that the shooter had been after them. It wasn't that he didn't believe her, he was simply shocked by the idea. Kasai taking charge was welcomed at this point, and Nar's ability to pick the lock of one of the taxi's even more of a relief. “I can fly it.” Shai answered confidently, glad to be set with a problem he could fix. As soon as the door was opened he climbed on in, tossing his hat aside and figuring out the new set of controls the best he could. Luckily a taxi of this sort would be set up so almost anyone could be hired to fly them. It wasn't long before the engine came to life. “Hang in there Driscol, we'll get ya home.” Javan meanwhile stayed closed by, guitar under his arm. He seemed unsettled by the whole situation and even more confused when Ori came up
22:54:48 [Shaiyat] o join his brother and the others. He almost asked what was going on, but considering the whole mess his more immediate problem was a ride away from this place. Quinn's question only confused him further. “What am I?” He blinked a few times before he offered a smile. “Oh, uh. A musician ma'am. I'm Shaiyat's kin...” He glanced pleading inside the cab to Shai first, then back towards Ori. “I sure could use a ride outta this place too.”
23:09:36 Kasai let Quinn rest on Ori without much hesitation. He glanced back at the chaos at the party. "I am never going to hear the end of that." He said to himself before glancing inside the cab. He shook his head at how small the interior actually was. "We're going to need to lay the Captain down, probably across the rest of us from the looks of it." Once everyone had gotten inside and situated, he worked with Xin to put pressure on Quinn's wound, offering a sash that had been around his waist to tie around her. If that failed he did the only other thing he knew he could to stop the bleeding. He hesitated for a moment, but then placed his hand over Quinn's wound and pressed as hard as he possibly could. "You'll have to forgive me for being so forward, Quinn, seein' as we've not had the time to woo each other." His tone was soft and friendly, and he hoped that slight comedy might lighten the situation somewhat. "But I don't know any other way to keep the blood in your backside." He shook his head, knowing this <c>
23:09:37 [Kasai] might come back to bite him in his own behind. He offered the position to anyone else willing to take it, figuring his hands might not be the most welcome upon the Captain's backside. As things slowly settled, the merc seemed to hole up inside of himself. His mind was caught up in how he didn't notice the man until after he fired. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd really slipped so bad. He shook his head to himself silently, letting out a small sigh. It appeared that the strange man was going to take this incident quite hard, for whatever reason.
23:18:54 Oriana gave Quinn a smile at her compliment, trying not to let her worry show. “Thanks, cap’n.” She stood with the captain, waiting for everyone else to squish in before helping the captain in with Kasai’s help. At the last moment, she grabbed Javan and shoved him into the cab next to Nar. She took a seat between Javan and Kasai with the captain lying across their laps. With a grin at Kasai’s comments, Ori took up his post at the captain’s backside, figuring female hands would be more welcome than his. No offense. She let the doctor do his thing, if he needed to do anything in the back of the cab. “Go, Shai,” she said shortly, hoping he wouldn’t protest to his brother being in the cab with them. She figured he would understand that they needed to get Quinn to the ship, fast. They could figure out what to do with Javan later. Despite the situation, Ori was uncomfortably aware of Javan sitting next to her.
23:23:25 Nar wrestled with getting the engine started whilst everyone scrabbled about climbing in. The controls did start to make a bit more sense as he looked at them, and he felt confident about getting it started. He didn't trust himself to pilot the thing though. Unfortunately, while it was designed for an easy start, maintainance left something to be desired. "Gao yang jong duh goo yang... Start you Bastard!" He cursed after wrestling with it for a few moments. Then the engine roared into life and he scooted into the passenger seat. "All set! Hold onto your asses.." He glanced apologetically into the back. "Ah, sorry Cap'n." It was probably just as well she couldn't make eye contact in her current position.
23:26:30 [Quinn] “Oh right... one of the million brothers.” Quinn chuckled to herself, wincing as she was led into the taxi. “Join the party. I didn' given get a gorram drink,” she suddenly complained. The urge to lay down and go to sleep overcame the captain and she tried to do just that, half crouching, half falling to the floor of the taxi – she was by no means a small person so getting out of Ori's grasp probably wouldn't be too hard. Just as her eyes closed Kasai and Xin started work to keep her from bleeding out, and the pain that blossomed from the wound brought Quinn to again and she yelled. She paused long enough to hear Kasai's explanation. “Get yer gorram hands off me... little boys ain't my type,” she growled, her voice muffled against the floor. Oriana's use of the pilot's name reminded her. “You aren't allowed to come up with ideas no more, Oth`fyrr.” The realization that she was bleeding on the new prosthetic suddenly hit her. “Nar, this waterproof?” She had missed his accidental quip, but that surely <c>
23:26:36 [Quinn] wasn't the last of them.
23:35:28 Shaiyat could fly the cab, he was sure of it now as he sat behind the controls. Flicking a few switches once Nar got the damned thing to start he got her off the ground with an unsteady start. The controls were sticky, the whole thing was out of balance and as Nar had discovered not in the best of repair but it flew and that was good enough. Glancing back once at those stuffed into the back-including his brother he gave a small nod. He'd make this as fast a trip as he could. “Just try keep er calm back there...” He shot a pleading glance back to Xin and Ori once Quinn's voice caught his attention and he addressed her as well though he couldn't see her. “Ain't gonna have no more ideas, alright Driscol?” He chuckled just a little before focusing on getting them back to Xin's family's estate and the Vega's sickbay. Javan simply grinned at Quinn's quip, not arguing that his family was quite large. He felt a bit awkward confined as they were in the back of the cab...but he certainly didn't mind Ori's company
23:35:41 [Shaiyat] and mouthed a silent 'thank you' to her when he could catch her attention.
23:40:25 Kasai huffed and shook his head. He took his mask off and looked outside the nearest window, watching the chaotic estate slowly fade away. "Your welcome, ma'am." He would have taken issue with being called a little boy at any other time, but he knew it wasn't the right time, since Quinn was injured. He crossed his arms and kept his mouth shut for the rest of the ride, not really looking forward to whatever aftermath would come aboard the Vega. His mind wandered back to his own problem, his missing ship. He cursed under his breath, knowing that every day he spent not looking for it was a day it was closer to slipping out of his grasp. He shook his head, trying to think of favors he could pull to try and find a lead. He let out a soft sigh, and hung his head low. Things were not looking up.
