Log:Pandora's Box 1: Rowan Novaton
Someone's stolen Rowan Novaton's ship! Zhu Yan doesn't like it!
OOC Date: May 20, 2016
Location: The Blue Light
Participants: Zhu Yan, Kasia Ciph, Stavros, Rowan Novaton, Arcadia
Long story short: Kasia facilitates a meeting, Rowan Novaton asks for help, Stavros grumbles a bit, Zhu Yan has a rare moment of conscience.
The whole story:
The Blue Light. Home of the Great Poisoning Incident of A Month Or So Ago. It was a quiet night, most patrons having gone home for the evening, and all that was left was Zhu Yan cleaning the bar. From the other side. Since he wasn't allowed behind the counter after that incident.
When Stavros emerges from the back through the Employees Only door, he pauses, gaze sweeping over the room. It bounces back to Zhu Yan, much as one always makes sure you have line of sight of a child prone to making messes. He moves opposite the smuggler, staying behind the bar himself. "A decent day," he says, looking to see what liquor bottles need replacing. "As decent as any day is when your friend and coworker is missing." He's practicing this deadpan thing, but there's no avoiding the angry eyes as he broods, back to the room. Bubbly happiness is in short supply today.
The Blue Light. Home of the bouncer harassment incident of sometime ago. But clearly someone got a talking to because all that happens when Rowan is on the premesis is some daggers glared his direction. Which he brushed off with an idiotic smile. Ah yes.
Anyway, Rowan does pass through the door and stretches to show off just a little more, then looks over his shoulder at the door with that dumb grin. Idiot.
Kasia is already here, already at a table with a glass of water, appearing to be waiting for someone. That someone who has just walked in, a smile brightening her face as she lifts a hand to give Rowan a friendly wave.
"Wait who's missing now?" Someone went missing? Was it Yan? He looked around furtively. No, he was right here! Thank goodness. A galaxy without Zhu Yan was a galaxy not worth contemplating. It was at that point that he realized the inanity of that thought and shook his head to clear it out. What a nutter.
It was at that point that he turned around and noticed, oh hey, it was whatsisname from before! That kid was alright! He also gave a wave to the man apparently called Rowan. Sure, Stavros might have been pissed off today, but Yan was a hard man to keep down.
Once Rowan's facing the right direction, his gaze is pulled to Kasia who gets a smile and a little wave back. Then he realizes Mr. Man is waving at him, too. Rowan narrows his eyes with a smirk and gives a little point to Zhu Yan as he crosses, in essence saying, 'I've-totally-seen-you-before-but-I-don't-remember-your-name-but-hey-girl-heey!'
He sits across from Kasia and smiles at her. "Hey, you."
"Hey," Kasia greets once Rowan is settled across from her, smiling again. "You look like you're in a good mood tonight," she remarks, gaze moving to Zhu, who she also waves over. Not that he -needs- to be invited over, he'll just up and join if he wants, but the invitation is out there before he can.
"Siya," Stavros says quietly to Zhu Yan, but he abandons his post to the bar-backs and bartenders who do it far better than him, walking out when he spots Kasia - and Rowan. No doubt the Corellian smuggler is doing the same. "Kas," he greets somberly. For her companion, he looks merely formal. "Mister Rowan? I'm glad you're back." He glances towards the door - where the bouncers are - and then back, but doesn't comment.
"Huh," was what Zhu Yan said to Stavros. Witness his powerful observation skills, his mighty lack of density. But in all honestly he never noticed. Moving on! He decided, well, things were happening! And he was going to grab a drink and watch them! At least for now! Exclamation mark!
"Well, one needs to appreciate the night, don't they?" Rowan sits back in his chair, clearly impressed with himself. And then Stavros approaches. "Mister?" Rowan looks up at Stavros with a little giggle. "I'm.." He shakes his head with a good-natured grin on his face. "I'm a lot of things but not a mister. I appreciate the confidence, though." He narrows his eyes a little. "And you remembered my name. That's awesome." He leaves out the part where he doesn't remember Stavros'.
"Stavros Niarkos," the Zeltron says, bowing slightly to Rowan. "Proprietor." He smiles slightly. "Wanted to make sure you've got company, but you seem to have that already lined up. Kasia," he says more quietly, but not privately, "Call me if you need anything. I'm going to take a walk." He waves a hand in farewell. "I leave you in the hands of Nar Shaddaa's greatest conversationalist," he says, raising his hands to indicate Zhu Yan much like a presenter on a HoloNet show would present the prizes. Then he walks on towards the front door.
"One does," Kasia agrees with Rowan, a smile turning up at the corners of her mouth. She pauses, gaze lifting to Stavros as he apporaches the table, if briefly, gaze settling on the Zeltron for a few beats. "I will." A pause, and then she adds, "Likewise, of course." The presentation of Zhu Yan wins a laugh from her, and a slight shake of her head as she turns back to Rowan. "And when he says conversationalist, what he means is that you can only believe one of every three words from his mouth, if you're lucky."
Zhu Yan sniffed. "One of every three?" he asked incredulously. "You wound me. One in every FIVE." Because a talented, avant-garde falsehood weaver such as himself would never settle for anything less than perfection when it came to fibbing. He popped himself up off the bar from his leaning position. "So, since I am now apparently your host, and you are apparently my guest, I am at your service. Maybe. Ish. Depends on my mood!" Though he was now standing properly, he didn't move away from the bar. No need to interrupt their PRIVATE MOMENT over there!
"Well," Rowan says, leaning forward on the table a little. "I'm feeling lucky." He grins and raises a brow and turns to Zhu. A wave of his hand beckons Zhu over. "Come on over, man. Sit yourself down." Rowan scoots out a chair with his foot. Bromance in 3, 2, 1...
Was the man coming on to Zhu Yan? Zhu Yan was confused! I mean, sure, flattered, but also confused! But still, in slightly bewildered silence he hiked over and sat down on the chair that had been carefully pulled out for him. Such politeness. "Very well!" Yan declared. "What's troubling you, my son? What can I do to ease your burdens?" Don't say a kiss on the cheek don't say a kiss on the cheek.
Kasia settles back, simply seeming amused as she watches the exchange between the two men. "You're offering to ease burdens now? That's generous of you," she remarks to Zhu, offering him a flash of a grin, then looking back to Rowan. "Though really, he might be able to help with the thing."
Rowan Novaton's eyes travel between the two of them for a moment. Brows up. "...-Really?-" He clears his throat and angles himself a little more to face Zhu. "You see, I had uh.. something of mine taken from me." Open palms. His mouth becomes a thin line. "Something very dear. Ahh.." Gaze at the table. "It's... my ship. It was stolen from me. Have you happened to see a ship around?" Ah yes, sarcasm. Like -that- ever works.
Zhu Yan was silent for a moment. "I see a lot of ships around, son," he said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the galaxy. Because it was! "Can you be more specific? Make? Model? Name? Anything that'd make it stand out?" Yan was moved a little by this plight. A ship was one's life. Losing it was, well, it was a disaster.
"Yes, really," Kasia replies, looking between both men. The sarcasm gets Rowan a look, but also a smile, head shaking slightly. "I'm sure he can provide you with all of that as soon as he actually believes that someone can, and will help."
Rowan Novaton rubs the back of his neck and sits back in his chair, elbow up on the back of it. "The Pandora." He pauses and squints a moment at Zhu, then shakes away whatever thought he was having. "A YT-1300. Underside of the cockpit is blue. Gone for about a month and a half or so." He sighs, staring off for a moment, then is dragged back into this miserable, ship-less existence. "So yeah. Pretty awesome." Sarcasm.
"The Pandora," Yan repeated, rubbing at his chin. "Distinctive YT-1300. Gone a month and a half." He was visibly thinking, judging from the blank look and the lack of a smile on his face. "First question, where was she parked? Second question, got any enemies who stopped annoying you around about that time?"
Kasia reaches for her glass of water, taking a sip from the glass as her gaze goes back and forth between both men. "Or any that stopped annoying you a little while before. People get quiet when they're planning things like that."
"At the--" Oh, but that second question. The hamster in Rowan's brain gets tripped up in the wheel and goes flying. He bangs his fist on the table lightly. "...Motherfuck. Sorry." He apologizes to Kasia about the cursing and runs a hand through his hair in frustration. "Yeah, actually. Now that you mention it. I was supposed to make a delivery that got uh.. delayed." He looks to Kasia on the word. "I made the delivery the second time around, but man was she pissed. But she's always pissed so I didn't think anything of it." He shakes his head and curses under his breath again.
The fist hitting the table startled Yan and he jumped slightly. He wasn't expecting it. Calm down, Yan. "Alright. I need you to tell me all about your girlfriend so we can check and see if she's got your ship. A man can't live without his ship." Was that Zhu Yan telling the TRUTH?! What in the actual hell was going on?
No one expects Zhu Yan to tell the truth! The world(s) must be coming to an end. Kasia looks between the men, brows furrowing ever so slightly at the remark from Rowan, but she doesn't question him about it just yet. That can be saved for later. For now she lets them work out details.
Rowan Novaton's eyes widen and his jaw sets at the word 'girlfriend'. "She's -not- my girlfriend. I wouldn't wish her on my greatest ene--okay, that's a lie. Anyway, she's a bitch. All the time." Sweeping gesture. "To everyone." Rowan sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. "Twi'lek. Reddish pink skin, missing a lekku at about here," he gestures with a chopping motion right below his shoulder, "and she's -never- nice."
"Ex-girlfriend, then. All nine hells hath no fury like one of those." Looks like Zhu Yan had found a codename for their mark. He propped his elbows up on the table and steepled his fingers. "Alright. We're going to have a chat about her operation, then we're going to bring in the rest of the team to get you back your ship. Sound good?"
Kasia's eyes narrow sligtly at the mention of the Twi'lek, but her reaction is otherwise hard to place. She continues to maintain her silence as she simply listens.
Rowan Novaton shudders at the word ex-girlfriend. "No, no I've never.." He looks to Kasia and shakes his head. "I'd never--" He exhales, then stares at Zhu. "Wait, what? We're going to go after her?" He raises his brows. "To get The Pandora?" He nods and offers his hand. "Hell yeah, dude."
"Of course!" Zhu Yan shook the offered hand. Smugglers looked out for one another. It's how they stayed alive in the business. "So let's get some Whyren's and start hashing out the situation." And with that, the plan had begun. Dun dun DUUUUUUUUUUN!
