Fenix - A bar

[ashley]

Ashley was behind the bar serving up drinks. He poured some fermented rice in a mug and slid it down the counter to the one who had ordered it. He was all smiles and flirtatious looks for the females. He was wearing a white wifebeater T-shirt and black denim old-earth jeans. The expensive kind. His hair was wild and in his face and no one would suspect his young frame for being 36 years old.

Another thing no one would suspect that this bartender was the owner of the bar Fenix and a crime boss. Most people knew who the crime bosses were. Easy targets and also made most crime bosses highly paranoid. People knew a crime boss named Fenix, (no one knew his first name) but didn't know what he looked like. It seemed no one could ID the man and the ones who could didn't say a word. What people did know was that Ashley, or Ash only the really stupid called him by his full first name, was able to get you things, so they assumed he worked for Mr. Fenix. He was the go to guy for almost anything. Only a few knew who and what Ashley really was.

Ashley smiled and nodded at a few patrons before giving them a flask with alcohol and three small glasses. He listened in on every conversation he could. He heard a lot of things most people didn't want known and he kept that information for a price. Ashley already knew he had a reputation and even some have asked about his history which he never indulged. No, if you wanted to know everything you had to be out there and right here in this bar was the best place to know everything. It was common knowledge that a liquored tongue became a loose tongue.

[Admin Account]

OOC: I'm going to post here with Ursula because I want to xD So, since she's on Atlas, I'm going to say that she's here AFTER the Whitefall mishap (that we still haven't started) and assume the rest of the crew is off with Murdo, turning in their job. If this is a problem, please let me know!

Also, not all crew have to go to Murdo's. So if any 'crewbies' want to interfere, be my guest. I also don't have someone specified for Ursula's 'client' so if someone wants to be that, just let me know..or I'll just make someone up.
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Tall and eye-catching, Ursula walked into 'Fenix' with serene confidence. Mysterious. Alluring. The blonde was here to meet with her first client, the first one ever, to kick-start her career as a companion. The man had asked if she could meet him in this bar, if he could meet her in a small place where he could buy her a drink first. Even after being told this was unnecessary, that she had drinks on her shuttle, the man insisted. Ursula complied with amusement, though now she was beginning to regret it. This bar was substantially nicer than the others she'd encountered before, but definitely not her class. Ursula had learned to ignore the comments and stares, had come to terms with the fact that she would always receive them. If she were perfectly honest with herself, she relished the attention, even if it came from a bunch of low-life peons.

Sitting down at the bar, Ursula did not order anything. She would wait on her client first, and then they would talk business. For now, however, she looked around in interest, observing. Ursula had never been observant before the guild. Now, however, she watched everything and everyone around her. It was almost annoying sometimes, but the stuff she learned from being so watchful was incredible.

[ashley]

Ash watched the young beauty enter the bar along with half the male patrons and a few of the female patrons in his bar. It wasn't that she was just beautiful a few beauties came into the bar. It had to be her alluring sexy innocence and confidence that came pouring from her. It made a person want to protect her and have her look up at them with trust and desire in her eyes. Ash quickly looked her over once more and briefly thought she was a companion, but companions didn't come in here much. Not saying that his bar wasn't a swanky nasty joint, but it wasn't upper high class. Though those people did venture in here.

Ash smiled to himself. It seemed his bar was getting more and more reputation points everyday. Just wait until people hear a companion was in his bar. Ash looked at the other bartender before grabbing a clean glass and a flask of water. He approached the woman and sat the glass down. "I assume you're waiting for someone? Because if you're hoping to pick up a good client here, I think you're doing it wrong." Ash laughed at his own joke. He sat the flask down and waited for some sort of retort before he was going to tell her it was just water.

[Admin Account]

Ursula looked up in polite interest when a strong, masculine voice spoke to her from behind the bar. He sat a glass down onto the surface before asking her if she was waiting for someone. She smiled.

"I see I am at least doing something right, for you to recognize me as a Companion right away." She replied, bowing her head once in a nod. "But yes, I am waiting for someone. Though you can't fault me if I were to look for clients here. Haven't you ever heard of a diamond in the rough?" She looked at him with intensity now, almost suggesting that he was said diamond in rough. That he was a good example.

True, Ursula was judging Ash from the moment she laid eyes on him. It was her way. He felt to be the strong, silent type. He also looked like he had a lot to hide--but yet, who didn't in these parts? She was quickly learning that almost everyone was a crook in this 'Verse.

She eyed the flask and then brought her gaze back up to his. "Do you have a name?"

[ashley]

Ashley inclined his head to the companion in a hospitable manner. Ashley chuckled at the woman and shook his head as he looked around his bar. "Diamonds here? The only diamond I see is you." Ashley caught her eyes and held it. He wasn't going to be the one to turn away first. She was beautiful and he wondered why exactly she was meeting someone here, but if she kept up her friendly flirtatious banter he might try to persuade her to forget about her friend.

Ashley watched her survey him and it didn't bother him in the least. He knew his cover well and most would think he was just a friendly bartender. He wasn't going to disprove that theory yet. Plus she could be a spy or anything else. More than a man who you put in charge to watch your back you can't trust women. "Aye I have a name. Do you?" Ashley's smile widen.

[Admin Account]

Ursula smirked at his diamond comment. While it was awkward and perhaps even a little bit of a turn-off when men flirted shamelessly with most women, it was what a companion wanted. It opened him up for return-teasing, and perhaps even a pay off. She wasn't blatant or tasteless about it, heavens no. But if you knew the tricks of the academy....well, any other companion would consider this sort of banter obvious and cheap. Anyone else was none the wiser.

Her smirk turned more genuine when he answered her question in pure sarcasm. "I do," she answered daintily, looking him up and down as if deciding on whether or not he deserved to know it. "It's Ursula Garvel. It is nice to meet you, whoever you may be." She held out her hand for him to take, amused. It was nice to escape the normal doe-eyed puddles that men normally became when in her presence. She could sense attraction on his end, but he kept it under control. It was nice.

Ursula extracted a golden pocket watch from her breast, which she used as a pocket. Her client was late. She wouldn't wait long.

[ashley]

Ash watched him look him up and down sizing him up. Now, most men would want to preen or at least make some sort of movement, flex of muscles or a small crack of some bones, to seem more manly. Ash did not. He simply interested in what a companion was doing in his bar and if he could a freebie out of it he wasn't one to turn anything down. Ash assumed she liked what she saw or at least thought he was acceptable enough to get her name and he almost raised an eyebrow when she lifted her hand. Ash wanted to laugh. He wasn't some sissified rich kid who was going to kiss her soft little paw. Oh now. Ash wiped his paw on his jeans and shook her head.

"Ash." He replied giving his nickname. "I'm just the barkeep here, so you can find me anytime." Yes, he was flirting and it didn't seem she was divulging any information. Ash glanced back at his bar and saw that everything was running smoothly in his absence. He looked back to Ursula in time to see her reach in between her breasts and extract a gold watch. Ash eyed her nicely shaped, and perky bosom. If she was bringing his attraction there she was doing a good job. Ash whistled and when she whipped her head up he was still staring in the general direction of her bosom.

"Nice watch. It looks like an antique, old-earth, before the war is it?" Ash wanted to touch it, the watch, and his eyes stayed glued to the watch. He would have paid good money for a watch like that. He wanted to turn it over and look at the back, see if there were any inscriptions, or chips. "How'd you get it?" It was now apparent that Ash was not looking at her breasts, but at the watch.

[Admin Account]

Ursula was shaken from her impatience as she looked up harshly at a soft whistle from above, of course emitting from the mouth of her new acquaintance, "Ash". Ash as in....Ash? The name tasted dirty in her mouth, like actual ashes. At least his outward appearance did not resemble the smoldering state of his name. Ursula was just poetic like that.

For a moment, the blonde was near-affronted at the fact that she had misjudged this fellow, for he was staring without shame at her bosom. Usually when men stared, they at least had the dignity to pretend to look at something else when she made eye-contact! Not this gentlemen, though, it seemed. She had opened her mouth to say something, or at lest clear her throat, when he beat her to it.

Now she felt a little embarrassed, and she used this slight chagrin to her advantage. She looked down at the golden watch in her hand and snapped it shut, looking from him to it in a very conserved, modest way. Cute is what most would describe this as. "It is indeed very old," she admitted, stowing it back into the place from whence it came, a subtle move that should redirect his attention to what mattered more. She could practically hear the hunger in his eyes and she would tease him happily with it. There was no way she would forfeit such a valuable family heirloom to a simple barman, but what good was a valuable trinket if nobody knew it existed? At least this man had an appreciation for fine objects; he seemed to know exactly how much it would be worth. In fact, he might like it so much that he'd be willing to pay a wad of credits for a night with a Companion, just to get a closer look at it... A cheap move, sure, but work is work, and seduction comes in many forms.

"It was my father's." She informed him. Surprisingly, she told the truth. It was no surprise that a woman from a well-to-do family on the Alliance side would have such an item in their inventory. It was irrelevant that Ursula and her father abhorred each other, nor was it that the watch had not been given to her willingly. She had taken the watch from her mother's dresser; her mother would never miss the thing, she hardly knew how to tell time! Not that she needed to. She had countless maids to tell her that whenever she wanted. Ursula kept the watch purely out of greed, and perhaps a reminder of where she came from. But mostly greed, and the fact that it was handsome and fit easily into her "pocket". For sure, no sentimental value was connected with the thing. She hoped the man who owned it, and perhaps even the generations of men who had owned it before her, were rotting nicely in the dirt.

"It looks like my client is late," she said, rising from her seat at the bar and carrying an air of departure. "I do not tolerate late. It was nice to meet you, Ash. I must be going." She smiled a very winning smile at the man and allowed her hand to slip away very slowly from the bartop as she moved away from it.

'Your move, if you have one.' she thought, turning away.

[ashley]

Ash got her look and the way she said his name. His mouth quirked up and he said softly so that only she could hear. "Ash as in shortened form of Ashley." He had stiffened just a bit waiting for her to comment that it was a girl's name or something else of the short. If she did he would gladly tell her to piss off. Yes, the name was a sore spot for Ash and the name was a male's name. His mother who tried to read as many old-earth books, when she wasn't being a raging bleep, had thought the name winsome and cute and hadn't realized that the name had been picked up for females and everyone seemed to remember it being only a females name.

Ash watched her put it back and then did he look up into her eyes. Darn, she wasn't going to let him hold it. She probably thought he would steal it. Ash was offended and at the same time smiled at her common sense. This one wasn't dumb, not by a long shot. He watched her rise and for some reason he didn't want her to leave, but he wasn't one to beg either. "I see, you can't stay awhile or do you have others in your datebook?"

Ash briefly wondered if she would come back with him to his house, but that was dumb. No one knew where he lived and he wondered if the room he rented in one of the housing units was still available. In the room there wasn't any real trace of him, but in his house his name was blazed in everything. She'll put two and two together and he could imagine the blackmail, but boy oh boy to be blackmailed by a companion. He smiled to himself thinking of what exactly it all would entail.

[Admin Account]

OOC: Let me just say that I was imagining how Stoot would react to "Ashley", and then I imagined how Ashley would react to Stoot's reaction...let's just say the turnout would be totally different than it's going to be with Ursula. xD hehe.
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Ursula was both unshocked and yet mildly surprised that "Ash" was actually "Ashley". It sounded more reasonable and logical, at any rate, but many years of the name being feminine told Ursula that he was too masculine for the title. After a brief scan of his face, however, she could see how it suited him. His eyes were what did it.

To Ursula, a name was merely a name, and therefore she would treat this situation accordingly. She could also sense a feeling of unease, and, was it insecurity? At the confession of his true name. Ursula liked that. "So which should I call you, then?" She asked.

Once she was prepared to leave, she had her back to the barman when he called her back. Well, he didn't really call her to him again--but he spoke. When addressing a companion, it was basically the same thing. At any rate, it meant that he wanted her to stick around. The blonde's lips broke into a grin as she turned back to face him.

"I had my schedule cleared for the day," She admitted, though it was obvious due to the fact she had just been waiting on a client. "It seems now, however, it's opened up a little. I was thinking of returning to my shuttle to make new appointments--unless," She eyed him, grinning as she finished with an air of teasing, "you are looking to inebriate and have a nice conversation with me?"

[ashley]

{lol}

"Ash," he mumbled with a gruffness in his voice from years of hearing his name accompanied by some sort of teasing. "I prefer just Ash." He stared at her waiting, but she seemed so serene and calm. Her face didn't scrunch up and she didn't look off as though contemplating a cruel remark whether it was to be said or not. Than again she was a companion and highly trained. She could be thinking of all kinds of terrible things and he wouldn't know.

Ash thought she was just going to leave, but she turned and he thought he saw a smile grace her lips. Ash took in a deep breath and felt the full effect of why men only wanted companions. She was beautiful before, but just a flash of a smile, a twinkle in her eyes, a subtle look and he felt his body react and something else he wasn't familiar with. Ash took a step closer his eyes darting quickly over his bar making sure he didn't have any "customers".

"Yes, I think I can take the rest of the day off and ... enjoy your company." Ash glanced around the bar and his eyes landed on a tiny man. Ash inwardly groaned. It seemed someone had sent one of their 2nd in commands to get some information or perhaps some parts. Thinking quickly ... "Please sit here while I go let Jacque (pronounced Jack) know and get some better drinks."

Ash waited for her to agree and subtley leaned his head to the side to indicate the little man go into the back. The man noticed the small gesture and nodded before calmly dissappearing behind a closed door. Ash didn't really like the little guy. He was mean, probably because of his short statue, but at least he could handle this real quickly and come back to Ursula.

[Admin Account]

Ursula nodded at his preferred title. "Ash it is," She said smoothly. He beckoned her back to her seat and vanished to a back room with this Jack character ((She doesn't know how it's spelled, hehe)). Maybe it was his boss? Well, for sure, he was reporting to whoever it was for time off. So he must be higher up in the rankings, if bars had such a thing.

The blonde waited patiently, hands folded delicately in her lap and her chin level with the floor. She was quite happy indeed with how this situation turned out. One client for another--not bad. She had chosen the first man only because he was the only one in the area who had been looking, and she had not yet started work. She could feel it, though, that Ash was a much more suitable choice. Of course her suggestion to Ash concerning getting liquored up and having a nice talk was pure sarcasm--Ursula would never drunk on a job to begin with, nor did she intend to hold "nice conversation". A better term to use would be "seductive conversation" or better yet, "foreplay". She knew all the steps; now she was eager to put them into motion for the first time outside of the guild.

It was now that her mind found itself on Ryan. It was very involuntary for her to think of him, especially at a moment like this, but she could not help but pity the ship captain. Ursula had grown more fond of him since her business arrangement on Atlas, it was true, but she felt she'd never adore him in the way he seemed to adore her. Of course, this happened to companions all the time. It was much easier, though, when she could just leave the man behind in the morning. Hell, she hadn't even slept with Ryan and he was taken by her! That had been purely unintentional; alas, she had been making her best efforts to douse his emotions. There was no room for romance in her life right now, especially with someone whom she was doing business with. They both knew that. Why couldn't he hide his feelings even a little bit?

The poor bastard. If indeed Ash wanted to court Ursula for the day, she would most likely bring him back to her shuttle. Since he was just a simple barman, Ursula felt it safe to assume that his living arrangement was no environment for a sensual getaway. Usually she would only court a rich man with a handsome home, but personality won this one over.

That's when a thought came to Ursula: how is a barman able to afford her on his simple wages? She did not know much about the hourly pay of one, but she was sure they were not rich enough to afford something as expensive as a day with a companion! One of two things occurred to the blonde just then: either Ash was going to receive a huge letdown when she told him her rate, or he was lying about being 'just a barman'.

She was intent on finding out.

[ashley]

Ash glanced back once to see her sitting and went straight to his office. He found the man already sitting across from his desk and a single note laid in the middle of said note. Ash snatched it up and looked at it. He read it twice before nodding. "Give me 3 days to get what you need." The man arched an eyebrow at Ash and Ash mentally smacked his head. "I meant give me 3 days to let my boss know so we can get what you need. Ta ma de - I'll need 3 days regardless."

The little man's eyebrow arched once more and when he spoke his voice was gruff, "I understand you're need to rush. The woman is very beautiful." The man jumped off the chair and walked out the door.

Ash read the note one more time before tearing it into little pieces and spreading some of the clippings in different trash bins. He then went out to his co-worker Jacque and explained he would be taking off for the rest of today and perhaps tomorrow and the next if he was lucky. The man looked at his companion, caught the reference, and both men laughed heartily.

Ash walked back towards Ursula the drink that he was supposed to bring forgotten. "Okay, I can stay and talk. Would you like to talk at my place or...?"

[Admin Account]

Ursula was awakened from her ponderings as the subject of her thoughts himself came from out of the back room. She didn't need to straighten up to show that she noticed him; her posture was ever-perfect when under the eyes of any person. Even when she was alone she held her stature, for she was well-disciplined. The Companion Guild was, in many ways, like the military.

He approached her, and she presented him with a small, modest smile. "Whichever you prefer," She supplied. She would take him wherever he felt most comfortable being seen (or not seen, really) with a Companion. Also, he was the one paying; whatever he wanted, that was what he got. Within reason, of course.
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OOC: Sorry it's so short, I'm short on time. x[

[ashley]

Sorry I didn't realize you had posted. I thought you had forgotten about me since my other character was the last post on this board. It turns out I'm the one who was slipping. I apologize.

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"My place it is," Ash exclaimed as he took a step back so that she could rise and follow him to his rented quarters. He just hoped it was still available. "I have a room I sometimes rent that should be acceptable." Ash didn't mean he took women back all the time or to imply he was a womanizer. He cleared his throat and tried to explain.

"What I mean is that my house is a bit further away from the population. I rent a room when I work the late shift here or if I have to work an early one. It's quite bare, but it's not ..." This was just getting better. Either he sounded like he did this all the time or he sounded poor. The room wasn't just a room. It was the size of a 2 or 3 rooms put together. It had it's own large living space, kitchen, bathroom, and huge bedroom. It would be the type of room one of the upper gentlemen would rent.

Ash stumbled. Now how was he going to explain the grandeur of the room when he was supposed to be just a simple bartender. Ash smiled. Tip. He'll exclaim he gets great tips that lets him splurge every once in awhile. Ash's smiled slowly slipped. He also didn't know how much she cost. He knew he could afford it, but he didn't want her getting suspicious as to where the extra money came from.