If Vala's talents lay anywhere in particular, they lay in her seasoned ability to sniff out the seedy underbelly of a place. Before her time on Earth at the SGC medieval taverns just like this one, scattered across the galaxy, had been her life. Shady arms deals done under tables, intel exchanged at a price, secrets slipped over a tankard of ale or an inflated ego, even just plain old gossip could all be found right here, if you knew the right person to ask.

The ne'er do wells, the mercenaries, and more importantly the resistance, congregated at places like this. Stacy was so vastly populated, Vala was absolutely positive that they weren't all willing to fight someone else's war. She'd seen the recruitment drives already broadcast across the communications channel, all the new arrivals that were willing to sign up without so much as needing a shred of evidence before they were metaphorically saluting and pledging their naive and blind allegiance to the cause. If she wasn't so willing to risk her life for a war she knew very little about, then there were bound to be others.

The Drunken Dragon seemed, at first glance, the ideal place to start. Vala wanted to know how to buck the system, how to get hold of contraband, who to give a wide berth to, everything that the hierarchy didn't tell you. That was how you found out how a place really ticked. She might not have anything to barter with, but that could easily be fixed. She didn't have a reputation as one of the best thieves in the galaxy for nothing, and she always had her feminine wiles to fall back on. And even if she did say so herself, her feminine wiles were an incredibly attractive proposition.

Flagon of ale in hand Vala looked around for an empty table, surveying the faces of those already huddled tightly in conversation with a smile warm enough to appear alluring, whilst still not trying to appear overconfident. 'Time to lay on the charm, I guess,' she told herself.

It was strange what difference a few days could make.

Really...nothing had changed that significantly. She woke up in her big beautiful creepy badass Tower and had a hearty breakfast, then had gone to the sensoriums to enjoy herself a nice dragon flight.

Now she was lounging in the field watching the sheep being stupid sheep. But even the stupid sheep were less stupid somehow.

The grass was cool and soft under her palms and the sky was a beautiful blue. And Ruffnut never used the term beautiful for anything that wasn't violent.

Every now and then she had to think back to make sure she hadn't just imagined the whole thing, it seemed oddly surreal the way it had happened.

What was even more surreal was that every time she even began to think about it her stomach would do a flip like her dragon was taking a nosedive. It was that kind of sensation where gravity fights with your insides as you see the water rushing up to meet you and you know that when you crash beneath the surface it's going to be a shock to your system.

That constant anticipation.

The on her twos electricity running through her.

Was this love?

So Splicer had actually enjoyed that for the most part? This last pod pop had been smooth enough, at least compared to a few others. One thing he enjoyed the most was the people he had met, one of them who he would be taking around the ship in a personal tour. He didn't mind of course, always one to enjoy pleasant company and any chance to chill and relax with someone new.

Life after popping was chaotic, sometimes stressful for most. He on the other hand, had been through a similar situation, just not as enclosed as being on board Stacy, so he did his best to help others relax and make the best of it so that they might feel at ease and focused while on board.

He lit a cigarette as he leaned back against one of the pulsating walls, clad in his usual get up of black leathers, t-shirt and jeans, donning one of his many shades as he waits for the girl he had met and promised a day out; passing the time by making the smoke that comes out turn into small smoke baubles and sending them off in a random direction.

The Sensorium was transformed, the lights were lit and the trap was set. Billy stood in the center of a beautiful woodland clearing at dusk, waiting to surprise a certain special girl with a quiet and warm party for her birthday. Things were calm, beautifully lit, and (hopefully) just right for Ronnae.

Guests would come upon a circular layout to the clearing. One finely-cut circle in the center of the grass, separated from the rest of the area by entwined roots, served as the dance floor. Pathways wound out in several directions---to a secluded grove for talking in one direction, to the little round tables in another direction, to the vine-wrapped throne watching above all. Next to it was a small table for gifts, with one round box already placed there.
( woodland nights welcome you in )
((Now open! Subthreads are up for early arrivals, the escorting, and gifts, and everything else can be social threads y'all start. Throw up more subthreads if you'd like to and have fun!))

In the days following podpop, Maxine had been around the ship enough to try and get a hold on everything-- there was a lot to take in, certainly, especially with how big the ship was. A lot had taken some time to sink in, as well, with the stories of destroyed homes, but Maxine was doing her best to not dwell on that too much, to not let herself get upset, and instead just let herself be overtaken by the fascination she had in the ship as whole. Which wasn't that hard to do, considering that Stacy was huge and amazing and so very, very cool. Maxine could really appreciate it, and she wanted to get to know her as much as possible. She just hoped that once she figured it all out, she'd be able to fit in okay, too. Or at least get a handle on things.

In the meantime, she was making an effort to take a dent out of her city exploration, considering the enormity of it (she wasn't really sure if she could explore the whole thing, even with her flight). Humming to herself, she flew low to the ground, just a few feet above, a whirlwind of air carrying her around the city, while she kept an eye out for anything interesting she might encounter, or even just people to talk to while she was there.