Operation Flirt!

[valaunbound]

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.

Comments

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi didn't come to the tavern too often (he couldn't get drunk, so there wasn't really any point), but after escorting another new crew member here, he thought he might as well take a look around. And the person he spotted first was a face he didn't recognize: Vala.

He made his way over to her table. "Hi. Let me guess: you're another new addition to the crew."

[valaunbound]

"Is it really that obvious?" Vala offered with a smile and a self-deprecatory laugh, gesturing with a nod that he was welcome to sit.

"And here was me thinking I was blending in seamlessly." Although she was entirely sure she wouldn't call herself 'crew'. That implied that she'd willingly signed up for this.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi sat down with a polite nod. "It's nothing to do with your camouflage ability. You get to see most of the people on the ship if you're around long enough." Anyway, 'new addition to the chain gang' didn't have the same ring to it.

"You know, people usually wait a few days to let everything really sink in before drinking themselves under the table. You're not getting a head start, are you?"

[valaunbound]

"I'm sure you do," Vala smiled wryly, trying to weigh him up. "I take it you've been onboard for quite a while then. I'd offer to buy you a drink, but there seems little point when they're free." Which is a complete lie, but a very convenient one.

"I thought I'd avoid the queues," she quipped with a small laugh. "No wonder they're free. Given the circumstances. Wouldn't you agree?"

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

For what it was worth, Zouichi looked like a twentysomething man of medium height, dressed almost entirely in black body armor. There was an odd, futuristic sort of pistol holstered at his side, along with at least one other close-combat weapon. Likely he had others tucked away somewhere on his person.

Zouichi waved a hand, dismissing the offer. Or not-offer. "Well, I appreciate the sentiment, but it's hard for me to get drunk. It'd just be a waste of money."

He smiled a little. "Perhaps they're trying to stave off a mutiny."

[youmissed]

A hand catches her by the crook of her elbow.

"You and me. Table over there. We need to talk," says the voice in Vala's ear.

John smiles at the other people in the bar, like they're all old friends and drinking buddies and not people that want to get into a fist-fight over a friendly little chat, and moves to herd Vala to the empty table he's picked out as nice and out of the way. Cozy. Aeryn's told him about her own run-in with Ms Duplicate over here and he can tell she's still a bit spooked about it. As spooked as a Peacekeeper could get. So yeah, he'd say he wants a talk and now that they're both dressed and he's not puking his guts up from the pod slime, John thinks now is as good a time as any.

[valaunbound]

Great! Vala's reaction to the Mitchell doppelganger grabbing her arm was as if she got this kind of treatment everywhere she went and even expected it. Truth be known, she did get this treatment everywhere she went. Twice just today.

"Of course," she smiled sarcastically, letting him pull her towards the table. "You know if you wanted to have sex with me, you could have just asked," she said through gritted teeth, her ventriloquy skills really quite adept as she simultaneously forced a smile through for the benefit of any onlookers.

For once though, she wasn't guilty of anything. At least as far as she knew. But she still felt guilty. Call it instinct, or habitual even.

[youmissed]

John has no clue how he could've mistaken Vala for Aeryn. For one, Aeryn doesn't smile like that all teeth and sugary-sweet and frankly, it's making him nervous all over again and he can't even say why. Guts? Hunch? Instinct? Despite the mouth on Vala, it isn't as if she's pulled a gun on him or done anything to get him jumpy, aside from, y'know, the obvious. John shoots her a startled look when she brings up sex.

He's a guy. He likes sex. Sex is Pretty Great and it's actually one of the things that the Uncharted Territories trumps Earth on: beyond crazy alien sex in all shapes, sizes, and pheromones. The few times John had sex with Aeryn, he had a pretty good time and he's not just saying that to prove a point about humans and Sebaceans. But now is one of those times where he's got his pants on and he's not even thinking about sex, not even a tiny bit, and suddenly getting that thrown in the face puts him back a step. John lets Vala's arm go as he sits down across from her. The hard part is he keeps telling himself she's nothing like Aeryn, only that face right there? Not helping things.

"You know that's not what I'm here for. And if I really needed to have a good time, I got my trusty sidekick." Hey Mr. Right Hand, how you doing? John drops his hand back onto the table, leaning forward. "So you're really from Earth? And what's this SGC?"

Seriously, she could be Aeryn's identical twin. It's freaking him out.

[valaunbound]

What was this guy's problem? It didn't help that a tiny niggling part of her still suspected he was Cameron, despite his protestations in the pod caverns. Anyone else would have had an elbow in the face or a knee in the groin by now with the way he was manhandling her. As it was she was sorely tempted, until he let go of her arm that is. Vala chose instead to make a dramatic deal of dusting her violated arm off.

"So that's why you nearly broke my arm?" She stated incredulously rather than asked. "To ask me where I came from! Well I've seen some poor chat up lines but that one takes the..." She wanted to say cake, but wasn't sure if that was right "...prize."

As for actually answering his questions, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Stargate Command was all part of that non-disclosure deal, and now she knew he wasn't Cam and that Daniel was here, perhaps she shouldn't cross that line. She really didn't want to piss Daniel off any more than she already had.

[governorkang]

Kang could tell the newbies pretty easily. The tavern was a fairly popular place, and he knew all the faces, if not the names, of everyone that stopped by, and newbies just had a certain look about them.

He could also tell when someone was looking for information. He was taking a break, letting his helpers take care of things while he relaxed with a mug of ale in a seat by the mural; the gold dragon flew above his head. He'd just finished up a short conversation with his daughter (she'd gone off somewhere in the spacious room, probably refilling someone's drink), and he was curious himself about this woman. He waved her over to join him.

[valaunbound]

Unlike many, Vala wasn't fazed by Kang's appearance. Granted she'd never come across his exact species before but when you'd cut deals with Oranians and come face to face with Unas more than a few times, it was hardly surprising.

She'd spotted him at the Observation Deck when she'd arrived. Well he was hard to miss to be fair but she'd spent most of that time being accused of theft by a certain archaeologist which had severely hampered her ability to mingle.

"Nice place you've got here," Vala took a moment to look around again in appreciation. It didn't take a genius to work out the tavern was his. First there was the mural and then there was the fact he'd actually announced it on the Omnicomm, but she preferred to let him think she'd worked it out.

"Vala," she offered with a smile. "And you are...?"

[governorkang]

"Technically, it isn't mine, but I'm looking after it until the owner decides to wake his damn tail up," Kang snorted. "Well met, Vala; I am Kang. I'm also one of the Councilors."

[valaunbound]

Well met? What did that mean? Was he marking her on how well she'd introduced herself? Vala could only assume he was, but she'd obviously passed so she smiled a little smugly.

"A Councillor?" she asked with well feigned interest taking a seat on the table rather than the bench, well it put them at eye level with each other and made her more comfortable. She really knew how to pick them. "You'll have to forgive me - still wet behind the ears - what function do the Council fulfill exactly?"

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

For his part, Erhart was just sitting at a table, all by himself, not removing his helm and generally looking surly. He has some untouched ale by him, and his red eyeslits manage a nasty glower that's fairly all-reaching for the moment.

Oh, and he's 8 feet tall. That should proabbly be mentioned.

[valaunbound]

"You'll probably find it easier if you remove the helmet first." Vala chimed in nonchalantly as she was passing his table. She gestured towards his ale with an 'it's really quite simple' look.

"I don't think they have straws." Very little intimidates Vala, or she will at least go out of her way to prove that they don't with humour.

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

He removes the helmet with a grudging gesture, and scowls while he drinks his drink.

He is human in shape, under the helm, though writ large and with obvious signs of genetic manipulation. There is an almost equine cast to him.

"Straws?"

[valaunbound]

"You know, tubular plastic affairs, used for the sipping of drinks." Of course Vala wasn't sure if he did know. Snap judgements were telling her she was probably dealing with nothing more than a suit of armour and enough testosterone to worry a wild Unas.

Useful to have them on your side though, she considered. "I bet you're fun at parties."

[hates-deadites.livejournal.com]

Ash was the picturesque sight of a desolate man. The six-foot-something tall, broad-chested man with angular features and various scars (most concealed by the plant-suit, sans the two large ones on his face; across his right cheek and left lip) sat hunched over the bar, nursing a drink. Probably his second or third drink, really.

Notably, he was nursing it with some kind of metallic gauntlet for a hand, and with a sawed-off shot-gun strapped to his back. Those was the only token items Stacy had salvaged for him, and the only familiar thing he could savor on this crazy ass alien ship was booze.

Space booze with some kind of dragony guy serving in some kind of medieval tavern, but booze none-the-less.

If Vala was looking for someone who didn't want to be here, Ash definitely fit the bill.

[valaunbound]

Vala would say she had an eye for these things, sussing a person out at first glance. Of course any observations she made of the man sat at the bar were fairly par for the course, but she preferred to think it was her well honed intuition skills at play.

Battle seasoned, that much was obvious. New onboard, their matching plantsuits gave that one away. And as much as she'd hated it initially, it did have certain advantages; it did wonders to show off her figure. And finally, that stereotypical drowning your sorrows surly lone drinker act he had going on. And of course it never did any harm to befriend someone who was armed, especially when she wasn't.

"Must make embroidery a bitch." Vala hoisted herself cheerfully onto the bar stool next to him, raising a curious eyebrow at his novel and lethal looking hand replacement.

[hates-deadites.livejournal.com]

He looked her up and down once, twice. The pleasant buzz in the back of his head immediately dismissed her as any sort of deadite threat in disguise (or maybe it was the charming accent she had going on). If there was something that Ash still had a little trouble adjusting too however, it was the skin-tight suits that left very little to the imagination (even in his own case). Not that he particularly minded in her case; he was making no effort to hide his admiration. She was a looker.

"Not to mention putting on shirts or jerking off, not that I'm going to be doing either in this thing." He snapped the collar of his plantsuit for emphasis.

NOT YET, ANYWAY.

[valaunbound]

Ugh. Did he just mention masturbating? He's known her for all of what? Ten seconds. Vala's smile remained though... just. She's dealt with worse, hell she's even slept with worse.

"Anyway," change of subject was definitely required before he continued in the same vein. "I'm Vala. New and not too pleased about it. You?"

[vissernone.livejournal.com]

Eva knows that sort of charming smile. Back in the day, before her marriage and before her anonymity got stripped from her by the war, she'd been quite a natural at getting through a boozy night without paying for a single drink. That's decades past, now, but the body language is universal.

Eva's a little bit drunk already. She's been at the tavern less and less, lately, choosing instead to get smashed in the privacy of her bedroom, but one has to put in public appearances so people don't wonder where on Earth you spend all your time and why every time they actually do see you, you've got dark circles around your eyes and smell like the inside of a tun. She doesn't need rumors that she's an alcoholic.

"Mind if I join you? I'm old and tired and you'll look more attractive in comparison."

[valaunbound]

"Well you certainly know how to sell a concept." Vala looked the woman up and down with a crooked smile curious as to her angle. Everyone had an angle in Vala's experience, especially attractive women with a penchant for the self-deprecatory as a tool.

"Be my guest though," Vala shrugged, her smile fresher and more welcoming as she hitched over to make room on the bench next to her. "I'm Vala."

[vissernone.livejournal.com]

"I was a campaign manager back on my Earth. All we do is sell empty concepts." She takes the seat with the clunky grace of someone trying too hard not to look as sloshed as they are.

"Eva." She offers her hand. "And I take it you're new here, or I would have seen you before."

[valaunbound]

Vala smiled and nodded a bit cluelessly at that, pretending that she knew precisely what a campaign manager would do. "Sounds fascinating, you're well practiced then?"

She couldn't help but notice the way Eva sat down, not able to resist the tiniest of knowing smirks. Old habits die hard though, and although she didn't necessarily have any intention of stealing anything from Eva, she did take the opportunity to assess the likely location of any valuables.

"Well I'm no expert at camouflage, so I suppose it must be the former." Vala laughed shaking Eva's hand firmly. "Just finding my feet, trying to take it all in still."