Two Men Walk Into A Bar. . .or a Marketplace

Gabriel Keats: Ain't shoppin'. Just PRETENDING I have coin.
Vertigo Hawks: I see... dat's de first time I seen you packin...
Gabriel Keats:  I wear this piece most of the time. Surprised you ain't seen it before. 'Course, my Cap'n had it for a while....
Gabriel Keats grumbles.
Vertigo Hawks: So de Raven been sittin' quiet for a spell, is she all broke?
Gabriel Keats:  Not from what I know. 'Brina had to make some repairs, but I think it's mostly lack of jobs. What with our main contact bein' missin' and all.
Vertigo Hawks: I see, well if'n your Cap'n is around.. I'm always ready to take small jobs...
Gabriel Keats: And why is everyone always surprised to find I own a gun? ::he muses to himself.::
Gabriel Keats:  I can talk to her 'bout it. What kinda work you lookin' for?
Vertigo Hawks: Well, I'm pretty good at the con of a boat, but dere is alot a pilots around, so I take what comes along... Miss Ana said I could help at her place, but she ain't got no girls to watch after.
Vertigo Hawks chuckles
Gabriel Keats laughs. "Ain't that always the way out here on the rim? Too many roosters, not enough hens?"
Vertigo Hawks laughs
Vertigo Hawks: whot you say is too true brodder!
Gabriel Keats: Worst place I ever been is out around Lilac, couple of years before the Reaver attack.
Vertigo Hawks: oh?
Gabriel Keats: Yeah. When they first started movin' settlers in. . .it was all them men out there what wanted to find their fortune.
Gabriel Keats:  'Fore they sent for their families. . .shit. . .
Gabriel Keats:  10-to-1 men to women.
Vertigo Hawks: Dat dere can drive ya bonkers, or... well someptin' else
Vertigo Hawks laughs
Gabriel Keats just grins widely, says nothing.
Vertigo Hawks: Whot sey I buy us sometin' to wet our whistles?
Gabriel Keats laughs. "I was just 'bout to say something of that nature m'self. You been up to the Oaty Bar?"
Vertigo Hawks: sounds good...

They walk to the bar.

Gabriel Keats takes the bottle, pours a shot of something before even asking. "You want?"
Vertigo Hawks: I'll just have a shot...
Gabriel Keats takes his shot, sips it slowly.
Vertigo Hawks: So, is de Raven running slaves?
Vertigo Hawks looks into his glass.
Gabriel Keats very nearly spits out his whiskey, swallows it carefully. "Shenme?"
Vertigo Hawks sips his whiskey, "well, a few weeks back I ran into dat cook a yours..."
Gabriel Keats: "And she was tryin' to sell you a couple of folks?"
Vertigo Hawks: "well, not so much sellin' as askin around..."
Gabriel Keats chuckles. "Wo de ma. . .naw, that was her own solo venture. We dropped the two of 'em off free and clear to make their own fortune."
Vertigo Hawks sips his drink, "I fought agin' de Allience, and I don' wanna tell folks dere business..."
Gabriel Keats: "I hear a 'but' comin' along. . ."
Vertigo Hawks: "No but, Just like de Allience shouldn't be in my business... lotta slavers fought along side me, just ain't my thing is all..."
Vertigo Hawks: "I'm glad to hear it ain't whot you are doin' on Raven...
Gabriel Keats shifts a little uncomfortably. "It'd probably pay better'n what we're doin' now."
Vertigo Hawks laughs heartily and pours another round, "too true dat!"
Gabriel Keats is still nursing the first shot. "This whole thing's just so. . .ai ya. . ."
Gabriel Keats: "Makes my head hurt."
Gabriel Keats: "Course, it's about right for any crew I'm part of." He grins.
Vertigo Hawks laughs again
Gabriel Keats:  "I'm just. . .a bit more attached to this one, is all." His voice goes a little softer there.
[18:29] Vertigo Hawks: Yeah, well you got alot a nice folks on dat dere boat...
Gabriel Keats:  "Got a few of them, yeah." He looks down at his empty glass.
Gabriel Keats traces his finger around the rim of the glass.
Gabriel Keats:  "Well, I know we got a pilot, but we got more'n a few empty bunks."
Vertigo Hawks sips his drink, "so dat's unification hardware on your hip... and Tell your Cap'n I can shoot straight..."
Vertigo Hawks: I been in a firefight or two...
Gabriel Keats: "It's a gun." He shrugs, shifts uncomfortably. "We can use someone who can shoot. You know anything about the hardware what's been put on the Raven?"
Gabriel Keats pours another shot, but doesn't drink it.
Vertigo Hawks: "Well, dere are some big assed guns dere..."
Vertigo Hawks: "Whot is dat 'bout?"
Gabriel Keats:  "That they are. Some kind of super-secret Alliance go-se that the second thought'd be a good idea to have."
Gabriel Keats: "Who in the ruttin' hell ever heard of guns on a transport ship?"
 Vertigo Hawks: I seen other Fireflys fitted with cannons, but not like dat!
Gabriel Keats:  "Yeah. It's. . .interestin' hardware."
Vertigo Hawks: In de war, see, I flew fighters... I was shot down once in un friendly territory, I had to make it back to the Independants...
Gabriel Keats:  "Sneaky or shootin'?"
Vertigo Hawks: Was a couple a months 'fore I got back to my squadren, and a little a both...
Gabriel Keats:  "Sounds like Hell." He forces his face blank, sips the second shot.
Vertigo Hawks: So I fought wit de ground troops for a spell...
Vertigo Hawks: Dere was dis one Seargent... ah dem were de days!
Gabriel Keats:  "Where'd you fight?"
Vertigo Hawks: said we was too pretty to die...
Vertigo Hawks chuckles...
Vertigo Hawks: We was all over...
Vertigo Hawks: Tach and I moved with the Sqadren every few weeks...
Vertigo Hawks: I was over Athens when dey started de bombing...
Vertigo Hawks: Mon, what dey did to that place!
Gabriel Keats tilts his head back and takes the rest of the shot in one long, burning gulp. "The bombing raids were. . .brutal. . ."
Gabriel Keats pours another shot
Vertigo Hawks: Nuthin' left but cows now...
Vertigo Hawks shudders
Gabriel Keats nods, eyes empty.
Gabriel Keats: "You miss the war?" He says this shakily.
Vertigo Hawks: "whot kenda question is dat? How can ya miss a living hell like dat? Course dere were some good times too..."
Vertigo Hawks: Dere was dis time...
Vertigo Hawks trails off
Gabriel Keats listens. "You all right?"
Vertigo Hawks grins, "Just reminisin'"
Gabriel Keats nods, then gulps the third shot.
Vertigo Hawks: "De things Tach and I got up to back den....Course, he was always proper wit de ladies..."
Vertigo Hawks: "still, ya get a few drinks in him..."
You: "Whole 'nother side, eh?"
Vertigo Hawks: "good times..."
Vertigo Hawks: "just look out when he breaks out his ukulele..."
Gabriel Keats decisively sets the empty glass on the counter, pushes it away. "Ukulele?"
Vertigo Hawks: "Dat boy got no rythem..."
Gabriel Keats laughs. "I seen a few like that."
Gabriel Keats: "So. . .why you askin' 'bout my gun?"
Vertigo Hawks: Well, sometimes some folks is like dey is still fightin' de war... It helps to know, is all...
Gabriel Keats:  "Some folks are damn fools."
Vertigo Hawks laughs, "You ken say dat again brodder!"
Gabriel Keats:  "You ain't one of 'em, are ya?" He grins widely, leans against the bar
Vertigo Hawks: "I seen lotsa shit I don't wanna see again....I fought some guys almost to de death, before one a us ran...but I don't hold grudges, What's de point?"
Vertigo Hawks: "Me? I'm just lookin' for de next bowl of noodles..."
Gabriel Keats grins. "That's the only thing that matters. That, and good folk to share 'em with."
Vertigo Hawks: "And hopin' I don't come across someone doin' someone else wrong... can't help buttin' in sometimes... despite myself"
Gabriel Keats puts his hand to his gunless hip, almost as if expecting somthing to be there. "Well, folk around here can be ornery, but I ain't found a one of 'em who's done anything too bad."
Gabriel Keats:  "Cept maybe one. . .but she ain't around. . ."
Vertigo Hawks: Who dat?
Gabriel Keats lowers his voice. "You ever meet Miss Jadi before she up and vanished?"
Vertigo Hawks leans on the bar, "Can't say I had de pleasure..."
Gabriel Keats: "Well, rumor has it she's a dangerous woman to cross, if'n you get my meaning."
Vertigo Hawks laughs, "I known one or two a dem in my day!"
Gabriel Keats:  "One of--someone I knew dug up some intel on the Cortex what said she might be one of them folk who makes a sport outta killin'."
Vertigo Hawks looks grim, "Zat so?"
Gabriel Keats:  "Yeah."
Gabriel Keats:  "But she's been missin'. . .so who in the ruttin' hell knows."
Gabriel Keats: "Just watch yer step if you have the pleasure."
Gabriel Keats looks at the bottle, shakes his head. "Hell, I better quit while I'm ahead."
Vertigo Hawks nods, "will do..."
Vertigo Hawks: "Sounds good to me...Thanks for the company..."
Gabriel Keats:  Anytime. . .I'll talk to the cap'n for ya, though I'm sure we could use another strong back.