Restless Nights

[Caliban]

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-> 20th of August 828 A.S

[9:00 PM]

The ship landed once again on the Station. The hangar looked better by the day as the droids did their work. Vincent got out of his Marauder with a smile on his face. With awkward, goofy walk he set off towards the Station's bar. The hallways were empty as always, just as intended. Only the sound of machinery echoed in the distance.

As he reached the bar's sliding door he reached for the handle, yet the speaker next to it killed the comfortable silence with an overly eager, mechanic voice. "Vinny, my man! Been hoping you'd show up and visit your pal!" said the droid as the sliding door opened abruptly. On the other side, the machine sat leaned against the counter, extending one of its four arms with a bottle of whiskey and another with a bottle opener. "H- Hey! How you doing, Tick? I didn't know you'd be expecting me." he replied, staring awkwardly at the droid. He eventually took a seat next to the counter - one of those taller chairs. The sliding door closes, letting the two to have a more comfortable conversation with no unnecessary eavesdropping - not that anyone would do any spying, since nobody inhabited the Station except Vincent.

[11:00 PM]

The chatter between Tick and Vincent carried on for a little bit over an hour, which held multiple topics ranging from any general plans to the latest news and adventures. While not all of the subjects were really subject for discussion, some sparked interest in the droid's metal head. After a bottle of whiskey or two, the two began to reminisce about recent events. "So...this girl you met. What about her? I didn't quite get your point." asked Tick with a rather curious tone, gently shoving Vincent's shoulder with his own metallic elbow as a means to lighten up the mood. "I met this girl just today, you know. Lumia Saksa. She's alright. I'll admit I did the same mistake I did with Eliza back then - judging by the affiliation. I told Cobra about her initially, thinking that he might want to have fun and shoot. Turns out he knew her all along! They're neutrals, even. So...I eventually ended up helping her not get caught or be suspected by the local badges to find out about her relations. Played as an alibi. She was to be my escort." Vincent replied as he took another shot from the whiskey glass. Ice had already melted from his glass. Tick tilts his head to the left as he looks at Vincent, then frantically speeds his head several times over, yelling as loud as his voice box would let him. "Wo-o-o-o-o-h! Vinny's finally found someone!" he said, continuing afterwards. "So? What happened next? You didn't just leave her to go, right? Golden chance like that you won't see. Probably ever! Did you ask for her number?". Vincent stood straight, staring at Tick, frowning afterwards as he sat back on the chair, lowering his head on the counter and covering it with his arms, mildly embarassed despite being alone on the Station. "Urgh...look. She's cool and all that. I mean it. But I still want to know how is Eliza before...moving on. Lumia left me her number to keep in touch, that's for sure. I guess that'd help to an extent." Tick shook his head, disappointed by the young man's poor decision-making and lack of social skills.

[12:45 PM]

"...so then I started telling her about yadda dadda...a job offer and - and urgh...- said Vincent with half a mouth as if he was anesthetized regarding a topic he didn't manage to remember the next day. "You are pretty damn bad with women, you know. Study a bit. See how she behaves around you. Act accordingly! Eliza surely has dumped you. Maybe she never really loved you in the first place, or ever. Stop following blind emotions when the ones before your very eyes are telling you to see about this Lumia of yours! You're twenty years old, damnit." Tick replied, leaned against the counter. Vincent stared at the droid with one eye open and one eye closed, followed by a half-smile. He waved off Tick's tips and got up, stumbling towards the exit of the bar. As he was closing in to his room which was about a few dozen meters away from the bar he opened his PDA, staring at Lumia's number and a message he made up in the bar. Eventually, he put the device back into his pocket, refusing to contact her at that time. Messaging her the next day was a wiser choice, for sure.

The sliding door to Vincent's room opened together with the bright lights. With the last of his strength he turned the lights off and crashed into the bed - one filled with bags of junk food, yet a pillow prepared just right.

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