Barrier Gate Station West Wing Pub, The Lone Drunkard

[Marrone]

Reggie just slicked his hair back and looked down at his mug. He sipped it, squinted and then raised his eyebrows, "Guess yer' the only one worth talkin' to, cup. So, remember tha' time when I was a Corsair-- No? Ah, th' time with that smokin' babe, y'know Corsair we'men know how is' done, righ'? So, I was chillin' with th' villians, righ', an' we drank coffee like cardamine 'fore every raid. So, y'see, the Outcasts actually 'ad inside men, an' they used these terror tactics, y'know? So, after we 'it a major cardamine-head base, all our coffee machines got smashed an' since we were on a station we were completely without it. . .T'was really bad, cup, real bad, but it made me go thinkin', why not just quit drinkin' coffee altogether? Did 'bout the same thing with that chicks smokin' there, once yer' like me an' get stranded out in th' middle 'uh space an' y'realize you don't 'ave smokes, y'feel like you'd rather quit a long time'go. . .Reckon it saved my life a few times, y'remember those times wher' I got stranded on the planet? If'n I was dependant on tobacco, I know fer' certain I would'a shot myself more than once, haha!"

He then took a good swig of the distasteful booze and gazed at it until he lost focus, "Yer'a real good lis'sner, y'know that? I remember when I wer' an Outcast, no one listened real much. Probably 'cuz all tha' cardamine. . .Say, did I ever tell y'bout that time I jettisoned all that cardamine? Oh, boy, they were so mad, an' it was so fun, lis'senin' to them rant on and on 'bout it! Tell you, now, they sent a few assassins to take me an' my sweetheart, but I tell you, I told them real good tha' none of that's gonna happen-- Well, until th' crash, that's when she died, but. . .Thas' another story fer' another day, y'know, cup?"

He stole Emma a quick glance, tightening his grip around his cup, "I really wanna jus' get up right now and pull tha' cig' atta' her mouth an' crush it against th' table. . .Can't stand seein' pretty things like tha' fallin' into bad deals or worse yet, luck. Bet she's got an attitude, but means well, y'know, cup? Funny how they always act tough, but once y'catch 'em in the reds they really start to mellow up. . .Figure if I did any of that, with the cig', she'd stick a blaster up chest. Ain't like I haven't taken a shot or anythin', trust me, but I'm tryin' to stick to this plasma diet, y'see? Haha!" The rugged man then finished what was left in his cup, and then sulked his head for a moment.

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