nysalogs | OPEN || BROTHEL MINGLE

[ dutch has fond memories of the whole hot springs thing, and she's considered a repeat — but she also just considers him someone who is perhaps not quite a friend, but someone she wants to keep an eye on, regardless. she shot a hullen in front of him, even if it was in a simulation; whatever she gets him into now, she'll get him out of, too. it's become somewhat of a policy, and rhys has come to fall under its umbrella.

that doesn't mean she isn't internally laughing about the face he makes when he's greeted at the door. it doesn't mean she's outright smirking when she comes up behind therese, the scantily-clad lady at the entrance. ]

Yeah, I think we got someone by that name.

[ in contrast to therese, dutch is fully dressed: leather pants, a thigh holster, a top that covers her shoulders and part of her arms, hair partially in braids. she's working, but it's not that kind of work. ]

[ She looks like she is enjoying this far too much and Rhys will be certain to inform her of that later when he's done being grateful for her sudden appearance. Relief blooms across his face as he turns quickly to her (and avoids looking at Therese's generous...uhh...offer as it were). Because he's polite, not because it isn't incredibly nice to look at. ]

Dutch! He-heeyyyy, there's the...person [ saying "girl" would be weird. it'd be weird, right? ] ...I'm looking for! I'll just. Go talk to her now. Over here.

[ Please excuse this gangly loser, Therese. You are too good for him. ]

[ therese is probably too good for everyone, but that's beside the point. what isn't, not entirely, is that dutch is enjoying this precisely the right amount and not at all too much. the look on his face is just brilliant, though, and she's going to enjoy every minute of it. ]

Glad you made it to the party. [ she drawls, giving therese a wink as she links her arm with rhys' and pulls him deeper into shades darker, toward the bar. ]

Yeah...wasn't sure I had the right place at first. This place iiiiisn't exactly what I was expecting when you said to drop by your work.

[ He is most definitely led for the first few steps there, but Rhys is nothing if not adaptable to certain social situations and following is one of them. Usually because there tends to be a gun pointed at him. ]

Sooo...a Bordello huh. That's. Cool?

[ Rhys obviously has No Idea How To Handle This. ]

I used to work in one. [ she says, keeping her expression blank and her eyes on him just to see him draw all the wrong conclusions. and then she lets her amusement show again. ]

These places need security, and the drinks are usually good. At least if you know the person behind the bar.

[ she misses pree more than she'd care to admit to anyone other than those who already know she'd miss pree. ]

[ Why does she tease him so!! She'll be able to see the gears turning behind his eyes and he tries to figure that one out with a dawning sense of awkwardness, just in time for her to drop the actual truth. His shoulder sag with relief at not having to guess what he'd been thinking aloud, but he follows it up it a "hurr hurr that was reeeeally funny missmiss' kind of look. ]

Right...security, of course. Definitely what I was thinking.

Was it?

[ it's definitely a rhetorical question and dutch isn't expecting an answer. instead, she leads him to the bar and gestures to one of the bartenders behind it for two drinks. hope you like whiskey, rhys, because it's become dutch's new go-to in the absence of hokk. ] What are you doing, then?

[ He is...admittedly not much of a hard-liquor kind guy, but he's learned to do it for things like conference mingles and the like. So he can do this, he just needs to take slow sips. ]

You mean for work? Nothing this...exciting. [ That is a carefully-chosen word. Both because brothel, and because bad ass security. ] I work in the market for this super-boss merchant. Always wants everything last minute, totally sucks. But it's the best way to get an eye on the market on this ball of dirt for when I get my own company up and running.

[ Again ]

[ should would get bored in a job that didn't keep her on her feet, but it sounds like his job does that for him, too. ]

What kind of company?

[ in the quad, the company runs everything. it basically owns the moons. the word company makes dutch a little wary for that reason, and that reason alone. ]

I haven't totally decided yet. There's still a lot of stuff to work out but...as long as it isn't something like weapons? I had enough of that sort of place back home and it didn't go over so well for me or...a lot of people.

It'd be cool to do something that actually maybe made a difference? But also still made me totally rich.

[ Because that second part there is the main important part. As long as he isn't as bad as Hyperion was then he's reached his goal. ]

Least you got your priorities straight.

[ her tone's teasing, which makes it hard to tell whether she's chiding him for wanting to be rich, for wanting to make a difference, or whether she considers either of those endeavours the right priorities.

these days, dutch isn't so sure herself. ]

Thank you. It wasn't always the case you know. But I feel like in the last year I've definitely grown as a person.

[ ...And Rhys says this like he expects praise for this very baseline accomplishment that may or may not have truly happened given the way he's bragging about it. ]

Have you?

[ dutch raises her eyebrows. he doesn't seem like the most mature of all human beings to her. she isn't, either, though. ] You can prove it by buying the next round.

[ I mean...he's not but she should have seen him a year ago. It was pretty darn pathetic. ]

I'm pretty sure me buying you drinks has nothing to do with maturity.

And I'm pretty sure arguing with me isn't very mature.

[ is she smirking? she sure is. ]

Who's arguing? I am merely stating a simple fact, if you want to disagree with that then I think it's you who's doing the arguing.

[ It's okay, so is he. This is just the sort of smarmy banter he was used to back home, and Rhys rather enjoys it truth be told. ]

You're the one disagreeing with me.

[ so by his own definition, he's arguing, isn't he? ]

[ No he's the one who brought up the point Dutch you're not allowed to do that?? ]

I'm correcting.

[ And splitting every hair possible. But Rhys is obviously enjoying this, niggling away at her words. It's the sort of thing he'd do back when he worked for Hyperion and his life's biggest problem was kissing up to Henderson for that promotion he never got.

What a waste of 3 years man. ]

Which means you think I'm wrong. So you're disagreeing.

[ she doesn't mind the banter one bit, either. it isn't quite the same as the back and forth of team awesome force, but then, she's known johnny and even d'avin a lot longer than rhys. it's a different kind of thing, too.

but this is good fun. ]

You know it's really more of a potato-potato thing? Don't worry about the particulars.

[ Because that would mean he's wrong and Rhys is Never Wrong, definitely never and all of his ideas and plans definitely succeed. But he will shrug and manage to look smugly amused. ]

What's you poison tonight?

[ he'll buy that drink, goshhhh ]

Sure.

[ dutch is pretty sure she just won, because one way or another, he's buying her a drink. which was what she wanted all along, so: victory. ]

Whiskey. Something old.

[ she'll leave up to him how old "old" is. ]

[ That's the name of the game here :'| Dutch is the boss and Rhys puts up a token resistance even though deep down he's kind of really okay buying someone as hot and cool and she is a drink. This sort of thing would have never happened on Helios. ]

Coming right up.

[ He goes to order from the bar, and while it's not the best whisky they have, it's enough for someone on his level of income. Rhys of course gets something lighter and more fruity, a cocktail of some sort, and returns to her with a small glass of her desired drink. ]

Milady.

[ Why yes he is being a nerd and hamming it up on purpose. ]

Now you're talking.

[ though after dutch has taken her drink from him and taken a sip, she slants him a glance. ] Though "lady"'s the wrong title.

What, really? You have something else you wanna be called?

[ Badass, overlord, master....? ]

Nah.

[ but - ] If we're being technical, though, I'm royalty by marriage, so "lady"'s really not cutting it.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject