Happy Hour and a Bottle of Rum

[readsthearticles]

Billy's still undecided on the reality of this place. He still more than half figures that he hit his head on his way out of the captain's cabin and is laid out dreaming strange dreams. But hell, there's no point in standing around and arguing the point. Here he is and he might as well look around a bit.

He'd napped in a booth in the corner and when he ordered breakfast received with it a polite note--with instructions to come back in the afternoon and tend bar. With specials.

He writes SPECIALS up on the board in a tidy round hand...and then runs out of imagination for what the specials might actually be. So, uh, welcome to Happy Hour. With unspecified Specials. Provided by the big lad with his sleeves rolled up, currently standing behind the bar pulling out bottles at random.




((Hullo! Thanks to everyone who welcomed Billy! I admit I'm kinda running out of steam for Wow I'm New Here What Is This Place threads--is it okay if we handwave/let those drop? I'd love to pick up new conversations, I just have such a hard time holding up too many OMG I Don't Believe This Place What Is It threads at the same time...))

Comments

[childofrebellion]

Cassian wipes his face and his hair, which feels better. "Near another mining town, that's where all the jobs seem to be."

[readsthearticles]

"So do you...haul cargo in that flying ship? Or what?" It hadn't sounded big enough for much that way (though you could smuggle something nice and compact), and he has a feeling Cassian's work falls more into the or what? category.

[childofrebellion]

"Sometimes or transport passengers, whatever fits. What about your ship? What kind of cargo do you take on?"

Which is true, but mainly if he's flying with anyone they're connected to the Rebellion.

[readsthearticles]

"Bit of everything," he answers, amused. "We've got a hold full of tea and fine china right now. All very genteel."

[childofrebellion]

"Genteel, does that mean the custom taxes are higher?"

That's usually how it goes, everything costs something.

[readsthearticles]

"Mmm." Ye-es. Customs. Billy scratches his jaw. "Well, there's a family in Nassau that handles all that. We just need to get it into the town."

[childofrebellion]

Cassian takes another sip of rum as he puts the towel down on the counter as that's intriguing phrasing. "Are they fair?"

[readsthearticles]

That's a good question. He nods--approval of the thought process, not an answer. "They're fair enough, if everything's going well. As long as your luck is good and you're bringing in pr-- cargo, they'll treat you all right. Not everyone's happy, though."

[childofrebellion]

"Having something worth trading always helps, then there's more for everyone. What's making them unhappy?"

How bad can things go in Nassau? He's also wondering about what word Billy almost said.

[readsthearticles]

Billy considers how to translate the situation into terms unrelated to piracy. "Nassau's a pretty free and equal place, and there's some men who'd say the Guthries are a little too high-handed. You take the deals they give you, or you don't deal. --Some of those men just don't like a girl telling them what to do," he adds, compelled by honesty.

[childofrebellion]

"Free and equal but only one family in control. In my galaxy, I'd say that sounds like a cartel and they can be awful. Any slavery in Nassau?" Cassian says thoughtfully as he drinks some more rum.

"That's foolish of them. It shouldn't matter who's giving the orders if they know what they're doing."

In the Rebellion, gender and species don't matter, what you can do comes first.

[readsthearticles]

"Well...yeah. There's plenty of slave business," he says, looking a little uncomfortable. Billy's theoretically against slavery, but in practice, well. It's just there, and the Walrus has captured slave-traders and sold on the slaves more often than they've freed them. "--And right, that's what I tell my crew. You don't have to like it, but Miss Guthrie knows what she's doing."

[childofrebellion]

"Its hard to truly get rid of it. Your crew? You captain the ship you mentioned, the Walrus?"

Cassian thinks no one should be a slave but he also knows how deep slavery is in the fabric of the Empire.