Out of Pod Experience

As she made her way down to docking bay two Lailyana couldn’t help but think back to her engagement “What if that was just an amarr frigate, but not an amarr pilot.” she thought.The implications were big, if it was just an Amarrian frigate, who was piloting it, and why did they attack her, and even better question how did they find her, relic sites like those are hard to find, even with the best of probes and experience.
“Can I help you miss?” a voice said. Not realizing she was already at the fitting service.
“Uh yes, I have a list here of what I need, is everything readily available in the station?” Lailyana asked as her eyes met that of the Caldarian mechanic standing before her.
“I can check the systems quickly, ah yes it seems like everything is in station, would you like me to confirm.” the man asked.
Gently rolling her eyes, Lailyana says “I need three Modal Light Neutron Particle accelerators, one MN Afterburner, one X5 prototype engine enervator, one small ancillary shield booster with navy cap charges size 25, and one J5b Phased prototype warp scrambler.” Looking up at the man at the desk from her notes with a slightly agitated look on her face.
“Please continue.” The mechanic said.
“Look, I really don’t have all day to be standing around reading what I want on my ship from a list you have in your hand, just withdraw the isk and let me be on my way please.” Lailyana says, the whole time getting visually agitated.
Looking up from his goggles the mechanic says “Fine, if any fitting personnel have any questions I will refer them to you.”
“Thank you very much,” says Lailyana as she moves to the hangar.
“mmhmm, Docking station two is where your ship is have a nice day.” the mechanic says.

Lailyana looks at the mechanic smirking one more time as she walks away. While she is immortal sometimes she wonders what life would be life if she wasn’t, if she had followed a different path what it would be like without implants. Shaking off the day dream she reaches into her pocket and pulls out her commlink again.
“Kane hows it looking out there?” Lailyana says.
“Ohh hows it looking,” kane repeats the question, obviously caught off guard by his comms going off. “its looking quiet over here, wait a second,” kane continued his voice growing audibly concerned.
“I’m cloaked, but I have a manticore class Stealth Bomber 190 kilometers from me, velocity is holding at 45 meters/sec and going for your wreckage.”
“hold cloak do not move!” Lailyana said her voice getting nervous.
“It’s ok I’m cloaked he can’t see me.” Kane said with slight confidence now emulating from his tone.
“Look I don’t care if you’re cloaked or not, just scan it and get out of there, i’ll be undocking in a few minutes,” said Lailyana.
“**** he had a friend, I’m decloaking and getting out of here.”
Looking slightly panicked Lailyana puts her hand on her forehead, she had a feeling going out there again would be a risk, still, she asked him to go out there and risk his ship for her. Kane, although he is Gallente is a great friend.
“Kane drop what you're doing right now, and get the hell out of there, they are obviously looking for something.” Lailyana said with pursed lips, the stress of her friend in trouble with her stranded in station for a few more minutes was almost too much for the caldari to bear.
“Well this isn't good they just shot a torpedo across the side of my ship at an asteroid, now they have me locked, initiating target lock sequence.”
As she hears Kane on the commlink, Lailyana starts bolting for the hangar entrance.
“Hold on Kane I’m coming!” She yells into her comms.
“Lail…..don’t….heavy….scrammed,” kanes comm starts cracking and breaking up with heavy interference.
“Goddamnit Kane get out of there now!” Lailyana screams into her commlink.
she looks over at a mechanic walking away from her merlin.
“You, get me undock clearance right now!”
“Yes mamn.” the mechanic says starting to jog, telling from her body language it was important.
Lailyana gets into her Merlin, suddenly, after what seems like an eternity her nav computer says
“undock requested, undock granted.
“Ok lets go get these bastards.” Lailyana says as she accelerates her merlin into the black of space, New Eden.

Chapmonious Hunter woke with a start, voices coming from the other room. Laude had just finished recounting the jailbreak. And then, a familiar laugh, Lailyana’s. It had been months since the Amarrian had seen his former love, while she was out helping others she barely knows, he had been scouring the deepest wormholes in the galaxy, the darkest corners of space where even concord dared to go. and now, there she was behind a few inches of titanium and a few steps foward. Waking himself up, Chapmonious sits up on the edge of the bed, rubbing his bloodshot eyes, it had been what felt like eons since he had a decent night sleep, if it wasnt for the laughter, and commlink going off, he might’ve slept a little longer.

“Hello,” Chapmonious says, obviously barely coherent enough for conversation.
“Did you acquire the target yet” a gruff, matter-of-fact voice replies.
Sighing, Chapmonious replies with “Yes shes 5 feet from me in another room, do I really have to go through with this?” he inquires.
You’re a pirate and a slaver by blood Chapmonious, whatever connection you once had, its gone now, finish the job, if you can’t, we will find someone who will.” the voice says.
“Look you dont need to threaten me, I know what I am, but I dont think you know what she is,” Chapmonious replies with venom in his words.
“My client knows exactly what Ms. Enaka is, a highly trained, intellegient killing machine, and my client have big plans for her in the catch region.” the man replies.

Chapmonious knew this mans client, The Volition Cult, he had once flown for them, believing he was ridding the universe of scum, until he discovered the empty promises things went smoothly. A massive alliance of corporations in the providence region, they had the pull, and the money to back up everything he said.

“Why dont you just recruit her, just like you did me?” Chapmonious inquires.
“There are too many enemies to monitor us, and too many spies, we are comprimised, it must be done this way.” the man replied.
“Look after I do this, we are square, I will talk..” Chapmonious started to say.
“You will not talk, you will convince her its in her best interests to go along, she has been put down once, it can be done again.” the man said as he closed the link.

Chapmonious winced at these words, he knows Lail has had a near perfect flying record, with many accolades in the Caldari Navy, and after, “go quietly” was not in her vocabulary, nor part of a mission directive, there will be a fight.

Clearing his head Chapmonious sends the a mail “give me 3 days and she will be yours” sending it, he gets up, and walks into the room to greet the patrons of the bar, and Lailyana Enaka, the deadliest pilot he once loved.

(Meta, I want to start a new story, please follow queues and use characters as you see fit, atleast speaking for myself and lail. for the start I wanted to tie in in game events and use my break away from eve as well, hope you all enjoyed)

Walking along one of the station boulevards, lined with trees on the driveways and with minimal transit of vehicles in the sideways, Yiole had her arm around Random's waist and Random around Yiole's waist, albeit with a tendency to slip down... They remained silent and looked at other people, couples and pedestrians minding their business, and spent several minutes that way before Random borke the silence.

"So what's about Ishtanchuk?"
"About her?"
"I've seen that gusnhot scar in her face"
"Me too. But ther isn't much to say. She's had some terrible experience while she was away, but doesn't wants to talk about it."
"Well, if she's been shot, that's terrible enough. But it doesn't makes sense. Shooting a capsuleer would make to the news"
"That's what I tought. She also talked about being heartbroken... maybe she got into a really bad relationship. But if she doens't wants to speak, let it be"
"Of course, she knows she can count on her friends. You've known her for long, right?"
"Long? Well, yes, maybe it's been five years"
"And how did you know her?"
"Oh, that would be a long story", smiled Yiole.
"And...?"
"And, now I don't want to talk about it. I am worried that whatever she experienced may have left sequels. She is not the warrior type and probably is not more ready to endure violence than any civilian... well, like me, actually; all in all I failed to become a soldier for being, huh... too violent" Yiole smiled wickedly; Random knew that she had been expelled from a miltiary academy for beating several fellows who picked on her and tried to bully Yiole, who back then was just an odd thin and tall girl.
"No, those Fazmarai cuties are not warriors..." said Random, thinmkig about the jailbreak "But they're brave in a way, don't them?"
"Ishtanchuk specially, yes. She betrayed the Amarran after becoming a capsuleer... but for what I know that was not a pleasant experience to her, neither. Maybe she'll be okay once she settles back at home..."
"Yes, it si important to have a place to call home...", said Random morosely
"important? Well, you spent months in a wormhole, that's quite a nomadic way of life..."
"Yes it is. And I missed being at home by you"
"At home? Random, we never..." said Yiole and suddenly she looked at Random. "What do you mean, being at home with me?"

Random looked back at Yiole and smiled, saying:

"Nothing, miss Gionglao", and then he whispered: "Nothing... yet".

Then he kissed her cheek, and Yiole turned her face and they pecked. Random giggled as he was bemused to see how Yiole was taller than him with her high heels; without them, they both had the same height, which was one of the physical traits of Yiole that fascinated Random.

Then they started walking away, Random's arm accidentlaly slipped down and Yiole pulled it up to her waist, pretending to be upset. Then they laughed and kept walking towards the end of the boulevard, enjoying the time and their company...

Ishtanchuk and Indahmawar Fazmarai entered the Greater Fool Bar, walking arm in arm. Some of the patrons waved them and others recognized Ishtanchuk and approached to welcome her back, but her sulky attitude quickly drove them away. Ishtanchuk let Indahmawar lead her to a private booth. After several attempts to start a conversation about what happened while Indah and Random were away and Ish was left alone with Yiole, Indahmawar leaned back on the couch and sighed.

"Ishtanchuk, you aren't well, are you?"

Ish shook her head, but said nothing.

"Well, I will not ask about what happened with Yiole. I've talked to Random about our special night and we've agreed to not tell anything to Yiole. Random fears that she could be hurt and I don't know her well enough to judge..."
"Don't worry about hurting her. She's tougher than that", mumbled Ish.
"Well, if you say so... you know her longer than I do."
"Yes. Maybe it's been four years..."
"Four years? Well, was before I became a capsuleer", said Indahmawar "Because you two took me to a grand tour right after graduation and you already were intimate then"
"Have I told you how we met?"
"Huh? You and Yiole?"
"Yes."
"Well, I wouldn't mind if you told me the story again...", suggested Indah, hoping that it would distract Ish from her attitude.
"Well then, I'll tell you... I was in a banquet hall, celebrating something... there was a long queue at the toilets but we had been told that we could use a different space, outside of the hall. So..."

So, Ishtanchuk Fazmarai left behind the loud music from the ongoing celebration, and walked along a empty corridor to the public toilets by the hall. She was about to go into the women toilets when she saw another woman exiting them; she was an incredibly tall Achuran, with a handsome face, a brown bob and blue yes.

"Are you going in?" -she asked, and immediately added: "Don't do it, someone's had a bad night and the cleaning hasn't come to sort the mess. I'm not using anything inside there , and you shouldn't neither, miss"
"Oh, true? Well, I am at he celebration and hoped to..."
"Don't worry anyway! Let me check something" -interrupted the tall Achuran. Then Ishtanchuk was shocked to see her going into the men's toilets, and could hear her shoes tapping up an down for a while before she opened the door and said:
"Lucky time! It's empty here, can you watch while I use one of the booths?"
"But, what...?"
"If some dude comes, just tell him that they're cleaning the place. I'll watch for you later, I swear!"

And the Achuran went back into the toilets, as Ishtanchuk hesitated about what to do. But all in all she needed that toilet, and she was a capsuleer... and the situation was ludicrous. So she waited for a few minutes and then the tall Achuran exited the toilets, and said:
"Your turn, miss! I'll watch as long as needed, don't need to hurry!"
"Well, I..."
"I used the third booth from the right, it's OK" said the Achuran, winking.

Ishtanchuk pushed her purse on her hips with a hand and pushed the door with the other. She walked around the place and blushed when she saw the urinals, as they weren't usual in Amarran tradition. She counted the doors and opened the booth pointed by the Achuran woman, and inspected it closely before deciding that, clean or not clean, she would be keeping her bag on her lap, and thanked her decission to not wear trousers that night.

She finished as fast as she could and walked straight to the door, and was about to exit the toilets when she heard voices on the outside... the Achuran woman was talking to some men!

"Oh my, and what now?"

Ishtanchuk waited for the end of the conversation but apparently the Achuran woman was actually talking with them rather than just dismiss them. Ish was embarrassed and hoped that no man entered the toilets, and she sighed when the male voices ended and the Achuran woman said them good bye. Ishtanchuk exited the toilet and met the Achuran woman.

"Oh, don't tell me you were waiting, miss?"
"Well, I wouldn't go out with those men there..."
"No, of course... you're Khanid, right?"
"Yes. But I am a capsuleer, too", said Ishtanchuk, staring at the Achuran woman to see her reaction.
"True? Well, that's great! I'm a capsuleer too! Yiole Gionglao, pleased to meet you!"
"Oh... Ishtanchuk Fazmmarai, the pleasure is mine"
"Ishta... what?"
"Ish-tan-chuck. It's uncommon even in Khanid space..."
"Well, Ish... don't you mind I call you Ish...? You were at the party over there, then?"
"Yes... Yole"
"Yiole, with an i."
"Yiole. Yes, I am at the celebration there"
"And you have company? Or a plan to have it?"
"Huh... no, not exactly..."
"Then it's been fate! I just met two super handsome, super cool Gallente guys who wanted to use the toilets! I've sent them back to their place and was wondering how to hit them... I just need you to keep the short guy busy while I try my luck with the taller one! It will be fun!" Yiole Gionglao smiled, and Ishtanchuk was bemused. Just two years ago, she was a sensible prude maiden capsuleer, but that had changed forever and now she was in experimental phase of her life... as to recover lost time. Flirting was one of the ideas in her mind when the night had started, but she never had hooked up as part of a team. And the Achuran woman... Yiole.. she was quite an impressive female, and yet so different that it would be unusual that a guy was attracted by both them.

"Well... we can give it a try", said Ishtanchuk, feeling a shiver of anticipation down her back.
"Great! I'm sure you'll impress your guy too, you're quite a hot cutie!"
"You aren't bad neither, you're really tall"
"Oh, don't ask, that's a handicap most of the time! Some guys are so busy looking up, that they never look at what they have right before their nose", laughed Yiole, sticking her tongue and squeezing her bosom.

Ishtanchuk laughed too, and she followed Yiole to a nearby bar...

"So that's how you became friends?", asked Indahmawar.
"No, not at the moment." answered Ishtanchuk. "When we went into the bar, we had some trouble talking to the Gallente guys as the music was very loud, and anyway I spoiled it when I mentioned too soon that we were capsuleers... Yiole wasn't upset, but she wasn't happy neither to see them go..."

Yiole Gionglao put her hand on Ish's shoulder, and said:

"Well, those guys almost set a new velocity record... not exactly the egg hunter kind"
"Egg hunters? I've heard of them, but I don't think I've ever come across one"
"Oh, lucky you then. You should be like a magnet to those guys, with those boobs and the cute face... Although, the hair hides your plugs quite well, it's so thick!"
"Are you angry?"
"No Ish, anyway It was difficult to flirt in there... Thank you for coming up, anyway. Do you mind if I add you as contact?"
"Please do, I'll add you too"

"fine then. I'm done for tonight, will see you in space, ok?"
"Yes, of course. Fly safe, Yiole"
"Fly safe you too, Ish"

Two months passed until a day when Ishtanchuk was at Thashkarai, running missions for an agent from Emperor Family corporation. She was returning from a mission when the local chat window blinked and she read one of the voice-to-text messages being relayed:
"LOL, met a faction rat in belt! Those guys are thugging me, can someone come and kill them? I am a poor miner!"

Ishtanchuk saw the author's name: Yiole Gionglao, and reminded the evening when they met.

"Yiole Gionglao? I'm just entering system, mark your position and let me give those rats some laser love"
"Wow! Ishtanchuk Fazmarai! You're the Khanid hottie, right? Thank you! I was mining some kernite when those guys warped in... and my tank it's not up to them XD"

Five minutes later, the pirates were dust and Ishtanchuk was scornfully salvaging the wrecks of their ships as Yiole moved back to mining her kernite. After Ishtanchuk warped off the belt, Yiole invited her to meet at one of the stations so they could talk and "celebrate meeting again"

"Ah, and the you became fiends!", interrupted Indahmawar.
"More or less. It turned that she was looking for an extra woman for a private party, and there I went. The thing got very heated, though, and in the middle of all what was going on, me and Yiole found we had similar ideas on certain matters."
"Huh...?"
"We just kept meeting after the orgy, that's all. Trying things each now and then, usually just chilling out or hooking up as a team. She was... and still is, convinced that I need someone to protect me. Despite that i am actually older than her. I guess that in some aspects, she is more experienced than me, albeit as a capsuleer I am more skilled than her"
"That's nice, this way you still can share new things... and I enjoy her company too"
"Do you know...? I am tired of talking now. I've noticed how you've spent the evening trying to cheer me up, and I thank you for it. So..."
"Well, I am your cousin. And we are friends, more than friends... you're my sister more than my siblings, actually. You've always been around me!"
"I know... I wonder whether that's been good for you, though"
"No, no more thinking today, Ish! Just... have fun! Be silly! Come with me, we got new themes for the karaoke and I totally need you for it!"
"Indah, my dear, I am not in the mood... I can't learn a new song now, I..."
"But you know it!" just come with me!" said Indahmawar, pulling Ishtanchuk's arm. Reluctantly, she stood pup and followed Indah to the karaoke machine, where a capsuleer was finishing a theme with extreme prejudice. Indahmawar picked a song and Ishtanchuk recognized it inmediatly, and when the time came, Ish smiled and started singing along with Indahmawar, both with their lovely accent which worsened when singing...

Shes me free, why don'sha, bei... Ges oush my laif, why don'sha, bei...

Watching them from behind the bar, Succus smiled...

"Thanks very much, miss." Ragnar sits at a small table, off to the side.

“So,” Mavrick Maximum said looking down at the two astonished ladies, “how long has she been at this?”
Indahmawar looked confused and a little frightened at the tall lean Brutor but Ishtanchuk smiled. She had heard that voice before but had never placed the face. The tall man was looking concerned at Laudenum who was, by any possible account, making a complete fool of herself on the stage.

“So, you are Mavrick.” Ish said with the hint of a smile playing across her face.

“I am.” He said smoothly. His voice was deep and resonant, but not loud. He didn’t have to shout above the amplified cacophony of Laud’s voice from the stage, it came clear and strong to both of the Khanid ladies sitting at the table. “You must be Ms. Ishtanchuk.” He said his white teeth bright against his dark skin. “It’s a pleasure to finally put a face to a name.” He turned and looked at Indah. Her glance focused in on the tribal tattoos on the Brutor’s face and he smiled softly as she tried not to look at them. “It’s ok,” he said with a smile, “they can be a bit intimidating.” He extended his hand and said, “My name is Mavrick. I’m an employee of Laud’s.” She cautiously took his hand.

Laudenum tortured the microphone with a note that would make Banshee’s quake in fear, and Mav winced noticeably. He turned to the two Khanid ladies and asked if he could join them. They both accepted but Ish looked at Mav and asked, “Why do you let her continue like this?”

Mav smiled as Ish asked her question. “You’ve seen Laud. You know she can get kind of feisty. I’m simply letting her wear herself out.” He sat back and flagged a passing serving woman. After he ordered his drink, he turned his attentions back to the two women at the table and was a little surprised that they were watching him. He flicked his gaze back and forth between them a little guiltily and said, “Sorry, she’s easier to handle when she’s worn out.” As Laud hit notes that made warning klaxon’s envious, she began a strange sort of drunken lunge stomping motion.

Ishtanchuk watched with restrained mirth but Indah looked concerned. She turned to Mavrick and asked, “I’ve seen her drink and party before, but I’ve never seen her like this. Is something wrong with her?”

The smile melted slowly from Mav’s face. He looked down at the drink placed in front of him and he turned the glass in his large calloused hands. “She’s mourning.” He responded.

Ish’s humor restrained smirks faded and Indah covered her mouth with her hand. “What happened?” She said between her fingers.

Mavrick sipped from his drink and sighed deeply. “Several years ago, Laud served as an engineer on board a Republic Fleet ship called the Stehekin. She was enlisted and near the bottom of the engineering group but secretly she was having a relationship with a young fire control officer. Fraternization isn’t permitted on board the ships of the fleet and particularly not between officers and enlisted.” He paused to take a sip from the drink. He glanced up from the glass to see Indah wide eyed and listening intently. Ishtanchuk’s expression was blank but looked forced. Mav continued on with the story.

“Ship board relations are very difficult to keep quiet and they both knew that sooner or later they would get caught. If they did, they’d both lose their position and would be subject to military discipline. The truly sad thing about that was that Laud was working to put away money to become a capsuleer. That young fire control officer had no intention of becoming one of us. As a matter of fact, they fought sometimes over that.” Mav sighed deeply and glanced up at Laud who was berating a sound engineer who was trying to take the microphone from her. “They really did love each other. Laudenum had decided that to maintain the relationship, when they returned from their tour, she would resign her commission and give up being a capsuleer.” He barked a quick laugh. “Can you imagine Laudenum as a housewife with a bevy of children?”

His hands were shaking as he reached for the glass and drank deeply. When he looked back up to the women, he saw they were both rapt to the tale. “On their return, the ship was attacked by Angels and sustained very heavy damage. Laud was badly hurt when the access tunnel she was working in partially collapsed under a breach. She was hurt so badly, it was unknown whether she’d recover. It was that damage that killed her unborn baby.”

Indah gasped with a moan but Ishtanchuk’s face drained pale. She glanced down away from Mav’s eyes. Indah composed herself just long enough to ask, “What about the father?”

Mav looked over at Indah and said, “His weapon hard point was damaged and exposed to vacuum. His body was never recovered.”

He sipped again, taking a moment to compose himself. “Laud received a battlefield promotion and the pregnancy was swept away quietly. She changed after that. Near manic and driven. There was a time I could see her as a wife and mother. Not so much anymore.”

“MAVRICK!!” Laud shouted from the stage. She staggered severely to the front of the stage. Mav jumped up and was barely able to catch the leaping Laud. The weight of her caught him off balance and the pair crashed into the table, sending drinks and glassware flying. Ishtanchuk and Indah were on either side of him in a heartbeat, helping to lift the redhead from Mav. She thrashed weakly, even as she passed out from the alcohol.

Mavrick stood from the destruction of the table and hoisted the unconscious Laudenum from the grasp of the two petite Khanid ladies. As he settled Laud on his shoulder, he noticed that they had not escaped the destruction. Both were wet from flying beverages.

“Look,” he said quietly, “I realize that you two were indulging me as I waited for her to pass out. Let me make it up to you both. Dinner. On me. Wherever you’d like.”

Jesus! Poor Laude!

(continued)

Mavrick watched as Ishtanchuk ate the salad, using a sharp fork to pick the olives, and he tasted one. He noticed how the fruit used to have a stone and it had been removed mechanically, thus the hole; the fruit itself was bitter, salty and very tasty, and Mavrick admired how the Khanid had preserved that tradition from a unknown time and place, maybe from the misterious Earth itself.

As the salad servings shrinked, they began chatting again, and Ishtanchuk made a discrete but thorough interrogation on Mavrick's past and acquitances, and he allowed her go until she began closing to Laudenum and Random. Mavrick made a few atemtps to change the conversation topic and eventually he landed a good question and forced Ishtanchuk to answer talking about herself.

"Siblings... yes, I have siblings. Two of them, boy an girl. They are younger", said Ishtanchuk.
"So you are the older one?"
"Yes, I am".
"And how younger are them?"
"Three years, but it's almost four, actually. Three years and eleven months".
"And the younger one?"
"No, they have the same age. They're twins, a girl and a boy".
"Oh, that's interesting. Apparently you don't talk much about them"
"Well, our relationship is cold. They always had their own world, and they banded together against their older sister... That was until my brother was sent to a miltiary academy. Yet then it already was too late."
"Too late to become friends?"
"Yes. I already had found a person to spend my brotherly love in... my cousin Indahmawar"
"Oh, so that's the reason why you are so together"
"Yes. I was eight when she was born, and the twins were four. They already had made obvious that they didn't liked me. My mother has always regretted that, as it wasn't easy for her to have my siblings.."
"And why that?"
"The Khanid custom is to have children seperated by three years from the earlier. But my mother suffered a miscarriage in her fifth week and it was very disstressing for the family; despite the shock, my mother insisted to try again as soon as the doctors would allow, and so she managed to have the second and third child before I was four".

Mavrick stared at Ishtanchuk and noticed the passion in her eyes, betraying the pretended indifference in her neutral expression and voice. He figured that the topic was done and tried to lead the conversation to other topics, which was easier since the a waiter produced the main courses.

Mavrick enjoyed his cod and watched Ish as she ate; she had been served three small cuttlefishes, and cut them to pieces with graceful movements. She enjoyed the food too, as she smiled lightly, but Mavrick regretted to see how her eyes were sadder than before talking about her family. Anyway, Mavrick remembered a funny story about a Brutor marine eating fish for the first time, and Ish also found it funny enough to laugh when he said the punchline. After that, Ish seemed more relaxed, and Mavrick noticed how she would gaze at him. He used those chances to look into Ishtanchuk's almond eyes and the moving hazel in them; then would slip onto her nose, a bit large but graceful, and to her full lips, painted in a color that looked natural and yet was red enough to grab the attention and drive it away from the gunshot scar on her cheek.

"What a beautiful woman", thought Mavrick. "And so intriguing... who would shot that face? And why, mistress Ishtanchuk?" And she was brave enough to show her scar, in a way that made the Brutor soul of Mavrick rejoice with admiration.

After the main course, Mavrick suggested to wait for deserts and instead chat a little more, but Ishtanchuk said, softly, that she was tired. Mavrick was a bit puzzled, but he knew that Ish ahd been away for severa months so he attributed her fatigue to that. Anyway, she agreed to enjoy the deserts. So she ended the dinenr by having a chocolate bomb which made Mavrick stare at her ironically, as she enjoyed it visibly. Whereas Mavrick himself just asked a fruit salad which included, to his surprise, pieces of certain fruits unsual in Gallentean space but appreciated in Brutor cuisine. That restaurant would be damn expensive, but would also be worth every last ISK... maybe that was why Ishtanchuk had picked it, other than try and compromise Mavrick into accepting to split the bill. Which he would only allow to happen over his cold corpse.

Honestly though, Ishtanchuk also didn't attempted to pay the bill, nor hinted it. Mavrick couldn't decide whether that was because she was woman, or noblewoman, or because all in all he was reparing a damage caused by Laudenum.

After leaving the table, the couple walked to the dresser room and Mavrick helped Ishtanchuk to put on her coat. Mavrick picked another station cab and made a subtle attempt to take Ishtanchuk's hand, but she moved it away casually. Mavrick didn't insisted; what was he doing, he thought to himself...

After arriving to the Bar, Mavrick helped Ishanchuk to step down from the cab, an accompanied her to the door. Then he said, casually:

"I think that the Khanid custom is to kiss the cheeks, am I right?"
"Actually the corner of the lips, when it's somene from the family or intimate enough. I will not try to climb up and kiss your cheek, but you may kiss mine if you want to, Mavrick", said Ishtanchuk, smiling as she lowered her eyelids tantaliingly.

(continues)

I can confirm that the lovely Ms. Ishtanchuk was, indeed, an enchanting dinner guest.