[Stag Party] Blake Richards: Let’s Kick Off This Party Properly!
Robin Hopper
((“The Hairy Toe” Bar – Paxala Talaxian Colony, Idrustix, Delta Quadrant))
Blake: Bartender! ::Pointing over his shoulder:: Another round for the Richards’ party! Oh, and this time we are definitely getting shots of the uhh, what’s the house specialty again?
The Talaxian bartender wiggled his eyebrows at the excitable human male standing across the counter from him – he’d shown up about thirty minutes earlier, along with a collection of other men from Amity Outpost, and they had quickly become some of his favourite (and most jovial) customers! And why shouldn’t they be? Many of the regulars were displaced Talaxians, starting their lives over here in the Paxala colony – not a bad move, to be sure, but a hard move nonetheless. Whereas these boys, they were here to have fun… And, what was even more wonderful, they were celebrating an upcoming wedding!
Bartender: I call it “The Hair of the Toe that Kicked Ya” – there’s an old bottle of Talaxian Brandy that’s been refilled drop by drop over the years and at the bottom… ::Leaning in conspiratorially:: Is an old Talaxian miner’s toe! Some say it was cut off during a mining accident. Other say it was all that was left of the old fella after a Nedic Dreznin mine blew him to pieces!
Blake: ::Wide-eyed:: God, the Delta Quadrant really is the Wild West…
Bartender: Of course, that’s all just rumour and hearsay. But, all the same, it’s a pretty fun story. So – ::uncorking the bottle and pouring the shots:: – which one of you is the lucky groom-to-be?
Blake turned towards the table of men, his slightly wobbly pointing finger settling roughly on his blonde brother.
Blake: The big goofball with the metal arm. ::Back to the bartender:: Hey, do you uhh, Talaxians make anything like ‘nachos’? You know, chips with cheese and vegetables and meat and stuff on them?
The bartender shrugged as he re-corked the bottle.
Bartender: I could get a plate of fried leola root vixerbajj cooked up for you?
Slapping his hand excitedly on the bartop, the excited young man with long hair agreed.
Blake: That’ll do! ::Picking up the tray of drinks:: Okay, boys, the next round is on me!
He carried it over, making his way around the table depositing one shot at each spot, starting with Nathan’s very handsome Australian boss…
Ukinix: Response
Followed by Blake’s mane competition, Doctor Jansen Orrey…
Orrey: Response
And then a few other other officers Blake was still getting to know.
Moore: Response
Flint: ::Eying the brandy suspiciously:: Oh, thank you. What did you say this was again?
Blake: ::Grinning:: Oh, I’ll tell you after we all do a toast…
And finally ending with his big brother.
Richards: Response
Taking a seat beside the big man, Blake set his own shot glass on the table in front of him and grinned broadly. This was his first foray to the Delta Quadrant. Actually, his first time outside the Alpha Quadrant. Really, his first time beyond the Sol System for that matter… Needless to say, he was pumped just to be alive and sitting in a chair at a bar with real planet beneath his ass instead of the endless void of outer space travelling at ten million billion times the speed of light (or however fast Quantum Slipspeed Drivetrain went.)
Blake: Ahem. Before we drink, I’d just like to say a few words… My brother, Nathan, was the best man at my wedding just last year – and back then, I remember thinking to myself, “there’s no way in hell this guy’s getting married any time soon.” I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s loveable – and that fiancée of his is quite a catch – assuming she’s not still planning to, you know, lay eggs in your chest and eat you after they hatch. But my point is, I should have known better. Nathaniel David Richards has made a lifelong habit of defying expectations and it’s obvious he’s not planning to stop that any time soon… So, here’s to my brother – long may he survive this marriage!
With that, he lifted his glass and downed it quickly, before tapping the empty vessel back on the table surface and letting out a strained grunt. That Talaxian brandy was powerful stuff.
Ukinix/Orrey/Moore/Richards: Response
Flint: ::Looking at his empty glass:: Bloody hell, this is like Romulan Ale mixed with Guinness. Why’s it so thick?
Blake: ::Chuckling:: Oh, that’s probably the effect of the severed toe at the bottom of the bottle.
Ukinix/Orrey/Moore/Richards: Response
TBC
