Terrekal Meets Raven?

Posted on Wed Jun 24th, 2020 @ 3:38am by Raven Mattel & Terrekal
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:56pm

Mission: The Evils Within

ON:

Little Caesar's was pumping. The crowds had really come in this particular evening, the shroud of stress and panic finally lifting over the crew of the Pandora, and now people were beginning to relax and have fun again. The arcade machines were packed with punters and Raven Mattel had a full bar of patrons in front of her. Not that she cared, of course, she still had to put on a show while she mixed drinks. Wearing a cheerleader's outfit and roller skates, Raven mouthed along to the 1980's pop hit 'Hey Mickey', blond wig styled into braids as she bopped along to the track. She skated up and down the bar gathering ingredients, body moving along to the synthetic beats, as she dumped everything into a shaker and started tossing it above her head. She gave the shaker one large throw into the air, grabbed a glass and slid down into a near-perfect splits, before grabbing the shaker as it came back down and pouring the drink into the glass. The crowd around the bar erupted in applause as Raven stood up again and neatly placed the finished cocktail in front of the customer.

"Tips are extra, darling." She cooed with a wink at the officer.

Coming up the stairs to the bar area, Terrekal couldn't help but notice the barista's flashy drink-making skills. He ignored the pinball tables he'd really come for and went to the bar, climbing onto a chair.

"Those are some slick moves. What can you do with a Fesarian Ice Tea?" he asked, referring to the classic Fesarian drink. "Surely Mindo provided you the ingredients for that!"

Raven did a double-take when she saw the unfamiliar man, at first seeing him by the corner of her eye and believing him to be Mindo, but then realising he was an entirely different Fesarian gentleman. She backwards skated over to his part of the bar and came to a smooth stop, "Why yes he did. Though I have to admit, my iced teas tend to go a little more Long Island. I just get carried away with the vodka." She smiled.

Terrekal laughed. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied. "But I'd love to try it!"

Raven gave a big grin, "That's the spirit!" She cried as she started rummaging around the prep area. She set out a tall tumbler, roughly filled it with ice, and then started gathering a series of liquor bottles that would contribute to the powerful concoction.

Suddenly a mouthy junior officer, awash with entitlement and impatience, called out, "Hey, come on, man, I've been waiting for a drink!"

Without hesitation, Raven turned around, lifted up the water gun from over the sink and unleashed a wide spray down the officer's uniform and face. Quickly drenched, he cried out in shock as Raven smirked in sardonic response, "Did you want a straw, honey?"

Embarrassed and wet, the officer stormed away from the bar and out of the holodeck, much to the amusement of those watching. As Raven returned to preparing the ice tea, she looked over to the Fesarian with a shrug, "My boss, Lieutenant Mindo, ain't gonna like me spraying the guests, but he had it coming, right?"

Terrekal laughed. "If Mindo were here, he probably would've sprayed that guy himself!" he said, extending a hand. "I'm Terrekal, by the way. Lowly and humble passenger on this grand vessel. And you are Miss...?"

Raven blushed a little at the title, as she turned and placed the cocktail in front of the man, "Raven. Raven Mattel." She answered, holding out her hand to shake with Terrekal.

"I have a question for you," Terrekal said. "Who do I have to hump to get a job on this ship? I've been aboard about a week and I'm running out of things to do." She handed him his drink. "Ah, thank you!"

Raven pressed a few buttons on a console and a hologram bartender appeared; the 'relief worker' when she felt like taking a break. She just didn't use him when the boss was around, of course. With the patrons being looked after, she was able to speak one on one with Terrekal, "Well, it depends on what kind of job you're looking for. If you like this place, Mr. Mindo might be able to find something for you. Serving drinks or food, if that's to your fancy. There's another bar called the Lunar Eclipse around the corner, and a restaurant, Pandora's Box. If hospitality ain't your thing, you could go into work for yourself. Open up a shop in the promenade. My friend Ignatius has a clothing store nearby, and he does okay."

Terrekal looked around the arcade. It was extremely busy this time of day. "Actually, I was thinking of bar tending. You think they need someone at the restaurant you mentioned? The Pandora's Box?"

Raven gave a shrug, "It is primarily food service there, but you could talk to Huyo. Beautiful woman; tall, bald, fracking whiz in the kitchen. She runs that place. Lunar Eclipse will more likely want new bartenders, but maybe the Box could expand their services? These Starfleet folks do like anything new and out of the ordinary."

"I'll look at the options," Terrekal said. "So, I'm very new to this 'barcade' idea. Any games you like that I should check out?"

Tilting her head slightly, she surveyed the arcade around them, "I'm partial to a bit of Ms. Pac-Man. Girl takes those ghosts out by eating them all and never gains a single pound."

"She eats... ghosts?" said Terrekal.

"She has to eat fruit first, then she can eat the ghosts." Raven said simply, as if that explained everything. "I'll show you."

Flinging off her roller-skates, Raven hoped over the bar with surprising ease. She landed her long legs on the ground and did a little bow as others nearby applauded. She would never get sick of hearing that. Holding out her hand to Terrekal, she gave a nod to the downstairs arcade area, "Come on then, it's this way."

Terrekal followed Raven down the steps and into the crowded arcade area and over to one of the game cabinets. It had a picture of a giant yellow ball with a face, women's makeup, and a red bow being chased by multi-colored ghosts. The name, written in bright colorful letters caught Terrekal's eye.

"Ms. Pac-Man," Terrekal said, reading the name. "Why isn't it Pac-Woman?"

"I know, right!?" Raven exclaimed loudly, "Like, is she related to Pac-Man? Why isn't he called Mr. Pac-Man then?" She sighed just as loudly, "Just another one of those silly human naming quirks I guess. You know, like how they call it Starfleet, but never actually visit any stars? They can't land on stars; they can't colonise stars. They just go to planets or space stations. So it should be called Space Fleet or something else, right?"

"True," Terrekal replied. "Though 'Space Fleet' isn't as catchy as Starfleet. What about Space Navy?"

Raven titled her head for a moment, then got it. "Oh! Because of the ships. Smart." She turned back to the arcade game, "Alright, you want me to show you how to play this baby?"

Terrekal smiled. "Go for it!" He stepped up on the crate to get a good look at the game.

Raven fired up the machine and started a new game, jerking her head for Terrekal to watch as she did. "So you use this joystick here to navigate. Up, down, left, right." She bit her lip as Ms. Pac-man darted around the screen. "And don't.... hit... the ghosts!" She exclaimed as she narrowly avoided being killed by Pinky.

Terrekal laughed at the sound the game made as Ms. Pac-Man spun around and then blinked out of existence. "I've never seen this kind of game, but it looks fun!" he exclaimed. "My I try?"

Raven moved out of the way as Terrekal moved the crate into position. He began to play and his reflexes were quite good, but he soon died as well, being eaten by the ghost called Inky. Terrekal laughed again, very amused by the game. "This is terrific!" he said, looking around at the other officers playing other various games. "I can see why so many people come here!"

"Yeah, Mr. Mindo has a real winner here." Raven smiled, following Terrekal's gaze around the room. "Do you know him well?" She asked, then suddenly added, "Not that all Fesarians should know each other, I mean. It's just that there's so few of you folks out in Fed Space."

"We've hung out quite a bit the last number of weeks. Even bedded a few times," Terrekal replied casually. "How well do you know Mindo?"

“He’s a friend.” Raven nodded, “Gave me a job here when I really needed it. Let’s me do some crazy stuff like rollerblade and hose down unruly customers. Well, in moderation, of course. And he lets me be me, just as I am. I don’t know where I’d be if he hadn’t given me a chance.”

"Despite his effusive reputation, he seems to still be well-liked by everyone here," Terrekal said. "I heard about his ordeal with K'Laus. First he tried to kill Mindo, and now Mindo is playing a part in his wedding. I've never known a Klingon to be so forgiving. But Mindo seems to have that effect on people."

Raven could only shrug, "I don't give time to any ship gossip. Mindo is well-respected and loved 'round here for good reason, and I'll deck anyone saying otherwise."

"Out here that's a kind of loyalty rarely found," said Terrekal, reflecting on the constant state of unease within the Expanse. Terrekal looked around the place, seeing the hustle and bustle of the crew, the lights and sounds, the overall joviality of the place. "Maybe..." he said. "Do you think I could work here?"

"Oh it's a blast here!" Raven exclaimed. "You'd have to ask the boss man, but if you can sling drinks and have fun, you'd be perfect. Plus it gets super busy here, especially in-between missions. Another pair of hands would help me out, too."

"I know a thing or two about drinks," Terrekal said with a smile. "I'm sure Mindo will approve. I'll ask him the next time I see him. In the meantime, I'm going to check out some more of these games."

Raven nodded and looked back to the bar. The hologram was struggling with an influx of new customers, so she gave a begrudging sigh and turned to Terrekal. "Looks like I'm needed, too. Go, enjoy the games, but be sure to come see me if you need anything."

With that, Raven left Terrekal to enjoy the arcade while she strapped on her roller-skates and went back to work.

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