Coming in at last call!

[dr_riley]

WHO: Drake Riley
WHERE: Coruscant
WHAT: Angrily bumbling through unsuccessful social interactions
WHEN: March Event catchall
WARNINGS: Language, but only if you speak Goa'uld




Arrival
For the second time in - what, a week? - Drake woke suddenly and with no idea where he was. And it was getting annoying. At least this time, he didn't feel as though he'd been pushed down a cliff and trampled by an upset moose. The ship gave a judder-

Ship? What? He sat bolt upright and staggered to the front just in time to see the planet spread itself out before them, glittering and vast. Astonished, he couldn't take his eyes off it, and only found a seat by fumbling blindly for one.

Later, after being ushered against every protest into the hotel and subsequently his room, Drake spent a few minutes going over his tablet to make sure it hadn't been damaged, and then promptly left. It wasn't like he had any belongings to unpack, after all.


Shopping
Drake's first impression of Coruscant was that it reminded him a bit of Tokyo. Except that he'd never been to Tokyo. But he knew it was vast and crowded and cluttered with bright signs, and he expected he wouldn't like the smell of all the street foods mingling with the steam drifting up from manholes, and he was assaulted by all of that the moment he left the hotel.

The first thing he tried looking for was an adapter for his tablet, both for powering it and for interfacing with new technologies he might encounter. (He didn't have much luck, only finding a few little scraps he could try splicing together later.) The next thing he looked for were any items that could replace what he'd lost in coming here: a proper torch, a canteen, waterproof matches or firesteel, binoculars, water tablets, a first aid kit, a weapon, and definitely some meal bars. Maybe a small shaving kit if he had room. So far, he's only found some meal replacement bars and a flashlight, and his increasing agitation with being unable to communicate with the shopkeeper (who he's sure is holding out on him for a better price, but is actually just getting fed up with his tone) is about to get him kicked out.


Underground
It didn't take long for Drake to get himself thrown out of the establishment, after which he'd yelled "Kel kek, mikta!" which didn't mean anything to the shopkeeper, but was clearly an insult if the rude gesture that accompanied it was anything to go by. They'd squealed angrily and thrown a small, hard bag of something foul smelling at him.

WELL.

It wasn't his fault they were too thick to understand easy-to-decipher body language regarding drinking, shooting, and bandaging (but could, for some reason, understand when he was calling them stupid). Oh well. That was fine. No upstanding citizen would sell a weapon to some random stranger without an identification, mailing address, or even a background to check, anyway, so he'd go looking elsewhere. After asking around here and there, Drake began to get the impression that he could buy just about anything he wanted the further down he went. No one really warned him about the violence down there, though.

That's how he wound up pinned against a wall with a blaster under his chin when he'd made too quick a move to reach into one of his pockets.


Late lunch/Early dinner
If no one came to his aide, he'll have escaped by offering up all of the power bars he'd bought earlier, claiming that they had "sun" in them - which he assumed they did. Vitamin D, that is, which appeared to be distinctly lacking down there. Weapon or no weapon, Drake will have taken the experience as a cue to retreat.

Tired, shaken, a bit smelly, and hardly having found anything on his shopping list, he turned his focus toward dining. He'd have given anything for a P.F. Chang's. Just someplace quiet to gather what remained of his wits, have something warm to drink, and try to calm down and formulate a plan. And have something to eat, obviously. He was starving.

Comments

Underground

[out_of_order]

The undercity in some ways reminded Cal of some places in Bracca, if only vaguely in atmosphere. He knew at least how to not draw attention to himself, keeping the hood of his old rigger poncho up, opting for his worn out gear rather than the new things he'd purchased with Tommy. Behind him even BD-1 minimized his movement, clinging to his harness as the padawan wove his way through the walkways along the open market.

This far down it was fair to assume that black market could be used interchangeably, and Cal kept a sharp eye out as he inspected the wares, looking for components rather than weapons. He lifted his head at his droid's whistle in concern, but it wasn't too difficult to suss out the problem nearby and the growing tension. Hesitating for a moment, Cal frowned as he started towards the man and the one he'd unintentionally sparked off.

"Hey, easy now," he started, holding his hands up to show he didn't mean to try anything. "There a problem here?"

Re: Underground

[dr_riley]

Drake probably wouldn't have been hard to spot even if he hadn't gotten himself into trouble, with his bright blonde hair and unusual clothing. Closer inspection would reveal that his jacket looked like it'd seen better days and had insignia patches on the front and shoulders that didn't look strictly decorative. He similarly had his hands up, and looked very much like a man calculating the precise angle at which his brain was about be drilled through with an energy weapon.

"I didn't think so-hkk!" The blaster pushed up into his throat and effectively shut him up.

"This filth was going to attack and rob me!" Hissed the merchant with another jab of the weapon. (Drake tried to shake his head in denial, but the jab elicited another high, choked off noise instead.) "But don't you worry your pretty head about it, stranger. We know how to deal with thieves, here."

The face that the shorter man was making suggested that he very much wanted the stranger to worry his pretty head about it, and he tried very subtly pointing downward, indicating his empty thigh holster and trying to bore a single thought into the new person's head: he was unarmed.

[out_of_order]

"Pretty sure he wouldn't think of doing so," Cal interjected, frowning at the merchant's claim. Or maybe his words in general. He flicked a brief glance towards Drake before looking back towards the merchant. "I mean, he'd have to be pretty gutsy to try attacking someone like you without a weapon."

He stepped closer, quickly running through his options. Bringing out his lightsaber here would draw attention and he wasn't sure he wanted that, but using the Force would probably garner the same attention. The Jedi weren't unknown here, after all.

Cal still wanted to try to be subtle about things, and with the situation already tense as it was, he wasn't sure he could diffuse it without some kind of conflict. Best to narrow down the threats. His left hand subtly tensed at his side as he reached out through the Force to hold the trigger of that blaster in its forward position.

"I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding. I'd say to let him go and we can talk actual business."

[dr_riley]

"Without a- He was reaching for a weapon!" The merchant insisted.

He wasn't, he would swear he wasn't if he were just given some breathing room. In lieu of that, Drake hoped someone would just check the pockets of his tac vest, which were indeed mostly empty, save for some meal replacement bars, a flashlight, and some scrap wires - and his communicator, which held an account of the credits available to him. It was this that he'd been reaching for.

[out_of_order]

Cal wanted to sigh, but instead he kept his expression pleasant, not wanting to aggravate the merchant any more than he already was.

"Look, just set him down- he's in no position to do anything as it is. Or do you want to risk accidentally harming an innocent civilian? That's not just credits lost, that's a damage to business rep if you ask me."

If allowed, he'd try to put a hand on the arm of the merchant, head tilting with an eyebrow cocked.

[dr_riley]

That seemed to get the merchant's attention, and while he did tense up at the touch, he also slowly eased the blaster away from the scientist, letting out a low, hissing growl of warning as he did so.

Drake, for his part, visibly sank a good two or three inches as his back came away from the wall, and his expression went from petrified to petrified and indignant.

"What the hell was that all about?!" Came his immediate cracked and quavering demand.

Aside from a sneer, the merchant ignored him and stuck his chin up at Cal instead.

"You take your thieving little mouse and leave."

[out_of_order]

Both Cal and the little droid that's been quietly clinging to his back shot Drake a look once the man spoke up again, but thankfully the merchant wasn't rethinking his options. Plastering a smile on his face, the padawan gave the merchant a salute as he made to grab Drake by the arm to steer him well away from the other.

"No thieves here, sir," he reassured, but he didn't bother looking back as he figured it was better to just put some distance between them. Besides, BD-1 could keep an eye out for them. Once they were well out of earshot Cal looked to Drake.

"You all right? That was a close call there. It's a good thing that guy actually cares about his reputation. This area isn't exactly the nicest place to do business."

[dr_riley]

Drake didn't notice the look, but if he had, it would have been a familiar one. The scientist was far too shaken to protest being grabbed or guided anywhere, and for just a moment, he desperately imagined that it was one of his team mates at his elbow. If he could have wished for anyone to be with him, it would have been Ferthing. She was diplomatic, empathetic, a beast with an M4, and she always had snacks and always knew the way out. (And she was pretty, which didn't hurt.)

He snapped out of it with a few blinks.

"What? Yes, I - I think I'm..." He let out a breath. "What the bloody hell- I was just seeing how many credits I had and - and - !" He couldn't even finish his sentence, he was so frustrated. Drake knew he wasn't the easiest or most socially adept person to get on with, but usually, he had to do a lot more than check his bank balance to trigger a reaction like that. (Usually, it was something more to do with an unexpected consequence of fiddling with unfamiliar technology. Ah, this device is what's triggering all your earthquakes, let's shut that down, shall we, oops, it seems to be counting down to a devastating thermonuclear reaction. That might get a gun in his face.)

[out_of_order]

"Hey, calm down," Cal suggested. Using the Force to mentally influence people wasn't something he specialized in, so words would have to do. "People here know their line of business isn't the most legitimate, so they're extra paranoid sometimes. You just happened to choose one such person."

He gave the man a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Were you looking for anything specific down here?"

[dr_riley]

He pulled both his hands down his face, the very picture of a looming emotional breakdown being desperately staved off.

"Yes, I lost my sidearm when - uh...I arrived. Along with a good plenty other things, too, I might add. But I was hoping to find a decent replacement for it, and someone suggested going 'underground.'" He put the word in air quotes.

[out_of_order]

Cal gave him a crooked smile at that. "Well, they're not wrong. But it's always better to be careful when you go into places like the underground." He looked the man over. His clothing didn't quite match the style of Coruscant, but then he'd said he'd arrived, so he was most likely from off-world somewhere.

"My name's Cal. This is BeeDee-One." He gestured to the droid who was peering over his shoulder, who gave a little beep in greeting. "Tell you what. We'll help you out. I was looking for some things too."

[dr_riley]

"Cal." He repeated. "Yes, uh- Riley." Drake stuck his hand out. "Doctor Drake Riley - Oh, look at you. Look a bit like Johnny 5, don't you?" He was more talking to himself than the droid, because he didn't exactly expect it to respond.

"Anyway, yes, I've quite found that out, thank you," he groused. Then he peered suspiciously at the offer to help.

"Thaannks. ... What is it you're looking for down here?"

[out_of_order]

Cal shook the man's hand, brow arching at the comment directed to BD-1. He exchanged a glance with the droid, the latter tweedling a question.

"'Johnny Five'?" Cal echoed, not that he expected an explanation. He almost laughed at the look Drake gave him then.

"Parts, mostly. I'm trying to put together a better charge pack for BeeDee, but it'll take some reworking since the power source won't be the same as here." He arched a brow at the man. "First time on Coruscant, right? You don't have to accept my help, but I just have to warn you that you'd be an open target around here if you don't be careful."

Shopping

[thesepreciousthings]

Starling knows that high-strung tone anywhere, and puts the battery pack she was inspecting back on the shelf, hot-footing it back toward the front of the store.

"Problem, Dr. Riley?" She puts herself tactfully between him and the shopkeep, raising her eyebrows as if to say slow your goddamn roll, but with a dash of sympathy for the situation.

Re: Shopping

[dr_riley]

When Clarice steps between them, Drake takes an instinctive step back, surprise breaking through the indignation on his face.

"Miss Starling!" And for a moment, he's speechless with the astonishment of having actually run into someone else from Agra-10 in this mega-metropolis. Then he looks annoyed again.

"As a matter of fact, this...person-"

The shopkeeper gave a disparaging honk.

"-is trying to up the price of the tool kit, there. I think word's gotten 'round that we've got money!"

[thesepreciousthings]

"They're big on bartering here," she says smoothly, shooting the shopkeeper an apologetic glance as if to say I'm sorry he's so rude. "So even if it hasn't, he'd probably be trying to haggle."

She glances at the price tag on the tool kit - she's learned the Aurabesh numbers first off, since they're most important for a traveler to know. If she knows how much more he's marked them up in talking to Drake, she can suss out whether or not he's being greedy or just haggling.

"How much did he say he wanted for them?"

[dr_riley]

"Forty-eight bloody credits! That's like-" He paused for one and a half seconds while he estimated in his head how much one credit should be worth based on context such as what was being charged for tool kits before changing the price and then converting it to pounds sterling, "-seventy-five pounds! 'Bout a hundred dollars! For a sixty-dollar tool kit at best."

The shopkeeper made a warning, rumbling dinosaur hiss and it took everything in Drake not to make a face back at him.

[thesepreciousthings]

She pressed her lips together and breathed slowly. "While I can appreciate your capacity to convert their currency on the fly like that, Dr. Riley, there are other factors that might come into play here. The materials used may seem common to you, but maybe they're more rare here. Or maybe those kinds of tools themselves aren't common. Remember, a lot of the technology here is advanced. You might be holding a kit that isn't widely manufactured anymore... the equivalent of buying a record player new in the box when everyone is buying CDs."

She paused, glancing around the shop to gauge what else it sold, then decided to go back to her original tactic. "Try offering him thirty-five, though. See if he moves."

[dr_riley]

Drake did not like being lectured to about other factors. As far as he was concerned, the shopkeeper was a dishonest con man and probably made prices up on the fly regularly because he didn't have to report to a Better Business Bureau.

"But- D'tzch- The tag says thirty." He griped at her through tightly clenched teeth.

Then he took a long breath in through his nose and set his mouth in a hard, displeased line, tapped "3-5" into his comm, and held it up with a wordless scowl.

[thesepreciousthings]

Whether or not he liked being lectured, it was clear to Starling that Drake had a lot of expanding to do in regards to his perceptions. Either he didn't get out much, or when he did, he always counted the minutes until he got home to whatever life he led.

The shopkeeper squinted at the comm, and then at Drake. It was clear he was torn between whether or not to be pleased that this strange human was finally figuring out how to barter, or to be annoyed that he wasn't really getting into the spirit of it. With a hefty sigh, he scribbled on a holo-slate and held it up. "45."

"See there," Clarice said encouragingly. "Lower than sixty. Go for something in the middle."

[dr_riley]

While nothing could be further from the truth, Drake definitely wasn't qualified for first contact, trade, or diplomacy. Instead, he almost always had other people nearby who were better at interacting with locals while he saw to some very specific task that required all of his attention and occasionally resulted in more problems than there were before (although he might leave that part out if he ever talks about it).

When he sees "45," his scowl deepens and his face goes red and he almost gets to spluttering angrily and nonsensically, but catches himself when the shopkeeper narrows his eyes. Instead, he stabs at his comm with unnecessary force, "40."

It really shouldn't be this much of a hassle, he thought, just to buy a stupid tool kit. What about all the military and lab equipment he wanted to look into? At this rate, he'd either run out of credits, or run out of time, and he didn't like the prospect of either.

[thesepreciousthings]

"AH!" The shopkeeper grins, pleased that the strange angry little man has finally Gotten it, and cries out whatever forty is in his language, holding out one hand for the credits.

Once the exchange is through, Clarice gently ushers Drake aside and lowers her voice. "I didn't want to say it in front of him, for reasons that'll be obvious in a hot second, but ... you do know we have unlimited credit here, right, Doctor?"

[dr_riley]

Drake had completed the exchange with a sour expression on the entire time, completely unamused by the shopkeeper's delight. And when Clarice revealed the nature of their funds, his face went a little slack and a little wide-eyed. (His lowered eyebrows still made him look annoyed, though.)

"Well that would have been helpful to know beforehand!" He said as though it had been Clarice's personal oversight. "Where are they getting - no, d'you know what? Don't even want to know. Prob'ly makes exactly as much sense as anything else to do with the Agrii." After a huffy half a moment, he brightened, marginally.

"That does open up a much wider array of possibilities, though. What do I need a tool kit for, I could buy an entire laboratory."

[thesepreciousthings]

“I wasn’t trying to lead you on or anything,” she swears with a shake of her head. “I didn’t want him to keep you there all day driving things up. Theoretically you could get all the scientific equipment you need, sure. I don’t see why not. I helped a young man buy kitchen appliances earlier today.”

Starling shrugged, glancing around as if to scout places where Drake could find what he needed. In reality she was trying to figure out a way to put forth what Tommy had explained to her without having another entitled tirade on her hands. Dr. Riley was smart, but he had the sort of self-important personality that might, if unchecked for too long, make her want to punch his reasonably attractive face.

“The electrical grid on Agra 10 is different from here. But there are people on a couple of the ships who have the training to handle their electrical system. Tommy said they were named Cal and Tony. One of them might be able to tell you what would work if you brought it home.”

[dr_riley]

"The electrical grid!" He snaps his fingers, letting his forefinger stay up in one of those annoying, lingering points, and then shakes it thoughtfully as if he's remembered or just thought of something.

Uh-oh, here comes a self-important ramble!

"Someone mentioned that the Agrii use crystal based power. Fortunately, I'm an expert on crystal based technology. Unfortunately, I'm only an expert on the crystal based technology I've studied, but it doesn't exactly vary much in terms of structure or function, just in programming. Still, I'll be wanting some analytical and manufacturing equipment, and plenty of raw materials. Have you ever heard of naquedah?"