Creeps and Cakes (Closed)

Friday nights at The Phoenix Rises were loud and bright, which was perfect for both annoying Kara and letting her blend into the crowd unnoticed. She found it sordid that the atmosphere where she was least likely to be singled out was exactly the sort that she’d hate the most. Well, legally at least.

“I’m not going into an opium den.” she said, taking a dollop of whipped cream and placing it on her blueberry pie. The warmth and sweetness sent her in shivers – she preferred her pies chilled, but she was on an empty stomach and wasn’t willing to wait.

She grimaced at the bills and coins she’d left on the table, pre-emptively. When she was a young girl, she didn’t need to pay for pies. She had butlers and kitchen staff to make them for her! Her parents could probably have bought all the restaurants on this street at a whim. All of them!

Kara reflected on that thought.

“…I miss Mother and Father.” she said to no-one under her breath, when she thought that no-one was looking. Her face turned sullen, downcast – it brought back painful memories. The past was such a worrying, anxious place, and the now was so much more fun to be in. She took another scoop of cream and put it on a slice, patting off the crumbs of the one she’d scarfed down with her napkin.
“Excuse me, miss?” said a brown-skinned woman on the seat next to her. Kara turned back. If this was another reporter, she’d deck one out to…

Kara mustered a fake smile. “Yes?”

“What’s that you’re eating?” Oh.

“Oh, this? It’s blueberry pie.” Kara said. She knew that the lighting made it hard to tell, but it was the only pie they sold in this joint! Resisting the urge to point this out, she patted her chin again and continued to eat.

Why was it even named the Phoenix Rises, anyway? She’d probably ask when she paid the bill, or when she cared – whichever came first.

Izak strolled into the Phoenix running his hand through his hair. It had been a long day, and it was not over for him yet, by any means. He had a lead on new equipment for his Hammerhead, and had spent the day cleaning his Hammerhead top to bottom…and he still had to actually go buy the weapons. He forgot how difficult the work was. It took what little energy he had left to get cleaned up and throw on his suit.

Sticking his hands in his pockets, he got lost in the music playing in the place as he slunk over to the bar counter despite the mood of the place. Leaning on the counter, he waved over the nearest bar tender as they slid him a drink and a menu. He had only been in town for a couple weeks, but he was already a twice a week regular. They knew how he liked his steak – medium rare, with a pile of steamed rice and whatever the green vegetable that night was.

Taking one long swig, he tossed a coin on the counter as a tip and signaled for another.

The bartender then disappeared for a moment, and then came back with the drink and his meal.

“Whatcha frowning about this time hon?”  She asked him.

“Long day,” he said, looking down at his steak while he cut it.

She shook her head as she cleaned a glass, “Then I’d say the night off,” she said with a smirk.

“Alright then, I guess I will,” he said with rather quiet laughter. He did his best not to inhale his dinner, but he was hoping they had pie tonight.

“Boy, that felt like a while.”

Kara wiped the remaining cream off her chin with a paper napkin. All that crust without anything to wash it down had left her parched, and she knew what pies went with! So she hopped down from her chair and waltzed over to the bar’s counter.

There was some slimy-looking fellow sitting at the counter when she’d gotten there. He was eating a nice-smelling steak; Kara was tempted, but she was afraid that too much cholesterol would kill the figure her family had spent so much on giving her. She hoped he wasn’t a reporter.

“I’d like some milk, please.” Kara said, sliding a few more coins on the bar counter. The bartender nodded, then went back to pour Kara’s drink from a carton. Ugh, her throat felt all nasty and crusty from all that dough; she couldn’t wait to wash it down with an ice-cold glass of milk.

She liked the bartender here, though. Regina was a nice girl – if she knew about Kara’s “fame,” she didn’t mention it. Kara was handed her drink before she could continue that thought, and gulped it down with her usual gusto.

The milk went down thick and creamy, and left a mild, sweet aftertaste in her mouth. Just the way she liked it. A few stray morsels of crust and blueberry jam washed down her throat, leaving her feeling refreshed and ready for a nice, long nap. Kara gave a contented gasp.

Kara turned around to look up the man once again. He looked so nondescript that Kara couldn’t help but be suspicious. Her fingers tensed under the table, preparing to push her off her chair before he started asking her questions out of the blue. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with this shit tonight.

Izak took his time eating – he was told before that he should not “inhale” his meals – a habit he never broke from when he was younger. He stopped marveling at the cooking here after his second meal. It was brilliant under the circumstances, and was better than most other places in the small town.

His mind kept wandering as he absent mindedly peppered his vegetables and cut his steak, drifting back to his Hammerhead and potential battle opportunities. If only the music wasn’t so loud, perhaps he could actually think.

Though sleep would help him too.

It was at this point he heard a voice next to him. The woman who appeared certainly seemed tense, though Izak was in no mood to ask why. However, she certainly stood out, that much was obvious. Her fashion choice was…intriguing…but her attitude was that of a pilot, that much he was sure of. Not sure what to do, Izak put down his fork and wiped his mouth. It was at this point he also realized he forgot to wash his hair. He to a deep breath and sighed. He was not sure if he would regret was he was about to say, but he opened his mouth anyway.

“You know,” he said, “If you’re looking for an opportunity to avoid the crowds, the counter is always a good place to sit. Nothing quite says ‘leave me alone’ like having your back to the room. That, and I don’t bite.”

Kara felt a lurch in her stomach. Oh God, this guy was a reporter, wasn’t he? Either that or he was hitting on her, which was around as bad. She had better to do than spend another hour lost in that same old, scintillating conversation.

For a moment she considered faux-flirting with him, then realized that he might pick that up as a sign of legitimate interest. So she went out with all fangs bared. I mean, he is kind of priming me up to talk. she thought. It’s a safe assumption.

“Are you one of those journalists, here to do a scoop on me? Because my answer’s gonna be no, just letting you up on that.” she said. She wiped off stray drops of milk that had dribbled down her chin. Man, she was glad she could be as unladylike as that nowadays.

There was a pause as Kara turned around. She thought of the next thing she was going to say. The girl felt bad for turning him off as fast as she did, but she needed to stand her ground.

She turned back. “I’m sorry if that was too forthright, but I can’t take the risk of you being someone that wants to take advantage of me.” The double entendre there was deliberate; she didn’t care what sort of creep this guy was. “Anyway, I don’t bite either, long as you don’t.” she said, baring her teeth at the last four words.

Izak realized that this woman was much more blunt and direct than he gave her credit for to start with. That much was understandable given the circumstances. Here he was, a rather decent guy looking like…well, a total sleaze. He hadn’t realized until he brushed his hair back, but he forgot to use shampoo.

He chuckled a little bit before he spoke. Perhaps she wasn’t an ordinary pilot after all.

“I’m just a bored pilot looking to chat with another pilot. That’s all,” he said. Cutting another piece of steak, he asked what he hoped was not a stupid question. “I’m guessing you must have a lot of reporters trying to talk with you. Do you have a lot of wins under your belt as a pilot?”

He grabbed Regina’s attention and asked for a glass of water and slid his plate towards the back edge of the counter. “And sorry if my appearance gave you any misgivings about who I am, I’ve been working on my Hammerhead all day, so I may not have gotten all the grime off.”

When Regina came back, he asked her about the desert that night, and got a slice of blueberry pie – though he decided to ask if there was ice cream available.

Oh. So he really wasn’t a reporter, huh. And he’d clearly never heard of her, either – which was always a good start. Kara was wondering how he’d picked up on her occupation, but she liked to think it was the aura she had about him.

Kara Yun Sei scratched her head. “Well, no, I’m…well, I wouldn’t say I’m that good.” Kara felt a twinge in her stomach. Dear God, she longed for the day when that guess would be spot on. For now, she had to content herself with saying half-truths while not confirming or denying any guesses on her relative ability.

“A Hammerhead, huh? My Zoid’s a bit different.” Her Zoid was a Rev Raptor that had been decked out to the teeth. “Rigged her the best that I could, and I’m pretty proud of the results.” She also neglected to mention that she’d never tested it out, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

“Yes, there’s ice cream available. Go ahead and knock yourself out.” Kara leaned in, her hand on her chin. “Now let’s get back to Zoid talk, shall we?” she said, looking at Izak with a bemused smirk. It was time to give this guy a break, after how blunt she’d been with him earlier.

“Ah, I see,” Izak responded.  “I spent a lot of time on my towns local circuit, I made a quite a name for myself in some of the local arenas too. That said though, these ‘big-time’ matches are ridiculous.” He stopped briefly as Regina dropped the pie in front of him.  He quickly dug in.

Kara Yun Sei wrote:“A Hammerhead, huh? My Zoid’s a bit different.” Her Zoid was a Rev Raptor that had been decked out to the teeth. “Rigged her the best that I could, and I’m pretty proud of the results.”

He thought for a moment before he let his next thought passed from his brain to his mouth. “Decked out huh?” Whoever this pilot was, she must have some considerable resources depending on the model she was piloting. “As for my Hammerhead, I’ve had him for a while now. We’ve been through quite a lot together. But I’ve have a feeling he might be ready to try something new, so I’m looking at adding some extra firepower to his arsenal,” he said as he got another drink to wash down the pie while he was finishing it. “By the way, what’s your Zoid of choice?”

“I’m…actually, I use a Rev Raptor.” Kara knew it wasn’t the most glamorous of choices, but she liked to think that it made her look like a cool underdog. Honestly, she’d wanted a Geno Saurer from the start, but she didn’t have the money to bribe her way up anymore. She did have the looks to sleep her way to it, but Kara liked to think she had some pride left.

Ooooooh, okay. There was another theory. Kara should’ve been tipped off by the cheap-looking suit and the constant discussion of the obvious phallic symbol. Was he one of those creepy pick-up artists using shitty emotional manipulation to get in her skirt? Kara had run into an unfortunate amount of those since her whole makeover. It was flattering the first few times, but really it was starting to grate on her.

She actually had no idea how to deal with a guy hitting on her, but she sure as Hell wasn’t interested in this creep. Unease growing on her face, she inched slightly away from him. “Like I said, uh…decked her out the best I could.”

Izak was getting puzzled…he thought he was just going to have a chat with another potential competitor. But there was obviously something else on this woman’s mind…he rather not dig too much, but he also knew better than to completely ignore it. Did she think he was trying to sleep with her? Sure, she was pretty, but that was assuming way too much.

That said it wasn’t like he wore a sign that said he was just an overdressed nerd. He did try to avoid geeking out over Zoids in public.

He finished his pie and asked for the check. To be honest, he was quite impressed with her choice of Zoid. “Nice choice,” he said with a near excited tone. I bought and sold a few of those back home working for my father, but I’ve never piloted them beyond the occasional test drive. That said though, I’ve always found it’s not the first choice of many pilots as far as melee equipment goes, but it certainly does the trick. It’s really popular with mercenaries and bandits around here too from what I’ve heard.” He scratched the back of his head nervously. “I’m judging by the look you have on your face that you thought I was a con-man or something worse. My names Izak, I used to sell Zoids for a living, but I always wanted to go into research. I guess you could say piloting is a hobby of mine…that and geeking out about Zoids.”

“No, I didn’t think you were a con man. I’m Kara.” Kara neglected to tell him the rest of her name, because what a man didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. “I’m a Zoid fanatic, too.”

And in my prime, I’d knock the Hell out of you in that department. Kara bit her tongue at that thought.

“So you used to sell Zoids for a living, huh?” She leaned against the bar. “Must’ve gotten quite a few friends in the business. That should come in handy.” This, on the other hand, was not beneath her – maybe she had use for this guy yet. “Me, I kinda had to start from the ground up and work from there.”

“I’m looking to go pro, actually. Never been in so much as an amateur match before,” she said. Even still, she’d gotten pretty high scores on the simulators. “What about you?”

Kara Yun Sei wrote:“No, I didn’t think you were a con man. I’m Kara.” Kara neglected to tell him the rest of her name, because what a man didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. “I’m a Zoid fanatic, too.”

Hah, well that’s a relief. Could have sworn I saw her in the news for something though, he thought. He put that aside for now. No point in making a potential new battle partner feel threatened.

Kara Yun Sei wrote:“So you used to sell Zoids for a living, huh?” She leaned against the bar. “Must’ve gotten quite a few friends in the business. That should come in handy.”

“I did. Though my father and brother did more of the actual selling and money handling,” he began, “though they do their best to keep me up-to-date on the locations of dealers, traveling merchants and so on. I was the test pilot,” he said smiling thoughtfully.
“Any time a new Zoid or weapon came in, I’d get to test it. That pointed me in the direction of becoming a competitive pilot after a while.”

“I did. Though my father and brother did more of the actual selling and money handling,” he began, “though they do their best to keep me up-to-date on the locations of dealers, traveling merchants and so on. I was the test pilot,” he said smiling thoughtfully.
“Any time a new Zoid or weapon came in, I’d get to test it. That pointed me in the direction of becoming a competitive pilot after a while.”

“As for friends in the business, I’m sure if you’d call them friends…more like friends of friends,” he said. He thought about that for a second it wasn’t false by any means, but he hated to admit it. Being a test pilot and amateur battler, most of his contacts were in his home region, with the exception of a handful scattered throughout the continents.

“That said though, I’ve been looking to go pro for a while now, and I just haven’t had the opportunity to find a team and stick with them out here. I mostly run errands for transporters and local to make ends meet. Have you had any luck out here?”

Kara remembered an incident with a certain android a while back, but declined to comment. The…nature of her request left Kara unwilling to discuss it with a stranger. “None, I’m afraid,” she said, lying through her teeth. “Slim pickings here.”

The part about test-piloting new Zoids got her curiosity piqued. She’d piloted a few back when she was a young girl, except the high-end prototypes she piloted were probably way better than whatever scrap-heap junk this guy had tested out. Ah, to be rich again. Still, she was interested in hearing his experiences.

“Oh, well. Anyway, tell me more about these Zoids you’ve taken for a test-drive.” Kara clicked her teeth. “I’ve been…out of the game for a bit, and I’d like to hear more about what you’ve been doing.”

Kara Yun Sei wrote:“Oh, well. Anyway, tell me more about these Zoids you’ve taken for a test-drive.” Kara clicked her teeth. “I’ve been…out of the game for a bit, and I’d like to hear more about what you’ve been doing.”

He thought of what to say next. There were dozens of Zoids he had piloted over the years. More than he could ever discuss in one conversation.

“I do have a top three favorite tests and Zoids though. You already probably guessed that the Hammerhead is my number one. Hell, I’ve been flying and swimming with that guy for a while now, and I wouldn’t trade him for anything. I call him Tiberius. Hammerheads are the perfect mixture of armor and firepower. Plus, being a rather large battering ram helps,” he said with a smirk. “That has saved our hides multiple times.”

Deciding to get another drink, he continued, “My next favorite would have to be a Shadow Fox we got in on a custom order. I took it for a joyride around the edge of my hometown before the guy came and picked it up. He was more than a little ticked off,” he said with a laugh, “but he still thought I had talent though.”

He thanked the bartender as his drink came around. “I have to say though that the Fox is a great scout, thought it lacks the firepower and armor that I like.”

He paused for a moment and looked up at the ceiling. Then he looked back down at his drink. “We did have one Zoid come in once though that I didn’t get to pilot. I’ve wanted to get my hands on one ever since though…it was a Geno Saurer. Some hothead though he could beat a pair of Kongs in an underground match. He did of course, but his Zoid got pasted. My dad picked it up as a salvage title after the local sheriff and his deputies nabbed the guy and the other pilots.”

He paused yet again and sighed, “Unfortunately we couldn’t sell it, so he traded it for a shipment of Zaber Fangs. I’ve wanted to get my hands on one ever since.”

Kara’s eyes lit up. “A Geno Saurer, huh? Damn, I’ve always wanted one of those things.” Her parents would’ve given her one if they weren’t, well…

“Sounds like he rigged it up pretty good. Saurers are powerful right out of the box, so he must’ve only made minor customizations to it to get hurt that badly.” A CPG to the face would command freeze most big Zoids; only, what, the Gojulas stood a chance?

Kara frowned at the mention of trading the now-dusted Saurer off for Zaber Fangs. Damn, she was considering buying it off of him – that is, if she had the money. “I would’ve taken it off your hands in a heartbeat. Even a pasted Saurer is better than most Zoids on the market."