Video;

[herewegoto]

[The video feed opens up to Isabela and a krogan already in the middle of a drinking competition, each having their own line of shot glasses in front of them. There’s an asari dancer seated between the two of them, either acting as a bemused audience or as a judge.

The voice that comes over the audio side isn’t from the pirate on screen, however, but from a different woman who’s holding the camera. Some may recognize the voice of one Kasumi Goto.]

Shame we’re too late to find sponsors to hit the competitive circuit. There’s a market for this kind of blatant disregard for personal safety out there somewhere, I can taste it.

[Both are nearly done with their line of drinks when Isabela says something drunkenly cocky and reaches forward to grab at the krogan’s last shot. The asari dancer stands up to grab at Isabela’s wrist because Bela that’s ryncol don’t be stupid, but she misses and the pirate accidentally knocks the glass over and it lands in the krogan’s lap.]

I’m predicting a fan site. Maybe a t-shirt line. Stinks I’m done with the corporate gig. Just too much small print on those deals.

[The dancer now flees the scene as the krogan flips the table over with a loud CRASH in drunken competitive agitation. Bela’s reaching for the daggers at her back as the krogan looks about ready to charge her.

This part of Afterlife is bound to get trashed shortly, and possibly Isabela WOOPS...]

And that’s my cue. Catch us next week, kids.

[And with that the video feed cuts as Kasumi enters stealth mode and leaves Bela to her fate. Kasumi replies will be once she’s out of damage range, and Bela’s when she’s done escaping. Also open for action threads in the bar!]

Comments

[herewegoto]

[Well, she'd been planning on at least making it to a different level before flickering back into view, but some company was just hard to refuse. A male Shepard. Such a rare creature in any universe outside her own, it seemed. And one without the normal entourage of the cross-species alliance of the emotionally damaged?

Way too hard to resist.

So it's only a second after Shep's found a spot at the bar that a certain thief decloaks in the seat next to him. Totally ignoring the fight now going on behind them.]

Hey, sailor. Care to buy a girl a drink?

[fightforthelost]

[He gets that weird feeling he's being watched, but it's not like he's not used to it when he's in Afterlife. This time he's surprised by a familiar voice though, and he glances over his shoulder for a moment to confirm his suspicions and then turns back to his drink with a hidden smirk.]

I really need to make a request over the comm for all of the crew to check-in.

[Shep had no idea Kasumi was even here. Then again, Kasumi is good at keeping a low profile.

He has to wonder if the raging krogan in the background is partly her doing.]

Do I need to make sure my credit chit is still in its spot?

[herewegoto]

Giving me the benefit of the doubt, Shep? Guess people must think I'm going soft.

[She gave a small shake of her head as she shifted to rest her elbows on the bar, signaling for the bar tender with two fingers.]

Or we both know you don't have much worth stealing these days. Mm, that's one thing I miss about Cerberus. Talk about a blank check.

[fightforthelost]

Unlimited funds for the low price of your soul.

[He's already got his drink, something nice and strong, and he takes a swig before looking over at Kasumi.]

That krogan isn't mad because he suddenly misplaced something, is he?

[herewegoto]

Krogan are born mad, Shep. Or come out of the fish tank that way. It's part of their charms.

[Far be it for her to forget Grunt. She orders her ice brandy- another thing picked up from her time on the Normandy- and settles in to wait for the glass. The problem with all these Shepard's was it's hard to keep track of which were okay with what. But there was only one way to feel the man out all over again.]

But what if he was?

[fightforthelost]

I'd have to get him to calm down.

[He says it flippantly, staring straight ahead at the back of the bar as he finishes his shot. Regardless of if Kasumi was the reason or not, the krogan is a liability to everyone else in the bar. A raging krogan can cause a lot of collateral damage to innocents. A renegade interrupt might be to put the mindless, raging beast down or at least take him out back.

He doesn't mention much along the lines of making Kasumi give it back -- whatever it is she took, that is.]

[herewegoto]

[She notices that 'returning to chump that let themselves be stolen from' wasn't in the dialog option list, and her grin widened as the drink arrived. Alright. This she could deal with. Nice to know there were some constants to Shepard's in the universe, even if the packages they came wrapped in kept changing on her.]

Innocent bystander this round. Krogan willing to have a drinking competition with a human? Not exactly high ranking. Not worth my time.

[She spins as she talks, though, putting her back to the bar with drink in hand so she can watch the human pirate try and fight off the Krogan. Hm. Maybe she should have mentioned the redundant organs before she let the other woman sit that the table.

Oops.]

[fightforthelost]

[Shepard turns and mimics Kasumi's posture. Afterlife sure is as normal as usual, even with the raging krogan. It's almost comforting in a way to see something constant in such a shitty universe. Still, Shepard is far from at ease with being stuck on Omega while Earth is still under siege.

It makes him uneasy and anxious, and that extra energy needs an outlet from time to time. Alcohol is the first go-to, but sometimes that's not enough.]

I'll give him five minutes to get it out of his system.

[herewegoto]

Never a dull moment around you, Shep. I'm starting to remember how I ended up on the galaxy's most important scavenger hunt. Hm, technically, guess "I" still am.

[One handed air quotes indeed went with that statement. Knowing there was, theoretically, another her out there was as unnerving as it was fascinating to think about. It did end up giving her a lot of free time, though. Hence the raging krogan, really. Boredom was a terrible thing for a thief.]

[fightforthelost]

Let's save the alternate universe theories for when I've had more to drink.

[Boredom is a terrible thing for a soldier as well, especially when the universe can't afford too many delays.]

[herewegoto]

We're a little past theories, huh?

[She glances back over at him with a smirk, krogan ignored again. Poor Bela.]

But you could tell me about you instead. Any exciting encounters in the engine room lately?

[fightforthelost]

If you're hitting on me you could start by buying me another drink.

[Shep romanced nobody. He is married to his mission, yo. He needs to save the universe.]

The last thing to happen in the engine room was that Collector attack.

[herewegoto]

Hm. Poor Miranda.

[She pauses to give him a long, evaluating look- Shepard may remember it from when Kasumi first saw him in his 'party' outfit for her personal mission.]

But you do have the muscles for filling the open position in my nightly fantasies. Been there ever since Jacob went and turned paternal.

[A quick glance at his eyes, then she turned back to face the crowd.]

But sorry, Shep. I have a strict no buying policy.

[fightforthelost]

I work out.

[Sexy and I know it.]

[He's flattered, really, but he's also a little curious about her comment on Miranda. There must be a thing going on with her and him in Kasumi's universe. Huh. Go figure.]

[herewegoto]

[And even though she's facing away, that grin takes on a slightly evil edge.]

Oh. I know.

[fightforthelost]

[That'd probably sound creepy if it were anyone else and Shepard weren't the tiniest bit buzzed.]

Actually a bit surprised you recognized me since it seems half the crew thinks I'm supposed to be a woman.

[herewegoto]

Hm, let's say it's been a complicated year, so I keep an eye out.

[She leans back long enough to wave over another drink- nothing like meeting with old friends to bring back old habits. Like the fact her room in the Normandy had doubled as a bar.]

But that's what I've been picking up. Not sure why the universe likes you so much better with breasts. Not that I'm complaining either way, even if it's unfair I've never gotten to meet Kaname Goto. Or Marcus Lawson or the rest, for that matter.

[fightforthelost]

[Great, don't start with all the alternate universe things. Now he's imagining the genderbends of each of the crew members.]

[His mind drifts to Wrex even. A female Wrex? With boobs and everything?]

Wonder if there's a 'Wrax' out there somewhere.

[He takes another drink after that one.]

[herewegoto]

Mm. Not sure those hood...head covery things would really work with his eyes. Or the scars.

[But that gets a good laugh from her. Even if, logically, it would mean no Wrex on the team. Silly krogan gender roles. No universe was right without a bro-gan.]

Personally, I want to see if protheans had any gender difference. Javika?

[fightforthelost]

[That gets a quick, 'hah!' out of him as he turns back around to order another drink, waving his glass at the same time.]

'In my cycle, women stayed women and men stayed men.'

[herewegoto]

[Another few seconds as she finishes chuckling. She hadn't really had the pleasure of spending serving on the ship with the prothean, but she knew how to keep in touch. He sounded like an interesting shipmate.]

You always now how to pick 'em. Watch, soon you'll be ruling Omega with a neurotic hanar and emotionally disturbed elcor at your side.

[fightforthelost]

Sounds like a bad extranet meme.

[Or a Blasto movie. In any case, he looks amused as he takes another drink and looks at the bar.]

Krogan still going?

[herewegoto]

[She leans back to look, then gives a one shouldered shrug]

Looks like Bela found a friend.

[Small pause as she glances at Shep. Just let lose the fact she knew the woman being attacked- not that she looks anything but amused still.]

With an awful big hammer. Hm. That has to say something about a person.

[fightforthelost]

[Oh, so she knows the victim. That fact makes Shepard raise an eyebrow and inwardly sigh. She might not have stole anything from the krogan, but Shepard is starting to suspect that Kasumi might have had something to do with the brawl.]

Do I need to step in?

[herewegoto]

Easy, Shep. People somehow managed to survive before you got promoted.

[Her simile turns oh-so-falsely-innocent as she catches that eyebrow raise and raises her glass in return.]

Strife is how teams are born, hm? Let them play. Anyway. We're not near drunk enough for this silliness.

[fightforthelost]

Really? I was somehow under the impression that everyone in the universe tosses their problems my way no matter how small they are.

[Because the game revolves around him, okay?]

But you're right about not being drunk enough. I'll buy the next round.

[herewegoto]

Oh, now I'll really have to find something expensive.

[By which she apparently means she'll wait for him to order the next round, whatever he decides on for them.]

And they only toss because you catch them so well. It's called walking away, Shep. You could try it just once to see how it feels.

[fightforthelost]

[Oh, you really want to wait for him to order? Ryncol's next on his list.

And walking away just goes against all he is. Renegade assholes don't talk about their morals and feelings though, so he'll just divert the convo.]

Not everybody likes to watch me walk away. Except maybe you.

[Badumtish.]

[herewegoto]

[You means badumtush...nevermind. And are you trying to poison them both, Shepard. Seriously.]

Oh, you underestimate people's taste. Too bad we're in the wrong reality. I could show you some extranet pages on that subject that'd make an asari dancer blush.

[fightforthelost]

Pretty sure Joker's already tried that before.

[And here he goes, ordering some ryncol.]

[herewegoto]

[Ugh, Shep. Kasumi makes a small face, but...well. She'll try anything the once. And then make Shep clean up after her in the morning.]

So he showed you your fan pages, huh? Sneaky man. Stealing my birthday present.

[fightforthelost]

I'll still try and act surprised.

[Bottoms up! Hope your liver is enhanced.]

[herewegoto]

[Nope, she does not. Unlike a certain pirate behind then, though Kasumi at least had the sense to take a test sip.]

Shepard. The tabloids are right. You do have a death wish.

[fightforthelost]

First time trying ryncol, Kasumi?

[herewegoto]

Unlike certain heroes of the galaxy, I have survival instincts. And inebriation is a far more useful tool when it's faked on a job.

[Seriously. Why. She is ordering something with as much sugar in it as alcohol to make up for this. For both of them.]

[fightforthelost]

Faking it isn't as fun.

[Fine. He'll take a sip of the little girly, fruity drink.]

And speaking of jobs, I don't have to tell you to try and stay out of trouble while we're here, do I?

[herewegoto]

Trust me, Shep, I knew the rules of Omega before the Illusive Man got his eye implants. You won't hear my name mixed with any trouble.

['Hear' being the key word here, but a girl can hope a certain Commander will be nice enough to gloss over that wording trick.]