The crowd tonight is fairly small, which is good considering the limited space available. A pair of Eeee bards take up the far end of the cavern, where the acoustics help amplify their music (and hopefully bring in more tips), while the Vartans are more or less spread out evenly. The most popular bartender of the night is a tall Aquilan sporting a plaid kilt, sash and beret of clashing colors to compensate for his generally dull gray feathers. Even in the dim light, it's clear that the Vartans are going all out when it comes to displaying their shinies though.

Hardly a novice at attending Vartan bars, Tasha has chosen to wear her own shinies as well. The hybrid woman wears the painted wooden baubles, a few of her own, similar, shinies, and a number of bead strands she's woven into her hair and tail. Not a wealthy woman, even by Vartan standards, Tasha doesn't have much, but she likes to think she makes up for it in attitude. She steps inside, and pauses at the door to get a good look around.

It must still be early, since nobody seems to be drunk yet. A flash of blue gives away the position of Broly though, near the back of the cave with the musicians.

Shrugging, Tasha decides to start with the face she knows: Broly. Although she'd never admit it, possibly even to herself, Tasha is nervous. One, she worries about her looks. She's a hybrid and she knows it, having made up for her oddity by being aggressive and through a lucky role of the genetic dice in terms of appearance. Two, it's a new town, and bars are always dangerous for women.

"Oi, you," Tasha says as she approaches Broly. "I'm 'ere!"

The blue Vartan perks up a bit at Tasha's voice, and waves her over with a hand that is also clutching a bottle. "Ya, you made it," he counter-greets in Vartan.

Tasha closes the gap between them, then moves to lean against the wall near the man. "Ain't much o' tavern issit? No' like the taverns in Rephidim. 'Course, this is a Vartan bar, ain't i', an' tha' makes it good," she says. Tasha toasts to her own comment, reaching over and clicking a nail on the man's bottle.

Broly passes the bottle – some sort of local fortified wine – and scrawks, "Is better bars up top and down on shore, but they gives birds the hairy eyeball. This nice and private and no flatlanders bug us."

"I 'ere that. Flatlanders, an' hair eyeballs both." Tasha takes a swig, eyes the bottle, and then takes another before handing it back.

Broly jams a cork back into the bottle, and the Eeees start up another tune on their strange instruments. It must be something local, since a few of the patrons call out in approval. A few coins even come flying towards the bards, but for all Tasha can tell the music is a bunch of clashing and blatting noises.

Tasha never did get Eeee music. She once heard a group of Eeee singing to other Eeee, and all it did was make her ears ring and give her a headache. Plus, she finds Eeee too be entirely too thin and squeaky. The woman turns her thoughts from Eeee, pondering other strange species. "You ever 'eard of a "Amazonian," Broly?" she asks.

"Eh? Yah, barbarians up north or so," Broly says, swaying a bit to the music. "Bogeymen for Khatta kids."

"Haw, I 'ear that. Scary bogeymen to scare the Khattas, it is." Tasha laughs at the in-joke, head back. After having her brief laugh, she shakes her head, sending the sparklies in her hair glittering in the light as her hair shifts. "Wut's this song, anyroad? I don' right recognize it; 'course, this ain't me home port neither."

"It called 'Dancing in the Waves'," Broly explains. "'bout two lovers go swimming at night, and get turned into fish-cats by the gods, so they be dancing out there in the waves forever and evers."

"One of them romantic-like songs. Ain't 'eard enough o' those," Tasha remarks, her voice neutral enough to neither suggest bitterness nor romantic desire. "You think i's true? I ain't never met no god."

Broly shrugs, then takes a swallow of wine. "Eh, dunno. Never thought 'bout it much. No' sure I'd want a bunch of cat-gods messing wi' me though. How about you?"

"I've me' a few cats, an' I don' think I'd want 'em messin' wit me either, I don't." Tasha flicks her hair back with a hand, sending the braid flying over her shoulder. "An' I don' rightly like the idea o' tradin' the sky for the sea. Never quite saw the draw o' the sea."

"Is good for fish," Broly says with a shrug. "So, bored with Olympia yet?

Tasha considers that a moment, drumming her nails against the wall. After giving it some thought, she answers, "I can' afford i', I can'. All these nobles an' their fancy 'ouses an their lovey-dovey lives, all down below an' better 'an us. No' much differen' up above. Rather miss Rephidim, I do, a' leas' in the Underside an' the Darkside we're all miserable together, ha."

This brings out a raucous laugh from the blue Vartan. "Yah! Better to be miserable together than… miserable and alone!" He raises up his bottle and shouts over the music, "Toast to being miserable in good company!"

A few of the other Vartans raise up glasses, bottles and mugs in agreement.

Tasha, not having anything to raise, just adds her voice to the others. The woman knows all about being miserable with company. It's that company that has made her life a happy one, even if it hasn't been easy.

"Got's family?" Broly asks Tasha in a quieter voice.

"Aye. Gots me mum off in Rephidim, an' the Rake's been li' a family to me since I could chase the cap'n shiny tail," Tasha explains, laughing again when she's finished.

"Ah, you lucky bird then," Broly says. "Dad no stick around?"

Tasha can't decide whether to snort or grin at the question about her father, so she just smirks wryly. Sometimes she can't decide if she's mad at her father, if he's her hero, or if she just doesn't care. "'E's off somewhere, 'e is. Ain't met 'im, bu' 'e's a noble an' all, so I guess I'm a bi' of a noble too. Mi' wan' o' call me "me'lady,"" she explains.

Broly snorts in laughter. "Noble eh? My sister get told that lots – 'hey girl, I a noble, I take you away from all this!' – she always fall for it."

Tasha laughs too – one, because she thinks it's funny, and two, because she's almost fallen for that line herself. "I ain't puttin' on no airs, I ain't. I'm a righ' commoner, an a bastard t'boot. 'Course, I go' it better than some. Ever me' one of them bastard-dogs? The Gallah and them Gallee? Glad I ain't one o' them," she says.

"Yah, they the ones that chat up my sis, looking for an 'exotic' girl," Broly explains. "Or they just perverse. Not like sis a challenge," he adds, and tips his bottle towards the table acting as the bar, where a somewhat skinny reddish-purple Vartan woman leans tipsily towards the Aquilan bartender, giving him a look down her shirt. Given the fully avian nature of Aquilans, though, she isn't getting much of a response. "Goo' thing she has her lemon, at least. Not the brightest bird in the roost, eh."

Tasha eyes the sister, briefly wondering if she has ever looked like that. The idea is so sobering she snatches Broly's bottle and takes a sip, deciding sober ideas are dangerous. "Never 'ad no sister, an' no brother. 'Course, may be I 'ave a lot o' brothers an' sisters." She hands Broly back his bottle.

"She all I gots left, prolly," Broly says. "Dad brought us here after Boomer take away Elamoore. Ma was working in city then, we figured she dead. Maybe come back with others through Gateway, but no know for sure. Katcha really young, so grew up without mother… why she acts like that, I think."

"Oi, me mum's a righ' fighter. She used to work the ship I do, the Rake tha' is, an' tha's 'ow I go' the job. 'Course, I tend the pteras, an' it's a leg up from the res'." Tasha grins, trying not to look at the sister too much. "I 'eard o' tha' Boomer. Somethin' 'bout the gods o' this or tha' smitin' wut bothered 'em." Though hardly religious, Tasha can be superstitious – like right now. She makes the sign of the Star and Anchor across her chest.

"No gods involved, just Eeee and Templars and Exiles," Broly claims. "Big mess, was war and stuff. Didn't pay lots attention at the time, too busy moving 'round. Ptera's the big flying lizards, right? Smell like wet leather?"

"Tha's them alright. S'why I go' me whip 'ere," Tasha confirms, patting the whip at her side. "I'm the driver 'o the Rake. S'a good life, it is, an' I like drivin' 'em. No' as fast as them steam-ships an them mage-run vessels, bu' you won' 'ave a ptera charge in gold for 'is presence, an' I ain't never seen a ptera explode."

"Should have wings for flying, even airships," Broly agrees, nodding. "Any Vartans in your crew, besides you mom?"

"Woul' i' be a proper ship wit'out a Vartan? I say it wouln't! Bu' it is, an' we've go' a fair share o' our blood runni' things. Even ol' Cap'n Eyeshine is a Vartan. 'E's like me second da," Tasha answers.

"Oh, Vartan captain? He own ship too?" Broly asks, with more evident interest. "Mus' be happy bird! You got children from any of the others?"

"Oi, 'e's 'appy enough. No' li' 'e shows it, whut wit all is "do this Tasha" an' "do tha' Tasha." 'Course, 'e's been good to me," the woman answers. As for children, well, Tasha shakes her head at that. "I ain't go' no children, an' I be tryin' to keep i' tha' way. Me mum would never le' me forget i'."

"Kinda hard to forget havin' kids anyway, eh?" Broly jokes, poking Tasha in the shoulder with the bottle.

"I don' know an' don' wan' to," Tasha says, laughing. She pokes the Vartan back, then, rather against what she just said, pulls him over so she can lean against him.

Broly seems surprised by this, but doesn't complain. "Vartan women have it easy in Parthos, where they outnumbered five to one," he says. "Get lots of attention if they wants it."

"Why's that? You all givin' us women a 'ard time? Lackin' for shinies? They gettin' stolen by Amazonians? I 'eard them bunnies could skewer an' airship an' are made 'o gold," Tasha remarks. She also uses her proximity to steal another drink.

"Nah, just… not good place for Vartan women," Broly says, starting to sound a bit angry. "All kinds laws and stuff to keep Vartans from owning property or business, so that they no settle down and raise families. Cats don't want us here, they no like anyone bigger than them. Never see Rhians, even, 'cept for scholars coming to the libraries."

Not sure which is more of a shocker, the laws or Rhian scholars, Tasha has to think a moment. Luckily, she has brain lubricant available, and so she takes another sip of Broly's drink. "Oi, no lan'? 'Course, I ain't never 'ad land, nor, well, much 'o anythin' else really, bu' I like to know I coul'." She snorts, certainly disliking the idea someone's denying her something – even if she can't afford it. "An', you said Rhian scholars, is i'? I ain't never 'eard of no Rhian learned man. You mean some other sort?"

"Yeah, Rhian women, mostly," Broly says. "Mages and historians and stuff. Not all Rhians dumb, just like not all Vartans dumb," he notes. Then he snatches the bottle back and adds, "Just most of 'em."

"I 'ear tha'," Tasha says, quietly. "Still, ain't never met no Rhian scholar, or no Rhian mage. Met me a few mages, though. Most of 'em were the windy-type, talkin' up a storm an' such, if you ge' my meanin'. The rest wanned this or tha' moved aroun'."

"I hear they pretty smart out in Chronotopia," Broly says. "Get to go to schools and stuff for cheap. Don't think the Chronies have Nobles though, so maybe that's why. Olympia used to rule the world, or something, so they all bitter at being just someplace for tourists now. Don't want any competing cultures and such."

"Wut's a school? I 'eard it was all these bossy-types makin' you read an' whippin' you if you don'. In my job, I do the whippin', an' I ain't 'ad to read anythin' I don' wan ta," Tasha says. She chuckles at 'Chronies.'

"Yeah, but readin' and writin' get you airships," Broly comments. "Tried to learn a bit here and there myself. Can write my name."

Tasha considers the wisdom in that, deciding she may need to read more after all. "Tha's right wise o' you, it is. I guess I'd better read more if I wan' my own ship. 'Course, I can read, jus' … no' as well as some Mage or Chronie schooler," she agrees.

"Yeah? What do you read?" Broly asks. The look in his eye hints that Tasha has gone up a few notches on his rating scale.

"Well I read wha' I can get me 'ands on. Some o' the Cap'n's journals, some of them signs, a few books an' such – don' like the books much, lot o' words I can' quite work out – an' some other bits, 'ere an' there. Think I might try readin' more, ge' meself up to snuff, an' show the Cap'n what's whut," answers Tasha as she counts off what she can read on her hands.

The big Vartan puts his arm around Tasha's shoulders now, and says, "That a lot. What else you do for fun?"

Tasha leans in, enjoying the simple pleasure of being held by someone she can't pick up with one arm. "Let's see, I li' to 'ang aroun' bars, which is obvious, ain't it. Rephidim 'ad the pits an' such, an' o' 'course gamblin' an' such. Li' to lean on big strong men, too. 'Course, been 'angin' 'round Lapi so much I 'ad to wonder if everyone was turnin' short."

"You pretty petite yourself," Broly notes, then asks, "When you gots to be back wi' your bunnies?"

"Ain't go' to be back until the 'marra, go' me some livery to wear for some sort o' bunny nobility," the woman answers.

"Well, all the gambling places are posh 'round here, 'cept for 'friendly' stuff up at the docks," Broly says, giving Tasha's shoulder a squeeze. "Plenty o' booze here if you just wants to drink, but if you wanna get smashed gotta do it on the ground, sos you don't fly into something. Or, there's this garden down on one of the nobby estates, with this big hedge maze. Nobody goes there at night, so it's nice and private… at least, unless my sister brings someone there."

Tasha grins, shifting her head to rest it against Broly's shoulder. "A maze, is it? Coul' ge' lost in a maze, never quite know what you're doin' or where you're goin'. I always wanned to pretend I was some noble lady in 'er garden," she murmurs.

"Oh, that's too bad," Broly says, sounding exaggeratedly disappointed. "'Cuz I wasn't thinking of doing nothing exactly 'noble', jus' fun… "

"I guess I'd better put off me airs an' just be Tasha in the maze," Tasha says, sounding upbeat.

Broly smiles, and starts leading Tasha towards the cave mouth, but he whispers, "Well, I hear that noble women have a thing for big strong servants… "

"Goin' to steal me away, or sneak in to me bedroom when the master's away?" Tasha prods the male Vartan, then wraps a wing around him.