cider
There is a saying among smugglers, muscles for brains is better then brains caved in by muscle. The idea is that while being cunning is king, a man with a crowbar, a little will and a lot of muscle might just usurp you. After all, what is a king to a one man mob with a crowbar? Drono had lived this life since he was but a young, impressionable, adventurous idiot with a gift for words. And here he had muscle. Two crewmembers who's mean-looking faces, or in the quarian's case, mean visor, that made people stare down to polish and tinker with near religious zeal. All to avoid eye contact with the Quarian and the Batarian bodyguards.
Now Drono swaggered. Normal men and women merely walked with confidence and some may have thought they swaggered, but nobody could hold a candle to Drono. He swaggered like nobody else, he moved with a purpose and more importantly with the confidence of a lion. Each step was a statement: 'Come get some shitheads, and my muscle will make you into so many little pieces your dear ol' mum will have stew for dinner.' He tossed out his hands in a grand gesture a he decided to chew the scenary a bit.
"Smell that? That is the smell of a multi-billion underground industry." He said, fully prepared to talk like he already owned the place. His grandstanding was cut short as a man came half jogging, half tripping towards them. He was a bit on the fat side, and with a face that would make a bulldog proud. Those jowels would scare children of all ages and it told Drono all he needed to know. The game was afoot.
Khosin chuckled a little bit at Drono's words "You got that right boss." He said in response to what the Drell had said. He had opened his mouth to say something more when the door that lead to the room in which they were in was flung open, causing Khosin to turn around to look at the man that had entered.
"Ahhh. If it aint the man of the hour! And here I thought I would be stuck waiting all day." Drono said, in that perfectly confident, snarky and sardonic cadence of mastercriminals everywhere. Tenrom was in full blast and Drono was in his elements playing as the scoundrel.
"You. What is this ruckus about?" The man who was obviusly quartermaster asked bewildered. "Yestin sent you? I heard he was legit these days." This earned a chuckle from Drono.
"Legit? Yestin? He is so crooked you could use him for a fish hook. He is just richer now." Drono said, keeping his voice level. So his old pal decided to go into the safer sector. No doubt thinking all the ties to his criminal past was forgotten. Drono could not help himself.
"These fellows behind me are my two most trusted lieutenants. The quarian is 'Zela’Yaerah Nar Shaehala'. ” He watched the name scramble the mans brain trying to figure out how you spelled it. Then he continued. "Her names a handfull, but if you piss her off you'll likely not have any hands left to have full. If you catch my drift." Again he paused, let it sink in and continued. "And to the right of me is Dodnovran, he is a batarian kicked out for being too ruthless. So you can imagine how badly he will treat you if you get stuffy with me." he paused, reading the flickers of emotion running across the fat mans face. From fear, to anger, to puzzlement, to confidence.
Under her visor, Kasyra smiled. She liked the way Drono described her alter ego - he might be mad but he certainly had style.
"I don't scare easily. So you have two nasties with you, what of it?"
"What of it? You think I bring Murder and Slaughter around for small deals?" He said, expertly shifting sardonic, cynical threat to cynical anger at the slowness of others. The drell motioned back to where they came from. "Back there I have enough Alliance issued guns that would give any pirate a hardon." He said acidly. Leaning in, as it were, to stare the man in the eye. "Hot, in need of a buyer. Guns."
The man blinked. "Oh aye?" He said, suddenly with the program. If there was anything these people knew, it was the talk of deals and good, desperate sellers. He had taken the bait. Now it was time for quicktalking.
"Zela, Dodnovran, why don't you two make yourself useful. Take mr... I am so sorry. I never got your name?"
"Halbert to you. " The man said, clearly being talked into circle and sold his own gravestone at twice the price.
"One of you, take Halbert to see the goods. The other, with me. Lets see what else we can find."
Khosin let Drono speak to the man, introducing both him and Kasy but when the expression of, who he guessed was, the quartermaster Khosin shifted ever so slightly into a more threatening pose, staying like that -his four eyes focused on the man- until Drono finally managed to convince the man.
"I'll stay with you Tenrom, you know I don't get along with humans very well, to say the least." He finally spoke when Drono said that one of them should take Halbert to see the goods they had brought.
"Ah yes. It is more they who do not get along with you." Drono said, giving his "Minion" the benefit of the doubt as it were. The Quartermaster looked from one to the other. Not sure what to think.
"Alright boss." Was all 'Zela' said by way of reply, before motioning to the human quartermaster to follow her. The less she talked the better, as far as she was concerned. But she didn't need to talk to look menacing. She would take the quartermaster to see the guns, and, if needed, talk about them. One thing she did know was guns, and no lying was necessary there.
Now Drono swaggered. Normal men and women merely walked with confidence and some may have thought they swaggered, but nobody could hold a candle to Drono. He swaggered like nobody else, he moved with a purpose and more importantly with the confidence of a lion. Each step was a statement: 'Come get some shitheads, and my muscle will make you into so many little pieces your dear ol' mum will have stew for dinner.' He tossed out his hands in a grand gesture a he decided to chew the scenary a bit.
"Smell that? That is the smell of a multi-billion underground industry." He said, fully prepared to talk like he already owned the place. His grandstanding was cut short as a man came half jogging, half tripping towards them. He was a bit on the fat side, and with a face that would make a bulldog proud. Those jowels would scare children of all ages and it told Drono all he needed to know. The game was afoot.
Khosin chuckled a little bit at Drono's words "You got that right boss." He said in response to what the Drell had said. He had opened his mouth to say something more when the door that lead to the room in which they were in was flung open, causing Khosin to turn around to look at the man that had entered.
"Ahhh. If it aint the man of the hour! And here I thought I would be stuck waiting all day." Drono said, in that perfectly confident, snarky and sardonic cadence of mastercriminals everywhere. Tenrom was in full blast and Drono was in his elements playing as the scoundrel.
"You. What is this ruckus about?" The man who was obviusly quartermaster asked bewildered. "Yestin sent you? I heard he was legit these days." This earned a chuckle from Drono.
"Legit? Yestin? He is so crooked you could use him for a fish hook. He is just richer now." Drono said, keeping his voice level. So his old pal decided to go into the safer sector. No doubt thinking all the ties to his criminal past was forgotten. Drono could not help himself.
"These fellows behind me are my two most trusted lieutenants. The quarian is 'Zela’Yaerah Nar Shaehala'. ” He watched the name scramble the mans brain trying to figure out how you spelled it. Then he continued. "Her names a handfull, but if you piss her off you'll likely not have any hands left to have full. If you catch my drift." Again he paused, let it sink in and continued. "And to the right of me is Dodnovran, he is a batarian kicked out for being too ruthless. So you can imagine how badly he will treat you if you get stuffy with me." he paused, reading the flickers of emotion running across the fat mans face. From fear, to anger, to puzzlement, to confidence.
Under her visor, Kasyra smiled. She liked the way Drono described her alter ego - he might be mad but he certainly had style.
"I don't scare easily. So you have two nasties with you, what of it?"
"What of it? You think I bring Murder and Slaughter around for small deals?" He said, expertly shifting sardonic, cynical threat to cynical anger at the slowness of others. The drell motioned back to where they came from. "Back there I have enough Alliance issued guns that would give any pirate a hardon." He said acidly. Leaning in, as it were, to stare the man in the eye. "Hot, in need of a buyer. Guns."
The man blinked. "Oh aye?" He said, suddenly with the program. If there was anything these people knew, it was the talk of deals and good, desperate sellers. He had taken the bait. Now it was time for quicktalking.
"Zela, Dodnovran, why don't you two make yourself useful. Take mr... I am so sorry. I never got your name?"
"Halbert to you. " The man said, clearly being talked into circle and sold his own gravestone at twice the price.
"One of you, take Halbert to see the goods. The other, with me. Lets see what else we can find."
Khosin let Drono speak to the man, introducing both him and Kasy but when the expression of, who he guessed was, the quartermaster Khosin shifted ever so slightly into a more threatening pose, staying like that -his four eyes focused on the man- until Drono finally managed to convince the man.
"I'll stay with you Tenrom, you know I don't get along with humans very well, to say the least." He finally spoke when Drono said that one of them should take Halbert to see the goods they had brought.
"Ah yes. It is more they who do not get along with you." Drono said, giving his "Minion" the benefit of the doubt as it were. The Quartermaster looked from one to the other. Not sure what to think.
"Alright boss." Was all 'Zela' said by way of reply, before motioning to the human quartermaster to follow her. The less she talked the better, as far as she was concerned. But she didn't need to talk to look menacing. She would take the quartermaster to see the guns, and, if needed, talk about them. One thing she did know was guns, and no lying was necessary there.