Belly up to the Bar (C 1.4, H 1.5)

Helix,
Mikkie looks up at you for a long moment. Something about his shoulders and how he's sitting tells you he's a little confused. "Thank you, Whispers," he says finally and takes it in his hand, holding it like it's a dead cat.

Canary,
Nomar nods to his partner and both men carry crates of ammo aboard your ship while you manage to keep Dinero from tipping over and get him on the deck. Nomar calls over, "You want us to load up your gun while we're at it, Captain Canary?" His tone is still a bit playful, but you can tell he'll do it and maybe he's buying time to stick around and chat.

Canary,
Nomar and his partner Cash bring the crates aboard and set them near the ring as ordered while you help Dinero get to belowdecks. You're pretty sure Dinero is done throwing up... pretty sure. When you come back up topside, you see Cash is heading off the Refuge, but Nomar's still there, waiting for you. The night air is crisp, but light. This time of the evening folks are either in the Belly or not bothering to come out, so it's quiet.

"The Refuge's looking good, she's an amazing boat," he says when you notice him. He slips a hand into his coat and pulls out a small flask - his lucky flask that you both found one day together. It has a few words etched on it - what are they? He offers you the first swig off his flask.

What do you do?

Helix,
Caspian is drinking the beer he stole from Titicaca as he throws an arm around little Yellow - a tiny Rafter girl who seems terrified of the big man. When you come closer, he finishes his glass and holds it up for you. "More, Helix. Yellow will pay for it."

Helix,
Yellow's eyes widen at the revelation, "That's at least two jingle! Maybe three!"

Helix,
Like most bullies, Caspian hesitates when faced with a threat near his own size. He snarls, "Ima take it outta his zok!" He stands and pushes you aside to stride over to Mikkie with a swagger he may or may not feel.

What do you do?

Helix,
Quick as a cat, Sonic rises from his small chair and tiny desk by ringside to snatch the microphone from the holster he hand-fashioned for it. He stands and gestures towards Caspian, "What do we have here? A challenger? Can the great and mighty CASSSSSPIAN achieve what no other has achieved? Look at his arms! Look at the way that mother moves! Of course, he'll give us a good fight! Ten jingle to the one who takes down Mikkie! What say you, Cassssspian?!?!" The crowd rises to their feet and starts chanting Caspian's name. It's well known that the crowd craves new blood, a fresh "face" as their champion. Mikkie has no flair for the dramatic, he doesn't thrill the ladies. Mikkie just wins. Caspian looks promising, and Sonic is eager to get him in the ring.

Helix,
He stops walking towards Mikkie and turns his big, hairy head to glower at Sonic. "Ten jingle? You serious? Ten?" Sonic nods excitedly. Caspian looks back at Mikkie, "I aint payin' for that frellin' drink! That ten jingle's MINE!" He jogs toward the fighting pit and soon folks are clapping him on the back and the Rafters are rushing to the fences to cheer for him. He may be a zokhole - but he's their zokhole.

Helix,
The behemoth Mikkie stands up and walks around several tables to the other side of the pit, opposite Caspian and the Rafters. He doesn't look at the crowd - he only has eyes for Caspian. When you glance back at the table he left, you notice that not one drop of alcohol is missing from the glass you brought him.

What do you do?

Canary,
Nomar takes his Best Man flask back from you and sips it. He leans against the railing and looks up at the stars, "Things have been... pretty good. I've got a small security team I scraped from a few crews I've worked with. It gets jingle in pockets, puts food on tables." His eyes flick to the doorway to below decks, "Looks like you were having fun at the Belly. He's cute, nice choice." Maybe he's a teeny bit jealous- he might've expected this meeting to start differently.