CH 1.1-b: Shank's Pre-Owned

The four of you leave behind a wake of death and destruction just outside the cantina, entering Charitable Charlatan's as Espos shouts, still a block or two away, are completely cut off by the cantina doors closing behind you. Uptempo yet relaxed, rhythmically persistent jazz type music comes from a jukebox, part of what you're certain is ownership's attempt at cultivating an extremely relaxed ambience. It's a decent sized cantina, as you immediately notice the dark atmospheric blue lighting precludes you from seeing with any clarity beyond the main room around the bar. While you can see the extent of the room's dimensions for the most part, it is difficult in some cases to tell whether or not anyone is actually occupying space toward the darker edges of the blue light bar room, especially as the booths themselves seem designed for privacy, with exceptionally high-backed seating that would even hide the presence of a tall wookie. Ultimately, the cantina itself seems to be separated into blue subdued illumination in the bar room, and a separate 'dark room' of sorts off to your right, negligibly illuminated by the seeping blue light cast off from the main area by the bar.

As far as you can tell, the booths in the bar room are empty. Faint murmurs of conversation float across the air in subtly varying volumes from the dark room, none of them distinct enough to make out, but enough to know that there are patrons here that you just can't see due to the lighting. An outburst of laughter comes from somewhere far off to your right in the dark room, followed by a burst from a different voice. This is, without a doubt, a cantina designed for those who value privacy and quiet, and, based on the feeling you get, a well-mixed drink. Not necessarily high class, but low key and reserved.

The bar is directly ahead of you opposite the entrance, well lit in contrast to the rest of the cantina, bathed in pale blue light from above. Behind it a bartender droid is at work mixing a drink, as a server droid appears to wait on the order. In addition to the booths in the bar room, there are, of course, a multitude of seats at the bar itself, all of them empty.

The bartender droid looks up from his work, acknowledges you with a nod, and gets back to pouring.

However, you are always welcome to roll any secret check, as a visible emphasis on your character's part to show that you're focused on such things.

In this case, your best bet to get the lay of the land would be Perception, which is also a secret check (placeholder dice are always extremely appreciated!!). I'll take care of Vigilance for you. See the Library for the big difference on how the two operate.

The bartender droid seems programmed for efficiency, and, as the serving droid walks away from the bar, it mixes Lexi's drink without delay. A splash of this, and a jigger of that, and it's exactly how she ordered it. Apparently to come off as less droid and more sentient, it leans on the bar. "So, I haven't seen you before, human. New to town?" Its mouth remains still while it speaks, rendering the illusion of sentience less than convincing, to say the least. Lexi does, however, notice a warm yellow glow emanating from within the droid's mouth... perhaps an attempt by those who programmed it to convey warmth?

The rest of the group moves through the cantina intrepidly, across the shades of blue mosaic bar room floor into the dark room. The quiet sounds of conversation are subtly drowned out by the jukebox jazz-like beats still floating through the air, discussions kept private by the music itself. Rounding the corner, entering the dark room, your eyes adjust to a darkness partially illuminated by a sudden flood of blue light from a booth in the far right corner, allowing you to see barely enough to understand the purpose of the high-backed booths in this section: they were covered on top and had curtains that could be drawn to allow for additional privacy, each booth essentially being a secluded, quiet room in its own way. From what you can in the shadows, a handful of these very private booths were in such a state of seclusion, curtains drawn, its occupants completely hidden from view.

As your eyes adjust even further, you note that empty booths of varying sizes and seating capacities have their curtains open, dark within, showing available occupancy. From the booth that just opened its curtains on the far wall, a human woman exits, making her way past you to the bar. Another human woman sits within, and closes the curtains partially to maintain a degree of privacy. She's likely waiting for the return of the other. An added benefit of the modicum of light from within her booth is that you can barely discern what looks like a door in the far left corner.

Despite the droid being programmed to seem more sentient as part of its bartender work, it's still a droid. It looks at Krosus, a bit puzzled. "Why, that's an odd question. The answer, however, my good sir, is simple. I would tell them that 4 sentients were the most recent patrons to enter this fine establishment. Three plainly dressed. One of them well armored, with the look of a bounty hunter." A gesture toward Hawke. "One of them a paying customer." He gestures toward Lexi. "An odd question, but one with a simple answer. Care for a drink, sir?"

Beyond the droid's answer, you guys have some decisions to make. Check the Shank's OOC for more, before you post.