Deep in Coronado lies a large, seemingly thrown together base, its different facilities buried deep in multiple asteroids. The different rocks connected by sealed walkways and conduits create the haven that is Barrier Gate Station. Barrier Gate has always been home to many types, Freelancers, Junkers, pirates and lawfuls, though when aboard the station they were all equal. The station's bar was always a lively one, with men and women drinking, having casual conversations, trading information and doing business, though no one seemed as interesting at the moment as the young woman that had just entered the room, her barely dressed look, shining silver hair, seemingly glowing bluish purple tribal tattoo running the length of her left arm and bare stomach, back and legs all gave her an arousing look, yet at the same time, she seemed the type no one would want to mess with.

She didn't stop as she entered to take a scan of the room as most did, though instead moved straight to a side booth, sat down, propped her feet up on the table, and seemed as if she simply fell asleep. Another man, a rough looking sort soon entered after her, he actually took the time to look the bar over before moving towards the woman as if he knew her.

The rougher looking man seemed to be eyeing up the whisky but then sat near to where the young woman did. He had short brown, ginger hair and Celtic tattoos along both of his arms. "So... 'ere we are lass..." he said as he glared at the barkeeper who quickly gave him two bottles of finest Dublin whisky.

The young woman simply nodded, indicating that she was in fact still awake.

Zettsu walked into the bar on Barrier Gate, and immediately stopped at the door, overwhelmed by loud conversations, cigarette smoke and heat pouring out from the main room. Why did he ever come down here in the first place?

Seraph recommended the equipment dealer on Barrier Gate as a sharp in terms of all things eye-candy. Zettsu always envied her ship's look and feel, always feeling a bit behind with his absolutely generic Waran. After an entire day of fitting, tinkering and talking about design he finally got something coming close to what Seraph had - a modified engine and shiny lamps. Now it was the time to relax and enjoy his time on the station.

All right, no reason to lie to himself. Bars have never been his favourite way to spend free time in, going deaf due to noise and suffocating in smoke. But a lot of people visited this place, mostly doing some shady interests. He liked to know everything about everyone and it felt like Barrier Gate was a perfect venue for this.

He held his breath and strode towards the bar. He ordered mint tea and looked around. It seemed like the side booth was the only place relatively free from the buzz. He walked up, sat at one of the tables and started sipping his tea and listening to everything that was going around.

"So... lass... what about me payment?" the Molly said. "Remember our deal..." he leaned back a little before he drank half a bottle of whisky without a second thought.

Looking up slightly before lowering her head again, the girl didn't respond. Then after about three minutes worth of silence, another man entered the bar, his outfit seemed to match, colour-wise, that of the girl who'd entered previously.

"What's this now?" the Molly asked while the other man was walking towards the girl. "Sleeping again..." he smirked sarcastically as he moved closer to her.

After a few seconds the girl responded. "Yeah."

"I keep telling ya to get more sleep... but this is ridiculous..." he laughed but then saw the look on the Molly's face.

"What about me payment!" the Molly said.

The girl didn't move, though she did make a "tch" noise, lifted a hand motioning towards the man requesting his payment. "Pay the man so he can shut up and drink himself into a stupor, Marcus."

"Yeah... better... do that before he loses his temper..." Marcus then gave the Molly his payment. "Ah... t'ere we go..." He grinned and moved up to the bar glaring at a few Outcasts as he passed them. "So... Jo... what are we here for anyway?"

Looking up finally, she gave the man a "Really?" sort of look. "We're here for repairs you idiot. That damn escort up there damn near got us killed when those blood dragons showed up.... and..." She looked away slightly, with a bit of a cuteness suddenly coming over her. "I like the chocolate shakes here." If there was one thing Jo had, it was a sweet tooth.

The Molly made it to the bar and orders some more whisky. "Keep 'em coming... I won't stop 'till I fall flat on me face..." He then spotted Zettsu. "Ye a funny looking un'... You better be on ye best behave..." He smirked, then went back to his seat with a load of whisky bottles. "Was that an order, Ma'am..." Marcus said while smirking at Jo.

Instantly balling her fists up, Jo turned to Marcus with anger layered on her face. "DON'T CALL ME MA'AM, YOU IDIOT!" she screamed as half the bar stopped what they had been doing to see what all the fuss was about. Seeing this, Jo had frozen for a moment, before turning her head, her face red with embarrassment as she crossed her arms.

Marcus bursted out laughing. "I got you there, didn't I!" He then looked at the Molly who was too busy drinking his whisky. "So, Jo... you want one of those shakes?"

She brightened up a bit hearing this, though she didn't want him to see that. "Yes, please."

"Right..." Marcus then moved to the bar. "One chocolate shake." He waited for it, still rather amused with Jo's reaction. "She is so easy to get," he smirked.

Jo kept her gaze centred on the table, to embarrassed to look around before Marcus finally returned with her shake. "Thanks..." she took the shake and sipped on it a bit before looking up at him. "What?"

"Nothing..." he smirked at her. "Just still a bit amused at how... you are so easy to get..."

Giving him a flat look, Jo returned to her shake. "Don't you have some repairs to look after?"

"Yeah, yeah..." He sighed, then moved out the bar slowly. "Yes Ma'am..." He then ran out before she had the time to say anything back.

"Jerk..." After another hour or so, the bar seemed pretty much cleared out to where there are only a few traders in the corner having a quiet discussion about trade routes and Rogues. Jo having long since finished her shake wanted another, though had been for a while comfortable in her seat. Finally as she could no longer stand her urge to have another, she stood up and slowly moved to the bar. "Can I get another shake?" she asked the bartender who gave her a strange look before shrugging and turning to make one. Jo then set her head on her arms as she waited, though couldn't help but notice the pilot siting just two stools down form her. "What's your story?" she asked in a somewhat friendly manner.

Zettsu hesitated with answering, taking another lengthy sip of the third cup of mint tea. He then smiled and turned towards her. "Nice to meet you as well. But if you want a story, I don't think mine is a particularly interesting one,' he said, still smiling.

Jo shrugged. "Everyone's got a story, no matter what it is... But if you don't want to, that's fine with me." She turned her head back to face forwards watching the bartender scoop chocolate ice cream from a large tub.

"If you think so, why wouldn't you tell me yours? Then at least I would have a reference point."

Hesitating for a moment, not wanting anyone to know that she was a pirate who hadn't already, she shrugged. "I run a small trade ship... We keep off the radar, 'cause certain people would want us dead... Ya know... Pirates and the like... Not much to say really."

He turned away from the counter, facing the almost empty bar. "Then our interests are a bit off, as I'd rather shoot pirates than avoid them. Oh well," he took another sip of tea.

She smirked at his statement, thinking it was humours that he's talking to a pirate at this very moment. She then thinks about having a bit of fun with him. "Well I'd shoot em if I saw em to... But... My dinky little freighter's not exactly equipped for such things... That's why I hired that escort over there... Though I think he may very well be one of those pirate types... Not too sure though."

Zettsu took the last sip of tea, put the cup on the counter, showing the bartender with a gesture that it doesn't need to be refilled.

'She's quite a strange girl, I can tell that for a fact.' he thought to himself, pulling his scarf to cover his lips, as he usually wore it. 'I am not sure if I believe her.'

He then turned back towards her and said "Well if he has the misfortune of indeed being one and showing up at the wrong side of my guns then you might have to find someone else to escort you."

He took a moment to look at her top-down and smiled under the scarf. "Aren't you cold with these clothes?" he asked half-jokingly. Indeed, their outfits differed significantly. He was wearing his favourite jacket, black half-cloak, scarf and still had to warm himself up with tea. She did exactly the opposite.

She sat up, leaning back a bit purposely giving him a better look at her before stretching with her arms high in the air. She froze for a moment, then lowered her arms, placing her elbows on the counter and her chin on her hands. "Sometimes... But I like the cold. Where I grew up, the only warmth you ever got was when you went into the station's power center. It's the heat that bothers me. I can't stand wearing cloths... eh.. I mean..." she looked away, her face red as a tomato.

Zettsu snickered quietly, but after a moment he said on a bit more serious note "I wish I could tell you that I know how it is... but I can't. I had never experienced that. Not that I'd want to."

He paused for a minute, waiting for her to respond somehow, but she didn't. "You know, we haven't even introduced ourselves properly to each other. What's your name?"

Actually pouting a bit now, she answers with her back still to him. "Jo..."

Not noticing she turned away, he said "My name's Zettsu. Nice to meet--" he turned towards her when he noticed that she was facing the other way. "...What?"

"I said my name's Jo," she replied once again, thinking his 'what' was for him not having heard her.

"Uhm... All right then," he went quiet and again turned towards the bar, noticing they were the only people left. He waited for her to turn back. When she didn't after a few moments, he sighed.

As the bartender places the shake on the counter, Jo brightened up before turning and quickly having a sip. "Mmm..."

Zettsu glanced at her and seeing she's not mad anymore he asked in a friendly manner "Tastes good?".

Smiling now, Jo nodded, "Mmmhmm."

He snickered, "That's good. I'd have one myself, but I can't stand anything colder than tea in this godforsaken place. What brings you to Barrier Gate anyway?" he asked as though he hadn't heard Jo's conversation with her escort and Marcus. After a moment he pointed at his cup, showing the bartender that yes, he would actually have a refill, and no, they're having a nice conversation and he doesn't intend to leave anytime soon, sorry. The bartender sighed and took his cup.

Jo shrugged as she took another long sip from her shake. "We got cargo that needs delivering. I help to supply bases here and there... but we stopped here at Barrier Gate for repairs, my ship got beat up something bad 'cause that escort over there couldn't stop flying in and out of our crossfire."

Zettsu hummed. Well, she definitely wasn't telling him everything, that was certain. But on the other hand, revealing your identity to anybody on Barrier Gate didn't seem that great of an idea. He would absolutely like to spend more time with her, as she seemed very different from all these damsels-in-distress he met during his job. Even Jillian, their supplier, engineer and whatever else Vigilantes needed wasn't like Jo, though she usually did like to act independently.

Was revealing his own cards smart though? No, no doubt about that. They sure enjoyed their conversation together, but that didn't mean anything. Yet, he still felt oddly compelled to spend time with her. He looked fine, but inside he really needed sleep and mint tea didn't cure that very well. With every passing moment he felt the ever increasing urge to finally get up and crash out in the back of his ship.

Jo could tell from the way Zettsu sat on his stool that he was close to passing right out, she figured he must have been up for days. "You know, sleep IS a good thing from time to time. And you look like you could use some," she took a large sip from her shake at this point before pushing it away slightly. "If you'd like to talk with me more, I'll be on the station for at least the next 3 days, my ship's port engine is practically non-existent at the moment so that will take some time to fix." She turned around placing her elbows on the counter behind her to prop herself up. "I don't usually find anyone on these stations that actually wants to talk... Most of them simply want a night in the sack and to be done with it... They're usually drunk out of their minds too." She turned her head and gave him a smile. "Buy me a drink next time we meet, hm?" she said before standing and moving towards the door, her scarf hanging down her back, swaying in the breeze her walking makes.

"Nice talking to you Zettsu." she said before the door closed behind her.

Zettsu winked at her as she exited. He then looked down his cup. 'She hasn't even left the payment. Well, take these shakes off me.' he said while he passed his card on the counter to the bartender. Then he rose, pinned up his cloak and walked out of the bar.