Ramirez and his closest friend, bodyguard and advisor Luigi had taken their shuttle to the surface of the Planet, the Luxury liner Belatrix had been in Orbit when the two decided to leave, finally making their way back to Outcast space. ”So, where do we begin?”Asked Luigi as they exited the shuttle, standing on the landing pad in the midday sun.
For a couple of minutes Set just stood there, eyes closed and facing upwards to the sun, apparently enjoying the sunlight on his skin.
Luigi took up a small hand rolled cigar, lighting it with a match against the holster inside of his dark gray jacket. ”We’ll start with a drink” Ramirez said, and started walking to the nearby transport to take them to closest community center.
An hour or so later, both Set and Luigi found themselves inside a rather dingy bar in one of the bad parts of the city, Set, still with a smile on his face walked up to the bartender flashing a credits chip ordering two Bretonian gin’s.
Not knowing that they were not the only two Outcasts so far from home, not even in this bar.
Weeks have gone by since Cristina received news that the issue stopping her from returning to Malta had been dealt with. As appealing as the idea of finally going back home after five and a half years was, Cristina was struggling to make the decision. Constantly postponing her return, it seemed like a big step she wasn't ready to take.
Despite being away from home for such a long time, her lifestyle didn't change much. The routine of doing business with shady individuals by night and mostly spending her days in one particular bar hadn't changed for a year, and this day was no different.
Cristina always had a preference when it came to her spot in a room, especially a public one with a bunch of unknown people. Naturally, the bar was no exception. She was never too eager to step into the spotlight, surrounded by people and instead always opted for a subtle corner which allowed her to stay out of sight as well as observe her surroundings. After all, she spent more time hiding and being cautious than a person should. As Cristina glanced at the entrance of the bar like she always does when someone walks in, much to her surprise, it was a familiar face.
Being hesitant to walk up and greet Set, she crossed her arms and continued watching, hoping he would notice her.
Ramirez drank his gin in one big gulp, letting out a sound of relief as he turned on his heel, placing his elbows on the bar, still smiling.
Luigi on the other hand enjoyed and nurtured his drink, much like a gardener nurtures their garden. ”So, a drink now and then what sir?”Luigi asked as he leaned on the bar, not paying much attention to the rest of the establishment. Despite being a heavyset man in his 50's, Luigi was good at spotting a dangerous situation, and this apparently, did not suffice to be called such.
Set on the other hand, with the same smile etched on his face looked around the establishment, scanning the room for each possibility, Ramirez was a calculating man after all and he liked to do the maths when it came to these situations. ”Truth be told Luigi, I don't know, I am right now just content with letting us glide through and see what is what” Ramirez chuckled lightly, then abruptly stopped, his gaze fastened on Cristina, eyes squinting as he took a double take. 'No, it can't be her can it?' he mused to himself ”What was that sir?” Luigi asked, apparently hearing his old friends muttering.
Set poking Luigi's shoulder and nodded over where Cristina was sitting, Luigi turning around, staring over where she was sitting, no, Luigi was not one for subtlety ”Is that?” Set, grabbing Luigi's arm and walking over to where Cristina was sitting, placing himself in a chair opposite her with a smirk. ”Well well well.. Look who we ran into.. All the way across Sirius from Malta” The smirk still etched on his face, Set let out a light chuckle. ”Last I heard you where off doing work.. Well, somewhere else.. So, what are you doing here in this.. Lovely hole of a planet eh?”
Still in disbelief, Cristina remained cautious and couldn't fully relax yet. It's not every day a person gets to see ghosts of their past in what seems to be a complete accident, for better or worse. Slightly nodding at Luigi for the sole reason of being polite and acknowledging his presence, she gazed upon Set while enjoying her usual drink.
”You know, of all the people I thought I'd see here, you were probably at the bottom of the list. The reason for me being here is a very long story which I'd rather not bother you with. To cut it short, I had to escape Malta as there were some problematic individuals going after me. It took almost six years of my life just dealing with them,
but despite their tenacity and cunning, targeting a former 101st administrator is generally a bad idea, which they didn't realize until it was too late."Cristina took another sip of her drink as she was seemingly starting to relax, slowly leaning back into her chair.
"What brings you to my little piece of heaven, old friend? How's life been treating you?"
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