[Citadel, Tayseri] Leaving the Ducts Charity Dinner (Open to all)

"Can't breathe", groaning as Durix bashed Snow again with the pitcher. The blow dropping Snow to a knee, he countered with a left hook to the turian's knee joint, except it just jostled him. Snow's punches were losing their zip, a fact the Beast of Armiger took full advantage of, getting Snow into a clinch and unloading with knee strikes. The ex-marine blocked the first few, attempting to create seperation but the last three hit home. A crackling noise, then a stabbing pain followed for Snow, he knew that something was broken. Lowering the shoulder Snow rammed Durix into the counter again, spilling more glassware onto the floor and tabletops. Attempting to catch his breath, the red hood hitting the turian with two overhead elbow strikes, only for Durix to counter. Gripping the back of the human's neck, Durix tossed Snow against the cabinet. The throw resulting in the glassware getting crushed underneath Snow, a snarl of pain escaping his lips....

"C'mon, we're not done yet kid, get up", the turian replying casually, not even breathing hard despite the superficial damage done by Snow. Pulling the red hood up by his black hair, the turian gripping his newly found knife. Durix turned back, only for Snow to take advantage of the opportunity by kicking Durix's instep and a dual palmstrike to Durix's eyes. Attempting to catch a breather, Snow took mental stock, "Shit, not just my ribs this time. My collar, and my back????" Reaching behind, Snow felt shards of glass ware jutting out of his back, in addition to blood. A look of surprise creeping onto the red hood's face, the adrenaline high now gone, replaced by a pulse pounding desperation.

"Gotta...end this quick", managing to skirt to the window by the balcony, hitting the control panel opening the room to the sounds of Tayseri. The Beast of Armiger recovering, closing in on Snow with a look of incredulity, "You're going to run, after all this?" "Not...exactly", Snow gasping as he closed with Durix, doing everything to avoid the blade gripped by Durix. The two circling each other before clashing yet again, Durix's blade grazing Snow's forearms as the red hood gripped the turian by his jacket collar, driving him towards the balcony. The truth of Snow's gamble dawning on Durix as he stopped his attempts to handicap the human, his blade plunging into the human's ribs as Snow drove them both off the building onto the construction crates near Leaving the Ducts entrance, a bloody smile appearing on Snow's face as he heard two of Durix's ribs snap before blacking out...

"Flatterer", Alystae a bit amused by Max Vallario's flirtations, but unsurprised. Politicians in general seemed to enjoy the power of their position, and the fringe benefits that seemed to result. Smiling back at Vallario, Alystae decided to take a gamble, but ensuring both her and the Assemblyman's discretion, "But if you do wish to discuss the matter further, a salarian has opened a fusion stir fry place on the 15th level, a decent drink selection as well. Best of all, it's near a temporary dead zone," the asari speaking the last in a whisper, letting her Nartin accent flavor the news to Max the Maverick, that they would have full privacy for their negotiations.

It wouldn't do for Assemblyman Vallario to be seen in public with her just yet, after all...standards must be maintained.

She was pissed off now. "Don't call me kiddo." She turned on the Asari. "Then Norfolk is a town. An actual big city is something like the pre-war Beijing Metroplex. It's not weird for a homeworld or a mature colony to have a few of those and their being hit first by the Reapers does not make us a big city. Plus every planetary city, even towns like Norfolk have like, a hinterland? Is that the word? Like, surrounded with farms, mines and land evacuation routes and we're not?"

She scanned the food carts, looking for an escape route. These people were morons. "In the battle we unambigiously won, it was a fleet that won. We are a space station. To have a whole milita separate from C-Sec is a massive duplication of like, everything, doesn't address what the Reapers might have left behind, and will only enrich shady-ass contractors. Pleasure to meet you."

She made for the deviled eggs.

As the young drell girl stormed off after the 'discussion' about what constituted a large city or not, Max just cleared his throat, gently guiding the conversation with Alystae back to more casual, enjoyable areas. He smiled slyly in response to her counter-invitation.

"You had me at 'decent drink selection,' but 'temporary dead zone' sealed the deal even further. I mean, two professionals such as us can't have anything interrupting important discussions about the future of our district and our ward, can we?" He ended the sentence with a coy wink.

Even before he became a politician, to describe Max as 'flirtatious' was an understatement. A joke saying in the Turian military was that you didn't end up as a fighter pilot without two things in excess: ego and libido. It just so happened those are also two things politicians tend to have in abundance. If you asked any of Max's old squadron mates if they were surprised he was now an elected official on the Citadel, dividing his time between guest appearances at galas and parties and under-the-table flings, they'd have stared blankly as if to say "what else would he be doing?"

"Why don't I give you my private omni-tool contact info, and we can hopefully set up this meeting sooner rather than later?" He took another sip from his drink, smirking at his newly found Asari friend mischievously.

Not far away, a most unlikely train was advancing at some speed towards the Leaving the Ducts office, drawing not a little attention from those privileged enough to view it. In front, as fast as his levitation pack allowed him to move, was Laykalar, his thoughts churning unpleasantly. His unease at leaving the hall warred with his conviction that something was very wrong, and that all of his efforts would be for nothing if Leaving the Ducts was in some way discredited. That couldn't be allowed to happen, and though his mind was slowly starting to clear, his intense focus drove him forward like a homing missile (were a homing missile pink, squishy, and carrying a payload of good intentions and earnest commitment, that is). In one tentacle he still held the gift of human literature from Sarah, not the most intimidating weapon ever seen.

Behind him came Sarah, no doubt slightly confused. She had offered to help investigate, only to be delayed by Laykalar's insistence on first making his rounds, then tearing off for the office after all, like a very polite bat out of hell (though surely the atmosphere in the hall wasn't that bad). Next came Justicar, still grasping her dispenser and apparently unaffected by the mindfish she had also absorbed, keeping her own counsel, her motives as opaque as always. Just behind her, a solemn drell waiter carrying a large Michelle-shaped dessert, who was beginning to suspect that his assumptions regarding his latest orders might not be what he'd expected. With him, atop a mobile terminal pushed by a volus tech hand, was the artificial representation of Uncle Garm Garm, still juggling the coloured balls. Laykalar had decided on a whim that the salarian's wisdom might be relevant, and it might be dawning on the others present that the young hanar had forgotten, in his evidently drunken state, that this was a VI.

It was, quite possibly, the stupidest rescue force ever assembled, and in the months to come certain segments of the Tayseri underworld would shift uncomfortably when reminded of the whole affair. There were some things you really couldn't dwell on for long.

"Urrghhh, where...is he," Snow groaning as he got to one knee, his suit now torn and bloody. Trying to look around but unable to focus, a result of Durix's handiwork he managed to shuffle to his feet, the pain his side a red throbbing now, not the white hot flash when the knife slid between his ribs. The red hood finally seeing the turian, heading right towards him with a slight hitch in his step but the same cold purpose as when the fight began. Snow attempting to get into position but his body barely responding to the mental commands, only able to wobble on his feet, his steel grey eyes unfocused as Durix finally reached him.

"Hey Butcher, this doesn't belong to you", Durix whispering to Snow as he gripped the knife grip, ignoring Snow's futile attempts to hold the blade in his side. A smile appearing on the Beast of Armiger's face as he slowly withdrew the blade, the flow of blood becoming more steady from Snow's side, causing the ex-salvager to drop to his knees in shock. Gripping Snow by his hair again, Durix guided him to a construction crate, pinning him there with his free forearm, "Have to admit kid, you put a smile on my face." The Beast of Armiger whispering to Snow, the human gazing down at the turian holding him up, the red hood's left hand covering the knife wound as he gazed down at Durix, "just...get it...done, I'm tired." Snow gasping, his grey eyes losing their vacant look, replaced by a sad resignation as Durix placed the blade's edge to Snow's throat, prepared to end the Red Hood cleanly, the Beast of Armiger was a killer, a skill he took pride in, and Julian Snow had earned a clean death in his mind as he prepared to make the cut....

"Well then Assemblyman Vallario, color this maiden interested", Alystae not missing a beat in spite of Kayana Pesh's outburst. Inwardly, the Co-op head was a touch disappointed, this drell had the holy grail of interns in front of her, and she let her temperament do the talking instead of her position. "think of this as an learning experience Mrs. Pesh", thinking as she keyed on her 'public' omnitool, her private one under lock and key at Freezer's Perch. Getting an unused comm link number from her catalogue, Alystae applied the encryption before giving the number to Max the Maverick.

"Here you are Mr. Vallario, one encrypted comm channel number. I do keep a hectic work schedule but rest assured, I will find time for a get together so we can discuss, our mutual interests?" Alystae hated to use flirtation and stealth teasing but the benefits of Max Vallario's patronage far outweighed her personal feelings. But she was the head of the Co-op, and dealing with the powers that be required finesse, so she gave the lusty turian a bashful smile when giving him her contact information.

A few kids had arrived in the reception, a salarian, a turian and a batarian. They were obviously duct rats themselves. Michelle knew that their addition was upsetting to the humble hanar's sense of decorum, but she wanted them to be heard tonight. She waved at them as Kakro, the salarian, got on stage.

"Hi everyone", he started timidly, "my name's Kakro, those are my boys Junar and Torr, we're duct rats that Ms Whisk... Rondor over here is helping. She asked us if we could come say a few words, tell you more about our story... So I'll go first..."

Suddenly his shyness melted away, and a comedian smile appeared on his face as his big black eyes widened.

"So people, what's up with being a duct rat? Am I right? It's like, one day you're chilling with your dad and uncle visiting Palaven, next up BAM, big squid monsters in the sky drawing dicks in your city with their lasers... What? You think I'm kidding? Ho no, the reapers were drawing mammal male genitalias with those lasers of them. Check out the aerial photos if you don't believe me. Anyway..."

A big silence had fallen in the public. Michelle couldn't help but put her face in her hand. A lady near her asked "wait... Is that kid doing a one man show? What's happening?"

Ho, Kakro... I should have guessed.

"So", resumed the salarian with an entertainer voice, "you're crammed up there, under the safety of the sweaty armpits of a batarian dude, and you arrive to the Citadel. No biggie. And then you learn that your relatives were on a different shuttle, never to be seen again.
Ho non, the shuttle wasn't dropped by the reapers, it just used the Moran Corp Map System! Oooh, burn, am I right?
So yeah, since then I've found those boys, I've been living it up in the comfort of the brilliant Citadel Pipe System. And that's when the gangs come and tell you that you work for them now, ooops! Ho yeah, you know how gangs are! That guy knows what I'm talking about!

So when a lady round as a volus come and tell you that things can be better... well you laugh actually, have you see those things on her face? It's like, what? You're ashamed of those tiny furhead eyes, because-"

At long last his two friends managed to extract him from the scene. While the turian was dragging him away, the batarian one took the micro and spoke in it. "Sorry about him, huuu... We'll be back in a minute. Sorry."

Meanwhile Michelle approached Alystae. She didn't want to, but she didn't have a choice either.

"Hey Alystae, I hope this is a bad time. You wanted to talk to me I believe. How about we go someplace and get this over with?"

Salarians. Had he been human, he would have rolled his eyes. As it was, he let out a very low grumble, which managed to cause a nearby woman's glass to shake slightly. She looked at it oddly.

He wondered if Rondor had a better option for a representative Duct Rat speaker. Immediately afterward, he hoped it wasn't Alonso. Then again, his was an unusual case in more ways than one. Not exactly representative.

"Any sane person would", Kari said to Michelle her lip curled in disgust underneath her helmet. Once again not thrilled to have bumped into this human again.

Turning her attention back to Taleeze (making a mental sigh of relief when the asari didn't embrace her like she thought she was about to) and nodded in Daia's direction. "Hello, I suppose...", she said offering her hand, her tone one of mild disinterest.

"Mr. Wilde is just someone I owed a favor to. That is all. Though after that stunt he pulled he will be lucky if I talk to him at all anytime soon."

Max accepted the number from Alystae graciously, his eyes betraying what was really on his mind. He felt like he had hit the proverbial jackpot here. He entered the number into his omni-tool, then giving her his own number with that coy smirk of his still plastered all over his face. It didn't take a rocket scientist to divine what was on his mind. He was obviously thinking about all the different ways he could potentially mix business and pleasure- if he was lucky. In his mind, coming to this gala had been the best decision he'd made all week. He was finally getting his groove back after the debacle that had happened at Bliss.

"Why thank you my dear. My schedule can be hectic as well, but I'm positive we can find some time in both our calenders to sit down and talk to one another about important issues..." Even if the Asari was just putting on an act, Max almost didn't care. Once his libido and his ambition joined forces, they were in full command of his actions. It'd gotten him this far.

With bemusement Arina was watching the flirtatious ambition of Max. The nartin native did seem to be well aware of her toolbox though but what was to say against a small flirt?
Maybe if her own situation had been different she had tested Max a bit herself but it did not feel right. “hm.” She raised an eyebrow at herself. That damned little turian soldierboy.

She sipped at her glass and wandered off as Alystae and Max exchanged private data. She picked a canapé from a table and with a chuckled added a shwa’mal mushroom from the table decoration to it. Why did nobody know how to use them properly?

She laughed and applauded at the speech by that salarian guy, whom she immediately recognized! He should really get on a stage professionally.

She looked around and her eyes came to rest on the lone elcor in the room. Of course Arina did sense his grumble. She switched on her elcor-communication enhancements and strolled over.

“Good evening, sir. Do you enjoy the banquest? I am curious, what brings an elcor here. There are not many duct rats of your people. A lucky thing if you ask me, my kind has much more misled youngsters to take care of. I am Arina Caenis, pleasure to meet you.” She bowed her head.

"Hello," Daia nodded back, taking Kari's hand - her grip warm, but brief enough not to seem overly affectionate. Kari's demeanour in person tallied with what she had heard from Taleeze, and vaguely guessed at based on her forum posts; not someone who welcomed presumption from strangers.

"That was a fine speech," she offered politely. "Especially for being improvised."

Xuumo had apparently caught the attention of another diplomatic figure. He might have said "caught the eye of", but there was no chance of anyone missing him visually. The asari had apparently been curious enough to approach. Her name was familiar to him, actually, as another participant on CDN - strange, how many notable community figures registered there. Perhaps, like himself, they found it a useful means of keeping an eye on the stranger side of life. Always best to be in the know.

He offered a polite rumble of greeting.

"Pleasantly conversational: Good evening, Ms. Caenis. I am Xuumo-kalashasi, of Dekuuna. I imagine my presence is rather hard to miss".

He wasn't too pleased about that, but there were some things it was pointless worrying over. There were other forms of discretion. And he had Alonso.

"Confirmatory: There aren't too many of my kind in this unfortunate situation, no. Wry amusement: Partly because we're not very efficient at scuttling around in tight places.

Speculative: I imagine there's also the strong herding bond; it makes it less likely that one of us will be left alone".

A piercing sense of sadness unexpectedly shot through him. Even now, when he could safely say those days were on their way to being behind him, the loneliness of his self-enforced isolation had the power to unsettle him.

"Mournful observation: Then again, your own people know the wisdom of tight social bonding, and many of you have ended up there, as you say.

Matter-of-fact: My connection to this cause is one of unexpected circumstance rather than natural inclination. I found evidence that the child of a non-elcor friend had survived the war, now orphaned. The father and I were at one point extremely tight, our relationship was very productive. Unabashedly: We all try to pick up where we can, and some things cannot simply be abandoned. Intensely: I couldn't allow Pietro's son to simply disappear into the life of a homeless refugee, not when I could offer him better.

Appreciative: Leaving the Ducts was very helpful not only in locating him, but in fast-tracking the process of my taking responsibility for him. Firmly: I could not refuse a request to show my support tonight".

"The other must cease immediately!"

Swivelling round, Durix's eyes might have registered, for the first time, the tiniest moment of uncertainty.

It was not a battle cry to leave hardened street fighters quaking in their boots, though Laykalar would have earned points for righteous commitment. Very rarely was one privileged to hear something so obviously believed.

In his mere two seconds of paralysis, the turian mouthed the only possible response. What. The. Fuck?

Stepping out from behind Laykalar, Sarah stretched her arms and cracked her neck. "Listen to the hanar, boys, or I'm going to give you an enema with that fringe of yours." She was enveloped with a biotic light- First in the palms, then across her arms and eventually her entire body.

"Laykalar, Call the police. Tell them to bring a doctor." She spoke wistfully. "It's been way too long." She sprung into the air and vanished- Her body turning itself into a speeding projectile that appeared as a blue-white blur. Coming out of her charge maneuver, she used her momentum to swing a charged fist into the Turian's face.

Durix spun, his blade still on the Red Hood's throat as he saw the spirits damned carnival???? Seeing 3 hanar, one a holograph, a Drell wheeling a cake shaped like the pudgy do-gooder Ms. Rondor and a platinum blonde. The statement telling Durix to stop made the laughable scene perfect, the Beast of Armiger tossing Snow aside just as the blonde struck with a biotic punch. The blow forceful enough to knock Durix a good ten feet into the alley against a large supply container, the turian was able to roll with the punch with mixed results. "A biotic, this should be good," mumbling through a cracked jaw, the turian refocused on the blonde human. Slowly getting up, Durix rehefted his knife as he sprinted the construction crates, closing the distance with the biotic blonde. The broken ribs and newly cut forehead hindering the turian's progress as he used his off hand to open proceedings, a straight left to the inside of her ribcage, followed by a right kick to her inner thigh...

Falling to the street, Snow letting out a cough, a gout of blood hitting the ground as he remained kneeling, seeing shadowy figures in front of him as he tried to breathe. Unaware of Sarah and Durix, his eyes gazing down at the street as the pain was slowly fading, replaced by a strange warmth. A knowing smile started to show through the blood and bruising on Snow's face, he was at the end of the road, and he was glad. Unaware of Laykalar and the others, the ex-marine started to pull his hand away from the wound...

"I'm looking forward to the exchange of ideas Mr. Vallario", Alystae accepting the comm number from the assemblyman, making sure to ignore the smirk the turian was now wearing. After storing it in a restricted folder in her omnitool, she spotted Miss Rondor approaching her and the Assemblyman, "speaking of ideas on how to revitalise the citadel, here is one of the unsung heroes of Lower Tayseri", gesturing to Michelle as she side stepped to make some room for the rotund do-gooder.

"Well, to find time for little old me Miss Rondor, I am honored and humbled", the Co-op leader's eyes mischevious as she greeted the LTD head, but keeping her body language and tone welcoming. "I trust you and Assemblyman Vallario know of each other?" Alystae making the introductions, trying to discern Miss Rondor's motives.

"Thank you", Kari nodded, quickly snatching her hand back. "It should have probably been longer but I really do not care for public speeches", she made a quick glance at Davril still sitting across the restaurant and snorted. "Especially ones sprung on me out of nowhere."

"So why are you two here?" She said having decided she'd rather talk to the two asari for now, rather than bothering with Davril for the time being "I know neither of you live on the Citadel."