Imposters

[Halajiin Rabeak]

He is going to get us killed. He's just gonna get us killed. What is he doing?

Pretty sure he's ordering dinner.

No, I mean with this attitude. Whatever it is.

He has an attitude?

Yes! All peppy and cheerful! You didn't notice?

I dunno, once he started talking about eating in a pool, I thought about the last time we were in a Cizerack tea house, and the eating we did there.

Eating out.

Yeah, at a Cizerack tea house.

No, I mean, you were eating out, not eating. I just... nevermind, I better answer, here.

"Nuna and waffles, hot and spicy on the nuna. Greens, dirty rice. Unsweet tea," Hal replied, his voice mercifully flatter and to the point than whatever Jeryd was doing. Though he couldn't help but smirk and slip in, "After all, you're all the sweetness I need, tonight, darlin'."

"Flattery'll get you everywhere, honey," the waitress answered, her long, acrylic fingernails tak-tak'ing against an ancient datapad as she took their order. There was no more need for words as she turned and scuttled toward the window to the kitchen. Once there, her grating voice calling out, "I need you to burn one, drag it through the garden and pin a rose on it, frog sticks and dried leaves in the alley, hot yard birds on a checkerboard, squeal in the swamp, laundry grains, sweet brown Alice, and a cup of dishwater that ain't got no yum-yum."

It was all Hal could do to keep from chuckling. Diner lingo, it seemed, was universal, and had formed organically on each and every civilized world independent of each other, with exactly the same terms. If he had a glass of water to sip from, the Nehantite would have done so. As it was, he drummed his clawtips on the table, and quietly spoke. "Trandoshan in the corner, big gal. She doesn't have a plate, just a cup of stimcaff which hasn't been topped up since we've been in. Definitely not a customer. Could either be someone we need to get the attention of, or they're undercover security. Rodians and the human kid probably just celebrating a birthday or something. You don't eat that much sweet stuff outside of a celebration. And dining in a pool might be all well and good for humans, but now imagine doing so with fur. I'll stick with good, honest food over fancy experiences, any day."

Times like these, Hal would have expected a sudden rush of sound from an exceptionally heavy gut of rain upon the awning and windows outside, but with Coruscant - er, Imperial Center's - weather on a controlled grid, there were no such luxuries as being surprised by any form of weather. The rain mostly existed to wash things off, and regulate temperature, as there was precious little grow on what was effectively a massive city block. But still, Hal's eyes turned to the window, hoping for it. and in doing so he looked like he belonged in such a place even more than before. There was no hint of Imperial Knight about him. "Do you see a back door?" he asked, voice still low as he looked to the windows.