Elite roleplay: Citi Gateway

CITI GATEWAY

The Orbis station is a center of activity. Within the station a myriad of places can be found.
  • The Warrens: Where the poor plebs of the station live. It's is a breeding ground for the most unscrupulous. Keep an eye on your wallet when traversing the corridors of these areas.
  • Habitation Complex: For those workers and pilots that can afford it, this area provides closer to 1G gravity for more earth like living.
  • Commerce Divison: and Administration Where the larger corporations make their home. Station administration can be found here.
  • Industrial Complex: Where industry manufactures their various goods.
  • Entertainment: District Bars, theaters and night clubs, tattoo parlors and other establishments can be found vying for a commanders credits in exchange for a bit of fun.
  • Station Security: A high tech brig used to house law breakers until they can be tried, and or deported off station.
  • Medical Ward: Where commanders can get patched up, enhanced, or fix existing cybernetics.

General Roleplay Etiquette:
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Inara RP Etiquette:
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Other Notes:
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19 Jul 2021, 12:37pm
Veronica chuckles at Ridge's comment, then has another big gulp of her beer, almost finishing the glass. She stands and waves to the bartender.

"Can we 'ave the same again 'ere, please?"

The bartender nods. Before sitting down, Veronica turns to look at the image in the booth behind her.

"'Sostia Adumambwe'," she reads out, "'as Katie Minola in The Shrew, 'er only 'olovid'."

Veronica retakes her seat as the bartender brings the next round of drinks.
19 Jul 2021, 12:47pm
Michael settles in, taking a long sip of his brew.

"And what about you, Miss Vayle? What roles have you played?"
19 Jul 2021, 1:39pm
As she finishes her first beer, Veronica holds Ridge's gaze over the rim of her glass.

"Well, now," she says, exchanging the empty glass for the newly arrived full one. "Took you long enough to get round to askin', didn't it? I was beginnin' to think you 'adn't noticed the wig an' the false name an' the faked accent. Not to mention the clown suit."

She takes a measured swallow from her second beer.
19 Jul 2021, 2:01pm
Ridge shrugged.

"After waking up with a wicked hangover and a couple years' worth of selective memory loss, I guess it all sort of blended in. But I'm serious."

He leans forward, his eyes meeting hers, a roguish smile lifting his lips.

"What kind of woman did I just entrust myself to?"


Last edit: 19 Jul 2021, 4:58pm
19 Jul 2021, 3:34pm
Veronica leans forward in return, so that her face is barely inches away from Ridge's
She stares into his eyes for several seconds, a faint smile flickering on her lips.

"A clever one," she replies at last, her voice a mere whisper, "who's used to keepin 'er business to 'erself."

She leans back in her seat, then shrugs.

"All right. I trick people into givin' me money. Nothin' big, nothin' major. A few 'undred 'ere, a couple of grand there, nothin' major. It's really more of an 'obby. I do it because it gives me pleasure. The disguises are all part of the fun. The wigs, the names, the accents. The clown suits."

Veronica takes a sip of her beer.

"You remember the black outfit I was wearin' in the cafe? I'd worn that the day before, runnin' a quick scam in a bar. I was Rippleah Palmerham, the recently bereaved widow of a miner with a claim to sell. The mark didn't bite, but you can't expect to win 'em all. I nearly 'ad 'er, though, but the silly cow offered me a job instead. All she wanted me to do was sit in the bar an' keep my eyes open for someone she was lookin' for. Simple surveillance, an' borin' as 'ell. I turned it down, of course. Waste of my time. Instead I left the bar an' went down to the docks... which, as we've worked out, is where you an' I met."

Veronica wrinkles her nose at Ridge, then gulps down another mouthful of beer.
19 Jul 2021, 3:54pm
Slowly, Michael nods.

"Well, that... helps everything else about the whole day make sense. But here's the thing: grifters don't cop to their grift unless there's something in it for them."

He takes another sip.

"Now, don't get me wrong. It's been a hell of a day and I appreciate everything you've done. It's obvious that you and I got mixed up together... somehow. But... having said all that... I still don't really know you, Miss Veronica Vayle. At least, not any more."

A hard smile lifts his lips.

"So what is it that you want?"


Last edit: 19 Jul 2021, 4:03pm
19 Jul 2021, 4:19pm
A dark, angry frown suddenly appears on Veronica's face. She lets out a short, humourless laugh.

"Isn't it bloody obvious? I want to fill in the gap in my memory. I want to know what I did, an' where I went. I want to know why some bugger felt it necessary to fuck about with my memory. I want the same as you do, Ridge. You an' me are in the same bleedin' boat, an' I want to know who it was who took us for a ride an' then made us forget all about it. That, Mister Michael Ridge, is what I want!"

Veronica downs the rest of her beer in one go.

"An' that's what's in it for me."
19 Jul 2021, 4:26pm
Michael looks down at his beer, swirling it in its glass, taking another long sip.

"Yeah," he says. "Me too. But a man like me meets a woman like you and just... can't... help but to wonder if I was your latest grift. Or if we bit off more than we can chew. Or what the hell we were doing with the Inquisition."

He holds up a warning finger. "But if you think you're the only one at this table who's ever copped to a low-level grift just to pull off a greater one, you're mistaken. I want to trust you, Vayle. But maybe I made that mistake once already."
19 Jul 2021, 5:11pm
"I see," says Veronica softly, nodding. "I see."

She leans forward, blinking slowly and smiling gently at Ridge. She reaches forward and delicately takes hold of the man's finger, then raises it to her lips and kisses it, looking Ridge in the eye all the while.

"The next time you wag this finger at me like that," she says in a soft but intense whisper, "I will break it. But for now, you can take your finger and shove it up your arse. It'll be nice company for yer brain."

Veronica then abruptly jumps to her feet, an expression of outrage now on her face.

"What did you just call me?" she yells at Ridge. The room falls silent as the patrons turn to see what's going on. "How dare you speak to me like that! I've never been so insulted in all my life! The wedding is off! Goodbye!"

Veronica stalks away from the booth. "He's payin' for the drinks!" she calls to the bartender, then leaves the bar.
19 Jul 2021, 6:32pm
The whole room is staring at Ridge, who feels preternaturally at peace with how things played out. He reclines in his seat, tasking a long sip, watching the woman leave. People return to their drinks.

Hell, maybe I'm the one who deep-sixxed my memories.

Ridge finishes his beer.
19 Jul 2021, 7:29pm
Veronica walks away from Citi Pritti. Her first dozen or so steps are brisk, but then they slow until, a few metres further on, she stops altogether.

She turns and looks back towards the Citi Pritti bar doors, and waits...

"Bugger," she says after a few minutes. She turns away again, her head bowed, then wanders off to find another bar.
19 Jul 2021, 9:23pm
(A short while later)

Michael Ridge emerges from the bar, alone amid the Entertainment District crowds. He looks around, half-wondering if he'll catch sight of Veronica. He does not. The man takes a deep breath

So what if she helped you? Lies. Disguises. Grifts. Dodged a bullet no matter what your history was.

He shakes his head, walking away, now only a face in the crowd.

Even if that dress did fit pretty damn well...


Last edit: 21 Jul 2021, 2:01am
20 Jul 2021, 2:30pm
(Several hours later...)

An insistent beeping rouses Veronica Vayle from a deep slumber. She is aboard the Smelly Egg, lying in her underwear on her bunk. Her Remlok flightsuit and jacket lie in crumpled heaps on the deck.

The beeping from Veronica's dataslate continues. Still flat on her back, Veronica reaches for the device and gives it a tap, holding it above her head in order to read the display. It is an incoming call, voice only. The voice is male, and familiar.

"Ronni? It's me."

"Toby?" Veronica sits upright in shock.

"Listen, Ronni. I broke out of the nick. I'm here, on Citi Gateway. I'm right outside your ship. I need help. Come down, quick."

"Yeah, of course. I'll get dressed an'--"

"No! There isn't time. Just come as you are. It'll be okay. It's not like I haven't seen it all before. Please, Ronni."

"All right."

Veronica dashes out of her stateroom and along the corridor to the exit hatch. She cautiously descends the ladder to the deck of the hangar. There is no sign of Toby Lurrowswick, Veronica's old boss - and lover - from her days in the London police.

"Toby?" Veronica calls out. "Toby, where are you?"

"Over here," comes the reply from the shadows. "Near the lifts."

Veronica jogs across the hangar to the lifts, one of which is invitingly open.

"Take the lift, Ronni," says Toby's voice from the dataslate in Veronica's hand. "I'm waiting for you. Hurry."

Veronica steps into the lift. The doors close and the lift ascends. Seconds later Veronica finds herself standing on the upper deck. She takes a few steps, looking for Toby. She hears his voice from her dataslate once again, speaking in urgent, desperate tones.

"Ronni, we can't talk here. Go to the Entertainment District."

"Toby, I'm in my bloody underwear! I can't--"

"You can! Head for the Entertainment District, Ronni. Watch out for me there. You'll be all right. You know you can trust me."

Barefoot, Veronica makes her way to the Entertainment District, watching for the first glimpse of Toby. But the mall is crowded with people, making progress slow.

"Go to the nightclub, Ronni," urges Toby's voice from the dataslate. "I'll explain everything once we're inside."

The queue for the nightclub is enormous. Dozens and dozens of people stand in a line which snakes along the mall for hundreds of metres. They are all wearing Maverick suits.

Joining the end of the queue, Veronica finds herself outside the Citi Pritti bar. Through the window she can discern the figures of Kenji Tanaka and Carter Stanningley, sitting in a booth under an image of Rebekka Thorne.

Veronica feels the tap of a finger on her shoulder. She turns to find Sosti Adumambwe, proffering a feather earring.

"You dropped this, Veronica," says the holovid star.

Veronica takes the earring and fixes it to her left ear. She checks her own reflection in the window of the Citi Pritti. Her black halterneck corset top, emblazoned with crimson skulls, is a snug fit. The black-and-white tartan skirt flaps in the breeze against her thighs. Her ripped red fishnet tights and block-heeled black ankle boots accentuate her legs.

Her head is completely shaven, except for the thick plait of green hair which grows from the very top. Her makeup is garishly elaborate, with deep purple eyeshadow, pink-blushed cheeks and bright blue lips. She has no eyebrows, and her eyes are golden coloured.

Around her waist is a steel belt, welded in place. Firmly attached to the belt is a short length of chunky silver chain. At the other end of the chain is Michael Ridge, his attire and makeup identical to Veronica's, the ends of their plaits woven into one.

"Ronni."

Veronica and Ridge turn as one to find Toby Lurrowswick standing behind them in the queue. He is wearing orange prison fatigues and a fedora.

"Stop pissin' in the wind, Ronni," he says, holding up a warning finger to her.

"You is old," intones Veronica in reply. She turns to Michael and smiles serenely. They lean toward one another, puckering up. Then, just as their blue-painted lips are about to touch...

Veronica wakes up with a start, breathing heavily.

She is aboard the Smelly Egg, lying in her underwear on her bunk. Her Remlok flightsuit and jacket lie in crumpled heaps on the deck.

Her dataslate is beeping...
20 Jul 2021, 6:32pm
The door to the room slides shut behind Michael, it's surroundings now seemingly drab and dull. A half-drank bottle of something strong is held loosely in his hand, barely set down without spilling. He collapses upon the bunk, pulling off his boots with more effort than usual, and looking around himself. He could almost see Veronica standing before him, making some smartassed quip or another. He glances to his side, almost seeing her laying back and resting. The man shakes his head.

Stupid.

He turns to pick up his dataslate, accessing Citi's local datanet. Focusing is difficult, but a brief perusal of the jobs available either assumes that one had their own ship, or that one was bonded with the Pilots Federation.

Michael has and is not either of those things.

Stupid.

He closes out his dataslate and tosses it aside. He'll have to go to the crew commons in person, chatting up ship captains, explaining his situation, putting out his own solicitations and essentially begging for work in a professional manner.

Stupid.

Michael Paxton Ridge is a captain without a ship, with more questions than answers, and for whom returning to his home planet simply isn't an option. The closest thing he has to a friend is an admitted grifter whose relationship with everyday truth was casual at best. And worse, he doesn't even know why his ship was missing. Ridge leans forward, rubbing his eyes and exhaling a long, ragged sigh.

Stupid.

Michael reaches out for the bottle...


Last edit: 21 Jul 2021, 2:02am
20 Jul 2021, 9:31pm
Veronica, wearing a pair of grey cargo pants, boots, and a black vest top under her blue-trimmed pilot jacket, deboards the Smelly Egg and crosses the hangar. She takes the lift up to the terminal building, and from there makes her way to the Starlight Estates hab-block complex.

Soon she is standing outside the temporary residence of Michael Ridge. She presses the buzzer by the door.

No answer.

She presses the buzzer again, for longer this time. Again there is no answer. Forgoing a third attempt with the buzzer, Veronica hammers on the door with her fist as hard as she can.

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