Clear, crisp and powerful bass notes [Posted video] knocked in melody within the cockpit of a highly modified Dodge Challenger Hellcat-Red eye [Widebody]. An obsidian skinned two door construct wildly abundant in power from birth, but thanks to his own prowess and knowledge worked with even more then the norm. Beneath the hood, howling like enraged banshee riding atop of a Tyrannosaur was a meticulously engineered and masterfully constructed Forged Internals, 6.2L Super Charged + Hellion Twin Turbocharged V8, heralding in excess of 1500whp whenever one had the sheer unmitigated audacity to fully press the throttle. He could feel the bass resonating in his chest, and he nodded in synch with the melody and became immersed in the mood and showcased presence of such a beautiful machine, looking like liquid night time with bright Bi-Xenon HID's for eyes glide down the main street and then turn off into an alley just adjacent the building that served as his destination. Within the closer confines of the alley the engine's growl seemed to be augmented. Bouncing off the walls, it was as if it was vibrating the time and space present within the immediate area itself for the entire time that it was slowly piloted off to the right and shut off. His keys were pocketed, and the door was opened so that the large bald-headed, thick bearded obelisk of a man once hidden beneath 5% Tint---was here for anyone to see. 


He rose to a height of 7' even, wonderfully sculpted and constructed---Just like the car. Black Cargo Pants, Black Tall-Keg Suede TImberland boots, a Tank top and fitted T-shirt in sequence with the current color scheme finalized with a black leather jacket to finish off the look. There was a calm reservation to him, a mixture of regality and urban swagger seen in few, attempted by many, enhanced by the seemingly infinite amount of confidence radiating from the man who approached the side entrance of well known yet somehow still exclusive Tavern called "Sister Margrets", a mercenary bar and a haven for those in the business regardless of their background. Mutant, Human, mysitc or otherwise....it didn't matter. You needed or wanted work? It was here for you. Security not only didn't bother, they knew better. So it was of no surprise that the towering figure was allowed to enter the establishment armed and all, smiling the moment his nose caught whiffs of the air that manages to stay unchanged in hair. Wood, Liquor, cigar smoke and gunpowder. Never failed. Aged chairs and tables. Wood floors that needed to be done over, but more space then anyone can ask for, crystal clear TV's on the wall with cable and relevant shit to watch and the strongest drinks you can ask for.

Speaking of which his favorite was already placed on the counter top, his usual Blanton's Bourbon, the entire bottle and 4 shot glasses all of which were lined and filled and Romulus would sit after a few nods of greeting were exchanged and ensnare and down his first shot while the barkeep dubbed Spade spoke:



"Transfers complete. Dude deducted the cost of the car though.."

Romulus' eyes immediately went to spades, and quipped back before "You tell him I said run my money or i'll blow up his house next, with HIM IN IT..." spade would laugh aloud, pull out his phone and walk away momentarily as Rom worked through his next two shots and not to long after an audible chime would sound from his phone indicating a deposit had been made prompting Rom to nod, "Figured as much...anything else on the docket?" and Spade would raise a single index finger already knowing full well what was going to be requested of him. "Give me a moment while I sort them out Rom, couple of newbies around and those not of the fold, don't be surprised if a job finds you."

“....and then the pig said, ‘Where’s my money?’”

The table erupted in laughter as big burly men and women reacted to the joke.

Zek just sat there as smug as a cat. He even went as far as to pat himself on the back. That had been a very good joke. Very well timed, too. Razor Rupert had been having a bad day so Zek had done what he could to cheer the guy up. Also, the Razor Riders were a fun group of rough and tumble bikers - Zek liked swapping stories with them.

“Next round’s on me,” Zek said, to another round of cheers from the table as he got up to head back to the bar.

He caught the barkeep’s attention. “Another round of banana strawberry mimosas and an aqueous martini!” he said, slapping a gold coin on the bar. As the bartender got to work, Zek turned around to people watch. And immediately saw a really familiar-looking person.

“Hey, you look familiar,” Zek informed the really tall guy who was dressed in solid black everything. Zek snapped his fingers and grinned, waving a hand at his own black trenchcoat, black Chuck Taylors, and fashionably-ripped black skinny jeans. “Didn’t I see you at Dave’s Black Tie & Other Things blowout sale last month? Dude, can you believe those discounts? What a bargain!”

Had just finished a shot when the mans voice hit his ears, and the comprehension of his words caused a familiar habit to trigger and ring true. Rom often identified or labeled people based on their demeanor and this guy screamed "Comedian". He was cool with the happy go lucky type of folk, the jokesters, guys who quip and got one liners for days---so long as they were actually funny. This one here was off to a moderate start so far, he at least garnered some recognition, Rom's eyes finding their corners and his head swiveling a few degrees in his direction before they then scrutinized Zek's attire. Stopping at the tear in his jeans before coming up to meet his gaze "Im guessing it's possible. *Brief pause* That must've been a pretty big dog that got to you....you should have shot it, messed up a good pair fo jeans."


 Rom would  pour up another 4 shots and slide one down the bar for Zek to have should he want it. Blanton's was VERY Strong, most of their bottles single pot aged up after a 9 time distilling process 40 years before being aged an actual 20 more. 130 proof, but still smooth as ice going down with low-heat but good after taste. In the time taken to do that Spade would have returned and slid a sheet of paper before him that would have been taken and pocketed. Leads. To be gone through and confirmed later, for  now Romulus planned on enjoying the atmosphere here for the duration and figured he'd see where the night took him.

His left hand plucked the shot off the table and raised it, those eyes once again found Zek and would precede the glass being raised in ceremony of shot taking. Should his nod be met with another, the two would down the shot in unison and continue to have whatever dialogue that followed.

Zek nodded in self assurance. He knew that guy looked familiar! He had very distinctive ears. Zek could’ve picked him out of a lineup very easily because of that and that alone. Everything else about the man was pretty vague and unassuming.

His grin turned a bit feral. “Oh, you can be sure of that!” Zek said confidently, crossing his legs at the ankle as he leaned against the bar. He wiggled an exposed knee a bit. “The dog never saw it coming. Never saw the toaster oven coming either, or the water balloon.” Zek pulled a package of cheese and crackers out of the sleeve of his coat and noisily unwrapped the snack.

A shot of something slid down to Zek. Zek let it keep sliding. Unfortunately it did not slide all the way off the end of the bar and crash to the floor. Ah well. Maybe next time? Breaking glass was always such a fun sound.

He missed the social cues Ears was giving off and Zek busied himself in devouring a cracker. “So what have you been up to, dude?” Zek asked nonchalantly. He nodded at the papers that were passed to the guy. “You doing homework?” School wasn’t really Zek’s thing, but respect to those who continued it.

Romulus stood there in a little bit of shock at first, either this guy was clueless or didn't drink and was weird an rude about it. Thankfully someone else picked up on it and plucked the shot up and would have raised it to Rom, who was annoyed at this point, gave a slight nod back and enjoyed his shot while -Cheese and Crackers- here decided to indulge him with conversation. Already he knew how a friendship or a consistent interaction with this one would go. The two differed, Romulus was of the more serious manner, a decent sense of humor and capable of quipping from time to time albeit sarcastically, and this guy was probably a full on riot when he wanted to be. Not a care in the world, and in his own zone almost always with either a diminished or elevated social method depending on what side of it you were standing on. Rom eyed the cheese and crackers and shook his head a bit at the manner they were both reached for, opened up and indulged in.

Took everything in him not to ask  "Who the fuck stashes cheese and crackers in their sleeve? but he was more then sure he'd get a two thumbed "THIS GUY" as a response if he did that would have annoyed him even further. Still, the guy wasn't all bad. Even when he jokingly referred to the paper as homework, which wasn't to far off from the mark. "You could say that. Wouldn't be totally in accurate in assuming that." Rom would reach for the bottle yet again to dispense another shot while still speaking loud enough for him to be heard over the ambient commotion here.

"So what's with the school snack, You know they serve food here?...Then again.." He looked through the bar partition at Bill, the 50 year old asshole who prepares what passes for food here. It was hit or miss. He either undercooked it or burned the shit out of it and anything beyond a cheeseburger, you'd best have a damn healing factor if u planned on eating it. "Cheese and crackers doesn't seem half bad right now considering. You got a name fella??" May as well ask. Romulus thought.

So it was homework. Or homework-like. Okay. Zek nodded and pursed his lips in a casual way, the way you do when you don’t really care but are acknowledging that the other person said something that at least wasn’t immediately stupid. “Cool,” he said, stuffing a cheese-covered cracker into his mouth. He noticed that the papers had been given to the guy by someone else. “So you buying your answers from that guy?” Zek said, spraying a few crumbs as he jerked his thumb over at the bartender. “Weird thing to have on a menu.”

Although it did make Zek wonder if there was money to be made in selling answers to stuff. Like, would people actually pay money for stuff he just copied off the Internet? Zek made a mental note to ask Clarksburg about that later, and then properly forgot where he left the note.

He nibbled on another dairy-topped wafer. “Cheese and crackers are amazing,” he said with simple confidence and a simpler shrug. It was science. “Besides, I already ate.” Four grease-covered plates back at his table were evidence of that. And Ears seemed to be a believer in science. “Yep, you should ask them to make some cheese and crackers for you. They won’t be as good as these, though.” Zek stuffed more crackers and cheese in his mouth and swallowed loudly.

“Yes I do,” Zek said with a nod. He had many names. Couldn’t remember all of them though. Most of them were just the names other people called him, the kind of names usually blipped out in TV shows. “You looking to buy one?” If the guy was buying answers from that other guy, maybe Zek could make a quick buck by selling him a name. Now that sounded like a sweet racket.

“So what brings you down this way?” he said, gnashing his teeth on more delectable goodness.

Mr. No name was amusing if he could say so in the least. He came off like one of those aloof types, not to much of a care in the world. Fly by the seat of his pants, but had some form of direction. Jack of all trades willing to learn more Quick witted. Romulus nodded to himself, as if making mental notes and answering certain questions internally without making it known. With three shot glasses left in front of him they were filled again and Romulus took a crack at responding, "You're at a Mercenary bar. The next job is what brings me here. Drinks aren't half bad either..." 

Speaking of which 1 of the 3 were downed and he continued on, "Not at all.  This isn't a place people in the field come to PAY for names, the Names are usually paying for us to Take other names off the board, or to work some manner or miracle. I'd say me not knowing your name or being overly interested is a blessing for you.." The second shot was downed. "Better you give it for free, then someone else paying me to know it. For now im fine calling you Cheese and Crackers...". It hadn't dawned on him prior to that moment but Romulus had taken a better look at Cheese and Crackers and had scrutinized his features in greater detail. 

"So you know why im here, what about you? Sure ain't just for the food.." Romulus' right hand would reach into the left inside pocket and pull a Cigar from it that was placed to his lips and ignited. He eye balled the Cubab to ensure it wasn't Canoeing  before settling them back onto Cheese and Crackers here.

Zek blinked rather owlishly at Ears. “A mercenary bar?” he parroted then shook his head. “Nah, I’m pretty sure those don’t exist. I know I would’ve heard of them if they did.” Now wouldn’t that be fun, having a bar where you could go and be a mercenary? That would make Zek’s life so much easier - he was certain at least some mercs had to have bounties on them! His eyes practically turned into little dollar bill signs.

“If you say so,” Zek said with a shrug. Ears was starting to bore him. Mostly because he kept talking about names, not having names, buying names, names on a board. Zek looked the guy over. Geography hadn’t been his best subject, neither was nameology, but where did you come from where people paid to give you a name?

And were there any direct flights there? Zek was pretty confident he’d do amazing in that market. Again, people tended to call him all kinds of names, so if he could monetize that he’d be able to buy so many gumballs!

And Ears was now giving Zek a name. Cheese and Crackers? That was a terrible name. However, Zek figured he could get a little extra for it. He shoved the last cheese and cracker combo in his mouth and stuck out a crumby and slightly sticky hand, palm up, toward Ears. “Call me what you want. That’ll be fifty dollars,” he said. He’d hate to disrespect the man’s culture but not charging him for the name he’d given Zek. Seemed like a silly custom buy hey, who was Zek to get in the way of a fool trying to depart his money?

He chomped the last cracker noisily and only some crumbs flew out. “Oh I’m here for trivia night,,” Zek said, not bothering to hide the partially chewed food. “Got my team over there. We’re the Occam’s Razors.” Zek nodded toward the table where the Razor Riders were still seated. “I came up with the name myself. Pretty slick, huh?”

"So long as I owe you, you'll never be broke."  A round about way of basically telling someone no, especially someone he can't read or tell is being serious and Rom himself isn't trying to come off unnecesarily abraive. there was an art this man had in conversating tha made him hard to read and almost impossible to take serious, yet oddly enough it didn't cause one to be offended or off put by anything he said or did.. Rom had looked dowon breifly beofre being show the party he traveled with and would chuckle and nod some, while speaking out the corner of his mouth  while answering the questtion. "Cool is definitely  word you could use... 

Spade had returned to him once and had giving  thumbs up and a nod signaling that the information on the piece of paper he  gave Rom wss valid and worth looking into. Whether his new found conversationlist wanted to buy it or not, this was a plce mercs to find and obtain contracts, some or most of them did have bountie on their heads and it was an unwritten law that no business or strife against fellow mercs be carried out on the grounds. Quite the heavy penalty wwhen it' violaed to.. The cigar had been plucked from his lips and dudded out in the metal ashtray efore them in the bar before bein returned to his inner coat pocket and the funds on his tab given to Spade directly. Rom tapped the bar top loudly with his right hand and pointed at spade,  "Heading to Haven now, ill be confirming that shortly, you tell the client to have the ticket on that conract in line and ready im acting on it if this intel is any good."  Those crimson eyes finally would turn back to Cheese and Crackers and flicker slightly, like jewels from the pits of hell they come light and fade back inactive before he spoke. "Good speaking with you, be safe. Duty calls.." Rom had rose to his full height and the obelisk of a man if uninterrupted would procede toward the side door he entered from.

Once in the side alley, the Beast  vehicle [Detailed in profile] Patiently awaited and upon coming within range of his key fob, the high intensity lights and and tails ould come on and the car would unlock in heed to his approach.

Zek arched an eyebrow and then wrinkled his nose up at the guy. What in Dullworld did that mean? “So give me the money then you won’t oew me and I won’t be broke. Everyone wins!” Zek said brightly.

….He didn’t think he was getting the money, though.

He shrugged and retracted his hand. “Eh, it’s all good. But until I get that money you can’t keep calling me Cheese and Crackers,” he said. “Them’s the rules.” Weird rules, but hey, if that’s all it took to get a little payday, Zek would follow those and just about any other silly rules people came up with. It literally cost him nothing to talk. It was almost like being a politician! Now there was a racket!

And finally the barkeep came back with….not his drinks. He had more papers or something. Honestly, Zek didn’t care. He wanted what he ordered. “Yoohoo, barkeep! Where my drinks at?” he said, waving his hands for attention.

Ears finished his sidebar over the bar with the barkeep. Zek blatantly listened in on it, drumming his fingers on the bar. Ears passed by and Zek returned the good-bye, “You too, man. Break a leg, don’t talk to strangers, and don’t eat the yellow snow!”

Minutes later, Zek had his drinks and returned to his table, to roars of excitement.

“Alright! Who’s ready for trivia?”

Once within the vehicle he'd have pressed the button and ignited the engine, which roared to life and was set into first gear where upon pressing the throttle and depressing the clutch the car would spin tires briefly before rocketing off down the alleyway and out onto the main. His finger found the left wrist, prompting a voice capture feature to activate so that he may send a message to Spade. "Proposition that guy I was just talking to. Put a cherry on top.." 

Not to shortly after that, Spade could be seen coming around the bar and in his hand was a half-sized white envelope. While not having the most powerful of voices, as the lead bar tender and owner when he spoke most listened or quieted down so he could be heard which was the case when the words 


"Ey! You, Cheese and crackers....got a message for you."


The white half sized envelope would be placed on the bar-top for Zek to get and should he open it's contents he'd find not only the $50 but another $200 inside with a note written along with it. "50 is for the name. Rest is a sign on bonus to a greater take if ur game. Haven. Tomorrow night. 2am." A chance for some quick and decent cash had presented itself for Zek should he be interested,

Perhaps the bartender could be seen walking around the bar. Zek wouldn’t know. He was too busy knocking back his aqueous martini. And perhaps most people did quiet down or listen when the man spoke. Zek wouldn’t know. He was too busy launching into another story, this one only twenty-percent made up on the spot.

Even if he had heard what the bartender said, Zek would’ve ignored it. He had definitely forgotten what Ears had called him by the time Ears had left. Ears himself was already mostly a blur.

As a result, Zek did not notice an unmarked envelope on the bar. Nor did he ever go back to the bar. It was amazing how easy it was to convince all your pals that you’d just bought the previous round when they were all drunker than skunks and you were super sober and great at getting out of paying things.

This was going to be an amazing trivia night!

[End Thread] Continuing link TBA------------>