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Maverick was honestly glad to see anyone like Zeno at all. The polite exchange let him relax and feel way more at home. Smiling, he took a sip of the punch, and listened to the idle conversation around them, making note of the new arrivals. When the tart sweetness hit his tongue, he made a face, but quickly recovered by clearing his throat. "Well, it ain't whiskey, but it'll do the job. Pleasure to meet you too, Zeno."

He gave his new friend a wink and then turned to face the rest of the guests. He'd never been to a masquerade before, and was a little out of place as well in his chaps and black leather jacket. Perhaps he and Mr. Winters could relate in that regard. Maverick caught his eye across the room and gave him a little nod of encouragement.

"Annual event?" Gabriela grins, her eyebrows shooting up high. "With a bit of luck, I hope it will be! But this place used to just be a waystation for miners. I don't think it's ever had the occasion for a formal party before, though I'm sure there were some, ah, drinking events in the past. We're celebrating our grand re-opening as a commercial station, a beacon for all those who wish to travel through the black into the great unknown. I hope you're enjoying it, though, it'll make it more likely that we do it again."

To Marcus, she waves a hand. "No, no, no trouble. We're not just here for high society, if you know what I mean. It takes all types to pierce through the unknown, eh?"

She takes Cinder's data stick offering, examining it briefly before handing it to a droid attendant. "I believe this will be compatible. I'll have it start broadcasting immediately." She is silently hoping that it won't turn out to be painful to listen to or horribly offensive, but today is requiring a great deal in terms of leaps of faith from her.

"Excuse me..." Yll'r said to Gabriela almost before she even finished speaking. "Sorry if it is a bother, but does this party perhaps feature the traditional ritual item known as the 'helium balloon' anywhere? I am feeling quite peckish and would appreciate a snack, that is if the balloon is not of such significant importance that my consumption of the helium without would be of insult."

Winters would nod in return as professional courtesy to maverick. he could be rough around the edges at times but he knew how to be polite. as for the hostess he would provide a thumbs up as his writer had to go do something for a bit

While commenting on Mr. Winters’ armor, a man bumped into Jadi. As he apologized, she laughed and turned to him. “I have the same issue”, she replied. “I’m a klutz”, her universal translator transformed a similar bajoran word into. “Always bumping into or dropping stuff.” She looked at the bot over his shoulder. “Interesting companion there.”

"Quite the grand opening," Zeno nodded at Gabriela. "Would love to see this place thrive."

While he also wished that, Zeno also found himself wishing the Radiance Station wouldn't potentially become a target to his wicked creators.
He relaxed, a breath of steam releasing from his glowing nostrils. The Quantum Foundation likely wouldn't do anything until they had their precious experiment back. Zeno was going to make sure they never see him again.

He did not share any of his thoughts, instead just idly listening in to everyone's chatter. There was no current threat, and this place was well-protected. No point stirring up a panic when there was nothing to worry about.

Cinder's smile only brightens as Gabriela accepts their offering of music. For them, it's more than just a mere 'play my song please'. Unknowingly perhaps, Gabriela was honoring the Laavian people, and thus their religion, through playing their music, as they would with music played by and for any race of peoples by Cinder's perspective.

The music played wasn't offensive, or painful for most races they were familiar with. It was, in fact, quite similar to human techno. Mechanical, methodical, and precise, though lacking the words. As time went by, it would become clear that Cinder themselves planned to add vocals to the incredibly technical sounds. They immediately began back into their dance, this time accompanying it with their voice, singing passionately as they danced unapologetically before Gabriela, as if she was no longer present.

Gabriela is starting to get the hang of rolling with the punches when it comes to alien requests, and simply nods affirmatively to Yll'r asking about helium balloons. "Yes. The casino has quite a few out today to be part of the festive mood." She snaps at a droid, muttering a quick command to have a bunch of helium balloons brought through for Yll'r's dining pleasure. "It would not be an issue at all for you to snack on them. I'll make certain helium balloons are on the buffet the next time we have an event."

She began to bob her head quite naturally to the music that Cinder had given the party, her lips quirking in a smile. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but this was excellent. "What a great vibe," she tells the dancing alien.

"Yeah, me too," she agrees to Zeno. "It's been something of a gamble refitting this place, but I believe that space exploration is the future for all of us. Our fortunes are somewhere out here, both as individuals and as species."

Maverick adjusted his hat and mask as he and Zeno parted ways to mingle elsewhere among the crowd. He positioned them more comfortably on his head as the techno began, causing him to look up with a smile. Music was incredibly important to him as well, and this was more than acceptable. Reminded him somewhat of the clubs back home, and that immediately lifted his spirits.

He watched Cinder with amusement and tapped the toe of one cowboy boot on beat, finishing off the punch and setting the glass aside to be retrieved by one of the server droids later. He scanned the room, searching for a good way to introduce himself to the others, and keeping an eye out for trouble.

"I appreciate the meal," Yll'r declared, spinning back upright and beginning to swirl around Cinder's head whilst waiting for balloons to arrive. A tone of concern entered their synthetic voice. "I believe this one is injured. It is speaking words not pertinent to any active conversation. Is medical assistance required...?"

"Good to know I'm not alone in the universe." Kolt said, with a laugh. "My superiors often say it's a shock I ever became a soldier at all."

"Ah, yeah---this is Cryostriker. My companion on the battlefield." the silvery spear gave a whistle of approval and bobbed up and down as if nodding, as if it liked this introduction a lot better. "She can shoot high speed beams of cryogenic fluid--and by that I mean basically liquid ice," he clarified, more for himself than anyone else. "Can freeze just about anything!"

Cinder continued their dance, singing along oblivious to Mavericks observations. They wouldn't likely deter them anyway, if anything, Cinder desired other dancers, be it with them or alone.....it truly didn't matter.

It was then they heard Yll'r's voice above them, but as entranced as they were in their dance, didn't make out the words. Perhaps they could, but even if this was true, they chose not to. The words, however, caught their attention, and enjoying the moment, they reached up in an attempt to pluck one of their tentacles. It was not for malicious intent, no. Should they succeed, they would bring the creature closer and sing directly to them, reaching out to grab another tentacle to proceed with their dance. It was mere chance Gabriele was not the victim of Cinder's enjoyment.

A droid comes rolling back from the casino at speed, clutching a small weight to which almost a dozen helium balloons have been tied by long strings. The balloons are black, silver and hot pink to match the grand re-opening theme. The droid drops the weight next to the buffet table and goes rolling off again, leaving the balloons bobbing on the ends of their strings.

"Er, no, I don't think it's a malfunction," Gabriela says to Yll'r carefully. "It's music, an artistic expression for us to enjoy. And... oh, it appears now you are part of the artistic expression of dance." She hoped to the stars that the two aliens weren't about to cause an interspecies incident with this misunderstanding.

Jadi nodded as he mentioned being a soldier. She didn’t want to quite out herself as something similar yet, though her formal mannerisms likely hinted strongly at it. Still unable to help her dorkiness, she added.. “That would explain the cryo in her name, hmm?” She laughed a little at the simplicity before being a little embarrassed at how obvious that statement was.

“I’m sure she’s a useful aid with abilities like that”. Her mind began to flash back to an extremely cold night, back when she and her family had to hide in caves during the Dominion War. She blinked and shook her head to distract from the memory. “I’m a watchman of sorts”, she said choosing to relate with the soldier. “I’m lucky enough to not have been too clumsy on the job yet.”

Jadi sipped her punch, careful to avoid the brain freeze she’d heard him mention.

Zeno tilted his head curiously at the dancing. He had heard of it, but he had never tried for himself.

He marched out onto the floor, in an attempt to mimic what the others were doing. It wasn't a perfect start... but slowly, but surely, his dancing skills were making a steady improvement.

Yll'r found themselves being pulled out of orbit, very much not at ease over the whole situation, given they already thought something was wrong with Cinder. They found themselves positioned gingerly so that their main body was as far away from Cinder as possible whilst still facing them. Most certainly, they attempted to keep all of their other tentacles well out of reach. "This is part of music...?" They seemed to regard Cinder firmly. If they had eyes in the traditional sense, no doubt they would be narrowed by now. But their EM receptors were incapable of such expression. "Oh... this is lyrical in nature...? Sorry, I am unable to perceive sound. Whilst I can perceive electromagnetic signals such as radio waves containing music, it is of no aesthetic value for me. I can, however, appreciate dance as an acrobatic expression or an expression of movement-based rhythm."

John Doe steps into the room, smiling at everyone. His head turns very slowly from left to right, taking in everything there is to see. He slowly approaches the balloons that Gabriela had just put out, and, still smiling, he reaches up to touch one.

Silken turns her gaze toward where she knew the newly-renamed Radiance Station would soon appear as her ship finished it's entry into the system. The familiar golden flash of particles shedding from the massive brassy sails extending from the ship's glistening hull dazzles her for a moment, even through her mild optical shielding. As the glare fades and the sails begin to fold away, Silken's eyes widen slightly in interest and excitement at the sight of the chrome-plated body of the refitted mining station, beautifully reflecting its own lights in a stunning blend of colour.

"The company was right. I can't say I'm not impressed," she murmurs quietly before commanding her ship, "Go in to dock, and maintain VI contact. Leisure and business routine prioritization, please. Oh, and confirm an appropriate currency and convert a standard negotiating sum. Just in case." She stands and walks to the door, making a last check that her outfit was properly in place, covering her from head to toe until a deal was struck...

A couple minutes later, she strides her way through the entrance to the commercial core, shoes clicking rhythmically against the polished floor, and smooth, silky outfit making every bit of light it can catch dance across its luxurious fibers. She makes her way to the first robotic server she spots, passing by the other attendees for now unless spoken to, and asks, "Would you mind providing me with a table and your drink menu, sorted by cost, highest to lowest, then by ethanol content? I've had a long day, even before making the trip here."

Cinder appeared not to much care for Yll'r's dismay at their situation, brought on by Cinder themselves. Had they resisted, it would have been different, and had they resisted violently somehow, Cinder likely would have stopped completely. It was when they admitted they only seemed to interpret sound mechanically that they stopped, suddenly, and giving Yll'r a very concerning look mid-song.

"What do you mean?" they asked, now far more serious than they had seemed only seconds before. "You cannot perceive sound?" Their tentacles had been dropped at this point, and Cinder backed away a good two steps retaining their concerned look. "Are you a Spectralyte?" they asked, sounding almost fearful of Yll'r as they took one more step away from them.

((See you, Zeno! )