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John Doe smiled at Gabriela when she turned to incorporate him into the line dance. It took him a moment to catch up and figure out what she was doing. Once he had picked it up, he mimicked her nearly perfectly. "Hello. Welcome. Yes--thank you. I like the parties. I like this party."

Yll'r tilted their entire head section to one side. Was something they said insulting? Well that was an odd interaction! In confusion they shook off their tentacles and made their way over to the balloons, grabbing one of them in the majority of their tentacles and holding it against a small opening on their underside.

Through the careful use of suction, Yll'r punctured the balloon without popping it and began to drain it of delicious helium. When they were done, they tossed the balloon itself aside, and... what was that...? "Why is the punch following me?" they asked nobody in particular when they finally noticed the droid. They had gotten so excited, even their omnidirectional senses seemed to have missed it. Yll'r pressed their nose against the droid. "Excuse me, was there an element of the punch ritual that I have missed or something? I was under the impression that i had completed that stage of the party."

"Strong, smooth, semi-sweet but not enough to mask the more subtle flavors. Minimal acidity, but not bitter, if possible," Silken replies, making a small rippling wave with the golden claws adorning her right hand, "And I insist on paying, there's not point in being wealthy if I'm going to accept things for--"

Her focus turns to Maverick as he greets her. Well, he had taste, at least.

"Hullo," she offers in reply, "And thank you." She extends her right hand in a relaxed pose, as if undecided between inviting him to shake the extended digits or permitting him to kiss it. "I'm hoping to get a spot to sit and something to drink before getting really involved in the party, but feel free to offer me company."

There's an unmistakable smile in her eyes as she adds, "I certainly don't mind it, especially when it isn't obviously corporate-flavored."

Gabriela quirks an eyebrow at John. "You do, huh? What brings you all the way out here, friend? The name is Gabriela, by the way."

Addressed directly, the punch-bearing droid drones: "I carry this punch for you to show respect for the llaa-synn people." It gently waggles the punch bowl at Yll'r as if to emphasize this point.

The droid taking Silken's order bobs its upper body in acknowledgement and whirs away to fetch her something matching her search parameters.

"Yes," said John Doe. "The name is John Doe by-the-way. I heard there was a party, with liquids and people." He continued to smile, his head not moving much even as his body swayed with the rhythm. "I like party, so I came here."

"If you consider standing around during royal galas interesting, then yeah." he said, chuckling at his own joke. "The princess is pretty young, and pretty far down in line for the throne--she doesn't do much in politics other than attend parties on occasion at this point."

"That sounds incredible!" he said, in response to her mentioning working on a ship--he clearly had no experience being on the lower levels of a crew. "I've only ever been on them a few times--in fact, coming here was the first time that I've ever been beyond my homeworld."

"Yeah, but not exactly to that extent--you see, all the royals of--Ae--er, where I'm from--they're all telekinetics. And before they fully master their abilities... stuff breaks. A lot. There was this one time these vats of Sardell slime exploded--it took us weeks to clean that up." he said, with a laugh.

"Respect?" Yll'r once again lulled to one side, then shook it off and poked a tentacle up against the opening that had so recently been identified as some sort of mouth in thought. "I do not understand. Did another tribe put you up to this? Whatever they told you was incorrect." The confused llaa-synn honed in on the punch and poked their nose against the surface. "I thought the punch was for everyone. perhaps you may offer it to someone else?" They pressed their nose back up against the droid. "I would find that to be more respectful. I am done with this ritual."

Gabriela is starting to get distinctly creeped out by John Doe, especially given that his name is John Doe. Still, she tries to maintain the dance and be polite. "Where were you before this, John Doe?" she asks probingly.

The punch holding droid simply repeats, "I am holding this liquid as a sign of respect." After a pause, it adds, "Other liquids have been provided for other guests. No guest is deprived of liquid."

Maverick's gold eyes glittered beneath his mask as he took Silken's hand, bringing it to his lips, before giving her a warm expression; a smile somewhere between polite and charming.

"Be glad to. I could use a real drink myself actually. Something with a bit more bite than the punch. Let's find ourselves a seat, shall we?"

His voice hinted at a southern drawl, smooth as single malt whiskey, and rich as caramel. He seemed polite enough, though there was always a hint of something deeper about him, something unseen.

"Well then, perhaps it would be prudent to hold it somewhere else?" Yll'r asked. "My locomotion does not take into account the same hazards as yours, as following me may cause distress either to yourself or to another. It would put my mind at rest if you were to... not follow me. I have no need for liquids. Except to filter hydrogen from in an emergency situation should no gases be available for consumption."

John Doe smiled wider, not picking up on the discomfort. "Where was I?" He suddenly froze, standing with one foot off the ground. After a pause, he continued. "I was in sector 5G, spatial grid coordinates lamba 13-negative 24-beta 6. I was in a ship with rocket boosters, with five human crew mates." He started to dance again. "Would you like to know their names?"

Gabriela narrowed her eyes slightly at John, but managed to keep the smile fixed in place. "Sure, friend. Let's hear their names."

The punch-bearing droid pauses for a moment, then slowly reverses itself to roll up against a wall. It stands there like a punch-holding statue, tucked out of the way.

"Yes," said John Doe. "Their names are Sleve McDichael. Raul Chamgerlain. Todd Bonzalez. Mike Truk. And Bobson Dugnut. They were my family. What is your family like?" He froze again, his head pivoting to watch the punch droid backing up to the wall. "That is a ritual?"

Yll'r's tentacles drooped, feeling as though they had somehow upset the droid. With hesitation, they floated back over, but avoided shoving their 'face' against it this time. "You-... you can follow me if you want... just... try not to get hurt or hurt anyone, alright? I apologise for chastising you. I am simply worried for your safety." they awkwardly patted the droid on top of the head with a tentacle, following up with a rather mechanical "there there."

"My family?" For some reason, this rings alarm bells in Gabriela's head. "They're very, uh.... human. Hey, speaking of, what species are you, friend? Nah, don't worry about that ritual, we're all done with the punch bathing ritual," she hastens to assure him, not wanting to have to dunk her head again.

The punch-droid whirs and buzzes for a moment, then announces, "Preventing harm to sentients is one of my prime directives. This unit will always seek to avoid harm."

Just then, an announcement comes over the station's PA system. "Attention all visitors and residents of Radiance Station," a rich, deep female voice burrs out. "A pod of space whales are currently passing within viewing distance of the station. Those interested in viewing this phenomena will have their best view in the arboretum."

As it happens, the newly built arboretum is accessible through a large arch-way off the commercial core, leading into the steamy heat of the verdant gardens and the jaw-dropping views of space through its glass dome.

John Doe's smile remained, but his eyes widened, and he once more stopped abruptly. "I am a human! A human, see--" He grabbed the hem of his shirt and angled it for Gabriela to see. "I wear the sign of the cheeseburger."