"Trouble?"
Rainbow reappeared from the back room to the bar, holding two drinks. She briskly tapped her way to where Cedric and Grey were relaxing, setting them down.
"Oh lovely." Rainbow sported an annoyed peering gaze through her clacking beak.
Cedric studied the large tiger's body, he was tall and wide - with rippling musculature that would make a bodybuilding expert jealous. He wore no shirt or shoes, instead he only wore a pair of tight fitting leather pants - too tight, judging by his massive bulge.
"I've never seen a Korellei that large." Cedric commented.
"That's Bengal." Grey replied, "And that's probably because he's not a Korellei, he's a Farai."
"Christ, he's huge."
"Yup, and problematic. Flaunts his strength and orders his infatuated followers around to do things for him. He's not the brightest, but he doesn't need to be."
"If you can't be a smart soldier, be a strong one..." Cedric said dryly.
Grey turned her muzzle to face him again, "Where'd you hear that?"
"Basic."
"Never heard anyone else say that before."
"You've heard it before?"
"Yup. Basic." She said, her tail began to wag uncontrollably.
"You were a soldier?"
"Used to be. Seventy-second orbital drop battalion, 'Widow-Makers'."
"You were a fucking dropper?"
"Yup, used to be. Sounds like you were too?"
"One oh-eighth drop battalion, 'Wolverines'."
Grey mused as she finished her cigarette, disposing the butt in the same ash tray she tapped her ashes into.
"Never heard of em' - wacky name for a drop battalion."
"Ah, well..." Cedric wasn't sure what to say, he had accidentally revealed too much in his excitement. Grey waved a paw in his direction, soothing his fears.
"I know I know, you're some weird black-sider mystery guy."
"Sure, let's go with that."
Cedric was about to light up a cigarette and take a drink of his honeycomb when he inadvertently made eye-contact with Bengal, seeing his gaze he immediately began to approach their position.
"Are you fucking kidding me."
Grey whistled and Rainbow covered her beak with a claw.
"Whelp, good fucking luck dude."
Cedric turned his head to Grey incredulously, "Seriously?"
"You're a black side dropper, you're fine."
"Sure." Cedric turned to Rainbow pleadingly.
She simply shook her feathered head and closed her eyes, "You're on your own on this one."
"Any tips at least?"
"Don't be intimidated. Remember, you turned the Korellei on that corvette to mush." Grey reminded him.
"This guy is a bit bigger than a Korellei."
"Maybe. Just hit him harder than you hit them, if anything goes down."
"And his posse?"
"If it somehow gets that bad, I'll back you up."
"Thank you, Grey."
Her tail was still wagging, "Never leave your battle buddy high and dry." She smiled.
Feeling fortified from her support, he downed the honeycomb in one go. It had a deliciously sweet flavour that wasn't overbearing thanks to the burn of the alcohol. It was incredibly smooth, and had the base of sweet tea for its flavor, like sipping a cold, alcoholic sweet tea infused with honey. Scrumptious!
"Oh yeah, that's fucking good."
"Of course it is." Rainbow clattered confidently. "Good luck!"
"Yup..."
Cedric turned around once more and waited patiently for Bengal to arrive, it wouldn't take him much longer. He took a deep breath and tried his best to relax. He was a monster, the Scourge of the Empire - he had this. Definitely...
Bengal slammed his fist down on the counter next to him, the sudden sound made him jump. Grey tsk'd, and Rainbow had to turn around from second-hand embarrassment. Bengal's hulking form strained the stool he conquered, leaning too close to Cedric's position. Bengal snorted and spit on the ground - at least he didn't spit on his face - he just got his new fancy mask!
"I look pretty to you?" Bengal's voice was a deep, rumbling growl. Cedric had flashbacks of his time in the prison, realizing that he had acted the exact same way as Bengal was now. Big, scary, not to be fucked with. He remembered he did it because it made him feel powerful and invincible, and also to try and earn the death sentence. Maybe there was a lot more going on with Bengal than he realized.
"Caught my eye, was all." Cedric replied steadily. "You're the biggest one in the mess hall right now, save for Captain Garrerra I'd say."
"Oh yeah? You like what you see?" He flexed his massive arms, giving one of them a peck. How basic! Cedric wasn't even scared anymore, he was just impressed. Never did he realize that someone could act in such a stereotypical way. Seeing it now though, he guessed it was a possibility after all. It had to be a farce, Cedric concluded - there was no way this was genuinely someone else's entire personality.
"Don't bother." Cedric said dryly. He noticed Grey shrugging her shoulders and raising her arms similar to what he did earlier, obviously conveying 'Seriously?' In silence. Cedric knew exactly how to deal with this, because it was the one thing he was scared of someone else doing during his time in prison. Cedric rose from his chair and lit a cigarette. It was surprisingly effective at soothing his nerves. The alcohol may have started to work its way through him too, he was effectively a light-weight right now, as he did not partake in alcohol often. Trust the liquid courage! Or so he convinced himself.
Bengal rose up to meet Cedric's height, he was barely shorter than he was. An inch at most, maybe. It was a stand off, and the entire mess hall was in attendance. Cedric could pull the big and scary card, but he didn't want to be that way anymore - at least not to the people that he would eventually have to trust to watch his back.
"I know how this goes, Bengal."
"Yeah? How?" Bengal was already balling his massive paws into fists. Cedric pointed to one of them, "Is that seriously what you're going to do? Fight right off the bat?"
"Yeah." Cedric could sense the slightest bit of hesitation in his voice.
"Not gonna talk at all? We're in the mess hall to celebrate hitting a high value capital ship carrying a VIP Prisoner - me." Bengal didn't respond, but Cedric could see the cogs turning behind his eyes.
"Is that really who you want to be?"
Stunned, Bengal eased his fists, "What?"
"Let me be level with you." Cedric could already feel the influence of alcohol through his veins, Rainbow served strong drinks - and he was definitely still a light-weight.
"I did the same shit for two years man, I got sick and tired of it. How long have you acted like this?"
Again. Bengal didn't respond.
"If you wanna fight, fine - we'll fight - but is that really what you wanna do? Nonstop? Let shit from the past bend you over and fuck you so bad that you don't care anymore and make it everyone else's problem?"
Silence, for a few moments. The audience of the mess hall was observing intensely to the exchange.
"Bengal?"
Bengal looked around, then down - he then shook his head and unleashed a wild haymaker that made contact with Cedric's mouth, sending his cigarette flying wide. This sudden impact surged Cedric's adrenaline. He was no longer calm, and nothing but spite and anger took complete control of his demeanor. Cedric swayed far to the left side, the force of the punch carrying him through the distance. He did not fall, however. Warm blood began to pour from a fresh gash on his chin - the first time he'd actually been harmed thus far.
"Alright." Cedric said simply, he spit out a glob of blood - forcing a few observers to back off - thinking him done for. "You wanna fucking play little kitty? Let's fucking play."
Bengal backed away from the bar, bringing his fists close to face - failing to protect his sides.
Grey spoke up as he passed her position, "You're bleeding Sleaze, it's done!"
Cedric pointed to the blood pouring from his chin, painting the bottom half of his mask in the red hue. "This? I feast off this shit."
"What?"
He ignored her and continued walking towards Bengal, taking care to watch his every move. Cedric kept his palms open and arms lose, but close - he was ready to deflect anything else with a spear or a circular block. The UCSC trained all their soldiers in a mix of hapkido, Krav Maga, and combatives. He remembered enough to forge his own style over time, but he was hardly a black belt. Regardless, it should be enough to deal with Bengal.
"Come on, throw another one." Cedric said with insult. Throw another one Bengal did indeed, this time with another wild haymaker from his left fist. This time, Cedric was ready. On prediction, Cedric clasped his hands together into a point and speared Bengal's left clavicle, stopping him in his tracks. Not wanting to waste time, he firmly grasped Bengal from his ears and thrust his muzzle down onto his already upcoming right knee, sending him reeling back with a sickening CRACK - blood spurting from his now broken nose. Cedric followed the combo with a swift straight kick to Bengal's chest - with another CRACK he went sailing across the mess hall and crashed into the wall, slumping down. Bengal's head and upper body dropped, blood pouring from his face. He didn't move. Not realizing what he had done out of rage, Cedric charged to finish the job - then all of a sudden felt himself hoisted high the air. What?
"EEEENNNOOOOUGH" A terrorizing roar erupted from beneath him, and he was sent sailing across the opposite side of the mess hall - high in the air. His back smashed against one of the tables that was set up, thankfully devoid of occupants. The sudden change of momentum and the toss snapped Cedric back to reality. Stunned, Cedric cast his gaze about the hall, many Korellei jaws dropped both literally and figuratively as he stared on - blood still pouring from his wound. Looking back where Bengal was, he was swarmed with what he assumed was the crew's medics. Captain Garerra stared daggers into his eyes. With his adrenaline subsiding, he began to feel his gash throb with pain. He attempted to apply pressure and sauntered back to the bar where Grey was, praying they wouldn't hate him.
"Rainbow, a damp cloth please." She didn't respond, but walked off. He wasn't sure if she was going to come back or not.
"Holy shit, Sleaze." Grey started, "You just needed to fight back, not kill him."
"He's not dead - yet." The rumbling, antagonizing voice of Captain Garerra made Cedric feel microscopic in her presence. Grey's eyes grew wide, and she turned her entire body from their direction - trying to hide in a way.
A few medics slipped past the captain, inspecting his wound. The gentle touches of a rat and a vulpes worked their way through some equipment they had on hand.
"Just needs stitches, it'll heal on its own from there."
The two medics were thoroughly confused.
"Just clean the wound, apply pressure, then stitch!" He barked. He felt a sting on his left side as an open paw smacked him with plenty of force.
"Show some respect."
"Yes, Captain." He squeaked defeatedly. He really fucked up this time.
"When the medics are done, you're coming with me to my office."
"Me? Bengal fucking started it." Another smack in the same spot set him straight.
"Stop acting like a mewling pup." Cedric sniffed and regained his composure.
"Understood Captain."
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"Follow the signs, I'll be there." He nodded and the captain took her leave, most of the onlookers had shied away at this point, not wanting to get involved. He felt like a child, then again - he had lost his temper to someone he knew might be weaker than him.
"Looks like you won't need this." Rainbow stated, instead putting the rag to use cleaning some glassware.
A few minutes later and the medics had finished their job, and listened to his instruction. If they were in awe of bleeding stopping so quickly, they didn't show it. They used some kind of gauze material with a hypospray to clean the wound, then applied pressure as he told them to. About five minutes later, they removed the pressurized gauze and cleaned the wound again - then sealed it with some sort of stitch gun. The process was quick, and surprisingly painless. Cedric stood up from his stool and looked back to Grey and Rainbow, while lighting up a cigarette.
"Sorry, looks like I fucked up."
"Happens to the best of us." Grey replied, "Don't keep the captain waiting."
Cedric nodded, "Thanks."
He thumbed a finger across his fresh stitches, they covered most of the wound save for his lip - which was still oozing a little bit with blood. He wiped off the oozing hemoglobin and wiped it on his pants until it stopped. He followed the main corridor, now empty of crew as the rest attempted to keep enjoying the celebration in lieu of recent events. By the time he arrived at the captain's quarters, his cigarette had been consumed. He tossed it into an ash tray near her office door. Sliding open the hex door, and walked in.
This was obviously not just her office, but her quarters as well. It was a plain metal room that was clean of grime, but devoid of decoration save for her desk and a sturdy throne-like chair. It sat across from an equally sturdy, but much less impressive metallic chair with little cushion. A lone holopad rest on her desk. Instinctually, Cedric assumed a position of parade rest*.
"Private First Class Cedric Fuller, reporting as ordered - ma'am."
He did not realize his folly.
"What in the goddess's name are you doing, Sleaze?"
Realizing his mistake, Cedric left his position and his face flushed bright red. Captain Garerra waved her hand in acknowledgment.
"Don't do that shit again, sit down."
"Yes, Captain." He did as he was told.
Captain Garerra lit one of her cigars, and propped her bare paw-feet on her desk. She was wearing a very simple black leather leotard with a zipper, starting at her thighs and meeting her collarbone - where it ended in a fashion akin to a thick-strapped tank top covering the majority of the shoulders. In her case, very broad shoulders.
"You did good." She said plainly.
"What?"
"At first."
"Ah, right..." Cedric didn't know what else to say.
"Bengal is an idiot, and needed some sense knocked into him - but you went way too far."
Cedric didn't know how to respond, nothing was coming to mind.
"Do you have any idea how badly you fucked him?"
He shook his head, "No Captain."
"Then let me enlighten you."
She took a deep draw from her cigar, and removed her feet from the desk. She hunched slow and close across the desk, practically breathing into Cedric's face.
"I don't know if he's gonna make it out of the medbay or not."
Cedric was surprised, "He's a Farai - they're a lot stronger than Korellei."
"So you thought you could let loose?"
"No Captain. When he punched me - I lost it."
"So you just let your emotions take over? Like a goddess-damned cub?"
"And let him just smack me down?"
"How about you shut the fuck up and listen?"
"Yes, Captain." Cedric noticed she used the profanity in a matter similar to how he would use it just then, curious - he thought.
"I'm not saying to not defend yourself, but you know just as well as I do that you have freakish strength. That fight was over the moment you countered his second punch. You should have ended it there. But you didn't, did you?"
Cedric shook his head, "No Captain."
"Why did you keep going?"
"To keep the combination going, Captain. I had the advantage, and I took it." Cedric found that the best way for him to deal with this situation was to just answer honestly. Hell, maybe Captain Garerra could give him better instruction. He fucked up, he knew he did - but that didn't mean he couldn't obviously try to do better.
"You had the advantage and took it, huh?" She took a long drag on her cigar.
"Yes, Captain."
"Spoken like a tactician."
"Captain?"
"Sleaze. Actually, they're calling you Scourge now."
He wasn't sure how to respond.
"You fucked up, and I can tell you accept that. Because of that, I'm going to let you off the hook for now."
Cedric couldn't quite hide his relief.
"But - let me make something abundantly clear."
He straightened up, listening intently.
"You keep that strength of yours in check. You scored points with the crew by kicking the shit out of Bengal, but not with me. You went too far. You know you did. Whatever you do to the Imperials I couldn't give less of a damn about, but if you scrap with the crew you will only retaliate in a controlled manner. Whether they are shit talking you, or trying to fight you - you smack them around, but you do NOT cause permanent harm - understood?"
Cedric recalled the hard slaps Captain Garerra hit him with at the bar, she meant what she said - and she enforced her own rules.
"Yes Captain."
"Any questions?"
He thought for a moment. "If the fight should be ended, but they keep going - what do you want me to do?"
"Evade, counter and disable."
"Understood Captain."
"Anything else?"
"I can't think of any more questions at this time, Captain."
"Okay, go have fun. The real party is starting soon. Get to know how the crew acts, so you know what you're fighting for when our next raid happens."
Cedric nodded, "Thank you Captain."
"Mm-hmm, stop boot-licking, go."
He nodded again and took his leave, lighting up another cigarette. Sweet stress relief. What a wild ride he'd been on.
"Scourge huh?"
Cedric almost jumped out of his skin - it seemed Grey was waiting for him - leaning against the wall of the closest corridor off-shooting from the main one, heading in the direction of the mess hall. She had another cigarette in her maw.
"How much did you hear?"
"None of it, congratulations - you got a new nickname."
"How's Bengal doing?"
"You really give a damn?"
"I do, I fucked him up bad Grey. Obliterated the poor bastard because I wasn't thinking straight."
"Well, can't say the rest of the crew thinks that way. He had it coming to him."
She joined his smoke-filled walk back to the mess hall.
"Does Bee still hate me?"
Grey chuckled, "Hate you? Nah, she wasn't even disappointed. Like I said, Bengal had it coming to him eventually."
"Still though." He took a thoughtful drag on his cigarette, "Captain Garerra told me the fight was done for when I countered the second punch, and she's right. I didn't need to keep going. I just... Pressed my advantage."
"Hmm..." it was Grey's turn for a thoughtful drag now, "Well, keep that mental for when we have to deal with the Imperials again. They won't think twice about killing you."
"The captain said something similar, said she didn't care what I did to the Imperials."
"None of us do, they're scum."
"Is it really right for us to demonize all of them though?"
"That's the kind of mindset that gets us killed, so we kind of have to."
"When you put it that way, I guess we have no choice."
"Kill or be killed, right?"
"Don't I fucking know it." Cedric responded. Remembering his military training. They weren't quite finished with their cigarettes when they rounded the corner to enter the mess hall, many of the crew pointed to Cedric when he stepped through the great archway - and slowly, they began to slam the tables and chant "Scourge! Scourge! Scourge! Scourge!"
Guiltily, a smile cracked on Cedric's face - slightly antagonizing the soreness he felt prominent on his lip.
"Earned a battle scar and a new nickname day one, you're a menace." Grey grinned.
"Yeah well, not sure the cost was worth it."
Grey slapped a paw on Cedric's chest as they approached their old spot on the bar, "It is what it is right? Take it for what it offers. Not like you can take it back."
"True, very true." He responded. They sat comfortably down, and a few of the crew near the location quickly backed off.
"Huh, thought they'd be crawling over me actually." Cedric mused.
"Wait for them to get a few more drinks in, they'll swarm." Grey said.
Rainbow had just finished tending to another group of Korellei, and Cedric noticed he had a glass of clear liquid in the spot where his honeycomb used to be.
Grey whistled, "Better down that. It would be an insult not to."
"What is it?"
"Remember how I said we don't pay for anything here? Not the case for that." She pointed, "That's top notch Whiskar. Ouroboros, I think. Shit's not cheap, Rainy-B only ever has a bottle or two on hand at once."
He lifted the glass and swished it gently, the liquid itself had an iridescent hue to it - like a pearl. "How much is it?"
"Five K for that glass there, on the rocks."
Cedric's eyes grew wide, "Holy shit. You want some?"
"You first." She grinned.
"Okay then, bottoms up." Cedric downed most of the Ouroboros, leaving plenty for Grey. Cedric lay still as he felt something slither down his throat.
"What the fuck." He coughed and hacked, but he could feel the sensation create a figure eight in his stomach. He couldn't explain it, it felt invasive - but it wasn't a negative feeling. It was like a lightning bolt of mass was drawing the number eight in his stomach. He felt it rise back up out of his throat, and he burped a small sparkly cloud of the same iridescent color that was present within the liquid itself. He simply blinked and stared.
"What the fuck just happened." He said blankly.
"Oooh yeah, that's Ouroboros whiskar alright." He tried to slide the glass over to Grey like she had done for him, and almost ended up spilling the extremely valuable liquid. It didn't even land near her grasp, so she had to somewhat stretch to secure it.
"Whoa there big guy! Maybe try that with some bottom shelf stuff first, yeah?"
"You made it look so easy."
"That's because it IS easy." She responded coyly, then downed the remainder.
"Uhwa, that always feels weird." She managed to say before she burped. Did it really happen that fast?
"Which uh, begs the question. Who got it for me? Bee?"
Rainbow looked away and scratched the back of her feathery neck as she approached, "Well..."
She pointed behind Cedric, and saw none other than the Man-Maker making her way to them.
"Oh for fuck's sake."
"Suffering from success." Grey snickered.
"Dude, I just wanna drink and relax."
"Well, she DID pay five K for your drink, you could at least humor her."
"Weren't you the one that said to avoid her?"
"That was before she paid five thousand credits to get you a glass of Ouroboros."
"Oh man, she's getting close."
"Probably can't hear us yet."
Cedric and Grey both put out their cigarettes in the same ash tray on the bar counter.
"I really hope she doesn't think that a five K drink will get me to bed with her..."
Cedric was already feeling the effects of the strong liquor he had been drinking thus far - he wanted to slow down, and enjoy the celebration more. He was hitting tipsy stage for now, but it was only a matter of time.
"Is that why you think she bought it?"
"Is there another reason why the 'Man-Maker' would get me such an expensive drink?"
"Honestly" Grey admitted, "Can't think of one. Ope, here she comes."
"Fucking kill me, dude."
"Not yet. have fun~" Grey teased.
The white lioness slid into the stool near Cedric, the same one Bengal had used before.
"Scourge, oh Scourge - where art thou." Her voice had a sultry rumble to it, almost like a purr.
Shakespeare. Interesting, he thought.
"What can I do for you?" He stated simply.
"Me, preferably." She replied.
Cedric caught the bridge of his nose with his index finger and his thumb, he was really getting sick and tired of this.
"I'm really not interested." He said flatly. He caught Grey facepalming from behind the Man-Maker's back.
She slapped his arm, "Relax you. I was only teasing."
"Yeah well, I've been getting 'teased' like that all night. Don't misunderstand my intentions, thank you for the drink. Really, that was a hell of a price tag."
"Oh, did you think I was trying to soften you up with a drink first?"
Cedric wasn't sure if he should respond or not. At least by not responding, he showed he was guilty in a nice way.
"Don't think about it too hard darling, I know my reputation. It's a sound conclusion."
She sounded surprisingly well-learned, whether or not she was using that to get into his good graces though he wasn't quite sure.
"That does make me feel a bit better about my assumptions, I admit."
"You did me a favor honey, that Bengal was such a brute. Fun lay though. Bee dear, could you get me a honeycomb please?"
"Sure. You want one too, Scourge?"
"If you don't mind. It feels so weird to use that nickname in regular conversation, I think I preferred Sleaze. It can be interpreted as a noun, so it rolls off the tongue better."
"Whelp, you're stuck with it now." Grey piped in.
"I'll add that I'm not sure it matches how I act either, just feels awkward."
"It'll scare the hell out of the Imperials though, or rookies. That's always fun."
"Hmm, true. To be fair, 'Man-Maker' probably sounds weird in regular conversation too."
"Some just use M, or Mani. I think I prefer Mani though." She answered.
"What a hell of a vibe." Cedric said, feeling warm and fuzzy.
"Vibe?" Grey asked.
"Yeah, feeling. I don't know. Besides that incident with Bengal, I feel like I could spend forever here. Just relaxing with some drinks and friends."
"Did you hear that, Grey dear? We're already his friends." Mani quipped.
"You know what I mean." He said.
"Nah, I get it." Grey confirmed.
Rainbow reappeared, easily keeping a grip on the three drinks. Honeycombs for Cedric and Mani, followed by the Nutty Mutt for Grey.
"Shall we have a toast to your victory, Scourge?" Mani asked.
"A toast sounds fun, wouldn't call it a victory though..."
"Well, to good health then?"
"That sounds fine." Cedric agreed.
"Sure, I'm down." Grey joined.
They clinked their glasses together and took lengthy swigs from their drinks, downing them to half just about even across the board.
Cedric was about to speak again, but the lights within the mess hall grew dark and atmospherically moody. The trio turned around in their seats to face the stage. Mani sported a pleased look on her muzzle, "Looks like the real party is about to start."
Grey turned her head to face Mani, "What do you think it's gonna be this time?"
"A little bit of a dance, I imagine."
The lavish, thick crimson curtains rolled open to reveal a bipedal frog.
"That's a new one." Cedric commented.
"Amphibian folk aren't too common dear, in fact there's a lot of Anima that I'm sure you haven't seen yet. Canines, Felines, and Avians alongside Mustelids are the most common - for the Empire. Beyond the border and further, there's many others." Mani answered yet another hidden question of his, though it was obvious what was going through his mind.
"Just how many different kinds of Korellei are there?"
"An indescribable amount I'd say, dear."
"What about Insecta, Cetartiodactyla, or... Uhm, fish?"
Thankfully, it seemed Mani was understanding about him not knowing the proper word for 'fish people' , "Indeed. I haven't seen the majority of those myself, but I do know they exist. However dear, they are for amongst the stars."
"Far amongst the stars?.."
"Where did you have your education, dear?"
"I... Didn't..."
The Man-Maker rested a hand on her left cheek, and faced Cedric with an eerily familiar smile, "I see, that explains quite a bit. Well, you only know of the Empire - correct?"
Cedric nodded.
"I see, makes sense. It IS quite big. Anywho, the Empire is the only power house in the galaxy."
"Are you telling me that you guys have spread throughout the entire galaxy?!"
"Oh heavens, no!" She exclaimed, "Just a small cluster. We've been around a while, you know."
"Just... How long have the Korellei been spacers?.."
"Hmm..." She pursed her chops and raised a finger a finger to them pensively, "Well, since the revolution... four hundred years or so?"
"And before the revolution?"
"Mmm, that's during the Ancient's time dear. Beyond that, the only records we have are collected from the ruins, but their strange languages and interactions are incredibly difficult to decipher - let alone be discovered in the first place. If I had to guess, the Ancients would go back... two thousand years or so? If common theories are to be believed, or course. Lots of generations born in four hundred years you know, very messy."
"How... Long do Korellei live for?"
"What a strange question. Thirty to fourty years or so? Give or take."
"Fucking christ..." Cedric had no more words. Humans lived three times that long! On average! Rich and powerful moguls with easy access to cell revitalization technology could live as long as two-hundred years, that's half of the Korellei's entire known history after the revolution!
"If you don't mind me asking dear, how old are you?"
"Twenty-eight." He slowly sipped his drink.
"Really? But you look so young!"
"Really. Joined the military at twenty-four after failing college, spent two years there, then another two in prison."
"Oh, you're getting to be an old-timer, like me."
"How old are you?"
She shrugged her furry white shoulders, "thirty-two."
"And Grey, what about you?"
"Twenty-two. Halfway through." She chuckled.
"I see. Another one, if you don't mind Bee." He finished the current contents of his drink, while the other two were nursing theirs. The applause that followed the appearance of the frog man had finally begun to die down.
"Sure thing, I'm nineteen by the way."
"Nineteen? Barely an adult." Cedric said.
"You're kidding? Been an adult a while buddy, don't insult me."
"What? Sorry Bee..."
"Do you... Not know when we're considered adults either, Scourge?" Mani asked.
"Apparently I don't."
"I see... Well, heat cycles start at about eight, considered adults at ten."
"Korellei children must grow at an incredible rate."
"Incredible rate? There's nothing abnormal, it's just biology. How do you not know? I ask out of curiosity, not scrutiny dear."
"I've uh, had a complex upbringing." Was all he could manage to say.
"Well, to each their own dear. You really do act strange though, I understand you are an acute mutant - but really, this is basic knowledge sweetie."
"Acute mutant?"
"Yes... In your case, a primate that's so far mutated that you could be considered a new species, assuming it was recognized legally."
Rainbow had arrived with a new mix of honeycomb, which Cedric sipped gingerly.
"Well, considering that-"
A boisterous, croaky voice cut him off - "Animas abound! Male or Female - or whatever you prefer - I, Wimbledon, proudly stand here on stage tonight to announce and voice the festivities!"
Cedric almost spat out his drink, "His name is Wimbledon?!"
"He really didnt like frogger." Grey snided.
"Pay attention now!" Mani directed, "We're about to have dinner and a show."