Bidi's Diner Part 2

Jack held the door open for Killian, stepping in after the Everenian. One sweeping look of the diner and both pilots had negative reactions: Killian frowned, his brow furrowed, and Jack gagged, his tail raised slightly, so it wasn't as close to the floor. The state of the diner was akin to Bedo's garage, except instead of towering piles of electronic parts there were tables. Grime seemed to cover every wall and surface, old oil that had dripped from an unknown source stained the walls. The smell of greasy meat hit the pilots like a wall, as the pilots observed the customers and workers of the diner. To the pilot's right, a black-skinned woman with gold markings under her matching glowing irises sat at a table against the wall across from the bar. From what the pilots could make out from where they stood, she was wearing a tight strapless shirt that showed off her figure in more than one way. The only other customer was the man that had bumped into Jack on the way in. The assumed bounty hunter was already sitting on the far wall of the diner with his arms resting on his table, fingers intertwined, and head down waiting.

The pilots slowly moved to the bar, sitting down on the worn swivel chairs as they looked into the kitchen. Jack almost sighed in relief when he saw that the kitchen was slightly cleaner than the rest of the diner, however, it was still in horrible condition. Killian looked to his right at the other end of the bar, where a waiter was wiping down the counter and various glasses. The waiter was lanky and appeared to be a hybrid with his reptilian and mammalian features. The waiter's face was covered in brown fur, little tufts sticking out at either end of his jaw, making his face appear more angular. From the side, Killian noticed that his face protruded outward at the nose and mouth, forming a slight resemblance to a snout. The waiter's fingers that worked the glass were as lanky as the rest of the boy's body, the spindly fingers were covered in textured reptilian skin stretched over bony knuckles that gave way to dark talon-like claws. From where Killian was sitting, it was hard to see the rest of the boy's features, but from under the waiter's apron, Killian could make out a scaly reptile tail that draped to the floor. The waiter looked to the side, noticing Killian's stare. Reptilian eyes met glowing emerald and the waiter gave the pilot a cocky smirk, "Sumthin' you want?"

The waiter flicked his tail in anticipation as he addressed Killian, turning his nose up at the pilot, never taking his slitted eyes off the pilot as he continued to smirk.

"Just waiting," Killian stated, staring back into the waiter's half-lidded forest green eyes.

At this statement, the chef appeared in the kitchen window, "Rinji!"

The waiter jumped in surprise, his eyes wide as he shifted his attention to the chef.

"Wait on that man that just sat down over there," the chef motioned towards the bounty hunter, "I'll take care of these folks here."

Rinji immediately scrambled over the counter he supposedly cleaned, his front and rear claws scraping frantically on the counter's surface.

The chef pushed open the two-way swinging doors from the kitchen and slowly walked over to the pilots. The chef was large in size, his potbelly sticking out under his grease-stained apron. The cook's face was salmon pink, as were his hands, and his nose was large and upturned, causing the bridge of his nose to wrinkle. The cook rested his hands on the edge of the counter with a large exhale, "So, what can I do for you boys?"

The chef's voice was deep and gruff, taking large noticeable huffs in between sentences as if he were out of breath.

"Well, whadaya have?" Jack asked.

As the chef explained what he had on hand, Rinji was busy taking the order of the man with the wide-brimmed hat.

"One special please," the man ordered as he slipped something into the waiter's clawed fingers.

Jack silently watched the exchange as he listened to the cook. It wasn't uncommon for customers to slip the waiter an extra tip to make the order snappy, but either way, Jack still felt uncomfortable by all the strange characters on the space station.

The cook finished with his relatively shortlist, and despite not hearing pie as one of the items, Jack decided to ask anyway, "Do you have any marlimum pie?"

"We're all out."

As Jack and Killian pondered what they wanted, Rinji scrambled up to the chef, handing him a new order. The cook scrutinized the order, squinting to see, "Alright, get it started."

Rinji briskly walked into the kitchen after the order was handed back to him.

"Have you decided yet?"

"I think I might have a tuleska sandwich." Killian decided as he moved a couple of fingers back and forth across his chin.

"Alright, and what about you?"

"Hmm, I dunno, I haven't decided yet." Jack squinted in thought.

"How 'bout chili then?"

Jack raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

"It's a favorite here at the diner, don't worry." The cook smiled reassuringly and waddled to the kitchen before Jack could object.

Jack grumbled in annoyance as he reached a hand up and fiddled with one of his earrings.

"Hey," Killian said sharply in a low voice, "Stop that."

"What? It's just a nervous tick." Jack defended as he raised an eyebrow.

Killian narrowed his eyes.

Jack sighed, rolling his eyes as his arm dropped to the counter. Killian observed Jack for a moment before glancing around with his eyes before speaking to Jack so only he could hear, "Look, I wanna get outta here as fast as possible too, but we're also pretending to be grungy space rats. If we don't even try ta look like we fit in here, then what's the point of our disguise? Just try ta fit in, enjoy your meal, and before you know it, this place won't even be a dot on our radar."

Jack gave Killian a fanged smirk.

"What?" Killian demanded with a raised eyebrow.

Jack laughed, "I guess I just noticed that you talk more like a scoundrel around me than you do with others." Jack laughed again before continuing, "Talk about blending in."

Killian narrowed his eyes, "Old habit," he growled, "If it bothers you so much, we can go back to how we were when we first met. But don't worry, I'll have a larger stick up my ass, and you'll have a redder s-"

"Okay!" Jack interrupted as a couple of eyes drifted over the pilots at the outburst.

Jack continued in a softer voice, "I get it! I was just joking around with you."

Killian sighed, looking away from the Jalkoln as he rubbed his ring.

'Guess he can't help it either,' Jack thought.

"Sorry," Killian grumbled, "I may be a commanding officer, but even I have trouble with waiting."

Jack stared at his superior, a small smile tugging at his lips, "I've noticed."

Killian whipped his eyes back to Jack, witnessing the Jalkolns smile grow. After a moment of staring in silence, the pilots both started chuckling, Killian shaking his head all the while.

"Alright, well, I guess I'll try ta find the bathroom," Killian said, getting up from his stool.

Jack's eyes widened, "Good luck."

Killian hummed in response as he walked away.

Jack sat at the counter fiddling with his fingers as he waited. As Jack was extending and retracting his claws, he felt a pair of delicate hands move from his shoulders and down his chest. Looking down, Jack saw a pair of black hands softly pressing against him as unseen lips grazed his neck and breasts pressed against his shoulder blades. Jack's heartbeat quickened slightly, as he looked to see just who had their arms around him. Jack's eyes met entrancing gold as the scantily clad woman from across the diner stared up at him with half-lidded eyes and the corners of her lips slightly upturned. Jack smiled warmly, "Now, who might you be?"

"Hopefully, your ticket to a long, fun night?" The harlot smiled, her gold markings gleaming slightly.

Jack raised an eyebrow as he smirked, "Hmm, I do like the sound of that, but what exactly do you have that makes me want you more than some other random whore?"

The black-skinned woman licked the corner of her lips before slowly turning Jack around to face her on his stool. The cyprian wrapped her arms around Jack's neck, looking up at him, "Well for one thing I have another set of these."

Jack felt another set of hands, but this time they were slowly creeping up his inner thighs. Jack looked down to see the woman's second set of arms protruding from under the first set. The woman's alluring fingers stopped dangerously close to where his legs met. Black hands forced his legs to spread wider as she inched closer, "I figure with two times as many hands, we can have twice the fun..."

The woman's lips brushed slightly against Jack's ear as she continued, "Not to mention that tail of yours."

Jack hadn't noticed until the woman mentioned his tail, but his tail was tightly wrapped around the women's left leg. Upon realizing this, Jack unwound his tail and began to coil it around the black-skinned beauty's small waist instead. With Jack's tail tightly secured around the partially exposed waist, he pulled her towards him so she was flush against his chest.

"I take that as you're interested." The golden lipped woman smirked.

Jack slid his left hand up the back of the escort's thigh, as his other hand held her black chin in between his thumb and index finger, "What do you think beautiful?"

Before the gold eyed girl could respond, Jack pressed his lips to her gold in a passionate lip lock. The kiss became more intimate and heated as time went on.

'We're supposed to act like space rats anyway right?' Jack thought.

Meanwhile, Killian roamed around the various tables looking for a bathroom. Killian heard a strange whirring noise and what sounded like wheels on track originate above him. Tilting his head up, Killian saw a tub emerge from a hole in the wall where the kitchen was. It moved along the track, a ruddy substance stained the sides in a crust as if the tub had overflowed during cooking.

Killian squinted his eyes in confusion, 'Is that a small bathtub?'

Following the tub, it exited the dining room and into another hole above a door. Looking up at the large red light that stuck out above the wooden door, Killian pondered what he might find. As Killian took a step closer to the grimy door, the pilot heard strange high-pitched laughing emanating from inside. Letting his curiosity get the best of him, Killian placed a hand on the doorknob, slowly turning it. The door creaked as it was pulled open and before Killian could get a good look inside, steam bellowed into his eyes. Coughing the funky and nauseating smell out of his lungs, Killian blinked a few times before laying his eyes on the most confusing and grotesque thing he's ever seen. The tub had been placed on the ground and was boiling as it was being stirred by a strange rat-like creature the size of Killian's face. The rat wore a small hat similar to the cooks, its light caramel-colored fur sticking out from underneath. On its face were beady little black eyes and a sharp black beak. Its belly was also round like the cooks, but its limbs were scrawny twigs. The rat stared unblinkingly at Killian, flicking its tail as Killian continued to take in the rat's little kitchen. Different colored rusty pipes ran along the walls, all of them covered in a strange film and bits of chili, and emitting the strange steam that had hit Killian when he first walked in. Seeing the chili drip over the edge of the tub and land on the floor with a plop, Killian had enough of the revolting oddity before him. Gently closing the door behind him, Killian prayed to God that the memory would not burn into his mind.

Killian swiftly looked around, finally finding the sign that indicated the bathroom. Busting through the door, Killian found the nearest spot he could hurl in.

***

Killian practically stumbled back to his seat, hardly noticing the woman wrapped around Jack. Jack heard a sigh and a thud as Killian rested his head in his arms. Jack immediately stopped kissing the black-haired girl and looked over at his partner, he was paler than usual. Leaning towards the woman's ear he whispered, "Sorry, but we're gonna have to cut this short."

Jack unraveled his tail as gold eyes stared back at him, a slight pout on the girl's face. Suddenly the woman's expression went from pleading to angry and she drove her high heel into Jack's tail. Jack yelled in pain, yanking the tip of his tail to his waist as he stood to tower over the harlot. Jack's eyes glowed like an ember flame as his pupils narrowed to slits and his fangs elongated. Jack's growl turned to a hiss, causing the cyprian's eyes to widen in fear. The woman quickly turned towards the door and exited as fast as she could in six-inch heels.

Jack sat back down on his stool, grumbling in annoyance.

Killian chuckled, "You deserved it."

Jack snapped his head to Killian, "What?"

Killian sat up, regaining his composure, "Really, Jack? A whore?"

"Not the first time." Jack seethed, wanting to annoy Killian in return.

Killian exhaled through his nose in frustration but wasn't all too surprised by the statement.

Before any more comments could be exchanged between the pilots, the cook burst from the kitchen. The two meals clattered onto the counter in front of the men and the chef placed his hands on his hips in anticipation. The pilots stared up at the cook, silently prodding him to leave them to their own devices. After a moment of silence, the cook sighed and grumbled, "I guess I'll leave ya to it."

The cook retreated to the kitchen, and Killian finally turned to Jack, not daring to look at the bowl in front of his partner, "Don't eat that."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "Whadaya mean?"

"Don't. Eat it." Killian said firmly.

"Why?"

"I don't even think I can explain it. But just trust me."

Jack rolled his eyes, "It can't be that bad. I mean, I know this place looks like a garbage can, but there's other customers here as well and besides, Jalkolns have stomachs of steel. It's almost impossible for me to get sick from food."

Killian sighed, his brow furrowed, 'I suppose he's right.'

Killian watched as Jack took a spoonful of chili. Jack narrowed his eyes slightly at the taste, but ultimately decided it was good to eat. Killian looked at his own meal, 'At least it's not chili.'

Killian took a bite of his sandwich, finding it mediocre but still edible. Killian ate his sandwich at a reasonable pace but noticed that Jack had sped up eating his chili. Killian raised an eyebrow, "Is it that good?"

Jack licked the spoon as he was already finished with his meal, humming in response to Killian's question.

The cook returned from the kitchen, crossing his arms, "Well, it looks like you folks are just about finished here. How was it?"

"Hmmm, good." Jack stated in a food coma, "We'll take the bill if it's ready."

"Well, let's see, a bowl of chili and a sandwich... That'll be about 10 solias."

Killian looked at Jack to pay. Killian carried the currency traded among planets in the alliance, while Jack carried the currency that was used universally before the war, a currency still used by many.

Jack reached for his inner pocket within his jacket, searching for the pouch he kept the currency in. Jack froze. After a moment, the Jalkoln then began to frantically search all his pockets.

"Shit," Jack whispered.

Killian's brow furrowed, "What?"

Jack looked at Killian worriedly, his mouth trying to form words. Killian caught Jack's drift anyways, "Shit."

Both pilots looked to the cook, scraping their brains for anything they could say to get out of their situation.

"You don't have the money, do you?" the cook asked in his raspy voice.

Jack shook his head in disappointment, slowly closing his eyes.

Killian sighed, "No, we don't. Is there any other way we could pay for our meal?"

"You're out of solias, which means you're also indebted to Bedo down the street there. And yes I know you went to him cause I heard you guys crash land. So here's what you'll do. Both of you work in the diner for the rest of the day and you'll be free to leave with your ship."

Jack and Killian looked at each other, knowing they had both made up their minds. The pilots looked back at the chef, "We'll do it."