Dramatic

Sol leaned against the counter, staring at Azuran with an amused expression. "So, how exactly am I supposed to get in touch with this shadowy benefactor of mine? I doubt they left a calling card."

Azuran's many eyes blinked in unison before his form pulsed with amusement. "As a matter of fact, they did. Just not in the way you'd expect."

With a smooth motion, a section of Azuran's gelatinous body shifted, forming an appendage that reached behind the counter. From the mass, a small metallic sphere emerged, no larger than a marble, its surface etched with intricate, unfamiliar patterns that pulsed faintly with light.

Sol raised an eyebrow, plucking the sphere from Azuran's grasp. "And this is supposed to do what exactly? Summon them like a genie in a bottle?"

Azuran let out a gurgling chuckle. "Not quite. It's a one-time-use communicator. Activate it, and they'll know you're ready to talk. Where and how they respond is entirely up to them. You won't get another chance, though, so I suggest you think carefully before pressing that little button."

Sol rolled the sphere between his fingers, watching the dim pulses of energy shift with each movement. "Mysterious. Dramatic. I like it."

Azuran pulsed a shade darker. "You should. Whoever this is, they're not ordinary. And if even *I* don't have a name for them, that should tell you something."

Sol grinned. "Good. It's been a while since I had an interesting conversation."

With that, in front of Azuran and without a moment's hesitation, Sol pressed the button with a grin.

Azuran's entire form pulsed, momentarily speechless. Even for him, this was way beyond his expectations. The patrons who had remained in the Emporium, still lingering in hopes of gathering more information, felt their scalps tingle. Whatever curiosity they had was swiftly replaced with a primal sense of survival.

They no longer cared about the details.

Without a second thought, they bolted for the door, some stumbling over themselves in their desperate attempt to put as much distance as possible between them and whatever madness Sol had just unleashed.

Azuran, finally regaining his composure, let out a long, amused sigh. "You really don't have an ounce of hesitation in you, do you?"

Sol chuckled, slipping his hands into his pockets as he turned toward the exit. "Where's the fun in that?"

With an easy stride, he made his way to the Cosmic Drift. As soon as he stepped inside, the atmosphere in the bar shifted. Conversations hushed, subtle glances flickered toward him, and a noticeable tension spread through the room. The customers who didn't want trouble made their exit almost immediately, while the others remained—some hesitant, others staying out of sheer curiosity.

Candy, polishing a glass behind the counter, noticed the sudden change. Her feline ears twitched, sensing the unspoken shift in the air. With a frown, she turned, her golden eyes scanning the room before locking onto the familiar, infuriatingly cheeky grin making its way toward her.

"You again," she said, exasperation laced in her tone. "I was wondering when you'd crawl out of whatever hole you've been hiding in."

Sol slid onto a barstool, leaning forward with that same smug expression. "Miss me?"

Candy scoffed, setting the glass down with a little more force than necessary. "Miss the chaos you bring? Not particularly. But I am curious. Everyone's been whispering about you, and not in a 'let's raise a toast to Sol' kind of way."

Sol sighs, resting his chin on his hand. "What can I say? I have a lot of fans"

Candy narrowed her eyes, studying him for a moment before sighing. "You're either an crazy or the most dangerous man on this ship. Probably both. What are you drinking?"

Sol tapped the counter lightly. "Surprise me."

Candy rolled her eyes but turned to grab a bottle from the shelf. As she poured, she glanced at him again. "So? You gonna tell me what mess you've gotten yourself into this time? Or should I be bracing for someone to come storming in here looking for you?"

Sol chuckled, watching the amber liquid fill the glass. "Let's just say things are about to get interesting."

Candy slid the drink toward him but didn't move away. Instead, she leaned forward slightly, her golden eyes narrowing with curiosity. "Alright, I have to ask—are the rumors true?"

Sol tilted his head, amusement flickering across his face. "You're gonna have to be more specific. There's honestly too many to count at this point."

Candy huffed, crossing her arms. "Fine. Let's start with the biggest one—DreamCorp. Did you really take out an entire squad of their elite troops? I mean, I know you're crazy, but even that sounds a bit far-fetched."

Sol took a slow sip of his drink, savoring the burn before exhaling softly. His usual smugness faded, replaced by something more distant. "Mmm… technically, I didn't take out *all* of them. Just enough to send a message."

He sighed, his fingers lightly tapping the counter, a rare moment of hesitation flickering across his face. Even now, thinking back on what had happened unsettled him in ways he didn't like to admit. The weight of that night still lingered, no matter how much he masked it with humor and bravado.

Candy blinked, caught off guard by how casually he admitted it. "You're kidding."

He grinned. "Nope. And in my defense, they started it and might I add it was a constant pain in the ass. I just… finished it."

She let out a low whistle, shaking her head. "Alright, next one. The bounty. They're really offering ten billion credits for you alive? And five for your corpse?"

Sol shrugged. "Last I checked, yeah. Pretty generous, don't you think? Makes me feel important."

Candy narrowed her eyes. "And that doesn't worry you? Not even a little?"

He smirked, leaning back. "Why would it? If anything, it just means I'm expensive."

Then, almost under his breath, he muttered, "Honestly, even I'm tempted to turn myself in."

She stared at him for a long moment before muttering, "You are absolutely insane."

Sol only chuckled, lifting his glass in a mock toast. "And yet, you're still around. What does that make you?"

She shook her head before placing her elbow on the counter, resting her chin in her palm. "I heard about what happened at the Twin Dragons."

Sol raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. "Oh? And what exactly did you hear?"

Candy gave him a knowing look, her tail swishing slightly behind her. "I heard you basically crippled half the people there."

Sol blinked, caught completely off guard. "I never even touched them."

Candy smirked, leaning closer. "I know. The rumors say you didn't even move before half their guards and one of the managers ended up… well, crippled."

Sol stared at her, baffled. He knew exactly what had happened, but hearing it twisted into something far more dramatic amused and frustrated him. "Gotta love the way stories evolve, huh?"

Candy wasn't done yet. She rested her chin on her palm, giving him a curious look. "So, what did you do?"

Sol exhaled, swirling his drink. "Nothing much. Just had a conversation."

Candy scoffed. "A conversation? That somehow left half the people there crippled? Sounds like a hell of a chat."

Sol grinned, deliberately vague. "Let's just say some people aren't built to handle a little… persuasion."

Candy gave him a skeptical look, but there was intrigue in her eyes. "So you're telling me you walked in, talked, and suddenly people started dropping like flies?"

He tapped the counter lazily. "You make it sound so dramatic. I didn't do anything to them."

She narrowed her eyes. "And yet, they left the place needing years of rehab."

Sol simply smirked. "That's their problem, not mine."

The tension in the room had subtly shifted. Some of the remaining patrons were blatantly eavesdropping now, while others pretended to mind their business, their curiosity too great to ignore. Even Candy, despite her usual cool demeanor, couldn't fully suppress the fascination creeping into her expression. It was part intrigue, part apprehension—though she wouldn't admit it aloud.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the cloth she had been using to polish the counter, the motion now absentminded. She had always known Sol was different, but hearing these stories firsthand—without embellishment, without bravado—made the reality sink in. This wasn't just some daring rogue causing mischief; Sol had *broken* people. And he had done it with nothing but his mind.

For someone like Candy, who had always lived with a sense of control over her own life, it was unsettling to realize that Sol operated by an entirely different set of rules. A dangerous, unpredictable enigma who played with lives as easily as he played with words. And yet, the worst part? She was fascinated by him.

Before Candy could respond, the atmosphere in the bar shifted again. The entrance to the Cosmic Drift swung open, and an unfamiliar figure stepped inside. Unlike the fleeting glances Sol usually drew from patrons, this person walked with purpose, exuding an air of quiet authority.

Their sharp, calculating eyes swept the room before locking onto him.

"Sol," the stranger said, their voice smooth but unreadable. "I've been looking for you."

Candy tensed beside him, her tail flicking slightly as she cast a wary glance at the newcomer. The rest of the bar grew unnaturally still, the usual background chatter fading as every remaining patron suddenly found something else to focus on—though their ears remained turned toward the exchange.

Sol, ever the picture of ease, took another sip of his drink, his expression unreadable. He placed the glass down and leaned back slightly, offering the stranger a lazy smirk. "Yeah? Well, congrats. You found me. Now what?"