Gavvix?s Workshop was a large concrete building in West End with a flickering neon sign out-front that said Gavvix?s Ink. The illegal trades, implants, and information broking business that Gavvix and the Doc had set up was fronted by the tattoo parlor run by Gavvix himself. Zeollas was astride the 2069 Yamaha Cobra 350, already slowing as he neared the grey, run down concrete building. The windows were barricaded with thick; iron bars to keep out the mundane thief while a variety of wards and tech were in place to up security. It was all hidden and camouflaged, of course.

Zeo pulled the black helmet off and hooked it over a handlebar. His foot lowered to slap against the kickstand, knocking it into place to let the bike lean against it. He dismounted and snagged his sword up from the spot he?d set on the left side of the motorcycle, a place that held it while he was riding. Walking forward, a gloved hand was lifted to push at the glass and iron-barred door. A little bell chimed as he stepped in.

?Welcome to Gavvix?s Ink.? Said a drawling man who stood behind a counter, flipping through a magazine full of half-naked women. The front of the shop was bathed in a violent neon light, half of it a bright pink, the other half fading into a purple. All along the walls were various pictures of different tattoos Gavvix and his employees could ink up for the customers.

Zeo glanced over at the man behind the counter, motioning with his free hand toward a door that was to the right of it. ?Gavvix in?? He asked while walking toward said door. ?Gavvix is in a meeting.? The man replied, not looking up at Zeollas. ?With the Doc?? Zeo asked with an arching brow. At the mention of the Doc, the man behind the counter glanced up at Zeo and reached out to the side, rasping his knuckles against the door. ?Gav, you got company.?

Zeollas? brow quirked up a touch higher at that before the rattling of a doorknob stole his attention away from the drawling man. Turning to look over at the door, he grinned and tossed off a salute when a tall and lanky man with thick, black goggles and a mess of wild hair stepped out.

?Zeollas.? Gavvix greeted as he walked forward, extending a hand. Zeo took said hand and gave it a firm, friendly shake. ?Gavvix. Long time no see.? He replied, dropping the shop owner?s hand while he motioned toward the man behind the counter. ?New employees, eh?? Zeo couldn?t see it, but he knew Gavvix glanced out of the corner of his eye at the man in question. ?Yeah. Wonder how long he?ll last.?

With a chuckle, Zeollas motioned toward the door Gavvix had stepped out from. ?Mind if we take this in the back? I?ve got some business I want to discuss with you.? Said Zeollas. Gavvix?s brow quirked up barely in mild curiosity. ?We talking tattoos, Zeo?? The owner of the tattoo parlor asked while glancing behind Zeo for any signs of company. ?Not exactly.?

?Follow me then.?

Gavvix pivoted smoothly; walking toward the door that sat to the right of the tattoo parlor?s counter and register. Zeollas followed, tossing off another two-fingered salute to the drawling man who wasn?t even paying attention by that point. The door closed behind him and he was led through a small room where a group of men sat around a table, playing cards and enjoying a few drinks. ?Skip me on the next hand.? Gavvix said to the men as they passed them up.

Zeollas studied the group in passing, but they quickly fell out of sight as he was led through the large and dimly lit hallway on the other side of the room. Pipes stuck out from the walls, some dripping water, others pouring out trickling streams of steam, and most rusted. Gavvix didn?t take good care of the place. A small door loomed ahead, light just barely making it through the crack between it and the floor. The sounds of music drifted to Zeo?s ears, a loud rock ?n? roll band. It was too distant and vague to place a name. He could hear the drills working; the Doc must have been in.

When they reached the door Gavvix, who stepped in and motioned for Zeollas to do the same, opened it. ?Doc,? Said Gavvix, ?Turn it down, we?ve got company.? There was no response, just the constant sound of a power drill at work off somewhere out of sight. Zeollas glanced around curiously; it had been a while since he?d been to the workshop. Vehicles surrounded him, mostly cars and motorcycles, though there were a few boats. Parts were strewn about the garage?s floor; this was just the upper half of the shop. He knew that on the far eastern wall was a small depression of stone, that when pressed would reveal a door to the elevator that led below ground and to the heart of Gavvix and the Doc?s business.

?Doc!? Gavvix shouted this time. ?Turn it down!? There was still nothing. Gavvix tossed Zeollas a glance, a finger lifting to signal ?one moment? before he turned and moved off in search of the large radio. The music was silenced immediately afterwards.

?What the Hell?? Came the annoyed shout of a woman off to the left. Grinning, Zeollas glanced toward the voice just in time to see the Doc come into view. She was dressed in a dark jumpsuit with stitching above the left breast that said The Doc?s Repair Shop. She was a short woman, with fiery red curls, a freckled face, and bright blue eyes. Immediately upon spotting Zeollas, Doc grinned and hurried over, practically tackling him. ?Zeo!? She greeted him with much enthusiasm, nearly crushing his chest with her stronger-than-normal hug before stepping back. ?Ya devil, when?d you get back in town??

?Couple of nights ago.? Zeollas replied, glancing around for Gavvix before his attention was turned toward Doc once more. ?How?ve you been?? He asked as Gavvix came back into view. ?Alright. Business is boomin? right now. Gavvy?n I are makin? a killing.?

?Doctrys, I told you to stop callin? me that.? Said Gavvix as he rejoined the pair. Doc stuck her tongue out at Gav and grinned over at Zeollas. ?What?s shakin?, Zee?? Smirking, his sword was lowered and set against the ground while he leaned onto the handle like a cane. ?I have some people who might want to do some business with you two.? Gavvix pulled his goggles off his eyes, which were a muddy-brown. ?What are they lookin? for?? Gavvix queried before Doc could get the chance.

?They both need neural dampening implants, I?m thinkin? a Mark IV and a Mark III. Then the other might be someone you could do some business with later on down the line. Weapons, tech, vehicles, he?s got his fingers in this dirty trade and I?m sure you two could help each other out. Seems like he knows what he?s doing.? Zeollas replied, his free hand being shoved into his pocket.

?These two people got names?? Doc asked while wiping her greasy hands on the jumpsuit.

?Ixora and Kuro. Kuro?s this troll-changeling thing, from Earth. Ixora?s human as far as I can tell. Kuro?s gonna be needing the Mark IV, big guy. But Ixora?s too small to handle the pressure from it, so she?ll need a Marx III.? Zeo answered.

?They?re not feds, are they?? Gav quipped suspiciously.

?You think Zee?s dumb enough to bring feds sniffin? our way, Gavvy?? Doc asked with a mocking smirk.

Zeollas chuckled and glanced over at Gavvix, shaking his head in response. ?No, the opposite I?m thinking. You won?t have to worry about them; from the sounds of things Ixora?s a pirate. And Kuro?s my new employer, you can trust them I think.?

Gavvix nodded slowly, one arm crossing over his chest while the other lifted so he could stroke his chin. ?Send them my way, then. We?ll work something out.? The businessman replied.

?Will do, Gav.? Zeo tossed off a salute then picked the sword back up, propping it onto his shoulder. ?I need to go ahead and split, I?m supposed to be meeting them at Stars End shortly.?

?Take care, Zeo.? Gavvix replied, pulling his goggles back down. ?Stop by soon. I have something you might be interested in.?

?I?m looking forward to it.? Zeollas flashed a cheeky grin before slanting a wink off at Doc. ?See you, short-stack.? He received a nice punch in the shoulder for that. ?Don?t go gettin? yourself killed before we get to have some fun, string-bean.? She replied with a smirk.

Laughing, Zeollas patted her head and pivoted around toward the door. ?I?ll be stopping by in the next couple of days, see you then.? And he stepped out through the door Gavvix led him in from, heading back down the hallway. When he came upon the room with the card game, all eyes were suddenly on him. ?Gentlemen.? Zeollas said as he passed the men up and stepped out into the tattoo parlor. The man behind the counter was still flipping through his magazine and didn?t even look up when Zeollas stepped into the room.

He walked outside, the bells of the door chiming when it was opened. Mounting the motorcycle, the sword was strapped down once more. He pulled the helmet from the handlebars, tugged it over his head, and keyed the bike. Taking a moment to rev the engine up, Zeollas backed out while his thumb flicked a switch on the bike that sent it into the silent mode Kuro had it modded with. The roar of the engine quickly faded into a whisper. He peeled off and tore down the street, heading back to Kuro?s garage to get a few hours rest before the next job.

From behind the counter set in the left hand corner of the room came a rustling sound. A man stood, pale and gaunt, with dirty blond hair and sunken, grey eyes. He glanced around for a moment, a hand smoothing over the five o'clock shadow that lined his jaw, and addressed Kuro with a voice slow, drawling, and grainy like wheels crunching over a gravel road.

"Y'here for a tat?" The man asked while rounding the counter. He wore faded jeans, worn in and torn at the knees and hemline. His feet were sheathed in leather combat boots. His chest was covered by an old, black t-shirt and a sleeveless vest that had the tattoo parlor's name embroidered on the left breast pocket. "Gav doesn't do many tats these days."

The man walked over to Kuro, his step slow, punctuated with a light limp of his left leg. Dirt coated the space between his fingers and nails, his hands were calloused, rough. They'd used more than just a tattooing needle. While his arms were long and wiry, the slim muscle he had stood out against the paleness of his skin, strong despite the lack of volume. Like a panther.

A hand was extended toward Kuro, the left one. Said hand met a wrist that was covered in a variety of black bands and other bracelets, all covering a metallic bracer that had one, black dot on its surface. There was no space between the bracer and the skin, it was connected.

"Name's Sphix." Said the man. "I do most of the tats here."

Sphix's hand was incredibly cool, not icy cold, but not warm enough for anything living. It was metal, that was made obvious on contact. He nodded slightly, eying the man for a moment while retracting his hand to shove it into one of his pants' pockets.

"Zeollas sent you?" He asked, though the question was rhetorical and required no answering. "Gimme a second, I'll go get Gavvix for you." Said Sphix as he pivoted with a smooth, military movement and started off for the door that loomed just to the right of the counter. "Wait right here."

The door was opened by Sphix, stepped through, and closed. A few moments later, Sphix stepped out from the same doorway and left it ajar, heading back behind the counter where he took up a lean and flipped through a random magazine. A few moments later, a tall and slim man stepped out, his eyes shielded by large and dark goggles. Gavvix walked over to Kuro, smoothing out his shirt before wiping his hands on the dirty cargo pants he wore. Like Sphix, a hand was extended.

"I'm Gavvix." He said as he reached Kuro. "I take it you're Kuro?"

Gavvis was completely silent as Kuro spoke, allowing the man to say his fill before even beginning to consider what he was proposing. Then, for a few moments afterwards, Gavvix was still quiet, and obviously thinking a multitude of things over, all at once. Slowly, he nodded and lifted a hand, waving for Kuro to follow as he twisted around in a not-so-militaristic manner and started for the door from which he'd stepped out of.

"Come with me, Kuro." Said Gavvix as he walked toward the still open door. "And close the door behind you."

Assuming Kuro would follow him, Gavvix continued on silently for a few moments, leading the potential customer and business contact through a large square room with a low ceiling and a table in the middle of it, to a door on the other side. This door led through the narrow but tall hallway riddled with pipes and rust. Once in the hallway, he spoke again.

"We can set you up with a neural implant for a very cheap price. These aren't hand-me-downs, either, but top of the line, A-grade tech." He said while walking along. "Zeollas suggested the Mark IV dampener for you, but if you'd prefer another model, I'm sure we have it."

He glanced over his shoulder briefly before turning his attention forward once more. "We buy and sell various hardware, tech, firearms, etc. Very discreet, very efficient, and good money, I'm sure we can arrange something."

Gavvix again fell silent as he walked through the long and narrow hallway. It turned to the left abruptly, and he followed the curve. Soon, a doorway was visible just ahead of them. He pulled it open and stepped through, motioning for Kuro to close it when following.

"Our prices are purely negotiable, Kuro." He replied smoothly. "We have what you want. We want to know how much it's worth to you. From there, we can discuss a deal."

They were standing now, in a large garage not unlike the one Kuro operated. Vehicles were strewn throughout the room, parts littered the floor carelessly, and grease was everywhere. He walked past it all, turning to head toward the far eastern wall. Once he reached it, Gavvix paused and turned toward Kuro.

"What you see and hear from this point onward is purely for our ears alone. Understood?"

Gavvix nodded as he turned and pressed upon a small depression in the wall. To the right of him, a large slab of concrete shifted and lifted, swinging inward to open like a large door. It was perfectly hidden, for when it had been closed, the door was seamless. He motioned for Kuro to follow while starting forward and down the metallic-grating staircase that winded onto three separate landings before reaching the bottom. When Kuro followed Gavvix into the stairwell, the door closed behind him.

"The price is fine. But I have to ask," He paused to glance over his shoulders at Kuro. "The currency you're using, gold right? Is it marked by any government, official business, etcetera? The same question also applies to the weapons."

As they walked, the sound of rock 'n' roll music drifted up toward them, growing louder the further down they went. Soon, they were walking through a wide hallway that led to a large set of metal doors, which opened up as they reached it. Kuro would be met with the sight of walls covered in various weapons and tech, modifications hung up in displays, certain vehicles set up about the place, and the loud blare of the music no longer hindered by the thick walls and door.

"Doc, turn the music down!" Gav shouted with a surprising amount of volume. The reaction was delayed, but eventually the music was turned down to a dull murmur. He then turned back to Kuro and nodded. "That will work fine then. Follow me."

Gavvix then turned and motioned for Kuro to follow along as he started through the workshop and turned left around what could only be part of an arm for a large mechanized suit like Zeollas'. At Kuro's question, he glanced over his shoulder and smiled faintly.

"I don't. The Doc does all that. She was a med school graduate, specializing in implants, but prefers vehicles so opened up a garage overhead. The one we walked through. She'll be doing the surgery."

"I'll have her take a look at them, she if she can't figure out what the problem is." Said Gavvix as he smacked the side of the large, metal arm with his fist. "Doc! Get out here, you have a client waiting!" Several loud crashes followed, followed by a loud cursing. Then there was silence for a few moments until the little red headed woman came walking out from around a large stack of parts.

"I'm 'ere, I'm 'ere." She said while wiping her hands off on the jumpsuit she wore. Immediately, her eyes were drawn toward Kuro, he was big after all. "This 'im?" She asked while thumbing toward the changeling troll.

"This is Kuro, the one Zeo told us about." Said Gavvix. "Kuro, this is Doc."

"Nice t'meet'cha 'Uro." Said Doc as she walked forward and extended her hand, thrusting it out confidently. "What sorta implants are ya lookin' inta gettin' today?"

Gavvix smirked at the pair and bowed his head lightly. "I'll leave you two to it then. Take care of him, Doc, he's a friend of Zeo's." And with that, the man twisted around and started off for the opposite side of the workshop, where he dropped into a chair behind a desk and loaded up the computer there.

Grinning, Doc flashed a cheeky wink toward Kuro and motioned for him to follow. "C'mon, big guy. We can fix ya up. Just got the Eye-Laz 3C in, it's the newest in cyber-eye tech. You wanna give that a shot?" She asked while hooking her thumbs in her pockets, tossing a quick glance over his shoulder at him. "Neural implant's no problem, and your shoulder shouldn't take long. The whole op, including the eye-implant replacement, shouldn't take more than a few hours. Though I gotta warn ya, keep your eyes outta bright light for the next few hours after that, gotta give your brain time to adjust to the enhanced retinal-frequency."

Doc pulled her hair back into a bun, then took his jacket and vest and set them atop a large, metal workbench. Medical curtains were drawn around them for some semblance of privacy while she went to wash her hands. "Just sit tight real quick while I get everything set up." She said while tugging on the latex gloves. She also donned an apron, put a hair-cap over her head, and pulled a face mask and some goggles down next.

"Fixit!" She shouted out suddenly. A small mechanical-helper zoomed into the "medical area", issuing out a series of beeps to Doc. "I need ya go get me a new Mark IV neural implant and a new set of Eye-Laz 3C implants. Chop chop." She clapped her hands before turning to withdraw a syringe. A vial of liquid came next, which she soon filled the syringe with and took over to Kuro.

"You're not allergic to any meds, are ya?"

Doc nodded cheerfully and lowered the syringe toward Kuro's neck. "All right then." She said while the needle poked through, it was strong and sharp, designed to cut through a meta human's skin. "Just hold still, we'll numb ya up, and then get to workin'."

Kuro might have felt a sting from the needle, a pinch as the liquid was injected into him, and a slight sting as it was removed. Shortly after though, an intense numbness would wash over, and possibly even render him unconscious for a while. It wasn't unheard of. All the while, Doc worked carefully to install the new eye implants, neural implant, and check on his shoulder as well as fix the kinks in it from his hard impact.

A couple of hours later, she was injecting him with a second needle, one that counteracted the first med. "In about ten minutes, you'll get your feeling back." She set a pair of large, dark glasses before him. "Wear these for two hours. Then you'll be safe. Everything else is peachy, you're all set. Just take it slow, get up whenever you're ready."

Doc nodded as she threw away the gloves and syringe, then left Fixit to do the rest of the clean up. "Come back if ya have a problem with anything, see if I can't fix it." She pulled the cap off, the face mask, and untied the apron, then wheeled around and started toward the large, mechanical arm. A panel was opened up on its side, and she stepped through.

Gavvix was still sitting at the computer desk, sending a message to one of his contacts. When Kuro called to Gavvix, he glanced up and waved him over, motioning toward a chair in front of the desk. "Over here." Said Gavvix, who leaned back in his seat for a moment to inspect Kuro. "How are you feeling? Doc fix you up good?"

Gavvix ran a hand along his jaw while leaning forward. His elbow was pressed against the edge of the desk, supporting his weight. He didn't reply right away, he rarely did. Instead, Gavvix thought for a few minutes, then pointed toward the stairwell they'd walked down earlier.

"Weapons can be brought to Doc's garage tomorrow night. Drive around the back of the tattoo parlor, building's are connected. We'll unload them. The gold is easier to do so you don't have to be too secretive about it, just say it's a gambling debt if anyone asks." He nodded and dropped his hand from its running course along the hard line of his jaw. "Just bring the gold by tomorrow in the afternoon."

The businessman shook his head slowly, leaning back into his seat for a moment while his head tilted up to stare at the workshop's ceiling. Fingers tapped lightly against the desk before he shoved from his spot and stood. Gavvix leaned forward, extending his hand toward Kuro for another shake in farewell for the time being.

"No. That'll be all. I'll see you tomorrow, Kuro. Take it easy until then." Said Gavvix. "Also," His head jerked toward the stairwell. "There's a big red button at the top, that'll open the wall back up. It closes on its own." He then lifted his free hand and gestured with a thumb over his shoulder. "But if you're not up to takin' the stairs just yet, the door there is a slopping ramp that leads upwards, comes out from under the bridge right across the street from the parlor. Take your pick."

Ixora headed for the hangar immediately after the work at the office was done. Her headache had subdued itself during the course of the day and was barely noticeable at all by that point. She was a bit unsure of herself. The first time her confidence didn't reflect in her step. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to meet with Zeollas and remind have him remind her of the night before. Even so, she had no idea of the events that had taken place. Not only was that the case, but she was careless by drinking the night before her first day on the job.

Feet carried her and her thoughts spun around in circles, overwhelmed with the various paths they began to take. There was the thing with her having gotten drunk the night before, something she hoped would be ignored until after the appointment was through at least. She was still a little cautious about the matter and was also nervous about the neural dampener implant she was due for. There was no way she wanted to go all by herself though she was uncertain about what sort of reaction she would get out of Zeollas when she ran into him. She could only hope their greeting and conversation would take on a business like twist.

She paused when she finally reached the door of the hangar, hand raised in hesitance. Fingers curled into her palm and knuckles tapped against the door while she waited for the man to open it up for her and get on with the appointment they had scheduled.

Zeollas seemed not to acknowledge the night before. All that much better. She chose not to bring it up either as she made her way on through the door of the hangar, making her way over towards the man. "Yeah, I'm ready to go." She was being civil at least, she hadn't used one of the ridiculous pet names as she chose to call him. Still, Ixora was curious to know if would eventually be mentioned. She also was curious to see how long it would go before either her or Zeo started in on the insults. The greetings had been cordial enough that there was no evident tension. Didn't mean it would stay that way.

Her gaze slid to the motorcycle. "We ridin' again?" She queried for clarification. The last time she'd rode hadn't been the most pleasant of experiences, but if where they were going was far enough away then she was sure that she would find herself on it once more and clutching to him as she became scared out of her wits.

"You know I don't understand that tech stuff," she stated. "You'll have to explain it all to me later if you want."

The woman nodded her head as though she understood and moved outside of the hangar so that Zeollas could lock the door. "What exactly is a cab?" She asked, her brow slowly piqued as she waited patiently for an explanation.

"Hopeless without you, huh?" She prodded, a smirk curved the corners of her lips into a crooked grin. She began to walk and then kept about two paces behind him so that she could follow him to the front of Star's End.

"Yeah, I got it... You know I've never been around all this tech crap," she answered him with somewhat of a scowl. "Hell, don't even know what this cars goin' to look like. I'm learnin' and all though so hold your tongue." And with that, the woman gave a swat to Zeollas' behind.

"Just because the place is filled with 'em doesn't mean that I know what they are." She stuck her tongue out at him, "No one told me what any of those teched out things were."

"I'm sure you're not," she quipped back at him when she was told to keep her hands to herself. Her form disappeared inside of the car as the door was held open and she slid into the middle of the back seat to give Zeo just enough room to sit down himself.

Her lips slid into a grin, perpetually lopsided and crooked at that. Her gaze shifted him over, scrutinizing him openly. She spoke in a nonchalant manner though, "If I wanted to touch you then I would without thought of the risks." The smile on her face contorted into an almost mocking sneer. "Do you really think I want to touch you, Zeo?"

The expression on her features once again altered itself, shifting into a blank slate. Her lips drew themselves into a placid line at the more serious subject. Even if she was sick, she was too stubborn to have admitted such. However, she offered the truth for him. She wondered how furious the man would have been if she weren't feeling well though and passed it off as such.

"I feel fine," she answered at last.

"So blame me. Can't care if I'm dead, right?" She cocked her head towards him, a slender brow piqued. "Chief ain't goin' to have to deal with our fightin' anymore then either," she added with a snicker. Apparently she found the bickering and the lectures to be amusing.

"So," she began and changed the subject. "What's this Gavvix person like anyways? Don't want some mad man gettin' inside of my head, you know? He do all your implants too?" Zeollas had probably told her the answer to it and she might have forgotten at that point. She remembered most things, but not everything. It could have easily been Kuro or someone else that Zeo knew that he had told her came to the workshop for their operation.

The chill from Zeo opening the window didn't bother her, if anything it had the opposite effect. She was used to the harsh winds the winter brought while she was sailing so it was easy for her to adjust to changes in temperature easily. It was almost as though the hot and the cold didn't phase her at all though she never mentioned such to anyone.

She nodded her head slowly and absently as the one beside her in the cab carried on about Gavvix and Doc. "I'm assumin' that I can trust the both of 'em if you do. They did Kuro's implant and he ain't completely crazed yet." She lifted her shoulders and let them drop to assume a shrug, "What do you think of the Chief?" She quirked a brow curiously. "To me... Jus' because it's who I am, he's the one with the money. That's all." Her gaze drifted away from him to look outside the window and she watched while the scenery rolled on by.

"I don't like to keep close ties," she mused under her breath after a while. She wasn't sure if he had heard her with how quiet it was uttered though she figured he must have with his implants. "Especially business partners, you know. Gettin' involved with someone you work with can screw things up more than anythin'. If someone knows you're in a relationship and you get into some other things then it can cause the enemy to go after them first to hurt you emotionally. Worse than jus' goin' after you in the first place. Friends are okay, they tend to be safer..." Laughter tumbled free of her lips as though she hadn't meant a word of what she said or that instead of the serious and solemn tone she had taken that she had just relayed some silly story to him. "Jus' ramblin' about pointless crap is all," she dared to look back towards Zeo and flashed him a helpless grin before her attention went back to the window that she had been staring out of and resumed her watchful view of what lay on the other side of the glass.

"Zeo, jus' forget it all... Was thinkin' about somethin' and started talkin' to myself." She shook her head slowly as if to erase the entire conversation that had preceded those words. She continued to stare out the window, her attention fastened on the glass as they passed everything on by.

"How long is this trip anyways?" She asked him impatiently, hopefully getting his mind off of her remark with that. She turned back to him and let a frustrated sigh and leaned her head into the seat like a child who didn't know what to do with themself. It wasn't as if it were a road trip or anything. She hadn't even been in a car ever, really. It was more so that she had pent up tensions about the surgery. She was still a bit nervous that she was going to have to go through it and it helped to attempt and sway from the earlier subject.