McGrubby's was a dive, inside and out.  The interior of the bar was filled with broke pilots missing more than just a ship to fly, rough handed farmers who still bore the soil of their labor on their sweat stained clothes, and ragged teenage "dock boys" who hung around hoping for a spot of work or a free shot of whiskey.  The wooden walls sagged with age and saturation.  The floor was warped and stained a disgusting shade of brown, fouled from a decade of spilled drinks and Buddha knows what other liquids that were best left inside the folks they had come out of.<br/><br/>Xavier's face settled into a heavy scowl as they wandered deeper into the bar and was greeted by the smell of cheap booze and even cheaper lives.  His dark eyes gleamed in the dim kerosene light of the bar, looking for their employers.<br/><br/>"You two are late."<br/><br/>A soot blackened hand flashed in Xev's face, waving the duo over to the battered table that sat in one of the room's corners.  Xev grunted and found himself staring into the man known around Persephone as "Skyes".  The heavy set old man sported a dirty brown coat and a full salt and pepper beard that rustled against the top of his rotund stomach as he settled into his chair.  His skin was browned from a life time spent wrangling cattle on the Rim and he snorted when he talked.  He smelled faintly of leather and urine.<br/><br/>Xeb hated the bastard with every fiber of his being, but when times were desperate, you'd work with anyone if the coin was right.<br/><br/>"Well, as much as I love your company, let's get to business."<br/><br/>Xev nodded at the old man's words and he settled down into his seat, glancing back at the vigilant Jenn.  Skyes jabbed a blackened finger into Xev's chest and then pointed again over his shoulder at the only bright spot in the room.<br/><br/>"Been a change of plans, Xev.  Companion came in mighty early to meet her... employer and well, there she sits all pretty like."<br/><br/>Xev's jaw nearly hit the floor as the job started to slide south.  Skyes was serving as the cover of hiring the Companion but he had never mentioned her being at the bar.  Them meeting here was all making sense now.  Not only was kidnapping the woman in a packed bar going to be quite a challenge but the fact that she was a drop dead gorgeous piece of ass certainly made things more interesting.<br/><br/>"You gorramnin'... pay up or I make Jenn break your jaw."<br/><br/>Skyes grunted once and tossed a pouch of coins on the table, which Jenn was quick to snatch up.  Xev growled and suddenly reached over to grab the old man by the front of his sweat stained shirt.  Skyes only offered him a nearly toothless grin.<br/><br/>"You set us up, old man.  I don't like that."<br/><br/>Skyes wheezed and continued to leer.<br/><br/>"Just do your job, Captain, and then you will have enough cash to get that rusted hunk of<em>gosa</em>out of my dock."<br/><br/>Xev sent Skyes crashing into the back of his chair as he stood, touching Jenn on the shoulder and heading back into the shadows, to come up with a plan for heisting the Companion.