Gaige always loved going to Moxxi's after she and the other vault hunters had raided the stronghold the Bloodshots were cooped up in. They always had some good guns in their grimy, greasy bandit hands, most likely provided by Marcus.
She had yet to come across a better combination than starting the day blasting away nomads and marauders, and then taking a trip to Moxxi's to celebrate their success. Sometimes she would consider hanging out with Mordecai on the balcony of the Crimson Raider's HQ, but it was at times like these that she promptly forgot of all other possibilities.
The merry band of vault hunters were situated around a table, closest one you could get to the bar so that Salvador would be less cranky about his empty bottles. Axton sat furthest out on the stained and dingy sofa, casually chugging some Rakk-ale whilst Maya sat closest to the wall, sipping on something that looked like water, save for the blue tint.
On the other side of the table Gaige and Zer0 were lounging on an identical sofa, although the stains on this one reminded her of some tacky leopard design. Zer0 sat closest to the wall, preferring to be limit his exposure to the rest of the bar as much as possible, he still got a lot of stares from the inhabitants of Sanctuary, despite having been here for months by now. Zer0 naturally wasn't drinking anything, he merely observed, as always. Still, he seemed content enough, his posture was upright and his helmet flashed smiley faces when the others were joking and laughing.
Gaige wasn't much of a drinker either, she always preferred the non-alcoholic option so that she could work on Deathtrap without any biological distractions. She also preferred the sweeter taste of the purple soft-drink that the bar served. She'd asked what the beverage was called, but never received an answer, only shrugs and apathetic shoulder movements. The vault hunters had branded it "Gaige's purple stuff", or GPS for short. It served its purpose well enough.
Soon enough everyone's glasses had been depleted and Salvador made quite a show of it, throwing his tree-trunk arms up to the ceiling and letting everyone know how he felt about glasses that were smaller than his hands, which to his credit, were rather massive. Axton shoved his left index finger into his left ear to lessen the onslaught of brazen Pandorian profanity and gestured towards the bar for a refill. Gaige frowned at Salvador's screaming which muted the rhythmic pounding of the music that was always played, she had grown to immensely enjoy the seductive beat, the dark, deep bass that permeated her metal arm and made the metal digits flick and tap in rhythm to the track. The yelling had made her hands stop dancing and drop dead on her skirt.
Gaige heard the distinctive click-clack of stiletto heels on the wooden floor, to which she turned her head to the left and laid eyes upon a curvaceous seductress, dressed like something out of Wonderland with her outlandish dress and top hat. Her face, like always, was painted a chalk white, with her cheeks a soft, gentle blush. A small beauty mark was situated above her lips, always smiling in a teasing manner, painted with what looked like the very essence of cherries. What Gaige found the most beautiful about the woman was her eyes, they almost seemed to glow with teal energy, they were far more mesmerizing than a fat stack of eridium and they filled her with just about as much excitement as 400 stacks of anarchy, but without the confidence that her power brought, for here she was powerless. She tried to avert her own eyes to something else, but they just stopped at her lashes, long as her fingernail on her thumb and covered in mascara which spread like a corrupting influence to the rest of the area around her eye, framing her teal jewels and ending in a trail that looked like tears, even though she never showed signs or even hints of sadness. The alluring queen of Sanctuary, Moxxi, had Gaige at her mercy, and she couldn't help but to revel in the sensation the realization brought her.
"Hey there sweethearts, Rakk ale for Axton and little-old Salvador." Moxxi plopped three 2-liter glasses in front of the two men, one for Axton and two for Salvador.
"Siren special for Maya" Moxxi sent the glass of blue tinted liquid sliding over the table into Maya's hands with a smirk.
"And of course, your own personal stuff Gaige." The barkeep whispered in a voice so husky Gaige swore a circuit in her robotic arm must've popped. Moxxi bent down and gently placed the mug of purple fluid directly in front of Gaige. The pig-tailed machinist's eyes unavoidably glided to the vast display of cleavage that was on display right in front of her. She could just about trace the heart on Moxxi's chest with her nose...
Gaige snapped out of her trance as soon as she could, which was to say, too late. Everyone at the table had caught her staring save for Axton and Salvador who were too busy guzzling their ale. Poor Gaige looked like she'd swallowed a litre of Tabasco judging by the hue of her face and her embarrassed, pained expression. To this, Maya smiled a knowing smile, whilst Zer0's helmet flashed a heart emoticon, bathing the intimate booth in light matching Gaige's flushed face.
"I-I" Gaige tried to formulate an excuse, without success, since Moxxi interrupted her with a very sensual moan.
"Oh baby doll! You should have told me earlier Gaige! There's no shame in being attracted to women y'know." Moxxi gasped while running her hand up the back of Gaige's neck, ruffling the sensitive hairs and making her involuntarily shudder.
Gaige wanted nothing more than to stay in her seat, or in Moxxi's lap, but she reluctantly pulled herself away, leapt over the table earning a "Oi! Watch where you're going amigo!" from Salvador who's drinking had been interrupted by Gaige's acrobatics. As she ran out of Moxxi's den, she glanced back at the table and saw Moxxi's left eyelid gracefully slide shut into a pitch-black wink. The barkeep raised her hand, extending her pinkie and thumb to her head and mouthed two words with her cherry lips.
"ECHO me."