Private A Jedi and a Stormtrooper Walk into a Bar...

[Katja Javik]

Location: Arkania
The Black Ice Bar and Night Club
Valery Noble

It hadn't taken much to convince Katja to venture just over the border after news had travelled about the opening of a new Ice Bar on Arkania. The planet had designed cities to be inhabitable on account of their harsh climate outside and yet the Arkanians seemed to capitalise off of their galactic-wide perception as a cold and inhospitable planet by creating an ice bar in their new night club which was attracting a crowd on its opining night, including Katja.

The music blared across the room with intermittent lights flashing across the dance floor as patrons couldn't contain their excitement to move to the music. Around the room, there were individual tables and booths for those who wanted to enjoy a conversation, a drink and maybe some food, some tables were further away from the action than the others so that a lucky few could get a conversation in without raised voices.

The Hapan had crossed the border from the Empire to attend the new nightclub, with a false ID in hand for entry to GA space and her real ID for exit. She saw no harm in her endeavour. It wasn't like the Empire were about to raid this particular nightclub tonight. Partying was typical of how she spent her time between deployments, out at bars and clubs, seemingly enjoying life when in reality it served as little more as a distraction - though it was fun all the same.

While her experiences out in the world of bars and clubs were limited, having devoted her life to the armed forces, she had witnessed enough in civilian life to know how to fit in and so this evening she opted to don a non-assuming black mini-dress with accessories and platform heels to match. Even with her extensive training, stilettos would always remain elusive to her.

She was already buzzing and ready to socialise. After all, none of it mattered. She would likely never see these people again but she enjoyed hearing stories nonetheless, perhaps provoking people for fun at times, but she felt almost liberated... almost.

"Can I get... uhhh..." She hesitated, squinting at the menu that she couldn't read. No amount of glasses correction could repair illiteracy. "Just any cocktail you recommend." She replied. "You sure? It's strong." The bartender asked for confirmation. "I'd be disappointed if it wasn't." She replied, placing a few credits in his palm. He seemed content enough with the answer and left to prepare the drink.

Her eyes gazed eagerly over the room of people laughing, talking and dancing. It was always a treat to see. Her gaze lingered on the karaoke machine for a few more moments before the bartender commanded her attention by placing the drink in front of her. "Thanks." She gave a brief nod of appreciation.

The night was young.

 

[Valery Noble]

Arkania

​

Outfit: Dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: Katja Javik

There was a rhythmic swaying to her hips and upper body, as she moved through the nightclub in a new dress Briana Sal-Soren had helped her pick for these occasions. It was rare for Valery to go into clubs, especially alone, but after a mission with one of the NJO's Padawans had taken her to Arkania, she decided to stay a little longer for some R&R. When she heard about the Black Ice Bar opening in town, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to forget about everything for a little while.

Between the intense war, training her Padawans, and dealing with personal issues, Valery's life had become hectic, and she had a daughter to take care of as well. It made going out almost impossible, but Vera was with a babysitter tonight, and for once, she had no assignment to focus on either. All she hoped was to avoid another situation like Hapes, where a Gala had been interrupted by a terrorist bombing on another world. A night that should have been relaxing turned into a nightmare.

But not this night.

"Alderaanian red, please," Valery asked the bartender after making her way over. A hand then came up and passed through her long hair, which she had curled a little to make herself look a little fancier. She didn't get to show off very often, nor did she care too much about doing so, but this was a night where she went all out on everything. "Coming right up," the man said before disappearing. Valery took the moment to glance around and observe some of the other patrons.

From couples dancing to people flirting, to some starting the night with strong drinks — the Black Ice Bar and Nightclub had it all, and tonight, it was exactly what she wanted to be around.

"One Alderaanian red," the bartender said when he made his way back and presented the drink. "Thank you," Valery said as she slipped him the payment for it, and elegantly curled her fingers around the glass, before raising it up to her lips for a careful sip. She wasn't quite sure where the night would take her yet, but it was still very young.

 

[Katja Javik]

Her fingers drummed against the icy bar with intrigue. It certainly didn't seem like a hospitable place that she would be hanging around in long. Somehow, when they had said 'ice bar', this hadn't been what she was expecting, but thankfully it was only one novelty section among the larger club. It was different all the same, which was how she had found herself compelled to visit - Not that she needed much convincing to spend an evening partying.

She didn't exactly have many friends who were willing join her out on evenings if they meant crossing the border, but she saw no harm in it. It wasn't as though she had 'war criminal' painted across her forehead or carried a military discount card, but the others weren't so keen.

Still, she often found company in some form, though it was usually later in the evening once everyone was at a point where they would no longer remember the conversation nor recognise each other the following morning, but a woman beside her drew her attention. Her appearance was striking and immediately brought a few curious thoughts to mind but she was in no place to ask any such intrusive questions... yet.

"I like your dress." The words seemed to tumble out of her mouth. It seemed she was reaching the unfiltered opinion portion of the evening. "Are you meeting someone?" She asked, curiously, as she offered a brief nod in thanks towards the bartender who placed a tall glass of a bright green liquid in front of her.

 

[Valery Noble]

Arkania

​

Outfit: Dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: Katja Javik

After accepting her drink, Valery turned around and leaned back against the bar, her focus drawn inwards a little while she enjoyed the taste of her wine, and gave the night some more thought. A few years ago, she'd have laughed at the idea that she'd be standing here, watching people dance or get drunk just to forget about work and life for a night. It was something she was never able to experience, no matter how much she longed for even just an hour to unwind.

While that had changed in some ways, now she just struggled to find the time for it.

But not tonight, she reminded herself again, mere moments before a voice drew her out of her little trance. She turned her head and looked at the blonde with her fiery gaze. When she realized it had been a compliment, a smile was quick to slip through her overly focused expression, "Oh, thank you," Valery said as she looked her up and down quickly, "You came here prepared yourself, it seems," she added with a smirk.

"Are you meeting someone?"

Valery blinked at the question, but shook her head, "Oh no, I'm not from here. Just a night out to get away from work and responsibilities," she tried to joke, but she realized the woman was here alone as well. "I hope someone hasn't been keeping you waiting?"

 

[Katja Javik]

"Hm." She mused in appreciation with a briefly raised eyebrow and smile as she took a sip of her drink following the returned compliment. She was no stranger to false flattery but was seemingly more sincere, even if it was from someone she didn't know.

The mention of work prompted her to nod in agreement. "I'll drink to that." She mockingly raised a small toast to their plight. The feeling was mutual, even though each had no idea of the type of work and responsibilities the other was referring to but given the scar on the brunette's face she was willing to bet that her desire for escape were valid.

"Not at all." She reassured her, "I'm here for much the same reason as you." She replied. It was one of the few full truths she would tell tonight. She knew she needed to be careful what she said, at least as much as she could help it, but she had no qualms about lying. Not many people took too kindly to Imperial military outside of Imperial space but that wasn't on her mind either.

Tonight was about escapism, much like any other night. It took a fine amount of cognitive dissonance to fulfil her duty but she would never admit it and only sought to ease the discomfort instead.

It seemed that neither had elsewhere to be so with intoxicated confidence beginning to loom, she introduced herself. "Nice to meet you. I'm Katja."

"So, where are you from then?" She asked since the other woman had brought it up first so it seemed like a relatively harmless question to initiate conversation with.

 

[Valery Noble]

Arkania

​

Outfit: Dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: Katja Javik

"I'll drink to that."

It seemed like she wasn't the only one trying to get away from life for a bit. But then again, looking around the club, it probably applied to a lot of people here. It didn't matter, though, so Valery raised her glass and gently clinked it against Katja's before taking a sip and enjoying the moment. There was something relaxing about sharing a drink with a complete stranger — she didn't have to talk about her work, and she could just be herself for once.

No Jedi Master, no cameras or recognition from people around her. It was a huge relief.

"Well, let's make sure we don't talk about work or the boring things in life, then," Valery said with a playful grin and a sparkle in her fiery eyes. She then briefly looked away from the blonde and back into the room, where she wondered what else they could do around here. Maybe show these kids how to dance, or was it more likely they'd end up so drunk that they couldn't even stand anymore?

Valery had never gotten intoxicated before, but tonight, almost anything was possible. Only time would tell.

The blonde then drew back her attention with an introduction and Valery offered a smile, "Nice to meet you as well, Katja. I'm Valery," she said with a dip of her head. "I was born on Keshi, my people's homeworld. But I left when I was very young, so Coruscant is all I really know." Not exactly true, given her Jedi training had originally been elsewhere, but she knew a lot about Coruscant, so Katja would not be able to poke holes in her story with this little lie.

"What about you? Are you from here or traveling as well?" Valery asked in return. After taking another sip from her drink shortly after that, she frowned and turned to the bartender. "I'd like something... stronger, please."

 

[Katja Javik]

They both had the freedom from the constraints of their known lives, away from the prying eyes of those who knew them and any embarrassment that might follow. She didn't remember exactly what had transpired at the recent medal ceremony in Bastion but she certainly remembered the argument that resulted from it a few days later. Though that had been different, more... complicated, whereas tonight was simple.

Katja was not oblivious to the fact that she had no idea who she was talking to and that she had every chance of finding herself on the opposite side of a battlefield to the person she was currently sharing a conversation with but the point of her outing was to avoid thinking such things. She didn't want to take responsibility for her actions nor live in reality and tonight was another excuse to do just that.

It seemed as though it was about to get a whole lot easier to maintain simplicity when Valery proposed avoiding talking about work which suited her just fine. "Agreed." She chuckled.

When her companion revealed her home planet, Katja almost instinctively replied "Oh" as though it had just dawned on her. "Right, that makes sense. The... eyes." She gestured towards the other's striking irises and the obvious answer to her question.

"Coruscant can be nice, or so I hear. I wouldn't know. I've never been." There was probably a good reason for that, she thought. "I'm from Hapes." She replied. It was the truth and a safe enough answer since it was in Concord territory. "But I don't get out enough, clearly."

She chuckled at Valery asking for a stronger drink which timed perfectly with her finishing her own drink. "I'll take the same." She told the bartender before placing enough credits on the bar for both drinks, not allowing for the opportunity to argue otherwise. "Come on, there's a free table over there." She told her, grabbing a drink with one hand and Valery's wrist with the other as though they were already familiar with each other and swaying with the music as they moved around people dancing.

"So... You got your eye on anyone tonight?" She asked with a smirk, her gaze skimming the room for someone that might catch her attention.

 

[Valery Noble]

Arkania

​

Outfit: Dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: Katja Javik

"Don't blame you for not picking up on it. Keshians tend to stay on their homeworld, so not that many of us out there," Valery clarified with a smile. The eyes were definitely the defining feature though, and in her case, with their fiery color, she was often mistaken for a Sith Lord by those unable to sense her presence in the Force. She didn't intend to share any of that with Katja though.

No talking about work tonight, especially nothing that suggested her role as a Jedi.

"Hapes? Can't say I'm too surprised," Valery said with a playful a smirk, while she complimented the woman on her appearance. The Hapans were naturally beautiful, and Valery could recognize them quite well from her time spent as an emissary to Hapes when she was a young Jedi Knight, so Katja being Hapan seemed to only make sense to her. "And that makes two of us... I can't even remember the last time I had a night out like this," she admitted with a more sheepish smile. Her lack of a normal social life wasn't something she was proud about, especially now that she couldn't wave it off because of being a Jedi.

Valery then ordered a new drink that was stronger, which sparked Katja to do the same. The woman even paid for both drinks, which Valery was about to argue with all of her natural stubborness, but she was given little time to do so. With a drink in one hand and Katja grabbing her other wrist, they moved away and Valery did her best to sway along on her heels. Luckily, she did have a lot of experience dancing. "I uh...have a boyfriend so...yeah." She sighed and shook her head a little, before looking to a small group of men. "Hmm, seems you caught the attention of a few, though," she said with a grin, ignoring the fact she had likely not escaped people's prying eyes either.

"I have your back if you are looking for someone tonight~" she waggled her eyebrows and took a sip from her drink. It was very strong, and she wasn't using the Force to filter alcohol from her blood, so she wondered just how long she was going to last.

"I'm sure we can find someone for you if we try." Quite the understatement, given the numerous men staring her way as they swayed their way around dancing people.

 

[Katja Javik]

She would willingly admit that she was ignorant to many of the galaxy's species and cultures, including Keshians who were only a people that she had heard about but never met, until now. She was more ignorant to Force users, even prejudiced towards Imperial Knights at times so Jedi and Sith would undoubtedly warrant a more unfavourable opinion than her own allies got.

"Oh stop it, you." She playfully nudged the other in the arm with a smile. It wasn't often that she got to make an effort but her vanity appreciated the compliments she received when she did. Anyone watching them could have assumed they were old friends but Katja didn't care enough to form a lasting bond with Valery. It was all superficial.

She was about to ask why Valery rarely went out but her following revelation of having a boyfriend explained all she needed to know. "Oh." She thought aloud. "Ah well, what he doesn't know won't hurt him." She brushed it off as though it was a joke. She was hardly an advocate for being unfaithful but she would rather live a lie if it meant maintaining a fantasy, though she couldn't speak for others.

Her attention was quickly drawn elsewhere though. "Oh yeah?" She followed Valery's gaze to a group of men and offered them a small wave. "Are you sure they're not looking at you?" She continued the playful banter. Who knew how different their exchange would be had they met under different circumstances where cocktails weren't freely available.

"I have your back if you are looking for someone tonight~"

"I don't know... Maybe..." She pondered. "I mean I'm not seeing anyone, not really..." She rambled on to herself as though trying to find justification before circling back to the beginning upon realising the offer Valery made as her slowing mind caught up. "Aw you're the best." She held her arm up to spin Valery around, seemingly forgetting about where they had been heading.

"Play it cool. They have to come to us and- Oh I love this song! Come on." She gestured for Valery to follow her as she edged her way further into the crowd of people dancing.

 

[Valery Noble]

Arkania

​

Outfit: Dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: Katja Javik

"I won't be fooling around," Valery said with a slightly awkward smile. "My boyfriend is good for me, and covers all my... needs~" She smirked and waggled her eyebrows a little playfully. She'd normally never be like this around a stranger, but the alcohol poisoning her system already made her act like Katja was a close friend she had just reunited with. "Doesn't mean I won't help you have some fun tonight though."

She eyed the men looking their way again and smirked. She'd likely stick to either dancing alone or with her new friend for the night, but she felt confident she could get Katja something a little spicier if she was up for it. "Hmm, they might be looking at us both, but there's only one they can catch tonight." Valery tried to encourage but there was a little bit of hesitation in Katja that she picked up on.

Did she already have someone? If she did, she wasn't being open about it and Valery didn't really feel like it was her place to ask. She could make her own decisions.

Katja then spun Valery around, who moved with the elegance of a dancer to the rhythm of the music. She had practiced various styles during her time as a lightsaber instructor, as some dances were similar to Lightsaber Forms she had to study. In a club like this, all that effort was good for something as well. "Oh yeah, no way we're making it easy for them." There was another grin, and it widened when Katja pulled her along to dance to a song she loved.

Valery didn't know it but it hardly mattered — she moved, swayed her way around the dancefloor with the woman, and forgot about everything but having fun for just a moment. But from the corners of her eyes, she was spotting the group of men finally making their approach as well. "Here they come~" Valery teased with a sing-song voice before she made sure Katja was the first they'd run into.

"Looking for a dance partner?" a tall, blond man asked. His appearance made him look like a soldier, or perhaps law enforcement of some kind. Trained, confident, and strong. Valery just looked at it with her usual grin and continued to move.

 

[Katja Javik]

"Oh, well, I suppose he's worth keeping around then. Sounds like he does more than most of them do." She joked, returning a playful smile. While she was not a misandrist, as was common among her people, her tone of humour often blurred the lines between actual prejudices and mere jokes but she didn't care enough to be careful about what she said. Only time she particularly watched her tongue was around officers.

Katja smiled at Valery's offer to help her and she wondered why she didn't come out like this more often. Was it really this easy to make friends? She didn't exactly meet many people aside from the people she worked with and the people she met on nights like these, though she never kept in contact with the latter. She knew she wouldn't exactly be popular outside of Imperial borders if she was honest to the people she met.

Though she pondered on whether to take up the offer for a moment, it didn't take long for to conclude that there was no point in dwelling on the feelings she held for someone else - More likely that she was unable to focus on such thoughts now with a clouded mind. She wasn't even sure if he reciprocated the same feelings. It was complicated to say the least.

"Ok, ok." She replied as though she was preparing herself, followed by her downing the remainder of her drink moments before she was approached. "Yeah." She replied, unapologetically looking him up and down before taking his hand. "Lead the way." She told him, shooting a quick glance over her shoulder at Valery after.

"How come you're out here alone? Or rather... just with friends." She added, her gaze flickering over to his companions momentarily before looking back to him for an answer. It was difficult to hear above the music so he leaned in close to speak to her. "I'm on leave from the military. I don't get much time off." He replied. "Ohhh, I see! Nice." She offered a smile before her intoxicated thoughts and lack of inhibition swiftly took over. "For which military?" She asked, prompting a perplexed look. "What?" He responded. "I said which branch of the military are you in?" She tried to save the conversation, which he thankfully bought. "Oh, the army."

"A soldier? Hm." She mused, as though she wasn't surrounded by them all day, every day and wasn't one herself. "What do you do?" He asked her. "It doesn't matter." Her hand lingered on his jaw so he knew what to expect when she kissed him a moment later and they shared a smile. They continued dancing until Katja's gaze caught Valery again and she leaned up to speak to her companion, quickly realising she didn't even have his name.

"Could you get me a drink, please?" She asked.

 

[Valery Noble]

Arkania

​

Outfit: Dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: Katja Javik

"He really is," she said with a more loving smile and a faint blush on her cheeks before it was show-time. The soldier approached them, and Valery took a visible step back so he could open up a conversation with Katja, who downed her drink, looked him up and down, and decided to just go for it. Valery watched it happen with the biggest grin possible, and only looked away briefly when she noticed one of his buddies approaching her.

"You look like you know how to dance as well. Care to join?" he asked her with a coy grin. Valery looked at him for a moment, then smiled and shook her head slightly, "I'm taken, and have someone else to watch~" she said, which brought a slightly defeated smile to his face, but Valery didn't really care. She took another sip from her drink, raised a hand up through her long hair to fix it up, and looked back over at Katja who was...

kissing him

Valery waited for the moment that Katja looked her way, and waggled her eyebrows playfully to encourage the woman a little. She had expected things to go well with her Hapan beauty, but this was very fast. The soldier then left to grab drinks, and Valery was quick to intercept Katja, "Ohhhh, that was spicy~" she said with a teasing grin. "You don't have to worry about me. If you need to unwind a little this evening, they have rooms you can rent here for the night."

Another waggle of her eyebrows before she downed her drink.

"Unless he was a terrible kisser, of course."

 

[Katja Javik]

Once her gaze caught Valery, she initially responded with an amused smile until her following comment which prompted a chuckle and a nonchalant shrug, seemingly not bothered that she had been observed. "If only you didn't have a boyfriend. That could be you." She raised an eyebrow before adding. "But I get it, he fills your every need or whatever." She waved off the thought.

It wasn't that she was devoid of shame but rather that there was no one important enough present to warrant her concern. The... complicated relationship she had with a fellow Imperial was much more closely guarded to only her peers, or at least it had been until she had gotten drunk and maybe a little bit jealous at the recent awards celebrations.

She couldn't pretend that she didn't enjoy escaping from the atrocities of war in the arms of a man or the grips of an intoxicated state. Both only served as distractions to the much more deep-rooted issue of the cognitive dissonance of committing actions that she knew were wrong but yet did not blame herself for.

"Oh, no, no." She brushed it off. "Well, I mean... Maybe." She glanced over to him at the bar with a thoughtful expression and offered a short wave when he returned his gaze. "He seems nice enough... I'll get his number." She decided.

Katja gave an amused smile at her comment. "Terrible kisser? He told me he was a soldier. Those types get no end of attention. I'm sure he's well practised." Her smile grew into a smirk. "Well, I know he is."

On cue, he returned a moment later with another drink and handed it to her, his gaze flicking between the two women momentarily. "Everything alright?" He checked. "Yeah, can I get your number?" She asked. "Sure." He responded, followed by sharing his contact details. Katja leaned in close to his ear in the hopes that Valery wouldn't hear her. "It's just that my friend's being boring because she has a boyfriend so she doesn't want any men around." She told him before pulling away and speaking normally. "Okay, well maybe I'll call you later! Or tomorrow, or..." She had already started backing away, out of earshot, linking onto Valery's arm as she did. Once she had turned around, she spoke to Valery. "They would only hold us back anyway."

"Okay so I'm ordering us 10 shots."

 

[Valery Noble]

Arkania

​

Outfit: Dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: Katja Javik

"Yeah..." Valery said in response to Katja's comment, and her eyes dropped for just a second without their earlier spark. But with a shake of her head, she set aside her more depressing thoughts and focused on her new friend for this night, and the fun she could have with the soldier. It was a distraction that kept her from thinking about her own mess of a personal life and combined with the alcohol she had no tolerance for, Valery would likely forget about everything.

For better or for worse.

"Yess, you should definitely get his number!" Valery was quick to encourage, hoping to shift the tone back to more pleasant things for them both, "And if you know he's a good kisser..." she trailed off, smirked, and turned her eyes away right as soldier boy returned with a drink for Katja. For just a second, he seemed to pick up on a more negative tone, but Valery shrugged it off and invited him into the conversation with a bright smile.

Numbers were exchanged, and when Katja leaned in close, Valery figured they were talking spicier details for the night or the future, so she looked away and made sure not to listen in.

By the time Katja stepped back from the soldier and looked at Valery again, she was grinning and dipped her head, "Fair enough, and the night is still young." They'd probably be too drunk to really do much, but who knows. Maybe there was more fun for her friend to be had later.

"10 shots for us both, right...? Not for each..." she blinked and joined Katja at the bar as shots were already being filled up for them. Valery reached for one of the glasses, looked at it for a moment, then downed it. Immediately, she began to cough and turned her head to Katja with a sheepish smile, "I uh, don't really drink often and I'm already feeling the drinks from earlier." She paused, sighed, and decided just to... not care for tonight.

"To a great night," Valery said as she held up another shot to clink it against Katja's glass, before slamming it down.

 

[Katja Javik]

Katja had realised pretty quickly that she was lucky to find Valery when she had. They seemed to get on well enough, though she couldn't say how much of their friendliness was due to the drinks. At least in her own case she knew it was largely the circumstances that facilitated their temporary friendship rather than her having a friendly nature. She got on well enough with the people she knew and worked with but she doubted that many would describe her as friendly, at least other than tonight.

"Fair enough, and the night is still young."

"Exactly." She agreed, pointing finger guns towards Valery, not that she had any idea what time it was anymore. All she knew was that it was dark outside so she didn't particularly care. Anything was an excuse to follow the hedonistic lifestyle she seemed to have started to adopt in light of her recent assignments which had placed greater strain on her than she had anticipated.

But they weren't talking about work tonight.

"For us both, yeah." She chuckled. "I'm not trying to kill you." She joked, oblivious to the irony of her statement, before joining Valery in taking her first shot, grimacing slightly at the aftertaste and smiling at her companion's reaction. "Yeah, I can tell." She replied. "It's okay, maybe we can find food somewhere later." She brushed it off but she couldn't deny that she was really feeling the effects too.

"To a great night." She joined in toasting their impromptu celebration.

After the glass of the third shot was back on the bar, she almost instinctively reached for the fourth. The night may have been young but by the look of it, it wasn't going to be particularly long. She was never certain how much of any night she would remember but she could almost guarantee it wouldn't be much more than this.

 

[Valery Noble]

Arkania

​

Outfit: Dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: Katja Javik

"To a great night~" Valery smiled, clinked her glass against Katja's again, and downed the first of what would be many more shots that night...


The next morning.

With loud grumbling, Valery's eyes opened as rays of sunlight began to shine through the windows, but they were no longer the small, square windows of the room she remembered at the club. At first, she believed it to just be a hangover hitting her hard, considering how much her head was pounding, but the longer she spent looking around after her eyes had adjusted to the light, the more things she realized were off.

The walls, the furniture, and... she blinked when she spotted Katja Javik sleeping on the couch not far away from her. They hadn't agreed at all to share the cost of a room, as far as she remembered, and was that tattoo there yesterday? Valery looked at Katja for a moment longer but finally glanced down at herself. Her dress had a lot of stains on it from wine and other drinks she couldn't remember, and it was roughed up too.

Had she fought someone in a dress again?

"Katja?" Valery muttered as she stumbled up to her feet and looked around the room, which was a complete mess. "What the hell happened last night? I don't remember a thing..."

 

[Katja Javik]

It took Katja a few more moments to emerge from her slumber, prompted by hearing her name. With a groan and heavy eyes, she rolled over to face Valery. The make-up around her eyes was smudged and her hair was tangled. No one ever saw her in such an unpresentable state; she always made an effort not to, but now it was unavoidable, though she made a valiant effort to straighten her hair out as much as she could with her hands.

"What..." She mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "I have no idea." She replied but when she removed her hands from her eyes, suddenly she had a better idea.

On the floor between herself and Valery was the soldier she had met the night before, covered only partially by a sheet to protect his modesty. It seemed they would have a better idea of what they had done last night. "Well, I have some idea what happened last night." Katja stifled a laugh but was otherwise unbothered at the prospect and casually collapsed back down against the couch but grimaced as she did so and sat back up, placing a tender hand over her shoulder. "Have I got a bruise?" She asked, turning her shoulder back to Valery to present her with the tattoo.

Without alcohol to aid their interactions, there was no telling what this morning would be like.

 

[Valery Noble]

Arkania

​

Outfit: Dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: Katja Javik

Valery was panicking just a little bit. She had never really gotten drunk before, and she knew that some people went so far that they didn't remember certain things. But whenever she tried to recollect details, it was a complete blank. Something else must have happened to have caused it and-

"Well, I have some idea what happened last night."

Katja's voice drew Valery out of her thoughts, and slooowly her eyes shifted from the woman down to the man covered under blankets on the ground between them. He wasn't wearing anything and sadly, there was one detail she did remember — this was the soldier boy Katja was kissing last night. "Oh no..." she muttered, "Please tell me you slept with him last night," Valery said as she felt a rush of fear.

Katja didn't seem bothered at all, though, and just casually plopped back down on the couch, much to Valery's annoyance, "You don't think it's a problem that we can't remember anything? What if something bad happened?" She sighed and brought a hand up to her face for a moment to pinch the bridge of her nose. But her 'friend's' voice drew her eyes back, and this time to her shoulder.

"No bruise but you've got a new tattoo." This time Valery snorted a little, "Looks real cute on you~" she joked with an annoying smirk. "I'm sure it can get removed though but please, please tell me you-"

This time, she was interrupted by loud banging on the door, and voices on the other side. "Open up!" they called out. "We know you're in there!"

Valery blinked and looked at Katja.

 

[Katja Javik]

"

"Yeah, I probably did. That sounds like something I'd do." She replied, looking down at the man and tilting her head to the side in a moment of observation before looking back at Valery. "But who knows, there are three of us in here." She teased playfully, her lips curling into an amused smile. "Relax. You were insistent that you had a boyfriend." She sat up and wiped the smudged mascara from under her eyes.

Now that they were sober, it became apparent that they were dealing with two completely separate people to last night. Valery seemed irritatingly high-strung but Katja was just taking everything in her stride. Acknowledging the consequences of her actions was not one of her merits.

"No." She replied, plainly. "If something bad happened then we wouldn't have made it back here." She replied, not sharing Valery's concerns in the slightest.

"A what?" She arched her neck to try and catch a glimpse of the artwork and her expression immediately dropped once she did. "Oh that's not good." She muttered. She was going to have one hell of a time trying to explain that.

She was almost thankful for the interruption at the door as Valery began seeking for reassurance again. Katja was too laid back to see an issue with their missing gaps of information, though it seemed as though they were about to fill in those gaps pretty soon.

"Why don't you ask him?" She gestured towards the door. "He probably knows a few answers to your questions." She joked before casually pushing herself up onto her feet and gently nudging the man on the ground with her foot. "You might want to get dressed." She suggested, prompting a tired groan from the man who had seemingly been unbothered by the banging on the door. "What?" He muttered but the second time seemed to bring him to his senses as he hastily began dressing.

"You have five seconds to open this door." One of the voices called out. "I'll stall, just... tell me we're close to the ground floor." She told the pair as she walked over to the door as though this was a natural occurrence. She opened the door with the chain attached and peered out at the group. "We don't want room service today, thanks."

 

[Valery Noble]

Arkania

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Outfit: Dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: Katja Javik

"What do you mean who knows?" Valery grumbled as she looked down at the sleeping soldier again. There was no way she would have done anything, even if she was drunk. Katja's comment about her having a boyfriend was a bit reassuring again, which got her to relax and think hard about what happened. But still, nothing from last night returned to memory, so she sat down and let out a long sigh. Only Katja's question about the bruise had drawn her eyes back, and the woman's reaction was priceless.

"A what?"

"Oh that's not good."

Valery grinned a little smugly now, "I thought nothing bad happened last night~" she teased back, taking her own turn to jab. But she swallowed those words again when the banging on the door began. Katja was quick to act and nudged the soldier awake, who sat up and began to get dressed. Valery looked quickly away while he did, and rushed over to the window while Katja tried to keep the angry mob outside their door busy.

"We don't want room service today, thanks."

"You open up right now or you're all dead!" Was the answer she got in response.

"Well... first story and I see a container we can jump on!" Valery called back to the others.

"Why do you want to jump out of the window?" the soldier asked, and Valery turned to shoot him a glare while he put on his shirt like this was a normal day. "Can't you hear the people outside who want us dead?" Valery shook her head and slid open the window, so they could climb their way out.

"I don't know what we did to piss them off, but I'd rather not find out the hard way." Of course, she could beat the whole group down with her Jedi skills, or even make the jump here and soften the landing with the Force, but... she couldn't reveal herself to be a Jedi. So Valery jumped down and transitioned into a roll instead. There was a noticeable shock that passed through her feet, but she wasn't hurt.

"Come on, quickly!"