Always Bet On The Zhornee

[Josh Dragovalor]

Later in the party, it seemed that the Empress had been eager for their little game, as once the guest line had died down, she would end up tracking him down. He looked over, noting the eager Empress and her bottle of the alcoholic liquid that her people were known for. The young man would chuckle as he would lead the Empress to a table. Once they had sat down, he would take the bottle once she was finished pouring her own, and gracefully pour a glass-full of Xanna into his own.

"Something tells me you're about to kick my arse in a drinking contest" The young man would joke as he would raise his glass. "To the future prosperity of your people" He spoke as he would drown the drink in one gulp. His eyes widened for a moment as he adjusted to the taste. But that adjustment came quickly as he set the glass down and began laughing.

"Hahaha-Wow! THAT is strong. No wonder your people are known for your drinking prowess if you drink this on a regular basis" The blonde would compliment her joyfully, before pouring himself another glass. "On your mark, Your Grace"

@Empress Mar'Dikan

 

[Aidan Moonrunner]

The Voidwalker watched with fascination as the humann downed a full glass of Xanna; something some of her own people had trouble doing.
She was impressed, to say the least.

"I must say," She said as she poured another glass. "You impress me. There's something. . . different, about you." She thought about it as she slammed back the drink, savoring the burn as it went down her throat. Ever since he had walked in, something about the human's presence was. . . off, almost.

She set the glass on the table, empty.
"Your turn." She said with a smirk.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh was beginning to get even more curious about the Zhornee's capabilities. That had been quite a strong drink, it had even taken him aback. He'd managed to harden himself with a good tolerance for plenty of strong drinks. A good thing when you were a Jedi, as if you could outdrink who you were trying to get information from and still keep a clear head... Well, obviously it worked out to your advantage. But even his training hadn't prepared him for this moment as he watched the Zhornee Empress, who he should have really asked for a name to call her besides "Your Highness" or "Your Grace", drown hers without any sort of trouble.

"Well then" He remarked with a smirk before taking a breath, and pouring his glass once again. "I guess I'm full of surprises. You are the one who's impressed me, though... Your Highness, or whatever you wish I call you in this instance. I don't mind either way. But you slammed that drink without even flinching. This drink puts the toughest drinks I've had to shame" He added with a chuckle. "I just might take some Zhornee home with me" He would joke before slamming the drink down the hatch for the second time, taking a breath afterword as the burn hit his throat. He had to shake the cobwebs from his head but a big grin crossed his face afterword.

"Do me a favor. If I pass out soon enough, my ships the YT on the far right in the docking bay, have someone haul me there. Bad things happen when I'm drunk in public" He would half-joke with a small smile.

[member="Empress Mar'Dikan"]

 

[Aidan Moonrunner]

She snorted.
"You may call me Kalii, if you wish." Normally she didn't let people call her by her first name, but [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] had gotten on her good side.
In fact, he could now count himself one of four living people who knew her first name.

She drank her glass, feeling the Xanna flow down her throat. The strong drink had two uses; drinking, and sterilizing medical tools and wounds.

"I'm afraid that my people are so terrified of you, that they would simply wait for you to wake up." She chuckled as she poured another drink. "They're afraid you're going to either eat them or steal their souls."

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Whatever he had said, apparently it was funny enough to get a snort out of the Empress. He hadn't heard a snort from royalty before, unless you count Tallia. But certainly never an empress, or a ruler, or any other sort of high hierarchy. What did they have against laughing and snorting and snickering and giggling anyway? But it seemed he had gained some favor, as she mentioned her first name. By him not knowing her name prior, or hearing her say it to anyone else, it seemed that he had been doing well so far. Good. "A pleasure to meet you, Kalii. You're free to just call me Josh, since we seem to be a friend of using short names here" He would add with a chuckle.

He poured himself another glass as he would listen to her... Rather curious response to his request. At the end, he couldn't stop it. Whether it was the drinks, or just the sheer hilarity of it, or both, the Jedi Master burst out into a fit of laughter, burying his face in the table for a moment. Not the way to act in front of royalty? Probably not. But he couldn't help it. Finally he sat up straight again, wiping tears of laughter from his face.

"Eat them or steal their souls? Your Highness, I can't speak for other races, but... I'm not really someone who does that" He spoke calmly with an amused smile as he would drain the drink again, starting to enjoy that peculiar kick, even if it was strong as all hell and would eventually wear him down. "The worst I might do is suddenly give you a kiss on the cheek from a half-awake drunken stupor" He would joke with a cheeky grin. "Of course... I wouldn't let them, or anyone else attack me either. Everyone underestimates the jolly, chuckling, laughing man who tries to handle things peacefully. The galaxy has forgotten that at one point, I would leap into battle for a cause I once believed in, cutting through hordes of Sith troops like it was my job. I was a whirlwind in battle. Considered one of the best lightsaber duelists in this era. When casualties caught up to me, people mistook my diplomacy and preference for non-lethal means as a sign I'd become weak, washed up. Like I'd gone soft. But I'm still a warrior inside" He spoke with a chuckle.

"Still, you have nothing to fear from me as long as you stay on my good side. Luckily for you, you're doing a pretty good job of it" He would jest, laughing a bit.

[member="Empress Mar'Dikan"]

 

[Aidan Moonrunner]

Kalii smiled. She was beginning to like this alien.
"A non-lethal warrior, hm?" She said as she initiated the next round.
"In my seventeen winters, I have never met anyone like you."

But the alien had mentioned something that intrigued her.
"Tell me, what is this 'lightsaber' you speak of?"
In all of her browsing of the 'Holonet', she had not come across anything like that. The name itself was enough to raise her curiosity, let alone that he was a master with it.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Funny that to him, she was the alien. Of course, he never really spoke of people like her as aliens. It was kind of rude to him, actually. He would follow up with a drink on the next round. He was adjusting to the drinks, at least. It was kind of like vodka, but with an interesting flavor...

He smiled faintly and shrugged. "I mean, if a kills needed, then a kills needed. But I try to avoid it if I can. I'm not a fan of taking unnecessary lives because... Well, I mean... They might have loved ones, right? I couldn't fathom the possibility of destroying families for a political cause. I just couldn't. Even now, following my own path, I try to spare who I can. Everything changed as soon as I started losing people I loved myself" He would explain.

When she mentioned his lightsaber, he would open his palm. The lightsaber on his belt would shake for a moment before coming away from his belt and flying into his hand. He smiled a bit and let her take a look, though didn't let her touch it simply so she didn't activate it and make him responsible for her assisted-suicide.

"The Jedi's weapon. It is a status symbol as well as our tool of the trade. Each Jedi personally crafts their own by hand. This is my third one. My first one is... Well, I'm not sure. My second one is at home, enjoying a much-deserved retirement as I crafted it while I was a Padawan. I built this one while I was the Jedi's Grandmaster. A sort of personal ceremony for the years of service" He would explain.

[member="Empress Mar'Dikan"]

 

[Aidan Moonrunner]

Kalii stared at the weapon, perplexed. She could've sworn that she'd seen that weapon design before. . . She straightened up. No. No, it couldn't be.

". . . Tell me," She said with hesitation. "Just how. . . old, are lightsabers? How long have they been around?"
She nervously drank her glass, barely affected by the alcohol.
If this was what she thought it was, then things were about to get bad. Very bad.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"A long time" he spoke as he would take a sip gingerly. He seemed okay so far, but after a few more, who knows? "I'm not so sure on their origins, but they've been around since the Old Republic days at the very least. Hundreds of years. Jedi, Sith and all of the in-between use them. Its a common weapon for Force users nowadays, though it differs from person to person" he added.

He could sense new emotions from her, and he grew concerned... Did he say something bad?

 

[Aidan Moonrunner]

Kalii quickly downed her drink, her face paling even more than usual.

Deep within the palace, there was a room that contained an artifact handed down from the Goddess herself. An artifact that very closely resembled the weapon in Josh's hand.

"Please, please, put it away!" She hissed, looking around to see if anyone had seen it. . .it looked fine.

She sighed in relief.
"I apologize, it's just. . . that weapon matches an ancient artifact of my people."

If what she was beginning to suspect was correct, then the ramifications could destroy their entire government system!

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

".... What"

He had no idea what she was talking about. Did the drinks finally get to him? He downed another glass to tone down his stress as he would abide by her request and put the weapon away.

"But.. Why? Whats going on? You asked about it, and suddenly.." He trailed off, and shrugged. "Yeah... Caught me by surprise there"

[member="Empress Mar'Dikan"]

 

[Aidan Moonrunner]

She sighed as she now knew she had to explain. . . at least as much as he had to know.

"That thing you hold in your hand? There's one much like it in this palace. It has been handed down from Empress to Empress since the Empire's founding."

What she didn't mention was that the original owner. . . was the Goddess of the Snow herself, whose words and edicts dictated the entire Zhornee government system; and guaranteed the Empress's divinity.

She looked away, making sure no one was listening. Just to be safe, all of the servants would be executed after the event, to make sure that this information did not reach the public, or Goddess forbid, the insurgents.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Well, that escalated quickly. If he found out, he would certainly put her down on the "Never let a distant cousin set up an arranged marriage with" list. Damn you royal bloodlines and all of that poodoo. But all of that aside, he would nod to her explanation.

"I see..." He said calmly. "That's... Odd. I mean, its a lightsaber. What's so secretive about having a lightsaber handed down from heir to heir? Its a symbolic thing, I get it. All lightsabers have symbolism and meaning. This one reflects my growth, maturity, my ascent to Grandmaster, the years of service since I was very little, the blood, sweat and tears. The loyalty and commitment to a cause. Never leaving their side for the dark. All of that. That's in my lightsaber. Just as the one you speak of has symbolism in it being shared from Empress to Empress. You should be proud of it. Why suddenly get concerned when you see another one?" He would ask curiously.

"I'll tell you now. You'll see a lot of these. Force users in the galaxy are common. Especially, the Sith.. Who use them for evil. The Jedi are few in number as of late. Many were purged while I was gone" He said quietly, biting his lip.

[member="Empress Mar'Dikan"]