Another Plentiful Harvest [SJO, Allies]

[Silver Starlight]

Another Plentiful Harvest ​

Camlenn Townshilp, Balamak​

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[SIZE=11pt]The chill in the air and the changing leaves heralded the shifting of seasons. Balamak had left behind the blazing summer days and traded them for the crisp autumnal splendor. Their long days spent in the fields had paid off, the harvest had been plentiful indeed. And now, it was time for the farming community of Camlenn Township to celebrate![/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Just like last year, there were rustic displays of dried corn stalks, dried leaves, and pumpkins (lots of them). The town was bustling as the folk made preparations for the Harvest Festival, after all, they wanted to put on a good show for the visiting Silver Jedi and their allies. It was always amusing to have so many off-worlders come to town.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The Meddle Farm was the center of the festivities this year, the barn doors were thrown open in an inviting display. Friendly scarecrows stood guard, silently welcoming guests as they entered. Today, the large barn had been transformed into a wide-open social hall. There were bails of hay that lined the walls, the perfect place to take a seat. A few food stalls were present, as was Ms. Martha Shaw – she was more than pleased to be running the raffle and costume contest again this year.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]Welcome, welcome!”[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt] She smiled as she handed tickets out to each person. [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]“Don't forget to vote, now, ya hear?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]There were yummy festival snacks, and warm drinks to enjoy. And, new this year was a designated ale-garden outside, where the drinking contest participants could be easily contained. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]

[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=11pt]Food & Drink:[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=11pt]Roasted Corn Cob, Kettle corn, Caramel Apples, Fresh Cinnamon Doughnuts, Pie (Pumpkin or Apple)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Spiced Cider, Spiked Cider (Apple Cider + Rum), Harvest Pumpkin Ale[/SIZE]​

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[SIZE=11pt]Activities:[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=11pt]Raffle (Each person gets 1 ticket upon entry)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Costume Contest (Get dressed up & have a chance to win!)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Dancing (Enjoy the live band and dance floor)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Enjoy the Pumpkin Lantern Field! (Carved jack-o-lanterns aplenty)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Harvest Drinking Contest (There's no prize, just a hangover)[/SIZE]​

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[SIZE=11pt][Prizes will be announced IC during the thread. If you’d like to vote for the costume contest, please do so IC! Just mention your character writing someone’s name down (or their costume) on a ballot and drop it in the box. To participate in the Costume Contest, simply mention what your character is wearing, or, better yet, link (or spoiler) us a picture.][/SIZE]​

 

[Masaru Varga]

Festivals weren't Masaru's thing. He never had much to talk about and usually sat around eating and drinking. For today though, he'd make an exception. The mercenary needed a break from his daily routine of taking on contracts/missions and training. What better way to do that than to drink and dance?

Masaru didn't like drinking to the point of drunkenness, so he'd join the contest just to see how he fares against the other contenders. In short, he wasn't going to win because he refuses to go past his limit. Besides, he needs to be able to dance afterwards.

Most people are suprised when they find out that Masaru enjoys to dance and he doesn't blame them. The warrior saw dancing as one of the few peaceful ways to spend his time. Whether it be by himself or with a partner, it was usually enjoyable. Besides, it had been awhile since he had danced.

First stop was the drinking contest though. These kinds of contests usually ended in a funny way, so that was one thing he was looking forward to seeing.

 

[Yula Perl]

Yula didn’t do the Jedi thing very well, but her family still had some pretty strong links to the Silver Jedi. Her mother had been anointed as a Master nearly forever ago, and most recently her sister Nida had taken up the mantle as the family’s token Jedi. Which was a very good thing, because neither Yula nor Alan and especially nor [member="Dagon Perl"] were particularly virtuous.

It was still good to make an appearance every now and then, and Yula’s appearances happened to take place during festivities and vacations. Definitely not a coincidence that she turned up for a peaceable autumn celebration.

Meandering her way over to the bar, Yula seated herself next to a rather frumpy looking Antarian Ranger. He wasn’t bad looking – strongly built, as many infantry men were. Broody face, but she could work with that. Taking a sip of her drink, she peered down into the mug with mild surprise. Some sort of festive spiced ale, but it wasn’t bad. Turning towards the grump of a man, she offered him a smile.

“Hey.”

[member="Amon Vizsla"]

 

[Auteme]

Auteme always had an odd feeling whenever she showed up to these social events. In her mind, the Jedi were always at work -- there was always more good to be done, more people to aid, and more to learn about the Force. But the invitation to the little town of Camlenn struck her interest instead. Dancing? Costumes? Pumpkins? Fascinating. Maybe she could learn a little bit about why these sorts of events were worth the time of the Jedi.

Pumpkins, well, she'd already tried carving one; the orange blob now had two eyes, a nose, and a wicked grin, and it sat on the table next to the other carved ones. It wasn't a masterpiece, but it was passable for a first try. Auteme didn't particularly like the feeling of the knife in her hand, even the little carver made her slightly uncomfortable. Still, she was thinking of trying again.

As for her costume, she'd made that too -- the autumn red and brown cloth mixed nicely with the natural hues that surrounded her. Despite that, her costume was meant to be a twinge unnatural. A large, pointed hat; a cobweb-detailed gown; a pair of black, heeled boots; and of course a broomstick to round it all out. Rather bewitching. She loved it.

Finally the dancing... and this was where she found herself at the moment. At the edge of the dance floor, tapping her fingers together to the beat of the music. It struck her how little she'd ever danced before. Perhaps it was time to learn a bit, but she needed a little help...

Dancing partner, anyone?

 

[Zef Halo]

Nobody:
Absolutely no one:
Not a single soul in the galaxy:
Not even their mom:
Ranger High Command: "Pumpkin Farm Guard Duty!"


This had to be a prank. It's what everyone in the company thought. Most complained, this was not what why Task Force Raider was formed. Others greeted the change of pace joyfully appreciating the fact they were lightly geared. Camo outfits with tactical vests and small carbines, along with a sidearm for armament. Amon regarded the task as useless considering their capabilities but remained fully focused on it. It's how he was brought up. While the rest of the company allowed themselves a mug in their hands of some ale, the Mandalorian remained as vigilant as if he was protecting the most important event in the known galaxy.

As usual Amon's face expressions could easily have been mistaken for an etched stone sculpture. A cold grimace scanning everyone and everything carefully. One would think his deep observation would lead him to eons old unanswered questions such as the meaning of life. In reality, nothing near that. The Mandalorian simply was looking for any signs of danger in the midst of the jubilant crowd.

Instead, a pink smile followed by a greeting addressed him.

Vizsla shifted his eyes at the Zeltron girl. An awkward silence ran a crevice between them as the Mandalorian inspected her from head to toes. She carried herself a bit differently from the rest of the crowd. Not a pumpkin farmer's daughter, not a Silver Jedi (or at least didn't look as one), did not dress herself as the typical Zeltron for 'recreational' purposes. He didn't catch any suspicious behavior in her body language. No trouble then. After the scanning was complete, Amon could finally notice her attractive features.

"Hello." Vizsla mechanically replied. His usual grimace had just slightly softened. Very slightly. "Name and affil-"

Amon paused realizing how stupid that would've sounded.

"Who are you?"

Not great, not terrible.

[member="Yula Perl"]​

 

[Yula Perl]

As the guard looked her over, Yula couldn’t help but grin wider. Living primarily in the Outer Rim, she was used to being treated with a healthy sense of suspicion. The once-overs were not uncommon, and they did nothing to shake her confidence or good nature.

The Zeltron nearly snorted when he began to ask for identification, abruptly cutting himself off for something more conversational. From the look about him, she gathered that he was used to more high-stakes situations. Hopefully the Sith didn’t have plans on entering the pumpkin carving contest.

“Yula Perl.” She offered her name without missing a beat. “Horizon Tech.” Peppering in the name of her little garage-run business was largely for her own amusement. They were a pretty far cry from Terminus, so there was no way he’d have heard of it, unless he fancied purchasing droids from the ‘Rim. Another sip of ale, this time she suppressed any surprise at the notes of spice. “My little sister’s a Jedi.”

“Is pumpkin thievery common?” Arching to her tip-toes for a brief moment, she made to look over the guard’s shoulder, out into the field of gourds.

[member="Amon Vizsla"]

 

[Ura Iolar]

"Costume": Baby Varactyl

Spoiler

I know this isn't a baby, but you can't find any surprisingly.

Ura let out a calm sigh as she walked into the festival, taking in all the sights and sounds. A happiness came from her through the Force as she decided to shift into her costume: A baby varactyl. It was a cute idea, even if the glowing eyes and monotone color didn't help. Ura then let out a couple of not quite accurate hoots before running in and seeing how everyone would react. She was almost certain her costume would win. Though... she did have a slightly unfair advantage, but hey, she was trained to use it when ever she could. She looked over at the bar, wondering if maybe she could join the drinking contest too. Actually... would she even be allowed to enter that? Lervon didn't really drink. Ever. Maybe she should try something else.

She then decided to have some fun. The Lervon snuck threw some bushes, coming to the one closest of the closest people she could find. Once she had them in her sights, she pounced out, and let loose a string of little hoots.

(Anyone who wants to can be pranked.)

[member="Yula Perl"] [member="Amon Vizsla"] [member="Auteme Denko-Durren"] [member="Masaru Varga"]

 

[Varindar Asyt]

Location: Dessert booth

Varindar spent almost all of her time between her two properties, the Daoba on Corellia and the Crown Nebula on Trandosha. Sometimes in the kitchen, especially when cooks called in sick, sometimes in the front desk. So she didn't seem to be doing a whole lot outside of hospitality these days. Now that the Camlenn Township was hosting another event for Jedi, she couldn't pass this up, but not without first making sure that there would be no obstacles to her being at the event, such as under-manned kitchens. And replacing Joliver, who went on to open a pair of gourmet pastry shops in the Valley of the Machine Gods on Iokath, internally meant that the more junior position needed to be looked at externally. With the pie crusts being ready for use with the pumpkin filling, she starts using pyrokinesis on these raw pies so that they can be baked in time for the customers to go out and eat them. And also some cinnamon donuts, too, while those pie slices were left to cool down.

 

[Zef Halo]

Amon mildly squinted at Yula's surname. Unlike Horizon Tech, it surely brought up some familiarity. He recalled the name of Joza Perl who, as far as he remembered, used to be a renown Jedi of the Silvers once before departing to farther reaches of the Outer Rim with the Coalition. Nothing more, nothing less. No surprises that Yula's younger sister was a Jedi with the Silvers there.

"I don't know." the Mandalorian replied and just slightly turned his head over to where she was looking at to see nothing out of the ordinary. Seeing there was nothing near to disturb his task at hand, he brought back the abyss of his eyes onto hers. "Amon Vizsla."

He paused for a moment, the silence awkwardly lingering around him before he just mimicked the way she introduced herself. "Antarian Rangers."

"Your sister isn't here." Amon recalled the list of attendees in his mind. While the intention of the statement was completely innocent and simply a pointing out of the facts, the natural roughness and frigidness of his voice made it out seem a bit hostile. "Are you in any way related to one Joza Perl?" Similar to the former statement, in his attempt to tie a conversation, his voice mutated the question into a bit more inquisitive than it was intended to.

[member="Yula Perl"]​

 

[Tulan Kor]

​

​

Pumpkin. Farm. Guard. Duty.

Needless to say, Tulan Kor was not one to refuse orders, however, the manner in which he completed them was up to him. So, he was further away- keeping a watchful overlook on the pumpkins, the people. Life through a scope was easy. He never had to face reality with it.

But so far away, alone-

He had time to think.

And thinking is what got him to where he was in his mental state. Anguished, broken, distraught. Angry. Pick a negative word and Tulan was feeling it, or felt it in the past 24-48 hours, or in the last ten minutes. He used to have a lot going for him. He was a premiere reconnaissance scout in the One Sith. That panned out well. The Alliance took him after a lengthy prison term. Then, bam. That fell apart. But for now, mercenary work and Task Force Raider were what he was going to stick to. And sometimes that meant not having the most...

Rewarding assignments.

His eyes watched the darker hued colors intermingle with the people and Jedi, people having a good time. Friends, family, people working together. Tulan wondered if there was any part of him that believed the idea that he was destined for something remotely close to happiness, something close to friendships- again. He had love, he had a woman at one point. Hair like silk, voice like flowing water on small rocks. The kind of calm and peace only a soft rain could bring, or her. But all that was gone.

He opened his eyes again.

Work was the focus. Duty, all that jazz.

He shouldered the rifle and continued scanning.

Keep everyone safe, keep his mind off what was, what could be, and what wasn't. A person's most dangerous battlefield was their own mind. Bullets and blasters he could deal with. Memories are what really would kill Tulan.

 

[Kathryn Foster]

A trip to the countryside?

The invitation from the Silver Jedi had been appealing pretty much right from when it reached the ranks of the soldiers and pilots within the Confederacy. Their latest endeavours with the exploration of newly rediscovered Crait had left the CIS navy aviator with lots of new impressions and good experiences. The mission had been a big release for the inner explorer in her, and as much as she had wanted to take one of those vulpine creatures home she knew they simply could not. While she had highly enjoyed the mission, she would admit that is was a relief going from the white and enormous salt flats to fields of green crops swaying in the cool autumn wind of Balamak.

Cool, but crisp and refreshing were the light winds that whizz through the nearby tree crowns. That was why she had gone with a more warm and rural attire for the occasion, appropriate for the country setting that they were on. Her ash blonde hair were as usual set in a thick practical ponytail with some loose strands over the ears. While the others had headed inside the center barn of the festivities, she wanted to first stretch her legs for a moment after the journey.

The people attending and hosting the festival were very friendly, probably taking her out as an off-worlder hence the fitting choice of clothing. As she strolled along a small walked-up path along the side of a field, it was easy for her thoughts to wander off somewhere else. The buzz of the people in festive mood faded further and further into just the sounds of the woods. She had heard that the Silver's had probably set out guards, just in case anything even unforseen would happen. That was why it did not come as much of a surprise to suddenly see the back of a soldier laying on the ground, observing the crowded farm. A soft but cautious smile broke on her lips before she spoke up.

''Guard duty?''

[member="Tulan Kor"]

 

[Tulan Kor]

​

No you jackass I'm here because I like to look at pumpkins and people having fu-


The main reason that [member="Kathryn Foster"] didn't catch a slug between the eyes is that Tulan heard her coming up. That was one of the things he couldn't turn off. Always aware, always on the lookout. Always alert.

But, she wasn't malicious. He couldn't tell what her deal was- her deal, of course, being her line of work or loyalty or what have you. Could have been a Jedi friggin' Master as far as he knew. Tulan slowly sat up, before leaning back on the tree, rifle downrange and across his lap. He sighed, before speaking.

"Yeah. It's about as exciting as it looks."

He let the thought linger for a while before he turned to the woman.

"Who're you?"

He turned back to the situation ahead of him, adjusting the headset that lay over his backwards ballcap. Probably was about as polite as someone like Tulan could, would, or wanted to get with a stranger.

[member="Kathryn Foster"]

 

[Silver Starlight]

Ms. Martha surveyed the start of the festival with a quiet but pleased smile. It was good to see people venturing out to the farm to enjoy some harvest fun. But, her eyes did cut towards the fields of pumpkins once or twice, were there armed men out there? She blinked, but figured that perhaps it was better to be safe than sorry. However, the state of the galaxy aside, she was ready to get on with the raffle and hand out the first prize of the day. Lifting the first gift basket, she set it on the table before her. It was rather cute, she had to say.

Ticket # 11 ([member="Kathryn Foster"])​

The Prize: Pit Pumpkins!​

​

With a grin, Ms. Martha announced the raffle number and wrote it upon her blackboard -- just in case the winner was not present at the moment, they could always come to collect their winnings a bit later on when they were free.

[OOC: A big thanks to [member="Tom Taff"] for making this prize last year!]​

 

[Yula Perl]

Vizsla. Vizsla…Vizsla. Yula stood in thoughtful silence, trying to place the name. She’d heard it before, but where and in what context? “Huh. Good to meet you, Amon.” Yula studied his face, idly wondering if they’d crossed paths before. When she was about to ask him if he’d even been to Terminus, he informed her that her sister, Nida, was not in attendance.

She blinked, unsure of the relevancy of that statement. Ah, he probably thought she was here looking for her sister. It would have been a more innocuous statement if his voice hadn’t been so rough. Given that they’d only exchanged a few words, Yula couldn’t discern if this was his natural speaking pattern or if he truly held some distrust for the Zeltron. "Oh. That's too bad, was looking forward to seeing the little one."

A long sip from her mug hid the flash of surprise and suspicion that crossed her face. Couldn’t take two steps in the galaxy without hearing mom’s name. When she met his gaze again, her smile was a little more wry than it had been before. “Hmm. Maybe.” Spend too much time in the ‘Rim and what you knew had to do exclusively with who you were talking to, what their motives were and how many credits were on the table. Her eyes drifted to the carbine rifle slung around his torso, acutely aware that he was armed.

Vizsla. A Mandalorian name. Big one, too. Her mother had fought the bucketheads on Utapau, something about killing a war master. Mandos and Jedi didn’t typically mix, but that didn’t matter much to her. Well chit.

“What’d she do to you? Don't tell me she broke your heart, now.” At the very least, she hoped it would be something along the lines of a broken heart and not the murder of a relative. Yula had a smuggler’s swagger and confidence, which meant that she was ready to flee into the field of pumpkins at a moment’s notice. If Zef Halo was biologically capable of crying, he’d have shed a tear.

[member="Amon Vizsla"]

 

[Kathryn Foster]

There was no mistake in the mans words - he could've had it better, alot better. But somehow she got the picture that these guys rarely said it straight out and, naturally, supressed their own wills for the greater picture. It was their call and their duty. Personal opinions had little room to be taken into account, much like her own position as a fighter pilot. Even if she were able to be slightly more creative in her actions than a squad working together, and she maybe were a bit too often.

''Well, I could imagine that...'' she stated calmly and threw a quick glance at the ground, being slightly affected by the soldiers mood.

''Oh, I'm one of the Confederacy visitors invited over. Just wanted to stretch my legs after the journey...'' she said, and offered the man a short but more open smile along with it.

''Name's Kathryn, and you?'' she continued and stayed friendly, but tried to not annoy the soldier more than she were already interrupting him in his duties. It was just how she was though - she cared alot for her friends and even if the man was a stranger, he was an ally and it would take an equal amount of discourage for her to act anywhere close to the verge of arrogant or rude.

[member="Tulan Kor"]

 

[Tulan Kor]

Confederacy.

He'd fought them before.

Killed a lot of them, their soldiers. Not the droids. Under a different flag, in a different time. The time for Tulan to be burning worlds, slaughtering people- that was over. But it wasn't done, gone. It lingered, like oily shadows.

Her name carried no weight, another cog in a war machine. Same as him, he imagined. But maybe she wasn't as jaded as he was about it. He turned his head up and towards her.

"Tulan Kor. I'm with Task Force Raider."

They'd gain some notoriety after the death of Setter Ryburn and the successful attack on one of the Mandalorian's flagships. As he understood- not too long before the CIS had their own incursion against the Mandalorians. But now the Task Force had a reputation- bloody violence, savagery, and taking in people who were otherwise shunned by the galaxy and putting them to work for the Silver Jedi. Redemption to some, allowing criminals and bad guys to work for someone else to others.

Hard to say where Tulan fell in that category.

[member="Kathryn Foster"]

 

[Kathryn Foster]

She bit her lips together and nodded slowly at the presentation of the man being in the supposedly most elite force of the Antatian Rangers.

''I think I've heard of you, I mean your squad... They say you've done some pretty impressive insertions.'' she said before a short pause. ''It's nice to meet you, Tulan.''

''I'm not gonna hold you up for long, but... I could...'' she paused again and searched for sensible words, taking a hand out of the jacket pocket and made a low open gesture with it. ''... get you anything from inside if you want? I mean, if you're gonna be out here for the whole day...?'' she continued and looked askingly at Tulan. She did her best to not sound pityful for the soldier, knowing it could send the wrong vibes. No, the question were of pure sympathic nature.

[member="Tulan Kor"]

 

[Alva Heavenshield]

Alva stood at the entrance of the festival, her small eyes alight. Now, this looked like it was going to be a lot of fun. It was rare for the Heavenshield girl to be away from her home on Midvinter, but her mother had allowed her the chance to go visiting. After all, Uncle [member="Thirdas Heavenshield"] was often in Silver Space, there wasn't need to worry. And, today she had a rather furry companion with her.

[member="Kiriko"] had agreed to accompany her to the festival. No one would mess with a little girl and a bear, right? But, there had been a very serious condition. Doughnuts. Alva had promised the white bear a taste of harvest treats today – and that was just fine, because she wanted to try some, too.

At the moment, however, it was time to don her costume.

Unfurling a large piece of cloth, she artfully draped the white sheet over her head, so that it fell down to her feet. Of course, she'd cut some well-placed holes for her eyes and one for her mouth. Alva glanced to the side, as best she could, and looked to her bear companion.

“You ready?” She asked, unsure if he, too, planned to wear a costume. “Shall we go to eat snacks?”

 

[Tulan Kor]

Impressive, maybe.

Beneficial?

Depends on who you asked.

But needless to say, Tulan couldn't help but smirk. He'd never been known as a good guy before. Ever.

But what he really wanted, this lady couldn't give him. But maybe-

"I like pie. They didn't leave me any pie."

He said it so quietly that it was pretty comical.

But really, Tulan just wanted some pie.

[member="Kathryn Foster"]

 

[Kathryn Foster]

What did he had for eating? Dry and dull MREs?

Anyone could figure out that even the most hardened of soldiers would pay a thought of the treats that were served in there. It was a festival, not the barracks and nor battle scene. She had to sharpen her ears to hear his wish though, and the slightly funny situation left her with a generous white smile to the man and a light chuckle.

''Pie it is! I'll... leave you to it and be back soon, okay?'' she stated and returned her hands to the pockets of the long jacket, before she hesistantly begun to turn and continue her walk back to the farm. Just making sure her blue glance stayed with the soldier if he wanted to add anything to the rhetorical question. A gentle puff of wind caught them two and soared through the forest edge.

[member="Tulan Kor"]