Faction Hapes Charity Gala [Jedi and allies]

[Valery Noble]

Hapes

​

Outfit: Dress | Commission with it
Tag: Aldric Laurent | Open

"I know you'll be, I'm just teasing," Valery said after she gave him another once over and nodded approvingly. "Do I look okay too? This dress isn't too much, right?" She had chosen it on the recommendation of Briana Sal-Soren because Aldric really seemed to like it the last time she wore it, but she had spent far too much time on her hair and make-up too. This event was important so she wanted to look the part, but she cared most about what he thought about it, for obvious reasons.

Valery then briefly glanced aside as even more familiar faces appeared within the hall. She offered Solenne Abraxas a quick wave and smiled in Hollis Orenn 's direction — she had met both of them very recently and was very happy to see them here as well. And the more she looked around, the more it seemed as if the entire NJO was showing up to show support and enjoy a little bit of time away from the war.

"I'm sure about it, love. I know what this means to you, so I've verified the sources and even made contact. It sometimes helps that I was a Shadow once." She reached for his hands and gently squeezed them, her eyes never leaving his. As serious as the Dantooine situation was, she had still spent an unusual amount of time looking into this, just for him. She had to be absolutely sure that they could help make a difference and that she wasn't giving him false hope. "I'll share everything with you when we get back to the hotel..." She paused and smirked as she reconsidered their time here on Hapes.

"Or uh, probably tomorrow when we head home. But for now, let's not worry about anything and just... have some fun..." her voice trailed off and she gently pulled him towards the dancefloor, hoping he'd lead a simple but intimate dance for them. It gave them a chance to talk more, and enjoy each other's company.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cailen Corso
​

The more time she had to scan the crowd, the more familiar faces she could pick out. Seeing Desric Terassi here was no surprise—neither was his bold outfit, which was enough to garner a small smile along with a graceful head tilt of acknowledgment. Like her, Desric thrived in this kind of environment. Let him find someone else to tease, at least. Her face nearly flushed at the thought of the playful language he'd used during an earlier encounter.

"Ah-!" Thelma Goth arrived in time to shake that particular thought from her head, and Cora reached out to steady the girl's shoulders with either hand. This complement too, was most welcome.

"No need to apologize," She assured, waving the concern off. "And, thank you. You look lovely, Miss--like a summer flower. Please, enjoy your night."

As the young woman wandered away, Cora's attention drifted back to Cailen. She regarded him with a sympathetic smile, motioning subtly in the direction Thelma had gone off in. "No matter how pretty they are, events like these always hold an undercurrent of chaos."

She'd never seen so many Jedi in formal attire, though. It was interesting. Cora sighed, perhaps a bit longingly.

"In truth, this reminds me of my home. My father is a Viscount, and so my siblings and I had attended many such gatherings. Though we were there primary as attendees and not security, there is a certain... way one must conduct oneself. It can be quite tiring." You had to wrangle siblings while working the room, adhering to a strict, nearly unspoken code of conduct or risk becoming the topic of whispers behind decorative fans.

Still, she'd rather be having this conversation with a martini in one hand and a toothpick of Alderaanian cheese in the other.

"How about you, Cai? Do they have parties like this where you're from?"

​

 

[Sinara Thorne]

Dress
Tags: Iris Arani | Seva Geroux Nearby: Desric Terassi | Miri Nimdok
​

Auctions were Sinara’s bread and butter, if there was a high profile event somewhere in the galaxy, then she’d be there. Of course, she couldn’t personally attend every one of them. It often came down to who was hosting, and if Sinara had a personal interest in it.

Thus an auction on Hapes, hosted by the Fauls Carat, was more than enough to catch Sinara’s attention. Plus she had something of an interest in Hapan history too. Her personal collection had a few artefacts that originated from the Hapan system.

From her seat, the half-Eldorai took note of particular individuals that had already arrived. She noted a number of important figures, some of which were fellow collectors. Sinara made a mental note to approach them at some point tonight.

Her attention was drawn away however, catching sight of what appeared to be gold glimmering nearby. Sinara raised an eyebrow, taking in the apparently bold young man adorned in such a fashion. She supposed it was a unique way of showing your wealth.

She kept to her vigil, watching as he drew the attetion of few young women. One had directly approached him, while another had waved towards him. The half-Eldorai looked on amused, wondering how he’d react to that kind of attention. He’d already made the statement with his choice of attire, but now what was his response?

He’s oddly familiar too, hmm...

It had to have been on the Holo-net, but Sinara had to reach into her mind to recall where.

Ahh, Globex Corp, that’s right. I remember reading the news of when they first entered the galactic stage.

That, and Sinara’s personal bit of sleuthing had found that particular young man’s face attached to the company. House Terassi was it? Well, this has gotten more interesting.

Opting to mingle rather than sit by her lonesome, Sinara stood up and wandered over to the two young women who were conversing. Heels clicking against the floor as she approached, just about catching the tail end of Iris' sentence.

“You’re in for a treat then, you’ll get a first time experience of how fast an auction goes. Especially with Fauls Carat at the helm.”

 

[Adrienne Keres]

Dress: xxx
With: Alexander Blackmoore

Tonight, she'd be gentle as a lamb.

She wore a simple design – compared to some of the other more elaborate gowns – with an airy blush-colored skirt, and delicate accents of gold. Adrienne hadn't dressed to stand out, but rather to blend in. Her genial smile would help her fade into the background, the sea of faces. Tonight she was just a silly girl, one happy to be on the arm of a date.

Pulling a compact mirror from her purse, she touched up her lipstick as she waited for Alexander Blackmoore to re-emerge from the lounge. Indeed the two of them had a strange relationship. It was, however, symbiotic – beneficial to both. Many whispers, many promises... some empty, some not. The only promise Adrienne truly cared about was: power.

It was also part of the attraction to him, if she was being honest.

It might be fleeting, but for now it bought her loyalty.

Like him, she was hiding something dark beneath the surface. Clouded, her dark-sided presence would be masked for the evening. And Alexander's as well, especially if he stayed close. No doubt, he'd taken his own precautions as well. It took quite a lot to hide monsters like them in plain sight.

This ruse required that she be more than an apprentice, but something akin to a personal assistant as well. It was a task she did not particularly relish, but she would do her duty as required. Especially if it played into the role she was in tonight. Looking around, she took note of several others waiting for the Charity Auction to begin.

"Nobles," Adrienne said with a placid smile, noting Seva Geroux with a nod. "Executives," she added, indicating Desric Terassi – unmistakable in his outfit. And though, the genial expression on her face did not change – something about her eyes did, narrowed perhaps ever slightly. "Jedi." Of course, this place was swarming with the Jedi.

But she supposed that was part of the fun – a challenge well accepted.

 

[Seva Geroux]

Wearing: xxx
Tags: Iris Arani
Nearby: Desric Terassi | Miri Nimdok | Sinara Thorne

Seva lifted her flute of champagne to her painted lips and took a dainty sip.

Her eyes shifted slightly to find that there was now a petite woman standing at her side, Seva smiled. The dark-haired woman complimented her dress. "Thank you. It's silk organza, dear," she said. "A design from Alderaan."

Indeed, speaking of Alderaan... she noted the presence of Alicio Organa . It'd been quite a long time since she'd seen him, the two of them had formed something of a friendship – or perhaps it was more of a trauma-bond. Nevertheless, from what she could tell, he seemed happy. That made Seva smile, one that was more genuine than the one she'd initially greeted Iris with.

"Well," she said, returning to the conversation. "It's nice to meet you, Iris. I'm Seva."

While her expression was that of pleasant indifference, she was actually rather eager for the auction to start. Since there seemed to be time to spare, she glanced at Iris again – then to Desric. Shouldn't this girl be joining his entourage by now? Judging by the number of ladies around him, she guessed his outfit was working its magic.

"So, if you don't come to these things often... why tonight?" Seva might have sounded a bit snobbish, but she was actually trying to make nice. "Do you have your eyes on something special in the auction?"

 

[Aiden Porte]

Dressed

He expected the place to be incredibly busy, however he had clearly underestimated how crazy things were going to get. Individuals of all came out for this event. It brought warm feelings to his heart as he glanced around at all the smiling faces. Everyone was here to have a good time with someone they cared for. It was truly remarkable to see, and the attire....

By the force...

There were many incredibly good looking individuals here. While this was a Gala, he was still surprised. He was now glad that he didn't feel so over dressed but actually under dressed now. He couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Of course, just down the hall." Aiden reacted to a couple who had asked a question. Smiling and being as professional as he could. He didn't want to mess this up for Brandyn. And just then he reached for his datapad as he heard the small notification and he smirked at Dreidi's response. He had a big smile on his face and he sent back the same face icon that she had.

<<Pay attention, dove.>>

Aiden looked up, a smile still on his face however soon turned to an almost guilty smile as he chuckled again and clipped the datapad to his side. He glanced around for a brief moment and he cleared his throat. No doubt she was here and he couldn't help be just feel better. He always did when she was around.

Yes Master, come say hi when you get the chance. Please?

Aiden responded back but the words carried a lightened humor. She was correct, though. Aiden glanced around seeing Hollis and Justice he thought he even caught a glimpse of Luric as well. Aiden checked the area around him as he went down the hall. He opened the comlink to Brandyn Sal-Soren "I'm going to check the lower levels and basement area, then will do another impromptu walk of the perimeter." The Jedi Padawan cleared the comms and began his walk to his location, hands behind his back.

This was indeed a happy and joyous occasion.

Solenne Abraxas Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

Wearing: xoxo

If the attendance tonight was any indication of how unpopular The New Way had become, amongst the nobility and celebrities of the galaxy, the message was delivered with enthusiasm. The turnout this evening was nevertheless impressive.

It seemed that Brandyn even standing at the stairs where he had been apparently assigned, turned out to be a pleasant distraction from the Coruscant politician when Velda looked over at him. And at distance, the two exchanged waves of greetings, and it was quite a welcome distraction considering the current topic of discussion she found herself in had segued from charities to art galleries, and to somehow some sort of dinner meeting, to which Velda had turned down the offer.

Brandyn had company when a Luric Ee'everwest who seemed like a rather charismatic and interesting fellow upon first impressions had come to greet him.

Velda then turned and concluded her conversation with the politician from Coruscant. And as he went about his business amicably Velda had seen that Brandyn had vanished from his apparent posting. She wasn't very moved by his sudden disappearance feeling very sure he was around somewhere and she was about to move on with her night. That was when she found Brandyn with another lady.

This must have been where he went. And while she initially was going to pass it off as an encounter that resulted in a minor annoyance for security, something seemed pretty off with it as far as she could tell. Velda felt annoyance and a feeling of jealousy, as she observed this encounter. It was also mixed with the inclusion of excitement. And it all seemed to make Brandyn even more attractive to Velda.

Perhaps this was merely Brandyn being over-eager and overstepping in his role as security. Still, if that was the case Brandyn could overstep all he wants as far as Velda is concerned, and she'd be fine with that. The lady in question seemed to be a bit of a wallflower and perhaps a little withdrawn. Nevertheless, Velda was keen to speak with her at some point during the evening, curiosity was getting the best of her.

So was Velda falling for Brandyn? She was not sure. Love is dangerous. Love is a razorblade, but like any blade, it could only be dangerous with how one handles it, at times the results were delightful. Other times not so much.

Even though she felt that sudden mix of emotions. The jealousy, the annoyance, and the excitement. She kept herself composed. She controlled her emotions without her emotions controlling her, and she knew how to use them. Because such was the way of The Sith.

When Brandyn returned to his station, Velda turned and paid little attention to whom came to talk to the woman next. To Velda that happenstance was of little note, and was not at all important. However, she heard the splash of liquid. And curious, she looked back over her shoulder only to find another someone that she had yet to meet, one Judah Lesan who had dumped his drink onto the man's back. Velda let out a quiet but sinister and melodious giggle in reply.

She turned her head back around in the direction of the stairs, listening to The queen address the crowd, while Brandyn stood there at the base of the staircase.

Looking at Brandyn, Velda thoughtfully nodded up toward the queen, all without saying a word and beaming a playful smirk in his direction.

Velda found it all, impressive...

| Brandyn Sal-Soren | Open |​

 

[Alicio Organa]

CASTLE OF PER'AGTHRA
HAPES
Interacting With: Amani Serys - Open
Nearby: Kha'la Daaray - Velda Nar-Donna - Brandyn Sal-Soren ​

"Have you seen all of these impractical outfits?" Alicio let his eyes glance back and forth teasingly. "Apprentice or not, we may be the best dancers here by default."

That being said, he was wearing a cape, and was therefore a bit of a hypocrite.

Amani's assessment of Aldric Laurent brought at first a playful smile to his face, before it mellowed into sheer happiness. Valery Noble had been through a lion's share of difficulties, and had taken a lion's share of responsibilities, recently. Any joy she could find, especially with someone she cared for, was time well-spent.

"Good for her. Val deserves a bit of happiness." he finally said, watching them move to the dance floor. He'd been tempted to go over and introduce himself (a conversation with Val, Aldric and Amani would have been interesting) but perhaps they could catch the pair when they were less preoccupied with each other. "She certainly seems happy from here."

It wasn't long before Amani absorbed his attention again, as he was asked to appraise her dress. He glanced her up and down, a growing grin on his face. "Stunning," he agreed, closing the distance to hold hands with her once more. "My only complaint is that you didn't tell me we were wearing blue tonight. I would have broken out my vest."

Alicio tried to will himself to dive into the crowd. But something rooted his feet to the floor, a residual fear of crowded spaces. Which he resolved to conquer by immediately striking up conversation with the most intimidating person in the room. "Well... Go big or go home," he whispered to Amani, before taking confident steps towards a raised balcony.

Towards Queen Kha'la Daaray . Whom he resolved to greet, if she were ever able to escape her isolation.

 

[Cailen Corso]

HAPES CHARITY GALA
A Star Wars Story

Location: Hapes Charity Gala; Castle of Per'Agthra
Tags: Corazona von Ascania
Objective #3: Security detail
Soundtrack: Haiku

Cailen smiled warmly at Thelma Goth compliment, which he returned with a friendly "You look very nice yourself" before she broke away and meandered into the crowd. He caught a glimpse of Silas in the distance and offered him a friendly wave from across the room. It was comforting to see a friendly face in the sea of nobles and otherwise unfamiliar Jedi. Soon, his eyes found their way to Cora again.

The only 'way' he could imagine behaving at a party was to enjoy himself and mingle with the guests. Surely there wasn't much more complexity than that? But Cora's reflection seemed to reveal a much deeper component to parties - galas - that Cailen wasn't privy to. He suddenly found himself more acutely aware of his posture, and the way he'd been fidgeting with the cuff links she'd given him.

"Oh, um... no, not really," he answered nervously. "Never anything this grand, at least. We celebrated things like birthdays and holidays, but they were small gatherings. Mostly family and close friends."

It was particularly difficult to arrange large parties back home. There were lots of things to consider, like conflicts in shift schedules or the unfortunately high rate of personal injury among the scrappers who worked in the shipyards. Even then, unless they were hosted after it was time to knock off, few invitees would be able to make it to a social gathering; Time spent at a party was time that could've been spent stripping rusty X-wings of their power couplings.

He offered Cora a soft smile, interested to learn more about her.

"You said your father was a... a viscount? Is that right?" he asked her politely, his head tilting slightly in curiosity.

 

[Luric Ee'everwest]

[Luric's Soundscape: City Limits]

Gear: Lightsaber [Concealed]
Tags: Iris Arani | Desric Terassi | Miri Nimdok | Seva Geroux

​

Luric knew his cousin all too well. If he was being shuffled forward this quickly by Brandyn Sal-Soren , it was not due to something as trivial as duty. No, there was a woman involved. He'd bet every last credit that was floating about the Palace this night on it. Laughing a bit as he shook Brandyn's hand with the same hearty intent, he placed his other hand on his cousin's shoulder for a moment. "It's good to see you too, Brandyn. Make sure to give my regards to Uncle Baros whenever he arrives. I doubt I'll have much of a chance to talk with him tonight."

Luric then nodded and winked at his cousin's comments about the dancing. Brandyn damn well knew how Luric felt about these events. But, there was a time and a place for such little jabs and quips in retort. So, Luric took his leave, and made his way further into the Palace proper. As he did, he passed a rather striking woman in a white dress and black strapped heels [ Velda Nar-Donna ], and took pause to nod to her politely. She had seemed to have been watching Brandyn, but Brandyn had ventured off already toward another young lady. Typical Brandyn thought Luric with a chuckle as he kept on walking.



Soon enough, he found himself within the Dining Hall that the Auction was going to be taking place in. And there she was. Iris. A lovely young woman, to be sure, but Luric had his doubts as to her intentions when it came to him. Nothing he would ever let on, he kept such thoughts shielded well, and the Force was a wonderful tool for obfuscation in such matters. There were quite a few gathered around Iris; a man wearing what seemed to be a suit spun out of golden cloth, perhaps even gold itself. Gaudy, and absolutely ludicrous, in his opinion. Laughable, really, but of course, he was not here as Luric the Jedi Knight. He had his part to play, and so he would play it as required. It seemed like slipping on a well worn pair of shoes. Frightening, really, how easy it was to get lost in the role.

Most likely due to how much he loathed it all. He almost sighed at that, but refrained, as he made his way up to the little gathering. As they spoke of the ladies' dresses, of houses and and corporations, he decided he might as well find an 'in'. And it would seem Sinara Thorne had served it up to him on a silver platter.

"Ahh, yes, Fauls Carat is top tier in that regard." he said with a smile. "Pardon my interruption. Luric Shinji Ee'everwest, Duke of Theed. A pleasure to meet you all, of course." he said with a bit of flair, his voice charismatic, his aura radiating confidence. Had to play the part, and when you were nobility, doubly so. He would take Iris' hand gently within his own, and smile brightly. "Lady Iris, forgive my tardiness. It would seem that some family affairs needed my attention. I cannot apologize enough." he said as he lowered his head, kissing the top of her hand gently, never taking his eyes off her own.

 

[Desric Terassi]

Interacting With: Miri Nimdok
Nearby: Iris Arani | Seva Geroux | Sinara Thorne | Brandyn Sal-Soren​

Having politely greeted Corazona von Ascania he made a mental note to find an opening to tease her today too.

As it was, he would note the presence of various individuals in short order, prompts sliding across his vision as his AI leapt into action identifying them all and sorting them by affiliation and importance. 'Miri Nimdok', a Jedi Archaeologist?

"My people tried gold, but the discomfort was an issue. Supposedly the real deal didn't look quite as real as this, either." In the end, they had chosen Hyperweave; it could look like virtually anything and the outermost parts could be stiffened to create the appearance of solidity without any real discomfort on his part, as 'joints' were 'created' when he moved.

That might somewhat lessen its protective capabilities, but he was hardly planning on getting shot.

Returning Seva's greeting with a smile and a nod, Desric noted her conversation partners. Quite the concentration of Jedi there and elsewhere, which was to be expected; he was more surprised to find her present, given her father's distaste for their Order. That said, what the old man did not know would not hurt him.

"Desric Terassi. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms...?" While he was not shy about revealing his cybernetics, he was not one to abandon the advantage of knowing more than he let on. Even in casual conversation.

 

[Marissa Shoda]

TAGS: Jasper Kai'el | Valery Noble | Aldric Laurent

Marissa smiled at Jasper's compliments, though it didn't help entirely to calm her nerves. "I just hope my voice doesn't cut out tonight." She muttered, only loud enough for him to hear. "At least it ain't police work we're dealing with tonight." She let a faint smile bleed through before she leaned up to plant a kiss on his cheek.

He went on to give a quick rundown of some of the people he knew, though one name stood out to the CorpSec officer. "Valery Noble? Like... the war hero?" She asked with wide eyes. "Heard about her a lot, think she had a stint on Denon as well. I remember seeing the name in some reports. Figured that was just misidentification or something." She explained as she walked with Jasper, her arm tightly holding onto his.

"Well,"

"You wanna grab a drink?"

"Definitely. I'm way too sober for something like this." She agreed before letting go to swipe two glasses from a passing servant. She handed a glass to him then spent a considerable time just staring at her own. "I promised I won't get political tonight... but why do I get the feeling a bottle of whatever this is costs more than my salary?" She remarked as she brought the glass to her lips. But rather than taking a careful sip as one would expect at a venue like this, the officer knocked the drink back and handed the empty glass to another servant. Her eyes teared up at the bubbles tickling her throat and nose as she brought a hand up to her mouth. "At least it's good. Holy kriff, we gotta get a bottle of that before we go home." She admitted with a laugh.

After a moment of looking around, especially at the couples dancing, Marissa gave a nod and a nudge. "Let's go meet her." She suggested. "Better than dancing right now. I don't think people will be impressed if I start stepping to the tune of classical music." She joked.

With that, she tugged Jasper along towards Valery Noble and Aldric Laurent as a hand reached into her pocket. At least breaking the ice would be easy. "Excuse me, Valery Noble?" She started with a serious tone as she produced her badge and held it up to the couple. "Marissa Shoda, CorpSec. You mind answering a few questions for me and my partner?" She continued, though a smile quickly bled through as she slipped her badge back into her pocket. "Sorry, just had to give Jasper a scare. Pleasure to meet you." She admitted with a laugh as she extended a hand. She then turned to the man next to the Jedi, her hand extended to him as well. "Marissa Shoda. Pleasure to meet you, mister...?"

 

[Aveline Cuiléin]

Tags: Aiden Porte / open
Equipment: outfit, lightsaber

"Outside perimeter clear. Circling back through the gardens before I head back instead" Aveline reported in. So far so good. A dull night doing security detail was the dream, after all. It's what they wanted. Hopefully this many Jedi gathered in one place was sufficient of a deterrent to keep proceedings civil. Or, it was painting a giant target on the back of the event.

The Jedi Padawan wasn't invited as a guest. This wasn't about pleasure, but duty. At least it was enough to get her on site, she wasn't complaining. The Knights and Masters could enjoy themselves, while their Padawans did the heavy lifting. Reflexively, she threw up a light mental barrier through the Force. Wouldn't want any of them overhearing that...

The new robes was something to get used to, but she told herself she only had to wear them this once. She'd rejected four sets of dresses that'd made her feel way more out of place. Her current look was a healthy compromise, opting for something with pants. Her main criteria had been something that allowed her to keep mobile and free in case the situation called for it. Besides, the light blue was nice. She didn't hate it. The hilt of her lightsaber was lightly concealed underneath a thin layer of her outfit, though the bump was still visible for any who cared to look.

 

[Iris Arani]

"Organza? Like Organa? I'll have to talk to Alicio about that some time. To think he has a clothing line named after his family." Oh yes, she was absolutely going to tease Alicio Organa about that. Probably not tonight, though. Iris had her own business to attend to, and he seemed to be having fun. With Amani, no less. Even Iris would be hard pressed to interrupt that cute display in the corner of her eye.

"Honestly? No, not at all. But I've far too much money to just leave laying around. What better way to spend it than for charity, right?" The snobbiness either wasn't noticed, or she just didn't care. She was all smiles. Her gaze shifted, dipping just a little in greeting of yet another who arrived. Oh dear, was this the harder part of infiltration and undercover ops? Managing people coming around?

"Oh I'm sure it'll be fun. A little thrill on it's own, won't it be?"

Then, Luric. She blinked slightly, watching him. Always the proper noble, huh? A softer smile formed as she lowered her rather scarred hand down, clasped it in the other behind her back.

"Luric."

Seva Geroux | Luric Ee'everwest | Sinara Thorne

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Valery Noble | Marissa Shoda | Jasper Kai'el | Open
​

"Fantastic," Aldric assured her, "There's people wearing things a lot more… interesting, than that," He looked around at the many upper-crust individuals that populated the gala; Avant-garde style didn't always translate as fashionable, at least not to his eyes. Val found a few other figures he didn't recognize, further showing how rarely he got out by comparison.

Talk of Dantooine, however, was a quick distraction. He seemed eased by her assurances, though it didn't keep the topic out of his mind, even as he smiled and took her hand, "Sure." He stared off at nothin in particular, lost in thought while Valery led them to the dance floor.

Aldric snapped out of it, turning to the source of the voice. They had hardly even had a chance to start dancing before the woman appeared and produced a badge. Immediately, he raised a brow with suspicion, especially at the mention of CorpSec. But Marissa quickly broke the ice and introduced herself properly. The agent gave a cordial smile and accepted a shake of her hand when it was offered, though there was still an undercurrent of uncertainty as he studied her, "Aldric Laurent. Good to meet you," He looked around at the gala awkwardly, searching for a topic of conversation before simply resorting to, "Quite the party, huh?"

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Castle of Per'Agthra
Tags: Marissa Shoda , Valery Noble , Aldric Laurent

Marissa mentioned concern about her voice cutting out. Before he could give her any words of reassurance, she had leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. Jasper's face immediately went a light red, and a dumb smile spread across his face.

"Valery Noble? Like... the war hero?"

"Y-yeah," he confirmed, shacking off the daze. "That's the one."

When had she been on Denon? Granted, Jedi went all kinds of places all the time. Master Noble could've easily wound up going anywhere if it was required of her. When Marissa swiped them a couple of drinks, she made an off hand remark that it probably cost more than her salary. Jasper cracked a smile at this. She wasn't wrong.

"You aren't wrong," Jasper chuckled as he took a sip. "Lachrymead. Aged at least sixty years if not more. If I were to wager a base line price... a few kidneys and a cybernetic arm."

Jasper was perfectly fine when she suggested they go talk to Master Noble, especially when some of the couples got to dancing. Knowing his own coordination, dancing was going to quickly become tripping and dying. He let himself be dragged along, but found himself red with embarrassment when Marissa introduced herself in an admittedly rather amusing way.

"Sorry, just had to give Jasper a scare. Pleasure to meet you."

"Jeez," he exhaled, still rather red in the face.

He didn't stay embarrassed for long, though he was certain that eventually Master Noble would ask how he had ended up being able to bring a partner. That, of course, was going to be a long story, but he'd rather wait to speak on it.

"Right," Jasper began, "Master Noble, this is Marissa, though I guess she already gave her name."

"Quite the party, huh?"

"I don't exactly have a reference for something like this," he remarked, "so I guess it is."

Jasper didn't go to parties often, so any party was 'quite the party' to him.

 

[Hollis Orenn]

​

​

Outfit: xxx​

Tag: Justice Lesan​

​

Hollis blushed when Justice complimented her. Of course, it hadn't been part of an intentional plan to glue Justice's eyes only to her by wearing something low-cut. But maybe it was a good thing?​

​

"Yeah," Hollis said, sighing a little when he mentioned the state of her closet.​

​

Well, most of her wardrobe consisted of things that were comfortable to wear. Could she say that any of these fancy gowns were comfy? Hollis wasn't so sure about that. For one, none of these ladies could just lounge on the couch and snack in front of the holo in some of these dresses.​

​

A wide grin formed on her face as they entered the ballroom. Hollis blinked when she found Justice suddenly steering her towards the refreshments. But she wasn't going to complain about that, of course. She'd already lifted a little fruit tart for a bite when Justice mentioned a young Hapan woman in a red dress.​

​

"What?" Hollis said, but it sounded more like 'wot?' because her mouth was full. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth as she chewed. And she gave a good-natured laugh. Her heart was full – too full to ever have room for things like jealousy. Hollis wiped some crumbs from her front and fixed Justice in a fond glance. So, he had some pretty Hapan stalker?​

​

Let her see them together.​

​

"Don't worry," Hollis said, leaning close to Justice. "I could take her. I did just fight a Sith, you know. I can handle a Hapan noble." She laughed again. Of course, she wasn't going to get into a fist fight here – or anywhere, really.​

​

She'd also caught the smile given to her by Valery Noble , which she returned with a happy little wave now that they were close enough to see. "Hey," Hollis said, nudging Justice. "I didn't know your Uncle was going to be here."​

 

[Valery Noble]

Hapes

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Outfit: Dress | Commission with it
Date Tag: Aldric Laurent
Other Tags: Marissa Shoda Jasper Kai'el

"Good, as long as you like it, I'm happy," she said with a warm smile before she began pulling him along to the dancefloor. He seemed a little lost in thought, and she wasn't sure if that was because of her or because of this whole event, but she hoped he'd at least be able to enjoy himself with her. When they started dating, she knew he wasn't the type for these overly big social events, but she was expected to attend some and she really wanted him to be there with her.

Of course, she was still going to tease him about it.

Before they could reach the dancefloor, though, a woman approached and addressed her directly. "Hmm? Yes?" Valery seemed a little confused and blinked when the badge was shown. This was not something she felt like dealing with right- And it was just a joke. She let out a soft sigh and smirked, before taking the offered hand to shake it. "A pleasure to meet you as well," Valery said. Her fiery gaze then shifted to Jasper and she shot him a quick smirk too, realizing that he had himself a date tonight.

"I assume you two are here as a couple? Or a first date?" Valery was happy for Jasper, but it was too amusing to poke about it a little. They'd have a chance to talk more about it all another time because right now, she didn't want to distract too much from their evening together.

"Quite the party, huh?"

Valery blinked and looked at Aldric — He really seemed out of his element here. It got her to chuckle as she leaned in close to wrap herself around his arm. "Not exactly my type of party, but it's not the worst with the right company, hm?" She briefly looked up into his eyes with a grin to make it clear he wasn't going to hear the end of that awkward comment.

 

[Amani Serys]

Alicio Organa - Open
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"Maybe so," Amani snickered conspiratorially, "We'll have to back that up with more than words, though," Perhaps once they'd had a chance to mingle, and the dance floor was a bit more active.

Val and Aldric, at least, were already dancing. Or at least they were about to, before Jasper and someone else she didn't recognize approached them for a conversation. The Count's response earned a nod in agreement, "She does."

They had things of their own to attend to, however, and after a quick affirmation from Alicio, Amani pecked his cheek, "It was a last minute decision. Maybe next time we can coordinate. I wouldn't mind adding a few more dresses to my wardrobe in general," It was hard to find the time and the resources, however.

"Well... Go big or go home,"

Amani blinked, and looked up to where he was leading, "Oh wow. Is that-?" The Queen Kha'la Daaray herself. An intimidating prospect, although she couldn't help but wonder if Alicio would be getting the harsher treatment of the two, given some Hapans more misandrist inclinations. "I love her dress…" Amani appraised, nervously waiting to see if she would ever come down to interact with her guests. She leaned over to her boyfriend and whispered, "Do you know anything about her?"

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cailen Corso
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"That is correct. House Ascania is a member of Ukatian nobility." Cora's lips tilted in a genuinely pleased smile. "Our Viscounty is largely farming area, so our people are responsible for feeding much of Ukatis." She didn't mention the unstable climate or finicky lands leading to poor growing seasons, and at certain points in the past, famine. Much of that had been remedied by establishing more robust trading routes in the last decade.

"As the eldest child of House Ascania, I am to be his heir." Her shoulders straightened more if they could, and the blonde puffed out her chest in pride. "Though, that is not set in stone. I have a number of younger siblings who may prove to be more suitable to lead." As much as she loved her family, it was clear that Cora intended to take the reins. Or rather, she'd anticipated being handed them when the time came.

Either way, she had been missing her family terribly for quite some time. The oldest of eight, Cora had never spent this much time away from the Ascania brood. With his boyish smile and friendly demeanor, Cailen reminded Cora of her brother, Felix. He looked to be about the same age as well, a few years younger than Cora.

"What about yourself, Cai? Where do you hail from?"

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