First Reply Highwire Hiccups

[Braze]

// Open to 2 new players and Jasper Kai'el
As the sun set over Doan, casting a golden hue across the dusty landscape, the people gathered in a vast quarry, eager with anticipation. A low hum grew louder, drawing their eyes skyward. From the hazy sky, Nomad's Dream descended, a grand airship adorned with iridescent lights and brightly colored patterns.

The ship hovered gracefully above a flat plateau, and ropes and ladders unfurled. Performers, in dazzling costumes, descended and began setting up the Grand Tent below. The tent shimmered, reflecting the ambient light.

Ringmaster Zalara, sparkling in her crystal-embedded costume, stepped forward with a megaphone. "Welcome, people of Doan, to Mystics' Marvelous Mirage of Magic! Tonight, we bring you a world where dreams come alive!"

The crowd cheered, faces glowing with joy. Nobleman Edrik stood at the forefront, smiling proudly. "Thank you, Ringmaster Zalara. We are honored to host your magnificent show."

As night fell, the Grand Tent came alive. Acrobats swung from Nomad's Dream down to the tent, illuminated by spotlights. The stage transformed with each act, blending reality and illusion. Fire breathers, contortionists, and magicians performed feats that left the audience spellbound.

The spotlight shifted to the center of the tent, where an aerialist dancer named Aeliana ascended gracefully into the air, suspended by silken ropes. Her costume, a cascade of shimmering fabrics, flowed around her as she spun and twirled high above the audience. The crowd watched in awe as she began to dance through the air, her movements an art work of grace and strength.

With each elegant twist and turn, Aeliana threw delicate, sheer bits of cloth into the crowd. The cloths, infused with a touch of perfume, sparkled softly and floated down like feathers, enchanting the audience below. Children reached up to catch them, their faces lit with pure joy.

Suddenly, in the midst of a breathtaking spin, something went wrong. Aeliana's rope snapped, and she plummeted toward the ground. Gasps filled the tent, but before she hit the floor, she vanished in a swirl of light, a puff of smoke and sparks. The crowd erupted in cheers, thinking it was a spectacular part of the performance.

But behind the scenes, panic set in. This disappearance was not part of the act. Performers and crew members exchanged worried glances as they realized something was terribly wrong. Ringmaster Zalara tried to maintain her composure, quickly directing the next act to distract the audience.

---

Braze, seated among the spectators, frowned as he witnessed the snap. He had never seen a trick like that performed before and his instincts told him something was amiss. He decided to investigate.

He discreetly hopped down from his seat in the stands and made his way through the theater ship where he'd secured his seat with a purchased ticket. The interior of Nomad's Dream was a labyrinth of corridors and hidden spaces, designed to accommodate the complex logistics of the traveling circus.

As he maneuvered through the ship, he could see other performers and crew members rushing about, their expressions tense and worried. Clearly, Aeliana's disappearance was not part of the planned show.

 

[Vallen Torrevaso]

When in Doan. Do as the Doanish do. Such was the thoughts that had convinced Vallen to attend the little magic show on his time off, taking a seat in the tent to watch the spectacle. Aeliana's show in particular was something to enjoy, at least until the sudden departure from their apparent script. The furtive running and panicking was lost on the majority of the crowd, though Vallen was in tune enough with the force to sense the panic, and it seemed he wasn't alone.

A few seats over, he watched a white ahried youth rise and start up towards the ship with a determined stride. While they hadn't met in any official capacity, Vallen had seen Braze a time or two during functions with the Tingel Arm Coalition, and they had shared a brief acquaintance during Braze's visit to Veradune. They were after all, both Aquillan Rangers. Quietly, Vallen rose from his seat and followed after, slipping into the ship and making his way up behind the young jedi. "So you saw it too. Any idea what happened down there?"

Braze

 

[Kal-El]

DOAN - NOMAD'S DREAM - THE GRAND TENT
Braze | Vallen Torrevaso | Jasper Kai'el

Kal-El had been sent on a mission by himself. A part of him wondered, in the back of his mind, if this was the type of mission he was not supposed to come back from. Acolytes were rarely, if ever, sent on missions alone. But here he was, a lone acolyte sent to retrieve an individual the Sith Order believed to be force-sensitive and would be of great use to their agenda. Standing in the back of the tent's rows upon rows of seats, Kal-El's gaze lifted up to observe the performance as he caught a singular piece of perfumed cloth.

Maybe if he had been raised in a circus, he would be up there. With his current skills, it would be easy, almost too easy. But that is not what life had in store for him and his gifts.

The circus would suffer the resignation of their chief acrobat and star performer Aeliana, if she indeed did prove to be force-sensitive. Kal had planned for this to go as smoothly and delicately as possible. Not whatever had happened.

His eyes widened. The rope snapping. Aeliana's fall. Already, his muscles coiled and he prepared to move. Running past the spectators or leaping over them would take too much time. He would not make it in time. Not unless he leapt through the crowd. If he could find that opening, he would make it to her before she hit the ground. There.

He found an opening, in those few moments. He was ready to take the shot and get a hold of her. Then, the light followed. While trying to shield himself for a moment with one of his arms, his eyes narrowed at the brightness assaulting his vision before observing the leftover smoke and sparks. His eyes scanned the crowd first. Anyone who might have been not surprised or leaving before anyone else had the chance to react would be suspect. No one would remain unfazed or leave so soon unless they had a hand in this.

Then, his eyes briefly locked onto the floor. Unless it was made of material not natural or a sort of false floor, then either there had been an illusion or misdirection at play here, or genuine teleportation or space-time alteration had taken place. He'd seen it before. Sith opening tears to the netherworld or similar ilk.

There, for a moment, Kal-El suspected he may have been overreacting. But the tension did not leave his body. What if someone else had beaten him to her or this was a genuine kidnapping that happened right under his nose? The implications behind either line of thinking were numerous, too numerous to pursue without more information. His vision glanced towards the other performers. They hid it well, but no one could hide the shock and rise of their heartbeat or the way their bodies reeked of fear and confusion. Speaking of using his nose . . .

Kal-El brought the cloth closer to his nose before taking a whiff. If Aeliana had more of these cloth pieces on her person or used the same or similar perfume, then he could track her. He hated to use his sense of smell. It's why he often dulled it or saved that particular sense for last. Too many unpleasant smells, especially in a circus with this many people. But he could suffer through it easily enough. He had to, in order to find this woman.

Unless something caught his eyes, like a suspicious individual or perhaps any clue leftover from Aeliana's disappearance--such as a false floor or illusion taking place--Kal-El would focus on the scent and begin using his other senses to try and track down Aeliana. Perhaps she would let out a scream or a sort of noise before her captors could silence her. Maybe he would see the trail of her outfit around a corner.

Every sense extended itself as Kal-El began pushing his own body forward, straining muscle as he quickly began moving away from the stands--his movements a blur to the normal civilian.

Where are you?

He had to help her. Whatever it took, he had to help. If he could find her first.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Kal-El Vallen Torrevaso

Braze shrugged. "I'm not really sure... I don't think it was on purpose," he said lightly. "I guess all we can do is look for her. Something must have happened... maybe it was staged since she didn't hit the safety nets or the ground. Maybe there's a trap door? Let's see if we can get below the decks."

Braze and his companion, Vallen, discover a trap door hidden beneath an irregular pattern on the floorboards. Braze moves to open it, revealing a staircase leading down. Kal-El, who has been following the scent trail, comes across Vallen and Braze in the dimly lit underbelly of the tent.

 

[Vallen Torrevaso]

"That makes two of us. Lets keep our eyes peeled, though it might be worth it to ask the crew and performers some questions." Vallen followed Braze's lead, letting the jedi set the pace, though he kept his eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary. Travelling down into the trap door with Braze , Vallen found his ears twitching at the sound of steps coming down the hall. "Looks like we've got company," he whispered. His mind raced, moving through the dozens of responses and excuses that might explain the presence of two non-staff members behind the curtain. Each of those excuses died as soon as he saw Kal-El , yet another person who was very obviously not supposed to be there. "Well this is a bit awkward. Shall I assume that you're here for the same reason we are?"` His hand moved towards his waist, his fingers ghosting by his saber's hilt. "Or the alternative that you're the answer to our question?"

 

[Kal-El]

DOAN - NOMAD'S DREAM - HIDDEN TRAP DOOR
Braze | Vallen Torrevaso

Following the trail had been relatively easy. Despite the false trails due to the crowd containing numerous pieces of cloth with the very same perfume, Kal-El's senses had honed in on a singular path that led away from the main acts and towards a different portion of the facilities entirely. Picking up speed as the scent seemed to grow a little more intense with each step, Kal-El began to take notice of two new scents intermingling with the trail. That was after, of course, the pair of heartbeats and his vision beginning to clock the two strangers once he had sight of them.

And if he could hear their heartbeats, it was not too difficult to make out their conversation either. Or watch as Vallen Torrevaso began reaching for his saber's hilt as Kal began to approach closer toward the two.

There's no time for this.

"I do not have the time nor the patience to entertain a street fight or a conversation with you two," Kal began before finishing his opening statement, "Not with the possibility of someone's life being at risk."

His eyes remained dull with a lack of amusement yet steeled with a singular determination, one that could be found in his every word spoken up until now.

Shifting his legs to prepare for a running start, Kal-El's muscles tensed before speeding forward towards the pair. Physicality and reflexes had always been his strong suit. If either one--or perhaps both--thought to attack the young acolyte, Kal-El surmised a strong suspicion the pair would strike out and forward towards what they assumed to be a threat, which was exactly what he was counting on.

"So if you don't mind . . . "

Quickly taking a longer stride and slowing down for a moment at the end of his run and nearing towards the pair, Kal-El quickly transferred that energy into leaping up and over the pair and whatever weapons they drew--soaring over the conflict with his back facing towards both them and the ground before spinning further and righting himself to land on his feet.

Right on the stairs below the open trapdoor. All that would be left to do is continue his run down the descending corridor. No harm done.

" . . . I have myself an acrobat to rescue."

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Vallen Torrevaso Kal-El

"Right. Maybe we might catch something—"

Braze blinked, unable to react as Kal-El barreled towards and over them. He stepped back, frowning at the abrupt intrusion. Glancing at Vallen, he then turned his attention back to the stranger who had practically leaped into the hatch.

"Well, that was unexpected," Braze muttered, shaking his head slightly.


As Kal-El descended the narrow, dimly lit staircase of the theater ship, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. The opulent and vibrant world of the circus above seemed worlds away from the stark, utilitarian underbelly he now found himself in. The stairs creaked softly underfoot, the sound swallowed by the thick, heavy air.

The passageway was lined with the exposed framework of the ship, pipes and conduits crisscrossing the walls like the veins of a giant beast. Occasionally, a flickering light bulb cast eerie shadows, their movement almost hypnotic. The scent of oil and machinery mingled with the faint perfume of the cloths Aeliana had thrown, creating an odd, almost disorienting blend.

As Kal-El reached the bottom of the stairs, the corridor opened into a broader, dimly lit space. The area was cluttered with stage props, crates of costumes, and mechanical equipment used for the circus performances above. The walls, a dull metallic gray, were adorned with faded posters of past shows, their colors muted by time and grime.