Mind Your Business [SJO Dominion of Hex AB, 31]

[Gir Quee]

Gir shuffled through the teeming throngs of people around the marketplace. He neatly slipped past a herglic couple as they gawked at a textiles display. As much as he was irritated by their sudden halt, he found himself doing the same thing. There were several tempting bottles of liquor at one stall, and what seemed to be a rather luxuriously engraved blaster pistol at a gunsmith's stand. He found himself frequently glancing at his wrist chrono to make sure that he had enough time. After several such delays, Gir found himself among a crowd of people gathering around a main battle tank at the KSA. One little kid was hoisted onto his father's shoulders to catch a view of the technological marvel. Well, that's certainly one way to attract a crowd...

Gir intently watched as [member="Ala Crescent"] gave her spiel on the Bengal, noting with genuine interest at the features she rattled off. Lucerne Labs had briefly tipped its toes in the armored vehicle market, but it had not developed much more than a few personnel carriers. Part of that fault in focusing probably lay in Gir's own personal interest in starships. He would have to make a note to visit their vehicles department the next time he was at Lucerne Labs's main factory. For now, he would listen and wait for an opportunity to speak with the woman in person.

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

Try as she could, being as friendly as she could the young Togruta simply couldn't shake that old lady who had latched onto her like a limpet onto a shark. She'd almost given up hope and was on the verge of giving up and buying the shawl when Yuroic had appeared out of nowhere like some kind of merciful angel. She could only watch in surprise, her eyes dancing in amusement as she saw him deftly passing by the lady, leaving the old woman standing speechless, a skewer of meat clasped in her hands as the Jedi beat a confident retreat.

Feeling a grin tugging at the corner of her lips the Padawan incline her head towards the man in that's as she waved one hand out around the market, taking in all of the stalls and people bustling around. "Oh I thought that it might nice to get out of the jungle, try to get lost in the market but," she waved her hand at herself, taking in the Jedi robes and the earthy red skin visible beneath it. "It's a little...harder to get lost than I thought it would be."

Falling in nest to the man Asaraa started padding towards the heart of the market, her blue eyes doing their best to stay focused on Yuroic, but there were just so many sights and sounds, so much going on, pulling at her senses that she never got to experience normally that she couldn't help the way her gaze slid from one stall to the other. "I think I could see my way to hanging around and exploring...as long as you promise to protect me from pushy little old ladies," came the teasing reply.

@Yuroic Xeraic [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Dusaro Dresari"]

 

[John Locke]

As he wound his way through the variety of stalls John couldn't have stopped the smile from spreading over his face, wouldn't have either. There was just something about a fair like this, all the merchants hawking their wares, showing off their products. There was something honest about it, surprising as that might be, a contest of skill, of who was able to pitch their product better. The quality of your product had a part to play in that, no doubt, but the sizzle, that was something you never saw in the boardrooms he frequented. The man almost wished that he had enough products of his own to set up a stall, to show off the fruits of his labours to the onlooking crowd but, not this year, maybe next time.

His hands slipped into the pockets of his suit as he ambled around the room, curious but not willing to be drawn in. That was at least until he caught sight of a familiar sight, a KV-01 Bengal. It might not have been well known, but anyone who grew up on Kiriba, anyone who knew anything at all about the military industry on the planet recognised KSA and their products. They lived where he hoped to be one day, where he was on the way. Assault ground vehicles were a little beyond his means, hit opportunity right now but...it didn't hurt to get some ideas for the future. The man pressed his shoulder into a wall, dark eyes twinkling with amusement as he turned his attention to the woman presenting the weaponry to the enraptured crowd.



[member="Ugohr Poof"] [member="Ala Crescent"] [member="Sunny Lee"] [member="Gir Quee"]

 

[WelshPsych]

Yuroic chuckled lightly as he watched Asaraa wander around the market, her eyes drawed to the many stores. He folded his arms across his chest, watching her patiently with a grin. It was nice to take a step from the constant conflicts that were arising. Especially since the war was being driven into their allies, the Galactic Alliance. The Silver Jedi needed to be cautious, the Dark side of the Force grew in wartimes. Padawans would often feel the lure of it when in combat.

The shawl he brought, pocketed away in his bag. He would see if it appealed to Jairdain when he returned to see her once more. "So what do you think of the market Asaraa?" Yuroic asked, he studied her closely. He was still unsure if she had a Master yet, with constant battles new Padawans were being discovered yet experienced Force Users were dying. His former Master was one of them.

"I think the market is a nice place to observe people. Watch them go about their day, outside of conflict. I think it is a much prettier market than the one near where I grew up though." Yuroic commented, remembering the unpleasantness of Nar Shaddaa.

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Ugohr Poof]

Location: Willis Plaza Convention Center
Objective: Business Exhibition
Company: Pizza Hutt

Ugohr juggling Vader cookies made for a much livelier stall than otherwise was the case. Gone were the days where Ugohr would toil in his Malastarian office where he would be moving numbers around. In fact, he had first dibs on taking commercial missions off-world. in or out of GA space. And now it was no longer about the Skor cakes, but about Vader cookies. Perhaps he may have more success in selling Vader cookies here than Squib chocolate or Skor cakes, the latter being much more cumbersome to juggle. By now he was switching gears and he'd rather have a small pizza box as a dartboard, so that there is merit to hit the bullseye but at the same time actually having people able to hit said bullseye. With that said, he has a new offer for the people who wished to come to the Pizza Hutt stall. This exhibition began to turn into a circus stall, with the greater exhibition being a circus. He started setting up the pizza box as the bullseye, using the very plastic knives the patrons use to cut pizza slices so as to minimize the safety hazards of running the dartboard exhibit.

"If yousa can hit da bullseye with a knife, yousa win a free pizza"

"Any conditions on the pizza?" a customer asked, prior to throwing the knife.

"Una topping, bambino-sized, no stuff crust"

 

[Eugen Aker]

Objective: Market

Done with his business dealings for the morning, Jihun took a break touring the local market for some local cuisine. However, famished as he was, he couldn't help but pick up a little something along the way, from a Pizza Hutt booth set up at the convention center.

He had picked up a sample of their latest product offering. Skor cake, the Gungan had told him. Chocolate sponge cake with a rich cherry filling and whipped cream topping. For a mass produced item from an intergalactic fast food chain, the confection wasn't bad at all. However, now it was time to find something good in the markets.

Good he did find, but not in the way he had ever imagined.

He could scarcely believe it, but it was Ms. Legs from from Brental IV, dressed in a skimpy getup that only accentuated her best physical feature.

Here I was thinking this assignment would be a drag.

The jacked fellow at her side caught Jihun staring just a little too long, which made the man puffed up as a subtle warning to back off.

Jihun just smirked as he swaggered up to the pair, not caring a single bit for whatever kind of relationship the meathead had with Dahlia.

"Well I'll be," he started, lifting off his sunglasses. "Small galaxy. What are you doing all the way out here?"

Having only ever encountered the mafiosa in shady spots in the dead of night, it was odd just seeing her walk around in broad daylight like normal.

Jihun looked quite different outside his usual underworld attire, clad in light grey suit. Every so often he had to come up to the surface for some (mostly) honest work.

[member="Dahlia"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

The Togruta almost skipped a few steps in front of Yuroic, spinning around on one foot with a dancer’s grace, an ease of movement born out of months and years of physical training. Walking backwards she kept pace with Yuroic as she grinned up at him, her arms gesturing expansively out to her sides. “It’s pretty awesome really,” she admitted, “I mean you never get these many people in a temple, not even ours and it’s like all of them are telling their own stories as they wander around on little threads of their own.”

Without looking the Togruta span on one foot, pivoting around to avoid a man carrying a large crate before slipping off to the side to let a mother and her baby pass her before taking up her place in front of Yuroic again. For a moment, she could stand there and just be without worrying about the wider galaxy, without the conflict that seemed to be spreading a pall over the worlds she knew or without the death of her master weighing on her. She could just be a girl out on an adventure and just live in the moment.

“Where did you grow up? I mean the Jedi Order…they never really had markets like this, we didn’t really get to see much outside of the temple until we were older then it was hurry here and hurry there on missions. We never got to just watch people like this, I’ve kinda been making up stories about them as they went by,” she admitted with a conspiratorial grin.


[member="Yuroic Xeraic"]

 

[Ugohr Poof]

Location: Willis Plaza Convention Center
Objective: Business Exhibition
Company: Pizza Hutt

So Ugohr didn't notice that [member="Cardinam"] has, in fact, sampled Skor cake? The stall must have gotten crowded real quick, and the whole dartboard stunt using plastic knives must not have helped. By now nearly everybody that had some hunger came to it, and not one moment too soon. Pizzas, Vader cookies, Skor cakes being the top three products being sold while at the exhibition, and breaded fish a distant fourth. Not that he felt bad about it, just that he was in the thick of it once again. Much like Atrisians and their business practices, where even high-level executives were often doing low-level tasks when their subordinates were absent, to cover for them, the Gungan was there, on the floor, entertaining customers while the remaining customers went around their way to go to stalls such as KSA's, Daehan Industries, Lucerne Labs, to name a few. And... a main battle tank? He could make out one in the distance, and he was wondering whether that was what the Silver Jedi used for field artillery. Just seeing a MBT harkened him back to his pre-Chandrila days, and most importantly to Directive 12.

"Here goes nothing" the patron announced prior to throwing the knife.

"Yousa win a free pizza! Please state what topping yousa want"

"Nerf pepperoni"

 

[Camellia Swift]

Perhaps she was late to the convention, but the Rendili woman wasn't particularly accustomed to the style of presentation that would be entailed. Still, passing up a business opportunity would be nothing short of foolish so of course with the chance to make sales for Rendili Stardrive there was no other option. All the same, Camellia hated being late even if it was because she was legitimately busy. At least Stardrive's staff had everything prepared and more than capable sales representatives there ahead of her. After all, it would be the mark of an idiot if they held back their own business, she didn't need to be hands on with every little thing. Not that it stopped the head of the longstanding shipwright from showing up though, she was far too interested in seeing how the convention went and her company's reception there.

The area set aside for Rendili Stardrive was setup in a way to present a large portion of their catalog in the form of miniature physical models and larger holodisplays hovering over them. Several representatives were on either end of the company's presentation area ready to service any interested convention goers who had questions about any particular product. The sight made Camellia grin as she spoke to one of her aides and took place toward the back of their space. Hopefully at the very least their efforts intrigued a few at the convention.

 

[WelshPsych]

Yuroic watched as Asaraa moved with elegance of a dancer. Something that he could not, it was skill that he was rather jealous of her. He moved around the people cautiously as he listen to her describe a similar behaviour that he showed. However, he was surprised to sense a bit of loneliness in her speaking. She never experienced the variety of people and their stories that Yuroic constantly found when he was growing up.

"Aye, seeing people move about is quite liberating. You can feel the Force flow through them and it is quite moving, makes you feel even more connected to these people." Yuroic smiled to Asaraa as he gently moved a stranger out of his way as they continued forward. "I was raised on Nar Shaddaa. I spent my childhood and young adulthood surviving on that world. It wasn't easy but it was all I knew before I arrived on Voss."

Yuroic was not one for going into much detail on his history, it was a mixture of desperate survival and severe abuse. It was a dark history, surprising that he chose the Light Side and not the Dark Side. "How is your training coming along Asaraa?"

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

“Oh, it comes I guess, I sponge off a few masters here and there when they have time. I got to visit Therapy Fleet to learn how to bake…well, I learned pyrokinesis and cryokinesis but we made ice cream and cake.” The young woman glanced around the market, wondering if she could find some ice cream here now, “I mean I know it can be used in a fight, I’ve had to do that before, but I mean how do you beat the power that lets you bake cakes?”

A few more steps backwards before Asaraa grinned and tucked her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly to grin up at Yuroic, “I even got a trip to Commenor to visit someone you know.” Her voice was light, even teasing as she smirked at him before pulling herself up straight and spinning around. “I mean, I’ve gotten lucky but with everything going on, I’m surprised that I even managed to sneak those lessons. I know it’s a lot more than a lot of Padawans have gotten.”

The girl fell silent for a moment, the silence hanging in the air between them before she smiled, “Well, it sounds like you went through it too back when you were in my shoes, though you know we totally have it worse.” She gave him a quick grin as she nodded sagely, “It doesn’t sound like it was much fun though.”

[member="Yuroic Xeraic"]

 

[Sunny Lee]

Objective: Business exposition

While Ami was still being entertained by the Pizza Hut display, Sunny continued on down the aisle. She leveled a narrow-eyed stare at a representative from a booth that attempted to approach her with a survey. The young man stopped in his tracks and turned his attention to the next patron to pass by. At the end of the row, her dark eyes were drawn to the rather large area occupied by the KSA.

Even back on Seoul, she had certainly heard about the Kiribian Systems.

In fact, she’d heard much about the world that the KSA called home. Having a friend with ties to that world, she had been very intrigued. And so, it happened that Sunny’s company was currently in the process of moving there. Their headquarters would eventually be settled within their new Seoulian district, a sleek little piece of her home world on a planet in the core. It was encouraging.

While there were informal agreements in place for the KSA to use her textile designs, she would need to meet with their director to put it in stone. It was something that was already in her books. But for now, she would simply settle for observing the young woman at work. Of course, tanks and Starfighters weren’t really Sunny’s thing… but she could definitely see the fine workmanship and thought that had been put into the designs. Even she had to admit...it was rather impressive to see in person.

 

[Ugohr Poof]

Location: Willis Plaza Convention Center
Objective: Business Exhibition
Company: Pizza Hutt

While the pizza of the winner is being made, the second customer is afforded one try to throw the plastic knife on the dartboard that was the pizza box. Visibly nervous, that hungry customer knew that the Gungan merchant meant business, and he was a little puffy as a result of having eaten perhaps a Vader cookie too many. Because he ended up eating five cookies after juggling them over and over. Visibly some of the more impatient customers, especially near the tail end of the waiting line, no longer wanted to eat Pizza Hutt stuff and instead went for other stalls where they hoped they could get food faster. Disen stall issa victim of itsa own success, the Gungan thought, while he was serving the pizza to the winner of the dartboard challenge, while the second customer was throwing its knife, narrowly missing the edge of the pizza box, but with the knife still landing inside the box. The third customer to attempt it, however, narrowly missed the Gungan's left eye; thank the Force that the knife was a plastic one! When that customer's turn came...

"May mesa take yoursa order?" he asked the third customer to attempt the knife challenge.

"One small pepperoni pizza, please"

 

[WelshPsych]

Yuroic noted that Asaraa was still without a Master. While it was impressive that she had gained skills through observing and learning with many people, consistancy was crucial in training. It was also allowed Padawans to train combat and explore the Galaxy. Without a constant Master, one could get lost or in danger without a safety net. Yuroic took a deep breath, teaching was not his strongest suit.

"From now on, I can be your Master. I shall teach you all I know, hone your skills so you can be the Jedi you want to be and help you figure out what path you wish to take." Yuroic told Asaraa as he moved to a stall and inspected their wares. "I'm impressed you were able to learn so much, and Jairdain is very talented. However, be difficult to learn from her often, her duties with the Commenor Faction means that she isn't in Silver Jedi space."

He thought of Jairdain often, mostly how much he missed her and wished that they could be together again. However, she was following her own path and Yuroic was following his own. Being a Jedi for the Silvers was important to him, right now.

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

The man’s offer floored her, the girl’s normally sure gait faltering. It was only for a moment, the briefest of heartbeats before she recovered, turning the stumble into a hop forward. “Yeah, I kinda got that, even on Commenor she seems like she’s really busy. While I was there she kept having to dash from one place to another, dealing with the royal family.” The togruta shook her head, lekku running over her top as she grinned at him, “I mean she actually hangs out with the royal family, I’ve got to admit, that’s more than a little bit awesome.”

The girl tilted her head to the side, blue eyes locking onto Yuroic’s back as he made his way to a stall, her bare feet scuffing the dirt of the market’s floor as she followed him. “The question is, do you know a lot?” she teased, a bright smile lighting up her face as she peered at the jewellery and knick-knacks spread out in the stall. “You want the one in that cabinet back there,” she pointed out. “They’d go really well with the shawl, if you were thinking about making a gift out of it…master.”

[member="Yuroic Xeraic"]

 

[WelshPsych]

Yuroic noticed the stumble in her step, it was clear his offer surprised her. It surprised him as well, he never believed himself one for teaching, especially after he lost his arm. However, the offer was made. Yuroic grinned as Asaraa talked about the coolness of Jairdain's new position and how she was busy with the royal family. "Aye, it is pretty cool. Does also mean she is less likely to be in harm's way, at least I hope. Jairdain isn't as talented as I would have wanted her to be in physical combat." Yuroic stated, it was a worry of his that he won't be there to protect her when she is in most danger.

"However, her Force skills mentally far exceed my own. As for knowing a lot, that is a foolish question. Find me a Jedi that says they know all there is to the Force, and you find me a foolish Jedi." He turned his gaze to her and gave her a smirk. "Our understanding with the Force grows ever more, the more you learn, the less you understand. So, I don't know a lot but I know how to keep you alive, keep you safe and I can teach you the dangers of the Dark Side but in a unbias why. Too many Jedi disregard it as corrupt and tainted, yet there are Force Users who can balance both the Light and the Dark. What you need to understand is not that the Force is either bad or good, it is the one who uses the Force."

"Even Light Side users can become deadly to the Galaxy. However, a lighter topic, this shawl isn't for Jairdain. I couldn't pick something beautiful enough to enhance her violet eyes. No, I give her a more personal present, the night sky." Yuroic stated crypticly. "If you think the shawl and jewellery would suit you then I am more than happy to purchase it for you, the shawl was going to be my gift to you."

Yuroic turned around and gave Asaraa a wide grin as he chuckled softly.

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Dahlia]

Dahlia noticed her guard’s posture go ridged and questioned him with a curious arching of her brow. The direction of the man’s gaze told her everything, and she turned to see someone approaching. A slow smirk pulled at her lips. It was none other than Jihun, a man she had met some time ago on Brentaal. Watching as he lifted his sunglasses and addressed her, she leaned back casually against the railing behind her. For a moment her eyes drifted away from Jihun, making him wait for her answer.

“Here on business,” She said, taking a drag from her cigarette. “Same as you, I suspect.”

There was a knowing glance sent his way. Though she had to admit, he did look pretty sharp today. Starting to walk down the sidewalk again, she lifted her chin slightly to signal her man to give her some space. He reluctantly let a few steps fall between them, and he walked behind her.

“And what are you doing here?” She eyed Jihun, “Did you… follow me?”

A sly smile found her face, and she canted her head to the side. After another short puff of her cigarette, she playfully blew a bit of smoke towards the man’s face.

[member="Cardinam"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

It looked like the bloke beside her was just a guard rather than her squeeze, as he obediently gave her space. As Jihun passed the bodyguard, he gave him another smile and a quick salute before turning his attention back on Dahlia.

"Following you?" he repeated as he leaned against the railing with her. "Hate to bruise your ego, but this is all just coincidence. A delightful one, but a coincidence all the same."

She blew some of her smoke his way, which gave him a hankering for a cigarette himself as he breathed in some of the secondhand smoke.

"I have some business here, same as you." he answered as he fished out a few items from his inner pocket.

The first item would be a business card, which he passed along to Dahlia between two fingers. The gunmetal card had its own embedded holo pane, projecting lines of text and large credit symbol in white. The symbol of the InterGalactic Banking Clan. The text identified him as a member of the IGBC's Collections and Security Division, the financial institution's own in house army.

"This whole sector is just ripe for development. Is that what brought you here?"

The last items were a cigarette and a light. He felt a rush of giddiness just before he lit his cigarette, the act of burning anything was always a euphoric experience for the pyro. More enjoyable for him than smoking in itself.

[member="Dahlia"]

 

[Mirra Voss]

Location: Exhibition
Objective: Networking

Solari walked slowly through the exhibition stands, drawing noticeable attention from people who presumed the droid in the ornate Jedi robes and armed with an elegant lightsaber was some form of publicity stunt. The truth was very different, however. The Iron Knight had recently joined the Silver Jedi Order and out of gratitude for these strangers taking her in, she felt obliged to help them recover from what seemed to have been recent loss. As a Consular-trained Jedi, she considered herself a diplomat first and foremost, her skills in the force focused mainly on listening to it's will.

Here, it willed her towards a small stand that was marketing survival packs and equipment, purported to be self powered, cheap to construct and useful for saving lives in dangerous environments. Certainly something the order could make use of - but there was more than that. The startled stall holder looked up at her with a confused expression, and she offered a formal - if very, very old fashioned bow with utterly lifelike movements beyond almost any droid.

"I am Solari, Knight of the Silver Jedi Order." She introduced herself. "I am interested in your products, tell me, do they have a wide operational range..."

As the discussion continued, the stall holder began to look more and more relaxed, calmer in the presence of the strange droid-woman who claimed to be a Jedi, and Solari became more and more sure that there was something else about both this sentient and about his products - nothing bad, no, far from it - this person had been driven by something to produce these products and if she could uncover that, she might convince them to work wholly with the Order for the betterment of society and the galaxy as a whole.

But to pry was not her way - the force would provide an opening in the conversation, or it would not. That was just the way.

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

Asaraa made a show of considering the man’s words, tapping one finger to her lips as she tilted her head to the side. A smile tugged at her lips as she shook her head, glancing down at the shawl in Yuroic’s bag, “Well, if that’s what you’re going for, then the green one over there would go much better with my skin.” She winked at the man and straightened up, clasping her arms behind herself, “The night sky…is that a ship or something?” The Togruta took a moment to look up at Yuroic before smiling at him, “You two make a good couple you know, you’re both crazy about one another, I should be so lucky some day.” She grinned and glanced back at the stall for a moment before looking back at him.

“Well you know, I’m a big fan of staying alive,” the girl allowed, “It’s probably my favorite thing in the world.” She grinned at Yuroic as she glanced around, ”I’ve met a few of them who can balance, people like Jairdain and Dopi Bones seem to walk the line without straying too far on either side. I’m not sure I could do that if I were in their shoes. I’d end up slipping one way or the other. Do you believe in the balanced force they talk about?”

[member="Yuroic Xeraic"]