Public Mr. Heartbeat 864 ABY

[Starlin Rand]

During his brief impromptu nap on the floor, Starlin dreamed that Arcturus Dinn really had decided to take him to Korriban after the invasion of Ossus after all. The Jedi Padawan was turned over to Thesh's very angry master and taken into a white room to be tortured, beginning with some good old fashioned waterboarding...

The next thing he knew, he really was drowning. He sat upright, coughing and sputtering, the blonde girl's drink running down his face and neck. "I'm sorry I tickled your apprentice with the Force!" he blurted, his vision blurry and eyes stinging from the alcohol. "I won't do it again--!"

He didn't even get to see who it was who had dumped the drink on him before Daiya leaped over him to fight the lady slapping Ruby. Then the Boy Wonder stepped over him, nearly kneeing the still-blinded Starlin in the face. Wiping furiously at his stinging eyes, Starlin was beginning to resent coming here just to get walked all over.

Finally able to clear his vision, Starlin blinked, looking around. He saw Dick Grayson get blasted, Big Momma charging at them, only to... pirouette and shoot sparkles from her hands? Starlin wondered if he had suffered brain damage as a result of getting sucker punched and was hallucinating. It proved only a brief interruption; Big Momma clutched her head, looked disoriented, then shook it off and bolted back into the fray.

Wait a minute... I'm a Jedi! Starlin realized as he watched her come closer and closer. True, he'd been aware of this fact the whole time, but had been holding back from using any space magic to avoid actually hurting someone. Now though, the situation was dire enough that he felt he could justify it.

Starlin leaned back, raised his legs, gave the Mighty Bertha a boost with the Force, and kicked her away with both legs. Starlin flipped over awkwardly on his own acrobatic inertia while she sailed through the air, crashing into a table with enough force to break it in two. It should be noted that Big Momma/Mighty Bertha is, in fact, a female Gamorrean, and her compatriot who had been yanked off of Ruby by the leg was a Wookiee. Bit far into the game to mention these details, but better late than never.

Daiya Ruby Jaxx Dagon Kaze Jerec Asyr Kal​

 

[Warwick Armani Rhonin]

Post: 2
Yula Perl
Song

Ah yes, Talent. This is where Warwick would dominate the competition, as if there was any.

He stepped out as one of his band's songs began playing. He ran up to the mic and screamed something to the crowd:

"You know where you are!?"

"You're at the Heartbreak show, baby! You gonna cryyyyyyyyyyyyyy"

His voice was high, yet rough as he began to sing the song. His voice was truly unique and unmatchable as he altered his vocal cords naturally.

Welcome to the talent show,
we got hearts and strings
We got anything you want
Honey we know your name

We are the people that you find
Whatever your needs may be

Heartbreak,
Welcome to the heartbreak
It's gonna bring you to your shanananananana kneees
I'm gonna watch you bleed


Welcome to the heartbreak, we're taken day by day
If you see it you're gonna need, but baby that's okay
And you're a very sexy girl, you're very hard to please
You can taste the bright lights, but you won't get there for free

It's the heartbreak, welcome to the Heartbreak
Gonna feel my...my serpentine
Muah!
I wanna hear you scream!


The Song continued for several minutes as W.A.R. continued the show.

There was more to the performance than a song with questionable lyrics.

The singer ran around, threw his shirt off, and made several poses for the crowd.

Finally the song ended and Warwick threw the mic behind him, staring at the crowd to add a bit of tension to the show.

 

[Ru Comet]

Yula Perl

---

Ru grinned at the HEART for 25% off body glitter joke, perhaps he would actually honor that? Had to find more glitter first. Maybe package in glitter options to the courier services? As he stood off stage and tried his best not to involve himself in whatever scuffle was going on he watched the talent segment and seemed impressed by the singers (and utterly confused by the spirit's performance - they didn't teach anything about that on Nar Shaddaa). Perhaps they were using implants? Maybe? Or maybe Ru was just jealous. Taking his time he limbered up, it'd be really embarrassing to catch cramp mid act, he looked at the faces of the other competitors. They didn't seem visibly concerned which began to concern Ru.

After Warwick completed his segment Ru gave the customary clapping of approval and then took to the stage as he ran through his routine once more in his head. Taking a deep breathe he waved with both hands to the audience then looked to Yula Perl as his repulsor boots activated and caused him to levitate slightly above the stage 'Don't break anything' he reminded himself. Ru looked forward and going into a crouch he launched himself off the stage with a whoosh.

Ru's legs tilted side to side with his body as he built up speed just over the heads of the audience. Just inches above each noggin Ru passed by he had to make deft adjustments to altitude and trajectory. Swiftly nearing his first trick he bent over from his waist as he grabbed a few drinks off the bar with great speed, his foot movements causing him to pivot in a great arc where he zipped passed a table and pushed the drinks in the grasp of two random patrons - most likely not even their drinks. But that didn't matter! Without breaking stride he aimed himself towards a wall.

Leaning forward and keeping arms tight to his sides he skated up to the middle of the wall's height, his momentum allow him to glide across the surface for several tables work until he approached the stage where an assistant had placed several short poles. Sliding across the stage he whipped around and began weaving his feet, backwards, through the poles.

Ru ended his rather short, given the size of the venue, routine by stopping on a dime. He was right beside the event coordinator Yula Perl with an arm around her shoulder and a thumbs up to whoever was looking. He wasn't out of breath but that definitely wasn't easy for him to do. Ru looked to Yula and chuckled as he let go of her and joked "There's your 25%. boss!" as he withdrew his arm she may notice a few stray specks of golden glitter attached to her clothing. Though inspecting Ru it seemed he had... not lost any coverage. Anyone who knew glitter would know what curse Yula had been afflicted with. Likely one of these specks would show up someplace random, where she had only been once, with no other explanation than it came from this show.

 

[Cadere]

Mathieu talked a bit about his time fighting the Bryn, however, Cas' ears would perk at the mention of a Mandalorian. A medic in particular. I wonder if...? Cas thought about the possibility of the Mandalorian being Ki'an, he eventually shook his head at the notion. Ki'an wasn't the only Mandalorian medic in the world, Mathieu was probably on about another one.

The Padawan seemed taken aback at the Knight's statement, the mention of Yula felling a tree on Mathieu brought a devilish grin to his bronze face. Raising his glass slightly in Mathieu's direction "It isn't love if she doesn't almost kill you." he snickered before taking another sip of his drink. Though, Cas wondered what situation the two could have possibly been in for her to drop a tree on him, he smiled to himself again, there truly was never a dull moment when it came to Yula.

Surprisingly, Cas managed to reflect the focus of the conversation onto Mathieu with him affirming that he was still with Inara. Bearing the Morellian a toothy grin, Cas playfully punched Matty's shoulder from across the table "Nice! Good for you, man. She seems like a nice girl, perfect for you." the Jedi Knight was genuinley happy for his friend, if anyone in this galaxy deserved a bit of happiness, it was a pure soul like Mathieu.

When Mathieu left to get a refill, he watched the contestans appear on stage one by one before scoffing. "I could've won this. Easily." the Jedi boasted to himself, once the Morellian returned Cas immediately took a shot. Running his hand through his hair and glancing at his glass, Cas' entire body tensed at the mention of Sakadi or Yenna participating in one of these competitions. Eyes shooting up to Mathieu, his brow furrowed "Dude, they're like my sisters. I'd rather not think about that." visibly and audibly shuddering

Glancing back toward the stage and then to Mathieu once more, he raised an eyebrow "What's the point in all this again? Like is this for charity? Or just an opportunity for these guys to flex their looks?" the Kiffar quickly shrugged it off before taking another shot "Ah, who cares? This is a special occasion of its own! The Dream Team are back together!"

Mathieu Brion - I'm too lazy to tag the rest

 

[Sly Chance]

// I got the horses in the back
// horse tack is attached
// hat is matte black
// got the boots that's black to match
​

Captain Kyros had rustled enough outer rim livestock in his day to handle a lasso and he handled it well. Fancy rope tricks blended seamlessly with even more gratuitous pelvic thrusts. He even went so far as to snatch a bottle of corellian ale from the bar where Dagon Kaze was sprawled out. Swishing his lasso into even more elaborate configurations one handed, the duros finished it off mustache writhing with sensual delight. He wiggled his tush at Yula Perl leaving little doubt that yes of course he was flirting before setting up for the real show.

He struck a match and ignited the lasso in flames. Now twirling a small bonfire Sly tossed the rope around in yet more extravagant and dangerous ways than before. There were several close calls and small fires seared off fraying threads landing among the audience. Soon enough the club's fire suppression system engaged bathing everyone in a soothing mist but Kyros kept right on trucking. He twirled the wet rope back and forth sending more water spraying into the crowd. Finally someone blasted the sprinkler system.

"That's how we mosey in Wild Space."

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

Rekha's attention was drawn away from the stage to ....the brawl. Oh.....I can help with that right....? She hemmed and hawed to herself about what it would cost to go over there....oh....the last time she got involved in something like that....it led to a black eye...but a well earned black eye.

OH! into the tables into the bar! ooooo ow...bet that leaves a mark. Rekha grabbed her drink, popcorn would be nice right now too but beggars must not be choosers.

Awww. When it was getting good...it ended...well feth. OH but NO back for round 2 the big one!.....

Ok this was too good to pass up. Rekha the small fragile looking brunette decided she was diving in. The big one..(Momma) Rekha decided was the one to go after...never do anything small always go big...

Rekha hopped off her seat headed into the fray' "HEY YOU.....you got issue," She wiggled her fingers...."Come on cupcake.....show me what you got" then she smiled.

The Big Momma paused looking at Rekha then looking about at the group who really seemed to have her attention. Oh this wasn't going to work, Rekha walked over to her, "Hey I'm talking to you..." This was followed up by a growl as the Big Momma stepped back....growling at Rekha...yep..Rekha realized it...she once again stepped into something else...."I ain't got time for this...you're messing with my good time....and, "Rekha's voice got louder, "YOU'RE MAKING ME BREAK MY PROMISE to Yula Perl !"

With that Rekha balled up her fist and swung....which was deflected easily by the giant and if asked Rekha would have to say she heard laughing....

The one thing she had left to use...sarcasm...."Is this it? Color me disappointed." She looked up waiting, knowing it was coming...but she hoped it gave the big ones intended targets opportunity to move...

Rekha was hoping that all the folks around them would...help.....please help..

Dagon Kaze \ Ruby Jaxx | Starlin Rand \ Daiya | Jerec Asyr | Kal

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mr. Heartbeat 864 ABY​

While he had just smiled while shaking his head upon hearing Cassie speak of him and Yulenka, Mathieu did let out a sweet "She is" upon hearing the comment on his relations with Inara. Of course, it soon faded as his teachers and instructors stepped onto the stage. Hopefully, the drinks would help him handle that better. Still, there was a sense of satisfaction as he appeared to have succeeded in irking his friend in a similar way upon speaking of Sakadi and Yenna in a similar setting. A mischievous grin spread across his face as he pushed another shot to the Knight "Drink" he said, before taking another shot for himself.

While Mathieu had been far too concerned about getting some alcohol into his circulation before, he now allowed the Kiffar's earlier words to sink in. "Win? Yeah, I'm sure you could" he said with a sarcastic tone. The image of the twerking Ithorian made an unwelcome return to the front of his mind, causing him to take another shot. "Maybe you could win this..." he said, this time with more conviction. "Although, it looks to me like you'd have some competition" he added, also remembering some of the stronger performances.

"Maybe it's both" the answer to Cassie's question was a nonchalant one. "We're not in Silver Space any longer. Chances are that they are doing this for profit. Just look at us" he said, glancing down at the drink-filled tray before looking back up to his friend with a good chuckle. "The Dream Team should meet like this more often. Fewer battlefields and more bars. Although, I'd rather see Damien down here with us than up performing at the stage"

It was not just a little surprising to spot Okkeus Dainlei up there as well. It had been some time since the two had talked but Mathieu still considered him a good friend. Glancing out over the crowd who seemed rather excited about the pilot, Mathieu looked to Cassie "Maybe you'd have more competition than I first thought." A scuffle was starting by the bar but, rather strategically, the two Jedi friends had positioned themselves far from it and thus managed to escape violence which would - most likely, sort itself out. The Padawan observed the 'battle' for some time as a couple contestants sung songs up on stage. Nudging his best friend with the elbow, Mathieu spoke mischievously "There is really only one way to find out how you'd fare in this competition" before nodding to the stage - the insinuation he was making was clear as day.

Cadere

 

[Ruby Jaxx]

Ruby tasted blood, but she didn't give up. However, her strength was definitely no match for her opponent. Then, she spotted thin arms wrap around her assailant from behind, and a flash of blonde hair – Daiya. Despite the bloody lip, Ruby smiled. The blonde had spunk.

Then, there was relief. She reached for the hand offered by Dagon Kaze , but the hand was gone in a flash. Blinking, she saw that he'd been knocked into the bar, toppling a few of the racks. Great. Ruby finally got to her feet, and braced for more... but, things just got weirder.

Soon, the raging woman proceeded to... dance? And had sparkles shooting from her hands? Then she was blasted away. Ruby's eyes turned upwards to see that the sprinkler system was now showering them in mist.

Ruby needed a drink. For real.

Wookie or not, the woman was back on her feet and ready once more. But Ruby was getting tired. And she didn't want to destroy the bar... any more than it had already been. Grabbing a bottle, she hucked it at the Wookie's head – where it 'clunked' and bounced off. But that was just a distraction. Pulling the stun baton from her boot, she lunged and zaaaaaaaap.

Starlin Rand | Dagon Kaze | Daiya | Rekha Kaarde​

 

[Daiya]

U U V | D​

As a small, human teenager, it was probably a bad idea to try choking out a Wookiee woman. She really should have known better. Daiya had spent years alongside a Wookiee companion, but it was as if tonight's choice of drinks, sights and sounds had placed her in a state of disarray. The she-bear jerked and bucked to shake loose her hanger-on, yet without much luck. The teen's chokehold conveniently doubled as a harness that kept her in place across the Wookiee's ample backside, not that it saved her much from being bounced and bruised from the effort.

It was a bit of a relief, then, when Daiya's fight against the broad Wookiee back came to an end, casting her unceremoniously to the floor. The girl let out a groan as her torment only changed places, a wet heat already throbbing where her back had connected with debris on the floor. A few shards of glass fell off her back as Daiya sat up, clambering back into a standing position with the help of a nearby chair.

"My shirt!" she screamed, with that shrill pitch that had irritated Starlin Rand so much. The teen had forgotten the pains of being a rough rider, or the damage done to her when she'd landed, staring in horror at the front of her shirt instead. Many of the sequins were missing, and the butterfly design was imperceptible now. "She ruined my shirt!"

Daiya lunged for the she-bear once more, who was dead set on charging Ruby Jaxx over at the bar. Before the teen could blink, Ruby and the Wookiee had made an electrifying connection, causing the big, hairy woman to crumple to the floor in a gigantic heap. Stupefied, the girl came to a halt, staring blankly at the limp mass of hair at her feet, unsure of what to do next.

She looked up at Ruby, her face full of confusion, her eyes darting around as if searching for something. They settled on the shadowrunner woman, wondering, powerless, her mouth open without a voice. Until, finally, Daiya tugged the bottom corners of her shirt forward and asked, "What am supposed to do now?"

 

[Cadere]

"Fewer battlefields and more bars should be our mantra." Cas snorted, clinking his glass against Mathieu's. One thing that couldn't be ignored was some scuffle nearby, glancing over curiously he absent mindedly asked his friend "What's going on over there? Someone sleep with someone else's boyfriend? Should we do something?" eventually Cas shrugged and ignored it. It was his day off and as long as nobody died, it'd be fine.

For some time now, Mathieu had really been testing the limits of Cas' ego. The final straw was when the Morellian vaguely challenged the Knight into placing himself into the competition. Never one to shy away from a challenge, as well as the boost of courage the drinks were giving him - Cas grumbled before slamming his palms on the table, shaking the glass and creating a loud noise. The Kiffar scowled in Mathieu's direction, nose scrunched and lips pressed together "You think you can manipulate me into going up there by challenging my ego?" he paused, glare unwavering "You're absolutely right. Outta my way, Stringbean." Cas raised himself from his seat and hopped onto the table, rattling even more glasses. Yeah, this was definitley the alcohol.

Brown eyes analysing the stage, this was the perfect time as he saw it was currently empty. Channelling the Force's energy into his legs, Cas pounced off the table and leapt toward the stage. Transitioning with a front flip, Cas landed perfectly with his back toward the crowd. Realising he didn't necessarily have a talent to showcase, he turned around and projected his voice out to the crowd "Uh... yeah, so that was my talent. Leaping across rooms in a single bound and all that. I'm here because that man challenged me! If all goes to hell, mob him okay?" Cas pointed directly in Mathieu Brion 's direction with a mischevious grin.

Welp, no turning back now, this was Cas' flashy way of announcing himself as a new contestant. Scanning the stage, he noticed a lot of water scattered around... likely from Sly Chance performance earlier, the Kiffar faced the crowd "There's a lotta water here too. And I landed without slipping, how cool is that! Alright, I'm done here." he announced before abruptly turning to face Yula Perl - blushing slightly, he gave her a wave and whispered "Hey, Yula! You look really pretty tonight." then flashing her a wink before turning to head backstage.

 

[Yula Perl]

Though she kept a side eye on things, Yula dutifully ignored the chaos in the crowd. This was a very typical night out for Darkwire, and for once she wasn’t the one being thrown through a table. She trusted Ruby Jaxx and Daiya to handle it, or at least to give the other women one hell of a fight. There was a momentary lull in the fight when Big Momma decided to showcase her own talent in the form of a dainty pirouette capped by a brief shower of light from her hands. Yula had missed his entrance, but all eyes were on Kal as the shadowy figure disassociated himself from the now thoroughly confused woman.

The momentary peace didn’t last for long, and the fight was back on. This time, Dagon Kaze and Rekha Kaarde had gotten themselves involved. That, and the brawl was now set to the musical stylings of Jerec Asyr 's contemporary commentary on the state of the Jedi, a song which ruffled a few feathers but entertained many. Jedi weren’t exactly beloved in the dregs of Denon, and the Ithorian sure knew his audience. Next in the musical lineup was heartthrob Warwick Armani Rhonin , who rocked out to his band’s hit single with the shred of a guitar and saucy lyrics. Yet another teenage girl fainted in the front row, thankfully the medics had enough foresight to be close by. Perhaps Starlin Rand would be able to compete with that, but he had been clocked pretty hard by the Gamorrean woman.

Ru Comet 's dazzling display of Ariel parkour garnered a number of oohs and ahhs from the audience, ending with his arm around the host and specks of loose glitter dancing in the spotlight. “Not bad,” Yula admitted. “Remind me to hit you up about shipping some droids. And body glitter.” The First Order has gained control of Terminus where her workshop was, and the idea of filling out all of the imperial customs paperwork was already giving her a headache.

After his obstacles had been cleared from the stage, Sly Chance began his act with a not so subtle waggle of his booty. With a lasso alight, the mustachioed Duros began his sensual swagger, culminating to several small fires that activated the venue’s sprinkler system. The medical tent was as busy as ever, and Yula checked her bank account to see just how many credits he’d slipped her.

A blur darting from the audience to the stage caused Yula to startle, the Zeltron catching herself just before she slipped to the wet floor. “I...Cas? Huh. I was wondering why you and Mat weren’t up here!” She flashed him a smile in thanks for the compliment, noting the faint scent of alcohol around him. If she hadn’t, she would have assumed that this was simply Cas being Cas. “It’s good to see you too. Waaait-“ She reached to grasp him by the shoulder as he turned to go backstage. “Nooo nono, only contestants are allowed back there. Sorry, man. Uh...” She looked frantically into the crowd in time to see the Wookie of a woman go down.

“Hey Mat!” She called out to Mathieu Brion , who was thankfully still in the audience and also not a part of any active brawls. “Come get your man!”

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mr. Heartbeat 864 ABY​

Mathieu looked to the same scuffle which his friend had set his eyes on but simply shook his head "They are Yulenka's problem tonight" he said, figuring that the establishment probably had enough security already. The more people who got involved, the harder it would become for those who were actually responsible for keeping the peace to intervene. Besides, it could get them removed which would be rather unfortunate on the one evening where they were supposed to catch a break for real.

What came next was nothing which Mathieu would ever have expected as he seemed to have sent his friend into some kind of frenzy. Mathieu's eyes opened up wide as Cassie became increasingly confrontational, only letting out a dumb "Uhhh" whilst scrambling for more words. Dumbfounded and still unaware of what was really happening, the Padawan scuffled to the side, only to see his friend leap away from their table and onto the stage. He reached out with a hand "No!" - the intent was to use the force to pull the Knight back - but he quickly came to his senses. This was far too entertaining for him to put an end to that quickly.

With a mischievous grin, he took another sip from his drink, only removing it when the sudden competition entry directed the audience's attention to him. Mathieu gave those who looked a happy smile and a wave before Cassie continued his performance up on stage.

It was good to have some peace by the table - although, the large Padawan had no interests in spending the rest of the evening alone. His approach was made easy upon being called to pick his mate up. And so, he walked towards the Zeltron host's position "Yulenka, I thought you invited us for a night out, not this!" he said, looking to her and the stage "If there were any trees around, I'd be so sus of you right now." he joked before taking a few steps up onto the empty stage. He was quickly walking to the back of it but playfully turned to wave at the crowd "I'm just here to bring my friend back. Don't mob me!"

It wouldn't be long until he found himself backstage, walking among the actual contestants and giving Okkeus Dainlei a pat on the back as he passed him by. Finally, he would reach his fellow Jedi "Cassie, you're rushing into action again. Come on, let's see if you're as good at getting back to the table as you are in getting up to the stage, alright?" he said, taking a careful step back to see if the Knight could still keep his balance.

Cadere Yula Perl

 

[Bandit 6]

|||| Competition Introduction |||||

Bandit was late but for once it wasn’t entirely his fault. Before the show he had ordered a cab to get him to his destination. The driver had another patron in the speeder, but as Bandit was the first stop he really didn’t mind. Unfortunately the other patron was into some pretty fancy spiced laced candy and had the bright idea to offer Bandit a mint. Well as Bandit was on his way to a macho beauty contest fresh breath couldn’t hurt right?

Ten minutes latter saw Bandit tripping out in the back of the racing speeder. He had been so high he’d been unable to tell the driver where to go and actually jumped out the window and hoofed it to the competition.

Stumbling around he showed the guard his invite and headed backstage where his costume was supposed to be waiting for him. The rodent scurried as fast as he could and managed to make it to the stage on his cue. Unfortunately he’d entered the wrong dressing room. Apparently the space was going to be used for a little girls ballet dance recital tomorrow so when Bandit hit the stage his look was all wrong.

He walked out onto the stage and grinned and waved, but the bright lights were disorienting so he may have started to twirl around instead. He shut his eyes to avoid the lights but his ears worked just fine and when the music started to play it was the wrong track.

||||||| Competition Round Two ||||||

Okay the intro wasn’t the best but he had to stay positive. He could still win this thing. Or at least maybe he could if the poor little guy wasn’t spiced up with laced minty goodness.

When it was his turn on stage he started his routine, which was supposed to be an awesome BMX bike trick routine. He had been practicing for months and could do every trick from the video he found on the holo web. It was going to be awesome.

Or at least it should have been if he hadnt been on a spice dose big enough for the Wookie patron. The drugs were hurting his coordination and making the room spin so when Bandit hit the stage it looked like this.

 

[Salvor King]

Denon, Undisclosed Underground Venue, Backstage
​

This wasn't any kind of fight venue King had ever seen. Then again, in his experience, Denon wasn't known for being orthodox outside of the corporate scenes. At least the food was good. A catering table just before what he'd presumed to be a multi-man brawl should have probably raised questions in King's mind. However, nearly annihilating the entire platter of deviled eggs in only a few minutes had kept him preoccupied away from a critical analysis of where he really was.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what the hell man!?" A voice assaulted from behind in outrage. King turned lackadaisically, staring back at the... employee? Tacky vest, earpiece, and a clipboard in hand, the accuser began to reprimand. "Save some for everyone else! We've got a lot of contestants, you know!?" Contestants? Was this the new correct term for combatants? King chewed slowly, blank expression half-obscured by the sunglasses he'd insisted on wearing indoors.

It hadn't just been the deviled eggs, but the fried nuna, and the cheeses too. All of them delicious. All of them reduced enzymes and proteins. Eating this soon before a fight was rarely a good idea, but King's entire career had been based on success born of impulse bad decisions. If it ain't broke, right? He'd offer no reply to his verbal assailant. King would only stand there. Chewing. Slowly. Menacingly.

"King, you're on!" called a different voice from a head that peeked in from the greenroom door. He nodded, grabbed the first employee's arm, raised it, and placed a half-eaten deviled egg in hand. One harsh pat on the shoulder bid them farewell with their gift of Salvor King's DNA on a perishable snack. King snatched his TURBODUSTERS from a door-side table and began to fit them over his hands as he walked down the back hallway to the primary venue space.

As people passed in the opposite direction, he started to get the feeling that everyone but him was overdressed. Most of them looked strong, in shape. Odd. Had they already been eliminated? They didn't look like they had a single scratch on them. Maybe they weren't combatan- er- contestants. Even for Denon, this was weird.

A tight shake of his head and a squeezing shut of his eyes disregarded his suspicions. The curtain was only steps away now. Time to put on his show face, then his war face, and then his victory face.

Round 1: Introductions
​

EDGY ENTRANCE MUSIC​

The lights dimmed to total darkness. Stray lights dashed and flickered in varying colors as the first notes of Salvor's iconic music began to play over the PA system. Pyrotechnics burst on cue with the sonic pickup of the track itself. King shot through the curtains, doing his usual schtick of slow walking while smug-faced and making wide gestures.

Shockgaunts, fighting tights, boots, and jacket over a shirtless torso made him look possibly more at home on the ramp to the ring than the pageant he was still somehow unaware he was now part of. He was posed with either hand pointing to the sky at a wide-angle when he finally noticed the lack of a ring in his lower peripheral vision.

A hand snatched the glasses off his face. His vision now unfettered, he scanned across the venue. Yup, no doubt about it, no ring. Just an audience and a stage. A mostly female audience, and- Judges? He blinked. Once. Slowly. It began to sink in. King slowly started to understand why the other 'contestants' were dressed the way they were...

​

A pageant. Great. Incredible. "For feth's sake," he uttered quietly to himself. Had he signed up for this? He certainly couldn't remember doing so. Come to think of it, he couldn't really remember how he got here, either. It couldn't be helped, he decided at once. Salvor King was a winner, and certainly not a quitter. If he's already here, might as well show them what a five-time galactic shockboxing champion looks like.

Without missing another beat, he shifted back into his regular schtick, striking poses and the like as the music blared. King exaggerated an inhale through half-puckered lips and made his signature somatic pose. One arm outstretched with a finger-gun at the end lowered from over his head, while the other hand lifted and splayed fingers outstretched behind his head.

It aimed toward a woman in the crowd, who by her inordinate excitement, King had pinpointed as a fan. He threw his head back with feigned dramaticism as he torqued his elbow up in a mock-firing of his fleshy, digit gun. She fainted, falling backward and crashing into several metallic folding chairs. King's smug, cool guy expression broke with a wince.

A wry, toothy smile crept across his face as he tried to play it off. He nodded, made a few gestures, mouthed a few words. Suddenly, with a few flashes of a sourceless light, his visual form condensed and warped onto a single point, like he was sucked through an invisible straw. A flash and audible pop sent him off with a fluttering of golden force-laden sparks in the air.

Intermission
​

Probably should have saved the teleporting for the talent portion, huh? The only real talent he'd ever had was for beating the breaks off people for money and looking good doing it. Did that translate well to pageants? Probably not? Was he still going to try to adapt it? Abso-fethin'-lutely. Taking another contestant to King's personal THUNDERDOME with one stroke of his fist was probably going to lose him points with the judges though.

"King, you're on for talent in three minutes," a voice alerted from the door. The five-time champion placed both palms backward on the now nearly-barren catering table and leaned forward. His brain began to laboriously attempt to manifest an epiphany, disregarding the fact that epiphanies were never intentional. Not like that was going to stop him.

Suddenly, a large blob became apparent in his peripheral vision. He looked up to see a dump-truck MASSIVE Devaronian bouncer at the far door. At least seven feet, and built like ten brick houses. Perfect. King waltzed up the massive devil-looking being and looked up toward him silently.

"What?" the Devaronian's deep, thunderous voice inquired.

King nodded with approval. Not in regards to the inquiry, but in regards to the plan he had. A hand shot across the air between them and slapped the Devaronian across the cheek. And then the other across the opposite cheek. A chase, obviously, ensued.

A head peeked into the greenroom again. "King you're o-" WHAP. The voice was cut short by Salvor barreling past the individual with the massive, red devil in tow. With a sizeable lead, he burst through the curtains-

Round 2: Talent
​

​

-and immediately slowed his pace and began an obviously exaggerated stride. To anyone in the audience, it would look like he'd just casually entered the stage rather than having been running the whole way there. Gasps resonated from the crowd as the massive alien burst from the curtains behind him and made a wide, haymaker toward King. Just as he had before, King disappeared with a warping effect.

The Devaronian stumbled at the apex of his swing, making contact with nothing but the air. He stopped, straightened, looking around confused. King reappeared with a similar effect, now with sunglasses and leaning on the Devaronian's back like he was a wall. A few chuckles were coaxed out of the crowd by the display, but gasps came again as the Devaronian swung one of his log-like arms behind him.

Once more, King disappeared. When he reappeared, he was several feet behind the bouncer. He bit into a Huttaburger supreme that he had suddenly acquired by mysterious means. A disgusted face pulled away from the burger after a half-bite, and he pulled a soggy, fast-food tomato from the sandwich and discarded it onto the floor before finishing his bite.

The Devaronian roared with frustration and charged, silencing even more guffaws from the crowd. Just as you'd guess by this point, he yet again teleported at the last possible moment. This time, objects reappeared with him. A hover-lectern with a holobook floated in front of him. In big bold letters, the title on the cover that was displayed to the audience read: HOW TO JUGGLE IN TEN SECONDS OR LESS.

So, five credits if you guess it, King began to juggle. Bowling pins. Was there anything he couldn't do?

Don't answer that.

You know the drill by now; The Devaronian came at him again. King leaned backward beneath the first swing, two bowling pins in hand with one still ascending into the air. POP. He disappeared again. The third bowling pin reached its apex and descended down onto the crown of the Devaronian's head with a hollow thud. A few people in the crowd winced while others laughed.

King reappeared on the opposite end of the stage with a red cloth, waving it around like he was some kind of matador. Someone might have said. 'Oh, because he has horns? That's not okay! That's stereotyping!" But, mind you, the Devaronian did, in fact, begin to charge horns first. Go figure.

The Champion weaved to one side, lifted off the ground, and wrapped the red cloth around the large man's head. Quick hands tied a tight knot in the back. He pushed off with either leg, did a backflip and teleported again the very moment he landed.

Reappearing quicker than ever, this time he was right beside the judge's table. With a lawn chair in hand, he made a quick motion with his arm and extended it all at once. The feet of the lawn chair slapped down next to the judges, and King plopped down, kicking his feet up onto the table. An arm reached over and snatched popcorn from the nearest observer member. As he watched the Devaronian comically struggle, he ate and laughed as if he was just another member of the audience.

Until the cloth was finally torn off.

Before anyone knew it, he was on stage again. When the Devaronian charged, he met it, and the two collided with a loud CRACK. The Devaronian landed upper back and head first onto the stage, legs only dropping a moment after. The crowd went silent. King looked around at the shocked faces.

He helped the dazed Devaronian to his feet and raised the giant's arm in the air like the winner of a shockboxing match. "My volunteer," he announced flatly. Murmurs gave way into cheers and applause once they realized, or rather were mislead, into thinking this was at all consensual.

King slapped something lightly by comparison to the last shot into the Devaronians chest. Credits. Hush money. "Sorry about that," he offered apathetically before walking off stage left. It took two stage attendants to help the Devaronian backstage, but he played his part well with the credits given and gave the crowds a thumbs up.

 

[Franco Kennix]

Wearing: This
Location: Stage
Objective: Win competition at any cost - Intro/talent post

Franco had arrived late to the event. He had heard that some kind of talent show was going on and that it was going to have a very impressive reward. Hadn't heard what the reward would be, but he had been curious to see if he could win, he was of course talented to no end, no one could be as successful as he was without holding some talent. However, he decided that being late to the talent show was no issue, people arriving early or on time were too desperate, that was his excuse and he wouldn't hear anything on it being the fact he had overslept. Franco was never late and he never overslept, he was on time, at least he was on time for him. Everyone else was just early. So, Franco arrived and was stuck backstage. Some guard had given him grief at the door, the Gamorrean was telling him off for being late and that the show had already started with introductions and something about displaying their talents. Nothing strange, at least, nothing strange to start with.

Entering backstage, Franco decided to sneak a peek at who was on stage and what the opposition looked like. To his surprise, and delight, there were some very handsome men displaying their bodies and performing various talents. Not all were to his tastes but there was so definite eye-candy. He was feeling a little flushed, it had been awhile since he been around this much beefcake and Franco was curious to why everyone was topless, some wearing speedos. Wasn't this just some kind of talent show? Grabbing a stagehand, Franco asked what this talent show was about and discovered both to his delight and horror that this was the Mr. Heartbeat contest. How did he not realise that he had signed up for THE Mr. Heartbeat contest, this was the Galactic event to ogle some young handsome men. Though last year's winner had been older guy, they were always very handsome contestants. Franco had always kept a collection of magazines featuring the winners on his ship... For admiration reasons, of course!

Now realising that he was part of the best male beauty contest, Franco looked down at his outfit and groaned. He had not brought an outfit to look hot in, just casual wear as he thought this was a standard talent show. Unbuttoning his shirt low to reveal his toned lithe chest suggestively, while kicking his shoes off and removing the jeans to just be in his loose boxers, Franco coughed nervously. He felt sure he could win this if he had prepared properly but when he was unprepared for such a high end competition such as this, then he was fearing his chances. Especially when everyone else looked so well organised and natural on stage. Shaking off the nerves, he knew he had to tap into the natural showman inside him, just let that Corellian charm hit the audience. Also, figure out who the judges were and heavily bribe them with credits. Like big time bribe.

Bribing the judges was totally fair thing to do. At least, as long as you had the money.

Stepping out, Franco looked out to the crowd and gave an easy, flirtatious smile to both the crowd and the other contestants. "Hello everyone, Franco Kennix here." Waving as the song starting playing in the background. His hips naturally swayed to the song and his head bobbing as he showed off his dance moves and athletic figure. He wasn't very big but he was well built for his size, covered in tattoos and body well groomed. As he slowly unbuttoned the shirt, he gave a wink to the crowd fully believing it would swoon some, if not the majority, of the audience. His shirt was opened fully, revealing his various tattoos and abs, he eventually takes the shirt off as the song hits its stride and swings it around his head before launching it into the crowd.

He was engrossed in his show that he didn't even care if the crowd was on his side, because he couldn't believe that they weren't. No one could beat his skills, surely. Franco grabbed his blasters from backstage and brought them on stage, which was a bold move. "No need to worry, just using these to demonstrate my skills with these impressive blasters. As the ladies know, skilled fingers are very desirable." Another wink with a knowing smile to the crowd as he plays with the blasters in his hands. Moving them skilfully around, as if they were just toys and he was juggling them and spinning them in his hands for fun. He then set targets and started shooting the targets, increasing the difficult with each shot. He was eager to prove he was keen eyed and ready to impress.

As he finished his talent portion of the show, Franco jumped in the air, catching his blasters. Twirling in the air, he fired upon two targets, the other side of the room and hit them perfectly before landing elegantly. Handing the blasters off to a stagehand, he took a low bow and offered a smile coy smile to the crowd. "I am so honoured to be here." He had already sent a large sum of credits to the judges, having picked them off during the intermission of his introduction to his talent section. He had figured out which ones to bribe and which ones to just demonstrate his skills with. He felt sure that with the bribery, that he would be all but guaranteeing his victory. If not, then something must have seriously gone wrong with the transaction. No, no, he had this. Just had to relax and make sure he did well in the other rounds. Soon enough he would be on the cover of plenty of magazines as the new Mr. Heartbeat. Something that caused him to smirk as he stepped offstage for the next contestant.​

 

[Hansel Aulin]

His entrance went okay he thought and now they were calling for the talent show. The question came what he was going to show them. His archery skills? His Blaster skills? Hell he could pull out his rusty old saber and give them a dancing light show? He could maybe even dazzle them with some magic both real and prestidigitation but alas he forgot his rabbit and top hat. Maybe a manly test of strength of some sort though he was far from the strongest person in this competition.



“Your up Hansel.”



Someone called out to him as he had been sitting in silence avoid confrontation with any of the other competitors. He hadn’t even spoken to the one person he knew Caltin Vanagor . He rose and made his way to the stage slowly in his head he once again heard the crowd screaming for him and cheering him on. He was still wearing the suit he made his entrance in after all it was the only one he owned. If only his sister Gretel Aulin could seem him all dressed up and wondering what talent he was going to show off.



Before his life went to chit and his enslavement, he had been a choir boy. Not by choice it was something his mother forced him to do so he would stay out of trouble after school. He remembered hating it so much except for Jenny Kulan she was the only thing that kept him from skipping. He walked up to the mike.



“I’m Hansel Aulin and I am going to sing you an original song.” He cleared his throat and closed his eyes as the music began to play.

“Every time I take a ride

I feel alive with nowhere to go

I'm a king of the road

You're the queen of my throne

Riding high day and night

Satisfied wherever we roam

You're the star of the show

You shimmer like gold”​

He gripped the mic tightly as his eyes remain closed. He thoughts on the girl of his dreams the one that haunted his dreams. He tilted the mic and stand slightly almost like he was slow dancing with.

“Now baby let's ride

We got nothing but time

You get all the reactions

You're the main attraction

It's no surprise

God, I like your style

You're the perfect distraction

You're the main attraction



Roaming through the city like the track of time

The freedom is mine

Riding the lines

You know how I like it, yeah

Pedal to the medal, I'm your soldier

We can take it for miles

And let it all wild

Just how I like it”​

He could see her blonde hair, blue eyes, and ruby red lips. He pulled the microphone free of the stand and kicked it over as he began dancing around the stage like a foul. His eyes still remained closed but the force guided his footsteps hopefully. He imagined his lips pushing against hers in his mind and as he did so the stage and audience faded away and he was all alone with her once more.

“Now baby let's ride

We got nothing but time

You get all the reactions

You're the main attraction

It's no surprise

God, I like your style

You're the perfect distraction

You're the main attraction

Now baby let's ride

Now baby let's ride

Ooh I like your style

Yeah”​

He glided to the edge of the stage and just touching the edge and sliding away and start his movements back to the stand that rolled on the ground. He was still dance and sing to her in his mind, wish she was here to see it all. He could feel her heat on his body in his mind this song was for her and not the audience.

“Now baby let's ride

We've got nothing but time

You get all the reactions

You're the main attraction

It's no surprise

God, I like your style

You're the perfect distraction

You're the main attraction”​

As he came back to the mic stand it was time for the vision and dream in his head to end and his blue eyes came open wide. With his left foot he kicked up the stand bring it back to standing position. As he finished the last line of the song, he slid the mic back onto the stand and let his head drop as it ended. Then he walked off the stage sweat dripping from his forehead from the lights.

 

[Ruby Jaxx]

A shrill noise made Ruby jump. At least this time, it wasn't an imminent attack (she hoped). Something about a shirt. She turned to Daiya when the teen asked what she was supposed to do now. Ruby surveyed the damage done – lost sequins and a design she couldn't quite make out, even when she tilted her head. But from what she could make out of the bright, sparkly colors... maybe Daiya had been done a favor.

“Uh,” Ruby said, shrugging. “It looks fine. Actually, it looks better now.”

Many of her own clothing items were in a similar state of disrepair. Deconstructed, if you wanted to be fancy. Then again, Ruby never cared for 'nice' things. Maybe Daiya did. “If you ask backstage, I'm sure they'd give you one of these.” She gave her Mr. Heartbeat t-shirt a tug to punctuate her point.

Her eyes scanned the area for Starlin Rand . “Hey, you alive?” she asked, wondering if his brawling skills would count for the talent competition or not. Because while her ears weren't bleeding from all the singing yet (many of the competitors actually did well), she didn't know how much more she could take.

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin, who had taken a seat in the aftermath of the fight, pressing a cold glass against his throbbing head, glanced up only when Ruby addressed him. "I was gonna play the harmonica," he said. "But I think the pig lady knocked the knowledge of how to play right outta my brain."

The Gamorrean, who was still lying amidst the broken table where he had thrown her, made no comment.

"I'm better at fighting anyway." Starlin winced, then pointed to Bandit Six , who was struggling to ride a bike. "I give him my vote."

He looked at Daiya's ruined shirt, noting the chipped-away decal and the shorn sequins, then turned toward the bar, where Dick Grayson was apparently taking a siesta on shards of broken glass. Ouch. "Well, looks like we thoroughly trashed the place," he said to Ruby, smiling faintly. "Shouldn't you be kicking us out right about now?"

Ruby Jaxx Dagon Kaze Daiya Rekha Kaarde​

 

[Kirk Korrado]

Alright.... round two. The crowd was just eatin' this stuff up. But it wasn't as hot as it could get... not if the Galactic Alliance Strategic Intelligence Agency had anything to say about it.

What Kirk had neglected to tell anyone here was that he was here because Task Force Xesh needed him to be (though the SIA would've phrased that as "did his job properly for once"). His intimate knowledge of the underworld was a hell of a thing for them, mostly because it let him get away with things like this. But for the rest of the contestants, organizers, and the crowd... he was just a guy desperate for a bit of money.

Now, somewhere out in that crowd was his target. He hadn't seen the shady fella yet, but he figured this next segment of the show would give him a little more time to observe. He didn't even know really why they were after this guy, but he rarely asked these things. He only did them so the Alliance wouldn't blow his head of with the microchip bomb in his neck.

When it was his turn to show his talent, the music slowed way down to a smooth and relaxing tune, as Kirk came out onto the stage with no shirt, lugging a chair over his shoulder.

He placed it down on the edge of the stage and took a comb, a small bottle of oil, and a hand mirror. Like Yula Perl had said, his days as a smuggler had gotten him known for the bush above his lip. Now he was going to show the word how he took care of it.

As he began to groom it for the audience, he looked around subtly. He'd gotten pretty good at spotting people out of crowds, without it looking like he was spotting someone in a crowd. A good trick of the spice trade.

Towards the end of his demonstration he caught sight of the target. Weequay man, dressed casually in dark closes in the middle of the bar, occasionally turning back to watch the show. Was he on to Kirk? No, probably not.

Now began the hard part. Waiting. Hoping the guy didn't get bored and leave before Kirk could get a handle on the situation. He'd likely have to wait until they announced a winner and got the crowd to the peak of its chaos. That's when he'd call another agent to slip in and get the guy. But they couldn't be caught. Not here. They were outside GA jurisdiction, and failing tonight probably meant an expedient trip to death.

Things were getting... spicy.

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

It was pretty surreal watching what happen....but just as quick as it was started once more it seemed done. The Momma was....sleeping and the staff was trying to figure out if they should leave her or pull her out. Give her some dignity take her out....feth....even she didn't leave folks laying on the floor.

She slowly backed up nodding to the folks at the tables around her, "Have a good night"

Someone was on stage singing their heart out...hey not bad. Make a note what's his name Hansel Aulin ok....the bar could always use an entertainer

She went back to her chair ordered another drink and watched the stage...she couldn't help but to keep glancing back...where was the guy that got thrown into the bar....had he gotten up? She stood up looking.

Dagon Kaze | Starlin Rand | Daiya | Ruby Jaxx |