Of Fallen Stars | The Confederacy

[Adelle Bastiel]

Location: Lyceum
Wearing: This saucy number
Tag: [member="Vidalu Na'an"]

"I'm not so sure. In this case, the right partner just has to be willing to make a little trouble."

Adelle had to scoff. Hadn't Na'an learned by now that trouble was her middle name? As Na'an put the glass down—she had wondered where Na'an had gotten that—and walked away, Adelle had to grin and shake her head. The smaller woman almost looked like she was dancing already, skillfully stepping between conversationalists and partygoers as she strode towards the stage. Ordinarily, Adelle wouldn't want to cause a scene at a festival this fancy.

Ordinarily, Na'an wasn't so persuasive or mischievous.

A waiter wandering through the crowds offered a tray of pale champagne bubbling in crystalline flutes. Adelle took one, thanking the waiter, and continued to watch her friend. The term was, perhaps, too familiar for their working relationship: after all, Na'an and Leigh still called her Doc, even if it was a nickname. Na'an cut a striking figure, even as she had to tilt up to talk to a band member. Shorter by a few inches, she still had a lithe body that showed under her working wear. And even her attire didn't detract at all. If anything, she looked like the powerful CEO of a galactic mega-corp. Adelle took a swig of the champagne, thoughtfully staring at Na'an. She wished Na'an weren't so dismissive of herself; no, she couldn't charm in the stereotypical feminine way. The eyepatch and the scars had seen to that and Na'an herself wasn't comfortable trying to be seductive that way.

But still. She had charm. The sort of bold-faced, devil-may-care attitude. The blisteringly brilliant snark. Even the eyepatch highlighted Na'an's remaining organic eye and seemed to intensify the emotions on her face. Everything Adelle knew about Na'an screamed powerful in a way that was protective. And intimidating. If Adelle had been interested, there was no way she'd have been able to catch Na'an's eye.

Adelle tipped the flute back and drained the rest of the champagne. Tonight was a party. Like hells would she start thinking dour thoughts now.

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

Location: Lyceum
Attire: Working Wear
Tags: [member="Adelle Bastiel"], [member="Djonas Vile"], [member="Alwine Lechner"]

It took twenty credits--each. Na'an pocketed her credit chit with a grimace as she walked away, knowing that the band behind her were already planning how to best spend it once they were free to leave this party and head to sector five. Well, they weren't free to leave now, and it wasn't like Na'an spent much of her own money on frivolous things. Hells, the last thing she'd bought that wasn't food or a strict necessity was a new grip for her shoto. Leigh couldn't begrudge her a hundred credits, even if it was only for a single song. She might say It was a stupid use of their money, but only once. And Adelle deserved to have a little fun, even if it was at the expense of all these other mucky-mucks.

Areein, she thought absurdly, would be so proud. You even picked her favorite.

And she had. Without even thinking about it, she'd given the band that one song. She slowed momentarily, mulling it over. It seemed oddly...appropriate, all things being equal. This was the sort of thing this song had been written for, whether the Hutts were willing to acknowledge it or not. The best thing for it now was to do it justice.

...And it was true. Areein probably would have been pleased that she'd remembered.

The band was already warming up the horn and drums (the horn making a half-electronic squall as it was being tuned) when she made it back to Adelle. Her friend had picked up some champagne from somewhere, and was holding the elegant glass between two fingers as she stared off into space. It suited her, at least for tonight. The curve of the glass seemed to only continue the slim, clean line her single sleeve made into the dress, and the light bouncing off the bubbles only made her seem more a part of the room. Like she belonged in such an elegant place.

That illusion, however, was about to change. If Na'an hadn't already spent a hundred credits, she might have almost thought it a shame.

"Welp," she said gaily, "No one over there seemed interested in making trouble. What about you--find anyone?"

She held out her hand. Behind her, the opening tremor of the drums was already taking shape.

 

[Alwine Daye]

Location: The Lyceum
Wearing: Dress
Tags: [member="Djonas Vile"] + Feel free to join

Was that an attempt to schmoozing her, or was he being genuine? Alwine looked at Mr. Vile, holding off on replying to that specific comment just yet. If it was an attempt at actual flirting? It went entirely over her head. Most people found Alwine, despite her petite form, too intimidating to even attempt that.

But then he mentioned a schooling system, and her chocolate brown eyes lit almost lit up. "Simply youth?" she asked with near disappointment, "might I make a suggestion to expand such plans? I have been thinking as much myself, though the youth had not been my focus at any point of it. You see, I am from a planet where most of the populace was not afforded such privilege as an education; I arrived at the Confederacy knowing my letters but essentially being unable to read or write at an adequate level, nor had I ever been in a spaceship before I was extracted. For a while now I have been considering opening schools for people like me; adults, but in dire need of catching up with more than what their backwater planets were willing to provide for them."


Realizing now she had spoken more words than she had in the past twenty four hours put together, and quite passionately as well, Alwine froze. She was not accustomed to speaking in that manner in front of strangers, and the Adjudicator before her, despite being part to the Knights Obsidian as well, was most definitely a stranger still.

His other questions… She ignored. For now.

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

[SIZE=11pt]Location: Lyceum[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Wearing: This saucy number[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Tag: [member="Vidalu Na'an"][/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]"I think so," she said with a smirk, setting the now empty glass down. "I just can't tell if she's the trouble-maker . . ."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Na'an extended her hand and Adelle took it as the music started. It felt surprisingly warm and gentle in her own calloused hands. ". . . or trouble."[/SIZE]

She tried to lead Na'an onto the dance floor but Na'an was already steps ahead, guiding her through other guests to an empty spot. Before Adelle could blink, the smaller woman had taken the lead stance and began the steps. Adelle hoped her rusty skills weren't evident.

The music . . . was different than she expected, for Hutt music. She looked down with a wry grin at Na'an's stormy eye, still sparking with good humor and mischief. "So. How do you know Hutt music anyways?"

 

[The Girl In Green]

Wrong Profile, sorry

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

Location: Lyceum
Attire: Working Wear
Tags: Adelle Bastiel, Djonas Vile, Alwine Lechner
Track: "Hutt" Music

Na'an blinked. Somehow, it hadn't occurred to her that that would have required an explanation. She'd been operating under the assumption that Doc already knew. "I worked for the Hutts for a bit as a kid. You hear songs like this every day, you pick up a taste for it, y'know?"

Behind her, the band hit the second four-count, finally letting the Rylothian horn loose. Under its signature blare, Na'an thought she could hear a gasp or two from some of the other couples on the dance floor. One pair broke apart entirely, looking confused and vaguely offended at the sound, and the smile Vidalu Na'an had been suppressing finally started to break through. It would be a such a shame if they left before the vocals picked up and the performance even started, wouldn't it...

"You'll need to be closer than that," she said, and one of her hands pulled loose from Adelle's to wrap firmly around her hip. "Like here. Some of these moves won't work if you're all the way back there."

 

[Maur]

Location: Fountains
Tag: [member="Vyra Silara"] | [member="Carbon"] | [member="Kaden Farr"]

“Please, sit, join us!” Vyra gestured at the benches near the fountain before reaching into the small purse at her wrist and producing a tiny vial of bright green liquid, which she discreetly poured into her drink. “I’ve been told the dancing is wild and the food is magnificent tonight, but I’ve heard nothing of the drink yet.” She swirled the liquor a bit, watching with content as the emerald substance turned white before vanishing into its depths. Only then did she hold the goblet aloft in cheerful toast and take a delicate sip. “Mm! What is this?”

The large Togorian nodded her head from her bench nearby, languidly raising her own frosted mug in response. If she had noticed the vial, she said nothing of it. As the woman took a sip, Maur raised her eyebrows and her datapad.

::The strongest liquor I could afford and it took some wheedling.:: She nodded at [member="Kaden Farr"]. :unno how he managed it.::

She took a long draught of it, relishing the tingle of the alcohol as she drained half her mug. ::But speaking of food, I'll have to check the Lyceum. Feeling starved right now.::

Maur flashed a toothy grin, showing off all her canines in a bit of a morbid joke. But if she couldn't have fun at a party, where would she?

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Location: Lyceum
Wearing: This saucy number
Tag: [member="Vidalu Na'an"]

"I worked for the Hutts for a bit as a kid. You hear songs like this every day, you pick up a taste for it, y'know?"

Adelle blanched at the thought. She said it so casually too. Like working for Hutts as a child was no big deal. "I'm sorry, what. You worked for the Hutts as a kid? I thought—"

Well, she should shut up before bringing up Na'an's old master. She once mentioned him, a long time ago, but only once and Adelle had gathered that it was out of reverence for him that she never spoke of him. Let the dead stay dead, she had said. She would respect that.

"You'll need to be closer than that," she said, and one of her hands pulled loose from Adelle's to wrap firmly around her hip. "Like here. Some of these moves won't work if you're all the way back there."

Na'an's arm snaked around her hips and pulled her closer. Adelle flushed, embarrassed that Na'an had to correct her after she'd given Na'an a hard time. In fairness, she justified, it had been a while and It'kla hadn't taught her this style of dancing. She was so close she could smell the shampoo Na'an used and the pastries she'd been around. If she hadn't known Na'an better, Adelle would have called it intimate.

"Sorry," she said, trying to hide the blush on her face. "It's been a while since I've had a partner."

 

[The Girl In Green]

DAMMIT I DID IT AGAIN

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

Location: Lyceum
Attire: Working Wear
Tags: Adelle Bastiel, Djonas Vile, Alwine Lechner
Track: "Hutt" Music

"Yeah. Me too."

It was true, after a fashion. Most of Na'an's dancing since leaving Nal Hutta had been on her own. Leigh had tried once, but droids tended to lack the flexibility needed to really enjoy the act, both in body and in mind. Anything syncopated, in particular, seemed to send Leigh into fits. And the Family...well, the Family didn't dance.

Doc, however.

The music picked up another notch, with a woman's voice now lilting over the instruments; Na'an took it as a cue to pull Adelle into a spin that sent her skirt flaring at the slit. For someone with as little experience as she claimed, Adelle seemed a wonderfully responsive partner. Her rhythm wasn't bad, and she needed so little prompting to know what Na'an wanted it was as if she was pulling it straight from her head. After the first few measures, she didn't miss a beat, her steps crossing in and out of Na'an's own effortlessly. A touch on her neck, her shoulder, her waist, her hip, was enough to send her body rolling all the way up in waves that she knew for a fact would give any man watching ideas (and from the sound of it, were already doing just that ).
As the singer's voice became two, then four or even five voices, Adelle even seemed to relax further into her role, her arms loosening to add interesting arcs of her own accord. Na'an followed along, taking her own cues to turn her partner left, right, backwards. At that point, all Na'an would have had to do was keep track of the drumbeat, and she would have more than made good on her boast. There were quite a few people at this party already staring, after all. One of them--a delicate-boned creature with a face like spun glass--looked on the verge of dropping her glass in horror. Another, a large gentleman in some kind of military dress, seemed about ready to puff up like a toad (even as his eyes went as far up Adelle's leg as they could go).

But the track wasn't over. And it wouldn't do to claim one's laurels on a half-measure.

On the next spin, Na'an released one hand to slide through her hair, which was already coming loose from the knot at her neck. She then pulled Adelle sharply into a tight clinch, her hands on Adelle's waist, stepping back to prepare to take both of their weights. "So you either know this song better than you're saying, or you're cheating," she taunted, grinning up at her partner as if daring her to argue the fact.

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Location: Lyceum
Wearing: This saucy number
Tag: [member="Vidalu Na'an"]



It took her a few measures but Adelle finally caught on to the dance. It helped that Na'an's hands coaxed and guided her expertly as she leaned into the steps Na'an put her through. She stopped worrying about the footwork and flowed with the music, listening and feeling for Na'an's guidance instead of trying to anticipate. Her partner's hands felt gentle on her body, pulling her into spins with a cheeky grin as the slit on her dress revealed ink from her tattoo on her upper thigh. The smile that promised mischief and Na'an's lithe ability remained constants throughout.

Adelle struggled to keep herself from noticing them so much.

She then pulled Adelle sharply into a tight clinch, her hands on Adelle's waist, stepping back to prepare to take both of their weights. "So you either know this song better than you're saying, or you're cheating," she taunted, grinning up at her partner as if daring her to argue the fact.

"I never cheat with my partners," she said coyly. As Na'an pulled and settled her hands, Adelle hooked her leg around the smaller woman's hip and leaned with her. She suppressed the thrill that ran through her; it had been a while since she'd been this close to anyone but she was not about to let that ruin this friendly dance.

When they came up from the lean, Na'an spun her around and led her through a few steps from behind, their hips swaying in tandem. Adelle stepped into the next spin and snapped back to face Na'an, letting a hand trail from Na'an's jaw to her shoulder before rejoining hands.

"I'm just a little experienced," she said with a smirk.

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

Location: Lyceum
Attire: Working Wear
Tags: [member="Adelle Bastiel"], [member="Djonas Vile"], [member="Alwine Lechner"]
Track: "Hutt" Music

Oh, she was playing for keeps now. Na'an's smirk only grew as she caught Adelle's hand, using it to pull roughly until the her partner was flush with her from knee to shoulder, with Na'an's pinned arm the only barrier between them. She heard several soft gasps in the slowly building crowd, as she went to tiptoes to reach Adelle's ear.

"You shouldn't dismiss the idea, you know," she said softly. "A few shortcuts..."

She closed her good eye, letting the moment linger, feeling the sharp one, one-two of the drum pulsing on the air.

It was on the four-count that she flexed her pinned arm and pushed.

Adelle didn't even resist it. Without so much as a stagger, her body fell back, tilting as her center of gravity tipped dangerously past the point of no return. Even with her eye closed Na'an could follow the movement, see the arc of her back just as surely as she could hear the cry of someone in the crowd--she'll hurt her--could hear the evenness of her partner's breath, could see that she wasn't even trying to catch herself before she cracked her head on the marble--

because of course why would need to?

Na'an threw her arm up, scooping the air as if catching an insect. Two feet below her, the falling body of Adelle Bastiel was caught, as if by an invisible hand, at the small of her back. Adelle arced, the fall turning into a dip deep enough to let her fingertips graze the ground beneath her, then hung unsupported in the air long enough for the crowd to see she was no longer falling. Na'an pulled her arm in, and Pulled her partner back upright and into her waiting hands. She opened her eye again and grinned all the wider.

"A few cheats always come in handy, you know?"

Somewhere over Adelle's shoulder, she heard the sound of breaking glass.

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Location: Lyceum
Wearing: This saucy number
Tag: [member=Vidalu Na'an] | [member=Vyra Silara]

Oh. Oh gods. Adelle's breath caught in her throat as Na'an pressed their bodies together and whispered in her ear. She tried not to think about Na'an's breath on her skin, or the fact that she could feel Na'an's muscles moving against her. Na'an was a friend; nothing more. There could be nothing more than that.

"You shouldn't dismiss the idea, you know," she said softly. "A few shortcuts..."

Na'an nudged her for a dip and Adelle dropped backwards, grateful for the space, knowing that her friend would catch her. She had led her this far without fail, she wouldn't injure her now. The crowd, certainly, didn't believe that. But as she hit the point of the dip, Na'an caught her. The Force presence at the small of her back didn't surprise her; the lack of Na'an's physical hand did. The smaller woman held the pose long enough to awe the crowd after their shock before pulling Adelle upright and into her arms again.

It was the drop, Adelle reasoned, that she was breathing so hard.

"A few cheats always come in handy, you know?"

Adelle scoffed with a laugh. "That's a dangerous game you play."

Na'an led her through the last few measures, spinning her in at the last moment so that Adelle landed against Na'an's side at the last note of the song.

"Just remember that two can play that game," she said. After they parted, Adelle mock-curtsied Na'an. She prayed that the flush she felt wasn't visible.

 

[Djonas Vile]

The Lyceum


Djonas smiled and chuckled a bit. "That is the plan, Executor. Look at you thinking in the future. You sure you're not an Adjudicator?"

Djonas took a brief moment to look around before returning his gaze to her. "I have made plans to expand the system to also accommodate those who are less fortunate than others as you described.Some species out there live decades, centuries even. It is their right to an education that they were denied in their younger years. A right that the Adjudicators shall give them back. First, however, we are looking to the youth. We'll start small. One facility on a low population planet in the Confederacy. Somewhere we can test the waters of the system and tweak it's parts so that when it expands to other worlds, it will be perfected."

Djonas was beginning to enjoy the conversation. It was a nice change of pace from what he normally conversed about. He was surprised she showed interest in his efforts. He figured it was more than likely because her past. He began to want to learn more of it, in fact.

"Where do you come from, Executor? Perhaps, if I know more of someone with your plight, I will be able to accelerate the expansion process."

[member="Alwine Lechner"]​

 

[LE-03 (Leigh)]

Location: Lyceum
Attire: None, but polished to gleaming
Tags: [member="Vyra Silara"], [member="Adelle Bastiel"], [member="Vidalu Na'an"]

There were benefits, Leigh reflected, to being a droid server in a party designed for organics. As the droid made her way through the gardens and back into the Lyceum, pausing at each small group of humans in her path, none of them seemed to feel the urge to strike up a conversation. They were all preoccupied with each other, with various gossips and flirting, too busy to so much as look at Leigh even as they took a tart from her plate. To an organic being, such action would be seen as nothing short of rude; to a droid like herself, it meant that she could focus on promoting product as efficiently as possible without having to waste time on small-talk.
She was turning away from an elderly couple who had taken the last of the tarts when the music changed.

Normally, Leigh took little note of the music organics favored at celebrations. She could appreciate the craftsmanship of placing tones and rhythm in juxtaposition to each other, could calculate the mathematical perfection of a given piece, but whatever love her Mother had held for music did not quite carry over into herself. Even an astromech, however, could tell the difference between the quiet, tasteful music of this event and what was now filtering through the doors of the Lyceum. Even the other guests were turning their heads, frowning at how loud the drums were in this song, how strange the tinny, electric horns. Leigh's serving plate was empty; she would be able to investigate the scene as she entered the Lyceum to obtain a refill.

She shouldered open the doors to the Lyceum's main hall, and was met with a scenario she had not calculated for.

The main irregularity was this: Na'an was no longer manning the table. Instead, she crossing the dance floor, dodging pairs of already-confused dancers, reaching out to a woman Leigh recognized as a freshly-dressed Adelle Bastiel. And she was smiling in a way Leigh had long since learned to recognize.

The droid did not bother to suppress her sigh. Clearly, the stress of catering to this party's particular clientele had caused her partner to snap, and now she was dead set on causing a scene just to put herself in a scenario where she could feel less out of her depth. Whatever her methods, she had enlisted the band itself in helping her, and had even coerced Miss Bastiel into these shenanigans. Leigh should have expected such a scenario, although the speed at which it had happened was admittedly impressive. At the very least, this would likely cut into the entire group's ability to leverage this event on Karre Noba's behalf. At most...she was about to watch her friend get unceremoniously kicked out of the Lyceum entirely.
For a few seconds, she rapidly considered her options. It was with a sort of amused resignation that she leaned her bulk against the wall to watch. From the looks on the faces of the other dancers on the floor, it was already far too late to prevent a scene; whatever would happen to her partner as a result of this highly inappropriate decision would happen regardless of any action she could take. At the very least, she calculated, she was finally about to learn what Vidalu Na'an meant when she spoke about her time as a slave in Nal Hutta--the years when the former Padawan had learned to dance.

And besides, it was unlikely anyone in this room would be looking for pastries at the moment. Leigh might as well enjoy the learning experience.

Na'an's arm snaked around her hips and pulled her closer. Adelle flushed, embarrassed that Na'an had to correct her after she'd given Na'an a hard time. In fairness, she justified, it had been a while and It'kla hadn't taught her this style of dancing. She was so close she could smell the shampoo Na'an used and the pastries she'd been around. If she hadn't known Na'an better, Adelle would have called it intimate. "Sorry," she said, trying to hide the blush on her face. "It's been a while since I've had a partner."

...oh.

A touch on her neck, her shoulder, her waist, her hip, was enough to send her body rolling all the way up in waves that she knew for a fact would give any man watching ideas (and from the sound of it, were already doing just that ).

Oh.

"I never cheat with my partners," she said coyly. As Na'an pulled and settled her hands, Adelle hooked her leg around the smaller woman's hip and leaned with her. She suppressed the thrill that ran through her; it had been a while since she'd been this close to anyone but she was not about to let that ruin this friendly dance. When they came up from the lean, Na'an spun her around and led her through a few steps from behind, their hips swaying in tandem. Adelle stepped into the next spin and snapped back to face Na'an, letting a hand trail from Na'an's jaw to her shoulder before rejoining hands. "I'm just a little experienced," she said with a smirk.

Oh.

Na'an threw her arm up, scooping the air as if catching an insect. Two feet below her, the falling body of Adelle Bastiel was caught, as if by an invisible hand, at the small of her back. Adelle arced, the fall turning into a dip deep enough to let her fingertips graze the ground beneath her, then hung unsupported in the air long enough for the crowd to see she was no longer falling. Na'an pulled her arm in, and Pulled her partner back upright and into her waiting hands. She opened her eye again and grinned all the wider.
"A few cheats always come in handy, you know?"

Somewhere over Adelle's shoulder, she heard the sound of breaking glass.

Oh, dear.

Leigh had not anticipated this. At all. Which was most unusual, given her nature. Almost immediately, she allocated one of her spare protocols to analyzing this...development. The potential losses the farm would incur with Na'an's...indiscretion...would be a short-term consequence. The reactions of the other party attendees were an even shorter-term problem--if anything, their offended sensibilities would be satisfied as soon as the next appropriate song started. What the droid had just witnessed had all the hallmarks of something much more long-term, particularly if Adelle Bastiel's vitals were accurate.

If this was what Na'an had meant by dancing all these years, Leigh had very clearly misunderstood. No wonder she had considered Leigh a poor partner.

"That woman never ceases to surprise me," she said to nobody in particular.

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

Location: Lyceum
Attire: Working Wear
Tags: [member="Adelle Bastiel"], [member="Djonas Vile"], [member="Alwine Lechner"], [member="Vyra Silara"]

After they parted, Adelle mock-curtsied Na'an. She prayed that the flush she felt wasn't visible.

Na'an couldn't help but snort as she bowed--the 'gentleman' to Adelle's lady, after the performance they'd just put on? It was the perfect capper, because it felt so inappropriate. Since when did a Nal Hutta dancer bow?
As she stood, she found that the gesture hadn't been entirely lost. A small crowd had gathered while Na'an and Adelle were dancing, most of the muttering among themselves in what sounded like mutinous, scandalized tones. The spun-glass woman had covered her mouth with both hands, her face an odd patchwork of white and bright, hectic pink. The man in the blue seemed to have become completely apoplectic, and was now wheezing in a chair someone must have brought for him. The ruckus had even drawn Leigh back in from the fountains--she was leaning against the wall at the back of the crowd, watching the crowd with mild amusement. Her projected face returned to Na'an, mouthing something Na'an could read even from the back of the room.

You're in some poodoo now.

And it was true. On the far side of the dance floor--coming out of the door leading to the kitchens--a man in a suit was approaching them, forcing his way through the crowd with a wildly working mustache and a very red face. Someone must've finally been able to contact the event manager, and he'd finally made his way there to rain merry hell on whoever was playing Hutt music at the biggest event on Nivek. The venom in his face, as red as a Naboo tomato over his trim black jacket, was enough to send the laughter already bubbling in Na'an's chest to the surface.

"I--" she said between giggles, "I shoulda'--should've known! Make trouble, get in trouble--but gods--"

It took a few seconds for her to be able to breathe again. Gods, it felt good to laugh.

When she'd gotten back some semblance of self-control, she turned to Adelle Bastiel, gently pulling their hands apart. "Look--if anyone asks I coerced you into it. This was all my idea, yeah?"

If she hadn't been wearing her eyepatch, she might have winked, if only to put Adelle's mind at ease. As it was, she gave her friend's fingers a squeeze, then dropped them to approach the suit. From the flush on Doc's face, she'd at least accomplished her goal of providing the Healer with something approaching a good time--even if it had only lasted as long as a single piece of music. And for the first time in years, she hadn't had to dance alone. One of her hands crept up to her neck, fingering the star-shaped crystal resting against her collarbone.

Whatever she had to endure for the rest of the night had to be worth that much.

"Yes, yes, I know," she started, even as the suit started shaking fingers and talking over her. Before he was done yelling, she'd said it more times than she could count, still suppressing giggles, and had promised she wouldn't move from her spot behind the tables for the rest of the night. She had, after all, had her promised break, and just look at what she'd done with it. Letting her off after her shift was now entirely out of the question.

 

[Alwine Daye]

Location: The Lyceum
Wearing: Dress
Tags: [member="Djonas Vile"] + Feel free to join

Yes, she was quite certain that she was not an Adjudicator, just as she was quite sure that she was not an Executor, or perhaps not even truly a Knight Obsidian. Her brothers… They knew their place. They had never once questioned it. Alwine had been born and grown questioning, kicking, and screaming. But such tales were not for this evening.

The noise around her, the dances, the breaking glass. Wolfish eyes glanced at it momentarily before returning her attention to [member="Djonas Vile"] and their conversation.

As Mr. Vile laid his plans out, Alwine found herself forced to agree, though it disappointed her. In her plans, there was no difference between the youth and those who were older. They all needed the help and education. Her own plans had separated it based on class and caste rather than age.

"I am from Stewjon," she said, the near-spit in her tone as she said her planet's name almost impossible to avoid, "where men are farmers or warriors, women are servants, and those who are believed to have the Force are burned at the stake for fear of witchcraft. The Confederacy came once to liberate the planet from a little ghost problem it had and then left it to its vices, to continue to burning the women, for it was never a man who was accused of being a witch."

Alwine sighed. "And what of you, Mr. Vile? WHere does your philanthropy hail from?"

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Location: Lyceum
Wearing: This saucy number
Tag: [member="Vidalu Na'an"] | [member="Leigh"] | [member="Vyra Silara"] | Anyone

"I--" she said between giggles, "I shoulda'--should've known! Make trouble, get in trouble--but gods--"

It took a few seconds for her to be able to breathe again. Gods, it felt good to laugh.

Na'an laughed. It shouldn't have surprised her. Adelle knew Na'an had a life, a good one, outside of their own interactions. But she'd never laughed around Adelle. It was infectious. It was genuine. And it made an unwelcome tug at her heart. She rolled her eyes and smirked, ignoring whatever her body decided to feel.

"Na'an, you are trouble," she said.

When she'd gotten back some semblance of self-control, she turned to Adelle Bastiel, gently pulling their hands apart. "Look--if anyone asks I coerced you into it. This was all my idea, yeah?"

"Hey, that's not—"

But Na'an was already striding towards the stressed manager, cheeky grin probably still plastered on her face. Adelle thought she saw a bit of a swagger but decided that was unlikely. A few dancers reclaimed the floor as the band started a waltz and she took the opportunity to slip through them into the crowd feasting in the Lyceum. She had glimpsed Leigh near the doors. Maybe she could talk the droid into doing what she could for Na'an. Or get her to talk some sense into her own stupid brain.

A humanoid intercepted her on her way. She could smell the death sticks he smoked before she saw him: professionally dressed, tan-skinned, with cerulean eyes. He'd have been cute if he didn't absolutely reek of second-hand smoke. He smiled death-stick stained teeth and slicked his dark hair back in what was supposed to be a suave manner.

"You don't need my eyes to see how delicious you look," he said.

Adelle fought to keep from rolling her eyes. Forget trying to find Leigh. She needed to find a stiff drink.

 

[Djonas Vile]

The Lyceum


Stewjon. A world that Djonas did not know much about. What he did know, he had just learned from Alwine. "I see. Not a kind place in the slightest. As for the Confederacy allowing this to continue, I will have to put that on my agenda for the future. One should not be prosecuted for something they did not choose, let alone executed. Such barbarism must be answered and it shall. You have my word." He meant what he said. As a former Sith, he knows what kind of monster slaughters innocents for being different. He was one of those monsters once. But, just like he did, the people of Stewjon would have to be reformed.

He went on to her next question. "I am Thyrsian so my people come from Thyrsus, however, I was born on Naboo like my father and his father before him. I claim both worlds as my home and I can confindently say that we had different upbringings. Much different. But, those upbringings are what brought us to where we are today. The smallest change to them and our lives now coudl be different. I don't know about you, but I thoroughly enjoy where I am now."

[member="Alwine Lechner"]​

 

[Alwine Daye]

Location: The Lyceum
Wearing: Dress
Tags: [member="Djonas Vile"] + Feel free to join

"You do not have to put it on your agenda," Alwine said, her emotions a mixture of disappointment, anger, and… something else? Hope? "The planet… It resumed to operate the way it always had after the Confederacy claimed it. But months later, they came. Some of it was stopped, but then it was left to its own devices again. Yet not too long ago I was part of a small group that went there to make things final. It does not need a single person to correct single things right now. It requires a strong leader that will take it and ensure that change will be continuous."

He said he enjoyed where he was now. To that, Alwine did not answer immediately. Could she truly make such a claim? Was she happy where she was? No, she was not. Her brother insisted on mating with a dog who would undo their species just for her own ego, her other brother was off to enjoy a life of hedonism around the 'verse, and she was with the Knights Obsidian – a place where she time and time wondered about, whether it was even the right fit for her.

"I have never heard of Thyrsus," she eventually said, looking at Djonas Vile again, "I know a little about Naboo. What is Thyrsus like?"