Private Party of Seven

[Amani Serys]

"Mmhmm," Amani nodded knowingly. She decoded to keep the toy instrument, and moved onto the plushies. They already had Chauncey, but as Valery said, there could always be more. Amani found herself being a bit picky about the plushies, searching for ones she thought would be nice to get for their kid. One that immediately caught her attention was a stuffed Uxibeast, reminding her of home. She snatched it quickly.

Once a few others made the cut, and they had a nice haul of toys, it was about time to leave. They didn't need to justify buying anything else. Except lunch, of course, "Nah, let's get going. I need to sit down." Amani chuckled. She went through the checkout line with a hefty bag of purchases, and walked back out into the shopping plaza. Right across the way was a restaurant of some kind, "Works for me. You?" She didn't exactly know what all they had, but better than scouring about for another place while on tired legs.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Casual | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

"I do, too," Valery said, so with several bags of clothes and toys, the two made it out onto the street and looked around for a place to eat. Preferably something close, so they wouldn't have to walk too much. Luckily, Amani spotted something across the street, and a quick look at the menu they had hanging outside showed they offered lunch too.

From sandwiches to exotic soups from all across the Galaxy.

"Works for me!"

Valery grinned and walked inside first before she looked around. A table for two was spotted, and she made her way over rather quickly to plop down.

"Can I get you two something to drink while you look at the menu?" a waitress then asked, and Valery briefly looked at Amani before answering. "Just some water for me, please. Thank you." She smiled, waited for Amani to order her drink, then turned to her best friend with a warm smile.

"Once the babies are born and things have settled down a little, how would you feel about a trip somewhere nice with both our families? I've been... trying to enjoy the fact that the war is over more, and I feel some kind of vacation like that would be a good way to celebrate. Both with family and friends."

 

[Amani Serys]

Valery led the way, and Amani followed suit. She sat down with a content sigh, and grabbed a menu, "Same." The waiter nodded, and left to get their orders. The amount of entree options were surprisingly expansive for a casual lunch place.

Val then spoke up, suggesting a little trip for the Nobles and Organas sometime after the kids were all born. Amani smiled at the thought, "I think that sounds nice, if we can afford it," She chuckled, "Will the Jedi Order survive without the two of us around to keep an eye on things?" And Kahlil, for that matter. Half the council would be gone. Still, it was mostly said in jest. Mostly. A few days away wouldn't leave the Order directionless. "You got a destination in mind?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Casual | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

"I really hope so..." Valery snickered and shook her head at the thought. They did solve a lot of issues and were very involved in guiding the younger Jedi. But for them to both be away for a few days should not be a problem — perhaps even a fun 'challenge' for Jasper and the rest of the Council.

She was certain they'd appreciate it~

"I don't have a specific idea yet, but it has to be warm," Valery said with a grin. "Somewhere safe and pleasant for the kids. Maybe some kind of resort with swimming pools and playing grounds. But also restaurants for dinner in the evenings, or maybe fun places for sightseeing." The thought of such a vacation made her smile, and almost caused her to miss the approaching waitress, who offered their glasses of water.

"Can I take your order alrea-" she stopped mid-sentence, and both Valery and Amani would feel why. A tremor of danger echoed through the Force, as a group of men with masks entered the ship, blaster pistols raised at the restaurant staff.

"Give us the credits, and nobody will get harmed!" One of them called out, and while Valery would have usually jumped into action already, the risk made her hesitant now. So she sat still and watched them block all exits, while two walked up to the counter to collect what they wanted.

One, however, pressed the barrel of his pistol into Amani's neck, "Give me your bags and wallet, lady. Don't be stupid."

 

[Amani Serys]

Nothing was set in stone, but Valery had a few details in mind. Amani found them agreeable, and nodded, "Can't complain with that. Maybe somewhere like... Spira? You mentioned it to me before." The waitress came back with their waters, but was interrupted before she could even finish asking about food. Suddenly, a crew of masked gunmen stormed the restaurant, blaster pistols already raised.

Normally, Amani would have considered a few common thugs to barely be a threat. But now, with the gun pressed right to her neck, and the circumstances she and Valery found themsleves in, the mirialan felt… afraid. If there was even a one-percent chance that her actions could hurt her babies, then it wasn't worth it, "…Okay…" Slowly, she reached around her shoulder to take off her satchel, "That's it." The thug greedily snatched it, leaving her be. Amani's eyes turned to Valery, mixed with worry and frustration. It wasn't fair for it to be this easy. These thugs should be unconscious on the ground already. But suddenly those minute dangers were magnified. Suddenly, it mattered if she got hurt. Because it wasn't just her well-being at stake.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Casual | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

"Spira would be-"

They weren't able to finish their conversation about pleasant topics, as a group of armed thugs entered the restaurant with demands for credits. Two of them were at the counter, one at the exit, and two more were walking through the restaurant itself to steal jewelry, and purses and get as many credits out of people as possible.

One of which now stood right behind Amani with a blaster drawn and held close by her neck.

Valery didn't move a muscle, even though she normally would have done something to try and help her close friend. Right now, the only way she could help was to not risk the lives of their babies. It made her just as afraid and tense, but when it seemed like things couldn't get any worse, the other thug approached as well.

"Hey, you forgot their jewelry. Those rings must be worth something." The Zabrak flashed a toothy grin, but Valery only felt a flash of anger. He wanted to take their wedding rings, and just the thought alone made her body tremble.

"Wait a second..." he then said as he got closer and looked at the two women. "I know your faces."

"They're Jedi!"

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani hadn't even gotten a chance to let the tension drop, when another robber came up, and noted their rings. The mirialan grimaced at his shameless avarice, leaving nothing off limits for stealing. More pressingly, however, he gave the two women an even closer inspection, a hint of recognition on his face. Then, aloud, he ousted them as Jedi.

Amani held her breath, half-expecting something to happen. She remained still, and finally inhaled, "…Do we look like Jedi to you?" The healer tried to sow doubt; Two pregnant women in civilian clothes were hardly that threatening on their own. At the same time, Amani's pregnancy was public by now, and if anything could end up reinforcing the thug's suspicion that she was who he thought, if a man like him cared to keep up with that sort of news.

"We're not who you think. These rings are valueless to you," Amani's wrist twisted slightly at her side, as she tried to mind trick the robber into giving up the ghost.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Casual | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

The man's entire posture straightened, his pupils went wide, and for about a second or so, it was as if his brain stopped processing every bit of information that passed through it. "You're not who I think you are, and those rings are worthless," he said, his tone robotic but his mind convinced.

With that, he stepped away and left the two women alone, for now.

"Too close... but good thinking," Valery muttered after a sigh of relief.

But the situation was not quite over — outside, law enforcement arrived and formed a perimeter about the entrance of the building. Which meant they were stuck inside... with the people who were already there.

"We should do something," Valery then continued, softly so nobody could overhear. "Do you think we can create an opening for the police? Without fighting, of course." She wasn't going to risk her babies under any circumstances and knew Amani felt the same way about it.

But all of it just made her feel so... powerless.

If only Alicio or Kahlil were here.

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani hadn't realized just how tense she had gotten, until at last the man moved away, her mind trick having worked. She sighed and let her shoulders drop, "Yeah…" they weren't out of it yet— The crooks were still barricaded inside, now in a standoff with arriving police. They must not have been all that experienced, Amani figured, if they hadn't gotten in and out fast enough to avoid arriving cops. But inexperienced criminals could also be a bit more dangerous, given their recklessness, so it hardly made her feel all that more at ease.

Valery wasn't intent on just sitting around, "I don't know…" Amani huffed, "Like what?" It was hard to initiate anything noteworthy without risking someone on either side getting trigger-happy. She looked around at the restaurant for anything useful, "Maybe the sprinkler system?" She shrugged, unsure of how effective it would be.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Casual | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

"Not sure but I fear that if we don't do anything, it could get worse." She didn't actually want to do something for fear of exposing their unborn kids to danger. But with how the situation was evolving, she feared that doing nothing to help Law enforcement could only make things worse. What if they'd start taking hostages? They'd more than likely be the first choice to keep police officers away. Or what if a chaotic firefight happened?

Valery frowned and looked around for answers, but it wasn't easy to come up with something that felt safe enough.

"Maybe the sprinkler system?"

Valery looked back at Amani, then turned her gaze around once more, before nodding, "That gave me an idea. I can set off the sprinklers, and if you make some bottles in the back cabinets there pop, it'll be quite a distraction." If Amani agreed, Valery would turn her eyes up to the ceiling and wait to coordinate their attempt.

With just a subtle manipulation of the air around the sprinklers, Valery made it ignite in a short burst of flames. Not enough to set anything on fire, but enough to produce smoke that triggered the system. A fire alarm immediately went off, as water poured down on everybody inside, creating a good deal of chaos. Police officers outside overheard, their teams already in position to breach, and hopefully with Amani pulling attention away from the doors, they'd be able to rush in and end this.

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani stole a glance towards the back of the diner, and nodded. All that was left was waiting nervously for Valery to initiate, when the time was right. As soon as the sprinklers went off, there was panic from the hostages, and confusion from the thieves. Under the table, Amani flexed her hand, causing a long row of champagne bottles to pop their corks, breaking through the cabinet glass and throwing the thieves' attentions to the back.

On seeing the panic inside, police officers made their move, pushing through the front door. "Get down!" Amani dove under the table, and curled up as much as she could to avoid any risk of stray damage.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Casual | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

"Get down!"

Valery got down to hands and knees as fast as she could, but it wasn't easy with how far she was along. Luckily, after a short burst of intense blaster fire, everything seemed to quiet down. The tension in the Force faded away, and by the time the two Jedi looked up, every single thug was down on the ground, stunned by one of the police officers.

"You okay?" Valery asked quickly. She felt just as worried about Amani as herself, given the fact they were both pregnant. This wasn't about them — this was about their kids.

With some effort, Valery then climbed back up to her feet and watched as people rushed outside. Two police officers came over to the Jedi as well, but they were noticeably more relaxed because they were pregnant, "Please step outside with us, and we'll handle the rest," one of them said, having recognized that they were Jedi.

"That was... way too intense," Valery told her friend once they finally made it outside. She was sweating, looked a little pale and she was still just processing what they had gone through. Or worse, what could have happened.

 

[Amani Serys]

The skirmish ended in a blink, but it was no less stressful. When it was over, Amani looked around, then nodded, "Y-yeah." Physically, anyway. Her nerves were frayed plenty. They were led outside, away from the drama, to safely process. But at this point, she just wanted to go home.

"Mhm," Amani mumbled, "I uh, think I'm done for today." There had been far too much excitement for a simple day out. Before, something like that would have definitely been frustrating, but now it was downright scary. Which just frustrated her more, "You?" She asked, stepping back from the crime scene.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Casual | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

"I'm okay but I agree, let's get out of here." She sighed and looked over her shoulder one more time. As much as she didn't want to think about all the scary things that could have happened, she just wasn't able to stop herself. This was far too scary, and all she wanted now was to just plop down on the couch and find some comfort at home.

"I'll catch the same taxi as you and drop you off first," Valery then said. She felt a bit more safe traveling back together, and she lived only one stop further than Amani.

Easy enough to grab a ride back together.

"It's going to be quite a story to tell Alicio and Kahlil..."

 

[Amani Serys]

"Sure," Amani agreed, immediately turning to find a taxi to flag down. Thankfully, it didn't take long, and they were off soon after.

The healer sighed, and pressed the back of her head against the rest, "Don't remind me. I'm not even sure I wanna tell him," She wasn't serious about hiding it, of course, but she wasn't looking forward to reliving it or thinking about it any more either. She just wanted to go home to the safety of their apartment and forget.

The taxi couldn't get there fast enough. Before long the building was in sight, "Can't even go shopping without a problem coming up." Amani pinched between her eyes.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Casual | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

"Kahlil already knows, so that's going to be a conversation." Valery sighed and leaned back into her seat as well with her eyes closed. Everything about today brought back memories of her first pregnancy back on Denon. The constant hiding, the constant fear, and then there were the assassination attempts.

She shivered in her seat, but opened her eyes to turn a more reassuring smile in her friend's direction.

"Next time, we'll bring Alicio and Kahlil along, and I'm sure it'll be fine. But for now, I'm going to just... relax and do absolutely nothing at home." She chuckled softly and watched as the taxi reached the landing pad close to Amani's apartment building. "Seems we're here," Valery continued before she leaned over for a quick, friendly hug.

"I hope the rest of your day will be more relaxing, and see you soon."

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani just cast an ironic smirk, and shook her head, "Maybe." She couldn't even think about any future attempts. Like Valery, she just wanted to go home. A wish that was thankfully fulfilled soon after, as the taxi came to a stop.

The mirialan returned the hug, "You too. See you soon." And with that, she stumbled out of the vehicle on shaky legs, and trudged defeatedly back to the apartment. They had been on a bit of a lucky streak when it came to public outings. Perhaps it shouldn't have been all that surprising that sooner or later, a new problem was going to rear its ugly head.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Casual | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

After saying farewell for now, Valery remained seated and waited for the taxi to reach the next skyscraper. The platform was luckily close to the right level, so after a quick ride up with the elevator, she'd reach her apartment. Immediately after stepping inside, Vera wrapped herself around her mother's legs, both to welcome her home, and because she understood that something had happened.

She had seen and felt it.

"Come on, sweetie. Mommy is okay," she said with a smile, before she guided her daughter over to the couch. There she plopped down carefully and had Vera sit by her side.

"We'll wait until your father gets home, and maybe watch a movie together. Does that sound fun?"

Vera brightened up instantly, "Mhm! With burgers?"

Valery snickered, "There's no movie night without burgers."

[Final post]​