Private Sun & Moon

[Persephone Dashiell]

Persephone listened, curious. Why would someone not tell the other where they lived before? Were there embarrassing planets in the universe, ones folks didn't want to say they were from? Seemed stupid to her though, what did it matter? Plus, anywhere with nature (at least, Iko Vel suspected nature) sounded nice enough to her.

She bet if they dug through intergalatic and government records, the planet could possibly be found. While it sounded a fun idea and a great idea to do and visit, it may not be fun for Iko. Sometimes digging around in the past wasn't worth it. Best to just pack it up and move on, no matter how hard it was.

"You didn't seem to like the beach on Gala."

Iko had seemed grumpy the entire time. Granted, his leg did hurt, so maybe that had something to do with it.

 

[Iko Vel]

"'Cause I felt like I 'ad to be on my best behaviour...There was a lot of Makai's family there...and I didn't want to embarrass 'im."

Iko sighed to himself. If he had it his way, he'd have been running up and down the beach that day. Well, minus the fact that his leg had been messed up...and the fact that a ship had came crashing down. But if it had been a regular day, Iko would have just wanted to build sand castles or try to bury himself in the sand. He shrugged his shoulders afterwards, looking back over towards Persie.

"Plus...it was strange to think about. I was with you on the beach, instead of 'elping to fight. I wasn't...used to the idea that I could relax. That I didn't 'ave to fight. It's nice. I can just be a normal person."

Persephone Dashiell

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"Oh."

Persephone was trying to understand the concept of not having to fight. She didn't know much about the Jedi but seemed they ran towards the situation rather than at least stopping to think about it. Duty bound? Rules of their cult? Brainwashing?

She could understand to a point. It was hard to break a habit. For her it had been hard to break the fact she had to scrap for everything she had. Not so much anymore.

Now it was a lot of thoughtful arguments she had to make. Makky and My-rah only granted her wishes once she put enough effort in. Most of the time.

"I don't think Makky's family would have cared. Uh, well...no one would have cared up til the wave washing everything away."

Iko Vel

 

[Iko Vel]

Iko had always wanted to be a Hero. Originally, he had thought it was because of his selflessness. His caring nature. That he wanted to be admired by the galaxy but over time with Persephone, Makai and the rest of the Dashiells, Iko realised, it was never for that. He had wanted to be a Hero, so that he could finally feel wanted. Feel loved and feel like he was important. He felt like that with the Dashiells.

"Yeah...but you've seen how my father was. Or at least heard me talk about him. I felt like I couldn't do anything right. That anything I do, people would disapprove of. I never realised a family could be well...nice. And caring. If we were back there now, I'd be a little goofball. Rolling about in the sand, throwing water and stuff at you."

He let out a content sigh. As much as he was talking about topics that should be making him sad, it was more a relief for Iko. He realised that he was a much better person than his father had given him credit for. Sure, he was no hero and he was no Jedi...but that was fine by Iko. Because it was who he was that was important. He was Iko.

Persephone Dashiell

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

Persephone listened without interruption, they were still swaying to the music. She figured after this they could play some carnival-like games that had been set up. The concept was interesting to her. She had never, ever played games before....at least not until coming under the care of the other branch of the Dashiells. Makky and My-rah made a real effort to spend time together as a family and while most times it was movie night, sometimes they played games too.

Still not used to that. So she could understand where Iko Vel was coming from. While her Mama had been loving, there had been an element of neglect. Persephone couldn't deny that.

"Little goofball? More like a giant goofball."

She grinned at that.

"Wanna play some games after this? Try to win me a prize?"

At least, thats what happened in all those romantic holodramas anyways.

 

[Iko Vel]

"Sure. Maybe a giant goofball, but I'm your goofball at the end of the day."

Iko teased Persie as they swayed. Slowly but surely, the dancing was coming to end but he was happy enough to be enjoying his time with Persie. Though he tilted his head at the idea of playing some games to try and win Persie a few prizes. Of course, he could try to use the Force to cheat at a few of the games...but he didn't want to cheat. Even if it was to win Persie a prize, if he had to win it by playing unfair, it wasn't going to be a good prize for her.

"I can try to. I might not be too good at any of them. Never played any fair game...things before. Oh. Is there the one where I can bobbing for ducks?"

At least that's what Iko thought the game was. In reality, he had mixed up hooking a duck and bobbing for apples. So he thought he'd have to dunk his face into face into a barrel to try and bite a duck out...

Persephone Dashiell

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"I think that's bobbin' for apples. They might, we can see."

The song for them was coming to an end and she leaned up and kissed his cheek in thanks, blushing again. Persephone quickly took his hand and led Iko Vel off the dance floor and back onto the cobblestone streets. One of the side streets had been set up with the carnival like games, an entire row of amusements of different types.

"Don't worry, I ain't played any games none either. I wanna try though, just so I can say I have."

At the top of the streets, Persephone bought them fifteen tickets each to try their hand at the games. They could always go back for more but Persie figured this was a good start, especially if they didn't like the amusements. She supposed she could give the tickets to a little kid in that case.

"These seem corny...guess thats the appeal?"

 

[Iko Vel]

"Oh. Apples. Those are meant to keep doctors away...but I don't think I need any doctors."

Iko shrugged his shoulders at that as they walked through the streets, his head on a swivel to look around at all of the little games they were walking past. He had never seen anything like this if he was being honest and it was pretty nice. He got to feel at least somewhat of a kid. Before turning his attention back over towards Persie as she spoke about how corny they seemed to be.

"Yeah. I guess. Corny stuff lets you forget about your problems for a bit, I suppose. Not sure if I quite understand the appeal myself but...It might be fun. Come on. Let's see what we can do first."

Persephone Dashiell

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"Yeah, I'm not complainin'. More like observin'."

Persephone didn't mind corny in this situation. Corny meant she was living a normal, easy life. Nothing was ever corny before this so she was thankful for the opportunity to enjoy this moment. So, first thing was first, find a game to play. First on the docket was one of those ring-toss games. One had to toss a ring on various bottles a certain distance away.

"We'll take two please."

Persie handed over the tickets and they got four rings each to toss. The teen girl took hers and stared, thinking of her strategy.

Iko Vel

 

[Iko Vel]

"Observin' is nice. Just standin' back and lookin' around. Takin' in the beauty around you."

Iko broke out into a cheesy grin at that, as he looked around the pair before settling his eyes on Persie. Was he trying to flirt? Not purposefully no. It was just a small coincidence at the end of the day as they arrived at the ring toss game, and Iko glanced down at the ring for a moment, weighing it up in his hand and passing it back and forth for a moment before looking back over towards Persephone.

"Watch me. This throw is for you."

He stuck his tongue out slightly before turning his attention over towards the bottles, trying to focus. Focusing on his hand, trying not to let the Force influence his throw. He wanted this all to be him as he let the ring fly through the air with a quick toss, whistling through the air and spinning around the neck of one of the bottles, spinning around and around...before finally settling

Persephone Dashiell

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"Dork."

Still, she flushed under the compliment that potentially was not a compliment directed at her. Was Iko Vel flirting? Perhaps. Sometimes it was hard to say but she was going to take it as flirting. Even his little comment about the throw seemed flirty to her, which she could just be reading too much into. Either way, the ring sailed, landing on one of the bottle necks with ease.

"Oh, good throw. I hope you didn't use any extra magic on that."

Iko would know she meant the Force. She was up next, tongue sort of sticking out as she concentrated, tossing the ring, having it hit the bottle rim...and bouncing off harmlessly towards the booth attendant.

"Okay...lemme try again."

She adjusted her stance, weighing the ring. This one sailed through the air and landed effortlessly on a bottle neck without so much as a rattle or wobble. Certainly some odd luck involved in that one.

"Alright...one-for-one, that's not horrible right?"

 

[Iko Vel]

"Your dork."

Iko nudged Persie with his hip at that, sticking his tongue out to tease her. Though he turned his attention over towards her throw, trying to ignore the comment about it being the Force. Part of him still wasn't sure if he had managed to use the Force by accident. He didn't make any comment about her missing, but at the successful throw, Iko leaned over towards to Persie to give her a peck on the cheek.

"Knew you could do it Perse. Can't let me show you up."

With that, Iko went onto his next throws, deciding to be fancy as he grabbed two rings with his hand and flicked them through the air with a simple twist of his wrist. Just go, don't focus on it. If he focused on it, there was a chance that he'd indirectly use the Force. Either way, with a pair of clunks, the rings spun around separate bottles and Iko grinned in Persie's direction, giving her a pair of fingerguns, as his confidence was starting to rise.

"And my last throw is for myself!"
A simple flick of his wrist afterwards and...the ring went soaring past the rings, not even hitting one of them as Iko blinked. That was not meant to happen. Oops. He glanced over towards where his throw...before looking back over towards Persie.

Persephone Dashiell

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"Not bad,yous had a seventy-five percent success rate! That's passin'."

Clearly her governess and extra tutoring was starting pay off. Maybe not in her speech patterns, but it was clearly paying off in other ways. Another flush as Iko Vel kissed her cheek, folks were going to start thinking something was wrong with her with all this flushing. Right...she had to finish playing the game though, if she could think straight.

One ring sailed towards the bottles, hit them and bounced off. The next sailed right over and didn't even skim the top. Whoops, a little too much strength behind the last one. She only had gotten one out of the four. Persie couldn't say she was surprised. She wasn't the athletic or overly coordinated type.

"Whelp...I'm outta the game. You pick the next one."

 

[Iko Vel]

"Heh. What's my prize for passing, huh?"

Iko tilted his head, breaking out into a grin before watching Persie's attempts at throwing her rings. A small frown on his face as she didn't seem to do as well as Iko. Maybe the Force had just given him an unnatural advantage...but he wasn't sure how he wanted to feel about that. Shaking his head, Iko took Persie's hand into his and hurried off to a new fair game, his eyes scanning around in thought.

Strongman games?...No. No. The line for hooking fake Porgs seemed too long...Oooh! A Coconut game. Throwing coconuts at the cans would be pretty fun. It totally wasn't because he was a boy who liked to smash things up.

"Come on Persie! We can go and play over there!"

Persephone Dashiell

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

Persie was being drug to the next game. Coconuts (why coconuts and not balls?) to be tossed at cans. If she had to guess, some of the cans were weighted. Wouldn't make any sense otherwise to her, and she wasn't even a business woman yet, just interning at Arceneau Trade with Miz Arceneau. Carnival game operators probably thought the same.

Tickets purchased, she decided to be up first instead of Iko Vel . Four coconuts were handed in her direction. Tongue was back out on concentration, letting the first one fly and knocking over one of the higher-point marked cans. With a high-five to Iko, she moved to the next coconut....and it went sailing clear out of the booth and into the next one, knocking down a stuff animal.

"That has to be some sorta prize too right?"

 

[Iko Vel]

The employee in the next booth over had to duck to stop themselves from either getting their head cracked open by a coconut, or their head cracking the coconut open. Either one had been on the table. But that didn't matter to Iko as the young lad seemed to actually focus for a moment. Taking in the sight of the tower of the cans, and trying to judge the placement of them all before stepping forward to take his turn.

His first throw completely whiffed past the the booth and made a hole in the backdrop of it. Though now it appeared that he had gotten a grasp of the weight of the coconut, grabbing his second one in both hands and getting into a proper stance to throw it, almost like he was throwing a baseball. Focus. Breathe. Don't use the Force. That was the one thing he didn't want to influence him as he took aim and chucked the Coconut as hard as he could at the base of the can pyramid, causing an entire set of the cans to crash down to the floor...with one of them having quite a big indent from the coconut.

"...Oh. I didn't...think I threw it that hard."

Persephone Dashiell

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

The booth attendant looked flabbergasted. The cans were strewn everywhere, there was now a dent where one of the front cans had been. Carefully, the booth attendant pulled down the weirdest stuffed toy ever seen ; a sandwich, and handed it to Iko Vel . His prize for the evening. The elderly man leveled a look at the teenage boy.

"How about you go move on to another game now."

Persphone give Iko a look of, lets go and she took his hand. Was Iko that strong? Or were the cans just easily dented? They were navigating now to a 'duck shoot' where they would use pellet guns to take out rotating duck silhouettes. That was probably a safer game for them right now, plus, who didn't want the chance to shoot a pellet gun?

"Whatcha goin' to name your stuffed sandwich? Sammy?"

A grin at her own lame idea.

 

[Iko Vel]

"Maybe you should just have made your tins out of stronger stuff."

Iko responded before being dragged off by Persephone. He felt like he had to defend himself, because he hadn't meant to destroy the cans. But it was nice at the very least to know he had gotten a prize out of it. Though he tilted his head at Persie's suggestion for a name, shaking his head before holding the stuffed sandwich over towards her with a grin.

"What do you mean? It's your sandwich. I got Snackie for you. Not for me. I don't need a stuffed sandwich...I'll just make my own."

He grinned at that, before reaching out to grab the pellet gun, getting ready to try it out. He hadn't actually used a gun before so no-one could blame him as he lifted the rifle up and shot...missing almost completely. He didn't know where his shot had went. Well...That...wasn't good. He turned his attention over towards Persie, giving her an awkward smile.

Persephone Dashiell

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"Snackie. I like that. Maybe we will be our good luck charm."

Persephone would place the stuffed sandwich in her bag in a moment. First, she set the newly acquired item on the little ledge where the pellet guns lay. She picked one up and tried to do it like she saw in the holodramas. By lining up her sights, putting her head down, and focusing. The little row of ducks moved steadily along, her goal was to knock down that row.

Although...she fired six times and nothing happened. The ducks were still moving.

"Apparently Snackie isn't a good luck charm. I love him all the same though, thanks for giving him to me. You shouldn't have."

Snackie went into her little bookbag for now. He was going to go on her bed from here on out. Not wanting to try her hand at the pellet gun both again, they would be moving on down the alleyway.

"Hmm...dart balloon pop or testin' out our strength?"

Iko Vel

 

[Iko Vel]

"I don't believe in good luck. I believe in skill."

Iko smirked, sticking his tongue out at Persie. If anything, his glum mood from the start of the day seemed to be gone completely. He was actually enjoying himself now, as he turned his attention over towards Persie, watching her do her best to try and shoot one of the ducks down...Yet it didn't seem like she could hit a single one. He wasn't going to make any comment about it, especially since he didn't did too well himself.

"Ooooh! Lemme test out my strength!"

With that, Iko grabbed Persephone by the hand and dragged her off towards the strength testing machine, looking over towards the comically sized mallet they had. Well. That was going to be a pain to try and grab, but he was going to do it all the same. Grabbing the mallet and hefting it up onto his shoulder, Iko glared down at the button he was meant to smash with it. He could do this! He was going to break the scale! With that, the young lad brought the mallet swinging down onto the button as hard as he could, and watched the weight shoot up, higher and higher...but no-where near the bell. It had made it a fair way up, but he didn't seem to have put enough oomph into it.

Persephone Dashiell