Public Talk Wordy to Me [Lady Velvet Book Release]

[Corazona von Ascania]

Zeltros – A Likely Story Bookshop

​

The dual release of The Jedi's Fall for the Sith, and Under the Tatooine Suns had drawn a moderately sized crowd. As the latest works in Lady Velvet's series of trashy romance novels, hardcore fans flocked to the table of paperback books – of course, they were available in e-formatting, but some still preferred the real, tangible thing.

Especially because the cover art was…provocative.

The Jedi's Fall for the Sith featured a young Jedi by the name of Sola, who found herself bewitched by the charms of handsome Sith Lord Darth Abulus. While initially manipulating the Jedi to his side for her rare talents in psychometry, Abulus gradually develops genuine feelings for Sola – who discovers his darker machinations when she stumbles across his diary. In the end, the two reconcile, with Abulus taking Sola (misprinted as Jocasta in some copies) as his wife and Queen.

Under the Tatooine Suns follows the story of Mariya, a poor moisture farmer's daughter taken prisoner by the broad-shouldered leader of a band of raiders, Ogur'oturs'rhr. Mariya's fiery personality and quick wit eventually endears the Tusken, and after a series of spicy mishaps, the two run away to start a moisture farm of their own.

Several shelves over from where the release was taking place, a woman in a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses took surreptitious glances up from an open book. Cultural Influences of the Architecture of the Wazta Sector, 575-627ABY was as good a cover as any for monitoring how well her latest novels were going over. This was research, after all.

It was as good of feedback as she was going to get without anyone discovering that the prissy noble wrote steamy love stories under the moniker of Lady Velvet. No, that would remain a secret.

 

[Syala]

It may have been a...surprise for some who knew of Syala to see her in the middle of a bookstore. Though for those who knew of "Rayne"...perhaps this may have been something expected of her, as she stood in the store, reading through the blurb of some of the books in her usual disguise. Though a small frown appeared on her face as she flipped through the pages of one of them. Who was Jocasta?! Had this person stolen Darth Abulus away from Sola?! The frown slowly turned into a scowl as she came to the decision that she had to buy the book, before glancing over towards the other book, about Tattooine.

Eh. It's just about some lame farmer. Why should I care? Syala waved her hand to herself almost immediately dismissing that book. The only thing it would be good for in her eyes was for burning. Why else would she care about some drivel about a tusken raider and farmer. Now if it was an epic story of love found between the farmer's family and the tusken raiders...Who knows. Maybe. She just wanted to learn more things about love at the end of the day. It didn't even occur to her that perhaps steamy love stories perhaps weren't the best teachers for well...love.

 

[Ryana mina]

Tag: Corazona von Ascania
Ryana had come to zeltros for lady velvets release with pip in toe who refused to be left with a sitter even though it would be a quick trip. As she walked through the book store when she looked towards pip he had wondered off "little furball better not get into trouble" she said softly she didn't want to deal with the headache. But as she walked up to the table they where she looked the Jedis fall for the sith over she saw a discrepancy in one of the books reading Jocasta instead of sola tucking it under her arm. Knowing that misprints whent for more later she also grabbed under the tattooine sky she hoped she could've gotten them signed but lady velvet was almost impossible to find most people wore disguises when they came but it was hard to disguise herself without painting her exposed skin and lekku she looked over a few other books while keeping an eye out for pip.

Meanwhile.....

Pip sniffed the air seemingly drawn to another location in the bookstore as he eventually found cora as he sniffed the air unsure if it was her do to her disguise the young racyon decided to walk up and wrap his front paws around coras leg as he looked up at her with his tongue out looking. He didn't let ryana know but cora was one of the few people pip likes do to her helping get him adopted by ryana after a few moments he let go of her leg and sat down looking at her.

 

[Malcoma Hesse]

Of the all places she had found herself, this bookshop on Zeltros was one of the more questionable, and that was saying something. Malcoma certainly wasn't embarrassed, not as she skimmed through one of the novels she was waiting in line to buy and definitely not that Damris was reading over her shoulder as she did.

She could practically feel him smirking behind her, trying to contain his laughter.

"I can't take you anywhere," she said, not deigning to look back at him.

"I'm not doing anything," he replied, chortle bubbling out behind his words. Mal threw an elbow at him instead and he gave up his attempted charade. "How does anyone enjoy this?"

"It's a style, baby." Her gaze still swept over words, but she was no longer comprehending.

He rose a brow. "You sure?"

"Yes," she answered though she know he was only teasing. "A little over-the-top for my taste, but to each their own. Vahleet says that Eyana likes Velvet quite a bit..." Mal let go of her current thought process momentarily. Oh, what the hell? "You know what, grab another copy of Fall for the Sith." She finally looked up at him, having adopted his smirk. "We're going to read it together. Properly."

"What?"

She elbowed him again, softer this time. "Unless you're scared, in which case I suppose we d—"

A hint of red had spread across Damris' features. "I'm, uh, going..."

He then stepped out of line to fetch another book, leaving behind a smug headmistress. Though she rarely missed a chance to tease Damris back and she had just said that the romance genre wasn't for her, she had actually never given it a fair chance. She closed the volume open in her hands as to not spoil the story further for herself.

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Saria Rae]

Zeltros
Tags: Corazona von Ascania , Syala , Ryana mina , Malcoma Hesse

Saria shouldn't be here.

But a part of the young diplomat couldn't help herself. She was a woman of ration and deligation, a rising star looking to sement herself as a future name in the world of peaceful negotiation. She wouldn't ever want to be caught dead at a dual release for a steamy romance novel, books filled with illogical and rediculous fantasies probably dreamed up by some hapless romantic...

So why could she not stop herself? It defied all logical thinking, really. Maybe all of this was all a ploy to pray on those with intrusive thoughts. She was in the grasp of a corporate entity no doubt, which made her the hapless romantic. It made her stomach spin.

Saria still needed it.

All it took was one step into the bookstore on Zeltros to make her regret every decision she ever made in her life. The young woman had a black floppy hat on over her head wrap, with a pair of large sunglasses that poorly hid her face. All she needed was to walk in, grab both of the new editions, and walk back out and back to her ship. Her olive green face was already flaring up with embarassment as she strode into the store with purpose, hoping to quickly make her way into the section where the two new Lady Velvet books were on display.

It only took rounding a corner to ruin everything, as she walked straight into another woman in a similarly large hat...

 

[Jenn Kryze]

With practically everyone clamoring for her to take a break, Jenn had eventually relented. Zeltros was as good a place as any to relax: neutral space meant some piece of mind, at least until the Galactic Alliance would start paying out bounty hunters to go after known Mandalorians. Like a certain Mandalorian who had become known to the SIA thanks to her Senator-kidnapping antics.

Oh, well.

Nothing could stand between Jenn and her favorite addiction for long, anyway. Namely: Lady Velvet's trashy novels. The kind that would get her a disappointed glare from just about everyone she knew. The kind that just about anyone would expect her to condemn as abysmal shlock fit only for the pyre. Stars, even her "disguise" left a lot to be desired: she merely chose to keep her helmet off and the beskar'gam hidden away underneath a poncho. All it would take would be someone squinting hard enough, really. Not her fault nobody ever taught her to be lowkey.

But, soon as as she saw the cover for those two books, her lips curled into a grin, looking left, then right. Nobody here would recognize her, right? Right. Besides, even if they did, who would go through the trouble of identifying some random Mandalorian for... liking arguably low end literature? Nobody she needed to worry about, frankly. There was no mistaking how her eyes lingered on the cover of The Jedi's Fall for the Sith. Now that, she could already tell she would enjoy. Forbidden love, enemies to lovers, drama, romance!

Poor Jenn only realized she was holding that book close to her chest with a wistful sigh after the fact. Oops.

Clearing her throat, she went to grab another copy of that book. She knew a certain Sangnir who might get a good laugh out of it. Or she would find it droll - frankly, the potential to see Alina Tremiru smile that fanged smirk of hers was worth it. Oh, and a third copy for that Sangnir's beloved! And a fourth, in case she lost her own copy...

And then, she realized something.

Under the Tattooine Suns would either be a wonderful gift for her other peculiar friend, or it would be a great affront, given her choice of residence. And love life.

Might as well take two of those. One for herself, and one for Damsy Callat .

Were steamy tales of love the best way to destress?

Yes. Yes, absolutely, any day of the week, let's go. Nothing to see here.

​

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato stared blankly at the display of new books, scratching at the scruff growing on his jaw. He felt a bit embarrassed, not just for coming to Zeltros (although that was enough to make him hesitate), but coming to Zeltros for the sake of picking up some trashy smut. He people-watched some of the other patrons, overly concerned about the idea of someone staring at him in turn. When he finally approached the stand, he lifted up one of the paperback copies as if scientifically examining an unknown substance. Cautiously, he opened it up to find a big wall of words waiting for him. He grimaced. Normally the books he liked had a lot more pictures in them.

But in this case the book wasn't for him. "I wonder if she'd be into this…" He mused, as if saying so aloud (even quietly), would disbar him of any association with the subject matter. Still, it held truth; Inanna Harth 's birthday was coming up, and Cato was struggling to think of things to get her. She was an author herself, and a lover of romance, so perhaps this Lady Velvet would be right up her alley? The Jedi's Fall For The Sith seemed rather spicy. Or maybe she would find this schlock beneath her in that haughty, artiste sort of way? Cato groaned, recognizing that he was already starting to overthink things, and just forced himself to make the purchase before he got caught standing around staring at the book like an illiterate golem.

 

[Katherine Holt]

Katherine stepped out of the queue, eyes staring down at the two books she had just purchased seconds ago. If you had asked if she’d be visiting Zeltros anytime soon, Katherine wouldn’t have believed it. But some time ago, while browsing the HoloNet, she came across the announcement for Lady Velvet’s latest releases.

That had sent her down a rabbit hole of researching the writer, looking up reviews on her previous works. Apparently she wrote what many referred to as ‘steamy’ or ‘trash’ romance novels, amongst other descriptions that had the Padawan blushing.

But Katherine was ever the curious person. And well, her Master did once tell her that it was wise to broaden what she was reading. So why not branch out to some fiction?

The winged Padawan walked blindly, staring down at the cover art that had the Padawan’s cheeks burning red. Although, her focus was primarily on A Jedi’s Fall for the Sith. It read almost like a cautionary tale, she had yet to directly encounter a Sith; that was at her level at least.

So Katherine wondered if there was some small layer of fact within the fiction?

What the young woman didn’t anticipate however, was bumping into Syala .

 

[Inanna Harth]

Appearance: Zeltron
Tags: Cato Harth + Open

Inanna was in the mystery section—which was arguably just as trashy as the romance aisle, just in a different way. For instance, one of the most popular subgenres of the murder mystery was novels that contained a sweet recipe in the last few pages. This was because the bulk of mystery readers were retired old ladies who wanted to read about murder and make something that would fatten up the grandkids. These snack-while-you-commit-a-felony novels all had similar looking covers, and the titles always contained food puns. Sometimes the publishers decided to be blunt about it and just called it Mirial Tea Cake Murder, as with the book Inanna currently held in her hand.

Disguised as a native Zeltron and trying not to be noticed, she scanned the blurb on the back. These goofy, formulaic paperbacks were a guilty pleasure of hers (and she had even made a few of the recipes), but not one she would ever admit to. Mainly because she didn't want to look like, well, a grandma.

Hugging the book to her chest so nobody could see what it was, she headed for the register... only to freeze when she felt a very familiar presence approaching. As she saw Cato emerge from the stacks, looking a bit disheveled and carrying a copy of Lady Velvet's latest release, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

 

[V.Rider]

Corazona von Ascania

Amidst the bustling crowd, drawn by the allure of Lady Velvet's latest romance novels, a solitary figure emerges, draped in a dark cloak that seems to absorb the light around it. This is V. Rider, a presence whose arrival goes almost unnoticed in the excitement of the book release.

V. Rider's cloak billows softly with each step, hinting at a form both graceful and imposing. The cloak's hood is drawn up, casting their face in shadow visage covered by an intricate mask, with only the faintest glint of blue eyes visible beneath. What truly sets V. Rider apart, however, are the black wings that unfurl subtly from their back – perhaps part of the cloak or a backpack, that gives the impression of a dark angel or a creature of myth.

Moving through the crowd with a quiet, almost ghostly grace, V. Rider exudes an air of introspection. They pause occasionally, their gaze lingering on the vibrant cover art of the novels, or observing the crowd's reactions with a silent, thoughtful intensity.

V. Rider approaches the bookshelves, their interest piqued by the titles "The Jedi's Fall for the Sith" and "Under the Tatooine Suns." They handle the books with a reverent touch of gloved hands, flipping through the pages with an artist's appreciation for the storytelling and the provocative cover art.

While V. Rider's focus is on the books, they remain acutely aware of their surroundings. They notice the woman in the wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, recognizing her surreptitious glances and sensing a kindred spirit.

After a moment of contemplation, V. Rider selects several copies of each book, drawn to the themes of love and conflict. Their choice is deliberate.

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

"Excuse me..." Kass muttered, trying not to bump into Jenn Kryze . The aisle was unfortunately narrow, designed with Human bodies in mind, and the Pylantian was finding it somewhat difficult to navigate.

She set down the plasteel carrier she had been holding, then began unceremoniously grabbing copies of all of Lady Velvet's books in her numerous tentacles and dumping them into the container. The "steamy" content of these books didn't do much for the alien (and happily married) Kassogtha, but their popularity couldn't be denied. So she was buying these for the Temple Library, where Masters, Knights, and Padawans of a certain age could enjoy them.

Once she was done with the first shelf, she swiveled toward the one the Mandalorian was currently facing. "Pardon me, would you mind handing over that book, please?" She gestured to The Jedi's Fall For the Sith.

Jenn Kryze Corazona von Ascania you know what's coming​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato, in his hyperaware state, managed to notice the Zeltron staring at him, but not that said Zeltron was actually Inanna in disguise. He accidentally stared back, his gaze squinting and judgmental, in retaliation for this stranger daring to catch him with a Lady Velvet novel in hand. He suddenly blinked, realizing that it only drew more attention (and was a little, y'know, rude).

"S-sorry, pardon me," He said, trying to walk past at an angle that would keep the book further out of this stranger's sight.

Inanna Harth - Open​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Cato didn't recognize her in pink, evidently. As he tried to walk past her, she caught his arm.

"Wait." Her initial shock had given way to bewilderment, and undeniable curiosity. "Cato, what are you doing here? And why do you have that?" She pointed to the book in his hands. Forget her old lady mystery novels; if it turned out her husband had a thing for Lady Velvet, Inanna would just die.

Of laughter.

Cato Harth​

 

[Jenn Kryze]

There was no getting around how surprised Jenn was by the stranger's appearance. Still, she gave her but a nod of acknowledgement after the initial shock of being faced by a tentacled monstrosity passed. There was no need for her to be rude, now, and she was just about ready to head on over to the line to wait her turn - when the peculiar stranger asked her for help. "Of course", spoke the smith as she reached on over to grab a copy of The Jedi's Fall for the Sith, the gesture revealing the unmistakable sight of a bracer made of beskar as her poncho slid back.

Acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, the Mandalorian put it down in the plasteel container - or tossed it inside if doing so proved to be impossible because of the alien's physiology. "Here you go."

​

Corazona von Ascania Kassogtha Cthylla ​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

"Thank you." Kass took the book from the woman, trying not to sigh in disappointment at the title. Something about the wording of it just seemed... off. The Jedi's Fall for the Sith—why not The Jedi Who Fell For a Sith? It was so obvious, too. Why not choose a more subtle title, merely hinting at the plot rather than spelling it out for all to see? Well, she supposed no one would be disappointed; they would get exactly what was written on the cover.

She tossed the glossy paperback into the carrier, and would've noticed the beskar bracer the woman was wearing if the books in the container hadn't shifted, revealing a particular tome. All of Kass' eyes were drawn to it, her sinuous limbs falling still as she experienced a profound sense of deja vu. She dipped one tentacle into the pile and retrieved the book upon which her attention was now fully fixed.

The cover depicted a generic scene of humanoid lovers dramatically embracing in front of a backdrop consisting of a crashed starship in a verdant green meadow. The male was absurdly handsome and muscular; his clothes were torn in all the right places and tastefully spattered with green blood. Kass couldn't help but notice the uncanny resemblance to her husband. Printed in bold text was the title: Rescuing the Pylantian Jedi. By Lady Velvet.

"Erm, ma'm?" She tried to get the attention of the woman who had helped her. "Sorry to bother you, but would you happen to have read this one?" She held up the book which she now suspected was based on real events—albeit very, very loosely.

Jenn Kryze Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Valery Noble]

Zeltros

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Outfit: Disguise | Wedding Ring
Tag: Corazona von Ascania | Open at your own risk

Dressed in the most normal people clothes she could find, and with her face hidden underneath a Hutball cap and some sunglasses, Valery had managed to sneak out of the Noble homestead to head over to Zeltros. She knew Kahlil Noble always knew where she was, but she didn't want to give him the chance to tease her about the way she looked, or about the reason for traveling to the planet.

Sure, he knew about her interest in romantic novels, but she had never gone out of her way to be at a book release or to potentially meet the author for an autograph. But this was her day off to be spent alone, and this is how what she had chosen to do. Sadly, hiding her appearance wasn't the easiest thing. Between fiery orange eyes, her long dark-brown ponytail, a huge scar over her face, and-

It was going to be a challenge.

Luckily, most people out here were too focused on themselves to really notice, so Valery slipped through the crowds with her own copies of earlier books tucked between her elbow and chest, and made her way forward.

 

[Jett Zaldaren]

Never let it be said that Jett didn't take his job seriously. Seriously enough he was standing in the bookstore holding a few select novels. At heart he had gone to pick up a few books about the Grim Dark Future, Waraxe 70K was popular and extremely so on Dosuun. He wanted to purchase a few novels to read on his trip back. Under an arm he gathered his novels, Jett realized he was going to need a basket. He wanted to check out the rest of the store, maybe pause over in the romance section. It always paid to know what the ladies were into, and romance novels were almost always what they were into.

In one ear he had a small bud that played his favorite Dosuunian metal band, Electric Escorts. He was mouthing the lyrics while moving through the rows of books. Jett plucked a copy of an Imperial and a Gentleman, before his eyes fell the two latest from Lady Velvet, he grabbed Jedi's Fall for the Sith then made his way toward the counter. He wasn't personally interested in book signings, just something to read and this was a last minute stop off. The trip from Coruscant to Dosuun was likely to take weeks.

His well-mannered pardons and excuse-me's were heard as he made his way through the crowd before accidently bumping into someone. "Sorry, my apologies," he knelt down and picked up the books he had dropped and as he stood back up his eyes caught sight of just who he ran into. With a smirk, "my sincerest apologies."

Valery Noble | Open​

 

[Valery Noble]

Zeltros

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Outfit: Disguise | Wedding Ring
Tag: Jett Zaldaren | Approach at your own risk

"It's all good!" Valery exclaimed while she desperately began to pick up the few books she had dropped herself. She immediately tucked them back between her arm and chest, held them even tighter, and did what she could to avoid eye contact. Her sunglasses hid the color of her eyes, but up-close, there was a chance that someone could tell. Especially if they spotted the scar over her left eye.

Or, well, if they just knew what she looked like — which was easy enough, given her regular appearances on Media platforms everywhere.

"I'll uh, be on my way again..." she smiled sheepishly, turned around and tried to just walk away as fast as she could. She already had the new book she wanted, and now it was time to maybe score herself an autograph from Corazona von Ascania if she could escape Jett Zaldaren first.

 

[Jenn Kryze]

Jenn's enthusiasm for the book, it seemed, was not quite shared by the stranger. But then again, it seemed that most people here were not quite brave enough to fully admit that they, in fact, enjoyed trashy romance novels. Was that reaction borne solely out of distaste for the subject material, or merely just a way to pretend that they had absolutely no interest in it, no siree-

I'm reading too much into this.

Unfamiliar as she was with the particular species of the person before her, the Mandalorian took a certain measure of pride in her observant nature, and seeing her go still had her lifting a brow. Some measure of shock, perhaps? Ah, but then, it would be rude of her to stare. Just as she resolved to give the stranger some privacy, the smith found herself addressed once more, her gaze shifting over to the cover of the book presented to her.

"Rescuing the Pylantian Jedi? Mmmh, I think that rings a bell, yes... don't think it quite left an impression like some of Lady Velvet's other works, mind. We all have our preferences, and that means not everything can be hit." Evidently, Jenn had no issue voicing her experience (and appreciation!) when it came to the author's works.

​

Kassogtha Cthylla Corazona von Ascania ​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato was startled when the Zeltron woman grabbed him. Was fate really so hellbent on publicly accosting him about this smut novel? His face turned red when this complete stranger asked him about it. But wait— she called him Cato. He stared dumbfounded for a few seconds, coming to the only conclusion he could muster up.

Serena's mom. "Woah! Hey! Uh— Wow, this is crazy. Um—" He was in full panic mode. How the hell was he supposed to react to the mother of his child stumbling onto him by pure chance?! They only knew each other for one night, and clearly his memory was worse cause he not only didn't remember her name before, but he didn't recognize her face now either, "The kid is doing well. Her name is Serena. And— I'm really sorry. I, uh, ah-" His fried synapses finally made a logical connection.

Why was this woman on Zeltros now? Why was she choosing to ask him about a book of all things after this much time? And what are the odds they just stumble into each other in a bookstore of all places? He froze for good long while, way too long for the midst of a conversation, "…What's your name again?"

Inanna Harth​