The Climb (Empress Teta Coronation - Open)

[Carbon]

Yarva looked from [member="Lily Kuhn"] to [member="Arkaitz Zambrano"], blinking momentarily as his mind registered 'threat.' In a manner not dissimilar to a canine companion sensing impending death in the form of a natural disaster, his hand came out to grasp her upper arm in a firm grip that said 'not a great idea.' She had to be polite, but that didn't stop the alarm klaxons from going off in his mind. His gut said 'no good' and his mind said 'listen to the gut.'

So here he was, shamelessly acting like her boyfriend.

Clearing his throat quietly, he adjusted the set of his tie around his neck without realizing what he was doing. A faint loosening, giving him some leeway if a fight broke out. There wasn't any single indicator that something was necessarily off about the man, but much like staring at a room of mirrors for too long, you quickly realized the dimensions were all skewed.

It was no singular thing, rather, it was the sum of the parts that didn't add up.

And though he was loathe to pull her away, he bit his tongue from the verbal warning he was about to give. Latent sensitivity? Perhaps.

Or maybe he just didn't trust anyone with blood-rimmed eyes wearing a mask at a public event.

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Cameron allowed a light smile to dance across his facial features as he finished off yet another piece of food. Though the Sith Lord's movements were not grotesque or off-putting, he was certainly not the delicate flower that [member="Sera Inkari"] appeared to be. Then again - he knew all too well how deceiving appearances could truly be. "We all have our vices." Cameron did not bother to follow his statement through to a more developed conclusion.

As Sera had anticipated, Cameron placed no real concern or exaggerated awareness behind her actions. Indeed if the Sith was even remotely aware that the woman fancied herself a Seer, a role which he almost outright rejected, he did not show it. The ability to see into the ether of the Force and discern possible courses of action were relevant in some situations. However, the true conundrum was whether or not things would transpire along a similar path if even one element was aware of their...perceived future. The power of independent choice would always trump visions...for the living Force in the here and now was quite literally always more powerful than the future of the Force, constantly shifting and evolving.

Once Sera's glacier-blue gaze settled on him once more, Cameron allowed a casual shrug of his shoulders as he finished off his plate of food. "Life." A simple response...perhaps even vague. "In my time within this galaxy, I have learned one inescapable truth. All of the scheming, fighting, and power-grabbing in the galaxy would not trump the ultimate beauty of a life lived simply for the purpose of living. I discharge my duties and efforts along the lines of that which holds interest for me. I've been a King, and I've been a Pawn. A slave and a slaver. A casual lover and devoted husband."

For a brief moment, the Sith Lord's silver-green gaze diverted towards the commotion afforded only by new arrivals and a bustling relocation of the...monarch-to-be. Settling his eyesight back on Sera, Cameron allowed a mischievous smile to touch his lips. "I just seek to do it all better than the rest."

That was the quality of Cameron Centurion's life and the reality of his psyche.

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

Firm lips curved up in a pale imitation of a smile.

"Arkaitz," he began slowly, evenly.

What is that coiled tension? Such intensity, ready to do violence. The hairs along his neck prickled. The masked gaze fell on the Mirialan youth and narrowed. The smile slipped away, a ghost receding beneath the break of dawn's harsh rays.

He is already prepared to strike me down and he hasn't even heard my surname. Reluctantly, he completed the moniker he'd been given at birth.

"Zambrano."

In all the galaxy, one could not find a name that carried a more foul and sordid reputation than did this appellation. Steeped in the life ichor of a hundred species until every letter stood coated thick in blood dried black.

The bastard son watched them intently, waiting to see the familiar flash of recognition quickly followed by the spark of hatred. All because of a name, his father's name, attached to which were fell deeds Ark had only ever heard on the holonews. And yet they would fear him all the same, more so if he removed the mask. Ugly men are easier to hate

[member="Yarva Adisu"] | [member="Lily Kuhn"]

 

[Ellie Mors]

While the area that Lily and the majority of the nobility and higher-ups that had attended the party found themselves on an open floor with tables set up for food and drink, the area closest to the place that the coronation was to be had, especially the reserved area for the Kuhn family and other important Tetan families, was outfitted with several large, round, tables that were numbered specifically for the expected guests and important arrivals that had made their attendance clear ahead of time. So finding a seat adjacent her other family members, positioning herself strategically between where the two late-joiners were presumably going to sit - Lily and Yarva, that is - was rather easy.

"You two have really grown up, you know that?" She asked, though the question was rhetorical, to Rose as she sat down and immediately set upon untying her bun so it fell into a longer ponytail. While she wasn't always one for letting her hair down, it usually got in the way when she was running around with lightsabers in each hand, it was most certainly the best way to both alter her appearance and appear just as elegant as the rest of the guests. "What have you been up to lately, Rose?" Lis pressed, curious if her younger half-sister was anywhere as adventurous as she'd recalled hearing about some year or two ago.

Her own little port-hopping and odd job choices had usually kept her preoccupied, generally as some kind of a bodyguard or precious cargo shipping. And then there were the few times when she'd gone out and actually participated in underground activism and rioting, but that was probably even less well known than the fact that she'd been apprenticed for a while by the late sword of the Jedi.

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Sera Inkari]

“So they say.” Sera accepted lush red wine as waiter past, vice’s texture and fragrance laying claim. Their crowd’s ebb and flow, surrounding guests and their attention shifting with [member="Lisette Kuhn"]’s seating. Kuhn's the beating current of events unfolding had voices once more hushed to whisper. Cameron’s presence seen as cliff facing ocean wave for our seer against their backdrop.

Our red headed philosopher would have loved debating possible futures were actions taken. Unknown to Sera she shared his want, being momentarily present within those futures, desire to see her hand guiding and being guided along subtly, force and form entwined together, grape left as determining feature for her vision’s course unfolding behind them.

“Many reach for sand,” sera felt tugging engagement. His mind, Cameron’s entire presence embodied vitality, “you powerfully demand life”, break upon her breath facing him. Cameron's breaking current and stream around himself to contrast his choice of conversation partner. Sera’s desire her force’s vision, but “we are all-things when called.” She had strong feeling this would spark him to challenge her words, looking upon him to read futures ahead. Had she picked those words to place?

Better he was, “I have little doubt.” Sera’s polite smile deepened, hands cradling and bringing her cup toward her waist, back foot resting, placing elegant toes for swan-like balance. Her attention drew to [member="Lisette Kuhn"]'s and their alcove, and their families happy moment to come.

[member="Cameron Centurion"]​

 

[Tarok Vassket]

"So that's the one being crowned?" Tilzi asked.

"Oh yes, that's her."

"Who's the green skinned one with her?" Tilzi asked. The empress herself was actually quite tall, but a tiny slip of a thing. Size was never something to directly equate to danger, the witch knew. Plenty of small creatures on her home world were quite deadly enough. A big large pack animal, at the end of the day, was just a stupid lump.

Odd that she thought of the girl as young, but they were probably of a similar age. That showed how long she'd been here. Back home most twelve year olds that couldn't hunt and kill were assumed failures.

"That's a mirialan Tilzi... manners," her aunt chided. "But I don't know, which means it's going to become quite the conversation piece this evening. See what you can find out."

Tilzi's 'aunt' was a fairly distant relative in fact. A tall and delicate creature, she made Tilzi feel like the ungainly thirteen year old she had once been again, back before she had grown into her frame. Her clan had to dart and weave through the roots of great trees that covered a whole island. Being awkward and unbalanced had been difficult for her.

She appraised the crowd with a discerning eye. One of her first lessons had been on observation. Just as you would watch for a hidden Drenae beast in the trees Tilzi. The only difference is you have to look without appearing to be looking. One of the first days on Teta, when everything had been about decorum and actually using her words. They had been wise to remove all her weapons in those early days, such was the frustration.

She caught the head of [member="Cameron Centurion"] above the crowd. Dark skinned, broad shouldered and a shaven head. That would be a male worth fighting for.

Bad Tilzi. Men aren't just possessions and playthings. Here.

"I'll go have a talk with the She'dans," Tilzi said quietly, swiping another flute from a platter as she stalked off.

 

[Cameron Centurion]

The thin smile on the Sith Lord's lips mostly just stifled his laughter. It had been...a while since he'd spoken with a mystic. To a fault, they were all interesting to Cameron. The time spent drifting through the subtle currents of the Force was too much in the lives of the devoted. Cameron was a warrior, and he'd been bred for strictly for combat. His was a life of taking life, ground, whatever was necessary to accomplish an objective.

However, unlike the youth among the galaxy, Cameron was not merely a warrior of steel and armor. In fact he rarely used his principal weapon in most situations. There was a great deal to be said about the warrior that could remain at peace, defeating their enemy before said enemy ever had a chance to formulate a plan. At the end of the day, the Sith Lord's only real purpose was to be several steps ahead of those seeking to lay a challenge to his...purpose.
Life is all a game, after all...

"We're all pieces in a larger game that none of us really have complete control over." Setting down his empty plate, Cameron closed the distance between himself a [member="Sera Inkari"] and allowed his upper body to brush lightly against her right side as he whispered into her ear. "I abandoned the sophomoric hope of being the gamemaster long ago. Now, I merely take action to be the most effective piece on the board. I'll leave you to your own game now."

Stepping just past the woman, Cameron continued his casual pace, circling around the edge of the room. He would wait for the majority of those assembled to begin filing towards seats for the official ceremony...before he made a discreet exit.

Parties and celebrations just didn't have any real level of interest anymore.

 

[Ellie Mors]

Normally Lily would have been greatly offended that someone had grabbed her, that someone was being absurdly over-protective for what appeared, to her, to be absolutely no reason, and she had, in the past, oftentimes dumped guys that had taken the "controlling boyfriend" role in her relationships. But, really, the only thing she found herself thinking about was 'OH MY GOSH HE'S TOUCHING ME!'. To be fair, she did blink a few times, tug on her arm lightly, but her mind was entirely occupied with roughly four trillion simultaneous shouts, all her, screaming about what she should be, or should not be, doing right now. 'Is my hair right? Is the zit still visible on my neck!? Am I wearing the right perfume? Too much makeup? Not enough makeup? Blush? No? Smile?! KISS!?' Really, truly, a bomb could have gone off on the far end of the room and she wouldn't have flinched - if there was such a thing as lagging in thought, she was frozen.

Well, she thought that she had been, except in reality it had probably been the course of, maybe, six or seven seconds. Hearing [member="Arkaitz Zambrano"] respond to her question had, rather quickly, snapped her out of it. While Arkaitz may or may not have been like any normal, somewhat decent, human being - or in his case Epicanthix, assuming he was the child of the famed Kaine Zambrano, Darth Vornskr - his surname possessed every ounce of infamy that his father's reputation had grown to, though perhaps muted only because he wasn't that butcher of worlds. It probably wasn't a huge secret that Lily had been pressured into accepting, publicly, that the One Sith were the "good" protectors of Teta, that a few years and up until a few years ago she had made, in public, some very opinionated statements regarding her dislike for the Sith and their role in driving her mother to presumed suicide. So to see the son of the man that had helped lead the One Sith forward even after the death of the Dark Lord - a death which she celebrated with wine and food - standing before her?

Well, she wasn't exactly disgusted by Arkaitz, but she wasn't too keen on being friends with anyone that was related to Kaine Zambrano. She, unlike some of the filth that mingled with the Sith Lord, valued her life over whatever power or fortune he might be able to hand out. If she asked her father, she was certain he'd probably feel the same way - to her, the highest of the Sith Lords among the One Sith were really the only ones that really posed a great threat to her. Whereas an underling might not be able to persuade their leaders that assaulting, killing, or torturing the young Kuhn daughter was in their best interest, if someone like Kaine Zambrano, or his children, she assumed, really felt the urge, there was no one and nothing in the galaxy that would really be able to keep him from doing just that. Every nerve in her body, every fiber in her being, screamed at her to walk the other way.

But instead she looked back at the masked man, she smiled like she had before, and, for all intents and purposes, bottled up that sudden surge of anxiety in order to keep up her appearance. "A pleasure to meet you, Mister Arkaitz." Lily said, finally. While she absolutely didn't want to associate with his family, any sign of weakness, on her part, in regards to a fear of the Zambrano name would only serve to undermine her position as both royalty and - soon to be - political leader of the Krath nobles. Weakness, to the Krath and her political rivals, meant either death or blackmail. While it was, generally, an attempt at the latter, the former had been attempted several times directly following her split from her sister's side during her party days as a teenager. While they never succeeded, she had no doubt that if they found some kind of notion that she was unhappy or personally against the Sith that they would put forth every effort, every credit, to have the Zambranos remove her from power and the galaxy at large.

Never, truly, had she wanted her father, [member="Alric Kuhn"], more.

"I hope I will see you after the coronation, time's running a bit short for me, so I'll have to apologize and excuse myself, and Yarva, to see my father before it begins." She explained, trying her damndest to be as sincere sounding as she could. In total honesty, she didn't feel fearful for the son outright but rather by association with his father. The uncomfortable feeling that the youth gave off didn't quite help, either, and was more or less what had initially brought on that silent anxiety. Another tug at her wrist to free herself from the Mirialan, though she sought out his hand with hers right away.

[member="Yarva Adisu"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Lisette Kuhn"]

"Traveling."

Rose said as her father was slowly edged out of the conversation, Alric leaning back slightly to watch a bit of the crowd that lay behind them. He didn't know how many people had come, but the number was certainly more then enough to make quite a spectacle. He watched them for a moment with interest, his eyes settling on a particular few that he did not quite recognize. There was a pit in his stomach for some odd reason, perhaps the growth of his children, or perhaps the dreading of the trap Lily was stepping into.

"Exploring. Seeing the galaxy one bit at a time. I'm part of a team that maps the outer rim, though lately we've been moving more and more into wild space, trying to edge out of the core so that know which planets can be colonized, which hold some value, all of that. It's a lot of fun."

Alric turned to his daughter, smiling for a moment.

There wasn't really much for him to add to this particular conversation. Rose had shared everything she possibly could about her trips, even the boy that she had become interested in. Alric had yet to meet him, but there was a certain...distaste for the thought of his daughters growing up.

Oddly enough, this entire ceremony was about just that. He shook his head slightly and then looked at Lisette for a moment. She wasn't his biological daughter, but that had never mattered. Much with Myra he had always cared about what happened with Lisette, had always tried to support her. That had never really worked out of course, but at least he'd tried. A frown pulled at his lips as he thought for a moment, reminding himself that eventually, they would all grow up.

At least they had set themselves upon good paths though. He supposed that was all he could ask for in the end.

 

[Sera Inkari]

Games resting for another day. She had enjoyed banquet and banter. Her dreams drawing to close, taking long her sip of wine for she knew how valuable perhaps last tastes of luxury might be, letting that life, fire and vice have more of her than she usually gave. Relativist turned to fatalist? Sera did not dictate her pendulums sway, only swam currents.

Kintan's seer was no more gamemaster than the mouse, she chuckled and put her cup atop tray. All played their part, pulling her red hood around her ears to hide her hair once again. Her game was fast running to uncertain juncture. Sera would linger to watching Ceremony as she had want for, finding resting place near pillar and leaning for support, away from hushed whispers for a-time. Enjoying opulence per chance upon her lips, another glass, richer than her first drawn from passing servant.

One selfish moment allowed.

There before her lay family, roots, permanence in their making, and for ability to see that, be here, she was thankful, quietly in her corner to observe.

[member="Cameron Centurion"]

 

[Carbon]

[member="Lily Kuhn"] [member="Arkaitz Zambrano"]

While Lily certainly knew who the Zambranos were, Yarva did not. There was no glimmer of recognition, no spark of hatred, no smoldering ember of disgust. Instead, he was perhaps baffled, as though the weight of the pause before and after the name were awkward to him in a manner one often feels when left out of an inside joke.

Everyone is laughing but you, and you aren't sure if you should laugh along or just wait for a joke you can actually understand.

Frowning faintly, he found his hand captured in hers. "I imagine her father doesn't want to be left waiting long." He remarks dryly.

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

Did he detect a spark of hate, or perhaps fear? He could not fully discern the princess' shifting emotions. The thin smile remained, an alien affectation he had learned long ago. Faux politeness, the thin veil behind which nobility and politicians sneered. A scrap of skin in which they hid all their cruelty. Cruelty they turned on him, simply because the skin he wore was marred and twisted.

"Of course."

Red coat tails fluttered as Arkaitz gave the pair an elegant bow befitting their station, or at least one of them. He did not know the boy and the boy, it appeared, did not know him. Better he did not, few enjoyed the company of Kaine's bastard son.

His eyes drifted from her face to those two intertwined hands. Was that a flash of envy in the gaze of tortured gold?

A painful grip squeezed tight in Arkaitz's chest. He winced and stepped back, letting the couple pass.

[member="Yarva Adisu"] | [member="Lily Kuhn"]

 

[Ellie Mors]

Always the voice of reason - or maybe just the one to state the obvious - Yarva's remark on her father's behalf was more true than he knew. Probably because Alric would be anything but happy if she kept him waiting until long after the party had ended, mostly because she'd made a promise to see him and introduce Yarva to him just over a month ago. "Please enjoy yourself for the remainder of the event." Lily said with a slightly more genuine smile, meaning exactly what she said but still quite a bit uncomfortable with the fact that there were dignitaries related to Sith Lords meandering about in the party too.

With Yarva's hand in hers, a deep breath and a renewed confidence, Lily strode towards the reserved seating area with a firm tug on her not-boyfriend's arm. "There's a table reserved for my family and personal guests near the stage for the coronation. My father and two sisters should be waiting for us there." She explained, walking passed several other members of the nobility that seemed to take either interest or annoyance at the sight of the heiress and date - 'Shh! Don't tell him!' - with hardly a hello or a wave. She'd get spoken to by Emil after it was all said and done for her perceived slight to the few that were probably either offended or feigning it, but it was worth it.

Catching a glimpse of Rose and Lisette sitting roughly across from one another, and the two empty seats that were situated almost tactically between all three attending family members, a small smile crept over her. "Okay, so, the older one, the brunette, is Lisette. She's my half sister, 'cause my mom had her before she met my father. The one that looks like me but with.. purple hair? Really? Well that's Rose. We're identical twins. And the man sitting next to her is [member="Alric Kuhn"], my father." Lily said quickly as they drew close, giving [member="Yarva Adisu"] a quick run-down of the family so it didn't all come to him as new information when they sat down. She planned to sit next to her father, if only to make it a bit less stressful for the Tetan and the Mirialan, but hadn't quite voiced that idea.

[member="Arkaitz Zambrano"]

 

[Ellie Mors]

Lisette nodded with genuine interest. She'd never thought about traveling to map out routes and unmarked planets and such things, or really do anything that didn't make use of her particular set of skills, so it was rather interesting to find that her younger sister was doing just that. Out of the three of them, she'd wager that Rose was probably having the most fun with her occupation, from her perspective at any rate. Running a company was hard, plus rather boring, so she'd not followed in her parent's footsteps, and running a system - much less a planet - was probably so taxing and politically-focused that Lis didn't even want to consider the idea of spending so much as an hour as the empress of the Empress Teta system. If anything, she envied Rose far more than she did Lily.

Speak of the she-devil.

"That's wonderful, I'd never have thought to make an occupation or hobby out of that." She commented, turning her head slightly to glance over her shoulder, noticing the green-skinned [member="Yarva Adisu"] that accompanied Lily. "I'm glad you got out of the whole military industrial complex when you did. I can tell you right now that I'm not having any fun at all, and I'm fighting against it." Lisette added. While normally she wasn't so carefree with saying such things, when it was as difficult to hear someone as it was during such a large party such as this, it was quite a bit more safe to talk about her rebellious tendencies than when it was quiet and attended by only a handful. "Ohhh! It looks like Lily found a boy." She said when she peered back and saw Lily saying something rapidly to the Mirialan. He didn't seem too bad of a boy, but she'd let [member="Alric Kuhn"] sort that one out.

 

[Carbon]

It's hard to say what was going through the boy's mind at that point in time, but 'oh kark' probably wasn't too far off. He'd met [member="Lily Kuhn"] a barest handful of times before, and now she was dragging him before kin for introductions. Unsure as to who [member="Alric Kuhn"] and Lisette were - although the purple hair was certainly interesting - he looked between the two before raising a brow and looking to Lily.

Not one to be impolite, he extended a hand first to the father, then the sister. "Yarva Adisu." He says quietly, "A pleasure, sir."

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Lily Kuhn"] | [member="Yarva Adisu"]

He perked an eyebrow.

Alric had known that both his daughters were growing up, that was rather inevitable, and of course he had known that would mean boys, but...well he hadn't quite expected it here. This was a coronation after all, not an afternoon dinner where one threw in a new friend. He frowned for a moment, but quickly realized that would probably make the boy feel awkward. It wasn't his fault that his daughter had thrown him into this situation, and in truth he probably had enough to deal with as it was.

"Alric Kuhn." He said as he shook the boy's hand in a firm grip. "Pleasure's all mine."

Might as well let the kid know he wasn't going to get shot. "Lily, isn't this beginning soon?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. It wasn't that he wanted his daughter gone of course, but this was a big day, a day that would leave quite the impression on Empress Teta and it's society. It was a society that Alric knew well, one that didn't take well to being made a fool of. Even being late by a few minutes was enough to make them quite angry, especially when it was for an event as important as this.

Rose peaked out from behind Alric, waving to her sister and making a small greeting for Yarva as well.

 

[Ellie Mors]

In a way, the way Lily had felt the moment her father and Yarva had been introduced to each other, the excitement she felt, internally, could roughly be compared to some kind of high-pressure container - just waiting to burst. She wasn't necessarily elated with their introductions, nor was she entirely frightened at the thought that her father might act a bit too dad-like with meeting her friend, but the sum of all of those added together had her on edge until Alric addressed her directly. "Beginning soon..? Oh!" Lily replied in what started as confusion but ended with embarassed realization.

She wasn't always one to put words into people's mouths, in the sense that she didn't generally tend to mishear what someone else said, but she almost thought he'd said something along the lines of 'Lily, isn't this beginning too soon?' Well her initial confusion - she might have heavily implied she was extremely interested in the Mirialan, but she'd not said they were dating, and they weren't - quickly faded and was replaced with a more panicked realization. "I'll see you all soon - It's good to see you again, Rose, make sure you stick around so we can catch up - and be nice to Yarva, Father, he's a nice boy." She said as she looked first up to the end of the main hall, where she'd be standing to receive the crown - a symbol of her authority - and in front of the majority of the system's population over the holonet and in person.

"Guess I should head over there.." She muttered as she walked off, leaving her family with Yarva to ensure she wasn't late to her own coronation. "Wish me luck!"

[member="Yarva Adisu"] [member="Alric Kuhn"]