The Hapes Consortium Masquerade Ball

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax grinned widely when [member="Anastasia Rade"] told him he looked handsome. He knew he cleaned up well, but he was still somewhat mystified that the beautiful Mandalorian wanted anything to do with him, much less be his girlfriend. He was tall, but thin and lanky. And cute, but hopelessly geeky. As he gazed over the partygoers with his glowing red eyes, he felt woefully inadequate around all the other more chiseled Hapan men. These guys were the types a woman as attractive as she normally fell for, weren't they? She was stratospherically out of his league. Then he looked at Anastasia in her cleavage-revealing, jewel-encrusted dress and he thought, 'Kark it.' She was all his, and he was going to flaunt it.

"Thank you, my lovely witch. You look indescribably gorgeous in that dress. Consider me one awe-struck Chiss." He wrapped an arm around her waist, smiled at her and tilted his head into hers. Letting his lips graze her earlobe, he whispered a few risque words of Cheunh, "Vah ch'ean'i cseo bun can csei varcah ch'ah tuzir nah vatt'ah rab ch'epasahn ch'at ler hah k'useso vah." He grinned and raised an eyebrow. "I'll translate that for you later, but let's just say it wasn't very appropriate for a classy black tie event."

Then the young Chiss chucked. "Nervous? Not really, just, well, a bit out of place." He adjusted his cat mask. "And I might as well tell you now. As bad as I am at fighting and shooting things, I'm an even worse dancer." He paused and grinned. "It's a good thing I make up for it in other ways."

"Of course if you want me to, I'll try it."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"Cold cuts. Good find."

She settled in beside [member="Sicarius"] at the refreshment table with the no-nonsense relaxation that characterized a functional longtime couple -- or a business partner who gave nary a crap about the romaaance and claaass and moooood of the event. Fingers crossed, Sicarius would be doing the physical work tonight, but she felt it wise to put down a few hundred grams of spiced brisket anyway. "A little well-cooked for my taste, but it'll do the job."

Then again, she had a strong memory of taking down a Togorian Dark Master hand to hand, then cutting him into really tasty forty-eight-ounce steaks. Very rare.

"That's the Hall of Masters right through there." She leaned close, feigning coquettishness. People at these functions tended to overhear things they shouldn't. "Plenty of places to get lost, if you know what I mean."

 

[Sicarius]

"I do enjoy a little... exploration," he said, almost a purr.

The loving couple act worked very well for male-female teams, he felt. Sure, it drew interest, but it wasn't the interest that spoiled things. People looked at the two playing their parts and thought it was either cute or sweet then would harass their own partners as to why they weren't so sweet and loving anymore. It was a typical act for pairs such as they were, but a well played part sold it to bystanders and onlookers making it very effective.

He finished the food on his plate and set it on the tray that was for the dishes from the look of the used plates and cutlery. From there it was a simple matter to gaze around the room to see who was where. Guards here and there at the normal posts to keep people out of the more sensitive areas of the palace, but none really around the Hall of Masters. In fact, not a lot of people where there, something he gathered was due to the food and drink in this area. He offered his arm to his partner with a playful grin.

"Shall we, milady?"

[member="Selka Ventus"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Sicarius"]

The Hall of Masters was a long, ornate hall in the Fountain Palace on Hapes. It had red qashmel carpets, fine artwork, arched corridors, and white alabas stairways at either end. Selka and Sicarius descended the stairs arm in arm; Selka gave her walk the hip-sway of a woman with a certain kind of business on her mind. The arched side corridors offered privacy of sight and sound, though discreet security holocams were in evidence. Taking Sicarius' hand -- the contact felt odd, but she could act -- she led him into one of those side corridors, and the shelter of a ten-foot-tall marble nude, market value somewhere in the high seven figures. Once under cover, she let go of his hand and examined the series of muted dots and symbols that scrolled across her bracelet. She faced the main hall, glancing up at the well-concealed pipes that ran along the ceiling. Sicarius' roadway to their destination.

"Motion and lifesigns read...two at eleven o'clock, four at three o'clock. The two at eleven should be past the side hall entrance in ten seconds; the four at three are moving away." She deliberately mussed up her hair a little, rumpled her dress around the hips, and shifted the strap's place on her shoulder. "And...go."

 

[Anastasia Rade]

"Well, I think we are the sexiest couple here," she smiled giving him a peak on the cheek. He had nothing to worry about as she too kind of felt a little out of place. There would be no way she could go over and gossip with the Hapen woman about dresses, boys, or even politics. Ana may not look it but she was a fish out of water here too she just also cleaned up well.

"I don't know how to dance either but I would like to try. We could learn together. It can't be hard, all you do is sway to the music while holding each other close." It wouldn't matter if they looked stupid on the dance floor at least they would look stupid together. "I promise it will be fun," she smiled gently running a hand down his cheek.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen let out a sheepish laugh at her admonishment but his tail reacted quite differently, wrapping lovingly around her waist. "You don't need the dress. The only reason I can speak tonight is because I walked in with you. As for recognizing me, lets not forget the claws, the glowing gold eyes, and the fact I can pop down to all fours. I think the best way to find out who I am is to look at my hair which is hidden under this mask."

[member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"]

 

[Sicarius]

He needed no other prompting. Granted, he quite liked his hand being held, no one had really done that before, but they were here for work. With a light jump, he leapt up and launched himself from the marble nude and onto the wall. It was heavily ornamented and crusted with crown molding, carved projections, and lots and lots of gilding. To most, it meant wealth and power. To Sicarius it meant easy handholds and simple climbing.

Fingers and hands gripped and climbed while feet and toes found easy footholds along the wall. He quickly reached the top of the wall and gave a quick glance backwards to make sure he was aligned to where he wanted to be. With another leg-driven leap, he pushed off the wall and twisted in midair. Outstretched hands gripped the concealed piping and held fast while strengthened abdominal muscles pulled his lower body up until his feet could anchor themselves to the edges of the pipes as well.

Now suspended above the hall, he could move more or less undetected to where he needed to be. That is, so long as no one looked up very carefully. However, that was what the chandeliers were for along the hall. Between those and the security cameras being pointed at an angle downwards, he was good to go unless he fell or got really, really unlucky.

He risked a glance at his own sensor bracelet and saw the two blips come out of the side hall. Less than ten seconds to get up here. Not his best time, but a good one. He started going on his way to the target without checking on his partner. He knew she could handle herself well enough.

Besides, he might get distracted. He wasn't sure why he figured that, but for some reason he felt he might. Best to focus on the job at hand.

[member="Selka Ventus"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax took another gulp of champagne and smiled at Anastasia, lightly tracing his fingers along her bare shoulder. "Sure, sweetie. Anything for my sexy witch," the Chiss said, with less confidence than he would have liked. Ana looked so ravishing in her dress he would have agreed to just about anything she wanted at the moment. His red glowing eyes swept the expanse of the Hapan palace. There were so many lavish rooms in the place, and he was curious about what other kinds of secrets the building contained. Perhaps there were private antechambers. And, of course, bedrooms. His smile ratcheted up a few notches at the thought of taking Ana somewhere more private here in the palace.

There were Hapan palace guards stationed around, but they couldn't watch everyone all the time, could they?

"First, let's explore, shall we?" He grinned mischeviously and as he took her hand and lead her down a corridor, en route to the Hall of Masters.

[member="Anastasia Rade"] [member="Selka Ventus"] [member="Sicarius"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Cryax Bane"] [member="Anastasia Rade"] [member="Sicarius"]

Blue Boy and Bottle Blonde would note a woman of dark, warm complexion, moderately distressed hair, and slightly rumpled clothing emerging from the Hall of Masters, her eyes alight with excitement, slightly out of breath, her attention very much not on them.

They had, apparently, found the right sort of place.

She passed them without comment, basking in heist kickoff afterglow, and wandered toward the royal residence with a champagne flute in hand. Ballgoers conversed not far from the secured entry hall, where a dozen guards held their stations beneath an immense wind-crystal chandelier.

Selka had a handful of talents, most of them minor. One involved fuzzing out holocams.

Back in the Hall of Masters, a silent alarm went off behind one of the statues, not far from Blue Boy and Bottle Blonde. Two of the twelve guards split off and headed that way to check it out. The guards adjusted their pattern, scanning the crowd just in case, their murmured coordinations covering whatever minor sounds Sicarius might make.

 

[Talon Vosra]

He moved through the crowd quietly his tray of wine held at the proper height and his servant's livery was perfectly pressed as befitted the occasion. The quey'tek meditaion of which he was at least a highly skilled practicer if not a master of was being used to make him seem as mundane as any servant could be.

"Drink madam?" he asked [member="Selka Ventus"] from behind his simple white sevant's mask that covered his upper face appropriately. His ear bud and nearly invisible throat mic were in place to hear instructions from the head servant while one of his "fellows" worked the crowd for information. This was nothing more than an intel effort, no tricks, no plan, just listening and watching the "important people" enjoy themselves.

 

[Renato Sarkin]

@Peresphone Callas

Renato Sarkin stands at the top of the staircase arriving fashionably late to the party. Renato smiles having chosen the outfit he did for the effect he would have.




Slowly descending the stairs Renato took in the full measure of those in attendance before paying his respects to the host with a polite bow before making rounds to meet all the new faces he did not yet know.

 

[Sicarius]

Hand over hand was the way to go here. Slowly and carefully, making as little noise as possible. He was thankful for the soft bottomed dress shoes he'd snagged a while back. They were formal enough to avoid scrutiny, but soft and pliable enough to let him move quietly and easily.

The suit had also been chosen for this work. It was form fitting, but loose and allowed him to move freely. It also allowed him to carry things he might need, too. A small lockpick kit in his back pocket was there in the event they had physical locks to get through and a rather sizable bag of soft material was tucked into the shirt he wore. Tucked here and there under the vest, shirt, and waistband of his pants were thin handkerchiefs of soft material. Sure, it made him look a little bulkier than he actually was, but the way they were stowed made it look like a little more weight, not like he was hiding things he shouldn't have. Yet.

He made his way to the first chandelier in the Hall. Sure, it was ornate and gaudy, but it wasn't the one he was after. No, the one he wanted was the crystal chandelier at the end of the hall where the Royal quarters met the rest of the palace. The Hall had some nice pieces in it for sure, but the chandelier was the prize.

He carefully picked his way around the anchors holding the light fixture to the ceiling and then stopped. Below, he spotted a Chiss and what looked to be a high class escort or high born woman with more money than sense walking through the Hall. A bit further away, he spotted a pair of guards. Considering Selka was nowhere to be seen and he'd made no noise so far, he figured his partner had managed a slight bit of a distraction for him. Now, he just had to wait until they were gone or preoccupied so he could move to the next chandelier.

Thankfully, this was only the first of three in the hall.

[member="Selka Ventus"] [member="Cryax Bane"] [member="Anastasia Rade"]

 

[Darth Odium]

The smell of clean bodies perfumed, coiffed and full of pride made him long for an orbital nuclear strike as he walked through the room holdinga glass of red liquid that was probably a powdered drink mix and water rather than alcoholic beverage. A mask covered his face while the hood of his green nautolan skin cloak covered his head tresses other than that he made no effort to hide who he was some of his favorite people were here and he thought he would visit.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Talon Vosra"] [member="Sicarius"]

"I'm good, thanks." She brandished her half-empty champagne flute. Someone quicker on the uptake would have found a good safe way to use the masked waiter as a distraction for the remaining guards, but she couldn't put it together fast enough. Fundamentally, she was still fairly new at some aspects of this.

"Ah, might as well. "With a shrug, she took one anyway. She'd get hell at the next board meeting for getting seen with two glasses of alcohol, but her saunter took on a slightly tipsy quality as she wandered near the guards. Their eyes followed her, a couple of them.

"Hey there friend," she said to one of them. "Want a drink?"

Sicarius was clear for chandelier two.

 

[Illyria Skirata]

Lady Devereux would step lightly, attired in full regalia for the occasion. She was the Ducha of Terephon, a planet situated within the Transitory Mists which blocked all long-range and holocomm transmissions. This ensured Terephon's isolation and helped shape its reputation as a backwater in the Consortium. Nevertheless, rising from the marshy plains of the planet were Hapan cities and mountain ranges; the world became popular for hunting, and wealthy nobles often built retreats on Terephon.

So, it was no surprise that this Lady would be here. A waiter would pass with a tray of bubbly, and she would take one, bringing the glass to her lips as she would observe from behind a gilded mask.

Oh, how delightful, she'd muse, as she would slowly start to step down the hall.

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax chuckled as the woman passed them. Her hair was mussed, and the strap of her dress was hanging off her shoulder. And with her telltale grin, she'd obviously had the same idea as he. But it was curious that she seemed to have no partner joining in her little adventure. As guards passed through the corridor beyond, sweeping the perimeters of the room he frowned. He wondered if there was a security breach somewhere. One of the guards stopped in front of them and looked them up and down. Once the guard seemed satisfied that neither Ana or he were suspicious, the guard moved along.

Still leading Ana by the hand, the Chiss strolled through the Hall of Masters, stopping to admire the art and decor. The craftsmanship of Hapan architecture and interior design was said to be unrivaled, and the detail in those chandeliers definitely proved it. Scanning his glowing red eyes slowly around the chamber, he was really just looking for a secluded spot where he could make out with his girlfriend. But for the sake of the nearby guards, he tried not to make that too obvious.

[member="Anastasia Rade"] [member="Sicarius"] [member="Selka Ventus"]

 

[Anastasia Rade]

The palace was beautiful and the guards didn't seem to mind them taking a self tour as long as they didn't touch or take anything. She doubted the Hapens thought anything of their home as it was normal for them. It would be strange for the royalty not to have such lavish things. Wouldn't it be something to live here," she mused as they had stopped to admire a piece of art. It looked like someone just threw paint on a piece of paper.

As they continued along she saw the hall of masters continued but there was also a set of stairs. Ana didn't know where they led but they were about to find out. The King and Queen more than likely lived up here.

Before turning towards the circular stairwell she made sure the guards were not watching before leading the way up the stairwell.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Melanctha Dallamoor]

[member="Aiden Merritt"]

She saw him standing there his eyes upon her as she walked up the steps carefully keeping the hem of her gown from settling onto the floor yes her choise of gowns was more along the style of someone who had traveled did she think twice on it, no she did not. She had chosen this dress for reasons and looking up into his eyes as she moved it was well worth all the time it took to pick it out, she extended her hand to him not so much for him to kiss but to help her balance as she moved up the stairs only when she got closer to him did he do something she had not expected.

He pulled her closer by placing her hand on his chest. He was the vision of what dreams were made of his jet black hair, the eyes that smoldered, and a body that could have been designed by a goddess. She could already hear the sighs of disappointment as he kissed her. She could not help but to respond to the light kiss and when he lingered only briefly she whined slightly at the loss of contact.

Yes their engagement was based upon an alliance of families but it could not be denied that there was an attraction between them. She reached up and put a single finger to his lower lip. "My Duch'da I am glad you approve" she leaned closer, "I really wanted you to like it" She kissed his cheek.

She put her fingertips to his cheek for just moment that innocent touch she took a step towards the door, reaching over to take his arm to lead her in. The news of the engagement had been released throughout the Consortium and it was expected that they would stop and speak to any Noble present to ensure good will and to show a united front.

Melanctha put away her smile keeping her face passive as they moved, "I promise that we won't stay long Aiden" She looked at him, "We are here to ensure that all know we are now engaged, and once we have a few glasses, a few dances...we can go take our shoes off and take a walk" She had not said much else about his jedi status, it was still something to become use to. She could see the looks coming from those around them what were they thinking their eyes said many things. It was known that Aiden was not fully Hapan and the question of the solvency of the Dallamoors was questioned with their engagement. Had they accepted the half blood out of need? Little did they know the true reasons, for with their engagement the pressure was relieved ten fold. Now her mother asked her to set a date, which Melanctha had quickly given her a date a little over a year and a half away. It would take that long, if not longer to plan. The event of the Hapan spring it would be.

As they entered into the grand ball room Melanctha always looked up she found the ceiling with all its lighting to be the most stunning view, aside from the one from the balcony. "Look up Aiden isn't it stunning?" She sounded breathless.

 

[Verie Lacroix]

"It wasn't the makeup," Verie said flatly as she checked her appearance in a small, platinum compact as the sleigh inched its way through the queue towards the entrance of the palace. "I know my makeup routine and I can do it in about ten minutes. It was the hair that caused the delay and I feel badly about that. But we're not very late. Besides, all the best people arrive fashionably late." She pushed a strand of honey-blond hair out of her face and back into the charmingly vintage updo that had taken about forty-five minutes to get just right earlier in the evening. Damned if it was going to start coming undone now. She adjusted a pin here, smoothed a feather there, straightened her mask and then snapped her compact shut before tucking it into her clutch again.

A white-gloved hand fell upon a black-tuxedo-slack-clad thigh, then her fingers drummed. Although her eyebrows, currently furrowed with anxiety, were thankfully hidden behind her mask, she was undoubtedly showing her worry in the Force. She had been to society events before, but this wasn't quite the same thing. Verie was, in this instance for the first time ever, at a real life event with her Prince in her own right -- not because she was a Lacroix or because of who her mother was. It was terrifying.

The tempo of her finger-tapping intensified until she realized what she was doing and stilled her hand before moving both hands to the clutch in her lap, fidgeting with her own belongings rather than his. "You look dashing," Verie said, reaching up with both hands to pull her fur cape more snugly around her shoulders. "But then you normally do. And in a fraction of the time, too." Verie shut her eyes and took a deep breath, reaching into the Force with her rudimentary training in an effort to ease her anxiety.

[member="Brom Burnside"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Darth Tsolan"]

"I dont know, the over self confidence is a dead give away fox face, oh and the mask is quite your usual don't you think?" She smiled and started walking with him arm in arm and staring from person to person. She felt the tail as it had wrapped around her and smiled as she leaned against him slightly... so she wasn't used to formal events, boohoo and ba humbug. She was going to likely act the same as she always did, after all, pregnant Echani wearing white robes... only a handful on a high enough scale would fit that description.