The Hapes Consortium Masquerade Ball

[Nefertari Sovint]

[member="Renato Sarkin"]
"Very, I love my sister. Our parents were glad when we finally came home. Anyway; those "old codgers" don't mess with me as much as they used to. I think for myself and hope to pass that to whomever I take as a padawan." She'd be less tense than before

 

[Renato Sarkin]

[member="Nefertari Sovint"]

Renato chuckles

"What knowledge would you pass on to another?" "Would you to teach them to fear the unknown, to be ashamed of how they feel?" "Or would you teach them to embrace all things?"

 

[Nefertari Sovint]

[member="Renato Sarkin"]
"I'd teach them what is correct and let them decide for themselves. You're a good dancer by the way."

 

[Sicarius]

He kept at it. Each time he dangled down, he took an empty cloth square and held his breath. With painstaking care, another crystal was enveloped in the soft material and Sicarius rose back up.

It was difficult, slow, and very careful work. One wrong move and he could bump the chandelier with a crystal or send the crystals rattling. If he breathed, he could send the wind crystals chiming away and give away his position. If he worked to quickly, he might drop a crystal to the floor and, while it wouldn't break, it would definitely cause loud enough noises to send the guards running.

He had to work carefully, slowly. He had to move with a purpose and with heightened caution. He sat back up, letting his breath flow out in a slow, soft stream aimed at the space between his legs on the beam. Yes, even up here he had to be careful on where he breathed. If he exhaled to hard, even here, it might send the crystals chiming.

He placed the crystal he'd snagged in the bag as carefully as he could and grabbed another cloth. He took a moment to breath normally, though softly and quietly, before leaning back down once more.

Deft fingers slowly reached out and carefully gripped the ring that held the crystal to the chandelier. The soft cloth was slowly, carefully placed to envelop the crystal itself. Once covered, he cautiously unhooked the crystal and made certain the crystal was completely covered by the soft cloth. From there, he leaned back up and sat on the beam once more.

Once more, another crystal was carefully placed in the bag and once more he picked up another cloth. Another small break to maintain his breathing and he leaned back once more. Fingers carefully grasped the ring while the cloth was placed just so. Once covered, he pulled the ring and crystal free and covered the crystal fully. From there, it was another flex of his abdominal muscles and he was sitting upright once more.

The trick was to maintain silence and caution no matter what. Inexperienced thieves started slowly and carefully, but as time went on they succumbed to a mild sense of... time. They rushed the process halfway through, more often than not. Sicarius knew, however, that this was a job that could not be rushed.

Carefully, he repeated the process over and over again. It was repetitive and draining to an extent, but he couldn't rest. Not yet. This was only the first part of the plan. There was still a large amount to go in the job. They had to wrap this up and, then, find a fall and an escape.

With his mind focused, he kept repeating the steps as he thought. Lean out, grab the ring. Cover the crystal, unhook the ring from the chandelier. Fully cover the crystal, lean up, put in bag. Breath, control breathing, grab square, lean out again.

In what seemed like forever, but was, perhaps, a double handful of minutes, he had the entire top tier of the Chandelier in the cloth bag on the beam. Now, it was time to move to the next tier.

The job went on.

[member="Selka Ventus"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Sicarius"]

From some distance away, several rooms in fact, she watched his progress as a series of unchanging dots and symbols on her bracelet. Doing nothing irked her, put her on edge, but her roles were interception, intel, ingress and egress.

She was also, as it happened, the hitter, though she hoped that role wouldn't be needed tonight. Small and slim, malnourished throughout childhood, she had low oxygen potential and about one tenth of Sicarius' muscle mass. But he'd be physically tired when he finally found his secretive way down from the chandelier, and these were his talents. Hers lent themselves in other directions entirely. Not directions she liked, necessarily, but we don't chose our gifts.

Still faking tipsiness, she scooped up another champagne flute and sipped it ostentatiously, sharing a few words here or there with whoever recognized this particular Silk Holdings board member -- mostly high society types, minor nobles and so forth. Not that she was sought after, per se -- Silk's transportation technology could be found in the ACA, OP, Black Sun territory, the Fringe Confederation and the worlds of the Moross Crusade, but not so much in the Republic. Still, she made the rounds as expected of her, staying within reaction distance of the locked-off room where Sicarius was doing his job. She couldn't feel him in the Force, which was no real surprise; apart from a couple of key talents and tricks, the Force was weak with her, even for an apprentice. Hence the bracelet.

 

[Renato Sarkin]

[member="Nefertari Sovint"]

"Correct?" "A poor choice of words child as who decides what is correct and what is incorrect."

Renato smiles at the compliment gracefully making a quarter turn dipping Nefertari before pulling her upright again.

"Spoils of a misspent youth." "This is not the first Masquerade Ball I have been too."

 

[Melanctha Dallamoor]

She looked up into his eyes she could see something in his eyes that somehow she thought would not remain, but no it was there he was happy to see her. She rested softly against his forehead as they moved around the floor all the nobles of the Consortium would now see that Melanctha Dallamoor and Aiden Merritt were not longer to be considered among the lists of available candidates for the growing masses of nobles needing spouses.

"I think once we have completed this dance, that going to see that very delicate well known artifact of Hapan history would be wonderful" She was not fond of dances and did them out of obligation. The obligation now had been fulfilled and they could go off searching alone without any added drama to what they could be doing, anything they did not was protected under their engagement, even traveling openly together as they planned to go off and find this castle on a hill revealed by the rings.

She felt closer to him now then when they had met when she attended school in the inner core. She knew there were many things ahead of them to overcome, even a conversation about Jedi. She dreaded it but it must be done, she had not told her parents, and had no intention of it, it was their secret.

[member="Aiden Merritt"]

 

[Nefertari Sovint]

[member="Renato Sarkin"]
She'd ignore his comment "I assumed as much" She'd feel the presence of other Jedi at the ball, yet not let on

 

[Renato Sarkin]

[member="Nefertari Sovint"]

As the song came to a stop Renato slid back grasping Nefertari's hand giving it a soft kiss.

"Thank you for the dance."

With a wink Renato disappeared into the throng of people headed nowhere in particular for no particular reason.

 

[Leilani Paaie]

Now this was one of those places to be high profile, lots of dignitaries, lots of alcohol and that overwhelming sense of everything is secure. Lelani wore a fitted red dress she hated ones that flowed and flounced all over why would one waste so much material. She held the tiny little mask that she could raise to cover her eyes but why do that, she wanted to be seen, she afterall liked attention.

A bit of a say shay to her right and then the left, she turned and with the ease of a well skilled pick pocket she lifted a glass from a tray and drank the sweet champagne as her gaze looked at all the beautiful people enjoying their dance.

 

[Mirumoto Hitomi]

[member="Kharen Promethien"]

Hitomi looked over at the gentleman who had addressed her, "Yes it is very beautiful, elegant even" She bowed back to him she had not expected to be asked to dance, "yes I would like to dance Shade" and now tradition would dictate that she be called by her last name until she a time that she felt comfortable enough to provide her first name.

In these times where one must learn to fit in she opted to give him her first name, "I am Hitomi" She held out her hand to be led to the dance floor.

 

[Aleister Grey]

Such events where not beyond the Duch’ix of Gallinore’s experience. Being of noble birth these events where no mystery to Aleister. As he made his beginning rounds of cordial greetings he had hardly touched the champagne in his flute. Entirely not surprising as it was more of a social piece to blend gracefully into his surroundings.

Cordial greetings also meant gracing those not of the Consortium with his presence as well as his peers and those few that was above his station. Though the only member of the Royal family here could see here was the Ta’a Chume across the room. Another person of note with the Queen mother was the Duch’a [member="Persephone Callas"]. Quite the crowd around the Queen Mother. There being plenty of time to pay the Ta’a Chume respect...Aleister continued to make his rounds greeting guest the Queen Mother could not greet herself as of yet.

“What a lovely red dress”, Aleister addressed [member="Leilani Paaie"]. Men of Hapen culture tended to always open with a complement when greeting a lady. It was a charming way to eloquently begin a conversation while reminding the beauty the female gender brings into this world. “My apologizes”, Aleister, in further greeting extended his hand to begin a more formal greeting, “I am Duch’ix Aleister Grey of Gallinore. Whom do I have the pleasure of greeting?”

 

[Sicarius]

A little more, a little further. Nimble fingers worked carefully and cautiously among the chandelier. He had to stretch out a little further now to get to the next tier. This was the second of four and he'd just started. The first and topmost tier's crystals, the largest on the chandelier, lay individually wrapped in soft cloth in the bag he'd brought with him. A dozen or so of the largest wind-crystals from the Hapan royal palace's chandelier. Those alone would fetch a fortune with the right buyer, but Sicarius and his partner were here for the whole lot, if possible.

Another crystal was unhooked and fully covered, the soft material of the cloth smothering any noise the crystal would generate. Another flex of the muscles and he was upright, sitting on the beam holding the chandelier in place. He breathed carefully and slowly, softly letting the air out as he quietly placed the stolen gem in the bag beside him. A moment of rest and another square of cloth in his hand and he was leaning back out once more to steal another gem.

The trick was the mindset for this job. It was always the state of mind, the state of being. Hasty takings and easy pickings were for the novices of this field or, perhaps, the incompetent thieves throughout the galaxy. A bad thief stole what he could and ran from the consequences. A good thief took what they wanted and what they could get and managed to either avoid or escape the consequences.

The best thieves took anything they desired, and some of the things they didn't, and were long gone before anyone knew their things were missing.

The mindset was most important. It wasn't the actions that spoke of it, but the meaning and movements behind such actions. Sicarius' hands were steady and confident. The only caution shown was that of the job itself, for a mistake would announce his presence. With careful hands and nimble fingers, he knew the job was as good as done. This was just the action of making sure of it.

A few more moments, a few more crystals. Half the tier was gone, the other half was his to take.

[member="Selka Ventus"]

 

[Lana Carde]

[member="Dissero"]


[background=#232323]"The Crown Prince Amadeus Darke of Kuat and the Lady Verie Lacroix, Queen Mother," the Herald motioned them forward with a graceful sweep of an arm."[/background]

[background=#232323]Persephone's brows would arch in piqued interest. More so due to the slight tension within the beloved Queen Mother's fingers upon the bow of her fan. Oh now this is interesting, she'd muse to herself, giving an incline of her head in greeting. All the while, the Queen's lips would purse tightly. [/background]

[background=#232323]It wasn't too long ago that in an effort to form a lasting alliance between Kuat and Hapes, a marriage had been arranged between one of the princesses and young Dissero. [/background]

[background=#232323]​Unfortunately, the Princess was nothing short of an embarrassment, mouthing off to the Iron Lady herself and offended the Kuatian royal house in public. [/background]

[background=#232323]Needless to say, the marriage did not go through. [/background]

[background=#232323]And Hapans would be.. well Hapans. Seemingly above the law and the Queen Mother a Goddess unto herself. She'd greet him with a tight lipped smile, fully aware of the situation at hand. [/background]

[background=#232323]Persephone on the other hand, would take charge -- even if he was a man, he was still a crown prince. [/background]

[background=#232323]"Welcome to Hapes, Crown Prince Amadeus. I do pray your stay will be memorable." [/background]

 

[Leilani Paaie]

Leilani turned to see who had paid her the compliment she smiled and nodded, "thank you" she could be many things to many people but for tonight she would be herself who she always wanted to be, unpretentious, kind hearted, warm and friendly. Leilani eached out taking his hand, "I'm Leilani Paaie, it is a pleasure to meet you Duch'ix Grey. I am in awe of the wonders here. Hapans certainly know elegance."

She now took a moment to check the finer details of the man standing before her. "Perhaps if you would be so kind, could you tell me more about Hapan culture?" She did want to know more, she loved to learn.

[member="Aleister Grey"]

 

[Aleister Grey]

[member="Leilani Paaie"] was certainly a beautiful woman. Her beauty was not lost to Aleister’s eyes. Yet he was surrounded by beauty daily. It would take more then a smile from a exotic yet gorgeous woman to enchant him. With grace he smoothly transitioned his way through the conversation with little distraction. “It would be my pleasure Miss Paaie. Here is a useful tip for a social gathering. Look at all the Hapen men cuff links”, he started pointing out a Hapen man dancing with a woman. She to was Hapen and the way she was dressed and carried herself she was of standing. “See the gem in his cuff links are light blue. Then look over to this gentleman over here”, he pointed out a younger Hapen male talking to a Calamari couple. “See his cuff links are a clear white gem.”

He then pointed at his cuff links as well that held a clear white gems. “It is a sure way other then the ring finger to tell the single men from the married men”, he began to explain further, “Clear white is a sign of purity and availability. Basically that they are not married. I think that would be a fantastic first tip. It could prevent any awkward situations.”

 

[Leilani Paaie]

Leilani did as Aleister had asked looking out towards the dance floor, and to the men passing by where they were standing. She nodded taking in every detail of what he said but only until he had mentioned it she had not noticed that yes the stones were a different color.

"How interesting I would never had thought to notice such a little detail" It did not go unnoticed that Aleister was single and going by what he had said pure, "Duch'ix Grey I cannot help but notice that your cuff links are white, certainly it is not from a lack of admirers" Everyone here was beautiful but then that is what they were known for beauty. They even danced with such precision and elegance that watching made her feel as though she were watching a well choreographed show.

The things that she was learning about the Hapan people was extraordinary and she could not imagine such a life. "it would seem that Hapan society is very much about conforming, is this true Duch'ix?" She turned looking at him her question was not one of criticism it was one of observation and curiosity, much like asking him about his cuff links.

[member="Aleister Grey"]

 

[Dissero]

The Kuatian Prince could only regard the Queen Mother's apparent discomfort with his presence with a knowing, wolfish grin. Were he less of a paranoid man, or more of rogue at large, this even would be going very, very differently. But as much as he loved the idea of seeding chaos in some respects, he was all the more a gentleman with every intention of enjoying what little left he had to enjoy in this life.

Dissero gave Verie's hand a light squeeze of reassurance that he was, most assuredly, still there with her, before allowing his eyes to pan to the owner of the voice that spoke in greeting. Not the Queen Mother but the Senator. His eyes narrowed.

"Thank you, Senator Callas, it is nice to see that Hapan hospitality continues to shine bright," his voice drew to a low, drawling rumble, "and that after ten years, things really do stay the same." A quiet snipe at the Queen's inability to greet foreign royalty in her own home. It was as much as he had expected, and the man would have added more were it not for the feeling of anxiety radiating from Verie at his side.

He cleared his throat, glanced back at those still waiting in line, then decided better of any further remarks on the past. It was the past, after all. Kuat had forgotten all about it and moved on to far more important matters, but apparently Hapan wounds healed very, very slow.

"Her Highness Sovereign of Kuat does send her regards and wishes she could have attended, unfortunately business matters have her time and attention, like always. War doesn't wait for beautiful women, gala events, or fancy chandeliers, I'm afraid. But I am glad I could attend in her place, for I quite like beautiful women, gala events, and fancy chandeliers. As a matter of fact, I do believe that is where we are heading - for the palace tour. It was wonderful to see you one last time, Queen Mother," the man's eyes did glint strangely, "before the galaxy steals us all away."

He glanced to Verie to see if she had anything to add, and when she didn't he gave a final bow before stealing her away for the rest of their evening, affixing that horribly gaunt mask back over his head and face and plunging his Force signature back into non-existence.

[member="Persephone Callas"]
[member="Verie Lacroix"]

 

[Aleister Grey]

“To Hapens every single detail is important Miss Paaie”, Aleister smiled. Behind that smile what did he notice about Leilani? “Miss Paaie The Hapes Consortium is very conforming out of traditions as it was what protected us from Pirates of the Mist or even the mighty Galactic Empire. Such conforming traditions brought us the Royal Hapen Fleet. As for my cuff links? Yes I am single. I am a Duke and I have curtain obligations to the people of the Consortium and to the Queen Mother. It is her choice whom I am to wed. Some day she might decide for me to marry. Until then out of duty I shall wait and just focus duty. Between the Duch’ix of Gallinore and being a Admiral in the Hapen Royal Navy I have plenty to occupy my time with. So Miss Paaie out of consistent details you see here in the ballroom. Pray tell, please tell and care to share why such a custom maybe.”

[member="Leilani Paaie"]

 

[Leilani Paaie]

An interesting challenge or game whichever term one might use for such an undertaking. Leilani looked out into the crowds paying particular attention to manner of dress, accessories the women all wore something in their hair at least the ones she thought were Hapan.

"Well some women are wearing a fresh cut flower, but the colors vary so that might not be,, unless of course' She smiled, "they were they flower to be able to blame something for the over abundance of perfume that many women seem to be wearing tonight" yes it was quite the headache but she knew why women wore perfume they were not comfortable with their own smell and needed to put on something they though men would prefer.

Have you ever known a man who craved the smell of flowers?

[member="Aleister Grey"]