Dominion This, I Vow || EE Dominion of Cattamascar

[Vidalu Na'an]

Objective 1A: The Reception
Attire: Formal Wear, Mask, Hair
Tags: Kyle Ajahn ​

Na'an snorted without looking up. Far below in the streets, she could hear some kind of piping, and the howl of some drunk's laughter.

"I don't know if you've noticed," she said crisply, "But this isn't my kind of place. I haven't been safe since the day the Empress brought me here with her, and being stuck here I'm not getting any safer. I doubt anything you could say will make me any less safe, short of confessing you came here to kill the happy couple on their wedding night and asking me to help.

That, or pulling out a blaster and trying to do what every other Family member tries to do to me when they find me again." She half-tilted her face back up at Kyle Ajahn and fixed his gaze with her prosthetic eye. She pointed to the eye with one finger, letting its blinking white light speak for itself. If he really was a Family fanboy, the implications of that should be a nasty enough shock to put any talk of her being his inspiration to bed for good.

"But let's pretend you're being honest with me for a second," Na'an continued. She swished her hand in a lazy gesture, brushing away the attention she'd drawn to her own disfigurement. Talking about what the Family had already done to her was beside the point; what was going to be done was more important. "You're here on some dangerous errand that could get you killed, and you want to protect me from it. If that's the case, you approaching me in a public place so everyone can see me with you is doing a bang-up job of protecting me, I'll tell you what. It's only an inch away from making me your accomplice, then refusing to tell me what I'm about to be dragged into. Which, at this point in my life, I have very much learned to dislike.

I'm a big girl, Ajahn. I don't deserve to be kept in the dark again, and my safety is not your responsibility. If you're about to cause me trouble, I need to know. I have things here I have to protect too."

Her full attention was on him now, as sharp as the glittering scales scratching at the base of her palms. Whatever Kyle Ajahn was doing here, she was not about to let it threaten Leigh's burgeoning rebellion outside.

 

[Kyle Ajahn]

​

Objective 1A: The Reception
Wearing: This | Mask: None
ATTN: Vidalu Na'an | OPEN

Fear.

Cold, burdening and malevolent it threatened to grasp him like the vice grip of despair that had plagued him for so long. It had stayed his tongue, stemmed the flow of his words, as he stood there with her as far away from the gathering as one of Loreena's group had likely gone; even whilst maintaining their effort to complete their mission.

He listened to her speak, allowing the words to flow into form in his mind, as she painted the context to him despite her lack of delicacy. Almost like a storm brewing in his mind and heart, he could feel the very concept that the words created posing a greater threat than his mere presence. Terms like Empress, wedding and accomplice weaving to his mind as not to allow him to forget them.

So it seemed as though there was more to Vyra's presence here than he had originally thought.

Or so that was the explanation he could make of his original investigation and the words that were coming from Na'an's lips as she eventually turned to face him once more. While he could not hear the words she didn't speak, nor hope to impress upon her the same delicacy he himself had attempted, he could see the embers broiling into a fire that he knew would not be so easily quelled.

Stepping forward once more, keen not to let anything he might say carry, he moved towards the balcony stood closely to and stopped just next to her; poised to look over it though his attention was solely upon her when he came to a halt by her side. It was in that moment that his eyes ceased to reflect the postured hesitation that they had taken before, losing their awestruck softness if temporarily.

"This wasn't my war," he breathed as he let one hand fall on the balcony railing, his fingers digging into it until he could feel the tension sending the tingle of imminent pain up his arm. "For years I've fought against what others would consider evil and vile, dedicating everything I am and have to putting an end to the pain and suffering of others. Until I finally stopped, found a place in the Confederacy to hope to put that behind me.

And yet," he paused as he closed his eyes and turned his gaze towards the sky for but a moment. "I could not overlook the corruption, the seeded darkness and consuming call that rallied shackling freedom."

Once again his voice trailed, however only briefly as he turned his gaze back to her once more and fixed his gaze upon the eye she had indicated to him. He could see the damage, the pain and the anger even if she dared not express it boisterously.

"Then a girl came to my door on Naboo, to the home where I had gone to finally retreat from the war I had fought against the darkness for so long. Where the last thing I dared care about had encouraged me to go before I tread into a fight I could not win. She spoke of Vyra, a resistance and of an emperor like a great many tyrants I've faced in my years." He continued, his voice not wavering even as the very idea of speaking treason so openly gripped an unspoken desire for restraint.

Even still he dared not argue with the part of him that admired her, held a desire to see the woman he had been so inspired by so many years ago.

"If anything has brought me up here tonight, with you, Na'an it is a desire to stand beside a woman I knew when we were younger. A woman who fought against the things I have spent my entire life fighting against. And to make it known to her that once again there is something to fight here, so deep into the Unknown Regions that the rest of the galaxy almost ceases to care," his voice firmed, tone flowing now with his undaunted dignity. "I have come to fight a war that I have chosen to make my own against this Empire and all that it stands for.

Your safety may not be my responsibility, nor has it ever truly been," he paused in tandem with a sharp breath as he turned to her once more and a determination gripped his eyes. "But I find myself in a position that I cannot simply stand by and watch any further harm come to those whom I care for. Family or not, love or a lack thereof, I will do what must be done so long as that man remains upon a throne of his own creation."

He knew not if his words had held the same merit he intended for them, nor if their delivery had served him well.

Only that there was no turning back.

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

Objective 1A: The Reception
Attire: Formal Wear, Mask, Hair
Tags: Kyle Ajahn ​

As she listened to Kyle speak, the sharpness in Na'an's expression faded--leaving behind something wide-eyed and much, much sadder. He'd clearly thought this through for a long while. He must have had a lot of time in hyperspace between Naboo and the Unknown Regions to mull over whatever he'd been told about the Empire, and to decide that if the stories were true, they were worth his time to fight.

But when that desire is tied to the 'desire to stand by a woman I knew'?

"So that's it," she breathed. "Your mission has nothing to do with me. You didn't even know I was here, did you."

She placed her hand on his arm, squeezing it once, not knowing what even to say to someone like this. So high-minded, so sure of himself and of her, so pure-intentioned as to come all this way at little more than fighting rumors and the prospect of standing beside Vyra against the entire Empire, when he didn't even know. All she had was the gesture, her fingers on his arm. And those fingers, for once, were soft. Gentle.

Full of pity.

"I'll give you as much information as I can. But I don't think you're going to get everything you came here for."

 

[Eliana Shan]

Her mind raced, trying to get another glance as she sipped her wine, trying to remain discreet.. what was it about them? Something was tugging at her, something she couldn't escape or deny, and..

Adelle felt the sudden change from forced politeness to awkward unease and internally frowned. She had a much less imposing presence than the majority of the guests here, given that she was actively hiding it.. Perhaps the woman had mistaken her for a man and upon closer inspection, realized her mistake? Possible but it wasn't like the woman had said anything untoward or inappropriate for either sex. In either case, it wouldn't hurt to at least entertain this guest for a minute or two before she fled.

"Given the status of the newlyweds," she said, "it ought to be."

..it took all she had not to choke on the wine. That voice, that tone... Her eyes went wide and the breath caught in her throat as she remembered.. as she remembered her breath catching in her throat. Lying down, restrained in a hospital bed, struggling for air..

"Perhaps you were so busy thinking about if you could, you didn't stop to think if you should."

Adelle?!

It couldn't be. Here? Now? Really? There was no way. No way that her fate had lined up like this, going to Vyra Silara's wedding and running into Adelle Bastiel of all people, just when she was putting herself out there again, on an upswing..

I-.. Control.

Control...

Elly stood there, still staring out at the imposing figure of Darth Prazutis , feeling herself pale even as she forced a smile onto her face. She had to keep talking, she knew; she had to try to save face, but it took perhaps a second too long before she started speaking again.

"..Yeah. Yeah, they've clearly spared no expense."

That was such a trivial comment. Such a poor cover. She cursed herself internally, only adding to the pit she was digging herself. The wine, she knew, was not going to help things any further, much as she would have liked to hide behind its rim once again.

"No expense indeed," she reiterated, instead opting to stare down into its contents, while the internal cursing flared up once more..

 

[Kalic Daws]

Kalic nodded a little to Curtis, then looked over at the others there.

"Yeah. Not something I can relate well to though. Spent most of my time up there, in the black." He wasn't wrong. Once a spacer, always a spacer. It was honestly something he'd seen to be more true than not. He then sighed as he heard Leigh, thinking of what to say. Then it hit him. "So, you ever get those caterers set up. Heard someone was wanting them in an out of the way space." He just hoped Lori would understand what he was getting across. The Miraluka messed with his ear again, hoping to get the point across.

Curtis Learchin Loreena Arenais-Valhoun LE-03 (Leigh)

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori nodded to Kalic Daws , once again hooking her arm with Curtis Learchin . "Yes. Everything's all being arranged. You'd be surprised how many people aren't too fond of taking orders from someone so young like myself. But I'm used to that." She was the youngest in her family, afterall. And the one that had accomplished the least. Her greatest achievement was getting her own ship and crew, keeping it all maintained as she worked her way through the Galaxy.

And now? Now she was taking part in a covert war against a tyranical Empire. The chess pieces were being put in place; even here. Soon their movement will grow. Lori could see it now. Fleets with thousands of vessels facing down the might of the Empire and defeating them. But that was far into the future. They weren't there yet.

LE-03 (Leigh)

 

[Kyle Ajahn]

​

Objective 1A: The Reception
Wearing: This | Mask: None
ATTN: Vidalu Na'an | OPEN

Surreal.

He could not lie to himself. Could not hide from the reality of how surreal his position had become. Nor could he deny the possibility of his ultimate fate.

His mind raced and contemplated, wound around the thoughts of his goals and desires, but was ultimately cut short as Na'an's hand came to rest on his arm. It was a soft gesture, one he'd have been confused by had he not known the woman prior to who she had presently become, and enough of one to bring his mind back to the present and to her presence.

Perception betrayed him, not quite sure how to understand what she was trying to communicate as she gently squeezed his arm in a manner he could only attribute to empathy, and for a moment he was confused. Turning his gaze to her, his brow furrowed but his expression still generally relaxed, he was left only to listen to the words that came from her lips seconds later.

Words that, despite every fiber of his being pleading for the polar reality, he knew were vividly real in the form of the man and woman whose ceremony he'd attended.

"Tell me only what you can without rendering yourself vulnerable," he managed to speak as he turned his eyes to the center of the commotion once more and let his eyes linger on the emperor and Vyra. "I can make my own leads and perceptions from there but I will not stand to have you jeopordize whatever you may have managed here thus far."

He continued, his voice trailing a bit as his eyes traced back across the surroundings back to hers. Only in that moment did he realize that he had been gripping his hand so tight that the knuckles had run white, his fingers cold and stiff as he drew them away from his palm.

"I've obtained enough," he uttered calmly as he lowered his arms to his side and took a few steps back. "Enough to do what I believe must be done. Though I imagine that neither of you would agree with me if I even began to attempt explaining. It is simpler if I act and be perceived than instructed and implemented."

It was true that he had not fully thought out every element of what he had been planning the moment he arrived on Cattamascar, but there was a reality in how seeing what he had seen would render most men unsettled to their core. Even more that he had hoped would be pleasantries of his past for the future had fallen into the grip of the darkest corruption.

The question still remained:

Why?

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

Objective 1A: The Reception
Attire: Formal Wear, Mask, Hair
Tags: Kyle Ajahn | Vyra Silara | Darth Prazutis | Ingrid L'lerim ​

For Kyle's sake, Na'an bit back the retort that bubbled to mind about him being too good to take orders and too good to explain himself. It took some effort, she realized, to look back and remember that that wasn't an uncommon attitude among those she'd known to call themselves Jedi. None of them ever took much in the way of instruction after making the rank of Knight, preferring instead to do what they wanted, their way, and let the rest follow their lead.

Maybe, she thought absurdly, her leaving the Order without ever making it past Padawan had been more inevitable than she'd thought. She wasn't much for taking charge.

She let go of his arm, leaned back against the banister, and followed his gaze back to where Vyra was chatting up the giant Sith leaking killing intent all over the dancefloor. As they watched, she waved her now-clawed hand in a dismissive circle, looking back to the dias the Emperor had not yet left. For all the effort put into the fineries of this event, they would likely not stay at the reception terribly long-such excess, after all, was not the Imperial way.

"You'll definitely want to wait to approach her until he's good and far away, at least" she said coolly, pointing at the giant. "He's not local, I don't think, but he and the groom are clearly good enough friends that he'd consider killing you as a wedding present."

She scanned what part of the ballroom she could see from their place outside it, taking in the nobles on the dancefloor, the dignitaries commisserating over the feast, the odd glimpse of the rabbit bounding in and out of sight among them all. Her eye landed on the Emperor holding court above them all, and an involuntary shiver went down her arm. She flexed her fist once, twice, in an attempt to dispel the familiar feeling.

"Honestly," she continued to distract herself, "There's more money in this room than power, given the Empire's focus on military structure. Mostly foreign dignitaries and planetary rulers who haven't yet bent the knee, but probably will considering the fact that they're here. Half the people here are just here to make nice and go home knowing the burning of the Unknown Regions won't touch them."

She gestured towards the red-headed woman chatting up the DeWinter lady, "Except her, of course, but she's almost as untouchable as the Empress. If she gives you half a look tonight, given what you came here for, then you're going to have a bad time."

If he was there do 'do what he was going to do', he might as well prime him to not get himself killed out or sheer recklessness.

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Her mind raced, trying to get another glance as she sipped her wine, trying to remain discreet.. what was it about them? Something was tugging at her, something she couldn't escape or deny, and..



..it took all she had not to choke on the wine. That voice, that tone... Her eyes went wide and the breath caught in her throat as she remembered.. as she remembered her breath catching in her throat. Lying down, restrained in a hospital bed, struggling for air..



Adelle?!

It couldn't be. Here? Now? Really? There was no way. No way that her fate had lined up like this, going to Vyra Silara's wedding and running into Adelle Bastiel of all people, just when she was putting herself out there again, on an upswing..

I-.. Control.

Control...

Elly stood there, still staring out at the imposing figure of Darth Prazutis , feeling herself pale even as she forced a smile onto her face. She had to keep talking, she knew; she had to try to save face, but it took perhaps a second too long before she started speaking again.

"..Yeah. Yeah, they've clearly spared no expense."

That was such a trivial comment. Such a poor cover. She cursed herself internally, only adding to the pit she was digging herself. The wine, she knew, was not going to help things any further, much as she would have liked to hide behind its rim once again.

"No expense indeed," she reiterated, instead opting to stare down into its contents, while the internal cursing flared up once more..

Alarm spiked in the young woman's emotions and for a brief moment, Adelle could feel a Force presence. Something niggled at the back of her brain, something familiar, but Adelle brushed it off when her brain failed to supply any explanation. Still, she could do something about the terrible strain she had inadvertently placed on this young woman's evening.

"I seem to have made you uncomfortable," she said. "I apologize, Ms. . . .?"

Better to try and have a conversation partner than be seen as distant from everyone or hovering near Na'an all the time. Someone might do the proper addition and come up with the correct reason.



Eliana Shan

 

[Eliana Shan]

Her name.

Elly felt panic rise and thought leave her, her heart dropping straight through her torso to her feet, weighing heavily and anchoring her to this unfortunate situation.

She had known, of course, that she would introduce herself to people tonight. That was the whole point of this venture: to find an old friend, to march boldly forward and make herself known. Yet here she was, being asked for her name, and having nothing to offer in return.

...

Some part of her wanted to lie. To give a fake name, to try to run, to distract Adelle and make an exit.. but that wasn't who she had come here to be. That wasn't who she wanted to be. Not now, and not anymore.

"Sh.. ....Shan."

There it was. There was no going back now. The name had come out in a quick breath, an utterance and admission filled with as much shame as there was pride. But it had come out. It was time to face this, and to face it head-on.

In that spirit, with her face pale and her hands shaking slightly, Elly turned to look her fellow partygoer in the eye before reiterating:

"Eliana Shan."

She didn't know what to expect. The most she could offer was an awkward smile; inwardly, though, she braced for impact against the inevitable storm she had just invited..

Adelle Bastiel

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

"Sh-Shan. Eliana Shan."

It felt like an electrocution, held in place and unable to think beyond the internal. The niggling thought screamed to the forefront of her mind. The impossibly blue eyes. The slight smile. Her Force signature. Adelle stared, tight-lipped, and struggled to order her thoughts because this had to be dealt with now. Before she found Leigh. Before she found Na'an. Eliana Shan could make a mess of everything. Or worse.

The magnitude of the implication hit her like an Imperial capital ship.

"Gods dammit," she hissed at length. Adelle glanced around her, looking to see if anyone had suddenly started paying attention to them. "The Hells are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay away from them."



Eliana Shan

 

[NPC Treasury]

Kay knew it would happen. And it did. As soon as she saw the Chiss version of herself, and as soon as he did, she knew that it was over for her for the night. She was just glad that she wasn't heavily invested in him, although he was her ride back home to Altiria. So now what was she to do?

She couldn't just go back inside without her mask on. It was far too dangerous in there. But what was she going to do? Ask the newlyweds for a ride home? Ha! Or better yet, ask the Lord of Lies? She'd rather be stranded on Hoth than do something like that.

At least she wasn't without credits. So there was the avenue of bribing someone to fly her home. Kay sighed to herself and refitted on her mask, wishing that she knew how to pilot a ship. Calling on her children to help was out of the question. She didn't need them to step into enemy territory as well. It was her job to protect them, regardless of her own life. She owed it to them.

Quietly she walked back in, glad that the mask helped hide the emotions written on her face. Now she just needed to find the right person for the job.

 

[Eliana Shan]

That was a little milder than what she had expected, but then again this was a crowded setting: some part of her noted the irony in that being her saving grace. Something in what Adelle had said, though, was bugging her.

"I -.. It's.. Vyra's wedding." She heard herself reply, almost on autopilot, as her thoughts tripped over themselves.

"I did.. I did stay away, until.. ...Wait. They're..." Where her heart had sunk to her feet before, now it simply froze. What little blood had been left in her face drained out, pulled into the void blossoming within her chest. "They're here?"

Her voice dropped to a whisper, not out of a need for secrecy but from a lack of spirit. Elly could feel herself shaking still, she could feel the panic setting in..

They're here.

You're going to l-.. Control.

Control.

Her free hand went to the amulet on her necklace as she stared, wide-eyed behind her mask, at the woman glowering before her. She wasn't going to lose control, not here, not now, not like this. She could do this. She had to do this.

Control.

"I didn't.. I'm sorry."


Adelle Bastiel

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

She didn't know.

Adelle stared through Elly, her mind suddenly firing blanks on all cylinders. Wait, what. Elly hadn't known. Elly hadn't known Na'an and Leigh were here. She was Family, of course she'd be here for Silara's wedding. Of course she'd have seen the public announcement and of course Silara would extend an invitation--if she had known that Elly had survived. Did Silara know? But either way, Adelle couldn't actually blame Elly for showing up to Silara's wedding. If the Family had started out like anything Na'an had mentioned, it just made sense that Elly would come here, invited or not. She and Silara were friends.

Gods she'd been stupid.

Adelle slapped a hand to her mask and dragged it down her face, exasperated with herself. "No, no, I'm the one that should be sorry. I didn't think-- Kriff, of course you wouldn't know--"

And she'd just revealed where they were. Na'an and Leigh would not forgive her for this. Neither would they forgive her if she tried to hide Elly's presence here from them. But she could hold it off, couldn't she? Let Na'an and Leigh find whatever good this night could offer them before dropping this particular hammer on them. She finally brought herself to focus on the present Shan, noting that, unlike their previous meetings, she was controlling her presence very well.

"I'm-- I'm sorry for assu--accusing you," she said at last. "Things are . . . complicated."

Her voice dropped to a low tone, meant to be heard only by Elly. "And after tonight, it's best you forget us and Silara. Forget this place, and get the kriff out of here as far and as fast as you can."



Eliana Shan

 

[Eliana Shan]

Elly had stood in silence as Adelle seemed to work through her own internal revelations. When she spoke and apologized, though, Elly was more than a little taken aback. She definitely had not expected to hear that tonight.. but there wasn't time to fully process that before a warning trailed on its heels.

"I- what?"

She dropped her tone to match -- she wasn't a fool, after all -- and instinctively took a step closer, briefly forgetting her place and her company. The movement was just jarring enough to shake the ice off her heart; she could feel the blood returning, and with it came her thoughts.

They're here.

They're staying secret, too. Undercover? Unlikely, here.

You did it.

...not wrong.

They're here. Are you sure you can handle this?

She hadn't looked back around the crowd, opting to keep her gaze in Adelle's general vicinity at least. Truthfully, Elly didn't want to risk seeing either of them right now. She wasn-..

You're not ready? Again?

She let out a single breath through her nose and shook her head. "Some days, I wish it worked like that."

Getting persona-.. Control.

"I didn't.." Control. You've got this. "I didn't come here to run away again."



Adelle Bastiel

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

The urge to either facepalm, slap Elly, or both briefly ran through her mind but their environment quickly stifled it. Now was not the time to let everyone know she was frustrated with this woman. More pressing, they had also been standing in a single spot, talking in tense and short sentences; hardly appropriate if Adelle wanted to avoid suspicion or curiosity. She could only think of one way to deflect further scrutiny. Adelle extended a gloved hand and bowed from the waist ever so slightly.

"Will you dance with me?" she said quietly. "Please."

Elly's reply came out stammered and flustered but it was agreement nonetheless. Adelle took her hand and guided her to the floor, placing her free hand just under the shoulder blades. She began to lead in a basic Coruscanti waltz, fairly certain that Elly had neither been taught by a Jedi Master nor learned from a Hutt slave. The silence hung between them for a few measures, Adelle weighing her options and the various ways to approach this conversation.

"For someone who had to have been brilliant in designing the LE models," she said, "you're being really dense. Frustratingly so."



Eliana Shan

 

[Eliana Shan]

"Will you dance with me?" she said quietly. "Please."

"Wh-.. I- ..Yes." It made sense, after all. The most inconspicuous place in a crowd was in the crowd. The dance floor would make a better place for conversation. Elly knew it worked, and she was grateful for her ability to acknowledge that aloud and move with Adelle while her mind was distracted. She was also grateful for the mask she was wearing, as it was the only barrier that stood between Adelle and a view of her steadily reddening face. This was nowhere near where she'd expected her evening to go, nowhere at all, and she needed to stay focused, needed to keep her mind on what she had come here for, needed to... to...

It had been a while since anyone had been this close to her. Elly stared up into the other woman's mismatched eyes, reflexively following her lead as the silence stretched on..

"For someone who had to have been brilliant in designing the LE models..."

Thanks.

"...you're being really dense. Frustratingly so."

"I prefer the term 'stubborn,'" she heard herself reply, feeling a smirk starting to-..

What??

Her eyes snapped wide behind the mask in horror at herself, and she quickly stumbled over a continuation. "I-.. No, look, I.."

Fantastic job.

...

"Sorry." Her gaze fell for a moment; but it was just a moment, and her eyes rose again as she tried to push aside the feeling in her chest. "I- I'm sorry, but I can't walk away. I don't know what game Vyra is playing -- or you, for that matter, or-.." Na'an? Leigh? "....but.. but it's dangerous. And I'm.. I can't.."

Somehow, she felt like it was getting brighter in here. It was definitely messing with her focus.

"I can't. I can't walk away. Not.. not again."

And had it always been this warm?

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Adelle snorted, pushing her out into a spin and pulling her back into her arms. "No games here, Elly. I am being perfectly direct with you."

Even in the middle of the dance floor, she felt too exposed. Like too many ears were listening or trying to. She leaned in close to Elly's ear, attempting to make it look like a romantic advance. "You are simply walking into a snare. I'm simply trying to keep you out of it. When they figure out what you can do, what you've done, and your potential, they will draw you in like the Maw and keep you here. Getting out of that? Just as hard as the Maw."

She pulled back but only slightly, to keep up the performance for wandering eyes. "Why don't we get drinks later? It'd be nice to catch up with an old friend."



Eliana Shan

 

[Eliana Shan]

Out she spun and back she returned, her mind whirling at almost the same pace as her body. It was a move she was familiar with, one she had employed on several occasions.. that had been a lifetime ago, though. It had been so long..

I see why it worked..

She stared up at her dance partner as the other woman spoke of being direct.. then eye contact was lost as Adelle leaned forward to explain said directness. Truthfully, Elly was surprised she had heard anything at all over the rushing of blood in her ears and her own heartbeat -- how could Adelle not hear how loud it was going? -- but somehow, the words made their way through the fog that had enveloped her.

She was in danger here.

Despite this, she couldn't help the bemused exhale at Adelle's final line. That was another one she'd never expected to hear... but she caught the meaning behind it. It took some doing to put her face into a convincing smile, but she did it.

"Soun- Sounds like fun. Where?"

It seemed that control hadn't quite made it to her voice yet..

Adelle Bastiel

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Now that was something Adelle hadn't thought of. She tried to think of a bar any of the soldiers or medical staff she'd worked with had mentioned being on Lanteeb and couldn't, and she couldn't wait until she did either.

"Meet me outside the palace, let's say in . . . four hours?" she said at last. She thanked the Force that dancing didn't actually require her intense focus or else she probably would have made an embarrassing misstep. Possibly even cause Elly to fall. She led Elly through the last steps of the waltz as the song ended and bowed, bringing Elly's hand to her lips as she had seen many nobles do.

"I look forward to seeing you then," she said. Then she wove her way through the crowd, looking for Na'an. Na'an had to know.



Eliana Shan | Vidalu Na'an