Dominion Wedlocked and Loaded | GA Dominion of Ukatis

[Tenn Kalos]

Loomi | BB-610 | Open​

"Hrm," Tenn mumbled indiscernibly. He faded out of conversation to people watch the various nobles and Jedi that had gathered. For him, it was easy to pick up on the nuances in their body language, their expressions. Looking at Cora, he saw a great deal of conflict. He might not have been well-versed enough in the surrounding history to parse each aspect, but the result was all too noticeable to him. Tenn sighed, "I feel bad for her."

"Can I pet him?"

He blinked, and looked between Loomi and Shep, "Sure. He likes people."

Before he could lose himself in idle observation again, a nearby commotion grew to a fever pitch as the chandelier crashed to the ground. Expecting trouble, he nearly stood up to intervene, before finding the culprit was a little porg. Unsure how to react, he simply chuckled, finding a bit of schadenfreude at the expense of the flustered nobles surrounding the scene, "Are we supposed to do something about that?"

 

[Iris Arani]

Married off? What, like in the shows? That was an actual thing that happened these days? She stared at Jasper in disbelief before looking to the not happy couple.

"What the fuck?"

Jasper Kai'el | Dominik Borra | Sion Lorray

 

[Amani Serys]

Alicio Organa | Maeve Linahan | Open​

Amani looked at Alicio sadly. This was an undoubtedly awkward position for him to be in, given the current split between cliques, "That's the problem. You shouldn't have to be raised with that kind of mindset," There were enough expectations as is. Taking away someone's agency in such an important aspect of their life only came across as cruel to her, "I know it's not that simple but… It ought to be." The same thought crossed her mind; The thought of Alicio being put in that same position, forced into a marriage for the sake of his family's standing. What would that have meant…?

Neither spoke of it aloud, letting conversation with Maeve take precedence. It started off… not great, as Alicio found himself caught in the crossfire once more. Amani squeezed his arm as a show of silent support, for whatever it was worth. To assure that she didn't see him in that same view. She knew Maeve meant no harm by it either, but the phrasing seemed to hit him all the same.

The Count's own assessment was well-said, and further back up by Maeve, "You're right," Amani sighed. She hate don't being able to do anything about it. But the fact of the matter was, their efforts would be fruitless, at best. And at worst, they could backfire on Cora. The padawan had friends here, who clearly felt the same on this matter as Amani did. Hopefully they would have their chance to set the record straight before the night was over.

A resounding crash stole the attention of the crowd soon after. The unlikely duo of a porg and a droid had quickly turned the hall to chaos, though it seemed the droid would resent being affiliated in the matter. Amani raised a hand over her mouth, "Oh dear," Like Maeve, a faint smile was hidden underneath, somewhere between secondhand embarrassment and amusement, "Well, that's sure to cause a stir."

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Objective: 1
Outfit: This
Tags: Open to Interaction

An engagement between Cora and some prince from her homeworld seemed to create an opportunity for a gala of some sorts. Meaning that Dreidi had to dress fancy. Though she was not going to wear a dress to this event. She had heard plenty from others that this was not as joyous an event as it was made out to be.

Cora had been someone she had interacted with once on a mission. Dreidi had liked her well enough, though she had limited interactions with her, Dreidi never thought that Cora had nobility or what. But she was bad at knowing how rich, posh and such someone was. Apparently her own mother was nobility though Dreidi had never thought that from her upbringing and only knew after she had learnt more history on the Zorran origins. Though if her mother had tried to get Dreidi into an arranged marriage, there would have been dire consequences, marriage was not something Dreidi was wanting and having to marry a stranger was definitely not going to work for her.

Entering the room, the intensity of anger and hatred stemming from Jedi was Sith Lord kinda levels. It really did seem that not only was Cora popular among other Jedi, they were really not pleased with her arranged marriage. A reaction that hinted that this was not something Cora would have wanted, sometimes arranging a marriage could work with consent but this was clearly a more forced affair. It was the only thing that Dreidi could have thought of as causing so much commotion. Though she would have thought it smarter to reign in the emotions and figure a plan out after the very public and important event. Especially since working in shadows could blindside these nobles.

Deft fingers took a glass of champagne from a tray that a server had been carrying around. She smiled and nodded her head to him, eyeing the newly engaged couple, it wouldn't be clear to most that there was anything wrong. If Dreidi hadn't heard the grumblings from others about this event, she might have believed Cora's façade, it was one that must have been well rehearsed since Dreidi doubted she could look so calm and polite. However, since she knew more was going on, she could see the tension and notice the discomfort. It was enough for Dreidi to rush over and attempt to just teleport Cora away with Magick somewhere far. Likelihood of her being close enough, and skilled enough, to do so was highly unlikely. Instead, she guessed it would be important for her to stick in the background and potentially put out fires that might arise.

Sipping the fizzy alcohol, Dreidi frowned, she was not impressed and decided that she just preferred red wine for the future. She did attempt to mingle in the crowd, hearing some of the gossip, her smile never faltering as Dreidi attempted to play the role of respectable. Detesting all of the rich snobs here, though there were cruder words that she could have used to describe them. The apparent porg on a mayhem run was a very clear distraction for most, Dreidi held back a smirk. This was not the elegant or sophisticated event that these nobles were expecting for today. For Dreidi, the porg had kept things interesting and she was curious why it was deciding to create the most destruction it could.

Her eyes scanned around to see if there would be any familiar faces that she could notice. She had heard things about the Nobles interacting with Cora's father, but she wasn't sure if her friends would be attending an event or if she should randomly go up to someone and start a conversation.

 

[Valery Noble]

Ukatis

​

Outfit: dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: Kahlil Noble
Target: Marcel von Ascania

Valery looked between the two men, but her focus had shifted primarily to her husband. To what she felt about him through their bond. This wasn't the first time she had sensed emotions like this in him, but they could not allow them to take control. It would only darken Cora's path forward.

Luckily, Kahlil seemed to shift back to their plan and put his hand in his pocket to activate the recording device. Valery in turn eased up on her grip a little and shifted her own hand into his pocket to hold his. Especially after he mentioned the pain his father put his children through. Except for Kahlil himself, nobody knew better than her just how horrible that time of his life had been. The torture he had to endure even long after he chose a different life for himself.

But the calmness couldn't last forever.

"As a father, I do what I must to ensure that my children succeed, even if you find it troubling."​

Before Kahlil could do or say anything, Valery tightened her grip a little and spoke up instead, "Even if it means abuse?" she asked, her tone cold but she wanted him to clearly admit it, even though he likely didn't perceive it as abuse. But what happened next was perhaps even more surprising — she felt a shift in him, albeit only for a moment, as he looked down at his daughter in the hall below.

It still didn't change how Valery felt about it.

"I know you've indoctrinated her into believing that this is what she has to do for her people, but there are other, better ways. There's never a need to take away a young woman's future like this." Valery frowned and squeezed her husband's hand. "You might not be able to see it now, but all of this is completely heartbreaking to her."

 

[Loomi]

Ukatis, Security Detail
Tags: Tenn Kalos, BB-610

"I feel bad for her."

"Oh," Loomi frowned, her stomach turning for a moment. "Well shoot, I guess it is kinda terrible..."

Her head began to spin as she thought about it. A lifetime forced to serve the needs of others against your will. She hated the thought. Despised it, even. The Godoan had no context for what was happening, but it seemed no better then-

And the thought was gone, just as soon as it had arrived. What was she even thinking about? It probably didn't matter. Her mood lightened when Tenn gave her permission to pet his dog.

"Aw, look at you!" she began with a smile, now giving her full attention to Shep. Loomi cupped her hands around his ears and began to scratch behind them. "Aren't you just a creature!"

A crash followed, drawing her attention back to the moment. Some... strange creature was causing havoc, followed by an astromech that seemed to be its caretaker.

"Are we supposed to do something about that?"

"I dunno," the Godoan shrugged. "I don't think that's an attack... We should do something though. If a glass falls on the little fella's head, it might seriously hurt him."

A part of that was truth. The other was an excuse to go play with the cute bird thing.

 

[Minerva Fhirdiad]

Obj II: Supply Chain Crisis​

Even though mostly protected by her armor's built in systems the heat was becoming all the more uncomfortable. The ironic thing is Minerva had favored the use of flamethrowers in combat often. Now she could very well be burned alive. Suppressing any further thought on it she neared the truck as the chest pains increased. Weakened by the encroaching flames a set of crates collapsed with shattering and spilling contents on the floor only to be soon consumed by fire behind her to the side.

The sound of it made Minerva strain herself more just to quicken the pace. To the Mandalorian's alarm and frustration her vision started to blur once more. The concussion was getting worse!

No, no not now!

Stubbornly she kept on standing and moving despite her body screaming to stop. But seeing that it was still a bit of distance to the target Minerva tried to activate the jetpack but the engine sparked and nothing else. That debris that hit her earlier must've damaged the jetpack.

"Terrific, just terrific." She murmured bitterly but quickly remembered her jet boots.

Igniting them she leaped over to the truck. Upon landing she wobbled, nearly falling over but managed to lean on the side of the vehicle's engine. Panting and eyes blinking more and more she struggled over to the driver's door. Without ceremony she activated the left crushgaunt and clasped at the door handle before giving a violent yank. It nearly tore the door clean off leaving it to mostly dangle.

Letting go Minerva started to climb inside and almost fell back when unconsciousness threatened to overtake her. She stayed awake enough to keep herself from falling off and got inside the seat.

Almost there…

Turning on the truck she gripped controls and pressed the machine forward with its heavy laden cargo in tow. Accelerating without restraint Minerva held on with the last ounce of remaining strength and will as the hole came closer and closer in view. With more metal screeching with sparks flying the truck made it out. At the sight the guards who had already routed the insurgents scattered out of the way while Minerva then hit the brakes. Initially the truck didn't halt until nearly hitting a wall of another warehouse and just yards ahead of the previous truck.

Only when it all stopped did Minerva release her hold on the controls. Coughing blood that spat inside her t-visor she collapsed sideways on the seat completely and utterly unconscious. Some of the guards came over and discovered her condition. They pulled the Mandalorian out and put her in an ambulance and headed for the nearest hospital. Simultaneously the food aid trucks were secured and as were the few insurgents they captured who weren't dead or had fled into the night.

The former being transferred to a new location with more tightened security than before and the latter taken for questioning. It wouldn't be long before the incident would be reported back to Auteme still at the party.

 

[Horace von Cholmondeley III]

ɪ. ᴀ ʀᴏʏᴀʟ ᴇɴɢᴀɢᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ

As the Chancellor excused herself, the Prince offered a polite nod and smile.

"Until another time, Chancellor."

Then the Prince regarded Senator Terassi with a mixture of disbelief and concern, as focus shifted back to that individual.

"You are certifiably insane," Horace muttered, as he watched the other sentient perform facial feats like a crazy person. "You bring into question all manner of stability for your appointment, Senator. It makes me wonder if you are suited to your position, or if you are genuinely someone in need of professional help...

"Nonetheless, I will be sure to bring that concern up to the Galactic Alliance, when due."

Horace moved away from the insane Senator.

"Now if you will excuse me, I have more important matters - and sentients - to attend to..."

At his hip, Horace's comm beeped. Something about his accountant. He frowned as he glanced to the messages. He looked back to Corazona:

"Uh, yes, of course. It would be remiss of me not to consider every aspect of protecting Ukatis and its people, and more importantly its monarchy. Certainly you receiving personal tutoring in the Force, while under the protection of our royal guard and people, makes the most sense. Not to mention we will be responsible for continuing the royal line... we cannot afford to have you injured, or worse, on the frontlines of some battle for the Jedi Order!

"We each have our responsibilities, and ours is to insure the rule of the von Cholmondeley reign and bloodline."

For a moment, Horace frowned, as he felt... something at the back of his mind...

"..."

Then suddenly he blinked, as words entered his mind, and he understood very clearly.

"It would seem I must deal with some troubling - uh - accounting developments," the Prince said slowly, as he looked to Corazona then to his commlink as it beeped at him again. "Sadly not even an engagement party can be free from disruption, it seems. I will return promptly, my Lady, please entertain our guests until I--"

The Prince disengaged from his fiancée's arm, as he stepped back with a curt nod of his head, before he turned and started to walk. Yet, without warning, the hall chandelier crashed to the ground, as millions of glass splinters and shards flew in every which way!

"Wha--" Horace threw his arms up to cover himself, as he sought to protect against the calamity. "What is this madness?!"

The royal guards were on Horace in a second, as they rushed his position and surrounded him. Dressed in sleek ceremonial armor, they activated energy shields and created a bulwark for the heir, as each guard brought a force pike to bear and began protective duty against threats. And from all accounts, it seemed the Alliance's droid - the BB model - was the danger.

"Disable the droid, destroy it if it refuses to stand down," the Head of the Guard shouted, as the large humanoid stomped into the center of the hall. "This is a travesty to the respect and honor of the Ukatis monarchy, an insult to the heir apparent, Prince Horace von Cholmondeley, third of his name and this royal hall will see order restored now!"

From the other entryways, more royal guards entered the large space, weapons brandished and shields active, as they spread out and took up defensive positions. Clearly the celebration had reached a pivotal point, as everything balanced on a knifes edge, and the underlying menace and disrespect and pointed hatred of those involved was brought to the forefront with the climax of the shattering chandelier. And from the center of the room, the Prince was escorted within his guard wall, as other royal guards moved toward the BB-610 with weapons ready to strike...

"Stand down, droid!"

What a disaster.

Corazona von Ascania | Desric Terassi | Hex | Starlin Rand | BB-610​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil let out a breath.

There was no denying it. The expression on his face, how the Force seemed to react around him. He loved his daughter. He wasn't sure which was more sickening. That he could love his daughter and still hit her and sell her off, or that there was no part of him that viewed what he did as wrong. That because of his own upbringing, it wasn't just okay, it was expected. Kahlil set his jaw, glancing down to Cora for a moment, then back to the father.

"You've no idea what she feels, because whenever she tried to tell you, you'd hit her. Am I wrong? When was the last time you got to look at your daughter and hear her tell you everything about her day. Her troubles, her dreams. When was the last time your daughter actually loved you?"

Marcel von Ascania | Valery Noble

 

[Giselle Dune]

Corin Trenor Auteme BB-610 Corazona von Ascania Horace von Cholmondeley III + Everyone I guess
​

"I'm afraid I have my hands full here, but if there are ways I can help without shirking my other responsibilities, I shall!" Vultan said, evidently quite enthusiastic about the idea.

It was then that none other than the Chancellor of the Alliance arrived, pulling Corin away shortly afterwards. "Not at all, Miss Chancellor!" Vultan said politely. "Enjoy your evening!"

Pressing a white handkerchief to her nose with a black-gloved hand, Amanoa muttered under her breath, "He was one of the nicer ones."

"Hm? Oh, yes. Very amicable fellow. I wonder what's gotten into the rest of them? They seem rather upset." Vultan turned to his daughter at the sound of her shrieking with laughter. "What's so amusing out there?"

He turned to face the same direction she was looking just in time to witness the downfall of the bar... then, somehow, the chandelier came crashing down. Gasps turned to screams as shards of shattered glass went flying. "Cover your eyes!" Vultan shouted in warning, while Amanoa instinctively seized her daughter by the arm, pulling her further away from the site of the disaster. Even Giselle's laughter died in her throat as the full scale of the damage unfolded.

Vultan rushed forward to help those nearer to the blast. Amanoa and Giselle remained behind, watching as the royal guard closed rank around the prince and guests fled the scene, some with injuries. Most were minor, small cuts from flying glass or bruises from impacts with hard objects, while others looked a little more severe. And if anyone had been underneath the chandelier when it fell, unable to escape in time amid the crowded ballroom...

"You aren't hurt, are you?" Amanoa asked.

The color having drained from her face, Giselle shook her head. Oh, the chandelier falling was dramatic, certainly, but all trace of her earlier mirth was gone. This was real life, after all, not some play she could watch from the safety of a chair. People had gotten hurt. "Is Corazona all right?"

"How dear of you to think of your cousin."

"Well, it is her engagement party. I imagine she's not very happy about all this." Or maybe she was, if rumors were to be believed.

"You were watching - did you see what caused it?" Amanoa asked in a low voice, once again covering her mouth with her handkerchief.

"It looked like a little creature got loose," Giselle replied. She didn't have to cover her mouth - being only a child, spies were unlikely to bother reading her lips. "There was a BB droid chasing it around. Probably someone's pet running amok."

"But that didn't cause the chandelier to fall, surely. You don't think it was done intentionally, do you?"

"I don't know. I suppose it's possible..." The Jedi did seem like the types to try and meddle in affairs that didn't concern them, although she supposed they could've just used their powers to cause havoc rather than setting a wild animal loose. It could've also been the fault of someone else, a political rival or feuding noble perhaps. But... "My gut tells me it was just a random accident."

"Hm." Her mother finally put her handkerchief away. "Your gut feelings are usually correct. But I cannot help noticing the number of little smiles in this room."

 

[Starlin Rand]

Although it really wasn't cool to take advantage of disasters, Starlin still had enough of an opportunistic streak in him that the first thing he did after the chandelier fell was turn to Makko and say, "Get her out of here while you have the chance!"

Then he dove into the fray, first to help the wounded, then to save the droid.

"Everybody chill the feth out! Enough has been destroyed for one night!"

Makko Vyres Hex Corazona von Ascania BB-610 Horace von Cholmondeley III​

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Ukatis
Tags: BB-610 , Iris Arani , Dominik Borra , Sion Lorray , Starlin Rand , Horace von Cholmondeley III , Corazona von Ascania

​

"What the fuck?"

"Tell me about it," Jasper scowled.

All of this was very quickly followed by sudden and abrupt chaos. A chandelier fell, and the guests seemed be in a panic. That wasn't what took Jasper's focus.

"Stand down, droid!"

"I'll be back," he sighed.

The knight got to his feet, calmly making his way over and standing between the guards and Bee, whom he cared for much more. Still, he was going to be diplomatic about the situation, even if he found their court to be disgusting. He started by holding out his mechanical hand, mustering what energy he could in the force to pull the rogue porg to his hand.

"The droid isn't attacking," Jasper stated plainly. "Violence won't be necessary. Focus on making sure that none of the attendants are injured."

With an exhale of exhaustion, he turned to the astromech. Starlin Rand had stepped in too, seeming to be making sure people remained calm (though swearing certainly seemed like a bad way to do so). He'd let him do that. Bee was his focus.

"Head home, Bee," the knight told the droid. "I don't want them taking you apart. If you want, you can wait on my ship. Blip will let you on board." He had placed the Lonestar 1 under the care of his own astromech. Bee could certainly hide out there if he so chose to.

With all that out of the way, once the situation calmed down, Jasper would return to Iris, Dominik, and Sion. Not yet though. He had to make sure that nothing else happened.

 

[Iris Arani]

And like that, chaos erupted. Iris blinked slowly, glancing to the guards, to the droid. Wasn't that Bee? A part of her immediately wanted to rush over and maybe beat up some guards to defend him, but another part just didn't want to fight. More importantly, people were hurt. Once she realized the chandeleer was the thing that'd fallen, she was up on her feet in the crowd, tending any of the wounded she could get to.

Jasper seemed to have Bee covered anyway. She'd thank him later. Right now she was tearing strips of cloth from her once probably expensive dress to, well, dress the wounds of those who surely needed it more.

"Just hold still, you'll be alright."

Jasper Kai'el | @Others

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Obj I: A Royal Engagement
Horace von Cholmondeley III | Makko Vyres
[CLOSED]
​

As the hall's great chandelier came crashing down, Cora took the opportunity to separate herself from the situation.

Had this been any other day—any other setting, perhaps—she wouldn't have hesitated to join the likes of Starlin Rand , Jasper Kai'el , Iris Arani , and her Uncle Vultan as they assessed the situation and aided those who'd been wounded in the crash.

Instead, stepping gingerly over tiny shards of pulverized crystal that had scattered far and wide across the marble floor, the Padawan slipped behind one of the two great staircases at the far end of the room. She would've retreated the the corridor of the powder room, but royal guards had blocked off every exit.

Back pressing against the cool durasteel, Cora finally let her mask break in the shadows. So much had happened in such a short amount of time, and the weight of having so many prying, judgmental eyes on her had whittled the blonde's patient decorum down to nearly nothing. Though the pandemonium, Horace's words replayed over in her frazzled mind.

…responsible for continuing the royal line…

The implications of that particular thought gripped like an icy hand across her heart. Cora had always known that her path would lead to an arraigned marriage, and while she'd never been outwardly opposed to the idea, it had always seemed too distant to worry about.

Now, it was here. As sudden and disruptive as a chandelier crashing to the ground.

With one hand tightly fisted into the skirt of her dress and the other clutching the fabric at her chest, Cora attempted to calm her ragged breathing and overwhelmed mind. Even Sion's comfort could only do so much in the face of the tsunami of discontent and negative emotion that radiated from the grand hall.

​

​

 

[Marcel von Ascania]

Obj I: A Royal Engagement
Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble
​

Still observing his daughter below, Marcel silently considered their words. So it was true what they said about Jedi—they were able to sense shifts in emotion, no matter how imperceptible things appeared on the surface.

Marcel found that horribly intrusive, especially as their assault appeared to shift from physical, to verbal, to emotional.

The heavy crystalline crash undoubtedly drew their attention to the chandelier, and the Viscount remained motionless as he watched the scene play out below. He witnessed the troublesome porg lead a trail of destruction though the banquet tables and bar, ultimately leaving many guests stained, fuming, and even injured. Royal guards swarmed Prince Horace, blocked off the exits and surrounded a BB unit that appeared to be chasing the seabird, but now found himself at the tip of the captain of the guard's ire.

Again, Marcel could only grunt.

"I believe that you both arrived with that BB unit, did you not?"

From his vantage point, he'd seen their entrance into the hall earlier.

"Heartbreaking…"

He mulled over the word.

"Tell me, have either of you bothered to reach out to Corazona after learning of her engagement? Or do you simply see her as a fragile young woman who needs to be championed? Did she ask you to strike me, or was that simply to satisfy your own inability to reconcile with a culture you find unpleasant?"

The door slid open, giving way to a trio of royal guards.

"Viscount Ascania! Are you un-" One of them paused upon seeing the red welt that had bloomed across Marcel's face. Immediately, they pointed their stun weaponry at the Nobles and made for the Viscount.

Marcel raised a hand, stopping them in place.

"Find my daughter, ensure that she is unharmed."

"Yes, Sir!"

He cast a glance to the chaos below.

"And see to it that…bird…is disposed of."

The door shut, leaving the three nobles in the wake of silence and fading footfalls.

"I believe that I now understand where Corazona's willful streak has come from. If this is how representatives of the esteemed Galactic Alliance choose to behave at such a high profile event, perhaps I've made a mistake in sending my firstborn to Coruscant."

He turned his attention pointedly to Valery.

"Master Noble, I suggest that you learn to control your brute of a husband. Love comes in many forms,"

His steely gaze slipped to Kahlil.

"…and it is not always kind."

​

​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil's gaze shifted to the now fallen chandelier. It was the Porg, wasn't it? And BB. Oh dear. His grimace only turned worse, though not before his gaze turned towards Marcel once again. Met his steely gaze with one of his own. He hadn't reacted when the guards arrived. Hadn't reacted even as he cast out his own accusations towards them both. But now?

"I'm not here as a representative of the Alliance. Just here as a concerned parent over a child who's been continually beaten and now sold off to a stranger by her father. Disguise it as tradition as you want. It is not something the Alliance will stand for. You may think it's alright, that for some reason it's okay because you're traditions say so. But I would look again to the misery your daughter is in, and will be for the rest of her life. If you can truly justify that with tradition, you're lucky I only punched you."

Valery Noble | Marcel von Ascania

 

[Sion Lorray]

Jasper Kai'el | Iris Arani | Dominik Borra | BB-610 | Starlin Rand | Horace von Cholmondeley III

Jasper's approach surprised him but Sion smiled and inclined his head.

"When things are this bad it is best to surround yourself with friends for support." Sion murmured as he joined the others. He didn't know any of them, but they were united in their desire to see Corazona von Ascania happy and that made them friends at least in this context. It seemed his influence helped Cora... until the chandelier came down and all hell broke loose.

He joined Iris with assisting any potential wounded.

While she used the more common ways of dressing wounds Sion embraced the Force. He didn't heal the wounds completely. As as Padawan there were limits to how much he could do. But some disinfection here, some minor healing there.

It was ironic.

As an empath Sion was constantly and consistently in touch with emotions all around him. All the time. For the longest part of that he had been ruled by them. Always needing to isolate himself in fear of being overwhelmed. But looking around all that Sion could see where individuals governed by their emotions and not by sense.

It it easy to break things... harder to mend them.

Did Cora really need this drama right now? Was that helping her best? Or was it simply helping those that felt helpless, because deep-down they knew that the only person who could change all of this, was Cora herself.

And they couldn't push her to do what they wanted.

Her emotions roiled, tense, assaulted and Sion sighed as he stepped forward and settled next to Jasper. He did not wish to face down the troopers, but he would not allow a fellow Jedi to stand alone. "The droid will stand down and leave, it was an accident, no more violence has to occur." Sion added to Jasper's words calmly as he projected calm.

A Jedi Mind Trick was the worst decision in this situation. Instead Sion projected his empathy. Nothing aggressive or blunt. Instead he simply wished for the soldiers to see it from the other side.

That emotions were high... and that mistakes could be made, but they did not have to continue the path of mistakes.

Then to Jasper he murmured quietly. "Our responsibility as friends of Cora is to make it easier for her to shoulder this burden." He realized he didn't know Jasper's name. Sion would have to rectify that later. "By easing her burden we create room for her to make her decisions. We cannot make it for her... even if we want to."

All the while Sion shared his peace with Cora even as it sapped his own strength.

He could not mend the chandelier, but he could give her respite while she tried to deal with this situation forced on her.

 

[Valery Noble]

Ukatis

Outfit: dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: Kahlil Noble
Target: Marcel von Ascania

Everything about this rubbed her the wrong way.

She didn't care about the guards aiming their weapons at them, and she wasn't too bothered by the mess that was created down below. Valery knew that Bee never meant any harm, so it had most likely been an accident. No, her focus was purely on Marcel, and how he carefully constructed an argument that made it seem this kind of behavior was acceptable. But all she saw was a father who abused his daughter when he did not agree with her decisions or actions.

It disgusted her.

"I felt the love you have for your daughter deep within you," Valery finally said after she had listened to the exchange between Marcel and Kahlil. "But how you have chosen to express it is nothing short of problematic. I've talked to Cora after you hit her, and so has my husband."

"We understand how she feels because she's willing to show us emotions that she keeps locked away from her own father. From the man she should be able to rely on the most for protection and unconditional love. But she fears you." Valery sighed and tugged at her husband's arm, signaling that she wanted to leave.

"Come on, we should find BB-610 and Scampi, and get out of here. We'll get a chance to talk to Cora soon, I'm sure." She gave Kahlil a pleading look, before turning her gaze to Cora's father one last time. "Farewell, Mr. Von Ascania." There was nothing more she had to tell him, so unless Kahlil stopped her, she'd start heading down to find the troublemakers.

 

[Makko Vyres]

Corazona von Ascania Hex Starlin Rand

"Get her out of here while you have the chance!"

"I'll go talk to her," Makko said.

"Guess this wasn't the party you expected," he added for Hex as the guards moved in. He suspected it was more entertainment for Hex than she had expected too. At any other event he would have happily enjoyed watching the chaos.

As he pushed his way through the crowd, that sense of wanting the ground to swallow him up returned. His steps felt lethargic, he felt slightly dizzy as he walked. The chaos around him barely registered, as a few locals muttered obscenities at the guards pushing through. People below the Prince's station, unused to being manhandled, but guarding the royal line was probably all they cared about in the moment.

His mind raced as he walked slowly. He stretched out with the Force, following Cora to her hiding place under the stairs. Every step felt like walking through treacle and with each his mind played out another possible conversation. He managed to conjure versions of events where Cora berated him like a child for even deigning to try and talk to her now that she was going to join the Royal family.



In the end, as soon as he found her, emotions spilled over. Words tumbled straight from his lips.

"What the feth Cora? Years. You said years and you couldn't even give me a warning?"

He held his hands out at his sides, palms towards Cora as he searched for some kind of answer to a hundred questions he hadn't even formed yet. His body quivered, hard lines of tension framed his face.

His mind finally caught up with what he could see. The way she clutched at her dress, the way she was taking short, sharp breaths.

The slight swell, covered in makeup that only someone so familiar with her face would see.

Makko breathed out slowly. His hands fell back to his sides. His shoulders slumped forwards and he looked as if he would collapse in on himself.

"Cora..."

This time his voice was soft and quiet. There was nothing left of the accusatory edge.

"...are you alright?"

He knew that she wasn't. That was the worst part. In his short life he had seen some of the very worst of humanity. His thumb traced the pale line between his fingers.

Asking her to run away from her problems seemed like such a childish notion. He felt a swell of guilt for throwing his own feelings at her, when she was already being dragged down by her own. She hadn't lied to him. This has been thrust upon her and she wore the signs of her defiance on her face.

Her father was usually so careful with where he marked her.

 

[Alicio Organa]

Axilla, Ukatis
- Amani Serys - Maeve Linahan - Starlin Rand - Jasper Kai'el - Iris Arani - Sion Lorray - Open -
​

If only social issues could be simple. That would make Alicio's job a hell of a lot easier.

Amani seemed to pick up on his discomfort at Maeve's introduction. Alicio responded to her squeeze with one of his own, and a flickering smile. Perhaps, the Count conceded after a moment, he was a little self-important, if he'd taken offense to Maeve's jab at all.

"We are all brothers and sisters here. We are Jedi—except for you, Alicio, which again, no offense—but we have a responsibility to take care of each other."

Thankfully, her second jab seemed to miss him entirely. He wasn't a Jedi, sure, but there were days where he felt more Jedi than senator. He wasn't a part of that culture, never had been, but he understood.

"I'm sure we can find a way to support her, without over-..."

Suddenly, Alicio's head jerked to the side, eyes darting up to the chandelier, then tracing a path down to the ballroom in shock. Then, the crystaline chandelier fell, scattering shards of glass everywhere. Lazily, almost without thinking, Alicio stopped a skidding gem with his boot, gazing over the crowd with concern. "I'm going to go help," he told the two Jedi, already unfastening his cape, and bundling it up in his arms, as he rushed over.

Thankfully, there were other Jedi already on the scene, one he recognized well. He smiled at each in turn, staying far away from the conflict over the droid. Walking hurriedly up to Iris, Alicio offered a few long strips of black cloth he'd already sectioned off from his cape.

"Here. This should work a little better for bandages," Alicio said, an ironic twist to his words. "Frankly, I have too many of these as it is, anyways."

He got to work.