Private A day off

[Valery Noble]

Starlight Festival

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Outfit: Meadow Dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: BB-610

"Come on, Beeeee!" Vera squealed and pulled her mother along at the same time, as they walked through the streets of Tyed Kant. Valery had taken both of them on a trip away from the business of Coruscant, hoping to find some joy before the inevitable clash on Exegol. It kept her almost anxious, more so than any battle had before. Both because it was a fight to end the war, and because of her plans for after Exegol. She wanted to grow the family — Vera had even predicted it through a vision already.

So what if they lost? What if something happened to her there?

She had planned, trained, and prepared with Kahlil Noble so much for it, but she couldn't shake her nervousness completely. And that's why she was here today, attending the planet's so-called starlight festival with her daughter, Bee, and Scampi. She had trips planned with her husband as well, and it was likely she'd meet other friends before the big battle too. All to relax and not overthink everything.

"The meteor showers are beautiful, huh?" Valery asked as she glanced up to the sky. The show would continue for far longer, so while they were able to watch, she'd walk through the streets to shop and just have a good time with them.

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Starlight Festival, Tyed Kant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |


It was a much needed distraction, albeit one that could only carry his mood for so long. Any time with his family was time well spent, as BB-610 navigated through the streets of a planet he'd never visited before. Colorful, vibrant, the unrestrained excitement and enthusiasm of the locals was contagious. Whether the occasion was especially held this year as a means of distraction for the planet's hypothetical fighters against Exegol or if the people of Tyed Kant were simply blissfully ignorant of the encroaching battle, BB-610 appreciated the spirits of those around him. He was scared- terrified- of the next handful of rotations, and he could tell Valery felt something similar. Even through her bright smiles and warm words, there existed something behind them, and the droid wasn't quite sure what. A mask, perhaps, or gestures to tell herself again and again that they would be alright. Perhaps nothing existed there at all, and BB-610's own anxieties had merely manifested in non-existent signs for the ones around him. He wasn't in a rush to ask.

The roar of fireworks was initially a tad too much for Scampi, freaking out and flapping his wings with a loud shriek drowned out by repeated bangs, but he'd grown accustomed to them enough for his screams to die down to a simple flinch. The skies were, undoubtedly, gorgeous, painted with beautiful blues and greens that danced through the clouds and splashed the world with mesmerizing hues. BB-610 felt compelled to agree with his Master, optic dilated in fascination with the meteor showers soaring above them, but then that horrible feeling at his core knocked the thoughts from his brain. It felt light - too light for his liking - and terribly cold, like a guttural pang of vertigo that kept him from feeling anything but crippling anxiety. As Scampi tippity-tapped along the flat surface of his head, the astromech was snapped out of whatever trance he'd been put into, now grounded once more in a fleeting attempt to ignore his feelings while the porg fluttered over to perch on Vera.

Hours went by, and BB-610 seldom said a word. What was once the highlight of the night - the high-spirited singing of locals, the fireworks, the array of pretty lanterns and flashing lights decorating the overstuffed stands along the street's tight pathway - had slowly begun turning against him. The singing grew obnoxious, the people too familiar with him, the fireworks deafening, lights blinding, the streets claustrophobic-- The sum of their parts came crashing down on the astromech's already overloaded brain, festering in sensory overload, processors overheating as BB-610 struggled to keep himself from hyperventilating, until the umpteenth crackle of fireworks finally cracked him.

Taking an abrupt turn with the swerve of his chassis, BB-610 weaved through two vendors without a single word of notice, rolling rapidly towards a nearby hill, secluded and mostly empty. Taking notice, Scampi squawked, cooing curiously before spreading his wings and taking flight, soaring after the shiny astromech as the sound of festivities grew duller and duller, until the bombastic drumming of music and cacophony of voices had faded into nothing more than a distant murmur. Motors kicked into overdrive, BB-610 sped up the hill, refusing to look back at what he could only assume to be the disappointed faces of his family, before taking a spot along the grass, his body trembling with a sensation he didn't want to think about.

 

[Valery Noble]

Starlight Festival

​

Outfit: Meadow Dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: BB-610

Throughout much of the evening, Valery noticed that Bee was rather quiet. It was a stark contrast to Vera and Scampi, who after adjusting to the fireworks and loud music, had been very hyper and excited about everything. From the beautiful lights and people dancing and singing, to the amazing meteors that lit up the clear, dark skies above them. But with Bee feeling... off, it was impossible for Valery to enjoy it all.

She didn't blame him for it — these were difficult times — but she did worry. In a relatively short amount of time, the little BB droid had become far more than just a friend to her. He was part of the family and this meant she cared greatly about his well-being. She hoped that whatever it was, he'd be willing to talk to her about it soon.

But as Valery stood by a vendor to purchase something for Scampi, she realized that perhaps she should have opened up a conversation with him herself. Without saying a word, Bee had disappeared, and Valery had no idea where he was. She looked around, panicked, and turned to Vera.

"Vera, where is Bee? He was here just a second ago."

"He's there, mommy!" She pointed in the direction he had rolled off in.

Valery nodded and immediately wanted to leave but...

"Aren't you forgetting something, lady? You haven't paid for those snacks yet."

Valery blinked, turned back, and quickly searched her pockets for her wallet. Vera, however, wasn't going to wait and ran off to go find her best friend. "Come on, Scampi!" she called out, and Scampi responded with a loud squawk as they followed after their friend. Soon enough, Vera reached the hill and began to climb her way up.

"Bee!" she called out and once she spotted him, Vera walked over and frowned a little. "What's wrong, Bee? Mommy is worried."

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Starlight Festival, Tyed Kant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |


BB-610 didn't even register the sound of footsteps, or wing flaps, or voices calling out to him as his peripheral vision was surrounded by his family. His core drummed against his chassis, dulling his senses and flooding his brain with a myriad of intrusive thoughts, algorithms struggling to highlight anything beyond the worst possible outcomes for the battle they had signed up for. Exegol was a big deal, far bigger than anything he'd ever been wrapped up in before; there existed an unbearable amount of pressure weighing him down, silencing his reason and egging him towards the macabre imagery that kept the droid from thinking straight. Anxiety welled inside him, bubbling and festering and drowning out whatever remnants of the astromech's chipper nature existed, a devastating pounding at his circuits knocking him down again and again until his fears culminated in the trembling of his body and the flicker of his central optic to a bright blood red.

Finally, BB-610 peered his head up, sparing the two Noble a glance that seemed entirely vacant of his usual self - no emotion, no words, nothing beyond the rattling of his chassis that told her something was very, very wrong. His stare went through her, as though Vera were no more than a stranger intruding on him, refusing to acknowledge their pleas. It was only when Scampi landed on his head that the droid responded, an empty, droning click rumbling from his voicebox as the porg chirped, head tilting. As he ducked his head upside down to gaze into BB-610's photoreceptor from atop him, the astromech fidgeted, and with a few more curious (and concerned, if one were experienced in avian speeches) caws, BB-610's optic blinked back to its signature blue, though he hardly seemed to be in a better state of mind.

Bringing his attention down to Vera, the droid faltered, trying his hardest to maintain his composure, though the warbled whine that met the air betrayed his intentions. Binary cracking, BB-610 succumbed to his feelings, shaking erratically as he inched closer to the young girl, dome bumping gently against her forehead as he cried, a series of low bweeps that overlapped with each other, culminating in a hideous sound almost reminiscent of faltering machinery, voice processors lagging behind with emotion he simply wasn't programmed to have while his droidspeak glitched into a stuttering mess.

«I might not see you again,» he managed, and while he couldn't shed tears, the glistening of his optic wore his sentimentalities on his sleeve. «I don't want to die now that I have a family.»

BB-610's trembling only worsened, unable to sit still. «I don't want to die.»

 

[Valery Noble]

Starlight Festival

​

Outfit: Meadow Dress
Appearance: Link
Tag: BB-610

"Don't cry, Bee," Vera said before she wrapped her arms around him for a big hug. Just like her mother, she couldn't sense Bee's emotions, but Vera was perceptive and clever enough to understand exactly what was going through Bee's mind. On occasion, she could even see visions related to him. "You're not going to die," she tried to assure him but Vera wasn't quite sure what else to say. Nobody had ever talked to her about something like this.

Her parents always promised her that they'd come back.

Luckily, Valery had managed to pay the vendor and rushed over to see what was up. She was relieved to see that Vera hadn't gotten lost, but when she noticed Bee crying into her daughter's shoulder, Valery's heart felt so much heavier. She never wanted anybody in the family to be so upset.

"Heyyy," Valery began carefully, as she walked over and smiled appreciatively at her daughter. She then crouched down to a knee, allowing her to get closer to Bee's level, and patted him gently on the head, "It's okay to be worried about everything that's coming, Bee. But it'll be alright - nothing is going to tear this family apart. Vera saw a vision of the family growing, and we were all there."

"No matter what, we're going to make sure nothing changes about that future, alright?"