Private Bazaar of the Four Winds

[Zaiya Ceti]

Lialic
BAZAAR OF THE FOUR WINDS

-

Zaiya was in heaven. Or at least, her own version of it. The marketplace buzzed with energy, filled with the lively hustle and bustle of peddlers and patrons alike. The cheerful tunes of an Oolotan band added to the vibrant atmosphere, while the mouthwatering aroma of grilled Gorg-on-a-stick and other street foods filled the air, tempting her taste buds.

For centuries, the astronomical object of Lialic had been nothing more than a large floating asteroid. But following the end of the Gulag plague, it had transformed into a bustling trading post for drifter colony vagrant ships. These ships, packed with refugees and space nomads, had connected and joined together, forming a patchwork city of salvaged ships, solar sails, and refurbished biodomes. Here, amidst the interconnected vessels, trade flourished under the rule of various colony ship guilds, fostering a melting pot of cultures and species.

Zaiya's rose-gold skin seemed to shimmer with excitement, her iridescent blue mottled stripes and whirls radiating a teal hue of joy. Although muted in color than for the typical Lovala, the empath's skin would color-shift depending on her mood. She wore a flowing robe that exposed her shoulders and arms, her scalloped sleeves adding to her youthful charm. Standing at a fork in the market's pathways, she pondered her options. Should she continue straight, where tantalizing food stalls awaited? Or perhaps venture left, towards intriguing technological trinkets? Then again, the sight of curious objects and lobe-filmsi journals to the right beckoned her curiosity.

Above her, vibrant flags and canopies fluttered in the recycled air, creating the illusion of a gentle breeze. It was a feast for the senses, and Zaiya couldn't wait to dive deeper into the vibrant tapestry of the Bazaar of the Four Winds on Lialic. With a grin she made her decision, weaving her way through the crowd.

Aris Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

Niv Hani was a world of Epicanthic beauty. Everything that had been salvaged and remembered from the loss of Panatha had been brought there to be preserved and celebrated once again. It was beautiful to see, especially for Aris. He'd never seen Panatha for himself, and he never would. But from what he was told, Niv Hani was as close as they possibly could get while also being something still new.

Lialic was nothing like that.

He walked through the streets in a typical Padawan robe. This was just a stop in his travels, but for some reason a longer one than he'd expected when they landed. A couple days to refuel didn't make sense. Now it did. It wasn't about getting gas in the tank. He smiled ever so faintly as he looked over the different food stalls. So many different cultures, all on one world.

Mingling in a way that Coruscant certainly couldn't replicate.

He stood before one of the food stalls. He recognized nothing of it. Not the style, nor the food being cooked. Not even the scents were anything familiar to him, and yet he couldn't help but smile as he bought himself one of the small, pillow like cakes that were being offered. They moved like jelly, yet were clearly a cake of some kind. He took a fork to it and a small bite.

Sweet, but not overly so. And certainly soft. He sighed happily as he stepped back and glanced around to the other stalls. There would be plenty of food to sample, from all kinds of places in the Galaxy.

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Lialic
BAZAAR OF THE FOUR WINDS

-

Before Aris Noble could savor another bite of the delicious jelly cake, a tiny figure suddenly descended from the overhead canopy. Using the thick rope that connected one stall to the next as a makeshift zipline, the small intruder swung down toward the unsuspecting silver-haired teen. With nimble fingers and mischievous intent, the olive-skinned and red-stuffed Kowakian-Monkey Lizard reached out its tiny hand, emitting a gleeful cackle as it attempted to snatch the treat away.

Only for the young Monkey Lizard to accidentally lose its grip and smack up against Aris' head. This only resulted in chaos erupting as Tela, said Monkey lizard, immediately began to panic, clutching and clawing and digging into the shaggy mass of silver hair on Aris' head.

"Eat me! It eat me!" it stretched out dramatically, acting out as if Aris's hair was about to curl about it and eat him whole. Meanwhile, Zaiya who had been walking up behind the young Noble, gave a sudden yelp of surprise, skin shifting to a silver hue of surprise while her mottled stripes turned lime green in startled alarm.

"GAH!" she ended up bumping up against Aris, which only allowed Tela the ability to potentially hop from one head to another.

Aris Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

"I am eating cake, not you."

There was a practiced ease with how Aris kept the food away from the monkey lizard climbing over him. Vera Noble 's Raycoon Fuzzy was similar in this way, always trying to get his food. But he was stronger than the Raycoon, by far. One hand kept the food safe while the other went to snatch the animal right away. Or would have if someone hadn't bumped into him.

He stumbled forward half a step, and in dismay watched as the fluffy treat fell to the ground. If not for the sudden scream from the person who'd bumped into him, he would've focused more on that.

Instead he looked over just as Tela jumped, and caught the creature by the back of it's neck. That was the trick he used with Fuzzy. Most animals tended to stiffen up once they were grabbed by the scruff, especially the younger ones. "Don't make trouble for others, okay? You can speak, so clearly you understand." He let out a sigh, sparing only one last glance to his fallen treat before looking back down towards the..

Oh, weird. He'd never seen one of her species before. She was changing color, wasn't she? "You alright?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Lialic
BAZAAR OF THE FOUR WINDS

-

Saved from the chaotic antics of a young Kowakian Monkey Lizard attempting to turn her multicolored hair into a nest, Zaiya let out a sigh of relief. Her hand instinctively pressed against her chest, feeling the rapid thumping of her heart as the adrenaline rush subsided. As the commotion settled, embarrassment began to creep over her, tinting her skin a faint green hue while her mottle stripes blushed pink. It was one of the downsides of her color-shifting abilities -- the deeper the pink, the more it revealed her embarrassment.

The tiny Monkey Lizard squirmed in Aris Noble 's grasp, its red tuft of hair swaying as it protested. "Let go! Let go!!" Tela cried out, convinced that Aris Noble would devour it. Zaiya's iridescent blue eyes darted between the Monkey Lizard, the sullen teen who captured it, and the jelly cake splattered on the ground, unsure of how to intervene.

"I-I am fine," Zaiya stammered, her mottled spots deepening to a coral shade with a subtle bioluminescence as her embarrassment persisted. Concerned that she had caused Aris to drop his food, she quickly apologized, "I am so sorry!"

Kneeling down, Zaiya attempted to gather the remnants of the cake, only to realize she had nothing to clean it up with. Are there any napkins around?

"I apologize again. May I buy you another one to replace it?" she offered, looking up at the silver-haired boy, hoping to make amends for the mishap, eyes panning around to the nearest stall to see if she could get napkins to help clean this up.

 

[Aris Noble]

"If you promise not to make trouble."

And not a moment before that. He kept on holding the monkey lizard by the scruff, but his attention was no longer on the one that wanted to steal his food, and instead on the one that had caused it to fall to the ground. She was changing color. He tiled his head, squinting curiously. He'd never seen someone change color like that before. Was it her species, perhaps?

".. I won't say no to a replacement."

He let out a sigh before smiling, just a little. No harm, no foul. There were always more cake, right? "But it's this little monkey's fault, not yours."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

"Hungry! Eat! Eat!" Tela's cries grew more pitiful as if caught between a rock and a hard place. The little Kowakian Monkey Lizard cast Aris Noble the most mournful look, its red beady eyes pleading for sympathy. With exaggerated sorrow, its floppy ears drooped back, giving the impression of a poor, pitiful creature just trying to get a meal.

Meanwhile, Zaiya observed the interaction with a mix of curiosity and embarrassment. She couldn't help but feel self-conscious under Aris's avid gaze, his head tilted as he studied her. It wasn't the first time she'd drawn attention outside the research labs at the university. As a Lovalla -- a rare species from the distant world of Volik -- Zaiya was accustomed to the curious stares when it came to her color shifting skin. The different color combinations would indicate different moods, with a particular glowing bioluminescence when feeling intense emotions. As it was, the Lovalla were a dwindling race, their low birth rates pushing them toward extinction. Having a few double takes or pointed stares was normal for Zaiya as breathing.

Feeling embarrassed grow -- and her iridescent mottled spots glow an even deeper pink -- Zaiya hastily rose to her feet and approached the nearest vendor for napkins.

"Um, do you want the same kind?" she asked, tucking a strand of her white hair, streaked with cobalt and magenta highlights, behind her increasingly green-tinted ears. Her embarrassment only deepened as she spoke.

"What's that?" Zaiya inquired, nodding towards the Monkey Lizard, which now attempted to garner her sympathy as well with its pitiful expression.

 

[Aris Noble]

"I'm not going to eat you, jeeze. I just don't want you to try and steal my food again."

He squinted at the monkey lizard. If anything, as Zaiya seemed to shy away from his gaze his attention seemed to be more on the creature in his hand than her. He didn't have to know her species to realize that him staring was making her uncomfortable. Perhaps the colors shifted with her mood? Regardless, she couldn't meet his gaze. So either she was intimidated, or something else he wasn't sure of.

Aris wasn't the best at handling emotions, but he was getting better. Somewhat. He paused as she spoke up, glanced her way again. She'd changed color once more, bringing only a brief frown on his face. No, he didn't understand at all. So he forced a smile instead. "I'll let you pick. I'm curious what different flavors they have, so why don't we try what interests you the most?"

Then back to the lizard monkey. Oh, she didn't know this creature either? "A would be thief. But I believe a lizard monkey. Perhaps a child?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

"Do people usually eat them?" Zaiya inquired, her curiosity piqued but not implying any intention to consume the would-be thief. Tela, however, interpreted the Lovalla's innocent question as a death sentence, convinced he would be skewered and roasted over a fire. He began to squirm in Aris Noble 's grasp, panic overtaking him.

"Oh! I did not mean to scare you, as -- " Zaiya hurriedly reassured, noticing the distress in Tela's movements. She paused awkwardly, her iridescent blue eyes meeting Aris's green ones. "-- I apologize; what's your name?"

Once Zaiya learned Aris's name, she promised the hungry young Monkey Lizard that she would fetch food for both it and the teen. Around them, the trio were getting a few looks of curiosity. As they were also standing in front of the vendor, and potentially blocking other customers, the Houk food peddler called out, "Oi, young ones, get a move on unless you intend to buy any more."

 

[Aris Noble]

"I hope people don't eat species like this that can talk." Surprisingly, he was unflinching as the Monkey Lizard flailed in his grasp. If anything, he just lifted Tela up higher so to keep him from accidentally knocking something over. Then, he glanced to Zaiya again. Mostly because he wasn't good at reading people, and he certainly couldn't feel them through the Force, so if she had an emotion that he might need to know, this was probably the best way.

Only to meet her gaze.

"I'm Aris. I don't know what this one's name is though."

Oh, right, they were in the middle of the road. He glanced up towards the peddler, dipping his head in apology. "Right, sorry. We'll take three of the berry." With that in mind he reached into a pouch to set the credits on the counter, all while holding Tela to the side. Once they got their food he handed a plate to the monkey lizard; whom he still carried by the scruff of his neck; and took up his own to step to the side.

"Shall we go eat?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Relief flooded Zaiya's features as Aris Noble expressed his hope that people didn't eat species capable of speech. Still, it left the lingering question of whether he had any intention of devouring the Kowakian Monkey Lizard.

"I hope not," Zaiya murmured to herself, caught off guard as Aris bought the food instead. "Oh no, you should have let me pay for them!" Her mottled stripes blazed a bright lime green in embarrassment once again.

Fortunately, it seemed Aris had managed to placate the tiny Monkey Lizard with the offer of food, as it eagerly dug into the cake. "Tela! Tela!" it chirped between mouthfuls, its cheeks puffing out with each bite. Maybe that was it's name? "Is your name Tela?"

The Monkeylizard gave an avid up and down nod of its head, its tiny tuff of red hairs waving in the wind.

"Nice to meet you both. My name is Zaiya," she introduced herself to Aris and Tela, feeling a bit unsettled that she hadn't been able to rectify the situation. Nonetheless, her skin began to shift back to its rose-gold hue and iridescent blue mottled stripes as she began to settle down. "Would you like me to get you a drink, perhaps? she offered, hoping to make amends since Aris had ended up purchasing the cakes anyway.

 

[Aris Noble]

"You can just pay me back now. I didn't want to hold up the line any longer."

That was the logical thing, mostly so he could get Tela calmed down enough. With food it seemed the Monkey Lizard was actually tame, so once they did find a place to sit he set the creature down and looked back to Zaiya. He raised a brow up. She was still trying to make up for the fallen cake, wasn't she? But she could just pay him back now, right?

Maybe he was overthinking this. Or under. People were difficult.

"Okay, yes. I will take a drink, Zaiya."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

"Oh. " Zaiya was struck by how much more sense it made to just pay him back. Logical. Why didn't I think of that? Determined to not only reimburse him for the three cakes but also get him something to drink, the Lovalla reached for her spider silk pouch and pulled at its strings. As a ward of the University from Commenor, she received a small stipend from the trust set up in her name after her parents passed away.

"I have a few credits and two peggats." The peggats were worth roughly 40 standard credits. She handed him a ten-credit chip. Unfortunately, naive as she was, Ziaya not realize that saying that aloud likely wasn't the best thing to do in a bazaar. A few interested heads turned towards her direction, eyeballing her holding onto that satchel. "That should cover the cakes, and I can go get you a drink too. Do you want anything specific?"

He appeared to be confused, or maybe that was frustrated? Zaiya was lost in communication. Without the empathic bonds, it was so hard to get a read at other sapients. A rush of distress made her iridescent mottle stripes pulse yellow over her rose-gold skin.

There was a pause, and then confusion set in, turning the yellow into burnished gold. "Wait, are you here on your own?"

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris was, unfortunately, just as naïve. He didn't notice any of the looks that might've come their way as she mentioned the amount of credits she had, and only reached out to take the amount necessary before nodding in his own form of appreciation. A part of him figured if he spoke aloud his thanks her colors might shift all over the place again.

At least it made it easier to figure out her emotions. He usually had a terrible time understanding the emotions of others, especially when people were really subtle about how they felt. This was an open book. An open, wordless, picture book of colors. "I am not, no. Master Sal-Soren told me to enjoy the bazaar for a couple days until our ship was ready to leave. I was confused at first as to why it would take a couple days to refill our ship, but I see now she wanted me to explore here and see all the different cultures and people. Coruscant has many kinds of people, but it doesn't often represent the different cultures. Not like here at least. Are you here alone?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

"Master Sal-Soren?" As Zaiya had no frame of reference to what sort of Master Aris Noble was talking about, so it was no wonder that confusion colored her stripes a grey hue. They quickly flashed a bright orange in curiosity as she perked her dark brows at Aris.

"Is that your professor?" at the present time, Zaiya was a ward of the University, as her parents who passed were formerly tenured professors there. With no other Lovalla on staff and no other relatives in her homeworld of Volik, she remained at the mercy of the University and the trust set in her parents' name.

"I'm here with Professor Syes and a few students looking to study Squib technology and the formation of the conjoined platforms," she answered, playing with her satchel from one hand to the next. Like a small bird, she couldn't stay still, rocking on her feet and peering from left to right at the noise and shuffle of the Bazaar's patrons.

"Oh! So you are from Coruscant? It is completely covered in buildings?" she'd heard that there weren't any green areas or natural parks. Commoner at least still had mountains, oceans, deserts, and canyons one could see and travel over. The thought of living in a place full of metal and no natural surroundings was just so mindblowing, her stripes once again flashing amber to orange in avid contemplation and curiosity.

The Lovalla mused that they might look around the bazaar together if Aris was here for a few days.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Jedi Master. Kind of like a professor, but also a caretaker as much as a teacher." Right. Not everyone knew what a Jedi was. Just calling Briana Sal-Soren his master could seem almost like slavery without the proper explanation. Though now he was taking more notes of the colors. Orange at least seemed to be curiosity. At least, it always accompanied a question.

Did that mean grey was confusion, then? Maybe.

"It is all metal. There's a spot where you can see the tallest natural mountaintop in the upper city, but the rest of the world is so built up on the surface that there's nothing else that can be seen. I'm not a fan of it, if I'm being honest. I like here far more."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

"A Jedi Master?" Confusion once again made the mottled spots along her cheeks, neck, and arms ripple in iridescent grey in confusion again. Relatively sheltered within the University and since most of the subject matter dealt with cybernetics, the young teen didn't have a frame of reference. Not to mention, in the wake of the invasion of Commenor when she was nine, there was very little that the Lovalla remembered regarding that battle. Her parents had died during a bombardment, not due to the blade of any Force user.

"What subjects does this Master Sal-Soren teach you? I like cybernetics," she replied with a friendly smile, this time the colors shifting from grey to bright orange in curiosity, then into a rich ochre of interest.

"And all metal? That... sounds... terrible." Zaiya couldn't help but be honest as amber hues went rippling over her iridescent skin in serious contemplation. "Not a single tree?" Tela, by now, had finished her cake and had bits of jelly all over her beak. It was evident the Monkey Lizard was happier now, and like a bird taking care of a curious little thing, Zaiya attempted to try to pet it.

All the while, a Cathar was curiously watching the pair not too far away by a nearby stall, elbowing his Nagai companion. Two young teens seeminging to be without an adult? A perfect hit.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Jedi things mostly. The Force, how to help and protect people." Oh. Come to think of it Aris had no idea how to explain what being a Jedi was without someone knowing what a Jedi was already. His brow furrowed in thought as he took another bite of his cake, trying to sort out how exactly he was going to explain it.

"I mostly focus on lightsaber combat."

That was a new color. Disgust? No, something similar, maybe. "No natural growing trees, no. The Temple has the Thousand Fountains, which at least has a lot of different environments represented from across the galaxy. .. I don't know if there's one for Coruscant though."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Jedi? Now the confusion brought the grey hues back over her rosegold skin, perplexity growing over Zaiya's expression.

"Jedi?" There was a pause, the patterns shifting into an amber hue of contemplation before brightening into a vibrant orange in curiosity, her eyes widening as she took a few bites of her cake. So far, Tela didn't object to the petting. Food certainly made it more docile.

"Are you a part of the Church of the Force?" not everyone knew or was aware of Force users, Jedi, or Sith, especially if they had been closeted into living on university grounds where neither. Jedi, Sith, or any other Force user typically were seen, much less discussed. Most discussions, events, and TecTalks revolved around the sciences, technology, and, sometimes, local politics. It had been a long while since Commenor had to deal with the repercussions of such battles between Force users, so this was new for Zaiya.

What she was familiar with was the Church of the Force. She knew one professor of Xenolinguistics who was a member of the religion, Sora Sak, who eschewed modern technology and instead created her own in order to bring herself more in touch with nature. She went off on pilgrimages from time to time.

At least until he mentioned lightsaber combat, confusion dampened back to greys, and the Lovella gave a frown. "Lightsaber combat? Like solid-state holograms as weapons?" that was the only light technology that Zaiya knew of.

Hearing about how there wasn't a single tree on Coruscant dampened her mood, dampening her rosegold skin to a dull silver as she thought about it. She'll have to ask him more about Coruscant and those fountains later, but for now, she was really interested in this light technology Aris was talking about. Eager to hear more about that, just as quickly as her skin faded to silver, it quickly bloomed rose-gold again, her iridescent blue eyes excited to hear more about light sabers. So much so that even the edges of her mottled spots were starting to glow a soft, burnished gold as she awaited in anticipation.

 

[Aris Noble]

"No, it's its own thing. Similar I think? But not part of the church." He knew a cursory glance about the Church of the Force, but now he felt the need to actually read deeper into it. Asides from his strength, all he had was knowledge. He stayed silent after that though, looking more bewildered that she didn't know what a lightsaber was. He shouldn't have been surprised, he knew, but all his life he'd at least known of the tools.

Then again his parents lead the New Jedi Order so perhaps he wasn't the best frame of reference.

"They're not holograms. They produce a blade from Kyber that cuts sharper than.. Well anything. They've been around for thousands of years now."

Zaiya Ceti