Private Between the Noise

[Isla Reingard]

​

The lights of the Dee'ja Peak Spring Carnival pulsed like fever dreams across the Naboo night, casting long shadows between garish tents and the breathless rise of laughter that echoed off the cliffside. Music wove through the air in jangling, off-key strands - an overenthusiastic brass band somewhere near the sweet stalls, and a synth-pop ballad from a hover stage further down the ridge. Someone was juggling fire for no good reason.

Isla sat alone on a bench that smelled faintly of sugar and grease, tucked just off the main promenade. Her boots didn't touch the ground. Her expression, composed and pale, radiated the kind of stillness usually reserved for statues in war memorials.

Around her, the crowd surged and babbled, but Isla barely moved. She hated this place. It wasn't the noise. Or the lights. Or the smell of fried crustacean dipped in hot tar sauce, although that was deeply upsetting. It was the people - laughing too loud, eyes glazed from cheap euphoria, hands sticky with sweets and false freedom. They had no idea what war was. Or silence. Or the feeling of your mother disappearing inside her own mind.

Lorn had left her here like some wayward pet, muttering something about "childhood" and "fresh air" before vanishing into the crowd with the effortless guilt of a man who had once burned down a village to save it. He'd pawned her off on a friend. Aiden, apparently.

So Isla sat. And waited. And watched.

She saw lovers trying to be subtle. She saw a pickpocket decide against a mark because her boyfriend was too twitchy. She saw a girl, maybe five, about to drop her candy and pre-emptively start crying. She saw a fortune-teller who didn't believe in the Force but still made a decent living off it.

And far away, in her mind's quiet corner, she felt Lorn - half-focused, distracted, angry about something he wasn't admitting. She nudged him gently. Not a word. Just a whisper of thought. I'm here, waiting. You're not, as usual.

She looked back to the crowd. Her hands folded in her lap. Her eyes drifted upward as the fireworks began, brilliant and loud.

She didn't flinch.

Let Aiden come, whoever he was.

But maybe… he'd understand her silence.

Or at the very least, not ask her to ride the Ferris wheel.

Aiden Porte​

 

[Yasima Zyntra]

Location: Carnival
Gear: Yasima's Embrace, Knife made by father, datapad
Tag:

"I don't care that you won fair and square, you can't have the bottle, it's the bear or the balloons."

"I want the whiskey, I'm not even going to drink it. Do I look like I need a three foot teddy bear?"

"But you aren't eighteen, so you can't have the whiskey, now, bear, balloons or fuck off?"

"I'm not just some kid, I'm..."

"Bear.balloons or."

"Urgh! Fine! Give me the bear."

Yasima grabbed the three foot tall bright blue teddy bear and huffed as she walked away giving one last look at the bottle of whiskey she had just tossed the carni's balls with pin point accuracy for. "Pick any prize my ass" she thought to herself as she wandered off away from his stall.

Tasia wasn't here but she could feel the older woman glaring at her for her outburst and she wrinkled her nose rebelliously at her for fun. She continued walking, stopping just for a few moments to grab some cotton candy, the sweetness of it help take away the bitterness that she had felt for the carnival operator.

It was then she spotted some of the other padawans all out and about enjoying themselves, maybe someone else might want to hold her great big fluffy new friend. "Hey guys! How's things?"


​

 

[Phillip Slate]

Tags: Isla Reingard Yasima Zyntra

Phillip sighed to himself as he ate chunks of candy floss, wandering around the carnival grounds hesitantly. Every sudden sound causing the lad to jump and his eyes to dart around his surroundings suspiciously. His first fight against the Dark had left its marks against him. Paranoia was at the back of his mind now as he moved through the crowds.

He knew he should be happy that the people were able to have fun. To act like there wasn't any worries in the Galaxy. But it...infuriated him to no end. The Jedi weren't meant to expect to be thanked for their work, but Phillip expected it. He wanted to be thanked for what he had done, and instead he just had to watch as people gorged on sickly sweet treats whilst being oblivious to the bigger threats that were out in the Galaxy.

Even with that being said...at the sound of a child crying, Philip's gaze darted around the carnival grounds to find the source of it. Spotting the girl who had dropped her candy sobbing and her parents trying to soothe the girl. With yet another sigh, he made his way over towards the family, offering out the remains of his candy floss.

"Here. I don't have much of a sweet tooth anyway."

It was mostly true. Phillip was mostly eating to try and feel better. To let the sweet taste take his mind off things but it wasn't working. But the sight of the girl's smile was enough to at least make a small smile grace Phillip's face. That's what made him feel better. Helping other people, not trying to pig out like some kind of Gammorean on sweet treats. As the girl and her family headed off to down their own things in the carnival, Phillip prepared to head off himself...until he heard a somewhat familiar voice, as he turned over to spot the three foot teddy bear.

Huh. He should have expected some of the other Padawans were here. Great. That meant he had to act like everything was fine. The lad clapped his hands against his face for a moment to try and snap himself out of his funk before heading over towards Yasima Zyntra and Isla Reingard , plastering a fake smile across his face.

"Never expected to see you two here. Nice bear."

 

[Aiden Porte]

The idea that Lorn had a child was a surprise to the Jedi Padawan. Aiden hadn't ever dwelled to much into Lorn's past. They had talked before about the Padawans past, and he had always made it a point to make sure Lorn knew he was here for him. Aiden assumed it was now high time that the duo met, and Aiden was well....

He couldn't contain his excitement. He stood beside Lorn and he gave him a small hug. "Lorn! Pep up my friend!" Aiden gave his friend a strong hug. "You are going to do great!"

The Jedi Padawan had with him a small arsenal of balloons that were filled with confetti. He popped one over Lorn's head as the confetti fell around him. Aiden laughed and then he caught Lorn's gaze.....

"Sorry..." Aiden said with a genuine apology and bowed his head, and thus began to walk off towards Isla Reingard

"Hey!" The young man called towards the trio. Yasima Zyntra "That's a nice teddy bear." The Jedi Padawan popped a balloon filled with confetti over her head. "One for you." Aiden turned to Phillip Slate "One for you." Proceeding to pop it over Phillip's head.

"And save the best for last!" He popped one over Isla's head. The Jedi figured two ways this was going to go about, she was going to hate it, and hate him. Or she was going to hate it, and hate him.......

"How's the evening going?" He asked around the trio, before looking to Isla. "I'm Aiden Porte, your father and I are good friends. It's nice to meet you Isla." He stuck his hand out towards her.

 

[Eerie Omera]

A spring carnival. That was something Eerie believed she was used to. A time to start planting crops, a time of renewal and growth. Maybe not kn her home planet of Thalia, but the idea was still the same. What she wasn't expecting was....this. Nothing about this carnival had anything to do with agriculture. Instead her senses were being bombarded from every direction by new noises, smells and sights. It wasn't all bad, however.

Okay, maybe it wasn't great either. She wasn't used to such jubilant celebrations that had people moving around in controlled chaos. She was used to the sounds of mock battles and quiet farmlands, not deafening music and large crowds. The smells were overwhelming, as she didn't know exactly what everything was and she was slightly hesitant to try a few of the things here. Hot tar sauce? No thanks.

The small teen felt a little confined as she pushed her way through the crowd. Her smaller size wasn't exactly helping when few people tended to look down. Especially when fireworks were going off overhead. Finally freeing herself from the river of people, she dropped down onto a bench and let out a sigh. She was used to chaos in a different form, not the excited pulse of this festival. Taking a deep breath, she slowly released it to calm her nerves.

Eerie paused for a second, realizing she wasn't the only one on the bench. Blue and green heterochromic eyes turned from her scuffed up combat boots to group of people she had just stumbled into. A somewhat familiar group that she had seen many times at the Jedi temple.

There was one, however, that she didn't recognize. She was definitely Eerie's age, pale but didn't seem unhealthy. They were roughly the same height, with Eerie being slightly stockier. Her mismatched eyes locked onto the girls for a second. There was something about her, just the way she held herself and the almost tired expression in her eyes spoke of a less than easy life. Eerie quickly broke her gaze and gave a small nod to the group. "Uhh....hi."

Isla Reingard Yasima Zyntra Phillip Slate Aiden Porte

 

[Isla Reingard]

​

Isla's boots swung a little as she sat, watching the crowd with a soldier's detachment and a child's silent disappointment. Her hands, neatly folded, gripped one another tighter as she spotted the slow approach of several familiar faces - each one dragging the noise of the carnival closer to her bench like it was tethered to their ankles.

First came Yasmina, bright, bold, and clutching a teddy bear like a trophy from some absurd skirmish. Isla had always thought Yasmina was… effortlessly cool. Loud in a way Isla could never be. Confident in a way she barely understood. She gave her a small nod, the kind that tried to say I think you're kind of amazing without actually being spoken aloud.

Then Phillip appeared like a shadow with a heartbeat. She remembered him from survival training. He was competent, quiet, and oddly grim. There was something hollow in him, and Isla could feel it humming faintly through the Force like a cracked bell. She nodded to him too, more gently.

And then someone new. A girl. Smallish, earthy, tense as a taut wire. Eerie, she knew from Lorn's infrequent mentions. A warrior, apparently. Isla's curiosity prickled, but she merely offered a sheepish "Hi," like a stray dog nosing into a pack for the first time.

And then. The balloons.

Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.

Confetti rained over her hair like static. Isla didn't flinch, but her jaw locked like it had been forged. Her head turned slowly, spine stiffening, every inch of her body coiling in icy, silent outrage. Her mouth was halfway open, ready to deliver a truly blistering reprimand to whatever carnival-enchanted moron had dared disrupt her misery parade, when-

She saw him.

And it was like her brain sputtered.

He had brown hair like he'd just fallen out of a storybook and hadn't bothered to brush off the glitter. His eyes were doing something ridiculous - like reflecting too much light. And the smile. Stars help her, the smile looked like it had narrative significance.

This was Aiden?

She blinked. Not once. Not twice. More like... twelve times, but rapidly. Her mouth opened again, only this time the words didn't queue up properly. Her brain threw vowels at her tongue like panicked engineers in a flooding starship.

She hated this.

Her back stiffened like someone had yanked a string in her jacket. "That was completely uncalled for!" she snapped, voice clipped and frosty in a way she hoped masked her facial betrayal. "Who even carries confetti balloons around like a clown with unresolved issues?"

She brushed a piece of confetti from her lap like it had personally offended her, then, with a regal huff, took his hand in the briefest, most tragic handshake the galaxy had ever seen.

"It's fine. I'm Isla. And next time, maybe don't attack people with airborne glitter."

She immediately regretted everything.

Aiden Porte | Yasima Zyntra | Phillip Slate | Eerie Omera​

 

[Cerys Dyn]

Cerys hadn’t meant to enjoy herself today—it wasn’t part of the plan. She hadn’t expected the bright lights of the carnival to be so... contagious. The laughing crowds, the wild booths, the games—each one seemed to burst with its own kind of magic, pulling at her like a breeze that lifted the weight off her shoulders.

She didn’t win everything. In fact, she’d barely won at all. But she still found herself enjoying the attempt—her hands clapping with a grin when she tossed a ring onto a bottle, or when she managed to knock down a few cans at the shooting gallery. It was ridiculous, really, but there was something freeing about the whole thing. She even found herself laughing at a few jokes, and she hadn’t laughed like that in ages.

For a moment, she let the lightness of the atmosphere take her. She wasn’t Cerys the strategist, the soldier, or the leader—just a person, enjoying the simple thrill of a carnival game.

But then she saw him.

Aiden.

His grinning face, the laughter, the crowd swarming around him like he was the center of attention—how easily he moved through people. How easily he made friends. A few balloons filled with confetti were flung into the air, popping over the heads of unsuspecting Padawans, and it was all too much. The carefree joy in his presence, the effortlessness with which he threw himself into these meaningless moments—it all hit her like a slap.

It wasn’t that she hated him. It wasn’t even the balloon stunt. It was the thought that someone—someone like him—could waltz through life, unburdened by the kind of self-awareness that had kept her on edge for years. He had no problem with the idea of making friends, no worry about what it all meant, no internal battle over whether it was all worth it.

And that? That made her skin crawl.

She didn’t even care about the balloon situation, or how they’d exploded over her head like cheap fireworks. What bothered her was the thought of wanting to be liked—of wanting to belong in a space as... trivial as this one.

Cerys’ smile dropped, replaced by the tight, controlled mask she usually wore. She set her jaw and turned, her eyes narrowing at Aiden as she muttered under her breath, “How pathetic.”

She crossed her arms and moved away from the scene, the carnival’s sparkles and laughter fading in her wake. She wasn’t interested in friendships or frivolity—she had more important things to think about. So, while the others enjoyed their carefree fun, Cerys was left to stew in her quiet judgment of it all. She had no time for this nonsense.

| TAG: Indirectly: Aiden Porte Isla Reingard Yasima Zyntra Phillip Slate Eerie Omera Directly: OPEN |

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[Nien]

Tags: Cerys Dyn

The noise, laughter, smiles......

It was all too much for the young creature. His little heart was beating so quickly. It wasn't nerves, worry or anything of that nature. It was just, happiness. The life of a slave had seemed like a lifetime ago, thanks to his friend Cerys. Everyday was a new adventure to him, as he wandered the streets of Theed. Deeja Peak. The vast royal academies, it was so much information that it seemed overwhelming at times.

Nien had never seen or heard of a carnival before, nor what it entailed. Upon his arrival though he could see many faces that he recognized from the sanctuary.


Phillip Slate Isla Reingard Eerie Omera Yasima Zyntra

He passed by the group of Padawan's that were grouped up together next to one of the many benches. His small hand raised up as he gave a sweet smile and wave as he passed them by. The young creature's hover tram was indeed a savior for times like these. It would have taken him a lifetime to make it here. Nien reached to his side and opened the bag of cotton candy that he had procured from one of the vendors. A piece later and a small bite and all the worries that he had seemed to go away. "Tasty, this is." Nien voiced with a hearty smile as he took another bite.

He noticed Cerys several feet away as he directed the hover tram her way. While still in the early stages of learning about the subtleties of the force, he sensed something was bothering her. Perhaps that might've been why he hadn't seen her in so long.

He missed his savior, his great friend.

He appeared next to her, and looked up to her with a smile. "Cotton Candy, Cerys?"

 

[Michael Angellus]

​

Journal Entry:
.

A night pass to “Dee’ja Peak to enjoy the festival was a little more “social” than I was looking for. Upon entry to the grounds, I proceeded to find a food stall and found several to choose from. Some of the others were already walking around, but most who were among us stayed together. I was not that interested in the games, but “Bit” and “Bildo” were so bad at it, they were not impressing the girls they were trying to woo.

I had a minute.

It was a simple balloon popping game.

“Mike!”

”Michael”...

“Dude… really? That… forget it… you gotta help us man!”

“Yeah, help us when these two chicks some plushes. We don’t got a shot otherwise.“

This is not a productive use of my time, but so be it.

Alright. One of you take them for food, the other stay here and collect.

“That’s stupid, why?”

So that they don’t realize you couldn’t do this on your own.

TAG: Open

 

[Yasima Zyntra]

Location: Carnival
Gear: Yasima's Embrace, Knife made by father, datapad
Tag: Isla Reingard Aiden Porte Eerie Omera Nien Cerys Dyn Michael Angellus

Yaz smiled at Isla warmly as she was silently greeted into the group. She knew Isla was the daughter of Master Lorn but that was about it. She wished she knew the others better, no better chance than now she guessed.

"Yeah, he's a bit massive isn't he." she laughed as the commented on the furry elephant in the room. "I won him over there, boom, two shots, six cans." she wagged her hips a couple of times giving the impression she got exactly what she wanted, when that was certainly not true.

Her teenage swagger was interrupted by a loud pop above her head that made her jump before showering her with confetti. "Who does that?" she said with a giggle which was half way between angry and amused as he assaulted the other padawans with his rubber skinned treats.

"Who even carries confetti balloons around like a clown with unresolved issues?"

This removed the anger from her giggle and turned it onto pure amusement. "Oh my force, Isla, that is so good. I hope it sticks." she gave a wicked smirk to Aiden.

hiccip

She felt it coming and she almost managed to supress it.

"Oh you did not."

hiccup

"Now I am making it stick"

She ripped off a chunk of her candy floss, looked him in the eyes and stuffed it into her mouth, hoping the sweet delight would help her cure her embarrassing nervous affliction. She took a couple of steps away while the others chatted, still part of the conversation but trying not to be too conspicuous until she had fixed herself. They were rapidly joined by others, quite the group was forming.


​

 

[Phillip Slate]

Tags: Isla Reingard Yasima Zyntra Eerie Omera Aiden Porte

The fake smile stayed on Phillip's face as he returned the nod to Isla. She was a strange one but Phillip didn't mind that. He was strange himself but for different reasons in his opinion. It was nice at the very least to have someone who didn't make him feel like he was on the outside of the group looking in.

Then Aiden showed up! Awesome. The more people that showed up, the more that Phillip could just try to blend in with the crowd. As his fellow Padawans began to talk amongst themselves, Phillip took his glasses off for a moment to clean them against his sleeve. There was a bit of a smudge on them from the candy floss more than likely and he needed to clean i-

POP POP POP

As the sudden loud pops echoed around Phillip's head, the lad froze releasing his grip on his glasses as they tumbled towards the ground, shattering against the ground. His eyes stared down at the shattered pieces of glass on the floor for a solid minute or two in silence. Even Phillip's surroundings were silent for him as his vision seemed to stretch out for a moment, like a stick of taffy being stretched to its limits, before he snapped back to reality. Shaking his head for a moment as his eyes regained their focus.

"Hm?...Oh. The...evening is going well. Lots of lights. It's...pretty. Yeah.

With that, he plastered the fake smile on his face once more. He didn't want to be awkward or ruin the mood. They were here to have fun.

 

[Cerys Dyn]

The sound of approaching hovertrams and the faint squeal of carnival-goers pulled Cerys’ attention sideways, just in time to see the small, smiling figure of Nien drift through the crowd like some wide-eyed prophet of joy. He was waving at the others—Phillip, Isla, the hiccuping Yasima—and it made her teeth clench for reasons she didn't care to examine.

Then he turned and came her way.

Her heart tightened in a way she loathed. Not again.

“Cotton candy, Cerys?” he beamed up at her, holding up a pouf of pink sugar with all the grace of an offering to the gods.

She didn’t want to smile.

So she didn’t.

Instead, she reached down and scooped him up with a practiced ease, settling the little creature on her hip like it was second nature. She looked at the candy like it might be a trap—then, without a word, took the tiniest pinch and popped it into her mouth. It melted instantly, cloying and absurd, and yet... not entirely offensive.

Her lip twitched.

No one saw it. She thought.

Turning, she caught sight of another familiar face: Michael. He was standing nearby, watching two bumbling boys attempt to impress girls at a rigged game booth. Classic.

“You’re looking less... winded than last time I saw you,” she said dryly as she stepped closer, Nien now contentedly munching candy in the crook of her arm. “That obstacle course before the Netherworld assignment? You looked like a dying bantha.”

It was, somehow, meant to be a compliment. The tone didn’t help. But it was.

Her gaze lingered for a moment before flicking toward the others—the confetti storm, the exploding laughter, the loud foolishness of it all—and then back to Michael.

“At least one of us seems to be improving.” She nodded once, the closest thing she gave to approval. “Keep at it.”

She shifted her grip on Nien, letting him dangle his legs while she half-watched the others. Protective. Unapologetically so. But still at a distance.

Like always.

| TAG: Michael Angellus Nien @open | EQUIPMENT: Cotton candy, sarcasm |

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[Aiden Porte]

"That was completely uncalled for!"

Aiden's widened slightly as his lips pressed together slightly, he wasn't embarrassed at all. In truth he did feel bad at the very least. He didn't intend to humiliate or poke fun of. But this was a carnival, and well, fun was the name of the game. However it become clear that to some of these kids, war was all they know. And personally, that wasn't exactly right. There was more to this life than wars and fighting. You had to find balance if you wanted to life this sort of life successfully. Aiden was no expert at that, but he had heard those words many times over, and he did his best to try and live by that now.

"Who even carries confetti balloons around like a clown with unresolved issues?"

What a jerk!

Aiden thought and it was followed by a hearty laugh as he looked over to Isla Reingard and he couldn't be mad at her. She was quite new to this whole deal. So, he felt it was best to cut her some slack.

Maybe....

"It's fine. I'm Isla. And next time, maybe don't attack people with airborne glitter."

"Unresolved issues....perhaps, and my apologies." Aiden said with a small frown as he bowed his head towards the young girl. "It's actually not really glitter, its just colored paper. Nothing really glittery about it. If you mean to get technical." The Jedi Padawan looked over to her still frowning. "Shall I show you again?" Aiden inquired but before she could answer he raised the last balloon over her head and it popped once more, with more confetti falling around her.

"See, nothing glittery about it." Aiden smirked and then that smirk vanished when he looked over to Phillip


Well, perhaps this was just a bad deal overall as his actions caused Phillip to drop his glasses and they hit the ground and shattered. "I'm so sorry Phillip." This indeed did cause Aiden to turn a small shade of red and a genuine drop in his voice. "I'll help cover the costs to replace them." And the they were joined by another individual Eerie Omera

"Hello there my friend. You missed out on, well, nothing exciting to be quite honest."

Well for all intent and purposes, this was turning out to be a disaster. Aiden crossed his arms as he looked around at the group, still hope in his eyes, mind and heart. "Has uh, has anyone got on the Ferris wheel yet?"


Phillip Slate Yasima Zyntra