Public Danse Macabre (Hallowe'en on Necropolis)

[Sycorax Laveaux]

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As one might expect, Hallowe'en is a pretty big deal for the tomb world of Dahrtag, better known as Necropolis. The planet holds an annual festival to ensure the spirits of the dead remain placated, engaging in festivities all night long. But evil lurks in the shadows, and it isn't angry ghosts one should necessarily fear...

Objective I: City of the Dead
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People from all over the galaxy travel to Necropolis to bury their dead. The planet is littered with graveyards and mausoleums, and the local culture is built around a fascination with the macabre. Remember lost loved ones, plan your own funeral, or just enjoy the gargoyle-festooned ambiance of the spookiest planet in the Core.

Objective II: Danse Macabre
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The capital city of Lamont boasts a vibrant nightlife fueled by the local music scene, and the hottest joint in town is the Danse Macabre, a glittering nightclub where both the rich and the poor mingle, wearing costumes to hide their identities. With the influx of visitors celebrating the holiday, the variety of entertainments has increased. See a show, have a drink or two (or three), and dance the night away.

Objective III: That Funny Reefer Man
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Organized crime infects the underworld of Necropolis, where creatures of the night hold as much power and influence as politicians. Seek to undermine these notorious bosses at your own peril—or enjoy the many vices they have to offer. But beware the bocors, who lace recreational drugs with a potent poison that can induce a death-like state. Once their victims are pronounced dead and taken for burial, they retrieve them to be sold into slavery... or worse.

 

[Sawa Ike]

THe world had changed... she looked at it and where once there had been reverence... there was now parties. She found a place to observe in the city... it had grown in a few thousand years. She looked at it and saw the city more when she walked. Two of her masked xianghua behind her as the teenagers kept masks on. Few came near them and she moved down one of the streets into an older section of the city. Then deeper down as a grave marker was there and it wound down lower and lower into crypts with faceless statues. Old rust and dust on the stone. She found it in the dark while silvery eyes gleamed with humor looking at the statue there. "Oh if only you could see what has become here."

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

Objective I
Costume
Tags: OPEN​

To the rest of the galaxy, the customs of Necropolis were strange, even disturbing. The natives felt much the same about foreign ways, and no practice was more important to the Necropolitan than those rites related to the dead. People on other planets were whisked away as quickly as possible after death, to be burned and their ashes scattered. The Necropolitans buried their dead in the ground with great reverence. The manner in which someone was laid to rest mattered as much as how the person died, and the process was conducted with a pomp and circumstance unique to tombworlds.

As Sycorax walked the streets of Lamont, she passed by neon-lit storefronts advertising death masks, post-mortem photography, embalming services, and customized coffins. Sculptors and stonecutters offered their services in the carving of grand marble mausoleums. Tourists stood bug-eyed and slack-jawed outside these places, morbidly fascinated by what they perceived as a ghastly and uncomfortable display of familiarity with death. A few of the younger ones snapped selfies using the macabre signs as a backdrop. Mingling among them were people on a mission to immortalize their loved ones. They moved almost unnoticed beneath the leering gargoyles, often hooded or veiled, entering the shops with purpose.

Having grown up in such a death positive culture, Sycorax ought to have been better at handling loss. But there had been little time to grieve while she was fighting the corruption that had led to the murder of those she loved and avenging their deaths. Maybe that was why Hallowe'en always had her feeling some type of way, like she was missing some part of herself but couldn't quite come to terms with its absence.

She turned a corner, finding herself walking alongside a funeral procession. The train of sleek black speeders moved slowly through the evening mist. Traffic had been halted to allow them to pass through unhindered. Whoever had died must've been somebody important. She followed their lead, searching for peace of mind.

 

[Valery Noble]

Necropolis

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Outfit: Masked dress
Tag: Open - New people preferred!

With her fingers elegantly curled around a glass of wine, Valery watched the dancefloor from the side. She wasn't usually the type to be in night clubs, and this wasn't exactly for pleasure either. She had heard about darker rumors surrounding the events on Necropolis, and the best way to learn more about them, was ro immerse herself within it all.

So, wearing an elegant, black dress and a mask to hide her identity a little, she watched and tried to learn. Occasionally, a daring young man would come over to ask her for a dance, but she had rejected every offer.

She wasn't here to be distracted by just anybody. But perhaps a more interesting person would come along soon.

Until then, she sipped from her wine and kept her eyes open.

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Objective: II (Danse Macabre)

Tag: Open

The Danse Macabre was not the sort of establishment Glar Ulchtar usually frequented. And yet, here he was. Truthfully, he was not exactly sure why he had come here. Bordom, maybe? Or perhaps he just wanted to enjoy a nice drink? Either way, he was here now.

Like everyone else in the club, Glar’s identity was hidden in an elaborate costume. He in particular was dressed in a replica of the armor worn by the ancient cobra-knights on his home planet of Oba Diah. He was not sure how many people here would understand what exactly he was dressed as, but did not particularly care one way or the other.

At the moment, Glar was standing on the club’s rooftop balcony, enjoying a fruity glass of Sullustan Wine and watching the streets below. He noticed what appeared to be a funeral procession pass by on the street directly below, sharply contrasted with the various partygoers ignoring it as it passed by. Clearly, death was not a tabooed subject for the people of Necropolis. Glar had his own, rather unusual views about death, but those did not align with the people of Necropolis any more than those of the mainstream Galactic culture.

At this moment, Glar noticed that someone else had appeared beside him, also contemplating the streets below. Remarking on the ignored funeral procession, he asked “What do you think about the way death is treated here?”

 

[Annika Starfire]

Location: Necropolis
Objective: Danse Macabre
Tags: Glar Ulchtar Valery Noble

Annika enjoyed this festival, it was her third year attending, having come for the first time when she was fourteen, with her parents of all people. The teen had always had a love for the macabre and her holonet channel showed just how much of her life was dedicated to it. Coming here was wonderful, sharing it with other interested people and also getting some amazing shots for the channel.

The girl slipped into the bar with her beautiful purple dress flowing behind her. She spotted people in costume and several already engaged in carnal depravity which went hand in hand with this. The people in this world often loved to share, so she flittered about getting some selfies with then. She even approached an older woman in a rather cute dress and masque similar to hers ( Valery Noble ) to request a selfie at the bar from the woman who currently appeared unescorted and if allowed would take some before moving on.

She eventually made it out onto the rooftop balcony, hoping to get shots across the city. Her body felt electrified by the atmosphere here, and now she had begun to open herself up to the dark side, her confidence and feeling of power began to grow. But that also might have something to do with her newly crafter lightsaber that her master had assisted her with, that now sat strapped to her upper thigh.

“What do you think about the way death is treated here?”

She was taking pictures when a man spoke to her, a Pyke, or a droid perhaps, it was hard to tell from appearances, but it made no difference. "Its pretty amazing isn't it, can't you just feel the energy in the air tonight. I wish other cultures would be so open about all this stuff...

Smile." she said to Glar Ulchtar with a big grin on her face knowing that the word made no sense to use on the masked gentleman, she tried to get an image of him, his artificial face in stark contrast to the eerie backdrop. "How about you?"

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Outfit: Suit
Tag: Valery Noble Annika Starfire

There was a time when cantinas and night clubs had been his scene, a time when his primary hobby was getting black out drunk, sleeping with some woman he'd never see again, and making the walk of shame back to his ship in the morning. Those were simpler times, as odd as that sounded. These days, Gatz had no time for leisure or pleasure.

Tonight was no different.

Gatz stepped away from the bar, with some kind of bourbon in his hand, when he felt a familiar presence. Eyes scanning the dance floor, and then the edge of the dance floor, he spotted someone he'd know anywhere, mask or not. There was some girl with her, who was... snapping a selfie with Valery? Interesting, but not what made him curious.

What made him curious was why Valery was here. This wasn't exactly her kind of place... which meant that she was on business. Which also meant that this was probably going to be one of those nights where he got shot or stabbed, again.

So be it. That was his lot in life now. So, with a sigh, Gatz approached Valery.

"You know, I hear dancing is a lot more fun than watching dancing."

 

[Valery Noble]

Necropolis

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Outfit: Masked dress
Tag: Gatz Derrevar | Open to more too!

As odd as it was, Valery wasn't going to be rude and tell the woman requesting a selfie to leave. She just smiled in front of the camera, then watched Annika Starfire move elsewhere for the time being. The distraction wasn't too long, so it hardly compromised her mission, but it did keep her from picking up on a familiar presence. By the time she felt Gatz Derrevar , he had already made his approach and stood in front of her.

"I'm not here to dance, as I'm sure you know."

Valery wasn't exactly the type to go clubbing on her own for fun, so if she was seen in a place like this, it was always for work. Perhaps a little disappointing for some people, who were trying to get her to dance with them, but she didn't particularly feel like getting too close to the people here.

She just wanted to understand something.

"There's something off about this place. About this planet," she told him, while fiery eyes studied him through her mask. "I'm... not sure what it is, but I want to find out."

 

[Thelma Goth]

Objective II
Wearing: Dress | Mask
Tags: Valery Noble Gatz Derrevar Glar Ulchtar Annika Starfire + OPEN
MUSIC​

"There's something off about this place. About this planet. I'm... not sure what it is, but I want to find out."

Though she was still in hiding, Thelma had longed to return to her homeworld. The Hallowe'en festivities provided a rare opportunity to fulfill that yearning, even if just for a night. Costumed and masked, she was unrecognizable, just another celebrant at the Danse Macabre. Well, maybe the black lace veil in addition to the masque was a bit much. But she had extra fabric left over from making the gown, and she just couldn't resist.

The Danse Macabre was a massive multi-story building decorated in a gilded art deco style. Each level had something to offer. By way of an intricate spiral staircase, Thelma moved from the ground floor, which was densely packed with guests, to the second, which had a live band playing dark and moody gothic rock.

Content just to be there and watch, Thelma's violet eyes roamed over the people around her... until she spotted an unmistakable figure who made her freeze. Master Valery Noble was here? Of all people...!

Perhaps this little venture had been a foolish idea after all. A Jedi could pick up on her Force signature and realize she was here. One hand raised to her mask, making sure it was in place before she headed for the nearest exit.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Outfit: Suit
Tag: Valery Noble Thelma Goth | OPEN

"This is gonna be one of those days where I end up in a medical bed, isn't it?"

With a sigh, Gatz set his empty glass down on a passing caterer's tray. He hadn't even brought a blaster tonight. Hell, he didn't even own one anymore, because his last one had been destroyed the last time he'd ended up in a medbay. Still, if Valery was here sleuthing something unnatural out, he couldn't just walk away. Sometimes he wished he could, but he couldn't.

Packed as the place was, Gatz failed to spot the vampire in gothic dress—not that she would have stuck out to him anyhow. Any Force presence he'd have sensed was drowned out by Valery's own, as his own senses were too underdeveloped to be able to pick out smaller signatures among the brilliant flame burning right next to him.

Any detecting or sleuthing was best left to Valery. He was just here to make jokes, and take the bullet. Maybe self-deprecate along the way.

"Alright, so, what has you so disturbed then? Because I don't feel a thing. Other than slightly intoxicated, that is."

 

[Valery Noble]

Necropolis

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Outfit: Masked dress
Tag: Gatz Derrevar Thelma Goth | Open to more too!

Valery blinked, "It doesn't have to be, you know. I can handle this on my own if you'd like to dance or just-" she stopped, narrowed her eyes and leaned in just a little closer. She sniffed, then glared at him, "Are you drunk?" She wasn't the type to really drink on the job, so even though she had wine in her hand — which might make her question a bit suspicious to him — she wasn't affected by it at all. The Force was cleansing her body of the alcohol.

It was a trick she hadn't learned him yet.

"I don't know yet what I feel. It's just... something dark," Valery said, very much still squinting at him a little. "But maybe it's better if you take it easy. Go dance and have fun," she said with a chuckle. "If something happens, you can always help me then. Right now, there's nothing to go after yet, so enjoy the night." She smiled a little, hoping he'd not get shot today.

Or...

Valery blinked as a familiar presence moved nearby. It wasn't the source of the trouble she felt, or so she hoped, but it did get her to turn around and look right over.

"Thelma?"

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Valery Noble Thelma Goth | OPEN

"Are you drunk?"

"Maybe a little bit. Can you blame me? My Dad is dead, my Mom is dead, my Uncle was murdered, and I'm homeless. But I still have booze!"

Gatz swiped a glass of wine off another server's platter, not even bothering to look at the man's disgruntled face. The glass clearly had been meant for someone else, but that didn't stop the former scoundrel from tipping it back and downing it in one chug. With a self-satisfied smile, Gatz plopped the glass down on someone else's table.

"Can't dance. Don't know how. Real good at drinking though!"

He was feeling... good. That was weird. Gatz almost never felt good these days. But he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. If alcohol was making him feel happy instead of miserable, then he needed more alcohol! That meant going back to the bar, but his legs still worked at the moment. It would just be a short jaunt and—

Valery said a name.

"Who's 'Thelma?'" Gatz raised an eyebrow, "does she need a drink? Because I'm gonna go grab another one. I wouldn't mind getting her one. Do you need one? You seem like you need one. I'mma get you one."

Gatz turned to stagger off toward the bar, leaving Valery to... whatever she was going to do with this 'Thelma' individual. He'd be back in time to find out, with drinks.

 

[Thelma Goth]

Objective II & III
Wearing: Dress | Mask
Tags: Valery Noble Gatz Derrevar
MUSIC​

"Thelma?"

At the sound of her name, Thelma halted. Slowly she turned around. Though her face was completely covered, her unmistakable purple eyes were visible through the mask, meeting Master Noble’s with quiet conviction. If Valery wanted to drag her back to Coruscant, she could try. But Thelma would not go willingly.

Meanwhile, Valery’s young male companion left to get more drinks. An attractive woman in a red dress lounged at the bar, observing the people around her. As Gatz approached, her gaze honed in on him. “Having fun?” she asked, getting a whiff of the booze on him. “You know, there are other ways to enjoy yourself.” She waved her hand, flashing a small bag of blue powder hidden in her palm.

 

[Valery Noble]

Necropolis

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Outfit: Masked dress
Tag: Gatz Derrevar Thelma Goth | Open to more too!

When she told him to go dance and have fun, she wasn't really expecting this. Gatz taking someone else's drink, his slurred speech, the way he was bluntly talking about terrible things... he really was drunk. Her death glare intensified for a long moment, before she just shook her head. "It doesn't matter if you can't dance, just move to the music and have fun." She let out a sigh, but chuckled a little as well.

If he could get through this night and have a good time, that'd be a nice change of pace for him.

"Thelma is-" Valery stopped as he kept rambling, raised an eyebrow, and just shook her head again. While Gatz ran off to get drinks he probably shouldn't get, Valery turned in Thelma's direction and tilted her head. There was an intensity in Thelma's eyes, but Valery wasn't here to hunt her down or drag her across the Galaxy.

She had her hands full with her gremlin Padawans, and a drunk smuggler at the bar.

"I'm not here to pull you back, Thelma," Valery said with a soft smile. "Coruscant isn't a prison." So if she wanted to leave or go back to her fun inside the club, Valery wouldn't stop her.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Valery Noble Thelma Goth | OPEN

Gatz was drunk, but he wasn't so drunk that he was incapable of considering the consequences of consuming spice. He'd hauled the stuff for six years. He knew what it could do. He knew how it destroyed lives. And he had too much guilt tied to spice. How many people had overdosed on spice he had delivered to their worlds? It was a question that kept him up at night, many nights.

There were lines he'd never let himself cross again.

"Thanks," he slurred, lightly, "but I'm perfectly fine getting fucked up on alcohol. Careful who you show that too though. Next guy might be a narc."

Gatz turned away from the bar, two glasses of Alderaanian Red—Valery's favorite, he recalled—in his hands. He scanned the second floor, having already lost sight of Valery. But he spotted her easily enough again. She was chatting with a woman in dark lace, with a weird purple face... or maybe that was her mask? He couldn't be sure, not with his vision swimming.

He made his way back to Valery, and who he presumed was Thelma, and only stumbled once. He'd almost made it all the way there when he stopped suddenly, having finally noticed something—Valery was in a formfitting dress.

And it definitely accentuated some things.

But Gatz ripped his eyes away from the Sword's butt. She was his best friend, and checking out his best friend's butt without her permission was pretty uncool. So he finished his circuit back to the two women, and offered Valery one of the wine glasses.

"A classy drink for a classy lady." Then he downed his own wine glass in one gulp. "So, are you going to introduce me to your friend here? Or-or am I supposed to do the introducing? No, wait... that doesn't make sense. I don't know her, so I can't do the introducing."

 

[Thelma Goth]

Objective II & III
Wearing: Dress | Mask
Tags: Valery Noble Gatz Derrevar
MUSIC​

"I'm not here to pull you back, Thelma," Valery said with a soft smile. "Coruscant isn't a prison."

“It was for me,” Thelma replied. “A prison of my own making. I trapped myself, trying to be someone I wasn't.”

There was something she wanted to know, but she hesitated to voice the question. “...How is Silas?” she finally asked.

Back at the bar, the woman in red smiled. It was not a very nice smile; she had clearly been hoping to get something out of him. “Oh, you must be a tourist. This place is run by Han Werdegast, honey. The cops wouldn’t dare step foot on his turf. Not unless they were looking for a fix.” But she let him go with a little wave, watching as he went back to Valery and Thelma.

"So, are you going to introduce me to your friend here? Or-or am I supposed to do the introducing? No, wait... that doesn't make sense. I don't know her, so I can't do the introducing."

Thelma cast her eyes down. She didn’t know this man, and he was clearly very drunk. “I wouldn’t drink too much if I were you,” she said softly.

 

[Valery Noble]

Necropolis

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Outfit: Masked dress
Tag: Gatz Derrevar Thelma Goth | Open to more too!

"That's why I won't force you to go back." As much as she refused to believe that Thelma was a lost cause when it came to becoming Jedi, she couldn't force it on her. She had to be willing, and it was clear that she had made up her mind about it, at least for now. Valery would have to respect it.

But there were still some ways to help, and answering her question was the least she could do. "He's doing well," Valery said with a smile. "I'm sure he misses you, but we worked together recently, and he is doing okay." She hadn't talked much about what happened between him and Thelma, but she was more than happy to offer her comfort if he needed it.

Though, right now, someone else seemed to be needing her help.

"...thanks," Valery said as she accepted her glass of wine and watched him down his own right after that. "Why are you downing your wine? You heathen. You can't enjoy it like that." Valery chuckled and shook her head before she turned back to Thelma. "Thelma, this...is Gatz, a friend of mine." She was almost embarrassed to say it with how he was behaving, but she was still glad that he seemed to be having fun.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Valery Noble Thelma Goth

There was logic in what Thelma said to him. Unfortunately, his addled mind was mostly throwing logic out the window. Hedonism and impulsiveness were winning out, and the night had only just begun. If Gatz wasn't careful, he'd wind up waking up in a ditch, with no clue as to how he got there in the first place. He wasn't drunk enough to black out just yet, but...

It was becoming a very real possibility.

"I'll be fiiiiiine," Gatz smiled at the sullen woman, "Big Sis Val is here. She'll make sure I get home."

Gatz practically glomped the Sword in a hug, wide smile on his face as he rested his head on her shoulder—something he practically had to bend over to do, with him having a few inches on her. Still, what was a tweaked back when a hug was involved?

"She's great!" Gatz expressed into her shoulder, neither knowing or caring if Thelma could even make out his words, "her hugs are nice, she has a nice butt—she does eat pancakes with her hands though, and that's definitely heretical."

Gatz pulled his head away from Val's shoulder to glare at her.

"And you call me a heathen for the way I drink wine?"

 

[Thelma Goth]

Objective II & III
Wearing: Dress | Mask
Tags: Valery Noble Gatz Derrevar
MUSIC​

Valery may not have given up on her, but other members of the Council were less willing to let a vampire run amok. Having fought against two Sangnir Sith, Thelma couldn't blame them.

She could tell by the way Valery responded to her question that she had no idea what had transpired between them since Thelma left. It was possible Silas was keeping his feelings private, but it seemed unlikely that he could hide it from his master. Perhaps Valery hadn't seen Silas since Thelma sent him a message breaking off their engagement. Either way, she wouldn't be the one to tell Valery about it.

The man was introduced as Gatz, and he was quite insistent that everything was fine. Thelma didn't relent. "No, I mean—there's something in the wine," she said urgently. "I can smell it on you. If you keep drinking, you may come to harm."

 

[Valery Noble]

Necropolis

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Outfit: Masked dress
Tag: Gatz Derrevar Thelma Goth | Open to more too!

Valery stood like a brick wall when Gatz threw himself into a hug, and slowly turned her head his way to squint at him. A squint that quickly turned into a death glare when he commented on her rear. In a way, it was her fault for getting him drunk, but she hadn't expected him to be so bold, especially not with someone else standing right there. Luckily, Thelma didn't really address his drunk comments, and focused more on the wine.

"Yes, you are a heathen, and my eating habits are perfectly fine," she insisted before quite literally snatching his glass from his hand and putting it aside with her own.

"No more wine for you, and not just because it's spiked." She grumbled some, and let out a soft sigh before turning back to Thelma. She knew something was off about the wine, so maybe she knew more about what was going on here. "I felt a strange tension about this place. Is it just the wine, or do you think something else is going on?"

It could be just that his wine was tampered with, but if he got it from the bartender, she feared that something larger was happening.