Private Don’t Feed the Holographic Rancor

[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

"I like to think it is my eternally boyish charms over lingering pheromones on my clothing." He said it with a smile but he had the one and held it for a moment when he got a napkin and a piece. Cracking off a smaller piece. "You of not have to, it is all a choice but there is something to be said about living at the moment and getting to have something you can take back home with you. Who knows perhaps you will be so persuaded you will want to make your own theme park for attracting interest and tourism... get the people excited and then the crowds and have a massive economic boom." He said it while offering the piece with a nod of his head.

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi regarded the offered piece with the composed caution of someone being handed an unstable chemical compound rather than a dessert. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the layers visible beneath the breaded exterior, as though attempting to determine whether any civilization should reasonably have arrived at this outcome independently. “I appreciate,” she said slowly, “that you’ve reduced the potential casualty radius by breaking off a smaller piece first.”

But despite the dry observation, she accepted it. The faint warmth lingering in her expression remained as she studied the impossible little portion resting in her hand. “And I think,” Alexi added more quietly, “there’s probably a difference between living in the moment....and allowing yourself to have one.” A slight pause followed. “Most people confuse those things.”

Then his suggestion about tourism and economic booms drew the near-smile back immediately. “You say that as though I’m one persuasive fried pastry away from constructing an immersive marble-themed trade resort.” Her head tilted slightly toward him. “Though I admit the phrase economic boom was a strategically targeted choice.”

Finally, with the solemnity of someone accepting responsibility for her own downfall, Alexi took a bite. There was a brief silence. Then another. Her expression did not dramatically change, but something very subtle betrayed her: surprise. “....That is deeply unreasonable,” she informed him at last, still chewing with far more composure than the situation deserved. Her eyes narrowed faintly at the pastry in betrayal. “The texture profile should not work at all.”

Another small bite followed almost immediately afterward before she seemed to realize she had done it. “That,” Alexi said with calm accusation, “is exactly the sort of manipulation you warned me about.”

Tag: Jack Sheltrak

 

[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

He would say nothing to that, manipulation was less in it but he wasn't going to deny there was the hope she would enjoy it and have something memorable from here. With a small look he took a piece off for himself and a bite while he chewed it and gave a nod of his head. "I would never dream of it but I did promise an experience that would hopefully be memorable. So I will do a lot to strive for that at least. It improves the odds for a third encounter maybe a little more interest and conversation now that we have the sacred common ground of deeply taste filled but unhealthy food." He said it all with a grin though while having a second bite.

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi regarded him over the remaining piece of the pastry, her expression composed despite the unmistakable fact that she was still holding it instead of discarding it on principle. The sight of his grin only deepened the faint narrowing of her eyes; not irritation, but the quiet realization that he was enjoying this far too much. “The sacred common ground,” she repeated softly. “An inspiring foundation for diplomacy.” Another small bite disappeared before she continued, which only weakened the severity she was attempting to maintain. “Though I suspect historians would be disappointed to learn meaningful interpersonal trust can apparently be accelerated through reckless frying techniques.”

The near-smile returned fully then, lingering more openly than before. “And there it is,” Alexi added, calmer now, but unmistakably aware of what he was doing. “The real strategy.” Her gaze held his steadily. “Not persuasion, but an incremental investment.” A slight tilt of her head followed. “You’re building continuity.” The observation carried no accusation. If anything, it sounded almost thoughtful. “A second encounter becomes a third. Shared experiences become expectations of future ones.” Her eyes drifted briefly toward the crowds moving through the promenade before returning to him again. “Eventually people stop thinking of someone as temporary.” A faint pause followed, before she spoke softer now. “Most connections form that way, I think. Quietly enough that you don’t notice the structure until it’s already there.”

Then, just lightly enough to keep him from escaping too comfortably beneath the sincerity of it she added: “So congratulations,” Alexi informed him with composed seriousness. “You may, in fact, be successfully constructing a bridge entirely out of poor dietary decisions.”

Tag: Jack Sheltrak

 

[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

He looked at her and offered a small nod of his head. "Well when you say it like that all I can think is that you might be pretty saying it." He spoke though and took the last bite but offered her only the smallest moment... a napkin for it. "But would such an endeavor be so wrong? To want to continue? There is plenty of time here but I would hope to be able to accompany you upon more and have ways to plan what we are able to do or experience your ideal time." The look was there when he disposed of the stick it had been on and what they had but the man was moving to come back and join her while looking. "NOw where do you want to go to next."

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi’s gaze lingered on him for a moment after the question, thoughtful now in a quieter, less guarded way than earlier in the evening. The crowds continued to drift around them in warm currents of light and conversation while the scent of fried sugar and spice still lingered faintly in the air between them. “No,” she said softly at last, the faintest trace of amusement touching her voice, “I don’t think it would be wrong.” The answer was simple this time. Not dissected. Not carefully insulated beneath layers of precision.

Her attention dipped briefly toward the now dangerously diminished pastry in her hand before returning to him again. “And I think you’re right about something else,” Alexi added. “People don’t usually remember places because they were perfect.” A slight pause followed. “They remember them because someone was there with them when they mattered.” The near-smile returned then; easier now than it had been at the beginning of the night. “As for your bridge of questionable dietary choices....” her head tilted slightly, calm amusement settling more openly into her expression, “....I admit it’s proving structurally more sound than expected.”

Then, finally, her gaze drifted past him toward the glowing pathways deeper within the park. She considered the sprawling attractions for a moment before looking back to him again. “You chose Naboo because you thought it would mean something to me,” Alexi said quietly. “So this time...” another small pause, softer now, “...show me something that means something to you.” There it was again. Not obligation, but a choice. And perhaps, more importantly now, trust.

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[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

Listening to her he gave a nod of his head. "Hmmm" He said it with a nod of his head while he offered his aarm to guide her. "I know just the sort of thing to show off." He said it with a smile though that was easy enough while he was awaiting and would lead the way through the areas to walk towards a laarger plaze with a small look. He went over towards a kiosk with a zeltron worker who was there and the woman looked at them. "Two." He gave a nod. "Yes a fourteen for me and." He hesitated only a moment turning to look and tilted his head. "Maybe an eight" He was questioning it for a moment with a look. "Have you ever been ice skating?"

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi followed beside him with quiet curiosity still lingering beneath her composure, though the moment he stopped at the kiosk and began discussing sizes, the faint narrowing of her gaze returned almost immediately. The hesitation on his part did not escape her either. “An eight?” Alexi repeated softly, one brow lifting just slightly as she looked from him to the Zeltron attendant and then back again. “You sound profoundly uncertain for someone making decisions involving blades attached to my feet.”

There was dry amusement in the observation, but also unmistakable suspicion now as her attention shifted beyond the kiosk toward the broad polished expanse beyond it. The ice reflected pale lights across the ceiling in long silver ribbons while scattered couples and families moved across its surface in varying states of confidence and impending disaster.

Alexi went still for perhaps half a second longer. Then her eyes returned to him. “Ice skating,” she said carefully, as though testing the concept for hidden dangers. A small pause followed. “No. I grew up around marble terraces, diplomatic halls, excavation sites, and political negotiations,” Alexi informed him calmly. “There were remarkably few occasions requiring footwear designed to eliminate friction.” Yet despite the skepticism, she had not stepped away. Instead, her gaze drifted back toward the rink itself. Watching the movement. The rhythm of it. The strange balance between elegance and catastrophe playing out simultaneously across the ice.

“That said....” The near-smile returned faintly as she folded her hands lightly in front of herself. “I suspect you already knew the answer before you asked.” Her attention settled fully back onto him then, steadier now, carrying that same growing trust that had slowly threaded itself through the evening.

“So,” Alexi continued, quieter this time, “this is either going to be very enjoyable for you.... or deeply embarrassing for both of us.” A slight tilt of her head followed. “I imagine you’re hoping for the first outcome.” And despite everything, there was the faintest hint that she might already be willing to try anyway.

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[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

He gave a shrug to that and laughed. "A little but more uncertain. My experience is sizes for dresses and shoes can be... subjecive for some." He said it but got the pair as he slid them over his own and looked at it. "Though safety systems are designed to be here for people. There are small repulsor correct systems and the skates are made to not slice as much as connect and glide over the surface. It can still be dangerous but the risk is much lower then if it was on a world like Hoth of Rhen Var. The ice being hardlight also helps with the illusion without requiring heavy clothing for the temperature." He said it all with a look and gave her a small look of interest and small daring.

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi listened to his explanation with the attentive expression of someone evaluating a safety briefing immediately before agreeing to something objectively questionable. “Repulsor correction systems,” she repeated softly. “So the entire attraction is engineered around preventing visitors from discovering gravity the hard way.” A faint pause followed as her gaze drifted toward the rink again, watching one young Rodian wobble violently before being subtly steadied upright by unseen assistance. “How remarkably optimistic of them.”

The mention of Hoth and Rhen Var drew the slightest narrowing of her eyes. “I appreciate,” Alexi said dryly, “that your reassurance involved comparing this experience to several environments historically associated with freezing to death.” Still, despite the skepticism threaded through her voice, she accepted the skates when they were offered. Her attention lingered on them for a moment before she sat to exchange her shoes with the same composed precision she seemed to apply to everything else. Though once the skates were secured, she rose much more carefully than before. And immediately regretted it. There was only the smallest shift in balance, subtle enough most people might have missed it, but her hand caught the edge of the bench with instinctive speed while the near-smile resurfaced in quiet betrayal. “....Interesting,” Alexi murmured with remarkable calm for someone who had just discovered the floor was now participating in active negotiations against her.

Her gaze lifted toward him then, steadier now despite the obvious unfamiliarity of the sensation. The faint challenge in his expression did not escape her either. “Oh, no,” she said softly, catching that look almost immediately. “You do not get to appear smug yet. I haven’t actually attempted movement.” A slight tilt of her head followed. “And for the record,” Alexi added with composed seriousness, “if I fall, I intend to do so with enough dignity to make the surrounding witnesses uncomfortable.” Yet despite the words, there was unmistakable amusement beneath them now; and beneath that, trust. Because she was still here. And still willing to step onto the ice with him.

Tag: Jack Sheltrak

 

[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

"Noted." He said it and was moving as he stepped on the hardlight ice for it. The small micro-corrections remaining there for a moment when he turned around and looked at Alexi and then saw some of the others who were doing much the same. "I wouldn't dream of imagining otherwise." He moved then, backwards and stayed balanced... and then more graceful as he remembered much of it. Not perfection but practice and having the chance that he would be able to do it. Zeltros had less safety but the ice rinks there were as much for parties and on ice shows as anything throughout the days or months. "You will do good, I am sure."

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi watched him move out onto the hardlight ice with visible suspicion at first; though the suspicion softened almost immediately into reluctant interest once he actually began skating. The backward glide earned the faintest narrowing of her eyes. “Oh, that’s unfortunate,” she murmured softly. “You actually know what you’re doing.” There was dry accusation in the observation, but the near-smile lingering beneath it weakened any attempt at real severity. Her attention followed the easy rhythm of his movement for another moment longer before she finally looked down toward the ice waiting beyond the edge of the rink.

Then, with the measured composure of someone stepping into political negotiations rather than recreational activity, Alexi placed one skate carefully onto the surface. The micro-corrections activated immediately beneath her balance. She noticed. Her expression shifted very slightly. “....That is deeply unnatural,” she informed the universe quietly. Still, she committed to the second step. For approximately three seconds, things appeared stable. Then momentum entered the discussion. Alexi’s hand reached instinctively outward before she caught herself against the railing with controlled precision, posture remaining almost offensively elegant despite the obvious betrayal occurring beneath her feet. Nearby skaters barely noticed. Which somehow made it worse.

Her gaze lifted toward Jack again, calm and entirely composed except for the unmistakable realization that he had now witnessed this. “I would like it formally acknowledged,” Alexi said with grave seriousness, “that I have remained upright....Technically.”

Yet despite the caution in her movements, she did not retreat from the ice. Instead she exhaled softly, steadied herself, and pushed away from the railing again; slower this time. More deliberate. Her attention remained fixed mostly on the mechanics of balance at first, but after another careful glide forward, something unexpected surfaced beneath the concentration. Enjoyment. It was subtle. Quiet. But real. “You know,” Alexi admitted after a moment, her voice calmer now as she managed a slightly more successful movement forward, “this feels remarkably similar to diplomacy.” Her eyes lifted briefly toward him again. “Controlled momentum. Constant adjustment. The understanding that one mistake may send you directly into catastrophe while everyone politely pretends not to notice.” The near-smile returned more fully then. “Though admittedly,” she added, “this may have fewer consequences.”

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[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

He watched her go on it and glide for a moment.. her explanation of it being like diplomacy was... hmm he hadn't thought about it like that and had a small grin on his face. "That is insightful in a way that I hadn't thought about." He said it but moved and went around as he circled around to maintain some speed while being by her side with a nod of his head. "See though you are getting it and this is a great way to have some form. You can work out the muscles as well as the mind as there is even more ot see if you allow yourself." He was saying it but only moved along with her for the timing. "And I only have practice as needed with it."

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi's gaze followed him as he circled effortlessly around her, the contrast between his practiced ease and her ongoing negotiations with physics becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. "I notice," she said softly, carefully maintaining both balance and dignity, "that your definition of 'only as needed' appears suspiciously close to competence." The near-smile returned as she managed another glide forward without requiring immediate intervention from either the railing or fate itself.

This time, when she pushed off, there was less hesitation. Less calculation. Not because she had mastered it, but because she was beginning to trust the movement. A realization that seemed to surprise her more than the skating itself. "I think that's the part I wasn't expecting," Alexi admitted after a moment. Her attention remained on the ice ahead of her, watching the reflected lights drift beneath her skates. "Most things improve through control. More precision. More certainty." A small adjustment followed as she corrected her balance. "This...." Her expression softened thoughtfully. "This improves when you stop fighting every correction."

For perhaps the first time since stepping onto the rink, her attention shifted away from her feet and toward the experience itself. The motion. The rhythm. The strange sensation of moving without entirely directing every part of it.

Her gaze lifted toward him again. "I can see why you wanted to show me this." The admission was quiet, but genuine. Then, naturally, she immediately ruined the sincerity. "Though I should point out," Alexi added, her tone becoming thoughtfully suspicious, "that every activity you've introduced me to so far has contained some form of hidden philosophical lesson." A slight tilt of her head was made while she thought about her words. "The pastry was apparently about indulgence." Another careful glide. "Naboo was about memory." Her eyes narrowed just slightly. "And now you've lured me onto a frictionless surface to teach me about trust." The near-smile surfaced again. "I'm beginning to think this entire evening has been an elaborate educational program."

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[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

He looked at her. "Well I subscribe to the ideal that one should never stop learning and there is a lesson in anything especially failure." He said it but he was moving to keep his pace and movements in line with her. Adjusting as she did. "But there is always a chance here to see some of it and skating allows the mind to wander towards other goals. I use other smaller recreational endeavors to just relax the mind." He was saying it while he moved and the pathway around was shifting, winding and dipping in areas to go up and slightly down or around like a corkscrew to give a full experience for them. The hardlight moving around in some areas or shifting and strengthening.

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi listened as she continued her careful progress along the winding path of ice, her attention resting on him more than the shifting scenery around them now. "There it is again," she said softly. A slight adjustment of balance followed as the pathway dipped gently beneath them. This time she navigated it with considerably more success than she would have managed ten minutes earlier. "You keep presenting these things as attractions." The near-smile returned. "But every time you explain why you enjoy them, you stop talking about the activity itself."

Her gaze drifted briefly toward the illuminated pathway curling ahead of them before returning to him. "It's never really about the pastry. Or the holograms. Or the skating. It's about what they allow people to do." The observation carried no challenge. Only understanding.

Alexi glided forward another few meters before speaking again, quieter this time. "You come here to think." It was not a question, but a statement. "To let your mind settle somewhere between motion and stillness." The lights reflected beneath her skates as she considered that. "I suppose that's another thing I wasn't expecting." A faint breath escaped her. "Most people run toward noise when they want to avoid their thoughts." Her gaze found his again. "You seem to prefer activities that leave room for them." The near-smile returned, warmer now. "Which explains why you've spent the entire evening trying to convince me to participate in them. And for the record..." She glanced down at the ice before looking back at him. "I haven't fallen. So I think we're both exceeding expectations."

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[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

"THis is a great place to think and figure things out. Well here and the palace. There is a feasting hall there where two hundred people can eat together... as loud at times as you can imagine and yet it is never too loud. The conversations are good, the people enjoyable and there is at times entertainment. Usually we have been watching the holonet shows of zeltrons in love or there are reports from around the galaxy of different activity." Jack was moving with more grace now that she wasn't falling over just yet... she might but she would likely make it something adorable if he was honest. The former senator was checking as he spoke. "But I also really do recommend the attractions... they are beautiful."

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi listened quietly as they continued along the winding ribbon of hardlight ice, her movements growing steadier with each passing minute. Not graceful yet, perhaps, but no longer entirely dependent upon negotiation. "A feasting hall for two hundred people," she repeated softly. The image seemed to amuse her. "I think that may be the most Zeltron sentence you've spoken all evening." The near-smile lingered as she guided herself through a gentle curve in the path. "But I understand what you mean."

Her gaze drifted briefly toward the skaters moving around them before returning to him. "It isn't really the hall, is it?" A slight tilt of her head followed. "It's the conversations." The observation came easily now. "The people you expect to find there. The familiarity of it. The fact that no matter what's happening elsewhere in the galaxy, some things remain where you left them."

For a moment she seemed thoughtful. "Most people talk about home as a location." Her eyes settled on him again. "You talk about it as a collection of people." The words carried no judgment. If anything, they sounded quietly appreciative. Then the faintest trace of amusement returned. "And for someone who insists he's recommending the attractions," Alexi added, "you spend a remarkable amount of time describing the company."

A few more careful glides carried her forward before she looked back at him. "I think that's why the attractions work for you." The near-smile surfaced again. "They give people an excuse to spend time together without having to admit that's what they're actually there for."

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[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

"People make a house a home. A house is walls, windows, mortar, wiring, panels, carpets and everything within it. A collection of people work to make things what they are." He said it though and was looking while he found a good pace to move backwards and watch her. The interest in her observations were helpful as well to what he could think about himself. "And there is some truth to what you say though I hadn't thought of it that way before. THis place, the attractions, the food stalls... all of us are united in being here and enjoying the time." He chuckled to himself while he was checking over it with a nod of his head before he twisted into a spin but held an arm out she could use to balance and guide herself.

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi watched the offered hand for a moment before accepting it, allowing him to steady her through the turn. The movement carried them together through the curve of the rink, reflected lights sliding across the hardlight ice beneath their feet. "I think that's probably why people return to places like this," she said softly after a moment.

Her gaze drifted across the skaters around them. Families. Friends. Couples. Strangers sharing the same space for a few hours before continuing on with their lives. "Not because every visit changes them. But because, for a little while, they get to step outside everything else." The words carried a quieter weight than her earlier observations. "They get an evening that belongs only to itself."

Alexi's attention returned to him then, thoughtful rather than analytical. "I spend a great deal of time thinking about outcomes." The faintest trace of a smile touched her expression. "Most people in my profession do." Another careful glide. "What something leads to. What it accomplishes. What comes next." Her gaze lingered on the winding path ahead. "But not everything has to become something larger in order to matter." The observation settled gently between them. "Sometimes an experience can simply be....worthwhile." The near-smile returned as she adjusted her balance once more, considerably more naturally than before. "And for the record," she added lightly, "I am beginning to suspect that was your argument from the very beginning."

This time, when she glanced toward him, there was warmth in it. Genuine and uncomplicated. "If so," Alexi said, "you've made your case surprisingly well."

Tag: Jack Sheltrak