Festival of the Lotus | Open To All

[Tefka]

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Music soars through the air.​

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The massive metal gates of Luminoss open, and the space ports on the planet's metallic surface glisten with activity.​

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Crowds roar as they watch their favorite athletes from across the Galaxy get announced, give interviews, and are spotlighted.​

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The planet is abuzz with life and excitement.​

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But... most people.​

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Most people are confused. The environment seems awfully cheery for what is potentially a super weapon having just momentarily appeared in the Galaxy.​

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The planet, Luminoss, seemed... very alien, even in this Galaxy. Metal spirals scraped the sky, and geysers of purple and green gas plumed the atmosphere. The air was breathable, somehow, for all races - there was no need for an apparatus. Furthermore, there were no security checkpoints. Hundreds of guards, thousands perhaps, of lifeless golems stood watch over the artificial planet city. Their lifeless eyes gazed forward, unmoving. There was very little unrest among the massive populace, but something told you that either Luminoss was woefully unprepared for any sort of security incident or self-defense...

...or it was prepared beyond expectation.

Force Sensitives would notice an intense lack of sensitivity in the area, perhaps allowing something akin to telepathy or the like, but nothing of a physical nature. Furthermore, no technology currently visible was recognizable. Even the Golems bore no resemblance to droids. Something else was powering them.

For all this 'Tefka' character's talk and bluster, the guy's city was in a whole different league.

Most of the entrances led into large golden roads that would intersect at the Grand Bazaar, the place where the Festival of the Lotus would begin.

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As you arrive, the Bazaar grows dark. And a single spotlight shines on a dais in the center of a cul-de-sac.​

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A tiny humanoid's silhouette appears.​

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The light dissipates into darkness.​

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And then it turns on again.​

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Definitely not a tiny man. It's a crab.​

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A rather large crab.​

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A decapod, perhaps. You're not really sure.​

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The crab begins to sing.​

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WELL, WELL, WELL,​

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I HAVE TO GIVE YOU CREDIT FOR MY START

STRUT MY STUFF, MY STUFF​

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AS I SING OUT MY ACHIN' HEART​

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A resident of Luminoss, an ordinary human, leans over to you and whispers. "He likes to sing about himself."
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WHEN YOU'RE FACE TO FACE WITH GREATNESS​

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I COULD POSSIBLY EXCUSE YOUR LATENESS​

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TO THE WEALTHIEST, THE HEALTHIEST, THE BIGLIEST, EVENT OF THE CENT-UR-Y​

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I ENTICE YOU TO JOIN THE REST OF THE PEAS-AN-TRY.​

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WELCOME TO LUMINOSS​

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TEFKA'S THE NAME​

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I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR TIME​

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AT OUR WONDROUS GALACTIC GAME!​

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The spotlight goes out. The dais is empty in the middle of the cul-de-sac. People stand still for a second and begin a light applause, and then continue what they were doing.​

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One of the residents looks at you and whispers.​

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"Clap, he loves the applause.​

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Can you believe that trainwreck of a song though? He used to be much better."​

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Other residents pass by.​

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"Pretty sure he stole parts of that from an older one, kinda sad, really."​

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"Yeah, a crab this time - really? Last week was a whale, what's up with the aquatic theme."​

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The Festivities continue, and a masquerade parade looks like it is soon to join the center of the Grand Bazaar.​

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

His shoulder still itched fiercely but at least he could use both arms on the controls now. The Solaris was a sleek, gleaming blade that he pushed through the hangar to touch down without the slightest jolt. Alone in the cockpit, he smiled to himself. It was a lovely piece of machinery, responsive and willing.

The smile evaporated as he looked through the viewscreen. The invitation, the strange location, it unnerved the Alliance. Or rather, it unnerved the intelligence community within the Alliance. The Subversion had been the closest ship, the Solaris had been ready to go. Amadgener had been more and irked when he found out Asmus had managed to requisition the ship for his Wing. She had been sat ready for him to fly to Eriadu with an agent to investigate the Intel leak, but he had been diverted here with Kaile instead. An entire world, seemingly artificial.

It made him nervous.

Asmus pushed a few levers into place to settle the ship and made his way back into the living space. There was something he needed to explain to Kaile. He simply hadn't found the time back on the frigate. Asmus was slightly nervous she would be disappointed in him and hadn't figured out how to phrase it yet. There had been the debriefs, the 'minor procedure’ as Kee had put it, and catching up with his squadron. And pretending to watch the rest of that show. He walked past the shadow of their deactivated security droid and approached them.

“Are we set?” He asked her. They were only here to walk around and take in the sights for now. Now how to explain why he owed the girl in robotic maintenance a few favours.

There was a clunk behind him. Oh no.

[Hello Kaile, Asmus. I have come out of hibernation. This should be exciting? Our second mission together!]

Asmus forced a smile onto his face. He bit his bottom lip. They had told Jay right to his face that he needed to be wiped and Asmus’ heart had broken a little. So he had bent some rules instead.

“Surprise!” He tried weakly. “He still remembers us…”

[And I now know fifteen different ways to kill a man. With my bare hands.] Jay announced exuberantly.

 

[Bryce Bantam]

[member="Liliane Lancaster"] - "Seriously what the feth was that?"

Bryce knew the beautiful woman's face that sat next to him and was in his own awkward way trying to make small talk. As the crowd began to disperse Bryce looked around for some more friendly faces. Not seeing much he turned back to the woman and said...

"I'm sorry you look really... did we meet at a ball back in the kathol region? Sorry you just look like someone I should know. Anyhow, you hungry? I'm famished myself. Wanna grab a bite to eat. I mean if you want. I'll treat."

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

LOCATION: LUMINOSS, FESTIVAL OF THE LOTUS​

EQUIPMENT: SUIT AND TIE
CURRENT MOOD: OVERWHELMED​

As the spectacle of a gigantic crustacean gallivanted at the center of attention, a slightly, but only slightly, smaller figure pushed through the crowds. People of all species were shoved softly to the side of another tall shape. They turned to glare, sometimes to berate, but their words quickly died in their throats.

One did not simply 'tell off' Ghorua the Shark.

The genetically-modified monster that was Ghorua squeezed his way past yet another pair of sentience, a bit of a gruff edge to his mute attitude. He had never enjoyed large crowds; it was too easy to step on other's toes. Or entire bodies, for that matter.

He wore a white three-piece, tailor-made for his size and girth, contrasting shockingly with his dark skin. His teeth were bright and polished, rows and rows of pearl-like daggers. His eyes were large circles of pitch-black nothingness. He felt rather out of place, to say the least.

For his company, however, that couldn't be farther from the truth.

A small shape bounced up and down on the Shark's shoulder, the excitement palpable in her voice. "Wow! Do you see that thing? What is that?"

Ghorua smiled genuinely, turning his head to look at the four-year-old human girl perched on his muscle. "That, Minna," he said, quietly trying to remember the name, "... is a crab. A very large crab." He adjusted her seat, making the experience more comfortable for himself.

"Cool! And there are so many people here!" The little girl absentmindedly ran her fingers through her dark hair, stopping to retie a few beads, completely at ease in the massive crowd.

"Yeah, there are." Ghorua laughed, happy to have the emotional support of his daughter.

The Shark had been recruited by [member="Miss Blonde"] for her Huttball team, and word had gotten out. Ghorua wasn't exactly famous to the public, per se, but he was known as a terrifying hulk of a bounty hunter in darker circles. He'd figured that the extra publicity wouldn't hurt his career, and the extra credits wouldn't hurt his pockets. Especially since he was working for two now.

He had an interview scheduled for today, but it could wait. He was content enjoying the moment with the love of his life.

 

[Lynn Nantaris]

As their shuttle landed on the mysterious planet, Lynn sat in the seat next to her father [member="Valiens Nantaris"]. She messed with her ticket in her hand nervously then looked up at him. "This makes no sense, how does a planet come out of nowhere and hold galactic games? I mean, I want involved, but still makes no sense." She felt an odd mix of emotions, excitement and confusion. Anticipation and anxiety. She had sent a message to the invitation that she would do the Capture the Flag and Maze Running event.

As their public shuttle landed she pulled the hood of her dark green cloak over her head. The hood was a deep one so it easily hid her features from people. As they left the ship her eyes could not help to widen at the appearance of the lavish planet. It was not like anything she had seen before. How was the air itself colourful? The planet made no sense to her, yet here it was, real, or was it? Could it all be a trick, something made to look amazing, but in reality they just stepped into hell.

She turned to her father and was about to suggest they leave as something didn't feel right and that was when the grab [member="Tefka"] arrived. She stood there with her mouth open and her eyes widened. After a few moments she realized she hadn't been breathing so she closed her mouth and began to breath, but her eyes remained fixated. As the, whatever that was, came to an end she clapped a few times, but one of those 'what is going on' claps. he listened to the people around her talk, 'he was a whale once?!' She could not think of anything to say,

Things have just become mad

 

[Lark]

The primal fear of most sentient beings is that of the unknown, what people couldn't understand or comprehend slowly drives them mad until the realization of what the secret is becomes revealed to them. Most of the time they come away from from it all dissatisfied with the end result, or perhaps their comprehension disturbs them to the point where they wish they never sought out the secret in the first place. He could see the yearning for understanding in the faces of many. This place, Luminoss, had appeared from nowhere, and that bothered people, they instinctively desired to know what this place was, where it came from, and why it was here. Surely it's only purpose couldn't be to broadcast sporting events?

No, this place screamed of hidden depths that none were yet to truly realize, himself included. Luminoss was aglow with radiant lights that raised all the way to the heavens, beads of illumination hovered in the rays, shining like clear water from a streaming river. The people chattered and laughed as if they had nothing to fret over, laughing in a way that only someone who had never seen true horror could laugh. This place invoked feelings of hospitality and warmness. Even the name, Luminoss. Like luminous. Like a beacon of light that broke through the dark and unknown.

But the brighter the colors, the darker the secrets.

This "Tefka" sang his little song, and Lark clapped along with the rest. As a parade prepared to march, Lark scanned for any oddities. There were things man was not meant to know, and Lark was determined to know them.

And now, the next chapter of my story begins.

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

Ah. Crustacean.

Mobius' mouth watered.

The monolithic Herglic's scarred, alabaster mass leaned casually upon a heavy cane of polished brylark wood. The whole of his girth managed to fit quite snugly into a rather dashing ocean blue suit from Chase Fashion, with cufflinks of cut corusca gem, and buttons of crushed night pearl. Deep-set onyx eyes stared out pompously from beneath protruding, blubbery brows.

Lumbering through the crowd, Mobius made his way toward a face he recognized - if only from the holovids.

A shadow fell across [member="Asmus Janes"] and [member="Kaileann Vera"].

"Pardon me, but I couldn't help but notice two of the Alliance's young heroes. Rogue squadron, is it? Your recruitment drive on the holonets was some fabulous work. Fabulous."

Fishing inside his jacket pocket with a flipper, he managed to reel out an ivory pipe, which he promptly placed between his lips. Teeth clamped down on the stem into familiar grooves worn from use. He placed a bit of tabac in the bowl, padded his jacket with a flipper as if searching for something, then turned to the human.

"I say, dear fellow, do you happen to have a light?" Air snorted from his blowhole to punctuate the question with a hauum.

 

[Darth Osano]

After giving some token applause, Maleagant peeled his hands from one another with a certain stiffness of movement normally associated with someone who was slowly peeling the skin from their own hands. Maleagant was not terribly fond of surprises. When the lights abruptly went out so that a screaming decapod could take the stage, his reaction was less than pleasant. He was still scowling when the lights came back on. Few people noticed. Maleagant was hardly an oddity in the crowd, looking about as plain as any Rattataki businessman could hope to be. Something bulky, but concealed, in the inside of his suit jacket dug against his ribs uncomfortably with the pitiful clapping motion, so he stopped.

Maleagant was here, primarily, to investigate. Anything fun typically didn't enter his schedule these days, but the fact that he had chosen to investigate a planet that was throwing a massive festival in honor of a highly publicized tournament spoke of some distant, muted, subconscious desire to do something other than slave away in his office or in Sith ruins. After all, this planet was an oddity that came from nowhere. It held technology completely foreign to the galaxy at large. That sort of thing needed to be investigated. How exactly did this... Crab... Person... Get into a position where he could hide this planet for so long? And then suddenly decide to blow the lid off the whole thing? Probably all the wrong questions. For now he would just observe as another inconspicuous part of the crowd.

Maleagant was not keen on going alone, so of course [member="Athena Heron"] ended up on the top of his list of people to invite.

Clearly there was no reason behind that other than that Athena was a respectable professional and could be depended upon.

No other reason whatsoever.

"Let's keep walking," he muttered to her. "Before someone else decides to sing."

 

[Kendall Ginn]

Standing with the crowd taken in by Luminoss' exciting opening display, Kendall Ginn couldn't help but tap his foot along with the Rhythm. He always was a fan of some unwarranted silliness, and as such joined the round of applause as the singing crustacean left the stage in glory. It wasn't the best performance, but the energy it created wasn't something to look down upon. Though that assumption wears off as the Weequay see's the crowd dissolve into murmuring and confusion after he leaves, everyone going back to their own business.

So that was Tefka, didn't expect a giant crab, but from the murmurings of the crowd Kendall can gather that's not his only form. Interesting, how such a being would put so much effort to bring people all around the galaxy to this fantastical planet. Kendall for the galactic games, having been brought on by Dunamez Lopez to participate. However, Kendall's interest was far more taken in by what would happen outside of the games, here on Luminoss', and what were the motives of the singing butter legs that brought them all here? Looking around Kendall could already feel the diversity in the crowd. One particular face he noticed was of [member="Ghorua the Shark"] , who Kendall had seen on Commonor. Not to mention he had heard his name other places, as they swim in some of the same circles no doubt. Kendall, looked away from the shark and back to the decor, wondering just how those golems worked.

 

[Klesta]

Yula was on Luminoss for her journalistic work: the Sith Inquisitor was part of what was called the Broadcasting Consortium. Oh, of course, security was going to be taken care of by the organizers so she didn't feel the need to go out there with someone other than her cameraman, which was hired in the aftermath of Malachor V, where she realized that she couldn't go on about broadcast journalism business without someone else to hold the camera. To be expected was, of course, that the podrace, slated to take place across several event sites, and simultaneously at that, was held against the better judgment of the galactic best practices. The crowd around Yula was just... abundant, elegantly-dressed. And she was dressed as she would back at her journalistic office on Ziost or Alexandria. Visibly the crowd seems happy, especially since they expect the best level of competition (even though that's simply not true as it pertains to podracing: many of the big names of the field are absent, and those who are competing just aren't on that level).

"Today, the Lotus Festival opens; the planet is in a large-scale party that marks the opening of the Festival. In the coming few days, competitions will take place, and the atmosphere is highly charged, with competitors coming in from across the galaxy. This is Yula Knezevic for the Sith Inquisitor on Luminoss"

 

[Benedict Rotadaria]

Location: Luminoss
Equipment: Suit & Tie, Vibroblade Rapier


"What the heck? This is so weird."

Benedict wandered from seat to seat watching all that was unfolding. He was to compete in the tournament of the saber. This tournament was for sure going to show the world that something good has come from Mandalore. Though not Mandalorian himself, he did count as one in terms of citizenship as he'd lived there his whole life. Now he was able to come together with friends and enemies and have fun, peace would be had. But how long would this last? Surely the galaxy couldn't hold peace for that long. Oppression must always arise somewhere. Either way, Benedict was looking for his date, [member="Vitha Sat-thuron"] when he spotted a training center for the saber duelists.

"Time to train!"

 

[Daxton Bane]

Location: Luminoss
Equipment: simple tunic and cloak, three light sabers and a heavy blaster.

Daxton gazed at the crowd, hoping to pick out some of the stronger competitors to get a feel for his opposition, although they would be sorely pressed to recognize him without his usual polished mirror helm. This body was once again youthful and spring with promise, having disposed of the old corpse once the spirit transfer was complete. When one travelled from host to host via clones, one tends to lose count after awhile. This best to enjoy the benefits of a younger form with the experience he had amassed so far, it would make them under estimate him as well as prepare him for the ravages he knew that were to come. The Dark Side was a cold a cruel mistress after all.

Besides he was getting sick of the so called peace, time for the Harbringer of Chaos to tread the galaxy once more.

 

[Talmass Erillett]

"Well.that was certainly unexpected." Charles muttered to no one in particular. He sat in the stands, wearing his civilian attire, which was fashionable, and showed as little skin as possible. He watched as opening ceremonies began. He leaned in, blaster pistol and sub machine gun resting against his right leg.

 

[Vitha Na'iv]

[member="Benedict Rotadaria"] [member="Lynn Nantaris"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"]

Clapping the fingers on her wings together she eyed the large crustacean. It was extremely odd looking. The coloured lights on it seemed to be more of a natural glow instead of some artificial light. The closest such creature she could recall was a Tarc that the Trandoshians she'd worked with had captured. Nodding at the Rodian she turned to look at the building he'd indicated.

Having accompanied [member="Lynn Nantaris"] for the games she'd broken off early to do some investigations. After all it was a good idea to see why such a place had appeared. It could very well be a weapon of some sort. There was just one problem with her investigation though. Being an Avogwi her parents hadn't taught her how to read Galactic Basic. It wasn't priority on a world at the edge of the galaxy especially with the Avogwi's almost nomadic lifestyle.

As she started pushing her way through the crowd to clear a path for herself and the Rodian she was planning to use. He would be useful for covering her if she needed a distraction. Her thoughts were interrupted however by a very large creature that had begun to push through the crowd. Hopping back slightly she looked up at him glaring. "Watch where you are going."

 

[Liliane]

Weird.​

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The only word Liliane could think of at that moment. The whole performance, the appearance of the crab, the song itself... Giving it a name was something otherworldly. It was nothing pleasant, nor was it anything ugly to look at. It was just odd. It was confusing. And the woman was surely not the only person around who felt the same way.

She'd noticed another man looking at her for a moment, then looking away for about as long, and then looking at her again -- probably trying to find somebody, the Jedi Marshal guessed. She was not wearing the Sith amulet that day, which could let her Light Side aura roam. Even though she had to note, the Force presence around there was not the greatest at all.

The redhead looked rather familiar to the woman as well, but there was no way she could recall who he was. Until he mentioned the Kathol ball.

"Oh, yeah, I was there," was her reply as she let her hand comb through her hair in a swift motion. Nothing against getting something to eat, she had to admit. The last time she'd eaten was probably hours ago. More than hours, actually. It was more like a half a day by now.

"Sure. Let's get something to eat," the lady said, smiling at the man.

Bryce. One of the Kathol Outback's influencial guys. That's who the redhead was.

[ [member="Bryce Bantam"] ]​

 

[Klesta]

Here's to hoping that there are no orbalisks around these parts: I would just hate to run into some orbalisk poachers. While Darth Manah and I did defeat a NFU swoop gang poaching and smuggling orbalisks, I almost died were it not for the swift medical intervention on Voss. Now I understand what they mean when these people on Alexandria say that the Force is as much a liability as it can be an asset, she thought. She is grateful for Cathbodua and those Silver Jedi peeps: they saved her life. The large crustacean had nothing on those orbalisks, thankfully, but she hopes never to have to fight orbalisk smugglers again. Yet, one of those passers-by offered to answer a few questions about the games, especially in pre-games coverage. She learned that, for some reason, the big two factions at war one another, that is, the First Order and the Galactic Alliance, had a limited presence at these Games, meaning that they should not expect the rivalry between these two factions to be at the forefront of the Games.

"While we all hope these games will actually turn out great, no games will be perfect. What issues do you have?"

"We hope that these competitions will be doping-free: while the organizers may have taken some precautions against inappropriate use of the Force, we know nothing about whether doping will be an issue or not. After all, doping can be a troublesome issue" a passer-by voiced to Yula about a potential issue these games will face.

"But you have to remember that doping will have inconsistent effects from a species to another: while most drugs that will affect humans, will affect most Near-Human species in very similar ways, some species will be affected in different ways. Is that cause of concern to you?"

"I believe not"

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Lynn Nantaris"]
Nantaris watched the show with a considerable air of suspicion and bemusement. When the absurd performance thankfully came to a conclusion he looked around.
“How indeed, Lynn. This is strange even by the standards of this galaxy.”

As soon as he’d heard of this Luminoss place he had gone there. He’d left his crew behind – no point getting them involved unnecessarily. To cap it off, his newly found daughter had asked to come along, even compete!

Surprisingly, Nantaris had agreed to both. It was pretty clear Lynn was going and competing whether he wanted or no, and this way he could at least keep her safe for longer.

“This is all incredibly suspicious. An artificial world created for the sole purpose of holding sporting events? There’s a deeper motive here, there has to be. What’s more, the Force’s influence is weakened here. We should find how they are doing that and disable it…just in case we need it.”

He looked around. The golems, residents and buildings all looked quite unusual and different to what he was used to.

“Come with me, Lynn. We’re going to find out what’s going on.”

 

[Lynn Nantaris]

At the mention of the the force being weaken here she began to reach out with her senses. As she did her senses vibrated, like she was being overloaded and she could not make sense of things. "There it something wrong here. These Golems, they don't seem like statues or like droids." She let her senses return. Something was very off about this whole place. It felt happy, yet erry. Her attention once again turned to the air around them.

It was breathable and judging by the crowd anyone could breath it. It was also colourful which was very unnatural. As she peered around from under her hood she pulled a veil from her robe. Using just a tad bit of the Force she funneled the air into the veil and sealed it with a cork. "I wonder if this air has something to do with things." She placed the veil back in her robe. Later she would look into that. As her father asked her to follow she nodded and began following behind him silently.



[member="Valiens Nantaris"]

 

[Leo Vandermolen]

It was an enjoyable performance, you had to give it that. Leo sat perched upon the roof of a store-front, his legs dangling as he watched with utter bemusement as the big crab thing sang his song. Impressive. He cocked a grin as he observed the open square, buzzing with people bearing expressions of confusion or complete normality, as if they had witnessed it a thousand times over.

Leo straightened up the hazel sleeves of his trench coat, a subconscious pattern he'd established since he got the dammed thing, and kicked of the roof, landing in a crouch on the ground below. He stood and shook himself off, jaunting into the crowd of people to conceal himself in all the merriment. Wrapped up in all his preconceived thoughts on what exactly was going on here, he failed to look up before crashing right into [member="Bryce Bantam"] . It took him moment to recognise the ginger mop that sat upon his head, "Ah! Bryce. Fancy seeing you here, what's good buddy?" He questioned before noticing the lady walking alongside him. "And you've brought a friend! How lovely." He winked at Bryce's partner, emitting a more comical tone as opposed to a romantic one. It was his best feature of course...

| [member="Liliane"] |

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay had heard of the Fire Lotus Cup. Herself and [member="Darlyn Excron"] had signed up to participate in the Mazerunner. This was a bit of a vacation for her. No business talk, no plotting for her planet's future, no worries over various powers of the Galaxy at her doorstep. This was her break and a much needed one.

Kay asked [member="Veiere Arenais"] to come with her. The two shared a Force bond and more, slowly reconnecting after her months held in captivity. Though he needn't stay for the whole event, she had asked him for this one evening in Luminoss.

Spoiler

After picking him up, the two arrived on the Free Lady. It was a strange environment both in look as well as in feel. Kay held onto Veiere's hand, interlocking her fingers with his own as they stepped down the ramp and headed towards where the rest of the guests and population seemed to have gathered. She furrowed her brows as she whispered to Veiere. "Do you feel that? The Force is subtle here, or surpressed. What could do that to such a degree?" But more importantly, she wanted to know why. Perhaps it was to even the playing field? Or something more sinister?

Maybe their stay would be a short one.