Gangnam Style

[Valae Heavenshield]

​

GANGNAM STYLE
Kiribi - Joseon (Seoulian District)

It was very good to be back on Kiribi.

After spending so much time on Kashyyyk, the young woman was glad to be on the city-world. While the woodsy splendor of the Silver Jedi was quite nice, it would just never quite equal the modern capital of her home world. And, she could quietly admit that spending so much time outdoors was just not her thing and all the times that were not occupied by flying or socializing were… boring.

And today, she had not come home alone! Faye was very excited to show Charlie around Kiribi. The two had met at Silver Rest; the other young woman had immediately stuck out to Faye – someone around her own age! It was so nice to have someone to talk to. Most of her friends had been left behind when she had joined up with the Silver Jedi to further her education and training. Faye and Charlie had quickly bonded over their love of Seoulian food, music, and… just about everything.

The trip over had been filled with enthusiastic conversation, giggles, and promises that Kiribi was so wizard. Of course, there were many places they could visit. The pristine capital city was a good choice, but Faye had something else in mind.

The new mega-mall in the Seoulian District of Joseon!

She’d been meaning to stop by for a bit of shopping anyway. And shopping was way more fun with a friend. As they walked towards the new mall complex, Faye’s hazel eyes widened at the sight. Joseon was growing fast, there were more Seoulians making their way here every day. This was just fine by Faye. After all, they had all of the trendiest fashion and next-level skin care and makeup products.

“Wow, this is something, isn’t it?” She asked, nudging Charlie softly.

Walking into the mall was like entering a whole new world. There were colorful holo-displays and friendly mall staff to welcome them inside. Rows of shops lined the walk, and stretched far into the distance. Eyes flickering up momentarily, she saw that the mall was several levels.

“Well, what do you want to do first?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. “Shop or eat?”

Knowing [member="charlie"], she had a feeling which would come first…

 

[Charlie Nooran]

Charlie was never the type to just make friends easily. Oddly enough meeting Faye was easy. They had something in common and that helped the awkward little Padawan through the initial steps of friend making. Spending time at the Rest had helped her, she was a bit more social every day and feeling more and more comfortable with those around her. Already she had been thrust into fights just like Jyoti err Master Nooran had mentioned. The trip to Kiribi was short, for the first time Charlie didn’t sit there shoving food into her mouth or have her face shoved into her game device. She spent the time talking with Faye about the things they were going to do.

Arriving planet side, then at the mega mall, Charlie stared dumbfounded at the sheer size of the entire place. There were so many people wandering in and out around them. She should have known that the place was going to be massive, when Faye had mentioned coming here Charlie had done her research. Missions had rewarded her with some of her own credits so because of that she got to wear normal clothing outside of the temple this time. Her face burrowed into the high collar of her hoodie as she looked towards Faye who had nudged her. “There’s a lot of people.” Said the Padawan from behind her clothed mask. Her hands found their way into her pockets as she did her best to adjust to the amount of people here. If she just ignored them and focused on her time with Faye she’d be just fine.

Of course, Faye being the amazing person she was, food was mentioned and like a happy little turtle – Charlie emerged from behind her high collar. “We should get snacks first before we shop. I heard they opened up a pretty sweet arcade we should hit up as well.” A happy smile and she looked around, “Er, where’s the food court? All I see is make up and clothes…”


[member="Faye Demos"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Faye noticed how Charlie seemed to withdraw from the crowd, tucking her hands away and remaining hidden behind the collar of her jacket. Blinking, she took another glance around at their surroundings. There were crowds everywhere, people bustling about to and fro. She supposed that it all could be overwhelming, even if she was the sort that enjoyed this kind of thing.
But she grinned at Charlie as she peeked out of her hood at the mention of food.

There were already a few makeup shops calling out to Faye, but she knew that they’d get there later. Squinting, she looked around, trying to remember which way the food court was. Oh yeah, it was near a small pastry shop – not too far away.

“Yeah, there’s lots of makeup and clothes.” She nodded, “Some of my fave shops! But come along this way, we’ll grab some snacks.”

Weaving through the crowd, she motioned for Charlie to follow. On the way, there were small booths that lined the center of the walk – each one selling tempting little trinkets. There were even sleek cases and cute charms to adorn datapads. Faye’s eyes were drawn to all of the colorful things, but she returned her attention to her friend and their search for food.

“Oh, look!” She said, pointing at a stall that sold shaved ice. There were also several snack purveyors! Nearly every kind of pastry was available, including Bungeo-ppang, a traditional Seoulian street food. The sweet aroma was enough to make even Faye’s stomach give a rumble of longing. Hazel eyes grew wide at the sight of a man walking by with a lovely bowl of bibimbap. While Faye hadn’t actually been to Seoul, she was thankful to see that the culture was growing rapidly here on Kiribi.

“Alright, I guess I’m hungry, too.” She said with a chuckle, “What are you in the mood for? I might get a rice bowl to start.”

[member="Charlie"]

 

[Charlie Nooran]

Make up?

Charlie blinked a few times and looked towards the stores that had this make up product Faye seemed extremely excited about. It looked odd and some women were even getting make overs. Charlie would have to do some research on it and maybe ask Jyoti about it later. The Jedi knew a bunch of stuff she would most likely know about this make up stuff. Charlie looked around at the options that Faye had given her, it was nice that the girl was taking the lead – if Charlie was in charge they would never leave the food court.

“Um, I want to eat something I can walk around with. We did come to check out the mall and stuff.” Smiling, she pointed towards the stand that had the lovely little fish pastries on display. She remembered having them at the carnival except they were in the shape of porgs. “The Bungeo-ppang looks really good. I had some with my Master at a carnival.” The deliciousness of the sweet red bean paste had been haunting her for some time.

Charlie became mesmerized by the lovely stand of fish pastries that she started to wander over. She had to be somewhat mindful of her credit spending. She didn’t have free reign over Jyoti’s credit card here and was trying to be good and use her own money that she had earned. A happy little face peered into the window and she pointed, ordering two of the pastries. Looking towards Faye, the smile turned a little crooked as she tried to give her friend a sweet smile. Awkwardness at its finest. “Uh did you want one, Faye?”

[member="Faye Demos"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Faye’s smile grew as Charlie mentioned snacks that they could take with them. This was good. She’d been wondering about how hard it was going to be to drag Charlie away from the food court. But as it turned out, it seemed that her new friend was a very good sport. Her hazel eyes shifted in the direction of the cute little fish-shaped pastries, and she nodded her agreement. Stepping closer to the display, she glanced down at the golden pastries. Squinting, she seemed to recall having a version that had been filled with ice cream.

Blinking, she returned her attention to Charlie as she asked about the bungeo-ppang.

“Oh! Yeah, get me one, will you?” She smiled, “I’ll be right back, okay?”

Walking briskly to another stall, Faye waved over at Charlie from her new place in line at a drink stand. In Faye’s opinion, a shopping trip was never complete without a frosty bubble tea. As she looked at the menu, she realized that she didn’t know what flavor drink Charlie might want. And so, she decided to order two mango smoothies. Once the drinks had been blended and the tops sealed with plastic, she stuck an over-sized straw into each.

Making her way back to Charlie, she proposed a trade – a drink for a pastry.

“Here you go!” She said, holding out the cold drink, pearls of tapioca bobbed serenely at the bottom of the cup. “I hope this flavor is alright, it’s mango.”

[member="Charlie"]

 

[Charlie Nooran]

Paying the man who had the shop, she gained two of the pastries. Moving to the center point between the two places her and Faye had gone to. Holding the pastries, she was greeted with Faye holding two beverages. Her eyes lit up as she saw the mango drink that had the awesome little tapioca at the bottom. Charlie had seen these on the holonet and had always wanted to try them. Making the exchange for the drink Charlie shook the beverage a few times to see the little pearls at the bottom move and shift.

“Thank you! I love Mango! It’s my favorite flavor.” The pastry was temporarily forgotten as she stared that the drink. The straw was massively thick and she was curious as to why, though examination wouldn’t tell her how it tasted so she brought the straw to her lips and sucked quickly. Now, Charlie wasn’t aware that the lovely pearls would come up with the straw, mostly because she had never had bobba tea or smoothies in this case. The pearls rushed up the straw and into the padawan’s mouth and throat. First came the brain freeze, then the inability to breath as she choked on the beverage. The straw and drink flew out of her mouth as she wheezed and coughed trying to get the gummy treats dislodged from her throat.

After a few moments she was fine, but her eyes were watery and her throat hurt. Sniffling, she looked at Faye with a frown trying to understand where she went wrong with the drink. “Owie.” Was all she said as she looked almost betrayed by the beverage and the girl that had given it to her. The pastry still in her hand, she took a cautious bite, now that the drink had tried to kill her. “This is good!” Her mood instantly changed and she happily ate the pastry and then being more prepared drank the smoothie as well. With happiness returning to her, Charlie looked around.

“Where do we go first?”

[member="Faye Demos"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Now with a pastry and drink in hand, Faye stood with Charlie in the middle of the food court. She grinned as Charlie mentioned that mango was her favorite flavor. That made two of them! No wonder they were friends. She took a drink of the smoothie at the same time as Charlie, but she chewed the tapioca pearls as they came up the straw. Her eyes grew wide as Charlie began to cough, and then it became clear that her friend was choking!

“Oh gosh!” Faye stammered, fumbling with her food and drink until she got them in one hand. Using the other, she started to pat Charlie’s back. There were eyes upon the two, concerned passersby wondering if a stronger intervention was needed. But after a moment or two, Charlie seemed fine. Well, mostly fine.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” She said, gaze wide and apologetic. “I should have warned you. You have to drink it carefully.”

A long sigh of relief escaped Faye as Charlie moved on to her pastry, her happy mood returning immediately. Faye took a nibble of her own pastry, indeed it was quite good. As Charlie asked where they should go, she turned her gaze around their surroundings. A brightly lit store called Bloom immediately stood out to Faye; it was a brand straight from Seoul, as she understood it. She nodded in the direction of the shop, and then started to walk that way.

“Do you like makeup stuff?” She asked, fixing Charlie in a sidelong glance. “I heard this store is amazing. They have a lot of cool face masks and cleansers and toners. And they also have their own line of cosmetics.” She blinked a couple of times as a thought struck her.

“I could give you a makeover… if you want.” Faye’s smile grew.

[member="Charlie"]

 

[Charlie Nooran]

Make up was a foreign concept to the sheltered girl. Pastry bits and some red bean paste clung to Charlie's face while she looked at the bright lit store Faye had pointed out. It smelled heavenly, but also a little overwhelming. Floral and nature smells filled her nose while she also smelled sweet and vanilla flavors. Finishing the pastry, Charlie slowly worked on the mango smoothie, she didn't want to make the same mistake twice.

The straw finally leaving her crumb covered face she shrugged. “I don't know what makeup is...or any of the stuff you said.” Grinning, Charlie looked at Faye and wiped the crumbs from her face. “I just wash up with soap and water.” She watched the store as women were getting their faces painted - they looked like they were having fun, maybe this was what Faye wanted to do.

Blowing air from her pouted lips, Charlie contemplated on this make over. What would be done over? Tilting her head to the side she watched as a girl not much older than herself model a new look, the other girl with her seemed happy with it. “Uh, if we do a makeover for me, you think Master Jyoti would approve of it ?”

@Faye Denmos

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Faye cleared her throat softly to get Charlie’s attention, and attempted to subtly point out that she had food on her face by pointing to her own cheek – the exact spot where Charlie happened to have a bit of red bean paste stuck to hers. Finishing only half of her own fish pastry, she tucked the remaining half in the wrapper and then stuck in it her bag for later.

To her relief, her friend did wipe the crumbs away from her face… but she seemed hesitant about the makeup store. And she didn’t know about cleansers or toners or makeup? Goodness, Faye realized then that she would have quite the task before her. She would need to teach Charlie the ways.

“Master Jyoti?” Faye asked, furrowing her brow in thought. Of course, she’d seen Charlie’s master a few times, though she’d never actually met her in person. But from what she knew, Jyoti liked Seoulian pop music, so that made her an idol in Faye’s book.

“She’s pretty cool, isn’t she?” She questioned Charlie, “I mean, I don’t really know her… but she’d probably like to see you with a new look. And if not, it’s just makeup… it washes right off.”

Faye shrugged at the idea of anyone that didn’t approve of a little bit of cosmetics. Tugging at Charlie’s sleeve, she pulled her over to a shelf full of bottles of various sizes, colors, and fragrances. Taking one of the tester bottles, she poured a bit of light blue liquid onto a cotton pad.

“This is ‘waterless’ cleanser.” She held up the cotton and then tentatively touched it to Charlie’s forehead. It would be cooling and refreshing against the skin. “Instead of washing with soap and water, you can just wipe this on… you don’t even need to rinse it. Cool, huh?”

Her index finger then directed Charlie’s attention to a row of toners.

“And then, you dab a bit of toner onto your face with another cotton pad. It’s like, a way to make sure your face is extra clean – and it shrinks your pores. Why don’t you pick one to try?”

[member="Charlie"]

 

[Charlie Nooran]

Charlie scrunched her face as Faye asked about the Master. Faye called the woman cool and where Charlie would whole heartedly agree, she wondered if the Master would agree with makeup and shopping as an effective use of her time when she should be reading and studying. The younger Seoulian girl stuck her tongue out and then shrugged. “Master Nooran is cool, but she gets on me about studying and my training sometimes.” The scrunched face broke out into an embarrassed grin as she chuckled. “I like my video games too much – especially since I can play them more often now.” Charlie patted her pocket where the outline of a squared device showed lightly.

Faye began to lead Charlie into the store where they were welcomed by the several colorful bottles, slightly overwhelmed the padawan wondered if you had to own these to be as pretty like other people and Faye for example. Lost in her thoughts, Charlie was brought back to reality when Faye started to talk again. She was talking about something called waterless cleanser, the concept seemed to make no sense whatso ever but she leaned forward slightly to let Faye touch her with it. Pulling back slightly at the odd touch Charlie blinked. “That’s cool, so could I buy a bunch of these bottles and then never have to use the refresher again?” She thought about how much time she would save if she just had a towel and this waterless cleanser to use as a device to clean up. Beginning to do the math, she wondered how much she would need and how often she would need to change the vat of cleanser.

The other girl continues to talk and Charlie stared and listened with every ounce of attention she could muster. This was a wonderful world she was being introduced to and she nodded at every word Faye said. Eyes moved away from the slightly shorter girl and towards the row of toners. Each one of them had their own marketing and bonuses if you used their product. Charlie of course didn’t know which was good and which wasn’t so she chose something visually appealing. Squatting with her heels flat on the ground she sat there examining one bottle that had caught her attention. Her head tilted as she smiled softly at the bunny bottle and then grabbed it. Standing, she turned the bottle over a few times and then held it outstretched to Faye.

“I like this one.” The smile was now being given to Faye instead of the rabbit bottle, Charlie had no idea what to do with it or how to even open it. So, like the cleanser she assumed Faye was going to help her.

[member="Faye Demos"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Studying, training… the life of a student.

Yes, Faye knew this life quite well. Her time at the Naval Academy of Kiribi offered plenty of opportunities for such things, and she still spent a fair amount of time as she completed their distance learning program. Her life here with the Silver Jedi seemed different, somehow. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was not yet training to become a Jedi, she did not have the direct guidance or watchful eye of a master.

“Video games…” She echoed, trailing off.

She put in a good number of hours with flight simulators… but why play games when you could really fly? Practicing with Jade Squadron truly was a highlight of her time with the Silver Jedi, but the new friends were quickly becoming an important part of her life. Faye canted her head to the side when Charlie asked about using the waterless cleanser in place of visiting the refresher. “Umm, don’t do that.” She said with a chuckle.

Lifting a shopping basket, Faye held it out for adorable toner that Charlie had chosen.

“Good one,” She nodded, “That’s super cute, and I’ve heard good things about it! Now, just like the last one, just dab some on a cotton pad and wipe it on.” Faye popped the lid of the demo bottle open and supplied a fresh cotton pad. After handing it over to Charlie, she tapped her index finger on her chin.

There were so many items that she could have easily overwhelmed Charlie with next, but Faye decided that she better keep it simple… at least, for now.

“Next you can use BB cream, it’s like… skin treatment serum, moisturizer, and makeup – all in one. It’s really easy to use.” She assured her friend, and pointed to the next row of products.

“So…” She started, taking a look at the options herself. “Do you like being a Jedi? I’m just… not sure about it, I guess.” Faye shrugged, hoping that her friend might be able to shed some light on the subject.

[member="Charlie"]