Happy Force of July | CIS [Public Thread]

[Queen Bots™]

The people of Haseria had spent the last few months trying to settle on the quiet world. From the beginning, the sky would be filled with supply ships, and people looking to relocate. While the Mandalorian population was rather high there were others that thought the new frontier would be a good place to start over. The weather was fair, the sun was shining, and the breeze made it feel like absolutely nothing could go wrong. It was one of the first weeks in which all of the hustle and bustle had died out and everyone seemed to just be minding their own.​

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That is, until, a few rowdy people decided that it was MUCH too quiet and a celebration was required. There had been rumors circulating throughout the Confederacy that a good gathering without any pretense or politics was well overdue and it seemed that this would be the day. Invitations had been sent, some by word of mouth, others via the Holo-Net. Haseria would be open to anyone wishing to get away from the stress of everyday life, and, those who may have wished to know their new neighbors better. ​

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Event Location: Mid Rim - Haseria System - Haseria - Durango City [Mid Afternoon]

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SIERRA BLANCA – A jovial, rambunctious saloon, favored by the Confederate Mandalorian Clans but frequented by many travelers moving through the area. Native Haserians have found it to be a bright spot in an otherwise rural atmosphere. They have top shelf booze, frequent piano overtures, and laughter can be heard through the open windows at any given time. There are also a multitude of “entertainers” that are available, however, they tend to only make appearances in the evening. Should the party last that long be aware that the ladies of the Sierra Blanca are very adept at causing patrons to burn through their credits. So, drink responsibly, or you might be flat broke by morning.

For the nature of this event, the Saloon has been decorated in shades of red, white, and blue and all liquor has been discounted to 50% off.

Spoiler

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CHALLENGE RING – Outside the Sierra Blanca there is a ring for friendly gambling and fisticuffs. There is typically a crowd of boisterous and wild folk threatening to punch each other in the face for credits. The rules are simple. No weapons, just the fists, and guile that you were born with. If the Judge orders a cease-fire, it’s time to call it quits, or suffer the consequences. They have been known to vary from drinking an entire bottle of moonshine to getting thrown into some mud pits with nothing but their skivvies. It depends on the offense.

Spoiler

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GRIZZLY ROSE – Whereas the saloon is a place for booze of all kinds, the Grizzly Rose, is a place to eat until you have the itis. They specialize in comfort cooking, with fresh baked everything, no shortage of desserts, and all the sweet tea you can handle. The owners are friendly, however, there are no bar fights here! Save it for the Sierra Blanca down the road.

Spoiler

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GREEN ACRES – Not far from any of the other locations, definitely within walking distance, is a vast and wide with flat rolling green plains and a pristine blue lake in the middle. The generally serene location has been converted to a barbeque and booze fest for anyone that would wish to stop by. Picnic tables, blankets, and comfortable places to recline and enjoy the day have been erected to allow maximum relaxation and enjoyment. There’s a mess ton of room to run, trees, flowers, and some pretty tasty beer on tap. Red solo cups will probably litter the area by the end of the day, but, in the end, it’s all about celebrating freedom and enjoying just being alive. Good food, fun friends, great time.

Spoiler

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OOC: All are welcome. Literally. This is designed to be fun and fancy-free. Get to know each other. Perhaps, reach outside of your comfort zone and find a new friend? There are tons of great people that never get to write together so enjoy! You may BYOO to high heaven. Happy Fourth!​

 

[Daisy Americus]

Location: Durango - Green Acres
Standing Near: [member="Scherezade deWinter"]
Wearing: X

Daisy usually worked in the Sierra Blanca during her off time, but, not today. She’d volunteered instead to help take care of the folks over at Green Acres. It was the first area that had turned green and good after they’d arrived and they tried to keep it that way. They’d erected a little gazebo on the once barren island in the middle of the lake and set to keeping nature in check so everyone had something good to enjoy. A lot of people were still just trying to find their way.

She carried a string that had fresh roasted corn tied in their husks that she happily passed out. Her other arm was burdened by a tray full of red plastic cups that had been freshly filled with amber colored alcohol. It wasn’t exactly to her taste, a little too much like ale, but everyone else seemed to be drinking it down like it was water. Turning to look over her shoulder she smiled at her friend, [member="Scherezade deWinter"], and blue-green eyes were filled with happiness.

It had taken a lot to get her down planet-side. Some bribes, some knives, and the promise of more booze than she could handle. She was determined to let the green-eyed kitten have a little inconsequential fun. What better way than with a day literally designed to kick back and relax? Daisy had her golden waves braided partially back, pulled up into a high ponytail, and was dressed festively in a red cut off top and a pair of bitty little blue denim shorts. Her feet were hidden by a pair of cowgirl boots that went up to her knees.

She’d hat a wide brim hat, somewhere, but one of her siblings had stolen it and disappeared. “Ya hungry darlin'? We can go stop by the grill and see what’s ready if ya like?”, she asked Scherezade, ducking down, when a stream of water flew overhead. There were some Haserian kids running amuck with some sort of pump-action water weapons. It was cute. They screamed shrilly before disappearing into the crowd. Daisy laughed, the sound warm, and turned around when someone snagged the last cup of liquor from her tray.

“Don’t drink too much! You might blow a hand off when they start passin’ out firecrackers.”

The passerby ignored her entirely and kept on keepin’ on, guzzling down his beverage, before crushing the cup against his forehead. He hooted and the young woman just let him be. She wasn’t the police in these parts, the Rangers were, and they were probably going to be just as skunked as everyone else.

All Daisy knew for sure was that if they kept the booze going, the good times loud and proper, they might be able to keep the little town of Durango in one piece. Maybe. Possibly.

 

[Genesis Rostu]

Dagon was more that out of his comfort zone.

When it came to downtime, he was not the sort to seek out a plethora or company. In fact, he considered himself relaxed only when he was alone, or with a pair (maximum) of friends. Clan gatherings were a literal nightmare on his nerves - and anything bigger than a quaint dinner was usually declined unless it was vital. But, just for today, he would try. He wouldn't hide behind an active camoflauge. He wouldn't hover around the metaphorical punch bowl and say nothing to anyone. No, today, he'd do one of the most terrifying things in the Galaxy: putting himself out there.

And so he found himself striding within the only contradiction to Durango's perpetual dust: Green Acres. Over the past few months, he had at least begun to get accustomed to the dirt of Haseria. So much so that he gave up polishing his armor until he was guaranteed to be offworld. But, it seemed that the tireless efforts of Clan Americus had at least caused a shred of vibrance to Grace the region. Honestly, if it were not for the cacophany of intoxicated voices and the shrieks of young ones, Dagon would have probably enjoyed the scenery a little more.

But alas.

As he was walking along, the Mandalorian peered through his visor towards the gazebo. It was a tempting spot - close enough to "count" but isolated enough that he wouldn't have to deal with everyone. But just as he changed his direction, eyeing the ground for any twigs or cups that might cause him to eat chit in from of a crowd, he soon found a body colliding into his. The last thing he heard before the thud was a faint Go Long!. For Dagon, the impact was simply jarring and caused him to stumble back a few places to get his bearings. For the teen who wasn't paying attention...well...he ran headlong into a Beskar "wall."

The lad dropped, swore, and skulked away. Dazed but otherwise unscathed. As for Dagon, his eyes found one of the things that the youngin' had dropped in the wake of the crash. Now covered in grass was a fresh corn on the cob...which frankly looked appealing, minus the dirt. He would have asked where the boy got his, but he was probably the last person that he wanted to chat with.

Fortunately Dagon didn't have to look far. A few turns of his head revealed the lovely [member="Daisy Americus"] who carried a heap of corn on a string. She was accompanied by another woman he didn't recognize, one [member="Scherezade deWinter"]. Raising his hand, he waved to the pair while approaching - pausing only to remove his helm midway through.

"Su'cuy!" he began, greeting them with a smile. "Might I trouble you for one of those?" He pointed a finger towards the delicious morsels in Daisy's possession. Then, he remembered some shred of manners and regarded them with a nod. "The name's Dagon by the way." he said, mostly for the benefit of the one he didn't know. "And thanks for the party!"

Nailed it. He could go to the gazebo and hide in peace now.

[member="Daisy Americus"] | [member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Ria Misrani]

Green Acres was a lovely little park, a nice place to come and rest and as the Haeserian sun shined Betty started on the drinks. "Thank you Daisy," she said to her daughter and looked over at the young woman that Daisy had brought along with her. "Who's your friend here?" She would've normally been at her clinic or at the pharmacy but today, today she decided to join her family in the festivities. The good doctor helped to set the plates out on a few more tables. She watched as the children played and the guys talked about their huntin' or the last fight they had seen. Durango was comin' along just fine since they had landed more and more people found their way here. "Someone fetch Vivi, so she can get to settin' up the sweet tea."

She also wondered where her husband [member="Jo Americus"] had gone off to, Betty swore up and down that roundin' up the clan was like herdin' Corellian sand cats. As she finished up with the plates, she looked over and saw her daddy and momma, well step momma but as far as Betty knew. Emily was her momma, the real one up and left when she was just a babe. "Daddy! Momma, hey!" Betty rushed over and greeted them both with hugs. "Oh and y'all brought pie! Daisy! C'mere and give your grandparents a hello, and where is your brother?"

"Blessed Manda," she shook her head a moment, "oh no, thank you, y'all make yourselves comfortable, how are things down at Langtry?"

Her parents began to tell her about the river, the casino and the latest in Langtry news. Betty just smiled and was grateful that they could make it, "my baby Kandi is around these parks somewhere, might need to send Daisy to fetch her."

[member="Daisy Americus"] | [member="Vivienne Americus"] | [member="Dagon"]​

 

[Ge'tal Canadus]

Green Acres​

"Su'cuy vode! Happy Americus Day my friends!" The Canadus alor declared genially. This was helped by the fact that he'd been at least slightly sloshed for the past four days, when Clan Canadus had enjoyed their own somewhat more lowkey celebration.

"Woooah Teddy, easy there boy." This to the great antlered and panniered Caraboose he was currently astride and who was not in fact moving. This did not stop Ge'tal from swaying gently to whatever internal movement was currently plaguing him. He brightened and straightened, with only a slight lean. "I brought Screech! And Hangman! And syrup!"

Screech, for the uninitiated, was a rum similar to Tihaar in alcohol content but far less fruity. Hangman was... Well it was a lot higher in alcohol content, and as the saying went, one drop and you're dead. Apparently Ge'tal had not heard the saying or felt it did not apply to him, since one of his hands as clutching a half empty bottle. The syrup was not in fact alcoholic, it was just a Canadus thing, they were very proud of it. It was made from tree sap. A favourite Canadus drink was Screech mixed with syrup, which the Canadus' felt was patriotic, everyone else felt they were just trying to make the screech bearable until they reached the point where they couldn't taste anymore.

Say what you liked about Clan Canadus, those boys had impressive alcohol tolerance levels.

[member="Daisy Americus"] [member="Dagon"] [member="Betty Americus"]

 

[Syn Blacken]

Syn wasn't sure if he wanted to arrive in his armor or in something more comfortable. Knowing that it wasnt just a Mandalorian party, he decided to go in something that made him look good. All be it soft and light.

He'd made sure his beard was trimmed and nice, and that his hair was put into a well kept ponytail. Syn wanted to look good if he was going to introduce himself to those around him. He also preferred to not be in his armor when he eat and drank, and honestly that was all the young man needed in his life at the moment.

Drinks and steak. The prospect of drinking, eating and meeting new people was more then enough to honestly get him more then excited. If he wasn't completely blastered by the end of the party, it was a day wasted.

 

[Vivienne Americus]

Location: Durango – Green Acres
Soundtrack: Brothers Osborne “Ain’t My Fault”
Wearing: This
Standing Near: [member="Daisy Americus"], [member="Scherezade deWinter"], [member="Dagon"], [member="Betty Americus"], [member="Ge’tal Canadus"], [member="Syn Blacken"]

For everyone that was outside of their comfort zones today, Vivienne was absolutely at the height of hers. She loves parties, and any excuse to drink and hang out with the crazy people in her extended family and Clan was perfect. She flitted from group to group, kissing cheeks and bubbling over with…enthusiasm.

Until, that is, her name was called, accompanied by the tiny grabby hands of her niece Lila who was begging to be picked up. Vivienne laughed and picked her up, settling the five year old on her hip.

“Hi baby girl…did ya need me fer sumthin’?”

“Auntie Betty said she wants ya ta set up the sweet tea.” The child grinned brightly after pausing a moment, and realizing she’d delivered the message properly.

“Well alright then, I best get mah self to work.” Vivienne smiled and kissed the top of the girl’s head before setting her down and watching her race off for a moment. Taking a deep breath she turned, only to come face to face with a sizable caraboose bearing panniers that nearly busted at the seams and a fabulously enthusiastic Canadus, too.

The alor of the clan, no less…not a man she knew personally, but one she’d heard about. Vivienne reached up and patted the caraboose’s proffered nose, and offered him an apple from the nearby table. “Su’cuy! Glad ya could make it down! Why don’t you slide yerself on down here and make yerself at home.”

Grinning, the blonde waved as she sauntered off, weaving expertly through the crowd. She paused next to her Aunt Betty and kissed her cheek. “Lila found me. On mah way to the sweet tea now, Auntie.” Keeping to her word, she moseyed on over to the waiting table and set about mixing up her special batches of sweet tea.

One batch was just that, traditional sweet tea ready to be divvied up into glasses with ice and either lemon or mint. The second, much larger batch was sweet tea with a hell of a kick, guaranteed to knock those unaccustomed to it right onto their backsides. After a few glasses herself, Vivi had no doubt she'd be testing the tables and dancing on top of them. But for now, she was content to pour a few glassed of each and set up the table so it looked pretty and welcoming.

 

[Alessandra Creed]

Location: Green Acres
With: [member="Adron Malvern"]
Wearing: X

For some reason, Alessandra found herself on worlds that she generally couldn’t stand. Never, would she have gone to Haseria, were it not for the fact that she needed to assess how much funding they would require this quarter. The numbers that her team reported didn’t make sense. Generally speaking, it still didn’t make sense, but it seemed that starship creation was driving up their budget. So was liquor consumption. As par usual, she didn’t attend alone. Her usual complement of Magnaguard was starting to feel a little unloved and lonely at their charging docks. She’d have to let them out on a field trip at some point or she had a sneaking suspicion they would be salty with her later.

Nevertheless, she was finding the destination palpable, as she currently half asleep. Her dark head was resting neatly against the chest of one [member="Adron Malvern"] while they watched the chaos of some festival wreak havoc a little further down the lake. Good God, and everything good and holy, were those Americus Mandalorians loud as all hell. Her business had concluded the day prior, however, the locals had insisted that the Minister’s stay another day. Just to experience the ‘hospitality’ that Durango had to offer.

Most of this city was a dust bowl. This park seemed to be the only exception, with clear air, and green grass. Even the water looked as if it had been filtered, or, chemically treated to rid it of pollutants. The colors of the changing leaves were easy on the eyes and the gentle breeze was slowly causing her to drift away. It was nice, in a way, to be free from the constraints that came with holding some sort of governmental office. No one seemed to REALLY know who they were here. No one recognized them.

There was a blanket beneath them, and the somehow, the slender woman had wound up using the Minister of War for a pillow. It wasn’t exactly the first time, considering the wedding on the Fortressa, but it was different. Quiet. His back was pressed to a tree with leaves that had turned some off shade of maroon and her legs were curled to the side, resting softly, against his. He would find himself supporting most of her weight and it only occurred to her, after the fact, that she might be causing him pain. Her epicanthic bone structure was dense.

He was too much of a gentleman to complain.

Her head tilted up, crimson lips almost brushing against his chin, but not quite. Slender fingers worked their way up his chest to get his attention, momentarily brushing against his collarbone, but they fell still with her slight shift. “Am I hurting you, Minister?”

Only Alessandra Creed could make the word ‘Minister’ sound like it was laden with an implication that it shouldn’t contain. She was dressed fairly conservatively, compared to some of those she’d seen, and lace bound her torso while her legs were partially hidden by a swath of lightweight purple-grey fabric. There were snacks sitting next to them, mostly untouched, and a rather pricey bottle of alcohol from the Sierra Blanca. Little rocks glasses, also unused.

For the first time, Alessandra could see the appeal to living somewhere like this, with the stipulation, that every day, remained exactly like today.

 

[Mavrek Kordalas]

Location: Green Acers​

Wearing: This​

Soundtrack: Greta Van Fleet - Highway Tune​

Nearby: @[member='Daisy Americus'], @[member='Daisy Americus'], @[member='Dagon'], @[member='Betty Americus'], @[member='Ge'tal Canadus'], @[member='Syn Blacken'], @[member='Vivienne Americus'],​

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Having snuck his way into this party sometime rather early on, Mavrek sat in a seat, feet kicked up on the table he was at, hat slightly pulled down over his face, one hand messing with a deck of cards, and the other holding a glass of tihaar, the long reclusive bounty hunter watched his fellows quietly, appearing to be completely relaxed and fitting right in, at least in his own regard, somehow never quite having to deal with anything going on. Truthfully, he was still hesitant about having shown up at a gathering surrounded by other Mandalorians, the last time he had... well it didn't end well, but thankfully he didn't mind the how crazy a get together could be, it was second nature to him, and where he usually excelled best.

Sipping at his drink, he continued to analyze everyone around him with a slight indifference, though he would admit that most of the women here where eye catching, and being what they were, more than appealing, he had to chuckle to himself about the idea, shaking his head slightly as he went back to playing cards against himself in own mind.

 

[Adron Malvern]

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Location: Green Acres | Objective: Enjoy The Evening | Tags: [member="Alessandra Creed"] | Post: I​

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Blue eyes peered over the waters, threatening to force them to part as Adron sat in an enjoyable silence. He had accompanied Alessandra to this planet, with little reluctance, under the pretense of inspecting it's military value to The Confederacy. That was what he told himself at least. In reality he had been enjoying the time he was able to spend with the woman and seldom saw himself turning it away. So now they sat near the banks of the Green Acres Lake, sharing a moment far removed from the hassles of their charge. Alessandra was the Minister of Commerce and Adron the Minister of War. Naturally there would be some level of inter-mingling but the two had taken the prospect to new heights.

A hand drew Adron's black hair from his eyes, as a sweet scent pulled him from his thoughts. A subtle fragrance that reminded him of a fresh spring day on his homeworld of Serenno. He drew his lips into the thinnest smile before he glanced down to Alessandra. His back to the tree he was comfortably propped up, supporting a good deal of the woman's weight as she leaned into him. He would not have had it any other way. Her presence was and is a comfort to the man, allowing him a moment away from that of the soldier.

The subtle shift that came from Alessandra's movement was enough to cause Adron's gaze to linger. His blue eyes were uncorrupted by the shadows of the Force and were free of his burden, they seemed far more pure than the man truly was.

The feel of her breath under his neck had caused him the slightest exhale, silent enough so she would not be keen to it's cause. When she spoke her honeyed words fell to his ears, prompting his smile to grow into a teasing smirk.

"It takes a lot more than that to hurt me." He assured her, an amused chuckle threatening to erupt

There was a silence that came over them and it was enjoyable. The two had a way of creating an atmosphere of relaxation with few words or activities. What words they did share were crucial and what acts were committed were to be remembered. Thus, Adron would do both, with his free hand he would draw his index finger down the length of Alessandra's shoulder, speaking as he did.

"Did you always want to be a Minister?" He questioned, interested to hear her response more than anything. The question may have seemed random or out of the blue, but for Adron a person's motivations told a lot about them. His tone was firm and even as it always was. She may have noticed it appeared to have lost a bit of it's curt choppiness that he had adopted from The Galactic Empire, now it was smooth and even like a fine bit of silk.

"Is that what you want to do for the rest of your life? Be a Minister?" His tone had a bit of interest in it, as if he was gauging something, yet it also seemed to hold some form of amusement in it as well.

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[Arkan wren]

Location - challenge ring

Arkan would face down his opponent a well built Echani man, he moved in a stance made for attacking the midsection. It was obvious he was going for Arkans center of mass, they were both shirtless there builds showing. Arkan was not built that bad with a faint six pack and some decent muscles, his plan though was to let the man attack. Let him gain momentum then use it to his own advantage, then as the Echani man charged at arkan he would wait as the man was an arms length away. Jumping a bit to the side he would extend his foot outward, the Echani man was unable to stop flying into the ground of the arena. The man would skid, laying there for but a second he would lift himself with a grunt turning to arkan taking a traditional fighting stance. He was covering his face as the two would begin to close distance. Then the Echani man would throw a left hook straight for the jaw arkan bobbing right under his arm would punch the man in the ribs, arkan then wrapping his arms around the man's midsection lifting upwards the man would go over arkan's head. Just then a bell would ring signaling the end of the fight. Arkan would stand in the middle of the ring now yelling

"anyone who can beat me I will personally pay 1000 credits"

The hordes of people would light up preparing to takes bets on whatever the next fight would be. Arkan's body had sweat running down it, he was scratched up a bit but he looked like a warrior.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Location: Clinging to Daisy.
Tags: [member="Daisy Americus"] | [member="Dagon"] | [member="Betty Americus"]


Haseria.

She had only been here once before, during that dreadful event that might have cost her a potentially better future with the people of the CIS. She'd only been a month out of her pebble at the time, and Katrine had taken her to this planet for a mission that had to do with spirits. But then she'd seen the first Mandalorian in her life and all her grandmother's memories and rage took over, and she'd stabbed his heart, not knowing that the man she had almost killed was the leader of the CIS. She had been talking for months now about being just tolerated within the Confederacy. Only now did she start to wonder, if that was the event that had caused it. But maybe it wasn't. She wasn't too well liked before that either, and most people who weren't there, as far as she knew, didn't know about it. Or at least didn't attach her face to it. Or maybe they did? Still, stabbed in the heart was a good way to go. Scherezade would have taken it every day over the murder without death that she herself had received. A small scar still remained over where her heart was, where Kamon Vondiranach had stabbed her with a lightsaber in the attempt to kill her. The wounds of the betrayal of the only two people she'd had in her life prior to that were not visible on her body. But they were the ones that were still bleeding, that she still felt with every breath she took, whether she was deadly drunk, very drunk, or just a little drunk.

It was a cruel twist of fate that since the two people she had loved had broken her, it seemed that suddenly and magically, she was not just tolerated within the CIS. Suddenly people wanted to reach out, to talk to her, to comfort her. It was maddening and confusing. She would have taken so much joy in it prior to the Darkness, would have done her complete and utter best to turn these people reaching out into the best of friends. But now she was suspicious of everyone. If the only two people she had ever loved, the only two people who showed signs of more than just tolerated her, had betrayed her so harshly, how could she ever trust anyone again? More maddening was the fact that she was now in an event, sticking very closely to [member="Daisy Americus"]. She like the girl, though she didn't trust her. On top of the usual reasons was the fact that the girl was a Mandalorian.

And now Scherezade was in an event thrown by Mandalorians, visited by throngs of Mandalorians, and was just so... Mandalorian. She had begged Daisy not to tell anyone that her last name was deWinter. Daisy herself might not have cared about the deWinter-Mandalorian blood fued, but Scherezade didn't know if there would be any Mandalorians attending who might remember, remember and care. It had been going on for centuries, with blood being spilled on both sides. For a deWinter, the word Mandalorian automatically translated into enemy. For Mandalorians who knew their history about it, the name deWinter translated into the same. Daisy might have been an exception, but no one could promise her that the rest of them gathered here were the same. And in her current state, Scherezade knew well in advance that she was in no state to fight the hoards of Mandalorians that were gathered here. One or two, maybe, if she was lucky, but no more than that. Besides, Daisy had worked so hard to convince Scherezade to come here, it would've been a shame for the event to be ruined in the same manner the moment on Castange had been ruined, even if it had been Scherezade's own fault, again.

Still, she clung closely to Daisy, every ounce of her body language screaming that she was not comfortable in the situation. She was still drunk, as she hadn't actually stopped being drunk since that dreadful night, and walking in a straight line was slightly challenging. Daisy offered food, but it was meat food. Scherezade shook her head. Meat was most of what she used to eat. But now just the smell reminded her of Gerwald. She hadn't had a proper meal in weeks, relying mostly on the calories from liquor to serve as fuel for the body. It was a poor choice, and the malnutrition would probably start showing soon. Still. She wouldn't be able to eat the grill now, no matter how much she might have wanted to.

Her hands were in her pockets, gripping the knives that were beneath her clothes hard enough to turn her knuckles into white. Maybe she could have some of the corn that Daisy was carrying. She'd never tried that before. Maybe the secret lay in new things. First times. Scherezade wished there was a wall nearby she could bang her head into.

After the teens, the kids, and the rest of the people, Daisy and Scherezade were approached by a man who had to remove his helmet in order to greet them. Scherezade didn't understand why the Mandalorians insisted on wearing full armor to places like this. She tensed again as he reached for the food. These might've been Daisy's people, but they weren't her people. Right now, she just wanted to get away. Instead, she reached for the bottle that was strapped to her hip, and took a long swig, during which the man introduced himself.

Scherezade's eyes widened.

"Hey I know you," she mumbled, recognizing the name, "we worked together on Tatooine."

Another woman ([member="Betty Americus"]) asked who she was, but she was gone before either Daisy or Scherezade replied.

 

[Daisy Americus]

Location: Durango - Green Acres
Standing Near: [member="Scherezade deWinter"]
Wearing: X

“Sure thing darlin’…”, Daisy responded to the dark-skinned wall of a man by the name of [member=”Dagon”]. She had first seen him at a meeting of minds, between all of the Mandalorian Clans, and had seen him around since. Sometimes looked like he’d had a good night nursing a beer at the Sierra Blanca. It really was the only place to get a good drink, save, for the moonshine that [member="Daniel Americus"] made. The statuesque woman tucked the tray under her arm and tugged off one of the flame-grilled ears and handed it over. “You’re welcome and enjoy, partner. They have more cookin’ up now along with a little protein up the hill if you get hungry for something more substantial.”

“Dusty has that good shine too!”, the golden-haired woman called after Dagon, only to giggle, when he looked like he was about to walk away. Blue-green eyes fell on Scherezade, who looked oh so uncomfortable, and she paused. “Ya’ll know each other?”

She knew how uncomfortable her friend must be. Surrounded by people, screaming kids, and a rather boisterous crowd. But Daisy really thought it would do her a world of good to be around people. Humanity was a hard thing to find, to experience, and learn to appreciate from the inside of a starship. She was drunk, certainly, but the sweet n’ sassy spacey would keep her out of trouble. She would also keep her last name a secret. A promise was a promise—even if it felt silly.

Daisy argued that her ancestors did dumb stuff all the time. That didn’t mean that blood feuds spread through every Clan and spanned a couple hundred years. The healthily tanned woman hadn’t ever heard of it before, and most definitely, didn’t intend to act on it. Or put her in harm’s way. Scherezade was her friend. One of her only friends, out here, on the edges of the mid rim. No petty little squabble was going to make her turn on her.

Her inquiry to Scherezade was interrupted by the arrival of her mother and Daisy beamed at the sounds of her voice. “This is Scherezade.”, she pronounced proudly, having mostly, mostly mastered saying the brunettes name correctly. “We met on Castagne. Ah thought ah’d show her a little bit of our hospitality since the Castian’s really threw a good party.”

She blinked, eyes wide, when she realized that her grandparents had even decided to make an appearance. Ever courteous, she stepped forward to hug her family, offering them a snack and brief words of chittychat love. “Dusty is off with that girl. The one that joined the Rangers? We’ll be lucky to see him again ever.”

“—And Kandi is helpin’ out at the Grizzly Rose. Her shift won’t be over till after the supper rush.”

Her mother also asked where Vivi was and Daisy sucked a little air through her teeth. She wasn’t sure where Vivienne had gone. Nevertheless, the dutiful daughter, she nodded her head and volunteered to look. “Scherezade and ah can find her.”

Just as she turned around she nearly came face to face with a Caraboose. “Holy—“, she started off, a curse beginning, but she swallowed it fast. The large creature was easily taller than she was and the broad-shouldered, jovial man who rode it, was like a breeze full of cheer and good-natured party-going spirit. “I do declare you are the best @Ge'tal Canadus. Thank you for coming!”

Daisy would have offered to try some of the liquor he brought, but, it seemed that their mission was already there. [member="Vivienne Americus"] in the flesh. “Well that was easier than I thought…Vi! Mama is looking for ya’ too.”

But, the blonde bombshell was already on her way over, sweet tea in hand. Daisy smiled. Today was a good day.

Her focus, as usual, rounded back to Scherezade. What could they do? Surely, she wouldn’t want to spend the whole day just serving other people right? “Hey sugah. Let’s play a game.”

“There’s soooo many things to eat here. Why don’t we go make up a few plates with a little bit of everything so you can try it. This way if you don’t like it, no harm, no foul. What do’ya say? We find something you like and we take a shot together. Ah bet we could drink some of these boys under the table.”

[member="Scherezade deWinter"] | [member="Arkan wren"] | [member="Adron Malvern"] | [member="Mavrek Kordalas"] | [member="Syn Blacken"] | [member="Betty Americus"] |

 

[Alessandra Creed]

Location: Green Acres
With: @Adron Malvern
Wearing: X

Alessandra shifted against her man-shaped pillow, curling just a little closer, when he claimed that it would take more than that to cause him injury. She smiled. It wasn’t the typically arrogant expression that she wore so freely. It was quiet. Soft and a little sleepy. “Let me hit you in the jaw. Once.”, she almost purred, entirely comfortable, and unconcerned over whether or not they had an audience across the lake. They were far enough away that she didn’t care.

Haseria was an empty, boring, dust bowl. They might as well have been on some backwater unknown world in the Outer Rim. The people that she’d negotiated with yesterday were far too intoxicated today to realize that this was the same person set to decide their Confederate funding.

“We’ll see what you have to say then.”, she murmured smugly. She played with the collar of his shirt idly, breathing in the scent of him, mixed with the freshness of spring on the breeze. It was comforting. Between the warmth she felt from Adron and the sun beating down she wasn’t sure what was going to put her to sleep faster. Were she not so tired, she might have explained that her dense bone structure often made opponents feel like their bones made of glass. It was strange because although she seemed capable, and sturdy, she was quite small. No one expected her to weigh what she did or hit like she did.

Her eyes closed momentarily at the sensation of his touch to her shoulder. It was small, subtle, but like everything they did seemed to speak volumes. He asked a question and she remained still for a long moment, considering her answer, before finally uttering one word. “No.”

“I wanted to be many things. A dancer, a soldier, but finally decided to follow more closely in my mother’s footsteps. She has a knack for it. Apparently, so do I.”

It was difficult. Trying to find work on Brentaal IV had been either too easy or far too hard. Positions that she was not remotely qualified to fill would suddenly because available to her at a moment’s notice. It was because if the Creed name. Prospective employers either ran toward it, full tilt, or ran screaming away from it.

“What about you? Is the life of a Minister all you ever dream of?”

 

[Adron Malvern]

Alessandra's advance caused Adron to lean forward, an almost challenging gaze falling over her as he spoke. His words were like silk yet held the same strength of Phrik or Durasteel. As he leaned down his words would fall into her ears. "Try me." He said, before a hand fell over her wrist, keeping a soft yet firm grip on it.

Adron was no fool, he could sense Alessandra was not a human like he was. There was something more there that he was not entirely ignorant to. For the time it was irrelevant, if she decided to reveal what she was he would accept the information. If she did not, it would likely cost him no sleep in the future. As Alessandra's hand began to toy with Adron's collar, he smiled down at her.

Her words were even and deliberate as she answered Adron. The way she said no would have caused Adron to tease her a bit more however he decided to listen intently to her explanation.

What young woman didn't want to be a dancer? Even Adron's oldest sister, who had been an impeccable Jedi Knight, had loved music and dancing.

When the question was reversed on Adron, he lowered his voice, his answer curt and holding the shadow of agitation. "Hell no."

His eyes returned to the waters, taking notice of the reflection of the evening sun in it's pools.

There was a brief pause as Adron thought back to his childhood. It was such a blur whenever he tried to recall anything about his homeworld of Serenno. His early childhood was far easier to remember than his teens and the death of his family. "I always wanted to be....The best." He said.

Readjusting his back against the tree Adron seemed a bit amused by his words. He decided to move away from the half-truths and give Alessandra a more straight forward answer. "After I left Serenno I focused on being the best at everything I do. Soldier, politician, businessman, all of it." He explained, his hand still brushing against her shoulder. "When I was a boy all I wanted was to be a leader. It's what I was born to do. The Count's of Serenno have led that planet to prosperity for thousands of years." There was a minor shift as Adron's tone darkened a bit.

"Before they betrayed it..."

Adron used his free hand to free his eyes of the hair that had fallen over his brow. "Now's the part where I ask you about your abilities, you know that right?" Again an amused tone took over as he questioned Alessandra's Force Sensitive nature.
[member="Alessandra Creed"]

 

[Cedric Grayson]

Light steps, short breaths.

He moved with purpose through the crowds. They paid him little attention, their minds addled by alcohol and various other forms of intoxicants. Those that were sober enough missed him on account of the way the light bent around his form in an unnatural fashion. The shrouded figure was a forgettable shadow in the corner of the eye; a trick of the light that most didn't care to register. It was only when the crowds grew sparse that he drew himself into an alleyway and call upon the empyrean.

It wrapped about him like a shroud, the particles of light surrounding his form bending in such a way that his body was rendered invisible to the naked eye. It was a technique that taxed him, but the distance he needed to traverse was not far.

It did not take long to find his quarry. He felt the minister of war's presence long before he ever caught sight of him; a quick magnification of his helmet's oculars gave him visual confirmation. Moving slowly so as not to ruin the cloak he had shrouded himself within, the hunter stalked his way around the lake, growing ever closer to the object of his attentions...

[member="Adron Malvern"], [member="Alessandra Creed"]

 

[Alessandra Creed]

Location: Green Acres
With: [member="Adron Malvern"] | [member="Darius Sedaire"] [Sorta]
Wearing: X

“Don’t tempt me.”

Alessandra was fully aware of Adron’s fingers wrapped around her slender wrist. She wasn’t sure if it was in an effort to test her strength or if he was simply trying to keep her close. The Minister of Commerce chose to believe the latter and let him have his grip while she basked in the satisfaction of his smile. It happened frequently enough when she was around, however, she never got tired of it. There was a little arrogant smirk he held that spoke louder than words ever could.

She laughed lightly when he responded to her inquiry. It was curt, short, and very much so him. The sound would float up to his ears slowly, dying out, when he began to explain. She could feel vague amusement in his tone and closed her eyes, listening to his voice echo in his chest, while he told his story. His touch to her shoulder lulled some of her usual sass away but his words made her focus. His tone had changed. It was darker. And then, an abrupt shift, as if things had suddenly gotten too personal. Too close to home… “Oh? And what is it that you want to know?”

Her face lifted slowly from his chest and she pushed herself up slightly so she could look at his face. As always, there was an amethyst crystal dangling around her neck, doing everything it could to hide what she was. “I’ll have you know my best ability revolves around crunching numbers and matching my shoes to my outfit.”, the response was cheeky, amused, and filled with a slow warmth. He might notice at first the small changes. The subtle shift in their environment.

Illusions were something she had picked up on long ago. The true art of it lay around altering things slowly. Changing things that could be plausible, that didn’t make the mind react too harshly, before easing the victim into a recreated scenario. The devil was in the details. Raising her free hand to her lips she pressed her pointer fingers across them and made a soft shushing sound.

The colors of the world they were on would seem to fade for Adron as everything grew eerily still. She left reds alone, in essence, leaving the crimson color of her lipstick while sucking the brightness out of everything else. The grass turned gray, the water tranquil, and the breeze died. The blue would drain from the sky as if someone wanton artist had suddenly gotten sick of it.

Slowly, she smiled, and the world rushed back in. It was almost jarring. Where before there had been singular clarity and perfect focus there was now the regular oversaturation of sights and sounds. Alessandra leaned forward, lips brushing against his cheek, but paused. There was a tingling the back of her mind that caused her to look away. Briefly. She saw nothing but crystalline water and newly made autumn trees. “I might know a trick or two.”, she murmured, before laying back down, nestling back into the Serenno man. Feathery eyelashes dusted sweetly against caramel cheeks as she corrected herself teasingly.

“Or three.”

 

[Adron Malvern]

Location: Green Acres | Objective: Enjoy The Evening | Tags: [member="Alessandra Creed"] [member="Darius Sedaire"] | Post: III

Oh there was certainly some amusement to spill from Adron as Alessandra returned his taunt. While he took her wrist in his hands more as a means of continuing their connection, he found himself enjoying the softness of her skin pressed against his. Normally he wasn't interested in finding himself so… Relaxed. Especially not in a public venue, it always felt that the moment he allowed himself to relax was the moment he would become one with The Force. Yet while he sat behind Alessandra there was nothing else to be done in this moment, he was here and he was enjoying it.

When Adron pressed Alessandra on her abilities in The Force he had done so expecting some form of tease or jest to come from her. It was her nature. So when she spoke, there was an almost prepared flicker that came from his eyes. One that expertly mixed inquisition and amusement. As she pushed up from his chest, Adron shifted a bit more, realizing he had been enjoying her placement. His hands released her and fell over his lap for a moment before he spoke.

“I don't doubt it. But that's not the ability I'm talking about, now is it?” He challenged, pressing his inquiry.

Almost as soon as he had spoken his blue eyes began to notice the subtle changes that shifted throughout the nearby scenery. An eye for detail, Adron had taken notice of a few of the more obvious changes that we're occurring, chief of them being the slight shift of coloration.

He watched as she slowly bled the world of its color, causing him to look around a bit more before finally, his eyes fell back on her. The changing of the world around them had been slow and paced, causing Adron to fall into the illusion. Yet as slow as it had came, reality was forced back into his senses within a fraction of a second. For a shallow moment his breath was halted as he took a moment to readjust. When he looked to Alessandra he took notice of something that seemed to grab her attention. Distracted by the illusion, Adron had not felt the eyes watching over him from a distance. However, there was a subtle shift in The Force around them, which he dismissed as an after effect of Alessandra’s display.

Her words, still like honey, spilled from her lips causing Adron to give a quiet scoff. “Or four.” He added, unconvinced that Alessandra’s skills in the Force were as trivial as he had originally believed. Narrowing his eyes, his arms fell over her once again, a hand taking hold of her shoulder while the other rested on his perched leg.

“How do you hide it?” He asked, “I can usually sense anyone even capable of using The Force like that. But I've never been able to see past whatever you're using to hide it.”

 

[Cedric Grayson]

Fex-M3 was a particularly disturbing toxin.

Unlike many of the alternatives, Fex-M3 had a tendency to make the target's last few seconds extraordinarily excruciating. The hunter did not know the science behind it, but he knew that the chemicals within would force the brain to released the entirety of its stored energy at once, effectively cooking the fragile organ and normally ending in a very swift demise for the victim. It was the tool of choice for many assassins, though it was only the appetizer for the show to come.

His breathing was slow as he settled into a mass of bushes about a dozen meters down the lake from the couple. He couldn't make out their words from here, but he surmised that it must have been something entirely unrelated to his presence. There was no way he could tell - when he opted to temporarily cut himself off from the force he was both hidden and deafened to it - but they did not react the way people on alert tended to.

There was an inkling in the back of his mind: one that told him to forego the dart in favor of brutality. The familiar warmth of anger thudded quietly through his veins as he watched the young couple with disgust.

This creature had committed his sins, and now he lived happily? Where was the justice? Where was the balance?

It was hate that almost drove Darius from his hiding place. With his newfound abilities, he was confident he could dispatch the minister quickly enough, but then that was a risk not worth taking. The woman at his side might have been force sensitive, and he could not deal with two trained force users quickly enough to make his escape before the authorities arrived. He set his hatred aside for the moment, though he knew he could not do so forever.

To buy himself a few precious seconds, he reached into his coat, and produced a small jamming device. It was a homemade contraption, and one that was designed to jam the personal comm units of anyone within twenty meters. He flicked it on, readied his unlit lightsaber, and took aim.

The hunter could not keep the smile from his lips as the toxic dart flew toward the minister's exposed neck.

[member="Adron Malvern"], [member="Alessandra Creed"]

 

[Alessandra Creed]

Location: Green Acres
With: [member="Adron Malvern"] | [member="Darius Sedaire"] [Sorta]
Wearing: X

“So picky.”, the Minister of Commerce snipped sweetly at the dark-haired man with a cheshire grin. Alessandra loved making Adron wait, wonder, and figure out whether or not she was serious. Sometimes she was the cat and he the mouse. Sometimes, it was entirely vice versa. It simply depended on their particular moods for the day and whether or not she’d had the pre-requisite amounts of caf yet. “You’re lucky that you’re quite handsome, Minister, or else I’d have to give you a piece of my mind.”

Adron seemed to sink into the illusion that she’d created and she watched his expression for the desired response. Deprivation of color and sound was entirely designed to simultaneously soothe and aggravate the senses. Too much or too little and the effects could have undesirable outcomes. Just a moment, however, aside from making his breath catch wouldn’t cause any harm. Her teasing use of power should be taken only for what it was. He asked of her abilities—She responded.

When she stretched a little and let her lithe form once against rest along the line of the man beside her she could feel his disbelief. Alessandra chuckled into the material of his shirt, the sound all velvet and cream, before she indolently agreed with him in a delicate purr. “Or four.”

He wrapped his arm around her again and she felt a content sigh building. Even with all of his questions, which usually would have annoyed her, she was still relaxed. It had been too long since she’d simply let herself breathe. Even on Castagne she had been the Minister of Commerce, not Alessandra, and had deliberately separated herself from others upon her arrival. It was expected. It seemed that when Adron was concerned in these matters, drawing the appropriate line, was much more difficult. “Some of it is me. Suppressing your signature is important when someone can feel you from across a table and think you’re tweaking responses with mind games. It’s part of the job. You either learn or you fail.”

“The rest of it, for general concealment, I have a little help...”

She moved one of her hands to search for the silver chain that always hung around her neck. At the end of it was an amethyst stone that kept her presence to a minimum without thought. It glittered in the light before she let it fall. Her hand returned to where it was before curling into the material of his shirt near to his collar. If Adron could see her eyes then he would note that they were decidedly mischievous. With one quick movement, she’d pulled them both over with surprising strength. They would be a tangled mess of limbs with Alessandra laying on her back in the grass. Hair the color of onyx, flecked with red in the sunlight, lay about her head in a dark halo of styled waves. She held the Minister of War close to her as luminous chocolate orbs flickered with amusement.

“I’m half-epicanthix. It’s a lot harder to hurt me than you think. It’s also a lot easier for me to hurt you.”

It would be clear that the last thing on her mind, however, was causing him pain. She reached up with her free hand and brushed his hair back. Alessandra had seen him do it time and time again. The young Creed woman had no idea of the poisoned dart that had flown harmlessly over the shoulder of the man above her. It had embedded itself deeply into the tree trunk versus the flesh it had been intended for.

“So. Tell me. Why do my abilities matter? I’m just a little Confederate bookkeeper.”, she intoned lightly, as she let go of his shirt, and reached up to press her palm to his cheek. Still, she ran the fingers of her other hand through his hair. Curious, inquisitive, and entirely unaware that they had a voyeur that had momentarily cut himself off from the Force.