Private Kind Ambition

[Cal Halcard]

Location: Denon
Objective: Attend the charity ball
Tag: Valery Noble

"Welcome everyone to the 26th annual "helping hand" charity ball!" the classy host said to the gathering crowd on the dancefloor. Naturally, the people lucky enough to gain an invitation to such a prestigious ball clapped in return, showing their appreciation to the host who was all but smiles "I'm happy to see so many familiar faces here today, as well as new faces who I'm will be returning for another round of fundraising!" he said with a smile, briefly looking to the side to see if the next speaker was ready. With a brief nod, he turned back to the crowd "Speaking of fundraising, my next guest has generously donated over 200,000 thousand credits to worthy Jedi projects around the galaxy! Please, allow me to introduce you to Cal Halcard!"

Another wave of claps erupted all at once as a black suited figure walked onto the stage with his fashionable stick. He was quite tall and stocky, something which showed that the man clearly looked after his body well. Cal walked to the microphone and leaned forwards with a smile, clearly impressed by the attention "Thank you thank you, you're all so kind" he said in reply, adjusting his tie while they slowly went silent "Firstly, it has been an honor to donate hard earned credits to worthy causes. I have seen the difference it makes first hand, and believe me it does make all the difference!" the man said proudly, his eyes resting on a familiar face at the bar. Of course, she wouldn't miss the opportunity to dress up.

"Secondly, I'd like to urge you to donate all you can tonight. All proceeds from the bar will go towards worthy charities, so please by all means get wasted" Cal laughed openly, his hand raising up "Obviously drink within reason for safety, but other than that I really shouldn't keep you any longer. Have fun and I'll see some of you at the bar!" Cal finally ended before turning to give the host a brief handshake to the applause of the eager crowd.

As soon as Cal got off the stage the host continued his greeting to the crowd, announcing the rest of the events that were going to happen tonight. While they were distracted, the speaker moved through the crowd toward the woman in question. He had waited some time to speak to her, especially after the denon mess. However, that really wasn't the only reason.

Approaching her from the left, he put his right hand on the counter next to her "Well, who knew the sword of the Jedi had time on her hands..."
​

​

 

[Valery Noble]

Denon

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Cal Halcard

It took a lot of convincing for Valery to return to Denon. Almost every single time she visited the planet, she was either the target of assassination plots or something crazy would happen that left a bad taste in her mouth. It had reached a point where she only considered going if it was for Jedi duty, or in this case, a charity event meant to raise credits to even support the Jedi. She knew it likely had something to do with the recent attempt on her life, but it left her with no fair reason to deny the request for her presence.

She represented the order in so many ways, so even though she wanted to cancel her attendance, she just couldn't do it.

So after making her way there, dressed up, and with her hair done, she went straight for the bar. Not because she was interested in getting drunk, but because she wanted to avoid the dancefloor or people approaching her as much as possible. Perhaps she could be here for the official parts of the night, and dip out afterward.

But once Cal Halcard's speech ended, Valery quickly found out that wouldn't be so easy.

"Well, who knew the sword of the Jedi had time on her hands..."

From the corners of her eyes, Valery glanced passed her long, curled bangs and stared at the man in black. She offered a kind, but somewhat fake smile, before accepting her drink from the bartender. "She doesn't, but sometimes she has to make time for... important days." She turned to the man now and dipped her head.

 

[Cal Halcard]

Location: Denon
Objective: Attend the charity ball
Tag: Valery Noble

"She doesn't, but sometimes she has to make time for... important days."

"I see... even the busiest of individuals need time to cool off," he said with a brief bow of his head to her before looking to the bartender "A whiskey please, on the rocks" Cal requested, one of which was replied with a nod from the bartender. The speaker was well documented to be a party animal and a ladies man. Although, it was unclear how long that was going to last.

"I'm happy you have decided to attend, it's not a common occurrence to see the head of the Jedi in denon after all," he remarked as the barman set down his drink. Gracefully picking up the cup, he took a sip and placed it back down on the counter "Considering what happened last time we feared you wouldn't be back anytime soon, yet you're here to prove us all wrong. A brave decision I must say" Cal said with admiration as he looked into her orange eyes thoughtfully.

"For a woman almost blown up on a train you seem to look better than ever"
​

 

[Valery Noble]

Denon

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Cal Halcard

"Still a little common for what I would prefer if I'm being completely honest," Valery said with a chuckle. Not all of her visits were exactly on record, but all of them were the kinds she wished to forget as soon as possible. Especially her last few and most notably the incident with the train. Not just because it nearly cost her her own life, but also for what it had sparked on Denon. The riots, the deaths, and the destruction.

Valery then raised her own glass up to her lips and turned her body to face him, while she took a careful sip and looked him in the eyes. She wasn't afraid of eye contact, and more often than not, it gave her great insight into the mind of a person. Emotions, and intentions — they often leaked out into the Force unintentionally.

"The explosion didn't cause much injury, and it has been a while since that incident," Valery clarified, rather than just accepting what was clearly a compliment.

"Is that what sparked all of this?" With a small wave of her hand, she gestured at the venue.

 

[Cal Halcard]

Location: Denon
Objective: Attend the charity ball
Tag: Valery Noble

"The explosion didn't cause much injury, and it has been a while since that incident,"

"Indeed, I'm sure everyone is pleased that you are still in one piece. Especially me" As to why he was so happy to see her all in one piece was up to Valery to decide. One thing for sure though, it wasn't because she was still able to do her duty "You Jedi were born to take such hardships on the chin though, so I had no concern for your safety to begin with..." the speaker said confidently to her, his mouth opening for another sip of his strong whiskey.

Through the tinted glasses, he was able to give her a brief up and down. She was clearly strong and kept her body clean of anything that could possibly harm it, a good representation of what a true Jedi should look like. Valery was definitely a woman he'd love to get to know more, but of course, business came first.

"Tell me, what are your opinions of them Darkwire kids? Is it true a few of their members are using their force sensitivity to commit the terrorism itself?"​

 

[Valery Noble]

Denon

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Cal Halcard

"Especially you?" Valery asked curiously now, and she let that question linger for a moment so it wasn't easy to dodge. But when he continued to speak, she briefly averted her gaze again and looked out into the room while she sipped from her drink. It wasn't anything strong, and quite honestly she had no idea what it was at all, but it tasted alright.

Then a question followed, and Valery briefly paused in thought while she frowned.

"I believe so," she said, now turning back to look him in the eyes again. "I've met one who was able to use the Force, long before this attack on the train. It's possible others can use it as well but that's not my biggest concern. The entire atmosphere on the planet is just... hostile and far too tense. The fact that even kids are involved in it all is just..." She sighed. As a mother, it was a lot more difficult.

She couldn't imagine her own kids being involved in something that dangerous.

"Why do you ask?"

 

[Cal Halcard]

Location: Denon
Objective: Attend the charity ball
Tag: Valery Noble

The fact that even kids are involved in it all is just..."

"Despicable... I know" Cal finished for her, his head slowly shaking from the fact the terrorists were using children to do all their dirty work "I predict most of them have been taken out of orphanages or off the streets to be brainwashed into their organization. No one would predict children to be a major threat" he continued, keeping his eyes on her face at all times. If Valery felt the same hate towards those punks, it was clear Darkwire was going to have a rough time coming up.

"Believe it or not we were able to take down a long time member of the group that day. He was a street doctor who looked for those without a cause in life and made them into mindless zombies. With him gone, Denon will be a much better place" The corpo's kept saying they were the ones who took them down. However, it was the doc himself that brought an end to his life. At the end of the day, it just made him and everyone else look good.

Finishing his whiskey and placing it on the table, he turned back to Valery and offered a warm smile "May I have the honor of buying you a drink?" he said with a gentle hand on her back, his hand giving an encouraging motion back to the bar.

"It does go to a good cause after all"​

 

[Valery Noble]

Denon

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Cal Halcard

"Not despicable but just... unfortunate." Valery couldn't ever hate kids, even if they tried to blow her up. She just knew how easily they were influenced by others, so with kids growing up in the streets with only thugs to look up to, she just knew that the bad influences were really to blame. It just didn't mean that the kids would be left unaddressed — they were clearly still dangerous if they were capable of blowing up trains.

They had to be stopped, but unlike many adults, they could perhaps still be helped.

Cal then mentioned taking down one of the people involved, and Valery just nodded, "Glad he's not able to cause more harm, but it would have been better if he had been caught. All this death is just..." She let out a soft sigh and pushed away her empty glass before she looked back at him. He was almost staring at her to an uncomfortable extent, but she kept her cool and didn't really react to it.

She knew it was likely part of his game. Intimidation or trying to show confidence was often important to these types.

"May I have the honor of buying you a drink?"

Valery raised an eyebrow, mostly at the hand that settled at her back and tilted her head, "Sure, but nothing too strong. And only because it's for charity," she added with a slight smirk to test his response.

 

[Cal Halcard]

Location: Denon
Objective: Attend the charity ball
Tag: Valery Noble

"Sure, but nothing too strong. And only because it's for charity,"

"That's the spirit Valery" he replied with a smirk of his own, the hand on her back slowly but surely sliding off. Looking to the bartender, he motioned him to bring them two whiskeys on the rocks. Depending on her alcohol tolerance, she should be able to take this drink with no problem "So Valery, how did a thing like you get into the order in the first place?" he asked with curiosity as the bartenders slid over their drinks with a brief nod.

There was much he'd like to know of Valery, it was just a matter of how deep Valery was willing to go with a man like himself.

"I heard rumors that you are not from this age too, but from a time gone by," he asked with a fresh sip of his drink, the corpo's eyes looking up and down her body "Women like yourself are unique, almost one of a kind at this point. That begs me to ask, has much changed in terms of upkeeping such a lean and strong body?" the man smirked slightly and looked to her face to read her reaction.

"I'm a man of upkeep myself you see. It helps with my endurance for many activities that need doing throughout the day, as well as some that need extra attention..."​

 

[Valery Noble]

Denon

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Cal Halcard

"A thing like me?" Valery asked with a raised eyebrow because she hadn't exactly been referred to that way before. "But it's nothing special. I became a Jedi the traditional way - my parents gave me up as an infant so I could become one." There was a lot to that in her specific case after she had seen a vision of her parents having to give her up, but she did not want to share all of that with a strange.

Valery then took her drink, looked at it for a moment and raised it to her lips for a small sip. It was strong, but she was ready to use the Force to filter anything from her blood she didn't want in her system. She was not going to get drunk here.

Her eyes then shiftes back to him, first as he mentioned the obvious topic of her time in stasis, only for it to shift into some less than subtle flirting. He was looking her over without shame, and she knew exactly what he was trying to say as well.

In response, Valery softly chuckled and picked up her glass with her left hand, so she could raise it between her mouth and his gaze. Light reflected off of the golden wedding ring, and that smirk deepened a little. "You are a bold one. But if you read up on me, you surely didn't miss the part about my marriage, right? My husband is quite the well-known Jedi as well."

 

[Cal Halcard]

Location: Denon
Objective: Attend the charity ball
Tag: Valery Noble

"But it's nothing special. I became a Jedi the traditional way - my parents gave me up as an infant so I could become one."

"I remember reading something a long time ago about how the Jedi used to take kids into the order quite forcefully during the clone wars era. Many things have changed since that time though" he remarked, his eyes watching her sip on the whiskey that she seemed to like. It was a shame Jedi were almost impossible to make drunk, they were always missing out on the finer things in life.

Cal seemed to smile when she chuckled and showed off her ring to him. It was well documented that Valery was already married to Kahlil Noble , a man who had been by her side since the start. Out of many Jedi that was the one person he didn't want to bump into right now, and considering he had just been chatting up his wife it probably wasn't going to be a good one either. Shrugging from her comment, he used his free hand to slowly reach up to the ring on her finger and squeeze it thoughtfully.

"I do know who your husband is Valery, the shield of the Jedi is hard not to know about within the Galactic border" he grinned, before slowly moving his hand away "The only thing is, Kahlil is nowhere to be seen..." the corpo said more quietly, his side leaning up against the counter.

"You know what Valery? why don't you come to my place where we can talk more privately..." the man purposed with a quick sip "I want to discuss more pressing matters. And you know, put your stamina to the test on a few exercises" he said with a wink, letting the sword once more decide what he meant by those words.

"You exercise a lot, I exercise a lot. I want to see the true grit of the sword in the flesh"​

 

[Valery Noble]

Denon

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Cal Halcard Kahlil Noble

"Do not touch my ring," Valery said, her tone suddenly cold while she stared into his eyes. It wasn't at all about monetary value or possession - this ring symbolized the most important thing in her life. Her husband and the family they had started together. For that reason, she refused to take it off, and she would never allow anybody to take it from her.

"The only thing is, Kahlil is nowhere to be seen..."

Valery's eyes had already narrowed when he started talking about her husband, but those words specifically sent a shiver down her spine. An invitation to his place was already odd and inappropriate, but now she couldn't help but feel that his intentions were not at all about business or charity anymore.

"He's not as far as you think," she told him, and at the same time, she echoed her discomfort to her husband. Through their bond, he'd know everything that was happening. <Love, I'm dealing with a real creep trying to abuse his position as host. Could you please help? I don't feel safe> Another thing that made all of this so much worse for her - she was here to support a charity event, which Kahlil also knew about, and Cal was the host. It was a clear case of abusing a certain type of power and image.

How would people look at her if she slapped him for his inappropriate request?

It also didn't help that this was on Denon, a planet where she knew a lot of people were willing to do anything to kill her. From blowing up trains to ambushing her in the streets or hiring assassins.

"I wouldn't have been opposed to talking about your work, but I have no desire to exercise with you."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"She exercises enough with me."

Kahlil seemingly stepped from Valery's shadow, a calm smile on his face as ever. Though his eyes certainly didn't match the seeming kindness as he glanced down at Cal. He wasn't dressed in a suit or the like. If anything, he looked like he'd just woken up from a nap. Which was what happened. The kids were with the nanny. Right now, he was just here for his wife, disheveled appearance and all. He wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close.

"I see Denon has yet to change for the better."

Cal Halcard | Valery Noble

 

[Cal Halcard]

Location: Denon
Objective: Attend the charity ball
Tag: Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

"Do not touch my ring,"

Cal smirked slightly from her more serious tone and decided it was best to do what Valery ordered. The ring and the bond it held to Kahlil were clearly strong, but that didn't mean she was impossible to tame in his mind. Raising a brow to her narrowed eyes, he finished off the rest of his drink and placed the empty glass back on the table. Valery was going to be a challange, but sooner or later he was going to get what he wanted like always.

"Not as far as I think? I'm afraid he's on an entirely different planet darling" the man said proudly, slowly shaking his head from the defiance she was showing "No exercise hm? That is a very strange answer from a woman as fit as yourself" Cal said softly as he carefully lifted himself away from the counter and steadily got closer "That truly is a shame, I did after all want to see what that lean and strong body could do." the man smiled while his hand began to move to her waist.

"There's nothing wrong with me being curious, all I wanted was to see what was behind those orange eyes of the sword" Cal stated, the same hand steadily coming more closer to his target. However, when he was only inches away a face that almost made him jump out of his skin stopped him in his tracks. Cal quickly stepped away from Valery and took off his glasses in disbelief, his eyes wide and surprised by Kahlil's sudden appearance

"This... this can't be possible! you should be on coruscant!" he said with narrowed eyes to the rough looking man, drawing the attention of a few curious eyes at the bar "W-what are you even wearing anyway!? it looks like you've just fallen out of bed after a rough night's sleep!"
​

 

[Valery Noble]

Denon

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Cal Halcard Kahlil Noble

Valery would never let anybody lay a single finger on her, and Kahlil knew this, but knowing that he was about to make his appearance to help her deal with this creep, she decided to not move a muscle. Instead, she briefly closed her eyes and focused on her husband's presence, and opened them again when she felt him beside her. Normally, she would have smiled lovingly, and his arm settling around her waist did make her feel a rush of affection for his help.

But she also felt how furious he was.

The kids had kept them up all night, and now he woke up to find this slimey corpo trying to get physical with her. Valery knew what was about to happen, and she wasn't going to stop it. She didn't even feel sorry for the man either — very few people had made her as uncomfortable as he had just now and it was still causing her hands to shake a little.

"Thanks for coming, love," Valery said, her hands briefly holding Kahlil's hand against her stomach. She squeezed, but ultimately let go to have him address the issue however he wished.

"I warned you," she then told Cal with a frown.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"So it's alright to force yourself on a man's wife when he's on a different world? People keep saying Denon is getting better, but it seems it's business as usual. Next you'll tell me there's a bomb planted to blow us up before you go back to your criminal business partners to organize a hit."

Kahlil wasn't holding back his voice. He wanted everyone to hear what he had to say. The smile faded to an unamused frown as he took a glance to Valery. It wasn't often she didn't want to hold him back.

"On Panatha, before it was destroyed, trying to force yourself on a woman was a quick way to get stabbed. By said woman. Thankfully, my wife here is far more restrained. I'm not. Pick a place. An arena, a back alley, hell, here. I'll at least give you the dignity you refused my wife in having a choice where I beat your ass."

Valery Noble | Cal Halcard

 

[Cal Halcard]

Location: Denon
Objective: Attend the charity ball
Tag: Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

"I warned you,"

Cal seemed to ease up slightly and show a fake confidence that had gotten him through more awkward situations than this one "You didn't seem to say much Miss Noble, I thought you were liking our little chat" he said calmly as he looked into the furious and tired eyes of Kahlil, who was itching to punch him right in the face. His tone and aggression seemed to bring more eyes in their direction too, a situation that he didn't wish to have when being confronted by the poster Jedi of the order.

Staring at the rude man with a stonecold expression he slowly shook his head from the threat of being beaten up "Now now Jedi, I do not wish to fight a man of your power. As you know, a regular man like myself wouldn't last very long against the shield of the Jedi himself" he said with a roll of his eyes before looking back to the stage to motion the band to play something that would gather the crowd's attention. Upon hearing the sounds of music, the crowd around them seemed to slowly disperse and begin moving to the dance floor to make the most of their night.

Moving up to the pair, Cal seemed braver than most and looked Kahlil up and down "You know, picking on someone weaker than you is considered cowardice?" he said with a bit more coldness in his voice. Slowly, Cal's head turned to Valery who he was most displeased with.

"After all, doesn't him being a former Sith make him more of a beetch than most?" the man smirked, knowing he was jabbing the pair to test their reactions. ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Denon

​

Outfit: Dress | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Cal Halcard Kahlil Noble

Valery didn't respond to him at all, and narrowed an already intense gaze even more. She had made it very clear that he had crossed a line when talk about the events on Denon and this charity event had turned into flirting, and now he was claiming that she enjoyed the chat? Her muscles visibly tightened but it wasn't until he continued talking about her husband, that a flash of anger appeared in her eyes.

"You flirt with me only under the assumption that my husband is off-world, and you call him a coward?" Valery asked but Cal didn't stop there. His head slowly turned to her after getting closer, he said something about her husband and-

Smack!

Valery aimed a backhanded slap across his face, one meant to hurt as she hoped her ring would leave behind a mark to remind him of this very moment. "How dare you..." Valery said, now visibly angered but she was still not nearly as furious as her husband was for what he tried with her.

But she had enough of him.