Faction On the Beach of Dreams; Another World [Darkwire & Friends]

[Cassus Akovin]

Welcome back to Belazura!
Mood Music
​

Activities:

1. Relax, socialize, and enjoy - After the Cyberdrive Disaster on Parcellus Minor, the Corporate Authorities of Denon have issued a free Credit Waiver for those most affected by it to visit and vacation on the world Belazura, the galaxy's pre-eminent vacation spot! Enjoy its blue skies and the scenery of its grassy fields, its tall mountains, or maybe visit the beach! Everything simulated in the Indoor Visitor Center is footage taken live from somewhere on the planet at all times, everything you see is real as if you were there yourself!​
2. Not Everything is as it Seems - Following the high-profile assassination of Belazura's Governor, his Will mysteriously placed control over the planet to Diviak Manfloon, a businessman from Denon with deep connections to the many Mining Unions across the galaxy. It has been some time since this event, and as Factories and Corporate Headquarters pop up, some members of Darkwire may find it distasteful such abuse of a traditionally beautiful world could be snuck right under the noses of the general populace, especially after the Cyberdrive Disaster. Pursue justice for Belazura, and let them know what their tourism is funding!​

​

"Cassus, I have missed you so much. I am sorry I haven't been there to support you-" Triam Akovin was talking with her son, standing for the first time in many months, perhaps even in over a year.

"Mom, it's fine." He cut her off before she could continue, "You've spent my entire childhood protecting me. If there is anything that I've learned while on my own, it's that your worrying was warranted."

"Which is why I am worried for you now. I understand you've joined the guild and, uh-"

"Darkwire," He filled her in sheepishly.

"Right. These are dangerous people, with even more dangerous enemies. You may be the best-equipped teenager in the galaxy, but everything you've done for me is... it's concerning Cassus. You're doing exactly what I did when I was young only even younger than me." For a moment the two of them were silent, the mother weak from months of bed-ridden sickness, and a boy who had forgotten what it was like to speak with his mother.

"I am proud of you, Cassus," Triam said, placing a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look up to her eyes whose blueness now appeared grey. "Never forget that. You've done what you thought you had to, at every step, and I am proud of you for it, but I think it's time to put it behind us." She was smiling, and it was warm, but it felt like a struggle for her. Either because of lingering sickness or because she was masking disapproval.

"Can I even do that?" He said uncertainly. She held in a quick laugh, very softly.

"I have made many mistakes in my short life Cassus, many of them I regret, and some of them I shouldn't have survived. You can always walk away. Move forward. There is always a choice to do something different." She sat on her bed, her mechanical arm was detached to keep from weighing on her, and her other arm she wrapped around her stomach. She did not look to be the picture of health, but her spirits seemed to have never been higher.

Cassus was silent awhile, and his hand felt in his pocket the Credit Voucher he had received from the family that had taken care of him while he was comatose on Parcellus Minor. They were not interested in leaving their home and felt that he had deserved it more given what he and his allies had accomplished to rid the world of the disease. They didn't buy into the Corporate narrative and vowed to harbor others like him if they ever came to be in trouble on the planet.

"I have an idea," He said finally and looked up to her. "I have this Credit Voucher for a vacation on Belazura, and I think I would really enjoy being with you again, mom. No armor, no weapons or craziness, just... us. Then, after that, everything goes back to normal. The way it used to be." Cassus wasn't sure about everything they were saying, but seeing his mother standing, moving, and being coherent brought wetness to his eyes with happiness, and the idea of just being with her as a normal kid, started to put a smile on his face.

"Come here," His mother said, outstretching her arm and smiling, her own eyes a bit wet. He got up and felt the warmth of his mother for the first time in a long time.

Spoiler: Tag List

Airal Thamne
Aren D'Shade
Brie Jaxx
Chloe Santhe
Daiya
Extari Kanos
Gray Venasir
Hacks
Shira Varanin
Rika

Spoiler: The Beach!

 

[Aren D'Shade]

The last time Aren had been on any sort of beach was when she was growing up. Her parents had taken her to some resort on a world she didn't remember now. It was more for them than it was for her anyway. She remembered getting sunburned very badly and getting ill from it. This particular beach was an indoor one and she didn't have to worry as much about getting sunburned.

Not one to be parted with her bag of tools, she very likely looked like some sort of odd-bird with it hanging at her side. Wearing a bikini, she had her bag and a towel draped across her neck. Coming out of the changing room, she looked around for her partner.

Even though this was indoors, she shaded her eyes from the brightness of the false lighting. Spying Rann waiting for her, she ran over to him. Wrapping her arms around him, unless he pulled away, she would attempt to plant a kiss on one of his cheeks. Smiling up at him, she took hold of his hand and started tugging him to the beach.

"You're going to meet a bunch of my friends! And they're not all droids this time. You'll see!"

Then she stopped tugging at him so firmly. Looking at his arm, she hoped it wouldn't get ruined if it got wet. When she had seen him last, he was fully organic. Though he had told her what happened to him, this was still rather new to her. With her skill in the Force, she could easily play with the mechanical parts involved. That wasn't on her mind today though. Having fun was.

"Um, can you go swimming?"

As she turned, if he paid attention to her own changes, he would notice a new tattoo on her arm. Just below the old one, she'd had for longer than they had known each other. Hoping his answer was yes, she continued on her walk with him to the sandy beach in front of them.

Rann Thress

 

[Ruby Jaxx]

“Whoa.”

Ruby stared. She'd never seen such a nice place before—because she never had the money to afford a trip like this. But that little free credit waver changed everything. Who would have thought that her trip down to Parcellus Minor would have ever yielded a reward like this? Well, if the Corporate Authorities treated people like this, it was definitely an incentive to stick around.

Standing on the balcony of her room, she watched the people heading down to the beach. They wore all sorts of colorful breezy beach clothing, shades that ranged from sunset to deep ocean. Women wore little two-pieces and coverings over the top, and men sported bare chests and sometimes little brief-things. Ruby chuckled. But then she looked down at her leather jacket and ripped jeans. It wasn't really fit for the setting.

Meandering down to the lobby, she stuck her head inside the nearest shop.

“Ugh,” she frowned at the clothing. And the frown only grew deeper upon seeing the prices. Her dark eyes did a quick scan of the shop. Places like this had security systems and cameras and sometimes guards. Still, if she was careful... maybe she could sneak out with a new bathing suit or a light romper or whatever the kark people like her wore to the beach.

(Tag: Open!)

 

[Nyra Mazul]

At the "Beach"

Nyra skipped, hopped, and moved about on the ‘beach’. But it wasn’t really a beach, there was no sand on her toes but rather a disturbing silicate designed to feel like ‘real’ sand. Of course sand was basically just that, but in Nyra’s estimation it was so much more. Real sand has seaweed, broken shells, and even potential hazard. This sand was sanitized, safe, disgusting.

Without the head of the sun it missed its mark giving off a cool feeling that might have been refreshing if it wasn’t the fact the simulated sun was high in the sky. It ruined the illusion really. The water may or may not have existed, some simulated vacation places overlaid the hologram over a pool to help further sell the illusion, still the effect was rather poor in her estimation.

People both real and illusory walked along the ‘sandy’ shole. A frown crossed over Nyra’s face and she let her form transform into something more appropriate, feminine and curvy. What was the point of being a shapeshifter if you couldn’t affect others' perceptions of you? It was all calculated, every curve and flat section of her body prepared in a way to elicit a certain effect even down to the supernormal stimuli created by the movement of her hips as she walked.

A holographic person walked up to her and gave her a smile. She would be pretty if Nyra was into that sort of thing. ‘Remember for a quality experience….”

Nyra interrupted the hologram by walking through it. “Sorry love, but for a quality experience the girl has to be real.”

 

[Rann Thress]

R E L A X​

Tags: Aren D'Shade​

Rann stood with his arms crossed in front of him while waiting for Aren. A black pair of swimtrunks and a black elbow length glove covering his right arm that, if possible, made him feel more naked than he currently felt. He was confident in his body and appearance, he was just unused to wearing so little in public. But for Aren, he'd do more.

When he noticed Aren, his jaw dropped. She was stunningly beautiful, as always. And it seemed like their time apart made her even more so. He was sure his smile was noticeable from orbit as she began running towards him and he held his arms out waiting for her. When they connected, Rann wrapped his arms around her and felt hers around him and he lifted her up.

"I've missed you so much." He whispered into her ear as she pulled away from the hug and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Only on the cheek?" He teased, returning the kiss on her forehead, and grabbing her hand firmly and walking along side her, listening to her every word as she spoke.

"I can't wait to meet your friends my dearest Aren." He gave her hand a slight squeeze and looked down at his right arm, his smile disappearing for a brief moment when she asked if he could swim with his 'new' arm.

"Can I swim? Yeah. It won't get destroyed in the water and even if it could, the glove'll keep it dry." He squeezed his robotic arm.

"I wouldn't get this dressed up for nothing," he winked at her, "And you're absolutely beautiful and stunning. Not that that's a surprise. And what's this new tattoo?" He nodded his head towards her arm as they walked along the beach.

​

 

[Daiya]

N O T • E V E R Y T H I N G • I S • A S • I T • S E E M S

Sand was a new thing for Daiya. At first, the tiny, course rocks irritated her as they invaded her sandals and between her toes. They were even worse when wet, clinging to her like some slimy jungle creature. Zenie just laughed at the struggle as she watched her older friend's first time at a beach.

A beach!

Visiting one had been her dream for a while, to touch the sun-warmed sands of another world and feel the waves lapping at her feet. The city girl was no stranger to swimming or waters, but they had taken the form of pools both public and private, and once even a sizable liquid tank of questionable contents. So obtaining a voucher for a beach, even if it was from the sacrilegious Corpos, thrilled the teen beyond belief...

...even if it just wound up being a pool with some extra steps.

"Whoa!" Daiya had managed to squeak out when they arrived. She had to admit, as pools went, this one had no competition. Had she not seen the outside of the building, the girl attired in a modest two-piece suit would have never known that she wasn't actually dipping her toes in the natural waters of a sea. The facility's massive holo-panels on the walls and vaulted ceilings projected a view of a seaside beach, with water stretching out beyond the edge of the horizon. The vista was breathtaking, and it was only Zenie's initial reverie at the beach offerings that kept the girl from spending the whole time gawping.

"Come on, Daiya!" Zenie begged, her face sculpted from pure joy. It didn't seem to bother the little Belazuran heiress that they were back on her homeworld again, for the first time since she'd been violently exiled from it. At least not in this moment. Daiya knew what sorrow the blonde-haired child had been through in the last few months, losing her father and her homeworld both in a single day, and what steps she was taking to heal from that. The jubilant girl before her, clad in her colorful swimsuit, betrayed none of that. It washed away her own worries, and Daiya let herself get pulled along by her younger friend.

The teen laughed gaily with her friend, running along the length of the sand-covered faux-beach. A lifeguard's shout passed by unheeded, the girls certainly weren't going to slow down for some rules. If the beach's artificial nature, Daiya feeling exposed without a weapon on her person, Zenie returning to the world she lost her father on, or anything else wasn't going to put a damper on their spirits, then some lifeguard's obnoxious shout wasn't either. This was their day, their time to enjoy, their dream to fall asleep to.

At least, for a little while.

Zenie pulled Daiya straight into the water, the surf splashing cold against her ankles as they plunged deeper into the water. She gasped as the water invaded her mouth the first moment she stepped beyond where her feet could reach, spitting out the salty water. This wasn't the chemical taste of pool water, this was real beach water! The girl shot a grin at Zenie, who was treading water near her, "Okay, I was skeptical, but you were right, this place is a-mazing!"

"Told ya!" the other girl flashed Daiya a cocky grin, prompting a giggle from the teen. It had been so long since they had been able to go on an outing, especially after Daiya earned the ire of Shenn for sneaking Zenie out to go clubbing one night. They hadn't escaped the chaperone this time, but the hairy Wookiee at least had the good sense to sit himself in amongst the crowd of lounging beings at the tables skirting the edge of the beach, leaving the girls virtually alone.

Virtually alone on a virtual beach, what could possibly go wrong?

"Race ya to the palm tree!" Zenie shouted, pointing at the dark pillar emerging from the surf, topped with a single palm tree. More featured beyond in the virtual illusion, but the real tree comically helmed the vanguard alone. Zenie started forward before Daiya could react, pale arms slapping against the water as she motored towards the impromptu finish line.

"Hey!" Daiya cried, not to be outdone by a dirty trick. She powered forward, her longer strides catching up to the younger girl quickly, but the teen stayed in the spray zone of her friend's kicking feet for a reason. A smirk, then a yank on Zenie's ankle brought the girl back alongside her. "No cheating, that's not fair!"

The frown on Zenie's face didn't last long when she saw who her attacker was, replaced by a devilish grin instead. That should have been warning enough, but Daiya was unprepared for the splash of water that hit her face, leaving her reeling again while Zenie got the best of her with a brash, "Is too!"

A growl escaped her lips as the teen plowed back into the water, her sights set on their race this time. Daiya wasn't about to let a little kid beat her.

Even if that little kid was about to show up the whole beach crowd.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

​

Cassus remarked on the irony of walking on a simulated beach experience as compensation for being trapped in a simulated false-life, as he felt the artificial sand beneath his toes and the fabricated wind gusting through his hair. At least the smell of the sea breeze was convincing. Or at least, despite hardly ever being near an ocean in his entire life, it smelled as he imagined it would from what people had described to him.

He wrapped his arm around his mother's (something not many kids his age seemed to be doing, though he could care less), who was sporting a one piece that clung to her body but covered a very (almost extremely) conservative amount of her body. If he had to describe it, it seemed as if she was prepared to go diving deep under the ocean but forgot the rest of her gear. Additionally, she did not sport a mechanical hand, instead opting to go without. She had recovered some from her disease, but not fully, and even though it was designed to reduce its own weight she remarked on how freer she felt without it right now.

"You know, I can't remember the last time I was on a beach." His mother, Triam, said almost wistfully.

"Me neither," Cassus replied, almost matching tones with her. A droid followed behind the pair, one his mother haggled getting so neither would be bothered carrying anything given her condition and the desire to spend time with her son unburdened. She had a way of talking with businesses that Cassus was afraid he'd never be able to do when he grew to be her age. Once the two of them found a good spot, however, Cassus waved back towards the droid carrying some beach goer stuff.

"Can you set up here, please? I think mom could use some shade."

"I can get some shade in a minute Cass, let's walk a bit and come back." She smiled, and Cassus nodded.

"We'll be back in a few."

"Of course, Sir." The droid responded politely.

"Do you see anyone you know?" Triam leaned down to one side a bit and spoke softly. Cassus began scanning the beach, trying to pick out the real people from the simulated with some effort.

He saw a woman hopping and skipping while walking through hologram people, and he saw a man with a mechanical arm exchanging short kisses with a woman who seemed a bit familiar. Then, farther down he saw intimately familiar faces, two young girls racing through the ocean back on to the beach, with beaming smiles and contagious laughter.

"A couple, and a few others who I might have crossed paths with. I don't always get to meet everyone on the job."

"May I meet them?" The question she posed almost stilted his motion a bit, as a hesitance built up inside him. A tinge of guilt, considering the faces he saw and the world he was meeting them on. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that quite yet, at least not so early. He would get to them at some point, he didn't think his mother would let him get out of it, but if he could delay it for a few minutes his comfort would be improved.

"Uh, yeah mom. Let's go see them, the woman seems familiar." He said pointing towards Aren D'Shade and Rann Thress , trying to avoid his gaze from peering towards Daiya and Zenie. Though he didn't notice, his mother saw plainly through his diversion, and looked in their direction as well, before following his lead approaching the couple.

 

[Mir Nehrahn]

The Tynnan named Stannon piddle-paddled about in the water. The supremely evolved mammalia rodentia was at home while swimming, his species favoring water-dominant ecological settings. And for his part in helping on Parcellus minor, Stannon earned a bit of fun. The Tynnan wore only his fur, a the thick coat of brown and black. He dove and rose and tread and stroked and floated in front of the little stretch of beach where Mir and Kur sat watching their friend.

Mir was still recovering from his self-performed surgery. Whether he had known what he was doing or not, the procedure had been incredibly risky, the probability for incidental failure was high. The slightest nick or the wrong voltage could have left permanent damage at least. And no damage more permanent than death. Kur and Stannon hadn't said too much. But their glances and body language since caused Mir quite a bit of pause. He wasn't sure if he had been pushed to do something dangerous because of a response from the nanites or if that simply was a natural response to the problem that was presented. And if the risky surgery had been the logical conclusion, why had Kur and Stannon been so concerned? Surely they wanted to get the answer as much as he?

As it was, Mir had decided a break for all of them was warranted. And his recovery was just a good excuse. The back of his skull where he had inserted the needle throbbed, quite literally in the back of his mind.

Kur sat beside him. He wore yellow and orange swim trunks that Mir had never before seen. Though apparently Kur had always owned them. Had they gone to a beach before? Kur had said something about Tibrin but Mir couldn't recall. Maybe he had caused some damage to his memory centers of the brain. New for Kur, though, was a tattoo on his upper bicep. A reminder of their struggle on Parcellus turned into a useful tool.

The Ithorian sat back and sighed and watched Stannon piddle-paddle.

 

[Gray Venasir]

It wasn't long since Gray had practically lived on a beach. And in the last few months, he had been sick of it. The constant sound of the waves, the seabirds, the sand. Oh, the sand. Coarse, rough, irritating. And it got everywhere. Even when he had only taken a single step on the beach. But that dull life was behind him, and now it was time to voluntarily hit the beach.

The Corporate had been so "generous" as to offer him and many others who were affected by a nanovirus a free vacation to Belazura. And who was Gray to turn down a free vacation? Especially when he knew some of his colleagues would be there, and he could get to know who they really are.

But first, he needed to visit the shop in the hotel right by the beach. It was only a few small things he needed, like a cold soda, some snacks, and sunscreen. Even though the beach was fake, and the sun was fake, it could be used as a conversation starter.

"Damn, pricy stuff," he said to himself, as he looked through the store. But that was to be expected from a hotel shop, right? It wasn't like Gray couldn't afford it, but he wanted to have some credits left after the vacation too. I could try haggeling, though, he thought. There was no other alternatives. Stealing was not something Gray did anymore. Not from places like this, anyway. And besides, the security looked a bit uncomfortable to try something with.

(Tag: Ruby Jaxx ,perhaps)

 

[Ruby Jaxx]

Ruby browsed the racks, pulling out a tiny little thing that could hardly qualify as a bathing suit. “Yeah. And for what?” she answered a man that had muttered to himself about the high prices. She eyed the bikini in disdain and shoved it back on the rack. The things here weren't worth the trouble, especially since she wouldn't be caught dead wearing any of it.

She stood frowning.

For once, she wanted to have some fun—but fun cost credits. Too bad that waiver hadn't included some no-strings-attached spending credits. Her leather-clad shoulders dropped.

“How am I supposed to enjoy myself when I can't afford to?” she asked aloud, randomly looking at the man as if he had an answer. To make matters even worse, her stomach gave a rather loud grumble.

Yeah, she might have been a little bit hangry, too.

(Tag: Gray Venasir )

 

[Aren D'Shade]

"I've missed you so much too! It seems you get into trouble when I'm not around."

This was their first time seeing each other since they had tried to launder money on Iokath. Keyword there...tried. It seemed neither one of them was entirely ready to make that dive fully. However, they had still made a nice hefty profit from it even if it wasn't the full amount they had originally bargained on.

"We're in public!"

Whispering this to him as they walked to the sandy beach. Pointing out at a few people in the area, she gave him their names and if he asked told him about the party they had met at. Even if she hadn't stayed around very long.

"I sort of ran into all three of them after having a drink or ten too many."

Clearing her throat and blushing just slightly, she was pleased he didn't ask any further questions at the moment. Nodding when he gave his answer, she smiled up at him and squeezed his hand slightly. At least, she was holding onto his organic one and he could feel the pressure.

Chuckling at his joke, she never really had considered herself beautiful or stunning.

"Are you sure you're not getting affected by the sun and seeing a mirage?"

When he asked about her new tattoo, she kept her hold on his hand and turned her body so he could get a better look at it.

"Because of well..."

Motioning again to her friends. Being as a loss to explain it better, Aren hoped he would understand.

Rann Thress

 

[Daiya]

N O T • E V E R Y T H I N G • I S • A S • I T • S E E M S

"Are we doing the right thing?" The voice came small, so that Daiya had to strain to hear it over the noise of the beach. Even the Indoor Visitor Center's sound dampening technology couldn't perfectly quell the shrieks and laughter of joy's native environment. So, the question seemed out of place in this setting, a surreal moment stolen from the intoxicating haze of their beach outing.

Daiya looked up from their design, pulling back her hands from the wet clump of piled sand that Zenie had dubbed a 'sand castle.' A sand skyscraper was more like it. Their mound already rose as high as their waist —well, Zenie's waist since she was still a few inches shorter— in an elongated shape that she was trying her best to sculpt into something angular. At the moment, it looked more like something pornographic than one of buildings on Denon. She'd spent her whole life seeing them tower over her, greedily reaching for the sky, and now somehow the girl was helping to shape the very same thing. "Building tall rather than wide?"

"No, the vid I mean."

"Oh," Daiya said, her turn to grow quiet. Zenie's question sent an uneasy chill coursing through the teen's body, irritating a pit in her stomach she hadn't realized was growing. The girl sat back on her haunches, wiping off her hands as best she could before putting them on her knees. She could feel some course bits of sand underneath them still, and idly rolled them around her kneecaps experimentally as she considered the proposition. It had seemed so easy at the time, so righteous, she hadn't realized just what could come of it until Zenie asked.

Was it right?

Did Zenie mean breaking the rules? Did she mean hacking the facility's holo-screens? Editing a holo-vid in with sappy music and a heartstirring script? Filming where they shouldn't have, with people they shouldn't have talked to? Showing off what was really going on outside these illusionary walls?

The more she thought of it, the more the girl's ire grew all over again. Both for what they had witnessed, and for how few truly had. Daiya had played a part in taking Zenie off of her homeworld, and every moment they had spent filming it she had struggled with that guilt. She could never undo that day or her actions so many months ago, but every moment they had spent filming felt like another reason she was glad for what she'd done. It was an odd feeling, but seeing Zenie before her reminded the girl of how much worse it could have gone for her friend.

She was one loose end that the Corpos were going to regret leaving dangling.

"Yeah, you are," Daiya answered with renewed conviction. She looked steadily into the blue eyes of the Belazuran heiress, the eyes seeking approval and guidance. Eyes that the teen was sure would have rather sought that out from her own father. Regret told her to look away. She pushed past it, banishing the pit back down from its climb up her throat. "This is your home. These are your people, they deserve someone like you looking out for them."

The blue eyes broke away, looking down into their lap. Daiya watched the abashed girl play with her fingers, her lips contorting while she was deep in thought. A section of their sand-scraper began to crack, prompting Daiya to lurch forward and try smoothing it out, working to heal the wounds appearing in the tower. It was probably not long for this world, the drying facade already showing signs of weakness the longer their attention was drawn away from it. Apparently, at least when it came to sand castles, building tall required a much sterner stuff than sand could muster.

"Yeah..." Zenie offered at last, still sounding distant as she trailed off. The younger girl looked up from her hands, not quite into Daiya's eyes again but a little past them. Another crack appeared, this time in her vision as she looked at Zenie grapple with nerves. There was no denying anymore that her friend was right in what she was doing, and it seemed that even Zenie knew that when she spoke again in a voice that resonated from deep in her chest. "Good point."

Daiya blinked to clear her vision. It didn't change what she saw before her, and she took a hand up to wipe her eyes. Zenie's eyes darted toward the motion, but she didn't say anything. However grateful the teen was for that, she couldn't just leave it there, "And Zenie?"

Zenie sounded more like herself again now. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry," Daiya's voice wavered, her heart firmly lodged in her throat. She couldn't swallow it back down, it remained stubbornly firm, forcing the teen to put up with it. She blinked back eyes that had dried again, building frustration that she no longer felt like she had a release for. "I'm sorry," she began again, "for not looking out for you when we met. For trying to use you...and everything."

"Oh, Daiya," Zenie remarked on her friend's composure at last. The drastic change in the younger girl was stunning, shifting from being comforted to comforting in an instant, seeming older than her twelve years would imply. Their roles reversed, the confident heiress crawled the short distance between them, carefully circumnavigating their sand-scraper creation. Her skinny arms wrapped around Daiya's body, drawing her friend into a warm embrace. "It's okay."

Nestled in the crook of Zenie's neck, Daiya couldn't motion her disagreement with her friend's easy resolution. She swallowed again, horrified to feel her throat give a little. No, no, no, her guilt-ridden mind protested. It wasn't supposed to be that simple! "It's not okay," the girl insisted, but it wasn't Zenie she was trying to convince anymore.

"Yeah," Zenie said, and Daiya wasn't sure if her friend was agreeing or just filling the air. Her body betrayed her again, using the word as an excuse to relax even more. She tensed her shoulders, clenched her stomach, but nothing stopped the inexorable march towards the undeserved words she knew were coming next from Zenie's mouth. "But I forgive you anyway."

That was all the permission she needed. Daiya's body relaxed, slumping against her younger friend, melting into her arms. For her part, Zenie tried to stabilize against her teenage friend's frame, but her inner strength was no match for the older girl's weight against her. Down they went, pitching Daiya face-first into their sand-scraper, and dumping the dissolving structure's mass over the girls.

Daiya emerged first, her face damp from the tears she could finally cry, but pulled wide by her giddy laughter. Zenie was right behind her, a mirthful giggle emanating from her mouth as the pair brushed themselves off. The remnants of their creation crumbled as it fell to the sandy ground, what parts didn't insist on clinging to their bodies anyway. Daiya wiggled, feeling uncomfortable as the sand clung in places she wouldn't have ever wished for, prompting her to stand.

"We're all messy now," Zenie pointed out, a clever grin planted on her face. Daiya tried to wipe at hers, only leaving streaks of finely-powdered sand that appeared as dirt. Zenie giggled again at the sight, "Especially you."

"Oh yeah?" Daiya reached down, picking up a wad of their razed sculpture. Zenie's giggle became a shriek as she realized her friend's intent, shorter legs already scampering to move out of the way. Daiya followed, sand-clod in hand, chasing Zenie back into the water.The sand quickly dissolved from her fingers in the same waters that bore away the dirt and guilt that had stained her body, leaving her clean for what was to come next.

 

[Brie Jaxx]

Relax, socialize and enjoy
​

The soft ice cream in a cone was beyond delicious! Cold, creamy and simple - it still brought back memories from that night at The Blue Flame, where that blue ortolan chef had blown her and that girl named Daiya away with his skills and talents in the kitchen. The ice cream served as a perfect counter balance towards the hot temperature inside the huge complex.

Brie had been around a lot, more than most teenagers, but never to a place like this before. She had old and faint memories of going to a beach before, but that was many years ago. The artificial wonder of the Belazura beach complex was new and completely breathtaking when she had first entered a while ago. The soft and warm sand nestled itself between her toes with each step she took, and the hot artificial sun beamed down onto her blone tuft.

The older female clerk at the nearby shop had not been short on compliments, saying that the black and white bikini suited her perfectly. From her own point of view, she had not been sure. Less so for showing off considerably more of herself than she was used to, being used to wear her spacesuit most of the time. After seeing the majority of people visiting the impressive beach complex wearing the same type of attire, it had settled with her.

The ice cream stall, one of a few at the complex, laid right next to the beach and at a convenient distance for sun bathing visitors to cool of with the delicious treat whenever the time in the sun became too much. Brie stolled down the beach by herself, enjoying the ice cream and every now and then threw a longing gaze out to the water. She could not wait to get in, as soon as she had finished the ice cream!

Ruby Jaxx Daiya Cassus Akovin Aren D'Shade Gray Venasir Mir Nehrahn Nyra Mazul Rann Thress

 

[Chelara "Chel" DuCote]

It was nice. That was what Chel had decided, it was nice. She had been staring out at the crowded indoor beach and fidgeted with the hem of her dress. Not knowing the dress code she has decided to go with a fashionably casual tea-length dress, enough to look professional and brightly colored to fit in with the other visitors. She really had never understood the need for corporate retreats, or why corporate would even fund them. If they were so afraid of burnout why not just let people take more vacations? Not that she would take them, of course, but it was better than forced outings with the rest of her coworkers.

These coworkers she had immediately lost track of as soon as she had ducked into a private area to change. She didn't mind though, more of a chance for her to people-watch behind a pair of sunglasses. Gosh, this all was so performative it was exhausting! Chel bit her lip unsure of where she should start exploring first. Recognizing her own awkward behavior she quickly paid for something bubbly and alcoholic to ease her nerves.

As gracefully as she could she took a seat not really looking to see where she was sitting and began to observe. Her mind just seemed to run haywire as a familiar feeling of nosiness began to take over. Her mother had always said it was a terrible habit, her dad credited as a reason she fit in so well at CorpSec.

Kicking off her shoes she dug her toes in the sand and took a second to attempt to relax. Frankly a hopeless exercise as her eyes roamed over the younger girls indulging in ice creams and the older population indulging in other libations. What was the point of a business retreat if no business was to be had?

(open tag!)

 

[Rann Thress]

B E A C H​

Tags: Aren D'Shade​

"We're in public?" he chuckled. "Alright, I'll behave. Being around you brings out the best in me anyway." he looked down at his arm and swung it around gently. "I do seem to get in trouble when you're not around, my dearest." he chuckled more. He felt more secure with his arm knowing, if anything, it made him more attractive to her.​

​

"I'm glad you found a group to just relax with though. And like I said I can't wait to meet them! Not usually too eager to meet new people but." he shrugged his shoulders playfully.​

​

He scoffed at Aren suggesting the 'sun' was distorting his preception of her. "If you could only see you like I see you. You'd think you were amazing and beautiful too." He smiled at her and leaned over, kissing her head. ​

​

He understood, or at least thought he understood, that this new tattoo of hers was meant to be a symbol of her friendship or loyalty to this group? At any rate, Rann would pry too much. "I like it." he said bluntly.​

​

"Speaking of your friends, do you want to go introduce me?"​

​

​

 

[Aren D'Shade]

She also got into her fair share of trouble when they were apart as well. Maybe together they could keep the other out of it. Aren sort of did her own thing and he probably wasn't entirely aware of just how deep she could go into the technical workings of things. She didn't think it would interest him much anyway so left many details of what she did out of their conversations. He probably did the same thing to her and that was fine.

"You know I think we should stick together more often. This way you don't need to rescue me and I hopefully won't need to teleport us away to escape."

Leaning her head on his arm as he planted the kiss on top of it. When his lips were removed, she shook her head slightly.

"Um, no, I don't think so. Thank you though."

As he asked for her to actually introduce him to these people, she started blushing slightly.

"Um, I don't actually know any of their names...just do business with them. Have parties and hang out. Never really got to the whole name thing..."

Still heading in the direction of Daiya and her friend, she almost expected to literally run into them again.

Rann Thress Daiya

 

[Rika]

Tags: Nyra Mazul

Alright, so maybe this Darkwire thing wasn't so bad. Sure, he might get shot at. Or held hostage inside his own brain. Or want to stick him full of tattoos or machines or machine tattoos. Or any number of other insane and ridiculous ways they could think of to put him intentionally in harm's way.

But then they brought him to a beach. And things weren't so bad.

Jorj knew he needed to start looking at the bright side of things. He had finally escaped from the oppressiveness he had felt among his people. That was a good thing. Being practically the only male among an already predominantly female species had not done wonders for his frame of mind. He was definitely happy to be spending time with people who actually found him worth talking to beyond the niceties observed for propagation. And even though he missed his sister and mother, they hardly knew what to do with him either. So he had spent his time on Parcellus in the woods, spinning clay, getting drunk, and being alone. Because the alternative was to be used or pitied or ignored or all of the above. Now, with Darkwire, he could at least have conversations, even if he wasn't very good at them. And they were all strange, and they thought he was strange, so they strangely fit together.

They also gave him credits. Which apparently was a great way to buy great booze. Oh yeah. He'd had a lot of better tasting booze than the swill he had brewed for himself back home. He might be an artisan but he would never work for a distillery. Honestly, the number of options for things that tasted great and brought inebriation were startling and worrying. After all, how was he ever supposed to try them all?

The Leporine man walked along the beach with two drinks, one in each hand, well on his way to learning about every type of alcohol the galaxy had in store. He downed one. He couldn't remember the name of either. He wasn't all that sure that the bartender serving them had actually said. But then, if all went well, he wouldn't remember the day, or the night, or the rest of the week.

The man with bunny ears giggled at the thought, though it wasn't really funny. Coming out of his giggle, he saw a person... well he wasn't sure. Jorj was pretty good at knowing when he was drunk and, considering he was only one drink in, he wasn't there yet. So he was confused as to how a person could blur a bit and change their appearance. Lest he was drunk. Or still stuck in his head-not-head-virtual-reality. He had walked past several incredibly life-like hologram people which could certainly change shape at a whim, but they were see-through.

Jorj had to make sure. So he walked up and literally poked the person. "Are you real? Or are you another hologram? Or am I drunk? Or hallucinating?"

 

[Gray Venasir]

The woman who replied to Gray's muttering, was wearing way too much to be at a beach resort. Even a fake one. No wonder she was looking for bikinis. But she did not look too pleased with the assortment at this shop. "Why are you putting that back? It'd look good on you," said Gray, when the woman put a bikini back on the rack.

"I don't suppose you can use the... ugh, force? So we could maybe trick the cashier to lower the price for us," he whispered. Gray wasn't happy about using the force, or the force in general. But in this situation, he would make an exception, if this woman was force-sensitive.

"If not, we'll just have to haggle, and hope for the best."

Suddenly, a few people came running in through the lobby door, soaking wet and laughing. This only made the situation worse. It looked so fun to be out there, by the beach, laying in the water to cool down. If only Shiney, Gray's astromech, had been there, and he could have tried to smuggle the stuff he needed from the store out in him.

"Come on, we need to get out there. And get you some food."

(Tag: Ruby Jaxx )

 

[Cassus Akovin]

​

Aw man, why are they walking that way? Cassus thought as he noticed the couple ( Aren D'Shade and Rann Thress ) walking towards Daiya and Zenie. The whole point of walking towards them was to intentionally avoid seeing Daiya and Zenie. He would never curse her for it, but his mother's slight limp did slow them down enough where the brisk walking of others quickly outpaced them.

"Actually, on second thought mom, maybe we should leave them to enjoy themselves." Cassus quickly tried to avert the situation.

"Nonsense Cass, no need to be shy now. You've known these people almost a year, don't feel weird about it because I'm your mom." Traim swatted down his diversion expertly, anticipating why he was feeling awkward all of a sudden.

"It's not that, mom-" Cassus tried to interrupt.

"Mama wants to meet them." She smiled down at him, with only a slight grimace behind her eyes, putting a tinge of guilt into Cassus for having her walk around so much so soon into recovery.

Resigned in defeat, Cassus continued to lead his mother towards Aren D'Shade , Rann Thress , Daiya , and Zenie. He watched as the two children played with one another as children should, and a feeling of longing snuck into Cassus' heart. He wasn't sure what he felt, but it was a kind of - sadness? Jealousy? - emotion about never having a childhood experience the same way either of them did. Cassus could never hate his mother, but he did briefly wonder in a moment of self-awareness if perhaps keeping him so close to her for all of his life might have been detrimental to his emotional connection to others who weren't family, or considered to be family.

It then dawned on him further that despite the animosity he had displayed towards Daiya thus far, she was the closest thing to a "childhood friend" he had ever had. This only made the pit in his stomach that much heavier, and admitted to himself he did feel a little woozy.

 

[Nyra Mazul]

Rika

Nyra was having what could only be described as a miserable time, self inflicted as it may be, and couldn’t help but smile as a voice approached her. She doubted the holograms were smart enough to ask questions like this, besides in her estimation they were poor substitutes for reality.

Turning she smiled at the man across from her. Sauntering towards him she extended her arms and rested them on his shoulder. “Oh I’m real, see I can touch you.” Swaying back and forth she looked him in the eyes and began to lean in, her lips pursed and puckered….

And then she did it. Not kiss him, that would be gross. No instead she transmuted her face into a heavy set man with jowls that would make a fat gungan jealous. Shaking her head back and forth letting the flaps of fatty skin giggle and vibrate she said “I’m a shapeshifter!” loudly and still playfully giggling.

Giggling she leaned back and reverted her face to her normal form. “It’s rather fun being me.” leaning in she took his arm and hung off of it. “So what about you Mr. Floppy ears. Those real? Implants, prosthesis?”