Faction Starbird Rising | Galactic Alliance

[Amani Serys]

Amani shifted anxiously in wait, unable to find anything natural to do with her limbs on stage. She fought to focus on Valery and the words she was saying rather than anything else. Even still it took a beat to register.

Amani blinked. Chief Healer? She muttered the words inaudibly as if testing the feel of them. Suddenly she beamed. A confluence of disbelief and elation bubbled up into an indisguisable reaction. Never a title she ever would have imagined earning for herself, regardless of any de facto status that she had already held before that point. This felt entirely different. An unattainable dream made manifest.

Her eyes were then drawn to the ancient sapphire, its radiant properties tangible in the Force even now. She stared at it long, before realizing that they were waiting for an answer, "Y-yes! Yes. I-I'm honored to accept, Master Noble. Thank you." She stammered through, managing a quiet awkward laugh at herself as she bowed in gratitude. "I only hope I can continue to do justice to this title you all have entrusted me with." Amani looked to the gathered attendees, to her friends and colleagues, to Alicio especially, unable to wipe the stupid smile from her face. She finally turned back to Valery to accept the sapphire, now quiet enough for only her to hear, "...Thanks Val." An excess of emotion crept into her voice, but was kept down from turning into a scene of its own.

Valery Noble | Others​

 

[Kara Jade]

Location: Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Objective: Celebrate & Mingle
Outfit: X
Tags: Kai Bamarri
​

She had seen him approaching the bar, but said nothing until the teenager noticed her. “Hello Kai,” she replied with a small smile. Kara took a sip of her drink, watching the interaction between bartender and teen. Kai did not look like he was old enough, and yet the one behind the countertop hadn’t thrown the ID back at him.

Kara was impressed, and gave the teenager a knowing look.

At least he had learned his lesson from last time.

“I’m doing good, kinda feeling like I stick out like a sore thumb though.” She was; as far as she could tell anyway, the oldest out of the current Jedi Padawans. Kara looked more like any other civilian right now, rather than a Jedi. She still couldn’t quite shake that feeling of impostor syndrome. “How about you? And congrats by the way, on the medal.”

The young teen brought up the very topic that had been on Kara’s mind. She chuckled in response, remembering that moment. The Padawans had been gathered for some general training. Kara recalled looking across the room catching a familiar dark-haired teen staring at her.

It sure made Kara feel like the galaxy was a lot smaller than it actually was.

“Nothing weird about it, I literally only just started my training a bit before we crossed paths. I’ve had a very late start on learning how to control my connection.”

 

[Varen Ardos]

​

Starbird Rising

Jedi Temple, Coruscant, Core Worlds
Ara Sheridan | Caltin Vanagor | Inanna Harth | Amani Serys | Jasper Kai'el

​

"Pleased to meet you, Jasper. I'm Varen, Varen Ardos."

Placed a gloved hand on the bar table, he studied the bartender, waiting for his drink to get made. Eventually it was slid over to him, and he caught it, immediately bringing it up to his mouth and taking a long swig. In all honesty, Varen hadn't tasted anything so good after being in Space for so long. Not even the meagre rations he had on his ship could really compare to anything being served here. "Bartender! Another please!"

Hearing some commotion going on a few metres away, he craned his neck to see what was going on. People seemed to be gathered around Valery Noble and a green-skinned young woman in semi-elaborate robes who seemed to be a member of the Order. Hopping off the stool and angling in slightly closer to listen in better, he raised an eyebrow at the announcement of a new chief healer. "WOOO!" He yelled, watching the guards slowly start to approach from their posts out of the corner of his eye. He continued to clap and whoop with a mouthful of finger foods. It seemed to be a pretty important title, comparable to something like Sword of the Jedi.

Just as he was about to return and collect another round of Jawa Juice, something strange seemed to happen to him. The idle chatter about trade routes and political candidates that hovered around his ears seemed drown out. And everything started to break. "Woah.." Taking a look around him, cracks, lines, everywhere, in every person, in everything, from the Temple itself as a structure right down to the glasses that self-satisfied senators sipped liberally. And then he looked at the celebrant. Staring down Amani Serys from near the back the crowd, he tried to catch her line of sight, trying to be somewhat inconspicious. And he saw the cracks in her.

Like a cracked datapad, but inside all the different shards, she was doing something different. In one of the figurative shards, he saw a white-haired young woman, and the dark-haired, well-dressed young man she had been with earlier. There he was, standing next to her. And then he wasn't. He was with the fair haired one they called, Inanna? Was that it? He grabbed the bar table, somewhat disoriented. Anyone onlooking might have thought that he had too much the drink. It was likely the guards thought so to. Then. It was normal again, two men clutching weapons, likely here to protect the guests started approaching. He hoped he hadn't made a scene. He didn't think he had, he only got a few strange looks and everyone else didn't seem to particularly care. Good. Drawing attention to himself was not the aim.

Trying to regain some composure, Varen eyed Jasper Kai'el , "I'm interested."

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Coruscant | Jedi Temple
Date Tag: Miri Nimdok
Pls-don't-kill-me Tag: Ara Sheridan

<She shot you?> she echoed in disbelief. <Kyell, that's assault.>

Up until literally just now, he hadn't really looked at it like that at all. When it happened, she was heartbroken and had fired several rounds with the intent to hurt him, but she didn't even want to stun, let alone kill. But it technically was assault, even if he didn't feel too bothered by it specifically.

<I don't think she's dangerous, but she's definitely hurt and might act on emotion more quickly. I think it would be best not to bother her, and do our own thing.> That was a bit obvious, but he more so meant that he preferred not to act on what happened, and try to move on before things got out of hand even more. Looking over in Ara's direction briefly, he noticed a glare that only reinforced that desire even more.

If they got too close, it really could get ugly fast.

Turning back to Miri, he smiled when she asked him about the dance, and nodded. He had promised Master Yenna not to go reclusive, and he didn't want to run away. He was here to enjoy one night with someone he cared about, so that's what he was going to do.

<Let's dance,> he said as he took her hand and gently pulled her along to the dancefloor. His other hand settled on her waist, and slowly, he'd try his best to move to the rhythm of the music. He was really glad it was a slower song, or he'd have no clue what to even do.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<Yeah, that sounds about right.> She didn’t bother looking back at Ara, figuring the Zabrak didn’t want to be stared at. Miri could still feel her eyes, though, like she was trying to bore holes into the back of their heads.

They headed out onto the dance floor. Despite the slowness of the song, Miri quickly noticed Kyell’s awkwardness. <You’ve never done this before, have you?> she asked, grinning with amusement.

<I had to take dancing classes when I was younger.> Her smile turned more sentimental, her mind flooding with memories of Val Drutin, her first and only lightsaber-and-dance instructor, and his assistant Tamara, a droid who longed to be a ballerina. Val had pronounced her “the worst lightsaber student he ever had, but a fine enough dancer”.

A new song started up, this one at a faster tempo, snapping her out of her reverie. <I know what to do,> she told Kyell. <I’ll show you. Just relax and follow my lead.>

Kyell Laysel Ara Sheridan​

 

[Ara Sheridan]

A number of people were gathering aroung her from all directions. Did she do something specific to become this popular? Jasper introduced himself and commented on her drinking, earning a light chuckle as she looked st him. "Nah, drinking to forget never worked for me. Nah, I'm just... in a spot right now.Need to get through some stuff." She admitted calmly as she leaned a little closer to him.

Another face decided to join, this time the guy she sparred against the other day. "Sup Silas. And I ain't worried, if you wanna keep hatin' that's on you." She flashed him a wink with a smirk. "I'm just here for bad ideas and a good time." She quipped as she ordered yet another drink. Though it was obvious to all that she was getting tipsy.

Jasper made a very interesting suggestion as she looked away. But she had other plans now. "Something stupid is prolly exactly what I need right now..." She admitted as she knocked back her drink and took hold of Jasper's collar. Without skipping a beat, she pressed a passionate kiss on his lips and pulled away with a slap to his shoulder. "Learn to relax, hermano, enjoy yourself." With a devilish grin she walked through the crowd towards them. Being responsible could wait until tomorrow. Tonight was going to be one bad decision after the other.

When she finally reached Miri and Kyell, she held a finger up towards him. "You. Stay out of my head." Her gaze shifted to Miri. "You. Come with me. High time me and you talk some stuff out." Her voice was stern, but devoid of anger.

Kyell Laysel Miri Nimdok Jasper Kai'el Silas Westgard Varen Ardos

 

[Justice Lesan]

F A N C Y

Wearing: xxx
Arm: xxx
Tag: Hollis Orenn

Justice grinned and waved in response to those (Kyell Laysel and Miri Nimdok ) who waved at Hollis. It seemed that she knew a few faces Justice had yet to meet. He had spent so much time in the infirmary recovering from Tython it made sense. Justice would have never met Hollis had it not been for his return to Tython itself. He was glad he did.

Her explanation about another individual would have made Justice spit out his drink if he had one. It was a good thing he did not.

“You fell out of a tree at a tea party?”

Justice shook his head.

“That is a story I have to hear, but I have one question. What were you doing up in a tree at a tea festival in the first place?”

He could only imagine what the answer might be. Justice made sure he laughed an adequate amount, just enough to not be in trouble as it was a funny thought. His stomach hurt from the laughter, but it was a good thing. It had been a long time since Justice could say he had laughed that hard.

Others appeared to be dancing, while others seemed to be… in the middle of something. One of them was Iris Arani , a face Justice recognized from his time on Ossus. He pointed toward her.

“That’s Valery Noble’s apprentice. I know her from Ossus. She is the only one here from my time there. I wonder what is going on over there?”

He smirked before looking at Hollis with a playful grin.

“Should we get a drink and use it as an excuse to get closer to it all?"​

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Before she could get into the lesson, however, Ara came stomping over.

"You. Come with me. High time me and you talk some stuff out."

Miri frowned. Ara reeked of booze, and she wanted to talk? That seemed unlikely. But even if things took a turn, Miri was prepared to deal with whatever the woman threw her way.

Giving Kyell’s hand a reassuring squeeze, she let go and turned to face Ara. “All right. Lead the way.”

Kyell Laysel Ara Sheridan​

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple Gala
Tags: Ara Sheridan , Silas Westgard , Varen Ardos , Others…​

As Ara walked away, Jasper promptly fell backwards onto the floor. He laid there for a moment, his face bright red as he attempted to process what had just occurred. Someone had kissed him, and with no prompting at that. Silas and Varen had seen it too. He was not prepared for any of that.

“Th-that wasn’t what I thought was going to happen,” Jasper muttered, remaining on the floor.

Jasper fell into a daze, thinking about the ramifications that something like that was going to have going forward. Had he come off as flirty? Jasper didn’t think he was. It was all very confusing, and it only served to make his anxiety worse.

“Silas,” he began, “I don’t actually think I’m okay.”

 

[Varen Ardos]

​

Starbird Rising

Jedi Temple, Coruscant, Core Worlds

Ara Sheridan | Jasper Kai'el | Silas Westgard

​

After his epiphany, he had been too busy stuffing his face at the bar to really take in anything else that was going on. That was until, he watched the Zabrak Jedi padawan whom he'd seen with Jasper, plant a passionate kiss on his lips. Jaw dropped to the floor and eyes widening, the vagabond rushed over to help his new acquaintance up as he collapsed. Attempting to keep a burst of uncontrollable laughter at bay, he lifted him up and slapped him on the back, placing his arm around the younger Jedi. "Wow. You look dazed my friend. No. You'll be fine." He reassured him, a mischievous grin beginning to form at the corners of his mouth.

He made a glance as Silas, a toothy grin on his face as he helped him to a bar stool. "Bartender!" By this point, a scowl had materialized on the face of the horned Devaronian bartender, who clearly wasn't up for any more of his shenanigans. "Or maybe not.." Nudging Silas, he stared at the padawan who seemed like he'd just seen a ghost.

"I guess someone's having a good party."

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara led Miri back to the bar for obvious reasons, though she made sure to stand as far away from everyone else as possible. "Feeling like an introduction is pointless but kark that, we do it properly." She commented with a surprising smile as she held a hand out to the girl. "Ara Sheridan, pleased to meet ya." She shook the woman's hand and waved the bartender over.

"Corellian on the rocks. Make it two." She gestured to Miri before turning to face the girl. "Let's just get the bantha outta the room. What do you know about me and what happened?" She wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush. She had a petrified guy and other bad ideas to go back to...

Miri Nimdok

 

[Alicio Organa]

“I didn’t lead you on. I didn’t start a relationship with someone else and leave you hanging. I didn’t make you fall in love with me, let you hope, and then dash those hopes to the ground right when things seemed to finally be going right for once.”

Alicio was angry with Inanna. He was hurt by her words. He was upset by her actions today. He might have liked her once, but her response during their date, of yelling at him when he revealed he wasn't certain about his feelings killed any feelings he would have had.

Even with all those reasons to hate her, even with her trying to force him to hate her, he couldn't. Because he knew her. All the pain she'd been through. The good she tried to do, despite it. The heartbreak that he had caused.

As Amani was called away, Alicio offered a subdued, encouraging nod, even though he couldn't muster up any warmth behind it. He watched her leave, even as Inanna continued her thought. She began to walk away. He didn't stop her. Only offered one last word.

"I hope... we can both heal from each other."

He didn't look at the Shi'ido as she left, each of his irises bottling a rainstorm. He was looking at Amani. Her awkward stance. The pride beaming from her. Her big grin. He clapped for her, smiling softly as her eyes found his.

But the storm didn't go away.

- Amani Serys - Inanna Harth - OPEN -

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris turned her head. Practically glared at the medals. She had a couple of her own. Rewards, for the scars she'd gotten. She reached up her pinkiless, ruined hand to flick one of the medals herself. "Just.. Don't loose parts of yourself, anymore than you have." There was more she was going to say about it. Too many Padawan's already had their own scars like her. Limiting themselves like they were on Denon just made it that much harder to avoid injury.

Especially since she wasn't going to be there to heal anything anymore.

But a different voice showed up and she practically jumped out of her skin. Dagon. Corin's master. Oh no he wasn't about to get in trouble, was he? Did Dagon overhear? She glanced between them. Oh, good. Corin was good at deflecting apparently- Oh no the question was to her now.

She didn't answer. She flashed a smile to the Knight and just turned to the stage. Saved by the announcement, hahaha.

Iris just beamed, vigorously waving to Amani with the widest grin ever. She was at first y'know, panicked cause of the questions. But the genuine joy of her friend's promotion. There really was no one better and oh an old man came over. She blinked, glancing at him. Not him specifically. The colors around him. His voice sounded sad, but.. "You can hang out. You seem really bored."

And she wouldn't have to answer Dagon's questions. That's a wi-

Thought processes ceased for a moment. She blinked, watching Ara. The Zabrak was here! It was good to see her. Not so good to see her kiss Jasper, though. Well, maybe it was? Iris's expression stiffened for a moment as she looked back to Corin and Dagon.

"You two don't mind, right?"

Corin Trenor | Dagon Kaze | Ara Sheridan | Amani Serys | Jasper Kai'el | Kohlhaase Gotthard

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri glanced at Ara’s hand before shaking it. “Miri Nimdok.”

Observing as the Zabrak ordered whiskey for them both, Miri remained silent, taking everything in. The bar seemed to be attracting a lot of people, mostly soldiers, but a few oddballs as well. Currently a blond boy ( Jasper Kai'el ) was lying on the floor in a daze, while a few other people tried to revive him. Having not witnessed the fateful kiss, Miri had no way of knowing that Ara was the cause of his going into a fugue state.

Her gaze flicked back over to Ara as she asked a question. “Kyell told me you were his friend. You wanted to be more than friends, and so did he. But before things could get serious between you two, he met me, and things changed. You were angry with him—understandably so, under the circumstances—and you shot him with a low-powered weapon. This is the first time you’ve seen each other since the incident.”

Did she really want the sordid details aired out in public? Well, she had asked Miri to tell her what she knew, and she could’ve picked a more private location to do it. But then she was drunk, and probably not thinking straight. Ah well…

“If you’re looking for an apology from me for ‘stealing’ him from you, or hoping you can convince me to break things off with Kyell, you’re not going to get either,” Miri said evenly. “Just because you knew him for longer doesn’t mean he belongs with you.”

Kyell Laysel Ara Sheridan​

 

[Aeson Keel]

OPEN - Bar​

Slovenly, self-centered, dangerously out of line, and just a little bit unhinged were words that blanketed Aeson's SIA file like fine dust. Yet again and again M returned to him. Assassination, smuggling, kidnapping, there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for the Alliance but this? He looked down at himself in his well-pressed suit and shiny black shoes. His hair was pulled into a topknot, not a hairstyle he disliked but he knew it had frustrated the SIA makeup crews to no end how little hair he had.

The welcome home and inauguration party was going well so far. Well for others- for him?

"Storms this is boring," he muttered, fixing the com around his wrist. There were so many padawans, and so much Jedi drama. He wondered how much of it would end up in the tabloids. Two-Timing Alderaanian Senator, Padawan Lovebirds quarrel at banquet, Jedi Underage Drinking. He chuckled as he made his way to the bar to grab a bottle of something and make his way...Elsewhere. Should he have been watching the Vice-Chancellor, Chancellor, and their families? Yes. Was he also thirsty? Also yes. Was the spice he'd taken just before this event starting to wear off...Also yes. He groaned as he rumaged over the bar until he found the familiar shapely bottle of...

"My long-lost love," he murmured, pulling out a bottle of Port-in-a-Storm.

 

[Kai Bamarri]

Kai ran a thumb over the Golden Starbird. <Meh. I already got one a couple years ago. It’s not as exciting the second time around.>

Kara thankfully took his comment in stride rather than finding it rude. <Yeah, I actually thought you were a Master, or at least a Knight. I was afraid I was gonna get in trouble for the whole thing with my fake ID.>

Holding up his glass, he added, <This isn’t alcoholic. It’s just a really sweet soda.> Smiling bashfully, he then held up his new "fake ID". It was a library card.

<I like to play pretend and mess with people.>

Kara Jade​

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Coruscant | Jedi Temple

The moment everything she had said began to register with her friend, Valery watched her beam a bright smile and met it with one of her own. She had earned this without a doubt, and while she had already basically been serving as the order's Chief Healer, she felt it was important it was officially recognized. So when Amani finally turned to her and accepted the offer, there was no real surprise, but just a smile of gratitude.

"I'm glad to hear it, and I'm confident that you'll do the title justice," Valery said as she handed over the crystal. "The crystal's effects work on touch, but it will benefit you if you wear it as a necklace or other form of jewelry as well. It can power a lightsaber too, but it might not be the most suitable for it."

She smirked a little and with the more official side to this being over, watched Amani lean in, "Of course, you really deserve this moment and the recognition, Amani," Valery said with an encouraging tone before a more playful smirk touched her lips, "Feel free to impress Mr. Royalty down there now," she added without it passing through the microphone.

With this promotion, the ceremonial side of this event concluded, and all that remained was for those here to spend their night enjoying each other's company. So finally, Valery stepped down from the stage and entered the halls again, looking for a drink while she waited to see who she could talk to next.

Amani Serys | Open​

 

[Cordé Sabo]

DULCET
CORUSCANT | THE JEDI TEMPLE | HALLWAYS
Sion Lorray ​

---

The rooms were clean, with high, arching ceilings, a neutral palette and precise lines that looked ornate without being opulent. Young people milled about with elders, either in clumps or pairs and sipped on random drinks or canapes that were being served.

Cordé navigate through the thin social fog of polite smiles and nods of recognition shared between groups that fell short of actual engagement. She even received a few, primarily because of her uniform probably, and the noticeable stripe of green, and returned the chin-dips with brief waves of her own. That was part of the act that balanced her in the middle of the memorable and forgettable spectrum. She just stayed comfortably as familiar.

That’s how M liked it for Task Force Y. They weren’t entirely clandestine now, not after their success on Empress Teta, but they weren’t as rumoured or remarkable as other Special Forces groups.

Yet.

She broke away from the main hall full of Jedi pretty quickly and took to heart the invitation to explore the newly constructed temple. It was an opportunity to learn more about the nuances of the Jedi versus the Sith, or other of their Force-related subtleties that made them who they were, distinct from the other Force groups Cordé was specifically trained to take down.

Hopefully, their library would be open to the public.

Distantly from the stage behind her, Cordé heard the announcement for a Chief Healer.

While she walked, Cordé looked down at her hands. No glow or magic sparks glistened on her skin. If she wanted to help someone, she had to rely on technology and her knowledge of anatomy. No magic. Curling her fingers into her hands, she frowned, flexed her hands and felt a pang of envy.

A Chief Healer.

Did that mean all Jedi had some of that power she’d felt on Teta? It had been entirely restorative and one of the things that had drawn her to accept the invitation to the gala at the temple. It put her closer to their resources.

She lifted her eyes just in time to see a body she was about to walk into. Toe-heel, she hopped to avoid a collision, just barely bumping them instead of a full-on walk-into. With no Jedi senses for proximity warnings, she had to rely on her eyes. And she was busy glaring at her own mortal hands to watch where she’d been going.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I was just —” she started to explain but stopped. The scarred face she’d almost walked into was one she knew. Or at least had met before.

“You.”

Her stomach knotted. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to see a Jedi at a Jedi temple. But the whole interaction on Teta had just been so…weird overall. Once she’d stabilized his unconscious self and secured him on transport for long-term care, and the Jedi healers had taken him off her hands, she hadn’t expected to see him again.

“—Look better than I last saw you.” She added quickly, to sound less hostile. And remind him that Jedi weren't the only ones capable of helping those in need.

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Miri introduced herself and went on to give rundown on the situation, Ara blinked with surprise, though there was one remark she didn't like. "Things were getting serious. Pretty quick too." She corrected her with a huff. But other than that, she remained quiet to let her speak.

Her patience and calm approach was tested with Miri's next comment. Her frown set in as she took a sip of her drink. "I came here to talk things through and see what got him hooked. So far I'm still finding nothing." She fired back casually as she glared into her eyes. "Just take my advice, sister. You said it yourself, we've known each other for years. And he was willing to stab me in the back for some hot side hoe he found somewhere. Imagine what he'll do to you when you ain't good enough for him anymore." She warned with a scowl, glancing at Kyell for a moment.

Her gaze lowered for a moment. "Just... answer me one thing. Dis you know? About me? About me and Kyell? Did you know anything about that when you hooked up with him?" She asked more gently, a hint of vulnerability in her voice as she looked into her eyes.

Miri Nimdok

 

[Sion Lorray]

BRUSH
CORUSCANT | THE JEDI TEMPLE | HALLWAYS
Cordé Sabo
​

Maybe if he hadn't been so busy trying to avoid notice he would have noticed the figure bumping into him.

Before the bump happened anyway.

Instead Sion stumbled slightly, before catching himself against the wall and blinked there in surprise. "Huh?" Such a wise statement as the Padawan turned around to see... her. Oh, no. Someone. Anyone but her. Things had been awkward enough already. Everyone staring at his scar, or at least him feeling like they did.

"Me? You!" He responded after the moment of brain freeze stopped. "Oh, well... thank you?" Being taken by surprise again by the sudden shift in tone and 'kind' words.

"Actually, no, seriously. Thank you."

Suddenly realizing he was acting like an ass.

Sion reached out, attempting to squeeze her hand or perhaps shake it. Hold her hand anyway.

"I wouldn't have gotten out there without your help, I was in a really bad way. So... thanks. Appreciate you saving my behind."