Public The Exhibition of Light

[Colette]

0-7

Colette nodded.

"We all have times like that," she said and sighed. "Somedays you just wanna go to bed and never wake up. But then you realize that's the coward's way."

"Nothing wrong with letting yourself feel what you need to feel, you know? If you need to be the rain cloud on a sunny day, then just make sure the only one getting hurt is yourself. And make sure you don't let yourself linger in it."

"Got anyone around you that you could talk to? Someone to help you get out of this mood?"

 

[Olyssandra]

Location: Parlor, Exhibition of Light - Naboo
Tag: Darth Carnifex Syreeta Ming

The Exhibition of Light. The words alone made Olyssandra cringe, causing a delicate shudder to pass through her petite frame. The venue itself, choked as it was in the cursed Light Side, had settled upon her senses like a leaden shroud, churning her stomach and setting her teeth on edge. It was only the Eternal Father’s presence that kept her tethered, as His dark gravity anchored her against the tide of grotesque incandescence seemingly pressed in from all sides. Still, with His permission, she had excused herself from the parlor to brave the wider exhibition without Him.

Although Olyssandra did not want to be away from the Eternal Father for long, the exhibition had presented an opportunity. Specifically, it offered the chance for her to survey all the new technologies on offer, in the hopes of finding something which might allow her to improve upon the Midnight Harmony—the set of floating blades which she wielded as her chosen weapon of the Bloodsteel Symphony Shikkari martial art. Its foundation was an electromyographic sensor array integrated into her bodysuit, which translated her body movements into control signals that were then transmitted to her blades to guide their aerial trajectories.

To that end, Olyssandra had focused her attention on propulsion, communications, and sensor technologies, drifting from stall to stall with a gaze that was equal parts curious and scrutinizing. However, after finding little of relevance to her needs, the small-statured elf was soon compelled to return to the parlor.

It was then, just as she entered the hallway just outside of the parlor, that her skin began to prickle as if she were being poked by several tiny needles at once, sending a shiver racing down her spine.

Olyssandra briefly stopped, her nose twitching with disgust before she pressed onward. She made her way into the parlor just a few moments later, and there before her caught sight of a fair-skinned Human woman clad in white robes. A panicked waitress with tear-streaked features nearly ran over the tiny elleth, compelling Olyssandra to swiftly step aside as the woman fled from the parlor. She turned her head, regarding the spell-invoked barrier pulsing around the waitress with momentary interest before shifting her attention back to the woman directly confronting the Eternal Father.

In that, it did not take long for Olyssandra to realize that this excursion into High Republic space had just become interesting!

“Oh, hello~” Olyssandra spoke up in a lilting tone as she came up a few paces behind the woman. “Am I...interrupting something?”

 

[Vess Sadragen]

Vess had already marked Zaiya when she started coming her way, not as a target, but as a movement that didn’t quite match the flow of the crowd. Too quick, too distracted, weaving instead of drifting. It stood out just enough to pull her attention, even as she kept walking.

Which was exactly why she didn’t move out of the way in time.

The impact wasn’t hard, more of a sudden shift in space than anything else, but it was enough. Vess’s hand came up on instinct, steadying herself as her eyes dropped immediately not to the girl, but to what mattered first.

Food.

One of the pastries dipped dangerously, gravity already claiming it.

Vess moved before it could finish the fall. Her hand snapped out, quick and precise, catching the edge of the packet just before it slipped free. The motion was clean, controlled, the kind of reflex that came from years of grabbing things that weren’t supposed to be hers. She adjusted her grip smoothly and nudged it back into place with the others, steadying the precarious balance without crushing anything.

“Careful,” she said, her voice calm, low, but playful. Only then did her attention lift. Hazel eyes moved from the rescued food to the girl holding it, taking her in quickly. Bright, distracted, a little too open, the kind of girl the streets would pick clean in moments.

“You alright?” Vess asked, her tone softening slightly, one hand still hovering near the food for a second longer in case it decided to make another escape attempt. Her gaze flicked briefly over the crowd around them, a quick, habitual check to make sure the collision hadn’t drawn attention it shouldn’t have, before settling back on her again.

A faint hint of amusement touched the corner of her mouth.

“That was nearly a tragedy.”

TAG: Zaiya Ceti + OPEN
Indirect TAG: Lily Rhodes
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