Public The Exhibition of Light

[Del Mirah]

Tags: Katherine Holt

Epicanthix with wings. An offshoot. Del's mind immediately categorized the information, though it only sparked a dozen new questions. She wanted to poke at the feathers again to see how the muscle anchored to the skeletal structure, but she forced herself to wrap her arms tightly around her chest. It was a physical restraint to keep her hands from fidgeting or reaching out. This woman was a puzzle, and Del hated unsolved puzzles.

"Are you a warrior? Or a politician?" Del asked, her eyes scanning Katherine's posture. She looked strong enough to be a fighter, and the wings would provide a massive tactical advantage in a duel. "I am to be some sort of warrior," she added, though a small seed of doubt flickered in her mind. "I don't know if I'll ever be as formidable as you, though."

The excitement of meeting someone who didn't immediately walk away from her bluntness made Del's words move faster. She liked the way Katherine hadn't scolded her for being curious. Most adults found her exhausting within the first three minutes.

"Where are you from, Katherine Holt?" Del asked, her voice bright and overly eager. "I am from At Attin." She shared the detail almost immediately, desperate to keep the conversation going before the tall woman decided she had somewhere better to be.

 

[Elian Abrantes]

Into the Lions Den
Lysander von Ascania
​

What in the world is going on here? Elian thought as he approached a rather suspicious looking tavern type place. On one side, he still had much more critiquing to do with others projects, and on the other side, he was a curious lad. Whom honestly didn't care to much for being in harms way. Hell, Sibylla, Aurelian, Cassian, Shade they were all attacked right here on Naboo. Truth was, there was really no safe place anymore, and if they tried to tell him otherwise.

He would tell them to shove off.

So a young reckless, one armed Noble walked into a bar. The attitidue and atmosphere seemed grim to say the least. Elian walked by Darth Carnifex giving him a side eye, with no knowledge of who he was. Staring intently, before he looked passed him and moved on, his gaze now lingering upon Lysander.

Hmmm.....

Bunch of shifty characters here today. Elian just shrugged his shoulders and moved on, ignoring whatever else bad stuf was happening around him.

"Ill take a tea." He looked back towards Lysander. "You want one too?"

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He allowed Himself to laugh in His throat, a terribly mocking sound. "If that is what you believe, little creature, then who am I to disabuse such resolute faith. As for this parlor..." The Dark Lord reached into the confines of His cloak, producing an aurodium coin imprinted with Sith iconography. He flicked the coin up into the air so that when it came down it would land firmly on the table He'd been using prior. It only bounced once before striking the side of the Dark Lord's tea cup and losing its momentum.

"The tea was mediocre, but let it not be said that I am a miserly guest." Perhaps it would not be readily apparent, but that single aurodium coin was worth an estimated three million galactic credits by itself. "There are other venues that await our arrival, it would be a shame to keep them in suspense." Thus with the door held open by Lysander, the Dark Lord bowed low enough to clear the threshold without Him or Olyssandra striking it. Outside the parlor, He would again stretch up to His full height.

As He walked away, He would call out to Lysander behind Him. "How familiar are you with Theed, von Ascania?"

Lysander von Ascania | Aistrella
Syreeta Ming | Tirin Raene ​

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Naboo - Theed
Outfit: Dress
Tag: Quinn Varanin

While initially Lily did not know the significance of the surname for Quinn, Lily could tell there was going to be some importance. Lily could only tell since it was repeated back to her. Quinn did not seem the type of woman who would ask for confirmation on something that she clearly heard the first time round. So the name held some meaning. Lily should have assumed that, Valery Noble was a significant Jedi for many years during the Galactic Alliance's era. However, Lily wasn't sure why the name would have such importance for Quinn. There was a lot of what the New Jedi Order had done that Lily was unaware of since she joined the order at such a late stage in it's life.

When asked if Colette told her everything that happened, Lily breathed out slowly, "as you know the saying, there are always three sides to any tale." While Lily was not a fan of declaring someone close to her a liar, sometimes, perception can warp memories further from reality than people would like to admit. It is why the truth laid between the middle of two sides' perspective. "I recall that she was eager in locating you after the events of Woostri, she asked for my help in not only identifying you but in bringing you to justice. However, I tried to tell her that it would not be a good idea since you were a Sith princess and princess to Eshan. There was a lot more instability at the time so I held more fear for what could have been retribution to my family if I stood against you."

Lily had always prioritised her family, perhaps it was what made her a bad Jedi, but it was something she did not waiver on.

"I believe the events surrounding yourself, Colette and Reina were another triggering matter. From my understanding, you played a significant role in Reina's turn to the Dark Side. Whether you meant to or not, I fear seeing Reina's apparent devotion to you has set in the mind that you are the reason behind it." Lily had less understanding on that situation, it was not something that Lily had talked in depth with Colette over but given the meeting and what had been discussed there, it felt like Woostri and Reina's friendship, or romantic entanglement, with Quinn were equal reasons to be cautious of the Echani queen.

Hearing that Valery Noble had killed the adoptive father of Quinn, Lily nodded her head, "I am sorry to hear that. My own father passed before I was born. Killed when Mandalorians attempted to lay claim to Eshan under your mother's rule." It was many, many years ago now but one that still haunted her family. Her mother, her grandmother, they had never dropped their hatred of the Mandalorians for what occurred.

"I understand, and I will try to ensure further incidents do not happen. I saw her approach you during the gala, I nearly walked up to mediate but did not wish to overstep." Pulling out a commlink, "take this, for the future. If you ever require my presence while here in High Republic space, contact me and I will try to be there as soon as I can." Offering it to Quinn, "even if it is just to find where I have my dresses tailored." Lily gave a playful smirk as they walked further around the stores. She did not wish to continue their time together lingering on darker, more sour thoughts.

This was a time for them to know more of one another and see what was here that could help build a better future for Eshan. Two things that Lily desired to explore and had desired since she was a child.

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Darth Carnifex Aistrella Elian Abrantes
Merryn Sellek
​

His fingers absentmindedly lingered on the door, holding it ajar. Lysander drew in another breath, savoring how Naboo’s crisp air cleansed the sickly residue of the Light that had tried to contaminate the space. Here, at least, he could taste something honest.

A final glance was cast toward the monks over his shoulder. Might as well file the encounter the same way one would with diplomatic reports: more idealists confusing passivity for power.

The corner of his mouth quirked upward. “Sufficient to keep our names off the Chancellor’s desk, my Lord.” He had, naturally, already mapped three alternate paths through Theed and assessed their consequences. And so, the odds favored them avoiding any awkward conversations about.. structural damage to the cityscape.

Movement caught his eye. A newcomer, one armed and perhaps affecting boredom with the sun itself. Of course, the old him recognized the careless gait all too well.

A most subtle adjustment widened the door, including both Carnifex and the pale wisp perched upon his shoulder.

“The tea here is mid,” offered lightly to the stranger, echoing the Eternal Father’s earlier assessment, “hardly worth the coin.” One shoulder lifted in a lazy shrug. “If you’re traveling in our direction, come along. No sense drinking alone in a place like this.”

He rocked back onto his heel, one brow ticking upward. “Besides, Naboo’s safer in numbers.. allegedly.”

It was then he fully crossed the threshold.

He swept his hand toward the wide avenue stretching before them. “The palace plaza will be swarming with people by now. Senator Chuchi’s speech likely pulled in every security officer in the district.” Risk against reward was considered for a second. “I’m certain we’ll find something worthwhile there.”

The Aurora Industries connection there nagged at him. Maybe he was biased; his own personal freighter bore their engineering, the kind he had grown to trust after countless jumps through the void.

​

 

[Matsu Ike]

Matsu had paid but as more people came in the dismissal with lack of noddles coming her way was a choice. SHe didn't mind as she had Hanae there to watch and she could see how the girl was moving now. She didn't know what Hanae was feeling as she was floating there but the girl had a look in her eyes. She was moving and gathered Hanae who was going with her while she moved quietly through the expo but it was certainly something she could see while she wondered with the platform. Her mental links showing he was happy in the water as after each lap in the waters he was able to come back to the jets of the water ways massaging his underbelly.

Meanwhile... The world refused to stay still. Hanae blinked, and between one blink and the next, a woman in a massive hat had teleported three stalls to the left. She was absolutely certain the woman hadn't walked her mother would have floated around her, and there would have been a gap, a space, a logic to the movement. But no. Teleportation. That was the only explanation, and Hanae filed it away as important information for later, right alongside the discovery that her own hands looked like they belonged to someone else, someone with too many fingers and not enough patience. Her mind expanding as she was certain she could feel her sisters and mothers everywhere.

A man in Imperial white stomped past, clutching a churro in each fist like they owed him money. Hanae watched him take a bite with the grim determination of someone who had just lost an argument and was taking it out on fried dough. She decided he looked like a constipated tooka, all stiff back and angry chewing, and she snorted into her mother's shoulder. The man Captain Something-or-Other, she'd heard someone say earlier didn't notice, too busy glaring at a pale boy in expensive robes further down the promenade. The boy blew bubbles from a pipe, shimmering spheres that drifted past a man with a baby strapped to his chest, and Hanae watched the baby sleep through it all with the serene indifference of someone who had never consumed five thousand grams of sugar in a single sitting. Amateur , she thought.

The noodle stall grew smaller behind them, and Hanae twisted on her mother's back to catch one last glimpse of the Padawan who had given her the drink. Casaana was waving at a grumpy-looking man with a mustache, and Hanae noted the way the Jedi's droid danced with mechanical enthusiasm on the table. She wondered if the droid had ever experienced a sugar rush. Probably not. Droids were missing out on the fundamental truth of the universe: that colors were louder when you drank chocolate tea, and that the girl with the combat boots eating noodles off a trash can was doing it wrong she should be floating , like Hanae, like her mother, like any sensible person who understood that gravity was optional when you had enough whipped cream in your system.

A teenager with blue hair that kept changing shades cyan one moment, electric the next, then something closer to the sky after a storm scuffed his boot against the stone in a pattern that Hanae was certain meant something. She stared at him until he noticed, until his bored expression flickered into confusion, and then she smiled too wide, too long, too much and watched him take a step back. Good. He should be afraid. She was five years old, she was floating through the air on her mother's back, and she had just discovered that if she stared at someone long enough without blinking, they started to sweat. This was power. This was the Force. This was definitely the sugar, but she didn't care.

A Mandalorian in green armor laughed nearby, helmet tucked under her arm, face scarred and warm, and Hanae studied the woman's posture relaxed, comfortable, the kind of comfortable that came from being able to kill everyone in the immediate vicinity without breaking a sweat. Hanae respected that. She also respected the woman's friend, a senator in a dress that probably cost more than the speeder bike her sister crashed, who was gesturing toward a table piled with food. Krayt dragon ribs , someone said, and Hanae's stomach growled in response, a deep and guttural noise that surprised even her. She had just eaten. She had just consumed enough sugar to power a starship. And yet. And yet .

A King walked past with a woman on his arm, and Hanae recognized him from holos Aurelian something, the one her mother said had "grown into his crown" but still "slouched like a teenager when he thought no one was looking." Hanae watched the woman beside him, the way she studied the ships with the intensity of someone who saw past the paint and into the metal, and she decided the woman was the interesting one. Kings were boring. Everyone knew that. But the woman with the violet eyes and the gold-threaded dress was calculating , and Hanae approved of calculation, even if she couldn't have explained why.

 

[0-7]

Naboo
Tags: Colette

NK-Witell-class Freighter, 0A-155, Songbird (lightsaber), Vibrosword
​

...people who enjoy music and who can teach you a thing or two about making your own music.

Make music? Her? That was never something she ever thought about doing. It was sort of a passing interest that appeared when she gained her freedom, an oddity from a life that she had been denied as a child. Even so, the idea presented did sound... appealing.

"Perhaps..." Seven mumbled, trying to recompose herself. She was a bit embarrassed that she had let her guard fall so easily. "Did you... ever find it difficult to find those sorts of places?"

What she really meant to ask was if it was hard to connect to people. After all, it seemed like Seven had been given a second chance to do so without needing to satisfy the murderous whims of a cruel Sith Master for her own survival.

She didn't want to screw it up.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Wearing | Gear : X | X | X | X | X | L3-37 | Interacting With : Chi Chuchi Balun Dashiell

"Aquaculture. I think it was a side project for them."

Maybe it had been a subsidiary, he couldn't quite remember. Much how he dabbled in side things it was to be assumed Aurora did as well. Many companies did. If one had the credits to fund a pet project, why not. As they continued to walk and get ever so closer to the Galactic Illusionary Gaming card drop, Makai didn't expect Chi to know about his brother. Was Miss Chuchi a Jedi? He couldn't recall.

"A Knight?"

Brows furrowed in thought. Makai didn't remember that happening which begged the question of when. He didn't receive a message from his brother, a note of any kind. Disappointment crashed through him like a wave reaching the shore. It would have been nice to know, nice to hear it from his own brother.

Maybe it was the reason Balun wanted to drop off his nephew to the nearest Jedi facility and waltz off. More responsibility now. Slowly the dots were beginning to connect.

"Oh..." Realizing he hadn't said anything, his expression smoothed. "I suppose he is. Uh, excuse me Miss Chuchi...I'll meet back up with you"

Head nodded towards the restroom and he entered the one marked for male species. Once inside, he pulled out his datapad to check messages in case he just missed something. Nothing from his half-brother. Quietly slipping the datapad in his pocket, Makai wouldn't address it, but other plans began to quickly form in his head.

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

Horking down her noodles - which were great, Persie wondered if her friend would sell them without the broth - the teenager watched as she interacted with some others. A Jedi with a kid in a sling. Some other Jedi looking guy who was nibbling at mushrooms as if they would eat him instead. There was flesh eating fungus in the galaxy, perhaps he was right to be cautious. Casi was doing some weird head motions and Persie made a mental to note to ask Zee to keep an eye on the girl for neurological conditions.

Then the one started talking to her. Mushroom boy. Shoulders shrugged as she slurped down some noodles to answer, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Its fine. Not what I expected but it is always nice to have the ability to stretch the legs and look around." Plus a bonus of getting exotic foods, the real reason she was going to stay in this vendor hall. "How about yourself? What brings the burlap brigade to an expo? Lightsaber parts?"

Casaana | Braze | Jasper Kai'el ​

 

[Braze]

Tags: Persephone Dashiell Casaana Jasper Kai'el ​

Braze stifled a laugh at the joke, covering his mouth briefly as he did. "Taupe, beige, sandy gold, eggshell cream… they all do rather resemble potato sacks in tone, don't they? I always thought the more traditional uniforms looked like shades of wheat and fresh baked bread.

"I thought I might look around, see what people had made with their hands instead of what they meant to break with them. New places, strange things, interesting people… expos tend to gather all kinds of fun to be had. I also put forth a design for the contest, so I would be lying if I said I was not curious to see how it might fare. But treating myself to something that actually tastes nice seems to have won out over my better intentions."

He handled his food carefully; one careless slip across the fine white silks and decorative robes he wore would have been a small tragedy. His gaze dipped toward her noodles with open suspicion before returning to her face. "Though, judging by your choice, I may have chosen the wrong entree to start."

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Naboo
Tags: Casaana , Persephone Dashiell , Braze

Lightsaber, Refuge, Respite, Jedi Outcasts, Grafted into Stone
​

"Hi there!" She cooed at the baby while gently poking his pudgy baby cheeks. "Where's Mommy?"

Cole, for his part, was dead to the world and wasn't awake to be aware of the prodding at his cheeks. The infant slept soundly. Jasper let out a chuckle.

"Back home taking a break," he noted. "Been trying to spend more time with the little guy anyways."

He had time to make up for after all.

"How about yourself? What brings the burlap brigade to an expo? Lightsaber parts?"

"Taupe, beige, sandy gold, eggshell cream… they all do rather resemble potato sacks in tone, don't they? I always thought the more traditional uniforms looked like shades of wheat and fresh baked bread.

"They're not very good uniforms," Jasper remarked. "You could have told me they stole the look from some desert hermit and I'd believe it. Never been my style, but I guess I wasn't a very good student..."

His insistence on removing all sleeves for starters. That got him into a lot of trouble on a few occasions as a kid. He let out a chuckle as he thought back to those times for a moment before he turned back to Casaana.

"Think I could get a thing of noodles to go?" the Jedi Master requested. "Wanna take something to my little brother. It's fine if it's a bit spicy, he likes that stuff."

Not that Jalen was picky. He could be a very utilitarian eater.

 

[Tirin Raene]

Tags: Lysander von Ascania Darth Carnifex Syreeta Ming Aistrella ​

A soft, faint yawn slipped past plush lips as a delicate hand rose to cover it politely. There was no sense in wasting further breath. If the pup wished to mistake him for harmless, Tirin would not trouble himself with correction. Nor did he see any need to address that other laughable blunder, now being echoed back with such confidence, as though repetition alone might lend it real substance.

 

[Aurelian Veruna]

Tags: Emberlyn Kislo

Aurelian slowed midstep, turning his head toward Emberlynn with a long, unhurried look, one brow lifting just shy of theatrical.

He blinked once. Then again

"…Honest," he repeated, the word landing like it had personally offended him.

Ships being honest?

A faint, sharp curve touched his mouth. "That's new. Should I be concerned, or did Dathomir start exporting fresh ways to posture at court along with whatever else you've been sampling?"

His gaze flicked to the ships, then back to her before that familiar edge settling in.

"Ships aren't honest, Emberlyn," he said, almost conversationally. "They're tools. Built to serve a purpose…same as the crew flying them."

His head tilted, the skepticism no longer subtle. "…which makes that a very strange word choice for a review."

The corner of his mouth lifted again, thinner now. "Come on, I may be king but I don't need the posturing from you," he added lightly, guiding her forward with the faintest shift of his arm. "Talk to me about something far more interesting. Like where you have been and what you have been up to. Give me something new."

He had enough of that with the Nobles bloc, the security council and the senate. He didn't need it with the few family members that he wasn't looking to search for new ways to bore him.

​

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Kael Varr Bastiel Skirata

Kael seemed to be taking the culture change well. The tension in his stance, the way his hands always found rest on the pommels of his weapons indicated his unease but he at least had something complimentary to say about Theed, even if it was about their residence within the Embassy. His comment about using moving meditation made her smile. Good, she was actually teaching something and not just flailing about.

“This is an exhibition,” Adelle explained, walking further into the space. “It’s an event designed to let companies showcase highlights or concepts of what they can offer. Prudent companies only show off the finished pieces, keeping details about the technical specifications light. Just enough to give an idea of what their product can do. Many of them have enough cybersecurity that it deters all but the most skilled or desperate slicers. Your typical thief in events like this would be someone looking for something quick and easy, like a pickpocket.”

“Other vendors are present, although they’re here less for the expo and more to make their own credits quickly.” Adelle gestured to a couple of the food and drink stalls littering the area. “Which is a smart move on the event organizers’ part. Keeps the crowds at the event. But speaking of, I do have credits on me, if you see something you’d like to try.”

She paused, sorting out her own thoughts. It was all well and good to explain what the event was and to try and teach Kael something about a different culture. But she’d been absent quite a bit after moving to a house in Kyrimorut and moving him in. After what he’d been through, Adelle felt guilty about it.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly after a moment. “I haven’t been around much and when I have, it’s all been lessons on our ways, weapons training, and Force instruction. Bringing you here to see this… Being a competent fighter is just one part of being Mandalorian. As an Iron Lord, I’m a Rally Master in our military, yes. But I’ve also taught you how to triage on the battlefield. I’m a doctor. And now, an ambassador to the High Republic. It’s important to me that you know there’s more to life than the next fight, the next hunt.”

Adelle stopped and turned to face him. “Do you understand?”

 

[Kael Varr Bastiel Skirata]

tags: Adelle Bastiel
Secondary Weapon: Paired Beskar Tonfa

"Yes, Buir, I understand, for the most part. Though for me, the fact that you have invested so much time in my training speaks volumes that mere words would fail to immatate." Kael looked down, doing his best to keep what composure he had, to not tarnish his Buir's standing by making a scene. "And what I want, I doubt one, you have the credits for, and two, I wouldn't ask you to buy it for me. Honestly, I need to start earning credits myself so I can afford what I want, and they aren't showing them here." He would continue to walk with her, trying to focus his mind and keep his guard up.

 

[Balun Dashiell]

THE EXHIBITION OF LIGHT
INVENTORY: Jedi Robes | Navi | Lightsaber
TAGS: Aiden Porte | Open

Balun blinked a couple of times, a little surprised that Makai Dashiell had opted out of what he thought he sensed as a desire to talk with him, his brother decidedly moving off elsewhere, which led Balun to wonder just how bothered he was by the evolving situation concerning Kellan Dashiell . It would have been easy to linger on his apprehension, but he chose to believe that something else had taken his brother's interest and that Balun was simply overthinking.

With Makai pursuing other matters, Balun chose to carry on in the direction he had been wandering. The great promenade was a marvel, teeming with countless people, making it difficult to take more than a few steps before either bumping into someone or carefully moving around them. It truly seemed that the Exhibition of Light was a great success for those who had organised the marvellous event, and a boon for the High Republic, which would surely benefit from the wider attention of patrons and visitors arriving on Naboo for the experience.

Meandering on, Balun's mind roamed to Cerys Dyn , who would have surely hated such a crowded place. It would have been good for her to broaden her social horizons, yet she had not yet made an appearance, and Balun's guess was that she was trying to make herself comfortable once again within Shiraya's Sanctuary, falling into old routines and looking to her training in order to feel one with the Jedi Order once more.

Balun's former Master, Ala Quin , had certainly shocked them both with what she believed to be the answer to Cerys' disciplinary hearing, though Balun himself remained uncertain. Now a Jedi Knight, he was doing his best to hold himself to a higher standard, no longer having the excuse of life as an Apprentice to justify his past behaviours. Becoming a Jedi Knight meant that more responsibility fell to his shoulders. Alongside his peers, he had a duty to represent the Order to the best of his ability and to become more mindful of the students he had yet to lead in lessons. On that front, it was difficult to be so certain of himself; being a role model to others seemed like such a far-fetched notion to Balun, who still felt he had so much more to learn and improve.

As the Force would have it, Balun's thoughts were interrupted by the presence of someone all too familiar to him, Aiden Porte . The man had been a Jedi Knight when Balun first met him, and they had served together on several missions, quickly finding it easy to rely on and trust him when everything around them had been trying to kill them both. Reaching out with the Force, Balun would touch upon the edge of the Knight's consciousness to inform him that Balun was walking his way, a silent greeting and curiosity to know how Aiden had been doing since then. If there was ever someone who could advise Balun as to future direction as a Jedi Knight, and how he might better conduct, or improve on himself as a Jedi, Aiden was certainly it.

Jedi Apprentice: Cerys Dyn
Major Faction: The High Republic
Sub-Faction: Jhaessa Prime
Conglomerate: Dashiell Incorporated™
Subsidiary Company: Dashiell Retrofit™​

"Speech"
'Thought'​

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x | Companion: Domxite
Interacting with: Vess Sadragen Aris Noble
Indirectly: Lily Rhodes

"It would be quite a loss. He belongs in my belly," Zaiya piped up without any indication that she was being facetious at all. Instead, she was just all happy-go-lucky, cheerful colors etched with a gentle, mischievous flurry of bioluminescence at the edges of her mottled spots.

"I'm Zaiya! Zaiya Ceti." the Lovalla replied back to Vess, giving a wide grin.

"Pleased to meet you!" she didn't bother saying she was a Jedi Knight, it felt weird to just go about saying her rank this way and that. Something she picked up from her Master Iris Arani . Unless it was official business, Zaiya rather be known as exactly that -- Zaiya.

After a second, the Lovalla Knight gave an even brighter grin and then offered a chocolate-stuffed churro to Vess.

"Here you go! Take Courage." She sang in delight, opal eyes shining as her delicate brows gave a little encouraging wiggle.

"Always good to have a little courage in your belly." she added, before biting into Greg. Indeed, he was delicious.

It was then that a slight flutter of curiosity brushed along her. The only reason it shone across a sea of others along her mental shields was because of the slightly familiar sensation of it.

Oh who was that?? It wasn't Aris. She would feel him draw nearer.

"So, are you here alone or looking for someone?"

 

[Casaana]

I've got Gruuvan Shaal Kebabs, Gungan Broth Noodles, Constable's Caps, Cavaellin Spice Creams, and Moogan Tea, Sunrise Caf, and Paonga Fresca to drink.

Casaana's brow furrowed as she sensed Matsu's displeasure. Did she not like the noodles or was she upset about Casaana moving on to talk to the others? There had been a line and others to greet, and she hadn't been talking... Or was she upset about the Moogan Tea she'd given her daughter? Giving Jasper a hopefully reassuring smile, she tried to push the social anxiety down. Maybe it was time to take a break and get away from the crowds noise, and chaotic visuals of the exhibition in motion.

She got Jasper a caf as well before addressing Braze's question. "Actually I do!" She happily informed the group while pulling a much creased and worn flimsy from an inner pocket. Unfolding it, she proudly displayed the Bevelle light freighter it advertised. "I know it doesn't look that special, but its one of the few freighters that carries these big containers on the outside. Also, one that I might reasonably afford." Earlier trepidation forgotten as she talked about her passion, she pointed out the containers. "I thought I could make one into a real noodle bar, drop it off outside a frontier settlement and just chat with people as they eat, maybe do a breakfast? Haven't decided, I might want that time for myself. Then I could do droid repair out of another one, store the Jadefire in the next, and maybe haul a fuel container? That one's iffy, might tread on some local's toes if I undercut, but other places might be grateful. Was also thinking I could maybe fix up some droids and rent them out, repair, cleaning, survey, maybe administrative to help with legal claims like marriages, deeds, and wills and the like. Then, at night, or after I leave, I could come back and smash up the local gangs!" She pounded one fist into her other hand. "You know, do Jedi stuff for the people that never even thought to call or might be too scared to. All while people just think I'm a traveling noodle merchant."

Persephone Dashiell Matsu Ike Braze Jasper Kai'el​

 

[Chi Chuchi]

Finding herself with just Ji-Ji again, Chi made her way towards the wide open courtyard where the ship contest was being held. Serene smile and charming words to those passing by and wanting to talk, thanking them for coming, masked her growing displeasure. Her AI assistant was tied into the Exhibition's information network and feeding her security updates. Sith had caused a stir with Jedi responding, no casualties, no weapons drawn, but it was a close thing. Security was on alert, troops and ships readied just in case things escalated, but The High Republic wouldn't ruin its own celebration just because a few Sith thought to poke fun and shout 'boo!'

But that wasn't the only troubling news coming in. As she entered the wide courtyard, Ji-Ji placed a hand on her shoulder, gently drawing her out of the current of moving beings and into a sheltered alcove. "Something unfortunate has happened with one of the contestants. Shortly after the Exposition began, several Lambda B-TIEs took part in a raid at Lianna under the Mahporeem Imperial banner simultaneously with Sith and Mandalorian attacks." Chi's heart sank at Ji-Ji's neat, curated tones. "At this time, it is unclear where the battle lines were drawn, but Mahporeem fleet ships were also at Tion and might have been fighting the Sith or attempting to destroy former Imperial assets. Either way..." He didn't need to finish his statement, and tactfully let his voice trail off as she nodded. Whether raiding, protecting, or destroying, a ship meant for the High Republic had taken part. Placing an order now would mean a tacit approval on the High Republic's part, a political move on the galactic stage that Chi wasn't prepared to make. The Lambda B-TIE was also meant to be an exclusive product, that Mahporeem was using it themselves could also be seen as a rejection of the contest's terms.

"Thank you," she told him, patting him on the arm as she continued into the courtyard and towards the ships standing proudly. There she found a pleasant surprise for a turn, Aurelian Veruna the King of Naboo, and Emberlyn Kislo a woman she didn't recognize and wasn't immediately available in Ji-Ji's database to send an info card to her contact lenses. "Your Majesty." She greeted the King with a polite bowing of the head. "I hope I'm not interrupting, but I saw you inspecting the entries and thought you might like some input into the judging or to voice an opinion."

 

[Colette]

0-7

"At first." Colette said but gave a slight raise of her hand. Half-shrug, half-reassurance. "Once you know what to look for it gets easier. It's hard to track an animal if you don't have anything to trail."

The quartermaster put her hands on her hips and hummed for a moment. There had to be something, right?

"Oh!" Colette perked up and reached for a chest pocket on her dress. Her hand patted against her collarbone with a defeated tilt of her head. "Oh."

Dresses didn't have pockets. The phantom imprint of the pouch that usually clung to her hip and shoulder felt heavier than ever.

"Do you have a pen? Something to write on?" She turned to Seven. "I'll give you the address to one of my favorites."