Umgul and the Chocolate Factory | CIS Dominion of Umgul

[Ascendant Muse]

U M G U L​

]

Umgul.

Throughout the pages of Galactic History, the distant world had been little more than a footnote. It lived in relative peace with its neighbors, offering nothing save a reprieve from the duldrums of daily life. For the overwhelming majority of its history, Umgul had been little more than a hub for gambling. Casinos criss-crossed its smoky surface, offering many places for the honest man to lose his wages in record time. However. When the Galaxy began to turn upon itself in a series of turbulent battles, war threatened to consume their way of life. With little means to defend themselves, Umgul's people decided to adapt the loose morals of the casino to the battlefield.

And whosoever thought themselves brave enough to breach their sovereignty would find themselves subjected to Hell. In particular, Umgul did not have a tremendous sum of resources to create superweapons or world-shaking technology. However, it did possess the means to synthesize its mundane resources into terrible, chemical weapons. Most civilized societies and civilized nations had an unspoken code of honor barring the usage of such arms. Yet, for a world founded upon the principles of swindling as many souls as possible...this unspoken code went unuttered.

However...as the years moved ever forward, no battles ever took place upon Umgul's soil. No foreign lands consumed its sovereignty and trambled its people underfoot. With their worst fears unrealized, the stockpile of chemical arms became a political bargaining chip. Those in power began to intimidate and flex, attempting to snatch more influence under the threat of chemical warfare. And, as these things often go, a tragedy unfolded when a skirmish broke out. One of the stockpiles was stormed and, in the fighting, an explosion caused the chemicals to be unleashed. With casualties in the literal thousands, Umgul was shaken to the core for their folly.

Things could not continue this way - or there would be no Umgul left.

As a result, the threat of annihilation via chemical warfare inspired the people to act differently. Self-preservation saw them disarm and eliminate the stockpiles of chemical weapons over the course of many months. It seemed as though things would return to normal - were it not for a handful of souls who saw potential in the abandoned facilities. For once, the moral compass began to actually point in a direction that was not the casino lifestyle. Rather, Chocolate of all things became the center of their focus. What began with repurposing one facility into a modest shop quickly exploded into a planet-spanning enterprise.

For the first time in literal millennia, Umgul had something other than tourism or gambling to offer the Galaxy. Its confections began to ship in staggering quantities, granting the Southern Systems a sweet tooth that only their chocolates could satisfy. By the time the borders of the Confederacy grew to neighbor the distant world, the people and their product were practically a household name. Negotiations begun immediately for entrance into the ever-growing community of planets - and as the cherry on top of their meetings, the nation's finest was invited to tour Umgul City for themselves.

Here, easily the largest facility - The Fondine Chocolate Factory - was opened to receive their offworld guests. Representatives of the Umgul government arranged and would be conducting the tour of the factory personally. Moreover, the city itself was opened to any Confederates with a desire to browse what the distant world had to offer. For, while the moral compass did indeed point north, there would always be a casino eager to devour a man's wages. Welcome to Umgul!

Spoiler: Points of Interest

Upon arriving on Umgul, an Ugnaught will eagerly press a chocolate bar into your hand. Don't lose it - for one is said to contain the Golden Ticket! Fabulous prizes await the lucky soul who has it!​

The Fondine Chocolate Factory has become the pride of Umgul as of late. It rises above the city as an island, hoisted by repulsors, to project a whimsical image of fantasy and wonder. Upon ascending the bridge, one is greeted by a towering gate attended to by a pair of Ugnaughts. Together, they would heave the doors open and serve as the tentative escorts inside. One would immediately be greeted with the scent of sugar on the air and, upon entering the facility, a wall of heat. The delegation would be awaiting the arrival of all those taking the tour within the "welcoming area" - the aptly named Eatery. Here, the entire menu of their products was available for sampling...in the most wild ways imaginable. Chocolate fountains dot every corner, with literal pools of chocolate underneath them. Twisted trees of sugar and mushrooms filled with cream adorn the path. It is said that everything here is edible - and for a first stop on the tour, one is welcome to try!​

A stark contrast to the Fondine Chocolate Factory is the Fondine Blob Raceway. Here, the din of crowds yelling for their favorite Blob to win in the races would reach one's ears from quite a ways off. Upon entering the Raceway, one would be greeted with a traditional Casino aesthetic on the ground floor. Here, one would find slot machines, roulette tables, and every flavor of card game that could tickle one's fancy. A series of gilded turbolifts exist to the east of the main floor, which would ferry one to the viewing area for the races. Here, numerous floating screens depict the blobs in their battle for victory. But, most importantly, underneath each screen is a fully stocked bar attended to by sharply dressed tenders. Take a load off, lose a heap of credits, and have a drink or three doing it!​

Umgul City is much akin to most cities in the Galaxy. Though smaller than Golbah City by far, it still boasts a number of tourist friendly shops, parks, hotels, and more! The city is yours to explore - what will you discover?​

Spoiler: Tag

[member=A'Runda]
[member="Adelle Bastiel"]
[member="Alden Akaran"]
[member="Alkor Centaris"]
[member="Alora Fae"]
[member="Amelia von Sorenn"]
[member="Aston Jacobs"]
[member="Aya Clarke"]
[member="Caesar Kenway"]
[member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]
[member="Chikako Liona"]
[member="Corvus Dravere"]
[member="Daisy Americus"]
[member="Damsy Callat"]
[member="Daniel Americus"]
[member="Dalton Kenway"]
[member="Darth Tacitus"]
[member="Darth Novus"]
[member="Daxton Bane"]
[member="Destroyer 2873"]
[member="Dianah Vi'Dreya"]
[member="Erin Tenel"]
[member="Fawn Alzi"]
[member="Gerwald Lechner"]
[member="Havoc (CT-375)"]
[member="Holt"]
[member="Ingrid L'lerim"]
[member="Ithiel Vi'Dreya"]
[member="Jayce Pryde"]
@Joannis Campbell
[member="Jorco Czeku"]
[member="Jorge"]
[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]
[member="Jyoti Nooran"]
[member="Karlie Lynn Destat"]
[member="Kasca Fen"]
[member="Kathryn Foster"]
[member="Kayla Wylen"]
[member="Keva"]
[member="Kiff Brayde"]
[member="Kingsley"]
[member="Krystal Estain"]
[member="Kurayami Bloodborn"]
[member="Kurenai Yumi"]
[member="Kyber"]
[member="Kyrinov"]
[member="Luna Terrik"]
[member="Luna Vega"]
[member="Lyla Quinn"]
[member="Maple Harte"]
[member="Maur"]
[member="Mauer"]
[member="Minerva Vessia"]
[member="Muad Dib"]
[member="Nine Lives"]
[member="Oax Ordo"]
[member="Orion Trex"]
[member="Petra Cavataio"]
[member="Pom Stych Tivé"]
[member="Qaarssk Roark"]
[member="Razelle Breuner"]
[member="Roy Americus"]
[member="Rylan Kordel"]
[member="Scherezade deWinter"]
[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]
[member="Srina Talon"]
[member="Talon Rahl"]
@Teyla Ee'everwest
[member="Valencia Hadley"]
[member="Vanric Dannon"]
[member="Veronika Fleischer"]
[member="VildarnTentoria"]
[member="Voph"]
[member="Vyra Silara"]

 

[Layla Solari]

No matter how many she killed and ate, no matter what she did to survive, at the heart of this little monster was a girl. And that girl loved chocolate and sweets, and anything else sugar related. Fizzyglug, candies, just it was paradise. Here she was, at the opening of a magical chocolate factory. She ran here, she ran there, she ran just darned near everywhere like a hyper teddy bear....oh but not like the teddy bear she kept in her ever present backpack. That one was more special. She was a normal hyper teddy bear right now, not the swallow and want to devour the world type of hyper teddy bear...well for now anyway. Or was she? Oh how many times had Layla lost track at this point. Master hadn't come with her. She didn't think. But he was a tricky one, you could never know for sure, even if he was standing right next to you! Okay, she needed to calm down a bit.

Layla took a few deep breaths in and out. She stood on the bridge, awaiting the others in the tour. She was outfitted in a simple, long sleeve dress. Her ever present black backpack, the choker, and bracelets around her neck. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a pony tail for the day. She was small, almost fragile looking at first glance. But, the hunter lay just below the surface. It was preoccupied today, so the chance of anyone being eaten were minimal. Sugar, chocolate, all the glorious substances in the galaxy were sweet after all. When before something so magical, why would you think about anything else?!

The girl bounced on the balls of her feet some more. She was growing impatient, but she knew it wasn't long now. However, when you were excited, didn't time seem to move so much slower?

 

[Allya Vi'Dreya]

Allya strode up to the bridge, full of excitement. Her heart raced and her eyes were wide. This was way too much fun. She was getting to go into the factory to taste all the new types of chocolate and candy and other delicious things. Oh, she regretted that [member="Jerek Zenduu"] wasn't with her, but, whatever. She planned to make the best of the day. Her outfit was fairly casual, blue shirt, black pants, a sweater wrapped around her waist in case she got cold. On her wrists were her ever present vambraces. No matter how relaxed a day it was, the girl had been almost assassinated enough times to not really feel safe unless armed.

She eyed the two Ugnaughts at the gate. Allya had always found the little pig demons to be adorable, in their own way. However, her dark eyes soon were caught by the sight of a lone girl sitting to the side, bouncing on her feet. Black clearly seemed a theme for that one. However, Allya was the same when she was that age. Dark Side this, black color that, rule the galaxy blah blah blah. She smirked a bit, at the memories.

The girl moved over to [member="Layla Solari"] and gave her a grin. “Hey there. I'm Allya. You excited for this thing or what?” It was better to try talking, she felt, than to sit around bored and impatient. She was a bit taller, and clearly a bit older, but the girl was adorable, as she acted all excited, so, Allya would at least try and all.

 

[Kyyrk]

Location: Pazaak Table​

Bet: 5,000 Credits​

Wearing: This​

Tag: Anyone who wants to watch. Or get in on round two.​

​

Chance. Ever changing. Ever rewarding. Ever punishing. At least, that's how the low-life types saw it. Voph saw nothing but another battlefield. Pazaak. He'd never been quite the savant his son had been. But he could hold his own. And today, the Confederacy was taking all challengers. The aim was simple. You had a deck of cards. Your opponent had a deck of cards. The dealer had a deck of cards. Four cards were drawn at random from each player's deck to comprise their hand for the game. The dealer then drew a card one at a time, numbered one through ten, for each player. Get as close to twenty as possible without going over.

If you could play nine cards between you and the dealer, and still not exceed twenty, you won the match. Otherwise, you simply had to best your opponent's score. First to three wins won the game. First game had gone smoothly enough. Voph had won with a 17, and hadn't needed to burn any cards. This game was a different story. Dealer played him a 4. Voph passed. Dealer played his opponent a 6. Opponent passed. Voph's brow furrowed at the man. Fidgety type. Human, oddly experienced gambler from how he played, but not evident from how he carried himself. Perhaps a learned trait? 9. Voph now stood at 11. His hand was all negative cards. Wouldn't do him good to play any now. He passed.

3, for a total of 9. His opponent passed again. Voph was handed a 7. Total of 18? Voph nodded. He'd stand. 8, for 17. His opponent grinned at him, and laid down a +2 card from his hand. 19. Game was now tied with one win each. Voph leaned forward over the table. His opponents cards were specially altered so that a Miraluka couldn't see them, but that didn't bother Voph. He didn't need to see his opponent's cards. He just needed to outwit him. 6 to Voph. 7 to his opponent. 5 to Voph. 6 across. Voph smiled as the dealer laid down a 9. Perfect 20. 1 across. 5. His opponent cursed under his breath, pausing as he weighed his options. He signaled for another card. If it was a one, he could end in a draw. It was a 2. Voph leaned back in his chair. He was going to enjoy this afternoon...

 

[Layla Solari]

Lost in her own little world, Layla didn't notice the person that came up to her. However, when the woman's voice echoed, she nearly jumped due to it being so close. She turned and gave Allya a beautiful smile. “Ah, yeah! Really excited!” The girl shook her head a bit. “More than words can say. I love things like this.” Her fingers nervously twitched. She wasn't used to talking to older girls. However, she knew how to talk to people, so shortly after she relaxed and just looked at the woman in font of her. “Um so yeah. My favorite are just normal chocolate bars. They are so good, and um, like, I also enjoy the chocolate covered nuts, you know?”

It was times like this, that she missed having her best friend Erica around. But she had eaten Erica, so now was not the time to go complaining about that one. She finally stopped bouncing on her feet, and just looked at Allya with her big eyes. “Oh! Right, um, I'm Layla. Nice to meet you Allya. Uhhh, umm, are you here with your family?” She realized a lot of the time, people were with their family. Layla didn't quite get it, but it was often true! That reminded her of this one time she had met this family on Kelada. They had treated her nicely, bought her some cute shoes and stuff.....ahh, but not was not the time to be thinking about food. Unless it was chocolate! The girl in-font of her kind of looked like milk chocolate, she noticed......huh.

[member="Allya Vi'Dreya"]

 

[Keira Cerdulan]

[SIZE=11pt]Objectives: [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]Gamble obsessively and forget by tomorrow[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Location: [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]Fondine Blob Raceway[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Tags: [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]None, looking for partner [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Now, this was the sort of place Keira could get down with. Mainly the gambling. Especially the gambling. There was no greater pastime for fighters than gambling away their salary, their booze, or occasionally even their fighters. Maybe it was just her type of pilot, but you’d be damned if you could convince her it wasn’t all of them.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Sabacc had been her game of choice, the small little pilot sitting herself down at the table. And had been, what could simply be called, a “Cerdulan”. Bravado, stupidity, and the general attitude of a scoundrel prevailed the Mercenary pilot. Kicking up her legs, to the annoyance of some. She rambled off half truths and blatant lies to make herself seem more intimidating, or intimidating at all for that matter.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Ya’ know, I played Sabacc with the Emperor up north once.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]And she wasn’t too great at it.[/SIZE]

 

[Arlen Winslett]

Objective: BLOB RACEWAY.
Wearing and wielding: DL-44 PISTOL. BLACK BACKPACK. CONCEALED KNIVES AND OTHER ARMAMENTS.
Tags: [member="Keira Cerdulan"]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arlen had never heard of Sabacc, but he had yet to encounter a card game at which he was not instinctively adept, to the point of being accused of cheating. Which, for the record, he would never do -- for it's really only cheating if you're caught. And Arlen never got caught.

He nabbed a glass from a nearby droid, wandering the room, and downed it in one gulp. The sickening sweetness of the chocolate factory got on his nerves and he refused to give into its sugary promises. The chocolate bar that had been given to him would be doomed to melt in his pocket, serving no purpose except to ruin a perfectly good coat.

Grabbing another, larger, drink, and taking small sips, he grabbed a chair at the edge of the Sabacc table. He narrowed his eyes at the ostentatious display put on by the woman sitting next to him, before breaking out into full laughter. "Is that so? Then you, my friend, will have to teach me the finer tricks of the game. Or any of the game at all, for that matter." His bullpoodoo meter was going off the charts, for the words and the arrogance that was coming out of this blonde woman's mouth, but he would indulge her -- especially if it meant he could go home with some of her money tonight.

 

[Krystal]

Objective: Explore the City
Wearing: Sparkles
Tags: None, please come play!

​

Krystal couldn't help the grin that broke across her face as she darting in and out of the shops lining one of the central streets of Umgul City. It had been so long since she had been really, truly shopping -- because shopping for necessities so did not count -- that she could totally justify spending ridiculous sums of credits for outfits and items that she probably (definitely) did not need.

Auntie Elm's Taffy Emporium.

Krystal had heard that this planet was famous for its sweets exports, but she was never really one for chocolate. She had received a fair bit of harassment on this fact, but she stood adamant in her ways -- she had never really understood why others went so sugar crazy over the food. But taffy... she could definitely give it a try.

Forty five minutes later, bells rang overhead as she left the shop, her wallet lighter and her purse full of every type of candy imaginable. Hey, if she was going to shop until she dropped, she'd need at least some sort of sustenance to keep her going. Popping a salted caramel candy in her mouth, she continued to wander down the street. The one drawback of today was that she was shopping alone. This loneliness might have been a constant throughout Krystal's life, but it didn't mean she had to like it.

All thoughts in that vein flew out of her mind, however, as she passed the next window. Her eyes widened at the sequined bodysuit that adorned the mannequin in the window. She had to at least try it on (though of course, that was a slippery slope...)

 

[Tia Aurelius]

Objective: Blob Raceway
Wielding: Nothing! We're here for fun.
Tags: [member="Voph"]

~~~~~~~~~~

Tia had been watching the man win and win at cards from the shadows of another table for around half an hour now. She was underage, but the serving droids didn't seem to care, so she sipped on her second glass of wine of the night as she folded in her own game -- losing a meager bet of credits -- and waited until a chair at his table opened up. She had been winning at her own games without any effort at all, and was certainly not afraid of this old man and his winning streaks, though she was certainly curious about the armour and lightsaber that he was wearing and wielding. As soon as his opponent sitting beside him left, she slipped across to his table and took a seat.

"Excuse me, Mister, but you seem to be awfully good at this game." Her high pitched voice seemed rather out of place amongst this patronage, but her posture was straight and she looked him in the eye as she spoke. "Mind playing a round or two with me, and show how it's done? I certainly don't mean to bother, though."

She did mean to bother. Kind of. She wanted to know more about this strange person, who seemed vaguely familiar to her and way overdressed for the event -- as though he was ready any moment to leap into battle -- and also wouldn't mind a challenge, for once.

 

[Cali Ziiva]

​

Someone, somewhere had said something which Cali really didn't remember because they also said there was this giant, floating chocolate factory giving out free chocolate and chocolate chocolate chocolate. So chocolate. Wait, no, Cali might have forgotten Basic for a moment in all the excitement. How was it this pretty little Zeltron's fault that she'd discovered this sugary delight while looking for one Jedi among millions. Or thousands. Hundreds? Anyway, it was totally delicious. You could get it creamy or dark, plain or with nuts or berries or... or... alcohol! Yes, she'd found one with alcohol gels. That was a weird night.

"Wait," a five foot nine, pink woman cried upon beind handed a chocolate bar, "am I not supposed to eat it, or just keep the wrapper?" Her bright eyes were aflame as she stared at one of those Uggies. She had to know? Like was this some sort of cruel endurance-- Oh, kitten fluff. Cali just bit into the chocolate. Wait, how'd it get unwrapped? Magic.

Naturally the Ugnaughts went about its way with the Zeltron answering its own question.

Cali's knees had begun to buckle as she stood waiting for the tour to get started. Soft purrs and sounds of lewd delight radiated from the pink woman as the chocolate melted in her mouth.

"This is totally an Uncommon Means of Destruction," she sighed after a mouthful of the delicious treat had vanished. "We should sell more chocolate. I bet I could negotiate a great deal with this place to sell more chocolate." And if Cali had a mind for it, she could have imagined Doom Bot's response to the idea. It would have been loud, shrill, and very, very, very colorful. You could paint pictures with that Bot's way with ones and zeroes.

A warm exhale of breath followed dreamy thoughts of what awaited her inside. "Chocolate fountains. Chocolate lakes. Chocolate trees. Chocolate little umbrellas in chocolate drinks. Chocolate beds with chocolate pillows... I would eat them all night. Ooh," she swayed side to side, "I would grow so stuffed if I lived here. They'd run out of chocolate. I know they would. I'd eat it all." Soft giggles followed the outrageous claims.

Tag: Open​

 

[Chikako Liona]

​

Location: Main City
Objective: Walk around
Peps: [member="Krystal Estain"] is around

The art of confectionery was quite easy for most to understand, nature being the first provider of sweet things, from honey to fruits and much more. Sugar wasn't exactly a complicated additive to work around and make, the problem came about via acquiring said materials in the first place. Tythe wasn't exactly a planet that grew sugar cane, even before the strip mining but it would soon come to change, the first step in being said change was to first sell the populous on the product, acquire a large one time shipment that could be distributed among the population. If they enjoyed it, the steps would be taken for the agricultural world to make their own, if not, the waste was minimal and could be cleared up easily.

The next problem was picking out a good range of candy, when they said the planet hand moved to producing confectionery she did not expect the literal trade of the world to revolve around the single product. The streets were lined with shops of all types, each selling a certain type of product, needless to say it would take forever to go through them all, even with the guard escort she had brought along. It was also out of the question to ask the shop owners, no doubt they would say their own establishment was the best in order to gain her business, no she needed another party, an outsider, preferably another member of the CIS.

With her keens eyes the young Echani looked around those wanderings through the market, her gaze falling upon a blonde hair women coming out of a shop, seeming to have brought a weighty amount of candy from the way she walked. With a confident stroll the young ruler approached the youthful looking women, giving a small curtsy to them, "Scsuse me miss, thou protest to be a new comer to this world and it's goods? Thou ar't looking for recommendations on shops to buy from".

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Wearing: Clothes | Pathfinder Boots | The Forgemaster's Ring | Ring of Stasis | Sofitor
Wielding: 3 Czerka knives | 1 Nastirci Combat Knives | 2 Dissuader K-30 Pistols with Glitter Bullets
Wearing: [member="Krystal Estain"]

Scherezade was walking through the streets of the capital city, the glow of her green eyes marking her despite the city lights around her. It was a strange feeling, to walk among all those shops and stalls, and know that she could easily buy herself anything she wished for. The combination of the salary she now knew she was earning from the jobs with the Confederacy as well as the income she was generating with Whimsy, combined with the fact that she didn't really have the sort of private life that demanded frequent spendings, she now had more credits in her bank accounts and pockets than she knew what to do with.

To think that it was only a year ago that she could've walked down a street like that, and not be able to afford anything that went beyond a bit of tap water and maybe some street food if she found a super cheap vendor. Come to think of it, that had been more than a year ago. This time, last year… She wouldn't have even notice the pretty lights, or the diversity on consumables offered. This time last year she had been a broken thing, a shell of her former self. A girl she had lost… And had never regained.

Because of everything was different now, wasn't it? She wasn't the strange and awkward child that was just barely tolerated. She was one of their best warriors, with a long and elaborate list of accomplishments. While some of the mocking stares and laughters remained, there were more than enough people now that liked having her around. She sometimes felt like an asset to the Ministry, rather than just another human meat shield for the Confederacy.

But then there were still parties, and evenings like this, when she couldn't deny that… It still felt lonely. Her sister and her friends were probably off with their loved ones, other people she knew were already in their social groups with others, and she was mostly let to choose between forcibly being a third wheel, or walking alone.

Tonight, walking alone felt like the safer option.

Various shops and vendors tried to lure her interest to them, with sparkling things, sweet things, pretty looking things… But Scherezade just gave them all polite smiles and walked on, not really having an interest in buying anything, despite the fact that she at last could. It seemed like of the few things she did want, there was nothing that credits could get her. So what was the point?

Her silly purse-bag-thing (which had to be one of the most useless accessories designed for women. Ever.) swung lazily from side to side as she walked on, coming to a full stop only because of one thing. [member="Krystal Estain"], whom she recognized from Wroona and other places, eying a bodysuit that… Well. Well.

Scherezade covered her mouth in the attempt to stifle a laugh.

"That would look very good on you," she tried to be supportive to the younger (was she really younger? Time was weird) woman. "Go on in, try it on!"

 

[Keira Cerdulan]

[SIZE=11pt]Objectives: [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]Gamble obsessively and forget by tomorrow[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Location: [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]Fondine Blob Raceway[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Tags: [member="Arlen Winslett"][/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Keira wasn’t a cheat. She didn’t cheat, she’d just beat you into a pulp and take your stuff. If need be. Or race you, usually try and go for the race. And it was an impressive person who could bear Keira when she was driving some sort of nonsense around.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]She shot down a drink, it never did quite ring the same as a line of spice.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“I never said I was good at it. He wasn’t too good at it either.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Could flip it both ways, which was her polite way of brushing off the request. To the best of her ability at least. [/SIZE]

 

[Kyyrk]

Location: Pazaak Table​

Bet: 5,000 Credits​

Wearing: This​

Tag: [member="Tia Aurelius"]​

​

"Word to the wise, friend, you'd best work on your tells." Voph smiled at the man as he stood up, tossing his cards onto the table. The man didn't say anything, just walked away with his tail between his legs. Voph pulled the pile of chips over to him, and stacked them into neat organized piles. He didn't look up from his task as he was approached by a young female. Looking directly at people was a social construct any how. A polite gesture that showed them you were paying attention. But the Miraluka had no such gesture. Voph followed it often, to be sure, but it certainly wasn't a mark of rudeness for a Miraluka to not look at someone.

"I suppose I have it in me for one more game. Please." Voph gestured to the other side of the table, offering the girl a seat. Voph turned his attention to her in full, noticing first that she bore a scar akin to his own. A warrior of some kind. In spite of her...age. Voph frowned slightly at the thought. She knew how to handle herself, that much was evident from how she carried herself, even if it wasn't obvious to the eyed species. But she was also young enough Voph guessed her to be a child, even by general standards.

"The house can offer you a side deck if you do not have your own?"

 

[Xobos Yakieer]

Location: Chocolate factory, tour group
Wearing: Casual wear, double bladed lightsaber, decorative blindfold.
Mental state: Boredom and slight annoyance at the pink creature
Tag: [member="Cali Ziiva"]
Post: 01

This entire place made Xobos feel out of place. It was joyful, colorful, and just felt as though happiness radiated from every orifice of this entire factory. She honestly didn’t know how she was standing the whole thing, other than the fact that she practically required to be here. Not even practically, as she had been sent here by her master to investigate the properites of the chocolate being produced here and whether or not their new samples, imbued with traces of edible and safe bacta, would be viable for a long term and mass produced use.

Why that required her to go on this tour with these chocolate lovers, crazed ones at that, instead of being just allowed to see the labs, probably by herself, was beyond her. Still, she stayed near the back of the group, having silent conversations with Ambrus and Ora while trying to avoid any form of contact with the insane pink alien at the front of the group who seemed much to excited by the chocolate. Xobos couldn’t even pinpoint what species she was, though the pink skin seemed to suggest she might be some sort of mutant Mirialan. Or something along those lines.

Xobos attempted to pay as little attention as possible to the women, instead continuing the conversation with Ora that had begun before they had gotten to the factory itself. Her voice was loud, soft in her mind, though no one else in the group would be able to hear it. Lucky for her, she guessed. “As I was saying…if this bacta chocolate really poses no true risks, then it must be something we get our hands on for the troops quickly.” The miraluka, murmuring lightly to herself to respond in only a voice that was barley above a whisper. “This is true…though finding it without flaws seems almost impossible. Bacta wasn’t exactly meant to be ingested afterall.”

These conversations continued for the length of the tour, with Ambrus butting in roughly every so often. It was only until she heard the pink alien exclaiming something about chocolate umbrellas that she was removed from her thoughts, quizzically tilting her head to study the strange creature.

 

[John Locke]

Location: Umgul City
Tagging: [member="Gianna Aegis"]

There was something about life in a city, any city, that seemed to convey a sense of urgency to the citizens who lived there, it seemed almost inevitable that they'd be rushing from place to place heads down hands stuck in their pockets not looking left nor right. Maybe it was that they had become so inured to the sights and smells around them that it failed to catch their attention, to draw the same sense of wonder it used to. Or maybe it was a symptom of life pressing on them, beating them down that they no longer had that sense of joy that seemed to suffuse them, that drew them to revel in the world around them. Once John had looked at a city much like this one, much like so many others that he'd passed threw for work and had seen it as a thing of beauty. All the cogs aligned, all the functions preforming and self regulating, a perfect feat of engineering. He could honestly barely remember the trip, meeting some oligarch or leader in their penthouse. He remembered thinking that the speeders and lamps of the city looked much like a sea of light spread out before him them, an inviting image he'd watched for a moment before turning away back to the meeting. He could barely remember the rest of the meeting, some deal signed, some business brought, but for some reason that image had stuck with him through the years, his perfect image of a city.

Only he wasn't so sure about that, not anymore. The dark-haired cyborg rested his arms on the thin metal railing in front of him, the gentlest touches of the wind ruffling his hair as he cast his gaze out over the city unfolded in front of him. The efficiency of the city was still there, the transports flowing back and forward like a living thing, the vital lifeblood of a city, the people all wrapped up in their lives to the exclusion of anything else. Only...he wasn't sure that was exactly the best form of a city, not anymore. The city in front of him wasn't special, it was one of a thousand, a million cities scattered across a vast galaxy. It was just, well it could have been any city...it could have been Coronet City. John's lips curled up in a small nostalgic smile, watching a small dark-haired boy and his cousin darting through the crowded streets, small toy X-wings in their hands. He remembered the sheer joy of it, the benevolent smiles on the faces of the passerbys as the weaved through them, remembered tripping, the two of them tumbling down in a pile, the x-wings skittering out of their reach. The toys had ended up breaking, landing badly on their wings as children's toys were wont to do. It had been a stranger, a local mechanic who had stopped to help them up, gathered up the pieces of the plastic toys and led them back to his shop. While the man's wife had plied them with ice cream the mechanic had set to work, and before you knew it, two repaired X-wings. It was a small thing, such a small random encounter but it had pulled John back the next day to say thank you, and the next day watching the man work, helping out where he could. All he'd ever wanted to be was that man, with his little shop, repairing speeders and droids, and maybe a toy or two when he saw the opportunity. Somewhere along the line everything had changed, he'd changed and the galaxy had changed around him. John's dark eyes dropped down to stare at one of his hands, the bare cybernetic clenching slowly into a fix, it was a fist that could snap the metal of the railing he was leaning on, a hand that had manipulated money and business like people more move and shape a stream of sand. The galaxy in the meantime had moved too, he let his gaze fall back on the street, if today a young boy and his cousin fell on the pavement he had to wonder if anyone would stop to help them, if a kindly mechanic still existed who would fix the toys just to see a smile on two stranger's faces.

"You know," he twisted around to glance at his companion, his eyes settling on her face, "when I was younger all I wanted was to move to a city like this, just somewhere small and out of the way, somewhere with a community that needed a mechanic. I've always loved that, just the building of things, but now..." But now...now that dream seemed further and further away from him, the boy showing his mother the repaired X-wing with a grin that seemed to split his face barely a memory, slipping further and further out of touch every day. The builder seemed to drift away like a mist, and in his place he had become death, the destroyer of worlds.

 

[Cali Ziiva]

​

Zing. Cali's Zletron radar of displeasure had gone off. How... How could anyone be unhappy surrounded by so much delicious, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate? What sort of sick, cloistered, joyless... No, no, no, Cali wouldn't let it suck her in. Too much chocolate to get distracted by a gloomy cloud. It needed eaten and she was a woman to eat it.

Mmmmmmmm... Nnnmmmmmm... A soft moan rumbled within her slight body while it wiggled in place. Alright. Alright. But whoever it was had better totally make sure Cali didn't miss out on any chocolate! No one wanted to see a sad Zeltron. Why, Cali heard a sad Zeltron was perhaps the most terrifying and frightful thing anyone had ever seen. She might have heard herself say it, but that wasn't the point.

Forced to find this poor soul in dire need of a hug, the pink woman turned around and tried peeking between the various bodies for the source of her mental and emotional anguish.

"Use the Force," Cali heard the Jedi man she'd helped often say.

She heard him also say numerous times, "That's not how the Force works."

Like, the whole Force thing was super complicated. Almost like constantly planning a giant party for some invisible and silent guests. While a storm raged. And you were in the storm. And you had to keep the party going. That totally made better sense in her head before she thought it.

Cali slipped into the crowd, honing in on the Mirialan. A sort of Zeltronian shark that smelled dissatisfaction.

"Hello," Cali called out, quickly followed with wide eyes and a smile. A little wave had accompanied the greeting as the Zeltron took up position before [member='Xobos Yakieer']. "I'm Cali, and this," her bright eyes turned out toward the factory for a moment, "is the most wonderful place in the galaxy, right?"

Tag: Xobos Yakieer​

 

[Arlen Winslett]

Objective: BLOB RACEWAY.
Wearing and wielding: DL-44 PISTOL. BLACK BACKPACK. CONCEALED KNIVES AND OTHER ARMAMENTS.
Tags: [member="Keira Cerdulan"]
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"Damn. You have to tell me that story sometime."

He took another sip of his too quickly dwindling drink as he leaned back into his chair. He didn't stoop to the level of the woman, with her feet on the table, but he took the opportunity to relax a bit. In fact, it would be a little while until his contact showed up here -- 3.04 hours, to be exact -- so he had some time to kill. And some rounds of Sabacc too, it seemed. Realizing that for the first time in quite a while he had nothing pressing to attend to, he amended his earlier statement.

"Actually, I've got time. Do share, miss..." he said, trailing off to inquire as to her name. As he spoke, the dealer passed out some cards. Arlen still had no idea what they were playing, but rather than share that, he decided he would simply bluff his way through the game. No card game a little bull couldn't win.

 

[Krystal]

Objective: Explore the City
Wearing: Sparkles
Tags: [member="Scherezade deWinter"] || @Chikako Luna

Krystal had just about made up her mind to go try the outfit on when Miss deWinter, harbinger of bad shopping decisions, ran into her. A grin broke across her face as she responded, "You think? Well... I'm not going to say no." She waited for Scherezade to follow her into the small boutique, and asked the kind droid attendant if she could please try on the adorable outfit in the window.

If the attendant was surprised at her choice, she didn't show it, and soon Krystal was adorned in the sparkles and sported a pair of heels to finish the outfit. She laughed and did a little spin, almost tripping over her heels. "So, what do we think?" The outfit made Krystal want to dance, made her remember being younger back home, prancing around a stage with a karaoke microphone and her mother's shoes. If only her eleven year old self could see her now. And what would little me think of the moment if I didn't buy the outfit? Krystal owed it to her younger self to get it. She truly did.

So as the doorbells jangled behind her and Scherezade, she carried another little brown shopping bag on her arm -- that contained her bodysuit, and the shoes that she had been wearing before. The pink heels she bought now adorned her feet, allowing her some height on most of the passerby (even if it cost her in balance).

The two women were shortly approached by @Chikako Luna , who seemed to be asking for recommendations for local candy shops (though she certainly spoke in a funny manner). "I'm not from around here, miss... but if what you're offering is a valid excuse to simply try every candy shop in the city -- or as many as possible -- I certainly don't have it in me to say no." She looked over at Scherezade, wondering if the candy shopping was up the warrior's alley at all.

Come on. No one could say no to a little sugar, could they?

 

[Kaden Farr]

Wearing: xxx | w. [member="Daisy Americus"]​

A literal chocolate factory in the sky! When Kaden had seen the report on the holonews, he had no choice but to send Daisy a missive asking if she wanted to check it out. They were getting close. Kaden had helped save her from a deadly batch of bacta on Thyferra, he had caught her from falling out of a skywheel, and then there were the back and forth messages they sent as they were able. Kaden often found himself smiling when he received something from her, or sensing his day move by slower when she was occupied. It was the dance of growing feelings and attachment, something Kaden had not known before. Despite his marriage to Yasha, they had grown up together. This was different.

Daisy was not someone he grew up with, in fact, she was considered dar’manda according to the edict of the Mandalorian Empire, then again, Kaden was now as well. Dar’manda and proud was the new slogan as far as Kaden was concerned in regards to his current standing. There was no reason for him to think otherwise. The Confederacy had given him a home since his resurrection. Everything about Kaden’s life was unorthodox, which was what made something that should have felt normal seem not. He was used to unorthodox.

Maybe that was the draw of the chocolate factory. It was not normal. Who made an eatery where everything inside was edible? It was site begging for Kaden to see it, and something he thought might be impressive. Naturally they were hosting the Confederacy of the negotiations which would be taking place, or already concluded, to bring the planet under the influence of the galactic power. The droid nation expanded quickly. It was as though Kaden blinked and another world was added to the cloud of influence of the far reaching machine.

Kaden set his eyes on the chocolate fountains. He had tried to pry from [member="Scherezade deWinter"] some things that Daisy might like as gifts, but in the end the warrior took in what he knew about Daisy and opted on something simple, hand made, and more the country girl he had known her to be. The pair of knives which he had spent the better part of a week on had been sitting around as Kaden looked for the right opportunity to give them to Daisy. With war coming, Kaden knew it needed to be soon. He was not a stranger to the reality of the violent way of the galaxy, or the Mandalorians who were besieging worlds and attacking allies. They were a threat which needed to be stopped and Kaden was guilty in part for what he had helped build.

His smile faded slightly as he thought about the things to come, but perked up at the sight of the blonde Mandalorian whose hand he was holding. Touch and proximity were some things Kaden had been working on. What the man rarely said in words he did with action and touch. It had made Daisy uncomfortable, and Kaden noticed. There was a caution between them he did not understand, and yet he did completely. As everything in his life that was odd too.

“So apparently everything here in this room is edible… well most things. I haven’t really thought to ask what your favorite kind of sweets are, and I didn’t think I could get it wrong by bringing you here.”

At least that was what he had hoped. Impressing some was not something he was used to trying to do, but now it was. At least the room itself was pretty impressive with the edible trees, the smell of sugar hitting ones nose with every turn, and the sound of the chocolate churning in the fountains which flowed about the room. It was a confectionary heaven, one which Kaden had never seen the likes of before.

Kaden eyed the blonde one more time before pulling the package out of the bag he had been carrying in his other hand. It contained the knives he had made for her.

"I uh... made you a little something."