We Like Balls [Galactic Alliance Fund-Raiser Gala]

[Kaili Talith]

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kaili nearly threatened Allyson before realizing what she actually meant. “Oh, right.”

Then came the accusation of cheating as if she wouldn’t just let it go already. Focus grew harder as more and more of the drink started to sink into effect. The blonde felt her nervous breakdown change for something else as the short fuse grew all the more shorter. She felt like a pet nexu felt the need to scratch. All she needed was that one trigger, that one little post to just tear down and rip apart, feast her inner rage upon the-

No, what she really needed another drink to calm her nerves. That was what her mind told her, and as such she slipped out of Allyson’s grip and took her place at the bar again without noticing [member="Asmus Janes"] making the last approach for her partner. With a quick glance around her she looked for something else to order. She had tried a shot, what she needed was something weaker. Far, far weaker.

The bartender approached.

“One of those.” She said and poked at the drink belonging to the woman next to her. “That looks good.”

There was no denying it, it looked great. Orange, red with some sort of citrus hugging the very tip of the glass. Her elbow was placed in the same spill that her fingers had managed to slip themselves into before. And then, she rested her cheek against her hand.

Was that bartender working at the pace of a snail or what?

[member="Asmus Janes"] // [member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson could feel the different emotions Kaili was going through and then the sudden realization. Before she could say anything her attention was pulled by a familiar voice, one that she hadn't heard in a while and one that she was kind of hoping didn't’ recognize her, mostly because of awkwardness. Turning her attention towards Asmus, she felt Kaili’s hand slip from hers despite the attempt to hold on. Kaili was gone and Allyson was left with Asmus.

Alcohol setting in, Allyson brushed her brunette hair from her face and smiled towards the man. It was good seeing him and his boyish charm was never far when he smiled like that. Allyson fluttered her eyes slightly and continued to smile trying to think of something to say. “Uh hey Asmus, you look good.” There was confusion and she looked around and leaned in closer hushing her tone. “What are you doing here?”

Somewhere in the back of her mind she cursed Kaili, leaving her alone. Though in a sense Allyson thought quietly that she might have dodged a bullet with Kaili wandering off. Knowing the girl's temper, finding out why and how Asmus and Allyson knew each other wouldn't have sat well maybe with the young Talith girl. Either way, worlds were about to collide. [member="Asmus Janes"] [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Allyson Locke"]

As the event was somewhat formal, Asmus offered his hand and gave his very best Eriadu bow. He even added a flourish with his free hand.

"The pleasure is all mine," he replied in his most crisp accent, his expression made clear he was enjoying himself. Had he not decided to follow this routine, he likely would have gone for a friendly kiss on the cheek.

"What am I doing here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and grinning from ear to ear. With a sweep of his hands he indicated his formal navy uniform. "I always said I'd look good in uniform. Some people are apparently paying just to meet the heroes of Rogue Squadron."

Surely that would impress her a little bit...

 

[Kaile Vera]

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

Vieis, the Nautolan Alliance Security Officer would stand by the hatch, her big blue and black eyes expectantly looking at the young brunette sitting in front of a panel of holoarray screens and security details.

Glancing up, Kaileann Lee Vera, Omega Pyre Espion and slicer gave a slight press of her lips in a ghost of a smile. She shook her head.

​

“No, it’s fine. You go on ahead now. I can take care of loading the algorithm” they were part of the security detail that was observing for any potential hazards in the gala. There was something larger going on than a mere gala. This was the start towards the construction of a formitable ship of the likes the Alliance had never undertaken before.

The Spirit of Druckenwell was just one of the assets the Omega Pyre provided for the Alliance to use. Thankfully, it stayed in orbit within Sullust space. It was used not only as a training facility, but for any other pertinent needs. But what would come next would hopefully be on par to it. Funds were being raised with this gala as well as the resources needs discussed with several shipwrights. CETO was one notable shipyard among others. Who is to say that perhaps Vanir Technologies or Arceneau Trade may also be a part of it? Sorosub was a definate. Keeping a tight secure lock on information going in and out was Kaile’s temp assignment.

“Alright, if you want to switch out, just comm me.” the Nautolan female gave a small tap of her comm by her hip. Kaile gave a flash of a smile then a nod.

“I hear Rogue Squadron has a lively bunch!” if Vieis had eyebrows, Kaile was sure she would have waggled them then. Kaile gave a laugh. It had been noticed that while the Lorrdian agent appeared to be bubbly, she didn’t smile as easily or carefree as she used to.

“Hah, I’m sure if all the rumors are true.” turning back to the data terminal, Kaile brought up the various live holo-feed from all the hidden and public cameras.

“I might stop by, depends. I just want to get the final encryption on this done.” a pause then a start, “A snack might be good though!” she called out, Vieis waving a hand to say alright.

“Okay… reckon let’s see who we have.” A small click of a few keys, then the switch. A dozen holo feeds bloomed to life, bathing Kaile's visage in their soft glow. Facial recognition algorithm was live.

 

[Kaili Talith]

The soaked elbow was allowed to remain unattended to. After all, what was Kaili supposed to do? Scream and shout at the bartender for taking a year to finish a simple whatever-drink-the-woman-next-to-Kaili had? Few things in life were ever that easy. She tapped her finger against the bartop and sighed as her mind grew more and more frustrated. Impatience wasn’t her game, rarely had been. It was why she never meditated, just didn’t see the point.

Then it approached her. The drink that she had ordered. Orange-red, citrus on top. She grabbed the glass, put the tip of it to her lips and tasted it.

“Oh my god this is great.” She said and promptly turned around, took a big chug out of it as if it was a soda and placed herself next to Allyson who was… Talking to someone? “Wow, you’re awfully close.” She snickered. “This stuff is great, Allyson. Stop shots, do this.”

“Hi, Kaili Talith,” She extended her hand for Asmus to grab. “Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, yes, I get it all the time ‘Oh are you related to Marshall Talith? Yes I am, thank you.”

“And you are?” Kaili took yet another chug out of her drink. Let on a mild grimace and continued to nod along with… Whatever it was that Asmus was saying. Or Allyson. Someone was speaking, she not sure who.

[member="Asmus Janes"] // [member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Liliane]

Lilin gigled lightly at the little lines of flirt that came out of the man's mouth. She would give everything to be able to flirt like that. It was either a skill that everybody else learned at school or a natural talent, at least that's how she felt that night. Both of these options were equally terrifying, mostly because she had grown up in an alien society with no focus on romance and because she seemed to lack the capability to make men fall for her just because of the way she spoke.

And then the man actually answered the question she asked. And she could feel the passion echoing through the words the man chose and the feeling he had inside. It was something deep, something to be jealous of. She hadn't found that one thing that would become the central part of her life. But obviously this man had found it. And that sounded awesome.

And just when the girl was about to open her mouth to talk, another woman came by, telling her about the way the man likes baking. Whether it was the truth or the woman was just playing with them, she had no idea. Thankfully, she couldn't even start to think about reacting to the woman's speech because the very same man who'd saved her last time was there again. Goodness, she would have to take his contacts or something. Might prove useful in a crazy situation.

"Oh well," she said as the woman and the man left. The three seemed to know each other and she couldn't tell why. Was it because all three of them were in the Rogue Squadron? The way the unit of pilots acted, she could assume all members of it were friends with each other. And if that was the case, then everybody seemed to be very content with one of their folks talking to a girl.

She took a sip of the drink, remembering how strong it was on the very last moment. Well, yes, she'd already taken more than a sip and she could feel the burning sensation run through her mouth and into her throat. Wow, that was a crazy kind of alcohol. What the kark had she gotten herself into?

"People really don't like us talking together, I think," Lilin spoke after letting the drink soak into her mouth, her mouth still feeling like a thunderstorm had gone over it. And that feeling was definitely portrayed in her voice. "Maybe they find it unfair a Jedi gets to talk to a man acing that pilot outfit."

Her voice managed to return to the usual joyful tone.

"You spoke about a dance, though," she continued.

[ [member="Aedan Lochlan"] ]

 

[Loske Treicolt]

Now Loske had nothing to do with her hands. [member="Owen Holst"] had liberated a drink from somewhere, but she was empty. Therefore, she found her palms met each other in front of her hips as she stood and listened to the new pilot in the Squadron — all the while fighting the urge to peer over his shoulder at the hard earned conversation between Aedan and Lilin. Because she’d been told no and rightfully bopped on the nose for it, she wanted nothing more than to go in there and toy with them all over again. Still, she focused on the conversation at hand, especially given the fact that she and Owen hadn’t really connected on a face to face level. He was new. She was..ignorant.

“Oh, this old thing?” She asked, hand dropping to the hem and twisting a knee in as if to look down at the garment for the first time in a long time. She had to give way to a laugh though, and she brushed her hand in front o the space before her to show she was washing away the previous comment “-I’m kidding. I’ve always wanted to say that, it’s definitely not old. Thank you! It’s pretty much the first skirt I’ve ever owned. Can you believe that? Most of my wardrobe is just..boots, pants and shirts. Probably not too far off what’s on your hangars. Save for this, you look quite nice too, Pie.” The story behind how he got his name, she knew. She’d actually laughed out loud when it had been communicated rightly so to her.

“Guess we don’t get much opportunity to dress up, hm? It’s always with the onesies for us. Wonder if we’ll get anything a little more…” she paused, the windbag now on a roll and she would just gab on and on “Or rather, a little less…orange. Don’t you just get the worst wedgies?”

Ah yeah, Loske. Boy and girl anatomy is different when it comes to those things.

Speaking of different anatomies, Loske, of course, had no idea about the unseen nuances of the Force and the creeping of [member="Micah Talith"]. She could suspect a shadowy shiver perhaps from [member="Vexen"], but not the faintest to the hidden talent of the sandal-wearing stealth lord.

 

[Aneya Maev]

"It's like... Corina's highlight of the year," Aneya talked about the editor-in-chief of Sullust Entertainment (which was the sister newspaper of Sullust Daily) as a response to the man's speech to one of the press team. "This place here can create a lot of drama."

"And wherever drama is, Corina's been there for a while," Xander laughed. "How the hell does she control that team, though?" His voice turned a lot more serious, as if he was actually curious about the way the woman managed her young journalists. Aneya didn't really know; this gala was the workplace for yellow papers, not for a serious news article such as Sullust Daily. The two teams were managed in very different manners.

"I heard they have secret codes and holocomms on and whatnot. Drama radars could be a thing as well," the girl made her guess, obviously making more of a joke with that rather than being serious. "Honestly, I've no idea. But her whole editorial is here tonight, so she has put a lot of effort into making huge news about it. I'm talking headlines, front pages, news of the century type of stuff."

"She has made an illogical move. I doubt bringing all of her workers here would be useful whatsoever. I mean, what about other events? Will they be left untouched?" the CEO was skeptical. He didn't really delve deep into the works of the editor-in-chiefs very often because he thought they were a little bit more qualified in that field.

"Well, I don't support of that either. But why the work talks tonight? She is the one working today, not us. Let's just enjoy the evening, please," Aneya suggested. "Loosen up."

That was very weird to hear coming from her mouth.

 

[Adder]

[SIZE=14.6667px]If she were entirely honest with herself, Adder wasn’t sure why she’d come. The tiny notification at the edge of her screen a week ago had been an unusual sight. Bored out of her mind in a BHPD office with broken air-conditioning, the woman had opened it up. What was the worst that could happen?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Apparently, a ball.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Parties had always put her on edge. People shoved and pulled every which way, music blared and lights flashed. It was impossible to tell friend from foe, and one too many bodyguard gig had forever soured the concept for her. There was just no way to keep track of the couple hundred faces milling about you, and even if just one of them gave you the slip, it could be disastrous.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Adder frowned down into the violet drink swirling in her cup, smelling the contents. When she’d asked a passing caterer about it, the bothan man had only offered her a mysterious smile and a wink. Needless to say, it hadn’t put her at ease in the slightest.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Her stomach threatened mutiny at the very thought of drink. Her escapade a couple of weeks previous had ended fairly well for the amount of alcohol she’d consumed. At least this year, she hadn’t woken up folded over herself in the trash-littered back alley of the local watering hole. She strongly suspected that [member="Sarge Potteiger"] had something to do with it. With no way to confirm her inkling, however, Adder had quickly pushed the thoughts out of her mind. Most likely, she’d never meet the man again.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Shaking her head to dismiss the pointless musings, the redhead carefully took a sip of the drink. Immediately after, she disposed of the glass on a nearby table and helped herself to some canapés instead.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Did volcano-carved manors have balconies? That was the real question. Adder grabbed a whole plate of the delicious finger food and set out to answer it while the night was still young.[/SIZE]

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Allyson Locke"]

It shouldn't have caused his facial expression to twitch every time he heard that name. It had been nearly a year down and there must have been a million Kaleys, Keighleys, Kailis and Kailes in the galaxy. Still felt raw though. He didn't know how Allyson would perceive that subtle shift of his expression, but he doubted she was as inebriated as her friend. Lightweights didn't tend to last long in the sort of bar he'd first met Allyson in.

He decided to ignore the rambling comment about Marshall Talith for the simple reason that he had no idea who that was. "I'm Asmus Janes," he said with another graceful bow. "Also known as Rogue Nine and what is that?" he asked with a smirk. Asmus was perfectly comfortable with a cocktail in hand, and seeing as there was an open bar for the military it was probably worth sampling some exotic drinks,

 

[Armand Temi]

Sylvia had been so busy on training missions that she nearly missed the notice that a Ball was happening. The first time the redheaded pilot had flown an X-wing, she was battling space pirates in the atmosphere of Omwat. Needless to say, she was extremely new to the Alliance fighter, having been trained on a TIE for more of her life. Her performance that day caused the workaholic “Red Devil” time in her own mental penitentiary, hitting the space lanes for fifteen-hour practice runs a day.

But the last time she truly had fun, she’d gone to a nightclub called The Angel’s Den had too many Tatooine Sunrises and ended up in a steamy makeout session-and-then-some with a slicer named [member="Marcus Lok"]. Sylvia had tried to keep in touch with him – really tried – but it was difficult to make attachments when the sky was your home.

But she was determined to blow off a little steam tonight, despite the dark circles under her eyes which made her look vaguely raccoon-like until she was able to mask them with concealer. The pilot normally wore demure dresses befitting of Imperial officer clubs and Admiral retirement ceremonies, but she’d heard the Rogue Squadron was full of hotties – women and men. And face it, Sylvia, you aren’t immune to peer pressure, she thought. Though she wasn’t too comfortable with untoned areas of her pale flesh hanging out - part of the ever-constant perfectionism - she threw caution to the wind and wore a very short, navy blue dress with white strappy sandals.

Spoiler

Do not tug at the back of your dress all night, she warned herself, still a bit uncomfortable with the amount of leg showing.

As she entered the ball, Sylvia noticed two things right away. First of all, every individual from human to houk appeared to be alcohol-soaked and on their way to utter obliteration. Second, the pilots were all so young and beautiful as she’d been told with a raise of eyebrows.

Oh boy, this was going to be either a disastrous evening or an absolute blast. As the party was already in full swing there was really no in-between. It was the kind of gala that no one would go home from and say “I had an okay time.” The night would be filled with fun, mischief, possibly stolen kisses, and hopefully for Sylvia, not regret.

 

[Alexandra Porte]

Alexandra couldn't help but smile at her sneaky accomplishment, and [member="Lucius Varad"]'s warm compliment upon returning with the goods just added to the contentment she was feeling in that moment. Tonight was going to be most enjoyable and it was nice to have found a companion to share it with.

"Why thank you, kind sir. I do try…I'm afraid it's not any where near one of the NN182 bottles, but I don't think Whyren's ever made a bad reserve. Our taste buds will be joyously rewarded I'm sure nonetheless, and an evening most likely to be remembered fondly."

When the silver fox, yeah Alleycat's name for Twelve which had just come to mind, reached out with his offered hand to assist her, the brandy-eyed brunette was a bit tentative in responding as he wanted to hold the bottle no doubt. To be honest, Alexandra wasn't exactly sure she wanted to give up possession of the divine gift of the whiskey gods, but she was not above sharing the contents with Lucius.

"No, we most certainly can't," Alex grinned conspiratorially, then handed him the two empty glencairn whiskey glasses she'd grabbed from behind the bar in consolation to carry, keeping the rare bottle within her grasp. The wide-based tulip designed glasses were made for the complete enjoyment of drinking fine whiskey. There was an art to it and the night's extravagant nature called for it. The end result would all be the same… They would still get a nice drunk on, but with class.

"I know just the table that will serve our needs well… Follow me, flyboy," she winked.

The gala's crowd had increased ten-fold since first arriving at the General's home so getting through the people in the main room to where the tables were was challenging, but not much for a Rogue; pressing by a particular tall, dark and handsome man she'd spoke to initially - a Rogue himself.

"Excuse me," Alex smiled sweetly at [member="Aedan Lochlan"] as her hand caressed over the back of his dress uniform to squeeze past him and his seemingly now date for the evening, [member="Lilin Imperieuse"].

Not too far from them was the table that Alexandra had in mind. "Here we go... Close enough to the music, but not too close that the heavily sounds will make it difficult for conversation and mutual admiration for our prize," she nodded to Lucius, setting the bottle of Whyren's Reserve down.

 

[Jessica Justice]

After watching [member="Alen Na'Varro"] be led away by [member="Spencer Varanin"], Jess couldn't help but smile. People needed to enjoy themselves, this was a Ball, after all. The next several minutes was easily consumed by the young officers Alen left behind, who all began taking turns sharing stories and attempting to upstage one another for her attentions.

This went on for a while, until she caught a glimpse of a coat. A particular long jacket. By the bar. A broad smile played its way across her face, as she held a hand up to cut a poor Lieutenant's story short. "Ah'm terribly sorry, but Ah be see'in someone Ah need a word with." And, after much disappointed protest from the young officers, she managed to pry herself away from the group to head to the bar.

Slipping onto a bar-stool behind one, Mr. [member=James Justice], the young woman would give an almost musical laugh. "Well then, ye be proud then? Takin' money from those who stood no chance?" She would taunt, before erupting with a fresh round of laughter at the inevitable look of shock that her father would wear when he turned to see who it was that addressed him. "If only there'd be someone ta give ye a proper challenge."

 

[Republic Engineering]

Violence is a natural part of every society, and no matter how hard they tried to fight against one's nature - it ended badly for all parties involved. Therefore, those enlightened few who had risen above the masses believed that a positive outlet was required, one that spent such negative energies in a productive way. Enter the Gala. A deadly blend of Alcohol, Dancing, and Romance had awaited Astarii as she passed through the threshold of their Benefactor's Manse, leaving her astounded with how many people had enjoyed the company of so many strangers crammed into a single space. It beggared belief, and sufficed to say; the Captain was impressed.

Clad in her naval dress uniform, the Captain stalked down the marbled steps of the entrance-way and was swept up by the rolling tides of undulating flesh. The Hapan had offered warm smiles to those that dared to look upon her disfigured face as she carved a path through the dance floor, making a bee-line directly to the Bar. Though it was much to her chagrin, Astarii was silently thankful that her scars had deterred men of all stripes from courting her attention. At least here, like a Dove trotting amidst Crows, she would find herself able to be at peace.

With the hardships of both Malastare and Dulvoyinn behind her, She eagerly desired an outlet to vent her frustrations in a productive manner. Wearing her powered armour and smashing everything in sight was an entertaining thought, but what would such a petulant outburst accomplish? She would still have to clean up the mess, and whatever Credits she had earned would've been funneled down the drain to replace what was broken in her rage. No, instead of indulging in such childish deeds, the Hapan sought to act like an Adult and drink away her sins.

She was crucified on Malastare by the band of spice-drunk Gamorrean's, and when the One Sith had sprung their trap, the 'Eidolon' had been infested with their darkened kin. Many lives were lost as they sought to repulse the enemy, both from within the labyrinthine bowels of the Indomitable-Class Star Defender, but also from the enemy without as the 'Eidolon' brawled with several Sith ships of the Line. She and her crew were lucky to make it out of that battle alive, let alone with almost a dozen kill markings adorning her warship's prow. Now, with that thinker's war behind her, becoming nothing more than ashen memories - a small crystalline glass of alcohol awaited the woman's attention.

Taking it in a well-manicured hand, the Captain toasted the dead and drank for the living.

 

[Dayn Wren]

No drinks in his face yet. Awesome. She was fun. Stereotypes and prejudices were being crushed this evening. Moreover, she seemed to be enjoying herself, which meant that he was more inclined to do so as well.

Of course, they didn't get to enjoy their privacy long before another slipped in. Smooth entrance. Naturally, she was a Rogue. This one was more amusing and coherent than the last, however. Aedan actually laughed, having completely forgotten about the cake-promise. He was starting to realize that [member="Loske Matson"] would remind him of that until she got her cake. He never really got time to reply with anything but a laugh, before [member="Owen Holst"] once more swooped in to save the day. He really was gunning for that wingman of the year trophy. Aedan hoped all the fuzz surrounding them wouldn't scare Lilin away.

With the two Rogues walking away, Aedan felt like he owed her a little explanation. "At Dulvoyinn, I had two Sith fighters chasing me. Nearly got through my shields." he started. Aedan didn't want to get them back on the war topic, so he'd be brief. In this context, however, it was a a thing hard to avoid. The topic seemed to haunt them. "That girl, her name is Loske, got them off my tail." he had come mighty close to a flashy end there. Thanks to Loske, that didn't happen. The least he could do was give the girl some cake. "After that I told her I owed her a cake. As a joke. I didn't know she'd take it so literally." he chuckled "So, now I have to bake a cake. You don't happen to have any secret recipes to teach me, do you?" Aedan's baking skills were severely lacking.

"Seems so, right?" he joked back. If this kept up, they might have to find someplace more private, like the balcony, or a cab. The comment she made next made him smile. It also assured him he had made the right choice earlier in the evening, when trying to decide between a cheap suit and his uniform. Now she was becoming dangerous to him, but for different reasons. "I did" he held her gaze. Dancing? Time would show if it was a good call or not. He could feel mild dizziness sweep over him as he touched away from the bar.

He felt a hand against his back. Turning, he found the eyes of one [member="Alexandra Russo"]. She seemed to be in a good mood. He smiled back and gave her a little nod. This evening was really full of distractions. In the next moment she was gone again, apparently looking for a table or something.

His attention returned to Lilin, taking her hand into his. If people didn't like them talking, well- "Then let's do more than talk. Let's dance" once more he'd guide her away. This time towards the dance floor.

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

Lilin couldn't help but laugh at the reason to why the other Rogue had mentioned the baking thing. The Squadron looked like a fun bunch of people, a lot more easy-going that any Jedi she knew. Yes, the stereotypes were right sometimes, because the majority of the Jedi she knew were just like Aedan had guessed -- old boring men with no humour whatsoever. There were some more exceptions to this other than Lilin, but not too many, she believed.

"Can't bake," Lilin replied to the man, "sorry." It was true, though, because she had never baked a single cake in her life. But it worked equally well in this funny situation.

Once again, they were distracted by a woman, the same one she'd met before - Alex? - who bumped into the bearded man as she made it past them. She didn't seem to want to join the conversation this time as she appeared to be headed somewhere. Oh well, they didn't seem to be able to enjoy the talks without anybody bumping into them, but she didn't really care. They still had a plenty of time that night.

"Yeah, let's dance." The warmth of the alcohol was a thing Lilin was usually really used to, but the effects of the really strong drink were something new to her. She couldn't say she was really drunk yet, but she certainly wasn't only tipsy anymore. How she would manage to dance, she had no idea. Even moving through the crowd was a struggle as she gave her best at not seeming too drunk.

The place was full of people, but Lilin felt like they could fit into the dancefloor well. She was not an extremely good dancer, but she thought they'd manage to move between all the people around well. Depended on how well Aedan could dance, though. And she couldn't underestimate the state she was in either.

The evening was going well. And even though the two seemed to be a little bit afraid of each other in the beginning, things had started to run smoothly. That is if we don't count all the people interrupting their conversation. Which was quite fun, actually. What she was more terrified of was the fact that she was a Jedi Master about to get really drunk and dance with a pilot.

Huh, well, she just hoped that wouldn't destroy the good reputation of the New Jedi Order.

Shaking off her thoughts, she tried to switch the topic, "So if you can't cook, then what are you good at?" It could be understood in at least two ways, she thought, and one of them was slightly cheekier.

[ [member="Aedan Lochlan"] ]

 

[Asher]

The crew were strangers to him, but for a man as outgoing as the one and only Owen Holst that only served as a good reminder of what he had to work towards. Unity, keeping it all good in the hood so to speak with the others. He valued his spot in the chain and thought little of those around it. A loyalist and maybe quite so to the degree where he would go out of his way to cover the romantic (or otherwise) advances of a stranger for the simple reason that the stranger would do the same had they been in his shoes. Besides, a stranger was just a friend you hadn’t met yet, wasn’t it? The same applied for Loske who was already moving Owen to laughter as she let herself play that one joke she had wanted to play since for always, and when she brought up the jumpsuit color and wedgies there was little he could do but repeat the same laughter as before.

“I don’t know, I sport that Prison-Break Orange pretty well, if I do say so myself.” He smiled. “But, uh, yeah. The chafes are something I could live without.”

He placed his drink on the table to let himself get a bite out of his pie. It crumbled in his mouth as the taste of blueberries caused all of his senses to shriek in exquisite glee. His eyes closed and it became rather obvious to anyone that he loved the pie.

“Oh sweet lord.” He added at last as he finally opened his eyes. “This pie is… Awesome.”

Sudden realization reminded him of his callsign. His brows furrowed and his eyes bounced around the room in contemplation mixed with disbelief.

“Pie eating a pie.” He mumbled as he lowered the plate by his waist and took a swig from his drink to wash it all down. “Do you think this counts as cannibalism, or… ?”

[member="Loske Matson"]

 

[Dayn Wren]

Aedan chuckled. "Guess I'm on my own" he had said. He wondered if Loske would notice if he ordered a cake from some bakery. Maybe mess it up a little beforehand to make it look homemade. Or rather, homemade by him. But enough about cakes, he had other ways to embarrass himself. Time to dance.

Walking out to the dance floor, Aedan realized he hadn't even been paying attention to what kind of music had been playing. That was kind of important when deciding which kind of dance to go for. He was by no means an expert, and limited to a select few that could be useful in most settings. Like Lilin, he was not exactly drunk but also not exactly tipsy. That could either help take away any hesitation, or make him butcher it entirely. Grand.

The two sunk away into the crowds. The gala was packed, but they managed to move without much resistance, and finding themselves a nice spot. It didn't matter what name and title soldiers and officers used when referring to them now. They were just two people dancing now.

He couldn't help but smirk at her next question. He didn't quite catch the cheekier interpretation of the phrase, but it set him up for a cheeky response. "I just said I couldn't bake, not cook." he couldn't cook either. "I can make a mean breakfast" he joked playfully. Yeah. He went there. But at least he did so being all smiles and in a playful tone.

He was starting to feel much more comfortable. Whether it was the alcohol or a growing familiarity, he didn't know. But despite a bit of an awkward start, the tone seemed much more relaxed now.

Aedan took her hand and lifted it, while his other placed itself on her opposite waist, just above her hip. As they took a turn his semi-drunk foot landed on top of hers. It instantly pulled back, and he added "Oops, sorry." In the next moment he started laughing briefly, shaking his head at the ridiculousness of it all. Great work, Aedan. "Of course I stepped on your foot" he muttered, more to himself than her, while giving her an amused look as if they were part of some inside-joke now. Of course they would have at least one slightly awkward moment on the dance floor as well. He seemed to recover from the incident nicely though, leading her through the next steps while taking great care to not step on any toes.

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

Lilin could feel herself getting easier and more comfortable, not understanding whether it was a good or a bad thing. She hoped for the former, but she did know she made dumb mistakes when she had drunk alcohol and really gotten drunk; as much as she wanted, she couldn't just back down now. She had to go all in at such a situation and do something risky. Being dangerous was supposed to work in most cases.

She couldn't help but laugh at the man's remark about his cooking skills. She herself knew how to cook, although she couldn't really make some fine cuisine or restaurant level meals. Helping her father when she was younger definitely taught her something. It was a shame that they never made any cakes, though.

Without bothering to think too much about the song that was going on, Lilin slid into a dance, just like Aedan seemed to do. She could feel the uniform under her hand and even below that was the man's shoulder. Enjoying the moment, she performed those dance steps with no thinking whatsoever, having to admit she could dance when she'd consumed alcohol. But that didn't mean she was really graceful doing so. Her movements were sloppy and her limbs didn't seem to move exactly like she wanted them to.

That being said, she didn't even notice the man's foot tapping hers. Only a moment after he'd apologised for that did she understand what was going on, making her laugh not only because of the man's clumsiness but also because of her own silliness. Wow, that last drink had really kicked in. Whatever it was, she doubted she would ever want to drink that in the future.

"You silly pilot, your footwork is sloppy. Your hand should be more focused there and your arm keeps shaking," Lilin teased the man, applying her Jedi knowledge. "Dueling 101," she laughed. The man didn't seem to land on her foot later on, which was nice. At least she wouldn't leave this place with an injured foot.

She wanted to resist her urges, but she just felt like having to smile mischievously. The waves of the music just flowed by and they just danced, it was as easy as that. She didn't know about Aedan, but she felt like it all happened automatically. So without further ado, she completely shut her blockades off for that night and not think about consequences. Could have been because of the drinking or maybe just because she felt really familiar with the man by now, but she just couldn't keep on worrying. Everything seemed to go well.

Without any hesitation, she slowly got closer the man, step by step, either because of the lack of room demanding them to hold onto each other tighter or because of her own passion.

[ [member="Aedan Lochlan"] ]

 

[Kaile Vera]

https://youtu.be/N4d7Wp9kKjA​

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For [member="Lilin Imperieuse"] [member="Aedan Lochlan"] and the rest of the Gala ​

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The gala was at its height. Vieiis hadn’t been kidding. The place looked like a riot. A twist at the corner of her lips perked up, brightening Kaile’s visage with her trademark infectious smile. This didn’t even include the heavy rollers yet. From what she knew, the entrance fee along with other donations and agreements within the Alliance and pro Alliance supporters were at the forefront of funding the new project.

It was all hush hush for now. Not many wanted anything bleeding out into the wrong ears. Which is why security measures were in place. The facial recognition program was set up to pick up on any would be misfits. This went inline with scrubbing any code or chatter within the holonet that would indicate any pressing concern.

With a sigh, Kaile sat back in her chair. One wayward hand ran her fingers through her hair, pushing back the thick light brown locks away from her face. New dye, a darker hue than her natural strawberry blonde hair. The life of an espion at least had the benefit of an endless supply of hair dye, she mused in humor.

Life was slowly coming back together. Well, if one could say my life had any sort of normalcy, she mused. Kaile didn’t. It was neither here nor there, honestly. Everything was being taken day by day and mission by mission. It was the only way to keep moving forward.

A half grin would pop up at the first bit of antics she caught on holo-camera. Shaking her head, she took a small wristband and pressed a small button. It was a portable music player. Nothing too fancy, but it did its job. Typically she’d use the hair pin Kurt had given her, but right now, this one worked. The soft strains of, ‘Come and get your love.’ beep bopped in the background, light enough for her to enjoy and still be able to hear the comm.

Brown eyes rose, continuing her earlier scan and check up on the algorithm. There were few faces she recognized; the majority of those would not say the same about her. If anything, Kaile did her job well. A small tap followed the beat of the song, the small bob of her head as she half sang along.

With thousands of guests, it would take a while to go through everyone. Not to mention those who would come and go.

Yeah. Gonna be here a while.