Public Winter Solstice Festival | Eshan

[Aldric Varanin]

Definitely no choice then.

Aldric didn’t mind the palace. Truth be told he enjoyed the pomp and circumstance. What he didn’t rightly care for was the formal events. The Balls. Holidays were fun but when everyone was allowed and encouraged to enjoy how they saw fit.

Except maybe Merion.

“I don’t know if we’re going to be able to peel him out of that get up, Cel.”

Celeste Varanin Ibaris Varanin Merion Oreno

 

[Merion Oreno]

She grabbed the youngest by the robes and tried to pull him with her, not unlike a cat cuffing its kitten. Aldric was expected to follow.

That had worked until a year or two ago, when Merion became, to his deep puzzlement, the big one. By this point he had four inches and forty pounds on The Heir Herself, robes not included. But by old habit he let himself be pulled along — albeit with zero intention of changing once he got there. Come maternal hell or high water.

“I don’t know if we’re going to be able to peel him out of that get up, Cel.”

"No, no, I'll totally change. Let's get to the ball."

 

[Ibaris Varanin]

"I...I'm having an Isopteric vision! The Spawn of Adas is at hand. Somewhere the Exalted Consecrai sets foot on Eshan: That Which May Break Worlds, the Sith Messiah, Firstborn of Tund. Aunt Ibbie. Oh hi, Celeste."

In another part of the city, a faint chill ran down a woman's spine.

Her shoulders tensed in a small way, pulling her attention up from the carved, weathered call that hung from her neck on a cord that was rather newer than it, her fingers curling tighter around the small instrument as her head turned, by anyone's perception, toward nothing in particular. To some peoples, this meant that her grave had been trod upon. She didn't have one of those. Not yet. Far from yet.

Ibaris looked back to the whistle, "It would be a pointless exercise, wouldn't it?" she uttered, abandoning the thing to fall against her coat. Not for a lack of belief - there had once been a time when she used the whistle year over year to very. deliberate. effect. By the third winter solstice of their relationship, he had well and truly caught on... but as much as the past did strive to come calling, one way or another on this day of all days, some things were best left buried. That had also been deliberate.

There'd be some among the festival goers who'd sense her meditation out on the island, cold as a henge.

So was her willful ignorance of some other things. "Not now," Ibaris reaffirmed with indignant irritation, as she uprooted herself from where she stood amongst the throngs of festival-goers, and turned to make her way towards the palace. She had felt that frigid ebbing before she had even stepped off the ramp of her ship. It would be too easy to say not ever, but she knew better.

Some things were simply unavoidable.

Aldric Varanin Celeste Varanin

 

[Vulpesen]

Objective 4: A Tingle in the Air​

Vulpesen's hands fidgeted around his collar as he gazed around the ballroom, his tail flicking behind him. Behind him, he could hear a pair of snickering from two snow haired young adults. Vallen and Daella had seen their father face down the gruffest of generals and the most self assured of politicians. That was to say nothing of his past as a soldier of the Republic, or his time hiding amongst the sith. But if there was anything that could bring fear to the Valde's expression, it was a ballroom. Even after a decade of learning to dance, Vulpesen had never felt comfortable on the floor. "Remember, Eshan's culture may be similar to ours, but there may be differences. Lets try to represent out people well," the elder Torrevaso said, glancing back to receive twin nods from the golden eyed echani-hybrids.

"Don't worry dad, we'll stay out of trouble," Vallen said with a lopsided grin, his thumbs hooking into his pockets.

"Or at the very least, I'll be there to pull him out of it," Daella chimed in, bumping her brother's hip.

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Location: Eshan
Objective: 4 - Socialize in the Ball
Tags: Connel Vanagor

World turns black and white
Pictures in an empty room
Your love starts fallin' down
Better change your tune

- Van Halen​

---

Katarine had never been to Eshan before, but she was certainly glad she had the chance to visit it now. The planet was beautiful and the ball had been decorated very festively. She had only ever recently been discovered from stasis by the Prime Jedi Conclave and entered this new timeline. As a fighter in the Rebellion there had not been a lot of balls and parties, so this was somewhat new for Katarine. She had even dressed in a gown for the occasion instead of traditional Jedi attire.

She entered the room and everything smelled heavenly, but what truly drew her eye was the most adorable puppy. Katarine had always loved animals and she was pleased to see that someone had sat a plate down for the little guy. She picked up a small glass of water and made her way towards the dog and she presumed his keeper.

"Something to wash it down with?" She smiled at the dog but she didn't immediately set the glass down. Instead her deep green eyes traveled to the man standing next to the dog to see if it was okay that she give the water.

 

[Cordelia 'Cori' Eldoris]

Location: Great hall of the palace
Objective: 4
Tags: Noelle Varanin (Open to others)

Noelle turned towards the woman, her features a mask of calm serenity. "We are glad you enjoy it. You'll have to excuse my daughter, she is needed elsewhere."


"And your name is?"

Truth be told, Cori couldn't help but be a little disappointed to see the princess leave. She always enjoyed talking to other people who were the children of their nation's leaders. She liked comparing childhoods, seeing how they fared growing up in the shadows of their parents. In a way, it helped her imagine what her own life might have been like if she had chosen not to join the Jedi order and instead stayed on her homeworld, acting as the dutiful youngest daughter of the ruler, another heir to be worshipped and adored by her people.

But there was no point in dwelling in 'what ifs'. The queen was asking about her name, and Cori knew it would be impolite not to answer quickly.

"I am Cordelia Eldoris, and I am here as one of the many other Jedi who have come to enjoy this incredible event," she began with a smile. "But I am also here to represent the bright coral reef Ersansyr of Aquilaris Minor. As the youngest daughter of our leader, I came to wish you a good winter solstice on behalf of my people."

This was only partially true. She had decided to go before she had told her father, and only after he heard that she was already going did he ask her to represent them. The sad fact of the matter was that ever since she had become a Jedi, she wasn't able to be very involved in her planet's affairs anymore. But the Echani queen didn't need to know that.

"It is an honour to make your acquaintance, your majesty."

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Solstice
Objective: Reflect on the past
Tags: Corazona von Ascania

Today was meant to be a day of celebration and happiness. However, for Silas, it was only a day to reflect on what could have been.

For a short time now he and Thelma Goth had been separated. They were inseparable when they were together, but as they grew apart things became harder for them to stay together. The vampire was going on a path that was pushing herself away from the order, a journey he couldn't follow with her. They were his family who had given him a new purpose in life, he couldn't turn his back on them after all they had done for him. It was a double edged sword, there was no positive in this situation.

Sitting on the edge of the water, he looked at the pretty island in the distance and thought about what they'd do if she was still with him now. Silas may look like he had moved on to some people's eyes, but his heart still ached from the hole Thelma left behind. In turn, it left him lonely and depressed compared to the couples that were cozy at each other's side.

Sighing to himself, he soon felt a familiar presence to his left and looked to see Cora approaching. Giving a brief wave, he stayed seated and looked into the distance.

"I thought you'd be enjoying the festivities Cora, you down here to meet someone?"
​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"That gives me quite the idea on what you're planning, you know." He knew her that well, at least. He smiled a bit, letting go of her hand to instead wrap around her waist and pull her into a slight hug as they walked. IT was good to see her smiling this much. Even if it was something silly like a whistle, there was nothing like seeing how much it made her face light up. Only for him to be pulled along. He snickered as he followed after.

"Then let's buy ours, yeah?"

"We were waiting."

Aris blinked, glancing to Kina as she approached. Then, smiled. More like grinned. It was rare for him to grin like this, but this was a challenge he'd been looking forward to. He was a warrior through and through, after all. Any challenge was something even he couldn't help but be excited about facing. "We're making it to the bottom for sure. We got this."

Valery Noble | Kina Ropal

 

[Kina Ropal]

"...Alright." Whatever apprehension and fear Kina had was shoved deep down, hidden. Her friends were going. She had to go with them; they needed her after all. Whether or not it was true, it's what Kina told herself, what steeled her to the emotions that had been holding her back. The pantoran took a few steps forward, into the water. It was cold, for sure, but it didn't hurt at least; she had her genetics to thank for that. Kina turned to the other two.

"So... How do we start?" She looked between the two.

Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble

 

[Loomi]

Eshan
Tags: Braze

Mixed signals.

Something about that phrase made her stomach spin a little, almost as though there was something inately wrong with what she was doing that was giving Braze these thoughts. It was rediculous, of course. Loomi could hardly understand her own head, let alone someone else's, yet these thoughts persisted. And after her conversation with Valery Noble ? All of these things just seemed to be getting more and more confusing.

She hadn't even told Braze about what she had been told yet. She had been too nervous to.

"So, uh, there's... something I need to tell you," Loomi began, ignoring the whistle for a moment. "I... talked to Master Noble about that thing that's been happening. Y'know, our dreams sharing. She said it was... abnormally strong for a force bond, a-and that it was probably developing into... Oh golly, I-I forgot the name."

Her face began to burn up with embarrassment. Their conversation had been so important, yet here she was struggling to recall the name of whatever it was they were beginning to experience.

"W-well," she sighed, "Name or not, I-I think things are going to get... weirder."

There just wasn't a clear idea of what that would be just yet.

 

[Connel Vanagor]

I learned from my mother and father, but I am not them!​

Spoiler: PERSONAL EFFECTS

Jedi Defender Light Corvette
"Crotch Rocket" Speederbike
Headset Microphone Comm-link
Vambraces
Custom Robes/Armor
Long handle Lightsaber "Alpha"
Short saber "Omega"
Astromech Droid "D1-N3"

[Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation]
SECTOR: Eshan
MISSION: Winter Solstice
WITH: Buster
TAGS: FULLY OPEN

When the young woman approached and knelt down in front of Buster, Connell was all for it. In fact he felt a swell of happiness as she paid his little friend. When the girl looked up for what seemed to be permission, he smiled and eagerly nodded. Oh, go right ahead. Whatcha think, Buster?

The little wigglebutt was just that, and all too happy to see someone giving him attention(of course he was more than happy already) and eagerly jumped up and down before diving into the receptacle making a little watery mess. Of course Connell was now kneeling as well and wiping it up. Thank you for showing my little buddy some love.

Spoiler: SUMMARY OF ACTIONS

...

 

[Cato Harth]

OBJ III
Inanna Harth​

"If I was thicker, I could turn into a seal. That would be amazing..."

Something about that just made Cato laugh audibly. Not the comment he was expecting her to make in the slightest, for a number of reasons. He slapped his chest, and sighed, "I shall." Cato recomposed himself, waiting patiently for Inanna to finally take the plunge. After a bit of stretching, and an awkward hop, she did, the latter making him chuckle again. She emerged, and declared the expected.

"That bad?" Of course, it was even worse for her than most, regardless of temperature regulation, "Alright. I'll show you how it's done." Cato adjusted his swim shorts, and approached the water's edge. He made an exaggerated display of his stretching, almost a parody of Inanna's process, before leaping in with an explosive cannonball. The water shot up in a geyser, and Cato repaired a moment later, "Holy chit! You weren't kidding!" His teeth chattered as he laughed, "Are we sure this is worth it?"

 

[Zark San Tekka]

Atin Tracinya​

---

"I think I just got ripped off," the man grumbled.​

"Perhaps."

Master San Tekka studied the young mandalorian's unadorned visage. A Jedi had no use for servants, yet he could not simply send Atin away. Ancient customs bound their fate together. Saving the boy's life had been an expedient way to defeat him without bloodshed but every choice had consequences. Would his people even accept him? Zark intended to show mercy. Forcing someone into exile might have been crueler than simply striking him down in battle.

"Perhaps not," he smiled, "I hear nothing."

He outstretched a synthskin hand to give the whistle a try. Zark blew a long clear note that any Jedi could hear. Whatever enchantment or clever technology imbued the whistle with its powers seemed able to sense his patriarchal devotion to the Order. This was likewise Atin's first chance to see the Jedi Master without armor. Adorned in simple robes, he wore his hood up to insulate from winter's chill.

"Tell me young warrior," Master San Tekka offered back the whistle, "What you know of the Echani handmaidens?"

 

[Valery Noble]

Eshan

​

Outfit: Winter Coat | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble

Valery pouted and squinted at him, "You better not have peaked," she warned. "But the surprise is in the details, so you hopefully don't know as much as you think you do." There was also the plan after revealing her surprise, so there was more than enough to look forward to. As long as he hadn't managed to sneakily look into their bedroom, or tried digging through her plans with their Dyad.

She had tried to keep him out just to be safe.

"Yeah, first we get the whistles." She smiled and approached the stall, where she was quick to put down credits for two whistles. They were silver little objects that could be worn around the neck, though Valery would likely keep it in her pocket. She already had a necklace made by him that she loved the most.

"Well... let's give them a shot, hm?"

"Now we dive."

Vera grinned and without adding anything else, she jumped up, pulled her knees against herself, and made quite the splash as she entered the extremely cold water. It was a shock to feel the sudden cold, but Vera pushed herself through and started looking around, waiting for the others to join her.

It was time for a swim.

<We have to make it all the way down to pass.>

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"No, I didn't peak. But it's not too difficult to take a guess as to what you did."

Kahlil smirked rather smugly at that. She was often trying to get one up over him, but would she this time? Depended on what exactly she did do, but he could pretend he knew more than he actually did. He took up the whistle, idly glancing it over before casually giving it a little toot. Sure enough, Valery would be the one to hear it, and only her. There was no one else, after all.

".. Oh, were we supposed to count down?"

He smiled, glancing towards Valery as she spoke about trying them out. Whoops.

/center]

"Yes. Swim to the bottom, find the stone. It seems very interesting at least." Though, diving in didn't seem to be Vera's idea. He blinked as he watched her cannonball her way into the frigid waters before letting out a heavy sigh. At least there was no time to pull back from the freezing water that way. Not that he was about to also cannonball his way in. A regular dive would do fine, he figured.

Which he excelled at. The advantage of living near a lake was plenty of water to swim in.

"I imagine there will be something to feel in the Force. So just follow it." Not that he could, but he imagined the warmth of the stone would be enough for him to follow. He flashed Kina one last grin before he dove in and started kicking his way down into the depths.

And didn't respond. Aris couldn't use or hear telepathy.

Valery Noble | Kina Ropal​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Cato Harth​

"Alright. I'll show you how it's done."

Rolling her eyes, she watched as Cato walked over to the water's edge. He stretched in a deliberately exaggerated manner, just to tease her—and she fell for it, her gaze inevitably tracing the two lines starting at his hips and disappearing into his swim shorts.

Then he cannonballed into the water, the splash spraying her flushed face with icy water.

"Holy chit! You weren't kidding!"

She glared at him, though the look was hindered considerably by the fact that she was completely soaked and shivering.

"Are we sure this is worth it?"

"I want my damn magic rock!" she exclaimed. But she truly was adamant about accomplishing this task. After all, she had to start somewhere with moving past her failures as a Jedi. Swimming toward Cato, she gave him a teeth-chattering kiss, "For luck," before diving into the depths.

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Location: Eshan
Objective: 4 - Spoil the crap out of my new friend Buster
Tags: Connel Vanagor

---

Katarine laughed her musical laugh when the little pup started wiggling about and then started to make a mess in the water. He seemed so happy to be here and was having a great time. She smiled at his owner and noticed the man had beautiful blue eyes. Of course she didn't know his parents or anything about his family, she had only just gotten to this galaxy. All she knew at this moment was that he was good to his dog and that was enough for Katarine to believe he was a good person.

"Of course. I'm happy to see him so happy."

She reached out to let the dog sniff her so that she could hopefully pet it.

"What's his name?"

---

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Loomi

Braze's expression shifted from concern to relief as Loomi mentioned Valery Noble . Initially, his heart raced with anxiety, a cold shiver running down his spine as he imagined the worst. His initial thoughts drifted to worry and concern, feeling his blood run cold for a moment accompanied by a sensation that could only be described as his stomach dropping out. What had she talked to Master Noble about? Oh... relief quickly followed. It wasn't something Braze had done wrong. That was good. But then Loomi seemed uncertain about what exactly they discussed, and he frowned. But as Loomi continued, his worry ebbed away, replaced by a gentle curiosity. "Weirder? Wierder how? How exactly?" he inquired, his head tilting slightly, eyes filled with concern.

"Maybe it's because you've become my best friend, " he mused aloud, his voice carrying a hint of warmth. As he spoke, he reached out with a gentle touch, carefully brushing a stray lock of Loomi's hair behind her ear. His movements were delicate, almost reverent, as if he were handling something precious. It was always so he could get a better look at her face.

"You do know you're my best friend, right?" Braze's voice softened further, a sincere smile gracing his lips. The connection he felt with Loomi was unlike anything he had experienced before. "I've never had someone who genuinely cared about me like you do. My youngling years weren't exactly filled with great friendships... but with you, it's different. I think that means a whole lot to me." Braze said, his words were heartfelt; as he spoke, a gooey warm and fuzzy feeling, carrying a lovey-dovey sentiment just about radiated off him like heat glow from a cozy campfire enveloped the two of them as he held Loomi in the focus of his eyes.

As he gazed into Loomi's eyes, his own eyes shone with a mixture of affection and gratitude. "You've become my constant, Loomi. Someone I can always count on, someone I can be myself around without any pretense." His voice held a hint of vulnerability, revealing the depth of his feelings. "You're special to me... in more ways than one. Someone I can rely on and just be myself with... My constant." He said moving to take her hands in his.

Braze hesitated for a moment, then continued, "When I was younger, I had these... outbursts." He carefully chose his words, avoiding the term 'temper tantrum' that might trivialize his past struggles. "I think I've mostly outgrown them, but lately, everything just feels more intense. but I've been noticing more and more I feel just about everything where I didn't before... just everything is way, way more intense, but all of that pales in comparison to how I feel you. Every emotion, every sensation... but nothing compares to how intensely I feel your presence." His confession was earnest to the profound impact Loomi had on his life.

 

[Connel Vanagor]

I learned from my mother and father, but I am not them!​

Spoiler: PERSONAL EFFECTS

Jedi Defender Light Corvette
"Crotch Rocket" Speederbike
Headset Microphone Comm-link
Vambraces
Custom Robes/Armor
Long handle Lightsaber "Alpha"
Short saber "Omega"
Astromech Droid "D1-N3"

[Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation]
SECTOR: Eshan
MISSION: Winter Solstice
WITH: Buster
TAGS: Katarine Ryiah

Not only was Buster more than happy to sniff her hand, he licked it to the point where it was dripping. By the time she would be able to wipe it off, he would be nuzzling his way closer.

Busterrrr. She’s in a dress. No.

While he didn’t answer her directly Connell did answer her question through a command. For all his piss and vinegar showed he can be good and sat up with a huge smile on his face. His body still wriggling waiting to be pet.

I’m Connell by the way… I think Buster wants you for something. Happy to watch, the younger Vanagor took a quick bite of tart.

Spoiler: SUMMARY OF ACTIONS

...

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Location: Eshan
Objective: 4 - Spoil the crap out of my new friend Buster
Tags: Connel Vanagor

---

Buster as it turned out loved to be pet. He was giving her kisses before she knew it and she was laughing at his enthusiasm. Before she knew it he had nuzzled closer to her and she was petting him and scratching his little ears.

“Don’t worry. Any dress looks better with dog hair. Doesn’t it Buster?”

She rubbed his face and his cute little ears and laughed because he was still wiggling.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’m Katarine.”

She thought about that for a second and realized her nickname was Kat, and she was now in absolute love over this dog. The thought made the corners of her mouth twitch up.

“Buster can have me for whatever he wants because he’s such a good boy. Aren’t you Buster?”

She laughed and pet his nose.

“I can see Buster is used to getting all the attention.” She smiled at Connel hopping she was being rude smothering his dog in love.

---