Public Winter Solstice Festival | Eshan

[Loomi]

Eshan
Tags: Braze

"Yeah," Loomi nodded. "Let's do it."

Loomi was admittedly not the greatest at dancing, but she found it rather fun, especially doing so at that one arcade game on Zeltros. She didn't want to go back there though, not with all of those weird pheramones. She wasn't quite dressed for such a thing, nor did her feet make her any less awkward, but she was willing to give it a shot.

After all, it was with her friend.

 

[Kina Ropal]

Kina returned Vera's hand hold with a slight squeeze. She couldn't give up now; they weren't, so neither should she. With a nod, she kept on swimming, sticking to Vera and Aris's sides as they went deeper, taking his hand in turn as he offered it. She couldn't see the bottom yet, but she could feel something. What that something was... the stone maybe? The cold was starting to get a bit harsher, with only the warmth of her friends hands to keep it at bay.

Vera Noble | Aris Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Only if you can keep up."

Kahlil flashed a teasing grin towards Valery as she chose to actually play along. Well, for the most part. He narrowed his eyes a little as she did something else. The Force sent it's warnings, and that was enough for him to leap. Towards her, at least. Flame erupted where he stood, which meant she wasn't holding back. But neither was he. His leap forward to get away from the flames was an opening to swing his fists further. Strong, quick blows, aiming for various parts of her guard to overwhelm.

"So be sure to!"

Valery Noble

 

[Aldric Varanin]

It wasn’t going to really help anyone if he grabbed Noelle. What he could do is get Merion out of here before Celeste caused any more problems for him. Turning from where he said he was going, to chase back after Merion and Celeste, he nodded.

“Or maybe we just… escape?” He looked to his younger brother and the woman that was speaking to his sister.

Aunt Ibaris. Really? No one told Aldric that she was going to be here.

“Mom? She’s… somewhere…” Aldric waved down the length of the room, hoping to be as vague and helpful at the same time.

Merion Oreno Celeste Varanin Ibaris Varanin

 

[Valery Noble]

Eshan

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Outfit: Winter Coat | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble

"I always will!"

As Kahlil rushed forward to get away from the flames, Valery did the exact same thing. His fist managed to connect with her cheek, drawing some blood from her lips, but it didn't stop her from sending her knee full-force towards his gut. Not just with strength and speed, but with more flames around it too.

Maybe she could make those abs of his a little toasty.

"Is that all you got?!" She yelled, as she bobbed and weaved to evade as many of his strikes as she could. But hoping the gut strike would work, Valery wanted to follow it up with a powerful kick just above his knee. A crippling low-kick that demanded her to draw strength from her entire body as it rotated and twisted.

She was not holding back.

 

[Vulpesen]

Objective: 4
Tags: Open


Glancing left and right from his spot at the edge of the room, Vulpesen reached into his coat to produce a datapad, his tail flicking as he opened it to a text filled page. Golden eyes roamed over the bills and proposals, each once sent for the Valde's approval. Quietly, he hummed to the music before tapping and scrolling away at the screen, lost in his own little world as dancers and conversations whirled by.

A small sting on his shoulder sent him jolting out of his work and he looked to his side to see his silver haired daughter giving him a stern look. "Celebration not business, remember?" Daella's furrowed brow in that moment, was the striking image of her mother and he couldn't help but smile, albeit a bit sheepishly in response.

"You know I don't dance. At least, not at a place like this."

"And yet, you made Vallen and I take all those lessons?"

"That's a fathers prerogative. To make his children do what he'd rather not. Speaking of, where is your brother?"

She swatted his shoulder and deepened the scowl. "You're horrible. And he's out around the floor probably flirting with someone he shouldn't be."

Vulpesen simply smiled broader and leaned his head back against the wall to tip back some more wine. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Lucas taught y'all just fine when it comes to diplomacy."

"Better than he taught you."

 

[Merion Oreno]

“Or maybe we just… escape?”

"That...sounds like a solid idea. Plus the sooner I get out of here, the sooner I can say I got away with it."

Merion winked invisibly under his mask and shuffled, robes-enswaddled, behind the hors d'oeuvres table. Aldric knew the palace as well as he did: he'd know Merion was angling to exit via a curtained-off tertiary balcony and thence down an ornamental hedge. It was one of the quicker ways from the palace to the lake, if you were feeling informal and also just aching to get out. In a few minutes, they could be at the lakeside.

The curtained-off tertiary balcony in question offered a promising view: there were definitely people down there at the lake. Merion paused to see if Aldric was coming.

 

[Cato Harth]

Inanna Harth​

Cato wagged a finger, <Don't play coy with me, missy. I see through your lies.>

There was part of Cato's quippy side that quite nearly replied 'skill issue' to her musings, but the serious one she conveyed wisely made him put that one back in the pocket. But they came to the same realization about her casual telepathy, and he raised an eyebrow highly, waiting for her to say it. <You've always had the capability Inanna. You hold yourself back too much.>

She seemed able to refocus now, and swam around for a little bit before eventually finding the rock in questions, <See? Not so hard.> She touched it to his arm, but he didn't feel anything noticeable. They only seemed to warm for the person they 'belonged' to. He shrugged, then looked back, <It's further that way. Shouldn't take long to grab and get out of here.> He swam ahead, returning from where they originally came, raking his hand along the rocks until he found the one that called for him.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Cato Harth​

<You've always had the capability Inanna. You hold yourself back too much.>

<I know.> Her groan was conveyed telepathically. <Thanks for the encouragement.>

For her, the rock just got warmer when she touched it to Cato's arm. It was downright toasty compared to the water, so she held it close to her as she swam after him. While he combed through the rocks to find his, Inanna searched among the pebbles, looking for ones in certain colors or interesting shapes. She used to collect rocks and gemstones; perhaps she should take up the hobby again.

<You found it?> Smiling, she held up a smooth tawny stone for him to see. <This one is the same color as your eyes.>

 

[Vera Noble]

Eshan

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Tag: Kina Ropal Aris Noble

<We're almost there.>

Vera tugged on their hands and gestured with her head towards the floor of the lake. There was an odd scattering of rocks down there, and through the Force, she could feel warmth. Not quite like what Aris was doing to keep himself warm, but something that made her feel warm inside. Something that could help guide her along the way.

But only one of these rocks was meant for her, and one was meant for the others too.

<Aris? Can you bring us down left of that bigger rock there?> she asked telepathically. <Yours is right there.> As always, Vera would first help her brother find what connected to him, before she'd even think about going after her own. Maybe she hoped that it'd let him feel something through the Force just a bit more.

Or, at least, he'd be happy that he succeeded.

<Kina? Do you feel yours?>

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil gritted his teeth as the punch slammed home. If he wasn't focused on the Force, he'd likely of gotten a bad burn, but that was the point. They wanted to push each other to their limits, after all. What better way than to bring in some actual danger. The punch he could handle, though. The kick? If he took that, he wouldn't, and he knew that much. Which was why he twisted with it, brought a hand down to try and catch her by the ankle.

Much as he had the last time they did this.

Though rather than try to swing her around, he brought his other fist back to catch her own gut.

"No, far from it love."

Valery Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris gave a single nod in response once they reached the bottom. He could feel the need to breathe creeping it's way in the back of his mind. Jedi were good at holding their breath, but it wasn't something they could do indefinitely. He could feel the warmth, literally, from below. That was enough to guide him. He let go of their hands, swimming to the base to reach out and take up his own stone first.

Then he'd focus on helping the other two get back to the surface.

Vera Noble | Kina Ropal

 

[Kina Ropal]

Feeling was all Kina could do at that point; she'd had to close her eyes to focus on the different feelings around her. Using her eyes would only allow in unnecessary distractions and confusion; the need to physically look at every single stone, every tiny bubble that fluttered around them, and even the need to stare off into the distance of the deep, as if she were expecting to see something. Closing her eyes made it easier to allow the force to guide her, to focus on and trust the feeling of it all. Aris was to her right. Vera to her left. A seemingly vast emptiness surrounding them, suspending them, and then a wall below; the bed of the lake.

She couldn't pinpoint the exact stone, but as she released Vera's hand, descending to the bottom, she felt a pull. Ten seconds that, to her lungs and the prickling cold water against her skin, felt like forever, fingertips grazing over the scattering of stones before finally settling on one. It was warm. It soothed her fingers, chasing away the cold.

Golden eyes opened as Kina claimed her prize, staring at it in her palm for a brief moment, before rejoining her friends, pushing off from the bottom in a small cloud of silt and stone, to tread beside them once more.

Vera Noble | Aris Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Eshan

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Outfit: Winter Coat | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble

For a moment, Valery thought she had him. Her punch connected and actually did some damage, so if her kick were to connect as well, she knew she could end the fight. But... it didn't. She gritted her teeth as she felt his grip around her ankle, and she was unable to twist herself free before his fist slammed into her gut. Valery's eyes widened, and her body practically folded over on impact. Pain shot through her, and a yelp she couldn't suppress managed to escape her lips.

Knowing she was done for if this continued, Valery phased and got herself free that way. But it was now or never, so rather than back off to regain balance, she pressed the attack even more.

Another punch came his way, but again she phased, this time to get all the way through him. Valery rarely, if ever, phased more than once in combat, so she hoped to throw him off, and spun around fast with a high kick aimed straight for the head. A little brutal for a normal spar, but this was a Noble spar.

He had more than likely bruised her ribs, so he was going to get it.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"And here I thought we were sparring."

Kahlil teased aloud as she phased through his grasp. She was diving deeper into the Force than he expected, but perhaps that was for the best. The kick came, only slowed by a shimmer of a hastily made rune of shielding that at least softened the strike so he wasn't knocked out immediately. It did make his work spin for a moment as he half stumbled back.

And raised a hand. He wasn't able to focus too much on where she might be, so he chose to affect everything around him with a sudden pressure to try and force Valery straight to the ground under the weight. Or at least make her back off so he could stop seeing stars for a moment.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Eshan

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Outfit: Winter Coat | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble

"This is Noble sparring."

She teased back with an equally wide grin, mere moments before she used her phase-trick a second time to land a kick. He had slowed it down, she could tell, but the impact was still quite severe and had him stumbling. By the time he looked at her again, she had a shit-eating grin all over her face, and looked ready to finish things off.

"What's wrong, babe? Looking a little dizzy there." She was clearly loving it, and poking just a bit more fun at him to provoke him. His response came swiftly, as gravity around her surged. Valery's eyes went wide, and with a yelp, she hit the ground pretty hard. The snow underneath her feet softened the impact somewhat, but with her chest and face against the cold, she wasn't exactly in a comfortable position.

Until, she vanished.

For the first time in a spar, Valery had tapped into the Dyad to instantly teleport. Not by his side, but quite literally around him. Her legs locked around his waist, and her arms came around his neck and throat to put him in a hold that he'd hopefully not escape from. With another smirk, and some pain still lingering from hitting the ground, she leaned in and brought her lips closer to her husband's ears, "Got you now~" she whispered.

"Ready to give up?" Backpack Valery asked.

 

[Vera Noble]

Eshan

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Tag: Kina Ropal Aris Noble

Once Aris had collected his stone, Vera turned away and followed her senses to her own. If there was one thing that she didn't struggle with at all, it was feeling, and so within seconds after leaving her brother, she had the stone in her hand. Its warmth extended from her palm into her whole body, and even underwater, she managed just a little smile. But with their price collected, Vera was finally starting to struggle as well.

Bubbles formed around her mouth, as she tried to catch her breath — her breath control was failing her.

She turned to Aris with a flash of panic in her eyes, and extended an arm for his help. He was much faster than she was, so she hoped he could help her get back up before it was too late.

She wouldn't fail this trial if she got some help, right?

 

[Darth Valor]

Objective 2: Make a Wish

Darth Valor, cloaked in the obsidian hues of his Sith attire, made his way toward the water's edge. The illuminated docks led him to the small island, surrounded by the regrowing forest and lit by lanterns that danced with the soft glow of hopes and desires.

As he stood before the Lake of Tears, the history of millions lost to orbital bombardment resonated in the silence. The Force, potent on this special night, whispered through the rippling waters. Valor closed his eyes, letting the energy envelop him, and cast his wish into the ethereal currents.

"May the strength of the Force guide the destinies of the Sith," he murmured, a silent supplication to the powers that dwelled within the lake. The cool breeze carried his words, and for a moment, he felt a resonance, an acknowledgment from the unseen forces that stirred beneath the moonlit surface.

Objective 3: Test Your Mettle

Valor, undeterred by the icy embrace of the lake, followed the well-lit path to the water's edge. An Echani guide awaited him at the docks, ready to usher him into the coming-of-age practice. With a nod, he acknowledged the guide's presence, the fire of determination gleaming in his eyes.

As he submerged into the cold waters, Valor embraced the challenge. The freezing cold threatened to constrict his every muscle, but he pressed forward, deeper. The scattered rocks on the lake bed awaited, and as his fingers brushed against one, a warmth enveloped him. The connection, like a promise, foretold a new path unfolding in the tapestry of his destiny.

Draped in a towel on the shores, Valor held the warmed rock, a tangible emblem of the Force's guidance in the weeks to come.

Objective 4: A Tingle in the Air

The palace beckoned with the promise of revelry and mystery. As Valor entered the grand hall, the air thickened with an enigmatic force. The tables adorned with treats hinted at an energy beyond the mundane.

In the midst of the public ball, Valor danced to the rhythm of the night. The Echani folklore spoke of goddesses, and the very air seemed to vibrate with their presence. Sith or not, Valor couldn't deny the palpable energy, a force that intertwined with the solstice and the collective beliefs of the Echani.

With each step on the ballroom floor, he felt the pulse of something more profound—a resonance with the mysteries that the longest night held.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Ohho?

Kahlil blinked in surprise as he was the one who found himself caught by their bond. She had a grip, and he knew in a real fight this was already the end. All she'd have to do is tense the right way to break a neck, let her fire burn them, all kinds of scenarios. So he just laughed and held up his hands. Well, laughed as much as he could being choked.

"Alright, I surrender."

Valery Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

He didn't need the Force to tell Vera was at her limits. He was in a similar state himself, if he was being honest, so he gave Vera a single nod. She and Kina had found their rocks, so they had no reason to stay in the water any longer. No more waiting. He reached out to take both their hands before kicking off the base of the lake. The Force flowed freely through his body, strengthening his kicks as he dragged them both towards the surface as quick as he could.

None of this mattered if they started to drown, after all.

Vera Noble | Kina Ropal